Latest news with #PakistanRangers
Hindustan Times
05-08-2025
- Hindustan Times
Pakistan violates ceasefire in J&K's Poonch sector, Indian Army responds
Pakistan on Tuesday violated ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, indulging in unprovoked firing in Poonch sector, official sources said. File photo: Security personnel conducting a search operation in Poonch(PTI) Indian Army retaliated to Pakistan ceasefire violation, with the firing exchange having continued for 15 minutes, the above-mentioned sources said, adding that there were no report of any casualty. More details are awaited. This marks the first ceasefire violation since Operation Sindoor was launched by the Indian armed forces on May 7. The previous breach of ceasefire happened in May amid military conflict between India and Pakistan. Pakistan Rangers initiated unprovoked firing on Border Security Force (BSF) posts on May 9 along the International Border in the Jammu sector late Friday night. The May 10 incident prompted a swift and firm response from the BSF, India's border guarding force mandated to guard the 3,323 km India-Pakistan border. In a statement, the BSF's Jammu division had confirmed that Indian forces responded in a "commensurate manner", causing significant damage to Pakistani posts and assets across the border. "On 09 May 2025, from about 2100 hrs, Pakistan opened fire on BSF posts in the Jammu sector without any provocation. BSF is responding in commensurate manner causing widespread damage to posts and assets of Pakistan Rangers along the International Boundary. Our resolve to protect India's sovereignty is unshaken," BSF said in a statement.
Express Tribune
04-08-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
US diplomat eulogises Iqbal's visionary role
Homage: US Consul General Stetson Sanders writes his remarks in the visitors' book at Allama Iqbal's mausoleum. The diplomat also visited Badshahi Mosque. photo: app United States Consul General to Lahore Stetson Sanders visited the mausoleum of Poet of the East Allama Dr Muhammad Iqbal and laid a wreath on Monday after assuming charge. The diplomat observed silence for a minute at the mausoleum. Recording his impression in the Visitor's Book, Sanders paid rich tribute to Allama Iqbal for his visionary leadership as a philosopher, poet and politician. He wrote that Dr Iqbal's vision was central to the renaissance of the Muslims in the subcontinent. "Iqbal's poetry was a beacon for generations to come," he added. A contingent of the Pakistan Rangers escorted the guest to the mausoleum. Later, the US consul general visited the Badshahi Mosque. He was welcomed by the Khateeb, Syed Muhammad Abdul Khabeer Azad, and shown round the mosque. Sanders showed keen interest in the architecture of the imperial mosque and praised the architectural heritage and artwork. He was also briefed about the history of the mosque.
Hindustan Times
03-08-2025
- Hindustan Times
Punjab farmer who strayed across border gets 1-month jail in Pakistan
Amritpal Singh, a 23-year-old farmer from Punjab's Fazilka district, who had unintentionally crossed the India-Pakistan border in June, has been sentenced to one-month jail by a Pakistan court. In case of non-payment, Amritpal, a resident of Khairkay village in Fazilka's Jalalabad region, will have to undergo an additional 15 days in custody. He is currently incarcerated in a prison near Islamabad. The July 28 order (copy with HT), issued by magistrate Nasar Mehmood Gondal of Section-30 court in Chunian, also includes a fine of ₹50,000 under Sections 4 of the Pakistan Control of Entry Act and Section 14 of the Foreigners Act. In case of non-payment, Amritpal, a resident of Khairkay village in Fazilka's Jalalabad region, will have to undergo an additional 15 days in custody. He is currently incarcerated in a prison near Islamabad. Amritpal, the only son of his elderly parents and father to a four-month-old infant, went missing on June 21 while working in his fields near the India-Pakistan border. His father, Jagraj Singh, reported the incident after Amritpal failed to return. Investigations later confirmed, through footprints and other evidence, that he had inadvertently crossed over into Pakistan while tending to his farmland. Initially, Pakistani authorities denied detaining anyone matching his identity. However, after pressure from Indian authorities and family appeals, it was confirmed that Amritpal was in custody. He was later produced before a court in Kasur district and sentenced after admitting guilt. Three flag meetings between the Border Security Force (BSF) and Pakistan Rangers have since taken place for Amritpal's early release and repatriation. In a formal deportation order, dated July 29, the Pakistani magistrate directed the ministry of interior to make necessary arrangements for Amritpal's deportation after completion of his sentence. The family, distressed but relieved at the clarity on his whereabouts, now waits anxiously for his return. 'We just want our son back home safely,' said his father, expressing hope for an early resolution.
Mint
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Mint
The fiercest border fight: High kicks, mustache twirling and very long flagpoles
For India and Pakistan, size really does matter. At least when it comes to flagpoles. For years, the rival nations have indulged in elaborate, and competing, flag-lowering ceremonies at a border crossing called Wagah. Every day at sunset, paramilitary soldiers on both sides show off their patriotic fervor with energetic high kicks and foot stomping, while crowds cheer and chant slogans from opposing stadiums that directly face each other across the border fence. The ritual has fueled an escalating game of one-upmanship, which has only ratcheted up since May, when the two nuclear-armed neighbors clashed in a four-day conflict that tipped dangerously close to full-blown war. 'We cannot be seen any lesser than the Pakistan side—in height, in bearing," said Himanshu Yadav, assistant commandant in India's Border Security Force posted at the Wagah border. 'This is why very fine men get sent here." Tensions ran high even after a cease-fire deal. For a few days after peace resumed, some Indian soldiers broke long-established parade protocols by waving their fists repeatedly toward the Pakistani side and hurling insults, said Lt. Col. Azam Shah, commander of the Pakistan Rangers at the Wagah border. They 'would abuse [a Ranger] and say, 'you are a banana' or anything like that," Shah said. The calm returned, he said, after the two sides held a formal meeting on proper decorum. Commandant Vishal Singh, leader of border forces on the Indian side, denied any knowledge of the matter. Any challenges issued by India, he said, came down to feats of athleticism, not politics. 'It's always competitive when you lift your legs—who can lift much higher?" Singh added. Over the decades, the two countries have sunk millions of dollars—and a lot of sweat and torn ligaments—into turbocharging the razzle-dazzle with glossier production values, fancier venues and bigger crowds. The coveted title of tallest flagpole has bounced back-and-forth. In 2017, India installed a 360-foot pole, which was overshadowed just a few months later when Pakistan erected a 400-foot version. Six years later, India regained the top spot with a 418-foot pole. 'It is a golden day of my life," India's transportation minister told local media at the inauguration ceremony. Not to be outdone, Pakistan is constructing a new stadium modeled after a historic gate built during the Mughal era. The $11 million project, slated to wrap up next month, will triple seating capacity to 25,000, entertain tourists with a state-of-the-art museum and cocoon guests in comfy green rooms. The existing flagpole will be extended to 450 feet. The Wagah border, located between Amritsar, India, and Lahore, Pakistan, has been the main land crossing since Partition in 1947, when Britain ended its colonial rule and divided British India into India and Pakistan. The origins of the nightly ceremonies date to independence. Armed forces on both sides of what was once a single Punjab province, known for farming and for its burly inhabitants' martial prowess, carried out simple flag-lowering rituals at the village of Wagah, now split in two. In the 1970s, the two countries began to coordinate their drills in a spirit of friendship following the 1971 India-Pakistan war. Things quickly became competitive. Efforts have been made over the years to tone down the aggression. In 2010, the nations agreed that their guards would shake hands for longer, and would smile instead of scowl. But the guidelines have sometimes been ignored when the icy relationship turned hot. On a recent evening, while construction workers scurried around Pakistan's new stadium, a few hundred people sat in the stands chanting 'Hail Pakistan!" and 'Allah is great!" Their cheers were drowned out by thousands of spectators in India, shouting 'Long Live India" and singing along to Bollywood songs extolling the virtue of patriotism. Divya Gupta, a 51-year-old homemaker from New Delhi, insisted that a reunion trip with childhood friends included a stop at the border to pay respect to India's protectors. Guidelines require the soldiers to shake hands and to smile at one another. But aggression dominates most of the ritual: Soldiers pump their fists in the air, defiantly bulge their eyes and aggressively twirl their mustaches. 'Especially after everything India and Pakistan went through, our patriotism levels just goes higher," said Gupta, wiping tears from her eyes. Two female soldiers from each side—one in khaki uniforms, the other sporting black hijabs—started off the parades. Men followed, kicking their legs skyward and stomping their feet. At the border gates, which have remained closed since the conflict, Indian soldiers flexed their biceps toward Pakistani soldiers, who mirrored the gesture. A phalanx of soldiers later pumped their fists in the air, bulged their eyes defiantly and aggressively twirled their mustaches. Occasionally, one stopped to adjust a turban topped with a peacock-like plume. Both countries agree on the basic qualities necessary for a stellar performer: tall, athletic and preferably mustachioed. Big mustaches are encouraged and, for Pakistan Rangers, required. Shah, the commander of the Pakistan Rangers at the Wagah border, is 6-feet tall, and said his height is the minimum for a parade soldier. Male soldiers are also required to grow a mustache. As an incentive, they are allotted a special allowance to buy oils and ointments to maintain tiptop follicle health. A staff barber trims their hair for free. 'My men have some really thick mustaches," Shah said. 'It makes a person more dominating. It adds masculinity to any male." India strongly encourages facial hair but doesn't mandate it. Nor does it require all men to exceed 6 feet, though only a handful of soldiers fall below that threshold. 'The bigger the better," Singh said. 'It looks good." Write to Shan Li at
Economic Times
19-07-2025
- Business
- Economic Times
Pakistan: Billions wasted on joggers, ice, socks as audit lifts financial irregularities in law enforcement purchases
A recent audit reveals financial irregularities within Pakistan's law enforcement. Agencies under the Interior Ministry misused billions of rupees. The audit highlights non-transparent tenders and advance payments for undelivered goods. Contracts were awarded to non-compliant firms. There were unauthorized contract extensions and excessive purchases. The report points to a disregard for procurement rules. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Islamabad: Billions of rupees have been spent by Pakistan's civil law enforcement agencies under the country's Interior Ministry during the 2023-24 fiscal year on items ranging from jogger shoes and warm trousers to advance payments for undelivered boats and excessive ice purchases--often without adhering to fundamental procurement rules, The News International reported on to The News International, an audit report has revealed a recurring pattern of irregular expenditures, favouritism toward certain suppliers, and serious breaches of financial regulations in such audit, which covers multiple departments including the Pakistan Rangers , Frontier Corps, and Pakistan Coast Guards, reveals gross misuse of public funds, with issues ranging from non-transparent tender processes and advance payments without delivery to repeated contract renewals and unjustified purchasing instance, Punjab Rangers awarded contracts worth PKR 43 million for woollen socks and half-sleeve vests to companies that failed to meet required standards, The News International reported. Despite this, the technical committee declared the bids "responsive" instead of rejecting auditors described this as "undue favour" and called for an investigation, recommending accountability measures, including for an Interior Ministry official a PKR 45 million contract for joggers was awarded to a company that violated procurement policies, prompting a recommendation for a fact-finding inquiry into how the non-compliant firm secured the contract, as reported by The News strikingly, the Pakistan Coast Guard paid PKR 560 million upfront to a private company for boats that were not delivered within the four-month deadline, which ended on July 23, 2024. This advance payment was unauthorised and contravened the tender to The News International, as of January 2025, the boats remained undelivered, leading to instructions to impose food supplies also came under scrutiny. The Inspector General of Frontier Corps of KP (North) spent PKR 7.8 billion on meat, milk, chicken, and cooking oil during 2023-24 without fresh contracts, merely extending previous agreements with rate increases, The News International reported. This practice violated procurement norms and lacked illegal contract extensions amounting to PKR 2.3 billion were found for vegetables, fruits, firewood, carriage, and animal irregularities continued with the FC South DI Khan office making PKR 297 million in advance payments for items such as joggers, vests, socks, and warm trousers--many of which were delayed in delivery. Auditors suspect payments were rushed to avoid budget expiry despite no goods being the IGFC (South) procured 20,847 pairs of joggers worth PKR 61 million through advance payments without meeting technical standards--a repeated offence from the previous year involving PKR 46 million, The News International reported. The audit emphasised that this repeated irregularity is deeply a surprising finding, IGFC South spent PKR 43 million on ice purchases, far exceeding actual needs and without justification. Similarly, Rangers Sindh awarded contracts worth PKR 73 million for uniforms without conducting laboratory tests on the materials, raising doubts about the quality and report also highlighted the unauthorised hiring of a private bank by Commandant, Chiltan Rifles, FC North, to disburse pay and allowances totalling PKR 1.8 billion, done without required approvals or a competitive process, The News International individual expenses on socks, ice, and vests may seem small, collectively, these irregularities represent billions of dollars in public funds, pointing to a troubling culture of impunity and disregard for procurement rules in law enforcement agencies.
