PESHAWAR: Six people, including five officials of the customs department, were killed and another wounded on Thursday when gunmen opened fire on their vehicle in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, police and rescue officials said.
Officials of the custom department were out for routine patrol in Dera Ismail Khan city when their vehicle came under attack in the jurisdiction of Draban Police Station, Regional Police Officer Nasir Hussain Satti told Arab News.
“As terrorists started firing on the custom officials, the driver lost control of the vehicle,” Hussain said.
“As a result, their car collided head-on with another vehicle coming from the opposite direction, leaving five officials and a girl dead on the spot while one person suffered injuries.”
KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur condemned the incident.
“The incident is extremely tragic. Police should take all measures to arrest elements behind the attack,” a statement quoting the chief minister said.
Aziz Dotani, a spokesman at DI Khan district’s Rescue 1122 service, said a relief team promptly rushed to the area to transport bodies to the nearest medical facility.
The latest killings come at a time of renewed militant violence in Pakistan’s northwestern and southwestern regions, especially after the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) called off its fragile, months-long truce with the government in November 2022.
While there has been a spike in militant attacks across the northwest and southwest of the country, militants have particularly attacked policemen in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in recent weeks.
Earlier this month, unidentified gunmen shot dead a policeman in the restive North Waziristan tribal district. Separately, an official working with the provincial counterterrorism department and a senior cleric affiliated with the Jamiat Ulema Islam religious political party were shot dead in two separate incidents of “targeted killings” in the North Waziristan tribal district, according to police.
While no group immediately claimed responsibility for the latest killings, suspicion is likely to fall on the TTP, which has had a significant presence in KP before being driven out as a result of successive military operations over the years. Pakistan says the TTP is now mostly based in hideouts in neighboring Afghanistan, which the Taliban denies.
Last month, seven Pakistani soldiers, including two army officers, were killed in a militant attack in North Waziristan, according to the Pakistani military. The attack led the Pakistani military to carry out rare airstrikes against suspected TTP hideouts inside Afghanistan on March 18, killing eight people. The strikes prompted Afghan forces to fire back at Pakistani soldiers along the border.
Afghan Deputy Interior Minister Mohammad Nabi Omari has urged Pakistan and the banned TTP to start negotiations afresh but Pakistan has rejected the Afghan minister’s suggestion, urging Kabul to take action against militant groups operating from its soil.
Both Pakistan and Afghanistan have traded blame in recent months over who is responsible for the recent spate of militant attacks in Pakistan.
Islamabad says the attacks are launched mostly by TTP members who operate from safe havens in Afghanistan. Kabul denies this and blames Islamabad for not being able to handle its own security challenges.
Five custom officials among six killed in gun attack in northwest Pakistan
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Five custom officials among six killed in gun attack in northwest Pakistan
- Officials of the custom department attacked while on routine patrol in Dera Ismail Khan
- Latest killings come amid renewed violence in northwestern and southwestern regions
Pakistan’s Babar Azam closes in on India’s Yadav for top T20I batter spot
- Babar Azam climbs one place to secure number four spot on T20I Batter Rankings
- Azam scored 125 runs from four innings in recent home series against New Zealand
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan captain Babar Azam has improved one spot on the ICC Men’s T20I Batter Rankings, closing in on India’s top-ranked batter Suryakumar Yadav, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Wednesday.
Azam was Pakistan’s leading run-scorer during the recently concluded home series against New Zealand. The right-handed batter scored a half-century to lead his team to victory in the fifth and final T20I of the series. He scored 125 runs from four innings at the top of his side’s batting order.
“Good signs for the Pakistan captain just weeks out from the start of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup as he closes in on the No.1 T20I batter ranking,” a post by the ICC on its website read.
Azam’s performance helped him improve one spot to number four on the updated list of T20I rankings for batters. It boosted his rating by a total of 10 points, helping him reach 763 points with Yadav now just 98 rating points ahead of the Pakistan skipper.
Azam is one number behind teammate Muhammad Rizwan, who occupies the number three spot in the rankings with 784 points behind England’s Phil Salt, who has 802 points.
Pakistani pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi also jumped three places to equal 14th spot following his eight wickets across four matches against the Kiwis.
Pakistan will next head to Ireland and England to play three T20Is against the former from May 10-14 and four T20Is against the latter from May 22-30.
The 2009 World Cup champions will then head to the USA and West Indies to take part in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 scheduled to be held in June.
Barrick Gold in talks with IFC, other agencies to raise $2 billion for Pakistan’s Reko Diq
- Reko Diq in southwestern Pakistan is one of world’s biggest under-developed copper mines
- Barrick Gold CEO says mining company needs $2 billion for first phase of Reko Diq project
TORONTO: Barrick Gold is not interested in bidding for Anglo American, which last week received a $39 billion takeover offer from BHP, and is building its own copper portfolio, the Canadian miner’s CEO Mark Bristow said on Wednesday.
If BHP’s proposed acquisition of Anglo is successful, it would create one of the world’s biggest copper miners.
Analysts and investors expect rival bids to emerge after BHP’s offer was rejected last week by Anglo, which said it was opportunistic, significantly undervaluing the company and its future prospects.
“We are not interested in bidding for Anglo American, as we are building (copper assets) of our own,” Bristow told Reuters.
Bristow is betting on developing the Reko Diq copper project in Pakistan in which it holds a 50 percent stake, the first phase of which is expected to cost $5.5 billion.
Barrick is in talks with the International Finance Corporation and other agencies to raise at least $2 billion for the first phase of the project, Bristow added.
Reko Diq, one of the biggest yet-to-be-developed copper mines in the world, is also 50 percent owned by the government of Pakistan. Saudi Arabia is in talks to buy part of the stake from the Pakistan government.
In Mali, where Barrick has a gold mine, the military-led government was last year in talks with miners over a change to its mining law that could see it boost state and private Malian interests in new projects to 35 percent from up to 20 percent previously.
However, Bristow said that the company has received written assurances from the junta that there was no threat of its assets being nationalized.
Pakistan strongly condemns ‘heinous’ Afghanistan mosque attack that killed six
- Gunman stormed mosque in Afghanistan’s Herat province on Monday, killing six and injuring one
- Pakistan says it condemns “terrorism” in all its forms, including attacks on places of worship
Islamabad: Pakistan’s foreign office on Wednesday strongly condemned a “heinous terrorist attack” that left six people dead in Afghanistan’s Herat province this week, reiterating Islamabad’s stance that it condemns violence in all its forms.
A gunman stormed a mosque in Herat province’s Guzara district on Monday, killing six worshippers and injuring one. Locals said the attackers had targeted the minority Shia community in the country.
Militant group Daesh claimed responsibility for the attack in a post on social media platform Telegram. Its regional chapter is the largest security threat in Afghanistan and has frequently targeted Shia Muslims.
“Pakistan condemns in the strongest terms yesterday’s heinous terrorist attack at a mosque in Herat, Afghanistan, resulting in loss of life and injuries,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said in a press release.
The foreign office said the people and government of Pakistan stand with the people of Afghanistan and express their heartfelt condolences over the loss of lives in the incident.
“Pakistan condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including despicable attacks on places of worship,” it added.
Relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan have deteriorated after militant attacks in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces bordering Afghanistan surged. The attacks increased after a fragile truce between Islamabad and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a banned outfit that pledges allegiance to the Afghan Taliban but is a separate group from it, broke down in Nov. 2022.
Islamabad says the attacks are launched mostly by TTP members who operate from safe havens in Afghanistan. Kabul denies this and blames Islamabad for not being able to handle its security challenges.
Tensions escalated in March when Pakistan conducted two airstrikes in Afghanistan against what it said were militant targets. Afghan officials said the airstrikes killed eight civilians, including five women and three children.
US official leads delegation to Pakistan, reiterates support for economic stability
- Jon Bass, US under secretary for political affairs, discusses regional and bilateral issues with Pakistani officials
- Bass reiterates Washington’s commitment to a stable, secure and prosperous future for Pakistan and US
KARACHI: State Department official Jon Bass led a delegation to Pakistan this week to discuss bilateral and regional matters, including Washington’s support for Pakistan’s economic stability, the US embassy said on Wednesday.
The US State Department had confirmed this week that Bass, who is the US acting under secretary for political affairs, would meet senior Pakistani government officials to discuss a range of regional and bilateral issues on Apr. 30.
“He met with senior Pakistani government officials to discuss a range of regional and bilateral issues, including US support for Pakistan’s economic stability and bilateral priorities for regional prosperity and security,” US Mission Spokesperson Thomas Montgomery said in a statement.
Montgomery said Bass underscored Washington’s commitment to a stable, secure, and prosperous future for both nations.
Pakistan’s relationship with Washington has experienced fluctuations over the decades, characterized by periods of close partnership and notable estrangement.
Despite Islamabad’s recent initiatives to enhance and deepen its ties with Washington, until recently, President Joe Biden’s administration had remained reluctant to engage with Pakistan’s top leadership.
Ties between the two countries have improved since former prime minister Imran Khan’s government was ousted via a parliamentary vote on Apr. 2022. Khan had accused Washington of colluding with his political rivals to oust him from power via a “foreign conspiracy.” Washington has consistently denied the allegations.
Cash-strapped Pakistan has been grappling with an economic crisis that reached its peak last year when inflation climbed to a staggering 38 percent and the country’s foreign exchange reserves plummeted to alarmingly low levels.
Pakistan views the US as a key ally that can help alleviate its economic crisis considering its huge influence within the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The IMF’s executive board this week completed the second review of a Stand-by Arrangement (SBA) it reached with Islamabad last year. The last-gasp deal helped Pakistan avoid a sovereign default.
Pakistani writers say Abu Dhabi book fair opportunity to promote country’s talent, rich culture
- Abu Dhabi International Book Fair kicked off on Apr. 29 and is scheduled to continue till May 5
- In a first, Pakistani writers will take part in the fair to discuss country’s literature and fiction works
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani writers taking part in the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair on Wednesday hailed the platform as a crucial opportunity for the South Asian country to promote its culture and dispel negative stereotypes associated with the nation.
The international fair kicked off on Apr. 9 and is scheduled to continue till May 5 in Abu Dhabi. It is an annual event that brings different writers together to promote reading, diverse cultures and knowledge locally, regionally, and globally. Organizers of the fair say their aim is also to promote cultural exchange and dialogue between several nations.
It also brings together leaders from the publishing and creative industries every year, providing promising opportunities for those involved in this sector to form new partnerships, learn about the latest trends and developments, and discuss its fundamental priorities.
For the first time ever, Pakistani writers are taking part in the international festival in two different sessions slated to be held on May 1 and May 3.
“Pakistan’s maiden participation in this event is crucial not only for the diaspora but also for familiarizing the Gulf and the world with Pakistan’s cultural richness, countering stereotypes, and dispelling reductionist descriptions,” Dr. Osama Siddique, a Pakistani novelist, told Arab News from Abu Dhabi.
Siddique is part of a panel that will discuss the state of Pakistan’s literary on May 3. He said Pakistani literature has struggled on the global stage due to a lack of support from the state, ineffective institutions, expensive printing materials and a lack of publishing industry development.
“Writers need to be proactive, and publishers must elevate their standards, and events like this provide a perfect platform for this,” he added.
He said Pakistan often falls short of showcasing its rich civilization, culture, and literature, despite the country’s profound historical and linguistic heritage spanning over 9,000 years.
He said Pakistani writers, local entrepreneurs and the Pakistani embassy in UAE collaborated to ensure Pakistan’s participation in the annual fair for the first time this year.
“It’s a start, albeit insufficient,” he said.
“It is vital to capitalize on such opportunities, considering the significant cultural investments made by the Gulf states in education, literature, and the arts,” he noted.
Tahira Iqbal, a Pakistani novelist who writes in Urdu, said participating in such events is crucial as it allows one to connect with writers from diverse backgrounds, languages, and regions.
Iqbal will also attend the May 3 session with Siddique as a panelist.
“Although Pakistani fiction is of high quality, it has not garnered significant recognition on the global stage, so participating in such events can address this issue,” Iqbal told Arab News.
Shazia Ali Khan, a UAE-based Urdu film screenplay writer, said such events provided an opportunity for writers to challenge preconceived notions about their country, its culture, and the role of women within it.
“So it is almost like an ambassadorial or diplomatic mission, where just us being there and speaking our minds may or may not remove any notions in people’s minds about where we come from, what our culture is, and how empowered the women are,” Khan told Arab News.
Khan stressed that Pakistani writers should ensure their literary works are translated so that they reach a wider audience, noting how most literary works originating from Pakistan were in Urdu language.
“In the absence of good translations and the proper sort of publishing houses backing all of this up to get to the end user is a bit difficult,” Khan pointed out.
Faisal Niaz Tirmizi, Pakistan’s ambassador to the UAE, said the country’s participation in the event is a testament to the rich literary heritage and vibrant intellectual discourse that it possesses.
“This representation not only showcases the diversity and creativity of Pakistani literature but also fosters meaningful cultural exchanges on a global platform,” he told Arab News.
By engaging in such events, Tirmizi said Pakistan played a crucial role in promoting cross-cultural understanding, fostering dialogue, and building bridges of friendship and cooperation between nations.
