Pakistan

LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistan briefly blocked access to all social media on Friday, after days of anti-French protests across the country by radical Islamists opposed to cartoons they consider blasphemous.

Sites including Twitter and Facebook were blocked for four hours on orders from the country’s interior ministry, said Khurram Mehran, a spokesman for Pakistan’s media regulatory agency. He gave no further details.

ISLAMABAD, Apr 15 (APP): Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday underscoring the transformational significance of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), reaffirmed the country’s commitment to expeditiously complete CPEC projects.

The Prime Minister expressed these views while talking to Chinese Ambassador Nong Rong, who called on him here.

During the meeting, views were exchanged on China’s experience of poverty alleviation, COVID-19 situation, and bilateral relations.

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The Biden administration’s surprise announcement of an unconditional troop withdrawal from Afghanistan by Sept. 11 appears to strip the Taliban and the Afghan government of considerable leverage and could ramp up pressure on them to reach a peace deal.

RAWALPINDI, Apr 14 (APP): Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa in a telephonic conservation with United States Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken on Wednesday said Pakistan would always support “Afghan led-Afghan Owned” Peace Process based on mutual consensus of all stakeholders.

During the conversation matters of mutual interest, regional security situation including latest developments in Afghan Peace Process and bilateral cooperation in various fields were came under discussion, said an Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) media release.

(APP) --- The government on Wednesday announced a ban on the Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP), Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said, following two days of clashes and road blockades by the party workers across the country, over the arrest of its top leader.

He said the ban has been placed under the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 and said the Punjab government has moved a summary to the federal cabinet to ban TLP.

“Today we have decided to ban TLP and we will get the approval of the cabinet,” Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said at a news conference.

LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistani security forces swinging batons and firing teargas moved before dawn Wednesday to clear sit-ins by protesting Islamists in the garrison city of Rawalpindi and elsewhere after five people died in earlier clashes, officials said.

The government action comes two days after the arrest of Saad Rizvi, head of the Tehreek-e-Labiak Pakistan party, sparked protests by his supporters.

ISLAMABAD, April 13 (APP): Prime Minister Imran Khan and President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Miromonovich Mirziyoyev will review the entire spectrum of bilateral relations, at a virtual summit being held on Wednesday.

The two leaders will discuss matters pertaining to areas including political, trade, economic, security, connectivity and people-to-people exchanges.

“Both sides will focus on enhancing political and strategic linkages, fast tracking transit and trade cooperation, and building educational and cultural collaboration,” the Foreign Office on Tuesday.

MIRPUR [AJK]: Apr 12 (APP): Azad Jammu and Kashmir President Sardar Masood Khan on Monday said that we want peace in the region but peace could n’t be established on the dead bodies of Kashmiris.

“If India desires peace,it will have to resolve the Kashmir issue in accordance with the wishes of Kashmiris and international principles,” Masood emphasized.

MULTAN, Apr 10 (APP): Foreign Minister, Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Saturday said Pakistan was ready for dialogue if India ensured conducive environment.

Talking to media after inaugurating Ramzan Relief Package at Utility Store, Qureshi said Kashmir was the main hurdle in talks with India, adding that he would be ready to go to Delhi for talks if India would stop brutalities in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJ&K).

He said, there were issues with India including Kashmir, Siachen, Water, Sir Creek and others.

ISLAMABAD, April 9 (NNN-Xinhua) — Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said that members of the D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation should push back against vaccine nationalism and undue export restrictions to let COVID-19 vaccine reach equally to all countries of the world.

Addressing the 10th D-8 Summit, hosted in virtual format on Thursday, Khan said the D-8 should call for COVID-19 vaccine to be treated as a global public good, ensure equity, affordability, enhanced production and timely supply to save lives, according to the Prime Minister’s Office.