US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made an unannounced visit to the occupied West Bank on Sunday.
He met with the Palestinian Authority president as part of his ongoing tour of the region, which comes amid escalating tensions over Israel’s war with Hamas.
Blinken and Mahmoud Abbas met in the West Bank city of Ramallah, the de facto Palestinian capital. This marked Blinken’s second visit to the region since the October 7th attacks. The meeting was Blinken’s second with Abbas since the conflict began, but it was the first to take place in the West Bank.
During their meeting, Abbas emphasized to Blinken the necessity for an “immediate ceasefire” and urged the allowance of humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza Strip, as reported.
Fawad Chaudhry Remanded To Police Custody For Two Days
Meanwhile, former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry’s recent arrest and subsequent remand approval by a court in Islamabad have sparked significant attention and controversy. The arrest came a day after he was apprehended at his residence.
His wife, Hiba Fawad Chaudhry, initially expressed bewilderment over the arrest, claiming it was made without any explanation. However, it was later disclosed that the politician had been taken into custody due to allegations of soliciting a Rs5 million bribe in exchange for job placement.
In response to the arrest, Fawad’s brother and lawyer, Faisal Chaudhary, filed a petition to the magistrate, seeking his release. During the court hearing, Fawad was brought to the District Judicial Complex, where his face was veiled, and his hands were restrained with handcuffs. The police sought a five-day remand for the ex-minister, citing the case registered against him for alleged bribery.
In the initial complaint filed against Chaudhry, the plaintiff asserted that the former minister had demanded a substantial sum of money and even threatened the plaintiff when the money was not provided. The plaintiff claimed to have given Rs5 million to Fawad Chaudhry.
