ISLAMABAD: Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir condemned the spread of disinformation in cyberspace about Pakistan on Friday, saying it was creating an atmosphere of anxiety on social media and developing a perception that the state was gradually unraveling.
According to the Pakistani state-owned broadcaster, PTV, the army chief made the observation while addressing the National Farmers’ Convention where he told the participants not to pay attention to information carrying negative sentiments about the country.
Earlier this year, the army chief promised agricultural revolution in Pakistan while pointing out it would lead to greater national prosperity.
“Rumors and negative things are being said about Pakistan,” he said. “But you should know only two states were established in the name of [Islam]: the state of Madinah and the state of Pakistan. This is not a coincidence.”
“By creating an atmosphere of anxiety, despair and chaos on social media, an impression is being created through false news that the state is losing its existence,” he continued.
The army chief said that agriculture and cattle rearing had been the vocation of almost every prophet since it took discipline and patience before yielding immense rewards.
He noted the country had launched the Green Pakistan Initiative since it wanted to develop agriculture first.
“A major part of the income of Green Pakistan Initiative will go to the provinces, while the rest will be kept for farmers and agricultural research,” he said about the program which he jointly inaugurated with former prime minister Shehbaz Sharif in July. “The role of the army in this is only to serve the people and farmers.”
“Agriculture Malls will be set up in all districts where all kinds of agricultural facilities will be available to farmers,” he added.
The army chief maintained during the ceremony that Pakistan was the fastest growing country in Asia in the 1960s before the pace of its progress reduced.
Pakistan’s army chief slams social media disinformation creating perception of state’s unraveling
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Pakistan’s army chief slams social media disinformation creating perception of state’s unraveling
- General Asim Munir asks people not to pay attention to information with negative sentiments about the country
- Army chief tells a farmers’ convention Pakistan will set up malls to promote agricultural sector for greater prosperity
Imran Khan’s party chairman confirms first official meeting with Pakistan army chief
- Meeting caps nearly two years of the PTI’s unprecedented campaign of defiance against the all-powerful military
- Tensions between PTI and the army have remained at fever-pitch since Khan was ousted from PM’s office in April 2022
ISLAMABAD: The chairman of former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Gohar Ali Khan, said on Thursday he had met with the Pakistan army chief, General Syed Asim Munir, capping nearly two years of the party’s unprecedented campaign of defiance against the all-powerful military.
Khan fell out with the military’s top leaders in the lead-up to his ouster from the PM’s office in a parliamentary no-trust vote in April 2022, and his party has since led large street movements, railing against the generals’ iron grip on politics and even blaming senior military officials for an assassination bid on Khan in November 2022. The army denies the allegations.
Tensions between the PTI and the army have remained at fever-pitch especially after Khan’s brief arrest on May 9, 2023, in a land graft case that sparked countrywide protests, with PTI supporters attacking and ransacking military installations in an unprecedented backlash against the army. The military has called the day of the protests a “Black Day” and vowed to punish those involved. Since then, at least 5,000 of Khan’s supporters have been arrested, and dozens of his top party leaders have defected after they faced increasing pressure from the military establishment to do so, according to his supporters. The army denies interfering in politics.
In various press conferences, the military has denied any contact with the PTI and said that it would not talk to the masterminds of the May 9 protests. But Pakistani media has recently widely reported on a meeting this Monday between Army Chief Munir and PTI leaders Gohar and Ali Amin Gandapur, the chief minister of the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where the PTI has been in power since 2013.
“Yes, I [Gohar Ali Khan] did meet him [army chief],” Gohar told reporters on Wednesday after he met with Khan at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail where the PTI founder has been in prison since 2023. “See, wherever and for whatever reason I hold meetings, I talk about it only after I have instructions from Khan,” Gohar added, justifying his earlier denial of the meeting with Munir.
He said Khan had described the development as “very welcoming” and said negotiations were “important for the country’s stability.”
“Our doors were always open for negotiations, other people’s doors were closed,” Gohar said, quoting Khan from their meeting. “If negotiations go ahead, it will bring stability in the country.”
The PTI chairman’s disclosure comes as a government negotiation committee and the PTI held a third round of talks on Thursday afternoon in which the party presented its two main demands in writing: the release of all political prisoners and the establishment of judicial commissions to investigate protests led by the PTI on May 9, 2023, and Nov. 26, 2024, in which its supporters are accused of violence and arson.
The first round of talks took place on Dec. 23 and the second on Jan. 2.
The talks opened last month as Khan had threatened a civil disobedience movement and amid growing concerns he could face trial by a military court for allegedly inciting attacks on sensitive security installations during the May 9 protests.
Khan’s ouster in 2022 has since plunged the country into a long-term political crisis, particularly since the PTI founder was jailed in August last year on corruption and other charges and remains behind bars. Khan and the PTI say the charges are trumped up to keep them out of power.
Gunmen attack aid convoy enroute to Pakistani district hit by sectarian clashes, injuring 4
- At least 136 have been killed due to sectarian, land disputes in Kurram district since Nov. 21
- Five persons were injured on Jan. 4 in same locality when armed men attacked an aid convoy
PESHAWAR: Four persons were injured when an aid convoy enroute to Pakistan’s northwestern Kurram district, which has been rocked by sectarian clashes in recent months, was attacked by unidentified armed men on Thursday, police and health officials confirmed, as authorities struggle to main law and order in the restive area.
Kurram, a northwestern district of around 600,000 people in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, has been hit hard by tribal and sectarian clashes since Nov. 21, 2024, when gunmen attacked a convoy of Shia passengers, killing 52. Sporadic clashes since then have killed at least 136 people before the provincial government brokered a peace agreement among the warring tribes this month.
The attack sparked further violence and blockade of a main road connecting Kurram’s main town of Parachinar with the provincial capital of Peshawar, causing medicine, food and fuel shortages in the area.
This is the second such attack on an aid convoy enroute to the district, in the locality. Unidentified gunmen attacked an aid convoy at Bagan, a tense locality, on Jan. 4, injuring five people including a top administration official. Thursday’s attack also took place in Began.
“The aid convoy of more than 30 vehicles en route to Upper Kurram was attacked with gunfire by unknown armed men in Bagan area,” a police official, who spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the media, told Arab News.
“A few of the trucks which were loaded with food items were put on fire and have been burnt,” he added.
Police and law enforcement agencies are investigating the matter, the official said.
The attack caused injuries to four persons, according to Zakir Khan, the senior medical officer at the Basic Health Unit in Manduri, Lower Kurram.
“Four injured were brought to the hospital (BHU Manduri) among whom two were serious,” he said, adding that patients critically wounded had been referred to Peshawar for treatment.
The attack takes place days after authorities started demolishing bunkers in Lower Kurram, more than a week after the peace agreement was reached.
Under the peace agreement signed on Jan. 1, both sides agreed on the demolition of bunkers and the handover of heavy weapons to authorities within two weeks.
Any party that launches an attack after the signing of the deal will be considered a “terrorist” and action will be taken against it, as per the agreement. A fine of Rs10 million ($35,933) will be imposed on those who violate the terms of the deal by using weapons against each other, it said.
The agreement called for land disputes in the volatile district to be settled on a priority basis with the cooperation of local tribes and the district administration.
It also said that opening offices of banned outfits will be prohibited in the district, while social media accounts spreading hate will be discouraged via collective efforts backed by the government.
Pakistan, Bangladesh envoys in UAE meet, propose direct flights from Islamabad, Karachi to Dhaka
- The two diplomats discuss enhanced trade and investment cooperation, people-to-people contact
- Both envoys agree to support the welfare of the Pakistani and Bangladeshi diaspora in the UAE
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Bangladesh discussed the resumption of direct flights between Islamabad, Karachi and Dhaka during a meeting in Abu Dhabi on Thursday, signaling a potential step toward closer bilateral cooperation.
Pakistan and Bangladesh were once one nation but split in 1971 after a bloody civil war, which saw the part previously referred to as East Pakistan secede to form an independent nation.
In the decades since, Bangladeshi leaders, particularly former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajid, maintained close ties with India, Pakistan’s arch-rival. However, ties between the two countries warmed up since her ouster in a student-led uprising last year in August, marking a new phase of bilateral relations.
The discussion focusing on the ties between both nations took place between Tareq Ahmed, the newly appointed Bangladeshi envoy to the United Arab Emirates, and Faisal Niaz Tirmizi, Pakistan’s ambassador to the UAE.
The interaction happened at Pakistan House in Abu Dhabi.
“During the meeting, matters of mutual interest including cooperation in trade and investment, efforts to increase people-to-people contact, and resumption of direct flights from Islamabad and Karachi to Dhaka, were discussed,” said a statement released after the two diplomats met. “Both sides underscored the importance of supporting the welfare of the large Pakistani and Bangladeshi diaspora in the UAE.”
The Pakistani ambassador highlighted the deep historical and cultural ties between the two nations and stressed the untapped trade potential that could contribute to their economic growth.
His counterpart reaffirmed Bangladesh’s commitment to strengthening ties with Pakistan and emphasized the need for dialogue and cooperation to tackle shared challenges in the region.
There have also been interactions on multilateral forums between the top leaders of both countries since the fall of Wajid’s administration.
Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar is also scheduled to visit Dhaka in the beginning of February to further consolidate relations between the two countries.
Pakistani PM seeks ‘immediate’ restoration of humanitarian aid to Gaza following ceasefire accord
- Deal between Hamas and Israel outlines six-week initial ceasefire with the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip
- In 15 months of war, Israel has laid to waste much of Gaza, pre-war population of 2.3 million people has been displaced multiple times
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday called for humanitarian assistance to be restored “immediately” to Gaza and other war-torn areas, a day after a ceasefire accord was reached between Israel and Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip.
The deal comes after months of mediation by Qatar, Egypt and the US and 15 months of war during which Israel has laid to waste much of Gaza and the pre-war population of 2.3 million people has been displaced multiple times. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has described the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian enclave as “catastrophic.”
A six-week initial ceasefire phase includes the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from central Gaza and the return of displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza. The deal requires 600 truckloads of humanitarian aid to be allowed into Gaza every day of the ceasefire, 50 of them carrying fuel, with 300 of the trucks allocated to the north.
“It is imperative that provision of urgently needed humanitarian assistance is immediately restored to Gaza and other war-torn areas,” Sharif wrote on X, welcoming the ceasefire and thanking the US, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and other nations who helped broker the deal.
“Pakistan stands in solidarity with the Palestinian people and pays homage to the sacrifices of tens of thousands of innocent people who lost their lives as victims of Israeli atrocities over the past several decades.”
If successful, the ceasefire will halt fighting that has razed much of heavily urbanized Gaza and killed over 46,000 people, according to Gaza authorities. That in turn could defuse tensions across the wider Middle East, where the war has stoked conflict in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Iraq, and raised fears of all-out war between arch regional foes Israel and Iran.
“It is hoped that the truce would lead to permanent ceasefire and help in scaling up humanitarian assistance,” Pakistani foreign office spokesman, Shafqat Ali Khan, said at a weekly press briefing, calling for the “immediate and full implementation” of the ceasefire accord.
Islamabad, which does not recognize nor have diplomatic ties with Israel, said “indiscriminate” use of force by Israeli forces had caused unprecedented loss of lives and property and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians while its “expansionist designs” had destabilized the entire Middle East region.
“Pakistan reiterates its support for a just, comprehensive, and durable solution to the Palestinian issue, leading to the establishment of a sovereign State of Palestine based on pre-June 1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital,” Khan added.
SALIENT FEATURES OF CEASEFIRE DEAL
Under the deal, Hamas will release 33 Israeli hostages, including all women (soldiers and civilians), children, and men over 50. Hamas will release female hostages and under 19s first, followed by men over 50.
Meanwhile, Israel will release 30 Palestinian detainees for every civilian hostage and 50 Palestinian detainees for every Israeli female soldier Hamas released. Israel will also release all Palestinian women and children under 19 detained since Oct. 7, 2023, by the end of the first phase. The total number of Palestinians released will depend on hostages released, and could be between 990 and 1,650 Palestinian detainees including men, women and children.
Hamas will release the hostages over a six-week period, with at least three hostages released each week and the remainder of the 33 before the end of the period. All living hostages will be released first, followed by remains of dead hostages.
The implementation of the agreement will be guaranteed by Qatar, Egypt and the United States.
Negotiations over a second phase of the agreement will begin by the 16th day of phase one and are expected to include the release of all remaining hostages, including Israeli male soldiers, a permanent ceasefire and the complete withdrawal of Israeli soldiers.
A third phase is expected to include the return of all remaining dead bodies and the start of Gaza’s reconstruction, supervised by Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations.
At a news conference in Doha on Wednesday, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said the ceasefire would take effect on Sunday. Negotiators were working with Israel and Hamas on steps to implement the agreement, he said.
“This deal will halt the fighting in Gaza, surge much-needed humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians, and reunite the [Israeli] hostages with their families after more than 15 months in captivity,” US President Joe Biden said in Washington.
Israel’s acceptance of the deal will not be official until it is approved by the country’s security cabinet and government, with votes slated for Thursday, an Israeli official said.
While people celebrated the pact in Gaza and Israel, Israel’s military escalated attacks after the announcement, the civil emergency service and residents said.
Heavy Israeli bombardment, especially in Gaza City, killed 32 people late on Wednesday, medics said. The strikes continued early on Thursday and destroyed houses in Rafah in southern Gaza, Nuseirat in central Gaza and in northern Gaza, residents said.
Israel’s military made no immediate comment and there were no reports of Hamas attacks on Israel after the ceasefire announcement.
A Palestinian official close to the ceasefire negotiations said mediators were seeking to persuade both sides to suspend hostilities ahead of the ceasefire going into effect, Reuters reported.
With inputs from Reuters
Pakistan denies speculation over Wakhan Corridor takeover amid tensions with Afghanistan
- Foreign office says Pakistan recognizes Afghanistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity
- It also mentions TTP ‘sanctuaries’ on Afghan soil as a key issue straining ties with Kabul
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan dismissed speculation on Thursday about taking over Afghanistan’s Wakhan Corridor, following complaints by officials in Islamabad of cross-border militant attacks, with the foreign office reaffirming its respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the neighboring country.
The Wakhan Corridor, a narrow strip of land in northeastern Afghan region, connects Afghanistan to China and separates Tajikistan from Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltistan region.
Pakistan has experienced a surge in militant attacks by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in recent years, with Islamabad accusing the Afghan administration in Kabul of “facilitating” such cross-border violence. Afghan officials, however, have consistently denied the claim.
Tensions escalated between the two countries following reports of Pakistani airstrikes targeting alleged militant camps in Afghanistan in December. Afghan officials reported the strikes resulted in civilian casualties, warning Pakistan of consequences.
“The Wakhan Corridor is a part of Afghan territory,” foreign office spokesperson Ambassador Shafqat Ali Khan said during the weekly news conference. “For us, Afghanistan is a neighbor of Pakistan. We recognize its sovereignty and territorial integrity. There is no question of Pakistan having designs on one of its neighbors.”
Stretching approximately 350 kilometers, the corridor also holds strategic significance as a potential trade and transit route, particularly within the frameworks of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Khan highlighted the longstanding relationship between the two neighboring countries and Pakistan’s commitment to fostering strong ties with Afghanistan.
“[Afghanistan] is an important neighbor,” he said. “Both countries understand the importance of this equation, the importance of good relations between two neighbors.”
“We wish Afghanistan the best,” he added. “And we want to nurture and develop strong, vibrant relations the way it should be between two neighbors.”
While addressing the broader bilateral relationship, he noted ongoing diplomatic efforts to address security concerns, particularly regarding the presence of the TTP on Afghan soil.
“One of the key problems right now is the sanctuaries that the terrorist group TTP enjoys on Afghan soil. The two sides are in contact on this,” he said, adding that diplomatic engagements between the countries were multi-layered and often go unreported.
