Security Conference Munich-Germany: Pak Army wages relentless fight against terrorism
Proudly say that no organized militants’ camps exist on the soil of Pakistan : (CoAS) Gen. Bajwa
Germany (Feb.17, 2018) Addressing the Munich Security Conference in Germany, Coas Qamar Javed Bajwa said financial cost of the war on terrors exceeds 250 billion dollars and only a fraction of which is actually shared by our global partners.
He said that over 35 thousand Pakistanis have lost their lives in the war against terror. The Chief of Army Staff said that he can say with pride and conviction that there are no organized terrorist camps on our side of the border.
He said, however, presence of terrorists of various hues and colours cannot be ruled out and we still have their active and sleeper cells, which are hiding in mountains, border towns and 54 refugee camps, besides some major towns and cities.
Expressing concerns over terrorists’ presence in Afghanistan, the Chief of Army Staff said Pakistan has undertaken fencing of its border with Afghanistan and that elimination of terrorism requires global cooperation.
CoAS General Qamar Javed Bajwa in his address threw light on Pakistan’s viewpoint on global and regional security. He said, “Pakistan defeated Al-Qaeda, Tehreek-e-Taliban and other outlawed militant groups, and we can proudly say that no organized militants’ camps exist on the soil of Pakistan.
The Army Chief said that terrorists have sanctuaries in Afghanistan from where, through their facilitators, attacks are being coordinated against Pakistan. He said that Pakistan is ready to cooperate for peace and stability in Afghanistan, however, stressed on joint efforts by all the countries to eradicate the menace of terrorism.
General Bajwa said the menace of terrorism was fought through joint efforts by the entire nation, noting that clerics from all schools of thought issued a decree against terrorism in the name of religion.
Army Chief said out of the last 131 terrorist attacks in our border areas last year, 123 were conceived, planned and executed from Afghanistan. He said Pakistan is fully committed to the international consensus that political reconciliation is the only solution to Afghan issue.
Qamar Javed Bajwa said Pakistan has been hosting three million Afghan refugees and now, time has come to repatriate these refugees to their own country.
General Qamar Javed Bajwa said now instead of blame games, it is time for NATO and allies to conduct an audit and introspection to find out causes for this stalemate.
He said in Pakistan’s war against terror, military operations were not the only thing. He said government and all stake holders formulated the National Action Plan, aimed at fighting terrorism and gradually rooting out extremism.
The Army Chief said Pakistan launched operation Radd-ul-Fasaad in 2017 supporting the National Action Plan that involves better prosecution, policing, education reforms, along with curbing terror financing and hate speech.
He said our successes have been made possible by the collective resolve and resilience of our entire nation.
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Pakistan to follow guidance on radioactive sources’ transfer: FO
ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office on Wednesday 21 Feb. 2018 said that the global nuclear watchdog the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been intimated about Pakistan’s intent to subscribe to the Guidance on the Import and Export of Radioactive Sources (GIERS).
The GIERS supplements the ‘code of conduct on the safety and security of radioactive sources’ and aims to provide for an adequate transfer of responsibility when a source is being transferred from one state to another.
It is a non-legally binding guidance on options for import and export of radioactive material, but is an important part of the global nuclear safety and security regime.
The move would strengthen Pakistan’s credentials in its quest for peaceful use of nuclear technology. “Pakistan’s subscription to the supplementary Guidance on the Import and Export of Radioactive Sources demonstrates its continued commitment to the latest international standards in the areas of nuclear non-proliferation, safety and security,” the FO said.
The statement recalled that Pakistan had been already voluntarily adhering to the code of conduct since 2005 and had fully implemented its recommendations regarding necessary systems and arrangements. The subscription would, therefore, formalise that commitment to the code of conduct. The guidance helps both the importing and exporting states. The importing states learn what is required to be done to improve the safety and security of imported sources in line with the provisions of the code, whereas the exporting states feel reassured that the recipients are responsibly managing imported sources. It, therefore, improves the safety and security culture.
“The supplementary guidance is aimed at enhancing the safety of radioactive sources during transfer from one state to another, in accordance with their respective national legislation and relevant international commitments,” the FO said.
Pakistan, it said, had run a safe, secure and peaceful nuclear programme for over four decades. “Over the years, experts from Pakistan have also contributed to the work of the IAEA in the fields of nuclear safety and security,” it pointed out.
‘Courtesy Dawn Karachi’
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Work starts on Afghan section of TAPI gas pipeline to Pakistan, India
Herat – (22 Feb.) Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has now arrived in Afghan city of Herat to participate in events connected with the launch of another stage of TAPI Gas Pipeline. He was received by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani upon arrival at Maulana Jalaluddin Balkhi Complex at Herat.
While in Turkmenistan , Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project would unite people, boost socio-economic development and bring in peace dividends to the entire region.
The Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline project was inaugurated by leaders of four countries in January 2016. The work on the Turkmenistan section of the project was completed on Friday 23 Feb2018.
The 1,814-kilometer gas pipeline will pass through Afghanistan to Pakistan and India. At least 816 kilometers of the pipeline will pass through the territory of Afghanistan. The pipeline passes through Herat, Farah, Nimroz, Helmand and Kandahar provinces of Afghanistan. In Afghanistan, the TAPI pipeline will be constructed alongside the KandaharHerat Highway in western Afghanistan, and then via Quetta and Multan in Pakistan. The final destination of the pipeline will be the Indian town of Fazilka, near its border with Pakistan.
The project will cost $22.5 billion USD. The project will be completed by 2019, according to President Ashraf Ghani’s Office. The project is implemented by the TAPI Limited Company a group of firms from Afghanistan and Turkmenistan including Afghan Gas Enterprise, Turkmen Gas State Company, and two private companies from Afghanistan.
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US fails to reprimand Pakistan for ‘terrorist financing’ in FATF meeting
PARIS: (20 Feb.) A US-sponsored resolution to consider placing Pakistan on a watchlist of countries that financially aid terrorism remained inconclusive after a meeting of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) concluded on “no consensus”, Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif informed. The minister confirmed that “no consensus [could be reached] for nominating Pakistan” to be added to the FATF’s list of nations that monetarily support terrorism.
Expressing gratitude at the decision, Asif said Pakistan’s efforts paid off and the convening states proposed a “three months pause” and asked for the Asia Pacific Group, which is part of FATF, to consider “another report in June”. “Grateful to friends who helped,” the minister added.
FATF is a global body that combats terrorist financing and money laundering. Pakistan has been scrambling in recent months to avoid being added to a list of countries deemed non-compliant with anti-money laundering and terrorist financing regulations by the FATF, a measure that officials fear could hurt its economy.
‘FATF’s deliberations confidential until made public’
Pakistan earlier this year submitted a report about the progress it had made in curbing terrorist financing, but Washington submitted its motion before the Pakistan report could be discussed at the Paris hearing.
Pakistan closes U.S.-funded radio station, citing ‘hostile’ agenda
By SHASHANK BENGALI and AOUN SAHI | Los Angles Times
Pakistani authorities on Friday closed the offices of a U.S. government-funded radio station whose broadcasts it said were “against the interests of Pakistan,” dealing another blow to relations with the United States. The Pakistani Interior Ministry said that Radio Mashaal portrayed the country as “a hub of terrorism” and “a failed state” that could not provide security for its people, particularly religious minorities and long-term refugees from Afghanistan.
The ministry said it shut the organization’s Islamabad office on the recommendations of Inter-Services Intelligence, the powerful spy agency of the Pakistani military, which has been the target of intense criticism from President Trump. The Trump administration this month announced that the U.S. would withhold hundreds of millions of dollars in security assistance due to Pakistan’s inability to crack down on militant groups that range across the border to attack U.S.-led coalition troops in Afghanistan. Trump has also called out Pakistan repeatedly on Twitter, accusing the U.S. ally, which has accepted $33 billion in U.S. funding to fight terrorism since 2002, of “lies and deceit.”
Pakistani officials said the decision to close Radio Mashaal was not a response to Trump but the result of long-standing concerns about its content. A letter from the Interior Ministry said the station’s broadcasts were “in line with [a] hostile intelligence agency’s agenda” a likely reference to Afghanistan, whose leaders accuse Pakistan of sponsoring the Taliban and other militant groups battling the Kabul government. Radio Mashaal, which broadcasts on the radio and online in the Pashto language, airs political and social coverage and is particularly popular in the marginalized northwestern tribal areas along the Afghan border.
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Pakistan could evict, rather than kill, militants: U.S. official
By : Jonathan Landay, Arshad Mohammed
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Pakistan need not kill or capture militants such as members of the Haqqani network that use its territory to launch attacks in Afghanistan but could push them across the border instead, a senior U.S. official said. Evicting the militants would put them at risk of attack from Afghan and U.S. forces trying to keep Afghanistan from becoming a launching pad for strikes on the West more than 16 years after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington. The United States is pressuring Pakistan to cease providing sanctuary – which it denies giving – to Islamist militants unleashing chaos in neighboring Afghanistan.
On Jan. 4, Washington said it would suspend some security aid to Islamabad to get it to end support for the Afghan Taliban and the allied Haqqani network whose attacks in Afghanistan have killed U.S., Afghan and other forces. The senior U.S. official said in an interview that since the aid suspension – which U.S. officials later said could affect as much as about $2 billion – the United States has not seen any sustained Pakistani effort against the militants. In the latest U.S.-led push to spur Pakistani action, a global money-laundering watchdog has been trying to put the country back on its terrorist financing watch list, a Pakistani government official and a diplomat told Reuters in Islamabad.
The U.S. official dismissed suggestions pressure from Washington may backfire and suggested that Pakistan might start by taking smaller, tactical steps, including forcing such groups into Afghanistan before the spring fighting season begins. “I don’t think Pakistan is feeling its oats. I think it’s feeling pressure,” said the U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “We have their attention.”
The official said the United States did not have a specific timeline to assess Pakistani cooperation and would be looking to see if Islamabad would take ”tactical steps“ such as ”actions against … (the) Haqqanis, pushing them across the border. “They don’t have to arrest them or kill them … just get them into Afghanistan, disrupt some of the infrastructure that exists, make it harder for them,” the official added. “We are about two months away from the fighting season, so now is the time to do some of this.”
Some in the U.S. government doubt Pakistan will comply. In a Feb. 13 statement to Congress, U.S. Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats said Pakistan would maintain “its ties with militant groups, restricting counter-terrorism cooperation” with the United States.
PML-N elects Nawaz as ‘(Leader) Quaid for life ‘, Shahbaz as interim party president
Lahore Model Town (27 Feb.) Maryam Nawaz confirmed the development in a tweet as the PML-N Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting was underway at the Sharif family’s Model Town residence in Lahore.
“Raja Zafarul Haq, Prime Minister Abbasi and Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s proposal elicited a resounding approval from [the] CWC,” Maryam said.
PML-N Chairman Raja Zafarul Haq proposed Nawaz’s elevation as ‘quaid for life’, saying, “Mian Nawaz Sharif was, is and Inshallah will remain the leader of the PML-N”.
Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif was elected unopposed as the acting president of PML-N after Nawaz proposed his name to loud applause. The meeting was called following a Supreme Court ruling ordering the removal of Nawaz Sharif as party chief. According to the party’s rules, the PML-N’s CWC is supposed to elect an acting party head within a week of its chief’s removal. Then the party’s general council is required to elect a president within 45 days.
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NAB starts corruption inquiry against four former senior military officers
February 21, 2018 | The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chief Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal has approved reopening of a 2 billion rupees graft reference against four former senior military officers. The four ex-military officers are accused of selling hundreds of acres of railway land in Lahore to a Malaysian company for the development of a golf course called Royal Palms Gold and a country club on subsidized rates. A NAB spokesman told the media, “The meeting authorised filing of a reference against former railways minister retired Lt. Gen. Javed Ashraf Qazi, former railways chairman retired Lt. Gen. Saeed Uz Zafar, former GM retired Maj Gen. Hamid Hassan Butt, former member railways retired Brig. Akhtar Ali Baig…. and others for misuse of authority and causing over Rs. 2 billion losses to national exchequer.” Federal investigation Agency (FIA) investigations revealed that the land was sold for Rs4 per square yard instead of the market price of Rs. 52.43 per square yard. The former railways minister Lt Gen Javed Ashraf Qazi is also the former DG of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). NAB has been long accused of overlooking corruption by army officers for the fear of consequences.
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Pakistan spent Rs 297bn in war on terror, Senate told
ISLAMABAD: ( 22 Feb.) The Upper House of parliament was Wednesday informed that Pakistan had spent a huge amount of Rs 297 billion in the war against terrorism during the last decade. A written reply from the Finance Ministry provided to the Senate revealed that the United States (US) had agreed to provide Pakistan $132 million for counter-terror efforts, of which $111 million had already been received. A sum of Rs 152.925 billion was released during the Operation Zarb-e-Azb to the military institutions, whereas over Rs 67 billion were granted to the law enforcement agencies. More than Rs 31 billion were provided to the bodies falling under the Defence Ministry, the reply added. An additional amount of Rs 45 billion was given to the Federally Administered Tribal Areas Secretariat for the rehabilitation and return of internally displaced persons (IDPs), the reply said.
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Captain among 11 security personnel martyred and 13 injured in Swat suicide attack
PESHAWAR (Feb. 3, 2018): The blast took place in the evening near the Pakistan Army’s sports unit situated at Sharifabad area of Swat’s Kabal tehsil. “The military men were playing volleyball in the evening when a suicide bomber exploded his suicide vest,” a security official told The Express Tribune. According to an eyewitness, he heard a huge explosion from within the military camp. “Later the security forces cordoned off the area and imposed a limited curfew in the locality.
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4 FC PERSONNEL MARTYRED IN TERRORIST ATTACK IN QUETTA
(14 Feb.): Four Frontier Corps (FC) personnel lost their lives when terrorists opened fire at their vehicle in Quetta. Outlawed Deobandi takfiri terrorist outfits such as Taliban, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (ASWJ), Daesh or Jundullah, etc., had been claiming responsibility for attacks on innocent civilians and security officials in the provincial capital city of Balochistan province. Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Quetta Razzaq Cheema said the security personnel were on routine patrol when attacked by miscreants in Dukkani Baba area of Sariab Road.
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Indian fire across LoC martyred school van driver in Azad Kashmir
RAWALPINDI (13 Feb.) A school girl who was inside the targeted van described the scenes saying the children were frightened when Indian forces across the border opened fire at their van. She told that their driver was shot by a bullet and started bleeding. “We all started screaming and there was no one to help us. The student of Government Degree College told that the incident took place in the Battal sector, adding that they were heading from Dharamsal to Battal sector.
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Pakistan army destroys Indian post at Tatta Pani sector, kills five soldiers
RAWALPINDI (14 Feb.) In retaliation to Indian forces targeted a school van at the Line of Control (LoC), Pakistan army destroyed and Indian post at Tatta Pani sector on Thursday 15 Feb., killing five Indian soldiers and wounding several other. Director General (DG) (ISPR) Major General Asif Ghafoor said that Indian Army post on LOC targeting innocent citizens destroyed by Pak Army troops in Tatta Pani (Hot Spring) sector. Five Indian soldiers killed, many injured. He further said that Indian terrorism against innocent citizens shall be responded befittingly.
On 24th Feb. A civilian was martyred and three others injured when Indian forces opened unprovoked fire at a village in Nakyal sector, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.
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Leading human rights lawyer AsthmA Jahangir
Passes away in Lahore 1952-2018
Lahore (11 Feb.) She suffered from cardiac arrest and was shifted to a hospital, where she passed. She was 66. She received a Bachelors’ degree from Kinnaird College and an LLB from Punjab University. She was called to the Lahore High Court in 1980 and to the Supreme Court in 1982. She received several awards, including a Hilal-i-Imtiaz in 2010 and a Sitara-i-Imtiaz.
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Renowned actor Qazi Wajid passes away
Karachi (11 Feb.) Veteran actor Qazi Wajid passed away in Karachi. Qazi Wajid was admitted to a hospital with complaints of heart palpitations. Qazi Wajid was one of the pioneers of Pakistan’s radio industry. After remaining associated with the industry for 25 years, Wajid decided to switch careers and joined television in 1966. The veteran actor was honoured with a Pride of Performance Award in 1988 by the Government of Pakistan. He was part of a number of Pakistan Television (PTV) classics, including Dhoop Kinaray, Khuda Ki Basti and Tanhaiyan. The role of Raja that Wajid played in Khuda ki Basti became the reason for his fame on television.
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Famous actor Munna Lahori, Zakoota of Ainak Wala Jin, passes away
Lahore (16 Feb.) One of Munna Lahori’s favourite dialogues in the Ainak Wala Jin “Mujhe Kaam Btao, Mein Kya Karoon, Mein Kisko Khaon” made him very popular among children as well as elderly people. Actor Matloob-ur- Rehman, was associated with television and theatre for the past forty years. ‘Ainak Wala Jinn’ became one of the most popular TV drama shows in the history of Pakistani dramas, in which he played the famous ‘Zakoota Jin’. His dialogues are still one of the favourites among the children and are often quoted. Munna Lahori was suffering from diabetes.
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MQM-P split hits Karachi’s civic bodies
Khalid Maqbool set to become new MQM-P convener
KARACHI: 14-2-2018: The infighting within the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan for absolute control over the party intensified as the Bahadurabad group scheduled a workers’ convention for Friday a day before the intra-party elections called by deposed convener Dr Farooq Sattar of the PIB group. The two groups have also decided to involve local government representatives in their squabbles as Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar who is an MQM-P deputy convener and now part of the Bahadurabad group called a meeting of councillors belonging to the party to show that his group enjoyed a majority in the City Council. A senior ECP official confirmed that the Rabita Committee’s plea for a new convener has been accepted and Siddiqui will replace Sattar. “We have not yet issued a notice, but Siddiqui will head the party.”
Farooq Sattar dissolves MQM Rabita Committee, calls for fresh intra-party polls on Feb 17
MQM-P intra-party polls: Farooq Sattar elected party chief: According to initial reports, Kamran Tessori, Ali Raza Abdi, Muzamil Qureshi, Abdul Waseem, Shaikh Salahuddin, Sohail Mansoor, Shahid Pasha, and Qamar Mansoor were elected as members of the party’s coordination committee.
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Baloch Jirga vows to foil conspiracies against CPEC in Balochistan
QUETTA: A tribal peace jirga held in Mastung resolved not to let conspiracies impact China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and development activities in Balochistan. The jirga also decided that they won’t let self-exiled Baloch leaders misguide the Baloch youth just to serve their own interests. Th jirga was organised by the Muhibban Tehreek Nazarya-i-Pakistan, and was addressed by Deputy Chairman of the Senate Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, Provincial Minister Mir Ghulam Dastagir Badini, MNA Mir Usman Badini, PPP leader Ali Madad Jattak, Prince Agha Omer Ahmedzai, Maulana Muhammad Ashfaq, Sardar Abdul Sattar Shar and other tribal elders. The speakers were of the view that a lot of sacrifices were made by the people of Balochistan for peace in the area. They said that they were sending out a message for everyone who wanted to continue disturbances in Balochistan on the “directions of their masters in India and Afghanistan.”
The speakers also said that the situation in Balochistan has changed tremendously and the people of Balochistan are now on one page.
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FATA TDPs can now use CNICs for identification to receive compensation: ISPR
February 15, 2018: The temporary displaced persons (TDPs) of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) can now use computerised national identity cards (CNICs) as the documents of identifications for payments of compensation. “COAS directs for facilitation to Tribal brethren in FATA,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said. “Watan Cards earlier issued as ID document for payment of compensation to TDPs no more required,” it added. The military’s media wing further said, “Henceforth, CNIC will be taken as ID document. Those without CNIC can use Watan Card till 31 May 18 and obtain CNIC by then.” The TDPs were previously issued Watan Cards to assist them in the monetary compensation as well as identification.
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SC issues contempt notice to Rao Anwar after no-show in Naqeebullah killing case
ISLAMABAD: (16 Feb.) The Supreme Court issued on Friday a contempt of court notice to suspended Malir SSP Rao Anwar over his failure to show up in court today in the Naqeebullah Mehsud killing case. The court also directed the State Bank of Pakistan to seize Anwar’s bank accounts. The orders were given by a two-member bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, that is hearing the suo motu case of Naqeebullah Mehsud’s extrajudicial killing in Karachi last month, wherein Anwar is the primary accused. The court also directed the IGs of all provinces to provide protection to the witnesses in the case after Khawaja informed the bench of threats to witnesses.