ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's new interior minister, appointed in a major cabinet reshuffle this month by Prime Minister Imran Khan, is a former spy chief and close ally of the country's last military ruler who has long been accused of deep ties to militant groups.
The appointment of retired Brigadier Ijaz Shah has been heavily criticised by the opposition Pakistan People's Party (PPP), whose slain former leader Benazir Bhutto regarded him as a deadly enemy.
Some analysts said it suggested Pakistan's powerful military continued to wield heavy influence over the civilian administration - a persistent allegation since Khan took office eight months ago that both his government and the generals deny.
In an interview with the BBC after his appointment, Shah said: "What power can I give the military as interior minister? I left the army a long time ago, I am a civilian and have participated in elections."
The prime minister's office and the information ministry did not respond to requests for comment.
Shah was among four members of the civilian-military establishment named by Bhutto in a letter written to then President Pervez Musharraf months before her assassination as suspects who should be investigated if she was killed.
Many Pakistanis have long suspected that elements of the intelligence agencies colluded with militants in Bhutto's assassination in a gun and bomb attack in the garrison city of Rawalpindi in December 2007. An investigation at the time blamed an al Qaeda-allied Pakistani Taliban leader.
"Are you trying to send a message to the world that we have terrorists and the abettors of terrorists in our cabinet?" Bhutto's son and chairman of the PPP, Bilawal Bhutto, told the country's parliament this week, referring to Shah's appointment. "This cannot happen."
Shah's office did not respond to a request for an interview or a list of questions sent by Reuters, but earlier this month then Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry told local newspaper Dawn that "he is a clean man" and had been cleared of all allegations against him in a government inquiry.
SPY CHIEF
The sweeping cabinet reshuffle comes as Pakistan is trying to attract foreign investment and present itself as a reformed country. But critics say the inclusion of an "old school" figure such as Shah in the government shows little has changed.
Under Musharraf, who as army chief seized power in a 1999 coup and ruled until 2008, Shah served as head of the military's leading spy agency in the Punjab province, and was later appointed the head of the civilian Intelligence Bureau.
He oversaw the surrender of wanted militant Omar Saeed Shaikh, who masterminded the kidnapping and killing of Wall Street Journal correspondent Daniel Pearl in 2002.
That contributed to allegations he had been close to Islamist groups based along lawless border with Afghanistan, where Pakistan's security services have long been accused of playing a double game.
"The biggest controversy is his links with the Afghan jihad and figures like Omar Saeed Sheikh," author and analyst Ayesha Siddiqa told Reuters, a longstanding critic of Pakistan's military. "Looks very much like the army chief's choice."
The military did not respond to a request for comment on this article, but in the past has said it does not interfere in politics. The military has also repeatedly denied allegations levelled by the United States, Afghanistan and others that is has covertly sheltered militants based along its borders.
Under Khan's government, Islamabad has been trying to convince the outside world that it will not tolerate militants operating from inside Pakistan.
Pakistan currently finds itself on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) "grey list" for inadequately dealing with money laundering and terrorism financing, a designation that makes it harder for the country to access international markets at a time when its economy is stumbling.
Convincing the FATF that it is making sufficient efforts to crack down on militancy will be harder with a controversial figure such as Shah in the cabinet, said PPP Senator Mustafa Khokhar.
Some analysts agree.
"Ijaz Shah's appointment just reinforces the perception that nothing has changed in Pakistani politics," political analyst Aamer Ahmed Khan told Reuters.
Khan's interior minister pick raises questions about "new" Pakistan
Khan's interior minister pick raises questions about "new" Pakistan
- Opposition parties view him as an extension of military's hold on civilian government
- A former spy chief, Brig Shah says he contested elections to become main-steam politician
UN rights body urges Pakistan to end military trials of civilians, release them on bail
- The UN body asks the government to release all civilians detained under the jurisdiction of military courts
- It expressed concern over ‘increasing trend of enforced disappearances,’ as well as torture, other rights issues
ISLAMABAD: The United Nations Human Rights Committee on Thursday expressed concerns over Pakistan’s use of military courts to prosecute civilians, calling for immediate reforms to safeguard due process and fair trial standards in the country.
The committee, an expert body established under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, one of the core international human rights treaties, primarily monitors its implementation by member states.
Pakistan first expanded military courts’ jurisdiction in recent years to include civilians in terrorism-related cases and lifted its moratorium on the death penalty following the killings of over 100 school children in an attack in Peshawar carried out by militants in 2014.
It has also tried supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in these courts following the May 9, 2023, riots, in which people carrying PTI flags targeted government buildings and military installations after the ex-premier was briefly detained on corruption charges.
“The Committee remains concerned about the use of the Pakistan Army Act 1952 to prosecute civilians in military courts,” said the review document prepared by the UN body. “It is also concerned about reports that indicate a very high rate of convictions handed down by military courts and that those convicted have been sentenced to death in the majority of cases between 2015 and 2019.”
“It is further concerned that military courts lack independence and that civilians tried in military courts do not benefit from the same due process guarantees as those provided for in the civilian judicial system,” it added.
The UN body noted that Pakistan’s Supreme Court had declared the military trial of civilians unconstitutional and contrary to international human rights standards last year in October, though it added that the ruling was suspended, and expressed concern that civilians could remain under military court jurisdiction until the top court issues a final verdict.
“The State party should take prompt measures to review the legislation on military courts, abrogate their jurisdiction over civilians and their authority to impose the death penalty, and bring their proceedings into full conformity with articles 14 and 15 of the Covenant in order to ensure a fair trial,” the document said. “The State party should also release on bail all civilians detained under the jurisdiction of military courts.”
Additionally, the UN body raised broader human rights concerns in the country, noting “the increasing trend of enforced disappearances,” as well as torture and extrajudicial executions.
It particularly mentioned “arbitrary restrictions, in law and in practice, on freedom of expression online and offline, including the broad and alarmingly frequent use of Internet shutdowns,” pointing out that the overall environment in the country makes it difficult to exercise freedom of expression by journalists, activists and human rights defenders.
The UN rights body’s findings and recommendations are not legally binding on member states. However, they carry significant weight and can be used to inform advocacy efforts and to apply diplomatic pressure on countries to adhere to human rights obligations.
Pakistan says operation launched in southwest against separatists behind August assault
- Outlawed BLA claimed responsibility for string of coordinated attacks on Aug 25-26 in which over 50 people killed
- Former separatist who recently surrendered to authorities addresses press conference but unclear if spoke freely
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has launched an armed operation in its southwestern Balochistan province against separatist militants who were behind multiple attacks in August in which more than 50 people, civilians and security officials, were killed, a senior counterterrorism officer said on Friday.
The outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army group claimed responsibility for the attacks, most of which occurred on the night of Aug. 25-26 and indicated that the BLA, which has targeted security forces for years in small-scale attacks and is allied with the Pakistani Taliban (TTP), is now much more organized.
Speaking to media on Friday, Counterterrorism Department DIG Aitzaz Ahmed Goraya said two militants had been arrested and three killed in an operation over the weekend in connection with investigations into the August attacks. The two arrested militants had provided, among other leads, information on how the attacks were planned and carried out, where the funding came from, who the local facilitators of the insurgents were and where their hideouts in the mountains of Balochistan were located, Goraya said.
“Now as I speak to you, based on the information, an operation has been launched since the last two days in Duki, Loralai and surrounding districts in which Frontier Corps, CTD, Levies, police and others are taking part,” the CTD official told reporters.
The press conference was also addressed by a Baloch man who identified himself as Talal Aziz and said he had surrendered to authorities after a brief stint as a separatist.
He did not specify when he had turned himself in and it was unclear under what circumstances he addressed the press conference and whether he spoke freely or under pressure from state authorities in Balochistan, a resource-rich but impoverished province where separatist militants have been fighting a decades-long insurgency to win secession of the region. Insurgents say they are fighting what they see as the unfair exploitation of the province’s mineral and gas wealth by the federation at the center.
The Pakistani government and military deny they are exploiting Balochistan and have long maintained that neighbors such as India, Afghanistan and Iran foment trouble in the remote province and support and fund the insurgency there.
Pakistan’s largest province, Balochistan borders Iran and Afghanistan and is home to major China-led projects such as a strategic port and a gold and copper mine.
Speaking to media, Aziz said he had studied in Quetta and Sibi before getting a scholarship to pursue higher education at the Punjab University in the eastern city of Lahore, where he met some students from Balochistan.
“They convinced me to take up arms for the independence of Balochistan,” Aziz said, saying that later, when he went back to Balochistan during university holidays, some friends pushed him to attend a protest by the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) where he was introduced to some dissidents.
The group says it is a human and ethnic rights movement established in response to alleged state human rights abuses in Balochistan but Pakistan’s government and army have repeatedly called it a “terrorist proxy.”
Aziz said after the BYC sit-in, he became convinced to join militants at their mountain hideouts where he claimed he met many other educated, young people like himself who had been similarly “brainwashed.” There, Aziz said he learnt that the purpose of the Baloch militants was to plot the killings of ethnic Punjabis in Balochistan, who they consider outsiders, and he soon realized that he did not want to be part of any such agenda. He then ran away and surrendered to the authorities.
“These terrorists only wanted to lead Baloch people astray and try to break up Pakistan,” Aziz concluded.
The rise of separatist attacks in bBalochistan poses a major challenge for the weak coalition government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, which is battling an economic crisis and political instability as well as a rise in militant violence by both religiously motivated and separatist groups across the country.
Balochistan is also currently in the grips of civil rights protests by young ethnic Baloch who are calling for an end to what they describe as a pattern of enforced disappearances and other human rights abuses by security forces, who deny the charge.
Pakistan eyes $25 billion IT exports in three years, 5G rollout despite roadblocks
- Pakistan’s IT exports face significant challenges due to Internet connectivity issues stemming from firewall installations to regulate content
- In August, the Pakistan Software Houses Association said the country’s economy could lose up to $300 million due to Internet disruptions
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday reaffirmed Pakistan’s ambitions to boost its information technology (IT) exports to $25 billion in the next three years and to roll out 5G Internet services, despite challenges from firewall installations.
The Pakistan prime minister expressed these plans during his meeting with a delegation of VEON, an Amsterdam-based multinational telecommunication and digital services company, led by its chairman Augie K. Fabela, to discuss his government’s efforts to “develop and promote” the telecommunications sector, according to Sharif’s office.
The South Asian country’s IT exports face significant challenges due to Internet connectivity issues stemming from firewall installations to regulate content and social media platforms that hinder the ability of local tech firms to communicate with international clients. This results in delayed deliveries, loss of business opportunities and a tarnished reputation for Pakistan’s IT industry, ultimately stifling growth and costing millions of rupees in losses.
In August, the Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA) said the country’s economy could lose up to $300 million due to Internet disruptions caused by the imposition of the firewall. However, State Minister for IT Shaza Khawaja repeatedly denied the use of firewalls by the government as a form of censorship.
“We are determined to achieve the target of increasing IT exports from Pakistan to 25 billion dollars in the next three years,” Sharif was quoted as saying by his office. “Steps are being taken to introduce 5G Internet services for faster and reliable Internet services in Pakistan.”
Sharif said the rollout of 5G services would make it possible for his government to achieve the vision of “Digital Pakistan.” He said the telecommunications sector would play an important role in promoting a cashless and digital economy, praising the work of a VEON subsidiary, Jazz Group, and expressing his government’s willingness to promote IT, digitization and artificial intelligence (AI) in Pakistan.
The visiting delegation appreciated the Pakistani government’s efforts to stabilize the economy and termed Pakistan an important country for investment in the IT sector, according to Sharif’s office.
Pakistan recorded $298 million in IT exports in June, up 33 percent from the year before. During the fiscal year that ended in June, Pakistan recorded overall IT exports of $3.2 billion, up 24 percent from $2.5 billion in the previous year.
The South Asian nation has lately encouraged its IT sector and facilitated collaborations with firms in several countries, including Saudi Arabia, China and Qatar, to boost its IT exports.
However, IT-related associations and businesses this year raised alarm over slowing Internet speeds as the federal government moved to implement the nationwide firewall to block malicious content, protect government networks from attacks, and allow authorities to identify addresses associated with what it calls “anti-state propaganda.”
In August, the Pakistan Business Council warned that frequent Internet disruptions and low speeds caused by poor implementation of the firewall had led many multinational companies to consider relocating their offices out of Pakistan, with some having “already done so.”
Pakistan’s Punjab province shuts public spaces in smog-hit cities
- Access to parks, zoos, playgrounds, historic monuments, museums and recreational areas will be banned until Nov. 17
- Punjab residents have been trapped in thick smog for over a week ever since the air quality index spiked above 1,000
LAHORE: Pakistan’s most populated province of Punjab ordered public spaces closed in smog-hit main cities, authorities said Friday, as the country battles record air pollution.
Access to parks, zoos, playgrounds, historic monuments, museums and recreational areas will be banned until November 17 due to poor air quality, according to a local government directive seen by AFP.
The concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in Lahore’s air was more than 20 times higher than the level deemed acceptable by the World Health Organization (WHO). In Multan, it was up to 48 times higher on Friday.
Punjab residents have been trapped in thick smog for over a week ever since the air quality index (AQI), which measures a range of pollutants, spiked above 1,000 — well above the level of 300 considered ‘dangerous’ — according to data from IQAir.
Schools in some of Punjab’s major cities were ordered shut on Tuesday until November 17.
The province extended that order on Wednesday to several more cities enveloped by smog, a mix of fog and pollutants caused by low-grade diesel fumes, smoke from seasonal agricultural burning and winter cooling.
The decision follows restrictions imposed last month on four “hot spots” in Lahore that banned tuk-tuks with polluting two-stroke engines, along with restaurants that operate barbecues without filters.
Seasonal crop burn-off by farmers on the outskirts of Lahore also contributes to toxic air, which the WHO says can cause strokes, heart disease, lung cancer and respiratory diseases.
Excess pollution shortens the life expectancy of Lahore residents by an average of 7.5 years, according to the University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute.
According to UNICEF, nearly 600 million children in South Asia are exposed to high levels of air pollution, which is also linked to half of childhood pneumonia deaths.
Pakistan can serve as bridge between China and US — Islamabad envoy to Washington
- Relations between the US and China have been strained over the past several years as both world powers seek to increase their global influence
- The complex US-China rivalry impacts Pakistan as it navigates its strategic partnerships with both while grappling with a prolonged economic crisis
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan can help bridge differences between the United States (US) and China, Islamabad’s envoy to Washington said on Thursday, amid the South Asian country’s efforts to strike a balance in its ties with the two world powers.
Relations between the US and China have been strained over the past several years as both world powers seek to increase their global influence in several domains. The two nations have often had disagreements over trade, Taiwan, the South China Sea and China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
Pakistan maintains a delicate balance in its relations with China and the US. While aligned with the US for military cooperation and counter-terrorism efforts, Islamabad has strengthened economic ties with Beijing through initiatives like the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
In a talk delivered at the University of California, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Washington Rizwan Saeed Sheikh underscored the strength of Pakistan-US relations and highlighted the role of the Pakistani-American community in fostering mutual growth, the state-run Radio Pakistan broadcaster reported.
“Pakistan has the potential to serve as a bridge between China and the United States,” Sheikh was quoted as saying at the event.
The statement came hours after the Pakistani Foreign Office said its relations with key longtime ally China would remain “unaffected” by Donald Trump winning the US presidential election
“Pakistan’s relations with China are all-weather,” Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said during a weekly press briefing when asked if Trump’s victory will affect the country’s China policy.
“They are strategic and a source of stability in our foreign policy.”
Baloch said Islamabad does not even need to consider the possibility that its relationship with China will be affected by any domestic development in another country.
The complex US-China rivalry impacts Pakistan as it navigates its strategic partnerships with both world powers while grappling with a prolonged economic crisis.
“Our relations with the United States are decades old, and we look forward to further strengthen and broaden Pakistan-US relationship in all fields,” Baloch said.
“As the Deputy Prime Minister said in a tweet yesterday, we look forward to fruitful and mutually beneficial cooperation between Pakistan and the United States.”
Pakistan and the US cultivated strong defense ties during the Cold War days yet their relationship was also tested by divergent priorities on various issues.
In recent years, Washington and Islamabad’s ties deteriorated as the former suspected the latter of supporting the Taliban in their 2021 takeover of Kabul, allegations which Islamabad rejected. Tensions rose further in 2022 when former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan accused the Biden administration of orchestrating his ouster via a parliamentary vote, a charge the US denied.
Pakistan, under PM Shehbaz Sharif’s two separate stints as prime minister in 2022 and 2024, has actively sought to improve its relations with the US.
