US assures Pakistan of 'continued assistance' in Afghanistan peace process: ISPR

The United States Charge d’ Affaires to Pakistan called on Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Thursday to assure him of Washington's "continued assistance" in the Afghan peace process.

The US dignitary, Angela Aggeler, called on the army chief to discuss matters of mutual interest that included the regional security situation and the peace process in Afghanistan.

The statement from Aggeler comes at a time when Prime Minister Imran Khan is in Kabul where he will hold talks with President Ashraf Ghani and most likely discuss the Afghan peace process in great detail.

"The visiting dignitary appreciated Pakistan’s contributions for conflict prevention in the region and relentless support provided in Afghan Peace Process," read the statement by the ISPR.

Pakistan has mediated and convinced the two warring parties in Afghanistan — the Taliban and the Afghan government — to come to the table for talks.

A historic peace deal between the US and the Afghan Taliban was signed in February this year in Doha, which paved the way for an Intra-Afghan dialogue to take place which would try to find a political solution to the crisis in the country.

 

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Pakistan will play its role to end violence in Afghanistan: PM Imran Khan

Prime Minister Imran Khan during his visit to Afghanistan on Thursday said that Pakistan will do its utmost [best] to end violence and establish peace in Afghanistan.

He was holding a press conference alongside the Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.

"The people and government of Pakistan have only one concern, and that is to establish peace in Afghanistan because the people of the country have suffered for four decades."

He said that even though Pakistan played its role in getting the Taliban to talk to the Americans as well as engage them in the intra-Afghan dialogue, the level of violence has been on a rise in the country.

PM Khan assured the Afghanistan government that Pakistan is ready to help the country in every possible way to attain peace.

"We will be helping you more than your expectations," he said.

Thanking the Afghan government for inviting him, PM Imran Khan said that he had been planning to visit Afghanistan for at least the past 50 years.

"I am pleased that you have invited me to this historic city of Kabul," the PM said. "We have historical links with your country."

President Ashraf Ghani also stressed that the people of Afghanistan want nothing but peace.

"A comprehensive political settlement for enduring peace within the framework of our values and constitution in the Islamic Republic [of Afghanistan] is the way to the future," he said. "All of us need to understand that resorting to violence is not the answer."

President Ghani also said that he would be honoured to visit the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

Strengthening bilateral ties

Prior to the press conference, the two leaders held a meeting in which they discussed ways to further deepening the fraternal bilateral relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan, the Afghan peace process, and regional economic development and connectivity, per the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan.

The two sides discussed the prospects of resumption of peace in Afghanistan following the Doha peace agreement inked between the United States and Taliban.

President Ghani and PM Imran Khan also agreed to strengthen bilateral relations as the people of Pakistan and Afghanistan were linked through immutable bonds of history, faith, culture, kinship, values and traditions.

The prime minister expressed confidence that his visit would help foster a stronger and multi-faceted relationship between the two brotherly countries.

Red-carpet welcome

Earlier, PM Imran was accorded a warm welcome upon his arrival at the Presidential Palace on his first official visit to the neighbouring country.

The premier has travelled to Afghanistan on Ghani's invitation.

The move has been seen as an effort to build on sustained engagement between the two countries in recent months for enhancing bilateral cooperation in diverse fields.

The last time PM Imran and Ghani had met in person was when the latter visited Pakistan in June 2019. Before that, they had met on the sidelines of the 14th OIC Summit in Makkah, Saudi Arabia in May 2019.

The two leaders had a telephonic conversation in September 2020.

A statement from PM Office said the premier's visit includes a head-to-head with Ghani, designation level talks and a joint press stake-out.

In this context, there have been several high-level meetings over the past few months. Besides regular exchanges between the foreign ministers, Dr Abdullah Abdullah, Speaker Afghan Wolesi Jirga Rahman Rahmani and Afghan Commerce Minister Nisar Ghoraini also visited Pakistan.

The second review session of the Afghanistan Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS) was held in Kabul on August 31.

"As part of this process, and in the run-up to the prime minister’s forthcoming visit, Adviser on Commerce and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood visited Kabul from 16-18 November 2020," said the PMO.

"The people of Pakistan and Afghanistan are linked through immutable bonds of history, faith, culture, kinship, values and traditions," reads the PMO statement. "The Prime Minister’s visit will help foster a stronger and multi-faceted relationship between the two brotherly countries. "

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Biden team anxious over escalating war in U.S. ally Ethiopia

U.S. President-elect Joe Biden’s foreign policy adviser on Thursday urged an end to fighting and protection for civilians in north Ethiopia, where federal troops are battling rebels in a war rocking the Horn of Africa and sending refugees fleeing.

“Deeply concerned about the humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia, reports of targeted ethnic violence, and the risk to regional peace and security,” tweeted Antony Blinken.

The conflict in Tigray region has killed hundreds and possibly thousands, sent 30,000 refugees into Sudan and called into question whether Prime Minister Abiy Ahmen, Africa’s youngest leader and last year’s Nobel Peace Prize winner, can hold together the nation together.

Ethiopia is a federation of states run by separate ethnic groups, and the war pits the central government against one of the most heavily militarised regions. The northern Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) effectively ruled Ethiopia for decades as the strongest force in a multi-ethnic coalition, until Abiy took power two years ago. Refugees from the fighting say militias from neighbouring Amhara state, which has a border dispute with Tigray, are also backing government troops.

The country is a major U.S. ally whose soldiers serve in peacekeeping missions in South Sudan and Somalia. Its military and intelligence services are among the most capable in Africa and regularly work alongside U.S. personnel.

“The TPLF and Ethiopian authorities should take urgent steps to end the conflict, enable humanitarian access, and protect civilians,” added Blinken, a veteran diplomat and longtime Biden confidant. [L1N2HV2K7]

He is expected to play a senior role as the incoming U.S. administration looks to jettison President Donald Trump’s “America First” agenda and build up relations with allies.

On the ground, Ethiopia accused Tigrayan forces of atrocities. The TPLF leader said his soldiers were still holding the important town of Axum, though they had lost Shire as federal troops sought to close in on the state capital Mekelle.

“Shire has fallen three days back but Axum is with us, but there is an army sent to control Axum ... there is a fight,” Debretsion Gebremichael said in a text to Reuters.

There was no immediate response from the government.

Assertions by all sides have been impossible to verify because internet and phone connections to Tigray have been suspended and the government has restricted access.

An Ethiopian government statement referred to reports of ethnic killings in the town of Mai Kadra, documented by human rights group Amnesty International last week. Survivors told Amnesty researchers that militias affiliated to the Tigray government killed scores or even hundreds of civilians.

“As we enter the final phase of law enforcement operations against this group, we would like to remind the leaders of this group that the atrocities that have been committed by their forces and loyalists in places like Maykadra constitute serious crimes both under Ethiopian and international law,” it said, using an alternative spelling. There was no immediate response from the TPLF.

Ethiopian federal forces are trying to advance along main roads from the south and the northwest of Mekelle and had advanced to around 200 km (124 miles) from the Tigrayan capital, a diplomat monitoring the conflict said.

REGIONAL RAMIFICATIONS

The conflict has embroiled Ethiopia’s neighbours. The TPLF fired rockets at neighbouring Eritrea last weekend. Tens of thousands of refugees have streamed into Sudan. Ethiopia has taken weapons away from 200-300 ethnic Tigrayan soldiers in its peacekeeping contingent in Somalia.

Tigray civilians in Sudan last week told Reuters that they were targeted by government-affiliated militia because of their ethnicity. Their claims were impossible to verify.

Tigrayans represent about 5% of the population of 115 million. They dominated national leadership between 1991 and 2018, before Abiy, whose parents are ethnic Oromo and Amhara, took the premiership and began opening up both the economy and a repressive political system.

He won last year’s Nobel Peace Prize for a peace pact with Eritrea, but his reputation has come into question after recent curbs on the media, arrests of opponents and his hard line towards Tigray despite international appeals for talks.

He denies any targeting of civilians or ethnic undertones to the Tigray offensive, saying it is a law-and-order operation necessary to maintain unity.

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Iranian-made ocean-going warship joins IRGC’s naval fleet

The naval fleet of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has received a domestically-built ocean-going warship capable of carrying aircraft, drones and missile defense systems.

The heavyweight, multipurpose vessel, which has been designed for long sea journeys, joined the IRGC’s Navy during a ceremony on Thursday, with senior military and government officials in attendance.

The 400-ton warship, which is 150 meters long and 22 meters wide, can carry different types of aircraft, drones, helicopters and operational vessels as well as missile, air defense and radar systems.

It was named Shahid Roudaki warship after martyred IRGC Navy commander Abdollah Roudaki.

The vessel is equipped with three-dimensional phased-array radars, surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles, advanced communication systems for electronic warfare, and a Khordad 3 air defense system, all of which are designed and put into operation by Iranian experts.

The vessel — which resembles a floating marine city — can carry out combat, logistical and intelligence-gathering missions in the ocean aimed at establishing stable security in maritime transportation lines and providing assistance to the commercial and fishing fleets belonging to the Islamic Republic and regional countries.

Speaking during the ceremony, the IRGC chief commander said the main mission of the Shahid Roudaki ocean-going warship was to ensure the security of sea routes and perform assistance, rescue and combat operations in special circumstances.

“Today we are witnessing a combat and logistic support ship join the IRGC’s Navy that can both defend itself, defend our interests at sea, and play a role in securing our country’s maritime lines near and far,” Major General Hossein Salami said.

“Some may have thought that the basis of our performance is close-range warfare, but we declare that both close-range combat in far-off areas and long-range combat are on our agenda.”

Salami also stressed the defensive nature of Iran’s strategy, warning, however, that the country will be all aggressive if its enemies threaten it or attempt to carry out an offensive action.

The basis of our action is to first prevent the enemy from even thinking about any threat and foil it before it is formed, said Salami. “That is the full meaning of the concept of deterrence.”

Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri, commander of the IRGC's Navy, said the force was ready for deep-water patrolling beyond the Persian Gulf.

“Presence and assignments in the Indian Ocean is our right,” the commander said.

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PTI gains majority to form govt in Gilgit-Baltistan

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has acquired the required number to form government in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) after four independent candidates, who were declared winners have joined the party.

According to details, Wazir Muhammad Saleem was declared winner from GBLA-9 Skardu-3 as an independent candidate. He announced to join PTI after meeting with the Chief Organiser Saifullah Khan, in which, Federal Minister For Northern Areas and Kashmir Affairs Ali Amin Gandapur, Governor GB, and other senior PTI leaders were also present.

Earlier, Nasir Ali Khan, a victorious independent candidate from GBLA-10 also joined PTI, whereas the other two independent candidates, Mushtaque Hussain and Haji Abdul Hameed have also announced to join Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.

Welcoming the joining of independent candidates, Saifullah Khan Niazi said that the people of GB buried the anti-state narrative of the opposition parties in the general elections held on November 15.

He said that PTI is heading to form a strong government in the area. The PTI stalwart also vowed to address issues being faced by the people of GB.

Unofficial results showed that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) took lead in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) election 2020 by grabbing victory in 10 constituencies followed by seven seats won by independent candidates out of 23 seats of the region’s Legislative Assembly.

Prime Minister Imran Khan had also expressed happiness over the victory of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in GB polls and said that voters have rejected Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)’s narrative.

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PTI gains majority to form govt in Gilgit-Baltistan

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has acquired the required number to form government in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) after four independent candidates, who were declared winners have joined the party.

According to details, Wazir Muhammad Saleem was declared winner from GBLA-9 Skardu-3 as an independent candidate. He announced to join PTI after meeting with the Chief Organiser Saifullah Khan, in which, Federal Minister For Northern Areas and Kashmir Affairs Ali Amin Gandapur, Governor GB, and other senior PTI leaders were also present.

Earlier, Nasir Ali Khan, a victorious independent candidate from GBLA-10 also joined PTI, whereas the other two independent candidates, Mushtaque Hussain and Haji Abdul Hameed have also announced to join Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.

Welcoming the joining of independent candidates, Saifullah Khan Niazi said that the people of GB buried the anti-state narrative of the opposition parties in the general elections held on November 15.

He said that PTI is heading to form a strong government in the area. The PTI stalwart also vowed to address issues being faced by the people of GB.

Unofficial results showed that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) took lead in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) election 2020 by grabbing victory in 10 constituencies followed by seven seats won by independent candidates out of 23 seats of the region’s Legislative Assembly.

Prime Minister Imran Khan had also expressed happiness over the victory of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in GB polls and said that voters have rejected Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)’s narrative.

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Two soldiers martyred in firing on South Waziristan check post: ISPR

Two soldiers were martyred in an exchange of fire with terrorists at a check post in South Waziristan last night, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

The military’s media wing said that terrorists lodged firing at a check post near South Waziristan’s Pash Ziarat which was immediately responded by the personnel of security forces.

Hawaldar Matloob Alam and Sepoy Suleiman Shaukat were martyred in the exchange of firing and one more soldier sustained injuries, said ISPR.

The security forces commenced an operation to clear the area, added ISPR.
Earlier in September, a Pakistan Army captain had embraced martyrdom in a terrorist attack on the security forces in South Waziristan.

According to the military’s media wing, on the intelligence of terrorist presence in Shakai area of South Waziristan, the security forces were conducting night patrolling to check terrorists move in the area when the assailants opened fire on the Army personnel.

During the exchange of fire, Captain Abdullah Zafar, 25, resident of Lachi, Kohat while leading his troops embraced shahadat, read the statement.

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