PESHAWAR: In Pakistan’s north-western province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), six-year old Khadija babysits the children of Peshawar’s privileged families for a few hundred rupees a month. She is one of 1.8 million of the province’s seven million children who are currently out of school, according to Ziaullah Bangash, an education adviser to the provincial government.
“My mother works in nearby homes,” Khadija says. “I go with her and take care of people’s babies.”
A July 2018 report by the federal education ministry reported that out of a total 51.5 million children in Pakistan between the ages of five and 16, 22.5 million were out of school.
According to Pakistan’s constitution, children less than 16 years of age cannot be employed in any industry. But due to poverty, natural calamities, a weak industrial base, and still reeling from the effects of war and militancy, KP has some of the highest number of out-of-school and child labor cases in the country.
A few months ago, Shanaz Khan, a UNICEF employee and social worker making the rounds in Pawaki, an impoverished area of Peshawar where Khadija lives with her family, entered their home and proposed that Khadija be enrolled in a small, free school to get basic maths, reading and writing practice. The school, yet unnamed, is Khan’s own, personally funded initiative and aims to deliver basic literacy to children out of school or employed in child labor.
Khan, who comes from a family of government workers and business people, launched her first “school” in October last year by renting a room in a local house for a few hours every day and requesting families to register their children by going door-to-door.
“In the blink of an eye, I had 25 registered children,” she says.
Only four months on, there are four such “schools” in the Pawaki, Speena Warai, Miskeenabad and Gulabad areas of Peshawar where 150 children, both boys and girls, come and get basic education. The space is sparse and simple, with rooms in houses rented for a few hours of afternoon classes where children of varying ages are taught by a single female teacher.
Many of Khan’s students work in brick kilns, as domestic workers, in garment factories, the restaurant business and at wagon workshops.
“We are not only providing education to these street children,” Khan says, “We are also working to make society aware, so that no child is left out of school. It was a big task to convince parents to prefer education over jobs for their children.”
The need for such initiatives has risen in part due to the government’s inability to implement laws already in place, according to renowned documentary film-maker and human rights activist Samar Minallah.
“The government needs to act on the Elimination of Child Labour Act of 2015 and the Right to Education Act of 2017,” she says and adds that the constitution gives all Pakistani children the right to a free education.
But even as government adviser Ziaullah Bangash concedes that millions of children are currently out of school in KP province, he says the PTI government in its last tenure has already “improved the conditions of 50 percent of government schools” and has a plan for the next five years.
“We have a strategy to establish schools in rented buildings and are going to make public-private partnerships to bring these out-of-school children into the classroom,” he says.
“We also introduced independent monitoring unit systems to ensure the attendance of teachers,” he adds.
A damning 2014 report funded by the UK Department for International Development found that Peshawar had some of the highest rates of absentee teachers in the country, citing almost 5,000 teachers were missing from government schools on a daily basis and another 15,000 teachers were absent due to sanctioned leave every day.
In 2017, the provincial government reported that its monitoring systems had led to a 3% increase in the rate of daily teacher turnout, and last year, the KP Chief Minister kicked off an enrollment campaign to get 2.5 million out-of-school children into schools.
Meanwhile, in Peshawar, Khan says one day she hopes to rent a building where her students can have a proper school. Until then, her informal teaching rooms are doing their quiet work, appealing for donations and according to Khan, “extinguishing a thirst and fulfilling the dream of a basic education.”
The teaching rooms of Peshawar
The teaching rooms of Peshawar
- KP has the highest number of out-of-school and child labor cases in Pakistan
- A staggering 22.5 million Pakistani children out of 55.1 million are out of school
Explosion at gas pipeline disrupts supply to parts of southwest Pakistan
- Police say unidentified individuals planted an explosive device along the pipeline near Quetta
- Sui Southern Gas Company says repair work will start Friday after the area’s security clearance
QUETTA: An 18-inch diameter gas pipeline was destroyed by an explosion in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province on Wednesday evening, officials confirmed, suspending gas supply to several areas of the province, including its capital, Quetta.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province by area, is rich in natural resources, including significant natural gas reserves. The Sui gas field, located in the province, is one of the country’s largest and supplies a substantial portion of Pakistan’s natural gas needs.
Attacks on gas pipelines in Balochistan are not unprecedented. Militant groups, particularly Baloch separatists, have a history of targeting infrastructure to express grievances over the alleged exploitation of the province’s resources without adequate benefit to the local population, a charge the government denies.
These groups have previously carried out attacks on gas pipelines, power lines, and other infrastructure, disrupting supplies and causing economic losses. The latest incident targeting the pipeline occurred at Quetta’s western bypass, according to a local police official.
“The explosion has damaged the gas pipeline while police and other law enforcing agencies have commenced investigation,” Mehmood Kharoti, Station House Officer of Brewery Police Station, told Arab News.
He said unidentified individuals had planted an explosive device along the pipeline in the Killi Khali area.
The Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) also issued a statement confirming the incident.
“The main gas supply line caught fire after the explosion which has been controlled by the SSGC team but gas supply has been suspended in many parts of Quetta, Kuchlak, Pishin, Yaro, Karbala and Huramzai,” the statement said.
“The repair work of the damaged gas pipeline will be started tomorrow after the security clearance by the law enforcement agencies,” it added.
Balochistan, which shares borders with Iran and Afghanistan, has experienced a low-level insurgency for decades. Baloch nationalists have called for greater autonomy and a larger share of the region’s resource wealth. The Pakistani government says it has launched several development projects in the region to address these concerns, but tensions persist.
So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the latest attack.
Nearly 300 killed in militant attacks in Pakistan’s Balochistan province in 2024 — official data
- Balochistan witnessed a rise in separatist violence, reporting 563 attacks in which over 500 were injured
- Security analysts say only genuine political process can establish long-term peace in restive Balochistan
QUETTA: Pakistan’s volatile Balochistan province witnessed a dramatic surge in militant violence in 2024, as government data exclusively obtained by Arab News on Wednesday revealed nearly 300 people, including civilians and soldiers, were killed in over 550 attacks reported across various districts of the province this year.
Most attacks were carried out by Baloch separatist groups, primarily the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), which also launched coordinated assaults, including suicide bombings, targeting Pakistani security forces and Chinese nationals in the southern region of the country.
Balochistan, sharing porous borders with Afghanistan to the north and Iran to the west, has experienced a low-level insurgency by Baloch separatist and other armed groups for the last two decades.
These groups accuse Islamabad of exploiting the province’s mineral resources without benefitting its people, claims the government denies, asserting it has initiated several development projects to bring the region on par with other provinces.
“296 people including the civilians and soldiers of Pakistan’s armed forces were killed and more than 500 were injured in 563 attacks reported in Balochistan from January 1st to December 20th, 2024,” the provincial home department’s annual report, exclusively obtained by Arab News, said.
“44 percent of the total attacks were reported against Pakistan’s armed forces operating in Balochistan including the Pakistan Army, Frontier Corps (FC) Balochistan, Police, Levies, and Pakistan Coast Guards, while 81 settlers (people from other provinces) and 37 civilians were killed in dozens of attacks this year,” it added.
The official data revealed that February and August, months when Pakistan held general elections and celebrated its independence, were the deadliest, with 187 attacks of varying nature and scale reported across Balochistan, claiming 119 lives.
Last month, Pakistan announced a “comprehensive military operation” against Baloch separatists and their hideouts in the mountainous region following a deadly suicide bombing at the crowded railway station in Quetta, which killed more than two dozen people, including Pakistan Army soldiers.
Shahid Rind, the provincial spokesperson, confirmed the annual number of attacks and casualties while speaking to Arab News.
“The provincial government has been implementing the decisions made in the federal apex committee meeting in November alongside the objectives of its own provincial action plan to counter this new wave of terrorism in Balochistan,” he said.
“The provincial administration, together with federal and provincial law enforcing agencies, will move as the whole of the government to impart a sense security among the masses, foreign investors and business community,” he continued.
POLITICAL PROCESS
Speaking to Arab News, Abdul Basit, a research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, called 2024 a year of offensive guerrilla warfare from defensive guerrilla warfare by the Baloch militant groups.
“The separatist groups showed a new trend of coordinated attacks and taking over the provincial highways for hours,” he said.
“Balochistan needs a genuine political process for long-term peace because the ethnic Baloch nation has lost trust in the political process,” he continued. “Instead of empowering dummy leadership in Balochistan, the state has to work with genuine leadership that has roots in the masses.”
Safdar Sial, a research analyst at the Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS), agreed with him, pointing out that the Pakistani authorities had mainly relied on “kinetic operations” and the frequency of military actions was likely to intensify further.
However, he added that it was important to adopt the political approach to prevent recruitment by the militant organizations.
“Government should take soft and political measures to alienate Baloch insurgents from the Baloch masses,” he said.
Afghanistan summons Pakistan envoy over reported airstrikes killing 46 in border town
- Kabul accuses Pakistan military of creating distrust when civilian officials are in talks with Afghanistan
- Afghan authorities reported the strikes days after TTP claimed a raid on Pakistani outpost, killing 16 soldiers
KARACHI: Afghan authorities in Kabul said on Wednesday they summoned the Pakistani chargé d’affaires after reported airstrikes by Pakistan in Paktika province that killed at least 46 people, warning such actions undermined bilateral trust and highlighting Afghanistan’s history of defending its sovereignty against major global powers.
The airstrikes reportedly targeted Afghanistan’s eastern district of Bermal, days after Pakistan claimed it thwarted a cross-border incursion by a banned militant network, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), whose leadership is said to be based on Afghan soil.
The incident comes amid escalating militant attacks in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, with TTP recently claiming responsibility for an overnight raid on a Pakistani military outpost that killed 16 soldiers.
Pakistan has accused Afghanistan of facilitating such attacks, a charge denied by Kabul.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) summoned the Charge d’Affaires of the Pakistani Embassy in Kabul this afternoon and delivered a letter of strong protest regarding the bombing by Pakistani military aircraft near the Durand Line, in the Bermal district of Paktika province, Afghanistan,” the Afghan foreign ministry said in a statement.
“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, which has a long history of struggle to defend the country against great powers, will never accept the violation of the nation’s sovereignty and is resolutely prepared to defend the country’s independence and territorial integrity,” it added.
The reported airstrikes coincided with a visit to Kabul by Mohammad Sadiq, Pakistan’s special representative for Afghanistan, to discuss trade and regional ties.
During the visit, Sadiq met Afghanistan’s acting interior minister, Sirajuddin Haqqani, to offer condolences over the Dec. 11 killing of his uncle, Khalil Haqqani, in a suicide bombing claimed by Daesh.
Sadiq also held talks with Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, describing the discussions as “wide-ranging” and focused on strengthening cooperation and fostering peace.
The Afghan foreign ministry maintained that while representatives of Pakistan’s civilian government were engaged in dialogue with Afghan officials in Kabul, the actions of Pakistani military aimed “to create distrust between the two countries.”
“Furthermore, it was made clear to the Pakistani side that the protection of Afghanistan’s national sovereignty is a red line for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, and such irresponsible actions will undoubtedly have consequences,” it continued.
Earlier this year in March, airstrikes by Pakistan’s military in Afghan border regions prompted skirmishes on the frontier.
No statement has yet been issued by Pakistan’s military or foreign office regarding the strikes.
Two paramilitary troops guarding Qatari hunting team killed in attack in southwest Pakistan
- IED blast took place as 10-member Qatari hunting team was passing through Zarren Bug locality in Balochistan
- Qatar royal family members often visit Pakistan on hunting expeditions, especially in pursuit of the houbara bustard
KARACHI: Two paramilitary soldiers were killed and four were wounded in an IED attack in the southwestern Balochistan province, officials said on Wednesday, as they were guarding a visiting group of Qatari hunters who remained unhurt.
Qatar royal family members often visit Pakistan on hunting expeditions, especially in pursuit of the houbara bustard, a rare bird whose meat is prized by Arab sheikhs. The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the bustard as a vulnerable species with a global population ranging from 50,000 to 100,000. It has almost vanished on the Arabian peninsula.
“This was an IED attack on the Frontier Corps [paramilitary force] while they were providing security to Qatari nationals, two soldiers have been martyred,” local assistant commissioner Abdul Hameed said.
He said the attackers struck in the Zarren Bug locality in Turbat in the southwestern Balochistan province.
A second official from a local paramilitary force confirmed that two soldiers had been killed.
“The 10-member delegation of the Qatari hunting party led by Sheikh Talal was visiting district Kech to hunt the houbara bustard,” the official added. “The Qatari team was not hurt in the attack and safely passed the area.”
To seek favor with communities on whose land they pursue prey, hunters from Arab nations have built roads, schools and mosques in places like Balochistan and the province of Helmand in neighboring Afghanistan, while residents also benefit from the international-standard airstrips that can spring up. New four-wheel-drive vehicles brought in for the hunt are sometimes left behind as gifts for regional leaders.
But critics say that hunting with falcons is a reckless hobby that threatens the houbara and other species.
In December 2015, about 100 gunmen kidnapped at least 26 Qataris from a desert hunting camp in Iraq near the Saudi border. A member of Qatar’s ruling family was freed in April 2016, along with an accompanying Pakistani man.
Pakistan calls for end of violence in Bethlehem, birthplace of Christ
- Palestinian city is venerated by Christians as birthplace of Jesus and now sits in Israeli-occupied West Bank
- Violence has surged across the hilly land since the start of the Hamas-Israel war in Gaza in October last year
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday called for an end to violence in Bethlehem, the Palestinian city venerated by Christians as the birthplace of Jesus and which now sits in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Since the 1967 war between Israel and neighboring Arab countries, Israel has occupied the West Bank, which Palestinians want as the core of a future independent state. Israel has built Jewish settlements across the territory and several of its ministers live in settlements and favor their expansion.
Violence has surged across the hilly land since the start of the Hamas-Israel war in Gaza in October last year. Hundreds of Palestinians — including suspected armed fighters, stone-throwing youths and civilian bystanders — have died in clashes with Israeli security forces, while dozens of Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks, Israeli authorities say.
“The place [Bethlehem] where Prophet Isa [Jesus] was born, his birthplace, today there is a raging market of bloodshed and violence there,” Sharif said as he addressed a church service in Islamabad.
“I believe that on this occasion [of Christmas], wherever in the entire world that Christians live, we should try our best to end this bloodshed in Palestine. And Prophet Isa, who was a peace messenger, for the success of his mission, we need war to end there.”
The West Bank has been transformed by the rapid growth of Jewish settlements over the past two years, with strident settlers pushing to impose Israeli sovereignty on the area.
Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said on X in October that since the start of the Gaza conflict more than 120,000 firearms had been distributed to Israeli settlers to protect themselves.
