Pakistan

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The coronavirus is spreading in Pakistan at one of the fastest rates in the world, and overwhelmed hospitals are turning away patients. But the government is pushing ahead with opening up the country, trying to salvage a near-collapsed economy where millions have already slid into poverty from pandemic restrictions.

RAWALPINDI, Jun 21 (APP): Indian Army Troops on Saturday initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation in Hajipir and Bedori Sectors along the line of control (LOC) last night targeting civil population.

In a tweet, Director General Inter Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) Major General Babar Iftikhar said due to indiscriminate fire of Indian troops in Mensar village, Bedori Sector, a 13 years old innocent girl Iqra Shabbir embraced shahadat, while her mother and a 12 year old boy sustained serious injuries.

ISLAMABAD, Jun 20 (APP): Prime Minister Imran Khan Saturday said Pakistan would partially open its airspace for international flights by Sunday mainly to facilitate the overseas workers.

“Tomorrow we will partially open airspace for intl flights. This is being done especially to help our Overseas workers who have suffered most in this pandemic but have shown great courage & made us proud”, the prime minister said on Twitter.

He welcomed the expatriates returning to their homes and assured that the government would facilitate them in every way.

KARACHI, Pakistan (Reuters) - Three consecutive explosions claimed by a little-known separatist group killed four people including two soldiers in Pakistan’s southern province of Sindh on Friday, officials said.

At least a dozen people were also injured.

Shadowy secessionist organization the Sindhudesh Revolutionary Army, which wants the province to break from the Pakistani federation, said it carried out the attacks.

ISLAMABAD, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani and Afghan officials have agreed to reopen a key route for cross-border trade between the two countries starting next Monday, aiming to give a major boost to bilateral trade as it will facilitate economic activities in both countries.

Pakistan had closed the Ghulam Khan border in North Waziristan tribal district in June, 2014 after the military launched a major operation against the Pakistani and foreign militants in the area, and conducted trial run for reopening the border crossing in March, 2018.

Islamabad, Jun 18 (PTI) Pakistan's coronavirus death toll crossed 3,000 with 118 more patients succumbing to the disease in the last 24 hours, while the total number of infections surpassed the 1,60,000-mark, the health ministry said on Thursday.

As many as 59,215 patients have recovered from the disease.

A total of 982,012 COVID-19 tests, including 31,500 in the last 24 hours, were conducted in the country, the ministry said.

With the detection of 5,358 new coronavirus cases, the total tally now stands at 160,118, it said.

Islamabad, Jun 18 (PTI) The Pakistan Army has said that at least four civilians were killed in alleged firing by the Indian security forces along the LoC.

Spokesperson of the Pakistan Armed Forces. Major General Babar Iftikhar, said that the firing targeted the civilian population in Nikial and Bagsar sectors along the Line of Control.

Indian Army troops initiated unprovoked CFV (ceasefire violations) in Nikial & Bagsar sectors along the LoC targeting civilian population, he said in a statement.

Washington, Jun 16 (PTI) Pakistan does not meet the minimum requirement of fiscal transparency, an official US report has said, alleging that the country did not adequately disclose all government-guaranteed debt obligations, including financing to state-owned enterprises for the projects under the USD 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

The CPEC is a planned network of roads, railways, and energy projects linking China's resource-rich Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region with Pakistan's strategic Gwadar Port on the Arabian Sea.

ISLAMABAD, Jun 15 (APP): Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Monday said India becoming the non-permanent member of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) was ‘not a moment of rejoice, but concern’ as the country blatantly rejected resolutions of the prestigious forum, particularly on Kashmir.

Talking to reporters here, the Foreign Minister said India had been ignoring the resolutions of UNSC on Kashmir for a long, giving way to an unending oppression on Kashmiris by denying their right to self-determination.

ISLAMABAD, Jun 14 (APP): Pakistan on Sunday strongly condemned terrorist attacks on Wazir Akbar Khan and Sher Shah Suri mosques in Kabul.

These heinous acts resulted in the martyrdom of renowned religious scholars Dr. Ayaz Niazi and Maulavi Azizullah Mofleh and claimed the lives of other innocent worshippers.