ISLAMABAD: Information minister Attaullah Tarar on Saturday urged the judiciary to deliver swift justice in May 9 rioting cases while presenting “incontrovertible evidence” against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), a day after US lawmakers urged President Joe Biden to advocate for the release of the party’s jailed founder, ex-premier Imran Khan.
The violence on May 9, 2023, erupted after Khan’s brief detention on graft charges, with individuals carrying PTI flags vandalizing government buildings and military properties, including setting fire to the official residence of a senior Pakistani general.
PTI has denied any involvement in the violence, maintaining that neither its leaders nor supporters orchestrated the riots, while complaining about a sweeping state crackdown targeted the party.
During a news conference in Lahore, Tarar played videos from May 9, asserting that the footage clearly implicated PTI in the rioting.
“This is incontrovertible evidence,” he said. “Now it is the responsibility of the courts to ensure swift justice.”
The minister asked PTI leaders to publicly apologize over the May 9 events, which he described as part of a larger conspiracy against Pakistan.
His assertion came only a day after more than 40 US lawmakers raised concerns about the former prime minister’s imprisonment, asking President Biden to push for his release.
“A focal point of our concern is the unlawful detention of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, widely perceived to be Pakistan’s most popular political figure,” the letter said, seeking a more active approach from the US embassy in Pakistan, including “advocating for the release of political prisoners, the restoration of human rights, or respect for democratic principles” in the country.
The letter follows a similar note written last month by the over 60 US lawmakers to Biden, asking him to use his administration’s “substantial leverage” with Pakistan to secure Khan’s release.
The former Pakistani prime minister had accused the Americans of hatching a conspiracy against his administration shortly before his ouster from power in a parliamentary no-trust vote in April 2022.
He was viewed to be critical of US policies, though his supporters believe the change of government in Washington could help secure his release from prison after President-elect Donald Trump takes over.
Government seeks swift justice in May 9 rioting cases as US lawmakers urge Imran Khan’s release
https://arab.news/y6wb6
Government seeks swift justice in May 9 rioting cases as US lawmakers urge Imran Khan’s release
- Pakistan’s information minister says there’s ‘incontrovertible evidence’ of PTI’s involvement in May 9 violence
- His assertion comes after 40 US lawmakers raised concern over Khan’s imprisonment in a letter to Biden
Pakistani journalism body criticizes new law regulating social media
- The new regulations will set up a social media regulatory authority that will have its own investigation agency and tribunals
- These tribunals will be able to try and punish offenders with prison sentences of up to three years and fines of Rs2 million
ISLAMABAD: A new law in Pakistan aimed at regulating social media content has angered journalism groups and rights activists, which say it is aimed at curbing press freedom and called on Friday for nationwide protests next week.
Parliament introduced and passed the amendments to the Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act on Thursday.
The new regulations will set up a social media regulatory authority that will have its own investigation agency and tribunals, according to a draft on the parliament’s website. Such tribunals will be able to try and punish offenders with prison sentences of up to three years and fines of two million rupees ($7,200) for dissemination of “false or fake” information.
Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar told parliament on Thursday the law was introduced to block fake and false news on social media, which he said had no specific regulations to govern it.
The president of Pakistan’s Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), Afzal Butt, said the government had not consulted any journalistic bodies before introducing the law, adding he believed it was intended to gag freedom of speech and intimidate journalists and their media outlets.
“We reject this unilateral decision by the government to set up any such tribunals,” Butt told Reuters. “We also are in favor of regulations, but, you know, a law enforcement agency or a police officer can’t decide what is false or fake news.”
The PFUJ said in a statement it would start countrywide rallies against the new law next week and that if the law was not withdrawn, it would stage a sit-in protest outside parliament.
Digital rights activists also criticized the new law.
Reporters Without Borders, an organization that promotes and defends press freedom, ranked Pakistan low on its 2024 world Press Freedom Index, at number 152. The group also says Pakistan is one of the most dangerous places for journalists to work.
Chinese nationals in Pakistan’s Sindh move court against alleged police harassment
- Development comes days after Sindh government suspended a police officer after a video of him manhandling a Chinese citizen went viral online
- The court asks the Sindh government, Pakistani foreign ministry, and Chinese diplomatic missions in Islamabad and Karachi to submit a response
KARACHI: A group of six Chinese nationals on Friday moved a high court in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province against alleged harassment, extortion and unlawful restrictions on their movement by provincial police, prompting the court to seek a response from the provincial government, federal foreign ministry and China’s diplomatic missions in Pakistan.
China has become a crucial trade and investment partner for Pakistan since the initiation of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in 2013, under which Beijing has pledged over $60 billion in investment projects in Pakistan. A significant number of private Chinese investors have since arrived and established businesses with local partners in Pakistan.
In Sindh, the provincial government has established a Special Protection Unit (SPU) within the provincial police force to ensure security of Chinese nationals, under threat from separatist groups operating in neighboring Balochistan province which have also carried out attacks on Chinese interests and citizens in Karachi, the commercial hub of the country.
On Friday, a Sindh High Court (SHC) bench, led by Justice KK Aga and Justice Adnan Karim, sought response from the Pakistani federal and provincial authorities within four weeks over alleged police harassment of Chinese nationals, days after the Sindh government suspended an SPU officer after a video of him manhandling a Chinese national went viral online.
“The core of the petition is that despite high-level requests for Chinese investment under CPEC and private initiatives, Chinese nationals involved have been subjected to harassment and corruption upon arrival,” Peer Rehman Mehsud, the petitioners’ lawyer, told Arab News.
“In some cases, families were reportedly confined to their residences for nearly a week, infringing on their right to freedom of movement, as protected under both international and Pakistani law.”
The Chinese consulate in Karachi, and spokespersons for the Sindh home minister and provincial police did not respond to Arab News’ request for comment on the matter.
Mehsud said the petition, which was initially filed in December by 12 nationals, was accepted on Friday after only six complainants were able to fulfill legal formalities required to appear in court due to restrictions on their movement.
Chinese nationals are forced to pay bribes to police officers ranging from Rs20,000 ($71) to Rs50,000 ($179) for permission to leave their homes, according to the petition. It demanded a high-level inquiry into the involvement of police officers in their mistreatment.
“Recently, officials of Police Station Sukhan [in Karachi] sealed seven industrial units of Chinese nationals without any prior notice,” the petition read.
The complainants stated in the petition that they arrived in Pakistan on invitations from top Pakistani officials, including the prime minister and the army chief, who encouraged them to invest in the South Asian country, assuring their safety and a supportive environment for foreign investors, particularly from China.
They said they relied on these assurances and made significant investments in various sectors, but in the months following their arrival, they and other Chinese nationals had been subjected to harassment by Sindh police. The complainants said their movements were “unjustifiably restricted” and they were often detained at their residences on the pretext of “security reasons.”
The petitioners urged the court to order the respondents to help cease their harassment and restrictions on their movement, seeking compensation for the financial losses incurred by them.
Afghan refugees urge Pakistan to ease visa regime after Trump’s pause on US resettlement programs
- Around 20,000 Afghans are currently waiting in Pakistan to be approved for resettlement in US
- Many Afghans whose visas have either expired or will expire soon fear arrest and deportation
ISLAMABAD: Afghan refugees on Friday appealed to Pakistan’s premier to ease a visa regime on humanitarian grounds after President Donald Trump paused the US refugee programs.
Many Afghans whose visas have either expired or will expire soon fear arrest and deportation.
“We don’t know exactly when the pause of the US refugee program will be lifted, but we request Pakistan to extend our stay for at least six months after the expiry of our visas,” said Ahmad Shah, a member of the Afghan USRAP Refugees advocacy group.
An estimated 20,000 Afghans are currently waiting in Pakistan to be approved for resettlement in the US via an American government program.
Refugees approved to travel to the United States in coming days have had their travel plans canceled by the Trump administration. Among those affected are the more than 1,600 Afghans cleared to resettle in the US
Pakistan says it is yet to receive any official intimation from the United States about the suspension of the refugee program. Afghans who are in the country were supposed to be relocated by September 2025.
The refugee program was set up to help Afghans at risk under the Taliban because of their work with the US government, media, aid agencies and rights groups. The US pulled out of Afghanistan in 2021 when the Taliban took power.
But in its first days in office, Trump’s administration announced the US Refugee Admissions Program would be suspended from Jan. 27 for at least three months.
Shah said most of the Afghans who are in transition to the United States were now living in a very difficult conditions. “We don’t want to live here permanently, we urge the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to order authorities to extend the visas of Afghan people for at least six months,” he said.
He also urged the United Nations refugee agency and the International Organization for Migration to help Afghans who are waiting for relocation. “If the UNHCR and IOM don’t help us in this difficult situation, who will rise his or her voice for us?” Shah said.
Meanwhile, there is uncertainty among many over their future.
Sarfraz Ahmed, a journalist who fled to Pakistan from Afghanistan when the Taliban seized power, said Friday he had been expecting to receive a call confirming his travel plans, but the suspension of the refugee program by Trump changed everything.
Khalid Khan, a former Afghan army captain who worked for the Afghan air force and helped the US air force during the operations against the Afghan Taliban and other groups, fled his country along with his family in 2023. “I will be in a trouble if I am sent back to Afghanistan,” he said.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said there is an agreement with Washington to take Afghans who are in Pakistan to the United States for resettlement by September 2025.
“The arrangements are in place. We have, so far officially, not received any further information on this issue. So that’s all that I can say as far as we are concerned, that arrangement remains in place,” ministry spokesman Shafqat Ali Khan told a news briefing in Islamabad on Thursday.
The Taliban has deprived 1.4 million Afghan girls of schooling through bans, according to the United Nations. Afghanistan is the only country in the world that bans female secondary and higher education.
Pakistan to seek extradition of property tycoon Malik Riaz Hussain from UAE — defense minister
- Khawaja Asif accuses Hussain of using wealth and influence to illegally seize land to build housing societies
- Hussain, co-accused in land corruption case with ex-PM Imran Khan, has denied all wrongdoing
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif confirmed on Friday the government would seek the extradition from the UAE of real estate tycoon Malik Riaz Hussain who is charged in a land corruption case involving former prime minister Imran Khan, promising to bring him back to Pakistan to stand trial.
Hussain is one of Pakistan’s wealthiest and most influential businessmen and the country’s largest private employers. He is best known as the chairman of Bahria Town Limited, which claims to be Asia’s largest private real estate developer. Hussain currently lives in Dubai.
Last week, a Pakistani court sentenced ex-premier Khan to 14 years in prison and his wife, Bushra, to seven years in a case in which they are accused of receiving land as a bribe from Hussain through the Al-Qadir charitable trust during Khan’s premiership from 2018 to 2022 in exchange for illegal favors. All three deny any wrongdoing.
Khan says he and his wife were trustees and did not benefit from the land transaction. Hussain has also denied any wrongdoing related to the case.
“His [Hussain’s] extradition will also be carried out now on a state-to-state level,” Asif told reporters at a press conference. “We have an extradition treaty with the UAE. A mafia cannot be allowed to run as a parallel state.”
The defense minister said Hussain had used his immense wealth and influence to seize land from the poor and widows for his housing societies across the country, saying Bahria Town’s transactions over the past 25-30 years were “not transparent.”
“You will see flaws in the approvals of all the land bought by Hussain for his housing societies,” he added.
Earlier this week, Pakistan’s anti-corruption watchdog, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), had cautioned people against investing in Hussain’s new real estate venture to build luxury apartments in Dubai.
“If the general public at large invests in the stated project, their actions would be tantamount to money laundering, for which they may face criminal and legal proceedings.”
Responding to NAB on X, Hussain said “fake cases, blackmailing and greed of officers” had forced him to relocate from country because he was not willing to be a “political pawn,”
AL-QADIR CASE
In 2019, Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) said Hussain had agreed to hand over 190 million pounds held in Britain to settle a UK investigation into whether the money was from the proceeds of crime.
The NCA said it had agreed to a settlement in which Hussain would hand over a property, 1 Hyde Park Place, valued at 50 million pounds, and cash frozen in British bank accounts.
The NCA had previously secured nine freezing orders covering 140 million pounds in the accounts on the grounds that the money may have been acquired illegally.
The agency said the assets would be passed to the government of Pakistan and the settlement with Hussain was “a civil matter, and does not represent a finding of guilt.”
The case against Hussain and ex-PM Khan now is that instead of putting the tycoon’s settlement money in Pakistan’s treasury, Khan’s government used the money to pay fines levied by a court against Hussain for illegal acquisition of government lands at below-market value for development in Karachi.
Pakistan demands accountability for Israel’s ‘heinous crimes’ against Gazan children
- UN Human Rights Office has said nearly 70 percent of fatalities it had verified in Gaza were women and children
- Over a million children live in makeshift tents, many families have been displaced over 15 months, UNICEF says
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Munir Akram, has demanded “strict accountability” for Israeli crimes against Gaza’s children, state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported on Friday.
UN aid chief Tom Fletcher briefed the UN Security Council meeting on Thursday via video from Stockholm and bluntly assessing the past 15 months of war in Gaza said: “Children have been killed, starved, and frozen to death … They have been maimed, orphaned, separated from their family. Conservative estimates indicate that over 17,000 children are without their families in Gaza. A generation has been traumatized.”
The continued lack of basic shelter combined with winter temperatures pose serious threats to children. With more than a million children living in makeshift tents, and with many families displaced over the past 15 months, children face extreme risks, UNICEF has said. The UN Human Rights Office has said nearly 70 percent of fatalities it had verified in Gaza were women and children.
“Heinous crimes have been committed in this brutal [Israel-Hamas] war, particularly against children in violation of international humanitarian law, the Geneva Conventions, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the Convention on Genocide,” Akram said at the briefing to the UN Security Council this week.
“There must be accountability for these crimes. This is essential to restore international legitimacy. We must try to ensure that such a brutal slaughter of children never happens again.”
Palestinian health authorities say Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 47,000 people, with another 10,000 believed to be dead and uncounted under the rubble. A United Nations damage assessment released this month showed that clearing over 50 million tons of rubble left in the aftermath of Israel’s bombardment could take 21 years.
Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire deal to halt fighting in Gaza and exchange Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners on Jan. 15, opening the way to a possible end to a 15-month war that has upended the Middle East.
