All posts tagged: Pakistans

Japan could force demolition of ‘illegal’ mosque inaugurated by Pakistan’s ambassador

Japan could force demolition of ‘illegal’ mosque inaugurated by Pakistan’s ambassador

Published by Sam Flores

A mosque that officials say was illegally constructed in the northwest of Tokyo and approved for demolition has sparked scrutiny after it became operational following its inauguration by Pakistan’s ambassador to Japan. The “Ramadan Grand Mosque” was built on a 4,500sqm-plot in a rural area of Kawagoe in Saitama Prefecture classified as mountain forest in an urbanisation control zone. Pictures of the mosque show a large white dome-shaped structure standing amidst a vast green field in a rural area. Kawagoe mayor Hatsue Morita said this week that the city “cannot tolerate the current situation” and is working to resolve the matter as quickly as possible. “It is an illegal building constructed without permission in an urban development control area, and we are working under the policy that we cannot tolerate the current situation,” she said, according to Sankei News. “We want this building to be demolished as soon as possible and we are considering how to guide them,” she said. The case has become one of the most contentious planning disputes involving a mosque in …

Trump says the US will extend its ceasefire with Iran at Pakistan’s request

Trump says the US will extend its ceasefire with Iran at Pakistan’s request

Published by Sam Flores

ISLAMABAD (AP) — President Donald Trump said Tuesday the United States was indefinitely extending its ceasefire with Iran — a day before it was to expire — as a new round of peace talks was on hold. The announcement appeared to ease fears that the fighting, which had shaken energy markets and the global economy, would promptly resume. Pakistan had planned to host a second round of talks, but the White House put on hold Vice President JD Vance’s planned trip to Islamabad as Iran rebuffed efforts to restart negotiations. Iran has not yet responded to Trump’s announcement of the ceasefire extension. Both countries have warned that, without a deal, they were prepared to resume fighting. Pakistan scrambles to get US and Iran to negotiate Pakistani leaders, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, worked intensively to get both sides to agree to a second round of ceasefire talks, according to two officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. Sharif later thanked Trump for his “gracious acceptance” …

Trump extends U.S. ceasefire with Iran at Pakistan’s request : NPR

Trump extends U.S. ceasefire with Iran at Pakistan’s request : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

Security personnel stand guard at a security checkpost along a road temporarily closed near the Serena Hotel at the Red Zone area in Islamabad on April 20 ahead of anticipated U.S.-Iran peace talks. Aamir Qureshi/AFP via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Aamir Qureshi/AFP via Getty Images President Trump on Tuesday said the ceasefire with Iran will be extended in order to give Iranian officials more time to present a “unified proposal.” “Based on the fact that the Government of Iran is seriously fractured, not unexpectedly so and, upon the request of Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, of Pakistan, we have been asked to hold our Attack on the Country of Iran,” he wrote on Truth Social. Trump added that the U.S. military will continue “the Blockade and, in all other respects, remain ready and able.” The extension was announced just hours before it was set to expire. The president did not specify how much longer the ceasefire will continue. Pakistan’s prime minister Shehbaz Sharif on X thanked Trump for the …

Pakistan’s Last-Ditch Effort to Secure Iran War Truce

Pakistan’s Last-Ditch Effort to Secure Iran War Truce

Published by Sam Flores

By Asif Shahzad, Alexander Cornwell and Ariba Shahid ISLAMABAD/TEL AVIV, April 8 (Reuters) – Mediation efforts to halt the war in Iran were hours from ⁠collapse when ⁠Pakistan mounted an overnight diplomatic push to secure a temporary ceasefire and ⁠bring Washington and Tehran into direct negotiations, four Pakistani sources told Reuters. The effort nearly unravelled after an Iranian strike on a Saudi petrochemical facility triggered fury in Riyadh and threatened ​to derail weeks of back-channel diplomacy, the sources – with direct knowledge of the talks – said.  With a deadline set by U.S. President Donald Trump looming, Pakistani officials mounted a last-ditch attempt to pass messages between Tehran and Washington, after Trump warned that continued fighting that night could wipe out “a ‌whole civilization.” Pakistan’s effort involved direct contact with top officials across all sides, ‌including Trump, Vice President JD Vance and U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, as well as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and senior Revolutionary Guards commander Ahmad Vahidi, one of the sources said. After what a second source described as several …

How Pakistan’s solar boom is shielding it from worst of Iran war crisis | US-Israel war on Iran News

How Pakistan’s solar boom is shielding it from worst of Iran war crisis | US-Israel war on Iran News

Published by Sam Flores

Dasht, Balochistan, Pakistan – Karim Baksh bends down to a narrow channel of water, guiding it with his hands through shallow mud channels towards a row of ripening watermelons growing. In Dasht, a remote village in the southern part of Balochistan, geographically Pakistan’s largest province, Baksh’s crops for years depended on a diesel-powered pump that drew water from the ground to irrigate his land. That changed after Russia’s full-fledged invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which set off a surge in fuel prices, making it difficult for him to buy expensive diesel for his daily use. “It became impossible for me to run the pump on diesel daily,” he said. With little water, his watermelons started to suffer. In some seasons, he reduced the land he cultivated. “If there is no water, there is no crop. And if there is no crop, there is no money,” he added. Then, in 2023, he made a decision that at the time seemed risky: He borrowed 300,000 Pakistani rupees ($1,075) from relatives and friends and installed a row of solar …

How war on Iran turned Pakistan’s LNG surplus into a looming shortage | US-Israel war on Iran News

How war on Iran turned Pakistan’s LNG surplus into a looming shortage | US-Israel war on Iran News

Published by Sam Flores

Islamabad, Pakistan – At the start of this year, Pakistan had more imported liquefied natural gas (LNG) than it could use. Demand had been falling for three straight years, from a peak of 8.2 million tonnes in 2021 to 6.1 million tonnes by late 2025, as cheap solar panels flooded the market and factories cut back. The government quietly sold excess gas shipments to other countries and shut down domestic gas wells to prevent pipelines from bursting under the pressure of oversupply. Gas that could not be diverted would be pushed into household networks at a financial loss, adding billions to an already crippling debt pile in the energy sector. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list Then the war came. On February 28, the United States and Israel launched hundreds of strikes against Iran in an operation named Epic Fury. The strikes targeted Iranian missiles, air defences, military infrastructure and leadership. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed in the opening assault. Iran retaliated by firing hundreds of missiles and drones across the region, and …

Pakistan’s Champions Trophy winning skipper Sarfaraz retires aged 38

Pakistan’s Champions Trophy winning skipper Sarfaraz retires aged 38

Published by Sam Flores

March 15 : Former Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, who guided his country to their maiden Champions Trophy title in 2017, announced his retirement from the sport on Sunday. The Karachi-born wicketkeeper-batter featured in 54 tests, 117 one-day internationals and 61 Twenty20 international matches over nearly two decades, accumulating over 6,000 runs across all formats while he also claimed 315 catches and 56 stumpings. The 38-year-old led Pakistan to Champions Trophy glory in 2017 when they beat India by 180 runs in the final at the Oval. He had also guided the Under-19 team to World Cup victory in 2006.  “It has been the greatest honour of my life to represent Pakistan. From leading the U-19 team to a world title in 2006 to lifting the ICC Champions Trophy in 2017, every moment in Pakistan colours has been special,” Sarfaraz said in a statement. “Captaining Pakistan across all formats was a dream come true. I always tried to play fearless cricket and build a united team. “Seeing players like Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, Hasan Ali and …

Pakistan’s defense minister says that there is now ‘open war’ with Afghanistan after latest strikes : NPR

Pakistan’s defense minister says that there is now ‘open war’ with Afghanistan after latest strikes : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

Afghanistan with its capital, Kabul. AP/AP hide caption toggle caption AP/AP ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s defense minister said that his country ran out of “patience” and considers that there is now an “open war” with Afghanistan, after both countries launched strikes following an Afghan cross-border attack. In a post on X Friday, Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif said Pakistan had hoped for peace in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of NATO forces and expected the Taliban to focus on the welfare of the Afghan people and regional stability. Instead, he alleged, the Taliban had turned Afghanistan “into a colony of India,” gathered militants from around the world and begun “exporting terrorism.” “Our patience has now run out. Now it is open war between us,” he said. There has been no reaction from Afghan government officials to Asif’s comments. The latest escalation of violence between the neighboring countries makes a Qatar-mediated ceasefire appear increasingly shaky. The Pakistani defense minister didn’t mention the ceasefire. Asif also accused the Taliban government of denying Afghans basic human rights, including rights for …

Suicide Bomb Rocks Pakistan’s Capital, Over 30 Dead & 169 Wounded

Suicide Bomb Rocks Pakistan’s Capital, Over 30 Dead & 169 Wounded

Published by Jenni Sidey

Via The Cradle At least 31 people were killed and 169 others injured on Friday when a suicide bomber struck a Shia mosque on the outskirts of Islamabad during Friday prayers, Pakistani officials said, in one of the capital’s deadliest attacks in over a decade. The blast happened in the Khadija al-Kubra Imambargah mosque in the outskirts of Islamabad, with police saying the attacker had been stopped at the mosque gate before opening fire and setting off explosives among worshipers, according to officials cited by Reuters. EPA/Shutterstock Footage and images from the site showed bodies and debris scattered across the mosque’s carpeted prayer hall, with the wounded lying in the compound gardens, as bystanders called for help and rushed victims to hospitals. Islamabad deputy commissioner Irfan Memon said the death toll stood at 31, adding that 169 injured people had been brought in for treatment, some in critical condition. No group claimed responsibility yet; however, conflict monitor ACLED said the attack “bears the hallmarks of the Islamic State,“ while officials noted that Shia communities, a minority …