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PAKISTAN COMMITTED TO ENHANCE COOPERATION WITH MALDIVES IN DIVERSE FIELDS: PM Wednesday, 25 September, 2024 I | 20 Rabi ul Awwal, 1446
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Shehbaz Sharif meets Maldives President Dr Muizzu on sidelines of the 79th Session of UNGA
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NEW YORK
Both leaders recognize shared responsibility to work together for peace, prosperity, and stability of region
STAFF REPORT
RIME Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to enhancing cooperation with the Maldives in the fields of trade, tourism, education, investment and climate change. He was talking to President of the Maldives Dr Muizzu on the sidelines of the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. During the meeting, both leaders underscored the deep-rooted ties between Pakistan and the Maldives. Both leaders agreed on the need for increased people-to-people exchanges and collaborative efforts to promote economic growth and sustainable development in their respective countries. The two sides also recognized the shared responsibility of South Asian nations to work together for peace, prosperity, and stability of the region. PM to attend UNGA opening session, reception by UN secretary-general today Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif will attend the opening session of the 79th United Nations General Assembly being held today marking the beginning of the annual gathering of world leaders. The prime minister, along with a high-level delegation, arrived here in
New York on Monday evening to attend the annual session of the 193-member UN General Assembly and address multiple other meetings, besides meeting the participating leaders on the sidelines. Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Information and Broadcasting Minister Attaullah Tarar, Federal Education and Professional Training Minister Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, and Special Assistant to PM Tariq Fatemi are members of the prime minister’s delegation. He will hold an informal interaction with the world leaders at a reception
Court gives PTI counsels ‘last chance’ to cross-examine witness in £190m reference ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
The Rawalpindi Accountability Court on Tuesday gave lawyers of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his wife, “the last chance” to cross-examine the sole remaining witness in the £190 million corruption reference. Accountability Court Judge Nasir Javed Rana conducted hearing at the Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail against the PTI founder and his wife accused of causing billions of rupees loss to the national exchequer through embezzlement. As proceedings started, the lawyers apprised the court that Bushra Bibi’s counsel Usman Gul could not show up as he was unwell. Hence, they said, crossexamination could not be held from the investigation officer (IO), the last witness in the reference. The court expressed discontent with the PTI founder’s counsels once again seeking to postpone the hearing without cross-examining the witness. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor opposed the request for adjourning the hearing, saying 12 letters of attorney had been submitted by the suspects’ lawyers. Therefore, he was of the view that other senior lawyers present in the court could cross-examine the witness. The NAB’s prosecutor said the last witness of the 190 million pound reference had been appearing for the previous 23 hearings, but he was not being crossexamined. “Barrister Ali Zafar and Intazar Panjutha are present in the court and they should cross-examine the witness,” the NAB official said. He also said the Islamabad High Court (IHC) stopped the trial court from announcing a verdict, but not from carrying a trial. Giving the last chance to crossexamine the witness, the court has adjourned the hearing till Wednesday (tomorrow). IHC on September 18 stopped the accountability court from issuing a final verdict in the £190 million settlement case against incarcerated Imran and Bushra. A two-member bench of the high court comprising Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb heard the couple’s acquittal plea in the said case.
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hosted by the UN Secretary-General for the dignitaries participating in the UNGA session. He is also set to meet with President of Maldives Mohamed Muizzu and discuss ways to promote bilateral cooperation. Earlier, the Prime Minister arrived in New York Monday evening to lead Pakistan’s delegation at the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), which opens on Tuesday. The prime minister will go through a hectic schedule during his five-day visit. More than 130 world leaders are set
to attend the annual event. Massive security measures are in place in and around the UN complex for the Assembly’s high-level debate from Sept 24 to 28. Before he departed from Islamabad to London last week, PM Shehbaz Sharif said in a post on X that he would “present Pakistan’s perspective to the world, advocate our interests, and strengthen international partnerships.” The prime minister is also set to address several summit meetings, including the ‘high-level meeting on existential threat posed by sea-level rise’, ‘SDG Moment 2024’, and the UN Security Council’s open debate on ‘Leadership for Peace’. PM Shehbaz felicitates new Sri Lanka’s PM Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday felicitated Dr Harini Amarasuriya on becoming Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister, expressing the confidence that the multi-faceted cooperation between Pakistan and Sri Lanka would grow during her tenure. “Congratulations to Hon Dr Harini Amarasuriya on assuming office as the new Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. I wish her all the success. I am confident that the multi-faceted cooperation between Pakistan and Sri Lanka will grow during her tenure,” the prime minister wrote on his X account.
PTI can’t be given reserved seats by reversing its ‘irreversible’ error: Atta Tarar NEW YORK
STAFF REPORT
Minister for Information, Broadcasting, National Heritage and Culture Attaullah Tarar on Tuesday said the clock could not be turned back to give the reserved seats to the Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI) which had made an irreversible mistake by joining the Sunni Ittehad Council in the Parliament which was not a parliamentary party. Talking to the media, the minister said the PTI could have joined the Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen which had a presence in the House. He said the government fully endorsed the letter written by the National Assembly Speaker to the Chief Election Commissioner asking how the seats could be given to
a party which did not have any existence in the House. Tarar asked whether the court could rectify the mistake made by the PTI in the past. Whether the independent candidates submitted fake affidavits or they did not attain finality by joining a party, or whether every member had such space to change a party in the House by canceling the affidavit, questioned. He pointed out that the amendment in the existing election law made it mandatory for an independent candidate to join any political party within three days and “going against the line of a political party for which the affidavit was submitted in the House is tantamount to floor crossing”. The minister expressed surprise over a statement of PTI leader Salman Akram Raja that he
was asked by the court that whether he had any reservations if the PTI were given the reserved seats. The matter required an official clarification, he added. Moreover, he said, a senior justice, in his dissenting note, had raised very pertinent questions and asked how the PTI could be given relief when it was not a party to the case. “Constitutionally these questions need to be addressed,” he noted. He paid tributes to the NA Speaker for upholding the supremacy of the Parliament by writing a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) on the issue of reserved seats. His question was legally justified that how an Assembly member could be allowed to change the party by “overruling legislation and reversing clock”, he added.
FinMin optimistic about IMF review today g
As the IMF board prepares to evaluate Pakistan's $7 billion Extended Fund Facility, Minister Aurangzeb expresses confidence in securing crucial support for economic reforms PROFIT APP
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb expressed strong optimism on Tuesday regarding the International Monetary Fund (IMF)’s upcoming review of Pakistan’s 37-month, $7 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF), set for tomorrow. The IMF has announced that its board will convene on September 25 to assess the EFF for Pakistan, amidst concerns that fund disbursement may hinge on delays in debt rollover confirmations from China, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. There are also worries about the government’s inability to secure new funds to address an external financing gap of $2 billion for the current fiscal year. Aurangzeb stated in an interview with Geo News, “We are very hopeful that the board will approve the seven billion dollar program, under which we are committed to implementing structural reforms.” He noted the decline in KIBOR and policy rates, emphasizing that the government aims to communicate that it is not “desperate to borrow.” He highlighted that any domestic borrowing would be done on the government’s terms, citing instances where they declined bids for T-Bills and Pakistan Investment Bonds (PIBs). “The success of our previous nine-month Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) has paved the way for these discussions,” he added. Aurangzeb expressed gratitude to China for its ongoing support throughout the Fund program, noting its long-standing partnership with Pakistan. He reiterated the government’s commitment to advancing its reform agenda across taxation, energy, and the privatization of state-owned enterprises. In July, Pakistan and the IMF finalized a three-year, $7 billion aid package aimed at fostering macroeconomic stability and promoting inclusive, resilient growth. This follows the successful completion of a previous $3 billion loan program in April, which contributed to recent credit rating upgrades from both Moody’s and Fitch Ratings.
COAS reiterates Army’s commitment to thwarting designs of hostile forces, their facilitators RAWALPINDI
STAFF REPORT
General Syed Asim Munir, Chief of Army Staff (COAS), NI (M), visited Wana, South Waziristan District, where he received a comprehensive briefing on the prevailing security situation, ongoing counter-terrorism operations, and development initiatives. During his interaction with officers and troops, COAS appreciated the high level of preparedness and exceptional morale to counter hostile threats. He reaffirmed Pakistan Army’s unwavering commitment to thwarting the nefarious designs of hostile forces and their facilitators. COAS paid heartfelt tribute to the security forces and law enforcement agencies (LEAs) who have made
ultimate sacrifices in the line of duty. He emphasised that Pakistan Army will continue to
provide steadfast support and technical assistance to LEAs, particularly K-P Police, to enhance their capacity. COAS also acknowledged the pivotal role of the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in maintaining peace and advancing various projects under the South Waziristan Integrated Development Plan (SWIDP). He underscored Pakistan Army’s dedication towards leveraging its resources for the prosperity and development of the people of K-P. Furthermore, COAS expressed gratitude for the tribal elders’ invaluable support in combating terrorism and their unwavering backing of Pakistan Army. Upon arrival, COAS honoured the martyred by laying floral wreath at the Shuhada Monument. COAS was warmly received at Wana by Commander Peshawar Corps.
Israel launches new air strikes on Lebanon, kills over 500 in deadliest attacks since 2006 TEL AVIV
AGENCIES
Israel announced dozens of new air strikes on what it said were Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon on Tuesday, a day after 558 people, including 50 children, were killed in the deadliest bombardment since a devastating war in 2006. Israel’s overnight strikes on southern Lebanon came after it said it had killed a “large number” of fighters when it hit about 1,600 suspected Hezbollah targets around the country. Hezbollah said it had launched volleys of missiles at Israeli military bases, hours after 180 of its projectiles and an unmanned aerial vehicle crossed into Israeli airspace, sending people in the city of Haifa running for shelter. The Israeli military said more than 50 projectiles were fired into northern Israel in less than 10 minutes on Tuesday morning, most of which were intercepted.
In Lebanon, Monday’s raids killed 492 people, including 35 children and 58 women, and wounded 1,645, according to the health ministry, which said “thousands of families” had fled their homes. People in Israel’s coastal city of Haifa were seen running for cover on Monday when air raid sirens sounded. “Everyone is heading (to Lebanese capital Beirut) with their children and their belongings — it’s the first time we see such panic since 2006,” said Lebanese journalist Nazir Reda, who was driving to his hometown near the Israeli border to get his family away from the violence. Longtime foes Hezbollah and Israel have been locked in near-daily cross-border exchanges of fire for nearly a year, since October 7. Hezbollah, which has been fighting Israel for decades, and other Iran-backed fighters in the region have been drawn into the violence. Monday’s bombardment of Lebanon was by far the largest, not just in the past
year, but since the Israel-Hezbollah war in the summer of 2006. That war killed 1,200 people in Lebanon, mostly civilians, and 160 Israelis, most of them soldiers, and devastated large swathes of Hezbollah’s strongholds. Pakistan condemned the Israeli aggression “in the strongest possible terms”. A statement from the Foreign Office (FO) said the act of aggression was a “grave violation” of the UN Charter and international law. “It is a dangerous escalation that has further endangered peace and security in an already volatile region,” the FO added. It reaffirmed full support for Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, saying that Pakistan stood in solidarity with the people of Lebanon and for their right to live in peace and security. “We call upon the international community to take urgent steps to hold Israel to account for its alarming adventurism in the region and its acts of aggression and genocide.”
Biden calls for two-state solution, ceasefire amid escalating Israel-Lebanon conflict
NEW YORK: US President Joe Biden, addressing the 79th, and his last, United Nations General Assembly session in New York on Wednesday, reiterated his support for a two-state solution, highlighting that the creation of a peaceful Palestinian state is the only path to permanent peace in the region. “Full-scale war is not in anyone’s interest,” Biden said, urging for continued dialogue despite the escalating violence. His remarks came as Israel continued military strikes in Lebanon, raising concerns of an expanding conflict. Biden, who has faced criticism for his administration’s unwavering support for Israel, called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, where violence has escalated. He expressed deep concern for the plight of “inno-
cent civilians” in the blockaded Palestinian enclave, describing their suffering as “hell.” The US president proposed a ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas, stating that such an agreement would help bring hostages home, secure Israel’s safety, and alleviate the crisis in Gaza. He also warned against the risks of a broader “full-scale war” as Israel continues its operations in Lebanon, stressing the need for diplomatic efforts to resolve the situation. Turning to the war in Ukraine, Biden condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion, asserting that it had failed to achieve its core objective of destroying Ukraine. He called on the international community to keep supporting Kyiv until victory is achieved, highlighting that “Ukraine is still free.” AGENCIES