ISLAMABAD/PESHAWAR: Tension continued to mount in Pakistan on Sunday as the government vowed to prevent any disruption in Islamabad during a high-level visit by the Belarus president, as supporters of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan began marching to the capital to demand his release.
Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party is spearheading a “long march” to the capital after more than a year of his incarceration on charges he claims are politically motivated. The party is also protesting alleged rigging in February’s general elections and raising concerns about judicial independence, which it says has been undermined by recent constitutional amendments, a claim the government denies.
Security in Islamabad has been tightened, with paramilitary forces deployed and major roads sealed with shipping containers. The interior ministry has suspended mobile data services in sensitive areas, and highways have been blocked to thwart the arrival of protesters.
Addressing the media in Islamabad, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi criticizing PTI’s timing ahead of the three-day visit of Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko to discuss for bilateral economic cooperation.
“Protecting the lives and property of citizens is a priority,” he said. “Disruption during the arrival of foreign guests will not be tolerated under any circumstances. Anyone spreading chaos will be arrested.”
Naqvi also urged Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, a close aide of ex-PM Khan, to prioritize stability in his own province instead of staging protests, calling such demonstrations harmful to national interests.
He also informed the authorities had detained “extremists” in Islamabad.
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar also questioned PTI’s motives, describing its protest as “a deliberate conspiracy against the country’s honor and dignity.”
Earlier, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal accused Khan’s party of attempting to disrupt Pakistan’s economic recovery by launching a demonstration right ahead of the Belarusian president’s visit.
“I am hopeful this drama will end tonight, and normalcy will return,” he said at a press conference in Lahore.
Iqbal defended the government’s strict measures, highlighting its responsibility to ensure law and order.
Meanwhile, residents of Islamabad said they were already grappling with disruptions. Mohammad Hayat, a 32-year-old fruit vendor, lamented the impact of the ongoing political friction between the government and the opposition party on his livelihood.
“Since morning, I haven’t had a single customer. Roads are blocked, people can’t come out, and my fruit is perishing,” he said.
Another resident, Sayyed Sarmad from E-16 sector, criticized the road closures, claiming, “A girl died in an ambulance yesterday. The government should allow protests but manage them better.”
PTI leaders also remained resolute as caravans from KP headed toward Islamabad.
Asif Khan, a party lawmaker, declared “we will go to our destination at any cost,” highlighting transportation challenges as booked vehicles were allegedly blocked. “We arranged vehicles from other districts and captured videos to show our strength,” he added.
Iman Tahir, a women’s leader from Attock, underscored the movement’s peaceful nature.
“We have always been peaceful and will go peacefully this time again,” she said. “Today, all of Pakistan will rise, and Khan’s final call will be a successful one.”
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, leading the rally, reiterated his commitment while traveling in official protocol.
“We are going to D-Chowk at any cost, and we will not return before reaching D-Chowk,” he said at the Peshawar Motorway toll plaza, referring to an iconic spot in Islamabad that has witnessed political protests for decades.
Another PTI lawmaker, Arbab Sher Ali, echoed the party’s determination to reach the federal capital, saying, “We are instructed to reach Islamabad and are following Khan’s directives. If we can’t reach today, we will reach tomorrow or the day after.”
PTI leaders have hinted at an indefinite sit-in in Islamabad, saying the will not return until their demands are met by the government.
Pakistan vows order as Imran Khan’s party launches protest amid Belarusian delegation visit
https://arab.news/93h73
Pakistan vows order as Imran Khan’s party launches protest amid Belarusian delegation visit
- Deputy PM questions PTI motives, calling protest march ‘conspiracy’ against Pakistan’s honor
- Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi asks Ali Amin Gandapur to prioritize stability in his own province
Woman leader of Baloch rights movement says nominated for Nobel Peace Prize
- Dr. Mahrang Baloch is a leading rights activist for the ethnic Baloch minority in Pakistan
- She leads the Baloch Yakjehti Committee human rights movement based in Balochistan
ISLAMABAD: Dr. Mahrang Baloch, a leading rights activist for the ethnic Baloch minority in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, has said she has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, the most prestigious prize in the world that recognizes peace efforts.
Baloch leads the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), a human rights movement based in Balochistan that has led protests and sit-ins in the province, and organized marches to the federal capital, Islamabad, against alleged enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and other human rights abuses. The government and military, which has a huge presence in the rugged, impoverished region bordering Afghanistan and Iran, deny involvement.
Baloch became an activist after her father’s abduction and eventual death in 2011 at the hands of what she says were state authorities, who deny the allegations.
“Media personnel have been reaching out to me about this news, and I can confirm that it is true,’ Baloch wrote on X in response to a tweet about her being nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
“I am deeply honored by this nomination, but it is not about me. It is about the thousands of Baloch who have been forcibly disappeared and the families demanding justice. The fight for human rights in Balochistan must not be ignored by global civil society and civilized nations.”
Nobel prize nominations are strictly kept a secret but several Norwegian parliamentarians and other academics are privileged to publicly announce their preferred candidates each year to raise publicity both for the nominee and the nominator.
Baloch insurgent groups have been fighting for a separate homeland for decades to win a larger share of benefits for the resource-rich Balochistan province. The military has long run intelligence-based operations against insurgent groups, who have escalated attacks in recent months on the military and nationals from longtime ally China, which is building key projects in the region, including a port at Gwadar.
Balochistan has also been plagued by enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings for decades. Families say men are picked up by security forces, disappear often for years, and are sometimes found dead, with no official explanation. Government and security officials deny involvement and say they are working for the uplift of the province through development projects.
International rights bodies like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch as well as opposition political parties have also long highlighted enforced disappearances targeting students, activists, journalists and human rights defenders in Balochistan. The army says many of Balochistan’s so-called disappeared have links to separatists. Military spokesmen have also variously accused rights movements like the BYC of being “terrorist proxies.”
Last year, Baloch was stopped at the airport and barred from traveling to New York to attend an event in New York City in honor of her and 99 others recognized on the 2024 TIME100 Next list.
In July last year, she was part of the Baloch Raji Muchi sit-in in Gwadar, an event aimed at uniting the Baloch against rights abuses.
In 2023, Baloch led the Baloch Long March, journeying by foot with hundreds of others from the city of Turbat in Balochistan to Islamabad to protest human rights violations and enforced disappearances.
Trump’s plans for travel ban ‘unfortunate, big setback,’ Pakistanis say
- New travel ban by Trump could bar people from Afghanistan, Pakistan from entering US as soon as next week
- New ban could affect tens of thousands of Afghans who have been cleared for resettlement in the US as refugees
ISLAMABAD: Pakistanis and an Afghan national living in Islamabad this week called a new potential US travel ban ‘unfortunate,’ saying it could affect young Pakistanis who invested money to study in US universities.
A new travel ban by President Donald Trump could bar people from Afghanistan and Pakistan from entering the US as soon as next week based on a government review of countries’ security and vetting risks, three sources familiar with the matter said.
Speaking to Reuters, Syed Abbas Haider, a 29-year-old Islamabad resident, said a potential ban would be “unfortunate and strange,” considering that the people and government of Pakistan consider the US “an ally and supporter.”
The new ban could affect tens of thousands of Afghans who have been cleared for resettlement in the US as refugees or on Special Immigrant Visas because they are at risk of Taliban retribution for working for the US during a 20-year war in their home country.
Ehsanullah Ahmadzai, a 31-year-old Afghani who has been living in Islamabad for three years, said restrictions should not be placed on vulnerable people who need US assistance.
Trump issued an executive order on January 20 requiring intensified security vetting of any foreigners seeking admission to the US to detect national security threats.
That order directed several cabinet members to submit by March 12 a list of countries from which travel should be partly or fully suspended because their “vetting and screening information is so deficient.”
Afghanistan will be included in the recommended list of countries for a complete travel ban, said the three sources and one other who also asked not to be identified.
The three sources said Pakistan also would be recommended for inclusion.
The departments of State, Justice and Homeland Security and the Office of the Director for National Intelligence, whose leaders are overseeing the initiative, did not respond immediately to requests for comment.
Pakistan says regional initiatives led by Riyadh, Muscat critical in advancing peace in Yemen
- Violence is unfolding against backdrop of larger civil war in Yemen that began in 2014 when Houthis took capital Sana’a
- Ensuing conflict has taken devastating toll on Yemen’s people with more than 17 million people needing humanitarian aid
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said on Thursday regional initiatives, particularly those led by Saudi Arabia and Oman, were critical for advancing peace in Yemen, which has been wracked by civil war since 2014.
Since October 2023, Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement has been involved in disruptions to commercial ship traffic through the Red Sea, one of the world’s most important shipping routes that connects Asia, the Middle East and Europe. Over 12 percent of global maritime trade passes through the Red Sea. The United States and United Kingdom have responded to the attacks and many ships are rerouting around the Cape of Good Hope. The US State Department said this week it was designating the Houthi movement as a “foreign terrorist organization” after President Donald Trump’s call for the move earlier this year.
The violence is unfolding against the backdrop of a larger civil war in Yemen that began in 2014 when the Houthis took the capital Sana’a. Since then, the ensuing violent conflict has taken a devastating toll on Yemen’s people. More than 17 million people – half the country’s population – remain dependent on humanitarian assistance and protection.
Ambassador Munir Akram, permanent representative of Pakistan to the UN, told the UN Security Council on Thursday that political dialogue in Yemen had to be restarted and “decisive steps” taken to address the multidimensional crisis the impoverished Arab country was facing.
“The international community must act with urgency to prevent further deterioration of the crisis and pave the way for a future of stability and hope for Yemen,” Akram said. “We reaffirm our full support for the UN-led peace process and stress the need for an inclusive, comprehensive and sustainable resolution of the conflict.”
In this regard, regional initiatives, particularly those led by Saudi Arabia and Oman, remained critical in advancing these negotiations, the Pakistani envoy added.
“As we observe the holy month of Ramzan, millions in Yemen continue to endure extreme hardship,” Akram said, with 19.5 million people requiring urgent humanitarian assistance, including 17.1 million facing acute food insecurity. 4.5 million internally displaced, and 12 million children lacking access to basic necessities such as food, water, shelter and health care.
The Pakistani envoy regretted “deeply” the sudden cutting off of humanitarian aid in Yemen, and called for filling the gap by the international community and donor countries, hoping they would step up their contributions to the 2025 Humanitarian Response Plan for Yemen .
Intelligence sharing with Pakistan DG ISI led to capture of Kabul bombing suspect — CIA chief
- CIA Director John Ratcliffe says told Lt Gen Asim Malik about Sharifullah’s location on the Afghan-Pakistan border
- US has charged Sharifullah with helping plan attack at Kabul airport which killed at least 170 Afghans and 13 US soldiers
ISLAMABAD: US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director John Ratcliffe confirmed this week Mohammad Sharifullah, blamed for a 2021 attack on US troops at Kabul airport, was arrested through intelligence sharing with Pakistan’s top military spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
The United States has charged Sharifullah with helping plan the attack at Kabul airport which killed at least 170 Afghans and 13 US soldiers as they sought to help Americans and Afghans flee in the chaotic aftermath of the Taliban takeover. The attack was claimed by Daesh-K, the Afghan branch of the Daesh group.
Speaking to Fox News, Ratcliffe said he had shared information with his Pakistani counterpart, Lt Gen Asim Malik, the DG ISI, about the location of Sharifullah, also known by the alias Jafar, along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
“My second day on the job I spoke with the head of Pakistani intelligence,” Ratcliffe told Fox News in an interview. “I shared with him that we had intelligence indicating that Jafar was located in the Afghan-Pakistan border region.”
He said he told Malik to make the capture of the Daesh commander “a high priority” if Pakistan wanted to work with President Donald Trump and “have good relations with our country.”
“So, we worked with Pakistani intelligence,” Ratcliffe added. “Jafar was apprehended in short order and is in US custody.”
The US Justice Department has charged Sharifullah with “providing and conspiring to provide material support and resources” to Daesh.
“He confessed. This was the planner of that bombing,” White House national security adviser Mike Waltz said in an interview with Fox News this week.
On Thursday, US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said the US was thankful to the Pakistani government for its “partnership” in bringing Sharifullah to justice.
“And we have, regarding Pakistan and the nature of our relationship, we have a common interest, obviously, in fighting terrorism, and the arrest of this terrorist also illustrated that US-Pakistan cooperation on counterterrorism remains vitally important,” she said during a press briefing.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has also thanked Trump for recognizing Pakistan’s role in counterterrorism and confirmed the involvement of Pakistani security forces in the arrest of Sharifullah, an Afghan national.
Pakistan and the US have a history of counterterrorism cooperation, especially post-9/11, when Pakistan began handing over Taliban and Al-Qaeda members to US authorities.
However, Pakistan’s links with Washington have frayed in recent years, while arch-rival India has gained greater influence.
Five key factors in India-New Zealand Champions Trophy final
- New Zealand pace spearhead Matt Henry leads the bowling charts in the tournament with 10 wickets, five when the Black Caps faced India earlier in the competition
- Wrist spinner Varun Chakravarthy was a late addition to the India squad for the tournament and against New Zealand bamboozled the opposition with figures of 5-42
DUBAI: India and New Zealand face off in the final of the Champions Trophy in Dubai on Sunday to decide the winner of the eight-nation ODI tournament.
AFP Sport looks at five key factors that could decide the fate of the title clash.
New Zealand pace spearhead Matt Henry leads the bowling charts in the 50-over tournament with 10 wickets — five when the Black Caps faced India earlier in the competition.
Henry took down Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli in the group match in Dubai to reduce India to 30-3, before a middle-order fightback lifted Rohit Sharma’s team to 249-9.
Henry, who combines pace with good seam movement, returned figures of 5-42, albeit in a losing cause.
His opening burst in the final could be vital for New Zealand in gaining the upper hand.
Wrist spinner Varun Chakravarthy was a late addition to the India squad for the tournament and against New Zealand bamboozled the opposition with figures of 5-42.
That was his first match of the tournament and only his second ODI, having made his debut against England in February.
The 33-year-old, a mystery spinner who has many variations up his sleeve, took another two wickets in the semifinal against Australia.
Chakravarthy could be key to India’s chances — if part of the XI — on pitches that have helped the spinners.
Rising star Rachin Ravindra and old warhorse Kane Williamson come into the final fresh from centuries against South Africa in Lahore.
The left-handed Ravindra and Williamson put together 164 runs in a match-winning stand in the semifinal and have the ability tackle the Indian spinners with aplomb.
Williamson, 34, hit a valiant 81 in the previous match against India and with Ravindra, 25, will once again pose a serious threat to India on an expected sluggish pitch.
Skipper and left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner said Williamson and Ravindra’s batting makes life a “little easier” for the bowlers.
India captain Rohit hasn’t hit top gear in the tournament, with his highest score being 41 in the opening win against Bangladesh.
But even his scores of 20-plus in two matches — against Pakistan and Australia — have handed India quick starts for others to build on.
Critics have slammed the opener for not converting those starts into bigger scores.
Head coach Gautam Gambhir says his impact has been crucial and not driven by numbers.
“You evaluate from the runs; we evaluate from the impact. That’s the difference,” Gambhir shot back at a question on Rohit’s form.
The pitches at Dubai International Cricket Stadium have been a talking point with India playing all their matches at the same venue after refusing to tour Pakistan for political reasons.
The surface in Dubai has been sluggish and aided spinners with Australia posting the highest total in this tournament of 264, which was overhauled by India with 11 balls to spare.
Tracks in Pakistan have produced tall scores with New Zealand getting a Champions Trophy record 362-6 before restricting South Africa to 312-9 in Lahore.
While India stay at their temporary home for the final, New Zealand’s Ravindra said “we pride ourselves in adapting and playing the situation in front of us.”
