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India arrests police officer suspected of spying for Pakistan

India arrests police officer suspected of spying for Pakistan
Indian police keep vigil along a street in Srinagar on May 1, 2025. (AFP/File)
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Updated 1 min 54 sec ago

India arrests police officer suspected of spying for Pakistan

India arrests police officer suspected of spying for Pakistan
  • The National Investigation Agency says the officer had been sharing ‘classified information related to national security’
  • Indian authorities have arrested at least 10 others on espionage charges after a military standoff with Pakistan this month

NEW DELHI, India: India’s counter-terrorism agency said Monday it arrested a paramilitary police officer for allegedly spying for arch-rival Pakistan, following their most serious conflict in decades.

At least 70 people died in fighting this month triggered by an April 22 attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir that New Delhi accused Pakistan of backing — a charge Islamabad denies.

Muslim-majority Kashmir is claimed in full by both countries, which have fought multiple wars over the Himalayan territory since their 1947 independence from Britain.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) said a Central Reserve Police Force officer was arrested in Delhi “for sharing sensitive information” with Pakistani agents.

“The accused, Moti Ram Jat, was actively involved in espionage activity and had been sharing classified information related to national security with Pakistan Intelligence Officers (PIOs) since 2023,” the NIA said.

Jat has been remanded into custody until June 6 by a special court, the agency said, as investigators question him.

Indian authorities have arrested at least 10 other people on espionage charges this month, according to local media.

A travel blogger was arrested in Haryana state on similar charges.

Police said the accused woman traveled to Pakistan at least twice and had been in contact with an official from the country’s embassy, local media reported.

Other arrests include a student, a security guard and a businessman.

The spate of arrests comes after the worst flare-up in violence between the nuclear-armed rivals since their last open conflict in 1999. A ceasefire was agreed after four days of missile, drone and artillery attacks.


Met Office forecasts more showers after storm kills 18 in Pakistan’s Punjab

Met Office forecasts more showers after storm kills 18 in Pakistan’s Punjab
Updated 6 sec ago

Met Office forecasts more showers after storm kills 18 in Pakistan’s Punjab

Met Office forecasts more showers after storm kills 18 in Pakistan’s Punjab
  • People advised to exercise caution, stay away from loose structures, electric poles, trees and solar panels
  • Pakistan has seen erratic changes in weather leading to frequent heatwaves, untimely rains in recent years

ISLAMABAD: More rain, wind and thunderstorms are expected in the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces as well as the federal capital of Islamabad from May 27 till May 31, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Monday, two days after a thunderstorm coupled with heavy rain killed 18 people.

Moist currents are continuously penetrating upper and central parts of the country and under the influence of this weather system, isolated heavy rains and hailstorms are expected in Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Murree, Galliyat, Attock, Chakwal, Jhelum, Mianwali, Sargodha, Hafizabad, Mandi Bahauddin, Sialkot, Narowal, Okara, Lahore, Faisalabad, Jhang, Toba Tek Singh, Gujranwala, Gujrat and Sheikhupura.

In KP, rains and thunderstorms are likely to hit Chitral, Dir, Swat, Malakand, Mansehra, Battagram, Shangla, Kohistan, Abbottabad, Haripur, Peshawar, Mardan, Swabi, Nowshera, Mohmand, Khyber, Orakzai, Kurram, Bannu, Lakki Marwat, Kohat, Karak and Waziristan with occasional gaps during the forecast period.

“Windstorm/dust-thunderstorm/hailstorm and lightning may damage loose structures like electric poles, trees, vehicles and solar panels etc in upper/central parts including Islamabad,” the PMD warned in its advisory.

“Farmers are advised to manage their crop activities keeping in view the weather conditions. General public, travelers and tourists are advised to take precautionary measures during the weather activity.”

Similarly, windstorm with light-to-moderate rain-thunder is expected in Zhob, Ziarat, Barkhan, D.G. Khan, Rajanpur, Multan, Bhakkar, Layyah, Bahawalpur, Sahiwal, Pakpattan, Vehari and D.I. Khan on between May 27 and May 30.

The advisory came two days after 18 people died in storm-related incidents in the country’s most populous Punjab province, where Rawalpindi, Attock, Jhelum, Chakwal, Mianwali, Sialkot, Faisalabad, Sargodha, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Lahore, Narowal and adjoining regions were the most affected.

“When we included the losses of Jhang and two districts more, unfortunately 18 precious lives have been lost and 110 people were injured in Punjab,” Irfan Ali Kathia, head of the Punjab Provincial Disaster Management Authority Punjab, said in televised comments on Monday.

Last week, a child was killed and 11 people were injured as a thunderstorm hit upper parts of Pakistan, rescue officials said. In April, an intense hailstorm battered Pakistan’s capital and its surrounding areas. Several vehicles were damaged and house windows smashed as hailstones rained down from the sky on April 16.

Pakistan has seen erratic changes in its weather patterns which have led to frequent heat waves, untimely rains, storms, cyclones and droughts in recent years. Scientists have blamed the events on human-driven climate change.

In 2022, devastating floods, blamed on human-driven climate change, killed more than 1,700 Pakistanis, affected another 33 million and caused the country over $30 billion in economic losses.


Bilal bin Saqib to lead Pakistan’s blockchain, cryptocurrency transformation as PM’s aide

Bilal bin Saqib to lead Pakistan’s blockchain, cryptocurrency transformation as PM’s aide
Updated 41 min 15 sec ago

Bilal bin Saqib to lead Pakistan’s blockchain, cryptocurrency transformation as PM’s aide

Bilal bin Saqib to lead Pakistan’s blockchain, cryptocurrency transformation as PM’s aide
  • The move positions Pakistan among a handful of nations with a dedicated blockchain and cryptocurrency leadership
  • It comes a day after Pakistan said it was allocating 2,000MWs to bitcoin mining and Artificial Intelligence data centers

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has appointed Bilal bin Saqib as his special assistant on blockchain and cryptocurrency, Sharif’s office announced on Monday, as Islamabad eyes a shift to digital economy.

The move positions Pakistan among a handful of nations, including the United States, the United Arab Emirates and El Salvador, which have dedicated blockchain and cryptocurrency leadership.

It signals Islamabad’s intent to transform the country into a global leader in digital innovation through encouragement of crypto mining and other similar measures.

“The prime minister... has been pleased to appoint Mr. Bilal bin Saquib as Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Blockchain and Crypto with the status of Minister of State, with immediate effect,” Sharif office said in a notification on Monday.

The appointment of Saquib, who also serves as the chief executive officer of the Pakistan Crypto Council (PCC) and chief adviser to Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, comes a day after Pakistan allocated 2,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity to power bitcoin mining and Artificial Intelligence (AI) data centers in the first phase of a national initiative.

The initiative is spearheaded by the PCC as part of a broader strategy to monetize surplus electricity, create high-tech jobs, attract billions of dollars in foreign direct investment.

Pakistan’s combination of surplus power, geographic advantage, advanced subsea cable connectivity, renewable energy potential, and a large, digitally engaged population creates a compelling case for becoming a regional epicenter of Web3, AI, and digital innovation.

“This strategic allocation marks a pivotal moment in Pakistan’s digital transformation journey, unlocking economic potential by turning excess energy into innovation, investment, and international revenue,” Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said on Sunday.

Saquib emphasized the transformative nature of the initiative and said Pakistan could become a global crypto and AI powerhouse with proper regulation, transparency, and international collaboration.

“This energy-backed digital transformation not only unlocks high-value investment but enables the government to generate foreign exchange in USD through bitcoin mining,” he said on Sunday.

Pakistan introduced in April its first-ever policy framework to regulate virtual assets and service providers, aligning with compliance and financial integrity guidelines of the global Financial Action Task Force (FATF). The move followed the establishment of the PCC in March to create a legal framework for cryptocurrency trading in a bid to lure international investment.

Establishing local AI data centers will not only address growing concerns around data sovereignty but will also enhance cybersecurity, improve digital service delivery, and empower national capabilities in AI and cloud infrastructure. These centers are expected to create thousands of direct and indirect jobs, catalyzing the development of a skilled workforce in engineering, IT, and data sciences.


Death toll from school bus bombing in Pakistan’s Balochistan rises to 10

Death toll from school bus bombing in Pakistan’s Balochistan rises to 10
Updated 26 May 2025

Death toll from school bus bombing in Pakistan’s Balochistan rises to 10

Death toll from school bus bombing in Pakistan’s Balochistan rises to 10
  • Balochistan has been the site of a decades-long insurgency, though it has intensified more recently
  • Islamabad blamed the May 21 bombing on Indian ‘terror proxies,’ an allegation denied by New Delhi

ISLAMABAD: The death toll from last week’s bomb attack on a school bus in Pakistan’s Balochistan province has risen to 10 as two more schoolchildren have died during treatment, Pakistani state media reported on Monday.

Balochistan has been the site of an insurgency for decades, though it has intensified more recently, with groups like the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) carrying out high-profile attacks on civilians and security forces.

Wednesday’s bombing killed five Pakistanis, including three school-goers, when their bus was en route to an army-run school in Balochistan’s Khuzdar district. Three more students died later during treatment.

“Two more students, Sheema Ibrahim and Muskan, have also succumbed to their injuries taking the [children’s] toll to eight,” the Radio Pakistan broadcaster reported on Monday.

Pakistani civilian and military officials have blamed the May 21 bombing on India. On Friday, Pakistan’s Interior Secretary Khurram Muhammad Agha described the Khuzdar bombing as an attack on “our values, our education and on the very fabric of our society.”

“Initial findings confirm that this attack is in continuity of a broader pattern of violence sponsored by India through Fitna Al-Hindustan (FAH) operating under the tutelage and the patronage of the Indian intelligence agency R&AW,” he said, without offering any proof to link India to the attack.

New Delhi has distanced itself from the bombing, attributing such acts of violence to Pakistan’s “internal failures.”

The FAH comprises several separatist groups and independently operating cells in the insurgency-hit southwestern Pakistani province, according to Pakistani officials. These cells, after having suffered immense casualties in past few years, have now resorted to hitting “soft targets.”

The rise in deaths from Khuzdar bomb attack comes a day after Pakistan’s army said it had killed nine “Indian-sponsored” militants in three separate operations in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Relations between Pakistan and India touched a new low last month, when gunmen killed 26 people in Indian-administered Kashmir in an attack India blamed on Pakistan. Islamabad has denied complicity and called for a credible, international investigation into it.

Pakistan and India have a bitter history and have fought three wars, two of them over Kashmir.

The nuclear-armed archfoes traded missile and drones strikes as heightened tensions spiraled into a military four-day conflict this month that ended with a United States-brokered truce on May 10.

Pakistan has mostly blamed India for supporting a separatist insurgency in Balochistan, a southwestern province that borders Iran and Afghanistan. It also accuses it of backing the Pakistani Taliban who regularly carry out attacks in the country’s northwestern and other regions. New Delhi denies the allegations.


Pakistan kicks off nationwide polio drive, aims to vaccinate 45 million children

Pakistan kicks off nationwide polio drive, aims to vaccinate 45 million children
Updated 26 May 2025

Pakistan kicks off nationwide polio drive, aims to vaccinate 45 million children

Pakistan kicks off nationwide polio drive, aims to vaccinate 45 million children
  • Minister says community engagement essential to eliminate the polio virus from the country
  • Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries in the world where polio remains endemic

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday kicked off a third nationwide anti-polio vaccination campaign of this year that aims to inoculate more than 45 million children under the age of five.

Polio is a paralyzing disease with no cure. Multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine, along with the completion of the routine immunization schedule for all children are essential to ensure strong immunity against the disease.

Pakistan has confirmed 10 cases so far this year, according to the polio program. Environmental surveillance has detected the virus in 272 sewage samples from 127 testing sites, across 68 districts, signaling continued circulation.

Inaugurating the campaign at the National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) in Islamabad, Health Minister Mustafa Kamal said community engagement was inevitable in eliminating the virus from Pakistan, urging parents to immunize all children under the age of five years.

“Protect your children from permanent disability by vaccinating them,” Kamal said, describing frontline anti-polio workers as the “real heroes.”

“Full-fledged community engagement is essential for the eradication of polio.”

Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries in the world where polio remains endemic.

Pakistan’s polio program on Sunday described the weeklong campaign as a critical intervention in the country’s “final push” to interrupt poliovirus transmission and achieve eradication by end of 2025.

Around 400,000 frontline workers, including 225,000 women vaccinators, are taking part in the current campaign and will go door-to-door to inoculate children.

Pakistan’s polio program began in 1994, but efforts to eradicate the virus have been repeatedly undermined by vaccine misinformation and resistance from some religious hard-liners who claim that immunization is a foreign plot to sterilize Muslim children or a cover for Western espionage.

Militant groups have also frequently targeted polio vaccination teams and the security personnel assigned to protect them, often resulting in deadly attacks.


PM Sharif praises PSL teams for ‘excellent sportsmanship’ as Lahore lift title trophy

PM Sharif praises PSL teams for ‘excellent sportsmanship’ as Lahore lift title trophy
Updated 26 May 2025

PM Sharif praises PSL teams for ‘excellent sportsmanship’ as Lahore lift title trophy

PM Sharif praises PSL teams for ‘excellent sportsmanship’ as Lahore lift title trophy
  • Lahore registered a six-wicket win over Quetta, with Sikandar Raza hitting the winning runs
  • Needing 13 in the last over, Raza completed the task with two sixes and as many boundaries

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday praised all Pakistan Super League (PSL) teams for demonstrating “excellent sportsmanship” in the tournament after Lahore Qalandars lifted the trophy for a third time.

Lahore Qalandars registered a six-wicket win over Quetta Gladiators on Sunday, with Sikandar Raza, who landed in Lahore just ten minutes before the toss, hitting the winning runs.

Needing 13 in the last over to complete a 202-run chase set by Quetta, the 39-year old Zimbabwean completed the task during his seven-ball 22 not out with two sixes and as many boundaries.

In a statement issued from his office, Sharif praised Quetta Gladiators and Lahore Qalandars for their excellent performance in the final match of the tenth edition of PSL.

“Lahore Qalandars successfully achieved the target after a thrilling match,” he was quoted as saying. “All the teams involved in PSL 10 showed excellent sportsmanship.”

Lahore Qalandars won their previous titles in 2022 and 2023.

The prime minister congratulated Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Mohsin Naqvi and the PCB administration on the successful conduct of the Twnety20 tournament.

“The prime minister paid tribute to all the players, especially the foreign players, whose participation made this successful event possible,” Sharif’s office said.

The tournament was put into jeopardy following a cross-border conflict between Pakistan and India this month. Both neighbors clashed for four days before agreeing to a United States-brokered ceasefire agreement on May 10.

Pakistan rescheduled PSL after a ten-day break, while the Indian Premier League — the world’s richest cricket tournament — was also interrupted.