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Protests erupt in Balochistan’s Turbat over power cuts as official blames Iran’s supply suspension

Members of All Parties Association in Pakistan’s remote Kech district protest against power outages in Makran division in Turbat city on July 9, 2024. (Photo courtesy: Supplied/Assad Baloch)
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Updated 10 July 2024
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Protests erupt in Balochistan’s Turbat over power cuts as official blames Iran’s supply suspension

  • Iran supplies 200-megawatt electricity to the coastal region, equally distributed between Gwardar and Kech
  • Traders in Turbat threaten to go on a shutter-down strike, saying power cuts have adversely impacted business
Updated 10 July 2024
SAADULLAH AKHTER

QUETTA: Residents of Pakistan’s southwestern Makran coastal region decided to camp in Balochistan’s Turbat city on Tuesday to protest against prolonged power outages amid scorching heat as the Quetta Electric Supply Company (QESCO) said the situation was caused by Iran’s decision to suspend electricity supply to the area.
Pakistan shares a 959-kilometer frontier with Iran that begins at the Koh-i-Malik Salih Mountain and ends at Gwadar Bay in the Gulf of Oman. Iran and Pakistan signed an agreement in 2003 under which Iran daily supplies 35 megawatts of electricity to Balochistan’s coastal belt, including Gwadar, which is the heart of the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Pakistan’s top economic decision-making body, ECNEC, announced its plan in May 2019 to connect Makran Division with the national grid, but the border districts of Gwadar and Kech continue to receive power from Iran’s main transmission line.
Speaking to Arab News over the phone from Turbat in Kech district, the organizers of the protest said the power cuts – also called loadshedding in Pakistan – had disrupted life amid intense heat.
“Most of the power feeders in Kech have run out of electricity, resulting in 14 hours of loadshedding despite a soaring temperature of about 50°C [122°F],” Zarif Baloch, deputy convener of the All Parties Association of District Kech, informed.
He said there was a total power outage in Turbat as he spoke over the phone.




Members of All Parties Association in Pakistan’s remote Kech district protest against power outages in Makran division in Turbat city on July 9, 2024. (Photo courtesy: Supplied/Assad Baloch)

“When we contacted QESCO officials, they said Iran had suspended the power supply which was causing the situation in the district,” he continued. “We have been suffering from such a situation since the last month, but we have now called a shutter-down strike in Turbat from Thursday if the power supply is not restored.”
Muhammad Afzal Baloch, the QESCO spokesperson, told Arab News Pakistan had been receiving 200 megawatts of electricity from Iran, half of was supplied to Gwadar and half to Kech district.
“The power supply was suspended from Iran due to their own needs but it was restored in Makran Division on Monday night,” he said. “Although Iran has been providing 200 megawatts of electricity to our bordering districts, we consume the Iranian electricity as per our need.”
Last year in May, the top leaders of the two countries inaugurated the first border market on their frontier to strengthen trade relations. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Iran’s former president Ebrahim Raisi agreed to initiate 100 megawatts of additional electricity to Balochistan’s bordering districts from the Polan-Gabd transmission line.
Ishaq Roshan Dashti, president of the traders’ association in Kech district who runs his own clothing business in Turbat, said the prolonged power cuts were causing significant hardships for his fellow community members.
“We are very much disturbed during the peak summer months of June and July,” he told Arab News. “The situation has led to a 50 percent decrease in business activities in the area.”
Shahzad Baloch, who runs an ice factory, agreed with him.




Members of All Parties Association in Pakistan’s remote Kech district protest against power outages in Makran division in Turbat city on July 9, 2024. (Photo courtesy: Supplied/Assad Baloch)

“Every year, we face such electricity breakdowns in Makran during these months and the country’s power division blames Iran,” he said. “We cannot meet the regular demand for ice and have started using generators. But this has increased the price of each ice block by 35 percent compared to the previous year.”
Residents of Gwadar and Pasni also protested against unplanned power outages on Monday and blocked the country’s key coastal highway connecting Balochistan with Pakistan’s southeastern port city of Karachi.
However, they ended the protests after the authorities assured them that the power supply would be restored within a few hours.

Topics: Turbat city Pakistan Iran border Pakistan Iran Power cuts

Pakistan forms committee to tackle possible economic fallout of Israel-Iran conflict — adviser

Updated 5 sec ago
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Pakistan forms committee to tackle possible economic fallout of Israel-Iran conflict — adviser

  • Oil prices jump 7 percent on fears of disrupted Middle East exports
  • Analysts warn of economic and security risks for Pakistan
Updated 5 sec ago
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has formed a high-level committee led by the finance minister to monitor any possible economic impact of the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, a senior government adviser said on Sunday, as rising oil prices threaten to add new pressure on the South Asian nation’s fragile economy.

Oil prices have climbed about 7 percent since Friday, with Brent crude closing at $74.23 a barrel after hitting a session high of $78.50, amid fears of supply disruptions if Middle East tensions escalate further.

“The prime minister has constituted a committee under the supervision of the finance minister, which will monitor the situation,” Khurram Schehzad, an adviser at the finance ministry, told Arab News.

“The committee will assess the impact of the changes and volatility in oil prices on fiscal and external sides, and devise a strategy to pacify the impacts on Pakistan’s economy.”

Pakistan relies heavily on imported oil, and any sustained spike in prices could widen its current account deficit and push inflation higher at a time when the country is struggling with low foreign reserves and slow growth.

Israel and Iran launched fresh attacks on each other overnight into Sunday, killing scores. The conflict started on Friday when Israel launched a massive wave of attacks targeting Iranian nuclear and military facilities but also hitting residential areas, sparking retaliation and fears of a broader regional conflict.

A 909 kilometer (565 mile) long international boundary separates Iran’s southeastern Sistan-Baluchestan province from Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province. 

“Israel-Iran conflict presents complex challenges for Pakistan as rising oil prices may increase import costs and inflation, influencing monetary policy and growth, while disruptions to key routes like the Strait of Hormuz can affect energy supplies and critical projects,” said Khaqan Najeeb, an economist and former finance ministry adviser.

“It can potentially affect consumer purchasing power and production costs ... Possible disruptions to shipping routes and higher freight charges might result in delays to imports and exports, thereby exerting additional pressure on Pakistan’s external sector.”

DIPLOMATIC BALANCING

As the crisis deepens, analysts widely believe Islamabad should maintain “careful diplomatic balancing” between its ties with Iran and its other partners in the Gulf, as well as the United States.

“Diplomatically, Pakistan has to navigate a balanced and principled stance, honoring its historic ties with Iran alongside its strategic relationships with the US and Gulf partners, emphasizing dialogue and regional stability.”

Former Defense Secretary Lt Gen (retired) Naeem Lodhi said Israel was unlikely to target Pakistan directly but an expanding conflict could complicate matters for Islamabad, adding that it should remain vigilant but avoid “deeper” involvement.

“If the war expands to include more Middle Eastern countries, some of which are friendly to Pakistan, then it would be a difficult proposition for Islamabad... whose side it takes,” Lodhi added. 

Former Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry said Pakistan would respond “forcefully” if directly targeted.

“Israel knows that Pakistan has the capacity to hit back hard,” Chaudhry said, referring to a May 2025 military confrontation with India in which Islamabad retaliated to New Delhi’s strikes, taking down fighter jets and hitting airfields, air bases and other military facilities.

Pakistan’s former ambassador to Iran, Asif Durrani, warned that the crisis could spill over if not contained.

“Not only Pakistan, but the entire Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region can be engulfed if the ongoing spat between Israel and Iran turns into an all-out war,” Durrani said.

However, he said the likelihood of a refugee crisis was limited unless the conflict escalated into a ground invasion.

“A refugee influx is possible if it becomes a full-fledged war, but Israel or the United States are unlikely to commit boots on the ground in Iran,” Durrani added. 

Qamar Cheema, executive director of the Sanober Institute think tank, said Pakistani security forces should increase patrols and surveillance in border districts as the conflict could impact militant groups operating along the Iran-Pakistan border region, such as Baloch separatists and other sectarian outfits.

“Whenever such a situation arises, separatist and sectarian outfits often try to take advantage of it, either by increasing their activities or by shifting them from their hideouts inside Iranian territories,” he said. 

“Their movement is likely to intensify if the threat reaches the border region.”

Topics: Israel attack on Iran Pakistan economy

Pakistan launches new pharma export council to boost overseas sales

Updated 15 June 2025
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Pakistan launches new pharma export council to boost overseas sales

  • Industry aims to raise exports from $700 million to $3 billion
  • Government pledges policy support and facilitation desk
Updated 15 June 2025
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has this month established a new Pharmaceutical Export Promotion Council (PharmEx Pakistan) in a bid to expand exports and enhance the global competitiveness of its drug manufacturers, the country’s commerce minister said.

Pakistan’s pharmaceutical industry, valued at about $4 billion domestically, has recorded steady growth in exports in recent years but remains a relatively small player globally.

Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan announced the formation of the new council under the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) while addressing a gathering organized by the Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Association (PPMA) earlier this month. 

“The pharmaceutical sector has huge export potential, and PharmEx Pakistan is just one or two steps away from becoming operational,” Khan was quoted as saying by state-run Pakistan Television, adding that the government would continue to facilitate the industry in achieving higher international sales.

At the event, PPMA Chairman Touqeer ul Haq said the new council would work as a public-private initiative to strengthen compliance with international standards, improve market access, and showcase Pakistani products abroad.

Haq identified Afghanistan as a critical export destination and welcomed minister Khan’s assurance of better coordination to keep cross-border trade smooth.

In addition to the new council, the government will also set up an Exporter Facilitation Desk at the ministry of commerce to resolve urgent problems faced by pharma exporters and ensure direct support when needed, minister Khan said.

The setting up of PharmEx is part of Islamabad’s broader push to diversify exports beyond traditional sectors such as textiles, rice and sports goods, amid persistent current account pressures and the need to earn more foreign exchange.

According to PPMA data, pharmaceutical exports increased from $270 million in 2020–21 to about $355 million in the current fiscal year 2024–25, and industry leaders say the country has the potential to reach $3 billion in annual exports if regulatory hurdles and market access barriers are addressed.

Pakistan produces over 90 percent of its medicines locally, supplying a large portion of the country’s health care needs and serving niche markets in Afghanistan, Central Asia and parts of Africa and the Middle East.

The industry, however, faces challenges such as high input costs, regulatory bottlenecks, and tough global competition.

Topics: Pakistan’s Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan Pakistan pharmaceutical industry

‘This is a culture’: TikTok murder highlights Pakistan’s unease with women online

Updated 15 June 2025
AFP
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‘This is a culture’: TikTok murder highlights Pakistan’s unease with women online

  • Sana Yousaf was shot dead outside her house in the capital Islamabad by a man whose advances she had repeatedly rejected
  • Violence against women is pervasive in Pakistan, according to the country’s Human Rights Commission
Updated 15 June 2025
AFP

ISLAMABAD: Since seeing thousands of comments justifying the recent murder of a teenage TikTok star in Pakistan, Sunaina Bukhari is considering abandoning her 88,000 followers.

“In my family, it wasn’t an accepted profession at all, but I’d managed to convince them, and even ended up setting up my own business,” she said.

Then last week, Sana Yousaf was shot dead outside her house in the capital Islamabad by a man whose advances she had repeatedly rejected, police said.

News of the murder led to an outpouring of comments under her final post — her 17th birthday celebration where she blew out the candles on a cake.

In between condolence messages, some blamed her for her own death: “You reap what you sow” or “it’s deserved, she was tarnishing Islam.”

Yousaf had racked up more than a million followers on social media, where she shared her favorite cafes, skincare products and traditional shalwar kameez outfits.

TikTok is wildly popular in Pakistan, in part because of its accessibility to a population with low literacy levels. On it, women have found both audience and income, rare in a country where fewer than a quarter of the women participate in the formal economy.

But as TikTok’s views have surged, so have efforts to police the platform.

Pakistani telecommunications authorities have repeatedly blocked or threatened to block the app over what it calls “immoral behavior,” amid backlash against LGBTQ and sexual content.

TikTok has pledged to better moderate content and blocked millions of videos that do not meet its community guidelines as well as at the request of Pakistan authorities.

After Yousaf’s murder, Bukhari, 28, said her family no longer backs her involvement in the industry.

“I’m the first influencer in my family, and maybe the last,” she said.

Only 30 percent of women in Pakistan own a smartphone compared to twice as many men (58 percent), the largest gap in the world, according to the Mobile Gender Gap Report of 2025.

“Friends and family often discourage them from using social media for fear of being judged,” said a statement from the Digital Rights Foundation (DRF).

In southwestern Balochistan, where tribal law governs many rural areas, a man confessed to orchestrating the murder of his 14-year-old daughter earlier this year over TikTok videos that he said compromised her honor.

In October, police in Karachi, in the south, announced the arrest of a man who had killed four women relatives over “indecent” TikTok videos.

These murders each revive memories of Qandeel Baloch, dubbed Pakistan’s Kim Kardashian and one of the country’s first breakout social media stars whose videos shot her to fame.

After years in the spotlight, she was suffocated by her brother.

Violence against women is pervasive in Pakistan, according to the country’s Human Rights Commission, and cases of women being attacked after rejecting men are not uncommon.

“This isn’t one crazy man, this is a culture,” said Kanwal Ahmed, who leads a closed Facebook group of 300,000 women to share advice.

“Every woman in Pakistan knows this fear. Whether she’s on TikTok or has a private Instagram with 50 followers, men show up. In her DMs. In her comments. On her street,” she wrote in a post.

In the fifth-most-populous country in the world, where 60 percent of the population is under the age of 30, the director of digital rights organization Bolo Bhi, Usama Khilji, says “many women don’t post their profile picture, but a flower, an object, very rarely their face.”

“The misogyny and the patriarchy that is prevalent in this society is reflected on the online spaces,” he added.

A 22-year-old man was arrested over Yousaf’s murder and is due to appear in court next week.

At a vigil in the capital last week, around 80 men and women gathered, holding placards that read “no means no.”

“Social media has given us a voice, but the opposing voices are louder,” said Hira, a young woman who joined the gathering.

The capital’s police chief, Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi, used a press conference to send a “clear message” to the public.

“If our sisters or daughters want to become influencers, professionally or as amateurs, we must encourage them,” he said.

Topics: Sana Yousaf

Pakistan evacuates 450 pilgrims as Israel and Iran strike at each other

Updated 15 June 2025
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Pakistan evacuates 450 pilgrims as Israel and Iran strike at each other

  • Foreign minister says arrangements underway for return of over 150 Pakistani students from Iran, stranded pilgrims in Iraq also being assisted
  • Iran has said at least 138 people have been killed in Israel’s onslaught since Friday, including 60 on Saturday, half of them children
Updated 15 June 2025
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: Islamabad has facilitated the evacuation of at least 450 Pakistani pilgrims from Iran and is arranging the safe return of more than 150 Pakistani students, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said, as Israel and Iran launched fresh attacks on each other overnight into Sunday, killing scores.

Thousands of Pakistani zaireen (pilgrims) travel annually to Iran and Iraq to visit holy sites. Many have been stranded since Friday when Israel launched a massive wave of attacks targeting Iranian nuclear and military facilities but also hitting residential areas, sparking retaliation and fears of a broader regional conflict.

“Evacuation of 450 Pakistani zaireen from Iran has been facilitated as of yesterday,” Dar, who is also the deputy premier, said in a post on social media platform X.

“Arrangements are being made for the safe evacuation of Pakistani students (154 in the first batch) currently residing in Iran.”

Dar said Pakistan’s embassy in Iraq was also in touch with stranded Pakistani pilgrims after Iraq closed its airspace in response to the regional security situation.

“Measures are underway to ensure their safe stay in Iraq and possible evacuation,” the deputy prime minister said, adding that a crisis unit set up at the foreign ministry was operating around the clock.

“Our embassies in the region are closely coordinating all necessary efforts to support Pakistani nationals and zaireen,” Dar said.

Since Friday. Pakistan’s government has repeatedly urged its citizens to postpone travel to Iran and Iraq until the security situation improves. 

On Saturday, Islamabad issued a formal travel advisory asking Pakistanis to avoid travel to Iran “for a limited period” due to the Israeli attacks.

Pakistan has condemned the Israeli strikes, calling them an unjustified violation of Iranian sovereignty, and has urged the international community to help de-escalate tensions through dialogue.

Iran has said at least 138 people have been killed in Israel’s onslaught since Friday, including 60 on Saturday, half of them children, when a missile brought down a 14-story apartment block in Tehran.

The Israeli military has warned Iranians living near weapons facilities to evacuate after both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Trump said Israel’s attacks would intensify, not abate.

Topics: Israel attack on Iran

Pakistani religiopolitical party to organize anti-Israel ‘million march’ in Hyderabad today

Updated 15 June 2025
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Pakistani religiopolitical party to organize anti-Israel ‘million march’ in Hyderabad today

  • Jamiat Ulama-e-Islam Pakistan party says caravans of supporters arriving in Hyderabad from all over Sindh 
  • Protest takes place in backdrop of surging tensions Middle East tensions amid Iran-Israel military conflict
Updated 15 June 2025
NAIMAT KHAN

KARACHI: A leading religiopolitical party, Jamiat Ulama-e-Islam Pakistan, (JUI-F) announced it would organize a “million march” in the southern city of Hyderabad against Israel today, Sunday, to express solidarity with the people of Palestine. 

The march will take place as tensions in the Middle East surged late Friday night after Israel attacked Iran’s nuclear facilities and military leadership. Iran’s prominent nuclear scientists and the chief of its Revolutionary Guards paramilitary force were killed in the attack, which Tehran said claimed 78 lives and injured over 300. 

Iran has since then conducted retaliatory strikes against Israel. So far, at least nine people in Israel have been killed and over 300 others injured since Friday, as per media reports. 

In a statement released to the media, a JUI-F spokesperson said the party’s caravans from all over the southern Sindh province are gathering at Hyderabad’s Qasim Chowk venue for the protest. 

“A strong protest will be held against Israel and solidarity will be expressed with the Palestinians,” the statement said. 

Israel has killed over 55,000 Palestinians in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, as per the Gaza Health Ministry. Israeli forces have destroyed vast areas of the territory and displaced about 90 percent of Gazans.

In recent weeks, more than half of Gaza has been transformed into a military buffer zone that includes the now mostly uninhabited southern city of Rafah.

Israel’s war on Gaza has incited anger in various countries across the world, including Pakistan. Various civil rights organizations and political parties such as the Jamaat-e-Islami, have held large gatherings in Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and other parts of the country to denounce Israel’s military campaigns in the Middle East. 

JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman will address participants of the rally, the party said. 

“Strict security arrangements are in place in Hyderabad,” the statement said. “Supporters gathered at the Qasim Chowk venue are highly enthusiastic.”

Israel says it attacked Iran in a bid to discourage the Islamic country from developing nuclear weapons. Israel sees Iran’s nuclear program as a threat to its existence. It said the bombardment was designed to avert the last steps to the production of a nuclear weapon.

Tehran insists the program is entirely civilian and that it does not seek an atomic bomb. The UN nuclear watchdog, however, reported Iran this week as violating obligations under the global non-proliferation treaty.

Pakistan has criticized Israel in strong words and repeatedly said Iran has the right to retaliate under the United Nations Charter. Islamabad has also vowed to offer diplomatic support to Iran at international forums. 
 

Topics: anti-Israel million march

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