Latest news with #PakistanArmy
Express Tribune
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Two martyred, seven injured in bomb blast in Quetta
Listen to article Two people were killed and seven others injured in a bomb explosion in the Killi Mangal area of Quetta on Saturday evening. The blast – which occurred within the jurisdiction of Hanna police station – stirred up fear and panic in the administrative capital of Balochistan, the province which has been caught up in a spiral of violence for more than two decades now. It was immediately not clear who detonated the bomb and who was their target. Emergency response teams and law enforcers rushed to the site, threw a security cordon, and ferried the casualties to hospital. Police confirmed that they have registered the FIR, and efforts are underway to identify and apprehend the perpetrators. The casualties were driven to the Trauma Centre at Civil Hospital Quetta, where emergency measures were put place. Medics confirmed that they have received two dead bodies and seven injured persons, who are mostly in stable condition. A police official, while speaking on the condition of anonymity, told The Express Tribune that while the motives behind the blast remain unclear, preliminary investigation point to the possibility of terrorist activity. Soon after the bombing, security measures were further tightened in the provincial capital with the law enforcers launching a sweeping search operation. The bombing took place at a time when Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was in Quetta to visit the Command and Staff College, the premier military institution of Pakistan Army. The blast came a day after heavily armed terrorists launched a coordinated assault on a bank and the residences of senior government officers in Surab district of Balochistan. 'The attackers looted the bank and set fire to several official residences,' Shahid Rind, a spokesperson for the provincial government, said on Friday. Read More: Senior Balochistan official martyred in terrorist attack on Surab Bazaar Officials and witnesses stated that 20 to 30 terrorists of 'Fitna al Hindustan' entered the market of Surab city on motorcycles Friday evening and targeted soft civilian areas such as banks and markets. Ordinary Baloch women and children were also attacked in the market, they added. Spokesperson Rind also confirmed that Hidayatullah Buledi, the additional deputy commissioner (ADC) of Surab, was martyred while fighting the terrorists.
New Indian Express
9 hours ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
CPM MP John Brittas cites Salman Khurshid to highlight India's secular fabric, slams Pakistan army chief in Jakarta
Communist Party of India (Marxist) MP John Brittas delivered a strongly worded address in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Friday, where he criticized Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir for remarks allegedly suggesting fundamental differences between Hindus and Muslims. Speaking to the Indian diaspora as part of an all-party delegation, Brittas used the platform to underscore India's pluralistic and secular ethos. Referring to Munir's reported comments, Brittas asked: 'Can you ever vouch for that? And Salman Khurshid is here… We are all together. I am from Kerala… I am a Christian. In Kerala, we have three major religions. We coexist in harmony. That is the message of India.' Brittas highlighted Kerala's communal harmony as an example of India's inclusive character, contrasting it with Pakistan's record. He went on to reference a past interview with Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, in which Asif allegedly admitted that Pakistan had long supported and harbored terrorist organizations: 'Pakistan has been asking for evidence. Khawaja Asif, the defence minister of Pakistan, had said in an interview that they have been indulging in this dirty job of nurturing and harbouring terrorist organisations for three decades...' The remarks signal a pointed critique not just of General Munir, but also of Pakistan's long-standing policies, while simultaneously promoting India's image as a country rooted in religious harmony and democratic values.
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Business Standard
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
Asim Munir tightens grip, but that fifth star could spell trouble for India
What can a Pakistan Army chief do with a fifth star that he couldn't with four? What can a Pakistan Army chief, master of all he surveys, do as Field Marshal that he couldn't as a mere General? It's tempting to say, little more. This is just a bit more bling on his collar, cap, car, and, when he chooses, on his pulpit — a main battle tank. That must be the question also assailing his mind. He knows that he can't have this fifth star and do nothing more with it. Should India worry? The short answer is, India must always worry about the Pakistani army, and it does. Just that, there's this added concern and urgency with this bizarre promotion from within the 'system' — or maybe from outside it, depending on where you place Shehbaz Sharif in this arrangement. What will he do with his fifth star, only for the second time in Pakistan's and the subcontinent's history? (Our three five-stars, Cariappa, Manekshaw and Arjan Singh were handed ceremonial batons). It is a phenomenon so rare for modern militaries that today, the only example in a country of some consequence would be Egypt's Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Even the mighty Americans buried the exalted title with Marshall, MacArthur, Eisenhower and Bradley. He will surely want to do something with it. I might suggest taking a leaf out of Idi Amin's book and find some equivalent of his 'Conqueror of the British Empire.' But this isn't the time to be funny. Firing his civilian government and taking over power would be so boring in Pakistan. He doesn't need that. All our politico-strategic analysis of Pakistan should henceforth be focused on this one central point. How will Field Marshal Asim Munir be different from General Asim Munir? What the General could do, we saw indicated in his speech to overseas Pakistanis on April 16 and in what happened in Pahalgam on April 22. The one promise in that speech he's yet to fulfil is, making Pakistan 'a hard state.' Victory celebrations for propaganda apart, he knows his military has suffered a severe setback. Any yet unsubstantiated claims of downing Indian planes can please the population for a while. It is just that the pictures of the battered airbases — each one of them east of the Indus — and the big Jaish-Lashkar establishments reduced to rubble will endure. However much he thumps his chest, the additional jingle of that fifth star will not change those facts on the ground. He would want to do something soon to 'make amends'. In fact, he would need to. I would go so far as to wager that he will do something sooner than we might have imagined. In the past, in a phenomenon described earlier as the Pakistani Army's 'seven-year itch', each major terror attack and the Indian response bought us about seven years of deterrence and relative peace. We will not get that kind of time now, because Munir hasn't got it. When he will act, what he will do, we can wargame — but can't be sure. There's only one thing I can say with certainty. If you are looking at six or seven years, I can tell you for sure where Munir will be. Politics, culture, and history of Pakistan indicate that it won't be a good place. Before we get there, however, the awesome powers he amassed as a four-star deserve a look. He already had at his feet the civilian government he conjured to get 'elected.' Hear the fawning words, the body language, and see if there's anything prime ministerial about the younger Sharif brother in the presence of his 'sipahsalar' (commander-in-chief, as he was already addressing Munir before that fifth star). Cheerleader, court-jester, or a bit of both, take your pick. Munir has already been speaking on all key issues, including the promise of a trillion-dollar economy (currently $410 billion). He's locked up Imran Khan, the only leader to challenge the army's exalted power. This, after he banned his party from contesting. The fact that Munir's preferred parties (the coalition led by PML-N) couldn't even win this one-horse race didn't matter; he installed them nevertheless. The judiciary has caved in, especially as it conceded to the military courts the power to try civilians for some most serious offences, especially treason. He's already got his handmaiden Parliament, elected in an institutionally stolen election to rubber stamp amendments to mangle the Constitution and give himself an extended tenure. He's got it all sewn up. So, what's next? See it from where the field marshal sits. If he looks seven years ahead, he would dearly hope and pray that statutory warning on mutual fund advertising applies in his case: Past performance is not a guarantee of future performance. Because the past will tell him that every exalted army chief with political ambition has ended up badly: Disgraced in defeat, or exiled, prosecuted, even assassinated and, in some cases, three of the four. Ayub, Yahya, Zia, Musharraf, the four make a straight line. To stretch this, even Zulfikar Ali Bhutto became a dictator and shared the same fate. Munir's two predecessors, Qamar Javed Bajwa and Raheel Sharif were prudent in ultimately fading away, whatever power they exercised when in uniform. A Pakistani chief with the kind of power that Munir now has, no longer enjoys the luxury of thinking of retirement one day to play golf. That option out, Munir has the compulsion to do something with what the religious teacher in him might see as a god-given opportunity. I seem to be the chosen one, and if so, what is it that I was chosen to do? His rise is sui generis even for Pakistan. The country has given us a chief who the civilian government appointed defence and home minister simultaneously (Ayub), then made him the chief martial law administrator, and who, in turn, fired the same civilian government to become president and, soon after, anointed himself field marshal. We've seen Yahya, Zia and Musharraf as garden variety military rulers all meeting one of these ends. The last two also installed some kind of an elected government. This 'bonsai' phenomenon was Pakistan's unique contribution to political science. When the generals were not directly in power, they held it from outside. Again, that uniquely Pakistani phenomenon was called 'hybrid' government. How would you describe what we have now? A field marshal with a captive government and his only likely challenger in jail. More than three decades back, when Nawaz Sharif was dismissed by the military establishment, he had said to me defiantly in an interview: 'What kind of system is this, addha tittar, addha bater (half a partridge, half a quail).' When he returns with a majority next, he said, he would make sure there's clarity. Either they (the army) should rule, or us (elected civilians). I wonder how he would describe what he sees now, self-exiled from politics in his own country. How would you see this? An army chief elevated to field marshal, the most popular leader jailed for almost two years, and a farcically elected civilian government in power. Do you remember Duck-billed Platypus from your class five biology class — the unique Australian organism with characteristics of a mammal, bird and reptile used to make the case for evolution between species? I know you are laughing, but please don't. This isn't funny. This is what Field Marshal Munir is now presiding over. He cannot have it all and do nothing with it. That fifth star is as much of a burden as the fake claims of victory. India had better be prepared. Munir doesn't have another 5–7 years. He could be back at our throats soon, even within the next 12 months.
The Print
16 hours ago
- Politics
- The Print
Asim Munir just stole his 5th star & has nothing to show for it. It'll make him desperate, dangerous
He knows that he can't have this fifth star and do nothing more with it. Should India worry? It's tempting to say, little more. This is just a bit more bling on his collar, cap, car, and, when he chooses, on his pulpit—a main battle tank. That must be the question also assailing his mind. What can a Pakistan Army chief do with a fifth star that he couldn't with four? What can a Pakistan Army chief, master of all he surveys, do as field marshal that he couldn't as a mere General? The short answer is, India must always worry about the Pakistani army, and it does. Just that, there's this added concern and urgency with this bizarre promotion from within the 'system' or maybe from outside it, depending on where you place Shehbaz Sharif in this arrangement. What will he do with his fifth star, only for the second time in Pakistan's and the subcontinent's history? (Our three five-stars, Cariappa, Manekshaw and Arjan Singh were handed ceremonial batons). It is a phenomenon so rare for modern militaries that today, the only example in a country of some consequence would be Egypt's Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. Even the mighty Americans buried the exalted title with Marshall, MacArthur, Eisenhower and Bradley. He would surely want to do something with it. I might suggest taking a leaf out of Idi Amin's book and find some equivalent of his 'Conqueror of the British Empire'. But this isn't the time to be funny. Firing his civilian government and taking over power would be so boring in Pakistan. He doesn't need that. All our politico-strategic analysis of Pakistan should henceforth be focused on this one central point. How will Field Marshal Asim Munir be different from General Asim Munir? What the General could do, we saw indicated in his speech to overseas Pakistanis on 16 April and in what happened in Pahalgam on 22 April. The one promise in that speech he's yet to fulfil is, making Pakistan 'a hard state'. Victory celebrations for propaganda apart, he knows his military has suffered a severe setback. Any yet unsubstantiated claims of downing Indian planes can please the population for a while. It is just that the pictures of the battered airbases—each one of them east of the Indus—and the big Jaish-Lashkar establishments reduced to rubble will endure. However much he thumps his chest, the additional jingle of that fifth star will not change those facts on the ground. He would want to do something soon to 'make amends'. In fact, he would need to. I would go so far as to wager that he will do something sooner than we might have imagined. In the past, in a phenomenon described earlier as the Pakistani army's 'seven-year itch', each major terror attack and the Indian response bought us about seven years of deterrence and relative peace. We will not get that kind of time now, because Munir Munir hasn't got it. When he will act, what he will do, we can wargame but can't be sure. There's only one thing I can say with certainty. If you are looking at six or seven years, I can tell you for sure where Munir will be. Politics, culture, and history of Pakistan indicate that it won't be a good place. Also Read: What is Asim Munir thinking? Before we get there, however, the awesome powers he amassed as a four-star deserve a look. He already had at his feet the civilian government he conjured to get 'elected'. Hear the fawning words, the body language and see if there's anything prime ministerial about the younger Sharif brother in the presence of his 'sipahsalar' (commander-in-chief, as he was already addressing Munir before that fifth star). Cheerleader, court-jester, or a bit of both, take your pick. Munir has been speaking on all key issues already, including the promise of a trillion-dollar economy (currently $410 billion). He's locked up Imran Khan, the only leader to challenge the army's exalted power. This, after he banned his party from contesting. The fact that Munir's preferred parties (the coalition led by PML-N) couldn't even win this one-horse race didn't matter. He installed them nevertheless. The judiciary has caved in, especially as it conceded to the military courts the power to try civilians for some most serious offences, especially treason. He's already got his handmaiden parliament, elected in an institutionally stolen election to rubber stamp amendments to mangle the Constitution and give himself an extended tenure. There are some collateral benefits for the judges too. He's got it all sewn up. So, what's next? See it from where the field marshal sits. If he looks seven years ahead, he would dearly hope and pray that statutory warning on mutual fund advertising applies in his case: past performance is not a guarantee of future performance. Because the past will tell him that every exalted army chief with political ambition has ended up badly: disgraced in defeat, prosecuted, exiled, even assassinated and in some cases three out of four. Ayub, Yahya, Zia, Musharraf, the four make a straight line. To stretch this, even Zulfikar Ali Bhutto became a dictator and shared the same fate. Munir's two predecessors, Qamar Javed Bajwa and Raheel Sharif were prudent in ultimately fading away, whatever power they exercised when in uniform. A Pakistani chief with the kind of power that Munir now has, no longer enjoys the luxury of thinking of retirement one day to play golf. That option out, Munir has the compulsion to do something with what the religious teacher in him might see as a god-given opportunity. I seem to be the chosen one, and if so, what is it that I was chosen to do? Also Read: Islam doesn't kill democracy. The army-Islam combo does His rise is sui generis even for Pakistan. The country has given us a chief who the civilian government appointed defence and home minister simultaneously (Ayub), later the chief martial law administrator and who in turn fired the same civilian government to become president and, soon after, anointed himself field marshal. We've seen Yahya, Zia and Musharraf as garden variety military rulers all meeting one of these ends. The last two also installed some kind of elected governments. This 'bonsai' phenomenon was Pakistan's unique contribution to political science. When the generals were not directly in power, they held it from outside. Again, that uniquely Pakistani phenomenon was called 'hybrid' government. How would you describe what we have now? A field marshal with a captive government and his only likely challenger in jail. More than three decades back (India Today, 15 May, 1993) when Nawaz Sharif was dismissed by the military establishment he had said to me defiantly in an interview: 'What kind of system is this, addha tittar, addha bater (half a partridge, half a quail)'. When he returns with a majority next, he said, he would make sure there's clarity. Either they (the army) should rule, or us (elected civilians). I wonder how he would describe what he sees now, self-exiled from politics in his own country. How would you see this? An army chief elevated to field marshal, most popular leader jailed for almost two years, a farcically elected civilian government. Do you remember duck-billed platypus from your Class 5 biology class: the unique Australian organism with characteristics of a mammal, bird and reptile used to make the case for evolution between species? I know you are laughing, but please don't. This isn't funny. This is what Field Marshal Munir is now presiding over. He cannot have it all and do nothing with it. That fifth star is as much of a burden as fake claims of victory. India had better be prepared. Munir hasn't got another 5-7 years. He could be back at our throats soon, even within the next 12 months. Also Read: Lesson from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan: if you have no patience, you don't deserve democracy
Hindustan Times
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
In Indonesia, CPI(M) MP cites Salman Khurshid to counter Asim Munir's ‘Hindus and Muslims are different' remark
CPI(M) MP John Brittas took a sharp aim at Pakistan Army chief general Asim Munir during an interaction with the Indian community in Jakarta on Friday. Brittas questioned Asim Munir's claim that Hindus and Muslims are inherently different in a way that justifies division or conflict. 'Asim Munir said something about Hindus and Muslims are different. Can you ever vouch for that?' Brittas asked, challenging the idea head-on. Standing alongside senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid, Brittas pointed to India's diversity as its strength. 'Salman Khurshid is here. We are all together. I am from Kerala... I am a Christian. In Kerala, we have three major religions. We coexist in harmony. That is the message of India,' he said. John Brittas added that such a statement does not reflect the reality of India, where people from different religions, including Hindus, Muslims and Christians, live together peacefully. The MP didn't hold back when speaking about terrorism and India-Pakistan relations. 'Khwaja Asif... said that they have been indulging in this dirty job of nurturing and harbouring terrorist organisations for three decades. We don't require any more evidence. It's for all of us to see who is nurturing and harbouring terrorism,' Brittas added. He was referring to an April 25 interview with Sky News, in which Asif appeared to admit Pakistan's role in supporting terrorism while also accusing Western countries of conveniently targeting Pakistan. Brittas went on to highlight New Delhi's long-standing efforts for peace despite repeated provocations. 'India wants peace... The Indus Waters Treaty gave 80% of the water to Pakistan. We had been cooperative with them... Still, Pakistan continued with the trajectory of sending across terrorists," he said. "That's why India decided that enough is enough. We want peace, but it shouldn't be at the cost of our precious lives,' the CPI (M) MP added. He also underlined the contrast between India and Pakistan, saying, 'Pakistan is a theocratic state... They chose to be a nation in the name of a religion, and they are triggered by hate. India decided on its path. Two hundred million Muslims are in India, the second-largest Muslim community after Indonesia. This reflects the real character of India,' he said. He pointed out the diversity within the Indian delegation as a reflection of India's democratic values. 'The unique nature of this delegation is that out of five political parties, three are against the ruling party, but we are here together for a mission. This represents the real culture of India,' he said. Brittas was part of an all-party delegation visiting Indonesia as part of a broader diplomatic tour of Southeast and East Asia to deliver India's side to the world in the wake of Pahalgam terror attack. The group is visiting Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, Japan, and Singapore. The delegation is led by JD(U) MP Sanjay Kumar Jha and includes members from the BJP, Congress, CPI(M), and Trinamool Congress, such as Aparajita Sarangi, Abhishek Banerjee, Brij Lal, Pradan Baruah, Hemang Joshi, Salman Khurshid, and Mohan Kumar.
