ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani-Australian man who pretended to be a teenage YouTube star to blackmail hundreds of children into performing sexual acts has been sentenced to 17 years in jail in Australia, the country’s national broadcaster ABC reported this week.
Muhammad Zain Ul Abideen Rasheed, 29, targeted children in Australia and overseas by pretending to be a 15-year-old social media influencer with a large following.
He would approach children online in that guise, sending them pictures of the online star and initially asking innocuous questions to gain their trust. The court heard that then escalated to sexually explicit “fantasies” he asked them to approve of, while also asking them for pictures of themselves he could “rate.”
In handing down her sentence in the District Court of WA on Tuesday, Judge Amanda Burrows said the volume of offenses was of such magnitude there was “no comparable case … I can find in Australia,” ABD reported.
Rasheed threatened to send screenshots of the children’s responses to friends and family unless they performed increasingly extreme sexual acts.
In sentencing, Judge Burrows said those offenses were “of a degrading, humiliating nature ... particularly abhorrent.”
The court heard Rasheed would set a “countdown” timer, threatening to distribute the responses and further images he had made of them if they didn’t comply with his demands.
Judge Burrows said Rasheed’s offending was aggravated by the fact he abused a number of the victims with groups of other adults, inviting other pedophiles to watch live streams while he directed children to perform the distressing acts.
In other cases, he continued to bully and coerce the children despite their “obvious distress” and “extreme fear,” with some telling him they were suicidal.
A report prepared by a psychiatrist for the court detailed how Rasheed moved to Australia from Pakistan at a young age and his parents were “traditional, conservative and strict.” He was sent to an all-boys private school where he and his brothers were the only Muslim students, which led to him feeling socially isolated.
He began accessing child exploitation material in 2018, which escalated to the direct offending with children in 2019 after that material “lost its effect.”
He was sentenced for 665 offenses which occurred over an 11-month period and involved 286 victims.
Rasheed was first charged by the Australian Federal Police in 2021 after they were contacted by Interpol and police in the United States raising concerns about a person, believed to be in Australia, who was targeting young girls through social media.
He is already serving a five-year jail term for a separate crime in which he sexually abused a 14-year-old child in his car on two separate occasions at a Perth park, which the judge noted was during the same period he was committing the online offenses.
The court heard Rasheed spent hundreds of hours engaged in a sex offenders treatment program while in prison but a psychiatrist found he still represented a “well above average risk” of reoffending.
This was due to a persistent sexual interest in pubescent children in early adolescence, known as “hebephilia” and “coercive sexual sadism disorder.”
Judge Burrows took into account Rasheed’s youth while sentencing, engagement in a sexual treatment program in prison and early plea in sentencing but said this must be balanced by the need to send a clear message of deterrence and the vulnerability of the victims.
“The victims will forever live with the fear that the recordings you made of them will be [further] disseminated,” Judge Burrows said.
Rasheed will be eligible to apply for parole in August of 2033, when he will be 38 years old.
Pakistani man sentenced to 17 years jail in Australia for sexual abuse of hundreds of children
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Pakistani man sentenced to 17 years jail in Australia for sexual abuse of hundreds of children
- Muhammad Zain Ul Abideen Rasheed sentenced in case described as one of Australia’s worst online child sexual abuse schemes
- The now 29-year-old targeted hundreds of victims in Australia and overseas by pretending to be a teenage social media influencer
Pakistan says Roosevelt Hotel’s base valuation complete, will decide on transaction structure this month
- Hotel could fetch 4–5 times more under joint venture than in outright sale, privatization chief says
- Government hopes to finalize deal structure this June, has hired US consulting firm Jones Lang LaSalle
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has completed the baseline valuation of the Roosevelt Hotel in New York and is preparing to move forward with a transaction structure this month to privatize the state-owned property, the head of the Privatization Commission told Arab News this week.
The Roosevelt, a 1,015-room historic hotel in Midtown Manhattan, has long been one of Pakistan’s most prominent but politically sensitive overseas assets. Acquired by Pakistan International Airlines Investment Limited (PIAIL) in 1979, the hotel occupies a full city block on Madison Avenue and 45th Street. Over the past two decades, successive Pakistani governments have floated plans to sell, lease, or redevelop the property, but no proposal has advanced beyond early-stage planning.
Operations at the Roosevelt were suspended in 2020 following steep financial losses during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2023, Pakistan entered a short-term lease with the City of New York to use the property as a temporary shelter for asylum seekers, generating more than $220 million in projected rental income. That agreement ended in 2024 and no new revenue stream has since been announced.
“We have an idea of the asset valuation in Roosevelt,” Muhammad Ali, chairman of Pakistan’s Privatization Commission, said in an interview when asked about the timeline to privatize the hotel.
“We have appointed JLL [Jones Lang LaSalle], who are one of the top consultants in the US market. They have done their homework. They have done the market sounding also. We just need to get approval from the Cabinet Committee [on Privatization] on the structure, and we’ll move ahead.”
He added:
“So this year, before June, I’m hoping that on the Roosevelt, we will have gone ahead with execution of the transaction as far as whatever structure is decided.”
VALUATION AND TRANSACTION STRUCTURE
The Roosevelt, whose liabilities and losses the privatization chief did not disclose, is one of several state assets the government hopes will contribute to its target of raising Rs86 billion ($306 million) in privatization proceeds during the fiscal year starting July 1, alongside the sale of national carrier Pakistan International Airlines and three electricity distribution companies.
But how much money the hotel ultimately brings in, and its overall valuation, depended on the type of transaction structure adopted, Ali said.
If the government opted for a straightforward “as-is” sale and sold the property without securing any new permissions or approvals for zoning or development, the hotel would fetch the lowest price.
However, if the government first obtained the necessary permits and approvals that a buyer would typically need for redevelopment, the property’s value could double compared to the “as-is” sale.
Alternatively, if the government formed a joint venture with a private investor, sharing both the risks and future profits, the hotel could be worth four to five times more than its as-is valuation.
“So, depending on what sort of structure you have, how much risk you take, how much effort the government puts in, we can make a lot of money from this asset,” the privatization chief said.
“If we go with a joint venture structure, then this year we will only get the first advance payment, so that’s a small amount of money which will be coming in [FY26].”
India rejects signing Shanghai Cooperation Organization statement seen as pro-Pakistan
- Indian Defense says statement diluted India’s position on critical issues such as terrorism, regional security
- Singh, without explicitly naming Pakistan, urged the SCO to criticize countries that use “cross-border terrorism“
NEW DELHI, India: Beijing’s bid for enhanced regional leadership suffered a setback Thursday when India rejected signing a joint statement put before members of the China-backed Shanghai Cooperation Organization, saying it was pro-Pakistan in not mentioning April’s terror attack on Indian tourists.
Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said the statement diluted India’s position on critical issues such as terrorism and regional security, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak to the media.
India blames Pakistan for backing the gunmen behind the April 22 killing of 26 people, most of them Indian Hindu tourists, in India-controlled Kashmir, and has described it as a terror attack. Islamabad denies the charge.
Singh alleged that the joint statement “suited Pakistan’s narrative” because it did not include that attack but mentioned militant activities in Balochistan, the person said. Pakistan has repeatedly accused India of backing Balochistan freedom movement, allegations that India denies.
The signing ceremony came during a meeting of defense ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a regional grouping formed by China and Russia to counter US influence in Asia.
China has largely taken over running the SCO, staging joint drills and holding summits, while Russia is embroiled in its full-scale invasion of Ukraine and international isolation.
While little known globally, the SCO has become one of China’s main instruments to expand its political and economic reach into areas traditionally neutral, such as India, or closely linked to Russia such as Central Asia.
Thursday’s meeting took place in the east China city of Qingdao, home to China’s northern fleet.
Singh, without explicitly naming Pakistan, urged the SCO to criticize countries that use “cross-border terrorism as an instrument of policy and provide shelter to terrorists.” He said members should unite in eliminating terrorism and ensure accountability for those who aid such activities.
“Peace and prosperity cannot co-exist with terrorism and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction in the hands of non-state actors and terror groups. Dealing with these challenges requires decisive action,” said Singh, according to a defense ministry statement.
The April 22 killings embroiled the two nuclear-armed nations in the most serious military confrontation in decades. After days of exchanging fire, they agreed to end all military actions under a US-brokered ceasefire.
On Wednesday, Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun held one-on-one meetings with his counterparts from Belarus, Iran, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia. India, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan are also members.
“Unilateralism and protectionism are surging, while hegemonic, high-handed, and bullying acts severely undermine the international order, making these practices the biggest sources of chaos and harm,” Dong said according to the official Xinhua News Agency, in a swipe at the US and its allies.
China and India have decades-old border disputes and Beijing has become one of Pakistan’s closest allies.
Four dead, 19 injured as monsoon rains trigger building collapses, drownings in Punjab
- The provincial disaster agency has urged citizens to take precautionary measures as rains continue
- Authorities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have also warned of torrential rains, hailstorms in several districts
ISLAMABAD: At least four people were killed and 19 injured in rain-related incidents across Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province over the past 24 hours, the provincial disaster management authority said on Thursday, as monsoon downpours triggered building collapses and drownings in several districts.
The statement came as authorities in both Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa warned of continued rainfall through July 1, with Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) issuing a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) alert for the country’s northern regions a day earlier.
“Two people died when weak, dilapidated structures collapsed in Okara and Bahawalnagar,” the Punjab PDMA said in a statement. “Two others drowned in separate incidents in Jhelum.”
Thirteen houses were also damaged in the province, mostly in rural or structurally vulnerable areas, the statement added.
Punjab’s disaster agency urged citizens to take precautionary measures and said financial compensation for the victims’ families would be provided under government policy.
Separately, the PDMA in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa warned of torrential rains and hailstorms in several districts from Thursday evening through July 1, with a risk of glacier bursts in the north.
It issued alerts to local administrations in Chitral, Swat, Upper and Lower Dir and Kohistan to initiate preemptive measures and inform nearby communities.
Pakistan is among the countries most vulnerable to climate change, with a history of extreme weather events linked to erratic monsoon patterns, glacial melt and heatwaves.
In 2022, record floods killed over 1,700 people and caused more than $30 billion in damages.
On Wednesday, the NDMA said continued high temperatures and intense monsoon activity were putting stress on glacial lakes in Pakistan’s mountainous north, raising the risk of flash floods.
Valleys in Chitral and Ghizer are among the most vulnerable, with warnings issued to avoid travel near glaciers and riverbanks.
Iran expressed rare gratitude to Pakistan amid recent Israel war — PM Sharif
- Shehbaz Sharif acknowledges Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's ‘significant role’ in defusing tensions
- He also highlights Field Marshal Asim Munir’s lengthy meetings with the top American and Iranian officials
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday expressed satisfaction over the ceasefire that brought an end to the recent Israel-Iran conflict, saying Tehran had thanked Pakistan’s political and military leadership for playing a constructive role during the war after Field Marshal Asim Munir’s meetings with both American and Iranian officials.
The 12-day war began after Israel carried out airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, killing several senior military commanders and scientists, while officials in Tehran were engaged in nuclear negotiations with the United States.
Shortly before the ceasefire was announced, US forces struck three Iranian nuclear sites and claimed to have set back Iran’s nuclear program by years.
“For the first time in history — and I am not just talking about the war itself, but on several fronts — Iran openly thanked Pakistan’s political and military leadership in a way that, in my view, has no precedent in recent times,” Sharif told the federal cabinet.
“Our Field Marshal had a luncheon meeting in Washington with President [Donald] Trump,” he continued. “Then in Istanbul, the army chief had a one-and-a-half-hour meeting with [Iranian Foreign Minister] Abbas Araghchi.
During that meeting, he specified Pakistan’s efforts. In response, he [Araghchi] said … ‘We [Iranians] were not the ones who attacked… If Israel stops, then we are ready for dialogue.’”
The prime minister said Pakistan also condemned the missile attacks on US bases in Qatar and had conveyed its position clearly to all sides.
He described Iran’s posture during the war as one of “dignity and restraint,” praising the Iranian people for refusing to capitulate under pressure.
Sharif said Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman also played a significant role in defusing tensions.
“I had a phone conversation with the Crown Prince,” he said. “We spoke in great detail. And I say this to you with full sincerity: he played a significant role in helping to stop this war.”
“As soon as Israel launched its attack, Saudi Arabia issued a strong statement of condemnation,” he added. “After that, the Crown Prince personally spoke to the President of Iran [Masoud Pezeshkian].”
As the ceasefire continues to hold between the two Middle Eastern rivals, President Trump has said American and Iranian officials could engage in talks next week, though Tehran has not confirmed any such plans.
Trump, speaking at a NATO summit, said he was not keen to resume formal negotiations but declared the war was over and insisted Iran would not be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon.
Iran’s parliament, meanwhile, voted to fast-track legislation suspending cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, following US strikes on its nuclear facilities.
With input from AP
Pakistan decries use of torture in Palestine, Kashmir on UN anti-torture day
- Rights groups have long reported widespread abuse in both areas, including arbitrary detentions
- Pakistan calls for strong oversight mechanisms to prevent torture and promote accountability
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday expressed grave concern over the use of torture as a tool of repression in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Indian-administered Kashmir, accusing the “occupying powers” of systematically inflicting abuse to suppress demands for self-determination.
The statement came on the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, marked each year on June 26 to promote the eradication of torture and support survivors. The UN General Assembly designated the day in 1997, coinciding with the anniversary of the 1987 entry into force of the UN Convention Against Torture.
Human rights groups have long reported widespread abuse in both Palestine and Kashmir, including arbitrary detentions, custodial beatings and torture, particularly of young men and boys.
“The people of the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) continue to be subjected to the worst forms of torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment by the occupying powers to suppress their right to self-determination,” the foreign office said in a statement.
Reaffirming its commitment to human dignity and justice, Pakistan said it was strengthening legal reforms, institutional safeguards and oversight mechanisms to prevent torture and promote accountability.
It also underscored its provision of medical, legal, and psycho-social support to victims.
Citing the values of justice and compassion in religious teachings, the foreign ministry said any act of torture was incompatible with Islam and international law.
Pakistan called on the international community to condemn what it described as systematic crimes by occupying forces and to take steps to hold them accountable.
