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The highway is the most politically charged slice of a politically turbulent country. It winds 180 miles from Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, through the fertile plains of Punjab Province to Lahore, the nation’s cultural and political heart. For centuries, it was known only as a sliver of the Grand Trunk Road, Asia’s longest and oldest thoroughfare, linking traders in Central Asia to the Indian subcontinent. As Pakistan heads into national elections on Thursday, the road is buzzing. Politics dominates the chatter between its vendors and rickshaw drivers, their conversations seeped in a culture of conspiracy, cults of political personality and the problems of entrenched military control.

Locations: Pakistan’s, Islamabad, Punjab Province, Lahore, Central Asia, Pakistan

☆ Pakistan’s Military Has Swayed Many Elections. Now It’s Going Full Tilt.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Christina Goldbaum | Zia Ur-Rehman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Tucked away on a patch of dying grass on the outskirts of Islamabad, the gathering hardly looked like a political rally at the height of an election season. There were no posters to promote a campaign, no microphones to deliver speeches, no sound system to amp up the crowd. Even the candidate, Aamir Mughal, was missing: He had gone into hiding months earlier, at the first signs of a military-led crackdown on his political party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or P.T.I. The authorities had already raided his home, arrested two of his sons and lodged a case against him in connection with anti-military protests. in the first national election since the party’s leader, former Prime Minister Imran Khan, ran afoul of the generals and was ousted by Parliament in 2022.

Persons: Aamir Mughal, ” Mr, Mughal, “, Imran Khan Organizations: ” Locations: Islamabad, Pakistan

☆ Ahead of Election, Pakistan Seals Plan to Sell National Airline
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +8 min

"Our job is 98% done," Privatisation Minister Fawad Hasan Fawad told Reuters when asked about the plan to sell the airline. Details of the privatisation process have not been previously reported. PIA had liabilities of 785 billion Pakistani rupees ($2.81 billion) and accumulated losses of 713 billion rupees as of June last year. Its CEO has said losses in 2023 were likely to be 112 billion rupees. PIA spokesman Abdullah Hafeez Khan said the airline was assisting the privatisation process, extending "full cooperation" to the transaction adviser.

Persons: Asif Shahzad, Fawad Hasan Fawad, Fawad, Ernst & Young, Shamshad Akhtar, Abdullah Hafeez Khan, Nawaz, Nawaz Sharif, Imran Khan, Sharif's, Ishaq Dar, EASA, Brendan Sobie, Gibran Peshimam, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Pakistan International Airlines, International Monetary Fund, PIA, IMF, Reuters, Caretaker, Ernst &, Ernst, FAST, Pakistan Muslim League, European Union Aviation Safety Agency, Heathrow, Manchester, Birmingham, Kuwaiti Locations: Asif Shahzad ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Czech, Hungarian, Karachi, Europe, Kuala Lumpur, Toronto, Singapore, East, North America, Paris, New York

☆ Rehan Zeb Khan: Pakistan election candidate killed ahead of general election
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Sophia Saifi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Islamabad, Pakistan CNN —A Pakistan election candidate was shot dead while campaigning on Wednesday, as violence escalates a week before polls open. Rehan Zeb Khan, an independent candidate affiliated with former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, was shot in a “targeted killing” when gunmen opened fire on his car in a market in Bajaur, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to district police. In response to the violence, Pakistan’s Election Commission (ECP) summoned an emergency meeting of security officials on Thursday to discuss the “deteriorating” law and order situation in the two provinces, according to a statement from the commission. On Wednesday, Pakistan’s military also met for an annual conference where they discussed the possible deployment of the country’s army to assist the election commission during the general election next week, according to a government statement. The election commission has declared February 8, the day of the election, a public holiday for the country’s 240 million people.

Persons: Rehan Zeb Khan, Imran Khan’s, ”, Malik Kaleem Ullah, Home and Tribal Affairs Balochistan Zubair Jamali, “, Khan Organizations: Pakistan CNN —, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Assembly, Reuters, Pakistan’s People’s Party, Pakistan Muslim League, Home and Tribal Affairs Balochistan, Baloch Liberation Army, PTI Locations: Islamabad, Pakistan, Imran Khan’s Pakistan, Bajaur, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, State Khorasan, Balochistan, Home and Tribal Affairs Balochistan Zubair, Sibi

Islamabad, Pakistan CNN —Pakistan’s incarcerated former Prime Minister Imran Khan has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for corruption, his Pakistan Tehreef-e-Insaaf (PTI) party said Wednesday, in the second legal blow to beset the beleaguered politician this week. Khan, who has been jailed since August on several charges, has also been barred from holding office for 10 years, the PTI said. Bibi was taken into police custody shortly after the sentencing, the party added. Wednesday’s sentencing comes almost one week away from a general election expected on February 8 and just a day after Khan was handed a 10-year sentence for leaking state secrets. That moment set the stage for a months-long showdown between Khan and the powerful military, who he accused of orchestrating his removal.

Persons: Pakistan CNN — Pakistan’s, Imran Khan, Khan, Bushra Bibi, Bibi, ” Khan Organizations: Pakistan CNN, National, Bureau, PTI Locations: Islamabad, Pakistan

☆ Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan sentenced to 10-year jail term
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan, gestures as he speaks to the members of the media at his residence in Lahore, Pakistan May 18, 2023. Former Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan has been sentenced to 10 years in jail on charges of leaking state secrets, his party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) confirmed in a post on social media site X on Tuesday. The former national cricket captain became Pakistan's prime minister in 2018. What can be more ridiculous than that Pakistan has imprisoned its Prime Minister and Foreign Minister for exposing the foreign conspiracy! One month later, he was removed from power in a vote of no-confidence by opposition lawmakers alleging corruption and unconstitutional actions.

Persons: Imran Khan, Pakistan Imran Khan, Khan, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Khan's Organizations: Former, PTI Locations: Lahore, Pakistan, Islamabad, Washington

Islamabad, Pakistan CNN —Pakistan’s former leader Imran Khan has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for leaking state secrets, his political party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) said in a statement Tuesday. The former prime minister repeatedly alleged that Pakistani officials conspired with the country’s powerful military and the US to remove him from office. Khan has been behind bars since August after he was found guilty of corruption and sentenced to three years in prison. Despite being unable to stand in the upcoming vote, he remains a major political force owing to his widespread popularity. TV stations are banned from running Khan’s speeches, and many of his PTI party colleagues have been arrested.

Persons: Pakistan CNN — Pakistan’s, Imran Khan, Khan, Shah Mehmood Qureshi Organizations: Pakistan CNN, Cypher, PTI, US State Department Locations: Islamabad, Pakistan, Rawalpindi’s Adiala, Pakistani

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Separate traffic crashes in eastern Afghanistan have left at least 33 people dead and 16 others injured, authorities said Sunday. Ten others were injured in the crashes and they were hospitalized for treatment, Zadran said. Meanwhile, four additional collisions happened in the eastern Laghman province near the end of the same highway between Kabul and Nangarhar, killing 15 people, according to a statement from the Laghman police chief. One person was killed and six others were injured in other parts of Laghman province, it added. Political Cartoons View All 253 ImagesTraffic crashes are common in Afghanistan, mainly because of poor road conditions and the carelessness of drivers on highways.

Persons: Khalid Zadran, Zadran Locations: ISLAMABAD, Afghanistan, Sorabi, Kabul province, Kabul, Nangarhar, Laghman

☆ Pakistan accuses India of extrajudicial killings on its territory
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Sophia Saifi | Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A top Pakistan official on Thursday accused India of killing two Pakistani nationals on its soil, citing what he called “a pattern” of alleged Indian assassination plots overseas and raising tensions between the two nuclear-armed rivals. India has long accused Pakistan of harboring terrorists, particularly in the disputed and heavily militarized region of Kashmir, which both countries claim in its entirety. Qazi on Thursday compared the alleged killings in Pakistan to other purported recent Indian assassination plots in North America. India and many other countries have publicly warned Pakistan cautioning that it would be consumed by its own culture of terror and violence,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. The Indian government has denied involvement in the American and Canadian cases and has set up a high-level committee to investigate the accusations in the US.

Persons: Muhammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi, Muhammad Riaz, Shahid Latif, ” Qazi, –, Qazi, “, Randhir Jaiswal, Justin Trudeau Organizations: CNN, Pakistan, India’s, External Affairs, Canadian, American Locations: Islamabad, Pakistan, Kashmir, Sialkot, New Delhi, India, North America, Canada, United States, American

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Iran’s foreign minister will visit Pakistan next week, the two countries said Monday, following unprecedented attacks on either side of the border last week that appeared to target Baluch militant groups with similar separatist goals. Iran's state-run IRNA news agency said that Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian spoke to Pakistani counterpart Jalil Abbas Jilani to defuse the flare-up. Pakistan said in a statement Amirabdollahian that would visit the country on Jan. 29. The statement also said that the two foreign ministers agreed that the ambassadors from both countries could return to their posts by Jan. 26. Pakistan recalled its ambassador amid the brief crisis and stopped Iran’s envoy from returning to his post.

Persons: —, Hossein Amirabdollahian, Jalil Abbas Jilani, Jan Locations: ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Iran, Iran's

☆ Pakistan's Civil, Military Leaders to Review Iran Standoff -Minister
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

By Asif ShahzadISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan's top civilian and military leaders will carry out a security review on Friday regarding the standoff with neighbouring Iran, the information minister said, following their strikes on each other with drones and missiles. Pakistan's Thursday strikes on separatist militants inside Iran were a retaliatory attack two days after Tehran said it struck the bases of another group within Pakistani territory. Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar ul Haq Kakar will chair a meeting of the National Security Committee at which the review is to be done, with all the services chiefs in attendance. It aims at a "broad national security review in the aftermath of the Iran-Pakistan incidents," the minister, Murtaza Solangi, told Reuters by telephone. (Reporting by Asif Shahzad; Writing by Sudipto Ganguly; Editing by Christopher Cushing)

Persons: Asif Shahzad, Anwaar ul Haq, Murtaza Solangi, Sudipto Ganguly, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Caretaker, National Security, Reuters Locations: Asif Shahzad ISLAMABAD, Iran, Tehran, Pakistan, Israel

☆ Palestinians share their lives in war-torn Gaza via TikTok, X, and Instagram
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Harmeet Kaur | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

Palestinians on social media are a window into the warLike millions of others around the world, Noor is witnessing the war in Gaza through the eyes of Palestinians who are sharing their daily realities on social media. Eyewitness accounts on social media are critical in understanding global conflicts, including past flare-ups between Israelis and Palestinians. Before October 2023, Azaiza had about 25,000 Instagram followers, according to the social media analytics firm Social Blade. Now watching from afar in Melbourne, she’s the one refreshing her social media feeds and anxiously texting relatives, friends and colleagues to make sure they’re safe. Mark Kerrison/In Pictures/Getty ImagesEven as people flock to learn from and support these Palestinians on social media, Noor says the exchange is overshadowed by feelings of powerlessness.

Persons: Motaz Azaiza, Azaiza, “, ” Noor, she’s, Noor, He’s, ”, It’s, ‘, ’, Leyla Hamed, Kanwal Ahmed, They’ve, Bisan Owda, hasn’t, Ahmed, Young, Hind Khoudary haven’t, “ Everyone’s, ” Ahmed, Zaina Arafat, Mark Kerrison, Marwa Fatafta, Clarissa Ward, Mohammed el, Sheikh Jarrah, Owda, Hind Khoudary, Plestia Alaqad, ” Alaqad, Alaqad, “ It’s, Sheikh Zayed Al, Hind, Syed Faizan Raza, Wael Al, Hamza Al, Mustafa Thuraya, Ahmad Hasaballah, Ismail al Dahdouh, ” Owda, Fatafta, ” Fatafta, She’s Organizations: CNN, Images Israel, European, Palestinian Ministry of Health, Reuters, Agence France, Presse, Israel Defense Forces, Getty, Gaza’s, Committee, Protect Journalists, Reporters, Palestinian, Israel, Quinnipiac University Locations: Gazan, Deir, Gaza, Israel, California, Noor isn’t, Iraq, London, Toronto, Palestinian American, Brooklyn, Instagram, European Union, Ramallah, East, North Africa, Egypt, Palestinian, East Jerusalem, Palestine, Australia, Melbourne, Sheikh Zayed Al Nahyan, Al, Gaza City, Anadolu, Gaza’s Old City, Islamabad, “, Jazeera, Rafah

ISLAMABAD (AP) — This week's airstrikes between Iran and Pakistan that killed at least 11 people marks a significant escalation in fraught relations between the neighbors. Pakistan said its strikes in Iran on Thursday were aimed at hideouts of the Baluchistan Liberation Army and the Baluchistan Liberation Front. The drill will include live fire from aircraft, drones and air defense systems. Separately, Iran relies on radar and air defense systems in the case of potential strikes by its main enemy, the United States. However, the airstrikes could backfire on Pakistan because the Baluch Liberation Army said it will avenge the killings and wage war on the state.

Persons: Iran's, ”, Abdullah Khan Organizations: Adl, Baluch Liberation Army, Baluchistan Liberation Army, Pakistan Institute for Conflict, Security Studies Locations: ISLAMABAD, Iran, Pakistan, Baluchistan, Afghanistan, Kashmir, Delhi, Tehran, Islamabad, Chabahar, Iraq, India, United States, IRAN, PAKISTAN, Israel, U.S

☆ Tensions With Iran Add to Pakistan's Economic Challenges
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

Pakistan conducted strikes inside Iran, targeting separatist Baloch militants two days after Tehran said it had attacked the bases of another group within Pakistani territory. It is undergoing a tough $3 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout programme that pulled it from the brink of default last summer. Pakistan's international bonds fell after its foreign ministry said it conducted strikes inside Iran on Thursday, two days after Tehran attacked the bases of another group within Pakistani territory. Earlier in the day, Pakistan's benchmark share index fell 1.6% after Pakistan said it conducted strikes inside Iran, before recovering some ground. Pakistan's economic ties with Iran, while not huge, are important for Islamabad as it struggles to supply its western- most regions in Balochistan with critical commodities, including fuel and electricity.

Persons: Aneel Salman, Salman, Pakistan's, Hasnain Malik, Ariba Shahid, Karin Strohecker, Amanda Cooper, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Baloch, Monetary Fund, Liquified Petroleum Gas, Islamabad Policy Research Institute, Pipeline Locations: KARACHI, LONDON, Pakistan, Iran, Tehran, Tradeweb, Islamabad, Balochistan, Afghanistan, Russia, India, Karachi, London

☆ Israel-Hamas War Fighting Eases in Northern Gaza, Giving Residents Some Relief
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Adam Rasgon | Aaron Boxerman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +8 min

The Pakistani Foreign Affairs Ministry said that the country’s forces had conducted “precision military strikes” against what it called terrorist hide-outs in southeastern Iran. Iranian officials said that nine people had been killed, including four children, and Pakistani officials said the death toll of the Iranian strikes included at least two children. The official said that air force fighter jets and drones had been used in the Pakistani retaliatory strikes. In a statement, the Pakistani military called the two neighbors “brotherly countries” and said that “dialogue and cooperation is deemed prudent in resolving bilateral issues” between them. Pakistani military analysts were hopeful that this could pave the way for diplomatic dialogue between the two nations.

Persons: Islamic Republic “, ”, Ahmad Vahidi, Sohail Shahzad, Benjamin Netanyahu, “, Syed Muhammad Ali, Waqar Hasan, Arash Khamooshi, Baluch, al, Vivian Nereim Organizations: Pakistani Foreign Affairs Ministry, Iran Exchange, Foreign Ministry, Islamic, Islamabad ”, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iranian, Credit, Pakistan, The New York Times Pakistan, Guards Locations: Pakistan, Iran, Baluch, Iraq, Islamic Republic, Saravan, Tehran, Islamabad, Rask, Israel, Gaza, Balochistan Province, Yemen, Suez, United States, Pakistani, “ Pakistan, Baluchistan Province, Sistan, Persian, Oman, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Islamabad, Pakistan CNN —Pakistan has carried out a series of military strikes on what it said were separatist militant hideouts inside Iran, its foreign ministry said Thursday, in the latest incident across their shared border that has sent tensions between the two neighbors soaring. “At 4:30 a.m. explosions were heard in a border village, several missiles were fired at the village,” Marhamati said. This morning’s action was taken in light of credible intelligence of impending large scale terrorist activities,” Pakistan’s foreign ministry said. But the deadly attack inside Pakistani territory seriously damaged relations between the two countries, Pakistani Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani told his Iranian counterpart. And Iranian-backed forces in Iraq and Syria have launched dozens of attacks aimed at US military positions in those countries.

Persons: Alireza Marhamati, ” Marhamati, IRNA, ”, Iran ”, Hossein Amir, Abdollahian, Jalil Abbas Jilani, Jilani, Qasem Soleimani, Houthi, Amir Organizations: Pakistan CNN —, “, Pakistan Pakistan’s, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry, Iranian, Pakistani, Adl, Justice, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Quds Force, ISIS, CNN, Economic, Davos Wednesday Locations: Islamabad, Pakistan, Pakistan CNN — Pakistan, Iran, Iran’s, Sistan, Baluchistan, Saravan, restive Baloch, Gaza . Pakistan, ”, Islamic Republic of Iran, Pakistan’s, Balochistan, Iranian, “ Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tehran, Jaish, Erbil, Iraq, Syria, Kerman, Red, Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, Davos

☆ Pakistan launches strikes inside Iran against militant targets
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Pakistan said on January 18 it had carried out strikes against militant targets in Iran, after Tehran launched attacks on Pakistani territory earlier this week. (Photo by Aamir QURESHI / AFP) (Photo by AAMIR QURESHI/AFP via Getty Images)Pakistan conducted strikes inside Iran on Thursday, targeting separatist militants, the Pakistani foreign ministry said, two days after Tehran said it attacked Israel-linked militant bases inside Pakistani territory. "Our forces have conducted strikes to target Baloch militants inside Iran," the intelligence official in Islamabad, the Pakistani capital, said. Iran said on Tuesday it had targeted Israel-linked militant bases inside Pakistan. Pakistan and Iran have in the past had rocky relations, but the strikes are the highest-profile cross-border intrusion in recent years.

Persons: Aamir QURESHI, AAMIR QURESHI, hideouts Organizations: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, AFP, Getty Images, Reuters, Pakistan's, Wednesday Locations: Islamabad, Pakistan, Iran, Tehran, Israel, Sistan, Baluchistan, Islamic Republic of Iran, Balochistan, Pakistan's Balochistan

Islamabad, Pakistan CNN —Pakistan and Iran have both conducted strikes on each other’s territories in an unprecedented escalation of hostilities between the neighbors, at a time when tensions have risen sharply across the Middle East and beyond. Iran claimed it had “only targeted Iranian terrorists on the soil of Pakistan” and that no Pakistani nationals were targeted. In 2015, the group claimed responsibility for an attack that killed eight Iranian border guards, with militants reportedly crossing into Iran from Pakistan. Iran’s strikes on Tuesday sparked a diplomatic spat, with Pakistan recalling its ambassador from Iran and suspending all high-level visits from its neighbor. And after Pakistan’s strikes, Iran on Thursday demanded “an immediate explanation” from its neighbor, Tasmin reported.

Persons: Islam –, hideouts, Jaish al, ”, Karim Sadjadpour, Wesley Clark, “, Jaish, CNN What’s, Tasmin, Matt Miller, Washington, “ We’ve, –, Miller, ” Pakistan’s Organizations: Pakistan CNN —, Adl, Justice, Iran’s, Carnegie Endowment, International, US Army, CNN, Hamas, US, National Counterterrorism Center, US State Department, US State, Pakistan – Locations: Islamabad, Pakistan, Pakistan CNN — Pakistan, Iran, Balochistan, Sistan, Baluchestan, restive Baloch, Gaza, Here’s, Pakistan’s Balochistan, Iran’s, Iran’s Sistan, Baluchestan province, Islam, ”, United States, Iraq, Syria, Israel, Lebanon, Yemen, Red, NATO, Afghanistan, Tehran, Pakistan’s, Iranian, India, ” China

☆ Factbox-Who Are the Separatists Targeted by Pakistan's Strikes in Iran?
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

Here are some facts on the group Pakistan targeted and the restive province at the heart of the tension. WHICH GROUP DID PAKISTAN TARGET IN IRAN? The Baloch Liberation Front (BLF), which an intelligence official called the target of Pakistan's strikes in Iran, seeks independence for Pakistan's western province of Balochistan. They also attack Chinese projects, and occasionally kill Chinese workers despite Pakistan's assurances that it is doing all it can to protect the Chinese projects. It borders Iran's Sistan-Baluchestan province where Pakistan carried out its strikes.

Persons: Xi, Charlotte Greenfield, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: Ethnic Baloch, China Pakistan Economic, Barrick Gold, Barrick Locations: ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Iran, Balochistan, restive, PAKISTAN, IRAN, Baloch, Balochistan province, Afghanistan, Iran's Sistan, Baluchestan, Islamabad, China Pakistan, China, Gwadar, province's, Chagai

Thursday's attack followed one by Iran inside Pakistan on Tuesday. The strikes imperiled diplomatic relations between Islamabad and Tehran, as Iran and nuclear-armed Pakistan have long regarded each other with suspicion over militant attacks. Iran has seen growing pressure for action after the Islamic State group attack, Israel's war on Hamas and wider unrest against its theocracy. Iran and Pakistan share a 900-kilometer (560-mile), largely lawless border in which smugglers and militants freely cross. For both Iran and Pakistan, the cross-border attacks renew questions about their own military preparedness, particularly their radar and air defense systems.

Persons: ”, Ali Reza Marhamati, Pakistan's, “, Jundallah, Jaish, Abdullah Khan, ” There's, Mao Ning, ___ Gambrell, Riazat Butt, Nasser Karimi, Liu Zheng Organizations: Hamas, Islamic, Ministry, Baluch Liberation Army, Baluch, Adl, Islamic State, Pakistan Institute for Conflict, Security Studies, Baloch, Foreign Ministry, Associated Press Locations: ISLAMABAD, Iran, Pakistan, Gaza, Iraq, Syria, Islamic State, Islamabad, Tehran, Iran’s Sistan, Baluchestan, Saravan, Baluchistan, United States, Israel, Pakistan’s Baluchistan, Sistan, Chabahar, Afghanistan, India, U.S, French, China, Beijing, Pakistan's Baluchistan, Jerusalem

☆ Iran Strikes Jihadist Group in Pakistan as Middle East Conflicts Spread
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Saeed Shah | Benoit Faucon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Gen. Hossein Salami, commander in chief of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, in Tehran last month. Photo: abedin taherkenareh/ShutterstockISLAMABAD—Iran hit a jihadist group in Pakistan with a missile and drone strike Tuesday, according to Iranian state media, as a series of conflicts continue to spread across the Middle East in the wake of Israel’s war in Gaza. The target of the unusual attack inside Pakistan was a militant group, Jaish al-Adl, in Pakistan’s remote western province of Balochistan, which has a long border with Iran. Islamabad condemned the attack, which it said had killed two children and injured three more.

Persons: Hossein, abedin, al Organizations: Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Adl Locations: Tehran, Shutterstock ISLAMABAD, Iran, Pakistan, Gaza, Balochistan, Islamabad

☆ Iranian Strike Leaves Pakistan With No Easy Options for Response
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Salman Masood | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

An Iranian airstrike inside Pakistan on Tuesday that Iran said was aimed at militant training camps has left Pakistani officials facing a difficult decision about whether to retaliate and potentially expand the turmoil that has swept the Middle East. Relations between Pakistan and neighboring Iran reached a new low after Iran’s attack in the restive Baluchistan region, with Pakistan reporting civilian casualties, including children, and warning that the violation of its sovereignty could have serious consequences. On Wednesday, Pakistan expelled the Iranian ambassador to Islamabad and recalled its own ambassador from Iran. In a statement, Pakistan said it “reserves the right to respond” to what it called an illegal and unprovoked attack. “The responsibility for the consequences will lie squarely with Iran,” it added.

Organizations: Relations Locations: Pakistan, Iran, restive Baluchistan, Islamabad

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Almost 100,000 children in Afghanistan are in dire need of support, three months after earthquakes devastated the country's west, the U.N. children’s agency said Monday. The majority of those dead in the quakes in Zinda Jan and Injil districts were women and children, and 21,000 homes were destroyed, UNICEF said in a statement. “The atmosphere in these villages is thick with suffering even 100 days after the earthquakes in western Afghanistan when families lost absolutely everything," said Fran Equiza, UNICEF representative in Afghanistan. Schools and health centers, which children depend upon, are damaged beyond repair, or destroyed completely,” he added. Daniel Timme, head of communications for UNICEF in Afghanistan, said schools, homes, health facilities and water systems were destroyed.

Persons: Fran Equiza, Equiza, ” Equiza, Daniel Timme, It’s, Timme, Riazat Butt Organizations: UNICEF, Associated Press Locations: ISLAMABAD, Afghanistan, Herat, Islamabad

☆ Pakistan's top court begins hearing challenge to expulsion of Afghans
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

More than 370,000 Afghans have fled Pakistan since Oct. 1, after Pakistan vowed to expel more than a million undocumented refugees, mostly Afghans, amid a row with Kabul over charges that it harbours anti-Pakistan militants. Children born to Afghan families in Pakistan could not be sent back due to their birthright, Gilani said. Pakistan is home to more than 4 million Afghan migrants and refugees, about 1.7 million of whom are undocumented. Islamabad has not heeded calls from international bodies and refugee agencies to reconsider its deportation plans. Reporting by Asif Shahzad; Editing by Clarence FernandezOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: I've, Umar Ijaz Gilani, Gilani, Asif Shahzad, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: REUTERS, Western, South, Thomson Locations: Afghanistan, Pakistan, Balochistan Province, Chaman, ISLAMABAD, Kabul, Taliban, U.S, Karachi, Islamabad

☆ Pakistan court overturns ex-PM Nawaz Sharif's graft conviction - lawyer
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Pakistan's former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif addresses supporters upon his arrival from a self-imposed exile in London, ahead of the 2024 Pakistani general election, in Lahore, Pakistan October 21, 2023. REUTERS/Mohsin Raza/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsISLAMABAD, Nov 29 (Reuters) - A Pakistan court overturned the conviction of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in a corruption case on Wednesday, his lawyer said. The Islamabad High Court announced its decision after the national anti-graft body did not contest Sharif's appeal for his acquittal, lawyer Azam Nazeer Tarar said. "I had left it to the mercy of God," the former premier said in comments broadcast live on local TV after he left the court. Sharif had been out on bail pending the appeal and had always denied any wrongdoing, saying the charges were politically motivated.

Persons: Nawaz Sharif, Mohsin Raza, Sharif, Azam Nazeer Tarar, Asif Shahzad, Shivam Patel, Andrew Heavens Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Islamabad High Court, Thomson Locations: London, Lahore, Pakistan, Rights ISLAMABAD, Islamabad

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