ISLAMABAD: A delegation of a key coalition partner has met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad, Sharif’s office said on Saturday, as the ruling coalition intensified its efforts to get a contentious constitutional amendment package approved by parliament.
Sharif’s administration has been attempting to introduce a set of constitutional changes since last month, which the country’s opposition and prominent lawyers argue are aimed at granting more power to the executive in making judicial appointments.
The proposed amendments initially suggested establishing a federal constitutional court, raising the retirement age of superior judges by three years and modifying the process for appointing the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
On Saturday, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) that supports Sharif’s government, led a delegation of the PPP members to a meeting with the prime minister.
“Peoples Party delegation meets with the prime minister,” Sharif’s office said in a statement. “Discussions and consultation on the current political situation took place at the meeting.”
The development came a day after Bhutto-Zardari expressed optimism that the constitutional amendments would soon be adopted as political parties were close to reaching a consensus to secure the required majority.
However, Gohar Khan, chairman of Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) opposition party, said a fourth draft of the constitutional amendments, containing 26 points, was shared with his party on Friday, adding that the PTI was still deliberating on it.
The PTI has previously said the amendments are intended to grant an extension to Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, who is widely thought to be aligned with the government and opposed to its chief rival, ex-PM Khan, though the ruling administration denied the allegation.
Different political parties prepared various drafts of the constitutional amendments during several rounds of negotiations before announcing their agreement on the proposed judicial reforms and submitting it to a parliamentary committee, comprising government and opposition politicians, on Friday.
“The special parliamentary committee has unanimously approved the draft of the 26th Constitutional Amendment today, Friday,” Syed Khursheed Shah, the committee chairman from the PPP, told the media on Friday.
“It will now be presented to the cabinet for approval before being submitted to both houses of parliament.”
Khan’s PTI said its leadership was due to meet their leader today, Saturday, who has been imprisoned in a high-security jail for over a year on multiple charges. The PTI had also given a nationwide protest call for Friday against the constitutional amendments, though its supporters only came out in small numbers in various Pakistani cities.
Key ally meets Pakistan PM as efforts to pass contentious constitutional amendments gain pace
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Key ally meets Pakistan PM as efforts to pass contentious constitutional amendments gain pace
- PM Shehbaz Sharif’s administration has been attempting to introduce a set of constitutional changes since last month
- Opposition and prominent lawyers argue the amendments aim to grant more power to the executive in judicial appointments
Palestinian, Jordanian cadets among several others graduate from Pakistan Military Academy
- Pakistan hosts cadets from friendly countries each year to undergo specialized military training
- Passed-out cadets hailed from Iraq, Jordan, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Palestine, Sudan and Yemen
ISLAMABAD: A passing-out parade of cadets from different training courses was held at the Pakistan Military Academy in Abbottabad, the Pakistani military said on Saturday, with trainees from Palestine, Jordan and several other friendly nations graduating from the prestigious institution.
The parade included cadets from 150th PMA Long Course, 69th Integrated Course, 24th Lady Cadet Course and 36th Technical Graduate Course, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing.
Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, graced the occasion as chief guest, who reviewed the parade and gave awards to distinguished cadets.
“Cadets from several friendly countries including Iraq, Jordan, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Palestine, Sudan and Yemen were also graduated from Pakistan Military Academy,” the ISPR said in a statement.
The coveted ‘Sword of Honor’ was awarded to Battalion Senior Under Officer Abdullah Afzal of 150th PMA Long Course, while the President’s Gold Medal was given to Battalion Senior Under Officer Babar Ullah Aman of 150th PMA Long Course. Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Overseas Gold Medal went to Senior Under Officer Kshitij Gurung of 150th PMA Long Course from Nepal, according to the ISPR.
Chief of Army Staff Cane was awarded to Course Junior Under Officer Muhammad Umar Sheraz of 36th Technical Graduate Course, while Commandant’s Canes were awarded to Course Junior Under Officer Muhammad Suleman of 69th Integrated Course and Course Under Officer Pakeeza Yaqoob of 24th Lady Cadet Course.
Pakistan, which has fought back militancy for decades, hosts cadets from friendly countries each year to undergo specialized military training.
The South Asian country routinely holds joint air, ground and sea exercises with friendly nations to help foster interoperability and joint deployment concepts to counter threats to regional and global peace.
Six women killed in separate incidents of violence in Karachi in last 48 hours — police
- Bodies of four women, murdered under uncertain circumstances, were found inside an apartment building in the Lea Market area of Karachi
- Domestic violence remains a prevalent issue in Pakistan, where many cases go unreported due to stigma and a lack of resources for victims
KARACHI: Six women were killed in separate incidents in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi in the last 48 hours, police said on Saturday, with social activists voicing concerns about violence against women in the South Asian country.
Bodies of four women, murdered under uncertain circumstances, were found inside an apartment building in the Lea Market area, according to police officials.
The law enforcers were questioning men of the family, who said they were not present at home when the incident occurred on Friday night.
“The women were brutally killed by having their throats slit and their bodies showed signs of physical assault,” Arif Aziz, a senior superintendent of police (SSP), told Arab News.
“We are investigating the case and any solid conclusions can be drawn once investigations are concluded.”
Speaking to the media, Muhammad Farooq, the head of the family, said his wife, daughter, daughter-in-law and granddaughter were killed while he and his sons were away.
“We knocked on the door upon returning home and when they didn’t open, my son came and opened the door with his key,” he said, adding that he had no idea who killed them.
“We suspect no one and have no enmity with anyone.”
In another incident, a man was arrested for fatally stabbing his pregnant wife in the Shah Faisal Colony area of city, according to police. The suspect, Abdullah, was taken into custody following the incident on Saturday and a murder case has been registered against him.
“The victim was married to Abdullah,” police officer Abdul Hameed told Arab News. “Frequent disputes arose between the couple shortly after their wedding, leading to Laiba leaving her home to stay with her parents.”
Karachi Police Surgeon Dr. Summaiya Syed Tariq told Arab News the deceased woman was around five-month pregnant.
“She had single stabbing to the neck,” Tariq said, adding the autopsy of four other women was still undergoing.
In the third incident, a woman was brought dead to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, who had sustained gunshot wounds to her face and head, according to Tariq.
Domestic violence remains a prevalent issue in Pakistan, where many cases go unreported due to social stigma attached with it and a lack of resources for victims.
The Sindh Suhai Sath Organization, a local non-government organization, reported this month that 165 women were killed in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province in 2023, with the actual number of such cases likely to be much higher.
According to a 2020 report by Aurat Foundation, over 11,000 cases of violence against women were reported across Pakistan in 2020. The most common forms of violence were domestic violence (4,775 cases), rape and gang rape (2,297 cases), and murder (1,033 cases).
Mehnaz Rehman, a social scientist and former official of Aurat Foundation, emphasized the need for “gender sensitization” in Pakistani society.
“We need to explain to our boys, our men, and our rulers that they should work with gender sensitivity and recognize everyone as equal human beings,” she said, highlighting the importance of encouraging individuals to “raise their voices against crime and injustice, no matter where it happens.”
Rehman pointed out that while women’s rights activists and international organizations have long fought against such violence, the key to end such crimes “is to view these issues in light of our society’s harsh realities.”
Pakistan reports four new polio cases in deepening crisis
- The new polio cases surfaced in Balochistan’s Chaman, Pishin, Nushki and KP’s Lakki Marwat districts
- Pakistan will launch a polio vaccination campaign from Oct. 28 to vaccinate over 45 million children
QUETTA: Pakistan has reported four new cases of poliovirus in its southwestern Balochistan and northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) provinces, authorities said on Friday, amid an outbreak of the crippling disease.
The Emergency Operations Center for Polio confirmed the detection of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) in three children in the Chaman, Pishin and Nushki districts of Balochistan, and one child in KP’s Lakki Marwat district, bringing the nationwide tally to 37 this year.
Speaking to Arab News, Inam-ul-Haque, a provincial coordinator for polio in Balochistan, said the children affected by the virus in the latest cases aged between 9 months and five years.
“We are very much focused on the quality of our next [vaccination] campaigns because the pressure is high due to the rapid number of polio cases,” he said.
Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan which shares its border with Afghanistan and Iran has reported the highest 20 polio cases this year, according to the official.
“Two nationwide anti-polio drives are scheduled for the last week of October and December [in Balochistan],” Haque told Arab News. “We have set a target to re-launch the next campaigns in January and February 2025.”
There is no cure for polio, and paralysis caused by an infection is irreversible, according to the Pakistan polio program. Apart from the nationwide polio campaign from October 28, a major initiative, led by the expanded program for immunization, is also underway in targeted districts to vaccinate those children against 12 childhood diseases, including polio, who have missed their doses or have not completed their vaccination course.
Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries where polio remains an endemic. Since late 2018, Pakistan has seen a resurgence of cases and increased spread of poliovirus, highlighting the fragility of gains achieved in the preceding three years.
Stokes sorry for frustration over dropped catches in England loss to Pakistan
- The visitors were left to rue two dropped catches, with Salman Agha escaping on four and six on his way to a crucial half-century
- England were left to chase an unlikely 297 to seal the series with a match to go but never got close on a sharply turning Multan pitch
MULTAN: Ben Stokes, whose England team were beaten in the second Pakistan Test by 152 runs on Friday, said he apologized after showing his frustrations on the field a day earlier.
The visitors were left to rue two dropped catches on day three in Multan, Salman Agha escaping on four and six on his way to a crucial half-century as Pakistan made 221 in their second innings.
England were left to chase an unlikely 297 to seal the series with a match to go but never got close on a sharply turning Multan pitch that was recycled from the first Test.
It was Pakistan’s first Test win at home since February 2021.
“No one means to drop catches but it just proves how important catches are out in these subcontinent conditions because they don’t come along that often,” skipper Stokes told Sky Sports.
“I actually apologized to the group up there last night.”
Stokes, who missed England’s innings victory in the first Test in Multan because of injury, added: “It’s the first time in my captaincy that I’ve let my emotions, how I was feeling as the game was unfolding, show in my body language.
“I owned up to that and I’m very annoyed with myself for letting that out and it’s something I don’t want to do or be seen to be doing.
“So I apologized to the group about that and I said it was poor old me coming out, tired, grumpy old man last night but you won’t see that happen again.”
The third and final Test is in Rawalpindi from October 24 and Stokes refused to look backwards or wonder what might have been.
“Next week is going to be good. I’m sure everyone’s enjoyed watching here and back home,” said the skipper.
“Hopefully we can get a win next week and go home with another series win.”
England swept a three-Test series in Pakistan in 2022.
Revolution in the fields: Sindh’s women cotton pickers win fair wages under new laws
- Change began to emerge after the 18th Constitutional Amendment, granting autonomy to all provinces
- Local NGOs have helped agricultural workers register trade unions to negotiate assertively with landlords
SHAHEED BENAZIRABAD, Sindh: Samina Khaskheli, who works in the cotton fields of Pakistan’s southeastern Sindh province, feels empowered like never before.
A resident of a small village in Shaheed Benazirabad district, formerly Nawabshah, she recalls how most women working with her in the fields complained about not being paid properly.
However, the province’s evolving legal framework recognized agriculture and fishery laborers as industrial workers in 2013, granting them the right to associate, form trade unions and negotiate with landlords and employers.
Subsequently, these women, about 50 in number, decided to register their trade union, presenting a united front that eventually led to improved wages, bringing them closer to the official fixed rates that had previously been denied to them.
“We are women who manually pick cotton,” she told Arab News this week. “In the past, employers didn’t pay us the official rates. But united, we 50 female members decided to take a stand.”
“When offered Rs800 per maund, we declined, demanding Rs1,200,” she added, referring to a traditional unit of weight in South Asia that is equivalent to 40 kilograms. “Our unity forced the employer to accept our demand.”
Cotton, one of Pakistan’s most important cash crops, forms the backbone of the country’s textile sector, the largest contributor to its economy. However, for decades, women like Khaskheli, who are the primary labor force in cotton-picking, have struggled under poor working conditions, receiving less than the minimum wage.
“We’ve found our voice,” she said. “Our increased income lets us buy clothes and stationery for our children.”
BUSINESS AND HUMAN RIGHTS
A little more than a decade after the passage of the 18th Constitutional Amendment, which granted autonomy to all federating units, peasants in Sindh are beginning to see benefits from new post-amendment laws.
In 2023, provincial lawmakers introduced an amendment to the Sindh Protection of Human Rights Act, incorporating the principles of Responsible Business and Human Rights, which encourages employers to recognize basic privileges of their workers or being held accountable.
“Responsible Business and Human Rights is a relatively new field in Pakistan,” said Iqbal Ahmed Detho, chairperson of the Sindh Human Rights Commission (SHRC), an independent body.
“Under this framework, we’ve focused on prioritizing local employment, improving occupational health and safety, enforcing minimum wages, reviewing existing laws and making legal aid more accessible,” he continued. “We’ve also built capacity among government officials, labor inspectors and police to effectively address violations and safeguard workers’ rights.”
The significance of the framework is hard to overstate. Before its introduction, agricultural workers had limited rights and little bargaining power. But now, trade unions are being registered under the Sindh Labour Department, helping people find their voice.
Speaking to Arab News, Ghulam Sarwar Uttero, the department’s regional director, confirmed the change.
“So far, there are 26 registered agriculture workers’ trade unions at the Sindh Labour Department. The majority of members and leaders in Sindh’s agricultural trade unions are women, numbering around 800,” he said.
A UNION OF STRENGTH
The Hari Welfare Association (HWA), an NGO working to advocate for farmers’ rights, has helped 12 women-only agricultural trade unions register with the provincial department, including Khaskheli’s Azad Harinyani Trade Union.
“The Sindh Protection of Human Rights Act, 2023, has been a game-changer for women trade union workers in Sindh,” said Akram Khaskheli, the association’s president, to Arab News. “This law has ensured that they receive the minimum wage fixed by the government of Sindh, a right that was previously denied to them by their landlords and contractors.”
For Begum Zaadi, another peasant, the law has not just accrued economic benefits but has also instilled a sense of confidence among women.
“The difference emerged after NGO representatives started conducting consultative meetings and awareness sessions in our village, which were previously missing,” she said.
“Through an adult literacy program, the NGO played a crucial role in establishing our trade union and teaching us effective bargaining techniques,” she added. “They empowered us to negotiate confidently with landlords. As a result, we now communicate assertively with employers, securing better wages.”
Meanwhile, Khaskheli, the cotton picker, is happy with the bump in her income since it makes it relatively easier to educate her children.
“Education is expensive, but as poor women peasants, we value literacy, having missed it in our childhood,” she said. “We’ve always held agricultural tools, but we want our children to succeed through education and secure jobs like others.”
