Latest news with #KhawajaMuhammadAsif
Mint
3 days ago
- Politics
- Mint
Were any Indian soldiers harmed in Operation Sindoor? Here's what government said
Rajnath Singh, while addressing the Opposition's questions in the Parliament about Operation Sindoor, said that no Indian Army soldiers were harmed during the joint military action. 'Were any of our brave soldiers harmed in this operation? The answer is, no, none of our soldiers were harmed...' the Defence Minister said, addressing the Operation Sindoor debate on Monday. Regarding the Opposition's questions about how many Indian aircraft had been downed during India's retaliatory attack, Rajnath Singh said those queries do 'not adequately represent our (India's) national sentiments.' In May, following Operation Sindoor, Pakistan had claimed it shot down 3 Rafale Planes, 1 SU-30, 1 MIG-29 flown by India. Operation Sindoor was India's biggest, first joint military move against Pakistan since the Indo-Pakistani war of 1971. The joint military action was launched on May 7, in retaliation to the lethal Pahalgam terror attack in April 2025 that killed as many as 26 civilians. Following Operation Sindoor, Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif had said his country's military shot down five Indian jets and took an unknown number of Indian soldiers prisoner, Bloomberg reported. Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump – while claiming that he brokered the 'ceasefire' between India and Pakistan during the conflict – also claimed that five aircraft had been downed, without mentioning explicitly if the jets belonged to India or Pakistan. (This is a developing story. Keep checking for more updates)
News18
4 days ago
- Politics
- News18
India Planning To Ground Rafale Fighter Jets? PIB Fact-Checks Misleading Claim
Last Updated: The Press Information Bureau debunked claims by Pakistani YouTube channelthat India plans to ground Rafale jets. The IAF Rafale jets are fully operational. A Pakistani propaganda YouTube channel 'Global Times Pakistan' falsely claimed that India is planning to ground rafale jets following May's four-day conflict during Operation Sindoor, as per a fact-check issued by the Press Information Bureau (PIB). The PIB Fact Check unit debunked the claim as fake and said that Indian Air Force's Rafale fighter jets are fully operational. The PIB highlighted that a Pakistani propaganda YouTube channel in its banner over a video has claimed that India plans to ground rafale jets. 'Is India planning to ground Rafale fighter jets? A Pakistani propaganda YouTube channel 'Global Times Pakistan' in its banner over a video has claimed that India plans to ground rafale jets. The claim made is Fake. Indian Air Force Rafale are operational," the PIB said in an X post. India is actively expanding its Rafale programme, not scaling it down. According to a recent update from PIB, the Indian government has finalised the procurement of 26 Rafale-M (Marine) aircraft for the Indian Navy in a deal estimated to be worth Rs 63,000 crore, in addition to the 36 Rafale jets already in service with the Indian Air Force. Four days of India-Pakistan clashes in May were the most serious confrontation in years between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, and included air combat that involved dozens of aircraft from both sides. Following India's launch of retaliatory strikes in response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Pakistan attempted to play down the offensive by alleging it had shot down three Indian Rafale jets, along with one Su-30 and one MiG-29. According to reports, Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif claimed that five Indian aircraft were brought down and that several Indian soldiers had been taken prisoner, though he did not specify a number. However, the false propaganda of the neighbouring country was debunked by New Delhi. view comments Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Al Jazeera
16-07-2025
- Business
- Al Jazeera
UK lifts restrictions on Pakistan airlines after five-year ban
Britain has lifted a five-year ban on Pakistani airlines, allowing them to apply to resume flights to and from the United Kingdom as Pakistan steps up efforts to privatise its beleaguered national carrier, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA). The UK Air Safety Committee decided to lift the ban after aviation safety improvements in Pakistan, the British High Commission in Islamabad said on Wednesday, adding that decisions on delisting states and air carriers were made 'through an independent aviation safety process'. 'Based on this independent and technically-driven process, it has decided to remove Pakistan and its air carriers from the [UK Air Safety] List,' the high commission said in a statement. The move comes after the European Union Aviation Safety Agency lifted a four-year ban on PIA, and the Pakistani state-owned carrier resumed flights to Europe in January. Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said at a news conference on Wednesday that resuming all routes would improve PIA's value ahead of its privatisation and there were plans to restart flights to New York. Asif also said he attributed the ban to what he described as 'baseless' remarks made by former Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan. He blamed Khan's false statements and mismanagement during his tenure as aviation minister for the ban. 'It was a national-level blunder,' Asif said. PIA was barred from flying to the UK in June 2020, a month after one of its aircraft plunged into a Karachi street, killing 97 people. The disaster was attributed to human error by the pilots and air traffic control and was followed by allegations that nearly a third of the licences for its pilots were fake or dubious. Pakistan launched an investigation to examine these claims. While several private Pakistani airlines operate domestically and on regional routes, primarily to the Middle East, PIA has historically been the only carrier to operate long-haul flights to Britain and the EU. PIA, which employs 7,000 people, has long been accused of being bloated and poorly run – hobbled by unpaid bills, a poor safety record and regulatory issues. PIA had previously estimated an annual revenue loss of about 40 billion rupees ($144m) due to the ban. The airline has long considered UK routes, including London, Manchester and Birmingham, among its most profitable and holds sought-after landing slots at London's Heathrow Airport that could become active again. Pakistan's government has said it is committed to privatising the debt-ridden airline and has been scrambling to find a buyer. It is hoping that recent reforms that led to the airline's first operating profit in 21 years, will help attract buyers under a broader International Monetary Fund-backed privatisation push. In 2024, a deal fell through after a potential buyer reportedly offered a fraction of the asking price. This month, Pakistan approved four groups to bid for a 51 to 100 percent stake in PIA. Final bids are expected later this year. PIA was established in 1955 when the government nationalised a loss-making commercial airline. It enjoyed rapid growth until the 1990s.
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Business Standard
16-07-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
UK lifts 5-year ban on Pak's national carrier PIA ahead of privatisation
The United Kingdom on Wednesday lifted a five-year ban on Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), permitting it to seek approval to restart flight operations. The lifting of the restrictions comes at a time when Islamabad is ramping up efforts to privatise its national carrier, Reuters reported. PIA was banned in June 2020 after one of its aircraft crashed into a Karachi street, killing nearly 100 people. The ban came a month after the crash, as Pakistani authorities launched an investigation into pilot licence irregularities. The British High Commission said the restrictions were lifted following safety improvements by Pakistani authorities. The European Union had earlier lifted a similar four-year ban on PIA in November 2024. Resumption of UK flights in pipeline A PIA spokesperson told Reuters the airline is in the final stages of preparing to restart its UK operations and has submitted a proposal for the flight schedule. Initially, flights are expected to resume on the Islamabad–Manchester route with three services per week, subject to approval. Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said resuming flights would enhance PIA's valuation ahead of its proposed privatisation. He added that authorities are also planning to resume flights to New York. Privatisation plans gain momentum According to a PTI report, the Pakistani government has accelerated plans to privatise the debt-ridden national carrier by the end of 2025. A previous deal fell through when a potential buyer reportedly offered far below the asking price. The Express Tribune reported that the Privatisation Commission board has approved four domestic bidders, three linked to the cement industry. In 2023, over 7,000 employees reportedly did not receive their November salaries, reflecting the carrier's worsening financial state. PIA continues to battle criticism over inefficiency, mounting debts, and safety lapses.
West Australian
16-07-2025
- Business
- West Australian
UK lifts ban on Pakistani airlines after five years
Britain has lifted a five-year ban on Pakistani airlines, allowing them to apply to resume UK flights just as Islamabad steps up efforts to privatise its national carrier, Pakistan International Airlines. The ban was imposed in 2020, days after Pakistan launched an investigation into the validity of pilot licences issued in the country following a PIA plane crash that killed 97 people. The British High Commission said on Wednesday the lifting of the ban followed safety improvements by Pakistani authorities. The decision comes just months after the European Union took similar steps. While several private Pakistani airlines operate domestically and on regional routes, primarily to the Middle East, PIA has historically been the only carrier to operate long-haul flights to Britain and the European Union. PIA had previously estimated an annual revenue loss of about 40 billion rupees ($A216 million) due to the ban. The airline has long considered UK routes, including London, Manchester, and Birmingham, among its most profitable, and holds sought-after landing slots at London's Heathrow Airport that could become active again. PIA's spokesperson said the airline was finalising preparations to resume UK flights "in the shortest possible time" and had submitted its proposed schedule. Flights would resume with the Islamabad-Manchester route, with three weekly flights planned initially pending schedule approval, the spokesperson added. Earlier in July, Pakistan approved four groups to bid for a 51 per cent to 100 per cent stake in PIA. Final bids are expected later in 2025. The government is hoping that recent reforms, which led to the airline's first operating profit in 21 years - will help attract buyers under a broader IMF-backed privatisation push. Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif told a media conference on Wednesday that the resumption of all routes would improve PIA's value before the privatisation. He also said there were plans to restart flights to New York.
