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Friday, 12 August, 2022 I 13 Muharram, 1444 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XIII No 43 I 12 Pages I Islamabad Edition
Khawaja asif raises alarm about increasing ttP threat g
Says government working to resolve tension on both sides of border ISLAMBAD
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EfENCE Minister Khawaja Asif on Wednesday said the law and order situation in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) was worsening due to emergence of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) insurgents. Asif expressed these views on the floor of the National Assembly while responding to MNA Mohsin Dawar, who had voiced concern over the increase in incidences of terrorism in the province following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. The minister maintained that there is tension on both sides of the border that the government is working to resolve. He said that Ghulam Khan in North Waziristan was a local problem that was being looked into as a committee comprising political elders has been formed to visit the Pakistan-Afghanistan entry point in the area.
“But the situation is getting worse across KP province,” said Asif, alleging that while the PTI government had welcomed the people of
the banned group in the province in the past, “anti-TTP protests are now being held”. It is pertinent to note that protests against the militant outfit are being held in North Waziristan for the past 26 days with the people demanding “peace and protection”. Earlier, talks between Pakistan and the outlawed TTP reached a deadlock as the militant group refused to budge from its demand for the reversal of the merger of erstwhile fata with KP. There has also been a stalemate over the issue of TTP laying down their arms in case of a peace deal, which would enable them to return to their homeland. Despite a series of meetings between the two sides, there had been no breakthrough. “There is a deadlock. And the prospects of a peace deal are not bright,” a source connected to the peace efforts had said. Pakistan was hoping that a peace deal with the TTP or its certain breakaway factions would weaken the terrorist network.
COAS Gen Bajwa arrives in UK on official visit ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt
Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa arrived in the United Kingdom on an official visit on early Thursday morning. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) press release, the army chief will attend the passing out parade at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, as the chief guest. The ISPR further said that the COAS will also call on the military leadership of the UK during the visit. Earlier, General Bajwa also met
Commander Iraqi Navy Lieutenant General Ahmed Jasim Maarij Abdullah Al Zayid. During the meeting, the army’s media wing said, matters of mutual interest, regional security issues and measures to further enhance bilateral defence collaboration were discussed. The COAS said that Pakistan values its brotherly relationship with Iraq and acknowledged sacrifices rendered by the Iraqi nation in fighting terrorism. He also said that terrorism is a global threat that has the potential to destabilise the region that needs a well-coordinated response.
PM Shehbaz, Modi likely to meet at SCO summit ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is expected to have official and scheduled meetings with the heads of major countries, including his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, by the middle of next month, according to diplomatic sources. The meetings will take place during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit scheduled to be held on September 15 and 16 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, the historical and cultural centre of Muslims. The other regional leaders expected to meet PM Shehbaz Sharif include country heads of China, Russia and Iran. Diplomatic sources in the federal capital confirmed that foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari attended a meeting of the SCO fMs on July 28, where it was reflected in the decisions that all the heads of the member countries will participate in the summit meeting of the organisation in personal capacity. “There are no plans of any meetings between Indian and Pakistani prime ministers in September,” Bilawal told WION News, adding that both India and Pakistan are part of the SCO and the two countries are only engaged in the context of the broad-based activities of the organisation. The foreign minister said: “India is our neighbouring country. While one can decide on a lot of things, one cannot choose its neighbours, therefore, we should get used to living with them.” Bilawal recalled that after 2019, constructive dialogue with India became difficult, while statements based on Islamophobia by Indian officials are further creating hurdles in dialogue.