Karachi police operation, 30 suspects held

KARACHI: Police in a search operation in Orangi Town on Wednesday hauled up 30 suspected persons, Geo News reported.

SP Orangi Town, Sajid Amir Saddozai said that police launched an operation against suspected persons at Pirabad, Qasba and Frontier Colony in Orangi Town by blocking all exit/entry roads started house-to-house search operation and picked up 30 suspects in the process.

At least 13 suspected militants killed in fresh North Waziristan airstrikes

PESHAWAR: At least 13 suspected militants were killed and their hideouts were destroyed Wednesday in air strikes carried out by fighter jets in the Shawal tehsil of North Waziristan.

Sources claimed that the jet strikes destroyed at least six hideouts in the Shawal mountains and the area near Dattakhel.

However, these claims could not be independently verified.

Air strikes were also carried out late on Tuesday.

Youm-e-Ali (RA) being observed across the country today

KARACHI: The country is observing Youm-e-Ali (RA), the martyrdom day of Hazrat Ali (RA), as law enforcement agencies have made strict security arrangements to avert any untoward situation in any part of the country, Geo News reported.

The mourning processions following the planned routes and finally gather at the pre-decided venues. Strict security is being observed throughout the processions routes while the district administrations have also installed CCTV cameras.

Fatemi to leave for US today on official visit

ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi is scheduled to travel to the United States on an official visit from the 21st to the 28th of this month.

"Mr Fatemi is scheduled to hold meetings with senior officials in the State Department, Defence Department and the White House to exchange views on bilateral relations," Foreign Office spokesperson Tasneem Aslam told Dawn.

Seven suspected militants, one elite force man killed in Lahore clash

LAHORE: An armed clash between security forces and suspected militants during a search operation early Thursday in a compound situated in Lahore’s Raiwind Road area killed seven suspected militants while one elite force man was also killed and five others had been injured, Punjab Minister for Anti-Terrorism Col. (retd) Shuja Khanzada said.

Speaking to media representatives, Khanzada said that the exact figure of militants present the area could not be established and several of them appeared to have fled.

He said security forces wanted to apprehend the militants alive, adding that terrorism could not be eliminated in a single day.

Pakistan asks Afghan authorities to ensure border security

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan here on Thursday called on Afghan authorities to ensure their border security so that attacks emanating from their soil are stopped. Speaking during her weekly press briefing, the Foreign Office spokesperson Tasneem Aslam has said that that Pakistan condemns all forms of terrorism.

Army vows to 'completely eliminate' terrorist sanctuaries in N Waziristan

ISLAMABAD: Chief military spokesman Major General Asim Bajwa said on Tuesday that the Pakistan army will "completely eliminate" terrorists sanctuaries and hideouts from North Waziristan.

Speaking to media personnel in Islamabad, Bajwa said, "North Waziristan had become a hub of terrorism where several terrorist networks were based and had been operating for a long time."

"Terrorists used to brainwash suicide bombers while recruiting them in North Waziristan."

Five killed during operation in Karachi's Landhi area

KARACHI: Five suspected militants were killed during an operation in Gulshan-i-Buner area of Karachi's Landhi area.

Security sources said that a police team conducted the raid after receiving a tip-off regarding the presence of hardened criminals in the vicinity.

The police team was fired upon once they entered the area.

At least five 'terrorists' were killed in retaliatory firing by security personnel, while police also claimed to have recovered a weapon factory, in addition to a large quantity of arms and ammunition.

Pakistan restrict Mohammed Irfan to ODIs and T20s

Karachi: Pakistan team management have decided to restrict tall paceman Mohammed Irfan to only ODIs and T20s, keeping in mind team's interest in the next year's World Cup.

Injury-prone Irfan was stopped from participating in any Ramazan tournament as coach Waqar Younis called him back to the national cricket academy to concentrate on fitness.

"Waqar, who himself has been a fast bowler, has made it clear to Irfan that he should just work on his fitness and training at the NCA till the next domestic season starts in September," a source close to Irfan told PTI.Irfan said that he had been told that the Pakistan management had prepared a proper schedule for him and he would only be playing in the one-dayers and T20 matches in future.

Bomb blast leaves police official injured in Peshawar

PESHAWAR: A police official was injured on Tuesday in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast on a police van near Pishtakhara police station in the Safed Dheri area of Peshawar.

According to police sources, personnel from the Pishtakhara police station were on routine patrol on the Dora Road when the roadside bomb exploded.

Constable Aijaz was injured whereas the police van was completely destroyed in the explosion.

SC upset by lack of food subsidies in Balochistan

ISLAMABAD: A Supreme Court bench was flabbergasted on Tuesday when it was told that no subsidy on food items has ever been extended to the neediest segments of Balochistan since the year 2009.

This is not all. Not a single fair price shop exists outside Quetta city to ensure the delivery of wheat flour or foodgrains at affordable prices to the poorest people of the province.

Pakistan reiterates NWA offensive will hit Haqqani network

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday reiterated that the ongoing Zarb-i-Azb military offensive, launched to eliminate insurgent hideouts in the North Waziristan tribal area, would target all militants, including the feared Haqqani network.

Briefing a delegation of foreign media reporters, DG Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Asim Bajwa insisted the current operation would target “terrorists of every hue and colour.”

Justice Nasirul Mulk to take oath as new CJ of Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Justice Nasirul Mulk was approved on Tuesday as the new Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP), DawnNews reported.

The appointment of Justice Mulk was approved by President Mamnoon Hussain. An official notification is still pending in this regard and is expected to be issued in a few days.

Judicial magistrate kidnapped? in Balochistan

QUETTA: Armed militants kidnapped Judicial Magistrate Ziarat Jam Saka Dashti from Pishin district of Balochistan on Monday, police said.A senior police officer who requested anonymity told Dawn.com that gunmen seized the vehicle of the judicial magistrate in Pishin district.

Qari Jalandhari in KSA to receive award

Qari Muhammad Hanif Jalandhari, the secretary general of the Wafaq ul Madaris Al-Arabia that runs at least 12,000 madrassahs in Pakistan has arrived in the Kingdom to receive award for producing the most huffaz of Qur'an in the world in the year 2013-2014

Jalandhari who is here at the invitation of the Muslim World League will receive the award from Abdullah Basfar, the secretary general, International Organization for Qur'an Memorization (IOQM), at its annual conference on July 27, which will be graced by the presence of the Makkah governor.

PML-N, PTI leaders want ‘change, not confrontation’

ISLAMABAD: Following the ultimatum issued by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan, both the government and the PTI are sticking to their guns. But behind the scenes, leaders from both sides are hoping for a solution through negotiations.

Bannu IDPs: “We only have water to break our fast”

BANNU: For half a million Pakistanis displaced by a military offensive, the prospect of fasting during the Muslim holy month of Ramazan amid severe food shortages has sharpened anger towards the government.

Emirates to seek damages over Qadri episode

LAHORE: The Emirates airline plans to file a suit over the damages caused to its reputation by the enforced diversion of its plane carrying Dr Tahirul Qadri on Monday.

Official sources told Dawn that the airline had told the Civil Aviation Authority that it had been upset by the diversion of its flight EK-612 Dubai-Islamabad to Lahore, causing a great deal of inconvenience to passengers on the plane and those waiting at the airport to fly to Dubai.

Pakistan needs to make hard choices now: Hillary

WASHINGTON: Former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton has said that Pakistan’s policy of seeking strategic depth in Afghanistan has been proven wrong and the country now needs to focus all its strength on dealing with the militants.

“Their idea, that they have these groups to provide strategic depth, as they like to say, vis-a-vis Afghanistan, or vis-a-vis India, I think if that were ever true, which I doubt, but if that were ever true, it no longer is,” she told Indian NDTV channel.

Nisar directs security agencies to secure twin cities

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan directed police and security agencies to gear up their resources to fully secure twin cities Rawalpindi-Islamabad and its residents in wake of the Zarb-i-Azb operation against militants in North Waziristan.