Author: i2wtc

ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office (FO) on Saturday took exception to remarks made by Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi during his visit to India, saying that “deflecting” the responsibility of countering terrorism could not absolve Afghan authorities of their obligations toward ensuring regional peace. Muttaqi’s visit marked India’s first high-level engagement with the Taliban government since it seized power in 2021. Speaking at a press conference in New Delhi on Friday, the Afghan foreign minister commented on a recent explosion in Kabul, condemning the incident and taking aim at Pakistan. “Whatever the problems are in each country should be solved…

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan strongly rejected the Afghan acting foreign minister’s assertion terming terrorism as Islamabad’s “internal problem” and clarified that Pakistan has repeatedly shared details regarding the presence of Fitna al Khwarij and Fitna al Hindustan terrorist elements operating from Afghan soil against Pakistan, with support from elements within Afghanistan. According to a Ministry of Foreign Affairs press release, Pakistan has strong reservations about the elements of the India-Afghanistan joint statement, issued on Friday in New Delhi. The concerns were conveyed to the Ambassador of Afghanistan to Pakistan by the Additional Foreign Secretary (West Asia & Afghanistan) at the Ministry of…

ISLAMABAD: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has asked Pakistan to address vulnerabilities in top 10 government entities that are at the “highest risk” of indulging in corrupt practices and also recommended merit-based appointments of heads in key oversight bodies. The bodies that the global lender has recommended for merit-based appointments in its Governance and Corruption Diagnostic Assessment report are the National Accountability Bureau, the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan and the Competition Commission of Pakistan, according to government sources. The government had committed to the IMF to publish the report by the end of July and provide an implementation…

RAWALPINDI: Six policemen and a mosque prayer leader were martyred and 12 others -— 11 policemen and a civilian — were injured in a brazen terrorist attack on the police training school in a southern Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa district late Friday night, the military’s media wing confirmed on Saturday. On the night between October 10 and 11, terrorists attempted to breach the perimeter wall of the police training school in Dera Ismail Khan, but “their nefarious designs were swiftly foiled by the vigilant and resolute response of law enforcement personnel deployed”, the ISPR said in a statement. The attackers rammed an explosive-laden…

ISLAMABAD: Unprovoked firing by Afghan forces along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border prompted a strong response from the Pakistan Army, resulting in the killing of several Afghan soldiers and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorists. According to security sources, Afghan forces on Saturday night opened unprovoked fire at multiple locations along the border — including Angoor Adda, Bajaur, Kurram, Dir and Chitral areas in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and Zhob district in Balochistan province. The firing, they added, was aimed at facilitating the cross-border movement of the formations of “Khawarij” — TTP operatives. The Pakistan Army’s “alert and vigilant” posts responded swiftly and forcefully, and the…

PESHAWAR: With confirmation from the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Governor House acknowledging Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur’s resignation, all speculation and uncertainty surrounding the province’s highest office has come to an end. Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Governor’s House spokesperson confirmed that the handwritten resignation was received by the Governor’s House at 2:30pm on Saturday. Meanwhile, K-P Governor Faisal Karim Kundi stated that the resignation will be reviewed in accordance with the Constitution of Pakistan and relevant legal procedures. He noted that any action taken will strictly follow constitutional protocols. “The Governor’s House will proceed with the matter in a transparent and organized manner, ensuring all…

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly has been summoned to meet on October 13 at 10 a.m. to elect a new chief minister following the resignation of Ali Amin Gandapur who stepped down on the instructions of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan. According to an official notification, issued by the Assembly Secretariat, the speaker exercised his powers under Rule 31(b) of the Provincial Assembly of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Procedure and Conduct of Business Rules, 2025 to convene the session. The sitting, which was earlier scheduled for October 20 at 2 p.m., has been brought forward by one week. “Mr Speaker, while exercising the powers…

Hamas stands ready to fight if war resumes in Gaza and rejects proposals to leave the territory under US President Donald Trump’s peace plan, a senior official told AFP on Saturday.Political bureau member Hossam Badran also predicted difficult negotiations ahead, suggesting the key question of disarmament could be a sticking point for the Palestinian militant group.He was speaking in Doha — where Israel struck a Hamas meeting last month, killing six people — as a ceasefire holds in Gaza ahead of a Monday deadline for the release of Israeli hostages captured during Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attacks.However, many parts of…

Inspector General of Punjab Police has issued a stern warning over the abduction and assault of police personnel during the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan protest, ‘organised to express solidarity with Gaza’. He called it ‘an open challenge to the writ of the state’ and emphasised that such acts would never be tolerated. “Those who take the law into hands will be dealt with an iron hand. There will be no compromise on the dignity and authority of the state,” the Punjab Police warned in an official statement issued by the Office of the Inspector General of Police on Saturday. The statement accused…

Notorious Punjab gangster Teefi Butt was killed in an alleged police encounter during his transfer from Dubai to Lahore. His death sparks hope that the 35-year gang war between the Butt gang and the Truckanwala gang in Lahore will finally end. According to the Crime Control Department (CCD), a gun battle broke out between police and Teefi Butt’s accomplices within the jurisdiction of Kot Sabzal Police Station in Rahim Yar Khan. Teefi Butt had been nominated in the murder case of his rival, Ameer Balaj, who was killed in 2024 during a wedding ceremony in a private housing society in…