Free Republic

The U.S.-brokered loan let Pakistan’s military postpone elections, deepen a brutal crackdown, and jail former Prime Minister Imran Khan. SECRET PAKISTANI ARMS sales to the U.S. helped to facilitate a controversial bailout from the International Monetary Fund earlier this year, according to two sources with knowledge of the arrangement, with confirmation from internal Pakistani and American government documents. The arms sales were made for the purpose of supplying the Ukrainian military — marking Pakistani involvement in a conflict it had faced U.S. pressure to take sides on.

Two years later, people are still paying the price for the catastrophe of Old Joe Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan. And people will be paying the price for decades to come. The Associated Press reported on August 22 that “more than 200 extrajudicial killings of former Afghan government officials and security forces have taken place since the Taliban took over the country two years ago, according to a U.N. report.” These were people the Taliban had promised not to kill, but as Muhammad said, “War is deceit” (Bukhari 4.52.268). Nine days before that, the Daily Mail reported that “militants who left...

At least two children have reportedly been rescued from a cable car that has been stuck for several hours over a ravine in Pakistan's north-west. Members of the military have made several attempts to reach the group of eight, who became stuck when a cable snapped early this morning. The group was heading to school when it happened, leaving them dangling 274m (900ft) above the ground. Doctors are at the site to assess those who have been pulled to safety. The first child was rescued by helicopter, while the second was saved by locals using a zipline, according to rescue...

In Guatemala the anti-corruption 'Progressive' candidate Bernardo Arevalo is the winner of the Presidential Runoff Election... Pakistan's President refusing to sign legislation designed to crack down on political opponents... The commander of a US Navy destroyer based in Japan relieved of command... In the Netherlands today Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky seeking US F-16 fighters...Zelensky arrived in Denmark later Sunday saying "we are moving forward in the F-16 issue"... Ukraine threatening Israel over what is says is poor treatment of refugees... A terrorist attack in Israel this weekend... Today was Election Day in Ecuador...Tonight's results in the election for President show...

A thousand Christians have fled their homes and are now sleeping rough after they were targeted by rampaging mobs. Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) reports that the level of destruction in Jaranwala, near Faisalabad, has been "down to the last lightbulb". Churches have not been spared in this week's wave of violence. According to ACN, the number of churches and chapels targeted has risen to 21, with one source in the country who cannot be named for security reasons saying that many of them were set on fire and "nothing is left". The source told ACN that up...

On Friday, Pakistani police took two Christian brothers facing blasphemy accusations into custody. This action followed two days after a Muslim mob set fire to churches and houses, alleging that the brothers had committed acts of desecration against the Holy Quran. According to the police, pages of the Quran were discovered on the street bearing derogatory remarks written in red ink. Additionally, an appended page included personal details such as names, addresses, and national identity card numbers of the individuals involved, as stated by Provincial Police Chief Usman Anwar. The police are probing the reasons behind attaching the names and...

Islamic Pakistan A Christian man Salim Masih has been accused of blaspheming Qur’an, so Muslim Mobs are ransacking and burning churches, Christian cemeteries, and Christian homes. The anger is said to have been fueled by Muslim clerics whipping up mobs to attack Christians after a Christian man was accused (he claims falsely) of burning a Qur'an. The blasphemy laws are often misused in Pakistan to settle personal scores. Christians are being hunted in the streets by Muslims chanting the Islamic battle cry, "Allahu Akbar," and Islamic "prayers". At the same time, the left-wing media tries to scheme how they can...

Pakistan’s national flag was raised at Cork City Hall today to mark the 76th anniversary of its independence. It was followed by a celebration in the council chambers organized by the Irish-Pakistani community in Cork, which will also see the civic bulding lit up later tonight with the colors of Pakistan. […] Organizer Fahmeda Naheed thanked Cork City Council for hosting the event saying that when she had discussed celebrating the 76th independence day at home with her children, they started asking her questions about their identity. […] She described today’s celebration as a historic event for the community, as...

The Chinese embassy "strongly" condemned the terror attack on the convoy carrying 23 Chinese engineers in Balochistan and warned Pakistan to take effective measures to prevent similar incidents from happening again. China further demanded a thorough investigation into the attack and severely punish the perpetrators. "The Chinese Embassy in Pakistan strongly condemns this terrorist act.The Embassy and the Consulate General in Karachi launched emergency response immediately, requesting the Pakistani authorities to conduct a thorough investigation on the attack, severely punish the perpetrators, take practical and effective measures to prevent similar incidents from happening again," the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan said...

Joe Biden’s State Department got busted pushing the Pakistani government to remove Imran Khan as prime minister because Khan did not support the war against Russian aggression in Ukraine. The Intercept obtained a secret cable that showed Biden’s team using carrots and sticks in its push against Khan, promising better relations if Khan was removed and lonely isolation if he was not. The cable details the meeting between State Department officials, including Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu, and Pakistan’s ambassador to the U.S., Asad Majeed Khan. According to The Intercept:...

Remember the heartbreaking stories, as shameless Joe Biden inexplicably withdrew all remaining U.S. forces from Afghanistan in the worst and most embarrassing United States military departure from a foreign country since the fall of Saigon in 1975? Of course, you do.The last US military planes left Afghanistan on August 30, 2021. Following that flight, Taliban soldiers entered the airport and declared victory.As my colleague Streiff reported on September 3, 2021, “By any conceivable measure, the US evacuation was a disgrace.” Streiff added:We know that thousands of Afghans holding special immigration visas (SIV) were left behind. We know hundreds, if not...

LAHORE, Pakistan, Aug 5 (Reuters) - Police arrested Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan in Lahore on Saturday after a court sentenced him to three years in prison for illegally selling state gifts, potentially barring the opposition leader from contesting an upcoming election. Legal experts say the guilty verdict reached by an Islamabad district court could eliminate Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's greatest rival in a national election expected in November. "Police have arrested Imran Khan from his residence," Khan's lawyer, Intezar Panjotha, told Reuters. "We are filing a petition against the decision in high court."

At least 40 people have been killed in an explosion during a political rally in north west Pakistan, according to reports. The blast occurred when a bomb ripped through a crowd of supporters of local hard-line cleric and political leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman, according to local officials. Over 100 have been reported injured in the incident on the outskirts of Khar, the capital of Bajur district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, near the border with Afghanistan. Some of the injured were taken to the main hospital in the city, while others were to Timergara and Peshawar. Mr Rehman, whose party is currently...

Flooding in the US state of Vermont called "historic and catastrophic"... North Korea launching a projectile Wednesday morning local time what appears to be a ballistic missile... The White House choosing sides in the debate over judicial reform in Israel... In Southern Russia a suspect detained in the shooting of a local mobilization official... Russia and China voted against extension of a UN humanitarian aid corridor into the jihadist occupied northwest of Syria... Dollar short Argentina struggling to meet payments to the International Monetary Fund... The continuing legal assault by authorities in Pakistan against former Prime Minister Imran Khan... The...

<p>Pardon us for interrupting the Beltway brawl over Iraq intelligence, but has anyone else noticed the recent landmark progress against nuclear proliferation? The latest breakthrough came this week in Pakistan, where a scientist confessed on television to his nuclear weapons deals during the 1990s.</p>

Jewish billionaire Jay Bloom says he and his son Sean were offered two seats on the ill-fated Titan submersible but declined to join over safety concerns and scheduling issues. The American real estate developer, who is based in Las Vegas, said Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman ended up taking their available seats. Dawood and his son were among the five people who died instantly when the submersible imploded on a mission to explore the wreck of the Titanic in the North Atlantic. “Every time I see a picture of that Pakistani businessman and his 19-year-old son, I...

Preying On Young Boys | Pakistan's Hidden Predators (Full Documentary) In towns and cities across Pakistan, tens of thousands of vulnerable young boys have become the victims of paedophile predators who seem to have nothing to fear from the law. It’s an open secret that few acknowledge publicly and even fewer want to do anything about. In a society where women are hidden from view and young girls deemed untouchable, the bus stations, truck stops and alleyways have become the hunting ground for perverted men to prey on the innocent. In one survey alone, 95% of truck drivers admitted having...

The British university student who was killed in the tragic Titanic submarine 'implosion' was 'terrified' about the trip and only joined the crew to please his dad for Father's Day, his heartbroken aunt has revealed. Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, 19, were two of the five victims killed instantly when the OceanGate submersible suffered a 'catastrophic implosion' just 1,600ft from the bow of the Titanic, according to the US Coast Guard. The other victims were OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, French Navy veteran Paul-Henri (PH) Nargeolet and British billionaire Hamish Harding. They had been missing since the Titan...

Lahore -- Succumbing to the demands of a radical Islamist party, the Pakistan government has agreed to try blasphemy suspects under terrorism charges in addition to the other sections of the country’s penal code. The Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) ended its 25-day-long march protest at Sarai Alamgir, Gujrat district, some 200 km from Lahore, on Saturday after signing a pact with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)-led federal government. Federal Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said the government has accepted “all legitimate” demands of the TLP, especially on blasphemy laws. In a 12-point agreement signed on Saturday with the TLP, the federal government...

How insane is modern Britain? This jihadi was let into the country with no problem. Other preachers of jihad violence can also enter the country at will, while opponents of jihad murder and Sharia oppression are barred from entry. The Home Office several years ago banned Martin Sellner, Brittany Pettibone, Lauren Southern and Lutz Bachmann from entering, all for the crime of opposing jihad terror and Sharia oppression, and thereby made it clear that it is more authoritarian and unwilling to uphold the freedom of speech than ever – at least when it comes to criticism of Islam, Muslim rape...