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Munition blasts kill at least 17 at counter-terrorism facility in northwest Pakistan

Rescue teams search for victims in the rubble of a badly damaged building a day after multiple explosions caused by fire in a munitions cache levelled a specialist counter-terrorism police station in Kabal town of Swat Valley, in Pakistan’s northwestern region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, on April 25, 2023. (AFP)
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Updated 25 April 2023
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Munition blasts kill at least 17 at counter-terrorism facility in northwest Pakistan

  • The twin explosions levelled the counter-terrorism police station in Swat, injured 68 others 
  • Official says blasts were triggered by a short circuit, but still being probed as an ‘act of terror’
Updated 25 April 2023
REHMAT MEHSUD

PESHAWAR: At least 17 people, mostly policemen, were killed and another 68 wounded in twin blasts that rocked a counter-terrorism facility in the northwestern Pakistani town of Kabal late Monday, officials said, adding they were investigating if the incident was an “act of terror.” 

The explosions were so powerful that they levelled the counter-terrorism police station in Kabal town of Swat district in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province that neighbors Afghanistan. 

The incident came amid a renewed wave of militant attacks on police and security forces in Pakistan’s restive northwest, particularly after the Pakistani Taliban called off their fragile truce with the government in November last year. 

Junaid Marwat, the Kabal administrator, said the explosions were triggered by a short circuit at the armory, adding the deceased included two civilians and four others were among the wounded. 

“An initial probe suggested ammunition stored inside the police station caused the explosions, but the involvement of an act of terror is being investigated,” Marwat told Arab News on Tuesday. 

“We have completed the rescue and relief operation and the wounded are being provided medical treatment.” 




Rescue teams search for victims in the rubble of a badly damaged building a day after multiple explosions caused by a fire in a munitions cache levelled a specialist counter-terrorism police station in Kabal town of Swat Valley, in Pakistan’s northwestern region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, on April 25, 2023. (AFP)

Swat District Police Officer (DPO) Shafiullah Gandapur ruled out the possibility of an attack from outside the facility, saying munitions inside the basement of the old Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) building had exploded. 

“After inspecting the crime scene by our experts, no evidence of any outside attack or suicide attack could be traced,” he said. 

“Several blasts took place one after another which showed the explosions were caused by explosive materials at the ammunition store.” 

Irfanullah Wazir, the top administrator in Swat district, told Arab News levelled the building and the district administration sent in heavy machinery to rescue those who were trapped under the rubble. 

“The law enforcement officials have yet to identify whether it was a suicide attack or the ammunition inside the police station caused the explosions,” he said. 




Security personnel inspect a damaged building a day after multiple explosions caused by fire in a munitions cache in a specialist counter-terrorism police station in Kabal town of Swat Valley, in Pakistan’s northwestern region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, on April 25, 2023. (AFP)

An emergency was declared at the Kabal tehsil headquarters hospital as well as the Medical Teaching Hospital in Saidu Sharif to ensure timely treatment of the wounded. 

Eight bodies were brought to the Saidu Sharif Medical Teaching Hospital, Dr. Muhammad Khan, deputy medical superintendent (DMS), told Arab News. 

The Kabal tehsil headquarters hospital received nine bodies, according to surgeon Dr. Imran Khan. 

Bilal Faizi, a spokesman at the Rescue 1122 service, told Arab News on Tuesday a search for survivors under the rubble was about to complete. 

“Our team has retrieved 15 dead and rescued 45 injured, including a woman,” he added. 




Security officials inspect the site a day after multiple explosions caused by fire in a munitions cache levelled a specialist counter-terrorism police station in Kabal town of Swat Valley in Pakistan’s northwestern region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on April 25, 2023. (AFP)

In a Twitter post, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed sorrow over the loss of lives in the incident. 

“The nature of the blast is being investigated and as soon as the security agencies reach the conclusion, it will be shared with the nation,” he said. 

Swat once used to be a hotbed of militancy and was for years controlled by the Pakistani Taliban until they were flushed out in a military operation that began in 2009. 

Pakistani police and security forces still maintain a significant presence in the valley, which has been prone to insurgency. 

Topics: SWAT

Pakistan in good shape for Champions Trophy after winning ODI series in South Africa

Updated 6 sec ago
AP
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Pakistan in good shape for Champions Trophy after winning ODI series in South Africa

  • Rizwan and Azam’s half-centuries along with Afridi’s 4-wicket haul sealed Pakistan’s 81-run victory
  • Pakistan will play their last match of the ODI series against South Africa on Sunday in Johannesburg
Updated 6 sec ago
AP

CAPE TOWN: Pakistan won a second straight major one-day international series away from home when it beat South Africa by 81 runs at Newlands on Thursday.

After beating Australia 2-1 last month, Pakistan has taken the Proteas 2-0 with a game to spare. Half-centuries by Babar Azam, captain Mohammad Rizwan and allrounder Kamran Ghulam staked Pakistan to 329 all out.

Heinrich Klaasen hit 97 but South Africa’s chase was strangled by Pakistan, and fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi ended the last meaningful resistance with three wickets in three overs. Klaasen was the last man out on 248 in the 44th over.

Pakistan’s fifth successive bilateral ODI series win puts it in good stead for the Champions Trophy it will host in February.

It was unchanged from the three-wicket win on Tuesday in Paarl, made to bat first, and minus both openers in the first 10 overs.

Rizwan was smashed on the back of his helmet by debutant pacer Kwena Maphaka but gathered his senses with Azam in a steady but safe stand of 115.

The partnership was broken when Azam was caught at midwicket for 73 off 95 balls, his first half-century in any format for Pakistan since May, and his first in ODIs in 13 months.

When Rizwan followed three overs later for 80 off 82, caught and bowled by Maphaka when he was accelerating, Pakistan was forced to reset at 192-4 with 14 overs to go.

Amid four dropped catches by South Africa, Ghulam piled more misery on the host by smashing a 25-ball half-century on his fifth six. Ghulam was the last batter out for 63 off 32, the main plunderer as Pakistan scored 105 runs off the last 10 overs.

“Kamran Ghulam’s innings was absolutely fantastic,” Rizwan said. “We were looking for 300 but we got 300-plus, must give credit to him. I had trust in him but not like that ... that was something different.”

Set 330 to win, openers Temba Bavuma and Tony de Zorzi gave South Africa a promising start in the first 12 overs.

But spinners Abrar Ahmed and part-timer Salman Agha chipped out three top-order wickets and slowed the scoring so the run rate required gradually climbed.

Klaasen and the fit-again David Miller were reviving the chase and starting to charge when Miller was caught behind off Shaheen for 29, ending a stand of 72 runs in 12 overs with Klaasen.

Klaasen soldiered on, out three runs short of a fifth ODI century, as Shaheen grabbed 4-47 and fellow pacer Naseem Shah took 3-37.

The last ODI is on Sunday in Johannesburg.

Topics: Pakistan Babar Azam Champions Trophy 2025 ODI series Arab News Pakistan

Fire-grilled fish sajji is a sensation in Pakistan’s Sanghar city and beyond

Updated 23 min 6 sec ago
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Fire-grilled fish sajji is a sensation in Pakistan’s Sanghar city and beyond

  • Lamb or chicken sajji is popular in Sindh, Balochistan provinces but humble food stall has reimaged recipe with rohu fish 
  • Social media influencers and word of mouth popularity have helped put shop’s unique fish sajji on culinary map of Pakistan
Updated 23 min 6 sec ago
NAIMAT KHAN

SANGHAR: The glow of a crackling fire flickered from the humble food stall as dusk fell earlier this month over the small town of Sanghar in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province.

With no proper structure to speak of, the shop of Abdul Jabbar Mallah has little more than skewers, some chairs and the expertise of chefs who have honed their craft over decades, popularizing a type of slow-cooked fish sajji that draws customers from Sanghar and beyond. 

Sajji is usually made of lamb or chicken marinated in simple spices and slow roasted over an open flame to preserve natural flavors. Here in Sanghar, the classic recipe has been reimagined with rohu fish, a freshwater carp prized for its tender meat.

“It has been more than 20 to 25 years since I’ve been doing this work,” Mallah told Arab News last week as he skewered fish on wooden rods which he stuck into the ground in a circle around a fire to roast for two hours.

“The specialty of this sajji is that it is made from freshwater [fish]. Second thing is that no oil is used, it is dry, it is made without water, without oil. So, when people sit down to eat, even a two-kilogram piece of fish can be eaten by one person.”

The spices, a harmonious mix of coriander, white cumin and black pepper, add to the dish’s distinct flavor, with Mallah saying he avoided using city-bought spices when preparing the fish, which retails for $4.5 a kilogram. The smallest order is 2kg.

“This is why its taste is unique. People love eating local fish in local spices,” he said.

Mallah humbly acknowledged it was not him who invented the dish but his mentors, Ata Muhammad and Rajab Ali.

“My masters used to make it, and I learned from them,” he said, recounting famous clients like Pir Pagaro, an influential spiritual leader of the region whose forces fought against the British and who later played a role in Pakistani politics. Jam Sadiq Ali, a former Sindh chief minister in the early 1990s, was another top client who also ordered Mallah’s fish sajji for his son’s wedding.

Today, the popularity of Mallah’s innovatio has spread beyond the confines of Sanghar. Though the chef has been cooking fish for over two decades, visits by food and travel vloggers in recent years have made his sajji a culinary magnet for customers from around the country. 

That’s why an out-of-town guest had requested to try the fish, said Imran Khan Khilji, a local trader visiting Mallah’s stall.

“We came here especially because of this guest,” he said, pointing to a friend sitting next to him. “He has come to attend a wedding, and we said, ‘Let’s treat you to a delicacy of Sanghar’.”

Shehzad Jatt, a teacher, said he had been waiting nearly two hours to enjoy the sajji.

“This is Sanghar’s special dish, and they make it excellently,” Jatt said as he sat with a group of friends at Mallah’s shop, watching rows of sajji roasting in the chilly December night. 

“I’ve had fish at many places, but the fish from Sanghar is something else. The way the sajji fish is made here, I’ve never seen such a sajji anywhere else. Once you try it, you’ll know that the taste is unique.”

And Mallah is committed to preserving the flavors and the legacy of his mentors.

“The fish sajji that is prepared here in Sanghar, no one else makes it. Whoever tries to make it, it lasts only a few days, but after that, their shop doesn’t run because, by the grace of god, we have such a unique taste,” the chef said as he skewered a fresh batch of fish onto rods with his bony fingers.

“Allah has blessed our hands with flavor and people eat it and keep coming back.”
 

Topics: Sajji fish Sanghar Food Pakistan Sindh Arab News Pakistan

Pakistan’s missile program is ‘emerging threat’, top US official says

Updated 12 min 7 sec ago
Reuters
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Pakistan’s missile program is ‘emerging threat’, top US official says

  • Pakistan developing long-range missiles that could threaten United States, senior US official says
  • US has imposed new sanctions on Pakistan’s missile program
Updated 12 min 7 sec ago
Reuters

WASHINGTON: A senior White House official on Thursday said nuclear-armed Pakistan is developing long-range ballistic missile capabilities that eventually could allow it to strike targets well beyond South Asia, making it an “emerging threat” to the United States.

Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer’s surprise revelation underscored how far the once-close ties between Washington and Islamabad have deteriorated since the 2021 US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.

It also raised questions about whether Pakistan has shifted the objectives of nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs long intended to counter those of India, the victor in three major wars they have fought since 1947.

Speaking to the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Finer said Pakistan has pursued “increasingly sophisticated missile technology, from long-range ballistic missile systems to equipment, that would enable the testing of significantly larger rocket motors.”

If those trends continue, Finer said, “Pakistan will have the capability to strike targets well beyond South Asia, including in the United States.”

The number of nuclear-armed states with missiles that can reach the US homeland “is very small and they tend to be adversarial,” he continued, naming Russia, North Korea and China.

“So, candidly, it’s hard for us to see Pakistan’s actions as anything other than an emerging threat to the United States,” Finer said.

His speech came a day after Washington announced a new round of sanctions related to Pakistan’s ballistic missile development program, including for the first time against the state-run defense agency that oversees the program.

The Pakistani embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Islamabad casts its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs as deterrents against Indian aggression and intended to maintain regional stability.

Two senior administration officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the US concerns with Pakistan’s missile program have been long-standing and stemmed from the sizes of the rocket engines being developed.

The threat posed to the United States is up to a decade away, said one official.

Finer’s comments, the officials said, were intended to press Pakistani officials to address why they are developing more powerful rocket engines, something they have refused to do.

“They don’t acknowledge our concerns. They tell us we are biased,” said the second US official, adding that Pakistani officials have wrongly implied that US sanctions on their missile program are intended “to handicap their ability to defend against India.”

Finer included himself among senior US officials who he said repeatedly have raised concerns about the missile program with top Pakistani officials to no avail.

Washington and Islamabad, he noted, had been “long-time partners” on development, counter-terrorism and security.

“That makes us question even more why Pakistan will be motivated to develop a capability that could be used against us.”

Pakistan has been critical of warm ties US President Joe Biden has forged with its long-time foe India, and maintains close ties with China. Some Chinese entities have been slapped with US sanctions for supplying Islamabad’s ballistic missile program.

It conducted its first nuclear weapons test in 1998 — more than 20 years after India’s first test blast — and has built an extensive arsenal of ballistic missiles capable of lofting nuclear warheads.

The Bulletin of the American Scientists research organization estimates that Pakistan has a stockpile of about 170 warheads.

US-Pakistani relations have undergone major ups and downs, including close Cold War ties that saw them support Afghan rebels against the 1979-89 Soviet occupation of Afghanistan.

Pakistan also was a key partner in the US fight against Al-Qaeda following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, and has been a major non-NATO ally since 2004.

But ties also have been hurt by coups staged by the Pakistani military, its support for the Taliban’s 1996-2001 rule and its nuclear weapons program.

Several experts said Finer’s speech came as a major surprise.

“For a senior US official to publicly link concerns about proliferation in Pakistan to a future direct threat to the US homeland — this is a mighty dramatic development,” said Michael Kugelman of the Wilson Center think tank. 

Topics: Pakistan missile program US sanctions Pakistan Missile program Arab News Pakistan

Imran Khan gives Pakistan government until Dec. 22 to meet demands or face civil disobedience

Updated 19 December 2024
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Imran Khan gives Pakistan government until Dec. 22 to meet demands or face civil disobedience

  • Demands include release of political prisoners, judicial commissions to investigate violence at protests
  • Khan has been in jail since August 2023 on charges he says are motivated to keep him away from politics
Updated 19 December 2024
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Former Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday said he would call on overseas Pakistanis, a large support base for the jailed leader, to stop sending remittances if the government did not implement his party’s demands by Dec. 22.

On Dec. 5, Khan, jailed since August 2023 on charges he says are politically motivated to keep him away from power, said in a message to supporters he was setting up a five-member negotiations committee to hold talks with the federal government for the release of political prisoners. He also demanded judicial commissions to investigate protests on May 9 last year and Nov. 26 this year in which the government says supporters of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party partook in violence and caused vandalism.

“These are both legitimate demands, and if the government does not implement them by Sunday, the first phase of the civil disobedience movement, ‘boycott of remittances,’ will be launched,” Khan said in a message posted on his X. 

“In this regard, we will appeal to Pakistanis living abroad that the situation in Pakistan is evident to you; democracy, the judiciary, and the media has been stifled, and a period of oppression and fascism is ongoing. Therefore, we urge you to start the boycott of remittances.”

Inflow of remittances clocked in at $30.3 billion in fiscal year 2023-24, 10.7 percent higher on a year-on-year basis compared to $27.3 billion in FY23, according to data released by the State Bank of Pakistan.

Khan said the PTI’s offer for negotiations was being projected as a sign of “surrender.” 

“The offer for talks and delaying the civil disobedience movement was made in the broader national interest,” Khan said. 

“If the government shows no interest, we will not force negotiations upon them. Our offer should never be seen as a sign of our weakness. If the government still wants to prevent the civil disobedience movement, they must contact us regarding our two demands or convince us that these demands are unconstitutional and cannot be addressed.”

Pressure on Khan’s PTI party, already at loggerheads with the government and military, has increased since last month when thousands of its supporters stormed Islamabad, demanding Khan’s release. 

The government says protesters killed four security officers in clashes while the PTI says at least 12 of its supporters died and “hundreds” were injured and arrested as security agencies used live ammunition rounds to disperse protesters, which authorities deny. The Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s coalition government says it will take legal action against the rioters and bring to justice suspects behind what it has described as a “malicious campaign” to spread fake online news, images and video content against the state and security forces.

Previously, the government and military have accused Khan supporters of attacking and damaging government and military buildings, including the military’s GHQ headquarters in Rawalpindi, after his brief arrest on May 9, 2023. The PTI says at least ten of its supporters were killed as security forces opened fire at protesters. 

Hundreds of PTI supporters and dozens of leaders were subsequently arrested while police registered cases against the party’s top leaders, including Khan. The army is also holding military trials of over a 100 people arrested in connection with the May riots.

On Thursday, former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, key aides of Khan, were among 14 members of his party indicted in a case involving an attack last year on the military’s headquarters (GHQ).

Khan was himself indicted last Thursday on charges of inciting his supporters to attack GHQ on May 9.

Topics: imran khan jail PTI protests PTI protest

Former foreign minister, serving chief minister among 14 indicted for attack on Pakistan army headquarter

Updated 19 December 2024
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Former foreign minister, serving chief minister among 14 indicted for attack on Pakistan army headquarter

  • Imran Khan supporters accused of attacking GHQ, other military installations on May 9, 2023, following his brief arrest in land graft case
  • Hundreds of PTI supporters and dozens of leaders were subsequently arrested while police registered cases against PTI party top leaders
Updated 19 December 2024
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, key aides of jailed ex-premier Imran Khan, were among 14 members of his party indicted on Thursday in a case involving an attack last year on the military’s headquarters (GHQ).

The move comes after Khan was himself also indicted on Thursday on charges of inciting his supporters to attack GHQ on May 9, 2023, when Khan was arrested by the national anti-corruption agency in a land graft case. The arrest sparked a wave of protests by Khan supporters across the country, with rioters attacking important state buildings and ransacking military facilities, including the GHQ in the garrison city of Rawalpindi and the residence of the army’s top commander in the eastern city of Lahore. 

Hundreds of supporters and dozens of leaders of Khan Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party were subsequently arrested while police registered cases against the party’s top leaders, including Khan.

Following Thursday’s indictment, Qureshi spoke to reporters outside Adiala Jail, saying he was being “targeted for political revenge.” 

“I was in Karachi on May 9, not Rawalpindi,” Qureshi told reporters. “I say take mine and the prosecutor’s oaths on May 9 under Section 16 of the Anti-Terrorism Act.”

Besides Qureshi and Gandapur, Senate opposition leader Shibli Faraz, Shehryar Afridi, Kanwal Shauzab, Latasab Satti, Umar Tanveer Butt, Taimur Masood, Saad Ali Khan, Sikandar Zeb, Zohaib Afridi, Fahad Masood and Raja Nasir Mahfouz are other PTI members indicted today. 

On Monday, former human rights minister Shireen Mazari and eight others were also arraigned in the GHQ case, in which a total of 113 PTI leaders and supporters have so far been indicted.

Following Thursday’s indictment, Gandapur, Afridi and Shauzab filed applications under Section 265-D of the Criminal Procedure Code, which deals with framing charges against an accused. A hearing on the applications has been scheduled for tomorrow, Friday, at the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Adiala Jail. 

Should Gandapur appear in court tomorrow, his arrest warrant will be canceled, Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper quoted the judge as saying. 

After Monday’s indictments against Mazari and eight others, the PTI had said in a statement to reporters:

“It’s good that things are going toward indictment … As the case goes to trial, then it will come out whether these accused people are actually involved, and they will get a way to fight these false charges through the legal and judicial system. Up until now, people were just being kept in custody and things were lingering on for a year and a half.”

Nearly 2,000 people were arrested following the May 9 protests and at least eight were killed. The government had called in the army to help restore order.

Though Khan was released on bail within days of the May 9 arrest, he was later rearrested in August 2023 after he was handed a three-year prison sentence in another corruption case. He has been in jail since then.

His party was barred from Pakistan’s election on Feb. 8, 2024, but the would-be candidates stood as independents.

Despite the ban and Khan’s imprisonment for convictions on charges ranging from leaking state secrets to corruption, millions of the former cricketer’s supporters voted for him. Independent candidates from his party won the highest number of seats but not enough to form a government on their own. Khan cannot be part of any government while he remains in prison.

Khan and his party say all legal cases against him are based on made-up charges to keep him out of politics at the behest of the army after he had fallen out with the military’s generals. The army denies the accusation.

Topics: May 9 riots May 9 protests Shah Mehmood Qureshi Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur

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