Islamabad: Sweden has announced closing its embassy in Pakistan “indefinitely” due to the prevailing “security situation” in the crisis-hit country’s capital.
The embassy did not elaborate on the nature of the threat, but Pakistan’s political situation is getting worse amid growing tension between the government and the Supreme Court.
Pakistan’s Supreme Court was hearing a petition to annul a bill aiming at curbing the powers of the chief justice to form panels of his choice for different cases.
“Due to the current security situation in Islamabad, the Embassy of Sweden is closed for visitors. The Migration Section is not, at the moment, able to handle requests of any kind,” a notice on the embassy’s website reads.
“Also, we cannot send any documents to our consulates, Gerry s, or to your home address. We understand that this will cause inconvenience. However, the safety of our applicants and staff members is of the highest priority,” it said.
The notice also stated that any questions regarding the reopening of the mission cannot be answered at the moment.
Many believe the decision was linked to the recent incident of the burning of the Quran in Sweden.
A Danish-Swedish far-right extremist burned a copy of the Quran in front of the Turkish embassy in Stockholm on January 21 under the protection of Swedish police, drawing condemnation from Muslims worldwide.
The political leaders of Pakistan, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and ousted premier Imran Khan, had condemned the incident.
“No words are enough to adequately condemn the abhorrable act of desecration of the Holy Quran by a right-wing extremist in Sweden. The garb of the freedom of expression cannot be used to hurt the religious emotions of 1.5 billion Muslims across the world. This is unacceptable,” Sharif had tweeted.
China temporarily closed down the consular section of its embassy in Pakistan in February due to “technical issues”, days after advising Chinese citizens in this country to be cautious due to the deteriorating security situation.
The Pakistan cricket team would prefer playing bulk of its 2023 ODI World Cup matches in Chennai and Kolkata — the two venues where the team has felt safe during its earlier tours, according to ICC sources.
The World Cup will start tentatively on October 5, with 46 matches, including final set to be played across 12 Indian cities, including Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Mumbai, Rajkot, Bengaluru, Delhi, Indore, Mohali, Guwahati and Hyderabad.
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It is understood that discussions are currently on at the ICC level as Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) bigwigs are in talks with a top level ICC executive on the issue, which still remains a sensitive one.
“A lot will depend on what BCCI and the Indian government decide but given a choice, Pakistan will like to play most of its World Cup matches in Kolkata and Chennai. In Kolkata, Pakistan played its T20 World Cup game against India in 2016 and the players were very happy with the security. Similarly, Chennai as a venue remains memorable for Pakistan. It’s also about feeling safe at specific venues,” a source close to ICC Board, tracking developments, told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
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The bone of contention will be the India versus Pakistan game. While Ahmedabad with 1,32,000 capacity gives ICC, the best chance to earn optimum profits but the Narendra Modi Stadium is already hosting the final, so another venue might host the game.
Each team will play nine games at the league stage which will be held in round-robin format.
The ICC’s Events committee, in association with host cricket board BCCI, will chalk out the final itinerary in the next few months so that it allows fans across India and other parts to plan their travel itinerary.
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Recently, ICC General Manager Wasim Khan, in his own capacity had told Pakistani media that the team could play its matches in Bangladesh as a part of a ‘hybrid model’ that could be followed since the Indian team is not travelling to the country for the Asia Cup. But PCB chairman Najam Sethi, back then had rubbished the idea of playing World Cup games in Bangladesh.
More so, ICC had made it clear that no such proposal had come from Pakistan about ‘hybrid model’ for global tournaments.
During the 2011 World Cup, Pakistan’s semi-final against India was played at Mohali, which made it logistically convenient for the fans across the border to travel through Wagah Border. However, Mohali does not figure in the 12 venues finalised by the BCCI.
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In 1996, the high-profile quarterfinal was held at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. A lot has changed since then and in these sensitive times, it will be very difficult to host Pakistan in some of the specific venues, including Mumbai and Dharamsala.
In fact Pakistan’s 2016 World Cup match was scheduled in Dharamsala but there were apprehensions that because of the Pathankot tragedy (terrorists attacked the air base), it wasn’t a wise idea to host the match at that venue. While security will be top notch for each team, the BCCI as well as the Indian government would like to ensure that there aren’t any untoward incidents.
(With inputs from PTI)
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Islamabad: Amid a surge in attacks by the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said that the banned militant group was still using Afghan soil to carry out attacks inside the country, a media report said on Tuesday.
Asif expressed his concern at the TTP using neighbouring Afghanistan for terrorism in an interview with the Voice of America on Monday, the Dawn newspaper reported.
“TTP is using (the) Afghan soil even today for attacks in our country, especially Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” the minister said, adding that Pakistan enjoys good ties with the interim Taliban government.
Asif’s remarks come as Pakistan has witnessed a surge in TTP violence since peace talks between the militant group and the government began to falter in the latter half of last year.
The TTP formally ended the ceasefire on November 28 and has executed more than 100 attacks since then.
Many of these attacks were planned and directed by the militant group’s leadership based in Afghanistan.
During the interview, Asif recalled that the issue of increased attacks by the TTP was brought to the notice of the Afghan Taliban rulers during his recent visit to Kabul.
Earlier this year, a Pakistani delegation comprising of Asif, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director General Lt Gen Nadeem Anjum, Foreign Secretary Asad Majeed Khan, Charge d’Affaires to Afghanistan Ubaidur Rehman Nizamani and Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Mohammad Sadiq visited the Afghan capital for talks on security-related matters, including counter-terrorism measures.
“(In the meeting) The (Afghan) Taliban had expressed their determination to deal with this problem and said that they won’t allow their land to be used for terrorism as per the Doha Agreement,” the minister said in the interview.
According to the report, Asif said the Afghan Taliban and TTP shared a “camaraderie” because they have been fighting against NATO for the past 20 years.
“According to my information on TTP militants, between 7,000 to 8,000 of them have been involved in the war against Nato with the Afghan Taliban,” the defence minister was quoted as saying.
“In this context, there is a camaraderie between the Afghan and Pakistani Taliban which was also seen in their (Afghan Taliban’s) words during our meetings that they are not in a position to oppose them (TTP), but they also want to help Pakistan,” he added.
Asif also said that the banned militant group was equipped with advanced weapons, such as night vision goggles left behind by the American forces when they withdrew from Afghanistan in August 2021.
Talking about the recent protests in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province against rising militancy, the minister said the province’s residents were not ready to “co-exist” with the TTP.
“It is remarkable that people are protesting unarmed against the return of the Taliban (in Pakistan). These people have been poisoned by the Taliban in the past as well, Asif said.
“What is encouraging is that people protested of their own will. They did not protest in the past. They have realised that they don’t want to live with the TTP, considering the peaceful life they have lived in the last eight to 10 years,” he added.
The minister also admitted that due to the political situation in Pakistan, protests against militancy in several areas of the country were often overlooked by the media.
In response to a question, the minister said there was no difference between the TTP and the Afghan Taliban.
“But according to our talks with the Afghan Taliban it seems that they want to distance themselves from the TTP,” Asif pointed out, adding that the Afghan Taliban were “politically astute” people.
Asif’s remarks came days after the National Security Committee (NSC) – the principal decision-making body on national security matters – agreed to launch an “all-out comprehensive operation” to rid the country of the menace of terrorism, the report said. PTI SH
Ukraine’s farmers played an iconic role in the first weeks of Russia’s invasion, towing away abandoned enemy tanks with their tractors.
Now, though, their prodigious grain output is causing some of Ukraine’s staunchest allies to waver, as disrupted shipments are redirected onto neighboring markets.
The most striking is Poland, which has played a leading role so far in supporting Ukraine, acting as the main transit hub for Western weaponry and sending plenty of its own. But grain shipments in the other direction have irked Polish farmers who are being undercut — just months before a national election where the rural vote will be crucial.
Diplomats are floundering. After a planned Friday meeting between the Polish and Ukrainian agriculture ministers was postponed, the Polish government on Saturday announced a ban on imports of farm products from Ukraine. Hungary late Saturday said it would do the same.
Ukraine is among the world’s top exporters of wheat and other grains, which are ordinarily shipped to markets as distant as Egypt and Pakistan. Russia’s invasion last year disrupted the main Black Sea export route, and a United Nations-brokered deal to lift the blockade has been only partially effective. In consequence, Ukrainian produce has been diverted to bordering EU countries: Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.
At first, those governments supported EU plans to shift the surplus grain. But instead of transiting seamlessly onto global markets, the supply glut has depressed prices in Europe. Farmers have risen up in protest, and Polish Agriculture Minister Henryk Kowalczyk was forced out earlier this month.
Now, governments’ focus has shifted to restricting Ukrainian imports to protect their own markets. After hosting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Warsaw in early April, Polish President Andrzej Duda said resolving the import glut was “a matter of introducing additional restrictions.”
The following day, Poland suspended imports of Ukrainian grain, saying the idea had come from Kyiv. On Saturday, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, after an emergency cabinet meeting, said the import ban would cover grain and certain other farm products and would include products intended for other countries. A few hours later, the Hungarian government announced similar measures. Both countries said the bans would last until the end of June.
The European Commission is seeking further information on the import restrictions from Warsaw and Budapest “to be able to assess the measures,” according to a statement on Sunday. “Trade policy is of EU exclusive competence and, therefore, unilateral actions are not acceptable,” it said.
While the EU’s free-trade agreement with Ukraine prevents governments from introducing tariffs, they still have plenty of tools available to disrupt shipments.
Neighboring countries and nearby Bulgaria have stepped up sanitary checks on Ukrainian grain, arguing they are doing so to protect the health of their own citizens. They have also requested financial support from Brussels and have already received more than €50 million from the EU’s agricultural crisis reserve, with more money on the way.
Restrictions could do further harm to Ukraine’s battered economy, and by extension its war effort. The economy has shrunk by 29.1 percent since the invasion, according to statistics released this month, and agricultural exports are an important source of revenue.
Cracks in the alliance
The trade tensions sit at odds with these countries’ political position on Ukraine, which — with the exception of Hungary — has been strongly supportive. Poland has taken in millions of Ukrainian refugees, while weapons and ammunition flow in the opposite direction; Romania has helped transport millions of tons of Ukrainian corn and wheat.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Poland’s Prime Minister, Mateusz Morawiecki | Omar Marques/Getty Images
Some Western European governments, which had to be goaded by Poland and others into sending heavy weaponry to Kyiv, are quick to point out the change in direction.
“Curious to see that some of these countries are [always] asking for more on sanctions, more on ammunition, etc. But when it affects them, they turn to Brussels begging for financial support,” said one diplomat from a Western country, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Some EU countries also oppose the import restrictions for economic reasons. For instance, Spain and the Netherlands are some of the biggest recipients of Ukrainian grain, which they use to supply their livestock industries.
Politically, though, the Central and Eastern European governments have limited room for maneuver. Poland and Slovakia are both heading into general elections later this year. Bulgaria has had a caretaker government since last year. Romania’s agriculture minister has faced calls to resign, including from a compatriot former EU agriculture commissioner.
And farmers are a strong constituency. Poland’s right-wing Law & Justice (PiS) party won the last general election in 2019 thanks in large part to rural voters. The Ukrainian grain issue has already cost a Polish agriculture minister his job; the government as a whole will have to tread carefully to avoid the same fate.
This article has been updated.
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( With inputs from : www.politico.eu )
Amritsar: Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee on Sunday sent a ‘jatha’ (group) of Sikh pilgrims to participate in a religious congregation to be organised on Khalsa Sajna Diwas (Baisakhi) at Gurdwara Sri Panja Sahib in Pakistan.
Besides the SGPC, Sikh devotees sponsored by Haryana Gurdwara Management and Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee also crossed over to Pakistan on Sunday through the Joint Check post of Attari border (JCP), officials said.
The total strength of Sikh pilgrims who crossed over to Pakistan was 2,500.
SGPC secretary Partap Singh said this ‘jatha’ has departed to participate in the main congregation of Khalsa Sajna Diwas (Baisakhi) to be organised at Gurdwara Sri Panja Sahib.
He said the ‘jatha’ will reach Gurdwara Sri Nankana Sahib on April 9, and after paying obeisance at Gurdwara Sacha Sauda Sahib, Mandi Chuharkana, on April 10, it will return to Nankana Sahib.
The jatha will reach Gurdwara Sri Panja Sahib on April 12, and participate in the main congregation on April 14, he said.
On April 15, the ‘jatha’ of Sikh pilgrims will reach Gurdwara Dehra Sahib, Lahore, and visit Gurdwara Rori Sahib, Eminabad, as well as Gurdwara Sri Kartapur Sahib on April 16. After staying at Gurdwara Dehra Sahib, Lahore, on April 17, the ‘jatha’ will return to India on April 18, he said.
The Ruet-i-Hilal Research Council (RHRC) has stated that Eid-ul-Fitr would be celebrated on Saturday, 22 April across Pakistan.
The council’s Secretary-General, Khalid Ijaz Mufti, has announced that the committee’s meeting is scheduled to sight the Shawwal moon on Thursday, 20 April. However, the odds of being able to see the moon that evening are slim.
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If the moon is sighted on Thursday, Eid-ul-Fitr will be observed on Friday, 21 April. Yet, according to Mufti, Eid is more likely to be celebrated on 22 April after fasting for 30 days during the holy month of Ramadan.
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The moon will be born on Thursday, 20 April, at 9:13 a.m. Pakistan time, as per the council. The Mufti also stated that any reports of a crescent moon sighting on 20 April would be incorrect.
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Eid-ul-Fitr commemorates the completion of Ramadan, the holy month in which Muslims fast from dawn to sunset. Traditionally, the occasion is marked by prayers, family reunions, and feasts.
The sighting of the lunar crescent, which marks the start of the Islamic month of Shawwal, determines the precise day of Eid-ul-Fitr.
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Rawalpindi: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senior Vice-President Maryam Nawaz on Wednesday blasted Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial for his remarks on the parliamentarians during a hearing of the Punjab election delay case, a media outlet reported.
“When the parliamentarians were talking about law and Constitution, you (CJP) taunted them. Do you know how prideful it is to go to jail for an ideology?” said the PML-N leader while addressing a lawyers’ convention in Rawalpindi.
Maryam’s comments came after CJP remarked that certain lawmakers speaking on the floor of the National Assembly had served jail terms and were declared traitors in the past, Geo News reported.
“Today, when you go to parliament, you find people (…) who were, until yesterday, in captivity, imprisoned, declared traitors. They are now talking over there, and being respected because they are representatives of the people.”
His remarks were also criticised by Pak Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif who said that it was a matter of pride for him that he had been released by the high court on merit in false and fabricated cases, the media outlet reported.
“It is our right under the Constitution to express our views in the parliament,” he said.
Maryam said that the chief justice had gotten emotional during the election delay case hearing, adding that he should have gotten emotional when “I spent five months in Adiala Jail and five months in NAB’s (National Accountability Bureau) custody”.
Referring to her imprisonment, Maryam said that she was in Adiala Jail for 5 months, but the chief justice did not get emotional at that time.
Moving on to arch-rival Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, Maryam said that the ex-chief of Inter-Services Intelligence General (retd) Faiz Hameed was the biggest facilitator of the former premier, the report said.
Islamabad: The Pakistan Federal Cabinet on Tuesday rejected the Supreme Court’s unanimous verdict on the case pertaining to the postponement of elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).
The development came during the Cabinet’s meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, held after a three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan and Justice Munib Akhtar as members announced the apex court’s verdict on the matter which it had reserved a day earlier, Geo News reported.
Announcing the verdict on a plea filed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the top court declared the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision to postpone polls in Punjab and KP from April 30 to October 8 as “null and void”.
The Supreme Court, in its verdict, states that the ECP’s order dated March 22, 2023, is declared to be unconstitutional, without lawful authority or jurisdiction, void ab-initio, of no legal effect, and is hereby quashed, Geo News reported.
“The Supreme Court’s decision is a minority verdict, which is why the cabinet rejects it,” the sources in the federal cabinet said.
The top court’s decision, as per the sources, is not enforceable, Geo News reported.
The government would raise its voice in parliament regarding the verdict, the sources added. It was also decided in the meeting that the ruling coalition’s parties will talk about the apex court’s decision in parliament, they added, Geo News reported.
In the meeting, the cabinet decided to present its position on the verdict.
On the SC decision, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) Senior Vice-President and Chief Organiser Maryam Nawaz took to Twitter and wrote that today’s verdict is the last blow of the conspiracy which began by “rewriting the Constitution and presenting the Punjab government on a plate” to the bench’s blue-eyed boy, Imran Khan.
Islamabad: Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has expressed his apprehension about emergency or martial law in the country if a larger Supreme Court bench was not constituted to hear the case regarding the postponement of provincial elections in Punjab, according to a media report on Tuesday.
Bilawal’s concerns stem from the ongoing political and judiciary crisis in the cash-starved country wherein the Supreme Court is hearing the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s petition against the Election Commission of Pakistan’s decision to postpone the Punjab Assembly polls.
Bilawal, who is also the head of the People’s Party (PPP), spoke with the media on Monday in Larkana, his seat in the Sindh province, and said his party would not accept whatever decision of the three judges on elections in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Punjab, The News International reported.
Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Tuesday termed as “unconstitutional” the election commission’s decision to postpone polls in the Punjab province till October 8, in a major blow to the federal government that has been trying to delay the provincial election citing security issues and the economic crisis.
“The party will embrace (only) the decision of the full court and implement the same,” he said.
He said that PPP is defending the Constitution. He added that Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, the PPP founder, had given the nation the 1973 Constitution which was breached by dictators, including Pervez Musharraf, but former president Asif Ali Zardari had restored it.
He said that the sons and daughters of dictators are in the PTI and added that party supremo Imran Khan was the chief polling agent of Pervez Musharraf in a held referendum.
He said that a three-judge decision would not be accepted because one of them, through his judgment, had handed over the Punjab government to PTI by rejecting some votes in the election of the chief minister last year.
He asked the Chief Justice of Pakistan to constitute a full court in the larger interest of the nation.
Pakistan has a history of military rule and so far generals have ruled almost half of the history of the creation of the country. Bilawal’s warning comes as the country is gripped with bitter political, judicial and economic crises.
A cattle trader named Idrees Pasha on Saturday was allegedly killed by a group of Hindutva members in Karnataka’s Ramanagara district.
The event has sparked agitation among locals and family members of the deceased, who are demanding justice for the offenders as soon as possible.
According to journalist Imran Khan, one of the primary suspects in the case has been identified as Puneet Kerehalli, who has been booked along with other suspects by the police.
FIR says: Idrees showed documents of purchase but Puneeth abused him, demanded rs 2lakh or else he will kill them. And said to go back to #Pakistan. He later chased Pasha& assaulted him as a result, pasha succumbed to his injuries. 2 associates of Pasha were also injuried (2/2) pic.twitter.com/zsnbq46i53
The deceased’s family members have accused Puneet and his colleagues of being cow vigilantes and have demanded Rs 2 lakh to release Pasha or else they would murder him.
Following Idrees Pasha’s gruesome death, his family members protested with his body, demanding action against Puneet Kerehalli and his colleagues. According to family members, Puneet mistreated and attacked Pasha, which resulted in his death.
The police have opened a murder case under IPC Sections 302, 341 (wrongful restraint), and 504 based on a complaint lodged by family members (intentional insult to provoke breach of peace).
The FIR stated that Idrees Pasha showed Puneet the purchase documentation, but he abused him and demanded Rs 2 lakh. Puneet allegedly asked Pasha to ‘Go back to Pakistan and then chased and beat him, resulting in Pasha’s death. Two of Pasha’s associates were also hurt in the event.
The police arrived on the scene and pacified the agitated family members before handing over the body for a post-mortem examination.
Who is Puneeth Kerehalli?
Puneeth Kerehalli is closely linked to Chakravarty Sulibele, the founder of the ‘Yuva Brigade,’ and Pramod Muthalik, the head of the Sri Ram Sene.
After news of the incident came to light, photographs of Puneet with several BJP stalwarts including Karnataka state ministers, South Bengaluru MP Tejaswi Surya, BJP national secretary CT Ravi surfaced online raising questions about his connections with the ruling Karnataka establishment.
