Pakistan

14 Nov 2020; MEMO: Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan revealed that his country is under pressure from sisterly countries to recognise the State of Israel.

In statements made on Friday, Khan announced: "We have been under pressure from friendly countries to recognise Israel, however, we will not do so without a fair settlement to the Palestinians."

ISLAMABAD, Nov 13 (APP): Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar Friday said that Indian economy was suffering recession for the first time since its independence mainly due to mishandling of COVID pandemic.

On the other hand, he said Pakistan’s economy was showing a positive sign as the Large Scale Manufacturing (LSM) growth of the country showed a robust growth of over 7 percent in September 2020 compared to same month of the preceding year.

ISLAMABAD, Nov. 10 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif arrived in Pakistan Tuesday night on a two-day visit for talks on bilateral cooperation and regional issues, officials of the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said.

The Foreign Ministry of Pakistan said in a statement on Tuesday that Zarif will have delegation-level talks with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi and call on Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan.

ISLAMABAD, Nov 9 (APP): Pakistan on Monday said as it had reopened the Kartarpur Corridor on June 29, 2020 with COVID related necessary health safety protocols, India had yet to reopen the corridor from its side and allow Sikh pilgrims to visit Kartarpur Saheb.

“The corridor was temporarily closed on March 16, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” the Foreign Office said in a statement issued here on the occasion of first anniversary of the historic opening of the Kartarpur Corridor.

ISLAMABAD, Nov 5 (APP): The Government of Korea has provided in-kind assistance of worth US $500,000 to World Health Organization (WHO) for strengthening the corona response efforts in Pakistan.

Ambassador of the Republic of Korea, Kwak Sung-kyu handed over the donation to WHO Representative in Pakistan, Dr Palitha Mahipala.

The handing-over ceremony took place at the WHO Country Office here on Thursday, said a press release. The Korean donation included Real-time PCR Kits, IgG/IgM Standard COVID-19 kits and Face Masks to support corona response efforts in the country.

Peshawar, Nov 2 (PTI) An alliance of Opposition parties in Pakistan has been asked by a minister in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to postpone their upcoming rally in Peshawar against Prime Minister Imran Khan due to threats of a possible terrorist attack.

The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), an alliance of 11 opposition parties formed on September 20, has launched a three-phased anti-government movement under an action plan to remove the Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) government.

ISLAMABAD, Nov 2 (APP): In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), Professor Bhim Singh, Chief Patron of Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP) has made it clear to India that neither the land nor the houses in IIOJK were up for sale to outsiders.

According to Kashmir Media Service, in a printed message with slogan ‘J&K is not for sale’ released among journalists during a press briefing in Jammu, Prof Bhim Singh declared that JKNPP would not allow new land laws to enter IIOJK including Ladakh.

ISLAMABAD, Nov 2 (APP): Advisor to Prime Minister on Commerce, Razzak Dawood said Monday that exports of the country were back on track to pre-Covid-19 levels.

In a tweet, the advisor said that the exports from the country maintained the growth trend in October 2020 and crossed the $2 billion mark after July 2020 and are back on track to pre-COVID- 19 levels.

ISLAMABAD, Oct 31 (APP): Pakistan on Saturday categorically rejected Indian Prime Minister’s insinuation of Pakistan’s involvement in the Pulwama attack by alluding to remarks made by a minister in the National Assembly of Pakistan.

“This is a brazen attempt to twist the remarks of the Federal Minister, who was referring to the befitting response given by the Pakistan Armed Forces in broad day-light to India’s ill-conceived misadventure of 26 February 2019, in violation of the UN Charter and international law,” Foreign office spokesperson in a press release said.

Islamabad, Oct 28 (AP/PTI) Pakistan's state-run council of clerics, which advises the government on religious issues, gave its approval Wednesday to the construction of a new temple for minority Hindus, ruling Islamic law allows them a place of worship.

Lal Malhi, a prominent Hindu leader who is also a member of parliament, applauded the ruling but noted the council also recommended the government not spend public funds directly on the construction of private places of worship.