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Imran Khan: It would be ‘foolish’ not to have good relations with army

The political instability since Khan’s ouster from power helped force Islamabad to accept the IMF’s painful fiscal consolidation requirements, which have burdened the people with heavy taxes, analysts say.

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Pakistan’s jailed former prime minister, Imran Khan, who blames the military for his ouster and 12-month-old imprisonment on what he calls trumped-up charges, said on Sunday it would be “foolish” not to have “excellent” relations with the army.

Ahead of Monday’s anniversary of his jailing on dozens of charges ranging from corruption to leaking state secrets, Khan also said in written responses to Reuters questions that he held no grudges against the United States, whom he has also blamed for his 2022 ouster from office.

“Given Pakistan’s geographical position and the military’s significant role in the private sector, it would be foolish not to foster such a relationship,” Khan wrote in replies relayed by his media and legal team.

“We are proud of our soldiers and armed forces,” he said.

Khan said his criticisms since his ouster had been directed at individuals, not the military as an institution. “The miscalculations of the military leadership shouldn’t be held against the institution as a whole.”

On Wednesday, Khan offered to hold “conditional negotiations” with the South Asian nation’s military – if “clean and transparent” elections were held and the “bogus” cases against his supporters were dropped.

Pakistan’s army and government did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Khan’s remarks to Reuters. They have both repeatedly denied his assertions.

The United States denies any role in his ouster.

In his replies, the 71-year-old former cricket star did not specify what he wanted to discuss with the military.

The army, which has ruled Pakistan for more than half its 76-year independent history, plays an oversized role in the politics and governance of the nation of 240 million people.

No Pakistani prime minister has completed a full five-year term in office, and most have served time in jail. Analysts say most of those secured their release after striking deals with the military, a claim the army denies.

Khan, who lost power in a parliamentary vote of no confidence after falling out with the generals, has said the army has been backing what he calls the politically motivated cases against him, which the military has denied.

Still, he said, there would be “no harm” in engaging with the generals if he should be released from jail and seek to return to power.

“We are open to any dialogue that could help improve the dire situation in Pakistan,” he said, adding that it was useless to open any such talks with the coalition government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, which he says does not enjoy public backing because he claims it won a stolen election in February.

Rather, Khan said, it would be “more productive to engage with those who actually wield power”.

The military – which says Khan and his party were behind attacks on military installations last year during widespread protests against his detention – has previously ruled out any talks with him.

Khan’s imprisonment has added to the political volatility in Pakistan, which has experienced a prolonged economic crisis and last month received a bailout from the International Monetary Fund.

The political instability since Khan’s ouster from power helped force Islamabad to accept the IMF’s painful fiscal consolidation requirements, which have burdened the people with heavy taxes, analysts say.

The IMF has called for political stability to help put the $350 billion economy on a recovery path.

Khan rejected the idea of reaching an out-of-court settlement with the government or military, unless they accepted that his PTI party had won a majority in February’s election.

“The elections were the most rigged in Pakistan’s history,” Khan told Reuters.

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Qatar’s emir arrives in Iran on state visit

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Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has officially welcomed Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani who arrived in Tehran on a state visit on Wednesday.

The welcoming ceremony was held at the Saadabad Palace in Tehran where Pezeshkian received Al Thani.

Earlier, Al Thani was received by Iran’s Energy Minister Abbas Aliabadi upon his arrival at Tehran’s Mehrabad Airport.

The Emir of Qatar and his accompanying delegation will meet with top Iranian officials and are expected to sign documents to boost collaboration in economy, culture, education, and sports.

The trip follows Pezeshkian’s visit to Doha in October, where he attended the Asia Cooperation Dialogue Forum and held talks with Al Thani over boosting bilateral ties.

Qatar has played a key mediating role in ceasefire negotiations in Gaza and maintains strong and pragmatic relations with Iran amid intense regional tensions.

Iran’s Ambassador to Doha, Ali Salehabadi, meanwhile told IRNA news agency that the Emir’s visit to Tehran aligns with the deep-rooted ties of the two countries and aims to serve their common interests.

Salehabadi said that meetings between high-ranking officials from Iran and Qatar will facilitate deeper cooperation in political, security, and economic sectors, as well as enhance coordination in addressing regional issues through constructive diplomacy.

The envoy also described Pezeshkian’s recent visit to Qatar as a big step in the bilateral relationship, highlighting that the two countries signed significant agreements in cultural, economic, and political fields, IRNA reported.

According to the ambassador, Pezeshkian’s administration prioritizes good neighborliness in its regional policies, with both Iran and Qatar striving to play a constructive role in maintaining peace, security and stability in the region.

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Iran says Israel, US ‘cannot do a damn thing’ against Tehran

In 2018, Trump pulled the U.S. out of Tehran’s 2015 nuclear pact with world powers and reimposed sanctions that have crippled Iran’s economy.

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Iran said on Monday that U.S. and Israeli threats against it were a blatant violation of international law and that they could not “do a damn thing” to hurt Tehran, Reuters reported.

The comments came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Jerusalem on Sunday and said their countries were determined to thwart Iran’s nuclear ambitions and its influence in the Middle East.

Netanyahu said Israel had dealt a “mighty blow” to Iran since the start of the war in Gaza and that with the support of U.S. President Donald Trump “I have no doubt we can and will finish the job”.

Speaking at a weekly press conference on Monday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei responded: “When it comes to a country like Iran, they cannot do a damn thing”.

“You cannot threaten Iran on one hand and claim to support dialogue on the other hand,” Baghaei said, state media reported.

Trump has expressed an openness to a deal with Tehran while also reinstating the “maximum pressure” campaign on Iran that was applied during his first term to stop Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, read the report.

While stopping short of renewing a ban on direct talks with Washington decreed in 2018, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has criticised Trump’s previous administration for not honouring its promises.

In 2018, Trump pulled the U.S. out of Tehran’s 2015 nuclear pact with world powers and reimposed sanctions that have crippled Iran’s economy.

A year later, Iran reacted by breaching the pact’s nuclear curbs, accelerating enrichment of uranium to up to 60% purity, close to the roughly 90% of weapons grade. It says its nuclear programme is solely for peaceful purposes

Despite spokesman Baghaei’s defiant words, Tehran’s influence throughout the region has weakened severely with its regional allies – known as the “Axis of Resistance” – either dismantled or badly hurt since the start of the Hamas-Israel conflict in Gaza and the fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria in December, Reuters reported.

The Axis includes not only Hamas but also Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and various Shi’ite armed groups in Iraq and Syria.

Over the 16 months since the Gaza war erupted, Israel has assassinated leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah, and Israel and Iran have carried out limited attacks against each other.

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At least 15 dead in stampede at New Delhi railway station

The incident occurred around 8pm local time on two platforms as passengers waited to board trains to Prayagraj city, where the Hindu Maha Kumbh festival is being hosted

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At least 15 people died and another 15 were injured in a stampede at the main railway station in India’s capital New Delhi on Saturday night, the chief minister of the capital territory told reporters early on Sunday.

The incident occurred around 8pm local time on two platforms as passengers waited to board trains to Prayagraj city, where the Hindu Maha Kumbh festival is being hosted, media reports said.

The death toll included 10 women and three children, local media said. 

Media showed images and videos of crowds pouring over each other at the station, following the incident, as police and relief teams toiled to ease the congestion, Reuters reported.

Delhi’s chief minister Atishi, who only uses one name, said on X that many of the victims were pilgrims who were going to attend the Maha Kumbh.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and some other federal ministers confirmed the stampede incident in posts on X without disclosing the death toll.

“Distressed by the stampede at New Delhi Railway Station. My thoughts are with all those who have lost their loved ones,” Modi said on X.

India’s Interior Minister Amit Shah said in a post on X that he had spoken to the railway minister and taken stock of the situation.

An enquiry was ordered into the incident and four special trains were dispatched to evacuate the rush caused at the railway station, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on X, adding that the situation is now under control.

“The entire team is working to assist all those who have been affected by this tragic incident,” he said.

Dozens of people were killed in a pre-dawn stampede at the Maha Kumbh in northern India last month as tens of millions of Hindus gathered to take a dip in sacred river waters on the most auspicious day of a six-week festival.

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