Category: 1. Pakistan

PARACHINAR:

In a successful operation carried out by security forces in the Teri Mangal area of Kurram District, two terrorists, namely Hafeez-ur-Rehman and Wajid Gul, were killed, security forces said on Tuesday. 

Both were wanted in connection with the shooting of schoolteachers and had bounties of Rs5 million each on their heads, according to security officials. 

Security sources said the two men were part of a group responsible for the killing of five teachers in Teri Mangal in 2023. During the exchange of fire, a local resident was injured with a gunshot wound to the leg.

On May 2023, six school teachers were killed in attacks across Upper Kurram. Officials said it began with the drive-by shooting of a teacher, Muhammad Sharif, on Solozan Road.

Read: Operation launched to bring peace to Kurram

Shortly after, armed men stormed into Teri Mangal High School, entered the staffroom, and opened fire on teachers, who were supervising examinations. Six teachers and one staff member were killed on the spot.

The deceased educators were identified as Mir Hussain, Jawad Hussain, Naveed Hussain, Jawad Ali, Muhammad Ali and Ali Hussain, all members of the Turi Bangash tribe.

Security agencies confirmed that five suspects linked to the 2023 incident were already on the police and law enforcement’s wanted list. Two of them were killed in today’s operation while the search for the remaining three fugitives continues.

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government had announced bounties for Hafeez-ur-Rehman, Wajid Gul and three others in July 2024.

Security forces said further measures are being taken to maintain peace in the area and that operations will continue until the complete elimination of terrorists.

Recent violence in the region

In a separate incident last week, a roadside bomb blast in the Sharamkhel area of Pewar, also in Upper Kurram, killed four people and injured four others, police said.

According to District Police Officer Malik Habib, the explosion occurred as the victims were heading to a nearby hill to collect firewood. Two horses were also killed in the blast.

The deceased were identified as Nawab Ali, Amir Hussain, Hidayat Hussain and Manzar Ali. Three of the injured were later shifted to Peshawar for specialised care, according to Parachinar DHQ Hospital officials.

Violence in Kurram has surged in recent months. In December, more than 100 people were killed in tribal clashes that left parts of the region isolated for weeks.

ISLAMABAD  –   ISLAMABAD: Speaker Balochistan Assembly Captain (Retd) Abdul Khaliq Khan Achakzai on Monday called on Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq.

The meeting focused on fostering inter-parliamentary cooperation as a means to address the country’s key political and economic challenges.

Both dignitaries exchanged views on enhancing institutional collaboration between the National Assembly and the Balochistan Assembly.

The NA Speaker emphasised that sustained coordination among federal and provincial legislatures is essential to strengthening democratic governance and ensuring effective policymaking.

He highlighted Balochistan’s strategic role in Pakistan’s development and reaffirmed that inclusive progress cannot be achieved without the active participation of provincial assemblies.

He assured his Balochistan counterpart of the National Assembly’s full support in reinforcing the institutional effectiveness of the Balochistan Assembly, including initiatives aimed at legislative training, research, and procedural development.

Speaker Balochistan Assembly Captain (Retd) Abdul Khaliq Khan Achakzai underlined the importance of regular interaction between lawmakers across assemblies to share best practices, promote mutual understanding, and enhance legislative performance. He noted that inter-parliamentary engagement is key to building national unity and ensuring a coordinated approach to governance.

A deadly terrorist attack occurred on Monday in the Mastung district of Balochistan on the Quetta-Karachi highway, where gunmen opened indiscriminate fire on passenger vehicles. As a result, a teenager lost his life, and eight others were injured.

According to eyewitnesses, the attackers set three vehicles on fire during the assault. Explosions were also heard in the area, causing widespread panic and fear among the residents.

The injured were immediately shifted to Shaheed Nawab Ghous Bakhsh Hospital in Mastung, where they are currently receiving treatment. Hospital sources report that the condition of some of the injured is critical.

Sources also revealed that the terrorists stormed nearby government offices and set official records ablaze.

Balochistan government’s spokesperson issued an official statement which stated that, “Two terrorists were killed while another three were injured in an intense fire exchange between the security forces and the terrorists”.

According to the statement, Indian-backed terrorist proxies were involved in the deadly attack, “Fitna al Hindustan attacked the tehsil office, government offices and a bank. A 16-year-old boy died while seven individuals were injured by the terrorists’ firing”.

“The Frontier Constabulary, Counter-Terrorism Department and Levies immediately cordoned off the area, crushing the terrorists,” according the spokesperson Shahid Rind.

A 4.4-magnitude earthquake jolted Lahore on Tuesday, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD).

The earthquake was recorded at 6:39am, with the epicentre 25 kilometres south-southwest of Lahore at a depth of 14 kilometres.

There have been no immediate reports of casualties.

On June 30, another earthquake of 3.9 magnitude was recorded at 2:07pm, 35 kilometres west of Dera Ghazi Khan in Punjab at a depth of seven kilometres. The same day, Balochistan recorded a 4.8-magnitude earthquake at 11:11am, 40 kilometres southwest of Zhob at a depth of 20 kilometres.

Earlier on Sunday, a moderate 5.5 magnitude earthquake struck Musakhail, a remote district of Balochistan that borders Punjab, injuring five people and damaging dozens of mud houses. A day prior, low to moderate intensity earthquakes hit parts of Karachi and Pasni in Balochistan.

The country has experienced many low-intensity earthquakes over the past few months. Pakistan straddles the boundary where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet, making the country susceptible to earthquakes.

The recent admission by the Indian defence attaché to Indonesia, Captain (IN) Shiv Kumar that political constraints led to the loss of IAF jets during Operation Sindoor casts a harsh spotlight on the Modi government’s national security claims. This revelation not only contradicts Modi’s boasts of granting “full operational freedom” but also exposes the hollowness of his rhetoric around military modernisation and decisive leadership. 

It is deeply significant for the following reasons:

Direct contradiction of Modi’s “full operational freedom” claim

Despite Modi’s repeated public assurances, especially after the Pahalgam attack, that the armed forces have “complete operational freedom to decide on the mode, targets and timing of our response”, the defence attaché’s statement exposes a stark gap between rhetoric and reality. 

The IAF was explicitly ordered not to target Pakistani military infrastructure or air defences during the initial strikes on terror sites on May 7, a political directive that directly compromised mission effectiveness and pilot safety. This directly contradicts Modi’s cultivated image of a leader who “lets the military do its job”, revealing instead that political caution, not military professionalism, dictated operational limits during the recent India-Pakistan clash.

[Watch 3:50:00 onwards]

Political constraints led to IAF losses

The defence attaché’s remarks confirm that the loss of IAF jets was not due to poor training, military planning or pilot error, but because the Modi government’s political leadership imposed artificial operational constraints. By forbidding strikes on air defences and military installations, the government denied the IAF the ability to neutralise the most immediate threats, a standard air campaign doctrine practice. This left IAF fighter pilots exposed and ceded the tactical initiative to Pakistan, which did not impose reciprocal constraints. 

It resulted in the IAF fighter jets, including Rafale, being shot down in the Indian airspace even when no Pakistani military targets had been hit by then. This was the biggest loss suffered by the IAF since the 1971 India-Pakistan war.

Modi’s “Rafale as game changer” claim exposed

The government has aggressively promoted the controversial acquisition of 36 Rafale fighter jets at an exorbitant price from France as a transformative leap for India’s air power, with Modi himself touting it as a “game changer” that would decisively tilt the balance against Pakistan. Yet, the defence attaché’s admission and subsequent events show that even the most advanced hardware is rendered moot if political leadership denies the military the freedom to use it effectively. 

The loss of jets during constrained operations highlights that political will, not some expensive military equipment, still determines outcomes. The Rafale’s much-vaunted capabilities were neutralised by the Modi government’s own directives.

Lack of transparency and evasion of political accountability

The Modi government’s response, which includes issuing of clarifications, refusing to disclose loss figures and rejecting calls for parliamentary debate or an all-party meeting, signals a deliberate attempt to evade accountability and suppress uncomfortable truths. 

Opposition leaders have rightly called this a “direct indictment” of Modi’s handling of national security, demanding transparency and a full accounting of both the losses and the decision-making that led to them. The episode exposes a government more interested in narrative control and optics than in honest reckoning with the consequences of its own political choices.

In all, the defence attaché’s statement is a damning indictment of the Modi government’s approach: political caution trumped military necessity, operational freedom was a myth and the much-hyped Rafale “game changer” was rendered irrelevant by self-imposed constraints. The government’s subsequent obfuscation only deepens the credibility crisis.

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The Ministry of Maritime Affairs on Tuesday unveiled a strategic plan to expand Gwadar Port’s operational capacity by introducing new shipping lines and launching a ferry service connecting Pakistan with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.

The announcement was made during a high-level meeting chaired by Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs, Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry, in Islamabad, read a statement.

“The initiative is part of the government’s broader strategy to enhance regional connectivity, boost maritime trade, and position Gwadar as a major hub in the Arabian Sea,” said Chaudhry.

“We aim to transform Gwadar into a strategic transhipment and logistics centre, benefiting Pakistan and the wider region.”

Numerous issues uncovered: Gwadar Port struggles to achieve desired success

Located in Balochistan, Gwadar Port is a strategically important deep-sea port and a key component of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a massive infrastructure project aimed at boosting regional trade and connectivity

During the meeting, the maritime minister on Tuesday emphasised that with Gwadar Port now fully operational, it is time to accelerate its integration into international maritime networks. He directed relevant departments to pursue all necessary steps to increase the port’s commercial activity and unlock its full potential.

Chaudhry said additional shipping lines will be connected to Gwadar to facilitate greater movement of goods, promote transit trade with Central Asia and the Middle East, and support Pakistan’s growing role in the regional logistics landscape.

“The new routes will reduce pressure on existing ports and ensure faster, more efficient cargo handling”, he said.

In addition to enhancing cargo operations, the government has also planned to launch a ferry service from Gwadar to GCC countries.

The move is expected to provide an affordable, direct maritime link for passengers and cargo, and will particularly benefit expatriate communities and cross-border traders.

“The ferry service will strengthen people-to-people ties, boost tourism, and provide a new economic lifeline for Balochistan,” Chaudhry said.

“It will create local employment, improve supporting infrastructure, and attract private sector participation, especially in the areas of ship services, hospitality, and transportation.”

PM seeks Turkish participation in running Gwadar Port

Moreover, the maritime ministry has initiated consultations with shipping companies, maritime authorities, and port operators to finalise technical, legal, and logistical frameworks for both the new shipping lines and the ferry service.

The minister reaffirmed the government’s commitment to fully harness the strategic importance of Gwadar.