Search form

You are here

  • Home
  • Pakistani capital’s security ‘under control,’ police say amid closure of educational institutions


Pakistani capital’s security ‘under control,’ police say amid closure of educational institutions

Police stand guard in front of the parliament building in Islamabad, Pakistan, on March 8, 2023. (AFP/File)
Short Url

https://arab.news/8nujn

Updated 22 January 2024
Follow

Pakistani capital’s security ‘under control,’ police say amid closure of educational institutions

  • Educational institutions abruptly closed on Monday morning over security fears in the Pakistani capital
  • Pakistan heads to the polls in two weeks with an overlapping security, economic and political crises
Updated 22 January 2024
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: The security situation in the capital is “under control,” Islamabad’s top cop assured citizens on Monday, hours after several educational institutions in the city abruptly closed citing security concerns. 

Parents received messages from schools on Monday morning urging them to pick their children a few hours after they had dropped them off. In a message seen by Arab News, one private school urged parents to pick their children for their “safety and security.” 

Three sets of parents Arab News spoke to reported that their children were sent home early. 

Pakistan is due to vote in general elections in two weeks amid overlapping political, economic and security crises. The South Asian country has witnessed a spike in militant attacks targeting police and soldiers in recent months. 

“I would like to inform you that the security and law and order situation in Islamabad is currently under control,” Dr. Akbar Nasir Khan, inspector general of Islamabad Police, said in a video message shared on social media platform X.

“As of now, there is no situation which should cause you to bring about any change in your [routine regarding] schools and colleges and usual way of life out of fear,” he added. 

Khan urged citizens not to pay heed to rumors and refrain from taking unnecessary actions that could jeopardize the security of the city.

His statement comes a day after Balochistan’s Caretaker Information Minister Jan Achakzai warned that hostile intelligence agencies could target a camp of Baloch protesters in Islamabad. 

Without taking the name of any particular group, Khan said “Illegal gatherings” are prohibited in the city. 

“Some people who try to conduct such illegal gatherings, we keep informing them that due to the prevalent situation in the country or due to any credible information, [holding such gatherings] can lead to a loss,” Khan said. 

Speaking to Arab News, Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Irfan Nawaz Memon said the city’s administration did not issue any order for educational institutions to close. 

However, Caretaker Information Minister Murtaza Solangi told media the “alert was genuine.”

Pakistan goes to the polls on Feb. 8 and thousands of auxiliary security forces are set to saturate the nation’s capital and northwestern region abutting Afghanistan.

Last year saw casualties hit a six-year high with more than 1,500 civilians, security forces and militants killed, according to the Islamabad-based Center for Research and Security Studies.

In 2014, the Pakistan Taliban stormed an army public school in the northwestern provincial capital of Peshawar and killed more than 150 people, the majority of them children, triggering a massive army campaign to rout the militants.

Topics: Pakistan

Pakistan says formulating national policy to counter India’s ‘water aggression’

Updated 9 sec ago
Follow

Pakistan says formulating national policy to counter India’s ‘water aggression’

  • India suspended decades-old Indus Waters Treaty in April after accusing Pakistan of involvement in attack that killed 26 people
  • Planning minister says Pakistan will form committee of water experts, engineers for recommendations to address water disputes
Updated 9 sec ago
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal announced this week that Islamabad was formulating a comprehensive national policy to counter India’s move to suspend a decades-old water-sharing treaty with Pakistan, stressing that it aims to safeguard the country’s water resources.

India announced its decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty, signed between the two countries in 1960, after Delhi blamed Islamabad for being involved in an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 people on April 22.

Islamabad denied involvement in the incident.

Pakistan has warned Delhi’s move to suspend the treaty that guarantees water access for 80 percent of Pakistan’s farms, can trigger a nuclear war between the two countries. 

“Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal says a comprehensive national policy is being formulated in consultation with all four provinces to counter Indian water aggression,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported on Sunday.

Iqbal said the policy aims to safeguard Pakistan’s water resources in the face of ongoing regional challenges, referring to India’s move to hold the treaty in abeyance. 

“The minister announced to establish a special technical committee comprising water experts and engineers to provide technically sound recommendations to address water disputes and related challenges,” the report said. 

TREATY’S HISTORY

The Indus Waters Treaty took effect on April 1, 1960, and was officially signed on September 19, 1960, in Karachi by Pakistan’s then President Ayub Khan and India’s then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

As per the treaty, Pakistan has rights to the western rivers— Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab— for irrigation, drinking, and non-consumptive uses like hydropower. India controls the eastern rivers— Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej— for unrestricted use but must not significantly alter their flow.

India can use the western rivers for limited purposes such as power generation and irrigation, without storing or diverting large volumes. Experts, like Hassaan F. Khan from Tufts University, argue that India lacks the infrastructure to divert large amounts of Indus waters.

The treaty also created a permanent Indus Commission and a dispute resolution framework, and despite wars and decades of tensions between Pakistan and India, it remains one of the world’s most resilient water-sharing agreements.

There is no provision in the treaty for either country to unilaterally suspend or terminate the pact, which has clear dispute resolution systems.

The April 22 attack triggered a days-long conflict between India and Pakistan in early May, raising fears of a nuclear war before US President Donald Trump intervened and brokered a ceasefire on May 10. 

The conflict killed over 70 people on both sides of the border, with both countries claiming victory over the other. Pakistan and India both dispatched delegations to world capitals in June to defend their stances regarding the conflict. 

India and Pakistan have fought two out of three wars in the past seven decades over the disputed Himalayan Kashmir territory. Both sides claim the valley in full but administer only parts of it.

Topics: Indus Water Treaty Pakistan India Conflict Pakistan India Ties

Pakistan assures UN chief of commitment to ensure peaceful resolution of conflicts 

Updated 14 July 2025
Follow

Pakistan assures UN chief of commitment to ensure peaceful resolution of conflicts 

  • UN Secretary General António Guterres calls Deputy PM Ishaq Dar, says Pakistan’s foreign office
  • Pakistan is currently the president of the United Nations Security Council for the month of July
Updated 14 July 2025
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar this week assured United Nations Secretary General António Guterres of Islamabad’s “strong commitment” to work for peaceful resolution to conflicts as president of the UN Security Council, the Pakistani foreign office said. 

Pakistan assumed the presidency of the Security Council for July 2025 earlier this month. Islamabad has said it is mindful of the multiple challenges to international peace and security across the Middle East, South Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America and other regions in today’s world.

Dar, who also serves as Pakistan’s foreign minister, received a telephone call from Guterres on Sunday night, Pakistan’s foreign ministry said in a statement. 

 “As Pakistan holds the Presidency of the UN Security Council for the month of July, the DPM/FM reaffirmed Pakistan’s strong commitment to international peace and security, and to the pacific settlement of disputes,” the foreign office said.

“He also highlighted the Signature Events being convened by Pakistan during its Presidency to advance these objectives.”

The statement said both leaders also looked forward to engaging in New York next week during activities related to Pakistan’s presidency of the UN Security Council. 

“The DPM/FM further reiterated Pakistan’s continued support in facilitating the United Nations and its personnel in the effective discharge of their mandate,” the statement added. 

Pakistan assumed the presidency of the UNSC at a critical time, with conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine refusing to let up. Israel has killed over 57,000 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023, in response to Hamas’ lightning attack. In June, it engaged in a conflict with Iran after attacking its nuclear facilities and military leadership. 

Pakistan has repeatedly condemned Israel’s military actions against Palestine, Iran and other Middle Eastern countries since the 2023 conflict began. Islamabad has called for a peaceful resolution to the conflict and stated that lasting peace in the Middle East can only be achieved through the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, based on the pre-1967 borders with Al Quds Al Sharif as its capital.

Topics: Pakistan UN Ties UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar

Pakistan requests Saudi Arabia to increase Hajj pilgrims’ quota to 230,000

Updated 14 July 2025
Follow

Pakistan requests Saudi Arabia to increase Hajj pilgrims’ quota to 230,000

  • Pakistan received a quota of 179,210 pilgrims from Saudi Arabia for Hajj 2025, split evenly between government and private schemes
  • Saudi authorities working on digitizing Hajj management system to ensure easier, more efficient services, says religious affairs minister
Updated 14 July 2025
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Islamabad has formally requested Saudi Arabia to increase its Hajj pilgrims’ quota to 230,000, Pakistan’s Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Muhammad Yousaf said this week, according to state-run media, as the country hopes more people can perform the annual Islamic pilgrimage. 

Pakistan received a quota of 179,210 pilgrims from Saudi Arabia for Hajj 2025, evenly divided between the government and private Hajj operators. For this year’s pilgrimage, Islamabad has already concluded the registration process, with state media reporting that the country has received over 450,000 Hajj applications in total. 

“He [Yousaf] noted that Pakistan has formally requested the Saudi government to increase the Hajj quota to 230,000, in proportion to the country’s population to allow more people to undertake the pilgrimage,” the state-run Pakistan Television News reported on Sunday. 

The minister was on a visit to Darul Uloom Mansehra where he attended a reception in his honor. Yousaf said the increase in the number of people registering for Hajj 2026, over 450,000, reflects that the trust of the public has been restored in Pakistan’s religious affairs ministry. 

“Furthermore, the minister said that the Saudi authorities are working on digitizing the Hajj management system, which will ensure easier and more efficient services for pilgrims in the future,” PTV News reported. 
A major portion of the private quota for Hajj pilgrims for 2025 remained unutilized due to delays by companies in meeting payment and registration deadlines, while the government filled its full allocation of over 88,000 pilgrims.

Private operators blamed the situation on technical glitches such as payment issues and communication breakdowns.

Topics: Pakistan Hajj mission Hajj 2026

Pakistan to convert Frontier Constabulary into ‘nationwide federal force’ amid mounting security challenges

Updated 14 July 2025
Follow

Pakistan to convert Frontier Constabulary into ‘nationwide federal force’ amid mounting security challenges

  • FC’s primary function is to police border between settled areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and tribal areas
  • Experts view step as part of broader efforts to centralize, enhance internal security infrastructure, says state media
Updated 14 July 2025
Shahjahan Khurram

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s federal government has decided to convert the Frontier Constabulary (FC) paramilitary force into a nationwide federal unit empowered to operate across the country, state-run media reported this week. 

According to the FC’s website, the paramilitary force’s primary function is to police the border between the settled areas of Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province and its tribal areas against incursions and criminal gangs operating from across the border.

The FC is governed under the Frontier Constabulary Act, 1915 and the North-West Frontier Constabulary Rules, 1958. The maintenance, superintendence, administration and control of the force lies with the federal government, which is also empowered to deploy the FC in any part of Pakistan for “better protection and administration” of those areas, as per its website. 

“The federal government has decided to transform the Frontier Constabulary (FC) into a nationwide federal force,” the state-run Pakistan Television (PTV) said in a report on Sunday.

“According to reliable sources, the revamped force will operate under the new name ‘Federal Constabulary’ and will be empowered to function across all provinces, including Islamabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan.”

The report said that the force will be converted through amendments to the Frontier Constabulary Act of 1915, which are expected to receive approval from the federal cabinet. Following the cabinet’s endorsement, a presidential ordinance will be issued to extend the FC’s jurisdiction across the entire country.

The state media said that as part of the force’s reorganization, recruitment for the new Federal Constabulary unit will be carried out nationwide, with offices established across the country.

“The force will be commanded by officers from the Police Service of Pakistan, according to insiders familiar with the restructuring plan,” the report added. 

The PTV report said security experts view this step as part of broader efforts to centralize and enhance Pakistan’s internal security infrastructure.

“The establishment of the Federal Constabulary is expected to play a crucial role in maintaining law and order and strengthening national peace and security mechanisms,” it said. 

The development takes place as Pakistan faces surging militant attacks in its KP and Balochistan provinces that border Afghanistan and Iran. Islamabad has grappled with a surge in militant attacks in KP since a fragile truce between Pakistan and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) broke down in November 2022. 

The TTP’s militants have carried out some of the deadliest attacks against Pakistan’s security forces and civilians since 2007 in a bid to impose their strict version of Islam across the country. 

Pakistan blames the Afghan government for not taking action against TTP militants, which it alleges operate from safe havens in Afghanistan. Kabul denies the allegations and says it does not allow militants to use its soil to launch attacks against Pakistan.

Topics: Frontier Constabulary (FC) Federal Constabulary Terrorism in Pakistan

FM Dar to represent Pakistan at SCO Council of Foreign Ministers today amid regional tensions

Updated 14 July 2025
Follow

FM Dar to represent Pakistan at SCO Council of Foreign Ministers today amid regional tensions

  • The SCO is a major trans-regional organization collectively representing nearly half of the world’s population
  • Dar will also hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts on the sidelines of the SCO meeting in China’s Tianjin
Updated 14 July 2025
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: Deputy prime minister and foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, will be leading the Pakistani delegation at a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) in China today, Monday, the Pakistani foreign ministry said, with member states expected to discuss key regional and global issues at the forum.

The meeting comes amid simmering regional tensions, particularly between India and Pakistan, following New Delhi’s refusal to sign a recent SCO joint statement over its omission of a deadly April attack in Indian-administered Kashmir.

The SCO, a trans-regional bloc comprising China, Russia, Pakistan, India, Iran, and Central Asian states, is expected to deliberate on pressing regional and global security, connectivity, and economic issues.

Dar is attending the CFM meeting, being held in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin on July 14-16, at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, according to the Pakistani foreign ministry.

“The deputy prime minister and foreign minister of Pakistan will also hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts on the sidelines of the CFM meeting,” it said in a statement on Sunday.

The CFM is the third highest forum in the SCO format that focuses on the issues of international relations as well as foreign and security policies of China-backed SCO.

Last month, Beijing’s bid for enhanced regional leadership suffered a setback when India rejected signing a joint statement put before defense ministers of the SCO, seen by some Western analysts as a regional grouping by China and Russia to counter United States influence in Asia, with New Delhi saying it was pro-Pakistan in not mentioning April’s attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir.

India blamed Pakistan for backing the gunmen behind the April 22 killing of 26 people. Islamabad denies the charge.

Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said the statement diluted India’s position on critical issues such as terrorism and regional security, The Associated Press reported, citing a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity. Singh alleged the joint statement “suited Pakistan’s narrative” because it did not include that attack but mentioned militant activities in Balochistan.

Pakistan has repeatedly accused India of backing separatists in its Balochistan province, allegations that India denies.

In May, India and Pakistan exchanged fighter jet, missile, drone and artillery strikes for four days over the Kashmir attack, killing around 70 people on both sides before agreeing to US-brokered ceasefire.

Topics: Foreign minister Ishaq Dar Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM)

Latest updates

Pakistan says formulating national policy to counter India’s ‘water aggression’
Wildfire destroys a historic Grand Canyon lodge and other structures
Pakistan assures UN chief of commitment to ensure peaceful resolution of conflicts 
South Korea medical students end 17-month class boycott
Pakistan requests Saudi Arabia to increase Hajj pilgrims’ quota to 230,000

Search form

Print Edition
Read pdf version Subscribe now
© 2025 SAUDI RESEARCH & PUBLISHING COMPANY, All Rights Reserved And subject to Terms of Use Agreement.