Peshawar mosque attack confronts Pakistan with tough security choice

Plain-clothed policemen gather over the rubble of a damaged mosque following January's 30 suicide blast inside the police headquarters in Peshawar on February 1, 2023. (Photo courtesy: AFP)
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Updated 17 February 2023
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Peshawar mosque attack confronts Pakistan with tough security choice

  • Government under pressure to launch all-out offensive against militant groups amid economic, political turmoil
  • January’s suicide bombing at the police mosque in Peshawar was the deadliest terrorist attack in several years

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s perfect storm of crisis — economic turbulence, plunging currency, political polarization and Islamist militancy — has been compounded by last month’s suicide bombing at a mosque in a highly fortified police compound in Peshawar.

The attack — Pakistan’s deadliest in several years — harked back to a period more than 10 years ago when Peshawar, a city near the former tribal areas that borders Afghanistan, was scarred by militant violence and a military counteroffensive.

Authorities in Peshawar believe the Jan. 30 attack was in retaliation for the police force’s role on the front line of Pakistan’s battle with a resurgent insurgency since the Taliban returned to power across the border in Afghanistan.




Family members of a mosque blast victim weep during a protest against the militancy and the suicide blast inside a police headquarters in Peshawar on February 1, 2023. (Photo courtesy: AFP)

The suicide bombing was the latest in a string of attacks targeted at security personnel across the country since the militant group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, called off its cease-fire deal with the Pakistan government in November.

Visiting Peshawar soon after the attack, Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif said “all resources” would be mobilized to flush out the militants. “This is no less than an attack on Pakistan ...  I have no doubt terrorism is our foremost national security challenge,” he said in a tweet.

If Sharif’s government decides to match words with resolute action, it would not be lacking in support judging by the public outrage fanned by the high death toll.

“Pakistan needs to come out of the confusion, end appeasement of the militants through peace talks, and go all out against them to achieve permanent peace,” Mosharraf Zaidi, a Pakistani security analyst, told Arab News.

Until Pakistan “separates itself from its romance with violent extremism,” the militants will continue to believe they can seize power, he said.

“We have to crush the militants’ ideological infrastructure and supply chain to break their backbone,” Zaidi said, adding that the government needed to formulate a “decisive strategy” to flush out the terrorists.

The Peshawar attack happened at a time when Pakistan is facing a slew of daunting challenges, with domestic political tensions soaring over a worsening cost-of-living crisis in the run-up to general elections due by October.




This handout picture taken on January 30, 2023 and released by Pakistan's Police Department shows Pakistan's security officials gather to attend funeral prayers for police officers who were killed in a mosque blast inside the police headquarters in Peshawar. (Photo courtesy: AFP)

Analysts say political disunity and ideological confusion have provided space for militants to regroup and target the state.

The situation is complicated by the fact that the TTP has distanced itself from the Peshawar bombing, claiming it does not target mosques. Police are investigating whether the attack was the handiwork of an on-off TTP affiliate, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar.

Although separate, the Pakistani Taliban, established in 2007, is allied with the Afghan Taliban, which returned to power in neighboring Afghanistan in August 2021 when US and NATO forces concluded their 20-year occupation of the country.

Several militant groups, including the TTP, began operating in Pakistan’s former Federally Administered Tribal Areas, or FATA, shortly after the US and its allies invaded Afghanistan in response to the Taliban’s refusal to hand over Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden following the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks.

During that time, the militants unleashed a wave of terror in FATA, killing soldiers, murdering outspoken politicians and celebrities, and eliminating perceived opponents. Compounding the crisis, they outlawed women’s education in the area, destroying about 200 girls’ schools.

It was in 2012 in the Swat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that 15-year-old Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head by a Pakistani Taliban militant. She miraculously survived the attack, going on to win the Nobel Peace Prize for her advocacy of girls’ education.

FASTFACT

 

Allied with Al-Qaeda, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan emerged in 2007, killing tens of thousands of civilians and security personnel.

Crushed in a military crackdown after 2014, TTP has regrouped since the Taliban came to power across the border in August 2021.

For the Jan. 30 Peshawar blast, Pakistani police have blamed Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a more radical group occasionally affiliated to the TTP, which has denied involvement.

Large-scale counterinsurgency operations began in 2014, killing most militant commanders and fighters and driving the rest into Afghanistan. The areas constituting FATA, established at the time of partition from India in 1947, were amalgamated into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2018.

However, after the Taliban returned to power in Kabul and the US ended counterterrorism operations in the border region, Pakistani militants began to regroup in the former tribal districts. Since then, a rash of deadly attacks have left Pakistanis in little doubt that their country faces a renewed insurgency.

Ismail Khan, a Pakistani journalist and security analyst, believes the Sharif government urgently needs to devise “a holistic and long-term strategy in the conference to deal with the problem at hand.”

At the same time, he told Arab News, “the government should also directly engage with the Afghan government to put an end to the cross-border movement of the terrorists, besides formulating and implementing a robust counterterrorism strategy.”

In January alone, the militants killed 124 security personnel and injured 247 in 26 separate attacks, the majority of them in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which borders Afghanistan, according to data shared by the Pak Institute for Peace Studies, an Islamabad-based think tank.

The breakdown of the data shows that of these 26 attacks, seven took place in Balochistan, in which six people were killed and 17 were injured; one in Sindh with no casualties; two in Punjab, killing two; and 16 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, killing 116 and injuring 230.

According to the think tank, attacks rose by 50 percent in Pakistan, mostly along the western provinces bordering Afghanistan, during the first year of Taliban rule in Kabul.

In recent months, Islamabad has accused Kabul of failing to secure its borders and allowing militants inside Afghanistan to plan attacks against Pakistan.

Peace negotiations between the TTP and Pakistan, mediated by the Afghan Taliban, fell through in November, shattering a shaky cease-fire. During the talks, the militants had their numbers boosted by the release of about 100 low-level fighters from Pakistani jails.

Major General Ejaz Awan (retired), a prominent security analyst and former Pakistani ambassador to Brunei, believes a military response is the only solution to the terror threat.

“They are not willing to acknowledge Pakistan’s constitution, law, and writ of the state, therefore there is only one option left now and that is to wage a full-fledged war against them,” Awan told Arab News.

Awan, who held several rounds of unsuccessful peace talks with the militants in the early 2000s, wants the Pakistani government to launch an intelligence-based operation in the country’s tribal districts and other areas to eradicate the militants, their facilitators and supporters.

“These militants are equipped with the latest gadgets like night vision goggles left by the US and NATO forces in Afghanistan after their withdrawal, so Pakistan should also take it up with the Afghan authorities,” he said. 

According to investigators who spoke to the AFP news agency, the suspect appeared on CCTV arriving at the compound gates on a motorcycle before walking through a security checkpoint and asking officers where the Police Lines Mosque was located.

Moazzam Jah Ansari, the head of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province police force, said the bomber used 10-12 kg of explosive material, brought to the site in advance of the attack in bits and pieces.

Authorities have been hard put to come up with an explanation for the suicide bomber’s success in gaining access to the mosque dressed in police uniform.

They are investigating how such a major breach could have occurred in one of the most secure areas of the city, which houses the intelligence and counterterrorism bureaus, amid concerns that people inside the police compound may have enabled the attack.

Hundreds of police were attending afternoon prayers inside what should have been a tightly controlled police headquarters when the blast erupted, causing a wall to collapse and crush scores of officers.

On Feb. 2, police officials revised the death toll down from 101 to 83 officers and one civilian, after saying there was confusion in registering bodies. Many survivors remain in hospital in a critical condition.

Expressing solidarity with Pakistan, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs “stressed the Kingdom’s firm position that rejects targeting places of worship and terrorizing and shedding the blood of innocent people,” according to a Saudi Press Agency report.

The ministry “also affirmed that the Kingdom stands by the brotherly Islamic Republic of Pakistan against all forms of violence, extremism, and terrorism, regardless of its motives or justifications.”

The attack also drew strong condemnations from the Muslim World League and the secretary general of the Gulf Cooperation Council, among other international organizations.

“It is particularly abhorrent that the attack occurred at a place of worship,” Antonio Guterres, the UN secretary-general, said through a spokesperson. “Freedom of religion or belief, including the ability to worship in peace and security, is a universal human right.”

Imran Khan, the former Pakistan prime minister who is a fierce critic of the current government, said: “It is imperative we improve our intelligence gathering and properly equip our police forces to combat the growing threat of terrorism.”

Prime Minister Sharif has appealed for national unity in the wake of the Peshawar attack. “We should unite and tackle this,” he said on Feb. 3 during his visit to the city.

But given the array of challenges facing Pakistan, his government’s attention is likely to continue to be divided across multiple fronts.

 


Fertilizer sector fuels Pakistan stock market rally as benchmark index hits record high

Updated 6 sec ago
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Fertilizer sector fuels Pakistan stock market rally as benchmark index hits record high

  • Fauji and Engro fertilizer stocks contribute nearly 600 points to KSE-100 gain
  • Surging investor sentiment, dividend expectations, possible Moody’s upgrade drive momentum

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s main stock index surged to a new record on Thursday, closing above the 138,000 mark for the first time, driven by strong institutional inflows and a sharp rally in fertilizer and blue-chip stocks, according to analysts and market data.

The benchmark KSE-100 index closed at 138,665.49 points, gaining 2,285.53 points or 1.68 percent from the previous close of 136,379.96, a bullish move that traders said reflected investor optimism ahead of earnings season and growing expectations of a credit rating upgrade.

Fertilizer companies led the rally, with Fauji Fertilizer Company Limited (FFC) and Engro Fertilizers Limited (EFERT) together adding 563 points to the index. Other top contributors included United Bank Limited (UBL), Systems Limited (SYS), Engro Holdings (ENGROH), and Hub Power Company Limited (HUBC), which added another 763 points collectively, brokerage firm Topline Securities said in its daily report.

“This rally was driven by heavy institutional flows, with local investors stepping in to scoop up value,” Topline said. “With sentiment back in high gear, today’s bullish close sets an upbeat tone heading into the heart of earnings season.”

Investor activity remained high with 778 million shares traded, while the total value of trades stood at Rs39.95 billion ($140.2 million). Pakistan International Bulk Terminal (PIBTL) led volumes, with 82.6 million shares exchanged during the session.

Ahsan Mehanti, CEO of Arif Habib Commodities, said investor confidence was boosted by anticipated strong corporate earnings, attractive dividend expectations and government engagement with Moody’s over a potential rating upgrade.

“Government affirmation over talks with industrials on budgetary measures, and the finance minister’s presentation to Moody’s of compelling evidence for a ratings improvement played a catalytic role in today’s close,” Mehanti said.
 


Women in Pakistan earn 30 percent less than men, ILO finds in landmark wage gap study

Updated 4 min 36 sec ago
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Women in Pakistan earn 30 percent less than men, ILO finds in landmark wage gap study

  • Women make up just 13.5 percent of wage earners in Pakistan despite rising education levels
  • Pay gap widens in informal sectors, remains largely unexplained by skills or experience

ISLAMABAD: Women in wage employment in Pakistan earn nearly 30 percent less per month than men despite often having higher levels of education and working full time, according to a new report by the International Labour Organization (ILO), one of the most comprehensive studies of the country’s gender pay gap to date.

Published in July 2025, the ‘Gender Pay Gap in Pakistan: An Empirical Analysis’ found that on average, women earn 25 percent less per hour and 30 percent less per month than male counterparts, “even when they have similar qualifications and experience, and are employed in comparable roles.”

“The magnitude of the gender pay gap in Pakistan is among the highest when compared to other lower-middle-income countries,” the ILO said.

The study used data from Pakistan’s Labour Force Surveys from 2013 to 2021, examining hourly, monthly and annual earnings across public and private sectors, including both formal and informal employment. The authors concluded that the wage disparity is only partially explained by observable factors such as age, education, occupation and hours worked.

“The majority of the wage gap between men and women in Pakistan remains unexplained, suggesting that discrimination or other unmeasured factors may be at play,” the report said.

The wage gap is also compounded by extremely low female participation in the labor force. 

According to the report, women account for just 13.5 percent of wage employees, despite making up nearly half the working-age population.

As of 2021, the female employment rate stood at 23 percent, compared to 79 percent for men.

“The overall employment gap — defined as the difference in employment-to-population ratios between men and women — has hovered at 56 percentage points over the last decade,” the report found, adding that women face “multiple challenges when entering, staying in, and progressing in wage employment.”

In many cases, the ILO noted, women with higher levels of education still earned significantly less than men with similar or even lower qualifications, “indicating entrenched biases in hiring and promotion decisions.”

INFORMAL SECTOR

The study found that the gender pay gap is widest in the informal sector, where women earn over 40 percent less per hour than men. In the formal private sector, the gap is slightly narrower, and lowest in the public sector, where wage structures are regulated and pay scales standardized.

“The informal sector, where a significant proportion of women are employed, exhibits the highest gender pay gap, primarily due to the lack of oversight, low unionization, and absence of formal wage-setting mechanisms,” the report said.

The ILO also cited the impact of occupational segregation. Women are underrepresented in higher-paying roles and overrepresented in sectors such as domestic work, education, and agriculture, which are often undervalued.

To address these gaps, the report outlines a number of recommendations, including expanding formal employment opportunities for women, enforcing minimum wage laws and pay transparency measures and developing gender-responsive social protection systems. It also recommends strengthening labor inspection and legal enforcement, particularly in the informal sector, and investing in sex-disaggregated data collection to better monitor wage trends and disparities.

The ILO also urged Pakistan to ratify and implement international conventions on equal pay and non-discrimination, including ILO Convention No. 100 (Equal Remuneration) and No. 111 (Discrimination in Employment and Occupation).

The report underscores that eliminating gender-based wage disparities is not only a matter of justice, but also critical for boosting economic productivity and household welfare.

“Addressing the gender pay gap is essential to achieving inclusive economic growth and meeting Pakistan’s commitments under the Sustainable Development Goals,” the ILO concluded.


Pakistani province completes first forest carbon mapping, targets $4 billion in credit revenue

Updated 43 min 29 sec ago
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Pakistani province completes first forest carbon mapping, targets $4 billion in credit revenue

  • Khyber Pakhtunkhwa identifies 2.2 million hectares of forest land that can absorb 400 million tons of carbon
  • KP chief minister says provincial government expected to earn $100 million annually from selling carbon credits

PESHAWAR: Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government on Thursday announced it had completed its first forest carbon credit mapping, saying that projects on over two million hectares of land can be used to generate $4 billion in revenue and create over 50,000 jobs. 

Carbon credits are permits that allow owners— governments or companies— to emit a certain amount of carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases (GHGs). The United Nations allows polluting companies or countries to buy carbon credits to offset their emissions. These credits can be sold in international carbon markets. 

Forest carbon credit mapping refers to the process of using satellite images, drones, and data to measure the forest land of a particular area. This estimates how much carbon the trees in that given area are absorbing. This data is then used to identify areas where projects can be launched to earn carbon credits.

A ceremony was held at the Chief Minister’s House in Peshawar to mark the launch of KP’s first Forest Carbon Credit Mapping Report, the chief minister’s office said in a statement. The report was launched by Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur. 

“Through this mapping, done with the help of modern technology, ten potential projects covering 2.2 million hectares of forest land in the province have been identified,” the statement said.

“These projects can absorb more than 400 million tons of carbon,” the statement added.

The report further said these projects can earn a revenue of $4 billion and create over 50,000 green jobs. Meanwhile, Gandapur said the mapping will serve as a “comprehensive model” for the province’s environmental, economic, and social development.

“The forest area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa makes up 46 percent of the country’s total forested area,” Gandapur was quoted as saying in the statement. “The forests of the province have the capacity to absorb 50 percent of the country’s carbon.”

The KP chief minister said the provincial government is expected to earn $100 million annually from carbon credits. He said the KP government is undertaking efforts to further increase the forest area of the province.

Pakistan is consistently ranked as one of the world’s worst-affected countries due to climate change. Monsoon rains in the country since June 26 alone have killed around 190 people and injured several others. 

Unusually heavy rains triggered flash floods in June 2022 that killed over 1,700 people and caused damages of over $33 billion, with large swathes of crops and critical infrastructure destroyed by raging currents.


Pakistan to tighten pilgrimage travel to Iraq, Iran and Syria after 40,000 go ‘missing’

Updated 17 July 2025
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Pakistan to tighten pilgrimage travel to Iraq, Iran and Syria after 40,000 go ‘missing’

  • Government scraps unregulated ‘Salar system’ after host nations raise concerns
  • Only licensed tour operators to lead pilgrim groups under new return-tracking policy

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan plans to overhaul its pilgrimage travel policy to Iraq, Iran and Syria after authorities confirmed that around 40,000 Pakistani pilgrims went missing or overstayed in the three countries over the past decade, raising serious diplomatic and security concerns, a senior immigration official said. 

Each year, thousands of Pakistani Shia pilgrims travel to regional religious shrines, but host governments have repeatedly flagged the issue of undocumented or unreturned visitors. The problem resurfaced this week after Religious Affairs Minister Sardar Muhammad Yousaf revealed that 40,000 Pakistani pilgrims had either overstayed or gone missing in these countries without any official record of their whereabouts.

In response, authorities have scrapped the long-standing “Salar system,” in which private group leaders managed travel logistics, and are introducing a new centralized, computerized structure to track and regulate pilgrim movement more effectively.

“Approximately 40,000 of the pilgrims who went on pilgrimage in Iraq, Iran, and Syria never returned during the last almost one decade,” Mustafa Jamal Kazi, Director General of Immigration and Passports, told Arab News.

He said most of the disappearances occurred in Iraq and that Pakistani authorities had formally requested details from the Iraqi government. 

Once confirmed, passports of the missing individuals will be digitally and physically blocked, and they will be placed on the border control list.

“Last year, 50 such individuals were deported from Iraq, and we have taken further action against them,” Kazi said.

He added that the lure of employment in Iraq’s booming construction sector, bonded labor involving women, and the exploitation of religious tourism for begging were among the most common motives for absconding.

To curb the trend, a new Ziyarat Management Policy has been finalized, after Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi discussed the plan during a recent pilgrimage coordination meeting in Iran.

Under the new policy, pilgrims will only be allowed to travel in organized groups, and licensed tour operators will be held directly responsible for ensuring that all group members return to Pakistan before their visas expire.

Any operator found violating the policy or failing to ensure the return of all pilgrims will have their license canceled.

Only tour operators that meet new regulatory standards will be registered as Ziyarat Group Organizers (ZGOs), according to the religious affairs ministry, which said the new system would fully replace the traditional, unregulated Qafila Salar model.

“Due to the lack of proper data regarding the number of pilgrims, travel schedules, and their return after completing the pilgrimage, various concerns have been raised by host countries and relevant institutions,” the religious ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. 

The new registration process, approved by the federal cabinet, will enable more effective monitoring of pilgrimage traffic and prevent individuals from using religious travel as a cover for illegal migration or unauthorized cross-border movement.

The ministry said all pilgrimages would now be conducted under a structured system led by government-registered Ziyarat Group Organizers (ZGOs), which would also “help curb illegal stays in host countries or any attempts to cross into neighboring countries under the guise of religious pilgrimage.”


ADB flags telecom investment crisis as Pakistan loses $1 billion in FDI in a year

Updated 17 July 2025
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ADB flags telecom investment crisis as Pakistan loses $1 billion in FDI in a year

  • Foreign investment in telecom drops by nearly half within a year
  • ADB urges tax overhaul, spectrum reforms to restore investor confidence

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan lost nearly $1 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) in the telecom sector in just one year, with inflows plunging from $1.67 billion in 2021–22 to $750 million in 2022–23, according to a new report by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

The dramatic decline reflects growing unease among investors about Pakistan’s digital infrastructure landscape, which suffers from high taxation, poor spectrum allocation, limited fiber penetration and regulatory unpredictability. While demand for mobile Internet continues to grow, with over 138 million mobile broadband users as of late 2024, the enabling environment for investment has worsened, especially amid Pakistan’s macroeconomic volatility.

Fixed broadband penetration remains at just 1.3 percent, and only 14.8 percent of cell towers are connected to fiber, making it difficult to meet rising data demands or prepare for 5G deployment. The report notes that the telecom sector has contributed over PRs1.28 trillion to the national treasury in the past five years, yet sustained investment in digital infrastructure has failed to materialize.

The bank has warned that without urgent reforms, the sector may fail to deliver on its potential as a key enabler of digital transformation and economic growth.

“The telecom sector in Pakistan has experienced a decline in revenues and foreign investment, which reflects a very challenging business environment,” the ADB wrote in its Pakistan Digital Ecosystem Diagnostic Report, released in July 2025.

The report singles out Pakistan’s spectrum auction model as a major constraint. Starting prices are set in US dollars and often considered unaffordable by private operators, discouraging participation and delaying the deployment of next-generation networks.

“The spectrum auction starting prices and commercial conditions need to be reasonable and attractive for operators,” the ADB said. “This would facilitate the timely and cost-effective launch of 5G technology and enable new applications and innovations in the digital economy.”

Taxes imposed by both federal and provincial authorities are described as among the highest globally for the sector. Right-of-way (RoW) fees, charged annually in Pakistan, further burden service providers, unlike in countries like India where such fees are levied only once and at a nominal rate.

To reverse the downward trend, the ADB has recommended a long-term tax policy guarantee, reform of spectrum pricing mechanisms, and a unified national RoW regime. It also called for deeper engagement with provincial governments to generate “anchor demand” for fiber services through public institutions like schools and hospitals in tier 2 and tier 3 cities.

The report emphasizes that the telecom sector must be viewed not only as a commercial domain but as foundational infrastructure for Pakistan’s future. Without decisive action, it warned, digital inequality will widen and Pakistan’s competitiveness will suffer.

“Pakistan’s digital infrastructure is dragging down its overall digital readiness and economic performance,” the ADB concluded.