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Pakistan to ‘ascertain facts’ on Afghan minister using its passport

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  • Haqqani possessed a Pakistani passport until recently: report.
  • FO says the answer will come only after facts are ascertained.
  • US officials are set to visit Pakistan to discuss several matters.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said Thursday it will first ascertain facts before issuing a comment on a report that claims that Afghanistan’s acting Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani possessed a Pakistani passport until recently.

In her weekly press briefing, Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said: “I have seen the report on the use of a Pakistani passport by the Afghan minister. The matter will be answered after [ascertaining] the facts.”

A report published in The News today revealed that Haqqani was issued a Pakistani passport for five years which he used to travel abroad, particularly to Qatar for negotiations with the United States for the signing of the Doha Agreement that resulted in the latter’s exit from Afghanistan.

The publication, via the interior ministry officials, learnt that these passports were issued from different cities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and Sindh.

Meanwhile, two passport officials involved in issuing Haqqani’s passport have been arrested, one of whom had retired from service by the time the action was initiated against him.

The issue around the minister using the Pakistani passport comes at a time when Pakistan continues to repatriate illegal foreigners, most of whom are undocumented Afghan migrants.

Baloch also briefed the presser about top officials from the United States visiting Pakistan this week.

“The focus of these visits is not only Afghanistan. These visits are related to the multifaceted aspects of Pakistan-US relations,” she said, adding that Pakistan has decided to talk to America.

Pakistan and the US will conduct consultations over several issues including the situation in Afghanistan, the FO said last week.

In the meetings between Pakistan and US officials, reservations of both sides will be discussed. “We will also discuss the issues on which we have objections.”

Updated list of Afghans from US

The spokesperson further shared that Pakistan has received an updated list from the American authorities regarding the transfer of Afghan nationals to the US.

Last month, a coalition comprising former high-ranking United States (US) officials and resettlement organisations issued an urgent appeal to Pakistan, urging it to not deport Afghan individuals applying to seek refuge in and visas for the US.

The appeal came weeks after Pakistan announced November 1 as the deadline for all undocumented migrants — a substantial number of whom are Afghans — residing in the country to either leave on their own or face expulsion once the ultimatum ends.

The population of the aforementioned migrants includes roughly 20,000 or potentially more Afghans, who escaped their homeland following the Taliban’s return to power in 2021. Many of these migrants in Pakistan are awaiting their applications for the US Special Immigration Visas (SIVs) or refugee resettlement in the United States to be processed.

Commenting on regular skirmishes at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, the spokesperson said: “There are often misunderstandings between the border authorities. These misunderstandings are cleared through communication channels.”

She added that the Torkham border was opened for all kinds of traffic yesterday.

Israels’ ‘barbaric attacks’

The FO yet again condemned the continuous Israeli aggression in the Gaza Strip, stating that the situation in the Strip is rapidly deteriorating.

“No place in Gaza is safe for the public,” Baloch said.

The UN Security Council must perform its primary responsibility under the Charter, impose an immediate and unconditional ceasefire and protect the people of Gaza from an impending genocide, the FO spokesperson said.

“We call on Israel’s backers to urge Israel to end its barbaric attacks and inhumane siege against Gaza,” she added.

The spokesperson further stated that Pakistan calls for an international conference for long-term peace on the Palestinian question.

“Durable peace in the region will emerge from the internationally agreed two-state solution and from the creation of a secure, viable, contiguous, and sovereign state of Palestine on the basis of the pre-June 1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital,” she said.

Baloch also spoke about the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’s efforts for Palestinians.

The head of the UN warned that he expects “public order to completely break down soon due to the desperate conditions” in Gaza, currently under relentless Israeli bombardment and invoked Article 99 of the UN Charter for the first time in his tenure owing to the gravity of the humanitarian crisis in the Strip.

‘Pakistani citizens welfare top priority’

During the presser, Baloch commented on the recent revelations regarding Dr Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist jailed in the United States for over a decade.

According to her lawyer, the Pakistani doctor has been sexually assaulted at least two times during her incarceration.

“The statements related to Aafia Siddiqui are serious,” the spokesperson said.

She further added that Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar has instructed that the matter should be taken up with the US Department of State and investigations should be conducted.

“The welfare of Pakistani citizens is among our priorities,” Baloch reiterated.

She also spoke about the acid attack on former special assistant to the prime minister Shahzad Akbar last week.

“Shahzad Akbar did not seek help from the Pakistani High Commission in this regard,” she said.

The FO strongly rejected the allegations of involvement of Pakistani agencies in the incident. “Pakistan has faith in the British authorities’ investigation.”

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Business

Minister of Finance Reaffirms Unwavering Support for APM Terminals Group in Effort to Strengthen Bilateral Cooperation

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Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb, Pakistan’s Minister of Finance, has promised the APM Terminals Group his full support in creating an environment that is both business-friendly and conducive to investment.

In Islamabad, he met with a group of APM terminals who had come to hear him speak. Keith Svendsen, CEO of APM Terminals, was in charge of the group.

Muhammad Aurangzeb, a senator from Pakistan, expressed his approval of APM Terminals’ investment plans.

Following last month’s signing of a memorandum of agreement to strengthen bilateral cooperation, the meeting’s emphasis was on the actions taken to date.

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Meeting with Ch. Shujat, Mohsin Naqvi promises to eradicate Pakistan’s terrorism problem.

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Mohsin Naqvi, the federal interior minister, visited Quaid-E-Azam Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, the leader of the Pakistan Muslim League, at his home in Islamabad.

Mohsin Naqvi and Chaudhary Shujaat Hussain condolenced with the martyrs’ families and denounced the Quetta explosion.

The government’s unwavering commitment to eradicate terrorism from Pakistan at all costs was reaffirmed by Moshin Naqvi. The government supports the martyrs’ families, he said.

In honor of the martyrs of the Quetta blast, he declared that new buildings will be named in Islamabad.

Mohsin Naqvi was also congratulated by Shujaat Hussain on Pakistan’s victory against Australia in the ODI series.

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The Hajj Policy 2025 is formally announced by the federal government.

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The official announcement, which included important revisions from the Hajj Policy 2025, was reportedly given by Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Chaudhry Salik Hussain.

The government and private programs will split the Hajj quota evenly, with each receiving 50%, according to Hajj Policy 2025. Furthermore, it is policy that minors under the age of twelve will not be permitted to perform the Hajj this year.

The Hajj Policy 2025 further states that if a pilgrim dies, their family will be reimbursed with Rs 2 million, and similarly, pilgrims who are hurt will also receive compensation.

The new installment-based Hajj fee payment scheme was adopted by the Hajj Policy 2025, giving first-time pilgrims preference. However, people with severe or communicable diseases will not be permitted to attend this year.

In introducing the proposal, Chaudhry Salik stressed that measures will be taken to avoid lowering the limit. General pilgrims will receive any quota that is left over from the sponsored program. Additionally, there is a specific quota of 5,000 for Pakistanis living abroad.

In accordance with the guideline, the cost of the Hajj will stay between Rs1.075 million and Rs1.175 million, and pilgrims will shortly receive their Rs100,000 back.

Three installments are available for the Hajj fee under the Hajj Policy 2025: Rs. 250,000 at the time of application, Rs. 480,000 following the lottery, and the remaining amount prior to Hajj departure.

He said that if money is taken out prior to the application deadline, there will be no deductions made in terms of returns. After the lottery, however, if the first installment is reimbursed, Rs50,000 will be deducted; if the third installment is not paid, Rs200,000 will be deducted.

If a pilgrim decides not to go after February 10th, the remaining payment will not be reimbursed; however, the deductions listed above will not be applicable if the applicant dies.

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