ISLAMABAD: Amnesty International, a high-profile global rights organization, criticized police in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province on Friday for the “unlawful use of force” to disperse protesters demonstrating against an alleged enforced disappearance last month.
Civil society groups and activists in Balochistan have frequently raised concerns about enforced disappearances, accusing state agencies of unlawfully detaining individuals to suppress dissenting voices, a claim the government has consistently denied.
According to the Baloch Yakjehti Committee, an ethnic rights movement, Zaheer Ahmed Baloch, a Balochistan resident and government employee, was forcibly disappeared on June 27, prompting his family’s demand to know his whereabouts.
The clash occurred on Thursday when demonstrators attempted to force their way into Quetta’s Red Zone, an area housing key government installations, to register their protest.
“Amnesty International condemns the unlawful use of force by the police in Pakistan, including the use of tear gas and batons at a peaceful protest in Quetta on 11 July and the mass arbitrary and unlawful arrests of peaceful protesters,” it said in a social media post.
“The protest was organized by the Baloch community in Quetta calling for the safe return of Zaheer Ahmed Baloch, who was forcibly disappeared on 27 June,” it continued. “Amnesty International has received information of several protesters who were injured and are in need of urgent medical treatment.”
Amnesty International highlighted “the arbitrary detention of peaceful protesters” violated the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Pakistan is a signatory.
The organization urged the government to provide medical treatment to all injured protesters, especially those still in police custody.
Additionally, it called on authorities to immediately and unconditionally disclose the whereabouts of detained protesters and to either release all demonstrators or charge and try them promptly in a civilian court.
“Drop all charges against peaceful protesters,” it added.
Balochistan has witnessed a low-level insurgency by Baloch nationalist groups, who accuse the Pakistani government of exploiting the province’s natural resources while neglecting its development, a claim the state denies.
This province’s volatile situation has led to an increased influence of security and law enforcement agencies, exacerbating tensions between the state and the disaffected segments of Baloch society.
Amnesty International criticizes police in Pakistan’s southwest for ‘unlawful use of force’ against protesters
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Amnesty International criticizes police in Pakistan’s southwest for ‘unlawful use of force’ against protesters
- Baloch demonstrators had a clash with police in Quetta while protesting enforced disappearances in the province
- Amnesty urged the Pakistani authorities to ‘drop all charges against peaceful protesters’ in a social media post
Pakistani FM meets OIC chief, demands ceasefire in Palestine ahead of Jeddah moot
- Ishaq Dar is in Jeddah to attend OIC Executive Council’s meeting on Palestine
- Pakistani FM meets counterparts from Malaysia, Algeria to discuss bilateral ties
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Wednesday called for a ceasefire in the Middle East during a meeting with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) secretary-general in Jeddah, where he will attend a special meeting of the inter-governmental body to discuss the Palestine crisis.
The OIC Executive Council meeting was convened on requests by Palestine and Iran to discuss the ongoing Israeli aggression against Palestine and other regional states. Almost 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in an Israeli military campaign in Gaza triggered by a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7 last year.
Dar met OIC Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha on the sidelines of the conference expected to take place later today in Jeddah. Both leaders discussed the situation in Gaza, Indian-administered Kashmir, Islamophobia, discrimination and violence against Muslims, Pakistan’s foreign ministry said.
“The foreign minister underscored the urgency of a ceasefire and unhindered supply of humanitarian assistance for the Palestinian people,” Pakistan’s foreign ministry said.
Dar also met the foreign ministers of Algeria and Malaysia to discuss bilateral ties and economic cooperation between the two countries.
In his meeting with Algeria’s Ahmad Attaf, the Pakistani minister noted the historic ties between the two countries, the foreign ministry added.
“Deputy Prime Minister Dar and Foreign Minister Attaf agreed to further strengthen bilateral economic ties through enhanced trade and investment,” it said.
With his Malaysian counterpart, Dar spoke about enhancing bilateral trade and investment, educational linkages, capacity building of workforce, and people-to-people contacts between the two countries.
Pakistan does not recognize nor have diplomatic relations with Israel and calls for an independent Palestinian state based on “internationally agreed parameters” and the pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
Since the beginning of Israel’s war on Gaza, Pakistan has repeatedly raised the issue at the United Nations, the OIC and other multilateral platforms and demanded international powers and bodies stop Israeli military actions in Gaza. The South Asian country has also dispatched several aid consignments for the Palestinians.
Pakistani party holding protests against inflation threatens civil disobedience, new sit-ins
- Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman, chief of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, says will appeal to people not to pay electricity bills
- Around 3,000 supporters of the Jamaat-e-Islami have occupied a road in the garrison city of Rawalpindi since July 26
ISLAMABAD: Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman, the chief of the Jamaat-e-Islami party which has been holding a sit-in in the garrison city of Rawalpindi against inflation and high electricity costs, on Wednesday threatened to launch a civil disobedience movement if the government did not meet its demands.
Around 3,000 supporters of the religious political party, demanding that the government withdraw taxes on electricity to offset price hikes, have occupied a road in Rawalpindi since July 26, after being prevented by police from heading to the capital, Islamabad.
Several rounds of talks have been held between a government negotiating team and protest leaders but there has been no breakthrough so far.
“Our sit-in protest is continuing and we will march tomorrow [Aug. 8] on Murree Road [Rawalpindi], on Aug. 11 we will stage a sit-in protest outside the Chief Minister’s House in Lahore, on Aug. 12 we will protest in Peshawar, on Aug. 16 we will also hold a sit-in protest in Multan,” Rehman told reporters on Wednesday.
“We also have the option to call a strike. And if they [the government] still don’t change after all this, we also have the option to peacefully appeal to the people to not pay electricity bills. We don’t want things to get to that point.”
The government raised power prices 26 percent during the last fiscal year, which ended June 30, before tacking on another 20 percent increase on July 13. Officials say the increases were needed to meet conditions set by the International Monetary Fund for a $7 billion loan deal reached last month.
The government has also added a confusing bevy of taxes on top of the base price, adding up to a bill that has more than doubled for some Pakistanis.
“Striking is our democratic right, that we appeal to the people to peacefully shut down their businesses,” Rehman said. “Already they [government] have led to the collapse of people’s businesses.
Pakistan’s disaster management body predicts more rain, thundershowers in northwest
- At least 44 people have been killed, 83 wounded in rain-related incidents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa since July 1
- Pakistan is recognized as one of the worse affected countries from erratic weather patterns caused by climate change
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has predicted more rainfall and thundershowers in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province over the next 48 hours, state-run media reported on Wednesday, as monsoon downpours continue to lash parts of the South Asian country.
At least 44 people have been killed and 88 injured in rain-related incidents in the province so far, the provincial disaster management authority in KP said.
“NDMA’s National Emergencies Operation Center anticipated that rainfall and thundershowers were expected in most parts of the province over the next 24 to 48 hours,” the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported.
It said chances of heavy rainfall were expected in the Hazara and Malakand, Bannu, Peshawar, Kohat, Swabi, Swat, Mansehra, Haripur, Dera Ismail Khan divisions of the province and their surrounding areas.
The statement advised people to stay informed by keeping track of weather updates and alerts through the “Pak NDMA Disaster Alert Application” which provides timely alerts, adviseries and guidelines to the public.
The NDMA issued instructions to all relevant departments to take necessary precautions to mitigate the possible effects of floods and extreme weather.
Pakistan is recognized as one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change effects in the world. Last month, a United Nations official warned that an estimated 200,000 people in Pakistan could be affected by the ongoing monsoon season.
In 2022, unusually heavy rains triggered flash floods in many parts of the country, killing over 1,700 people, inflicting losses of around $30 billion, and affecting at least 30 million people.
The arrival of the monsoon season has also sparked floods and landslides across South Asia,, with at least 195 killed and almost 200 missing in one disaster in neighboring India.
Pakistan, Iraq announce slew of measures for Pakistani pilgrims traveling for Arbaeen
- Arbaeen marks end of 40-day mourning period for Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) grandson Imam Hussain
- Pakistani pilgrims traveling to Iraq will not have to surrender passports on arrival, says state-run media
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Iraq have agreed on a slew of measures to facilitate Pakistani pilgrims traveling to the Middle Eastern country for the Arbaeen religious festival, state-run media said, which include easing travel restrictions and operating special flights between the two countries.
Arbaeen is a significant event in the Islamic calendar observed by Shia Muslims around the world. It signifies the end of a 40-day mourning period for Prophet Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) grandson Imam Hussain, who was killed in the Battle of Karbala in 680 CE.
Pilgrims from Pakistan and all around the world flock to the Middle Eastern country every year to pay tribute to Hussain on the occasion.
“Pakistan and Iraq have agreed to operate special flights for Pakistani pilgrims on the occasion of Arbaeen,” the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) said on Wednesday.
“Both sides agreed that Pakistani pilgrims traveling to Iraq for Arbaeen would no longer need to surrender their passports upon arrival.”
The decision was reached during a meeting between Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Iraq’s Ambassador Hamid Abbas Lafta. As per the APP, both officials promised to make the religious journey smoother and more accessible for thousands of devotees.
It was agreed during the meeting that Iraq would increase the quota for Pakistani pilgrims and would issue them visas directly from the Embassy of Iraq, APP said.
The state media also said that a new Iraqi consulate would also be opened in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi.
Both countries would also initiate a crackdown on travel agents charging excessive fees to pilgrims, APP said. A visa waiver agreement on diplomatic and official passports was also reached during the meeting, the state media reported, adding that Pakistan requested the same for citizens who held regular passports.
Decisions taken in the meeting aimed to provide equal facilities to Pakistani pilgrims by ensuring a hassle-free experience, APP said. It said Naqvi also managed to secure approval from Aviation Minister Khawaja Asif to allow Iraqi airlines to operate special flights to Pakistan for the occasion.
This development marked a significant improvement in travel arrangements for Pakistani pilgrims, promising a more convenient and accessible journey to Iraq, APP said.
Pakistan court acquits alleged crime boss in 41st case as experts rue ‘weak prosecutions’
- Uzair Jan Baloch has long been suspected of building criminal empire through extortion, drugs and kidnapping
- A military court in April 2020 convicted Baloch of spying for Iran, handing him a 12-year jail sentence
KARACHI: A Pakistani court on Wednesday acquitted suspected crime lord Uzair Jan Baloch in his 41st criminal case due to lack of evidence, his lawyer confirmed, as crime experts pointed out flaws in the country’s prosecution especially concerning suspects with ties to political leaders.
Baloch, long suspected of building a criminal empire through extortion, kidnapping, and drugs, has been cleared of charges in a 2009 police encounter that killed his predecessor, Abdul Rehman, known as “Rehman Dakait.”
The acquittal marks the 41st time Baloch has been cleared of criminal charges since his arrest in 2016, one of his legal counsels Abid Zaman told Arab News. Zaman hoped charges against Uzair in the remaining 18 cases would be dropped “soon” due to lack of evidence.
“Uzair Baloch has been acquitted in the police encounter case due to lack of evidence,” Safdar Ali, the alleged warlord’s lawyer pleading his cases in district courts, told reporters. He said the case was registered in 2009 in Karachi’s Steel Town Police Station.
Despite his acquittal, Baloch will remain in prison on other charges and is also serving a sentence handed down by a military court for spying for Iran.
Baloch was for years considered close to politicians within the ruling party in the southern Sindh province, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).
Zoha Waseem, co-coordinator of the global research network Urban Violence Research Network and author of ‘Insecure Guardians: Enforcement, encounters and Everyday Policing in Postcolonial Karachi,’ said it is difficult to provide evidence against people like Baloch, who are “politically connected individuals.”
She said such people are “prioritized as assets by various centers of power” in Pakistan, adding that evidence against them hardly stands in court and helps prosecution.
“Such individuals are high risk assets because they may reveal information that can hurt the powers that be,” she told Arab News. “Or perhaps they are still seen as potential assets.”
Waseem said cases against politically connected individuals like Uzair are weakened sometimes due to legal technicalities and sometimes due to “political preferences in a given political climate.”
Arman Sabir, an expert on Karachi crime, said Baloch was initially not involved in criminal activities. However, following the murder of his father, Baloch sought revenge against a rival.
“Baloch’s criminal record grew as he became entangled in numerous skirmishes with rival gangs, resulting in multiple criminal cases against him,” Sabir noted.
He said Baloch managed to avoid arrest largely due to political support from influential figures in Pakistan.
“Acquittals in these cases have been facilitated by poorly drafted FIRs [complaints] and weak prosecutions, highlighting significant deficiencies in the police and home department’s handling of these cases,” Sabir said.
He said even if acquitted in all cases, Baloch will remain in jail until his term announced by the military court completes.
