Politics

Pakistan confirms virtual participation in SCO India meeting

Published

2 years ago

Farwa

FO will announce decision on Pakistan’s participation in coming days.
“We have received official invitation from Indian premier,” FO says.
India changed SCO summit’s format without any reason.

ISLAMABAD: After India changed the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit’s format to a virtual meeting without providing any reasons, the Foreign Office confirmed that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will attend the meeting virtually.

The regional summit will be held in the Indian capital New Delhi on July 4 but will be virtually attended by member countries, including Pakistan, Russia and China.

The two latter nations would not have been able to attend the meeting in-person either.

“We have received the official invitation from the Indian prime minister for our prime minister to attend the virtual meeting of the Heads of State of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation due to take place on July 4. Pakistan will be represented at the summit,” said FO spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch in the weekly briefing.

She added that the FO would announce Pakistan’s participation in the coming days.

Talks with Taliban

Moreover, the FO spokesperson also commented on the possibility of holding talks with the Afghan Taliban, who have once again proposed Pakistan enter into talks with Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to take up issues of terrorist activities by the latter in the country.

“We have responded to such questions in the past as well. I would like to invite you to a statement made by our foreign minister in which he stated Pakistan will not negotiate with individuals who are responsible for killing of Pakistani civilians and law-enforcement officials,” the FO spokesperson remarked.

However, she said, Pakistan continues to engage with the Afghan interim government in Kabul, adding she would not go into the specifics of these talks.

She said the counter-terrorism threat remains high on the country’s agenda.

Pakistan regularly engages with the interim Afghan government in countering the menace of terrorism.

“And this is an ongoing process. We hope and expect the commitments made in the trilateral outcome declaration between Pakistan, Afghanistan and China will be fulfilled, so that Afghanistan is not a source of terrorism and instability faced by its neighbours, including Pakistan,” she said.

Greek shipwreck

Furthermore, commenting on the recent boat tragedy off the coast of Greece, where several Pakistanis lost their lives, the spokeswoman said: “We have been unable to verify [the] number and identity of Pakistani nationals among the deceased and missing. Greek authorities have recovered 84 bodies. Their identification will take place through DNA matching.”

Relevant authorities have started collecting DNA samples from the families of those suspected to be aboard the ship and will share this with the Greek authorities, she said.

Bilawal’s Japan visit

Meanwhile, she added Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari will visit Japan on July 2-3.

He will hold substantive talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa in Tokyo, during which they will discuss bilateral trade and investment, cooperation in science and technology, education, information technology, culture and human resource development.

Baloch said the two ministers would also deliberate over significant regional and global developments, cooperation, and multilateral dialogue.

Latest News

PTI suggests resuming talks with government over judicial commission issue.

Published

1 month ago

Farwa

Barrister Gohar, Chairman of the PTI, has claimed that the party’s founder has suspended negotiations, emphasizing that the government should declare the commission within seven days.

He emphasized the PTI’s openness to rethink if the government makes headway and establishes the commission.

Barrister Gohar told the reporters, “Seven days were enough to announce the commission.” We are ready to reconsider, but the government must first announce the commission.”

He stated that the PTI approached the negotiations with an open mind. “The PTI founder has halted the negotiations. “The government had eight laws on their agenda, while we only had two demands,” he stated.

The PTI chairman went on to say that even after seven days, no progress had been made in forming the commission. He encouraged the government to reconsider the decision and proceed with the announcement.

Latest News

PTI will declare February 8 to be “Black Day,” sparking protests across the country.

Published

1 month ago

Farwa

According to reports, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) intends to hold rallies nationwide on Wednesday in support of its decision to declare February 8, the one-year anniversary of the general elections, a black day.

According to media sources, PTI founder Imran Khan has instructed all party lawmakers—including MPAs and MNAs—to plan and take part in demonstrations in their local communities on February 8 in order to draw attention to their complaints and issues.

In a recent meeting with legal advisors on Wednesday, Imran Khan expressed dissatisfaction with the performance of the party’s Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram. The meeting emphasized the importance of party discipline and gave stern directives to abstain from any criticism of Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the head of the JUI-F.

It has also been suggested that the PTI engage opposition leaders in the demonstrations in order to win their support.

Party insiders revealed that the founder has urged leaders to ensure effective coordination and mobilised efforts in preparation for February 8.

Latest News

In 13 cases involving the D-Chowk demonstration, Bushra Bibi granted temporary release until February 7.

Published

1 month ago

Farwa

Bushra Bibi, the wife of the PTI chairman, was granted temporary release by the Islamabad Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in 13 counts pertaining to the November 26 D-Chowk protest. Judge Tahir Abbas Supra ordered the police to produce all pertinent documentation by February 7 and granted bail against surety bonds of Rs. 5,000 apiece.

Additionally, Bushra Bibi was given temporary release until February 7 in the Rangers’ accident case. During the hearing, Judge Tahir Abbas Supra expressed disappointment over the behavior of the defense counsel on two occasions. Addressing the lawyers, he remarked, “You demand VIP protocol everywhere, but this is not possible. Prepare your files properly before coming to court.”

Three cases at the Secretariat Police Station, two each at the Margalla, Karachi Company, and Ramna Police Stations, and one each at the Tarnol, Kohsar, Aabpara, and Khanna Police Stations are among the numerous charges against Bushra Bibi.

In addition, the judge chastised the defense team for requesting that Bushra Bibi sign and thumbprint blank documents. He said, “The accused must sign and thumbprint the court orders, not blank sheets.”

Bushra Bibi also went to the Islamabad High Court to have her biometrics verified in relation to her appeal to be exonerated in the Toshakhana-II case. On Monday, Bushra Bibi and the PTI chairman submitted their acquittal petitions. After finishing the biometric procedure, she departed right away.