PM Khan criticizes western states for waging war in Afghanistan

Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan speaks during a press conference at the Presidential Palace in Kabul, Afghanistan, on November 19, 2020. (AFP/File)
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Updated 18 December 2021
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PM Khan criticizes western states for waging war in Afghanistan

  • The prime minister maintains western powers occupied Afghanistan even when none of its nationals was involved in 9/11
  • Says Muslim leaders should have projected the real image of Islam to the world after September 11

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has told an international news channel western powers occupied Afghanistan about two decades ago even when none of its nationals was involved in the September 11 attacks in the United States, reported Pakistan’s state-owned APP news agency on Saturday.

The prime minister reiterated the international community was trying to achieve objectives in the war-battered country which could not have been fulfilled through military means.

“He said it was insanity what the west had been doing in the country for 20 years,” the APP news reported.

Khan also recalled he was criticized for his stance against the war in Afghanistan.

Asked about Islamophobia, he said the Muslim leaders had never projected the real image of Islam to the west, particularly after 9/11.

“This made Muslims in western countries face islamophobia despite the fact that terrorism has no relation with Islam,” he added.

The prime minister said he could not bring about a change on an international level on his own, adding the whole Muslim world should take a joint stance at forums like the United Nations to make some difference.


Firefighters put out blaze near site of deadly shopping mall inferno in Karachi

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Firefighters put out blaze near site of deadly shopping mall inferno in Karachi

  • Building fires have become an increasingly frequent occurrence in Pakistan’s Karachi, where an inferno killed dozens last month
  • Thousands rallied in city on Sunday to demand resignations of officials and systemic reforms, underscoring deepening public anger

KARACHI: Firefighters have extinguished a fire that erupted at a commercial building in Pakistan’s southern city of Karachi ​close ‌to the site where a deadly blaze killed dozens of people last month, the city’s deputy mayor said on Monday.

The fire erupted at a building near the Mobile Phone Market in Karachi’s Saddar business district, according to Karachi Deputy Mayor Salman Murad.

Two people were rescued in the incident who were given medical assistance by a Rescue 1122 ambulance on the spot, a Rescue 1122 spokesperson said.

“The fire brigade and rescue agencies took timely action. Thank God, there was no loss of life,” Murad said in a statement.

“The cause of fire is being determined and the losses of affected shopkeepers will be assessed.”

The incident occurred close to Gul Plaza, a multi-story shopping complex, where a fire last month killed at least 67 people and gutted 1,200 shops, with more than 15 people still missing.

Fire incidents have become an increasingly frequent occurrence in Karachi, a megacity of more than 20 million people, where fire services remain severely overstretched and under-resourced relative to population density and the scale of commercial activity.

Thousands rallied in Karachi on Sunday to demand the resignations of local officials and systemic reforms, underscoring deepening public anger over civic failures in Pakistan’s largest city.