More thаn 70 people were kіllеd whеn a trаіn frоm Karachi tо Rаwаlріndі, іn Pakistan, саught fіrе. Thе Mіnіѕtеr оf Rаіlwауѕ, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, ѕаіd the fire wаѕ саuѕеd bу a gаѕ суlіndеr that wаѕ uѕеd bу passengers tо сооk thеіr breakfast. The fіrе іѕ bеlіеvеd tо hаvе ѕрrеаd to at least three vеhісlеѕ, whіlе lосаl media ԛuоtеd оffісіаlѕ аѕ saying mаnу of thе victims were kіllеd whіlе trying to jumр off thе burnіng trаіn. Sоmе 48 people were reported іnjurеd іn thе іnсіdеnt, but оffісіаlѕ said thе death toll was likely tо іnсrеаѕе.
Tag: Pakistan
Prince William and Princess Kate Arrive for “Most Complex Tour” in Pakistan
Britain’s Prince William and Princess Kate arrived at Noor Khan Airbase in Rawalpindi, Pakistan on October 14 for their “most complex tour” ever. Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, the British High Commissioner to Pakistan, Thomas Drew, and other members of the Pakistani Foreign Office were present on the occasion to welcome them. The Guard of Honor was also presented to both guests. On this occasion, the strictest security arrangements have been made in the capital of Islamabad. One thousand policemen are stationed around Islamabad where the royal couple is staying.
CPEC, Kashmir on Khan’s Agenda in China
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan arrived in Beijing on a visit to China. It is his third visit to the country since becoming Prime Minister. Hours before reaching the capital of China, a spokesman for the Pakistani military tweeted that Chief of Army Staff Qamar Javed Bajwa has reached a meeting with the Chinese military leadership. In the tweet, it was written that Bajwa will also attend the meeting of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Li Keqiang with Imran Khan.
FM Qureshi Says Pakistan Meeting Money Laundering, Terrorist Funding Parameters
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said Pakistan had made an unprecedented effort to implement guidelines and suggestions from the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering, and hoped that Pakistan would be satisfied with the FATF by presenting its stand at the next meeting. It is to be noted that earlier, the report of the FATF, and sub-organization Asia Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG), was issued by Pakistan to prevent money laundering and terrorist financing. The actions taken have been reviewed.
“Azadi March” Arrives in Pakistan-Controlled Kashmir
The ‘Azadi March’, which originated from Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, is nearing the Line of Control (LOC). Pakistani troops have stopped the march six kilometers from the Line of Control. Those involved in the march spent the night on the road and have claimed to be heading back to the border in the morning.
Khan Warns Against Crossing Line of Control— Pro-Independence Group Going Anyway
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that he understands “the anguish of the Kashmiris in AJK seeing their fellow Kashmiris in IOJK under an inhumane curfew for over 2 months.” However, he said that crossing the Line of Control (LoC) would only strengthen the Indian narrative.
Taliban’s Baradar Meets Pakistan’s PM Khan— Is Peace Still Possible?
A top Afghan Taliban delegation, led by the Taliban’s top commander, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, met Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday. A PMO official told reporters that the Pakistan Army Chief also attended this meeting on Thursday afternoon. Earlier, the delegation also met Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi at the Pakistan Foreign Ministry office. The meeting was also attended by Lt Gen Faiz Hameed, the head of ISI, the intelligence agency of the Pakistani Army.
Strong Earthquake Kills At Least 37 in Pakistan
A strong 5.8-magnitude earthquake has killed at least 37 people, with the death toll expected to rise as the rescue operation is still on. Several hundred others have been left nursing injuries. The tragedy occurred in Mirpur, in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. According to local authorities, the quake also caused massive damage to homes and shops.
Pakistani Prime Minister Warns of War with India
Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Imran Khan, has warned of a massacre and the threat of war over Indian-administered Kashmir. Khan has said that there are 900,000 Indian soldiers in Indian-administered Kashmir, and warned of a massacre once a military curfew is lifted. He urged the international community to play its part in resolving the issue. “For 50 days, the people of Kashmir have been locked down by 900,000 soldiers,” Khan said.
UN General Assembly: Macron Plays Matchmaker, Trump Offers to Mediate
French President Emmanuel Macron’s efforts to arrange a meeting between the US and Iranian leaders continued in New York on Tuesday. Hassan Rouhani described Mr. Macron’s efforts to lift US sanctions against Iran as a success, but Donald Trump said in a speech at the UN General Assembly that sanctions would not be lifted as long as Iran’s threatening behavior continues. Mr. Macron first met with Mr. Rouhani on Monday night. He said on Tuesday evening that Mr. Rouhani was accompanying British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to meet with the British Prime Minister.
Pakistan Rejects India’s Statement on Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir
Pakistan has said that it rejected the Indian Foreign Minister’s provocative and irresponsible statements regarding himself and Kashmir. Earlier, the External Affairs Minister of India, Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, had said that the abolition of Article 370 was an internal matter of India and part of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and would fall under the sovereignty of India.
Trump Confirms Death of Hamza bin Laden in Counterterrorism Strike
The US. has confirmed that Hamza bin Laden, Osama bin Laden’s son, considered the heir apparent to al-Qaeda’s command, was killed in a U.S. counter terrorism operation. The American media had earlier reported his death in late July. Hamza, aged roughly 30 years old, was the fifteenth of Osama bin Laden’s 20 children.
Let There Be “Peace” – Can India and Pakistan Be More Friend, Less Foe?
Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore’s Poem Where the mind is without fear is a pre-independent poem in which the poet seeks complete freedom, a political and spiritual freedom:
Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high
Where knowledge is free
Where the world has not broken up into fragments
By narrow domestic walls
Where words come out from the depth of truth
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way
Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit
Where the mind is led forward by Thee
Into ever-widening thought and action
Into that Heaven of freedom, my father, let my Country awake!
Reactions to President Trump’s Announcement Cancelling Afghan Peace Talks
Pakistan has reacted to US President Donald Trump’s recent remarks, and said that Islamabad will always believe that Afghanistan’s conflict cannot be resolved through war. Pakistan is optimistic that talks will resume between the US and the Taliban, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Pakistan Stops Indian President from Using its Airspace
Pakistan today refused to allow Indian President Ram Nath Kovind to use its airspace. Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Aviation, Ghulam Sarwar Khan, made the announcement on Saturday. The Indian Foreign Ministry asked for permission from Pakistan in connection with Kovind’s trip to Europe.
Pakistan Lifts Ban on Lifesaving Drugs from India
On Tuesday, Pakistan announced a lifting of the ban on imports of life-saving drugs from India. With the approval of the Federal Government, the Ministry of Commerce has issued a notification for amending the Export-Import Order 2016, under which Pakistan will now be able to import life-saving medicines from India and export to India.
Pakistanis Demonstrate in Solidarity with Kashmir
Pakistanis from all over the country celebrated Kashmir Hour on Friday to express solidarity with the Kashmiri people. Normal life in the Valley has not been restored since India’s decision to make Kashmir a centrally-managed area.
Kashmir Crisis: Nuclear War Won’t Be Won Between India and Pakistan
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that he is worried because the Indian government is taking steps to create a nuclear war on the subcontinent. Addressing the nation on Monday about the situation in India’s Kashmir, he said, “the way I see the Modi government’s ambitions, the kind of ideology they have if the problem goes to war. Remember, both countries have nuclear weapons and no one will win a nuclear war.”
Pakistani PM Imran Khan: No More Dialogue with Indian Officials
Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Imran Khan, has said that he has no plans to talk to India anymore because it is no longer useful. In an interview with The New York Times, Imran Khan said, “there is no point in talking to them. I mean, I have done all the talking. Unfortunately, now when I look back, all the overtures that I was making for peace and dialogue, I think they took it for appeasement,” Mr. Khan said.
Finding the Elusive Peace in Kashmir
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is driving the Kashmir train on the wrong track of ultranationalism that cost India 25 percent of its land and 20 percent of its people in 1947. But it’s not yet too late to change the course to find a lasting peace and prosperity for all of its people. The nirvana lies in a blueprint that was secretly drafted a decade ago by two former leaders of India and Pakistan but failed to execute because of their sudden departure from office.
UN Security Council meeting; Kashmir is Not India’s Internal Matter
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister has called for a consultation meeting on Saturday at the Foreign Ministry in Islamabad to look into the Kashmir situation, after the UN Security Council Advisory Meeting on the India-administered Kashmir crisis.
Ultranationalist Hindu Guru’s Vision Guides India’s Kashmir Move
India is back to square one, thanks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s move Monday to scrap special political rights for a Muslim-majority state in the Hindu-dominated country. The Muslim-rights issue, which led to the creation of Pakistan as a Muslim homeland in 1947, has now resurfaced: Can the Muslims get a fair shake in India?
Kashmir Dispute – Could It Result in the Use of Nuclear Weapons?
India revoked Kashmir’s special status with a rush decree. A presidential decree issued on August 5, 2019 removed Article 370 of India’s constitution that provided special rights to Kashmir, which is also the Muslim-majority state. The state lost its unique constitution and the right to implement their own laws. India sent military troops to the region in anticipation of protests.
Partition of India: One US Diplomat’s Notes
The Partition of India in 1947 by Britain to create two independent countries wreaked havoc in human lives and miseries. It killed two million people, according to various estimates, and displaced 14 million. Its legacy, the two siblings of the midnight — nuclear-armed Pakistan and India — are still at loggerheads. Was this inevitable?
Indian Prime Minister’s Remarks on Recent Developments in Kashmir
In a televised address Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi defended the government’s controversial decision to cancel special concessions in Kashmir. The Indian prime minister said Kashmir’s “new era” has begun. There has been no working mobile, telephone, and internet network since the announcement of the decision on Sunday. Pakistan has described India’s recent decision as a violation of international law.
Reaction to Article 370 Termination; ‘Pakistan Stands with Kashmiris’
In India, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s government has announced that it is terminating its special status and powers given to Kashmir under the Indian constitution. India’s Home Minister, Amit Shah on Monday proposed the abolition of Article 370, signed by the President in the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) (the upper house of the Indian parliament), which has given Kashmir a semi-autonomous body.
Kashmir: Amid Tensions in the Valley, What India Expects
Amid intense speculation about what is going to happen in Kashmir, Home Minister Amit Shah today held a long meeting with India’s national security adviser and intelligence chief. In the last ten days, an additional 50,000 troops have been deployed in Kashmir and after the removal of the pilgrims and tourists, there is panic in Kashmir. The local people from Srinagar say they are feeling ‘mental torture.’
International Roundup: Leaders in Trouble, Subcontinent in Tension
- Things have, for the most part, returned to normal, after a tumultuous week between nuclear-armed rivals, India and Pakistan. An Indian pilot was returned from Pakistan Friday, after being shot down over the disputed region of Kashmir on Wednesday. Now Washington wants to know if an F-16 was used in the dogfight.