Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said Tuesday that India’s footprints are seen in all terror activities carried out in Pakistan and New Delhi’s activities have gone “beyond that of an enemy state” just to hide its atrocities in occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

“India, through some way or the other, woos the international community and then engages in terrorist activities in Pakistan and we have clear evidence of it,” the minister said during a press conference alongside Additional Inspector-General Counter-Terrorism Department Punjab Imran Mehmood.

Today, the senior police officer will brief you on a terrorism incident that Pakistan has decided to present before the international community and expose India’s “nefarious” agenda.

“This incident took place some time back and we have caught all the culprits related to this. India has to some extent accepted the responsibility for it,” he said.

Johar Town blast

In his briefing, AIG CTD Mehmood said the incident took place in Lahore’s Johar Town at 11:09am on June 23, 2021.

As much as 200 kilogrammes of explosive materials were used in the blast and a car was used in it. The explosion resulted in the death of three people and injured 22 — including two police officers.

“To date, no terrorist organisation has claimed the responsibility for this attack. Since this was a residential area, cars and homes were severely damaged,” the senior police official said.

As soon as this blast took place, the CTD registered a first information report (FIR) and within 16 hours, the department “traced” the case. Also, in the initial 24 hours, the CTD arrested three terrorists, Mehmood said.

The first character was Peter Paul David, Mehmood said, who was traced through the vehicle, he said, noting that the terrorist supervised the operation.

“He was affiliated directly with two RAW agents — Ali Budaish and Bablu Srivastava. These agents would terror finance him,” the CTD official said.

Sajjad Hussain was David’s assistant and assisted him in the Johar Town blast, Mehmood said, adding that Hussain also destroyed the phones used to communicate for the explosion.

The CTD official said David then directed the agencies towards another terrorist — Zia Ullah. “This guy was the main culprit’s (Sami ul Haq) brother. He would also facilitate others in Pakistan and this was the main lead that helped us move forward.”

He said that four to five days after, CTD officials tracked down two more culprits — Eid Gul and his wife, Ayesha Gul. Mehmood added that David gave the car to Gul for preparing it for the blast. Gul installed the explosive in the vehicle, he said.

“The video [shown earlier in the briefing] shows Gul coming out of the vehicle. Also, another person made videos of Gul preparing the bomb,” the police official said.

Following Gul’s pointation, the CTD was finally able to arrest Sami ul Haq — the main handler of RAW-sponsored terror activities in Pakistan — Mehmood said.

The CTD official said when Sami was identified, the law enforcement agencies were still unable to catch him, adding that he was also involved with RAW for at least 12 years.

“We then issued his red warrants through Interpol. Then, through intelligence reports, we arrested him when he was trying to enter Pakistan via Balochistan on April 24, 2022, along with his brother-in-law.”

Mehmood added that his brother-in-law, Uzair Akbar, assisted Sami in terror activities and his red warrants were issued as well. Then, the CTD also got information about Naveed Akhtar — who did the surveillance and selected the target.

“Naveed was a labourer in the Middle East and was in jail because he could not pay his fine. A RAW agent approached him and told him that he would pay his fine, but then, Naveed would have to engage in terror activities against Pakistan.”

Mehmood said as Naveed was arrested, several terror activities were thwarted. “When we arrested Sami ul Haq, Naveed was unaware of his arrest. Samiul Haq told us that he was about to meet Naveed on May 10. We were then able to apprehend Naveed as well.”

“We have also tracked down three other RAW agents and issued their red warrants through Interpol,” he added.

Hafiz Saeed suspected target

Responding to a question, the interior minister said that the government would further tighten scrutiny of the deported Pakistanis in light of the case.

AIG CTD Punjab Imran Mehmood revealed that the terrorists wanted to target a house located in the nearby residential area. “The basic motive of the terrorists is creating panic among the citizens.”

The federal minister, however, clarified that the incident took place near the residence of Hafiz Saeed, chief of the banned Jama’at-ud-Da’wah. “It is considered that Saeed’s house was their target.”

Saeed was not at home, the minister said, adding that his family could be the terrorists’ target.

Due to the presence of police officials in the area, the vehicle could not reach its alleged target, Sanaullah further said.

The police officer added that they have obtained red warrants for four of the suspects so far, apart from the three who had been taken into custody.

He said that they have “undeniable evidence” that could establish India and its premier spy agency RAW were involved in the incident.

The minister further suggested that there should be a coordination system between the CTDs in all the provinces.

From Our Correspondent

PESHAWAR, DEC 13 / DNA/ – The Amir Ahmad Siddiqui Media Awards ceremony was held here at the Chief Minister House, Peshawar in which Chief Minister Mahmood Khan distributed Awards and cash prizes among the journalists for their outstanding performance in various categories in the field of journalism. He also gave life time achievement award to internationally acclaimed Journalist Rahim Ullah Yousafzai late, acknowledging his unprecedented services in journalism, which was received by his son Arshad Yousafzai.

The ceremony was attended by Special Assistant to Chief Minister for Information and Public Relations Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif, Secretary Information Arshad Khan, Chairman Judges Committee of the Awards and Senior Journalist Ismail Khan, Chairman Department of Journalism and Mass Communication UoP Dr. Faiz Ullah Jan, President Peshawar Press Club M.Riaz and other senior journalists.

Addressing the ceremony, the Chief Minister termed the Ameer Ahmed Siddiqui Media Awards as an encouraging initiative which is playing an important role in the promotion of ethical and competitive journalism in the province.

The Chief Minister paid rich tribute to the services of late Amir Ahmed Siddiqui, Rahimullah Yousafzai and other senior journalists adding that Rahimullah Yousafzai not only had a key role in promoting positive journalism but was also considered an authority on Afghan Affairs.

“I consider late Rahimullah Yousafzai as my teacher and I used to consult him on various issues as a Chief Minister”, Mahmood Khan. The Chief Minister urged upon younger journalists to follow the footsteps of legendary journalists like Rahimullah Yousafzai.

The Chief Minister on the occasion announced cash prize worth Rs 50 thousand for each award winner besides announcing the attribution of a Government hospital in the native village of late Rahimullah Yousafzai in his name.

Touching upon the importance of journalism and freedom of speech, the chief minister said that an independent media and positive journalism are indispensable for democracy and media has always played an exemplary role in strengthening democratic norms.

He said that Media acts as an interface between common citizens and the Government adding that the media and provincial government have enjoyed cordial relations during the last four years which will be maintained in the future.

Gul.i.Ayesha Bhatti

PhD scholar International Relations

Henry John Temple Palmerstone stated during the House of Commons session on March 1, 1848, “we have no eternal allies, and we have no perpetual enemies. Our interests are eternal and perpetual, and it is our duty to follow such interests”.

Current global circumstances and imperatives have driven Russia to turn to the East and engage in regional connectivity with the Asian States, alongside, reestablishing ties with its former adversary Pakistan. Simultaneously, out of the US sphere, Pakistan is also looking for reliable friends in the neighborhood to work on regional connectivity and stability. Now the million-dollar question is whether both states are going to ignore the shadows of the past and are eager to start a new journey.

Since Pakistan’s independence in 1947, bilateral ties between Pakistan and the USSR have remained strained. As Pakistan opted to join the Western bloc by signing its first defense agreement with the US on May 9, 1954, ties between the two countries began to deteriorate in the early 1950s. After Pakistan joined the South East Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) in January 1955, the situation deteriorated further. SEATO was founded largely to combat communism, which meant combating the Soviet Union since it served as the global symbol of the communist movement. The Soviet Union strongly disapproved of Pakistan’s choice of foreign policy. Pakistan had established its place in the Cold War by joining SEATO, and this marked the start of a lengthy competition between the two countries.

In later years, Pakistan’s role in the 1960s U-2 spy plane incident, the 1970s China-US rapprochement, and 1980s afghan war against soviet increased this rift between the two. Later on, Due to Pakistan’s recognition of the Taliban administration in Afghanistan and its US-centric foreign policy, ties between Pakistan and Russia throughout the 1990s remained largely cold.

In the first decade of the twenty-first century, Pakistan and Russia’s bilateral ties began to improve. Pakistan chose to break its ties with the Taliban regime and join the global alliance fighting terrorism, these efforts, however, couldn’t guarantee a faithful alliance from the US. Pakistan was upset with Obama’s Drone policies and neglecting Pakistan’s efforts for the War on Terror at the cost of its own national security. Further the increasing rift due to Obama’s Pivot to Asia policy which brought the US close to India to counter China in the region. While keenly observing the shift in alliances in the region, Pakistan chose to revive its relations with the neighboring states. Regional cooperation was the mantra that bought Russia and Pakistan to forget old conflicts and revive new ties. Therefore, high-level state visits began to occur, the two nations’ relations continued to show positive indicators.

In April 2001, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Losyukov travelled to Pakistan as part of a state visit. In 2002, Pakistan’s President, General (Retd) Pervez Musharraf, visited Moscow in return. The goal of these high-level visits and meetings was to strengthen bilateral cooperation between the two states in the economic, cultural, development, and technology sectors as well as to launch joint efforts to improve regional peace and stability. This was the first visit by a head of state or government from Pakistan in thirty years.

As its ties with the United States deteriorated, Pakistan started to regard the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which is governed by China, as a chance to forge stronger ties with both Russia and China on common ground. In 2004, The Tashkent Summit established a regional organization to combat terrorism, separatism, and extremism while also fostering greater economic growth. Later, the SCO expanded its geographical reach to encompass India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. Russia being the senior member of the SCO always tried to avoid indulging in Pakistan-India rivalry. After the Pulwama attack, India tried to raise the issue at the SCO but Russia refused to address the issue at the SCO summit and Pakistan took a positive step toward bilateral relations between Russia and China.

Similarly, when we look into the strategic interest Russia has started observing in Pakistan is directly linked to Pakistan’s geostrategic position and its vital role in the regional strategic environment. In the sake of maintaining the balance of power during this, Russia now most likely recognizes Pakistan’s justifiable need for defense. In the beginning, the Russian position used to be that India was the best source of hegemonic stability in South Asia. This pragmatic shift likely resulted from the knowledge that Pakistan, which is nuclear-armed, would steadfastly reject India’s hegemony and that China would continue to guarantee Pakistan’s security by maintaining an adequate conventional and nuclear deterrent to counterbalance India. In this scenario, India and Pakistan are supposed to indulge themselves in an arms race, and Russia doesn’t want to fall behind. However, Pakistan is looking for State-of-the-art military weapons to buy from Russia but on affordable prices.

Moving further towards regional connectivity, Putin suggested a “Greater Eurasia Partnership” in 2016, including the EAEU members, China, India, Pakistan, Iran, and the Commonwealth nations. Since 2015, Moscow and Beijing have signed agreements signaling cooperation and regional integration because the BRI and the EAEU have the same objective of uniting Eurasia through overland trade and infrastructure. In order to achieve the Russian geo-economic vision of a “Greater Eurasia,” Pakistan has been designated by analyst Andrew Korybko as the “zipper of Pan Eurasian Integration” through South, Central, and West Asia.

In 2016, Alexey Devoc, then-ambassador Russia to Pakistan, is said to have said that Russia “strongly supported” the CPEC and that Moscow and Islamabad had discussed merging the EAEU with the CPEC.  Additionally, Pakistani authorities have agreed to allow Russia access to the Gwadar Port. Russia and Central Asia now have access to the Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea, and Persian Gulf. In addition, the port acts as a backup trade route in the event of a blockage.

The crisis in Ukraine has widened rifts between the US and its allies and Russia and its supporters. Pakistan, though, managed to preserve a precarious equilibrium in the developing conflict. Islamabad voiced its worry for the humanitarian situation in Ukraine but refrained from criticizing Russia. In this regard, Pakistan abstained from voting on the U.N. General Assembly’s resolution condemning Russia’s invasion of its neighbor and maintaining its “Neutrality”.

Pakistan has been struggling with rising energy needs, mostly for gas and oil, as well as an expanding current account imbalance brought on by oil payments.  A Pakistani delegation led by State Minister for Petroleum Musadik Malik traveled to Moscow the previous month in November to conduct negotiations with Russian authorities. Pakistan would pay discounted prices to Russia for its crude oil, gasoline, and diesel.  Moreover, Russia is also extended an invitation to Islamabad to start discussions on long-term liquefied natural gas contracts for the years 2025 and 2026.

Pakistan’s expanding residential and industrial energy needs have prompted Russia to agree to supply Pakistan with oil at a reduced price. In this regard, Pakistan has adopted a wise approach by developing better relations with Russia for the fulfillment of its energy demand. Although, Building stronger bilateral connections with Russia was formerly difficult for Pakistan, however, in the age of strategic and economic cooperation and intricate interconnectedness, Pakistan must not avoid rapprochement with Russia.

DNA

PESHAWAR: Tourism Promotion Services (Limited) Pakistan, the owners and managers of Serena Hotels in Pakistan announces the take over of Pearl Continental Hotel Peshawar. This will be the ninth Serena Hotel property in Pakistan.

The addition of Serena Hotels in Peshawar, the oldest city of Pakistan with a rich cultural heritage, will not only help in extending the tourist circuit in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but will also allow regional connectivity for tourists and business travelers through its vast portfolio of hotels in Islamabad, Peshawar, Kabul, and Dushanbe. The Hotel shall serve as a gateway to Central Asia, taking the brand portfolio to a whole new level.

Serena Hotels, a brand associated with unique destinations globally, will be renovating and refurbishing the centrally located Hotel building as all Serena Hotel properties’ stand as a reflection of its vision and brand values. Continuing our legacy of giving back to society and benefitting the communities where we operate, the company intends to exploit the untapped, rich potential in the tourism sector of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. This will be the second Serena Hotel in the KP province after the Swat Serena Hotel, enabling the brand to connect the diverse tourist communities to the rustic areas of the province.

The upgradation of Peshawar Serena Hotel including the new construction will enhance the quality and comfort of the guest rooms, restaurants, banqueting and meeting rooms, public areas and Maisha Spa & Health Club.  The Company has rigorous training plans for its Associates to ensure service delivery, bringing it in line with Serena Hotels’ standards.

Serena Hotels’ properties in Pakistan are currently located in Islamabad, Faisalabad, Quetta, Gilgit, Shigar, Khaplu, Altit, Hunza and Sost. In addition, two new Hotels are under construction in Gilgit-Baltistan; the Hunza Serena Hotel with 85 rooms, expected to be commissioned towards the end of 2023, and Sost Serena Hotel with 56 rooms, expected to be comission in 2024.