KARACHI: The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of the Pakistani port city of Karachi said on Thursday police had arrested a member of the banned Sipah-e-Muhammad Pakistan militant organization who was suspected of being in contact with militants from the ‘Iran-backed’ Zainebiyoun Brigade in Syria.
The Brigade was placed on the US Treasury’s financial blacklist in January 2019 and comprises Pakistani Shias fighting in Syria and Iran.
“Syed Ali Raza Naqvi was arrested from the Islamic Research Center in the Aysha Manzil area of the city,” Israr Awam, an officer at the counterterrorism department, told Arab News, saying the suspect had a history of visiting several countries including Iran, Iraq and Syria. “He is associated with the proscribed Sipah-e-Muhammad Pakistan and had been in contact with boys of Zainebiyoun in Syria.”
There have been a series of arrests in Pakistan recently of people with suspected links to the Zainabiyoun Brigade.
In January this year, Pakistan said it had arrested a “most wanted” militant linked to the Brigade.
In December 2020, the CTD said it had arrested two members of the Brigade from the Qur’angi area of Karachi. CTD chief Omar Shahid said the arrests were part of police and intelligence agencies’ investigations into the recent killing of a religious cleric, Maulana Adil Khan, in Karach.
On Nov 27, 2020, an AP report said a number of Pakistanis were among 19 pro-Iran militia fighters killed in eastern Syria.
Tehran has not responded to any of the arrests in Pakistan.
ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan on Tuesday warned his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party leaders and ticket holders against making excuses ahead of a “decisive” protest in Islamabad on Nov. 24, urging those who cannot ensure their participation to dissociate from the PTI.
The PTI last week announced a ‘long march’ to Islamabad over alleged rigging in Feb. 8 national election and to call for the release of political prisoners and the independence of the judiciary. Khan accuses the powerful military of colluding with his political rivals to form the
Khan has been in jail since August 2023 and has faced dozens of cases since he was removed as prime minister in 2022 after which he launched a protest movement against a coalition of his rivals led by current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and backed by the powerful military, which denies interfering in politics.
In a message posted from his official account on X, Khan appealed to the entire nation to take to the streets and protest on Nov. 24.
“Everyone must join the protest on November 24th,” the former premier’s message read. “If any PTI leader or ticket holder is not able to ensure their participation in the protest, they should disassociate themselves from the party because this is the decisive moment when the entire nation will come out for freedom.”
He called upon overseas Pakistanis to record anti-government protests in their respective countries and raise funds for the PTI.
One of the PTI’s fundamental demands is for the government to roll back recent constitutional amendments like the 26th amendment which it alleges is an attempt to curtail the independence of the senior judiciary. The government says the amendments are meant to smooth out its functioning and tackle a backlog of cases.
Khan accused “fraudulent assemblies” of attacking the independence of the judiciary. “It is impossible for a democracy to exist without an independent judiciary,” he said.
The caretaker government that administered the Feb. 8 election denies the polls were manipulated to ensure Khan’s party lost. The incumbent Sharif-led coalition government denies it is backed by the military and that it is unfairly treating Khan supporters.
Following the PTI’s call for the Nov. 24 protest last week, Pakistani authorities have bolstered efforts to thwart the march. Islamabad’s district magistrate imposed a two-month-long ban on the gathering of more than five people in the capital on Monday.
The PTI’s recent rallies and marches have been thwarted by similar bans on public gatherings imposed under Section 144 of the Pakistan Penal Code which allows the government to prohibit various forms of political assembly, gatherings, sit-ins, rallies, demonstrations, and other activities for a specified period.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan reported another polio case from its northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province on Tuesday, the country’s polio program said, taking the total tally of nationwide cases in 2024 to 50 as Islamabad struggles to contain an alarming surge in the infection.
Pakistan, along with neighboring Afghanistan, remains the last polio-endemic country in the world. Starting from late 2018, Pakistan saw a resurgence of cases and increased spread of polio, highlighting the fragility of gains achieved in the preceding three years. Pakistan reported a total of six polio cases in 2023, up from only one in 2021.
The regional laboratory for polio eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH) Islamabad confirmed the wild poliovirus type 1 in a female child from the KP’s Tank district.
“Genetic sequencing of the virus isolated from collected samples indicates it is genetically linked to WPV1 detected in the same district in July,” the polio program said. “This is the second polio case from Tank.”
The program said Tank remains one of the polio-endemic districts of the southern KP province, reporting multiple positive environment samples in 2024 which indicated that polio remained a threat to children.
“There is no cure for polio,” the polio program stated. “Multiple doses of the polio vaccine protect children from the devastating effects of this disease.”
It advised parents to ensure timely vaccination of their children.
This year, 24 cases have been reported from Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, 13 from Sindh, 10 from KP and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.
Pakistan continues to face challenges in its fight against polio, among them misinformation about vaccinations and attacks by religiously motivated militants on polio teams proving to be major impediments to immunization campaigns.
Pakistan’s chief health officer this month said an estimated 500,000 children missed polio vaccinations during a countrywide inoculation drive in November, blaming a large part of it on vaccine refusals.
Seven people, including five children, were killed when a bomb targeted police personnel guarding vaccine workers this month.
ISLAMABAD: Zimbabwe Cricket this week announced the names of the men’s national squad for their upcoming home series against Pakistan, which is slated to be held from Nov. 24-Dec. 5.
Pakistan will play their first white-ball match against Zimbabwe on Sunday. The green shirts’ tour of Australia ended on a mixed note on Monday after they lost the three-match T20I series 3-0 after winning the ODI series 2-1.
The series will serve as preparation for Pakistan ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 tournament in February-March next year. While minnows Zimbabwe will not take part in the competition, Pakistan are scheduled to host the trophy.
“The white-ball series will kick off with three One Day International (ODIs) on 24, 26 and 28 November, followed by as many T20Is scheduled for 1, 3 and 5 December 2024,” Zimbabwe Cricket said on social media platform X on Monday.
Zimbabwe squads for ODI, T20I series against Pakistan named
Zimbabwe cricketer Graig Ervine will captain the ODI squad against Pakistan while Sikandar Raza will lead the T20I squad, which will include Sean Williams and pace bowlers Blessing Muzarabani and Richard Ngarava.
Three new Zimbabwe players Trevor Gwandu, Tashinga Musekiwa and Tinotenda Maposa have also been selected for the home series.
Zimbabwe Convener of Selectors David Mutendera said he was confident in the “balance of experience” and “fresh talent” within the ODI squad.
“The series against Pakistan is an important platform for Zimbabwe, and we believe the ODI squad we have selected is well-rounded,” he said. “The presence of seasoned players like Craig, Sikandar and Sean provides stability, while young players like Clive Madande, Brian Bennett, Dion Myers and the uncapped trio bring energy and the potential for game-changing moments.”
Pakistani cricket stars Shaheen Shah Afridi, Babar Azam and Naseem Shah will be rested for the Zimbabwe series. Meanwhile, skipper Mohammad Rizwan will be rested for the Zimbabwe T20I series, the PCB had announced last month. Zimbabwe ODI squad: Craig Ervine (capt), Faraz Akram, Brian Bennett, Joylord Gumbie, Trevor Gwandu, Clive Madande, Tinotenda Maposa, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Brandon Mavuta, Tashinga Musekiwa, Blessing Muzarabani, Dion Myers, Richard Ngarava, Sikandar Raza, Sean Williams Zimbabwe T20I squad: Sikandar Raza (capt), Faraz Akram, Brian Bennett, Ryan Burl, Trevor Gwandu, Clive Madande, Wessly Madhevere, Tinotenda Maposa, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Wellington Masakadza, Brandon Mavuta, Tashinga Musekiwa, Blessing Muzarabani, Dion Myers, Richard Ngarava Pakistan ODI squad: Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah (WK), Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Muhammad Irfan Khan, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shahnawaz Dahani and Tayyab Tahir Pakistan T20I squad: Ahmed Daniyal, Arafat Minhas, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah (WK), Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Omair bin Yousuf, Qasim Akram, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Ali Agha, Sufyan Moqim, Tayyab Tahir and Usman Khan
KARACHI: Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said on Tuesday Pakistan’s volume of defense exports is not at par with its actual potential, as the South Asian country inaugurated the 12th edition of its premier defense expo in the southern port city of Karachi.
The International Defense Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS) exhibition, Pakistan’s premier defense exp, has been held biennially since its inception under General (retired) Pervez Musharraf’s administration in 2000 and has grown into a key event for the defense sector. This year’s exhibition, running from Nov. 19-22 at the Karachi Expo Center, will host over 550 exhibitors, including 340 international defense companies, alongside more than 350 senior civil and military officials from 55 countries.
The exhibition will showcase a wide range of modern and traditional defense equipment, weapons systems and vehicles, state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported.
“Though Pakistan is now exporting some high-tech products to more than 60 countries, the volume of exports is not at par with its actual potential,” Asif said while addressing the exhibition.
“A crucial factor, however, has been the limited involvement of the private sector in defense production and activity.”
The defense minister said relatively less attention has been paid to academia, industry interface and involvement of research and development organizations. He said these factors have curtailed the competitiveness of certain sectors of the defense industry.
“In order to achieve this objective, I will stress upon the integration of public and private defense industry to achieve maximum results,” Asif said. “New ideas, entrepreneurship and management skills mastered by the private sector need to be co-opted with the public sector defense industry.”
Without mentioning Pakistan’s arch-rival and nuclear-armed neighbor India, Asif called for greater cooperation between regional players to make South Asia a safer place.
“We believe in meaningful dialogue on the basis of equality, not only to resolve bilateral issues but also to give chance to peace and harmony in the region,” he said.
‘PRODUCTS OF INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS’
Brig. Ali Adil, director of coordination for IDEAS 2024, had outlined the event’s diverse activities during a news conference over the weekend, saying it includes live demonstrations of cutting-edge defense technology, an international seminar and the IDEAS Tri-Services Karachi Show.
The event will also offer opportunities for networking through business-to-business and business-to-government engagements.
“IDEAS 2024 will bring together representatives of defense industries from around the world to showcase their latest technological innovations, while Pakistan’s defense sector, including both public and private companies, will present products of international standards,” Brig. Adil had said.
He had said this year’s event will feature a new “Startups Pavilion” designed to offer international exposure to young Pakistani entrepreneurs, adding the pavilion will showcase innovative projects and technologies.
An international seminar on “Pakistan Defense Production Potential – Challenges, Opportunities, and Way Forward” will be held on the third day of the event, with presentations from leading national and international experts.
Karachi has faced significant security challenges, including a suicide bombing near Jinnah International Airport last month that killed two Chinese engineers and injured several others. The city also grapples with high street crime rates, with over 90,000 incidents reported in 2023, causing considerable hardship for residents.
To bolster security, local authorities have already fortified the Expo Center, the venue for the exhibition, with multiple layers of containers. As per local media reports, a ban on public gatherings in the city has been imposed for seven days.
ISLAMABAD: Sikh pilgrims from India arrived in Pakistan’s Kartarpur town at Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, one of Sikhism’s holiest shrines, this week to attend the 555th birth anniversary of their religion’s founder, state media reported.
Every year, Sikh pilgrims cross over from India to Pakistan via a visa-free border crossing known as the Kartarpur Corridor which connects Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, near Narowal in Pakistan’s Punjab, to Gurudwara Dera Baba Nanak in Indian Punjab’s Gurdaspur district.
The Sikh pilgrims arrived at Gurdwara Darbar Sahib from the Pakistani city of Hassan Abdal to take part in the birth celebrations of Sikhism founder Baba Guru Nanak Dev Ji.
“In connection with Baba Guru Nanak’s 555th birth anniversary celebrations, Sikh yatrees arrived at Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur Narowal from Hassan Abdal today,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported on Monday.
Additional Secretary of Shrines Saifullah Khokar said all arrangements, including accommodation for Sikh pilgrims, have been completed in Kartarpur.
“He said the Sikh yatrees will stay in Kartarpur for two days,” Radio Pakistan said.
Much of Sikh heritage is located in Pakistan. When Pakistan was carved out of India at the end of British rule in 1947, Kartarpur ended up on the Pakistani side of the border, while most of the region’s Sikhs remained on the other side.
For over seven decades, the Sikh community had lobbied for easier access to their holiest temple.
Pakistan’s initiative to open the corridor earned widespread appreciation from the international community, including the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, who had described it as a “Corridor of Hope.”
