HT Correspondents & Agencies

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Washington/Islamabad : The US has extended by a year a notice cautioning American airlines using Pakistani territory or air space, citing the possible use of man-portable defence systems –surface-to-air missiles–by extremists and ongoing militant activity in the country.

The Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) will remain in force till January 2021, said the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in a statement on December 30.

The NOTAM advised all US air carriers and commercial operators to “exercise caution when flying into, out of, within, or over the territory and airspace of Pakistan”. It warned that the ongoing presence of “extremist/militant elements operating in Pakistan poses a continued risk to US civil aviation from small-arms fire, complex attacks against airports, indirect weapons fire, and anti-aircraft fire, any of which could occur with little or no warning”.

Man-portable air-defence systems , or manpads, are portable guided missiles that can target low-flying aircraft.

FAA said that while there have been no reports yet of these weapons being used against civilian aircraft yet, some extremist/militant groups operating in Pakistan “are suspected of having access to manpads”.

Govt seeks stay on bajwa tenure order

Pakistani government on Thursday sought a stay on a Supreme Court verdict on the extension of service of Army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa.

The development comes a day after the federal cabinet approved proposed amendments to the Constitution and the Army Act in order to give a three-year extension to the Army chief.

Prime Minister Imran Khan had extended Gen Bajwa’s tenure through a notification on August 19. But the Supreme Court suspended the government order, citing irregularities in the manner the army chief, a close confidant of Khan, was granted the extension.

The government in its plea requested the apex court “to accept the application and suspend/stay the operation of the impugned judgment dated November 28, 2019, in the interest of justice”.

In an emergency meeting on Wednesday, the Pakistan cabinet approved amendment to the Army Act under which the prime minister will be empowered to extend the tenure of all the military services chiefs. The bill pertaining to the amendment will be tabled in parliament on Friday.

The amendment has been prepared in accordance with the guidelines enumerated in the verdict of the Supreme Court regarding Gen Bajwa.

UAE fund allocates $200 mn to Pakistan

The de facto United Arab Emirates ruler, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, instructed the Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development to allocate $200 million to support small and medium economic projects in Pakistan, state news agency reported.

The Crown Prince, who is in Islamabad where he met Prime Minister Imran Khan, tweeted that the two discussed “regional and international issues of mutual interest as well as ways to enhance bilateral ties.”