PAKISTAN NEWS

ISSI welcomes President of counterpart Italian think-tankThe Centre for Strategic Perspectives (CSP) at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) hosted a fruitful in-house session with Mr. Andrea Margelleti, President of the Centre for International Studies (Ce.S.I.), Italy. The meeting brought together key representatives from both organizations, including Director General ISSI Ambassador Sohail Mahmood; the Director and Research team CSP; and members of the Italian mission in Pakistan.The exchange of views covered key global and regional developments of mutual interest. There was a particular focus on Pakistan-Italy relations, which both sides acknowledged as robust and enduring in nature. They expressed gratification that the bilateral relationship was steadily expa...

PTA Intensifies Crackdown on Illegal Issuance of SIMs The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Zonal Office in Lahore, in close collaboration with the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Cyber Crime Circle, conducted successful raid against franchisees of a mobile phone company located in Islamabad. These franchisees were found to be involved in the illegal issuance of SIMs. During the raid, 02 active SIMs and 151 suspected SIMs were discovered within the SIM stock. The FIA team confiscated these SIMs, along with 04 BVS devices, as evidence. Additionally, two individuals were apprehended on the premises by the FIA team. Currently, the FIA is conducting further investigations into the matter. Prior to this, PTA had filed a complaint with the FIA based on information related to the il...

Recent Media Reports Regarding Sui Southern Gas Company LimitedThis is with reference to recent news items circulating in electronic, print and social media concerning Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) and its Board.Petroleum Division condems the malicious campaign against the SSGC, its Chairperson and its Board of directors.Dr. Shamshad Akhter along with the Board members has successfully led the organization since her initial appointment in 2019. Under her visionary leadership, SSGC has achieved significant milestones in crucial areas such as upgradation in the technology, improvement of business operations, Human Resources, policy formulation, discipline, Risk Management and significant reduction of Unaccounted-for Gas (UFG).The Chairperson and Board members work as a te...

MARITIME SECURITY EXERCISE SEA GUARD-24 CULMINATES AT KARACHIPakistan Navy maiden Maritime Security Exercise SEA GUARD-24 concludes with a debrief session at Karachi. Vice Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ovais Ahmed Bilgrami graced the occasion as the Chief Guest.While addressing the session, Vice Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ovais Ahmed Bilgrami appreciated the efforts put in by all stakeholders in making the exercise a success. He also underscored that this exercise clearly demonstrates PN resolve to address prevailing simmering issues with a tangible way head to ensure security in maritime zones of Pakistan.The aim of exercise was to overview response procedures against maritime security incidents and to identify gaps and propose ways to improve the respon...

PTA Hosts Workshop on IPv6 Transition & Routing Security in Collaboration with APNIC, ISOC & PKNOG In line with its ongoing commitment to enhancing the technical capacity of Pakistan’s telecom industry, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) successfully organized a two-day workshop on 'IPv6 Transition' and 'Routing Security' in collaboration with the Asia-Pacific Network Information Centre (APNIC), the Internet Society (ISOC), and the Pakistan Network Operators Group (PKNOG). The workshop featured esteemed foreign speakers and witnessed active participation from professionals in the telecom industry, underscoring the collective commitment to staying abreast of technological advancements. Speaking on the occasion, Chairman PTA, Major General (R) Hafeez Ur Rehman said that PT...

Caretaker Prime Minister meets Bill Gates in DavosCaretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar met Mr. Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, in Davos today on the sidelines of the 54th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum.Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar appreciated the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s ongoing collaboration with Pakistan, especially its critical support across such sectors as public health, social initiatives, and financial inclusion, as well as during the COVID-19 pandemic and the floods of 2022.The Prime Minister and Mr. Gates discussed a range of social support initiatives being undertaken in Pakistan,emphasizing the need to further consolidate the gains while scaling up efforts throughout the country.The Prime M...

Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority sanctions Air Blue and Serene Air for exceeding flight delays and violating passenger rights Following a string of lengthy flight delays and numerous cancellations that impacted hundreds of passengers, the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) issued Serene Air and Air Blue with show cause notices. Serene Air and Air Blue received show cause notices on January 2 and January 15, respectively. Should the operators not convince Director General PCAA that such serious lapses will not happen again, regulatory measures such as financial penalties, license suspension or cancellation, and reducing the number of scheduled flights are on the table. The show cause notices further state that by failing to conduct flight operations on time and regularly, operators ...

Operation Marg Bar Sarmachar This morning Pakistan undertook a series of highly coordinated and specifically targeted precision military strikes against terrorist hideouts in Siestan-o-Baluchistan province of Iran. A number of terrorists were killed during the Intelligence-based operation – codenamed *‘Marg Bar Sarmachar'*.Over the last several years, in our engagements with Iran, Pakistan has consistently shared its serious concerns about the safe havens and sanctuaries enjoyed by Pakistani origin terrorists calling themselves *Sarmachars* on the ungoverned spaces inside Iran. Pakistan also shared multiple dossiers with concrete evidence of the presence and activities of these terrorists.However, because of lack of action on our serious concerns, these so-called Sarmachars contin...

Governments of Pakistan and Dubai inks more than $3 billion investment pact on cooperation in railways, economic zones and infrastructure Governments of Pakistan and Dubai inks more than $3 billion investment pact on cooperation in railways, economic zones and infrastructure. Agreement signed at the World Economic Forum in Davos between Pakistan and Dubai Governments. Cooperation covers development of a dedicated freight corridor, multi-modal logistics park, and freight terminals. DP World will carry out infrastructure Improvement at Qasim International Container Terminal, Pakistan’s leading trade gateway and plans to develop an economic zone near the terminal. The governments of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and Dubai have signed two Inter-Governmental Framework Agreements to strength...