Friday, 16 October, 2020 I 27 Safar, 1442 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XI No 107 I 12 Pages I Lahore Edition
20 security personnel martyred in two terrorist attacks Opp gets conditional permission to hold Gujranwala rally LAHORE
t nEws dEsk
2
0 security personnel were martyred in two terrorist attacks in southwestern Pakistan and North Waziristan on Thursday. In the first incident, a convoy for the Oil & Gas Development Company Ltd (OGDCL) was attacked by a militant group on the Makran Coastal highway. According to the reports, the militants opened fire, resulting in the death of at least 14 people, including seven soldiers of Frontier Corps (FC) Balochistan and seven security guards that were guarding the convoy. The vehicles were travelling to Karachi from the port town of Gwadar when they were ambushed near the small town of Ormara, about 250km west of their destination. So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the area has been cordoned to aid the investigation. “Such cowardly acts by inimical elements to sabotage peace, stability and economic development in Balochistan shall never be allowed to succeed,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in
a statement. “These acts can not subdue [the] resolve of our forces which are determined to defend [the] motherland, even at the cost of their lives.” Subedar Abid hussain, Naik Muhammad Anwar, Lance Naik Iftikhar Ahmed, Sepoy Muhammad Naveed, Lance Naik Abdul Latif, Sepoy Muhammad Waris and Sepoy Imran Khan were identified as the martyred FC soldiers. Additionally, the guards who lost their lives during the attack were identified as havaldar (retired) Samandar Khan, Muhammad Fawadullah, Attaullah, Waris Khan, Abdul Nafay, Shakirullah and Abid hussain. The bodies of those killed were shifted to a nearby naval base, reports said. It is pertinent to mention here that the incident was similar to previous assaults by armed ethnic Baloch separatist groups on convoys on the same stretch of highway. Prime Minister Imran Khan condemned the attack on OGDCL and extended his condolences to the families of the victims, reported Radio Pakistan. Furthermore, Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan Alyani said in a tweet that this was “a clear sign the enemy does not
coronavirus in
pakistan
want Balochistan and its people to prosper”. Separately, another six personnel were killed in a bomb attack near Razmak area of North Waziristan. The attacked used an improvised explosive device (IeD) and resulted in the deaths of one officer and five soldiers, the military’s media wing said. The ISPR said that Captain Umar Farooq, 24 years; Naib Subedar Riaz Ahmed, 37; Naib Subedar Shakeel Azad, 44; havaldar Younas Khan, 36; Naik Muhammad Nadeem, 37; and Lance Naik Asmat Ullah, 30, were martyred in the attack. The number of clashes between the army and terrorists has increased as of late. Security forces have killed several suspected hardcore terrorists in recent clashes. Violence in the northwestern districts of North Waziristan and South Waziristan, once home to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), has been on the rise this year, with a series of gun attacks and bombings targeting security forces. The area was once virtually ruled by the TTP but a large scale Pakistani military operation launched in 2014 killed thousands of fighters and displaced the TTP’s leadership.
staff report
he Punjab government has granted conditional permission to the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), the anti-government alliance of the 11 opposition parties, for the holding of a rally in Gujranwala. A notification issued by the office of Gujranwala deputy dommissioner on Thursday listed terms and conditions that participants would have to follow. According to the list, no participant would be allowed to enter the site of the rally without a mask and everyone would be seated at a distance of three to six feet from each other. The directive comes a day after Punjab police booked some 400 activists and workers of the opposition parties, mainly the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), in different parts of the province for flouting the coronavirus guidelines. In its response, the PML-N claimed the government made the move to “sabotage the rally”. The notification further states that police can check any vehicle parked at the rally for security purposes. “The organisers will ensure discipline at the venue and cooperate with law enforcement agencies for
Former spy chief denies asking for Sharif’s resignation during 2014 sit-in
CONFIRMED CASES:
321,218
the maintenance of public order.” The notification also said no person belonging to a proscribed organisation, or who has been convicted, would be allowed to participate in the rally or address the public. The decision to hold the rally in Gujranwala was taken last week. The PDM had initially planned to begin its movement from Quetta. however, last Monday, it announced to formally launch its campaign from Punjab. It later emerged that deposed prime minister and PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif will also address the rally from his residence in London where has been staying since November last year on the pretext of medical treatment. The news was confirmed by PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz Sharif today through a tweet. “@NawazSharifMNS will address Gujranwala jalsa, Insha’Allah! Arrangements being made. What a moment it would be!” she tweeted. The government has also strictly prohibited “anti-state/objectionable/offensive slogans” at the event in addition to speeches against constitutional offices, armed forces and judiciary.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 03
more inside
Uptick in positivity rate 'unmistakable sign' of second wave, says minister STORY ON PAGE 02
India's aggressive posture threatens world peace: UN envoy
LAST UPDATED AT 6:49 AM ON OCTOBER 14, 2020
DAY'S DEATH TOLL:
13
RECOVERED:
NEW CASES:
756
DEATHS:
305,395 6,614 SINDH:
PUNJAB:
140,997
101,237
KP:
BALOCHISTAN:
AJK/GB:
ISLAMABAD:
38,464
15,599
3,258/3,982 17,681
STORY ON PAGE 03 IsLAmAbAd staff report
Former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lt Gen (r) Zaheerul Islam has clarified he never asked for the resignation of former premier and Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N) supreme leader Nawaz Sharif in 2014. “I never sent anyone to convey any such message to [Nawaz], this is absolutely wrong,” he said while speaking to a newspaper. Instead, Islam insisted that at every stage of the 2014 sit-in, he had advised the PML-N government to engage politically
with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) to end the protest. Islam, however, was reluctant to talk further on the subject, according to the report. The former spy chief’s comments come days after Nawaz claimed that during his last stint as premier, at a time when PTI Chairman Imran Khan was leading the prolonged 2014 Islamabad sit-in, the former ISI chief conveyed a message in the middle of the night, asking for Sharif’s resignation or else the consequences could include a martial law imposed in the country.
“I was told to step down and go home. I said whatever you want to do, do it […] I will not resign [from the office of the prime minister],” Sharif said, referring to Islam’s alleged message, during his September 30 virtual address to his party. Mocking Sharif’s claim, Prime Minister Imran, in an interview with a local news outlet, said, “You were the prime minister, [how] does he have the courage to say that to you?” “If someone tells that to me, I will demand his resignation. I am the democratically elected prime minister; who can dare tell me to step down?”
Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire marred by aid delay, accusations of new attacks STORY ON BACK PAGE
China ‘preparing for war’: President Xi tells troops to maintain state of high alert STORY ON BACK PAGE