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Rajnath Singh slammed Pakistan for continuously violating the ceasefire agreement

in ASIA/POLITICS by

Union home minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday slammed Pakistan for continuously violating the ceasefire agreement with India despite giving assurance not to do so, saying Islamabad should not misinterpret “powerful” India’s “decency”. Pakistani shelling along the border in Jammu and Kashmir has increased over the past two weeks. Fourteen people, including eight civilians, have been killed in the shelling since January 18, according to the state police. Today, Pakistani troops opened fire and lobbed mortars on forward and civilian areas along the LoC in Rajouri district. No casualties have been reported. “Not saying much, I just want to say our politeness and decency has a limit. We want to maintain good relations with all and also with our neighbours. But our decency should not be wrongly interpreted”, he said. Rajnath said Pakistan, being a neighbour, should have a friendly attitude towards India. He said that the fencing of the India-Pak border was underway at a rapid pace.

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Facilitatons to Japanese companies for investing in Pakistan

in Senza categoria by

Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has said that the government will provide full support and facilitation to the Japanese companies that are interested to invest in Pakistan. Talking to CEO of Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) Tadashi Maeda at World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, he hoped that JBIC will support Japanese companies in their investments in Pakistan particularly in the energy sector. He said Pakistan and Japan enjoy a very long and cherished history of economic cooperation that is of immense importance to Pakistan. Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said in the last few years Pakistan has made tremendous achievements towards political stability, law and order, energy security, and economic growth. He said we are hoping that these positive indicators will incite Japanese companies and businesses to enhance their ties. The prime minister apprised that there are 84 Japanese companies currently operating in Pakistan and many more are expected to enter Pakistani market at an exponential rate. PM Abbasi invited JBIC to open its operations in Pakistan. CEO JBIC appreciated the economic stability achieved by Pakistan and expressed interest for investments in Energy and Telecom sectors. JBIC has provided funding for Kohat tunnel-I, II and other infrastructure projects.

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Pakistan condemns US drone strike

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Pakistan on Wednesday condemned what it said was a US military drone strike inside its territory. The unmanned aircraft’s missiles “targeted an Afghan refugee” camp in northwestern Kurram region, an international news agency reported, citing a statement from the Pakistani foreign office. Foreign Office Spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal, in a statement, said such unilateral actions are detrimental to the spirit of cooperation between the two countries in the fight against terrorism. “Such unilateral actions, as that of today, are detrimental to the spirit of cooperation between the two countries in the fight against terrorism”, the statement said. He said Pakistan has continued to emphasize to the United States the importance of sharing actionable intelligence so that appropriate action is taken against terrorists by our forces within our territory. The spokesperson said Pakistan has also been stressing the need for early repatriation of Afghan refugees as their presence in Pakistan helps Afghan terrorists to melt among them. The suspected US drone attack on a house in northwestern Pakistan killed two militants from the Afghan Taliban-allied Haqqani network, two Pakistani security officials said earlier.

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The International Court fixed 17 April and 17 July as time-limits for Kulbhushan Jadhav case

in FAR EAST/POLITICS by

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has set separate deadlines for India and Pakistan for the filing of the written pleadings by them in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case. April 17 and July 17 have been fixed as “time-limits” for India and Pakistan respectively. 47-year-old Jadhav was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of espionage and terrorism in April last year. This prompted India to move the Hague-based ICJ in May. Subsequently, a 10-member bench of the ICJ on May 18 restrained Pakistan from executing Jadhav till adjudication of the case. The principal judicial organ of the UN released a statement which said that the international top court authorised the submission of a reply by India and of a rejoinder by Pakistan in the Jadhav case. “The Court fixed 17 April 2018 and 17 July 2018 as the respective time-limits for the filing of these written pleadings”, said the statement issued last week. The statement further said the ICJ made its decision taking into account the views of the parties and the circumstances of the case. Pakistan claims its security forces arrested Jadhav from its restive Balochistan province on March 3 last year after he reportedly entered from Iran. India, however, maintains that Jadhav was kidnapped from Iran where he had business interests after retiring from the Indian Navy. How Kulbhushan Jadhav drama unfolds hereon will depend on how matters are worked out away from media’s gaze Recently, Pakistan had raked up the Jadhav issue in the UNSC after it was accused by India, the US and Afghanistan, for providing safe havens to terrorists. Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the UN Maleeha Lodhi was responding to Indian Ambassador to the UN Syed Akbaruddin who said Pakistan needs to change its “mindset” of differentiating between good and bad terrorists.“Those who talk of changing mindset need to look within, at their own record of subversion against my country as our capture of an Indian spy has proven beyond doubt”, Lodhi had told the members of the UN Security Council, without naming Jadhav.

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Trade between Afghanistan and Pakistan drops

in ECONOMY/MIDLE EAST by

Bilateral trade between Afghanistan and Pakistan has dropped by almost 2 billion US dollars.
Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) President Zahidullah Shinwari said the trade volume between the two countries was $2.5 billion as he blamed the strained relations between Kabul and Islamabad behind the reducing trade volume between the two countries. Tensions between Kabul and Islamabad remains because the two countries blame each other of no fight against terrorist group. Furthermore, the Afghan government is searching for alternative routes to gain access to international markets to boost trade as the key Chabahar Port in Iran started operations during the recent months besides Kabul and New Delhi have launched the air corridor to help Afghan traders gain access to international markets.

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IMF’s last report

in ECONOMY/MIDLE EAST by

The economic reforms held by the heir prince Bin Salman, are in line with the economic provisions set this Monday by the International Monetary Fund. It is making growth provision throughout the middle east. However, the dependence to the oil market, which in this particular moment is favouring the exporting countries, is in the end perceived as a weakness that the prince is trying directly to face. The International Monetary Fund has raised its growth projection for the deficit-hit Saudi economy on the back of higher oil prices but retained its estimates for the region. In its World Economic Outlook update, the IMF said the Saudi economy — which shrank 0.7 percent last year — is expected to grow by 1.6 percent in 2018, up 0.5 percent on its October estimates. The Saudi economy is also projected to grow by 2.2 percent next year, up 0.6 percent on the previous estimate, it said. However, the IMF maintained its October projections for growth in the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan (MENAP) region at 3.6 percent and 3.5 percent for this year and 2019, respectively. IMF’s representatives stated that: “While stronger oil prices are helping a recovery in domestic demand in oil exporters, including Saudi Arabia, the fiscal adjustment that is still needed is projected to weigh on growth prospects”. It said oil prices rose 20 percent between August and October of last year. The Saudi economy, the largest in the region, contracted last year for the first time since 2009 when it dove into negative territory due to the global financial crisis. The kingdom has posted budget deficits in the past four fiscal years since oil prices began to plunge. It is projected to remain in the red until 2023. Thus, Riyadh has introduced a series of austerity measures to boost non-oil income, raising the prices of fuel and power, imposing fees and charges on expatriate labor and introducing a value-added tax (VAT) of five percent.

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Afghanistan: pakistani artillery killed one and wounded 8

in MIDLE EAST by

In Kunar province, a woman was killed and eight other civilians were killed in artillery shelling from the other side of Durand Line, the international border between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
This is not the first time that Afghanistan is attacked attack from the other side of the Durand Line. In fact, in some parts of Nangarhar and Kandahar province a brief clash also took place earlier last year between the Afghan and Pakistani forces. The Pakistani officials said that the security forces were only responding to the militants attack, but  the local officials in Kunar province saying that thousands of rounds of artillery and rockets have been fired on different parts of Kunar province since the start of the current Afghan year.

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Khawaja Asif says Islamabad attempting to start Afghan peace process

in ASIA/PRESS RELEASE/REGIONS by

The foreign minister of Pakistan Khawaja Asif has said Islamabad is attempting to resume the Afghan peace process in a bid to end the ongoing violence in the country. Asif, quoted by local media outlets, has said Islamabad has called for a meeting in Muscat of Oman and has requested all the concerned groups to participate in the talks. He said Pakistan is keen to play a crucial role being a member of the Quadrilateral Coordination Group which was formed to kick start the Afghan peace talks. The last meeting of the group ended without any breakthrough to start the Afghan peace process after the Taliban group responded the peace calls with unprecedented violence. The group staged some of the largest attacks last year including a major attack on the VIP protection unit that left scores of people dead or wounded. The attack forced the Afghan government to withdraw from the peace efforts and opted a strict military option against the group. In the meantime, Islamabad is informing regarding the efforts to resume the Afghan talks at a time when pressures by Washington is on the rise, mainly due to the sanctuaries of the Taliban and Haqqani terrorist network.

 

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Top US officials to visit Islamabad with tough message from President Trump

in MIDLE EAST/PRESS RELEASE/REGIONS by

Senior US officials are expected to visit Islamabad at the end of this month and earlier next month amid reports the officials will deliver tough message by President Donald Trump to the Pakistani officials regarding the circumstances surrounding the fight against terrorism. The officials have told AFP that Secretary Tillerson will arrive in Islamabad later this month while Secretary Mattis’s visit is scheduled for the next month. According to the officials, the two senior US officials will deliver the message by President Trump that the alleged Pakistani state support for militant groups has to end. This comes as Pakistani foreign minister Khawajah Asif last week visited Washington amid reports he was invited by Secretary Tillerson for bilateral talks. However, reports indicate that the tensions still remain high between the two nations, mainly due to the safe havens of the terror groups in Pakistan. Secretary Mattis earlier had warned that President Donald Trump is prepared to take whatever actions are necessary if Washington’s efforts fail to work with Pakistan in Afghanistan.

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Trump ready for whatever steps necessary regarding Pakistan: Ma

in AMERICAS/MIDLE EAST/PRESS RELEASE/REGIONS by

Speaking to the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, the US Secretary of Defense James Mattis has warned that President Donald Trump is prepared to take whatever actions are necessary if Washington’s efforts fail to work with Pakistan in Afghanistan. Relations and ties between Islamabad and Washington have deteriorated since President Trump announced the new US strategy for South Asia and strongly criticized Pakistan for sheltering the terrorist groups. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States General Joseph Dunford has confirmed that the military intelligence of Pakistan’s military, Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), has connections with the terror group. However, Islamabad has repeatedly rejected the allegations although in some stances the country’s senior officials have admitted the presence of some of the notorious terrorist networks and leaders, including Haqqani network.

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