ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday met American business tycoon and philanthropist Bill Gates in New York to discuss emerging challenges to the anti-polio campaign in Pakistan in the wake of the recent floods which have claimed nearly 1,600 lives and displaced more than 33 million people.
The American entrepreneur and founder of Microsoft also co-chairs the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation which has been helping Pakistan eradicate the crippling disease that affects brain and spinal cord while causing irreversible paralysis among young children.
Pakistan has already reported more than 10 polio cases in the country’s northwestern tribal districts since the beginning of the year.
The recent floods are also likely to impede the vaccination drive to immunize children against the wild poliovirus since they have displaced a chunk of Pakistan’s population and put its health care system under tremendous strain.
“The Prime Minister and Mr. Gates discussed that [polio] eradication efforts were facing a challenging situation because of the floods, especially after a recent rise in the number of wild polio cases,” said a statement issued by the PM Office after the meeting. “The Prime Minister reaffirmed the government’s resolve to pursue the campaign relentlessly.”
Gates agreed to continue his organization’s collaboration with the government to “prevent the disease from re-establishing itself in Pakistan’s major cities.”
The prime minister told the American entrepreneur how his administration used the “robust infrastructure” of the polio program to implement its flood response by deploying the surveillance system to monitor malaria, dengue and other water-borne diseases and providing life-saving vaccines to children.
Gates affirmed his organization would continue its current support including the disaster relief efforts in flood-affected areas of Balochistan and Sindh provinces.
The prime minister pointed out the need to prioritize maternal and newborn care in flood-hit regions while thanking Gates and his foundation for supporting Pakistan’s relief efforts.
KARACHI: Police on Tuesday launched a crackdown on the main protest organized by the religio-political party Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM), leaving several, including cleric Allama Hasan Zafar Naqvi, injured, according to a spokesperson for the group.
The MWM has been staging sit-ins at over 10 locations in Karachi since last week to protest against sectarian violence in the northwestern Kurram district. Home to around 600,000 people, Kurram is located in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and has long been a hotspot for tribal and sectarian conflicts, with authorities struggling to maintain control.
The area’s volatile situation has necessitated travel in convoys escorted by security personnel, but this measure failed to prevent a deadly ambush on November 21, when gunmen attacked a convoy, killing 52 people, mostly Shias.
At least 136 people have so far lost their lives in the violence that followed, as a grand jirga, or traditional council of political and tribal elders, continues efforts to mediate between rival factions, though the unrest has now spilled beyond Kurram.
Police in Karachi moved against the central MWM protest camp at Numaish Chowrangi on Tuesday afternoon after days of complaints that life in the city had been brought to a near standstill, triggering clashes during the crackdown.
“Alama Hasan Zafar Naqvi is among many wounded in police attack,” Ahmer Naqvi, spokesperson of MWM told Arab News.
Prior to that, police and paramilitary Rangers used tear gas to disperse protesters and cleared Abul Hasan Isfahani Road near Abbas Town and Kamran Chowrangi in Gulistan-e-Jauhar.
Addressing a press conference, Allama Hasan Zafar Naqvi condemned the action and vowed that the group would not only continue its sit-in but also expand it to other parts of the city.
Meanwhile, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah took notice of protesters setting vehicles on fire, his office said in a statement.
“No permission will be given to cause damage to public or private property in any form,” Shah was quoted as saying. “Everyone has the right to protest, but damaging city property in this manner is incitement to violence.”
The CM said legal action would be taken against those who set vehicles on fire. Shah also directed the police to improve the situation in Karachi.
“The chief minister has instructed the additional inspector general of police to eliminate disorder in the city and submit an immediate report,” the statement said.
The Karachi police chief on Monday warned demonstrators of action if the protests continued to disrupt public life.
The Ahle-Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ), the MWM’s rival religious group, also threatened to hold counter-protests at 60 locations in Karachi if the MWM sit-in was not brought to an end.
PESHAWAR: The government of Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province on Tuesday announced scholarships worth Rs100 million ($360,000) for minority students, aiming to bolster their educational opportunities, according to an official statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office.
Pakistan’s religious minorities have long complained of discrimination and economic hardships, which often leave them unable to afford quality education for their children. In KP, a province that has faced a persistent security deficit in recent decades, minorities have been particularly vulnerable, with militants and other violent individuals targeting churches and killing members of the Sikh community, adding to their challenges.
“Special training will be provided to children of minority communities at the Provincial Government Service Training Institute, helping them prepare for competitive exams,” Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur said, adding: “Minority students will receive scholarships worth 100 million rupees.”
The statement followed a meeting between Gandapur and Shoaib Suddle, chairman of the One-Man Commission on Minority Rights, during which issues concerning religious minorities were discussed.
In addition to the scholarships, Gandapur announced measures to install solar systems in places of worship for religious minorities and instructed the police to form a special force to ensure the security of their leaders.
He also directed the authorities to enforce the five percent employment quota and two percent education quota reserved for minorities in government institutions.
“The protection of minority rights and their welfare remain an integral part of the provincial government’s agenda,” Gandapur said, emphasizing the pivotal role minorities play in KP’s development and interfaith harmony.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan witnessed intense turmoil and political polarization in 2024, beginning with the sentencing of former prime minister Imran Khan and his close aide Shah Mahmood Qureshi to ten years in prison. It came just days before a controversial general election in February, which was marred by poll-rigging accusations and delayed results.
The political climate continued to worsen with large-scale protests, including a march to Islamabad by Khan supporters that turned violent, with casualties on both sides further fueling tensions.
The month of December was particularly marked by major developments from Khan’s threat of a civil disobedience movement to the criticism of the PM Shehbaz Sharif’s government by international human rights groups over the sentencing of civilians by military courts.
Amid escalating tensions, the year ended with tentative steps toward a dialogue between the government and the opposition, offering a glimmer of hope in a year dominated by political unrest, legal battles and mounting economic challenges.
EX-PM KHAN SENTENCED IN STATE SECRETS CASE
On Jan. 30, a Pakistani court handed former prime minister Imran Khan and his close aide Shah Mahmood Qureshi a ten-year jail term each in a case in which they were accused of leaking state secrets.
The case, popularly called the “cipher case,” related to an alleged diplomatic correspondence between Washington and Islamabad that Khan says was proof that his ouster as PM in 2022 was part of a US-backed “foreign conspiracy” to remove him. Washington has repeatedly denied Khan’s accusations.
The conviction came a week before general election in Pakistan, in which Khan was already barred from standing after he was convicted of corruption.
Security officers escort Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan, as he appeared in Islamabad High Court, Islamabad, Pakistan May 12, 2023. (REUTERS/File)
FEB. 8 NATIONAL ELECTION
In February 2024, Pakistan held its national election that was marred by a mobile Internet shutdown on the election day and unusually delayed results, leading to accusations that it was rigged and drawing concern from rights groups and foreign governments.
Former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party was severely hamstrung ahead of the polls, with rallies banned, its party symbol taken away, and dozens of its candidates rejected from eligibility to stand.
Despite that, independent candidates backed by Khan’s party won the highest number of seats, but not enough to form a government on their own. The election saw Khan’s main political rival, Shehbaz Sharif, become prime minister after being favored by a coalition of parties.
To date, the PTI claims the vote was rigged and has held several protest rallies to demand an audit of results. Khan’s opponents and election authorities deny the allegation.
In this handout photograph taken and released by the Pakistan President House on March 4, 2024, Pakistan's President Arif Alvi (R) administers the oath to newly sworn-in Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (C) at the President House in Islamabad. (President House/File)
ASIF ZARDARI BECOMES PRESIDENT FOR A SECOND TERM
Veteran politician and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari took oath as the 14th president of Pakistan on March 10.
Zardari bagged 411 votes in the indirect electoral contest held in Pakistan’s parliament and provincial assemblies. His opponent, Mahmood Khan Achakzai, who was supported by the Khan-backed Sunni Ittehad Council party, could only secure 181 votes.
Zardari served the previous stint from 2008 to 2013, during which he ushered in constitutional reforms, including the 18th amendment, to ensure greater provincial autonomy, and rolled back presidential powers.
Former Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa, administers the oath of the office of the President of Pakistan to Asif Ali Zardari (right), at the Presidential Palace in Islamabad, Pakistan, on March 10, 2024. (PID/File)
FORMER SPYMASTER FAIZ HAMEED ARRESTED
In August, Pakistan’s army said it had arrested former spymaster Lt. Gen. (retired) Faiz Hameed and initiated court martial proceedings against him.
Hameed has since been formally arraigned on a number of charges, including engaging in political activities and violating the Pakistan Army Act post-retirement. The former general is widely seen to have been close to ex-PM Khan.
Many analysts believe that Hameed’s unprecedented arrest and possible conviction could raise the heat on Khan and be the precursor to prosecuting the jailed former prime minister before a military court on charges of treason and attempting to incite a mutiny in the military.
An undated file photo of Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan in conversation with ex-DG ISI Lt. Gen. (retired) Faiz Hameed at the PM Office in Islamabad. (Photo courtesy: PM Office/File)
26TH CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT
On Oct. 21, President Zardari signed into law the contentious 26th constitutional amendment that empowered parliament to choose the country’s chief justice from a panel of three senior-most judges of the Supreme Court among other things.
Another clause of the bill stated that the Supreme Court judges will be appointed by a judicial commission, led by the chief justice and comprising three senior judges, one member each from the National Assembly and the Senate, federal law minister, attorney general of Pakistan, and a nominee of the Pakistan Bar Council having not less than 15 years of practice in the Supreme Court. The commission will also monitor judges’ performance and report any concerns to the Supreme Judicial Council.
The ruling coalition had the amendment passed by both houses of parliament a night before, amid opposition from ex-PM Khan’s party and the legal fraternity, who argued it was an attempt to curtail the independence of the judiciary. The government denied it. YAHYA AFRIDI TAKES OATH AS CHIEF JUSTICE OF PAKISTAN
Soon after the 26th constitutional amendment, a 12-member parliamentary panel nominated Justice Yahya Afridi for the top judicial post and he took oath of the chief justice’s office on Oct. 26.
Afridi replaced Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa who retired on Oct. 25 after what was widely considered to be his controversial stint in office for a little more than a year.
Isa was accused by ex-PM Khan’s party of being aligned with the coalition government led by PM Sharif. It was under Isa’s tenure as chief justice that Pakistan’s top court denied Khan’s PTI its iconic bat symbol ahead of Feb. 8 general election, saying the party had failed to hold intra-party elections. The verdict meant all PTI candidates had to contest election as independents, which angered Khan supporters, who accused Isa of being biased in favor of Sharif. ISLAMABAD PROTEST TO SECURE KHAN’S RELEASE
On Nov. 24, Khan’s PTI party led thousands of supporters to Islamabad, seeking to pressure the government to release the ex-premier from jail and order an audit of Feb. 8 poll results.
The protest, which was by far the largest to grip the capital since the election, resulted in clashes that Pakistan’s government says killed four law enforcers and injured hundreds of others.
The PTI says at least 12 of its supporters were killed and another 37 sustained injuries due to firing by law enforcers near Islamabad’s Jinnah Avenue on Nov. 26. Pakistani authorities have denied the deaths, saying security personnel had not been carrying live ammunition during the protest.
Supporters of jailed former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) attend a rally demanding his release, in Islamabad on November 26, 2024. (REUTERS/File)
CALL FOR CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE MOVEMENT
Ex-PM Khan on Dec. 6 threatened to start a civil disobedience movement, days after his party led a deadly protest march on Islamabad.
The former premier demanded a judicial probe into the crackdown on the Nov 24 protest march which he said killed at least 12 of his supporters and violence on May 9 last year which killed 8, along with the release of all arrested political workers.
Khan’s call for civil disobedience movement came a day after he was indicted on charges of directing the May 9, 2023 attacks on government and military installations, to which he pleaded not guilty. The indictment was the latest in dozens of cases against the former cricket star, who has been in jail since August last year. SENTENCING OF PAKISTANI CIVILIANS BY MILITARY COURTS
On Dec. 21, Pakistan’s military announced sentencing of 25 civilians to prison for participating in violent protests on May 9, 2023, when hundreds carrying flags of ex-PM Khan’s party had attacked government and military installations. Khan’s party denies involvement in the violent protests and has called for a judicial probe into the matter.
The United States (US), United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union (EU) expressed concerns over the verdicts, calling on Islamabad to respect the citizens’ right to a fair trial and due process. Pakistan’s Foreign Office dismissed the concerns and said the verdicts had been made under a law enacted by parliament and in line with a judgment of the country’s top court.
Days later, another 60 civilians were sentenced by military courts to jail time ranging from 2 to 10 years in connection with the riots. TALKS TO EASE RISING POLITICAL TENSIONS
Weeks after Khan’s civil disobedience threat, PM Sharif’s government and Khan’s PTI opposition party held the first round of formal negotiations on Dec. 23, in a bid to ease prolonged political tensions.
Khan previously rejected talks with the government, saying his party would only speak to the ‘real powerbrokers’ in Pakistan, the all-powerful army, but earlier this month he set up a negotiating committee of top PTI members to open dialogue with the government for the fulfilment of two demands: the release of political prisoners and the establishment of judicial commissions to investigate May 9, 2023 and Nov. 26 violent protests.
The country has remained gripped by political unrest and uncertainty since Khan’s ouster from power through a parliamentary no-confidence vote in 2022, which has also exacerbated Pakistan’s economic hardships.
Senior government representatives have recently acknowledged that negotiations could offer a pathway out of the current political impasse, with the PTI asked to present its demands in writing at the next round of talks on Jan. 2.
ISLAMABAD: The government in Pakistan’s most populous Punjab province and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have agreed to form a working group to promote bilateral cooperation, state-run media said on Tuesday.
The UAE is Pakistan’s third-largest trading partner after China and the United States and a major source of foreign investment. The Gulf country is also home to more than a million Pakistani expatriates and serves as an important source of workers remittances.
Pakistani policymakers consider the UAE an optimal export destination due to its geographical proximity, which minimizes transportation and freight costs while facilitating commercial transactions.
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz met UAE’s Ambassador Hamad Obaid Ibrahim Salem Alzaabi in the eastern city of Lahore on Tuesday, Radio Pakistan said in a report.
“The UAE and Punjab government have decided to form a working group to further boost bilateral cooperation,” the report said. “During the meeting, both the sides discussed ways and means to boost economic cooperation, development projects in Punjab, and the promotion of tourism.”
Nawaz invited UAE investors to invest in Punjab and ensured special incentives and a conducive business environment for them, the state broadcaster said. The UAE envoy said that the Gulf country wants to work on additional projects in Pakistan, Radio Pakistan said.
“Hamad Obaid Ibrahim Salem Alzaabi said that the UAE is committed to promoting durable progress through public-private partnerships with the Punjab Government,” the report stated.
As Pakistan faces a prolonged macroeconomic crisis, it has reached out to Gulf countries in the past two years to attract international investment in vital economic sectors. In May, Pakistan announced that the UAE had committed $10 billion to invest in the country’s key economic sectors.
In January this year, Pakistan and the UAE signed multiple agreements worth over $3 billion for cooperation in railways, economic zones and infrastructure. In November, Pakistan and the UAE signed four Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) covering customs, rail and airport infrastructure, maritime shipping and logistics sectors during a UAE delegation’s visit to Pakistan.
Pakistani security forces suffer deadliest year in decade while fighting insurgency— think tank
On average, nearly seven lives were lost daily, says Islamabad-based think tank’s report
Pakistan military says 925 insurgents, 383 soldiers were killed in operations during 2024
Updated 31 December 2024
AP
PESHAWAR: Pakistani security forces in 2024 suffered the highest causalities in nearly a decade while battling insurgency, an Islamabad-based think tank said.
This comes as militants attacked a security post in the country’s restive northwest, which borders Afghanistan, killing a police officer and a civilian early Tuesday.
An officer was also wounded in the attack at the Draban Post in Dera Ismail Khan, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, local police official Abdullah Khan said, adding that the civilian was an employee of the Customs department.
No one claimed responsibility for the attack but suspicion was likely to fall on the Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, who often target security forces across the country, especially in the former tribal regions in the troubled northwest bordering Afghanistan.
The Center for Research and Security Studies said in its report Tuesday that this year was the deadliest for Pakistani security forces in 9 years.
“On average, nearly seven lives were lost daily,” according to the report which tallied “at least 685 fatalities and 444 terror attacks.” It also said: “Equally alarming were the cumulative losses of civilians and security personnel, i.e. 1612 fatalities, accounting for over 63 percent of the total recorded this year and marking 73 percent more losses compared to 934 outlaws eliminated.”
The think tank said its latest report was based on data collected from open sources, mainly media outlets. In Pakistan, the military doesn’t regularly confirm causalities among troops.
There was no immediate comment from the military on the report.
Last week, military spokesman Lt. Gen. Ahmad Sharif said in a news conference that 925 insurgents were killed in 2024, a record high compared to the past five years, while 383 soldiers were killed in such operations. He also said Pakistani security forces this year conducted 59,775 operations against insurgents in the country.
Pakistan in recent months has stepped up intelligence-based operations against the Pakistani Taliban, emboldened since the Afghan Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 2021.
