ISLAMABAD: The director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) called on the Pakistani army chief in Rawalpindi on Thursday and discussed the regional security situation with a focus on Afghanistan, the Pakistan army’s media wing said.
The visit by Willian J Burns comes two days after the Taliban announced an interim government made up mainly of ethnic Pashtun men including wanted terror suspects and hard-liners, dashing international hopes for a more moderate administration.
The Taliban’s new government has agreed to the Thursday evacuation of two hundred Americans and other foreigners who remain in Afghanistan. The departures will be among the first international flights to take off from Kabul airport since the militants seized the capital in mid-August, triggering the chaotic US-led evacuation of 124,000 foreigners and at-risk Afghans.
“During the meeting, matters of mutual interest, regional security situation and current situation in Afghanistan were discussed,” the army said. “It was reiterated that Pakistan remains committed to cooperate with its international partners for peace in the region and ensure a stable and prosperous future for Afghan people.”
The CIA director also appreciated Pakistan’s role in Afghanistan, including its help in evacuation efforts and for regional stability and peace.
The Taliban’s announcement of a new government on Tuesday was widely seen as a signal the group was not looking to broaden their base and present a more tolerant face to the world, as they had suggested they would do before their military takeover.
Foreign countries greeted the interim government with caution and dismay on Wednesday. In Kabul, dozens of women took to the streets in protest.
Many critics called on the leadership to respect basic human rights and revive the economy, which faces collapse amid steep inflation, food shortages and the prospect of foreign aid being slashed as countries seek to isolate the Taliban.
CIA director in Pakistan for talks on Afghanistan
https://arab.news/ve3f5
CIA director in Pakistan for talks on Afghanistan
- Visit by Willian J Burns comes two days after Taliban announced interim government made up mainly of ethnic Pashtun men
- CIA director appreciates Pakistan’s role in Afghanistan, including help in evacuation efforts and for regional stability and peace
Pakistan party calls Sindh resolution against new provinces ‘unconstitutional’
- The development follows calls to separate Karachi from Sindh amid governance concerns intensified by a deadly mall fire last month
- Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan calls for a referendum in urban areas of Sindh for the establishment of a new administrative unit
ISLAMABAD: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) political party on Sunday criticized the Sindh provincial government for adopting a resolution in the provincial assembly against the creation of new provinces, describing it as “illegal, unconstitutional.”
The resolution was adopted on Saturday after fresh demands by the MQM-P and other voices to grant Karachi a provincial or federal status following governance challenges highlighted by a deadly mall fire earlier this year that killed 80 people.
Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city that is home to more than 20 million, is the country’s main commercial hub and contributes a significant share to the national economy.
Speaking at a press conference, MQM-P’s Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said the Constitution of Pakistan provided procedure for establishing new provinces, but a province had “carried itself as if it were a separate country,” referring to Saturday’s resolution.
“Anything in contrast with the constitution cannot be adopted. This is illegal, unconstitutional, undemocratic,” he said, calling for a referendum in urban areas of Sindh for the establishment of a new administrative unit in the region.
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah had tabled the resolution in the assembly on Saturday, condemning what he described as “divisive statements” about breaking up Sindh or detaching Karachi.
“The province that played a foundational role in the creation of Pakistan cannot allow the fragmentation of its own historic homeland,” Shah told lawmakers, citing Article 239 of Pakistan’s 1973 Constitution, which requires the consent of not less than two-thirds of a provincial assembly to alter provincial boundaries.
“If any such move is attempted, it is this Assembly — by a two-thirds majority — that will decide,” he said.
The resolution reaffirmed that Karachi would “forever remain” an integral part of Sindh and directed the provincial government to forward the motion to the president, prime minister and parliamentary leadership for record.
Calls to alter Karachi’s status have periodically surfaced amid longstanding complaints over governance, infrastructure and administrative control in the megacity, though no formal proposal to redraw provincial boundaries has been introduced at the federal level.
Taha Ahmed Khan, a senior MQM-P member, acknowledged that his party had “presented its demand openly on television channels with clear and logical arguments” to separate Karachi from Sindh.
“It is a purely constitutional debate,” he told Arab News on Saturday. “We are aware that the Pakistan Peoples Party, which rules the province, holds a two-thirds majority and that a new province cannot be created at this stage. But that does not mean new provinces can never be formed.”
