KARACHI: Thousands turned out on Saturday to attend the funeral prayers of Maulana Sami-ul-Haq, a pro-Taliban cleric who was stabbed to death at his Rawalpindi residence a day earlier.
The funeral, where a majority of the attendees were students from Islamic seminaries, was held in Haq’s hometown of Akora Khattak, and lead by his son, Maulana Hamid-ul-Haq.
Influential religious scholars, senators and political leaders were also part of the congregation that had amassed to pay their last respects to the popular leader of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Sami (JUI-S). Haq was laid to rest besides the grave of his father, Maulana Abdul Haq.
“Based on the intelligence, we have gathered, over fifty thousand attended the funeral,” district police chief Mansoor Aman, told Arab News, adding that strict security measures were in place to avoid any untoward incidents.
Earlier in the day, the JUI-S elected Haq’s brother Maulana Anwar-ul-Haq as the party’s administrator, while his son, Hamid-ul Haq, was appointed as the deputy administrator of Darul Uloom Haqqania, the seminary which Haq headed and referred to as “a nursery of the Taliban”.
In Rawalpindi, police officer Muhammad Jameel told Arab News that the FIR has been lodged against unknown assailants whereas several teams wee investigating the high-profile case.
“The investigations are underway. We are interrogating different people including the domestic staff. Anything can be shared upon the conclusion of investigations,” the official told, adding that CCTV footage of the housing society has been obtained to identify the suspects.
According to FIR seen by Arab News, Haq after addressing gatherings in Charsadda, in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, left for his residence in Rawalpindi. “I was informed by his secretary, Ahmed Shah, that unknown persons had attacked Maulana Sahib and he is laying wounded in his room,” Haq’s son told the police.
“My father has been killed by enemies of Islam and Pakistan,” Hamid-ul-Haq said. As per the FIR, Sami-ul-Haq was stabbed 12 times in his stomach, chest, forehead and ear at 6.30pm on Friday.
He added that the cleric’s driver and guard way away for 15 minutes and returned to find Haq dead. According to reports, the domestic staff has apprised police about two visitors. The police, however, have declined to confirm the information.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s President Dr Arif Alvi and Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa “expressed sorrow and grief over the martyrdom of Maulana Sami-ul-Haq”.
On Saturday morning, the Afghan Taliban also issued a statement, extending their condolences to Haq’s “family, party workers, religious circles and Muslim Ummah.”
“Shaheed (martyr) Maulana Sami-ul-Haq had devoted his entire life to serve religion through education and politics, and he got martyred in the same way,” Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban spokesperson, said.
Haq was born on December 18, 1937, at Akora Khattak and grew up in the spiritual surroundings of Darul Uloom Haqqania. He would assist his mother and grandmother in preparing food for the madrassa’s or Islamic seminary’s students.
After completing his basic education from Darul Uloom Haqqania, he obtained a degree from Dars-e-Nizami before moving to Qasimul Uloom Lahore where he received a degree in the commentary of the Qur’an from Maulana Ahmad Ali Lahori.
“I have the honor of being awarded a degree of honor from Medina University of Saudi Arabia and from Darul Uloom Deoband, India,” Sami-ul-Haq had written in his book.
After graduation, he was appointed as a faculty member at the Darul Uloom Haqqania and assigned the administrative responsibilities of the seminary after his father was elected as a member of the parliament in 1970. “I continued to assist my father till his death in 1988,” excerpts from the book read.
Following the demise of his father, Haq was appointed as the chancellor of the Haqqania in 1988 -- a position which he continued to serve until he was killed on Friday. He was chief of his own faction of the JUI-S and served as a member of Majlis-e-Shura of General Ziaul Haq from 1983-1985. In 1985, he was elected as a member of Pakistan’s Senate where he served for two terms.
Thousands bid farewell to Maulana Sami-ul-Haq
Thousands bid farewell to Maulana Sami-ul-Haq
- Former JUI-S leader was stabbed to death at his residence on Friday
- Brother and son appointed in key roles by the party
Global rights watchdog classifies Pakistan as ‘repressed’ in civic freedom report
- Online platform CIVICUS blames Pakistan for stifling protests, criminalizing activists and restricting digital spaces
- Includes Pakistan with Congo, Serbia, Italy and US among countries “experiencing rapid declines in civic freedoms“
ISLAMABAD: International rights watchdog CIVICUS classified Pakistan as “repressed” in its latest report on civic freedom on Monday, accusing authorities of placing restrictions on social media platforms, stifling protests from opposition parties and criminalizing activists.
Pakistan’s rights groups and opposition parties have highlighted what they say is growing suppression of their fundamental rights over the past few years. They point to legislations in recent months that recommend hefty fines and jail terms for those spreading “fake news” online, a ban on social media platform X that has been in place since February last year, arrests of opposition leaders and their supporters, and alleged harassment of journalists.
Pakistan’s government denies the allegations, saying that its legislations ensure data privacy on social media platforms, and it only takes action against violent protesters who take the law into their hands.
According to the latest report compiled by CIVICUS, an online platform that tracks the latest developments to civic freedoms worldwide, Pakistan joins Congo, Serbia, Italy and the US in this year’s watchlist which “lists countries experiencing rapid declines in civic freedoms.”
“Pakistan’s recent criminalization of activists, stifling of opposition and minority protests, and digital space restrictions have resulted in the county being added to the CIVICUS Monitor watchlist,” the rights body said in a press release.
CIVICUS classified Pakistan in the “repressed” section, where it said countries where civic spaces are significantly constrained are included. CIVICUS said individuals and civil society members who criticize power holders risk surveillance, harassment, intimidation, imprisonment, injury and death in countries categorized as repressed.
The press release mentioned the government’s move to ban the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) last year under it anti-terror laws. The PTM is a pro-Pashtun rights group that is known for its criticism of Pakistan’s powerful military. The online platform also mentioned the charges that prominent ethnic Baloch rights activist Dr. Mahrang Baloch, a fierce critic of Pakistan’s military who blames it for enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in southwestern Balochistan province, faces.
The army says many of Balochistan’s so-called disappeared have links to separatists while military spokespersons have also variously accused the rights movement led by Baloch of being “terrorist proxies.”
“She faces multiple criminal charges including under Anti-Terrorism Act, for organizing sit-in across the country and attending gatherings,” Rajavelu Karunanithi, CIVICUS Advocacy and Campaign Officer for Asia, said. “CIVICUS calls on the government to drop these fabricated charges immediately and to revoke the ban against the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement.”
It also mentioned the government’s amendments to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) in January, saying that they aim to tighten control on online speech and target journalists.
“The crackdown on protests by the opposition and ethnic minority groups and targeting of journalists and digital restrictions are inconsistent with Pakistan’s international human rights obligations,” Karunanithi said.
“The authorities must take steps to reverse course and protect the rights to peaceful assembly and expression and bring perpetrators to justice,” Karunanithi added.
CIVICUS said it assigns ratings as either “closed,” “repressed,” “obstructed,” “narrowed” or “open,” based on a methodology that combines several data sources on the freedoms of association, peaceful assembly and expression.
Over 20 organizations collaborated to provide an evidence base for action to improve civic space on all continents, the platform said in its press release.
Pakistan declares Mar. 15 as ‘Day of Protection of Sanctity of Prophethood’
- Religion ministry spokesperson says initiative to curb rising incidents of blasphemy, sacrilegious content on social media
- Prominent religious scholars urged to devise comprehensive strategy against blasphemous content, says state media
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s religion ministry has officially declared Mar. 15, 2025, as the “Day of Protection of the Sanctity of Prophethood” to address rising incidents of blasphemy and sacrilegious content online, state-run media reported on Monday.
Every year on Mar. 15 the world commemorates the “International Day to Combat Islamophobia” to stress the right to freedom of religion and belief and condemn incidents of blasphemy. Mar. 15 also marks the day when a gunman entered two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, killing 51 people and injuring 40 others in a hate crime against Muslims.
“The Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony has officially declared March 15, 2025, as the Day of Protection of the Sanctity of Prophethood (Yum-e-Tahaffuz-e-Namoos-e-Risalat Peace Be Upon Him),” the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported on Sunday.
As per the report, religious affairs ministry’s spokesperson Muhammad Umar Butt said the initiative will curb rising incidents of blasphemy and sacrilegious content on social media. Butt said the ministry has issued directives to provincial secretaries of the religious affairs and Auqaf departments in all four provinces, Islamabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan to launch an awareness campaign against blasphemous content.
He said the ministry has also urged prominent religious scholars to devise a comprehensive strategy for public awareness against blasphemous content.
Blasphemy, punishable by death in Muslim-majority Pakistan is an incendiary charge, where even unsubstantiated accusations can incite public outrage and lead to lynchings. Human rights groups say Pakistan’s blasphemy laws are often misused to settle personal scores.
Pakistan has seen a sharp rise in the prosecution of “online blasphemy” cases recently, with private groups accusing hundreds of young individuals of blasphemy, according to AFP.
A report published by the government-run National Commission for Human Rights in October last year said there were 767 people, mostly young men, in jail awaiting trial over blasphemy allegations.
Meanwhile, Sardar Muhammad Yousaf of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) party assumed charge as the new Minister of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony, according to a statement from the religion ministry.
“Federal Minister Sardar Muhammad Yousuf assumed the portfolio of the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony,” the ministry said. “He was given a detailed briefing on the Ministry of Religious Affairs, the ministry’s subordinate institutions and Hajj preparations.”
Yousaf said prioritizing the welfare of pilgrims and visitors was essential, emphasizing that all necessary steps would be taken to address their issues and improve Hajj facilities.
Pakistan says main suspect in 2024 Greek boat tragedy arrested
- Four Pakistanis were killed when a migrant boat sank near Greek island of Crete in December 2024
- Federal Investigation Agency says arrested suspect is part of international gang of human traffickers
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) announced on Monday that it has arrested the main suspect in the 2024 Greek boat tragedy, vowing to continue its crackdown against human traffickers who send people to Europe and other countries on illegal sea journeys.
The incident took place in December 2024 when four Pakistanis died after a migrant boat they were on sank near the Greek island of Crete. Each year, thousands of Pakistanis pay large sums for risky and illegal journeys to developed countries, hoping to find work and send money back to their families.
The FIA said its team arrested the main suspect, Usman Jaja, from the eastern city of Sialkot. The agency said he had gone into hiding since the Greek boat tragedy took place in December last year.
“Suspect Usman Jaja tried to send several citizens to Europe via boat,” the FIA said in a statement. “The boat met with an accident in which several youths died.”
The FIA said Jaja was wanted by the FIA’s Gujranwala chapter in more than eight cases, alleging that he was part of an international gang of human traffickers. The agency said it has started an investigation against the suspect, adding that raids are being conducted to arrest others involved with him as well.
“Our crackdown against elements involved in boat accidents is underway,” FIA Gujranwala Director Abdul Qadir Qamar was quoted as saying by the agency. “All resources are being used to arrest the suspects.”
He said the agency’s intelligence-based operations against human traffickers are underway, vowing that no one would be allowed to play with the lives of innocent people.
In 2023, hundreds of migrants, including 262 Pakistanis, drowned when an overcrowded vessel capsized and sank in international waters off the southwestern Greek coastal town of Pylos. It was one of the deadliest boat disasters ever recorded in the Mediterranean Sea.
Greece was a favored gateway to the European Union for migrants and refugees from the Middle East, Africa and Asia in 2015-2016, when nearly 1 million people landed on its islands, mostly via inflatable dinghies.
Incidents with migrant boats and shipwrecks off Crete and its tiny neighbor Gavdos, which are relatively isolated in the central Mediterranean, have increased since 2023.
UAE consul general holds iftar dinner for Pakistan’s Special Olympics athletes
- Pakistani athletes are second to none, says UAE Consul General Bakheet Ateeq Al Remeithi
- UAE consul general stresses on the importance of giving confidence to persons with disabilities
KARACHI: UAE Consul General Bakheet Ateeq Al Remeithi held an iftar dinner in honor of Pakistan’s Special Olympics athletes on Sunday, the UAE consulate in Karachi said, stressing the need to empower them through confidence.
The development takes place as Pakistani athletes prepare to take part in the World Winter Games Turin 2025 that are being organized by the Special Olympics organization. The global event is scheduled to run from Mar. 8-15 and will feature at least 1,500 athletes from over 100 countries who will compete in eight sporting competitions throughout Italy’s Piedmont region.
The UAE consul general welcomed the athletes at his residence in Karachi on Sunday evening. He said that athletes from Pakistan are second to none in the Special Olympics.
“A little hard work on athletes boosts their morale,” Al Remeithi was quoted as saying by the UAE consulate. “The consul general said that despite mental or physical problems, special athletes are no less capable than anyone else. They need to be given confidence.”
The UAE consul general said that Arab culture during the holy month of Ramadan further strengthens the love and ties between the brotherly countries of Pakistan and the UAE.
The participants thanked the UAE consul general for hosting the iftar and thanked him for extending his hospitality, the UAE’s consulate general said.
Pakistan president addresses joint session of parliament amid protest from opposition lawmakers
- Asif Ali Zardari, who has previously served as president, will be addressing parliament for eighth time today
- Opposition lawmakers, mostly from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, raise slogans in favor of ex-PM Imran Khan
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari is addressing the joint session of Pakistan’s parliament amid loud protest chants from opposition lawmakers, mostly from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party on Monday.
Pakistan’s president is constitutionally required to address both houses of parliament at the start of the first session of each parliamentary year. Zardari, who previously served as Pakistan’s president from 2018-2013, has addressed joint sessions of the parliament seven times before.
Pakistani presidents’ addresses to parliament have been marred by noisy protests from opposition lawmakers in the past. As soon as Zardari started his speech, PTI lawmakers started banging their desks and shouting slogans in favor of their party’s founder, former prime minister Imran Khan.
“It is my singular privilege as your civilian president to address for the eighth time the august house at the beginning of another parliamentary year,” Zardari said amid loud chants by opposition members.
Earlier, state broadcaster Radio Pakistan said stringent security arrangements were put in place at the Parliament House. Quoting the National Assembly Secretariat, it said entry for guests was prohibited while media representatives would be allowed in “limited numbers.”
The president’s address takes place as Pakistan navigates a tricky path to economic recovery after a prolonged macroeconomic crisis. Pakistan’s government says its economic reforms over the past one year have yielded fruit, pointing to improving macroeconomic indicators such as a decline in inflation, current account surplus and increase in exports.
The country, however, faces surging militancy in its western provinces bordering Afghanistan. Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) have reported an increase in attacks launched by religiously motivated militants and separatist outfits since November 2022, dealing a blow to Pakistan’s efforts to root out militancy.
The Shehbaz Sharif-led coalition government is also grappling with political instability as its tensions with Khan’s PTI persist. The former prime minister continues to remain popular from behind bars, with his party leading a large protest calling for his release from prison last year that involved clashes with law enforcers.
Both sides attempted to break the political deadlock in the country by holding negotiations in December 2024. However, after three rounds of talks, the negotiations failed as the PTI pulled out in January, citing the government’s failure to form judicial commissions to investigate protests it led in May 2023 and November 2024.
