PESHAWAR: A Pakistani court Saturday ordered the release of a Pashtun rights leader critical of the military, his lawyer said, weeks after he was arrested on sedition charges.
Manzoor Pashteen, chief of the Pashtun Protection Movement (PTM), was arrested last month on charges of sedition, hate speech, incitement against the state, and criminal conspiracy.
His lawyer Saeed Akhtar told AFP that he had already been bailed on three of five complaints against him.
"Today the court has granted him bail in the remaining two, against surety bonds of one hundred thousand rupees ($650) each," Akhtar said.
He added that he hoped Pashteen would be released from jail later Saturday. A government prosecutor also confirmed the bail to AFP.
Pashteen, a former veterinary student, and the PTM have rattled Pakistan's military since 2018 with calls to end alleged abuses by security forces targeting ethnic Pashtuns in the restive tribal areas along the border with Afghanistan.
Once plagued by militancy and unrest, the region is where Washington believes Pakistan provides safe haven to militant groups including the Afghan Taliban and Haqqani Network.
The army has carried out many operations in the region, and security across Pakistan has dramatically improved in recent years.
But the PTM claim the operations came at a heavy price because of alleged abuses -- including enforced disappearances and targeted killings.
The movement remains peaceful, but has been notable for its direct verbal attacks on the armed forces in a country where such criticism is largely seen as a red line.
Islamabad and the military have repeatedly denied the claims and arrested PTM activists.
A far-reaching media blackout has kept news and images of peaceful PTM rallies off TV screens and front pages nationwide.
An opinion piece written by Pashteen in the New York Times in 2019 was censored in Pakistan.
Pashtuns are a fiercely independent ethnic group that straddles both sides of the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
They account for roughly 15 percent of Pakistan's population, with a majority of the 30 million-strong group living in the northwest.
Pakistan court orders release of Pashtun rights leader
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Pakistan court orders release of Pashtun rights leader
- Chief of Pashtun Protection Movement was arrested last month on charges of sedition, hate speech and conspiracy
- The movement has been notable for its criticism of Pakistan’s armed forces
What has caused Pakistan’s deadly clashes between police and supporters of Imran Khan?
- Topping the demands of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party is the release of all its leaders, including Khan
- PTI supporters say they will hold ‘do or die’ sit-in at public square near parliament that is a popular protest site
Thousands of supporters of Pakistan’s jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan marched on the capital Islamabad this week, breaking through barricades and clashing with police in response to his call for a sit-in protest.
Here is a look at what led to the protest and this chapter of political rallies in Pakistan:
WHAT DO PROTESTERS WANT?
Topping the demands of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party is the release of all its leaders, including Khan, who has been jailed on a series of corruption charges since August 2023.
They also seek the resignation of the current government over what they call rigged general elections this year.
PTI supporters from across the country, including Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi, have marched on the capital, with large numbers coming from the party’s stronghold in the northern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
They have vowed to enter the capital and rally at a public square near parliament that is a popular protest site, holding what leaders have called a “do or die” sit-in.
HOW HAS THE GOVERNMENT RESPONDED?
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government has given no indication yet of bending to the demands. Authorities have used shipping containers to block major roads and streets in Islamabad, with police and paramilitary patrolling in riot gear.
Mobile Internet links are down and schools have been closed for several days in the capital and the nearby garrison city of Rawalpindi. Gatherings have been banned in Islamabad.
WHAT HAS HAPPENED SINCE THE MARCH BEGAN?
Thousands of supporters clashed with police and paramilitary troops on the weekend, as they tried to enter Islamabad.
Both sides have reported injuries and the prime minister’s office said members of the paramilitary were killed when they were run over by a car in the protest convoy. The interior ministry put the number of those killed at four.
WHERE DO THE PROTESTERS WANT TO GO?
The marchers aim to reach the roundabout near parliament that has long been a rallying point for protests and sit-ins that have marked Pakistan’s turbulent politics for decades.
The site is in Islamabad’s heavily fortified red zone, home to parliament, key government installations, luxury hotels, embassies and the offices of foreign organizations.
WHAT IS THE HISTORY OF POLITICAL PROTEST IN PAKISTAN?
Stormy politics and unrest during Pakistan’s 77-year history have included protests and sit-ins by opposition parties.
Khan led one of Pakistan’s largest sit-ins in 2014 when his supporters protesting against the PML-N government occupied the roundabout site for 126 days.
PTI supporters last marched on Islamabad in October, sparking days of clashes with police that killed one officer.
Ex-PM Khan party’s protest disrupts petrol supply in Islamabad, Punjab— oil transporters
- Authorities have sealed off roads leading to Islamabad with containers to deter protesters
- Several pump stations have run out of petrol due to non-delivery, says oil tankers association
ISLAMABAD: The supply of petrol to Islamabad and several cities in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province has been “severely affected” due to a protest by former prime minister Imran Khan’s party, an oil tankers association said on Tuesday, as major roads and highways leading to the capital were sealed off.
Pakistani authorities started closing highways and motorways leading to Islamabad in many parts of the country with shipping containers on Saturday, ahead of a “long march” to Islamabad by Khan’s party.
Authorities also said on Sunday they were closing certain sections of the motorway due to maintenance work. These sections were: M-1 Islamabad to Peshawar, M-2 Islamabad to Lahore, M-3 Lahore to Abdul Hakeem, M-4 Pindi Bhattian to Multan, M-14 Hakla to Yarik and M-11 Lahore to Sialkot.
The closed routes had stalled the delivery of petrol to several parts of Punjab and Islamabad, Oil Tanker Contractors Association spokesperson Noman Butt said.
“Routes to Islamabad, Rawalpindi and North Punjab are closed due to which supply from petrol tankers is severely affected,” Butt said in a statement.
“Thousands of tankers are waiting for the route to open.”
Butt said petrol had not been supplied to Gujranwala, Jhelum, Sialkot and Kharian districts in Punjab for the last three days.
He said petrol supply has also been affected in Islamabad, Kohala, and the northern city of Gilgit.
“Petrol has run out at pumps in many cities,” he added.
Khan’s party aims to pressure the government to end his imprisonment, which has lasted for over a year on what his party contends are politically motivated charges.
The party also aims to raise its voice against alleged rigging in the Feb. 8 general elections while calling for measures to ensure judicial independence, which it says has been undermined by the 26th constitutional amendment. The government denies this.
Thousands of Khan supporters arrived at D-Chowk, a high-security area in Islamabad’s Red Zone that houses key government buildings and is a popular site for protests, on Tuesday afternoon.
His supporters, led by the former prime minister’s wife Bushra Khan, braved teargassing, arrests and clashes to reach D-Chowk where they plan on staging a sit-in protest to demand his release.
Pakistan’s interior minister said three Rangers personnel and a Punjab Police constable had been killed in the clashes. The PTI rejects its supporters were responsible for their deaths.
Pakistan to build its first indigenously designed and built frigate-sized warship — naval chief
- Frigates are designed for surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare and have air defense capabilities
- Pakistan has been actively working to bolster its naval capabilities by inducting advanced warships
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Naval Chief Admiral Naveed Ashraf said this week that the country is building its first indigenously designed frigate-sized warship called “Jinnah Class Frigates” to address the challenges presented by the prevalent multi-threat maritime environment.
A frigate-sized warship is a multi-mission naval vessel, typically 100-150 meters in length, with a displacement of 2,000-4,000 tons. Frigates are designed for surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, and have air defense capabilities. They are equipped with a mix of guns, missiles, torpedoes, and anti-submarine rockets.
Pakistan has been attempting to bolster its naval capabilities through the induction of advanced warships. Recently, it inducted PNS Babur and PNS Hunain, two state-of-the-art vessels, into its fleet. These warships are part of a broader effort to enhance the country’s maritime security and operational readiness.
In an interview with Naval News website on Monday, which covers naval defense and technology, Pakistan Navy chief Admiral Ashraf highlighted that the Pakistan was focusing on inducting modern platforms, force multipliers, and indigenization apart from ensuring a variety of options to reduce reliance on external sources.
“Based on experience gained during the construction of MILGEM Class Ships, the Pakistan Navy is planning to build JINNAH Class Frigates which will be our first ever indigenously designed and built frigate-sized warship,” he said.
The report said Pakistan inducted Type 054 A/P Frigates from China, OPVs Batch-1 and Batch-II from Romania, and MILGEM Class Corvette from Turkiye, adding that these will add to the navy’s existing defense capabilities.
PNS Babur, constructed in Turkiye and PNS Hunain, an offshore patrol vessel from Romania, are equipped with cutting-edge technology to address both surface and air threats.
“Pakistan Navy is in the process of inducting the remaining MILGEM class ships as two of these ships are being constructed indigenously in Pakistan (KS&EW),” the naval chief was quoted as saying.
“Our development strategy is based on ‘progressive capability enhancement’ to create a balanced, potent, and combat-ready force to deal with the evolving threats through the acquisition of force multipliers, and indigenous and innovative technical solutions.”
Zimbabwe win toss and elect to bat in 2nd ODI against Pakistan
- Pakistan suffered 80-run humiliating loss to Zimbabwe in first ODI on Sunday
- Tayyab Tahir and leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed debut for Pakistan in second ODI
BULAWAYO: Zimbabwe won the toss and elected to bat in the second one-day international against Pakistan on Tuesday.
Pakistan made two changes after Zimbabwe recorded a stunning 80-run win on DLS method in the rain-affected first match to lead the three-game series 1-0 on Monday.
Middle-order batter Tayyab Tahir and leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed were awarded ODI debuts in place of Haseebullah Khan and fast bowler Mohammad Hasnain.
Haseebullah got dropped after making 0 in his debut ODI while Hasnain made way for Abrar with the wicket expecting to slow bowlers.
Zimbabwe didn’t tinker with its winning combination after Pakistan struggled against both pace and spin in the first game.
Pakistan have rested its frontline white-ball players Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and Babar Azam as they tested bench strength ahead of next year’s Champions Trophy.
Bulawayo will host the third and final ODI on Thursday and will also host both teams in the three-match T20 series.
Belarus offers to share technology with Pakistan, import textiles in bid to enhance trade
- Belarus president is in Pakistan on three-day visit to discuss bilateral trade, investment
- Both sides discussed investment, tourism and defense cooperation, says Shehbaz Sharif
ISLAMABAD: Belarus President Aleksander Lukashenko on Tuesday offered to share technology with Pakistan and buy the country’s textile products, with the two states reaffirming their resolve to turn bilateral agreements into “practical steps.”
Lukashenko arrived in Islamabad on Monday evening, a day after a 68-member delegation of his country reached Pakistan to hold discussions on bilateral trade and investment. The Belarusian president is in Islamabad as Pakistan pushes for foreign investment from allies old and new in a bid to shore up its $350 billion economy while navigating a tough reforms agenda mandated by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Lukashenko arrived at the Prime Minister House on Tuesday morning where he was received by PM Shehbaz Sharif and accorded a guard of honor. He held one-on-one talks with Sharif before the two sides also held delegation-level talks in the Pakistani capital.
“As I already said to my dear friend, the prime minister, that in the modern world not just big countries possess high technologies, sometimes mid-range or smaller countries also do just like Belarus,” Lukashenko said during a joint news conference with Sharif.
“We have those technologies and I think Pakistan should develop relations with smaller countries which are ready to share their technologies and on the other hand, we would be very happy to buy from Pakistan what it has to offer to us, including textile and many other things,” he added.
Sharif said he was encouraged by Lukashenko’s “very inspiring” statements on putting agreements on trade and investment into action. He said both sides covered commerce, investment, tourism, defense cooperation and other important issues in the discussions.
“All these areas will be discussed today immediately after this press conference between the two sides,” Sharif said. “And then they will depart to meet again in two weeks’ time in Minsk where the two teams will meet again and finalize and convert all these discussions into practical steps, arrangements ready for agreements.”
Sharif said in February 2025, he and the Belarusian president will sign the agreements to ensure practical work on them begins.
Pakistan and Belarus, the world’s 74th-largest economy by GDP, celebrated thirty years of the establishment of diplomatic relations this year. Pakistan was one of the first countries to recognize Belarus after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 and maintained an embassy in Minsk.
The prime minister of Belarus was in Islamabad earlier this year where he met his counterpart as well as the chief of the Pakistan army, among other key leaders.
In September, Pakistan and Belarus discussed different options for a joint venture to establish a tractor plant in the country and reached a consensus on collaborating on a foot-and-mouth disease vaccine to protect cattle, as well as on the capacity building of agricultural engineers in machinery design.
They also agreed to enhance cooperation in the sectors of livestock and seeds and work together on the mechanization of agriculture and on increasing market access for agricultural and livestock products. Belarus also wants to set up a veterinary medicine plant in Pakistan.
In recent months, there has been a flurry of visits, investment talks and economic activity between Pakistan and Central Asian states, including meetings with leaders from Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan.
