Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said Sunday that anybody who became a Lashkar commander would not survive for very long.&nbsp;

He added that that had been the case for the last eight months.&nbsp;

Jaitley was speaking in Surat, Gujarat where the BJP was holding a &quot;Chai pe Charcha&quot;.&nbsp;

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Pichhle 8 mahine se ye haal hai, ki jo Lashkar ka commander banega wo zyaada din nahi bachega: FM Arun Jaitley in Surat <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Gujarat?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Gujarat</a> <a href="https://t.co/rOY6k913O0">pic.twitter.com/rOY6k913O0</a>
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Jaitley also lashed out at Pakistan, saying there was no place for the country in the world.&nbsp;

Jaitley was referring to the release from house arrest on November 24 of Jamat-ud-Dawa chief and Lashkar-e-Taiba co-founder Hafiz Saeed.&nbsp;

Saeed is thought to be the mastermind of the 26/11 attacks on Mumbai.&nbsp;

&quot;If Pakistan can release Hafiz Saeed two days before the anniversary of 26/11, then the whole world is saying in one voice that there is no place for it (Pakistan) in the family of nations,&quot; Jaitley said.&nbsp;

The United States has since Saeed&#39;s release called for him to be rearrested.&nbsp;

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Agar unhone (Pakistan) aaj ke kand (26/11 attack) se 2 din pehle us apradhi (Hafiz saeed) ki rihayi ki hai, to puri duniya ek aawaz me bol rhi hai, ki aisa desh jo aatank ka samarthan karta hai, uske liye puri duniya ke parivaar me koi jagah nahi hai: FM Arun Jaitley in Surat <a href="https://t.co/u0fQKCxp4L">pic.twitter.com/u0fQKCxp4L</a>
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Amit Shah was also in Surat, where he said &quot;People from Uttar Pradesh&#39;s Amethi come to Gujarat for jobs&quot;.&nbsp;

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People from Uttar Pradesh&#39;s Amethi come to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Gujarat?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Gujarat</a> for jobs: BJP National President Amit Shah <a href="https://t.co/tviNyhB3EQ">pic.twitter.com/tviNyhB3EQ</a>
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Jaitley also lashed out at Pakistan, saying there was no place for the country in the world

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said Sunday that anybody who became a Lashkar commander would not survive for very long. He added that that had been the case for the last eight months. Jaitley was speaking in Surat, Gujarat where the BJP was holding a "Chai pe Charcha". Pichhle 8 mahine se ye haal hai, ki jo Lashkar ka commander banega wo zyaada din nahi bachega: FM Arun Jaitley in Surat #Gujarat pic.twitter.com/rOY6k913O0 — ANI (@ANI) November 26, 2017 × Jaitley also lashed out at Pakistan, saying there was no place for the country in the world. Jaitley was referring to the release from house arrest on November 24 of Jamat-ud-Dawa chief and Lashkar-e-Taiba co-founder Hafiz Saeed. Saeed is thought to be the mastermind of the 26/11 attacks on Mumbai. "If Pakistan can release Hafiz Saeed two days before the anniversary of 26/11, then the whole world is saying in one voice that there is no place for it (Pakistan) in the family of nations," Jaitley said. The United States has since Saeed's release called for him to be rearrested. Agar unhone (Pakistan) aaj ke kand (26/11 attack) se 2 din pehle us apradhi (Hafiz saeed) ki rihayi ki hai, to puri duniya ek aawaz me bol rhi hai, ki aisa desh jo aatank ka samarthan karta hai, uske liye puri duniya ke parivaar me koi jagah nahi hai: FM Arun Jaitley in Surat pic.twitter.com/u0fQKCxp4L — ANI (@ANI) November 26, 2017 × Amit Shah was also in Surat, where he said "People from Uttar Pradesh's Amethi come to Gujarat for jobs". People from Uttar Pradesh's Amethi come to #Gujarat for jobs: BJP National President Amit Shah pic.twitter.com/tviNyhB3EQ — ANI (@ANI) November 26, 2017 ×

Anybody becoming Lashkar commander will not survive long: Jaitley

A policeman was killed and over 100 people wounded as Pakistani forces fired rubber bullets and lobbed tear gas in a bid to disperse an Islamist sit-in that has virtually paralysed the country&#39;s capital for weeks.

Smoke and tear gas filled the air as the roughly 8,500 elite police and paramilitary troops in riot gear were also seen throwing rocks and using slingshots in the ongoing bid to clear 2,000 or so hardline demonstrators which began soon after dawn.&nbsp;

AFP reporters at the site said more protesters were arriving, though it was difficult to tell how many. Trees had been cut down to block roads, and protesters were burning tyres. 
 
Pakistan&#39;s media regulator barred local TV channels from broadcasting live images from the scene as violence intensified.

(Also Read:<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-orders-tv-channels-to-go-off-air-during-crackdown-on-islamist-protest-25090"> Pakistan orders TV channels to go off air during crackdown on Islamist protest</a>) 
 
At least 110 injured people have been taken to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad, a spokesman from the hospital told AFP, adding that 66 of them were members of the security forces.&nbsp;

An Islamabad police spokesman confirmed that a policeman was killed in the fighting after he was struck in the head by a rock. Television footage showed a police van and demonstrators&#39;&nbsp;tents on fire. 
 
The sit-in by the little-known hardline group called Tehreek-i-Labaik Ya Rasool Allah Pakistan (TLYRAP) has blocked a main highway used by thousands of commuters since November 6, causing hours-long traffic snarls and enraging commuters.

The protesters are demanding that Pakistan&#39;s law minister Zahid Hamid resign over a hastily-abandoned amendment to the oath that election candidates must swear.

Demonstrators have linked it to blasphemy - a highly contentious issue in Muslim Pakistan - and claim the oath was softened to enable the participation of Ahmadis, a long-persecuted Islamic minority sect.

Local media reported that small protests - each with several dozen TLYRAP supporters - were breaking out in other cities, including Karachi and Lahore, as the Islamabad operation dragged on through Saturday.

An Islamabad police official had said before the violent clashes that the operation sought to avoid any loss of life on either side.

The sit-in has also cost the life of an eight-year-old child whose ambulance could not reach a hospital in time due to the blocked roads, a statement from Pakistan&#39;s Supreme Court confirmed this week.

Despite the protest&#39;s relatively small initial size, authorities have hesitated to act against it, citing fears of violence as the demonstrators have vowed to die for their cause.

But government inaction has drawn the fury of the courts as well as millions of residents in Islamabad and neighbouring Rawalpindi. The Supreme Court and the Islamabad High Court have issued blistering criticism and threatened to hold officials in contempt for their inaction.

Analysts and critics have accused the government of bungling its response to the protest and allowing a minor issue to grow into a headline-grabbing and potentially dangerous situation.

It set an alarming precedent, that &quot;anytime anyone is upset with the government, the capital may be choked and the government will bend its knees,&quot; warned Zeeshan Salahuddin of the Center for Research and Security Studies, a think tank in Islamabad.

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Smoke and tear gas filled the air as the roughly 8,500 elite police and paramilitary troops in riot gear were also seen throwing rocks and using slingshots in the ongoing bid to clear 2,000 or so hardline demonstrators which began soon after dawn

A policeman was killed and over 100 people wounded as Pakistani forces fired rubber bullets and lobbed tear gas in a bid to disperse an Islamist sit-in that has virtually paralysed the country's capital for weeks. Smoke and tear gas filled the air as the roughly 8,500 elite police and paramilitary troops in riot gear were also seen throwing rocks and using slingshots in the ongoing bid to clear 2,000 or so hardline demonstrators which began soon after dawn. AFP reporters at the site said more protesters were arriving, though it was difficult to tell how many. Trees had been cut down to block roads, and protesters were burning tyres. Pakistan's media regulator barred local TV channels from broadcasting live images from the scene as violence intensified. (Also Read: Pakistan orders TV channels to go off air during crackdown on Islamist protest) At least 110 injured people have been taken to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad, a spokesman from the hospital told AFP, adding that 66 of them were members of the security forces. An Islamabad police spokesman confirmed that a policeman was killed in the fighting after he was struck in the head by a rock. Television footage showed a police van and demonstrators' tents on fire. The sit-in by the little-known hardline group called Tehreek-i-Labaik Ya Rasool Allah Pakistan (TLYRAP) has blocked a main highway used by thousands of commuters since November 6, causing hours-long traffic snarls and enraging commuters. The protesters are demanding that Pakistan's law minister Zahid Hamid resign over a hastily-abandoned amendment to the oath that election candidates must swear. Demonstrators have linked it to blasphemy - a highly contentious issue in Muslim Pakistan - and claim the oath was softened to enable the participation of Ahmadis, a long-persecuted Islamic minority sect. Local media reported that small protests - each with several dozen TLYRAP supporters - were breaking out in other cities, including Karachi and Lahore, as the Islamabad operation dragged on through Saturday. An Islamabad police official had said before the violent clashes that the operation sought to avoid any loss of life on either side. The sit-in has also cost the life of an eight-year-old child whose ambulance could not reach a hospital in time due to the blocked roads, a statement from Pakistan's Supreme Court confirmed this week. Despite the protest's relatively small initial size, authorities have hesitated to act against it, citing fears of violence as the demonstrators have vowed to die for their cause. But government inaction has drawn the fury of the courts as well as millions of residents in Islamabad and neighbouring Rawalpindi. The Supreme Court and the Islamabad High Court have issued blistering criticism and threatened to hold officials in contempt for their inaction. Analysts and critics have accused the government of bungling its response to the protest and allowing a minor issue to grow into a headline-grabbing and potentially dangerous situation. It set an alarming precedent, that "anytime anyone is upset with the government, the capital may be choked and the government will bend its knees," warned Zeeshan Salahuddin of the Center for Research and Security Studies, a think tank in Islamabad.

One dead, over 100 injured as Islamist sit-in paralyses Islamabad

PoK leader Tauqeer Gilani hit out at the Pakistan occupation on Kashmir.

While addressing a conference in Muzaffarabad, he questioned Pakistan&#39;s claim over Kashmir. Calling it a propaganda by Muslim Conference and their paid stooges, he asked where is it written that Kashmir is Pakistan&#39;s?&nbsp;

He said, &quot;Where is it written that Kashmir is Pakistan&#39;s? No agreement says so. This is nonsense and is a propaganda by Muslim Conference and their paid stooges. Even on our bathroom doors they have written &#39;Kashmir banega&nbsp;Pakistan&#39;.&quot;

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Where is it written that Kashmir is Pakistan&#39;s? No agreement says so. This is non-sense &amp; is a propaganda by Muslim Conference &amp; their paid stooges. Even on our bathroom doors they have written &#39;Kashmir banega Pakistan&#39;: PoK leader Tauqeer Gilani in Muzaffarabad, PoK <a href="https://t.co/JKjcYp5qUh">pic.twitter.com/JKjcYp5qUh</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/934322539420991488?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 25, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Countering Pakistan&#39;s charges of treachery, he said the Kashmiris buy Pakistan&#39;s salt which is not acceptable to anyone in the world.&nbsp;

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Bakwas-baazi ki inteha hoti hai! TV pe aake kehte hain Kashmiri namak-haram hain, hum to Rs.20 deke tumhara namak khareedte hain jisko duniya mein koi nahi khareedta, arey tum to paani bhi hamara peete ho: PoK leader Tauqeer Gilani on Pakistan in Muzaffarabad, PoK
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/934323787486474241?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 25, 2017</a></blockquote>
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He also blamed Pakistan for the killing of the fathers of Hurriyat separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Jammu and Kashmir minister Sajjad Lone. He said jihadists backed by Pakistan have killed over 650 people of Liberation Front and that Pakistan pays Rs 30,000 to put Pakistani flag on bodies of so-called freedom- fighters.&nbsp;

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Pakistan was behind killing of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq &amp; Sajjad Lone&#39;s fathers, jihadis backed by them have killed over 650 people of Liberation Front. Pakistan pays Rs30,000 to put Pakistani flag on bodies of so-called freedom-fighters: PoK leader Tauqeer Gilani in Muzaffarabad, PoK <a href="https://t.co/Eh5fng0R6g">pic.twitter.com/Eh5fng0R6g</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/934321989765836800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 25, 2017</a></blockquote>
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While addressing a conference in Muzaffarabad, the PoK leader questioned Pakistan's claim over Kashmir. Calling it a propaganda by Muslim Conference and their paid stooges, he asked where is it written that Kashmir is Pakistan's??

PoK leader Tauqeer Gilani hit out at the Pakistan occupation on Kashmir. While addressing a conference in Muzaffarabad, he questioned Pakistan's claim over Kashmir. Calling it a propaganda by Muslim Conference and their paid stooges, he asked where is it written that Kashmir is Pakistan's? He said, "Where is it written that Kashmir is Pakistan's? No agreement says so. This is nonsense and is a propaganda by Muslim Conference and their paid stooges. Even on our bathroom doors they have written 'Kashmir banega Pakistan'." Where is it written that Kashmir is Pakistan's? No agreement says so. This is non-sense & is a propaganda by Muslim Conference & their paid stooges. Even on our bathroom doors they have written 'Kashmir banega Pakistan': PoK leader Tauqeer Gilani in Muzaffarabad, PoK pic.twitter.com/JKjcYp5qUh — ANI (@ANI) November 25, 2017 × Countering Pakistan's charges of treachery, he said the Kashmiris buy Pakistan's salt which is not acceptable to anyone in the world. Bakwas-baazi ki inteha hoti hai! TV pe aake kehte hain Kashmiri namak-haram hain, hum to Rs.20 deke tumhara namak khareedte hain jisko duniya mein koi nahi khareedta, arey tum to paani bhi hamara peete ho: PoK leader Tauqeer Gilani on Pakistan in Muzaffarabad, PoK — ANI (@ANI) November 25, 2017 × He also blamed Pakistan for the killing of the fathers of Hurriyat separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Jammu and Kashmir minister Sajjad Lone. He said jihadists backed by Pakistan have killed over 650 people of Liberation Front and that Pakistan pays Rs 30,000 to put Pakistani flag on bodies of so-called freedom- fighters. Pakistan was behind killing of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq & Sajjad Lone's fathers, jihadis backed by them have killed over 650 people of Liberation Front. Pakistan pays Rs30,000 to put Pakistani flag on bodies of so-called freedom-fighters: PoK leader Tauqeer Gilani in Muzaffarabad, PoK pic.twitter.com/Eh5fng0R6g — ANI (@ANI) November 25, 2017 ×

Where is it written that Kashmir is Pakistan's?: PoK leader

Mumbai attack mastermind and JuD chief Hafiz Saeed has &quot;blood on his hands&quot;, and wants to bring extremism into the mainstream politics of Pakistan, a former top American spymaster said on Saturday.

The Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) head and LeT founder, who has a $10 million American bounty on his head for terror activities, was freed by Pakistan yesterday.

&quot;Saeed is a terrorist. Worked with the LeT, a Kashmiri militant group, and al-Qaida on attacks,&quot; Michael Morell, former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) deputy director, who has also served twice as its acting director, said in a tweet.

Saeed, in his late 60s, was under house arrest for 297 days since January.

The fire-brand cleric&#39;s release after&nbsp;midnight&nbsp;came ahead of the 9th anniversary of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks in which 166 people, including six Americans, were killed.

A deeply concerned US has asked the Pakistan government to re-arrest and charge Saeed for his crimes. It also asked Pakistan to ensure that the LeT leader is behind bars.

&quot;NO! JuD is NOT tied to Islamic State. What a rookie... Seriously. Hafiz Saeed&#39;s Release Completes the Political Mainstreaming of Jihadists in Pakistan,&quot; tweeted Christine Fair, a well-known South Asian expert on terrorist groups.

NBC news said Saeed&#39;s release could once again sour US relations with Pakistan.

The New York Times said, for decades, Pakistan has cast a benign eye on groups like LeT which is perceived as an asset because its attacks target Indian soldiers in Kashmir even as the government battles jihadist groups like the Pakistan Taliban that directly threatens the country.

&quot;But despite its pressure on Pakistan to move against militants like Saeed, the United States has also sent mixed messages. Just a month ago, the United States Senate struck down a provision tying American government funding to Pakistan to the country&#39;s efforts to curb Lashkar-e-Taiba&#39;s operations.

&quot;The provision, part of a broader Pentagon-funding legislation that Congress introduced this past summer, would have forced the secretary of defence to certify that Islamabad was thwarting Lashkar-e-Taiba&#39;s activities inside Pakistan or risk $350 million in American assistance,&quot; the Times wrote.

Meanwhile, in an op-ed, The Washington Examiner said the Trump administration &quot;should work with India&quot; to &quot;capture or kill&quot; Saeed.

&quot;Trump should call Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India and offer to work with him to capture or kill Saeed,&quot; the daily said, adding that Saeed intends to lead a new Muslim theocratic political bloc in next year&#39;s parliamentary polls.

&quot;Although Pakistan&#39;s electoral commission has refused to certify the bloc, Saeed&#39;s populist power should not be understated. Charismatic and determined, if left unchecked in his political party or terrorist activities, Saeed could destabilise the region,&quot; the daily added.

The JuD is believed to be the front organisation for the banned LeT which is responsible for carrying out the Mumbai terror attack.

Additionally, an expert on terrorist group, said, 'Hafiz Saeed's release completes the political mainstreaming of jihadists in Pakistan'

Mumbai attack mastermind and JuD chief Hafiz Saeed has "blood on his hands", and wants to bring extremism into the mainstream politics of Pakistan, a former top American spymaster said on Saturday. The Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) head and LeT founder, who has a $10 million American bounty on his head for terror activities, was freed by Pakistan yesterday. "Saeed is a terrorist. Worked with the LeT, a Kashmiri militant group, and al-Qaida on attacks," Michael Morell, former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) deputy director, who has also served twice as its acting director, said in a tweet. Saeed, in his late 60s, was under house arrest for 297 days since January. The fire-brand cleric's release after midnight came ahead of the 9th anniversary of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks in which 166 people, including six Americans, were killed. A deeply concerned US has asked the Pakistan government to re-arrest and charge Saeed for his crimes. It also asked Pakistan to ensure that the LeT leader is behind bars. "NO! JuD is NOT tied to Islamic State. What a rookie... Seriously. Hafiz Saeed's Release Completes the Political Mainstreaming of Jihadists in Pakistan," tweeted Christine Fair, a well-known South Asian expert on terrorist groups. NBC news said Saeed's release could once again sour US relations with Pakistan. The New York Times said, for decades, Pakistan has cast a benign eye on groups like LeT which is perceived as an asset because its attacks target Indian soldiers in Kashmir even as the government battles jihadist groups like the Pakistan Taliban that directly threatens the country. "But despite its pressure on Pakistan to move against militants like Saeed, the United States has also sent mixed messages. Just a month ago, the United States Senate struck down a provision tying American government funding to Pakistan to the country's efforts to curb Lashkar-e-Taiba's operations. "The provision, part of a broader Pentagon-funding legislation that Congress introduced this past summer, would have forced the secretary of defence to certify that Islamabad was thwarting Lashkar-e-Taiba's activities inside Pakistan or risk $350 million in American assistance," the Times wrote. Meanwhile, in an op-ed, The Washington Examiner said the Trump administration "should work with India" to "capture or kill" Saeed. "Trump should call Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India and offer to work with him to capture or kill Saeed," the daily said, adding that Saeed intends to lead a new Muslim theocratic political bloc in next year's parliamentary polls. "Although Pakistan's electoral commission has refused to certify the bloc, Saeed's populist power should not be understated. Charismatic and determined, if left unchecked in his political party or terrorist activities, Saeed could destabilise the region," the daily added. The JuD is believed to be the front organisation for the banned LeT which is responsible for carrying out the Mumbai terror attack.

Hafiz Saeed a terrorist, Trump should work with Modi to kill him: US media

The United States Congress has passed a bill that requires Pakistan to work with its security forces and the Afghanistan Army to delink the Haqqani (terror) Network from the Lashkar-e-Taiba out (LeT).

The National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA) 2018, which was approved by a voice vote by the House of Representatives and the US Senate on Thursday evening provides about USD 700 billion for US defence needs in 2018.

The NDA 2018 also provides USD 700 million for reimbursing Pakistan for monitoring the Pak-Afghan border, but withholds half of the amount.

It also prevents the administration from issuing a waiver for USD 350 million unless the US Secretary of Defense certifies to the congressional defence committees that: &quot;Pakistan continues to conduct military operations that are contributing to significantly disrupting the safe havens, fundraising and recruiting efforts, and freedom of movement of the Haqqani Network in Pakistan.&quot;

&quot;Pakistan has taken steps to demonstrate its commitment to prevent the Haqqani Network from using any Pakistan territory as a safe haven and for fundraising and recruiting efforts. The government of Pakistan is making an attempt to actively coordinate with the government of Afghanistan to restrict the movement of militants, such as the Haqqani Network, along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. Pakistan has shown progress in arresting and prosecuting senior leaders and mid-level operatives of the Haqqani Network.&quot;

Previous versions of the bill required the secretary to issue a similar certificate for LeT but its name was dropped from the later version, known as the conference.

Delinking LeT from the Haqqani Network reflects Washington&#39;s desire to keep its focus on Afghanistan and encourage Pakistan to cooperate. Policy makers in Washington feel that linking an India-specific group like LeT with the Haqqani Network could discourage Pakistan from cooperating with the US in the war in Afghanistan.

On Friday, the bill was sent to President Donald Trump for signing it into a law.&nbsp;

The United States Congress has passed a bill that requires Pakistan to work with its security forces and the Afghanistan Army to delink the Haqqani (terror) Network from the Lashkar-e-Taiba out (LeT)

The United States Congress has passed a bill that requires Pakistan to work with its security forces and the Afghanistan Army to delink the Haqqani (terror) Network from the Lashkar-e-Taiba out (LeT). The National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA) 2018, which was approved by a voice vote by the House of Representatives and the US Senate on Thursday evening provides about USD 700 billion for US defence needs in 2018. The NDA 2018 also provides USD 700 million for reimbursing Pakistan for monitoring the Pak-Afghan border, but withholds half of the amount. It also prevents the administration from issuing a waiver for USD 350 million unless the US Secretary of Defense certifies to the congressional defence committees that: "Pakistan continues to conduct military operations that are contributing to significantly disrupting the safe havens, fundraising and recruiting efforts, and freedom of movement of the Haqqani Network in Pakistan." "Pakistan has taken steps to demonstrate its commitment to prevent the Haqqani Network from using any Pakistan territory as a safe haven and for fundraising and recruiting efforts. The government of Pakistan is making an attempt to actively coordinate with the government of Afghanistan to restrict the movement of militants, such as the Haqqani Network, along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. Pakistan has shown progress in arresting and prosecuting senior leaders and mid-level operatives of the Haqqani Network." Previous versions of the bill required the secretary to issue a similar certificate for LeT but its name was dropped from the later version, known as the conference. Delinking LeT from the Haqqani Network reflects Washington's desire to keep its focus on Afghanistan and encourage Pakistan to cooperate. Policy makers in Washington feel that linking an India-specific group like LeT with the Haqqani Network could discourage Pakistan from cooperating with the US in the war in Afghanistan. On Friday, the bill was sent to President Donald Trump for signing it into a law.

US Congress approves bill delinking Haqqani Network from LeT

Congress vice-president fired yet another salvo on&nbsp;Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday morning when he sarcastically tweeted &#39;hugplomacy fail&#39;. More hugs urgently need.&nbsp;&nbsp;

&quot; Narendrabhai, it&#39;s not working, Terror mastermind is free. President Trump just delinked Pak military funding from LeT. Hugdiplomacy fail. More hugs urgently needed,&quot; tweeted the official Twitter handle of office of Rahul Gandhi.&nbsp;

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Narendrabhai, ??? ???? ???. Terror mastermind is free. President Trump just delinked Pak military funding from LeT. Hugplomacy fail. More hugs urgently needed.<a href="https://t.co/U8Bg2vlZqw">https://t.co/U8Bg2vlZqw</a>
&mdash; Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficeOfRG/status/934270304980889600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 25, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Earlier on November 24, Saeed was released from house arrest in Lahore.

Police guards were removed from his residence where a large number of supporters gathered to celebrate the end of his house arrest.

In his first address after being released, Saeed blames India and the U.S. for detention and raked up Kashmir.

Saeed is said to be the head of the U.S.-designated terror outfit, Lashkar-e-Taiba and had been under house arrest since January 31 this year.

The decision to put Saeed under house arrest in January was seen as a response to actions by US President Donald Trump&#39;s White House against nations deemed linked to terrorism.

He has been declared a global terrorist by the United Nations and the US for his role in the Mumbai attack which claimed the lives of 166 people and maimed over 300 others.

He has a USD 10 million bounty on his head.&nbsp;

(With agency inputs)&nbsp;

" Narendrabhai, it's not working, Terror mastermind is free. President Trump just delinked Pak military funding from LeT. Hugdiplomacy fail. More hugs urgently needed," Rahul tweeted

Congress vice-president fired yet another salvo on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday morning when he sarcastically tweeted 'hugplomacy fail'. More hugs urgently need. " Narendrabhai, it's not working, Terror mastermind is free. President Trump just delinked Pak military funding from LeT. Hugdiplomacy fail. More hugs urgently needed," tweeted the official Twitter handle of office of Rahul Gandhi. Narendrabhai, ??? ???? ???. Terror mastermind is free. President Trump just delinked Pak military funding from LeT. Hugplomacy fail. More hugs urgently needed.https://t.co/U8Bg2vlZqw — Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) November 25, 2017 × Earlier on November 24, Saeed was released from house arrest in Lahore. Police guards were removed from his residence where a large number of supporters gathered to celebrate the end of his house arrest. In his first address after being released, Saeed blames India and the U.S. for detention and raked up Kashmir. Saeed is said to be the head of the U.S.-designated terror outfit, Lashkar-e-Taiba and had been under house arrest since January 31 this year. The decision to put Saeed under house arrest in January was seen as a response to actions by US President Donald Trump's White House against nations deemed linked to terrorism. He has been declared a global terrorist by the United Nations and the US for his role in the Mumbai attack which claimed the lives of 166 people and maimed over 300 others. He has a USD 10 million bounty on his head. (With agency inputs)

'Hugplomacy fail': Rahul's latest jibe at Modi over Hafiz Saeed's release

At least four people were killed and 15 others injured today in a targeted bomb attack on security forces in Pakistan&#39;s Balochistan province, officials said, the latest attack on security personnel in the restive region.

The attackers targeted a security forces&#39; vehicle on Sariab Road area in the provincial capital Quetta, police officials said.

Four people were killed but their identity is not known, they said.

The nature of the bombing was not known immediately, but police suspected that it could be a suicide attack.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack but Taliban militants and Baloch nationalists often target security forces in the area.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/at-least-15-dead-in-suicide-bomb-attack-in-pakistani-city-of-quetta-18941">&nbsp;At least 15 dead in suicide bomb attack in Pakistani city of Quetta</a>

A senior Pakistani police officer and his three family members were killed by unidentified, motorcycle-borne militants in Balochistan on November 15.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Muhammad Ilyas who was on his way to the market when he was killed in a targeted attack along with his wife, son and five-year-old granddaughter.

A suspected suicide bomber killed Additional Inspector General Telecommunications Hamid Shakeel and three other police officers in a targeted attack in Quetta on November 9.

Balochistan has been rocked by a series of attacks which raised concerns about a growing militant presence, including those affiliated with Islamic State, which has claimed several bombings in the restive province.

The unrest has raised security concerns for projects in the USD 50 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor, a transport and energy link from western China to Pakistan&#39;s southern Gwadar port.

At least six police commandos and a civilian were killed last month when an explosives-laden vehicle rammed into a security force&#39;s convoy on the Quetta-Sibi Highway.

In August this year, a massive suicide explosion, targeting Pakistan Army personnel in Quetta, left 15 people dead&nbsp;including seven civilians and injured at least 20 people.

In June this year, 14 people, including seven policemen, were killed and 21 others were injured in a suicide car bombing on Gulistan Road in Balochistan.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The attackers targeted a security forces' vehicle on Sariab Road area in the provincial capital Quetta, said police officials

At least four people were killed and 15 others injured today in a targeted bomb attack on security forces in Pakistan's Balochistan province, officials said, the latest attack on security personnel in the restive region. The attackers targeted a security forces' vehicle on Sariab Road area in the provincial capital Quetta, police officials said. Four people were killed but their identity is not known, they said. The nature of the bombing was not known immediately, but police suspected that it could be a suicide attack. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack but Taliban militants and Baloch nationalists often target security forces in the area. Also Read: At least 15 dead in suicide bomb attack in Pakistani city of Quetta A senior Pakistani police officer and his three family members were killed by unidentified, motorcycle-borne militants in Balochistan on November 15. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Muhammad Ilyas who was on his way to the market when he was killed in a targeted attack along with his wife, son and five-year-old granddaughter. A suspected suicide bomber killed Additional Inspector General Telecommunications Hamid Shakeel and three other police officers in a targeted attack in Quetta on November 9. Balochistan has been rocked by a series of attacks which raised concerns about a growing militant presence, including those affiliated with Islamic State, which has claimed several bombings in the restive province. The unrest has raised security concerns for projects in the USD 50 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor, a transport and energy link from western China to Pakistan's southern Gwadar port. At least six police commandos and a civilian were killed last month when an explosives-laden vehicle rammed into a security force's convoy on the Quetta-Sibi Highway. In August this year, a massive suicide explosion, targeting Pakistan Army personnel in Quetta, left 15 people dead including seven civilians and injured at least 20 people. In June this year, 14 people, including seven policemen, were killed and 21 others were injured in a suicide car bombing on Gulistan Road in Balochistan.

Pakistan: 4 killed, 15 injured in bomb attack in Quetta

Pakistan has justified the release of Mumbai terror attack mastermind and JuD chief Hafiz Saeed, claiming that Islamabad was committed to the implementation of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC)&nbsp;sanctions regime on terrorists.&nbsp;

Hafiz Saeed,&nbsp;who was freed by Pakistan on&nbsp;November&nbsp;24, is the&nbsp;founder of the terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba and the head of the Jamaat-ud-Dawah. He has&nbsp;10 million dollars of American bounty on his head for terror activities and is also a UN and US-designated terrorist.

Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Mohammad Faisal said that Pakistan was committed to the implementation of UNSC 1267 sanctions regime and has taken several steps in this regard while responding to the comments made by the MEA.

&quot;The (MEA) spokesperson took exception to self-serving insinuations,&quot; Faisal said in a statement issued late last night.

Faisal said that courts in Pakistan, pursuant to their constitutional duty, were determined to uphold rule of law and due process for all citizens of Pakistan.

Legal processes were anchored in rule of law, not dictates of politics and posturing, he added.

&quot;It is in the interest of all States to speak and act in a manner that is consistent with the imperatives of adhering to rule of law at the national and international levels,&quot; Faisal said.

He said that Pakistan&#39;s resolve, actions, and successes in the fight against terrorism, terrorist violence and terrorists are unmatched in the world.

&quot;Pakistan condemns and opposes all forms of terrorism by any individual or group,&quot; Faisal further said.

&quot;Saeed&#39;s release confirmed once again the lack of seriousness by the Pakistan government in bringing to justice perpetrators of terrorism, including individuals and entities designated by the UN&quot;, said Raveesh Kumar, the spokesperson of Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).&nbsp;

&quot;It also appears to be an attempt by the Pakistani system to mainstream proscribed terrorists. Pakistan has not changed its policy of shielding and supporting non-state actors and its true face is visible for all to see,&quot; the external affairs ministry spokesperson added.

Hafiz Saeed was under house arrest for 297 days since January.

Saeed&#39;s release after midnight came ahead of the 9th anniversary of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks in which 166 people, including six Americans, were killed.

(With inputs from PTI)&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Pakistan has justified the release of Mumbai terror attack mastermind and JuD chief Hafiz Saeed, claiming that Islamabad was committed to the implementation of UNSC sanctions regime on terrorists.?

Pakistan has justified the release of Mumbai terror attack mastermind and JuD chief Hafiz Saeed, claiming that Islamabad was committed to the implementation of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) sanctions regime on terrorists. Hafiz Saeed, who was freed by Pakistan on November 24, is the founder of the terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba and the head of the Jamaat-ud-Dawah. He has 10 million dollars of American bounty on his head for terror activities and is also a UN and US-designated terrorist. Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Mohammad Faisal said that Pakistan was committed to the implementation of UNSC 1267 sanctions regime and has taken several steps in this regard while responding to the comments made by the MEA. "The (MEA) spokesperson took exception to self-serving insinuations," Faisal said in a statement issued late last night. Faisal said that courts in Pakistan, pursuant to their constitutional duty, were determined to uphold rule of law and due process for all citizens of Pakistan. Legal processes were anchored in rule of law, not dictates of politics and posturing, he added. "It is in the interest of all States to speak and act in a manner that is consistent with the imperatives of adhering to rule of law at the national and international levels," Faisal said. He said that Pakistan's resolve, actions, and successes in the fight against terrorism, terrorist violence and terrorists are unmatched in the world. "Pakistan condemns and opposes all forms of terrorism by any individual or group," Faisal further said. "Saeed's release confirmed once again the lack of seriousness by the Pakistan government in bringing to justice perpetrators of terrorism, including individuals and entities designated by the UN", said Raveesh Kumar, the spokesperson of Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). "It also appears to be an attempt by the Pakistani system to mainstream proscribed terrorists. Pakistan has not changed its policy of shielding and supporting non-state actors and its true face is visible for all to see," the external affairs ministry spokesperson added. Hafiz Saeed was under house arrest for 297 days since January. Saeed's release after midnight came ahead of the 9th anniversary of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks in which 166 people, including six Americans, were killed. (With inputs from PTI)

Pakistan justifies Hafiz Saeed's release

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/violent-threats-not-acceptable-in-democracy-venkaiah-naidu-on-padmavati-row-25098">Violent threats not acceptable in democracy: Venkaiah Naidu on &#39;Padmavati&#39; row</a>

In the middle of the protests against the film &quot;Padmavati&quot;, comes Vice President Venkaiah Naidu&#39;s statement that giving violent threats and announcing rewards for physical harm is not acceptable in a democracy.The vice president, who was speaking at a literary festival in New Delhi, referred to the bounty that was offered for killing the film&#39;s actors Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and director Sanjay Leela Bhansali and said one could not give violent threats and undermine the rule of law.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/jk-dead-body-of-army-soldier-found-police-investigates-25086">Territorial-army jawan&#39;s bullet-ridden body found in Jammu and Kashmir village</a>

The bullet-ridden dead body of a 23-year-old Territorial-army jawan, Irfan Ahmad Dar, was found in a remote village of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday morning.&nbsp;

He was a resident of Saazan village and posted at Guruz. He was in engineering regiment of the Territorial Army.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/policeman-dead-over-100-injured-as-islamist-sit-in-paralyses-islamabad-25091">One dead, over 100 injured as Islamist sit-in </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/policeman-dead-over-100-injured-as-islamist-sit-in-paralyses-islamabad-25091">paralyses</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/policeman-dead-over-100-injured-as-islamist-sit-in-paralyses-islamabad-25091"> Islamabad</a>

A policeman was killed and over 100 people wounded as Pakistani forces fired rubber bullets and lobbed tear gas in a bid to disperse an Islamist sit-in that has virtually paralysed the country&#39;s capital for weeks.

Smoke and tear gas filled the air as the roughly 8,500 elite police and paramilitary troops in riot gear were also seen throwing rocks and using slingshots in the ongoing bid to clear 2,000 or so hardline demonstrators which began soon after dawn.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/love-jihad-case-woman-says-she-wants-to-be-with-husband-25120">&#39;Love jihad&#39;: Nobody forced me to convert, says Hadiya</a>

Kerala woman Hadiya, who will depose before the Supreme Court on November 27 in an alleged case of &quot;love jihad&quot;, said on Saturday that nobody forced her to convert to Islam and that she wanted to be with her husband.

&quot;I am a Muslim. I want to go with my husband. Nobody forced me to convert,&quot; shouted Hadiya as she was whisked away by her parents and security personnel to board a flight to Delhi amid tight security.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/padmavati-row-no-shooting-for-15-minutes-across-india-tomorrow-25112">&#39;Padmavati&#39; row: No shooting for 15 minutes across India tomorrow</a>

Hundreds of people from across the country, including filmmakers and workers, have announced a 16-minute blackout on Sunday to stand in solidarity with Sanjay Leela Bhansali&#39;s controversial film &quot;Padmavati&quot;.

Violent threats not acceptable in democracy: Venkaiah Naidu on 'Padmavati' row In the middle of the protests against the film "Padmavati", comes Vice President Venkaiah Naidu's statement that giving violent threats and announcing rewards for physical harm is not acceptable in a democracy.The vice president, who was speaking at a literary festival in New Delhi, referred to the bounty that was offered for killing the film's actors Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and director Sanjay Leela Bhansali and said one could not give violent threats and undermine the rule of law. Territorial-army jawan's bullet-ridden body found in Jammu and Kashmir village The bullet-ridden dead body of a 23-year-old Territorial-army jawan, Irfan Ahmad Dar, was found in a remote village of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday morning. He was a resident of Saazan village and posted at Guruz. He was in engineering regiment of the Territorial Army. One dead, over 100 injured as Islamist sit-in paralyses Islamabad A policeman was killed and over 100 people wounded as Pakistani forces fired rubber bullets and lobbed tear gas in a bid to disperse an Islamist sit-in that has virtually paralysed the country's capital for weeks. Smoke and tear gas filled the air as the roughly 8,500 elite police and paramilitary troops in riot gear were also seen throwing rocks and using slingshots in the ongoing bid to clear 2,000 or so hardline demonstrators which began soon after dawn. 'Love jihad': Nobody forced me to convert, says Hadiya Kerala woman Hadiya, who will depose before the Supreme Court on November 27 in an alleged case of "love jihad", said on Saturday that nobody forced her to convert to Islam and that she wanted to be with her husband. "I am a Muslim. I want to go with my husband. Nobody forced me to convert," shouted Hadiya as she was whisked away by her parents and security personnel to board a flight to Delhi amid tight security. 'Padmavati' row: No shooting for 15 minutes across India tomorrow Hundreds of people from across the country, including filmmakers and workers, have announced a 16-minute blackout on Sunday to stand in solidarity with Sanjay Leela Bhansali's controversial film "Padmavati".

WION evening news brief, November 25, 2017

Hafiz Saeed walks free; he vows to fight &#39;Kashmir cause&#39;.&nbsp;

India had her fair share of revolutionaries too who gave up their lives, fighting the oppressive colonial rule.&nbsp;

But Hafiz Saeed is no revolutionary. Even if you empathise with the cause of the Kashmiri people, one cannot condone the brutality of Hafiz&#39;s actions.&nbsp;

While nationalist revolutionaries, through the first half of the twentieth century, targetted notorious police officers and oppressive District Magistrates who served as the pillars of British rule in India, the types of Hafiz Saeed had been indiscriminate in their killings.&nbsp;

He had been declared a &#39;global terrorist&#39; by the US following his role in the 2008 Mumbai attack. Sayeed has so far, however, denied his involvement. &nbsp;

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<h5>The Kashmir crisis needs a constructive solution, and it will be wrong and foolhardy to give the control of the movement to someone who is not even part of the everyday struggle of a common Kashmiri.</h5>
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Yesterday, the Pakistan government has released Saeed from house arrest after he announced a month of solidarity for Kashmiris in January. Saeed&#39;s release has provoked a strong reaction from India, who had been demanding his extradition for years now.&nbsp;

I am not here to pass judgement as to whether supporting the Kashmiri cause is right or not. What I am trying to point out here is that people like Hafeez Sayeed if they want to fight for the &#39;Kashmir cause&#39;, they can&#39;t inhabit the safe haven of Pakistan and instigate the Kashmiri youths to violence.&nbsp;

The Kashmir crisis needs a constructive solution, and it will be wrong and foolhardy to give the control of the movement to someone who is not even part of the everyday struggle of a common Kashmiri. Hafeez coopting the movement would only increase senseless violence which is not going to give us a solution at the end of the day.

The Global Terrorism index states that over the past 15 years, South Asia experienced the most terrorist activity. Globally, attacks against civilians increased by 17 per cent from 2015 to 2016. India has not escaped this deadly trend. The primary targets of terrorists are private citizens and property.&nbsp;

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Before it is too late, we have to take steps whereby we can control the damaging effects of terrorism engulfing major parts of the world. Though deaths from terrorism have risen in tandem with battle-related deaths, deaths caused by terrorism decreased by 13 per cent from 2015 to 2016.&nbsp; With 25, 673 deaths in 2016, the number of people dying from terrorism have now fallen by 22 per cent since the peak in 2014. These figures hold some optimism for the future.&nbsp;

However, while the intensity of terrorism in many countries has decreased, terrorism continues to spread to more countries. The average country score for the GTI, which measures the impact of terrorism, deteriorated by four per cent and reflects this spread of terrorism. There were 77 countries that experienced deaths from terrorism, which is an increase from 65 the previous year. Two-thirds of all countries experienced a terrorist attack in 2016.&nbsp;

Hafiz Saeed and those similar to who does not seek a political solution to political crisis needs to be contained. Pakistan will do better understand this. In its bid to score a point against India, Pakistan will make a terrible mistake to let miscreants such as Hafiz Saeed go scot free.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

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The Global Terrorism index states that over the past 15 years, South Asia experienced the most terrorist activity.

Hafiz Saeed walks free; he vows to fight 'Kashmir cause'. India had her fair share of revolutionaries too who gave up their lives, fighting the oppressive colonial rule. But Hafiz Saeed is no revolutionary. Even if you empathise with the cause of the Kashmiri people, one cannot condone the brutality of Hafiz's actions. While nationalist revolutionaries, through the first half of the twentieth century, targetted notorious police officers and oppressive District Magistrates who served as the pillars of British rule in India, the types of Hafiz Saeed had been indiscriminate in their killings. He had been declared a 'global terrorist' by the US following his role in the 2008 Mumbai attack. Sayeed has so far, however, denied his involvement. The Kashmir crisis needs a constructive solution, and it will be wrong and foolhardy to give the control of the movement to someone who is not even part of the everyday struggle of a common Kashmiri. × Yesterday, the Pakistan government has released Saeed from house arrest after he announced a month of solidarity for Kashmiris in January. Saeed's release has provoked a strong reaction from India, who had been demanding his extradition for years now. I am not here to pass judgement as to whether supporting the Kashmiri cause is right or not. What I am trying to point out here is that people like Hafeez Sayeed if they want to fight for the 'Kashmir cause', they can't inhabit the safe haven of Pakistan and instigate the Kashmiri youths to violence. The Kashmir crisis needs a constructive solution, and it will be wrong and foolhardy to give the control of the movement to someone who is not even part of the everyday struggle of a common Kashmiri. Hafeez coopting the movement would only increase senseless violence which is not going to give us a solution at the end of the day. The Global Terrorism index states that over the past 15 years, South Asia experienced the most terrorist activity. Globally, attacks against civilians increased by 17 per cent from 2015 to 2016. India has not escaped this deadly trend. The primary targets of terrorists are private citizens and property. With 25, 673 deaths in 2016, the number of people dying from terrorism have now fallen by 22 per cent since the peak in 2014. × Before it is too late, we have to take steps whereby we can control the damaging effects of terrorism engulfing major parts of the world. Though deaths from terrorism have risen in tandem with battle-related deaths, deaths caused by terrorism decreased by 13 per cent from 2015 to 2016. With 25, 673 deaths in 2016, the number of people dying from terrorism have now fallen by 22 per cent since the peak in 2014. These figures hold some optimism for the future. However, while the intensity of terrorism in many countries has decreased, terrorism continues to spread to more countries. The average country score for the GTI, which measures the impact of terrorism, deteriorated by four per cent and reflects this spread of terrorism. There were 77 countries that experienced deaths from terrorism, which is an increase from 65 the previous year. Two-thirds of all countries experienced a terrorist attack in 2016. Hafiz Saeed and those similar to who does not seek a political solution to political crisis needs to be contained. Pakistan will do better understand this. In its bid to score a point against India, Pakistan will make a terrible mistake to let miscreants such as Hafiz Saeed go scot free.

Opinion: Pakistan fuels global terrorism in releasing Hafiz Saeed

A top Pakistan police official was killed in a suspected suicide blast in Peshawar&#39;s Hayatabad area on Friday.

According to Dawn, the attacker, who was on a motorbike, rammed into the police vehicle carrying the Additional Inspector General (AIG) Headquarters, Ashraf Noor, and other officials.

The blast, which left the police vehicle in flames, appeared to be a suicide attack, Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Tahir Khan said.

The blast occurred near the Zarghooni Mosque when the police officials were on their way to work this morning, the CCPO added.

Tahir Khan, confirming the death of the AIG, said at least six policemen were injured and shifted to the Hayatabad Medical Complex.

The police have cordoned off the blast site and further investigation is underway.

Earlier in October, the deputy governor of Afghanistan&#39;s Kunar province, Muhammad Nabi Ahmadi, was abducted by unidentified gunmen in the Dabgari area of Peshawar 15th century mosque.

&nbsp;

A top Pakistan police official was killed in a suspected suicide blast in Peshawar's Hayatabad area on Friday

A top Pakistan police official was killed in a suspected suicide blast in Peshawar's Hayatabad area on Friday. According to Dawn, the attacker, who was on a motorbike, rammed into the police vehicle carrying the Additional Inspector General (AIG) Headquarters, Ashraf Noor, and other officials. The blast, which left the police vehicle in flames, appeared to be a suicide attack, Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Tahir Khan said. The blast occurred near the Zarghooni Mosque when the police officials were on their way to work this morning, the CCPO added. Tahir Khan, confirming the death of the AIG, said at least six policemen were injured and shifted to the Hayatabad Medical Complex. The police have cordoned off the blast site and further investigation is underway. Earlier in October, the deputy governor of Afghanistan's Kunar province, Muhammad Nabi Ahmadi, was abducted by unidentified gunmen in the Dabgari area of Peshawar 15th century mosque.

Top Pakistan police official killed in suicide blast in Peshawar

Pakistan&#39;s embattled Finance Minister Ishaq Dar has been relieved of his duties after the ailing politician, declared a proclaimed absconder by a court in the Panama Papers case, requested leave for three months.

Dar, 67, had arrived in London nearly a month ago and has been seeking treatment of an undefined heart complication at a Harley Street hospital.

He can avail a maximum of three-month leave and should resume duty by&nbsp;February 21&nbsp;otherwise he could be permanently relieved of charge, according to rules.

However, sources said that the development may eventually bring to an end Dar&#39;s almost four-and-a-half-year stint as the finance minister.

Dar sent a three-page letter to the Prime Minister&#39;s Office&nbsp;on Monday&nbsp;seeking leave of absence. In it, he narrated his health condition, saying that his surgeon had asked him to avoid international air travel.

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He said his medical tests in UK showed &quot;diffuse coronary heart disease and possible ischemic heart disease&quot;.

In his letter to Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Dar said that he wishes to seek &quot;relief for now from looking after the three divisions&quot; that he has been heading for nearly four years.

The government issued two notifications yesterday after Prime Minister Abbasi approved Dar&#39;s leave application.

&quot;The prime minister has been pleased to allow leave of absence to Ishaq Dar... With immediate effect,&quot; said one of the notifications issued by the Cabinet Secretariat.

The second communique announced the decision to withdraw the portfolios of Finance and Economic Affairs Division from Dar.

Prime Minister Abbasi will look after the finance minister&#39;s duties until a replacement is found.

In his letter, Dar said that he had been running the affairs of the ministry via email, WhatsApp etc since October 27, and asked for leave without pay.

Dar was indicted on&nbsp;September 27&nbsp;in a corruption case linked to the Panama Papers case, but he continued to serve as finance minister amid strong criticism from Opposition parties.

An accountability court had on November 14 issued non- bailable arrest warrants for the finance minister because of his repeated failure to appear before it. On November 21, the accountability court declared him a &#39;proclaimed absconder&#39;.

Dar is accused of amassing assets of an approximate value of Rs 831.7 million ? disproportionate to his known sources of income.

Dar had assumed the responsibilities of Minister for Finance, Revenue, Economic Affairs, Statistics and Privatisation in the Cabinet of ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif in June 2013.

He continued as the Minister for Finance, Revenue and Economic Affairs in the Cabinet of Abbasi but the new premier separated Statistics and Privatisation from the Finance Ministry.

Dar&#39;s son is married to a daughter of Sharif.

The National Accountability Bureau had registered three cases of corruption and money laundering against Sharif, his family members, and Dar in the Islamabad Accountability Court, weeks after the Supreme Court order ousted Sharif.

Dar had advised Abbasi to constitute an advisory committee to look into economic issues in his absence.

The likely members of the economic advisory committee suggested by Dar include Shaukat Tarin, who served as finance minister under the PPP government, and Dr Ishrat Husain, who was governor of the State Bank during the regime of Pervez Musharraf regime.

Two other names being floated include Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Economic Affairs Miftah Ismail, and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Revenue Haroon Akhtar Khan.

Talking to a private TV channel, Minister for Inter- Provincial Coordination Riaz Pirzada yesterday demanded resignation of Dar.

Earlier, the Senate Standing Committee on Finance had also made a similar demand.&nbsp;

Dar, 67, has been in London for nearly a month seeking treatment of an undefined heart complication

Pakistan's embattled Finance Minister Ishaq Dar has been relieved of his duties after the ailing politician, declared a proclaimed absconder by a court in the Panama Papers case, requested leave for three months. Dar, 67, had arrived in London nearly a month ago and has been seeking treatment of an undefined heart complication at a Harley Street hospital. He can avail a maximum of three-month leave and should resume duty by February 21 otherwise he could be permanently relieved of charge, according to rules. However, sources said that the development may eventually bring to an end Dar's almost four-and-a-half-year stint as the finance minister. Dar sent a three-page letter to the Prime Minister's Office on Monday seeking leave of absence. In it, he narrated his health condition, saying that his surgeon had asked him to avoid international air travel. Sources said the development may eventually bring to an end Dar's almost four-and-a-half-year stint as finance minister × He said his medical tests in UK showed "diffuse coronary heart disease and possible ischemic heart disease". In his letter to Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Dar said that he wishes to seek "relief for now from looking after the three divisions" that he has been heading for nearly four years. The government issued two notifications yesterday after Prime Minister Abbasi approved Dar's leave application. "The prime minister has been pleased to allow leave of absence to Ishaq Dar... With immediate effect," said one of the notifications issued by the Cabinet Secretariat. The second communique announced the decision to withdraw the portfolios of Finance and Economic Affairs Division from Dar. Prime Minister Abbasi will look after the finance minister's duties until a replacement is found. In his letter, Dar said that he had been running the affairs of the ministry via email, WhatsApp etc since October 27, and asked for leave without pay. Dar was indicted on September 27 in a corruption case linked to the Panama Papers case, but he continued to serve as finance minister amid strong criticism from Opposition parties. An accountability court had on November 14 issued non- bailable arrest warrants for the finance minister because of his repeated failure to appear before it. On November 21, the accountability court declared him a 'proclaimed absconder'. Dar is accused of amassing assets of an approximate value of Rs 831.7 million ? disproportionate to his known sources of income. Dar had assumed the responsibilities of Minister for Finance, Revenue, Economic Affairs, Statistics and Privatisation in the Cabinet of ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif in June 2013. He continued as the Minister for Finance, Revenue and Economic Affairs in the Cabinet of Abbasi but the new premier separated Statistics and Privatisation from the Finance Ministry. Dar's son is married to a daughter of Sharif. The National Accountability Bureau had registered three cases of corruption and money laundering against Sharif, his family members, and Dar in the Islamabad Accountability Court, weeks after the Supreme Court order ousted Sharif. Dar had advised Abbasi to constitute an advisory committee to look into economic issues in his absence. The likely members of the economic advisory committee suggested by Dar include Shaukat Tarin, who served as finance minister under the PPP government, and Dr Ishrat Husain, who was governor of the State Bank during the regime of Pervez Musharraf regime. Two other names being floated include Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Economic Affairs Miftah Ismail, and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Revenue Haroon Akhtar Khan. Talking to a private TV channel, Minister for Inter- Provincial Coordination Riaz Pirzada yesterday demanded resignation of Dar. Earlier, the Senate Standing Committee on Finance had also made a similar demand.

Embattled Pakistan Finance Minister Ishaq Dar given 3 months leave

Papua New Guinea police sealed off an officially shuttered Australia-run detention camp on Thursday and ordered&nbsp;asylum&nbsp;seekers occupying it to leave as they confiscated food and water the men had stockpiled,&nbsp;asylum&nbsp;seekers told Reuters.

About 380&nbsp;asylum&nbsp;seekers have shut themselves inside the Manus Island Centre for more than three weeks, defying attempts by Australia and Papua New Guinea (PNG) to close it in a standoff the United Nations described as a &quot;looming humanitarian crisis&quot;.

&quot;They destroyed our food and damaged our accommodation too, they destroyed our water tank,&quot; one&nbsp;asylum-seeker said in a mobile telephone message from the camp.

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Many of the men climbed onto rooftops and hid in toilets, he said. Three other&nbsp;asylum&nbsp;seekers gave similar accounts of the police action.

A video shot by Sudanese refugee Abdul Aziz and posted on Facebook showed police using a megaphone to tell the&nbsp;asylum&nbsp;seekers to leave because their stay at the camp, located on land used by the PNG navy, was illegal.

The footage he later posted on Twitter showed men boarding minibusses and buses. Tim Costello, chief advocate at the World Vision Australia aid group, told Reuters by phone from outside the camp that he had seen buses leaving.

Calls to PNG immigration and police were not returned.

The Manus island camp in PNG, and another on the tiny Pacific island nation of Nauru, have been the cornerstones of Australia&rsquo;s controversial immigration policy, which has been strongly criticized by the United Nations and rights groups.

Australia opened the camps in a bid to stem a flow of&nbsp;asylum&nbsp;seekers making dangerous voyages by boat to its shores.

Under its &quot;sovereign borders&quot; immigration policy, Australia refuses to land&nbsp;asylum&nbsp;seekers arriving by sea, instead of sending them to the offshore camps.

&#39;We won&#39;t be pressurised&#39;

Witnesses in the camp said officials in army fatigues led away Kurdish journalist Behrouz Boochani, who has been at the camp for four years and regularly posts social media messages on conditions.

Boochani earlier told Reuters by text message that police and immigration officials removed water supplies and the men&#39;s belongings.

Pictures sent via a messaging service showed upturned boxes of food and torn parcels of rice and instant noodles and smashed furniture including broken beds.

PNG&rsquo;s Supreme Court ruled last year that the center, first opened in 2001, breached its laws and fundamental human rights, leading to the decision to close it.

But the&nbsp;asylum&nbsp;seekers say they fear for their safety if moved to a transit center also on the island, and risk being resettled in PNG or another developing nation permanently.

&quot;We don&#39;t want another prison. We want to leave this place, but they need to give a good solution for us,&quot; the first&nbsp;asylum-seeker said.

&quot;We don&#39;t want another prison. We want a third country.&quot;

Most of those in the camp are from Afghanistan, Iran, Myanmar, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Syria.

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull told reporters in Canberra on Thursday that the transit center facilities had food, water, security and medical services.

&quot;They think this is some way they can pressure the Australian government to let them come to Australia. Well, we will not be pressured,&quot; Turnbull said.

The United Nations has urged Australia to accept an offer by New Zealand to take some of the men.

About 380?asylum?seekers have shut themselves inside the Manus Island Centre for more than three weeks

Papua New Guinea police sealed off an officially shuttered Australia-run detention camp on Thursday and ordered asylum seekers occupying it to leave as they confiscated food and water the men had stockpiled, asylum seekers told Reuters. About 380 asylum seekers have shut themselves inside the Manus Island Centre for more than three weeks, defying attempts by Australia and Papua New Guinea (PNG) to close it in a standoff the United Nations described as a "looming humanitarian crisis". "They destroyed our food and damaged our accommodation too, they destroyed our water tank," one asylum-seeker said in a mobile telephone message from the camp. The asylum seekers said police confiscated the food and water they had stockpiled × Many of the men climbed onto rooftops and hid in toilets, he said. Three other asylum seekers gave similar accounts of the police action. A video shot by Sudanese refugee Abdul Aziz and posted on Facebook showed police using a megaphone to tell the asylum seekers to leave because their stay at the camp, located on land used by the PNG navy, was illegal. The footage he later posted on Twitter showed men boarding minibusses and buses. Tim Costello, chief advocate at the World Vision Australia aid group, told Reuters by phone from outside the camp that he had seen buses leaving. Calls to PNG immigration and police were not returned. The Manus island camp in PNG, and another on the tiny Pacific island nation of Nauru, have been the cornerstones of Australia’s controversial immigration policy, which has been strongly criticized by the United Nations and rights groups. Australia opened the camps in a bid to stem a flow of asylum seekers making dangerous voyages by boat to its shores. Under its "sovereign borders" immigration policy, Australia refuses to land asylum seekers arriving by sea, instead of sending them to the offshore camps. 'We won't be pressurised' Witnesses in the camp said officials in army fatigues led away Kurdish journalist Behrouz Boochani, who has been at the camp for four years and regularly posts social media messages on conditions. Boochani earlier told Reuters by text message that police and immigration officials removed water supplies and the men's belongings. Pictures sent via a messaging service showed upturned boxes of food and torn parcels of rice and instant noodles and smashed furniture including broken beds. PNG’s Supreme Court ruled last year that the center, first opened in 2001, breached its laws and fundamental human rights, leading to the decision to close it. But the asylum seekers say they fear for their safety if moved to a transit center also on the island, and risk being resettled in PNG or another developing nation permanently. "We don't want another prison. We want to leave this place, but they need to give a good solution for us," the first asylum-seeker said. "We don't want another prison. We want a third country." Most of those in the camp are from Afghanistan, Iran, Myanmar, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Syria. Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull told reporters in Canberra on Thursday that the transit center facilities had food, water, security and medical services. "They think this is some way they can pressure the Australian government to let them come to Australia. Well, we will not be pressured," Turnbull said. The United Nations has urged Australia to accept an offer by New Zealand to take some of the men.

Papua New Guinea police enter shut Australia-run detention camp, order protesting asylum seekers out

&ldquo;Nine years after 26/11, its mastermind still eludes justice. It is time to rescind Pakistan&rsquo;s status as a major non-NATO ally,&rdquo; Bruce Riedel, a top US&nbsp;expert on security, South Asia and counter-terrorism told PTI.

A top American counter-terrorism expert has urged the Trump administration to &ldquo;rescind&rdquo; the major non-NATO ally status given to Pakistan after a court in Lahore ordered to free Mumbai terror attack mastermind and banned JuD chief Hafiz Saeed from detention.

The banned Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) head, carrying a bounty of $10 million announced by the US&nbsp;for his role in terror activities, has been under detention since January this year.

The Trump administration on Wednesday said that Saeed is a terrorist leader designated by both the United Nations and the United States, hours after a Pakistani court ordered his release from detention.

&ldquo;Nine years after 26/11, its mastermind still eludes justice. It is time to rescind Pakistan&rsquo;s status as a major non-NATO ally,&rdquo; Bruce Riedel, a top US&nbsp;expert on security, South Asia and counter-terrorism told PTI.

&ldquo;In a word, the release is an outrage. Before long we will read news reports of Hafiz Saeed leading more rallies with thousands of people,&rdquo; Alyssa Ayres, former State Department official who is currently with the Council on Foreign Relations, said after the Lahore High Court on Wednesday ordered the Pakistani government to free Saeed.

Saeed is a UN-sanctioned individual terrorist who leads a UN-sanctioned terrorist organisation, Ms. Ayres said, alleging that Pakistan does not see fit to follow through on its obligations to uphold UN Security Council (UNSC) terrorist designations.

&ldquo;Pakistan cannot credibly claim to be fighting terrorism while failing its most basic security obligation to UNSC designations,&rdquo; Ms. Ayres said.

According to Michael Kugelman of the Woodrow Wilson Center, one should not be surprised by this announcement.

&ldquo;Pakistani legal authorities have frequently hinted they have insufficient evidence to justify his continued detention, so it was just a matter of time before this militant, who happens to be a critical Pakistani state asset, walks free.

&ldquo;This news will certainly rankle US&nbsp;officials, who often point out that the dozens of casualties in the Mumbai terror attack included several Americans,&rdquo; Mr. Kugelman said.

Saeed&rsquo;s release will reinforce Washington&rsquo;s longstanding belief that Pakistan embraces a selective policy toward terrorism that entails coddling militants that help serve Pakistani interests, he said.

&ldquo;All this said, we should not overstate the impact this move will have on U.S.-Pakistan relations,&rdquo; Mr. Kugelman said.

For the Trump administration, whose policy towards Pakistan revolves above all around protecting American lives, the terror group of greatest concern in Pakistan is the Haqqani Network, which the U.S. blames for various attacks on American and Western targets in Afghanistan.

&ldquo;The LeT is certainly important for Washington, but compared to the Haqqani network it is presently a relative sideshow in U.S. policy considerations,&rdquo; Mr. Kugelman added.

The JuD is believed to be the front organisation for the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) which is responsible for carrying out the Mumbai attack.

Husain Haqqani, Pakistan&rsquo;s former Ambassador to the US, attributed this to the mixed messaging coming from the Trump administration in the last few weeks.

US officials were trying to signal to Pakistan that if it takes action against the Haqqani terror network, that could be seen as a positive move and &ldquo;may thwart&rdquo; tougher actions against Islamabad, as promised by President Donald Trump in his new South Asia policy, he said.

&ldquo;In the process they [the US] may have inadvertently made the Pakistani think that the US only wants action against the Haqqani network and not against groups like the LeT that are acting against India.

&ldquo;My fear is that mixed signals will lead to a situation in which Pakistan fails to take decisive action against Afghan-oriented and India-oriented terrorist groups,&rdquo; he said.

The United States, a State Department official said, is aware of media reports regarding Pakistan&rsquo;s ordered release of Saeed from the house arrest. In May 2008, the United States Department of the Treasury designated Saeed as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist under Executive Order 13224.

Saeed was also individually designated by the United Nations under UNSCR 1267 (UN Security Council Resolution) in December 2008 following the November 2008 Mumbai attacks.

The LeT and several of its front organisations, leaders, and operatives remain under both State Department and Treasury Department sanctions, the State Department has said.

&ldquo;The United States reiterates its stance that LeT is a designated Foreign Terrorist Organisation responsible for the death of hundreds of innocent civilians in terrorist attacks, including a number of American citizens,&rdquo; a State Department Spokesperson said.

'Nine years after 26/11, its mastermind still eludes justice. It is time to rescind Pakistan?s status as a major non-NATO ally,' Bruce Riedel said

“Nine years after 26/11, its mastermind still eludes justice. It is time to rescind Pakistan’s status as a major non-NATO ally,” Bruce Riedel, a top US expert on security, South Asia and counter-terrorism told PTI. A top American counter-terrorism expert has urged the Trump administration to “rescind” the major non-NATO ally status given to Pakistan after a court in Lahore ordered to free Mumbai terror attack mastermind and banned JuD chief Hafiz Saeed from detention. The banned Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) head, carrying a bounty of $10 million announced by the US for his role in terror activities, has been under detention since January this year. The Trump administration on Wednesday said that Saeed is a terrorist leader designated by both the United Nations and the United States, hours after a Pakistani court ordered his release from detention. “Nine years after 26/11, its mastermind still eludes justice. It is time to rescind Pakistan’s status as a major non-NATO ally,” Bruce Riedel, a top US expert on security, South Asia and counter-terrorism told PTI. “In a word, the release is an outrage. Before long we will read news reports of Hafiz Saeed leading more rallies with thousands of people,” Alyssa Ayres, former State Department official who is currently with the Council on Foreign Relations, said after the Lahore High Court on Wednesday ordered the Pakistani government to free Saeed. Saeed is a UN-sanctioned individual terrorist who leads a UN-sanctioned terrorist organisation, Ms. Ayres said, alleging that Pakistan does not see fit to follow through on its obligations to uphold UN Security Council (UNSC) terrorist designations. “Pakistan cannot credibly claim to be fighting terrorism while failing its most basic security obligation to UNSC designations,” Ms. Ayres said. According to Michael Kugelman of the Woodrow Wilson Center, one should not be surprised by this announcement. “Pakistani legal authorities have frequently hinted they have insufficient evidence to justify his continued detention, so it was just a matter of time before this militant, who happens to be a critical Pakistani state asset, walks free. “This news will certainly rankle US officials, who often point out that the dozens of casualties in the Mumbai terror attack included several Americans,” Mr. Kugelman said. Saeed’s release will reinforce Washington’s longstanding belief that Pakistan embraces a selective policy toward terrorism that entails coddling militants that help serve Pakistani interests, he said. “All this said, we should not overstate the impact this move will have on U.S.-Pakistan relations,” Mr. Kugelman said. For the Trump administration, whose policy towards Pakistan revolves above all around protecting American lives, the terror group of greatest concern in Pakistan is the Haqqani Network, which the U.S. blames for various attacks on American and Western targets in Afghanistan. “The LeT is certainly important for Washington, but compared to the Haqqani network it is presently a relative sideshow in U.S. policy considerations,” Mr. Kugelman added. The JuD is believed to be the front organisation for the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) which is responsible for carrying out the Mumbai attack. Husain Haqqani, Pakistan’s former Ambassador to the US, attributed this to the mixed messaging coming from the Trump administration in the last few weeks. US officials were trying to signal to Pakistan that if it takes action against the Haqqani terror network, that could be seen as a positive move and “may thwart” tougher actions against Islamabad, as promised by President Donald Trump in his new South Asia policy, he said. “In the process they [the US] may have inadvertently made the Pakistani think that the US only wants action against the Haqqani network and not against groups like the LeT that are acting against India. “My fear is that mixed signals will lead to a situation in which Pakistan fails to take decisive action against Afghan-oriented and India-oriented terrorist groups,” he said. The United States, a State Department official said, is aware of media reports regarding Pakistan’s ordered release of Saeed from the house arrest. In May 2008, the United States Department of the Treasury designated Saeed as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist under Executive Order 13224. Saeed was also individually designated by the United Nations under UNSCR 1267 (UN Security Council Resolution) in December 2008 following the November 2008 Mumbai attacks. The LeT and several of its front organisations, leaders, and operatives remain under both State Department and Treasury Department sanctions, the State Department has said. “The United States reiterates its stance that LeT is a designated Foreign Terrorist Organisation responsible for the death of hundreds of innocent civilians in terrorist attacks, including a number of American citizens,” a State Department Spokesperson said.

Time to 'rescind' Pakistan's major non-NATO ally status: US expert

Mumbai attack mastermind and banned Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed will walk free tonight if the Pakistan government does not detain him in any other case, his lawyer said today.

The JuD head, who carries a bounty of USD 10 million announced by the US for his role in terror activities, has been under detention since January this year.

The Judicial Review Board of Punjab province comprising judges of the Lahore High Court yesterday unanimously ordered Saeed&#39;s release on the completion of his 30-day house arrest which will expire midnight.

&quot;Saeed will walk free after midnight if the government does not detain him in any other case. We fear that the Punjab government may detain Saeed in any other case,&quot; Saeed&#39;s counsel Advocate AK Dogar told PTI.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/opinion-if-pakistan-army-wants-nothing-can-stop-hafiz-saeed-from-being-a-free-man-24881" target="_blank">Opinion: If Pakistan Army wants, Hafiz Saeed will be a free man</a>

He said a large number of JuD workers have gathered outside Saeed&#39;s residence in Jauhar Town Lahore to welcome him on his release tonight.

The fire-brand cleric&#39;s release may also coincide with the 9th anniversary of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks in which 166 people were killed.

On the other hand, sources in the home department of the Punjab government are insisting that Saeed will not be released as he is being booked in another case.

&quot;The JuD chief was illegally detained for 297 days. Hafiz Saeed always worked for Pakistan and the government could not prove any allegation against him,&quot; Dogar had said yesterday.

He had warned that they will move the court without any delay if the government does not comply with the order of the judicial board and set him free.

On January 31, Saeed and his four aides - Abdullah Ubaid, Malik Zafar Iqbal, Abdul Rehman Abid and Qazi Kashif Hussain - were detained by the Punjab government for 90 days under Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 and the&nbsp;

Fourth Schedule of Anti- Terrorism Act 1997. However, the last two extensions were made on the &#39;public safety law&#39;.

The board refused to give further extension to the detention of Saeed&#39;s aides. They were set free last month.

Under the law, the government can detain a person for up to three months under different charges but for extension to that detention it needs approval from a judicial review board.

The JuD is believed to be the front organisation for the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) which is responsible for carrying out the Mumbai attack.

Saeed was put under house arrest after Mumbai terror attacks in November 2008 but he was freed by court in 2009.

India has repeatedly asked Pakistan to re-investigate the Mumbai terror attack case and also demanded trial of Saeed and Lashkar-e-Taiba operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi in the light of evidence it had provided to Islamabad.

The Ministry of External Affairs today said Saeed&#39;s release confirms the &quot;lack of seriousness&quot; on Pakistan&#39;s part in bringing terrorists to justice and its nefarious designs to shield and support non-state actors.

&quot;India, as indeed, the entire international community is outraged that a selk-confessed and UN-proscribed terrorist is being allowed to walk free and continue with his evil agenda,&quot; MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said in New Delhi.

Ten LeT militants killed 166 people and wounded dozens in Mumbai in November, 2008. Nine of the attackers were killed by police while lone survivor Ajmal Kasab was caught.

Kasab was executed after a court found him guilty and handed down death sentence.&nbsp;

'Saeed will walk free after midnight if the government does not detain him in any other case,' Saeed's lawyer AK Dogar said

Mumbai attack mastermind and banned Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed will walk free tonight if the Pakistan government does not detain him in any other case, his lawyer said today. The JuD head, who carries a bounty of USD 10 million announced by the US for his role in terror activities, has been under detention since January this year. The Judicial Review Board of Punjab province comprising judges of the Lahore High Court yesterday unanimously ordered Saeed's release on the completion of his 30-day house arrest which will expire midnight. "Saeed will walk free after midnight if the government does not detain him in any other case. We fear that the Punjab government may detain Saeed in any other case," Saeed's counsel Advocate AK Dogar told PTI. Opinion: If Pakistan Army wants, Hafiz Saeed will be a free man He said a large number of JuD workers have gathered outside Saeed's residence in Jauhar Town Lahore to welcome him on his release tonight. The fire-brand cleric's release may also coincide with the 9th anniversary of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks in which 166 people were killed. On the other hand, sources in the home department of the Punjab government are insisting that Saeed will not be released as he is being booked in another case. "The JuD chief was illegally detained for 297 days. Hafiz Saeed always worked for Pakistan and the government could not prove any allegation against him," Dogar had said yesterday. He had warned that they will move the court without any delay if the government does not comply with the order of the judicial board and set him free. On January 31, Saeed and his four aides - Abdullah Ubaid, Malik Zafar Iqbal, Abdul Rehman Abid and Qazi Kashif Hussain - were detained by the Punjab government for 90 days under Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 and the Fourth Schedule of Anti- Terrorism Act 1997. However, the last two extensions were made on the 'public safety law'. The board refused to give further extension to the detention of Saeed's aides. They were set free last month. Under the law, the government can detain a person for up to three months under different charges but for extension to that detention it needs approval from a judicial review board. The JuD is believed to be the front organisation for the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) which is responsible for carrying out the Mumbai attack. Saeed was put under house arrest after Mumbai terror attacks in November 2008 but he was freed by court in 2009. India has repeatedly asked Pakistan to re-investigate the Mumbai terror attack case and also demanded trial of Saeed and Lashkar-e-Taiba operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi in the light of evidence it had provided to Islamabad. The Ministry of External Affairs today said Saeed's release confirms the "lack of seriousness" on Pakistan's part in bringing terrorists to justice and its nefarious designs to shield and support non-state actors. "India, as indeed, the entire international community is outraged that a selk-confessed and UN-proscribed terrorist is being allowed to walk free and continue with his evil agenda," MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said in New Delhi. Ten LeT militants killed 166 people and wounded dozens in Mumbai in November, 2008. Nine of the attackers were killed by police while lone survivor Ajmal Kasab was caught. Kasab was executed after a court found him guilty and handed down death sentence.

Hafiz Saeed will walk free tonight: Lawyer

China, an economic giant, has started the move to revitalise the ancient Silk Road. Its ambitious Belt and Road (B&amp;R) initiative, which includes plans for a Silk Road economic belt and the 21st-century maritime Silk Road, aims to connect continental Asia, Europe and Africa. The project has an estimated investment requirement of $5 trillion in infrastructure across 65 countries.

A major B&amp;R investment in South Asia is the $46-billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, which connects the city of Kashgar in Xinjiang-Uyghur Autonomous Region of China to Pakistan&rsquo;s Gwadar Port. An important part of the CPEC is the reconstruction and upgrading of the Karakorum Highway, a 1,300 km paved roadway across the Karakoram Mountains connecting Kashgar to Abbottabad. The highway, which first opened to traffic in 1986, serves as an important trade and transit corridor between China and Pakistan. It has shortened the distance between China and the Middle East from 15,900 km via the Malacca Strait to a 3,700 km land route through the Khunjarab pass.

Between China, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Pakistan, inside the Pamir Knot, lies the Wakhan corridor. This strip of land sandwiched between the four countries was created as a buffer between the territories of British India and Tsarist Russia in the 19th century, which was then formally demarcated between the Kingdom of Afghanistan and the Chinese People&rsquo;s Republic in November 1963.

The Wakhan corridor has historically been an important transit path of the ancient Silk Road route. According to Alexander Farhad, in the fourth and fifth centuries, the passes across the Pamir led Chinese pilgrims to the Buddhist centres in today&rsquo;s Afghanistan and India and were used by Persian merchants to sell their goods in the Chinese market.

Nazif Shahrani, in his The Kirghiz and Wakhi of Afghanistan: Adaptation to Closed Frontiers and War, maintains that until the collapse of Mughal Empire in India, Wakhan was one of the main routes for traders and merchants between India, China and major cities like Bactria and Bukhara in modern-day Afghanistan and Central Asia. It was due to the rapidly developing use of sea routes by Westerners to reach India and China in the late 15th century that the importance of the ancient Silk Road from Rome to China went into decline.

Geographic complexity

Given the geography of the Pamir Mountains, building infrastructure in the Wakhan could be difficult and costly. However, there are many instances of projects that have been successfully completed in the similar and even more geographically complex terrains of the region. The Karakorum Mountains, into which the Karakorum Highway was built (using 1960s and 1970s technology, taking 20 years to complete), and the Pamir Mountains where the Wakhan corridor lies are in the same area with similar topography.

A nutshell comparison of these areas indicates that the feasibility of infrastructure in Wakhan is increasingly viable given the road and tunnel-building technologies available in China today. The cost of the 400 km Wakhan project would be trivial compared to the $794-million upgrade of the Karakorum Highway or the $4.2 billion for the 1,600 km China-Tibet railway that opened in 2006. If such mega projects could be built on the roof of the world way back in the late 1970s and early 2000s, there is no reason to perceive geographic complexity as a barrier to building connectivity via Wakhan.

According to a report, the trilateral agreement was signed in Dushanbe to connect Tajikistan and Pakistan via the Durah Pass during the tenure of Burhanuddin Rabbani, Afghanistan&rsquo;s president from 1992 to 1996, after a feasibility survey to assess the best possible route that could connect Tajikistan and Pakistan. Although the decision has not yet found a practical implementation, all the countries have independently built infrastructures approaching the corridor in their respective territories over the past decade.

These recent developments &mdash; which include the Lowari Tunnel Project, the first phase of the Chitral-Tajikistan highway completed in 2017; the five bridges over the Panj River constructed since 2002; a road built west of Wakhan by the Chinese military in 2009; and roads connecting Ishkashim-Baharak to Faizabad and onward to Afghanistan&rsquo;s ring road and the port of Hairatan &mdash; imply that all the countries are implicitly keen to develop this route. These recent improvements have made the possibility and prospect of building infrastructure through Wakhan itself much more feasible.

What is currently missing is an initiative to open borders and collaborate. While geographical complexity has not been a barrier to the development of the infrastructure in Wakhan, security concerns and regional political play seem to be the major roadblocks on the way to the development of Wakhan.

Local concerns

China&rsquo;s main security concern has been from the separatist movement in its Xinjiang autonomous region. The movement of terrorist groups and the possibility of them building links with Xinjiang separatists was enough of an impetus for Beijing to keep the border closed for decades. However, these concerns seem to be fading away due to China&rsquo;s massive investments in the Xinjiang region, where employment opportunities and improving living standards have brought more stability and peace.

Moreover, India, Afghanistan&rsquo;s close regional ally, may not be happy with Kabul joining the CPEC. India opposes the Belt and Road initiative because of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, through which the CPEC passes, is a disputed territory between Delhi and Islamabad and it has blocked India&rsquo;s direct access to Afghanistan and Central Asia.

Instead, India has invested in the trilateral Chabahar project with Iran and Afghanistan to compete with the CPEC. More importantly, India&rsquo;s concern might be that the opening of Wakhjir pass, along with the already-opened Khunjarab pass, will give China the upper hand by enhancing its geopolitical and geo-economic dominance in the region.

However, countries around the Wakhan corridor have good economic ties and mutual interest for further cooperation with each other. The geo-strategically important Wakhan route, if built, would be the most efficient and the shortest possible bridge in the region. This would further strengthen trade and personal contacts. Chinese investment in Afghanistan to date stands as the largest foreign investment in the country.

Three Chinese state-owned companies have invested in Afghanistan&rsquo;s lucrative mining sector after it was opened to foreign investors in 2007. Afghanistan&rsquo;s Ministry of Mining and Petroleum signed the contract with a consortium of Chinese state-owned companies &mdash; the Metallurgical Corporation of China (MCC) and Jiangxi Copper Company Limited (JCCL) &mdash; for the exploitation of the Mes Aynak, the world&rsquo;s second-largest copper deposits, in Logar province in 2008.

The other major Chinese investment in Afghanistan is in hydrocarbons. Based on a contract signed in 2011, China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) and its Afghan partner, Watan Oil and Gas, secured the exploration, development and production of the three blocks of hydrocarbon deposits of Amu Darya basin in Sar-e-Pol and Faryab provinces of Afghanistan.

According to data by the Afghan Central Statistic Organisation, bilateral trade between China and Afghanistan has surged from $432 million in 2008-09 to $1.09 billion in 2016-17, an increase of 153 per cent. Given this upsurge, the future of economic cooperation seems promising. This is further encouraged by connectivity that was recently established between the two countries with the opening of a railway in 2016. Similarly, Tajikistan and Pakistan have close economic and trade relations between themselves and also with Afghanistan (discussed here, here and here), which will benefit further from better and shorter trade routes among them.

Neighbours with benefits

There are three main advantages of building infrastructure through Wakhan corridor.

First, the inhabitants of the Pamir Knot &mdash; encompassing Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region of Tajikistan, Wakhan District in Badakhshan province of Afghanistan, Kashgar in Xinjiang Autonomous Region of China, and Chitral in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa of Pakistan &mdash; share a common history, culture, religion and geography.

People in this enclave have been isolated from wider civilisations for centuries. Moreover, the border areas among these four countries are widely underdeveloped and economically insecure. Their primary sources of livelihood have been livestock husbandry and, to some extent, agriculture. According to a 2008 report, the literacy rate in Wakhan district hardly reaches 5 per cent.

The foremost advantage of building infrastructure in this region would be to bring change in the life and livelihood of the local population. Their access to markets and cities would help them sell their products, get access to education and find alternative sources of income. Regional investment in infrastructure and trade would provide locals with reliable sources of employment, rejuvenating these people&rsquo;s historical ties to the ancient Silk Road.

Second, connecting the bordering countries and facilitating economic integration through better infrastructure would lead to more stability and security in the region. Better customs controls and the deployment of border guards, as well as control of the illegal cross-border trafficking, would encourage legal exchange and cooperation.

Indirectly, the integration of the border areas would strengthen local development and lead to an increase in the economic well-being of the local population, which would lead to more secure and stabilised border regions.

Finally, linking the Wakhan corridor to the Karakorum Highway would provide the shortest route for China to reach its mega projects in Afghanistan, and for the Afghans to access the vast Chinese market. The north-south expansion of the corridor would help landlocked Tajikistan to get access to Pakistan&rsquo;s ports, allowing the Pakistanis to reach the resource-rich Central Asian republics by traversing Afghanistan through the shortest possible route.

If built, the Wakhan corridor would be the least costly trade route between China, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Pakistan compared to the current alternatives. This should compel the four countries to transform this land buffer into a bridge between them.

Currently, CPEC benefits Pakistan and China, but it can be easily extended to include Afghanistan and Tajikistan. If the Wakhan route is connected to the CPEC, it would undoubtedly boost trade and transform the economic outlook for the entire region.

Political bottlenecks and security fears should not hold back economic progress and regional prosperity. It would be in the best interest of the region as a whole to develop more projects like CPEC and Chabahar, with regional integration and economic cooperation in mind. These megaprojects, linked together in good faith, could reinforce and facilitate trade and transit in the region with the lowest possible costs and numerous benefits.

This <a href="https://www.fairobserver.com/region/central_south_asia/wakhan-corridor-china-pakistan-afghanistan-tajikistan-world-trade-news-81661/" rel="nofollow">article</a> has been originally published in <a href="https://www.fairobserver.com/" rel="nofollow">Fair Observer</a>.

(Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).

Image Credit: Iryna Hromotska

The connection of Wakhan route to the CPEC would undoubtedly boost trade and transform the economic outlook for the entire region

China, an economic giant, has started the move to revitalise the ancient Silk Road. Its ambitious Belt and Road (B&R) initiative, which includes plans for a Silk Road economic belt and the 21st-century maritime Silk Road, aims to connect continental Asia, Europe and Africa. The project has an estimated investment requirement of $5 trillion in infrastructure across 65 countries. A major B&R investment in South Asia is the $46-billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, which connects the city of Kashgar in Xinjiang-Uyghur Autonomous Region of China to Pakistan’s Gwadar Port. An important part of the CPEC is the reconstruction and upgrading of the Karakorum Highway, a 1,300 km paved roadway across the Karakoram Mountains connecting Kashgar to Abbottabad. The highway, which first opened to traffic in 1986, serves as an important trade and transit corridor between China and Pakistan. It has shortened the distance between China and the Middle East from 15,900 km via the Malacca Strait to a 3,700 km land route through the Khunjarab pass. Between China, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Pakistan, inside the Pamir Knot, lies the Wakhan corridor. This strip of land sandwiched between the four countries was created as a buffer between the territories of British India and Tsarist Russia in the 19th century, which was then formally demarcated between the Kingdom of Afghanistan and the Chinese People’s Republic in November 1963. The Wakhan corridor has historically been an important transit path of the ancient Silk Road route. According to Alexander Farhad, in the fourth and fifth centuries, the passes across the Pamir led Chinese pilgrims to the Buddhist centres in today’s Afghanistan and India and were used by Persian merchants to sell their goods in the Chinese market. Nazif Shahrani, in his The Kirghiz and Wakhi of Afghanistan: Adaptation to Closed Frontiers and War, maintains that until the collapse of Mughal Empire in India, Wakhan was one of the main routes for traders and merchants between India, China and major cities like Bactria and Bukhara in modern-day Afghanistan and Central Asia. It was due to the rapidly developing use of sea routes by Westerners to reach India and China in the late 15th century that the importance of the ancient Silk Road from Rome to China went into decline. Geographic complexity Given the geography of the Pamir Mountains, building infrastructure in the Wakhan could be difficult and costly. However, there are many instances of projects that have been successfully completed in the similar and even more geographically complex terrains of the region. The Karakorum Mountains, into which the Karakorum Highway was built (using 1960s and 1970s technology, taking 20 years to complete), and the Pamir Mountains where the Wakhan corridor lies are in the same area with similar topography. A nutshell comparison of these areas indicates that the feasibility of infrastructure in Wakhan is increasingly viable given the road and tunnel-building technologies available in China today. The cost of the 400 km Wakhan project would be trivial compared to the $794-million upgrade of the Karakorum Highway or the $4.2 billion for the 1,600 km China-Tibet railway that opened in 2006. If such mega projects could be built on the roof of the world way back in the late 1970s and early 2000s, there is no reason to perceive geographic complexity as a barrier to building connectivity via Wakhan. According to a report, the trilateral agreement was signed in Dushanbe to connect Tajikistan and Pakistan via the Durah Pass during the tenure of Burhanuddin Rabbani, Afghanistan’s president from 1992 to 1996, after a feasibility survey to assess the best possible route that could connect Tajikistan and Pakistan. Although the decision has not yet found a practical implementation, all the countries have independently built infrastructures approaching the corridor in their respective territories over the past decade. These recent developments — which include the Lowari Tunnel Project, the first phase of the Chitral-Tajikistan highway completed in 2017; the five bridges over the Panj River constructed since 2002; a road built west of Wakhan by the Chinese military in 2009; and roads connecting Ishkashim-Baharak to Faizabad and onward to Afghanistan’s ring road and the port of Hairatan — imply that all the countries are implicitly keen to develop this route. These recent improvements have made the possibility and prospect of building infrastructure through Wakhan itself much more feasible. What is currently missing is an initiative to open borders and collaborate. While geographical complexity has not been a barrier to the development of the infrastructure in Wakhan, security concerns and regional political play seem to be the major roadblocks on the way to the development of Wakhan. Local concerns China’s main security concern has been from the separatist movement in its Xinjiang autonomous region. The movement of terrorist groups and the possibility of them building links with Xinjiang separatists was enough of an impetus for Beijing to keep the border closed for decades. However, these concerns seem to be fading away due to China’s massive investments in the Xinjiang region, where employment opportunities and improving living standards have brought more stability and peace. Moreover, India, Afghanistan’s close regional ally, may not be happy with Kabul joining the CPEC. India opposes the Belt and Road initiative because of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, through which the CPEC passes, is a disputed territory between Delhi and Islamabad and it has blocked India’s direct access to Afghanistan and Central Asia. Instead, India has invested in the trilateral Chabahar project with Iran and Afghanistan to compete with the CPEC. More importantly, India’s concern might be that the opening of Wakhjir pass, along with the already-opened Khunjarab pass, will give China the upper hand by enhancing its geopolitical and geo-economic dominance in the region. However, countries around the Wakhan corridor have good economic ties and mutual interest for further cooperation with each other. The geo-strategically important Wakhan route, if built, would be the most efficient and the shortest possible bridge in the region. This would further strengthen trade and personal contacts. Chinese investment in Afghanistan to date stands as the largest foreign investment in the country. Three Chinese state-owned companies have invested in Afghanistan’s lucrative mining sector after it was opened to foreign investors in 2007. Afghanistan’s Ministry of Mining and Petroleum signed the contract with a consortium of Chinese state-owned companies — the Metallurgical Corporation of China (MCC) and Jiangxi Copper Company Limited (JCCL) — for the exploitation of the Mes Aynak, the world’s second-largest copper deposits, in Logar province in 2008. The other major Chinese investment in Afghanistan is in hydrocarbons. Based on a contract signed in 2011, China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) and its Afghan partner, Watan Oil and Gas, secured the exploration, development and production of the three blocks of hydrocarbon deposits of Amu Darya basin in Sar-e-Pol and Faryab provinces of Afghanistan. According to data by the Afghan Central Statistic Organisation, bilateral trade between China and Afghanistan has surged from $432 million in 2008-09 to $1.09 billion in 2016-17, an increase of 153 per cent. Given this upsurge, the future of economic cooperation seems promising. This is further encouraged by connectivity that was recently established between the two countries with the opening of a railway in 2016. Similarly, Tajikistan and Pakistan have close economic and trade relations between themselves and also with Afghanistan (discussed here, here and here), which will benefit further from better and shorter trade routes among them. Neighbours with benefits There are three main advantages of building infrastructure through Wakhan corridor. First, the inhabitants of the Pamir Knot — encompassing Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region of Tajikistan, Wakhan District in Badakhshan province of Afghanistan, Kashgar in Xinjiang Autonomous Region of China, and Chitral in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa of Pakistan — share a common history, culture, religion and geography. People in this enclave have been isolated from wider civilisations for centuries. Moreover, the border areas among these four countries are widely underdeveloped and economically insecure. Their primary sources of livelihood have been livestock husbandry and, to some extent, agriculture. According to a 2008 report, the literacy rate in Wakhan district hardly reaches 5 per cent. The foremost advantage of building infrastructure in this region would be to bring change in the life and livelihood of the local population. Their access to markets and cities would help them sell their products, get access to education and find alternative sources of income. Regional investment in infrastructure and trade would provide locals with reliable sources of employment, rejuvenating these people’s historical ties to the ancient Silk Road. Second, connecting the bordering countries and facilitating economic integration through better infrastructure would lead to more stability and security in the region. Better customs controls and the deployment of border guards, as well as control of the illegal cross-border trafficking, would encourage legal exchange and cooperation. Indirectly, the integration of the border areas would strengthen local development and lead to an increase in the economic well-being of the local population, which would lead to more secure and stabilised border regions. Finally, linking the Wakhan corridor to the Karakorum Highway would provide the shortest route for China to reach its mega projects in Afghanistan, and for the Afghans to access the vast Chinese market. The north-south expansion of the corridor would help landlocked Tajikistan to get access to Pakistan’s ports, allowing the Pakistanis to reach the resource-rich Central Asian republics by traversing Afghanistan through the shortest possible route. If built, the Wakhan corridor would be the least costly trade route between China, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Pakistan compared to the current alternatives. This should compel the four countries to transform this land buffer into a bridge between them. Currently, CPEC benefits Pakistan and China, but it can be easily extended to include Afghanistan and Tajikistan. If the Wakhan route is connected to the CPEC, it would undoubtedly boost trade and transform the economic outlook for the entire region. Political bottlenecks and security fears should not hold back economic progress and regional prosperity. It would be in the best interest of the region as a whole to develop more projects like CPEC and Chabahar, with regional integration and economic cooperation in mind. These megaprojects, linked together in good faith, could reinforce and facilitate trade and transit in the region with the lowest possible costs and numerous benefits. This article has been originally published in Fair Observer. (Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity). Image Credit: Iryna Hromotska

Opinion: Wakhan corridor brings China, Pakistan & Afghanistan closer

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/hafiz-saeed-released-no-longer-under-house-arrest-in-pakistan-24840">Hafiz Saeed to be released from house arrest in Pakistan</a>

Hafiz Saeed is to be released from house arrest in Pakistan after a &nbsp;Judicial Review Board of Pakistan&#39;s Punjab province refused Wednesday to extend his detention for another three months.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/entertainment-padmavati-row-after-madhya-pradesh-gujarat-bans-the-film-24851">Padmavati row: After Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat bans the film</a>

Padmavati will not be screened in Gujarat. The chief minister of the state, Vijay Rupani, on Wednesday, stated that the home department of the state had decided to ban the film to avoid breakdown of law and order in the state which is headed for an election.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-successfully-test-fires-brahmos-missile-from-sukhoi-30-fighter-jet-24828">Watch: India successfully test-fires BrahMos missile from Sukhoi-30 fighter jet</a>

India successfully test-fired the supersonic cruise missile BrahMos from the Indian Air Force&#39;s Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter jet for the first time today. The test-flight will significantly increase the IAF&#39;s air combat operations capability, the defence ministry said.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/mladic-sentenced-to-life-for-bosnia-genocide-war-crimes-24845">Ratklo</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/mladic-sentenced-to-life-for-bosnia-genocide-war-crimes-24845"> Mladic, &#39;Butcher of Bosnia&#39;, sentenced to life for genocide</a>

UN judges Wednesday sentenced former Bosnian Serbian commander Ratko Mladic to life imprisonment after finding him guilty of genocide and war crimes in the brutal Balkans conflicts over two decades ago.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/china-slams-wrong-us-sanctions-on-north-korea-tied-chinese-firms-24838">China slams &#39;wrong&#39; US sanctions on North Korea-tied Chinese firms</a>

China on Wednesday rejected new United States sanctions targeting Chinese traders doing business with North Korea as &quot;wrong&quot;, stressing that it has enforced UN sanctions over Pyongyang&#39;s nuclear provocations.

Hafiz Saeed to be released from house arrest in Pakistan Hafiz Saeed is to be released from house arrest in Pakistan after a Judicial Review Board of Pakistan's Punjab province refused Wednesday to extend his detention for another three months. Padmavati row: After Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat bans the film Padmavati will not be screened in Gujarat. The chief minister of the state, Vijay Rupani, on Wednesday, stated that the home department of the state had decided to ban the film to avoid breakdown of law and order in the state which is headed for an election. Watch: India successfully test-fires BrahMos missile from Sukhoi-30 fighter jet India successfully test-fired the supersonic cruise missile BrahMos from the Indian Air Force's Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter jet for the first time today. The test-flight will significantly increase the IAF's air combat operations capability, the defence ministry said. Ratklo Mladic, 'Butcher of Bosnia', sentenced to life for genocide UN judges Wednesday sentenced former Bosnian Serbian commander Ratko Mladic to life imprisonment after finding him guilty of genocide and war crimes in the brutal Balkans conflicts over two decades ago. China slams 'wrong' US sanctions on North Korea-tied Chinese firms China on Wednesday rejected new United States sanctions targeting Chinese traders doing business with North Korea as "wrong", stressing that it has enforced UN sanctions over Pyongyang's nuclear provocations.

WION evening news brief, November 22, 2017

As political unrest in Pakistan worsens, it has reached out to China for help to&nbsp;build up the Pakistani army.

According to a report published in The Nation newspaper, China has expressed willingness to establish a common community of destiny for Pakistan.

The development comes against the backdrop of a meeting between top generals of the two countries&nbsp;on Saturday.

The meeting, which was held at the Bayi Military Building in Beijing, was presided over by General Li Zuocheng, chief of the Joint Staff Department under the Central Military Commission (CMC), from the Chinese side, and Lt Gen Bilal Akbar, Army`s Chief of General Staff, from the Pakistani side.

According to the report, General Li conveyed to Pakistani General &quot;the consensus reached between President Xi and Pakistani leaders, the Chinese Army will continue close communication with Pakistan, deepen exchange and cooperation in various fields such as training and equipment, jointly combating terrorism, safeguard common interests and safeguard regional security and stability.&quot;

On the other hand, Lt Gen Akbar said the 19th session of the Chinese Communist Party chalked out a clear roadmap for China&#39;s future development and prosperity, adding that Islamabad would be willing to strengthen strategic communication and coordination with Beijing, deepen pragmatic cooperation in various fields and jointly cope with regional security challenges.

Meanwhile, the two-day meeting of 7th Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) began in Islamabad&nbsp;on Monday.

The agenda of the meeting is to deliberate on various projects being carried out under CPEC.

The multi-billion dollar project has been hailed as one that would &quot;brighten the future of Pakistan,&quot; and pave a way for it to enter the phase of industrial cooperation.

On a related note, the official meeting of 7th JCC is slated to be held today, as per Ministry of Planning and Development spokesman Asim Khan.

The development comes against the backdrop of a meeting between top generals of the two countries?on Saturday

As political unrest in Pakistan worsens, it has reached out to China for help to build up the Pakistani army. According to a report published in The Nation newspaper, China has expressed willingness to establish a common community of destiny for Pakistan. The development comes against the backdrop of a meeting between top generals of the two countries on Saturday. The meeting, which was held at the Bayi Military Building in Beijing, was presided over by General Li Zuocheng, chief of the Joint Staff Department under the Central Military Commission (CMC), from the Chinese side, and Lt Gen Bilal Akbar, Army`s Chief of General Staff, from the Pakistani side. According to the report, General Li conveyed to Pakistani General "the consensus reached between President Xi and Pakistani leaders, the Chinese Army will continue close communication with Pakistan, deepen exchange and cooperation in various fields such as training and equipment, jointly combating terrorism, safeguard common interests and safeguard regional security and stability." On the other hand, Lt Gen Akbar said the 19th session of the Chinese Communist Party chalked out a clear roadmap for China's future development and prosperity, adding that Islamabad would be willing to strengthen strategic communication and coordination with Beijing, deepen pragmatic cooperation in various fields and jointly cope with regional security challenges. Meanwhile, the two-day meeting of 7th Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) began in Islamabad on Monday. The agenda of the meeting is to deliberate on various projects being carried out under CPEC. The multi-billion dollar project has been hailed as one that would "brighten the future of Pakistan," and pave a way for it to enter the phase of industrial cooperation. On a related note, the official meeting of 7th JCC is slated to be held today, as per Ministry of Planning and Development spokesman Asim Khan.

Pakistan reaches out to China for help to build up army

A leading rights group warned Tuesday of shrinking press freedom in Pakistan&#39;s troubled southwest a month after a series of media outlets restricted activities following threats from militants.&nbsp;

Journalists in Balochistan province said they were approached earlier this year by intelligence agencies who asked them to stop publishing statements by Baloch separatist groups.

After they did so the insurgents warned newspapers and private television channels of dire consequences for halting coverage of their activities.

The situation remains tense in the province where newspaper distribution is confined to 18 out of 34 districts, large areas where the militants have little to no presence.

&quot;In an already coercive environment where there are numerous restraints and threats to freedom of expression, the current suspension of newspapers only further exacerbates the situation,&quot; Mehdi Hassan, the chairman of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, said in a statement.&nbsp;

&quot;In the prevailing circumstances, HRCP calls on all sides to immediately desist from any activities that directly threaten journalists, newspaper employees and hawkers and their livelihoods.&quot;&nbsp;

Pakistan is routinely ranked among the world&#39;s most unsafe countries for reporters, and Amnesty International has singled out Balochistan for the deadly pressure journalists face there.

Rights groups say activists and journalists often find themselves caught between the security establishment and militant groups.

Reporting critical of security policies controlled by the powerful military is also considered a major red flag, with reporters at times detained, beaten and even killed.

As a result, while the Pakistani media is nominally free and noisy, many practices an unofficial form of self-censorship.&nbsp;

Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, is Pakistan&#39;s most restive province and afflicted by Islamist militancy and sectarian violence as well as the separatist insurgency.

According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), around 40 journalists have been murdered in the province since the start of the current conflict in 2006.

Journalists in Balochistan province said they were approached earlier this year by intelligence agencies who asked them to stop publishing statements by Baloch separatist groups

A leading rights group warned Tuesday of shrinking press freedom in Pakistan's troubled southwest a month after a series of media outlets restricted activities following threats from militants. Journalists in Balochistan province said they were approached earlier this year by intelligence agencies who asked them to stop publishing statements by Baloch separatist groups. After they did so the insurgents warned newspapers and private television channels of dire consequences for halting coverage of their activities. The situation remains tense in the province where newspaper distribution is confined to 18 out of 34 districts, large areas where the militants have little to no presence. "In an already coercive environment where there are numerous restraints and threats to freedom of expression, the current suspension of newspapers only further exacerbates the situation," Mehdi Hassan, the chairman of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, said in a statement. "In the prevailing circumstances, HRCP calls on all sides to immediately desist from any activities that directly threaten journalists, newspaper employees and hawkers and their livelihoods." Pakistan is routinely ranked among the world's most unsafe countries for reporters, and Amnesty International has singled out Balochistan for the deadly pressure journalists face there. Rights groups say activists and journalists often find themselves caught between the security establishment and militant groups. Reporting critical of security policies controlled by the powerful military is also considered a major red flag, with reporters at times detained, beaten and even killed. As a result, while the Pakistani media is nominally free and noisy, many practices an unofficial form of self-censorship. Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, is Pakistan's most restive province and afflicted by Islamist militancy and sectarian violence as well as the separatist insurgency. According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), around 40 journalists have been murdered in the province since the start of the current conflict in 2006.

Pakistan rights group warns of media curbs in Balcohistan

At least 20 people including women and children were killed on Monday when a lorry toppled over and shed its load of coal onto a passenger van in southern Pakistan, police said.

Five people were injured in the accident in Khairpur district in Sindh province.

A senior district police official said the truck was trying to overtake the van when it toppled and crushed the other vehicle.

&quot;The van (was) buried under the coal and at least 17 people including children and women died on the spot,&quot; Azfar Mahesar told AFP.

Eight injured people were rushed to hospital but three subsequently died, said hospital doctor Ghulam Jafar.

Several of the bodies were badly crushed by the coal and so far just 10 have been identified, he added.&nbsp;

Pakistan has one of the world&#39;s worst records for fatal traffic accidents, due to poor roads, badly maintained vehicles and reckless driving.

At least 20 people including women and children were killed on Monday when a lorry toppled over and shed its load of coal onto a passenger van in southern Pakistan, police said

At least 20 people including women and children were killed on Monday when a lorry toppled over and shed its load of coal onto a passenger van in southern Pakistan, police said. Five people were injured in the accident in Khairpur district in Sindh province. A senior district police official said the truck was trying to overtake the van when it toppled and crushed the other vehicle. "The van (was) buried under the coal and at least 17 people including children and women died on the spot," Azfar Mahesar told AFP. Eight injured people were rushed to hospital but three subsequently died, said hospital doctor Ghulam Jafar. Several of the bodies were badly crushed by the coal and so far just 10 have been identified, he added. Pakistan has one of the world's worst records for fatal traffic accidents, due to poor roads, badly maintained vehicles and reckless driving.

20 killed as truck topples onto van in Pakistan

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday said that National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah was trying to push the country into communalism.

Speaking to ANI, BJP leader Gopal Krishna Agarwal said that Farooq should make statements under the parliamentary law as he is a member of the same.

&quot;I am not able to understand what language is Farooq Abdullah speaking and with what thoughts. He should talk under the parliamentary law as he is a member of the same. He is trying to push the country into communalism,&quot; Agarwal said.

In a blistering attack at the BJP, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah accused the saffron party of dividing India on the basis of religion.

&quot;BJP leaders in UP give speeches and threaten Muslims that if you don&#39;t vote for us (BJP), we&#39;ll show you... India belongs to everyone, be they Hindu, Muslim, Sikh or Christian. And it is their right to freely vote for whoever they want to. You can&#39;t force anyone,&quot; Abdullah said at a gathering in Jammu.

Abdullah further said, &quot;You have made one Pakistan, how many more Pakistans will you make? How many more pieces will you cut India into?&quot;

He further reiterated his <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/pok-is-part-of-pakistan-farooq-abdullah-23989">Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK)</a> remark and said the disputed territory does not belong to India.

&quot;Yes, I say it (PoK) belongs to them (Pakistan). Are they (Pakistan) wearing bangles? They also have atom bombs! Do you want us to be killed by them? You are sitting in palaces, think about the poor people living in border areas, who are bombed daily,&quot; he added.

Earlier also, Farooq drew flak for saying that PoK belongs to Pakistan and the fact would not change no matter how many wars are fought over the issue.

BJP leader Gopal Krishna Agarwal said that Farooq should make statements under the parliamentary law as he is a member of the same

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday said that National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah was trying to push the country into communalism. Speaking to ANI, BJP leader Gopal Krishna Agarwal said that Farooq should make statements under the parliamentary law as he is a member of the same. "I am not able to understand what language is Farooq Abdullah speaking and with what thoughts. He should talk under the parliamentary law as he is a member of the same. He is trying to push the country into communalism," Agarwal said. In a blistering attack at the BJP, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah accused the saffron party of dividing India on the basis of religion. "BJP leaders in UP give speeches and threaten Muslims that if you don't vote for us (BJP), we'll show you... India belongs to everyone, be they Hindu, Muslim, Sikh or Christian. And it is their right to freely vote for whoever they want to. You can't force anyone," Abdullah said at a gathering in Jammu. Abdullah further said, "You have made one Pakistan, how many more Pakistans will you make? How many more pieces will you cut India into?" He further reiterated his Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) remark and said the disputed territory does not belong to India. "Yes, I say it (PoK) belongs to them (Pakistan). Are they (Pakistan) wearing bangles? They also have atom bombs! Do you want us to be killed by them? You are sitting in palaces, think about the poor people living in border areas, who are bombed daily," he added. Earlier also, Farooq drew flak for saying that PoK belongs to Pakistan and the fact would not change no matter how many wars are fought over the issue.

Farooq trying to push country into communalism: BJP

Ousted Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif&#39;s daughter Maryam Nawaz on Saturday said that the people who are conspiring against the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) will be defeated.

According to the Dawn news, Maryam, while talking to journalists during her visit to NA-120 constituency in Lahore, said that those &quot;conspiring against the PML-N will gain nothing except defeat&quot;.

&quot;The party believes in politics of serving the people,&quot; she said. &quot;By the grace of Allah, we will win the 2018 general election.&quot;

Sharif&#39;s wife Kulsoom Nawaz had won the crucial NA-120 by-poll in September.

The seat fell vacant after the Supreme Court <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/nawaz-sharifs-disqualification-murder-of-justice-daughter-23398">disqualified then prime minister Sharif</a> in Panamagate and instructed National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to file references in the regard.

The NAB presented two witnesses against Sharif, Maryam and son-in-law retired captain Muhammad Safdar in corruption references as the trial formally began on Wednesday.

The court began proceedings despite the Islamabad High Court (IHC) admitted Sharif&#39;s petition challenging the accountability court&#39;s refusal to club three separate references against him and fixed November 20 as the date for the next hearing.

Sharif was indicted by an anti-graft court in three cases of corruption related to his investments abroad and in other offshore companies.

Ousted Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif's daughter Maryam Nawaz on Saturday said that the people who are conspiring against the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) will be defeated. According to the Dawn news, Maryam, while talking to journalists during her visit to NA-120 constituency in Lahore, said that those "conspiring against the PML-N will gain nothing except defeat". "The party believes in politics of serving the people," she said. "By the grace of Allah, we will win the 2018 general election." Sharif's wife Kulsoom Nawaz had won the crucial NA-120 by-poll in September. The seat fell vacant after the Supreme Court disqualified then prime minister Sharif in Panamagate and instructed National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to file references in the regard. The NAB presented two witnesses against Sharif, Maryam and son-in-law retired captain Muhammad Safdar in corruption references as the trial formally began on Wednesday. The court began proceedings despite the Islamabad High Court (IHC) admitted Sharif's petition challenging the accountability court's refusal to club three separate references against him and fixed November 20 as the date for the next hearing.

Conspirators will gain nothing but defeat: Maryam Nawaz

Unfazed by the legal cases and sharp criticism, former chief minister and National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah on Saturday reiterated that Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) is part of Pakistan.

While addressing a gathering in Jammu today, Farooq Abdullah said &#39;that You have made one Pakistan, how many Pakistans will you make, how many pieces will you cut India into?&#39;

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WATCH?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WATCH</a> Jammu: Farooq Abdullah says, &#39;You have made one Pakistan, how many Pakistans will you make, how many pieces will you cut India into?&#39; <a href="https://t.co/LN3RV1Z5Up">pic.twitter.com/LN3RV1Z5Up</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/931798888872263680?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 18, 2017</a></blockquote>
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&quot;Yes, I say it (PoK) belongs to them (Pakistan). Are they (Pakistan) wearing bangles? They also have atom bombs! Do you want us to be killed by them? You are sitting in palaces, think about the poor people living in border areas, who are bombed daily.&quot; he added.

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Yes, I say it (PoK) belongs to them (Pakistan). Are they (Pakistan) wearing bangles? They also have atom bombs! Do you want us to be killed by them? You are sitting in palaces, think about the poor people living in border areas, who are bombed daily: Farooq Abdullah in Jammu <a href="https://t.co/C2WkpowNji">pic.twitter.com/C2WkpowNji</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/931801673739091969?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 18, 2017</a></blockquote>
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He further stated that he is ready to face all legal cases against him.

The National Conference chief has given similar statements in the past, saying that PoK&nbsp;belongs to Pakistan and &quot;this won&#39;t change&quot; no matter how many wars India and Pakistan fight against each other.

A complaint has&nbsp;been filed in Delhi high court against Farooq Abdullah by a Jammu based social activist Sukesh Khajuria on November 17.

Read more:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/complaint-filed-against-farooq-abdullah-and-rishi-kapoor-over-pok-comments-24477">Complaints filed against Farooq Abdullah and Rishi Kapoor over PoK comments</a>

Read more:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/pok-is-part-of-pakistan-farooq-abdullah-23989">&#39;PoK is part of Pakistan&#39;: Farooq Abdullah</a>

Unfazed by the legal cases and sharp criticism, former chief minister and National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah on Saturday reiterated that Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) is part of Pakistan

Unfazed by the legal cases and sharp criticism, former chief minister and National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah on Saturday reiterated that Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) is part of Pakistan. While addressing a gathering in Jammu today, Farooq Abdullah said 'that You have made one Pakistan, how many Pakistans will you make, how many pieces will you cut India into?' #WATCH Jammu: Farooq Abdullah says, 'You have made one Pakistan, how many Pakistans will you make, how many pieces will you cut India into?' pic.twitter.com/LN3RV1Z5Up — ANI (@ANI) November 18, 2017 × "Yes, I say it (PoK) belongs to them (Pakistan). Are they (Pakistan) wearing bangles? They also have atom bombs! Do you want us to be killed by them? You are sitting in palaces, think about the poor people living in border areas, who are bombed daily." he added. Yes, I say it (PoK) belongs to them (Pakistan). Are they (Pakistan) wearing bangles? They also have atom bombs! Do you want us to be killed by them? You are sitting in palaces, think about the poor people living in border areas, who are bombed daily: Farooq Abdullah in Jammu pic.twitter.com/C2WkpowNji — ANI (@ANI) November 18, 2017 × He further stated that he is ready to face all legal cases against him. The National Conference chief has given similar statements in the past, saying that PoK belongs to Pakistan and "this won't change" no matter how many wars India and Pakistan fight against each other. A complaint has been filed in Delhi high court against Farooq Abdullah by a Jammu based social activist Sukesh Khajuria on November 17. Read more: Complaints filed against Farooq Abdullah and Rishi Kapoor over PoK comments Read more: 'PoK is part of Pakistan': Farooq Abdullah

'How many Pakistans will you make', reiterates Farooq Abdullah

A Baloch delegation under the leadership of Professor Naela Quadri Baloch has urged the Canadian Government to help stop <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-forces-shot-dead-baloch-separatist-commander-involved-in-killing-of-15-men-in-province-24478">the genocide in Balochistan</a>.

The delegation met Canadian Member of Parliament Ron McKinnon on Friday.

They reportedly discussed the role of the Canadian government in attempting to stop the ongoing Baloch genocide and infiltration of state-sponsored religious terrorist groups in the pluralistic peaceful Baloch society.

The Baloch are facing religious and ethnic terrorism at the frontline, and the Baloch delegation felt it is the responsibility of the international community to support the Baloch in the name and spirit of global safety and security.

For decades, in Balochistan, economic exploitation through the plundering of natural resources, and the systematic economic, social and political exclusion of indigenous Baloch people, has become the norm.

In addition to this, enforced disappearances, extra-judicial killings and an escalating crackdown on freedom of expression are used as covert tools to brutally repress the Baloch peaceful struggle for justice, rights, and equality.

Since the construction of<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-turns-down-chinas-bid-to-include-diamer-bhasha-dam-in-cpec-24335"> the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)</a>has begun, the Baloch have been forcefully cleared, enforcedly disappeared and effectively excluded from the project at all levels - despite plentiful promises made by the Pakistani authorities of development and employment.

The Baloch are facing religious and ethnic terrorism at the frontline, and the Baloch delegation felt it is the responsibility of the international community to support the Baloch in the name and spirit of global safety and security

A Baloch delegation under the leadership of Professor Naela Quadri Baloch has urged the Canadian Government to help stop the genocide in Balochistan. The delegation met Canadian Member of Parliament Ron McKinnon on Friday. They reportedly discussed the role of the Canadian government in attempting to stop the ongoing Baloch genocide and infiltration of state-sponsored religious terrorist groups in the pluralistic peaceful Baloch society. The Baloch are facing religious and ethnic terrorism at the frontline, and the Baloch delegation felt it is the responsibility of the international community to support the Baloch in the name and spirit of global safety and security. For decades, in Balochistan, economic exploitation through the plundering of natural resources, and the systematic economic, social and political exclusion of indigenous Baloch people, has become the norm. In addition to this, enforced disappearances, extra-judicial killings and an escalating crackdown on freedom of expression are used as covert tools to brutally repress the Baloch peaceful struggle for justice, rights, and equality. Since the construction of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)has begun, the Baloch have been forcefully cleared, enforcedly disappeared and effectively excluded from the project at all levels - despite plentiful promises made by the Pakistani authorities of development and employment.

Baloch delegates urge Canadian government to help stop genocide in Balochistan

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