PESHAWAR: A prayer leader was killed and five members of an anti-polio team, including two policemen, were injured in separate attacks in northwest Pakistan, police officials said on Saturday, days after three policemen were killed amid a renewed wave of militant violence in the region.
Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, which borders Afghanistan, has lately been witnessing a surge in militant attacks on police, security forces and civilians.
Saleem Kulachi, a police officer in KP’s Khyber tribal district, said the prayer leader, Abdul Nasir, came under attack by unidentified gunmen near a mosque in Bara area, the main town of the district bordering Afghanistan, late Friday.
“Our investigations into the incident are underway, but initial clues suggest that the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is most likely behind his killing,” he told Arab News.
The TTP, or the Pakistani Taliban, and Daesh have been locked in a “power struggle and tit-for-tat killings” in the Pakistan-Afghanistan border region for the last couple of years, according to Irfanullah Khan, an analyst and expert on Pakistan-Afghanistan affairs. Both groups have targeted each other in a bid to wrest control of various areas.
“There is sort of a cold war between TTP and Daesh fighters, with both extremist groups having bitter rivalries,” he said. “There is growing fear among people about further turmoil in the northwestern part of the country.”
In the second incident, three anti-polio vaccinators and two policemen were injured after their vehicle came under attack by gunmen in the Dera Ismail Khan district, according to police.
KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur condemned the attack on the anti-polio team and directed health authorities to provide best medical care to the injured, his office said.
“These kinds of dastardly acts can’t demoralize the police force,” Gandapur was quoted as saying by his office. “The force will be equipped and provided all the required facilities to deal with the scourge of terrorism effectively.”
Earlier this week, three policemen were killed in separate attacks in the northwestern Pakistani province, amid fresh bout of violence in the militancy-hit region, according to police. The deaths brought the total number of police killings in ambushes and targeted attacks in KP to 59 this year.
While no group immediately claimed responsibility for the killings, officials suspected the TTP, which has claimed dozens of recent attacks, to be behind the latest killings.
Pakistan has witnessed a renewed surge in militant violence in its two western provinces, KP and Balochistan, since the TTP called off its fragile truce with the government in November 2022.
Last Wednesday, unidentified gunmen killed a police official providing security to a polio team in Peshawar, the capital of KP.
A senior police officer told Arab News last week that more than 200 of his colleagues had been killed in targeted attacks in the last two years.
Pakistan has blamed the surge in violence on militants operating out of neighboring Afghanistan. Kabul denies the allegation and says rising violence in Pakistan is a domestic issue of Islamabad.
Prayer leader killed, policemen and anti-polio vaccinators injured in northwest Pakistan attacks
https://arab.news/pn35u
Prayer leader killed, policemen and anti-polio vaccinators injured in northwest Pakistan attacks
- The incidents come amid renewed wave of violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province that borders Afghanistan
- Police suspect the Pakistani Taliban, allegedly at war with Daesh, to be behind the killing of the prayer leader
Pakistan’s Qaddafi Stadium renovation nears completion ahead of ICC Champions Trophy
- The stadium will feature over 34,000 seats, brand-new scoreboards and state-of-the-art floodlights
- The ICC Champions Trophy is set to begin on Feb. 19 in Karachi with Pakistan taking on New Zealand
ISLAMABAD: The renovation of Qaddafi Stadium in Pakistan’s eastern Lahore city is close to completion, with all major structural work finished and final touches being applied ahead of the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy, Pakistani state media reported this week.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has been renovating stadiums in Lahore and Karachi in preparation for the 2025 Champions Trophy scheduled to take place in February across three venues: Lahore, Karachi, and Rawalpindi. This will be the first ICC tournament held in Pakistan since the 1996 World Cup.
Pakistani fans have long expressed dissatisfaction with the country’s stadiums, particularly the National Bank Stadium in Karachi, citing a lack of basic facilities and a subpar viewing experience for spectators. In May last year, PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi directed officials to immediately hire an international consultant to upgrade Qaddafi Stadium in Lahore, National Bank Stadium in Karachi and Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.
The PCB chairman visited Qaddafi Stadium on Monday to assess the progress of the renovation project and inspected construction of floors of the main building and top tiers of general enclosures, the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) news agency reported.
“The up-gradation of Qaddafi stadium is all but complete as 100 percent grey structure work has been completed while finishing work is being undertaken at a rapid pace,” the report said, citing the PCB chairman.
Qaddafi Stadium is set to transform into a world-class facility, featuring over 34,000 seats, brand-new scoreboards on both sides and state-of-the-art floodlights, ensuring exceptional visibility for both players and spectators after sunset, according to the report.
Naqvi praised workers for keeping the project’s completion on track despite the challenging winter conditions and dense fog.
“We are committed to delivering a fully renovated and modernized Qaddafi Stadium before the ICC Champions Trophy,” he said. “It will stand as a symbol of excellence and pride for Pakistan cricket.”
The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 will take place from February 19 till March 9, with matches hosted across Pakistan and Dubai in a hybrid model.
The tournament’s structure follows a compromised decision after India refused to play in Pakistan, citing “security concerns.” Exercising its rights as the host nation, Pakistan designated Dubai as the neutral venue for India’s matches, ensuring all teams’ participation.
In Pakistan, Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi will host three group-stage games each. Lahore is also set to host the second semifinal. Dubai will host all three of India’s group matches and the first semifinal, should India qualify.
The tournament opener on Feb. 19 will feature Pakistan taking on New Zealand in Karachi, while India will face Bangladesh in Dubai on Feb. 20.
This will be the ninth edition of the ICC Champions Trophy, after an eight-year hiatus. The last tournament took place in England in 2017. The event will feature top eight teams in world cricket competing for one of the sport’s most prestigious titles.
Pakistan to abolish 150,000 government posts this year to implement rightsizing reforms
- The development comes amid Pakistan’s efforts to revive its $350 billion economy since avoiding a default in 2023
- The Pakistani government’s rightsizing process involves 43 ministries and 400 departments affiliated with them
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Tuesday said the federal government planned to abolish nearly 150,000 vacant government posts by June to implement its rightsizing reforms, which aim to reduce expenditures and enhance efficiency of public departments.
Pakistan’s federal government established an austerity committee in Feb. 2024 to cut its expenditures and implement institutional rightsizing reforms.
On Dec. 24, the committee proposed the closure and merger of various departments in the Ministries of Science and Technology, Commerce, Housing and Works, and National Food Security.
The committee also suggested the federal cabinet to reduce staff in these ministries by 30 percent, aiming to save the national exchequer around Rs42.1 billion ($151 million) annually.
“For the rightsizing of federal government, entire process, including recommendations and implementation for all 43 ministries and their 400 attached departments, will be completed before June 30,” Aurangzeb said at a press conference in Islamabad.
“Sixty percent of vacant regular posts, approximately 150,000, will be abolished or declared redundant, resulting in a significant financial impact.”
The development comes amid Pakistan’s efforts to revive its $350 billion economy since avoiding a default in June 2023. The South Asian country last year secured a new $7 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and has been actively pursuing trade and investment opportunities to put the economy on the path of recovery.
Sharing six-month performance of the austerity committee, he said general non-core services, including gardening, cleaning and plumbing, were outsourced by government departments to improve efficiency, while contingency posts were reduced to some extent.
“In the first phase, decisions were made concerning six ministries, including Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan, SAFRON (State and Frontier Regions), IT and Telecom, Industries and Production, National Health Services, and the Capital Administration and Development Division (CAD),” he said.
The committee decided to abolish CAD and merge the Ministries of Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan with SAFRON, according to the finance minister. This reduced 80 entities associated with these ministries to 40.
In the second phase, he said, the Ministries of Science and Technology, Commerce, Housing and Works, and National Food Security were reviewed.
“Out of the 60 entities within these ministries, 25 will be dissolved, 20 will be reduced, and nine will be merged,” Aurangzeb said, promising to ensure implementation of the austerity committee’s decisions.
“In the third phase, recommendations regarding five ministries, Federal Education and Professional Training, Information and Broadcasting, National Heritage and Culture, Finance Division, and Power Division, will be submitted to the federal cabinet for approval.”
Hundreds protest power outages in Pakistan’s north for fifth consecutive day
- Routine load-shedding is widespread across fuel-deprived Pakistan, but residents of mountainous Gilgit-Baltistan region endure prolonged blackouts
- Senior government official in the region says negotiations are ongoing with the protesters, who demand under-construction power projects be expedited
KHAPLU: Hundreds of people blocked a highway on Tuesday in Pakistan’s mountainous northern region in protest against power outages lasting longer than 20 hours, as temperatures plunged to minus 15 degrees Celsius.
Routine load-shedding is widespread across fuel-deprived Pakistan, but residents of the mountainous, snow-covered regions in Gilgit-Baltistan endure prolonged blackouts.
“We have been facing the worst kind of power cuts, we get only one or two hours of electricity during the whole day,” Baba Jan, a political activist who organized the protest, told AFP.
Around 1,000 people have joined the demonstration in the picturesque valley of Hunza since Friday, blocking a section of the 1,300-kilometer (808-mile) Karakoram Highway and preventing dozens of freight trucks from crossing into China.
People in the region usually rely on wood to keep warm as both gas and fuel-operated generators are too expensive.
“People from all walks of life including the tourists are suffering in extremely cold weather due to the absence of electricity,” Zahoor Ali, another protest organizer told AFP.
The highway is part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in which China has invested billions of dollars, connecting the northern border to the southern coastal city of Gwadar.
“The Karakoram Highway at Ali Abad in Hunza is completely blocked for traffic... business between Pakistan and China is suspended for days owing to the blockade,” local trader Javaid Hussain told AFP.
“For the smooth running of business between Pakistan and China, the government should take steps to end the power crisis in the region.”
Pressure on the electricity grid increases during peak winter and summer seasons, leading to planned load-shedding as the government grapples with an energy supply crisis, exacerbated by political instability and economic stagnation.
Owing to its remoteness, Gilgit-Baltistan is not connected to the national grid and fails to generate enough power from dozens of hydro plants while thermal plants have proven costly.
Kamal Khan, a senior government official in the region, told AFP by phone that negotiations were ongoing with the protesters, who have demanded that under-construction power projects be expedited and thermal generator plants activated.
“Their demands are genuine and we agreed to fulfil all of their demands except the running of thermal generators... because they are very expensive,” he said.
Public protests against rising electricity prices and load-shedding have increased over the years in the country.
Meanwhile, prices have soared to more than double their 2021 rate as the government attempts to comply with demands from the International Monetary Fund to raise revenue.
Pakistan police arrest man for killing citizen for Umrah tickets
- The shooter was hired by his neighbor to kill his brother-in-law in Lahore last week over a property dispute, police say
- The suspect already has a criminal record and is a proclaimed offender in a kidnapping and sexual assault case in Sheikhupura
KARACHI: Police have arrested a man for killing a citizen in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore last week in return for two Umrah tickets and a motorbike, a senior police officer said on Tuesday.
The suspect, Hafiz Usman, was hired by his neighbor, Imtiaz, to kill Muhammad Riaz, Imtiaz’s brother-in-law, according to Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Amir Malik.
Imtiaz had a property dispute with his wife and brother-in-law and he lured Usman into killing Riaz.
“Exploiting Usman’s religious inclinations, Imtiaz offered to send him on an Umrah pilgrimage instead of paying him in cash for committing the murder,” DSP Malik told Arab News.
“As part of the deal, the shooter was supposed to get two Umrah tickets and a motorcycle. Motivated by this offer, Usman killed Muhammad Riaz on January 1.”
Imtiaz had transferred a house to his wife’s name, who had refused to return the property after a domestic disagreement and sought her brother Riaz’s counsel. The disagreement escalated and Imtiaz’s wife left him to stay at her brother’s house, according to the police officer.
Usman already has a criminal record and is a proclaimed offender in a kidnapping and sexual assault case in the Sheikhupura district.
DSP Malik said they managed to arrest the suspect with the help of surveillance footage from Lahore Safe City Project cameras and call data records.
“Efforts are underway to arrest Imtiaz and any other suspects,” he added.
In Nov. last year, police arrested a woman who had stolen 20 tolas of gold, worth Rs5.6 million ($20,250), from her neighbor’s home in the southern port city of Karachi and had gone to perform Umrah pilgrimage, according to local media.
The police later arrested the woman and recovered three tolas of gold and Rs1.5 million ($5,363).
Hundreds of Afghans detained in Pakistan, says Afghanistan embassy
- Islamabad has cracked down on undocumented Afghans since 2023 as tensions with Kabul increased
- Pakistan says its deportation campaign is a bid to improve security after a rise in militancy since 2022
ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan’s embassy in Pakistan said around 800 Afghans living in the capital have been detained by authorities, including some who are registered with the UN’s refugee agency.
It warned in a statement late on Monday that uncertainty around the visa process for Afghans in Pakistan has caused “troubling cases of arbitrary detention and deportation.”
Islamabad has cracked down on undocumented Afghans as political tensions with Kabul have increased, forcing more than 780,000 Afghans back across the border since the end of 2023 — including some who have lived in Pakistan for decades.
“The Embassy of Afghanistan expresses its deep concern over the recent detention of approximately 800 Afghan nationals in Islamabad,” it said on social media platform X.
“This has caused the tragic separation of families, including women and children, many of whom remain stranded in Pakistan.”
The statement said the number included 137 Afghans with pending visa extension requests or who are temporarily registered with the UNHCR, the UN’s refugee agency.
The embassy was “alarmed by reports of unwarranted arrests, home searches, and extortion targeting Afghan nationals,” it said.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry has not responded to requests for comment.
More than 600,000 Afghans have fled to Pakistan since the Afghan Taliban regained control of Kabul in August 2021, including tens of thousands on the advice of Western nations with the promise of relocation.
Many are forced by embassies to wait for months in guest houses in Islamabad while their cases are processed and have reported a rise in harassment by police in recent weeks.
The Pakistan government said its deportation campaign is a bid to improve security after a rise in militancy in the border regions.
But Afghans say they are being targeted because of a political falling-out between Islamabad and Kabul.
“The Afghans in Pakistan awaiting immigration are going through so much pain,” Umer Ijaz Gilani, a lawyer who represents Afghans, told AFP.
Millions of Afghans have fled into Pakistan to escape successive conflicts over decades, becoming deeply ingrained in Pakistani society.
According to the UNHCR, Pakistan currently hosts some 1.5 million Afghan refugees and asylum-seekers, alongside more than 1.5 million Afghans of different legal statuses.
Pakistan has given a series of short-term extensions to Afghans with registered refugee status, currently due to expire in June 2025.
