ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday voiced its “unwavering” support for Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty and condemned “irresponsible and provocative remarks” by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about establishing a Palestinian state in the Kingdom.
The statement by the Pakistani foreign ministry came after a conversation between Pakistan’s deputy PM and foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan.
Israeli officials have proposed establishing a Palestinian state on the Saudi territory after the Israeli PM seemingly joked about the idea during an interview on pro-Netanyahu Channel 14, according to Reuters.
Netanyahu’s comments come amid a six-week truce announced last month between Hamas and Israel that ended 15 months of war, involving the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from central Gaza and the return of displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza.
“Strongly condemning Israeli Prime Minister’s irresponsible and provocative remarks, the DPM/FM reaffirmed Pakistan’s unwavering commitment to the Kingdom’s sovereignty and territorial integrity as well as unflinching support to the Palestinian cause,” the Pakistani foreign ministry said in a statement.
Pakistan has strong economic, defense and cultural ties with the Kingdom, while Islamabad does not recognize nor have diplomatic relations with Israel and calls for an independent Palestinian state based on “internationally agreed parameters.”
The remarks by the Israeli PM followed a suggestion last month by US President Donald Trump that Palestinians in Gaza should be resettled in Egypt, Jordan, or other countries — a proposal rejected by Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan, and other nations apart from being condemned by international rights groups.
Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry on Sunday responded sharply to Netanyahu’s remarks, saying that it rejected “such statements that aim to divert attention from the continuous crimes committed by the Israeli occupation against the Palestinian brothers in Gaza.”
During their conversation, the Saudi foreign minister thanked DPM Dar for Pakistan’s “consistent and time-tested support” to the sanctity and inviolability of the Kingdom, the Pakistani foreign ministry said.
“The two leaders agreed to urgently convene an Extraordinary OIC (Organization of Islamic Cooperation) meeting of Foreign Ministers to discuss the developments relating to Gaza,” it added.
Israel’s war on Gaza has killed more than 45,000 people, including children and women, according to the Palestinian health ministry, with at least more than 100,000 others wounded. The war began after Oct. 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas on Israel.
Pakistan slams Netanyahu for comments on establishing Palestinian state on Saudi soil
https://arab.news/49upb
Pakistan slams Netanyahu for comments on establishing Palestinian state on Saudi soil
- The remarks about the establishment of a Palestinian state on the Saudi territory have provoked widespread backlash
- Pakistan deputy PM terms Netanyahu’s remarks ‘irresponsible and provocative,’ reaffirms support to Palestinian cause
Islamabad court restores twice weekly visits with jailed ex-PM Khan
- Superintendent Adiala Jail where Khan is imprisoned had used discretionary powers to limit visits to Tuesdays only
- Khan has been in jail since August 2023 and faces a slew of cases, from corruption to reason, that he says are politically motivated
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday restored twice weekly visiting rights for incarcerated former Prime Minister Imran Khan, allowing his family, lawyers and political aides to meet him on Tuesdays and Thursdays, local media widely reported.
A three-member larger bench was hearing 26 petitions related to visitation rights and jail conditions for Khan. Abdul Ghafoor Anjum, the superintendent at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi where Khan has been incarcerated since 2023, had used his discretionary powers to limit the former premier’s meetings to Tuesdays only.
Khan’s cases have been tried inside prison on security grounds after he was jailed, and he has not been seen in public since. His messages to the public are conveyed by his lawyers and his social media accounts.
During the hearing of the petitions on Monday, Khan’s counsel Zaheer Abbas said he was scheduled to meet his family and lawyers on Tuesday and his friends on Thursday.
“As per SOPs, our meeting on Thursday is not being held,” Salman Akram Raja, the secretary general of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, was quoted in Dawn as telling the court.
Naveed Malik, representing the jail superintendent, said Khan had been holding meetings in jail twice a week until he was convicted and handed a 14 year sentence in a land corruption case in January.
“The status of the founder of PTI has changed after being convicted in jail,” the lawyer informed the court.
“According to the jail rules, the superintendent of Adiala Jail has the authority [to schedule the meetings accordingly].”
Malik said PTI leaders had been misusing the privilege of the meetings and making political statements outside Adiala jail.
“After the meeting, they come outside the jail and make political statements to the media, this is a violation,” he argued.
The judge heading the bench then ruled that Khan’s family and aides could meet him twice a week but should leave after the meetings and not engage in political activity outside the jail premises.
“We take an undertaking from them that they will not talk to the media after jail meeting,” he said, adding that only the coordinator of the incarcerated PTI founder, Raja, would name those allowed to meet him.
The jail superintendent’s lawyer said two meetings could be arranged weekly if Khan’s visitors provided assurances “that they will not come out and have political discussions.”
Khan has been in prison since August 2023 and faces a slew of cases, from corruption to treason, that he says are politically motivated. In January, the former premier, 72, was convicted on charges that he and his wife were given land by a real estate developer during his premiership from 2018 to 2022 in exchange for illegal favors. Khan and Bibi had pleaded not guilt.
The verdict was the biggest setback for Khan and his party since a surprisingly good showing in the 2024 general election when PTI’s candidates — who were forced to contest as independents — won the most seats, but fell short of the majority needed to form a government.
In glasses adorned with dried fruits, Peshawar shop serves ‘most unique’ shakes in town
- Amir Sab’s Special Dry Fruits Juice shop serves fresh shakes in glasses entirely covered with gooey, sweet paste and whole dried fruits
- Shakes retail for between $2-6, steep for Peshawar but which many people are still willing to pay due to drinks' unique look and taste
PESHAWAR: Muhammad Ibrahim stood at his shop, Ameer Sahib Juice Shop, earlier this month and stuck whole pistachios, cashew nuts, almonds, walnuts and raisins to a large milkshake glass covered in a gooey paste.
He was preparing the glass for what many in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar describe as the “most unique,” and “most beautifully presented” shakes in town. Ibrahim and his brother, Ismail, co-owners of the shop they set up in 2005, grind dates, honey and chocolate to prepare a soft and sticky paste that they carefully apply on the outside of each glass, on which the dried fruits are then glued. The end product is a glass that looks like it is entirely made of dried fruit.
Into the glass are poured thick shakes made from a variety of seasonal fruits, with more edible decorations added on top to finish the offering. The drinks have become as much of a social media hit as they are loved by customers who throng the shop in Ramadan and throughout the rest of the year.
"At takes at least 15-20 minutes to prepare the glass," Ibrahim told Arab News at Peshawar’s famed Namak Mandi where his store is located. "We make it in the morning and serve it at iftar time.”
Different sizes of the shakes retail for between $2-6, steep for a city like Peshawar, but which many people are still willing to pay due to the uniqueness of the drinks' presentation and taste.
"People from different parts of the country come for this dried fruit juice,” Ibrahim said, saying he regularly served customers from cities across the KP province, of which Peshawar is the capital, as well as from the Punjab province and the federal capital, Islamabad.
Ayub Sher, a resident of KP's Bajaur district who works in Peshawar, visited Ibrahim's shop last week and was all praise for the shakes.
“We came here to try this juice and to see if it has taste or not. When we tried it, we found it that it is fantastic,” he told Arab News as he scooped some thick shake out of the glass with a long spoon.
“Forget about the taste, we haven’t seen any juice presented to us this beautifully.”
Azerbaijan president calls for joint ventures with Pakistan to expand strategic partnership
- PM Sharif visited Baku in February and announced the two nations would sign deals for $2 billion investment in April
- Multiple agreements for cooperation in trade, energy, tourism, education, other sectors were signed during Sharif’s visit
ISLAMABAD: Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev has called for joint ventures with Pakistan in the defense, energy, economy, logistics and transport sectors to expand Baku’s strategic partnership with Islamabad, state media reported on Sunday.
Aliyev wrote a letter to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday on the occasion of Pakistan’s 85th Republic Day.
The letter comes weeks after Sharif visited Baku and announced that the two nations would sign deals in April to boost bilateral investments to $2 billion. Multiple agreements for cooperation in the trade, energy, tourism, education and other sectors were signed during the visit.
In September last year, Azerbaijan bought JF-17 Block III fighter jets from Pakistan, reportedly in a $1.6bn deal.
During Aliyev’s Pakistan visit last year, a joint committee was set up to materialize projects in trade, commerce, information technology, tourism, telecommunication, mineral resources and other sectors. Sharif said at the time the current trade volume of $100 million did not reflect the “true” trade potential between the two countries.
“In a letter to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, he [Aliyev] expressed his determination to further expand the strategic partnership and mutual cooperation between Pakistan and Azerbaijan,” Radio Pakistan reported.
“Aliyev emphasized that successful joint efforts in areas such as the economy, transport, logistics, energy, investment, and the defense industry are crucial for strengthening bilateral relations.”
Cash-strapped Pakistan is currently under a $7 billion International Monetary Fund bailout program and navigating a tricky path to recovery. Pakistan is looking to generate revenue through investment deals with friendly nations and regional and international allies, and to focus on export-led growth.
In 2023, Pakistan set up the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), a civil-military hybrid body, to fast-track foreign investment deals.
The country has teetered on the brink of economic crisis for several years and economists and international financial institutions have called for major economic reforms.
Pakistani security forces kill 16 militants attempting to cross border from Afghanistan
- Military says Pakistani Taliban militants attempted to enter Pakistan from Ghulam Khan, border town in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province
- Pakistan often accuses Taliban government in Afghanistan of harboring militants who launch cross-border attacks, Kabul denies the charge
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's security forces said 16 militants were killed on Sunday in a remote northwestern border area as they tried to cross the border with neighboring Afghanistan.
A military statement said the “Khwarij,” a phrase the government uses for Pakistani Taliban, attempted to enter Pakistan from Ghulam Khan, a border town in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
It said Pakistan has long urged Afghanistan to ensure effective border management. Pakistan often accuses the Taliban government in Afghanistan of turning a blind eye to militants operating near the frontier. Kabul denies the charge.
The statement said the Afghan government “is expected to fulfil its obligations and deny the use of Afghan soil” by militants “for perpetuating acts of terrorism against Pakistan.”
Pakistan has witnessed a surge in militant attacks, most claimed by Pakistani Taliban who are known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP, and are allies of the Afghan Taliban.
TTP is a separate group and has been emboldened since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021. Many TTP leaders and fighters have found sanctuary in Afghanistan since then
Pakistan charges Baloch activist with ‘terrorism’
- Mahrang Baloch staged sit-in in Quetta on Friday to demand release of members of her group allegedly detained by security forces
- Pakistan’s military strongly denies Baloch’s accusations of carrying out extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances of Baloch persons
QUETTA: Pakistan on Sunday charged a Baloch rights activist with terrorism, sedition and murder after she led a demonstration which ended in the death of three protesters, according to police documents.
Mahrang Baloch, one of Pakistan’s most prominent human rights advocates, has long campaigned for the Baloch ethnic group, which claims it has been targeted by Islamabad with harassment and extrajudicial killings.
Pakistan’s military and the central government in Islamabad strongly refute her allegations.
Pakistan has been battling a separatist insurgency in Balochistan for decades, where militants target state forces and foreign nationals in the mineral-rich southwestern province bordering Afghanistan and Iran.
On Friday, she and other activists took part in a sit-in protest outside the University of Balochistan in the provincial capital of Quetta.
They demanded the release of members of their support group, whom they allege had been detained by security agencies.
Police launched a pre-dawn raid on Saturday, arresting Baloch and other activists, during which at least three protesters died. Both sides blamed each other for the deaths.
Mary Lawlor, the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights defenders, said she was “very concerned” at Baloch’s arrest.
Baloch and other protesters have been charged with terrorism, sedition and murder, according to the police charge sheet seen by AFP.
Hamza Shafqaat, a senior administrative official in Quetta, said that Baloch and other activists were held under public order laws.
Her lawyer, Imran Baloch, confirmed she was detained in a jail in Quetta.
Baloch was barred from traveling to the United States last year to attend a TIME magazine awards gala of “rising leaders.”
Protests among the Baloch are often led by women. Baloch, now in her 30s, began her activist career aged 16 when her father went missing in what his supporters said was an alleged “enforced disappearance.” His body was found two years later.
Earlier in March, the separatist Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) — which accuses outsiders of plundering the province’s natural resources — launched a dramatic train siege that officials said ended in around 60 deaths, half of whom were separatists behind the assault.
