ISLAMABAD: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi has called for “anti-state” protesters in Balochistan to be dealt with strictly. His statement follows shutter-down strikes in various cities of Balochistan over the recent arrests of Baloch Yakjehti Committee’s (BYC) leadership and a crackdown on its sit-in in Quetta against alleged enforced disappearances in the province. BYC chief organiser Dr Mahrang Baloch …

QUETTA: Police have registered an FIR against Dr Mahrang Baloch, chief organiser of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), along with 150 others, on charges of forcibly taking away bodies from a morgue, incitement to violence and other alleged offences. The case relates to an incident at Civil Hospital Quetta, where BYC members allegedly stormed the morgue and took away the …

ISLAMABAD: The government’s counter-terrorism approach has sparked debate within its own ranks as PML-N Senator Irfan Siddiqui asserted on Saturday that the government retains the option to launch an operation if needed just days after the interior ministry ruled out a fresh military offensive against terrorism. Stressing that terrorists cannot be allowed to roam freely and take innocent lives without …

RAWALPINDI: Security forces killed 16 terrorists who were attempting to cross into Pakistan from the Afghan border in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s North Waziristan district early on Sunday morning, a statement from the military’s media wing said. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), security forces detected a group of terrorists attempting to enter the country through the Pak-Afghan border in the …

ISLAMABAD: As Pakistan Day celebrations are underway on Sunday, President Asif Ali Zardari said Pakistan’s armed forces were ready to render any kind of sacrifice as he paid tribute to the armed forces and law enforcement agencies for giving unprecedented sacrifices. This day commemorates the Lahore Resolution passed on March 23, 1940, and the adoption of the first Constitution of …

KABUL: Pakistan’s special envoy for Afghanistan, Ambassador Muhammad Sadiq Khan on Sunday said that peace and progress in Afghanistan were necessary for regional stability. Speaking as a guest of honour for the flag-hoisting ceremony at the Pakistani embassy in Kabul on Pakistan Day, the envoy emphasised that his country and Afghanistan’s economic interests were intrinsically linked with one another. Earlier, …

ISLAMABAD: Awami National Party (ANP) President Aimal Wali Khan said on Saturday that the PTI did not attend the Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS) meeting as “they are Taliban sympathisers”. Last week, the country’s top civilian and military leaders assembled at the Parliament House to discuss measures to curb terrorism. The meeting was skipped by the PTI after its …

QUETTA: Balochistan government spokesman Shahid Rind on Saturday said that leadership of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) was arrested for “attacking” Quetta Civil Hospital and “inciting people to violence” the day prior when its members in the provincial capital faced a police crackdown while protesting against alleged enforced disappearances. A day earlier, the police used tear gas and water cannon …

PESHAWAR: The Torkham border crossing reopened on Saturday for pedestrians after a month and thousands on both sides were in queues to cross the gate, officials said. The Torkham border crossing reopened on Wednesday after 27 days following much-awaited parleys between jirga members of Pakistan and Afghanistan, according to a jirga leader from the Pakistani side. The cross-border movement of …

LAHORE: The Lahore Deputy Commissioner has rejected a PTI application to hold a public gathering at Minar-i-Pakistan “in view of serious security issues, threats and general law and order situation in the country”. The PTI had applied for permission on March 22 (today) through its Punjab Vice President Akmal Khan Bari. In an order issued on Friday, DC Syed Musa …