PAKISTAN’S Army has said it has "nothing to do with politics" as it asserted that its chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa will retire on November 29 "no matter what."
Amidst a vicious social media campaign against the powerful "establishment" for not backing former prime minister Imran Khan, military spokesman major general Babar Iftikhar said that Pakistan's survival “lies solely on democracy” and its strength lies in the institutions, be it Parliament, Supreme Court or the Armed forces.
The Pakistan Army has "nothing to do with politics" and the institution has decided to remain apolitical in the future as well, he told a press conference on Thursday (14), three days after opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif was sworn in as the new prime minister.
Khan, who came to power in 2018, reportedly with the backing of the military, became the first Pakistan prime minister who was defeated in a no-confidence vote in the National Assembly earlier this month.
Iftikhar confirmed that Khan had approached the army chief to find a solution to the political crisis.
"It is unfortunate that our political leadership was not ready to talk. So the army chief and DG ISI went to the PM Office and three scenarios were discussed," he said, recalling that one was that the no-confidence motion should be held as it was. The others were that the prime minister would resign or the no-confidence motion was retracted and the assemblies were dissolved.
Iftikhar rejected the rumours circulating on social media about the establishment meeting the opposition parties. "There is no truth to this," he asserted.
He clarified that General Bajwa was "unwell" on the day Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president Sharif took office and had to skip the oath-taking ceremony on Monday (11).
Iftikhar also announced that General Bajwa, 61, will retire this year.
"Let me put this to rest. The chief of army staff is neither seeking an extension nor will he accept an extension. No matter what, he will be retiring on the 29th of November 2022," he said.
General Bajwa, who was appointed by then prime minister Nawaz Sharif in 2016, was granted an extension in August 2019 by the Khan government.
Iftikhar rubbished the rumours about the threat of martial law at the height of the recent political turmoil.
"There will never be martial law in Pakistan."
To a question about the opening of courts in the middle of the night when the battle for the no-confidence vote was going on, he said that it was a decision by the courts and the army had nothing to do with it.
The powerful army, which has ruled the coup-prone country for more than half of its 73 plus years of existence, has wielded considerable power in the matters of security and foreign policy.
Khan, who was ousted from power on Sunday (10), had apparently also lost the support of the Army after he refused to endorse the appointment of the ISI spy agency chief last year. Finally, he agreed but it soured his ties with the Army.
In response to a question, the spokesman said that the army was on board with the visit of Khan to Russia. But termed it embarrassing when Russia launched an attack on Ukraine when Khan was in Moscow. The spokesman said that the United States had not asked Pakistan to provide army bases after withdrawing from Afghanistan.
"But if the US had asked for the bases, the army's response would have been the same as that of PM Khan,” he said.
(PTI)
Site Navigation
Search
Latest Stories
Start your day right!
Get latest updates and insights delivered to your inbox.
Related News
More For You
The ETA can be purchased online for £10 (12 euros), but the cost will rise to £16 from 9 April. (Representational image: Reuters)
Reuters
European visitors to UK will now need digital entry permit
Apr 02, 2025
FROM WEDNESDAY, European visitors to the UK will need an online entry permit as part of new travel requirements introduced by the British government.
The Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), a digital permit, will be required for travellers from Europe. UK officials say the move aims to enhance border security and simplify entry procedures.
A buffer period will be in place for several months, allowing people to continue travelling while the system is phased in.
The ETA can be purchased online for £10 (12 euros), but the cost will rise to £16 from 9 April.
The permit has already been introduced for travellers from the United States, Canada, and other visa-exempt countries. The UK, which left the European Union in 2020, is now expanding the requirement to European visitors.
Phil Douglas, head of the UK’s Border Force, said the expansion was part of a broader plan to apply the ETA system to visitors from across the world.
"This scheme is essentially a border security measure," he said, adding that the introduction on Wednesday was not expected to cause disruption.
The permit is meant to speed up entry by allowing officials to check details such as a traveller’s immigration history or criminal record in advance.
"The quid pro quo for the individual, though, is that we are building a contactless border, so if they're cleared for entry, they'll be able to use our new eGates and they'll be able to go through the border much more quickly," Douglas added.
During the buffer period, which is expected to last until September or October, people will still be allowed to board flights and trains even if they do not yet have an ETA.
The permit allows visits of up to six months. It is digitally linked to the applicant’s passport and remains valid for two years.
Applications opened for European travellers in early March and are available via a smartphone app or the UK government website.
The permit applies to nationals of around 30 European countries, excluding Ireland.
Scheme expansion
Applicants must submit a photo of their passport and face, with the process taking about 10 minutes, according to the UK Home Office. While most applications are approved within minutes, the government advises allowing up to three working days.
The ETA is required for babies and children, but passengers transiting through UK airports without crossing the border are exempt.
This exemption was introduced after pressure from Heathrow Airport, which expressed concerns about potential declines in passenger numbers.
In 2024, nearly 84 million passengers passed through Heathrow, with a third coming from EU countries.
The ETA scheme was first launched in 2023 for Qatar before being extended to five other Gulf nations.
In January, it was further expanded to include nationals from about 50 countries and territories, including Argentina, South Korea, and New Zealand.
By the end of 2024, nearly 1.1 million ETAs had been issued, according to the Home Office.
The permit does not apply to UK residents or individuals with an existing UK immigration status.
The ETA is similar to the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), which will require visa-exempt travellers to obtain approval before visiting 30 European countries, including France and Germany.
The EU scheme has been delayed until 2026.
(With inputs from AFP)
Keep ReadingShow less
Most Popular
China pledges to be a good friend and partner to Bangladesh
Apr 02, 2025
THE Chinese president, Xi Jinping, last Friday (28) pledged deeper cooperation with his Bangladeshi counterpart Muhammad Yunus in a meeting that came as Dhaka seeks new friends to offset frosty ties with India.
Yunus took charge of Bangladesh last August after the toppling of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled to New Delhi after a student-led uprising.
India was the biggest benefactor of Hasina’s government, and her ouster sent cross-border relations into a tailspin, culminating in Yunus choosing to make his first state visit to China.
Xi told Yunus that Beijing was “willing to work with Bangladesh to push bilateral cooperation to a new level,” Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said.
“China... insists on remaining a good neighbour, good friend and good partner to Bangladesh, based on mutual trust,” Xi said, according to CCTV.
Beijing and Dhaka should “firmly support each other” on core interests, the Chinese leader said. He backed Bangladesh on issues including safeguarding national sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.
He added that the two countries would explore cooperation in infrastructure construction, water conservancy and the digital, marine and environmental sectors.
Dhaka said Yunus’s China visit showed Bangladesh was “sending a message”.
The 84-year-old Nobel Prize winner held several other meetings with highlevel officials in the Chinese capital.
According to reports, the two leaders also discussed Bangladesh’s immense population of Rohingya refugees, most of whom fled a violent military crackdown in neighbouring Myanmar in 2017.
China has acted as a mediator between Bangladesh and Myanmar in the past to broker the repatriation of the persecuted minority, although efforts stalled because of the ruling junta’s unwillingness to have them returned.
Meanwhile, senior figures in the Indian and Bangladeshi governments traded barbs ahead of Yunus’s visit to Beijing.
Muhammad Yunus
Those tensions have almost completely halted travel by Bangladeshis to India for medical tourism, thousands of whom crossed the border each year to seek care. Dhaka’s top foreign ministry bureaucrat said last week that talks in Beijing would touch on the establishment of a Chinese “Friendship Hospital” in Bangladesh.
Yunus’s caretaker administration has the unenviable task of instilling democratic reforms ahead of new elections expected by mid-2026.
It has requested – so far unsuccessfully – that India allow Hasina’s extradition to Bangladesh to face charges of crimes against humanity for the killing of hundreds of protesters during the unrest that toppled her government.
Yunus has also sought a meeting with Indian prime minister Narendra Modi in a bid to reset relations, with both expected to be at the same regional summit in Bangkok this month.
His government has yet to receive a response, with Indian foreign minister S Jaishankar saying the request was “under review”.
In another development, Bangladeshi police last Friday filed a new criminal case against Hasina over an alleged plot to overthrow the government that replaced her.
Numerous criminal indictments have been issued against her and top loyalists of her Awami League party, including over a crackdown by security forces that killed hundreds of demonstrators during last year’s unrest.
The latest case revolves around a virtual meeting attended by nearly 600 Awami League members in December, which police said had conspired to “wage civil war in Bangladesh” with the aim of restoring Hasina to power. “Many of them, both inside and outside the country, pledged to continue their fight until their last breath,” the case documents stated.
Police spokesman Jasim Uddin Khan said that charges had initially been filed against Hasina and 72 others, but that the number of defendants may increase as the investigation progressed.
“The number of participants in the virtual meeting was 577. We are investigating their roles, and if found complicit in the conspiracy, they will be charged,” he said.
A report from the UN rights office earlier this year stated that Hasina’s government was responsible for systematic attacks and killings of protesters as it attempted to hold onto power last year.
Keep ReadingShow less
Man shot dead by police outside Milton Keynes railway station
Apr 02, 2025
A MAN was shot dead by police outside Milton Keynes Central station after reports that he was carrying a firearm.
Thames Valley Police (TVP) said officers were called to the station at 12:55, where they challenged a suspect carrying a knife. The man moved towards officers before police fired at him.
Eyewitnesses told the BBC they heard a loud shot before seeing armed officers providing medical assistance.
A TVP spokesperson said life-saving measures were attempted, but the man was pronounced dead at 13:44.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has launched an investigation into the shooting and sent investigators to the scene.
Eyewitnesses described hearing shouting before the shooting. Hever Marin, who was inside the station, told BBC he saw officers trying to resuscitate the man for at least 10 minutes.
Matthew Barber, police and crime commissioner for Thames Valley, said while the incident was "shocking," he believed officers acted to protect the public.
He stated that an independent review was necessary but praised police for their actions.
The station remained open, but barriers were placed around some exits.
British Transport Police said officers would stay at the station overnight for public reassurance.
The IOPC said its investigation is in the early stages and further information is not available at this time.
Keep ReadingShow less
SCRUTINY: The tribunal’s favourable verdict is an important win for accountability, say current and retired Asian judges (Pic credit: Getty Images/Leon Neal)
EXCLUSIVE: Eastern Eye wins press freedoms to help judges
Apr 02, 2025
A tribunal has ordered the body which appoints judges in England and Wales to disclose records it refused to give to Eastern Eye.
The decision is a major victory for press freedoms because it forces the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) to become more open and transparent.
In June 2023, this journalist asked the JAC for a series of documents under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
The JAC refused and, in the panel’s view, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) wrongly supported some of its decisions.
This left Eastern Eye no option but to appeal to a legal body known as the first-tier tribunal (FTT).
The panel said no to eight of the 10 things that we asked for, but it found in favour of two significant points.
District Judge Rachel Watkin ordered that, “By 5pm on 16 May 2025, the JAC must disclose the following information held by it.
“All situational and other questions, specimen answers and the scoring framework utilised in the following exercises:
“[T]he Deputy High Court selection exercises for 2021, 2022 and 2023.
“The Specialist Circuit Judge selection exercises held in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
“Communications leading to the retirement of Dr Jarvis.”
Dr Richard Jarvis was the JAC’s chief executive until he left on 16 June 2023.
JAC rebuke
In 2023, Eastern Eye, using freedom of information requests, discovered that the JAC had been wrongly using an exemption to the act.
That prevented the public from obtaining material it asked for because the JAC did not have a so called ‘qualified person’ to make that decision.
Indeed, Eastern Eye learnt that it was not until 27 September 2022 that a minister agreed to give Jarvis the power to use what is called a section 36 exemption.
The ICO decided that this apparent oversight did not matter, something which alarmed some judges and this newspaper because they said it was clearly in the public interest.
That became clear when a south Asian former judge in England, Abbas Mithani, used evidence gathered by Eastern Eye using freedom of information requests in his own court case against the JAC.
“I find it very striking that the judgment is highly critical of the Judicial Appointments Commission,” said FOI expert, and author of Freedom of Information: A practical guidebook, Martin Rosenbaum.
“It's extremely rare for an information rights tribunal to accuse the head of a public authority of being irrational and making a decision that could not have been made by any reasonable person.
“That is a very powerful judicial rebuke for the behaviour of a public body, and the JAC needs to take notice.”
Martin Rosenbaum (Pic credit: rosenbaum.org.uk)
Press scrutiny
Eastern Eye took legal action because previous freedom of information requests produced astonishing revelations, including the JAC spending large amounts of public money to defend complaints from unsuccessful candidates.
We discovered that between 2019 and May 2023, the commission spent almost £212,000 of public money on legal fees fighting such complaints.
“This judgement is important for journalists and journalism,” remarked Eastern Eye’s executive editor, Shailesh Solanki.
“We’re the voice for south Asian communities, and our job is to hold power to account on their behalf and others, ensuring a level playing field for all the ethnic groups we serve.
“We act in the public interest to make sure taxpayer funded organisations are open and transparent.
“That means using every legal device available to us to shine a light on how public bodies spend taxpayer pounds.”
In that vein, Eastern Eye wanted to discover, on behalf of its readers, how many times the JAC used the section 36 exemption without proper authority.
We also wanted the legal advice given to the JAC because that would explain why and how it failed to have the proper authority for a substantial period.
But the FTT panel refused this request.
Emails obtained by Eastern Eye under FOI requests show the confusion in the organisation as it scrambled to find answers to obvious questions.
“This is important because the JAC used the FOIA wrongly, it didn’t have the proper authority,” said one anonymous south Asian judge.
“It may appear to be a technicality, but the information commissioner shouldn’t have dismissed your appeal so casually.
“The ICO is supposed to make sure that public authorities abide by the law and not acknowledging or warning them bring into question its independence and fitness to act as a regulator.”
Transparency
Eastern Eye’s position is that if the public pays for a service, then it is entitled to know what those leading the organisation are paid, and the conditions of their service.
We also argue that our readers, many of whom are aspiring judges, should know the ethnic split of candidates, and how far they succeeded in the competition.
That, we contend, would provide a level of transparency to demonstrate the fairness and equality of the process.
“You’re asking all the right questions,” said another anonymous judge, “because if across a year, say, 200 people apply, 10 per cent of which are ethnic minorities and only one candidate of colour of the 200 is selected, surely, we need to ask, why is there such a high failure rate?
“Think about it, if the JAC aren’t interrogating those figures, how do they know they’re not at best unconsciously biased and at worst racist?
“How do we know that the systems, processes and structures aren’t broken?
“In my honestly held opinion, based on people I’ve spoken to and witnessed, the JAC’s recruitment process is corrupt.
“We’ve spoken previously about secret soundings, and how candidates are blackballed by people who don’t know them because they don’t belong to an elite almost all-white club.”
Eastern Eye has written extensively secret soundings, including how judges have been taught to fail candidates they do not want to join their ranks without the applicants being allowed to know their accuser.
Possible appeals
But the decision by the panel to force the JAC to give up records regarding how Jarvis left the organisation is also important for press freedoms.
“Here’s a man who didn’t have ministerial authority to prevent the public from getting information of legitimate and public interest,” said one south Asian judge.
“We don’t know how much or if that was a crucial reason in his leaving.
“Is there a smoking gun which says he screwed up so badly his position was untenable, in other words was he pushed, or did he leave before the complaints came in?
“The public have a right to know whether we have people fit for public office.”
This judgement has huge implications for those who applied to the JAC in 2021, 2022 and 2023, said sources.
The JAC must provide the questions and specimen answers, according to the panel’s order.
This leaves the way for the potential for scores of appeals and complaints from candidates who were told they had failed the exercise.
“Imagine a candidate who was told they had failed,” explained one judge, “but when they see the specimen answer they realise it is incorrect, they could have grounds to appeal.
“All they need to do is to send the scenario to a law professor who can decide the points they should have made.
“That is why the JAC have been so secretive, because most importantly, these candidates can read their feedback and see if it tallies with the specimen answers and what they wrote.”
“This judgement is important for journalists and journalism,” says Eastern Eye’s executive editor, Shailesh Solanki.
Chamchas
In the Mithani hearings, one of the reasons the JAC gave for refusing to make public the scenario details is that the same situations are repeated in various competitions.
But the tribunal heard that judges were sharing these scenarios with private firms who train candidates when they apply for a judge’s position.
Eastern Eye has been told that the JAC gives candidate around 45-minutes to study the exercise, and another 45-minutes to discuss their answer at interview.
“The problem remains,” said another south Asian judge, “one of independence.
“What your paper is doing is extraordinary – you’re drilling down into, little by little, whether the JAC is independent.
“They aren’t, pure and simple.
“It’s an open secret that they are told by civil servants and senior judges who to appoint to this exclusive club.
“If you are an ethnic minority, you know you need to curry favour and do as they tell you to stay in that club.
“You’re nothing more than a chamcha [sycophant], and that’s not being independent.”
Experts who have read the judgement have told Eastern Eye that parts are flawed and lack real analysis.
One current judge said, “It seems to be a case of ‘you said, the JAC said, and I think’
“That’s very poor, and you’ve got to question whether all your evidence was truly considered.”
Judges, past and present, have told Eastern Eye that they are growing increasingly concerned about the independence of the judiciary.
They pointed to the current argument between politicians and the Sentencing Council over its decision to ask for reports prior to the conviction of defendants of colour as a prime example of the erosion of judicial independence.
“It's of real concern that the JAC relationship with judicial management seems to have fallen away so far from the independence that was such an essential part of its purpose,” said one retired judge.
“The only independence it is interested in guarding now is immunity from scrutiny and from transparency
“It's not enough to let go a few middle managers and post holders who haven't been obeying the rules.
“There needs to be a change in ethos and a revision back to first principles.
“This is an important win for public accountability.”
Flawed decisions
Judges and expert commentators have also criticised the Information Commissioner’s Office for upholding flawed decision making by the JAC, now clearly identified in this judgement.
“The JAC should review its FOI processes and ensure that it does not adopt an obstructive approach in future,” said Martin Rosenbaum, FOI expert.
“Senior staff must change their mindset and attach more importance to transparency and scrutiny.
“It's absurd that it has to take nearly two years and a tribunal case to obtain information which a court rules should be openly available in the public interest.
“It's extremely disappointing that the ICO did not spot the serious flaws in JAC's case and so upheld JAC's position far too easily.
“The ICO staff should have pursued a more thorough and detailed examination of the issues.”
Eastern Eye approached the JAC and ICO for comment.
An ICO spokesperson said, “The commissioner has received the decision, noting the tribunal predominantly upheld the commissioner’s decision notices.
“We are reviewing the parts of the decision of which the tribunal disagreed with us.”
Keep ReadingShow less
Sunita Williams was part of the SpaceX Crew-9 mission and had been stranded in space for over nine months. (Photo: Reuters)
Reuters)
India looks amazing from space, says Sunita Williams
Apr 01, 2025
NASA astronaut Sunita Williams described India as "amazing" from space and expressed her intention to visit her "father's home country" to share her experiences on space exploration.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday, she responded to a question about how India appeared from space and the possibility of collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
"India is amazing. Every time we went over the Himalayas, and I'll tell you, Butch got some incredible pictures of the Himalayas. Just amazing,” Williams said.
The 59-year-old astronaut, along with fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore, addressed reporters in their first joint press conference since returning to Earth. They were part of the SpaceX Crew-9 mission and had been stranded in space for over nine months.
"And you can see, like I've described it before, just like this ripple that happened, obviously when the plates collided, and then as it flows down into India. It's many, many colours," she said.
Williams described India’s landscape from space, highlighting how lights from cities formed a network.
"I think, when you come from the east, going into like Gujarat and Mumbai, the fishing fleet that's off the coast there gives you a little bit of a beacon that here we come, and then all throughout India, I think the impression I had was it was just like this network of lights from the bigger cities going down through the smaller cities. Just incredible to look at at night as well as during the day, highlighted, of course, by the Himalayas, which is just incredible as a forefront going down into India,” she said.
Her remarks echoed the words of Rakesh Sharma, who became the first Indian in space 41 years ago. When then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi asked how India looked from space, Sharma had replied, "Sare jahan se achcha."
Williams also expressed enthusiasm about visiting India and engaging with people, particularly in light of the upcoming Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), which will include Mission Pilot Shubhanshu Shukla from India.
"I hope, and I think for sure, I'm gonna be going back to my father's home country and visiting with people and getting excited about the first, or not the first, but the Indian national who's going up on the Axiom Mission coming up, pretty awesome,” she said.
Shukla, who was born in Lucknow, will be the second Indian to go to space after Rakesh Sharma.
"They'll have a hometown hero there of their own who will be able to talk about how wonderful the International Space Station is from his perspective. But I hope I can meet up at some point in time. We can share our experiences with as many people in India as possible because it's a great country, another wonderful democracy that's trying to put its foot in space countries. We'd love to be part of that and help them along,” she said.
Williams' father, Deepak Pandya, was originally from Gujarat. He moved to the US in 1958 for medical training in Cleveland, Ohio. She was born in Ohio to Deepak and Ursuline Bonnie Pandya.
During the press conference, Wilmore asked Williams if she planned to bring her crew members along on a trip to India. She responded with a laugh, "Absolutely. You might stick out a little bit but that's okay. We'll get you all primed with some spicy food, will be good.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed Williams and her Crew-9 colleagues upon their return, saying their determination would inspire millions.
“Welcome back, Crew-9! The Earth missed you,” Modi posted on X.
NASA astronauts Williams, Nick Hague, and Wilmore, along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, returned to Earth on 18 March aboard SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft, which splashed down off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida.
Williams and Wilmore had originally planned an eight-day mission as test pilots for Boeing’s Starliner capsule, but technical issues extended their stay to more than nine months. The spacecraft, which experienced helium leaks and thruster failures, was deemed unsafe and returned without them in September.
“Theirs has been a test of grit, courage, and the boundless human spirit. Williams and the Crew-9 astronauts have once again shown us what perseverance truly means. Their unwavering determination in the face of the vast unknown will forever inspire millions,” Modi said.
He added that space exploration pushes human potential and requires the courage to turn dreams into reality. “Williams, a trailblazer and an icon, has exemplified this spirit throughout her career,” he said.
“We are incredibly proud of all those who worked tirelessly to ensure their safe return. They have demonstrated what happens when precision meets passion and technology meets tenacity,” Modi said.
(With inputs from PTI)
Keep ReadingShow less
Load More
© Copyright 2025 Garavi Gujarat Publications Ltd & Asian Media Group USA Inc