Russia will provide unspecified 'special' military equipment to Pakistan: Sergey Lavrov
Islamabad, Apr 7: Russia will provide unspecified "special" military equipment to Pakistan, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday as the two bitter Cold War rivals agreed to step up cooperation to fight terrorism and conduct joint naval and land exercises.
Lavrov, the first Russian foreign minister to visit Pakistan in nearly a decade, made the remarks at a joint press conference with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi after holding delegation-level talks during which they agreed to further promote bilateral cooperation in the field of economy, trade, security, including counter-terrorism and defence.
"We stand ready to strengthen the anti-terrorist potential of Pakistan, including by supplying Pakistan with special military equipment," Lavrov said, without giving the details of the Russian equipment.
"This is in the interest of all states of the region, he said, adding that both the sides have agreed to further conduct military exercises and drills.
Russia and Pakistan have been holding annually the joint exercise - DRUZHBA since 2016. In October 2016, they held their first-ever joint military exercise in Pakistan.
Russia in the past said India should not be worried about its relationship with Pakistan and Moscow is committed to developing ties with Islamabad as it is a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
It had said the military drills with Pakistan were part of the counter-terror framework and such collaborations including experience sharing and capacity building is natural for all the SCO member states.
The SCO is an eight-nation bloc which is largely dominated by Russia and China, and is being increasingly seen as a counterweight to NATO. India and Pakistan became permanent members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in 2017.
Lavrov also said that Russia was committed to promote bilateral cooperation with Pakistan in diverse fields including economy, trade and defence.
Pakistan's defence ties with Russia have moved past the bitter Cold War hostilities in recent years and the chill in the relations between Pakistan and the US has further pushed the country towards Russia and China.
Over the past few years, Russia has supplied Mi-35M combat and cargo helicopters to Pakistan, which has shown eagerness to build defence level ties with Moscow.
Later in the day, Lavrov, who arrived here from India on Tuesday on a two-day official visit with the objective to deepen cooperation in different fields, called on Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa. They discussed matters of mutual interest including enhancing defence and security cooperation, regional security, particularly Afghan Peace Process.
"We have no hostile designs towards any country and will keep on working towards a cooperative regional framework based on sovereign equality and mutual progress," Gen Bajwa told Lavrov, according to a statement by the Army.
The powerful Army chief said that Pakistan values its relations with Russia and reciprocates the desire for enhanced bilateral military cooperation.
He also offered support for efforts to bring peace in Afghanistan. Pakistan welcomes all initiatives which can bring peace and stability in Afghanistan as the whole region will benefit from it, he said.
Lavrov met Bajwa on the last day of his two-day visit.
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Osman Hadi murder: Prime accused denies role, claims he was in Dubai
Dubai: The murder case of Bangladeshi student leader Sharif Osman Hadi has taken a new turn after the prime accused, Faisal Karim Masud, publicly denied any involvement in the killing, asserting that he was in Dubai at the time, contradicting earlier claims by Bangladesh police that he had fled to India.
In a video message that has gone viral on social media, the authenticity of which has not been independently verified, Masud rejected the allegations against him and described the case as a fabricated conspiracy. He claimed that a radical political group was responsible for the attack on Hadi and said he had been falsely implicated.
“I am Faisal Karim Masud. I want to state clearly that I am not involved in the murder of Hadi in any way. This case is completely false and based on a fabricated conspiracy,” Masud said in the video. He added that he was forced to leave Bangladesh and travel to Dubai due to the allegations, despite holding a valid five-year multiple-entry visa for the UAE.
Masud acknowledged that he had visited Hadi’s office shortly before the shooting but maintained that their relationship was purely professional. Describing himself as a businessman who owns an IT firm and a former employee of the Ministry of Finance, Masud said he had approached Hadi regarding a job opportunity. According to him, Hadi sought an advance payment of 500,000 taka for arranging the job and also requested donations for various programmes, which he said he provided.
The accused further alleged that his family members were being harassed and falsely implicated in the case. “They have no involvement whatsoever. This kind of inhumane treatment of my family is unjust and unacceptable, and I strongly protest against it,” he said.
Masud also accused Jamaat-linked elements of orchestrating Hadi’s killing, claiming the student leader was targeted by “Jamaati elements” and that he and his younger brother were deliberately framed. A photograph purportedly showing Masud’s UAE visa has also circulated widely online.
Earlier, Bangladesh police had stated that Masud and another accused, Alamgir Sheikh, fled the country after the killing and entered India through the Meghalaya border. Media reports in Bangladesh claimed the two crossed over via the Haluaghat border in Mymensingh district and were currently in India. India, however, has firmly denied any connection between the accused and its territory, calling the allegations a false narrative being pushed by extremist elements.
Sharif Osman Hadi, a key figure in Bangladesh’s student uprising last year, was shot in the head by masked gunmen in Dhaka on December 12 and succumbed to his injuries six days later at a hospital in Singapore. He had emerged as a prominent leader during the student-led protests that culminated in the end of Sheikh Hasina’s rule.
