ISLAMABAD: Jonathan Pollard, the former US intelligence agent who was convicted of spying for Israel, by compromising Pakistan’s nuclear secrets, could be released before the Jewish holiday of Passover as part of efforts to save Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations, an Israeli official involved in the talks said.
Reports of Pollard’s possible release came as US Secretary of State John Kerry travelled to Israel on Monday to try to mediate a dispute between Israel and the Palestinians over the release of Palestinian prisoners.
No decisions have been made about Pollard’s release, which sources familiar with the talks have cautioned is far from certain and would need to be approved by President Barack Obama.
IB updates list of most wanted
LAHORE: The Intelligence Bureau, which has recently got Rs1.4bn from the federal government for acquiring manpower, gadgetry and other resources to rebuild the organisation from scratch, has updated its first-ever list of most wanted criminals belonging to a Karachi-based political party and the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan who have been responsible for the unrest in the port city.
Although officials claim some high-profile arrests from a list of over 400 people involved in targeted killings and other acts of terrorism, extortion and cases of kidnapping for ransom since the start of Karachi operation in September last year, more than 100 have fled abroad.
Nawaz to attend Boao forum
ISLAMABAD: Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and other world leaders will attend the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2014, scheduled to be held next week, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei announced yesterday.
Themed “Asia’s new future: identifying new growth drivers,” the conference will be held in south China’s Hainan Province from April 8 to 11.
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, Kazakh Prime Minister Serik Akhmetov, Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea Jung Hong-won, Prime Minister of Laos Thongsing Thammavong, will also attend the forum.
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