Tag: voice

ISLAMABAD —  An anti-corruption court in Pakistan Friday sentenced former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife to 14 years and seven years “rigorous imprisonment,” respectively, in a contentious graft scandal stemming from his time in office. The tribunal established within the Rawalpindi prison complex, where Khan has been ...

As part of its drive to expel Afghan citizens from the nation’s capital, Pakistan has deported dozens bearing UNHCR-issued documents, the agency told VOA Thursday. Authorities in Islamabad deported 285 Afghans between Jan. 1 and 15, according to the refugee agency. Its Pakistan representative, Philippa Candler, told VOA that ...

ISLAMABAD —  Pakistan confirmed on Wednesday that the World Bank has pledged to lend $20 billion over the next decade, commencing in 2026 under its Country Partnership Framework, to help address the impoverished country's acute development challenges. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif applauded what he described as the lender's “first-ever” ...

NEW DELHI —  International power rivalry is playing out in the Indian Ocean region, India's Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said on Wednesday, adding that a strong naval presence in the key trade route was his country's biggest priority. While Singh did not name any country, analysts say that China, ...

New Delhi —  The first high level diplomatic meeting held between India and the Taliban leadership marked a significant step in rebuilding New Delhi’s influence in Afghanistan, according to analysts. They say New Delhi’s growing engagement with the Taliban is prompted by strategic considerations in the Central Asian country ...

WASHINGTON —  U.S. President Joe Biden signed on Tuesday an executive order to boost development of artificial intelligence infrastructure in America. A day earlier, his administration announced sweeping measures to block access to the most advanced semiconductors by China and other adversaries. But the U.S. left India, its strategic ...

ISLAMABAD —  Pakistan reported Monday that its security forces raided a “terrorists’ location” in southwestern Balochistan province and killed 27 insurgents during what was described as an intelligence-driven operation. A military statement said that “multiple hideouts, including caches of arms, ammunition, and explosives, were also destroyed during the operation” ...

JAMMU, India —  India's prime minister marked Monday the opening of a tunnel in the northeast of disputed Kashmir that will grant all-year accessibility to a town that is isolated by heavy snow each winter. The $932 million project includes a second tunnel and a series of bridges and ...

ISLAMABAD  —  Nobel Peace Prize laurate Malala Yousafzai urged Muslim leaders Sunday not to “legitimize” Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban, accusing them of being the “perpetrators of gender apartheid” and calling for accountability. Yousafzai spoke at the closing session of a Pakistan-hosted international summit on girls’ education in Muslim communities around ...

ISLAMABAD —  Pakistan hosted a two-day global conference Saturday, where delegates advocated for the promotion of girls education worldwide in Muslim communities and denounced restrictions on female schooling as contrary to the principles of Islam.However, speakers, including the host, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and scholars from participating nations, ...