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NDTV
09-07-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
Ex-Pakistan Foreign Minister Fact-Checked On Terrorist's Funeral Photo
Islamabad: Pakistan's former Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar faced an awkward and embarrassing moment on live television when she was fact-checked on camera for trying to portray a globally sanctioned terrorist as a " common man". During an interview with Al Jazeera, Ms Khar tried to further Pakistan's claim that Hafiz Abdur Rauf, who led the funeral of terrorists killed in India's May 7 "Operation Sindoor," was just a common Pakistani man and not the infamous US-proscribed global terrorist. "I am telling you, with authority, with evidence which has been shared with the whole world, that this is not the man that you (India) are claiming it to be. That this is not the man that you are claiming it to be. There are a million Abdul Raufs in Pakistan," the Pakistani politician said, showing the widely circulated image of Rauf at the funeral procession. The interviewer interjected, noting that the Pakistan army, in a press conference after Operation Sindoor, did not say the image was fake. "They said that he's a member of a political party, and they released his national ID number. That ID number is the same one as on the US sanctions list. So, according to the US sanctions terrorist list, this man is a terrorist," the journalist said. "The Pakistani army is defending him." Ms Khar tried to save face, saying, "The Pakistani army is defending this man (in viral photo). The Pakistani army is not defending the person who is proscribed by the US." The interviewer reminded her that the national ID numbers of the US-proscribed terrorists and the man in the photo are the same. The Pakistani politician replied, "The ISPR (Inter-Services Public Relations of Pakistan Army) categorically has said that this is not the same person, and you just sat over here and told me that they just defended him and did not say it is not the same person." Pakistan's False Claim On Abdur Rauf As soon as the pictures of Rauf being present at the funerals went out, the Pakistani army tried to save face and called him a "common man." In the process, Pakistan's Director General of ISPR, Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, claimed the person who had led the prayers of terrorists killed at the Lashkar-e-Taiba headquarters in Mudrike, Pakistan's Punjab, during Operation Sindoor was a preacher and a member of the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML) party with "three daughters, son." He also outed crucial details of Rauf, including his national identity number, which matched details in the database of the US sanction list of terrorists. During a press conference, Chaudhry mentioned that the man's Computerised National Identity Card number was 35202-5400413-9, while his date of birth was March 25, 1973, and that he was a resident of Lahore. The identity details shared by DG ISPR completely matched the details of Hafiz Abdur Rauf, a member of LeT's senior leadership since at least 1999 and chief of Falah-i-Insaniat Foundation, who is on the United States' " Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons list." Add image caption here Per the US database, the number of addresses against Rauf, including 4 Lake Road; two Room No. 7 Choburji Dola Khurd; 129 Jinnah Block; 5-Chamberlain Road -- all in Pakistan's Lahore -- besides Awan Town, Multan Road, 33, Street No. 3, District Khanewal. The OFAC database also gives his National ID No: NIC 277-93-113495, Pakistani passport CM1074131 that Pakistan issued on October 29, 2008, which expired in 2013 and another passport booklet: A7523531 also issued by Pakistan.
News18
09-07-2025
- Politics
- News18
‘Millions Named Rauf': Ex-Pakistan Minister Hina Rabbani's Defence Of US-Designated Terrorist Backfires
Last Updated: The awkward exchange has since gone viral, exposing Pakistan's internal contradictions over its handling of internationally proscribed individuals. Former Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar found herself cornered during a live Al Jazeera interview after attempting to downplay the presence of a US-designated terrorist at a funeral procession in Pakistan. Khar, aiming to defend Islamabad's stance following India's Operation Sindoor, claimed that the individual seen leading the funeral — Hafiz Abdur Rauf — was merely a 'common man" and not the global terrorist listed under US sanctions. 'There are countless people with that name in Pakistan," Khar insisted, holding up the image of the man spotted during the funeral of militants killed in the May 7 operation by Indian forces. 'This is not the person India claims it is," she reiterated, asserting that evidence had been shared globally to support her claim. Former Pak Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, speaking to Al-Jazeera, claimed that thousands of Abdur Raufs exist in Pakistan. Lashkar terrst Hafiz Abdul Rauf, who led the funeral at Muridke, was a completely different terrst Hafiz Abdul Rauf's innocence is… — OsintTV 📺 (@OsintTV) July 8, 2025 However, the interview quickly turned confrontational when the Al Jazeera anchor countered her statement. Referring to a press conference held by the Pakistan military, the anchor pointed out that the army had not denied the authenticity of the image. Instead, they described the individual as a member of a political party and even released his national ID number—one that matches the ID listed under US terrorism sanctions. Pressed further, Khar attempted to clarify, citing the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) wing of the Pakistan Army, saying, 'The ISPR has clearly stated it is not the same person." The interviewer, however, pointed out the contradiction: 'You just said the army defended him. They didn't deny the identity." The awkward exchange has since gone viral, exposing Pakistan's internal contradictions over its handling of internationally proscribed individuals. view comments First Published: July 09, 2025, 12:28 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Khaleej Times
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Khaleej Times
Pakistan: Bomb blast targets government vehicle, kills 5
A bomb explosion in Pakistan's Bajaur district's Khar tehsil on Wednesday killed at least five people, including an assistant commissioner, and injured 11 others. The blast targeted a government vehicle on Nawagai Road, causing significant damage, Dawn reported. Bajaur District Police Officer Waqas Rafique confirmed that five people, including two policemen and a civilian, were killed in the explosion targeting a government vehicle on Nawagai Road in Siddiqabad railway attack area of Khar tehsil. According to Dawn, the victims include Nawagai Assistant Commissioner Faisal Ismail, Tehsildar Abdul Wakil, Subedar Noor Hakim, police constable Rashid, and one civilian. "The blast was so intense that the vehicle targeted was destroyed," he said. Security has been increased in the area, and relief activities are underway. The injured have been taken to Khar Hospital for treatment, where an emergency has been imposed. KP Health Adviser Ihtisham Ali strongly condemned the blast and expressed grief over the loss of lives. He contacted the district health officer and the medical superintendent of the District Headquarters Hospital in Khar Bajaur and inquired about the well-being of those injured in the attack, as per Dawn. "An emergency has been imposed in Bajaur hospitals, and health department staff have been alerted for first aid," he said. The health adviser assured the pubic that medical assistance would be provided to the injured. KP Inspector General of Police (IG) Zulfiqar Hameed sought a report on the blast from the Malakand regional police officer (RPO). He also ordered to speed up intelligence-based operations against the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) group and directed the Counter-Terrorism Department's additional inspector general of police to send a special team to Bajaur. "A special branch is obtaining intelligence related to the incident," Hameed said, adding that according to initial information, the TTP targeted the assistant commissioner's vehicle. Hameed said that teams were formed "to arrest the elements involved in the incident while all necessary evidence is being collected from the spot", adding that bomb disposal teams were present on site.
Hindustan Times
30-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
How the Left and Congress misread Operation Sindoor
Not so long ago, Yogendra Yadav, otherwise a fierce critic of the Narendra Modi government, told me that among the things those opposing the BJP got wrong was how to respond on issues of national security. The three 'most precious resources we have for politics,' he said, '...we have gifted these away to BJP — nationalism, religion, including Hindu religion, and cultural heritage and tradition.' The responses to Operation Sindoor (and I don't mean Yogendra Yadav personally) from large swathes of the Left, liberal Left, progressives (call it what you will) show this basic lesson has still not been learnt. And worse, there is complete denialism about this deracination. If anything, there is a show of supercilious moral superiority to anyone who points this out. The Indian Left is, unfortunately, utterly out of touch with wider public sentiment. It remains squeamish about expressing unqualified appreciation for the armed forces. It is disparaging of war, even in times of war. And it is unable to understand the idea that the country is larger than the government. This remains a key reason that the right wing is able to make electoral mincemeat of them. Intellectualising what comes to most Indians intuitively, a simple emotional surge for flag, anthem and military, confines this section of the Left only to echo chambers. I was astonished to see the level of disconnect between those still trapped in textbook ideas and how most of the country thinks and feels. I experienced this first hand when author Salil Tripathi mocked me on X for evidently 'rolling my eyes' at the statements of former Pakistan Hina Rabbani Khar on a Piers Morgan show where I was her co-panelist. Yes, I probably did roll my eyes at one brief point when Khar obfuscated on how Osama Bin Laden was kept in hiding by the Pakistani deep state. But I also hammered home the protection and impunity offered to terror groups like the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed in Pakistan by its army. Khar fled the show early, unable to answer anything directly. But Tripathi and his followers said I was guilty of 'temporary patriotic nonsense' and that I should be very embarrassed. Everything that plagues the extreme Left's commentary on Operation Sindoor was encapsulated in that every moment. Or take the semiotics debate around the name given to the military operation against Pakistan. Or the commentary on Aishwarya Rai sporting sindoor at her first appearance at Cannes. Mohammed Zubair, fact checker, thought there was a big conspiracy that I shared this image of Rai, editing it once to wonder whether her image was a reference to Op Sindoor or merely a sartorial statement. He took a screenshot of my post as if he had uncovered a scandal. Tomorrow, will the Left criticise Himanshi Narwal — whose image of sitting by the body of her husband, Lt Vinay Narwal, became the defining image of the Pahalgam terror attack — for wearing the traditional red bangles or chura that signified her days-old marriage? Whatever be one's personal gender politics, it is ludicrous to ignore the cultural zeitgeist or to literalise its underlying emotion when the context is so much larger. Of course, the Opposition can and must ask questions of the ruling government. There are legitimate concerns over where the terrorists of Pahalgam are, what lapses led to the terror attack, or why US President Donald Trump insists on claiming credit for a halt in hostilities that were unequivocally triggered by India's military victory. And, yes, there are legitimate concerns about India-Pakistan re-hyphenation in the West, thanks to Trump's bizarre rhetoric. But surely, any serious line of questioning cannot suggest that external affairs minister S Jaishankar gave away war plans to Pakistan? Anyone who understands military operations knows Jaishankar's statement was merely about India conveying a non-escalatory approach to Operation Sindoor. To distort that into a wild accusation of treason and then wonder aloud how many planes India has lost, is entirely uncalled for and takes away the legitimacy of any other good point you may want to make. Thankfully the Congress dropped this attack a couple of days after Rahul Gandhi led it. But political damage to itself had been done. Yes, as the main Opposition party, the Congress does not find itself in an easy position. It is damned if it does and invisible if it doesn't. The BJP will claim political points for Sindoor and the Congress wants to contest that. Fair enough. But it can't counter the BJP by disowning its most brilliant asset on the issue — Tharoor — and other colleagues such as Manish Tewari. And it can't counter that by using the talking points of the adversary on whether any fighter jet was shot down. Not when Air Marshal AK Bharti already answered that by saying, 'in a combat there will be losses but all our pilots are home'. Tharoor has shown that it is possible to forge a politics that is pluralistic and patriotic. Many Indians may lean centre-left on economics, many of us may identify as liberals on matters of inclusiveness and social equity, but on national security, most of us are centre-right. I know, I am. The Left — and the Congress — is unable to grasp that inconvenient, but obvious truth. Barkha Dutt is an award-winning journalist and author. The views expressed are personal.
Business Recorder
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Business Recorder
Khar condemns India's actions, praises role of Pakistan armed forces
ISLAMABAD: Hina Rabbani Khar, the former foreign minister on Tuesday said that recent incidents between the two nuclear-armed neighbours should not be a cause for celebration, noting that 'celebrating how one nuclear power challenges another without regard for capability or consequence is deeply irresponsible.' Speaking over the recent tension between India and Pakistan, she condemned India's actions in recent regional military tensions and warning against what she described as a growing disregard for international law and norms. She recalled the 2019 crisis following India's air strikes inside Pakistani territory, a move she described as 'reckless escalation.' She accused India of repeatedly crossing red lines during that episode, while Pakistan, she said, 'demonstrated restraint' despite what she called a 'fever of extremism' gripping Indian leadership at the time. 'All of Pakistan stood united in the face of that aggression,' Khar said, stressing that India misread Pakistan's restraint as weakness – a miscalculation, she warned, that could have led to catastrophic consequences. Turning to more recent developments, Khar took aim at the global community's response to Indian actions, challenging narratives that framed India's behaviour as self-defence. 'What new metrics are being applied,' she asked. 'Have we abandoned the UN Charter and the rule of law? Are we no longer signatories to Article 25, which obliges all nations to follow UN Security Council resolutions,' she questioned. She criticised Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's unilateral declarations regarding Kashmir, asking whether the world was expected to 'pay homage' to such claims while turning a blind eye to long-standing international resolutions on the disputed region. Citing US President Donald Trump's acknowledgement of Kashmir as a disputed territory, Khar argued that the Indian narrative had begun to unravel. 'The illusion of India's conventional and military supremacy has been broken – not by Pakistan, but by Modi's own extremist policies,' she declared. According to Khar, the belief that India could serve as a regional security provider has been undermined by its inability to secure its own borders during confrontations with Pakistan. 'Pakistan proved its capabilities through both defensive and calibrated offensive responses,' she asserted. Khar argued that Pakistan's military professionalism and operational competence had been underestimated. 'We don't just possess technologically advanced weapons – we train to use them better,' she said, claiming that Pakistan had altered global perceptions of power in South Asia and the broader Indo-Pacific strategy. On the broader issue of terrorism, Khar accused India of weaponising the narrative. 'If terrorism takes place in India, it invokes self-defence. If it happens in Pakistan, what are we expected to do? Remain silent?' she asked, warning of the dangerous precedents being set. She questioned whether Pakistan would have been justified in retaliating militarily when it traced Indian involvement in past terror incidents like the Jaffar Express attack. Khar argued that India's attempts to detach itself diplomatically from Pakistan – a strategy pursued over the last 15 years – had failed. 'By provoking Pakistan into conflict, they re-hyphenated themselves with us in the eyes of the world,' she said. 'India has shown itself to be the irresponsible nuclear actor in the region, not Pakistan.' Criticising India's perceived attempts to reshape regional realities through rhetoric and force, she said, 'Calling a dispute resolved does not resolve it.' She welcomed President Trump's offer to mediate on Kashmir and noted that when he and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio advocated for a ceasefire, they were quickly accused of dishonesty by Indian voices. 'The real theatrics,' she said, 'have been visible in broad daylight – from Indian political rhetoric to the implosion of its media and societal narratives.' Khar concluded by stating that Pakistan would remain unapologetic in defending its sovereignty and would continue to celebrate the restoration of peace, including the role played by international partners in achieving a ceasefire. Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, Abdul Qadir Patel and other lawmakers belonging to all political parties hailed national unity in recent tensions with India, claiming military success, including the downing of five Indian aircraft. At the onset of the session, the lawmakers clashed over proposed legislation aimed at enhancing oversight of the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) and budgetary processes. PPP's Agha Rafiullah introduced the PSDP Oversight Bill, seeking transparent fund allocation and timely project completion, which was opposed by the government, terming it unnecessary. Naveed Qamar, another PPP MNA, insisted that PDSP must be discussed in the standing committee like the finance bill, and warned, 'If this attitude persists, the tables could turn.' Minister Food Security Rana Tanveer Hussain dismissed the bill, insisting the planning minister could be summoned as needed and existing committees were sufficient. A separate proposal by Rana Iradat Sharif Khan to establish a Parliamentary Budget Office met similar resistance. The parliamentary secretary for finance, Saad Waseem Chaudhry, argued it would duplicate existing parliamentary functions. The House also passed two private members' bills—the International Examination Board Bill, 2024 and the Ghurki Institute of Science and Technology Bill, 2024—with majority support. Both bills had previously been reviewed and cleared by the relevant parliamentary committees. The legislation was approved clause by clause during the session. The day, reserved for private members' business, also saw a flurry of new legislative bills introduced across diverse sectors. These included the Elections Amendment Bill, 2025, the Trade Organizations Amendment Bill, 2025, the Parliamentary Budget Office Bill, and the Islamabad Capital Territory Senior Citizens Amendment Bill, 2025. Other proposed amendments addressed narcotics control, labour laws, civil service regulations, and trade development, including the Control of Narcotic Substances Amendment Bill, 2015, the Industrial Relations Amendment Bill, 2025, and the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan Amendment Bill. Multiple bills focused on higher education, including the Al Musaddiq Institute of Higher Education Bill, Rawal International University Islamabad Bill, and the Wah Institute of Modern Sciences, Wah Cantt Bill. Additionally, the Pakistan General Cosmetics (Repeal) Bill was introduced, signalling a possible regulatory shift in the cosmetics sector. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
