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Aide of Pakistan ex-PM Imran Khan Says Party Aims to Form Government, Wants Election Results Released

FILE - Pakistani politician Imran Khan, chief of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, arrives to address an election campaign rally July 21, 2018, in Islamabad, Pakistan. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed, File)
FILE - Pakistani politician Imran Khan, chief of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, arrives to address an election campaign rally July 21, 2018, in Islamabad, Pakistan. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed, File)
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Aide of Pakistan ex-PM Imran Khan Says Party Aims to Form Government, Wants Election Results Released

FILE - Pakistani politician Imran Khan, chief of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, arrives to address an election campaign rally July 21, 2018, in Islamabad, Pakistan. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed, File)
FILE - Pakistani politician Imran Khan, chief of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, arrives to address an election campaign rally July 21, 2018, in Islamabad, Pakistan. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed, File)

Candidates backed by former Pakistani premier Imran Khan's party plan to form a government, a senior aide to the jailed politician said on Saturday, calling on supporters to peacefully protest if final election results were not released, Reuters said.
The nuclear-armed South Asian nation voted on Thursday in a general election, as the country struggles to recover from an economic crisis and battles militant violence in a deeply polarized political environment.
Both Khan and three-time former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif declared victory on Friday.
Gohar Khan, the chairman of Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-Insaf (PTI) party who also acts as the former premier's lawyer, called on "all institutions" in Pakistan to respect his party's mandate.
At a media conference, he said if complete results of the polls were not released by Saturday night, the party would hold peaceful protests on Sunday outside government offices returning election results around the country. Pakistan's army chief had congratulated the country on Saturday for the "successful conduct" of its national elections, saying the nation needed "stable hands" to move on from the politics of "anarchy and polarization".
Pakistan Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir "wishes that these elections bring in political and economic stability and prove to be the harbinger of peace and prosperity," according to a statement released by the media wing of the military. The United States, Britain and the European Union on Friday each expressed concerns about the electoral process, urging a probe into reported irregularities.
British Foreign Secretary David Cameron cited "serious concerns" that raised questions "about the fairness and lack of inclusivity of the elections".
Pakistan's foreign office countered the international criticisms on Saturday, saying they ignore the "undeniable fact" of Pakistan conducting elections successfully.
"It is our hope that the process will be concluded effectively and it will reflect the will of the people," said former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, who is leading the Commonwealth team to observe Pakistan's elections.
Jonathan called on those with grievances over the election to raise them in line with the laws of Pakistan.
Sharif said his party had emerged as the largest and would talk to other groups to form a coalition government.
Khan, who is in jail, released an audio-visual message created with artificial intelligence rather than having a statement read out by his lawyers, as is usually the case.
Khan rejected Sharif's claim to victory in the message on social media platform X, calling on his supporters to celebrate what he called a win achieved despite a crackdown on his party.
Independent candidates backed by Khan won the largest share in parliament, despite his imprisonment for convictions on charges ranging from leaking state secrets to corruption to an unlawful marriage, and even though his party was barred from the polls.
About 100 of the winning candidates are independents, all but eight of them backed by Khan's party, said the Free and Fair Election Network, a non-profit electoral watchdog.
Khan's close aide and media advisor, Zulfi Bukhari, told Reuters the party will soon announce the party banner they will ask independents to join. In Pakistan, independent candidates cannot form a government on their own and need to join a party.
The banner for independent candidates backed by Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party will be announced within the next 24 hours, Bukhari said. "And we have no fear of independents going anywhere, because these are the people who have struggled for the last 18 months and endured all kinds of torture and oppression," he told Reuters in a voice note over WhatsApp.
Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) won 71 seats, while the Pakistan People's Party of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the son of assassinated premier Benazir Bhutto, got 53.
The rest were won by small parties and other independents, with more than a dozen seats still up for grabs more than 40 hours after polling ended.

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World

UK Says New Law Will Crack Down on Hostile States’ Proxies from Next Month

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosts a roundtable meeting for leaders of NHS Trusts, at 10 Downing Street in central London on June 9, 2026. (AFP)
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosts a roundtable meeting for leaders of NHS Trusts, at 10 Downing Street in central London on June 9, 2026. (AFP)
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UK Says New Law Will Crack Down on Hostile States’ Proxies from Next Month

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosts a roundtable meeting for leaders of NHS Trusts, at 10 Downing Street in central London on June 9, 2026. (AFP)
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosts a roundtable meeting for leaders of NHS Trusts, at 10 Downing Street in central London on June 9, 2026. (AFP)

Britain said on Tuesday ‌that a law to crack down on proxies acting for states deemed to be hostile such as Iran was expected to come into force next month, as it steps up powers to counter what it says is a growing threat posed by such groups.

The new powers, promised in the wake of a spate of antisemitic attacks in London, seek to close a gap in legislation to target state-linked organizations paying organized crime groups or low-level felons to carry out surveillance, sabotage, or other activities on ‌their behalf.

In recent ‌months there have been numerous arson ‌attacks ⁠on Jewish sites, with ⁠police saying they were investigating possible Iranian links, while there have been convictions for people accused of spying or acting on behalf of Russian and Chinese organizations.

"Where foreign states are found to be engaging in activity that threatens lives or undermines our democratic institutions, we must ensure that such actions have consequences," Prime Minister ⁠Keir Starmer said in a statement. "We will not ‌tolerate hostile actors paying petty criminals ‌to do their dirty work."

Britain's domestic intelligence agency MI5 has ‌warned of state-threat investigations increasing by 35% last year, including 20 ‌potentially lethal Iranian-backed plots.

Britain has accused China and Russia, as well as Iran, of using proxies. All three dismiss the claims as propaganda.

The legislation would make it illegal to express support for designated proxies ‌or to take money from them, providing for jail terms of up to 14 years.

Last ⁠week, an ⁠Iraqi national denied involvement in multiple attacks against American and Israeli interests in Europe, including some of the recent attacks in Britain, during a US court appearance.

He is accused of directing people to carry out attacks in the name of Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (HAYI), a component of an Iran-backed faction which the US considers a terrorist organization directed by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Many British lawmakers have called for the banning of the IRGC, but there was no indication of whether it would be included under the new legislation, with about 10 or fewer designations expected in the first year after it has become law.

World

Ukraine, Latvia Sign Drone Deal, Zelenskiy Says

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attends a press conference during the Nordic-Baltic cooperation (NB8) Prime Ministers' meeting in Tallinn, Estonia, June 9, 2026. (Reuters)
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attends a press conference during the Nordic-Baltic cooperation (NB8) Prime Ministers' meeting in Tallinn, Estonia, June 9, 2026. (Reuters)
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Ukraine, Latvia Sign Drone Deal, Zelenskiy Says

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attends a press conference during the Nordic-Baltic cooperation (NB8) Prime Ministers' meeting in Tallinn, Estonia, June 9, 2026. (Reuters)
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attends a press conference during the Nordic-Baltic cooperation (NB8) Prime Ministers' meeting in Tallinn, Estonia, June 9, 2026. (Reuters)

Ukraine has signed a drone deal with Latvia, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday as he met with Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs on the sidelines of a summit between Ukraine and Nordic and Baltic states in the Estonian capital Tallinn.

"These are concrete things to strengthen our joint defense and co-production, and, importantly, this also means Ukraine's expertise and experience helping to strengthen our partners," Zelenskiy said in a post on X.

He gave no ‌details of what ‌the deal entailed.

Kulbergs said the agreement ‌would ⁠give Latvia technological know-how ⁠and co-production opportunities.

"We need to protect our skies, and nobody knows how to do that better than Ukraine," he told a joint press conference with Zelenskiy and other leaders attending the summit, adding that drones were responsible for the vast majority of deaths of Russian troops in the ⁠Ukraine war.

Since the outbreak of the Iran ‌war in late February, Zelenskiy ‌has managed to leverage Ukraine's expertise in drone warfare into a ‌series of successful diplomatic deals during visits to Europe and elsewhere.

Rustem Umerov, the chairman of Ukraine's defense and security council, said Latvia was the sixth country to join Kyiv's drone cooperation initiative.

Last month, Zelenskiy said nearly 20 countries ‌were interested in drone deals with Ukraine.

"Ukraine is interested in ensuring that every region of Europe ⁠has sufficient ⁠protection against Russian threats," Zelenskiy said on X.

The Baltic countries, which are all members of NATO, have seen several instances of drones entering their airspace in recent weeks, as Ukraine has stepped up its long-range attacks on Russian energy facilities. Ukraine has blamed the incidents on Russia affecting the drone paths with electronic warfare.

Responding to a question on such incidents during an earlier joint press conference with his Estonian counterpart Alar Karis, Zelenskiy repeated that Ukraine was sending its experts to help protect the skies of its close partners.

World

France Bans Israeli Minister Smotrich in Coordinated Sanctions Push

Israel's Finance Minister Bezalel Smotric looks on as he addresses the relatives of Israelis being held hostage by Palestinian group Hamas in the Gaza Strip, during a rally in the center of Jerusalem on June 3, 2024. (AFP)
Israel's Finance Minister Bezalel Smotric looks on as he addresses the relatives of Israelis being held hostage by Palestinian group Hamas in the Gaza Strip, during a rally in the center of Jerusalem on June 3, 2024. (AFP)
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France Bans Israeli Minister Smotrich in Coordinated Sanctions Push

Israel's Finance Minister Bezalel Smotric looks on as he addresses the relatives of Israelis being held hostage by Palestinian group Hamas in the Gaza Strip, during a rally in the center of Jerusalem on June 3, 2024. (AFP)
Israel's Finance Minister Bezalel Smotric looks on as he addresses the relatives of Israelis being held hostage by Palestinian group Hamas in the Gaza Strip, during a rally in the center of Jerusalem on June 3, 2024. (AFP)

France Tuesday banned Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich from entering the country, the French foreign minister said, as part of coordinated sanctions with other countries over settler violence against Palestinians.

France's sanctions were in coordination with Britain, Canada, Australia, Norway and New Zealand targeting "those responsible for the escalation of settlement activity and violence in the West Bank", French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on X.

He said Smotrich "actively promotes the annexation of the West Bank, which he openly claims, the creation of new settlements in the West Bank, the re-colonization of Gaza, the economic collapse of the Palestinian Authority and its harmful consequences for the Palestinian population".

"This is a policy that the overwhelming majority of the international community, firmly committed to the two-state solution, cannot accept," Barrot wrote on X.

Smotrich is the second member of the Israeli government to be forbidden from entering France in recent months, after National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was barred on May 23 for mocking activists detained by Israeli soldiers from a Gaza-bound flotilla carrying aid for the Palestinian territory.

France also banned four leaders of settler organizations and 21 violent settlers.

- 'Scant accountability' -

Norway said it would adopt the same sanctions as those announced by the European Union on May 28, as well as impose an entry ban targeting "20 violent settlers", without naming them.

Along with sanctions against "networks financing and enabling settler attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank", the United Kingdom also urged British businesses and citizens to refrain from conducting financial activities in Israeli settlements deemed illegal under international law.

"We believe that violent settler groups should not be profiting from the land that they have seized from Palestinians," Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper told parliament.

The Israeli "government has condemned some settler violence, but that rings hollow when there is scant accountability", she added.

Israel's foreign ministry quickly condemned the sanctions as "disgraceful".

"The real essence of these steps is the attempt to impose a political stance regarding the right of Jews to settle in the Land of Israel and concerning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict -- camouflaged as measures against violence," ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein said.

- Banned ministers -

Ben-Gvir and Smotrich had already been banned by the five other countries in June last year, over accusations of inciting violence against Palestinians, particularly in the occupied West Bank.

The Israeli government at the time condemned the sanctions as "scandalous".

Other countries have also banned the ministers, including Spain, Slovenia and most recently Ireland.

Firebrand Ben-Gvir became a minister in 2022, after an alliance with the far-right Religious Zionist party of Smotrich came third in legislative elections.

Together, Ben-Gvir and Smotrich form a cornerstone of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing coalition government.

Since the war in Gaza broke out in October 2023 with Palestinian group Hamas's attack on Israel, near-daily violence has also rocked the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967.

Israeli soldiers or settlers have killed at least 1,080 Palestinians since then, including both fighters and civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Palestinian health ministry data.

Official Israeli figures show that at least 46 Israelis, both civilians and soldiers, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations in the same period.

A United Nations-mandated inquiry on Tuesday said Palestinian civilians are caught between "mass atrocities" of Israeli forces, settlers and the brutal rule of Hamas in war-torn Gaza.