RAWALPINDI: A Pakistan couple have been arrested for allegedly murdering their seven-year-old maid after she was blamed for letting a pet bird escape, police said, the latest case of violence against child domestic workers in the country.
Hassan Siddiqui and his wife employed Zohra Bibi at their home in a middle-class suburb of Rawalpindi, near the capital Islamabad, to care for their son of a similar same age.
“The poor girl was subjected to torture by Siddiqui and his wife who accused her of freeing one of the four pet Macao parrots,” investigating officer Mukhtar Ahmad told AFP on Thursday.
“Siddiqui kicked her in the lower abdomen which proved fatal.”
Some 8.5 million people — including many children — are employed as domestic workers in Pakistan, according to the International Labour Organization.
Theoretically it is illegal to employ anyone under the age of 15, but it remains common practice.
Zohra was taken to hospital by the couple on Sunday, but died the following day. The incident was reported to the police by staff at the hospital.
The young girl’s body was handed over to her parents, who live in Muzaffargarh, near the city of Multan, more than 500 kilometers (300 miles) away from where she was working.
Human rights minister Shireen Mazari confirmed the arrests in a tweet and said the ministry was in touch with police.
“Violence and physical torture against children will not be tolerated and all those involved in such incidents will be dealt with,” city police chief Muhammad Ahsan Younus added.
Domestic workers frequently face exploitation, violence and sexual abuse, with Pakistan’s patriarchal and rigid social-class structure leaving them without a voice.
Children are particularly vulnerable, and Bibi’s case is the latest in a growing number of incidents involving minors.
In December 2018, the rising number of abuse cases led the provincial legislature in Punjab to set regulations for the employment of domestic workers, which theoretically grants them rights such as sick leave and holidays.
Pakistan couple arrested for allegedly murdering seven-year-old maid
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Pakistan couple arrested for allegedly murdering seven-year-old maid
- Girl was who accused of freeing one of the four pet Macao parrots
- Theoretically it is illegal to employ anyone under the age of 15, but it remains common practice
Turkish group bids below minimum fee for Islamabad Airport operations
- Cash-strapped Pakistan wants to generate revenue to speed up privatization push
- Consortium bids to pay government 47% of revenue from operations as concession fee
KARACHI: A Turkish consortium, the sole bidder to take over the operations of Pakistan’s Islamabad airport, has offered a concession fee below the minimum threshold, the chairman of the bid evaluation committee said on Thursday.
The cash-strapped South Asian country is looking to generate revenue by speeding up a privatization push, including outsourcing the running of three major airports.
The consortium, comprising Terminal Yapi, ERG Insaat and ERG UK, bid to pay the government 47% of its revenue from operations in the form of a concession fee, short of the 56% minimum set by the government, the aviation and airports authority said.
The matter will now be referred to the International Finance Corporation (IFC) — a member of the World Bank Group, which is advising Islamabad on the outsourcing — before Pakistan takes a decision on whether the bid can go through.
“The details of the financial proposal will ... be presented and forwarded to the IFC for further evaluation and submission of final reports,” said Sadiq ur Rehman, the chairman of the bid evaluation committee and deputy director general of Pakistan Airports Authority.
Pakistan is also looking to offload a 60% stake in debt-ridden airline PIA to raise funds and reform state-owned enterprises as envisaged under a $7 billion International Monetary Fund program.
A failed attempt to privatize the national flag carrier in October also received a single offer, well below the asking price.
India’s network of extrajudicial killings and kidnappings has spread globally, says Pakistan
- The Washington Post published report on India’s “methodical assassination program” to kill Pakistani nationals in Pakistan
- There are other countries too that have supported our position and have seen India’s foreign activities, says foreign office
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson reacted to a report this week by The Washington Post about India carrying out assassinations in neighboring Pakistan, saying that New Delhi’s network of extrajudicial killings has spread globally.
The Washington Post published a report on Dec. 31 on a “methodical assassination program” employed by India’s Research and Intelligence Wing (RAW) intelligence agency since 2021 to kill at least a half dozen people deep within Pakistan.
The report examined six cases in Pakistan through interviews with Pakistani and Indian officials, the militants’ allies and family members, and a review of police documents and other evidence collected by Pakistani investigators.
“We have seen that India’s network of extrajudicial killings and kidnappings has spread globally now,” Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, the foreign office spokesperson, said in response to a question during a news briefing. “There are other countries too that have supported our position and have seen India’s foreign activities. They are concerned about these activities, especially the killings of foreign nationals on foreign soil.”
The report and Pakistan’s reaction to it comes amid tense relations between India and Canada hitting new lows in 2023 after the Canadian government said it was investigating a link between Indian government agents and the killing of a Sikh separatist leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, on Canadian soil.
New Delhi denies involvement in Nijjar’s killing, and “strongly” rejected Canada’s allegations.
Pakistan has repeatedly blamed India for sponsoring “terrorism” on its soil, blaming the country for arming and aiding militants in southwestern Pakistan, where it alleges New Delhi is targeting its economic partnership with China.
“Pakistan has raised expressed serious reservations over extrajudicial killings carried out by India’s intelligence agencies within Pakistan,” the spokesperson said.
Nuclear-armed India and Pakistan have fought two of three wars after independence from British rule in 1947 over the disputed former princely state of Kashmir. The first war was fought in 1947, the second in 1965, and a third, largely over what became Bangladesh, in 1971.
Pakistan says not in contact with new Syrian leadership, supports efforts to uphold country’s unity
- Pakistan believes Syria’s future should correspond to aspirations of the Syrian people, says foreign office
- Opposition forces in Syria ousted former president Bashar Assad in December after lightening offensives
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson confirmed on Thursday that Islamabad has not established direct contact with the new Syrian leadership yet, reiterating that it supports a solution that upholds the unity and territorial integrity of the Middle Eastern state.
Opposition forces in Syria, after lightening military campaigns, seized the capital Damascus in December 2024 as then-President Bashar Assad fled to Russia. The Syrian leader was ousted after 13 years of civil war and more than 50 years of his family’s rule over the country.
Days after Assad was ousted, Pakistan said it supported an “inclusive political process” in Syria and believed that the Middle Eastern nation’s future should be determined by its people without foreign interference.
“I would not like to comment on specific details, but at this stage we do not have direct contacts with the leadership of Syria,” Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said in response to a question. “But our embassy remains active in Syria.”
She said the Pakistani government has consistently supported efforts aimed at finding a “comprehensive solution” to the situation in Syria.
“The solution that upholds the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria,” Baloch said, adding that Pakistan believes the future of Syria should correspond to the aspirations of the Syrian people for security, stability and development.
“And Pakistan will continue to promote peace and stability in Syria,” she said.
Following Assad family’s ouster after over five decades in power, opposition forces’ leader Ahmad Al-Sharaa’s Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) stamped its authority on the Syrian state with the same lightning speed it seized the country.
The HTS deployed police, installed an interim government and has been meeting foreign envoys, raising concerns over how inclusive Damascus’ new rulers intend to be.
The appointment of Mohammed Al-Bashir, the head of the regional government in HTS’ enclave of Idlib, as Syria’s new interim prime minister last month underlined the group’s status as the most powerful of the armed groups that battled for more than 13 years to end Assad’s iron-fisted rule.
Libya boat tragedy: Pakistan’s FIA issues Interpol red notices to 20 human traffickers
- Around 262 Pakistanis drowned when overcrowded vessel sank off Greec coastal town of Pylos
- State media says Pakistan arrested 144 people, among them 16 lawyers, in connection to boat tragedy
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has issued red notices through Interpol for 20 foreign-based human traffickers involved in the 2023 Libyan boat tragedy that claimed the lives of over 260 Pakistanis, state media said on Thursday.
Hundreds of migrants, including 262 Pakistanis, drowned when an overcrowded vessel traveling from Libya 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.
Following the tragedy, the issue of illegal immigration to Europe gained significant attention in Pakistan, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordering “intensified efforts” against human traffickers.
The incident highlighted the perilous journeys many migrants undertake, often driven by economic hardship, as young individuals seek better financial prospects by attempting dangerous crossings to Europe.
“The red notices were issued through Interpol for 20 foreign-based traffickers,” the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) said. “FIA said the arrests of these agents were initiated with the assistance of global law enforcement agencies.”
It added that FIA had also begun blocking identity cards and bank accounts linked to human trafficking facilitators involved in the Libyan boat accident.
The state media said that at least 144 people, among them 16 lawyers, were arrested by the FIA in connection with the boat tragedy. The FIA said it has registered 197 cases and blacklisted the passports of 55 others involved in the incident.
APP said DG FIA Ahmad Ishaq Jahangir directed officers deputed at the airport to ensure strict surveillance and prevent suspects from fleeing abroad.
Several Pakistanis, in a bid to escape economic hardships at home, often undertake these illegal and dangerous journeys to enter Europe. The latest incident involving Pakistani passengers took place last month, on Dec. 19, when Pakistan’s mission in Greece confirmed that five Pakistanis had been killed in a migrant boat tragedy off the Greek island of Gavdos.
Subsequently, on Dec. 27, Pakistani authorities arrested a woman along with two other human smugglers.
Pakistani prosthetics startup launches AI-powered limb factory in Gaza to aid amputees
- Established in 2016, BIONIKS says its mobile factory is equipped with AI tools to design limbs
- Company says its initiative is part of its belief that technology has the power to transform lives
KARACHI: BIONIKS, a Karachi-based startup specializing in orthotics and prosthetics, has launched a mobile AI-powered limb factory in Gaza to provide customized prosthetic arms and legs to amputees in the conflict-stricken region, the company announced in its newsletter on Wednesday.
The company, established in 2016, announced the initiative as part of its commitment to creating an inclusive world by leveraging cutting-edge technology to transform lives.
The mobile factory is equipped with advanced artificial intelligence tools to design and produce prosthetic limbs, enabling on-site assistance in underserved areas.
“We believe technology has the power to transform lives,” BIONIKS said in a statement. “By taking advanced prosthetic solutions directly to those in need, we aim to restore independence, mobility, and dignity to individuals affected by conflict and hardship.”
The initiative comes as Gaza grapples with a dire humanitarian crisis since the beginning of Israel’s military campaign in October 2023. BIONIKS said it hoped the factory would act as a lifeline for amputees by providing accessible and innovative solutions in regions where resources are limited.
BIONIKS gained international attention in 2021 when it provided a multi-grip bionic arm to four-year-old Mohammed Sideeq, making him the youngest recipient of such a prosthetic limb.
The startup’s co-founder, Anas Niaz, said designing the arm for a child so young was unprecedented.
“No one in the world has ever made a bionic arm for such a young age,” Niaz told Arab News in 2021. “We knew this was nearly impossible, but Mohammed had high hopes to get a bionic arm.”
The lightweight and durable arm allowed Sideeq to resume daily activities, including playing and buttoning his shirt, showcasing BIONIKS’ commitment to blending innovation with functionality.
