Pakistan province orders comprehensive probe into alleged police harassment of Chinese nationals
Pakistan province orders comprehensive probe into alleged police harassment of Chinese nationals/node/2587767/pakistan
Pakistan province orders comprehensive probe into alleged police harassment of Chinese nationals
A police officer stand guard outside a factory where, according to police, two Chinese nationals were shot and injured, in Karachi, Pakistan on November 5, 2024. (AFP/File)
KARACHI: The home minister of Pakistan’s southern Sindh province on Saturday took notice of police harassment and extortion allegations leveled by Chinese nationals, directing authorities to launch a “comprehensive investigation” into the matter.
Twelve Chinese nationals filed a petition in the Sindh High Court (SHC) December 2024 alleging they are being forced to pay bribes to police officers ranging from Rs20,000 ($71) to Rs50,000 ($179) for permission to leave their homes. It demanded a high-level inquiry into the involvement of police officers in their mistreatment. The SHC issued notices to the Sindh government, Pakistani foreign ministry and China’s missions in Pakistan on Friday, seeking their response within four weeks.
A significant number of private Chinese investors have arrived and established businesses with local partners in Pakistan since the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a multi-billion-dollar infrastructure network of roads, energy and railways projects, was launched in 2013.
In Sindh, the provincial government has established a Special Protection Unit (SPU) within the provincial police force to ensure the security of Chinese nationals, who have been under threat from separatist groups operating in neighboring Balochistan province. These groups have also carried out attacks on Chinese interests and citizens in Karachi, the capital of Sindh and commercial hub of the country.
“Sindh Home Minister Zia-ul-Hassan Lanjar has taken notice of the Chinese investors’ decision to approach the Sindh High Court, issuing instructions to the IGP Sindh to immediately appoint a senior inquiry officer for a comprehensive investigation into the matter,” the Sindh home ministry said in a statement.
As per the statement, Lanjar said the provincial government is committed to ensuring the security of Chinese nationals according to the set standard operating procedures.
“Therefore, it must be ensured that at the provincial level, the “foolproof security” of Chinese nationals involved in both CPEC and non-CPEC projects is a joint responsibility of the Sindh government, Sindh Police and local sponsors or hosts,” the statement said.
This is aimed at further strengthening the unwavering trust of Chinese investors in the Sindh government and Sindh Police.
Lanjar stressed that it is the Sindh government and provincial police’s goal to facilitate and provide security to Chinese investors through mutual cooperation. He admitted, however, that it is also important that sponsors and SPU officers take steps to monitor security measures.
“Additionally, it is necessary to address any potential gaps, shortcomings, or deficiencies in the security measures for Chinese nationals,” the statement said. “Implementing the measures outlined by law and SOPs is critical to eliminating any security gaps.”
Lanjar said that if Chinese nationals face security-related complaints, senior officers must not only review the situation but also ensure “a prompt resolution, as Chinese citizens turn to the Sindh Police for assistance regarding security concerns.”
Amid the surge in attacks on Chinese nationals in Pakistan, Beijing has repeatedly urged Islamabad to ensure protection for its citizens living and working in the South Asian country.
A suicide blast claimed by the separatist Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) killed two Chinese nationals in Karachi in October, while five Chinese workers were killed in a suicide bombing in March 2024 in northwest Pakistan.
Pakistan says attacks on Chinese nationals are an international conspiracy to harm friendly ties between Pakistan and China.
KARACHI: Saudi Arabia is expected to be Pakistan’s largest source of external financing in the upcoming fiscal year with over $6 billion in support as the South Asian country seeks to raise more than $20 billion from international lenders to uplift its fragile economy, official budget documents released this week showed.
In the 2025–26 fiscal year starting July 1, Pakistan aims to secure $6.46 billion from Riyadh, including $5 billion in time deposits, $1 billion in oil on deferred payments, and $46.4 million in economic assistance, according to the budget documents.
The financial support is intended to help stabilize the country’s external account and meet its balance of payments needs.
Islamabad has long relied on financial support from its Gulf and Chinese partners to shore up its foreign reserves and avoid default. In 2023, these inflows played a key role in helping Pakistan avert a sovereign debt crisis.
“The support from Saudi Arabia in the form of deposits and oil facility is undoubtedly the major source of the external stability,” said Shankar Talreja, head of research at Karachi-based Topline Securities.
Pakistan’s government unveiled a Rs17.6 trillion ($62 billion) federal budget on June 10, aiming to consolidate what it describes as fragile macroeconomic stability achieved under a $7 billion bailout loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Notably, Pakistan has not earmarked a specific amount under the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in its external financing estimates for 2025-26. The country is currently operating under a 37-month IMF Extended Fund Facility approved last year.
In total, Pakistan has budgeted for Rs5.78 trillion ($20.4 billion) in foreign assistance in FY26, including both loans and grants from bilateral and multilateral partners, to help shore up reserves and finance its current account. The country’s total external receipts for the year are budgeted at Rs20.3 trillion ($71.9 billion).
China, Pakistan’s largest trading partner and longtime ally, is projected to be the second-biggest lender after Riyadh with $4.37 billion, including $4 billion in “safe deposits,” a form of central bank support, and $37 million in economic assistance.
“China is a major bilateral partner… supporting Pakistan with both commercial loans and time deposits,” said Talreja. “Both types are refinanced and renewed annually.”
Pakistan’s multilateral lenders include the Asian Development Bank (ADB), World Bank, Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), and others such as the United Nations, OPEC Fund, and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
SMALLER LENDERS AND REMITTANCES
Besides Saudi Arabia and China, Pakistan will also seek smaller amounts of aid and financing from countries including the United States, France, Germany, Denmark, Italy, Japan, and South Korea, according to the budget documents, which also list smaller expected inflows from Kuwait ($21.4 million) and Oman ($5.14 million).
However, a long-delayed Saudi oil facility, initially expected last year, has yet to materialize. Media reports have suggested Riyadh has linked its final approval to progress on Saudi investment in Pakistan’s Reko Diq copper and gold mining project.
State media reported in September that Saudi Arabia had offered a 15 percent equity stake in the multibillion-dollar Reko Diq mine in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province. The project, one of the world’s largest undeveloped copper-gold reserves, is operated by Canada’s Barrick Gold.
Islamabad also plans to raise $1.3 billion in commercial loans and $400 million through international bond issuances, though the finance ministry has not specified the sovereign guarantees or instruments.
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has separately said the government aims to issue Panda bonds, yuan-denominated debt instruments issued in China, to raise around $200 million from Chinese investors to boost foreign exchange reserves.
In addition to official financing, Pakistan continues to benefit significantly from worker remittances, particularly from the Gulf region.
According to the Pakistan Economic Survey 2024–25, released this week, Saudi Arabia accounted for $7.4 billion in remittances in the last fiscal year, about 25 percent of the national total.
Remittances from all six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries — Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, and Bahrain — totaled $16.1 billion, or more than half of Pakistan’s total remittance inflows in 2024.
“In the GCC region, expanding Saudi mega-projects led to higher migrant employment, further contributing to inflows,” the economic survey said.
“It’s not just deposits and oil facilities helping Pakistan,” added Talreja. “Remittances from Saudi Arabia alone are a quarter of Pakistan’s total remittances.”
“Saudi Arabia is a key nation for Pakistan in terms of foreign inflows, whether in the form of remittances or economic assistance,” Sana Tawfik, head of research at Arif Habib Ltd. said.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s southern Sindh province will launch a Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination drive for school-going girls aged nine to 14 years in September, state-run media reported this month.
HPV is a very common virus that can cause cancers later in life, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). About 13 million people, including teens, become infected with HPV each year. Medical experts recommend protecting children from these cancers through the HPV vaccine.
The HPV vaccine series, as per the CDC, is most effective when given before a person is exposed to the virus. It is a very common virus that is spread through sexual contact and can live in the skin for many years without causing symptoms. In some cases, HPV can cause genital warts or cervical cancer.
“Sindh government announced to launch vaccination campaign for school-going girls aged from nine to fourteen in September this year,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported on June 4. “According to official sources, the Human Papillomavirus vaccination campaign will be launched in all districts of the province.”
Citing sources, the state media said vaccinations will also be eligible for “uneducated” girls.
According to UNICEF, cervical cancer claims the lives of 3,200 women in Pakistan each year despite being preventable with the HPV vaccine. Yet, awareness about HPV and the importance of vaccination remains alarmingly low in the South Asian country.
In 2025, UNICEF together with partners GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance and the World Health Organization, said it will support Pakistan to introduce the HPV vaccine to help protect millions of adolescent girls from cervical cancer.
It cited myths and taboos as one of the greatest challenges to HPV vaccine acceptance in Pakistan. These myths, it said, included ones that claimed vaccines cause infertility and another that the HPV vaccine is just for sexually active girls.
ISLAMABAD: US President Donald Trump this week reiterated his offer to mediate and resolve the longstanding dispute between India and Pakistan on the disputed Kashmir territory, as tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors continue to simmer.
India and Pakistan pounded each other with artillery fire, missiles, drone strikes and fighter jets for four days before Trump announced a ceasefire between both sides on May 10. The US informed last month after the ceasefire announcement both India and Pakistan had agreed to meet at a neutral venue to address their differences, though New Delhi has so far publicly ruled out bilateral talks with Islamabad.
Trump said last month he used Washington’s trade ties with both countries to persuade them to back off from further military confrontation and agree to a ceasefire, taking the credit for preventing an all-out nuclear war. Speaking to reporters before signing a bill in the White House’s East Room on Thursday, the American president said Washington was “going to get those two getting together.”
“I told them, India and Pakistan — they have a longtime rivalry over Kashmir — I said, I can solve anything,” he told reporters. “I’ll be your arbitrator.”
India has always refused any outside mediation on Kashmir, the scenic Himalayan region which has a Muslim majority but a sizable Hindu minority. Both India and Pakistan claim the entire region but administer parts of it. The two countries have fought two out of three wars over the territory since 1947.
Trump reiterated his claim that he stopped the war between India and Pakistan last month through “phone calls and trade.”
“And India’s here right now negotiating a trade deal and Pakistan’s coming I think next week,” the US president said.
Tensions escalated between India and Pakistan on April 22 when gunmen attacked and killed 26 tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir at the Pahalgam tourist resort. New Delhi, without offering proof, blamed Pakistan for the attack, alleging it had supported “cross-border terrorism.”
Pakistan denied the allegations and called for a credible, international probe into the incident. Following weeks of tensions, India struck multiple Pakistani cities with missiles on the night of May 6, claiming it had struck “terrorist” camps in the country.
Pakistan denied Indian allegations, saying the missiles had killed innocent children and vowed to retaliate.
KARACHI: Pakistani leaders and the country’s national carrier offered condolences on Thursday as more than 290 people were killed when an Air India plane with 242 people on board crashed minutes after taking off from the western city of Ahmedabad in the world’s worst aviation disaster in a decade.
The dead included people on the ground as the aircraft — headed for Gatwick Airport, south of the British capital — crashed on a medical college hostel during lunch hour.
At least one passenger is known to have survived the crash, police said.
“Saddened by the tragic crash of Air India flight near Ahmedabad today. We extend our condolences to the families of the victims grieving this immense loss,” Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on X.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by this heartbreaking tragedy.”
PIA, Pakistan’s national carrier, said it stood in “solidarity with our fellow aviation community, offering our deepest condolences to Flight 171 and all those impacted.”
Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, the head of a Pakistani delegation visiting world capitals to present Islamabad’s position on a recent military standoff with New Delhi, also expressed condolences over the Indian plane crash after his team arrived in Brussels to hold meetings.
“Saddened to hear a tragic incident occurred earlier today,” he said on X. “I express my profound condolences to the people of India.”
Vidhi Chaudhary, a top state police officer, told Reuters approximately 294 had died:
“This includes some students as the plane crashed on the building where they were staying.”
She said police found one survivor who was in seat 11A, next to an emergency exit, adding that there could be more survivors in hospital.
Indian media widely reported the survivor had been sitting in seat 11A, after videos shared on social media showed Vishwash Kumar Ramesh — in a bloodied t-shirt and limping, but walking toward an ambulance. (X/Screenshots)
“Thirty seconds after take-off, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed,” 40-year-old survivor Ramesh Viswashkumar told the Hindustan Times, which showed a boarding pass for seat 11A in that name online.
“It all happened so quickly,” he told the paper from his hospital bed.
“When I got up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared. I stood up and ran. There were pieces of the plane all around me … Someone grabbed hold of me and put me in an ambulance and brought me to the hospital.”
He said that his brother, Ajay, was seated in a different row on the plane.
“He was traveling with me and I can’t find him anymore. Please help me find him,” he said.
FOREIGN NATIONALS ON BOARD
Ahmedabad police chief G.S. Malik said the bodies recovered could include both passengers and people killed on the ground. The dead included Vijay Rupani, the former chief minister of Gujarat state, of which Ahmedabad is the main city.
Relatives had been asked to give DNA samples to identify the dead, state health secretary Dhananjay Dwivedi told reporters.
Parts of the plane’s body were scattered around the smoldering building into which it crashed. The tail of the plane was stuck on top of the building.
The passengers included 217 adults, 11 children and two infants, Reuters reported. Air India said 169 were Indian nationals, 53 were Britons, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian.
Aviation tracking site Flightradar24 said the plane was a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, one of the most modern passenger aircraft in service.
It was the first crash for the Dreamliner, which began flying commercially in 2011, according to the Aviation Safety Network database. The plane that crashed on Thursday flew for the first time in 2013 and was delivered to Air India in January 2014, Flightradar24 said.
CRASH JUST AFTER TAKE-OFF
Thursday’s crash occurred just after the plane took off. TV channels showed the plane taking off over a residential area and then disappearing from the screen before a huge fireball could be seen rising into the sky from beyond the houses.
“My sister-in-law was going to London. Within an hour, I got news that the plane had crashed,” Poonam Patel, a relative of one of the passengers, told news agency ANI at the government hospital in Ahmedabad.
Ramila, the mother of a student at the medical college, told ANI her son had gone to the hostel for his lunch break when the plane crashed.
“My son is safe, and I have spoken to him. He jumped from the second floor, so he suffered some injuries,” she said.
According to air traffic control at Ahmedabad Airport, the aircraft departed at 139 p.m (0809 GMT). It gave a Mayday call, signaling an emergency, but thereafter there was no response from the aircraft.
US aerospace safety consultant Anthony Brickhouse said one problematic sign from videos of the aircraft was that the landing gear was down at a phase of flight when it would typically be up.
Rescue officials work at the site where Air India flight 171 crashed in a residential area near the airport in Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025. (AFP)
“If you didn’t know what was happening, you would think that plane was on approach to a runway,” Brickhouse said.
Boeing said it was in contact with Air India and working to gather more information. Boeing shares fell 5 percent as the crash posed a major setback for the plane maker as its new CEO looks to rebuild trust following a series of safety and production challenges.
Aircraft engine-maker GE Aerospace said that it would put a team together to go to India and analyze cockpit data, India’s CNBC TV18 reported.
The US National Transportation Safety Board said it would lead a team of US investigators traveling to India to help in the investigation.
Britain was working with Indian authorities to urgently establish the facts around the crash and to provide support to those involved, the country’s foreign office said.
“The tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X. “It is heartbreaking beyond words.” Gujarat is Modi’s home state.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said images emerging of the crash were “devastating.”
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said King Charles was also being kept updated.
INDIA’S FIRST CRASH SINCE 2020
Ahmedabad Airport, which suspended all flight operations after the crash, said it was operational again but with limited flights. The airport is operated by India’s Adani Group conglomerate.
Rescuers work at the site of an airplane that crashed in India's northwestern city of Ahmedabad in Gujarat state on June 12, 2025. (AP)
The last fatal plane crash in India, the world’s third largest aviation market and its fastest growing, was in 2020 and involved Air India Express, the airline’s low-cost arm.
The airline’s Boeing-737 overshot a “table-top” runway in southern India, skidded and plunged into a valley, crashing nose-first into the ground and killing 21 people.
The formerly state-owned Air India was taken over by Indian conglomerate Tata Group in 2022, and merged with Vistara — a joint venture between the group and Singapore Airlines – in 2024.
DEADLY CIVILIAN CRASHES OVER THE DECADES
AUGUST 2020
Twenty-one people died when an Air India Express Boeing 737 plane skidded off the runway in the southern city of Kozhikode during heavy rain, plunged into a valley and crashed nose-first into the ground.
MAY 2010
An Air India Boeing 737 flight from Dubai overshot the runway at the airport in the southern city of Mangaluru and crashed into a gorge, killing 158 people on board.
JULY 2000
More than 50 people were killed when a state-owned Alliance Air flight between Kolkata and the capital, New Delhi, crashed in a residential area of the eastern city of Patna.
APRIL 1993
An Indian Airlines Boeing 737 crashed during takeoff in the western city of Aurangabad and killed 55 people on board.
AUGUST 1991
An Indian Airlines Boeing 737 flight from Kolkata crashed during descent near Imphal, the capital of the hilly north-eastern state of Manipur, killing all 69 occupants onboard.
OCTOBER 1988
More than 130 passengers died when an Indian Airlines Boeing 737, flying from Mumbai to Ahmedabad, crashed as it was coming in to land.
JANUARY 1978
All 213 passengers of an Air India flight were killed when the captain lost control of the plane after take-off and plunged it into the Arabian Sea off the coast of Mumbai, India’s financial hub.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s central bank is likely to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 11 percent in its upcoming monetary policy meeting next week, according to a survey conducted by brokerage firm Topline Securities.
The bank had cut the rate by 1,000 basis points since June 2004 from an all-time high of 22 percent before holding it in March, citing the risk of price rises including from increased US tariffs.
In May, the central bank cut its key policy rate by 100 basis points to 11 percent, citing an improved inflation outlook and resuming a series of cuts from a record high of 22 percent.
“56 percent of market participants expect a status quo in the upcoming monetary policy meeting, compared to 31 percent in the previous poll,” Topline Securities said in a market note, releasing the results of its survey.
“44 percent of participants anticipate a further rate cut of at least 50 basis points. Of these, 19 percent expect a 50 bps cut and 25 percent foresee a 100 bps cut.”
The brokerage house said analysts believed the SBP may have space to ease the policy rate further by up to 100 basis points, with inflation for fiscal year 2025–26 forecast to average between 6 and 7 percent.
However, it said the likelihood of near-term rate cuts was tempered by external headwinds such as rebounding global crude oil prices, ongoing tensions in the Middle East, and uncertainty around a potential US-China trade agreement.
“Some major notifications are also expected before the start of the next fiscal year— such as gas and electricity price adjustments,” the report said.
“The inflationary impact of these measures is yet to be assessed and absorbed. That said, we believe the central bank will observe the status quo in the upcoming meeting.”
Topline’s survey also found that 58 percent of respondents expect the interest rate to remain above 10 percent through December 2025, while 42 percent foresee a range between 8 and 10 percent.
On inflation expectations, 69 percent believe average inflation will range between 6 and 8 percent in the next fiscal year, 20 percent expect it to hover between 8 and 10 percent, and 11 percent forecast inflation falling below 6 percent.
Separately, the SBP confirmed that its next Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting will be held on Monday, June 16, as scheduled.
The meeting is being closely watched by investors and market analysts amid changing domestic and global economic conditions. While the May rate cut signaled the beginning of a monetary easing cycle, rising external risks and upcoming fiscal adjustments may prompt a more cautious stance from the central bank.
