ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Coast Guards seized over 15,000 liters of Iranian diesel being smuggled into the country through the southwestern Balochistan province in two separate operations, state media reported on Tuesday.
Iranian petroleum products are regularly smuggled into Pakistan through Balochistan as Iran offers the world’s cheapest petrol and diesel due to low production costs, international sanctions and weak currency.
The illegal activity takes place regularly as Iran and Pakistan share a 900-kilometer (560-mile) porous and largely lawless border, where militants and smugglers operate with impunity.
“Pakistan Coast Guards seized 10,370 liters of illegal Iranian diesel from two vehicles at Uthal check post during routine checking,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan said in a report. It added that 5,270 liters of diesel were also recovered from three vehicles in another operation between Balochistan’s Lasbela and Hub districts.
Earlier this year, Pakistan’s Frontier Constabulary (FC) force seized around 379,000 liters of smuggled Iranian diesel at the Sindh-Balochistan border.
Pakistan’s petroleum dealers in May 2023 flagged a surge in the smuggling of Iranian fuel to Pakistan, saying that up to 35 percent of diesel sold in the country had arrived illegally from Iran.
ISLAMABAD: A demoralized Pakistan cricket team that has not won a single Test match on home soil since February 2021 will look to reverse its cricket fortunes when it locks horns with a strong England side during the first of the three-match series in Multan today, Monday.
The last three-and-a-half years for Test cricket have been brutal for Pakistan, with the green shirts remaining winless in their last 10 home Tests. To add insult to injury, Shan Masood’s side suffered a humiliating 2-0 home defeat to Bangladesh last month.
England skipper Ben Stokes, who led his team to an emphatic 3-0 Test series victory during the team’s last tour in 2022, has been ruled out of the first Test match due to injury.
“The first test match between Pakistan and England will begin at the Multan Cricket Stadium on Monday,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported.
On the eve of the first Test, Masood warned that even without Stokes, England were a dangerous side.
“England’s strength will not lessen with one individual (missing),” he warned. “They are still very competitive.
“If you look at their playing eleven then it’s very balanced with all-rounders, and they have two spinners and three fast bowlers with deep batting, so their loss is that of an individual.”
England’s stand-in skipper Ollie Pope said though Pakistan had remained winless at home for quite a while, the visitors will be wary of them.
“They’ve obviously not had their strongest run recently, but we still see them as a highly skilled side,” he said at a press conference on Sunday. “They are a team we don’t take lightly.”
Pakistan named their team with a bowling attack of two fast bowlers in Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah, medium-pacer Aamer Jamal and frontline spinner Abrar Ahmed.
The second match is also in Multan, from Oct. 15, with the final Test in Rawalpindi beginning Oct. 24.
Squads
Pakistan: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel, Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Ali Agha, Aamir Jamal, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmad
England: Ollie Pope (captain), Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jack Leach, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Chris Woakes
KARACHI: Two Chinese nationals were killed while at least 10 others were injured last night in a blast that took place near the Jinnah International Airport in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi, the Chinese embassy and local authorities confirmed on Monday, describing the incident as a “terrorist attack.”
On Sunday night, residents from various parts of the city such as the Defense Housing Authority (DHA), North Nazimabad and Pakistan Employees Cooperative Housing Society (PECHS) areas reported hearing a loud explosion near the airport. This was followed by a series of videos that went viral on social media, showing a massive blaze and several vehicles on fire.
The outlawed Baloch separatist outfit Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the attack, stating it had targeted a convoy of “Chinese engineers and investors” arriving in Pakistan’s largest city and its commercial hub. In a statement sent via email, the BLA said the attack was executed by its Majeed Brigade unit that had targeted a high-profile convoy of Chinese personnel.
Security officials examine the site of an explosion that caused injures and destroyed vehicles at outside the Karachi airport, Pakistan, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (AP)
Speaking to ARY, a local news channel on Sunday night, Sindh Home Minister Zia Ul Hassan Lanjar said authorities were investigating the incident. He said four police officers and two personnel of the paramilitary Rangers force were also among the injured.
“At around 11 p.m. on October 6th, a convoy carrying Chinese staff of the Port Qasim Electric Power Company (Private) Limited was attacked near the Jinnah International Airport, Karachi, which caused two Chinese died, one Chinese injured and some local casualties,” the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan said in a statement.
An initial report from the Airport Police Station said an unknown vehicle collided with a car carrying Chinese nationals near the airport’s outer gate, triggering the explosion. The injured Chinese national was subsequently transported to a local hospital.
“The nature of the explosion will be determined by the bomb disposal team,” a copy of the report seen by Arab News said.
The Chinese embassy said it was making every effort to handle the “aftermath” of the attack with Pakistani authorities.
“The Chinese Embassy and Consulates General in Pakistan strongly condemn this terrorist attack, express deep condolences to the innocent victims of both countries and sincere sympathies to the injured and families, and are making every effort to handle the aftermath together with the Pakistani side,” it added.
The statement said the Chinese embassy and its consulates in Pakistan have launched “an emergency plan” and requested the Pakistani authorities to thoroughly investigate the attack and severely punish the perpetrators. It urged Islamabad to take necessary measures to protect Chinese citizens, institutions and projects in the South Asian country.
“The Chinese Embassy and Consulates General in Pakistan remind Chinese citizens, enterprises and projects in Pakistan to be vigilant, pay close attention to the security situation, strengthen security measures, and make every effort to take safety precautions,” the statement concluded.
Dr. Summayia Syed, a police surgeon in Karachi, said 10 people including a child were being treated at the Jinnah Hospital for injuries.
“One of the injured is in critical condition,” she told Arab News, adding that all the victims were Pakistani citizens.
The BLA is a separatist outfit that wants independence for Pakistan’s gas-and-mineral-rich Balochistan province, which has been the scene of a low-lying insurgency for the past two decades and shares borders with Iran and Afghanistan. Separatist Baloch militants blame Pakistan’s state for exploiting the province’s resources, a charge the Pakistani state denies vehemently.
In August, the banned outfit launched a series of coordinated attacks in Balochistan, killing over 70 people. It has claimed attacks in Balochistan in the past, including the killing of seven barbers hailing from Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province in the port city of Gwadar in May.
The militant outfit targets Chinese interests in Pakistan, including the Gwadar port located on the Arabian Sea. It has previously killed Chinese citizens working in the region and attacked Beijing’s consulate in Karachi as well.
China is a major ally and investor in Pakistan that has pledged over $65 billion in investment in road, infrastructure and development projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project. The CPEC is a part of the Belt and Road Initiative, a massive China-led infrastructure project that aims to stretch around the globe.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is observing Palestine Solidarity Day today, Monday, to mark one year of relentless Israeli strikes on Gaza that have killed more than 41,800 Palestinians, Pakistani state media reported.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif took the decision to observe the day during a meeting with Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and the Jamaat-e-Islami chief Naeem-ur-Rehman in Islamabad.
The war in Gaza broke out after Hamas militants attacked Israel on October 7, which resulted in the deaths nearly 1,200 people, according to official Israeli figures. Israel launched a blistering military campaign in Gaza that has since killed 41,825 people, the Palestinian health ministry says.
The nationwide day of solidarity is being observed to express solidarity with the innocent Palestinians facing the worst Israeli brutalities, the state-run Radio Pakistan broadcaster reported.
“Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will also host an All Parties Conference to raise a voice against the ongoing oppression of unarmed Palestinians in Gaza and to support the Palestinian brothers and sisters,” the report read.
Pakistan has condemned Israel’s war on Gaza on various international forums, calling for an immediate ceasefire and accountability for Israel’s “war crimes.”
On Sunday, thousands rallied on Sunday in the country’s commercial capital of Karachi to protest the ongoing “genocide” of the Palestinians in Gaza, ahead of the anniversary of one year of Israeli invasion of the Palestinian territory.
Pakistan does not recognize nor have diplomatic relations with Israel and calls for an independent Palestinian state based on “internationally agreed parameters” and the pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
Since the beginning of Israel’s war on Gaza, Pakistan has repeatedly raised the issue at the United Nations, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and other multilateral platforms and demanded international powers and bodies stop Israeli military actions in Gaza.
The South Asian country has also dispatched several aid consignments for the Palestinians.
Top official of ex-PM Khan party resurfaces in provincial assembly session after going missing in Islamabad
Ali Amin Gandapur, who heads the government of Khan's party in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, went missing after leading thousands of Khan supporters to Islamabad
In a surprise turn of events, CM Gandapur resurfaced during a session of the KP assembly on Sunday evening amid cheers and applause from members of House
ISLAMABAD: Ali Amin Gandapur, a key official of former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) opposition party, resurfaced during a session of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) provincial assembly on Sunday, after having gone missing during his party’s protest in Islamabad a day ago.
Gandapur, who heads the government of Khan’s party in KP, went missing after leading thousands of Khan supporters to the Pakistani capital to protest the government’s proposed constitutional amendments that the PTI claims are aimed at curtailing the independence of the judiciary, the government denies this. The PTI also aimed to mount pressure for the release of its leader who is in jail since August last year.
Mystery continued to surround the whereabouts of Gandapur on Sunday as the PTI protest entered its third day, with at least one policeman killed in clashes and almost 900 demonstrators arrested. The PTI alleged that CM Gandapur had been “kidnapped,” while Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi denied the PTI’s claims that the KP chief minister had been abducted by the Islamabad police or intelligence agencies.
In a surprise turn of events, Chief Minister Gandapur resurfaced during a session of the KP assembly on Sunday evening, amid cheers and applause from members of the House. Shortly afterward, he launched into a fiery speech in which he criticized the federal authorities for the road blockades and “torture” to prevent Khan supporters from entering Islamabad.
“We were protesting peacefully, they blocked the roads and tortured the workers,” he said. “Worst violence and shelling was done in Pathargarh, Burhan and other places. They used to say that we could not reach the D-Chowk [in Islamabad], but we reached there. Our protest was not a sit-in, we recorded the protest successfully.”
The KP chief minister accused the Islamabad Inspector-General Ali Nasir Rizvi of “attacking” the KP House, the provincial administration office in Islamabad where Gandapur had arrived on Saturday, with the help of police and paramilitary Rangers.
“When I reached KP House, IG Islamabad entered the KP House with police and Rangers. KP House is part of the KP province, the attack on it was an attack on the province,” he said. “IG Islamabad broke the windows of government vehicles and damaged property. He must be made accountable for damaging KP government property.”
Clashes erupted in Islamabad and nearby cities on Friday and Saturday as police tried to prevent Khan supporters protesters from entering the Pakistani capital, with federal officials accusing protesters accompanying Gandapur of firing tear gas at police. They said Gandapur was accompanied by serving police officers as well as heavy machinery to remove road blockades.
Earlier in the day, Interior Minister Naqvi said CM Gandapur was on the run and the Islamabad police would “deal with him as per law as they are definitely searching for him.”
Pakistan’s federal government has also constituted an inquiry committee to probe the use of resources of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) provincial government for this week’s protest in Islamabad by Khan’s party, the Pakistani interior ministry said on Sunday.
Khan’s party says it is facing an over-year-long crackdown since protesters allegedly linked to the PTI attacked and damaged government and military installations on May 9, 2023, after the former premier’s brief arrest the same day in a land graft case.
Hundreds of PTI followers and leaders were arrested following the riots and many remain behind bars as they await trial. The military, which says Khan and his party were behind the attacks, has also initiated army court trials of at least 103 people accused of involvement in the violence.
Khan, who has been in jail since last August, was ousted from the PM’s office in 2022 in a parliamentary vote of no confidence after what is widely believed to be a falling out with Pakistan’s powerful military, which denies being involved in politics.
KARACHI: Thousands rallied on Sunday in Pakistan’s commercial capital of Karachi to protest one year of Israeli invasion of Gaza, calling for an end to the Palestinian “genocide.”
The rally, organized by the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) religious party and supported by the ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and other organizations in the Sindh province, called on the international community to immediately stop Israeli atrocities against the Palestinian people.
The war in Gaza broke out after Hamas militants attacked Israel on October 7 last year, which resulted in the deaths of nearly 1,200 people, according to official Israeli figures. Israel launched a blistering military campaign in Gaza that has since killed 41,825 people, the Palestinian health ministry says.
“A genocide of Palestinians is ongoing at the hands of Israel, with thousands killed in Israeli strikes that have persisted for the past year,” JI chief Naeem-ur-Rehman said, while addressing the rally that was also attended by a significant number of women and children.
“We condemn Israel for its inhumane behavior, brutalities and plans for expansion. The Israeli leadership has once again revealed its expansionist agenda, presenting a new map that challenges the sovereignty of various countries, while the United Nations has failed to intervene.”
Rehman paid a tribute to the people of Gaza for their steadfastness in the face of Israeli brutality and “crimes against humanity,” asserting: “This is a legitimate struggle according to the United Nations charter.”
PPP’s Nisar Khuhro condemned Israeli strikes on Gaza and called on the global community and the UN to “act responsibly.”
“This gathering sends a powerful message to the Muslim world as well, warning that if a joint strategy is not developed, Muslim countries may face attacks one after another,” he said.
Bushra Abdul Ghafoor, a student at the rally, expressed her solidarity with the Palestinians, saying that the gathering in Karachi would not go unnoticed.
“As a Muslim nation, we must support each other,” she said.
Iqra Khan, another participant, emphasized the need for unity among the Muslim world.
“Our aim is to achieve the liberation of Palestine as they face significant oppression,” she told Arab News. “God willing, this struggle will continue until Palestine is free.”
Speaking to Arab News, PPP leader Waqar Mehdi called on the Muslim world and all nations to oppose the atrocities committed by Israel in Palestine.
“Jamaat-e-Islami is holding a significant rally and we stand in solidarity with them,” he said.
Aamir Nawaz Warraich, president of the Karachi Bar Association, said the Pakistani legal community’s position on the Palestine issue was clear and the attacks and atrocities against the Palestinians must be stopped.
“All international stakeholders — whether from England, America, Germany, or elsewhere — should play their roles in ending this situation,” he said.
Warraich lamented the “inadequate response” from the global legal forums on the Palestinian “genocide.”
“If they do not take action, they will be complicit in this oppression, as everything is occurring under their watch,” he added.
