ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s major opposition parties on Tuesday urged the government to dispatch “multiparty delegations of parliamentarians” to key world capitals as special envoys to highlight human rights abuses in the disputed Kashmir region where a security clampdown and communications blackout was imposed almost two weeks ago.
On August 5, India removed the decades-old autonomy the Muslim-majority territory of Jammu and Kashmir enjoyed under the Indian constitution. The move blocks the territory’s right to frame its own laws, opens the door for residents of all parts to buy property and compete for government jobs and college spots, and has raised fears that the region will be flooded with outsiders.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s surprise move has also increased tensions with arch rival Pakistan which lays claim to Kashmir and has accused India of human rights violations in the territory at the heart of more than 70 years of hostility between the two countries, both of whom have nuclear weapons.
Islamabad has recently been lobbying the United States, European countries and international bodies like the United Nations against India’s unilateral decision to strip Kashmir of its special status. In the past, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on the two countries to refrain from any steps that could affect Jammu and Kashmir’s special status.
In Aug 2016, the last government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had appointed 22 special envoys who traveled to key capitals to lobby for Indian-held Kashmir after deadly protests broke out over the killing of a popular freedom fighter, Burhan Wani, in a gunfight with Indian security forces.
“The government needs to dispatch special multiparty delegations to world capitals to tell the world about Indian human rights violations in Kashmir,” Taj Haider, senior leader of the opposition Pakistan Peoples Party, told Arab News.
Referring to a United Nations report this July that accused India of human rights violations in Kashmir and called for the formation of a commission of inquiry into the allegations, Haider too urged the government to push the UN on the inquiry body.
“The US and European countries are very sensitive to human rights abuses, and we need to put the case of Kashmiris effectively at the UN and other international forums,” Haider said.
Last week, the 15-member United Nations Security Council met behind closed doors at the request of China and Pakistan to discuss the Kashmir situation, but did not issue a statement after the United States, France and Germany objected. Such statements are agreed by consensus.
Senator Raja Zafarul Haq of the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party said the government should not have celebrated the UNSC’s session on Kashmir as “this was convened on the request of China and prorogued without giving any direction to resolve the decades-old dispute.”
“We cannot plead the case of our Kashmiri brothers effectively on international forums until we forge domestic political unity,” he told Arab News, urging the government to utilize all resources to internationalize the Kashmir dispute with the support of opposition parties.
Pakistan’s UN Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi has described her country’s push for last Friday’s Security Council meeting as “the first and not the last step.” She said it was the first time in more than 50 years that the council had taken up the issue.
“The fact that this meeting took place is testimony to the fact that this is an internationally recognized dispute,” Lodhi had told reporters. “The people of Jammu and Kashmir may be locked up ... but their voices were heard today at the United Nations.”
The Security Council adopted several resolutions in 1948 and in the 1950s on the dispute between India and Pakistan over the region, including one which says a plebiscite should be held to determine the future of mostly Muslim Kashmir. Another resolution also calls upon both sides to “refrain from making any statements and from doing or causing to be done or permitting any acts which might aggravate the situation.”
UN peacekeepers have been deployed since 1949 to observe a cease-fire between India and Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir.
US President Donald Trump spoke to Modi and Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday urging them to reduce tensions over Kashmir. “A tough situation, but good conversations!” Trump said in a Twitter post after the calls.
Pakistani opposition urges government to send Kashmir envoys to lobby in key capitals
Pakistani opposition urges government to send Kashmir envoys to lobby in key capitals
- Last government of Nawaz Sharif appointed 22 parliamentarians as special envoys on Kashmir in August 2016
- Pakistan is already lobbying the US, European countries and multilateral bodies since India revoked Kashmir's special status on Aug 5
Ramadan street cricket lights up Karachi after dark
- Late night street cricket during Muslim holy month is a tradition that dates back several decades
- Players say night cricket helps them stay awake until pre-dawn Suhoor meal which helps them with day’s fast after
KARACHI: It’s close to midnight but the floodlights are turned on in a Karachi town, drawing dozens of Pakistani men onto its streets for a tournament of Ramadan cricket.
Late night street cricket during the Muslim holy month is a tradition that dates back several decades, with Karachi being the hub of the lively matches.
Mohammad Bilal says night cricket helps them stay awake until Suhoor, the pre-dawn meal, which helps them with the day’s fast after.
“We are free in the night and we have to keep ourselves awake till the time of Suhoor. If we sleep, we can miss the Suhoor. If we miss Suhoor, it is difficult to fast,” Bilal said on Thursday.
Working hours during Ramadan are usually shorter in Pakistan so that people have a few hours to rest before they break their fast with an evening meal, called iftar, after sunset.
The game starts after Tarawih, or late night prayers, which ends about an hour ahead of midnight.
Tennis balls taped up with white tape are used in the game to give them more heft and visibility at night.
The tape is deftly stretched over the ball’s surface to give it a smooth surface that produces greater bounce and speed. With this modification, the tape ball is less dangerous for street games than a conventional cricket, which has a cork core covered with twine layers and a leather shell.
Bilal says playing tape ball cricket helps keep them moving during the fasting month.
“People often sleep in the day during fasting, said Bilal. “Physical activity is essential for good health, that is walking and running, etc., and cricket covers all this.”
On this Thursday in Lyari, one of Karachi’s poor neighborhoods, some 200 spectators of mostly cheering fans who admire the players turned up to watch them bat and bowl through the night.
“I don’t play but I watch it with great interest,” said Muhammad Munaf.
“Some of these boys go to their jobs during the day while some others sleep during day time. They don’t have much time on ordinary days but in Ramadan (they get to play in the night).”
President Biden’s first contact with PM Sharif signals support amid regional challenges
- Biden’s letter is the first top-level contact between the two countries in a long time, signifying a thaw in their frosty ties
- The US president describes the partnership between the two countries’ people as ‘crucial for global and local security’
ISLAMABAD: In the first top-level contact between the United States and Pakistan in a long time, President Joe Biden assured Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday of his administration’s full support in addressing the critical challenges facing the region.
Biden’s letter to Sharif signifies a thaw in the frosty US-Pakistan relations following the strained ties during the withdrawal of international forces from Afghanistan and the subsequent allegations by Pakistan’s former premier Imran Khan of a US conspiracy against his administration.
The US president’s outreach marks a notable shift from the previously perceived indifference, evident in the absence of direct communication with Khan’s government.
The correspondence underscores a potential recalibration of bilateral relations, with the US president describing the partnership between the two countries’ people as “crucial for global and local security.”
“The US will stand with Pakistan in facing the most critical challenges of the time and region,” Biden was quoted as saying in an official statement released by the Pakistani authorities. “Public health protection, economic growth and education for all are shared visions that will continue to be promoted together.”
The US president also highlighted various areas where the two countries have been working together while promising to strengthen their joint efforts.
He specifically mentioned the US-Pakistan Green Alliance Framework, saying his administration would continue to work with Pakistan for environmental improvement.
Biden also spoke of sustainable agricultural development, water management and recovery from the devastating effects of the 2022 floods in Pakistan.
He also expressed dedication to protecting human rights and promoting development together with Pakistan amid previous US concerns over freedom of speech and expression in the wake of period social media disruptions in the South Asian country.
“The strong partnership established between the two nations will be strengthened,” he said in the letter.
Pakistan’s finance minister eyes fresh IMF loan deal by fiscal year-end
- Muhammad Aurangzeb plans to discuss the contours of the new loan program during his meetings in Washington
- Pakistan has successfully completed the second and final review under a short-term IMF agreement for $1.1 billion
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan plans to reach a staff-level agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a new loan program by the end of the current fiscal year, said finance minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Friday, adding the issue would come up for discussion in his upcoming meetings in Washington.
Pakistan successfully completed the second and final review under a short-term IMF stand-by arrangement amounting to $3 billion earlier this month, clearing the way for the disbursement of the final tranche of nearly $1.1 billion.
However, the country’s fragile $350-billion economy continues to be in desperate need for external financing to shore up its foreign exchange reserves and escape yet another macroeconomic crisis. This was also indicated by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif who pointed out it was “inevitable” for his government to seek further IMF assistance after taking over the top political office of his country.
The Pakistani finance minister said he was going to attend the spring meetings in Washington where he would meet the IMF and World Bank officials and discuss the contours of a fresh Extended Fund Facility (EFF).
“Those discussions will go into end April, into May,” he informed. “We can expect, because no final discussion or agreement [with IMF] has taken place yet, but it is our desire that by the time we wrap up this fiscal year, so end June, early July, we at least reach the staff-level agreement [for the EFF].”
Committing to a new IMF program will require Pakistan to implement steps needed to stay on a narrow path to recovery. The country has already tried to implement stringent economic reforms like raising fuel and power rates that have led to spiraling inflation in the country.
Getting into another IMF program would further limit the government’s policy options to provide relief to a deeply frustrated population and cater to industries that are looking for government support to spur growth.
PCB meets to discuss national team captaincy amid reports of Babar Azam comeback
- Meeting takes place amid widespread speculation Babar could take over as Pakistan captain for upcoming T20 series against New Zealand
- Babar stepped down as all-format captain last November following the team’s failure to reach ICC Men’s World Cup semifinals with five defeats
KARACHI: The chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) met the body’s selection committee and other key officials to discuss the national team’s captaincy, the PCB said on Friday, amid reports former all-format captain Babar Azam’s name was under consideration for the position.
PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi chaired the meeting at the PCB headquarters in the eastern city of Lahore, according to the cricket board.
PCB Chief Operating Officer Salman Naseer, Selection Committee members Muhammad Yusuf, Wahab Riaz, Abdul Razzaq and Bilal Afzal, and PCB International Cricket Director Usman Wahla attended the conference.
“The members of the selection committee made recommendations to Chairman PCB Mohsin Naqvi about the captain of the national cricket team,” the PCB said in a statement.
“Coaches were also consulted at the meeting.”
Local media has widely speculated this week that Babar could make a comeback as Pakistan captain in the upcoming five-match T20 series against New Zealand.
The series is scheduled to be played in Rawalpindi on April 18, 20 and 21 and in Lahore on April 25 and 27.
The PCB, under former chief Zaka Ashraf, had appointed Shaheen Shah Afridi as Pakistan captain for the limited-over format after the national team’s poor show at the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in India. Shan Masood was given the Test captaincy at the time.
In November last year, Babar announced he was stepping down as all-format captain following the team’s failure to reach the World Cup semifinals with five defeats — including a seven-wicket mauling by India in front of more than 100,000 fans — and four wins. The team also lost to Afghanistan for the first time.
Babar was particularly under fire for the poor show of a team that was ranked as the world’s top ODI side before the tournament.
This was the fifth time in the last six World Cups that Pakistan failed to reach the semifinals.
Babar was appointed T20I and ODI captain in 2019 before eventually captaining the Test side since 2020.
Pakistan briefs Chinese investigation team on security measures after deadly suicide bombing
- Five Chinese nationals were killed on Tuesday in northwestern Pakistan when a suicide bomber targeted their vehicle
- Pakistan has since then enhanced security for Chinese personnel in the country, vowed to punish culprits of the attack
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Friday briefed a Chinese investigation team on a suicide attack in Pakistan’s Shangla, which killed five Chinese nationals this week, promising to bring to justice the perpetrators of the deadly bombing.
Five Chinese nationals and their Pakistani driver were killed on Tuesday in the northwestern Pakistani district of Shangla, when a bomber rammed his explosive-laden car into their vehicle.
The victims were en route to a hydropower project when the attack occurred in an area vital to the Chine-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), part of Beijing Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
Naqvi visited the Chinese embassy in Islamabad to brief the special investigation team that arrived from China, according to the Pakistani interior ministry.
“In the meeting, measures for the protection of Chinese citizens and overall security were discussed,” Naqvi’s ministry said in a statement. “The real culprits of the Shangla attack will be brought to justice,” the statement quoted the minister as saying.
Naqvi also met the Chinese ambassador and shared with him updates regarding the attack, according to the statement.
Tuesday’s attack came less than a week after Pakistani security forces killed eight Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) separatists, who opened fire on a convoy carrying Chinese citizens outside the Chinese-funded Gwadar port in the volatile southwestern Balochistan province.
Hundreds of Chinese engineers and technicians have been working on projects, primarily in Pakistan’s northwest and southwest, under CPEC — a network of roads, railways, pipelines and ports in Pakistan that will connect China to the Arabian Sea and help Islamabad expand and modernize its economy.
Beijing has pledged to invest over $65 billion in energy and infrastructure projects in Pakistan as part of the corridor.
The interior minister’s meeting with the Chinese team came a day after Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said his government believed Islamabad would hold accountable the perpetrators of the deadly attack.
“The Pakistani side is working intensively to investigate and handle the aftermath and has taken concrete steps to enhance security for Chinese personnel, projects and institutions,” Lin told reporters during a press briefing.
“We believe Pakistan will get to the bottom of the attack and bring the perpetrators to justice as soon as possible.”