WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump, speaking at a White House meeting with visiting Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, said on Monday the United States is working with Islamabad to find a way out of the war in Afghanistan.
Trump held out the possibility of restoring US aid to Pakistan, depending upon what is worked out, and offered assistance to Islamabad in trying to ease strained ties with India.
Khan told Trump there was only one solution for Afghanistan and that a peace deal with the Taliban was closer than it had ever been. He said he hoped in the coming days to be able to urge the Taliban to continue the talks.
The United States views Pakistan’s cooperation with a deal to end the 17-year-old war as essential but the two countries have a complicated relationship.
Trump wants to wrap up US military involvement in Afghanistan and sees Pakistan’s cooperation as crucial to any deal to end the war and ensure the country does not become a base for militant groups like Islamic State.
Washington wants Islamabad to pressure Afghanistan’s Taliban into a permanent cease-fire and participation in talks with the Afghan government.
Trump last year slashed millions of dollars of security assistance to Islamabad, which it accused of serving as a safe haven for militants. Pakistan has denied the accusations.
Authorities in Pakistan last week arrested Hafiz Saeed, the alleged mastermind of a 2008 militant attack on the Indian city of Mumbai who has been designated a terrorist by the United States and the United Nations. More than 160 people were killed in the four-day siege.
But Pakistan has not released Shakil Afridi, the jailed doctor believed to have helped the CIA track down former Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, whose organization was responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.
India, which in February came close to war with Pakistan over the disputed region of Kashmir and which accuses Islamabad of supporting militants, will be watching the talks in Washington closely.
The Pentagon said Pakistan’s army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, will meet later on Monday with the top American military officer, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford.
Analysts believe Bajwa will play a key role in behind-the-scenes discussions in which much of the serious business of the visit will take place, with the military looking to persuade Washington to restore aid and cooperation.
Trump says US working with Pakistan to find way out of Afghan war
Trump says US working with Pakistan to find way out of Afghan war
- The US president held out the possibility of restoring US aid to Pakistan, depending upon what is worked out
- He also offered assistance to Islamabad in trying to ease strained ties with India
Pakistan sells 480MHz for $507 million in 5G spectrum auction
- Mobile network operator Jazz buys 190 MHz, Ufone 180MHz and Zong 110MHz, says telecom authority chairman
- Most mobile networks in Pakistan currently operate on fourth-generation (4G) infrastructure, while 5G rollout has faced delays
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has sold 480 megahertz (MHz) of fifth-generation (5G) telecom spectrum for $507 million, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) confirmed after a live auction on Tuesday, marking a key step toward introducing faster mobile broadband.
The live auction was organized by the PTA to determine which telecom operators would acquire the frequencies needed to deploy 5G mobile networks across Pakistan.
Pakistan, a country of over 240 million people, is one of the world’s largest telecom markets by population, with over 190 million mobile phone users. However, most networks currently operate on fourth-generation (4G) infrastructure, and the rollout of 5G has faced delays in recent years due to regulatory, economic and spectrum-allocation challenges.
“In total out of 595 MHz, 480 MHz spectrum has been sold today,” PTA Chairman Hafeez-ur-Rehman said in a speech aired on state media. “This is a very big achievement and a big victory for Pakistan, in my opinion.”
Chinese mobile operator Zong bought 110 MHz of the 5G spectrum, while Ufone bought 180 MHz and Veon-backed firm Jazz bought 190 MHz, Rehman announced.
“And the price in total for this is $507 million,” the PTA chairman said.
According to officials, 5G services are expected to be rolled out first in Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta cities, before expanding nationwide as network infrastructure develops.
Information Technology Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja has previously said the government is also encouraging wider adoption of 5G-compatible devices, noting that about 95 percent of mobile phones used in
Pakistan are locally manufactured, while premium models such as iPhones and Google Pixel devices are imported.
Officials say Pakistan currently uses around 274 megahertz of spectrum, much of it allocated decades ago, while the new auction will make 600 megahertz of spectrum available for next-generation services.
Under the government’s rollout plan, telecom operators are expected to add roughly 3,000 new network sites annually to support the expansion of 5G services.
PTA officials say Pakistan currently offers some of the world’s cheapest mobile data services and have pledged that consumer protection will remain a priority as the country moves toward next-generation connectivity.
