ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s former caretaker interior minister Sarfraz Bugti announced to join the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) at a ceremony in Turbat, Balochistan, on Monday after stepping down from his post over the weekend to contest the next general elections.
According to Pakistan’s legal framework, members of a caretaker setup are responsible to organize free, fair and transparent election and cannot participate in the national polls.
Bugti, who previously belonged to the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), had been elected to the Senate in 2021.
“The Pakistan Peoples Party is not a new political faction for me,” he told the ceremony in Turbat in the presence of the top PPP leader and former Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari.
“When I was born, I was part of the same party,” he added. “My father launched his political career from the PPP and continued to remain part of it until his death.”
The former interim minister said Balochistan was an underdeveloped province where people rightly complained of their deprivations.
He also acknowledged the province had been grappling with significant security deficit, hoping that the situation would soon improve under the PPP leadership.
Addressing the ex-president, Bugti emphasized the need for proper road network for enhanced connectivity within the province and called for more hospitals and medical facilities in remote areas.
He also said the PPP government in the province would counter nationalist politics and deal with the specter of separatism by carrying out development work in Balochistan.
Bugti, who resigned from Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar’s cabinet citing “personal reasons,” previously served as Balochistan’s home minister after winning the 2013 elections as an independent candidate.
Soon after, he joined the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) which has traditionally been PPP’s rival party.
Top politician from Balochistan province joins Pakistan Peoples Party as electioneering begins
https://arab.news/w6u3a
Top politician from Balochistan province joins Pakistan Peoples Party as electioneering begins
- Sarfraz Bugti resigned on the weekend as caretaker minister since caretaker setup members are barred from contesting national polls
- The former caretaker minister was previously part of the Balochistan Awami Party when he became a senator in 2021
Pakistan, China hold joint counterterrorism drills as military cooperation deepens
- Warrior-IX exercise aims to boost counterterror coordination between the two nations’ armies
- Drills come as both countries cite shared security concerns along regional militant routes
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and China are conducting a two-week joint counterterrorism exercise, the Pakistan Army said on Thursday, marking another expansion in military cooperation between the two strategic partners.
The drills, known as Warrior-IX, run from Nov. 28 to Dec. 14 at Pakistan’s National Counter Terrorism Center (NCTC) in Pabbi, a major training hub for operations against militant networks that have carried out attacks across the country. Such exercises have become a recurring feature of Pakistan-China security ties, which span counterterrorism coordination, intelligence sharing, and defense technology partnerships.
Senior delegations attended the Distinguished Visitors Day on Thursday, including China’s ambassador to Pakistan, Jiang Zaidong, and Pakistan’s Chief of General Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir. Officials observed field drills and received briefings on the objectives and scope of the exercise.
“The exercise reflects strong defense collaboration between Pakistan and China and reaffirms the commitment of both Armed Forces to working together for peace and stability,” the Pakistan military said.
According to the army, dignitaries viewed a range of counterterrorism demonstrations and praised the participating troops for their professionalism and operational readiness. China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and Pakistan Army units regularly train together as both countries cite shared security threats, including attacks targeting Chinese nationals and projects inside Pakistan.
Pakistan and China have maintained one of Asia’s closest defense partnerships since the 1960s, rooted in shared strategic interests and long-term military cooperation. China is Pakistan’s largest supplier of military hardware, providing fighter aircraft, naval vessels, air-defense systems and armored platforms, including co-production of the JF-17 fighter jet under a major joint program launched in 1999. The two militaries routinely collaborate on training, intelligence exchange and counterterrorism coordination, and conduct regular joint exercises across all three services: army, navy, and air force.
Security cooperation has deepened further under the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), where Beijing has sought enhanced protection for Chinese workers and infrastructure targeted by insurgent groups. In recent years, the two sides have carried out joint counterterrorism drills, maritime security exercises in the Arabian Sea, and high-level defense consultations aimed at improving interoperability and responding to shared threats, including militant violence and regional instability. Both governments publicly describe their military ties as a “strategic partnership” and “ironclad friendship.”
