Despite crackdown, experts say Iran-backed Zainabiyoun Brigade remains threat in Pakistan

The undated photo shows a Zainabiyoun Brigade fighter holding a banner that reads Zainabiyoun. [Photo courtesy: Screengrab taken from a video posted by a Zainabiyoun supporters’ social media account]
Short Url
Updated 27 December 2022
Follow

Despite crackdown, experts say Iran-backed Zainabiyoun Brigade remains threat in Pakistan

  • Between 2019-2021, Pakistan said Brigade was among groups “found actively involved in terrorist activities” in the country
  • Several members of the Brigade were arrested between 2020-21, money laundering network linked to group also being probed

MARDAN: The Iran-backed Zainabiyoun Brigade remains a threat to Pakistan despite key arrests since 2020, experts said, urging authorities not to “lower their guard” against the militant group that was placed on the US Treasury’s financial blacklist in 2019 and is believed to have sent members of the Pakistani Shiite community to fight in Syria.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is believed to have formed the Zainabiyoun Brigade, and based on material posted online and reviewed by Pakistani intelligence agencies, the group could have up to 1,000 fighters.

Between 2019-2021, the Pakistan government said the Brigade was among outfits “found actively involved in terrorist activities” in the country.

Police in the Pakistani city of Karachi arrested several members of the Brigade between December 2020 and January 2021 and authorities this year also launched a probe into a money laundering network linked to the group.

Speaking to media in February 2021, then head of the Pakistan army’s media wing, Major General Babar Iftikhar, confirmed that law enforcement agencies had captured several militants belonging to the Zainabiyoun Brigade but said Pakistan did not consider the militant outfit a “major threat.”

“They were involved in sectarian targeted killing as well as recruitment,” Abdul Basit Khan, a scholar who studies violent extremism, said about the Brigade.

“Following law enforcement crackdowns resulting in arrests of Zainabiyoun fighters, their activities have declined considerably ... However, that does not mean that Zainabiyoun’s threat has vanished and subsided. So, the law enforcement agencies need to closely monitor its fighters without lowering their guard.”

Counterterrorism authorities in Sindh did not respond to requests for comment on their surveillance of the group. However, a number of Pakistani intelligence officials told Arab News Zainabiyoun militants and their families continued to receive financial support from Iran.

“The real question which makes this entity problematic for Pakistan is that of loyalty, as the members of this militant organization have fought a foreign power’s war for ideological reasons and thus this ideological affiliation trumps their association with the land of their birth,” Umar Karim, a University of Birmingham researcher focusing on the conflict in Syria, told Arab News.

The militants should be seen as foreign fighters who were not only deployed as “cannon fodder” in Iran’s regional wars, but who are likely to act as a “fifth column” in their own countries, he said.

Indeed, with the Syrian civil war winding down, particularly after the defeat of Daesh in eastern Syria, many Pakistani Shia fighters have been quietly returning home, posing a new security challenge for Pakistan.

An intelligence official who declined to be named said there were fears that many of the battle-hardened youth returning to Pakistan would get involved in local conflicts.

“These people should be treated just like those who remain at the payroll of any other external organization or state entity,” Karim added, “and a potential challenge to national security, especially in case of a crisis in Pakistan-Iran ties.”

The Brigade is not on a list of banned terror outfits of the National Counterterrorism Authority (NACTA), but two lesser-known Shia outfits, Ansar-ul-Hussain and its offshoot, Khatam-ul-Anbia, were proscribed under the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 in 2016 and 2020 respectively, for recruiting for the Syrian war.


Pakistan urges global action on rising ‘Islamophobia’ at UN hate speech event

Updated 9 sec ago
Follow

Pakistan urges global action on rising ‘Islamophobia’ at UN hate speech event

  • The event was organized by Morocco and the UN Office on Genocide Prevention
  • Pakistan expresses commitment to inclusion, calls diversity a collective strength

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s top diplomat at the United Nations on Monday called for a collective international response to rising “Islamophobia,” warning that unchecked hate speech and extremist narratives were fracturing societies and threatening global peace and stability.

Speaking at a high-level event to mark the International Day for Countering Hate, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said growing intolerance, fueled by politicized media and digital platforms, was targeting not only Muslims but also people of various races, genders and nationalities.

The International Day for Countering Hate is observed each year on June 18, following its institutionalization by the UN in 2023 in response to the global rise in hate-driven violence, incitement and disinformation.

Monday’s event at the UN was hosted by Morocco and the Office on Genocide Prevention.

“The surge in Islamophobia through discriminatory laws, defamation of religious symbols and orchestrated vilification are particularly alarming trends,” Ahmad said. “Media platforms, especially those aligned with dominant political forces, have enabled this hate.”

“Similar tactics now target other marginalized communities,” he continued. “We also observe rising racism and xenophobia fueling division and exclusion. These trends demand urgent collective response.”

Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United Nations Asim Iftikhar Ahmad speaks during a special briefing to mark the International Day for Countering Hate, at the UN Headquarters in New York on June 16, 2025. (Photo courtesy: X/@PakistanUN_NY)

Ahmad welcomed the recent appointment of the UN Special Envoy on Combating Islamophobia, an institutional step initiated through a resolution presented by Pakistan on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in March last year.

Muslim countries, in recent years, have collectively raised their voice against acts of desecration such as the public burning of the Qur’an in several European countries.

Many of these incidents have coincided with the political rise of far-right parties, which have capitalized on anti-immigrant sentiment and targeted Islam and Muslim communities.

Muslim states have called for an end to such practices and have advocated for legal measures to prevent the desecration of religious symbols, arguing that such acts have no connection to free speech and must be addressed under international frameworks protecting religious and cultural dignity.

The Pakistani envoy said the appointment came at a critical time and urged full implementation of the UN Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech.

He also condemned digital platforms and algorithmic systems, saying they reward sensationalism and amplify identity-based hate, warning that truth was being sacrificed in politicized media environments.

Ahmad reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to promoting respect, inclusion and peaceful coexistence, saying that diversity must be seen as a collective strength.


Pakistan, 19 other nations call for nuclear-free Middle East as Israel-Iran war escalates

Updated 39 min 39 sec ago
Follow

Pakistan, 19 other nations call for nuclear-free Middle East as Israel-Iran war escalates

  • The statement stresses the need to refrain from targeting IAEA-monitored nuclear facilities
  • It calls for ceasefire, seeks maritime security, freedom of navigation under international law

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and 19 other countries on Tuesday issued a joint statement condemning Israel’s military attacks on Iran as a violation of international law, while calling for a nuclear-free Middle East and a return to diplomacy following a comprehensive ceasefire and de-escalation.

The statement came after Israel launched surprise airstrikes on Iranian nuclear and military facilities on Friday, in the middle of Tehran’s ongoing nuclear negotiations with Washington.

Israel and Iran traded missile fire for a fifth consecutive day on Tuesday, as US President Donald Trump warned Tehran residents to “immediately evacuate” and cut short his participation at a G7 summit in Canada.

The US Defense Department confirmed the redeployment of “additional capabilities” to the region, with the USS Nimitz leaving Southeast Asia amid reports of its new Middle East mission. The Chinese embassy in Tel Aviv also urged its citizens to evacuate Israel immediately.

Amid these developments, 20 countries, including Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Türkiye, Qatar and Oman, voiced a “categorical rejection” of Israel’s military action and warned of its destabilizing implications.

“[There is an] imperative need to halt Israeli hostilities against Iran, which come during a time of increasing tension in the Middle East, and to work toward de-escalation, to achieve a comprehensive ceasefire and restoration of calm,” the statement said.

It called for “the urgent necessity of establishing a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction, which shall apply to all States in the region without exception in line with relevant international resolutions, as well as the urgent need for all countries of the Middle East to join the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).”

The statement further stressed the importance of refraining from targeting nuclear facilities safeguarded by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), warning that such actions violate international humanitarian law and the 1949 Geneva Conventions.

The signatories also emphasized that negotiations remain the only viable path toward a sustainable resolution of the Iranian nuclear issue and called for a swift return to diplomatic engagement.

All the countries stressed the importance of protecting freedom of navigation and maritime security in accordance with international law, fearing that tensions could spill over into shipping lanes vital to global trade.

“Diplomacy, dialogue, and adherence to the principles of good neighborliness, in accordance with international law and the UN Charter, remain the only viable path to resolving crises in the region,” it continued. “Military means cannot bring about a lasting resolution to the ongoing crisis.”


Pakistan vows more facilities for elderly pilgrims in ‘even better’ Hajj 2026

Updated 17 June 2025
Follow

Pakistan vows more facilities for elderly pilgrims in ‘even better’ Hajj 2026

  • Will try to ensure aged pilgrims are not allocated rooms above first floor, says official
  • Pakistan sent over 115,000 pilgrims under both government, private Hajj schemes this year


ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Director General Hajj Abdul Wahab Soomro this week vowed that the government would try to ensure next year’s pilgrimage is “even better” for pilgrims, promising more facilities for the elderly ones.

This year’s Hajj took place from June 4 to June 9, drawing millions of pilgrims to the holy cities in Saudi Arabia. Pakistan sent over 115,000 pilgrims under both the government and private schemes.

Speaking at a ceremony held to acknowledge the services of the Pakistani welfare staff during Hajj in Makkah, Soomro said the government introduces new measures every Hajj for its pilgrims and would continue to do so.

“In the next Hajj, we will try to make it even better,” Soomro said on Monday. “We will try to ensure that aged pilgrims, for example, are not allocated a room above the first floor.”

The Pakistani official said the government would also try to ensure that elderly pilgrims are provided accommodations close to the Mashair, or holy sites in Makkah, for their convenience.

“So, these small things that we are adding every year are enriching the overall experience of the pilgrim,” Soomro said.

Dr. Syed Ata ur Rehman, Pakistan’s secretary of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, also spoke at the event. He reminded authorities that the post-Hajj flight operation will continue until the last Pakistani pilgrim and welfare staff return to the country.

“Therefore, the remaining part of the operation should be carried out with the same diligence, attention and caution so that the glory of this success does not diminish,” Rehman told participants.

Pakistan began its post-Hajj flight operation with the arrival of the Pakistan International Airline flight PK-732 in Islamabad on June 11, carrying 307 pilgrims. The country is expected to conclude the operation on July 10.

Over 11,400 pilgrims, including around 3,000 from Madinah, have returned to Pakistan so far, as per figures provided by Pakistan’s religious affairs minister.

The government has announced it has begun preparations for Hajj 2026 as it has received the Saudi Hajj policy and timeline for next year’s pilgrimage.


Pakistan, UAE ink agreement to share knowledge and expertise in various sectors 

Updated 17 June 2025
Follow

Pakistan, UAE ink agreement to share knowledge and expertise in various sectors 

  • Both countries agree to share expertise in public sector reforms, science and technology, human resource development
  • UAE is one of Pakistan’s most important partners, with cooperation spanning trade, investment, defense and other fields

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Monday signed an agreement to share knowledge and expertise in diverse fields such as public sector reforms, science and technology, urban planning and human resource development, state-run media said. 

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the two countries as a high-level UAE delegation, led by Deputy Minister For Competitiveness and Knowledge Exchange Abdulla Nasser Lootah, arrived in Pakistan to discuss bilateral relations and cooperation.

The UAE is one of Pakistan’s most important regional partners, with cooperation spanning trade, investment, defense, energy, and diaspora affairs. Roughly 1.5 million Pakistanis live in the UAE, making it the second-largest overseas Pakistani population after Saudi Arabia.

“Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for exchanging knowledge and expertise in diverse spheres of development,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported. 

The MoU was signed by Pakistan’s Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal and Lootah. The ceremony was witnessed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

“The fields identified for sharing knowledge and guidance include good governance, development planning, public sector reforms, human resource development, urban planning and science and technology,” the state broadcaster said. 

Earlier, the UAE delegation met Sharif during which the Pakistani prime minister spoke about steps taken by his government to promote digitization, a paperless economy, a faceless customs system and data-based decision-making in the country. 

Sharif said Pakistan wanted to benefit from the UAE’s experiences to make its initiatives more effective, the state-run media reported. 

Lootah appreciated the Pakistani community’s role in the UAE’s development, the state broadcaster said. 

“He said the UAE is happy to share knowledge and experiences with Pakistan,” Radio Pakistan said. 

Bilateral ties between Pakistan and the UAE have deepened in recent years, especially in areas like infrastructure, renewable energy and logistics. In May 2024, the UAE pledged to invest $10 billion in Pakistan’s key economic sectors as part of its long-term regional economic strategy.

Pakistan needs foreign investment to boost its economy and shore up its currency reserves to meet rising external repayment obligations as it treads a tricky path to economic recovery under a $7 billion IMF bailout deal. 


WWF alarmed after blue whale found dead in southwestern Pakistan bay 

Updated 16 June 2025
Follow

WWF alarmed after blue whale found dead in southwestern Pakistan bay 

  • Whale likely died a few days earlier after getting entangled in gillnets, says WWF 
  • Blue whale is the largest animal on the planet, weighing as much as 200 tons

KARACHI: The World Wide Fund For Nature-Pakistan has expressed alarm over the mortality of the blue whale in the country, saying that one was found dead near a remote bay area between Pakistan and Iran on Monday.

Whales are at the top of the food chain and have an important role in the overall health of the marine environment. This animal is listed as an endangered species on the IUCN Red List of Species, and there are around 10,000 to 25,000 specimens worldwide. Blue whale is the largest animal on the planet weighing as much as 200 tons. Its stomach can hold one ton of krill, and it needs to eat around four tons of krill each day.

In a press release, WWF-Pakistan said a 35-foot-long blue whale was found dead in the remote Gwater Bay area between Pakistan and Iran by a local fisherman on Monday. The international nature conservation organization said it is likely that the whale may have died a few days back in the open seawater and while the cause of death is not known yet, it seemed it might have died after getting entangled in gillnets used for catching fish. 

“Muhammad Moazzam Khan, Technical Adviser, WWF-Pakistan, expressed concerns over the mortality of the blue whale and termed it sad news for the conservation community around the world,” the press release said. 

Khan said all cetaceans, including whales and dolphins, are protected under the wildlife and fisheries legislations of Pakistan’s Sindh and Balochistan provinces.

“He also stressed to enact federal legislation for the protection of cetaceans, including whales, in the Exclusive Economic Zone of Pakistan,” the statement added. 

WWF-Pakistan noted that there are many records of blue whales being spotted in Pakistan. It said the last blue whale was spotted off Gaddani town in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province on Apr. 8, 2024.

WWF-Pakistan has said in the past that major dangers to blue whales include entanglement in fishing nets, ship strikes, water pollution, and climate change.