Four Pakistani soldiers, five insurgents killed in coordinated attacks at military facility
Four Pakistani soldiers, five insurgents killed in coordinated attacks at military facility/node/2550541/pakistan
Four Pakistani soldiers, five insurgents killed in coordinated attacks at military facility
Smoke rises following an explosion after a militant suicide squad allegedly attempted to storm an army cantonment that houses military residences and offices in Bannu on July 15, 2024. (AFP)
Four Pakistani soldiers, five insurgents killed in coordinated attacks at military facility
Suicide bomber detonated explosives-laden vehicle and other insurgents opened fire near outer wall of Bannu Cantt
Most attacks in the region have been claimed by TTP which has stepped up assaults on security forces in recent months
Updated 16 July 2024
AP
PESHAWAR: A suicide bomber detonated his explosives-laden vehicle and other insurgents opened fire near the outer wall of a military facility in northwestern Pakistan early Monday, killing at least four soldiers and wounding dozens, including civilians, officials said.
There was no immediate comment from the military about the attack that happened in Bannu, a city in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan.
However, four local security officials said all five attackers had been killed.
The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the media.
However, a local police official Tahir Khan said security forces quickly responded to the “coordinated attack” and foiled an attempt by the insurgents to enter the sprawling military facility in the city of Bannu which mainly houses offices of the military and homes of security forces.
He also said army helicopters and ground forces were still reaching the area to track more militants.
Pakistan has witnessed a surge in militant attacks, mostly in the northwest, in recent years.
In January 2023 militants killed at least 101 people, mostly police officers, when a suicide bomber disguised as a policeman attacked a mosque in the northwestern city of Peshawar.
Most attacks in the region have been claimed by the Pakistani Taliban who have stepped up assaults on security forces across the country in recent months.
Pakistani Taliban — who are known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP — are a separate group but an ally of the Afghan Taliban. TTP has stepped up its attacks on security forces since the Afghan Taliban seized power in neighboring Afghanistan in 2021.
ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said on Thursday that matters relating to Pakistan’s fresh $7 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) program will be finalized this month, hours after the lender said its executive board will meet on September 25 to discuss the bailout.
The IMF statement allayed fears of a prolonged delay in much-needed funds for Pakistan. The South Asian nation struck a staff level agreement with the global lender in June, but board approval for the 37-month program has been pending since then.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said earlier on Thursday that “friendly countries” had played a major role in helping meet requirements placed before Islamabad by the IMF, which included arranging additional external financing and rolling over debt.
Islamabad has for years relied on China, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for financial assistance to meet external financing requirements and avoid sovereign default, which it came close to last summer.
“All matters with the IMF have been settled amicably,” Finance Minister Aurangzeb said in a statement. “These matters will be finalized in the meeting of the IMF board this month.”
Pakistan’s last $3 billion IMF program helped avert a sovereign default last year, amid a decline in foreign exchange reserves to critical levels, currency devaluation and record inflation.
On Thursday, Pakistan’s sovereign dollar bonds rallied, with the 2031 maturity trading 1 cent higher to bid at 79.93 cents on the dollar, according to Tradeweb data.
Pakistan has been struggling with boom-and-bust cycles for decades, leading to 22 IMF bailouts since 1958. The latest economic crisis has been the most prolonged and has seen the highest-ever levels of inflation, pushing the country to the brink of a sovereign default last summer before an IMF bailout.
The conditions of the fresh IMF bailout have become tougher such as higher taxes on farm incomes and electricity prices. The bailout is aimed at cementing stability and inclusive growth in the crisis-plagued South Asian country.
KARACHI: Pakistan’s Affan Salman, who brought home the World Youth Scrabble Championship (WYSC) 2024 trophy this month, said he hoped his win would motivate more kids to take the word game seriously and participate in global competitions, calling on the government to support the Pakistan Scrabble Association and provide funds for training and international travel.
The WYSC is organized by the World English-language Scrabble Players Association (WESPA) annually. The championship was first held in 2006, with the inaugural event taking place in Australia.
Salman,16, participated in the 19th edition of the WYSC held in Sri Lanka from September 6-8. This is the fifth time Pakistani players have claimed the championship title, which is a record.
“It was an unreal feeling and initially I couldn’t believe that I became the champion. But when everyone started congratulating me, I realized I have won,” Salman told Arab News in an interview this week.
Salman played 23 games out of 24 and was crowned the champion in the 19th round.
“In this tournament, I made a highest point-scoring word of 158 points and that word was almagest,” he said, spelling out the word for an influential treatise on astronomy written by the Greek astronomer and geographer Ptolemy in the second century AD.
Pakistan won two trophies, one for the championship title and the other for being the top-ranked team, with four of its players in the top ten. India’s Madhav Gopal Kamath, who stood fourth in the tournament, was one of the toughest opponents, Salman said.
“There were two tough opponents, the number one player of India, Madhav Gopal Kamath, and the number one player of Sri Lanka, Adheesha Dissanayake,” the Pakistani player said.
“I played with Adheesha three times [out of which] he beat me one time. He beat me at a very crucial time in the tournament, in the 23rd round and I could see the championship going away.” “NO GOVERNMENT SUPPORT”
Born and raised in Karachi, Salman has three brothers and is currently in the 10th grade, with a special interest in Computer Sciences. His elder brother Ali Salman won the world youth scrabble title in 2022 while his younger brother was also competing with him in this year’s edition.
“My father introduced us to scrabble,” Salman said. “He told me to play it in my spare time. I didn’t know we would start playing on a professional level and start winning as well.”
He said his elder brother was his inspiration.
“He taught me everything when we got into the depth of this game. Throughout the tournament, he motivated me a lot.”
To prepare for competitions, Salman studied words six hours a day and also played practice games with his brothers.
“There are word lists as well as a specific software through which we study words. It schedules words every day. Until we learn those words, the software doesn’t spare us,” the champion explained.
In the future, Salman says he wants to pursue computer engineering at the college level. He also hopes to participate and win big at the World Scrabble Championship (WSC), played to determine the world champion in competitive English-language Scrabble.
But for that he said government support was key.
“The government should collaborate with the Pakistan Scrabble Association … they should provide funds. If they cannot provide funds, they can at least sponsor our trips, that would make it much easier for us” Salman said.
“More kids will get motivated and feel that there is scope in scrabble.”
Construction begins of Afghan section of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India pipeline
The Afghanistan section was to have been completed in 2018, but construction was repeatedly postponed because of security concerns
The ceremony to weld the first joint of the pipeline section was observed by Afghan prime minister and the Turkmenistan president
Updated 12 September 2024
AP
ASHGABAT: Top officials of Afghanistan and Turkmenistan on Wednesday witnessed the start of construction of the Afghanistan section of the pipeline that will supply Afghanistan, Pakistan and India with natural gas from Turkmenistan’s vast reserves.
The Afghanistan section was to have been completed in 2018, but construction was repeatedly postponed because of security concerns. Only the Turkmenistan section has been finished.
The Wednesday ceremony to weld the first joint of the 100-kilometer (62-mile) pipeline section from Turkmenistan to the Afghan city of Herat was observed by Afghan Prime Minister Hassan Akhund, Turkmenistan President Serdar Berdymukhamediv and his father and predecessor Gurbanguly.
Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid (L) attends the inauguration ceremony of the TAPI pipeline project at Islim Cheshma in the Tagtabazar district of Mary province on September 11, 2024. (AFP)
The pipeline will eventually supply 33 billion cubic meters of gas a year.
Turkmenistan has the world’s fourth-largest gas reserves, which are the keystone of its economy. After losing its gas trade with Russia, Turkmenistan sought to diversify its customers and currently exports mainly to China.
Gurbanguly Bersymukhamedov, who holds the title of National Leader of the Turkmen People, said that the pipeline project and ancillary projects will add 12,000 jobs in Afghanistan and more than 1 billion US dollars per year in revenue, according to the government newspaper Neutral Turkmenistan.
US imposes sanctions on suppliers to Pakistan’s ballistic missile program
State Department says a Chinese research institute worked with Pakistan to procure equipment for Shaheen-3, Ababeel systems
The latest sanctions also targeted three China-based firms alongside Pakistan-based Innovative Equipment and a Chinese national
Updated 12 September 2024
Reuters
The US State Department on Thursday imposed sanctions on a Chinese research institute and several companies it said have been involved in supplying Pakistan’s ballistic missile program.
Washington similarly targeted three China-based companies with sanctions in October 2023 for supplying missile‐applicable items to Pakistan.
Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement that the Beijing Research Institute of Automation for Machine Building Industry had worked with Pakistan to procure equipment for testing rocket motors for the Shaheen-3 and Ababeel systems and potentially for larger systems.
The sanctions also targeted China-based firms Hubei Huachangda Intelligent Equipment Co, Universal Enterprise, and Xi’an Longde Technology Development Co, alongside Pakistan-based Innovative Equipment and a Chinese national, for knowingly transferring equipment under missile technology restrictions, Miller said.
“As today’s actions demonstrate, the United States will continue to act against proliferation and associated procurement activities of concern, wherever they occur,” Miller said.
The embassies of China and Pakistan in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
ISLAMABAD: Maritime experts on Thursday urged the Pakistani government to expand its blue economy to $100 billion as the country hosted an international maritime exhibition in Islamabad.
The International Maritime Sustainability Exhibition and Conference (IMSEC) was attended by International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary-General Arsenio Antonio Dominguez Velasco and several other maritime experts.
This is the first-ever visit to Pakistan by the chief of the IMO, a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for regulating shipping and ensuring maritime safety, environmental protection and security on international waters.
During the maritime conference, panelists suggested the Pakistani government to work on increasing its share in the global blue economy, which means sustainable use of ocean resources to benefit people, livelihoods and ocean ecosystem health.
“Blue economy is a responsibility in which we do a business in maritime domain which is safe and secure as far as the environment is concerned, its ecosystem is preserved as well as it is centered around the people that was the message which was given by the secretary general of IMO as well,” Vice Admiral (retired) Ahmed Saeed, president of Pakistan’s National Institute of Maritime Affairs, told Arab News.
“So, today’s conference was actually centered around giving the details of the potential of Pakistan’s maritime economy. It is around $100 billion so at the moment our contribution into our national economy is less than 1 percent whereas it should be close to 6-10 percent.”
Professor Dr. Sajid Mahmood Shahzad, vice chancellor of MinHajj University in Lahore, said Pakistan should focus on the country’s maritime potential to fix the country’s fragile economy.
“We are always talking of fragile economy of Pakistan, if you really would like to ask me, answer to all those fragile economy of Pakistan is blue economy. We need to put up a lot of efforts to achieve, to gain whatever we have out at sea,” he told Arab News.
“The potential we have that is enormous, but being a maritime nation how to accrue those benefits from the sea, we are ignorant. I think now the time has come we should focus on our blue economy,” he said.
Participants attend International Maritime Sustainability Exhibition and Conference (IMSEC) in Islamabad, Pakistan on September 12, 2024. (AN photo)
Fisheries and maritime trade
In his meeting with the IMO chief, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vowed to expand the country’s fisheries and maritime trade, and explore offshore resources, according to Sharif’s office.
Established in 1948, the IMO’s primary role is to develop and maintain a comprehensive regulatory framework for shipping, which includes standards for safety, pollution prevention and legal matters surrounding global maritime operations.
The prime minister “underlined Pakistan’s desire for expanding fisheries and maritime trade, exploring offshore resources, promoting coastal tourism, and fostering a sustainable shipbreaking industry,” Sharif’s office said, after his meeting with the IMO chief.
It said the premier prioritized blue economy as a “central pillar” of his economic development strategy and highlighted the role of Pakistan’s Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), a civil-military body set up in June last year, in attracting investments and introducing modern technologies to advance fisheries and the shipbreaking sector.
“PM Sharif renewed Pakistan’s firm commitment to work with the international partners and the IMO to contribute to global efforts aimed at reducing maritime emissions,” the statement from Sharif’s office said.
“Secretary-General Velasco appreciated the prime minister’s leadership and Pakistan’s proactive approach toward leveraging its maritime resources for economic progress and its role in the global maritime community.”
International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary-General Arsenio Antonio Dominguez Velasco speaks during International Maritime Sustainability Exhibition and Conference (IMSEC) in Islamabad, Pakistan on September 12, 2024. (PID)
He assured continued support to Pakistan from the IMO in furthering maritime collaboration for sustainable development. Maritime decarbonization, environment-friendly ship-recycling
Earlier at the conference, the Pakistani government pledged to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the global maritime sector, make greater use of green technology to improve ships’ energy efficiency and carry out more environment-friendly ship recycling.
“Pakistan fully complies with IMO regulation,” Maritime Affairs Minister Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh said at the opening session of the conference. “We are striving to reduce the global [carbon] footprint and make greater use of green technology. Such measures must be taken in every institution to deal with climate change.”
The minister said Pakistan was invested in ensuring the protection of biodiversity and the oceans and would work to make ship recycling “safe and environmentally friendly.”
“We are ready to work with global organizations to promote ship-making, ship-recycling and the blue economy,” Sheikh added.
Addressing the conference, IMO chief Velasco said his visit to Pakistan would give him the opportunity to “come back in the future and assess and evaluate all the promises and the conversations and the challenges that we are going to put toward each other, from Pakistan government as well as from IMO in order to work better in the different aspects of shipping.”
He said he looked forward to working with Pakistan on decarbonization and ship recycling, where Pakistan is one of the leading nations in the world.
