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PAKISTAN URGES AFGHANISTAN TO HAND OVER TTP TERRORISTS INVOLVED IN BESHAM ATTACK Monday, 27 May, 2024 I |18 Zil-qadah, 1445
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NAQVI ASKS AFGHAN GOVT TO ACT AGAINST TERROR NETWORK TO MAINTAIN FRIENDLY TIES BETWEEN TWO COUNTRIES
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Ameer Noor Wali Mehsud, TTP Malakand Commander Azmatullah Mehsud and other senior leaders of the TTP. The interior minister said that Pakistan wanted good ties with Afghanistan and it was possible when Afghanistan would support Pakistan and not allow its soil to be used against Pakistan. On March 26, a vehicle-borne suicide bomber targeted a convoy escorting Chinese engineers in the remote Besham area of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, killing six people, including the vehicle’s driver. The Chinese engineers were en route to their camp in Dasu – the district headquarters of the Upper Kohistan district of K-P – from Islamabad. Their vehicle was hit by an explosive-laden vehicle, coming from the opposite direction, near Lahore Nala on the Karakoram Highway. Islamabad has long accused Kabul of
failing to take action against TTP terrorists who allegedly hide and operate from Afghanistan. Kabul denies the accusations. The interior minister said that Pakistan has raised the issue with Afghanistan’s interim government, urging them to take action against these terrorists, but so far, there has been no positive response. He said that terrorists, including those from TTP, are being supported in border areas by the neighbouring country. “We have numerous pieces of evidence supporting this,” he asserted. Naqvi said that the TTP is operating against Pakistani interests and is involved in attacks on Chinese citizens and other acts of terrorism. He warned that terrorists are exploiting the weaknesses of Afghanistan’s interim government, escalating threats to Pakistan’s security from across the border. “These cross-
PM phones Norwegian counterpart, lauds decision to recognize Palestine LAHORE
Staff RepoRt
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday during a telephonic conversation with Prime Minister of Norway Jonas Gahr Store conveyed his deep appreciation for Norway’s landmark decision to recognize the State of Palestine. PM Shehbaz said that the principled decision taken by Norway would send a strong message of hope and solidarity to the brave
Palestinian people who have been enduring Israel’s brutalities and oppression for the past seventy-five years,” PM Office Media Wing said in a press release. The prime minister also welcomed the ICJ’s recent ruling regarding Rafah and Gaza and called for its full and effective implementation. The prime minister emphasized the importance of the two-state solution as the key to lasting peace in the Middle East. He hoped that Norway’s deci-
EMIRS OF KUWAIT, QATAR ACCEPT PM’S INVITATION TO VISIT PAKISTAN ISLAMABAD
Staff RepoRt Emir of Kuwait Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim ibn Hamad Al Thani on Sunday accepted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s invitation to pay a visit to Pakistan. Kuwait’s Ambassador to Pakistan Nassar Abdulrahman Jasser Almutairi and Qatar’s Ambassador to Pakistan Ali Mubarak Ali Essa Al-Khater conveyed these messages, during separate meetings with the prime minister in Islamabad. During the meeting, both envoys presented letters to the premier wherein the emirs expressed their intention to visit Pakistan on mutually agreed dates.
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sion would encourage other countries to follow suit, paving the way for full UN membership of State of Palestine. In this regard, he further said that the international community needed to focus its attention towards the plight of the oppressed people of Kashmir, who had been subjected to brutal occupation and denial of fundamental rights for the past seven and a half decades. During the conversation, both leaders reiterated their commitment to strengthening bilateral ties in various sectors, including trade, investment, education, and renewable energy. They also recognized the important role played by Norwegians of Pakistani origin in creating a vital connection between Pakistan and Norway and contributing to the economic development of both nations. “The two leaders agreed to remain in touch and to meet soon, possibly on the margins of the UNGA Session later this year. The Prime Minister also extended a most cordial invitation to Prime Minister Store to undertake an official visit to Pakistan, at his earliest convenience,” it was added.
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Import bill surges to $17.9b in H2FY24, reflecting eased restrictions
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FOLLOWING IMF DIRECTIVES, SBP EASES IMPORT RESTRICTIONS, CAUSING A NOTICEABLE RISE IN IMPORT BILLS
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Pakistan has witnessed a significant increase in imports in the second half of the outgoing fiscal year, as the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) eased restrictions on the importation of goods, following directives from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). This move came as part of the conditions set by the IMF for reaching a Staff-Level Agreement, which would release the final tranche of $1.1 billion under the $3 billion Stand-By Arrangement. From January to April, the country’s import bill surged to $17.92 billion, up from $25.462 billion
Loss of Raisi, Abdollahian truly tragic and irreparable: COAS Gen Munir expresses deep condolences over sad incident in telephonic call with Chief of Iranian Armed Forces
SAYS ISLAMABAD WELL AWARE OF FORCES TRYING TO UNDERMINE PAKISTAN-CHINA RELATIONS
Staff RepoRt
EDERAL Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Sunday urged the interim Afghan government to take “action” against the terror group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and hand over its leadership to Pakistan for its role in suicide attack on Chinese nationals in KhyberPakhtunkhwa’s Besham. “We demand that the interim Taliban government arrest the TTP leaders, including its chief Noor Wali Mehsud and hand them over to Pakistan to maintain friendly relations between the two countries,” Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi told a press conference in Lahore, along with senior security officials. Naqvi said that the TTP was behind the attack on Chinese nationals in Besham, and that the terrorists involved have been apprehended. He revealed that the suicide attack on March 26 targeting Chinese engineers was orchestrated by TTP terrorists, with operations coordinated from Afghanistan. “We have irrefutable evidence of this,” he said. Naqvi expressed serious concerns about the use of Afghan soil for attacks on Chinese nationals. “This is a matter of grave concern for us,” he stated. He said that the Pakistan government had requested the interim Afghan government to arrest Bakhtiar Shah, Qari Asadullah and Khan Lala and especially TTP
Rs 20.00 | Vol XIV No 327 I 08 Pages I Islamabad Edition
recorded from July to December in FY24. Despite the increase in imports, currency experts noted that the SBP has successfully stabilised the exchange rate, managing higher dollar demands from importers. Bankers have observed that while imports have increased, restrictions remain to control the trade deficit and manage the current account deficit more effectively. Data from the SBP shows that the average monthly imports rose by $244 million to $4.481 billion in the first four months of the year, compared to $4.237 billion in the first half of the fiscal year. For the fiscal year 10MFY24, Pakistan’s total imports stood at $43.353 billion against exports of $25.669 billion, resulting in a trade deficit of $17.684 billion. Although exports did not significantly increase dollar inflows, they saw growth mainly due to higher food exports, which totaled $5.963 billion compared to $3.92 billion last year, with rice shipments accounting for $3.063 billion of this amount. The country is under pressure to boost its dollar reserves to meet an estimated $25 billion in debt servicing for FY25. Remittances saw a modest rise of 3.5% to $23.8 billion during 10MFY24, and foreign direct investment also increased by 8% to $1.45 billion.
border threats are increasingly complicating our national security,” he said. In light of these attacks, the minister said that Pakistan has intensified border surveillance, although terrorists still manage to find ways to infiltrate. “The government of Pakistan is well aware of the forces trying to undermine PakistanChina relations,” Naqvi noted. He emphasised the critical importance of Pakistan-China relations, stating that the security of Chinese nationals is a top priority. “We have implemented new standard operating procedures (SOPs) and are enforcing them strictly,” he added. “We are taking all possible measures to ensure the safety of Chinese nationals.” National Counter-Terrorism Authority Coordinator Muhammad Tahir Rai gave detailed briefing about the investigation done related to Besham (Shangla) terrorist attack on March 26. He said entire incident was planned in Afghanistan and objective was to harm Pakistan and China relations. He said that 11 accused namely Adil Shehbaz, Shafiq Qureshi, Zahid Qureshi, Nazeer Hussain, Faizullah, Fasihullah, Imran Swati, Sakha Ullah, Abdullah, Abdul Rehman and Kamal Khan had been arrested. The arrested culprits were in police custody on physical remand. He said that the arrested accused would face trial in local anti-terrorism court where challans would be submitted after completing legal formalities. Tahir Rai said that remaining accused belonging to the network including Hazrat Bilal would be arrested soon.
RAWALPINDI
Staff RepoRt
Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir on Sunday had a telephonic call with Chief of General Staff of Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Bagheri and extended deep condolences over the sad and unfortunate incident of helicopter crash on May 19 which led to demise of President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Amir Abdollahain and other important officials, the military said in a statement. According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the army chief expressed that Late President Ebrahim Raisi and Late Foreign Minister Amir Abdollahian were exceptional leaders and true friends of Pakistan. He highlighted that loss of both the leaders and others was truly tragic and irreparable. COAS, on behalf of all ranks of Pakistan Army, extended prayers for the departed souls and well wishes for the bereaved families. General Munir said that Pakistan has historic, cultural and brotherly ties with Iran and the armed forces of Pakistan and Iran have always stood together. General Bagheri thanked COAS for sharing grief and vowed to continue the cooperation between the two militaries. Raisi, along with Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, Governor of East Azerbaijan Province Malek Rahmati, head of Raisi’s bodyguard team Mehdi Mousavi, and Iranian Supreme Leader’s representative in the province Mohammad Ali Al-eHashem, died in a helicopter crash in northern Azerbaijan on May 19. The Pakistani government had expressed its condolences to the Iranian government and people over the tragic loss of life.