ISLAMABAD: Pakistani army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa said on Monday Pakistan looked forward to enhancing ties “based on common interests” with the European Union.
Bajwa was meeting Androulla Kaminara, ambassador of the European Union, who called on the chief of army staff (COAS) at the army headquarters, GHQ, in Rawalpindi.
“During the meeting matters of mutual interest, regional security situation including recent developments in Afghan Peace Process were discussed,” the Pakistan army said in a statement. “COAS said that Pakistan values its relations with EU and we earnestly look forward to enhance mutually beneficial multi-domain relations based on common interests.”
Kaminara “appreciated Pakistan’s sincere efforts for bringing peace and stability in the region, especially the Afghan Peace Process.”
The meeting comes just weeks after violent protests by a rightwing political party that demanded the government expel the French envoy before April 20 over the publication of blasphemous cartoons in France.
At the time, Prime Minister Imran Khan addressed the nation and said severing ties with France would hit Pakistani exports to the EU and fuel poverty, unemployment and inflation in the country.
“The biggest effect [of breaking ties with France] will be that after great difficulty our economy is rising, the large-scale industry is getting up after a long time, people are getting jobs, wealth is increasing in our country, our exports are rising and after a long time, our rupee is strengthening,” Khan said in a televised address to the nation, adding that breaking ties with France was tantamount to severing relations with the entire European Union.
“Half of our textile exports go to the EU and that will be stopped, resulting in unemployment, devaluation of the rupee, increase in inflation and poverty,” Khan said. “We will be at loss but this won’t make any difference to France.”
Pakistani army chief says looks forward to ‘enhance’ ties with European Union
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Pakistani army chief says looks forward to ‘enhance’ ties with European Union
- Bajwa was meeting EU ambassador to Pakistan Androulla Kaminara who called on him at the army headquarters in Rawalpindi
- Meeting comes weeks after violent protests by rightwing group calling on government to expel French envoy over publication of blasphemous cartoons
‘Terrified’ Sydney man misidentified as Bondi shooter turns to Pakistan consulate for help
- The man says he received death threats after his images were spread widely on social media
- He sought consular help after relatives in home country began receiving alarmed phone calls
SYDNEY: A Sydney man said he had received death threats and was “terrified” to leave his home Monday after his photo was widely shared online as the gunman responsible for the Bondi Beach shooting.
A father and son duo opened fire on a Jewish festival at Australia’s best-known beach on Sunday evening, killing 15 people, including a child, and wounding 42 more.
Authorities have condemned the attack as an act of terrorism, though they have not named the two shooters — one killed at the scene, and the other now in hospital.
However, Australian public broadcaster ABC said the alleged assailant was Naveed Akram from the western Sydney suburb of Bonnyrigg, quoting an anonymous official, and other local media reported that police had raided his home.
Photos of a beaming man in a green Pakistan cricket jersey pinged across social media.
Some of the posts were shared thousands of times, drawing vitriolic comments.
But the photo was taken from the Facebook profile of a different Naveed Akram, who pleaded Monday for people to stop the misinformation in a video published by the Pakistan Consulate of Sydney.
“Per media reports, one of the shooters’ name is Naveed Akram and my name is Naveed Akram as well,” he said in the video.
“That is not me. I have nothing to do with the incident or that person,” he said, condemning the “terrible” Bondi Beach shooting.
“I just want everyone’s help to help me stop this propaganda,” he said, asking for users to report accounts that misused his photo, which he had shared in a 2019 post.
’ LIFE-THREATENING’
The 30-year-old, who lives in a northwestern suburb of Sydney, told AFP he first heard around 9:30 p.m. on Sunday that he had been falsely identified as the shooter.
“I could not even sleep last night,” Akram told AFP by phone, adding he deleted all the “terrible” messages he got.
“I’m terrified. I could not go outside, like it’s a life-threatening issue, so I don’t want to risk anything... my family is worried as well, so it’s quite a hard time for me.”
He asked the Pakistan Consulate to put out the video because relatives in the country’s Punjab province were getting phone calls as well.
“It was destroying my image, my family’s image,” he said.
“People started to call them. They were worried, and they have told the police over there.”
The Pakistan native moved to Australia in 2018 to attend Central Queensland University and later did a masters at Sydney’s Holmes Institute.
Today he runs a car rental business, and he said Australia is “the perfect country.”
“I love this country. I have never had any safety issues here, like everyone is so nice, the people are so nice here,” Akram said.
“It’s only this incident that has caused me this trauma.”
