Pakistan Archives - Page 14 of 20 - Lokmarg

Indian Consular Team Facilitating Safety of Sikhs Visiting Pakistan For Gurupurab

By LokMarg 7th November 2022

Indian consular team in Pakistan is coordinating with the Sikh jatha who are there to visit various Gurdwaras on the occasion of Gurupurab.

They are on the ground facilitating their safety and security during their stay in Pakistan.
“@IndiainPakistan consular team is on the ground, with the Indian jatha visiting Pakistan for Gurupurab, coordinating with jatha leaders, local authorities for their safety, security and to facilitate their visit to various Gurdwaras in Pakistan,” tweeted the High Commission of India, Islamabad.

Meanwhile, Sikh pilgrims expressed disappointment after the Pakistani authorities rejected 586 visas, out of a total 1496 visas, of Indian Sikhs, wanting to visit the Nankana Sahib in Pakistan.

“SGPC had applied for 1496 visas, out of which, 910 were approved but 586 were rejected. The visas are valid for 10 days, and those whose visas were rejected have been disappointed a lot. Government should not reject the religious visa,” said Harbhajan Singh.

“Both governments need to provide the facility of On Arrival Visa. The Visa office must be open at Attari-Wagah Border. The buses which used to run earlier, for the darshan of the Gurdwara of Pakistan were also stopped. That should run again. Like Delhi Lahore bus. Amritsar Nankana Sahib even the Samjota Exores train has been stopped. We should connect the people of both countries through religious places. “, he further stated.

Guru Nanak’s birth celebrations are scheduled to be held in Pakistan from November 6-15.

Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee spokesperson Harbhajan Singh said that on November 8, the pilgrims will be celebrating the Guru Nanak Dev’s anniversary at Pakistan’s Nankana sahib.

Indian Sikh pilgrims who will travel to Pakistan would visit Dera Sahib, Panja Sahib, Nankana Sahib and Kartarpur Sahib.

Pakistan on Friday informed that its High Commission in New Delhi has issued nearly 3,000 visas to Indian Sikh pilgrims to attend the week-long birth celebrations of Guru Nanak.

“On the occasion of the birthday celebrations of Baba Guru Nanak, the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi has issued 2,942 visas to Sikh pilgrims from India to attend the Birth Celebrations scheduled to be held in Pakistan from 6-15 November 2022,” the Pakistan High Commission in India said in a statement. (ANI)

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821 Foreigners Deported in 2021, LTV Granted To 2,439 Pak Nationals

By LokMarg 7th November 2022

A total of 821 foreigners were deported by the Foreigners Regional Registration Officers (FRROs) in the year 2021, reads the Ministry of Home Affairs annual report.

The MHA Annual Report 2021-22 was released on Monday.
The report reads that most of the deported foreigners belonged to Nigeria (339), followed by Bangladesh (246) and Afghanistan (105).

A total of 15,24,469 foreigners visited India from January 1, 2021, to December 31, 2021. The maximum number of foreigners who visited India during this period were from the United States of America (4,29,860) followed by those from Bangladesh (2,40,554), the United Kingdom (1,64,143), Canada (80,437), Nepal (52,544), Afghanistan (36,451), Australia (33,864), Germany (33,772), Portugal (32,064) and France (30,374). These 10 countries accounted for 74.39 percent of the total arrival of foreigners from January to December 2021 while the rest of the countries accounted for 25.61 percent of the total incoming traffic of foreigners.

Further, Pakistan nationals above 65 years of age who cross the Attari Immigration Check Post on foot are also granted ‘Visa-on-Arrival’ (‘VoA’) for 45 day stay with single entry subject to certain conditions.

From April 1, 2021, to December 31, 2021, a total of 2,439 Long Term Visas (LTV) have been granted by MHA for minority communities from three neighbouring countries. This includes Pakistan (2193), Afghanistan (237), and Bangladesh (9).

During the same period, 08 Pakistani civil prisoners and 15 Pakistani fishermen, who had completed their sentences, were repatriated to Pakistan. And eight Indian civil prisoners and 20 Indian fishermen have been repatriated to India. (ANI)

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Despite Global Concerns, Pak, China Working On Deadly Virus

By LokMarg 6th November 2022

While COVID-19 and its new variants still plague the world, Pakistan and China are continuing with bioweapons research in a secret facility near Rawalpindi.

The infamous Wuhan Institute of Virology and Pakistan Army-run, Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO), has set up a highly-advanced scientific infrastructure to research deadly pathogens in Pakistan. The location of the facility remains a tightly guarded secret, reported Geo-Politik.
According to various global media reports, China is creating Covid-like pathogens in Pakistan that have the potential of causing virus contamination on a scale far higher than Covid.

The mystery deepened further in 2020 when Pakistan first denied such reports. The Foreign Office of Pakistan stated that “there is nothing secret about the Bio-Safety Level-3 (BSL-3) Laboratory of Pakistan referred to in the report, reported Geo-Politik.

Pakistan has been sharing information about the facility with the States Parties to the Biological and Toxins Weapons Convention (BTWC) in its submission of Confidence Building Measures,” the FO said.

It added that the facility was meant for diagnostic and protective system improvement by Research and Development on emerging health threats, surveillance, and disease outbreak investigation.

The laboratory in question is a “Biosafety Level 4” facility (BSL-4) where the most dangerous and infective agents are tested and developed. The DSTO is located in Chaklala cantonment, Rawalpindi, and is headed by a two-star General, reported Geo-Politik.

Experts say that BSL-4 labs are used to study infectious agents and toxins that can cause life-threatening diseases for which there is no vaccine or therapy available.

Those in the intelligence and scientific community, watching the developments, warn that by using Pakistan, China had outsourced a highly contagious network of laboratories where antigens a hundred times more infectious than the present Covid could be created or `dropped in,’ reported Geo-Politik.

According to bioweapons experts, the joint collaboration between Pakistan’s lab, managed by the army, and a series of laboratories and institutions run by PLA, was not for scientific experiments but to weaponize pathogens.

The secret project carries the title: Collaboration for Emerging Infectious Diseases and Studies on Biological Control of Vector Transmitting Diseases. (ANI)

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Pak: 2,942 Visas To Indian Sikh Pilgrims To Attend Guru Nanak Birth Celebrations

By LokMarg 4th November 2022

Pakistan on Friday informed that its High Commission in New Delhi has issued nearly 3,000 visas to Indian Sikh pilgrims to attend the over week-long birth celebrations of Guru Nanak.

Guru Nanak’s birth celebrations are scheduled to be held in Pakistan from November 6-15.
Indian Sikh pilgrims who will travel to Pakistan would visit Dera Sahib, Panja Sahib, Nankana Sahib, and Kartarpur Sahib.

“On the occasion of the Birthday Celebrations of Baba Guru Nanak, the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi has issued 2,942 visas to Sikh pilgrims from India to attend the Birth Celebrations scheduled to be held in Pakistan from 6-15 November 2022,” the Pakistan High Commission in India said in a statement.

“During the visit, the pilgrims would, inter alia, go to Dera Sahib, Panja Sahib, Nankana Sahib, and Kartarpur Sahib. They would enter Pakistan on 6 November and return back to India on 15 November 2022,” it added. (ANI)

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Xi Jinping Elected Chinese President For 3rd Term

Shehbaz Meets Chinese Prez Xi In Beijing

By LokMarg 2nd November 2022

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, becoming the first head of state to visit China since Xi’s re-election for the third time.

This is also Sharif’s first visit to China since assuming office in April this year and follows his meeting with Xi in Uzbekistan in September.
“During his maiden 2-days visit to China, PM Shehbaz Sharif and President Xi Jinping met at the People’s Great Hall of China to discuss broad-based cooperation in economy and investment and exchanged views on regional and global developments,” tweeted Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

Sharif is heading a high-level delegation, including Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. He is also scheduled to hold delegation-level talks with Premier Li Keqiang to review the All-Weather Strategic Cooperation Partnership between China and Pakistan.

Ahead of his visit Sharif in an opinion piece for Chinese media outlet Global Times on October 30 said: “I would be soon in Beijing on my first bilateral visit after assuming office, and that too at an opportune time, soon after the successful conclusion of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.”

“For Pakistan, relations with China form the cornerstone of our foreign policy; in China, Pakistan is described as Ba Tie i.e. China’s Iron Brother, and elsewhere our ties are appreciated for their unique strength, enduring permanence, and unfathomable trust,” he wrote.

Before leaving for China, Sharif said that his discussions with Chinese leadership will focus on the revitalization of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor among many other things.

“My discussions with Chinese leadership will focus on the revitalization of CPEC among many other things. 2nd phase of CPEC promises to usher in a new era of socio-economic progress that will uplift the quality of our people’s lives. There is a lot to learn from the Chinese economic miracle,” Sharif tweeted.

CPEC’s next phase of high-quality development will encompass key areas such as industry, energy, agriculture, ICT, rail and road network, and developing Gwadar Port as a hub of trade and transshipment, investment, and regional connectivity.

Meanwhile, China raised the issue of the safety and security of Chinese personnel and projects in Pakistan ahead of Sharif’s visit.

Xi Jinping was elected General Secretary of the Chinese communist party for the third time in the recently held 20th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party where he was elected as the general secretary and head of the pary for the next five years. (ANI)

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Jaishankar Lauds Blinken For Giving Strong Counter-Terrorism Message

By LokMarg 29th October 2022

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday praised US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken for his strong and clear message on counter-terrorism.

He also discussed the Ukraine conflict and other regional issues with Blinken.
“Thanked him for his strong and clear message yesterday on counter-terrorism and 26/11 accountability. Discussed the Ukraine conflict and other regional issues,” tweeted EAM Jaishankar.

In an apparent message to China, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday said all relevant parties should support the designation of terrorists and no nation should stand in the way.

He delivered this message via virtual statement during an informal briefing of the Counter-Terrorism Committee at one of the main sites that saw the Mumbai terror attacks – the Taj Hotel in Mumbai.

China, in recent months, has blocked several bids to designate several terrorists based in Pakistan. Beijing this month put on hold a proposal to list Talha Saeed, son of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) chief Hafiz Saeed. This bid was moved by India and co-supported by the US, under the 1267 sanction regime.

Addressing the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee members, Blinken said many members of the security council, including the United States, have adopted their own sanctions against the terrorists behind these attacks.

“But our efforts are more effective when we act together, which is why we worked with India to put the nomination to designate several terrorists through the UN 1267 committee. All relevant parties should support this designation and no nation should stand in the way,” he said.

In his message to the UN committee members, the top US diplomat said Washington is joining New Delhi and people around the world to mourn lives lost, including 141 Indians, 6 Americans, and victims from 15 other countries from every region in the world.

Blinken said India, the United States, and all nations around the world have a responsibility to the victims of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks and to bring to justice the perpetrators of terrorist attacks.

“We have a responsibility to the victims and the people everywhere to bring to justice the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks including their masterminds. That’s what the US is working to do, together with India and other partners for the last 14 years,” he added.

“Because if we allow the attacks of these attacks go unpunished, we send messages to terrorists everywhere that their heinous crimes will be tolerated,” he added.

Speaking at the counter-terrorism briefing, Jaishankar said the world knows that money is the lifeblood of terrorism.

“Terrorist organizations require funds and resources to maintain their organizational functions and undertake activities. The reality that terrorism continues to exist and expand points to an underlying truth: that terrorism continues to get the necessary financial resources to thrive,” he added. (ANI)

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T20 WC: Zimbabwe Holds Nerve To Upset Pak By One Run

By LokMarg 27th October 2022

Pakistan’s over-reliance on their opening batting pair came back to haunt them as Zimbabwe pipped them in a low-scoring thriller by one run to clinch their first Super-12 win of the ongoing T20 World Cup on Thursday at the Perth Stadium.

Pakistan made a mess of a paltry chase as they suffered a batting collapse and left their bowlers to chase and win the match for them. All-rounder Sikandar Raza took three wickets in a short span to dismantle the chase.
Shan Masood was the top-scorer for Pakistan but failed to see his team over the line.

Chasing the target, Pakistan were off to a slow start after Pakistan openers Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan were watchful of the new ball and scored just three runs from the first two overs. Richard Ngarava and Blessing Muzarabani bowled the first and the second, respectively, and stuck to tight lines with both bowlers extracting bounce from the surface.

Babar and Rizwan struck a boundary each in Ngarava’s second over to get the inning going but the Pakistani captain was dismissed by Brad Evans in the fourth over, sending him back for a paltry score of 4 (9).

Rizwan too followed suit as he was sent back by Muzarabani for 14(16), exposing the middle order of the Pakistani team.

Pakistan ended the powerplay at 28/2 with the top scorers from the previous match, Iftikhar Ahmed and Shan Masood at the crease.

However, the partnership did not last long as Luke Jongwe removed Iftikhar in the eighth over to deepen problems for the Pakistan team further.

Masood kept the scoreboard ticking and took his team to 54/3 at the end of the 10 overs, striking some picturesque shots during his stay.

The batting duo of Masood and Shadab Khan looked set to take the team across the line but a twist in the tale began after the introduction of spinner Sikandar Raza in the 14th over.

Raza dismissed Shadab and Haider Ali in two consecutive deliveries to turn the match around for his team, giving them a shot at victory.

The set batter, Masood was the third victim of Raza’s off-spin in the 16th over as the Zimbabwe players now believed they had a genuine chance at victory. This wicket saw tailender Wasim Jr join Mohammad Nawaz for the run-chase.

The pacers then bowled with their tails up as they could sense victory within grasp. Ngarava then bowled a three-run 16th over to tighten their screws on the Pakistani team.

Needing 29 from the last three overs, the batters swung and miss under pressure. Nawaz tried his best to make his team get across the line and hit a six in the 19th over to reduce the equation to 11 from the last overs.

Brad Evans conceded a boundary on the second ball of the over and it looked like Pakistan would bag the match but Evans bowled superbly to dismiss Nawaz on the fifth ball, and then held his nerve to defend three off the last ball to help Zimbabwe beat Pakistan by one run in a nail-biting encounter.

Earlier, Pakistani bowlers unleashed hell upon the batting lineup of Zimbabwe to trigger a batting collapse, restricting them to just 130/8.

Pakistan’s decision to play an extra pacer in Mohammad Wasim Jr worked wonders for the team as the youngster ended with his best T20I bowling figures (4/24) to restrict Zimbabwe to a below-par total. Sean Williams and Brad Evans helped the team cross the 100-run mark.

Sikandar Raza was declared the ‘Player of the Match for his brilliant bowling performance.

Brief Score: Brief Score: Zimbabwe 130/8 (Sean Williams 31, Brad Evans 19; Mohammad Wasim Jr 4/24) vs Pakistan 129/8 (Shan Masood 44, Mohammad Nawaz 22; Sikandar Raza 3/25) (ANI)

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Turkey Helped Pakistan Raise Cyber Army Against US, India

By LokMarg 26th October 2022

Turkey secretly helped Pakistan in setting up a cyber-army camouflaged under the bilateral agreement which was used for domestic political goals as well as directed to attack the US and India and undermine criticism leveled against the Pakistani rulers.

Turkey helped Pakistan in setting up a cyber-army to shape public opinion, influence the views of Muslims in Southeast Asia, attack the US and India and undermine criticism leveled against the Pakistani rulers, Nordic Monitor has learned.

The plan was given a go-ahead by Imran Khan, the then-prime minister who simultaneously held the position of interior minister, during a meeting with Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu in 2018.

The secret work was camouflaged under the bilateral agreement on cooperation against cybercrime when in fact it was against perceived influence operations pursued by the US, India, and other foreign powers, according to sources familiar with the project, reported Nordic Monitor.

The proposal to establish such a unit was first put on the table during private talks between visiting Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu and his host, Shehryar Khan Afridi, the then-minister of state for interior, on December 17, 2018. The matter was discussed at the senior level and kept confidential from most of the staff at Islamabad’s interior ministry, Nordic Monitor reported.

The first public admission of this clandestine operation was made by Soylu during an interview on October 13, 2022, with a local TV station in Kahramanmaras. He did not name the country but made clear he was in fact talking about Pakistan when he referred to a country that was a five or six-hour direct flight from Turkey.

Unlike his predecessors, Soylu has gained notoriety in running troll and bot armies in cyberspace on behalf of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and had worked on similar covert operations even before he became interior minister in September 2016, added Nordic Monitor.

The AKP set up teams to dominate social media in influence operations and attacks on critics. When he was deputy chairman of Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in 2014 with a research and development portfolio, Soylu secretly set up a large Twitter team to insult and target with offensive language prominent social and political figures who did not embrace the AKP’s ideals and practices. According to the parliamentary record, he controlled a 6,000-strong troll army at the time.

In the end, using intelligence and information as a weapon, the newly revamped cyber police department was turned into machinery to undermine the public view of the opposition and smear critics and dissenters within the ruling party reported Nordic Monitor.

Instead of investigating real crime on the internet, the teams at the cyber unit are busy hacking opponents’ emails and social media accounts, collecting private data from cell phones and computers they gained access to, and using the hacked material to intimidate and at times blackmail dissidents. (ANI)

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If Kejriwal Goes To Pakistan, He Will…: Dikshit

By LokMarg 26th October 2022

Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit on Wednesday took a jibe at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over his appeal to the Centre to include photos of Lord Ganesh and Goddess Laxmi on currency notes.

“He is B team of BJP and RSS. He doesn’t have any understanding. It is his vote politics. If he goes to Pakistan, he can also say that I am Pakistani, so vote for me,” Dikshit told ANI.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to consider including the images of Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesh on currency notes in India to “improve the economic situation of the country”.

“Today I appeal to the central government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On Indian currency there is a photo of Gandhi Ji, let that be, on the other side of the currency, a photo of Shri Ganesh Ji and Lakshmi Ji should be put. “As I said we have to make a lot of effort to improve the economic situation of our country. But also with that, we need blessings from Gods and Goddesses. The whole country will get blessings if, on currency notes, there is a photo of Ganesh Ji and Lakshmi Ji on one side and Gandhi Ji on another side,” Kejriwal said in his address.

“If Indonesia can do it; choose Ganesh Ji, so can we… I will write to the center tomorrow or the day after tomorrow to appeal for it… we need the almighty’s blessings apart from the efforts to settle the economic condition of the country,” Kejriwal said.

India’s foreign exchange reserves during the week that ended on October 14 fell to an over two-year low of USD 528.367 billion, a drop of USD 4.5 billion from the previous week.

In the preceding week, the country’s foreign exchange reserves were at USD 532.868 billion, RBI data showed.

According to RBI’s data, India’s foreign currency assets, which are the biggest component of the forex reserves, declined by USD 2.828 billion to USD 468.668 billion during the week.

The value of gold reserves dropped by USD 1.5 billion to USD 37.453 billion during the week.

The value of India’s Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) with the International Monetary Fund declined by USD 149 million to USD 17.433 billion during the week under review, the RBI data showed. The reserves have been falling for months now because of RBI’s likely intervention in the market to defend the depreciating rupee against a surging US dollar.

For the record, the Indian rupee has been weakening over the past few weeks to hit fresh new all-time lows as the US dollar strengthened against major global currencies. (ANI)

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