KARACHI: The case of a seven-year-old boy who was missing for over 10 days before his body was discovered in a water tank in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi has put the spotlight once more on child abuse in Pakistan, with a medical report seen by Arab News on Tuesday saying he was subjected to sexual violence before his death.
Nearly 10 cases of child abuse a day are reported in Pakistan, according to Sahil, an organization that works on child protection, with girls disproportionately affected.
In the latest case, Mohammed Sarim went missing on Jan. 7 after leaving home to attend religious lessons at a madrassah inside the apartment complex where he lived. He never returned home, and his body was found in an underground water tank at the same complex on Jan. 18.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Anil Haider told Arab News investigations were being carried out in the case in light of the autopsy report.
“They have written about sexual violence in the report,” he said, saying no arrests had been made so far though police were investigating suspects based on interviews with Sarim’s family members.
“The family did not nominate anyone, but we interrogated whoever they told us to include in the investigation,” Haider added, saying DNA samples of the suspects had been sent for testing to a forensics lab.
According to the medical report seen by Arab News, the boy died at least four days before the body was found, with the hair on his scalp missing in patches and the skin on several parts of his body having been peeled off.
“On the basis of the examination, it is opined that findings are suggestive of anal sexual violence,” the report said, adding that the boy had suffered 12 different injuries and wounds on various parts of the body, which were all “ante-mortem,” or caused prior to death, except for one.
Child abuse is a widespread issue in Pakistan, with perpetrators often turning out to be family members, teachers, or trusted people.
In 2020, Pakistan’s parliament passed a new law against child abuse, two years after the rape and murder of a 7-year-old girl that shocked the country. The national child abuse law introduced a penalty of life imprisonment for child abuse. The law requires police to register a case within two hours of a child’s parents reporting them missing. It also includes measures to speed up the process, including the establishment of a dedicated helpline and a new agency to issue alerts for a missing child.
The new law followed the death of Zainab Ansari, whose body was found in a garbage dumpster in Kasur district near the eastern city of Lahore in 2018, sparking large protests and accusations of negligence by authorities.
Ansari’s case triggered debate in Pakistan over whether to teach children how to guard against sex abuse, a taboo subject in the Muslim majority nation.
Child abuse in spotlight in Pakistan again as police probe killing of minor boy
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Child abuse in spotlight in Pakistan again as police probe killing of minor boy
- Body of Mohammad Sarim, 7, was found in an underground water tank 11 days after he was reported missing
- Nearly 10 child abuse cases a day are reported in Pakistan, according to Sahil which works on child protection
Lawmakers in Pakistan’s Punjab impose total ban on kite flying over safety concerns
- Measure comes days ahead of decades-old Basant festival which features kite flying
- Those breaching the law could face up to 3-5 years in prison, pay heavy fines of $7,200
LAHORE, Pakistan: Lawmakers in Pakistan’s most populous Punjab province on Tuesday passed a law permanently banning kite flying.
The measure, which includes enhanced prison terms and heavy fines on kite fliers and kite manufacturers, comes ahead of the decades-old festival of Basant.
A ban on kite flying was initially imposed in 2005 in Lahore, the capital of the province, when at least 11 bystanders were fatally cut by wire or string made from metal or coated with glass during competitions.
The ban was extended beyond Lahore to other cities and under the latest legislation it will come into effect across the province ahead of the Basant festival, whose centerpiece is kite flying to welcome spring.
Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman, a lawmaker from the ruling Pakistan Muslim League party, moved the bill in the Punjab Assembly on Tuesday, which was passed with a majority vote. Those breaching the law could face a prison sentence of between three to five years and a fine of up to 2 million rupees ($7,200).
Manufacturers of kites and strings could also face custodial sentences of up to seven years and a fine of five million rupees ($18,000), Rehman said. He said the new law was needed to save the lives of innocent people.
The centuries-old Basant festival traditionally culminates with thousands of kites soaring into the sky. Basant means “yellow” in the Hindi language, a reference to the fields of blooming yellow flowers as spring approaches.
Pakistan to start selection process of Hajj support staff from Jan. 25— religion ministry
- Pakistan’s religion ministry to select approximately 950 Hajj assistants and administrators
- Over 170,200 pilgrims from Pakistan are expected to perform annual pilgrimage this year
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will kick off the selection process of approximately 950 Hajj assistants or “moavineen” and administrators, also known as “nazims,” through the National Testing Service (NTS) on Jan. 25, a religion ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday.
Pakistan selects hundreds of doctors and assistants each year to facilitate local pilgrims in Saudi Arabia during Hajj. These assistants provide Pakistani pilgrims with guidance regarding the pilgrimage, the holy sites in Makkah and Madinah, as well as logistical support and medical aid if necessary.
The new Hajj Policy, passed in November last year, introduced the position of administrator to ensure improved services for those undertaking the annual Islamic pilgrimage. According to the policy, the government will appoint one nazim for every 100 Pakistani pilgrims.
“We will require approximately 800 Hajj support staff (moavineen) and around 150 supervisors (nazmeen), who are being included for the first time under the Hajj Policy 2025,” Muhammad Umer Butt, a spokesperson of the Ministry of Religious Affairs told Arab News.
“To ensure merit-based selection and transparency, the government will once again select all staff through the National Testing Service (NTS) tests, which will commence on Jan. 25 and will subsequently be conducted in different parts of the country,” he added.
The NTS designs and administers tests and assessments to various institutions and organizations in Pakistan for admissions, scholarships, recruitment, promotions and assessments.
Butt said NTS has started issuing roll numbers to applicants who have applied for the Hajj assistants (moavineen) positions.
He added that the ministry also provided applicants syllabus for the test, which was based on the Hajj Policy 2025, key responsibilities of the staff and various aspects of Hajj operations.
Additionally, Butt said all relevant information was published on the ministry’s website.
“In the first week of February, the successful candidates will undergo interviews and medical fitness tests, as Hajj is a demanding duty,” he said.
Butt said the final list of selected candidates will be prepared in February and letters confirming the selections will be issued later.
“Afterward, the selected candidates will undergo final training,” he said.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed the Hajj 2025 agreement this month, according to which 179,210 pilgrims from the South Asian country would perform the annual pilgrimage in 2025.
The quota for pilgrims is divided equally between government and private schemes.
Pakistan this week kicked off preparations for the Hajj by conducting mandatory training sessions for its nationals selected to perform this year’s pilgrimage under the government scheme.
The Ministry of Religious Affairs also launched the Pak Hajj 2025 mobile application, available for both Android and iPhone users, to assist pilgrims.
Pakistan’s central bank to hold monetary policy meeting on Jan. 27
- Interest rates, inflation will be key topics on agenda for central bank’s Monetary Policy Committee meeting
- Pakistan marked its fifth consecutive policy rate cut by 200 basis points to 13 percent in December last year
ISLAMABAD: The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has said it will hold its Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting on Jan. 27, with discussions to focus on interest rates and inflation amid expectations that the committee will opt for a sixth consecutive policy rate cut.
Pakistan’s central bank reduced its key policy rate by 200 basis points to 13 percent on Dec.16, marking the fifth consecutive cut since June as part of efforts to revive the sluggish economy and ease inflation.
With a cumulative 900 basis points cut in 2024, the move was one of the most aggressive rate reductions among emerging market central banks during the current easing cycle.
“To make the process of monetary policy formulation predictable and transparent, the SBP announces a half-yearly schedule of MPC meetings on a rolling basis,” the central bank said in a statement on its website.
The bank divulged details of the next four MPC meetings to be held on Jan. 27, March 10, May 5 and June 16 respectively. It highlighted that the meeting later in January would be followed by a press conference by SBP Governor Jameel Ahmed.
On Jan. 14, Karachi-based topline securities conducted a poll in which 61 percent of participants expected the SBP to announce a rate cut of 100 basis points.
“Participants are expecting a rate cut due to high real rates of 950bps in January 2025, compared to the historic average of 200-300bps, despite 900bps cut in total interest rates in last five consecutive meetings since Jun 2024,” Topline Securities said.
“We also hold the view that the SBP will announce a rate cut of 100bps, taking the total cut to 1000bps,” it said. “This will be the sixth consecutive cut of this cycle.”
In December last year, the MPC assessed that its approach of gradual policy rate cuts was effectively managing inflationary and external account pressures while supporting sustainable economic growth.
The central bank had also noted that it expected inflation to average “substantially below” its earlier forecast range of 11.5 percent to 13.5 percent in 2025.
Pakistan is navigating a difficult economic recovery, supported by a $7 billion facility from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) secured in September 2024.
The central bank has stated that “considerable efforts and additional measures” will be needed to meet the country’s annual revenue target, which is a key requirement of the IMF agreement.
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has, meanwhile, repeatedly called for long-term financial reforms and for the country to enhance exports to ensure sustainable economic growth.
7,208 Pakistanis freed from Saudi prisons between 2019-2024— foreign minister
- Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered release of 2,107 Pakistani prisoners during his 2019 Pakistan visit
- Approximately 23,456 Pakistani nationals are imprisoned in various countries worldwide, says foreign minister
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday disclosed that a total number of 7,208 Pakistani prisoners have been released from prisons in Saudi Arabia from 2019-2024.
During his visit to Pakistan in 2019, the Saudi crown prince ordered the release of 2,107 Pakistanis jailed in Saudi Arabia for various crimes in response to a request from the then Pakistan government.
Dar shared the data of Pakistanis freed from Saudi jails in a written response to Senator Dr. Zarqa Suharwardy Taimur, who inquired about the progress on the release of those prisoners.
Dar, who also serves as Pakistan’s deputy prime minister, shared that 2,907 Pakistani prisoners under the consular jurisdiction of the Pakistan Embassy in Riyadh were released from 2019-2024. Out of the remaining 7,208 prisoners, 4,301 Pakistanis under the consular jurisdiction of the Consulate General Jeddah were released from Saudi prisons from 2019-2024.
“It is, however, hard to bifurcate/differentiate the number of the prisoners who have been able to avail this clemency under this announcement due to continuous inflow as well as outflow of the prisoners,” the minister said.
Taimur then inquired as to how many Pakistanis were presently imprisoned in foreign jails, based on information provided by Pakistan’s diplomatic missions.
“According to the current data, approximately 23,456 Pakistani nationals are imprisoned in various countries worldwide,” Dar responded.
“The largest concentrations are in the Gulf region, particularly in Saudi Arabia (12,156) and UAE (5292).”
Dar said Pakistan’s foreign ministry is developing a “comprehensive consular policy” through stakeholder consultations to provide protection to its nationals imprisoned abroad.
He said that while this policy is being formulated, Pakistan continues to protect its citizens abroad through international frameworks already in place, such as consular protection mentioned in Article 36 (c) of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations 1963.
“Under this framework, our consular officers: visit Pakistani nationals in prison or 7 detention, converse and correspond with detained nationals and arrange legal representation for them,” the minister said.
Army claims killing Afghan militant accused of involvement in ‘terrorism’ inside Pakistan
- Islamabad blames surge in militancy on fighters operating from Afghanistan, Kabul denies allegations
- Pakistani Taliban frequently target Pakistani forces in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan provinces
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces have gunned down an Afghan national in the southwestern Balochistan province bordering Afghanistan, the military said on Tuesday, accusing him of involvement in “terrorism.”
Islamabad has frequently accused neighboring Afghanistan of sheltering and supporting militant groups that launch cross-border attacks. Afghan officials deny involvement, insisting Pakistan’s security issues are an internal matter.
A statement from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing, said the Afghan national was identified as Muhammad Khan Ahmedkhel, a resident of Afghanistan’s Paktika province.
“On Jan. 11, 2025, an Afghan national involved in terrorism inside Pakistan was killed in the Sambaza area of Zhob district of Balochistan,” the statement said. “His body was handed over to the Interim Afghan Government officials on Jan. 20 after necessary procedural formalities.”
The army said the incident provided “irrefutable evidence of Afghan nationals’ involvement” in militant activities in Pakistan, urging Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers to crackdown on fighters using Afghan soil to launch attacks in Pakistan. The statement did not give any evidence or details of terror activities Ahmedkhel was involved in.
The Pakistani Taliban, or the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), frequently target Pakistani forces in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, as well as in Balochistan.
