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☆ Two Chinese nationals killed in ‘terrorist attack’ near Karachi airport
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-07 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

ISLAMABAD — Two Chinese nationals were killed in an explosion near the international airport of the southern Pakistani city of Karachi on Sunday night, the Chinese embassy in Pakistan said, in what it described as a "terrorist attack." The Chinese embassy said a convoy from the Port Qasim Electric Power Company was attacked near the airport. Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said a Chinese national was also injured and that an investigation was underway. It has previously killed Chinese citizens working in the region and attacked Beijing’s consulate in Karachi. In March, a suicide bomber killed five Chinese engineers working on a hydropower project in northern Pakistan.

Persons: Shehbaz Sharif, Asif Hassan, Imran Khan ., —, Xi Organizations: Baloch Liberation, Port Qasim Electric Power Company, Embassy, General, Pakistan's, Getty Images, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Geo News, Beijing, Beijing’s, Authorities Locations: ISLAMABAD, Pakistani, Karachi, Pakistan, Port, Pakistan's, AFP, Getty Images Pakistan, Islamabad, Balochistan, Pakistan’s, Afghanistan, Iran, Gwadar, China

☆ Attack on foreign diplomats' convoy kills police officer in Pakistan
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-22 | by ( Mushtaq Yusufzai | Mushtaq Yusufzai Is A Journalist Based In Peshawar | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

PESHAWAR, Pakistan — A roadside bomb hit a convoy of foreign diplomats visiting northwest Pakistan on Sunday, killing a police officer in their security detail, police said. Ambassadors from Indonesia, Portugal, Kazakhstan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Turkmenistan, Vietnam, Iran, Russia, and Tajikistan were among those in the convoy, police said. Police made security arrangements for the foreign ambassadors and they were immediately rescued and moved towards Pakistan's capital Islamabad, Khan said. Offering sympathies to the families of those who died, Pakistan’s foreign ministry said in a statement that “all members of the diplomatic corps have returned safely to Islamabad.”Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari also condemned the attack. Pakistani counter-terrorist forces maintain a strong presence in the Swat valley, which has long been a hotbed of Islamist militant insurgency.

Persons: Zahidullah Khan, Mohammad Ali Gandapur, Khan, Asif Ali Zardari, ”, Malala Yousafzai Organizations: NBC News, Police, Pakistani Locations: PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Swat, Indonesia, Portugal, Kazakhstan, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Turkmenistan, Vietnam, Iran, Russia, Tajikistan, Pakistan's, Islamabad, ”

“Any assessment that Iran is assigning lethal operations to a ‘B team’ misses the utility of nonofficial actors," said Roule, currently affiliated with United Against Nuclear Iran. Officials say they see no connection between that plot and the shooting of Trump in Pennsylvania by a local resident who had researched mass shootings and political assassinations. In 2021, the Justice Department charged four alleged Iranian intelligence operatives with trying to kidnap Masih Alinejad. “We have said many times that we have been tracking Iranian threats against former politicians,” she said this week. Neither President Joe Biden nor Vice President Kamala Harris has commented on the alleged Iranian assassination plots.

Persons: ”, Kenneth Katzman, don’t, “, ” Katzman, “ There’s, they’ve, Norm Roule, ’, Roule, aren't, Asif Merchant of, Donald Trump, John Bolton, Qassem Soleimani, New York —, Masih Alinejad, Alinejad, General Merrick Garland, we’ve, Steven M, Bolton, Biden, it’s, It’s, —, Jake Sullivan, Sean Savett, … The, Harris, White, Karine Jean, Pierre, “ We’ve, Qassem, …, Biden’s, John Kirby, ” Adrienne Watson, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Trump, Mike Turner Organizations: FBI, Soufan Center, Congressional Research Service, CIA, United Against Nuclear, Iran’s Revolutionary, Quds Force, Administration, D.C, Justice Department, Eastern, NBC News, Roule, Bolton, National Security Council, … The Biden, NBC, ., White, Indian, ” Locations: Iran, United States, U.S, U.S . Iran, United Against Nuclear Iran, Asif Merchant of Pakistan, Texas, Trump, Pennsylvania, Saudi, Washington, New York, Brooklyn , New York, Bolton, Tehran, Europe, Canada

☆ Pakistani man charged with murder-for-hire plot against U.S. politicians, potentially including Trump
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-06 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Dilanianmug.Jpg | Ken Dilanian | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

A Pakistani man allegedly tied to Iran has been charged with an elaborate plot to assassinate current and former government officials, potentially including former President Donald Trump. The complaint does not name an alleged target or targets, but a senior law enforcement official said Trump was one of the potential targets of this plot. Merchant allegedly told the confidential source that the “people who will be targeted are the ones who are hurting Pakistan and the world, [the] Muslim world. On June 10, Merchant allegedly met in New York with undercover law enforcement officers posing as assassins for hire. Asif Merchant paid the undercover law enforcement officers $5,000 so they knew they were going forward.

Persons: Donald Trump, Asif Merchant, Merchant, Trump, Lester Holt, Christopher Wray, DOJ Merchant, Qassem Soleimani, Butler, General Merrick Garland, “, ” Organizations: NBC, DOJ, NBC News, ., Quds Force, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Service, Trump, FBI Locations: Iran, Pennsylvania, Pa, Texas, New York, Pakistan

☆ Trump possible target of Pakistani national charged in murder-for-hire plot
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-06 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Federal prosecutors have charged Asif Merchant, a Pakistani national with alleged ties to Iran, in a murder for hire plot of a U.S. politician or government officials. A Pakistani national with ties to Iran was charged in a foiled plot to assassinate U.S. government officials on American soil, the Department of Justice said Tuesday. Merchant unwittingly coordinated with a confidential law enforcement source, who put him in touch with two more undercover agents purporting to be hitmen, the DOJ said. Law enforcement officials do not believe the alleged plot by Merchant is related to the assassination attempt against Trump at the rally in Pennsylvania, NBC reported. Trump's Secret Service protection was increased prior to that rally, after U.S. officials learned of an Iranian plot to kill Trump, NBC reported in mid-July.

Persons: Asif Merchant, Donald Trump, NBC News . Merchant, Trump, Merchant Organizations: U.S, Department of Justice, NBC News ., DOJ, Republican, Trump, NBC Locations: Iran, U.S, Texas, Pennsylvania, Iranian, Iraq

☆ Justice Dept. Charges Pakistani Man in Alleged Plot to Kill U.S. Leaders
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-06 | by ( Glenn Thrush | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Officials said they had no evidence indicating the plot was connected to the shooting in Pennsylvania. Merchant allowed them to disrupt what they characterized as a far-ranging plot that also included stealing computer files from U.S. officials. It also included staging protests against American treatment of Muslim countries. U.S. intelligence agencies were tracking a potential Iranian assassination plot against Mr. Trump in the weeks before the assassination attempt that prompted the Secret Service to enhance security for the former president before his outdoor campaign rally in Butler, Pa. It is not clear if the scheme made public on Tuesday precipitated those moves.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Asif Raza Merchant, Matthew Crooks, Merchant Organizations: U.S . Investigators, Service Locations: Iran, New York, Pennsylvania, Brooklyn, Butler, Pa

☆ Pakistani national with ties to Iran charged in connection to a foiled assassination plot potentially targeting Trump
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-06 | by ( Evan Perez | Hannah Rabinowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The plot revealed by US prosecutors on Tuesday adds to a growing list of detailed Iranian plans to allegedly kill Trump, according to national security officials. Although Merchant is a Pakistani national, prosecutors say he spent time in Iran and has family there. Once in the United States, Merchant allegedly contacted someone who he believed would assist him in the murder-for-hire plot. Merchant allegedly then told the confidential human source that the work was not a one-time opportunity and made a “finger gun” motion with his hand. Merchant planned to leave the country before the assassination, prosecutors say, but was arrested before he could go.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, Asif Merchant, Merchant, Qasem, John Bolton, ”, General Merrick Garland, ” Merchant Organizations: CNN, The Justice, FBI, US, Service, Iranian, United Nations, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Locations: New York City, Brooklyn , New York, United States, Pennsylvania, Butler , Pennsylvania, Iran, US, Pakistani, New York

☆ Live Updates: Bangladesh Protesters Call for Mass March After Deadly Crackdown
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-05 | by ( Mujib Mashal | Saif Hasnat | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +7 min

Here’s what to know about why the quota system has become such a point of contention. An old quota system, reinstated recently by the Supreme Court, reserves more than half of those jobs for various groups. The quota system was introduced in 1972 by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who led his country’s fight for independence from Pakistan in 1971. Student protests accompanied the appeal, although they were not as violent as this time. She abolished the quota system in 2018 amid calls for its overhaul.

Persons: Sheikh Hasina, Anisul Huq, Zahed Ur Rahman, Rahman, Mohammad Ponir Hossain, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Hasina, ”, Asif Nazrul, Atul Loke, Ms, ‘, ’, ” Mr Organizations: University of Dhaka, Awami League, ., Supreme, Bank, United, Rolls Press, Getty, “, The New York Times, Bangladesh Nationalist Party Locations: Pakistan, Bangladesh, Dhaka, United Nations

☆ Bangladesh prime minister resigns as deadly anti-government rallies grip nation
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-05 | by ( Isaac Yee | Tanbirul Miraj Ripon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Dhaka, Bangladesh CNN —The prime minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, resigned on Monday after weeks of deadly anti-government demonstrations gripped the South Asian nation. Protesters told CNN that ⁠the military was blocking Dhaka Medical College Bakshibazar Gate. Men run past a shopping center which was set on fire by protesters, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on August 4. Activists grapple with police in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on July 30, as they stage a march for the victims of nationwide protests. Protesters in Dhaka told CNN that the university campus was surrounded by armed forces.

Persons: Sheikh Hasina, Hasina’s, ”, ” Zaman, ” Police ‘, Rajib, Shaheed, “, Asif Mahmud Organizations: Bangladesh CNN, CNN, Reuters, UNICEF, ” Police, Police, Dhaka Medical College, Protesters, Dhaka Medical, AP, Dhaka University Campus, Intercontinental Locations: Dhaka, Bangladesh, Rajib Dhar, Shahbag, Motijhil, Netblocks, Nilkhet

☆ Pakistan extends visas for 1.45 million Afghans but denies deportations on hold
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-11 | by ( Lex Harvey | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Pakistan is extending the stay of nearly 1.5 million registered Afghan refugees – but its mass deportation of “illegal immigrants” will continue, authorities said. The fate of 1.45 million refugees whose PORs expired at the end of June had previously been in doubt, with many fearing they’d be deported. But Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs disputed the UN’s claims that Islamabad had put on hold its plan announced last October to deport undocumented Afghan refugees. Trucks transporting Afghan refugees and their belongings are seen along a road heading toward the Pakistan-Afghanistan Torkham border on November 3, 2023. More than 3 million Afghan refugees, including registered refugees and more than 800,000 undocumented people were living in Pakistan as of March 2024, according to UNHCR data.

Persons: ”, Shehbaz, they’d, ” Filippo Grandi, Mumtaz Baloch, Abdul Majeed, They’re, Moniza, ” Kakar, Asif Hassan, Ruwanpathirana Organizations: CNN, United Nations, Pakistan’s, of Foreign Affairs, Trucks, Getty, Pakistan, Afghan, UNHCR, Taliban, UN, ” Police, South Asia, Amnesty International Locations: Pakistan, Afghanistan, Islamabad, AFP, Karachi, South

☆ Incumbents pay the price in year of global elections
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-09 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

And elections in Taiwan and South Korea proved the dynamism of the idea that free elections can promote stable governance. The two round French election system once again kept the far-right out of power on Sunday but Macron’s gamble didn’t exactly pay off. An era of political turmoil now looms with a hung parliament, a likely shaky coalition and instability ahead of the next presidential election in 2027. Kevin Coombs/ReutersIndonesiaPrabowo Subianto, a former army general, won the presidential election in the world’s fourth most populous nation, which is home to its largest Muslim population. IranIran wasn’t supposed to have a presidential election this year.

Persons: El, they’ve, Donald Trump’s, Joe Biden, Trump —, Ursula von der Leyen, Emmanuel Macron, Le, Macron, Keir Starmer, Kevin Coombs, Suharto, Narendra Modi, Adnan Abidi, Imran Khan, Nawaz, Asif Ali Zardari, Benazir Bhutto, Sheikh Hasina, Vladimir Putin, Alexey Navalny, Putin, El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, ”, Bukele, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, ObturadorMX, Claudia Sheinbaum, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Sheinbaum, Lai Ching, Yoon Suk Yeol, André Ventura, Peter Pellegrini, Robert Fico, Fico, Nelson Mandela —, —, Macky Sall, Sall, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, Ebrahim Raisi, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Masoud Pezeshkian, ultraconservative Saeed Jalili, Pezeshkian Organizations: CNN, European Union, United States –, France, European People’s Party, Popular Front, Britain Voters, Conservative, Labour Party, Reuters, Reuters Indonesia Prabowo, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Pakistan Muslim League, Pakistan People’s Party, Bangladeshi, Kremlin, El, El Salvador Strongman, El Salvador —, Getty, Democratic Progressive Party, Portugal Incumbents, Democratic Alliance coalition, Putin, Russian, South Africa Voters, National Congress, ANC, Democratic Alliance Locations: France, Britain, Iran, El Salvador, Slovakia, Russia, Indonesia, Mexico, South Africa, United States, India, Senegal, Taiwan, South Korea, Germany, London, Reuters Indonesia, Subianto, New Delhi, Reuters Pakistan, Pakistan, —, Bangladesh, South Asia, America, China, Beijing, Portugal, Ukraine, Europe, Senegal Senegal, Africa, Sall, Iran Iran, Islamic Republic

☆ Muggings, Murders and Mob Justice: Violent Crime Roars Back in Karachi
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-12 | by ( Zia Ur-Rehman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The terrifying stories are sprawled across local newspapers and recounted in hushed tones at tea stalls and bus stands: another day, another brutal death during an armed robbery in Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city. Last Wednesday, a car mechanic was shot dead by muggers trying to steal his phone. A few days earlier, robbers killed a 27-year-old mechanical engineer, stealing his phone, cash and motorcycle. Across Karachi, Pakistan’s economic powerhouse, the rate of violent crime has soared. The country’s president, Asif Ali Zardari, has called for a “large-scale operation” against the street criminals.

Persons: muggers, Asif Ali Zardari, mugging, ”, Shamim Ali Locations: Karachi, Pakistan’s

☆ Welcome to the AI dystopia no one asked for, courtesy of Silicon Valley
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

AI skeptics — who are legion, and not necessarily part of the fringe tin foil hat crowd — are begging Silicon Valley to take a beat before unleashing AI to the world. Then, the big reveal: It’s all contained in Apple’s new iPad, its thinnest and most powerful ever, thanks to its brand new AI chip. Meanwhile, is anyone else getting inundated with Google’s Pixel ads, which show people giddily using the smartphone’s AI photo-editing software to deceive their online followers? Apple is expected to announce its own ChatGPT-like tools that could be a game changer for your internet searches. The Jeff Goldblums of the AI debate — who include some of the industry’s own pioneers — are not necessarily saying we have to smother AI and pretend it never existed.

Persons: CNN Business ’, Jeff Goldblum’s, “, John, that’s, —, Cher’s, Asif Kapadia, ”, Luke Barnett, Apple, Tim Cook, Apple’s, Siri, I’ll, We’re, Jeff Goldblums, weren’t Organizations: CNN Business, New York CNN, Google, Apple, Space Invaders Locations: New York

☆ Diego Maradona’s Golden Ball trophy went missing in unknown circumstances for decades. Now it’s expected to sell for millions
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( George Ramsay | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Diego Maradona’s Golden Ball trophy from the 1986 World Cup, which had gone missing in contested circumstances for decades, has reappeared and is anticipated to sell for millions of dollars at auction next month. Argentina went on to defeat West Germany 3-2 in the final and win the second of the country’s three World Cup titles. Maradona controls the ball during the 1986 World Cup final against West Germany. Colorsport/ShutterstockThe history of the Golden Ball trophy awarded to Maradona in Paris after the tournament is shrouded in mystery. Maradona was unquestionably a household name before the 1986 World Cup, but after leading Argentina to the title, he became a global superstar.

Persons: CNN — Diego Maradona’s, ” François Thierry, “, ” Maradona, God, ”, Maradona, Thierry, there’s, didn’t, Aguttes, Asif Kapadia’s Organizations: CNN, England, CNN Sport, West, Maradona, Italian, Napoli, Argentine Locations: Paris, Argentina, Argentine, West Germany, Buenos Aires

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) announced the coalition late Tuesday, naming former premier Shehbaz Sharif as prime minister and Asif Ali Zardari as president. Aamir Qureshi/AFP/Getty ImagesIndependent candidates affiliated with former Prime Minister Khan’s Pakistan Tehereek-e-Insaf (PTI) party secured the most parliamentary seats, in a stunning victory for the jailed cricket icon. But none of the three major parties that contested won the necessary seats to declare a majority in parliament. Shortly after the coalition announcement, the PTI accused the PMLN and PPP of stealing their mandate to govern. Sharif is on course to become prime minister for the second time, with Asif Ali Zardari, the husband of Pakistan’s slain former leader Benazir Bhutto, by his side.

Persons: Imran Khan, Shehbaz Sharif, Asif Ali Zardari, “, ” Sharif, Aamir Qureshi, Khan’s, ”, Khan, Nawaz Sharif, Asim Hafeez, Sharif, Pakistan’s, Benazir Bhutto Organizations: Pakistan CNN —, Pakistan Muslim League, Nawaz, Pakistan People’s Party, Getty, PTI, Pakistan People's Party, Bloomberg Locations: Islamabad, Pakistan, Kasur, Punjab, Khan’s Pakistan, Karachi

☆ Shehbaz Sharif Set for Pakistan's Top Job as Elder Brother Steps Aside
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

Before his stint as prime minister, the younger Sharif was known more as a good administrator than a politician, having served as chief minister thrice in the country's largest province, Punjab. The deal was signed after Sharif personally called on IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva last June. Although defence and key foreign policy decisions are largely influenced by the military, Sharif will have to juggle relations with the U.S. and China, both major allies. He started his political career as the chief minister of Punjab in 1997 with a signature "can-do" administrative style. As chief minister, the younger Sharif planned and executed a number of ambitious infrastructure mega-projects, including Pakistan's first modern mass transport system in Lahore.

Persons: Asif Shahzad, Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam, Sharif, Nawaz Sharif, Nawaz Sharif's, Maryam, Imran Khan, Shehbaz Sharif, Khan, Shehbaz, Kristalina Georgieva, Tehmina Durrani, Ariba Shahid, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Pakistan Muslim League, Nawaz, Monetary Fund, IMF, U.S Locations: Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam ISLAMABAD, Sharif, London, country's, Punjab, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, China, India, Iran, Afghanistan, Lahore, Panama, Karachi

☆ Coalition government deal in Pakistan leaves Imran Khan’s party out of power
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Sophia Saifi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Islamabad, Pakistan CNN —Two of Pakistan’s major political parties - the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) - say they will form a coalition government after last week’s inconclusive elections. The move means the party of former Prime Minister Imran Khan will not be in power, despite independent candidates affiliated with it gaining the most votes. The PMLN also released a statement that Shahbaz Sharif would be the party’s candidate for prime minister. Earlier on Tuesday, the PPP’s chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had said his party would support the PLMN candidate for prime minister. The party would also field its candidates for the National Assembly speaker, chairman of the Senate, and president, he said.

Persons: Imran Khan, Shahbaz Sharif, Asif Ali Zardari, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Imran Khan’s, Nawaz Sharif, Khan, ” Zardari, Sharif, “, ” Bhutto Zardari Organizations: Pakistan CNN —, Pakistan Muslim League, Nawaz, Pakistan People’s Party, PPP, PTI, National Assembly, Senate Locations: Islamabad, Pakistan, Lahore, Wahdat

If no party wins a majority of 169 seats, the one with the biggest share can form a coalition government. The vote was overshadowed by violence, an unprecedented national shutdown of all mobile phone services and allegations of vote rigging. Pakistan’s national human rights body said there was no excuse for the hold-up and expressed concern about the lack of transparency. DEALS, DEALS, DEALSNo party won a majority of National Assembly seats. She accompanied her father at rallies, giving fiery and uncompromising speeches, and escorted him on polling day when he went to cast his vote.

Persons: hadn't, Imran Khan's, Salman Akram Raja, hasn’t, Nawaz Sharif, kingmaker, Asif Ali Zardari, Bilawal Bhutto, Zardari, Bhutto, Nawaz Sharif’s, Maryam Nawaz Sharif, Benazir Bhutto, Benazir’s, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Maryam Nawaz, Bilawal, Maryam, Shehbaz, Hamza Organizations: —, National Assembly, U.S, Union, Court, Fair, PTI, Pakistan People’s Party, Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League Locations: LAHORE, Pakistan, — Pakistan, Lahore, Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan, Punjab province

☆ Independents Win 47 of 106 Seats Counted in Pakistan Poll, Most Backed by Imran Khan - Geo News
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Independent candidates contesting Pakistan's national election, most of whom are backed by former Prime Minister Imran Khan, won in 47 of 106 parliamentary seats as counting progressed on Friday, according to projections by broadcaster Geo News. Results have been declared by the Election Commission of Pakistan in a total of 57 seats so far, according to the panel's website. Elections were held to 264 of the 265 seats in the national assembly and a political party needs 133 seats for a simple majority. Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz)(PML-N), which has won at least 17 seats so far, may form a coalition government with independent candidates, Sharif's aide Ishaq Dar suggested on Friday, Geo reported. "I am confident that we will form a government," Dar said, adding that his party would concede if any other party emerged a clear winner.

Persons: Imran Khan, Nawaz Sharif's, Nawaz, Sharif's, Ishaq Dar, Geo, Dar, Asif Shahzad, Sakshi Dayal, YP Rajesh Organizations: Pakistan's, Geo, Former, Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League, YP Locations: ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan

☆ Factbox-Who Are the Key Players in Pakistan's General Elections?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan holds its national elections on Thursday as the country grapples with an economic crisis and political uncertainty following the ouster of former Prime Minister Imran Khan in 2022. Here are some facts about the main political figures trying to lead the nuclear-armed nation of 241 million people. NAWAZ SHARIFFormer prime minister Nawaz Sharif is considered a front-runner to lead the country, having buried a long-running feud with the country's powerful military, analysts say. Maryam, 50, was jailed along with her father shortly before the 2018 elections on corruption charges, which were later overturned. Nevertheless, Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party has tried to wage an unorthodox election campaign using social media and covert canvassing.

Persons: Imran Khan, NAWAZ SHARIF, Nawaz Sharif, MARYAM NAWAZ SHARIF, Nawaz, Maryam, SHEHBAZ SHARIF, Shehbaz Sharif, IMRAN KHAN, BILAWAL BHUTTO ZARDARI Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Benazir Bhutto, Bhutto Zardari, Asif Ali Zardari, Charlotte Greenfield, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Pakistan Muslim League, Nawaz, International Monetary Fund, Khan's Locations: ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, United Kingdom, Punjab, Pakistan's, Khan's Pakistan, Sindh province

FORMER PRIME MINISTER NAWAZ SHARIF, PAKISTAN MUSLIM LEAGUEBusiness mogul, multi-millionaire and three-time premier, Nawaz Sharif hails from one of the top two families that have dominated Pakistani politics for decades. He also has a personal stake in keeping imprisoned Imran Khan out of the picture. FORMER PRIME MINISTER IMRAN KHAN, PAKISTAN TEHREEK-E-INSAF PARTYA former cricket star turned Islamist politician, Imran Khan triumphed on an anti-corruption, anti-establishment platform in the 2018 election to form a coalition government. FORMER PRIME MINISTER SHEHBAZ SHARIF, PAKISTAN MUSLIM LEAGUEShehbaz Sharif, 72, the younger brother of Nawaz Sharif, succeeded Imran Khan as prime minister in April 2022. He won his first parliamentary seat in 2018 and became foreign minister after Imran Khan was ousted as prime minister.

Persons: it's, NAWAZ SHARIF, Nawaz Sharif, Sharif, Imran Khan, Khan, ASIM MUNIR, Asim Munir, Munir, IMRAN KHAN, Osama bin Laden, ” —, SHEHBAZ SHARIF, BILAWAL BHUTTO, ZARDARI, Pakistan’s, Bilawal Bhutto, Zardari, Benazir Bhutto, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Bhutto, Asif Ali Zardari Organizations: —, National Assembly, PAKISTAN MUSLIM LEAGUE Business, Pakistan Muslim League, Supreme, Sharif, GEN, ARMY CHIEF, LEAGUE, International Monetary Fund Locations: ISLAMABAD, — Pakistan, PAKISTAN, United Kingdom, Pakistan, Iran, Tehran, Islamabad, United States, U.S, Washington, LEAGUE Shehbaz Sharif, Punjab, London, Sindh

☆ 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

☆ 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

But as with many popular winter ski destinations right now, this resort town in Indian-administered Kashmir is facing a snow shortage due to unseasonably dry weather, disappointing both travelers and tourism operators. Tauseef Mustafa/AFP/Getty ImagesDespite the lack of snow, a staff member of the Gulmarg Ski Resort reached by phone who did not wish to be named told CNN Travel their hotels have been experiencing very high occupancy rates in recent days. This is definitely affecting the tourism sector.”Tourists learn to ski on a gentle Gulmarg slope in February 2021. “What would they do here without the snow?”‘The demand is still there’Tourists visit the Gulmarg Ski Resort on January 10, 2024. So the loss of snow (will also be) compensated.”Yaqoob notes that the snowfall season in Gulmarg is traditionally from November to February-March.

Persons: Tauseef Mustafa, Asif Ahmad Bhat, “, ”, ’ Bhat, Sahil Ahmed Lone, Yawar Nazir, he’s, Lone, they’ve, Nasir Kachroo, Gulmarg –, Raja, it’s Organizations: CNN, CNN Travel, ”, El Nino Locations: Gulmarg, Indian, Kashmir, Srinagar, India, Pakistan, AFP, “, Leh, Ladakh, Uttarakhand

☆ 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

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