RAWALPINDI: Two Pakistan Army soldiers and as many police officers were martyred on Wednesday in an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Peshawar district’s Hassan Khel area, according to the military’s media wing. A statement from the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said a joint IBO was conducted by security forces and the police based on the reported presence of a “high profile terrorist”. …

NORTH and SOUTH WAZIRISTAN / LAKKI MARWAT: Eight people — five security officials and three children — lost their liv­es in three separate incidents in Lakki Marwat, Nor­th and South Waziri­stan districts on Tuesday. A military officer was martyred in an exchange of fire with militants in North Waziristan, while three soldiers lost their lives in an attack, and 12 …

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication has issued a notification authorising the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to intercept and trace calls within the domain of national security, under Section 54 of the Pakistan Telecommunication (Re-organisation) Act, 1996. “In exercise of the powers conferred under Section 54 … the federal government in the interest of national security and in the …

RAWALPINDI: A Pakistan Army captain was martyred in an exchange of fire with terrorists in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s North Waziristan district on Tuesday, according to the military’s media wing. A statement from the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that Captain Muhammad Osama bin Arshad, 24, resident of Rawalpindi district, was martyred during a fire exchange between security forces and terrorists …

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has congratulated Julian Moazzam James, a Pakistan Army officer belonging to the Christian community, on his promotion to the rank of major general. The prime minister expressed his good wishes to Major General James for his future, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a press release on Sunday. “Major General James’s professional capabilities and his …

ISLAMABAD: A day after the corps commanders’ conference, the PTI on Saturday said that labelling free speech as “digital terrorism” would be detrimental to both the country and institutions. A PTI spokesperson feared that attempts to criminalise freedom of speech would “open the door to use extra-legal measures against critics”. The spokesperson called upon the institutions to be receptive to criticism …

LAHORE / ISLAMABAD: Though the government still has to finalise the date for a multiparty moot being summoned to deliberate on the planned ‘Azm-i-Istekham’ operation, another political party — the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q) — threw its weight behind the proposed conference. In an announcement on Saturday, PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain said his party would participate in the multiparty …

ISLAMABAD: In a forceful rebuke, Pakistan’s top military leaders on Friday lambasted critics of the newly launched Operation Azm-i-Istehkam, accusing them of peddling self-serving agendas and malicious propaganda aimed at undermining counterterrorism efforts. “Forum noted with concern the unwarranted criticism by some quarters and deliberate misrepresentation of the vision, only for furthering their vested interests,” the armed forces’ public affairs wing, …

RAWALPINDI: PTI founder Imran Khan on Friday said that his party would participate in the government’s All Parties Conference (APC) to discuss Operation Azm-i-Istehkam. The reinvigorated and re-energised national counter-terrorism campaign was announced by the Central Apex Committee on the National Action Plan last month. The government vowed to unleash the full force of the country’s military, diplomatic, legislative, and socio-economic …

ISLAMABAD: The government has decided to convene an All Parties Conference (APC) to address the concerns of political parties regarding Operation Azm-e-Istehkam, sources said on Thursday. According to sources privy to the development, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is considering calling the APC upon his return from Kazakhstan, where he travelled to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit. PM Shehbaz …