ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar is scheduled to address the 16th Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Summit in Tashkent on Thursday and attend a reception arranged in the honor of the leaders of participating countries, confirmed his office in Islamabad.
The ECO, an intergovernmental organization, was established by Pakistan, Iran and Turkiye in 1985 and has since expanded its membership to include Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and other Central Asian countries.
Kakar arrived in Uzbekistan on Wednesday to discuss issues related to enhanced trade and regional connectivity.
“The Prime Minister will meet the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev,” said the PM Office while sharing his schedule for the day. “Bilateral relations of Azerbaijan and Pakistan, regional and global issues will be discussed in the said meeting.”
“The Prime Minister is also expected to visit the historical city of Samarkand, Uzbekistan, where he will go to the shrine of Hazrat Imam Bukhari,” the statement added.
The Pakistani premier has already held meetings with Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and ECO Secretary-General Khusrav Noziri since his arrival in the Central Asian country.
The meetings reviewed the recent developments under the purview of ECO, especially in the domain of trade, connectivity and economic cooperation.
The Pakistan PM also expressed satisfaction at the growing level of bilateral cooperation during his meeting with the Uzbekistan president while emphasizing the importance of sustaining the momentum.
The regional forum aims to utilize the economic potential of its member states that collectively form a mammoth market of over 500 million people by creating increased trade and investment opportunities.
Pakistan PM to address 16th ECO Summit in Tashkent, discuss regional connectivity
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Pakistan PM to address 16th ECO Summit in Tashkent, discuss regional connectivity
- PM Kakar has met the Uzbekistan president and will hold a meeting Azerbaijan’s leader Ilham Aliyev
- The prime minister is expected to visit Samarkand today where he will go to Imam Bukhari’s shrine
Pakistan seeks UK action over ‘incitement to violence’ against top military commander
- Move follows a video that purportedly showed a PTI supporter in Bradford referencing violence against the army chief
- Pakistan’s deputy interior minister says the government has written to the UK, saying the content breaches British law
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s State Minister for Interior Tallal Chaudhry said on Friday the government has written a letter to the United Kingdom to express concern over social media content circulating from British territory, which he said amounts to incitement to violence against the Pakistani state.
Speaking to a local news channel, Chaudhry said the government raised the issue after a video clip on social media purportedly showed a protester of former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party criticizing Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir and referring to violence against him.
“This is not a political matter, nor is it a question of freedom of expression,” the minister said while speaking to Geo TV. “This is clearly a violation of international law and of Britain’s own laws, including the British Terrorism Act 2006.”
He said the material went beyond political dissent and amounted to incitement to violence, adding that Pakistan had conveyed to British authorities that states are responsible for ensuring that individuals residing on their territory — whether citizens, asylum seekers or others — do not incite rebellion or violence against another sovereign country.
“What is very dangerous is that a very specific act — a car bombing — has been referenced,” he continued. “It has not been generalized.”
A social media post by a Britain-based journalist claimed that the video was recorded during a protest outside Pakistan’s consulate in Bradford, though neither the authenticity of the footage nor the identity of the individual could be independently verified.
Chaudhry said Pakistan’s complaint to the UK was lodged under international law, British law and United Nations principles governing relations between states, stressing that the issue was one of incitement rather than protected speech.
“This is not about freedom of expression. This is about incitement and terrorism, which is against Britain’s own laws,” he said, adding that Islamabad expects British authorities to take action.
Pakistani officials have also previously voiced concerns over social media activity by PTI supporters abroad that they say fuels unrest and hostility toward state institutions.
British authorities have not publicly responded to the letter or Chaudhry’s statement.
PTI has not reacted to either of them as well.
