ISLAMABAD: A group of pro-Palestine protesters in Pakistan’s federal capital, Islamabad, decided to call off their sit-in after holding a meeting with Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Saturday.
The activists belonging to the Save Gaza Campaign set up their camps near the high-security Red Zone to express solidarity with the people of Palestine who have been targeted by the Israeli war machine since Oct. 7, 2023.
The protesters stayed in the area for nearly 40 days, asking the Pakistani authorities to take practical steps, such as formally protesting to the envoys of the countries supporting Israel, to help the people of Gaza.
“Every Pakistani feels the same about Palestine as they do in their heart,” the interior minister said while referring to the Save Gaza Campaign activists after successful negotiations with the group. “And what they are saying, definitely, there is nothing in it that we object to. Pakistan is already playing its role [to demand a ceasefire]. But we have also promised them [the activists] that we will act on their suggestions.”
“My request to them, which they have agreed to, is that they are going to end their sit-in,” he added.
Last month, the Save Gaza Campaign activists decided to hold their ground after an accident involving a speeding vehicle killed two of them on the roadside and injured four others.
Naqvi also mentioned the incident while praying for the deceased activists and promising quick justice in the case.
Israel has killed over 37,000 Palestinians in Gaza, most of them women and children, since the beginning of the war.
While the conflict followed a surprise attack by Hamas, which said it was retaliating to the deteriorating condition of Palestinians under occupation, Israel’s response was widely viewed as disproportionate, bordering on genocide.
Pro-Palestine protest in Islamabad concludes after 40 days following government negotiations
https://arab.news/2kwyc
Pro-Palestine protest in Islamabad concludes after 40 days following government negotiations
- ‘Save Gaza Campaign’ wanted Pakistan to formally protest to envoys of the countries supporting Israel
- Two activists were killed and four others injured when a speeding car had an accident at their protest site
How do Pakistan and Taliban Afghan militaries stack up as tensions flare?
- Pakistan fields 660,000 active troops, 465 combat aircraft and 170 nuclear warheads, dwarfing Taliban forces
- Afghan Taliban command about 172,000 personnel with limited air capability and no nuclear arsenal
Cross-border fighting between Pakistan and Afghanistan intensified overnight, with both sides claiming heavy losses and the Pakistani defense minister saying his country was in an “open war” with its neighbor.
As tensions persist, here is a look at how Pakistan dwarfs Afghanistan’s military forces and arsenals, according to data from the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies.
OVERVIEW
Pakistan’s armed forces benefit from good recruitment and retention, bolstered by equipment from its main defense partner China. Islamabad continues to invest in its military nuclear programs and is also modernizing its navy and air force.
The capability of the Afghan Taliban’s armed forces, meanwhile, is declining, with a fall in their ability to use foreign equipment that the Islamist group seized when it returned to power in the landlocked country in 2021.
A lack of international recognition for the Taliban administration has also hurt military modernization.
PERSONNEL
Pakistan has 660,000 active personnel in its defense forces, of whom 560,000 are in the army, 70,000 are in the air force, and 30,000 are in the navy.
The strength of the Afghan Taliban’s military is thinner, with only 172,000 active personnel. The group has, however, announced plans to expand its armed forces to 200,000 personnel.
FIGHTING VEHICLES AND ARTILLERY
Pakistan has more than 6,000 armored fighting vehicles, and over 4,600 pieces of artillery.
The Afghan forces also possess armored fighting vehicles, including Soviet-era main battle tanks, armored personnel carriers and autonomous underwater vehicles, but their exact number is unknown.
The precise number of artillery they possess, which is of at least three different types, is similarly not known.
AIR FORCE
Pakistan has a fleet of 465 combat aircraft and more than 260 helicopters that include multi-role, attack and transport choppers.
Afghanistan has no fighter jets and no real air force to speak of. It is known to possess at least six aircraft — some of them dating back again to the Soviet era — and 23 helicopters, although it is not possible to assess how many are in flying condition.
NUCLEAR ARSENAL
While Pakistan is a nuclear-armed country and has 170 warheads, Afghanistan does not have a nuclear arsenal.
