Pakistan’s counterterrorism force arrests militant leader for attacks on Rangers, Chinese workers
Pakistan’s counterterrorism force arrests militant leader for attacks on Rangers, Chinese workers/node/2564831/pakistan
Pakistan’s counterterrorism force arrests militant leader for attacks on Rangers, Chinese workers
Rangers check motorcyclists at a security checkpoint set up near a university gate a day after a suicide attack on a van near the Confucius institute which is the cultural programme that China operates at universities around the world at the Karachi University in Karachi on April 27, 2022. (AFP/File)
KARACHI: The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) in Pakistan’s southeastern province of Sindh announced the arrest of a local militant leader on Thursday, saying he was involved in violent activities targeting paramilitary personnel, Chinese workers and a prominent religio-political party in the country.
Muhammad Hanif, a member of the banned separatist outfit Sindh Revolutionary Army (SRA), was arrested in Shaheed Benazirabad district, previously known as Nawabshah, along with a significant quantity of explosives and detonators, according to an official statement.
The SRA is known for its violent activities aimed at promoting Sindhi independence, including attacks on law enforcement and government targets.
The group has also launched attacks against Chinese nationals working on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects, reflecting its opposition to foreign investment in the region.
“The suspect was found in possession of 460 grams of explosive material, one hand grenade, and seven detonators along with a battery and adapter,” the CTD said in its statement.
“The suspect was on the railway track, planning to carry out an explosion on a train traveling from Sindh to Punjab to spread terror,” it continued. “He was apprehended during an intelligence-based operation, thanks to timely and effective information received from sensitive agencies, before he could carry out any potential terrorist act.”
The CTD also shared a list of militant activities allegedly confessed by Hanif during the investigation following his arrest, including two separate attacks in 2019 on Rangers in Sindh, in which six paramilitary personnel were killed.
The statement said he admitted to attempting to detonate a vehicle used by Chinese workers using a magnetic explosive device in 2020, though his plan could not succeed.
The same year, he opened fire on Chinese nationals in Karachi, injuring one of them.
The CTD said the SRA suspect targeted a 2020 Jamaat-e-Islami rally, resulting in six deaths and 20 injuries.
The official statement informed Hanif admitted to receiving militant training in Kandahar, Afghanistan, where he traveled twice and learned to use various weapons and make improvised explosive devices.
It added that charges had been framed against him under the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997.
ISLAMABAD: A delegation of the Royal Saudi Naval Forces (RSNF) on Wednesday met with Pakistan’s Commodore Asim Sohail Malik, who is currently commanding the Combined Task Force 150 (CTF 150) in Bahrain, to explore potential avenues for collaboration and discuss the region’s maritime security.
CTF 150 is part of the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), a multinational naval partnership aimed at ensuring the security in critical regions like the Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman.
CTF 150’s mission is to counter illicit activities at sea, including smuggling, trafficking of narcotics and other non-state actor threats, to promote stability and security in these vital international waters.
Pakistan assumed command of this task in July for the 13th time, with the country’s naval officials pointing out its frequent leadership of CTF 150 highlighted the trust placed in it by other coalition partners.
“During the meeting, both [sides] shared their perspectives on regional maritime security challenges and explored potential avenues for collaboration between CTF 150 and the upcoming RSNF Maritime Component Command to maintain security and stability in the region,” an official statement circulated by the naval headquarters in Islamabad said.
“Discussions focused on CTF 150’s ongoing operations aimed at disrupting illicit activities in the Arabian Sea and ensuring maritime security in the region,” it added.
The statement said Pakistani official and Saudi Arabia’s Commodore Othman Oqab Al Zahrani also reaffirmed the excellent relationship between the naval forces of their countries, emphasizing the necessity of working together to ensure greater maritime security.
The RSNF delegation also engaged with the entire Pakistan Navy team currently leading CTF 150 and exchanged views on viable options to counter contemporary maritime security challenges.
Commodore Malik assured the Saudi delegation that his team would continue to strengthen the efforts of the multinational task force to ensure robust security in the maritime domain of its responsibility. He also assured the visiting delegation Pakistan Navy’s commitment to working with other coalition navies.
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met Pakistan’s street child football team on Wednesday, which recently delivered an outstanding performance at a tournament in Norway, and promised to do everything possible to promote the sport in the country.
Football enjoys a significant fanbase in Pakistan, but it has often been overshadowed by the nation’s obsession with cricket. Efforts to uplift the national football team are gaining momentum, however, with its players facing veteran teams from Saudi Arabia and Tajikistan in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
The Pakistani street child football team also displayed a stellar performance in the Norway Cup 2024, advancing to the semifinals after remaining undefeated in its group stage matches.
“The players of the Pakistani street child football team are making the country proud worldwide,” the prime minister was quoted as saying in a statement released by his office after the meeting. “Your outstanding performance proves that Pakistani youth can exhibit their talents globally if they have the opportunity.”
“We will take every possible step for the development of football in Pakistan,” he added. “A comprehensive plan for the development of football in the country will soon be implemented.”
Pakistan’s street child football team is primarily composed of underprivileged children who have very limited resources.
These children come from marginalized backgrounds and face significant challenges, including lack of access to proper education, training facilities and basic necessities.
The team is promoted and supported by Muslim Hands, a UK-based non-profit organization that focuses on humanitarian aid, education, and poverty alleviation.
The prime minister also praised Muslim Hands for its initiative and assured the team of his government’s full support.
He also directed the relevant authorities to fully restore departmental sports on a priority basis and to submit a report.
PESHAWAR/QUETTA: Two suspected militant attacks in Pakistan’s volatile western provinces on Wednesday resulted in the killing of a polio worker and an accompanying policeman by unidentified gunmen, while five others were injured in a grenade explosion.
Pakistan has experienced a surge in militant violence, particularly in the restive provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan, where the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Baloch separatist insurgents have frequently launched attacks against civilians and security forces.
Amid this rise in violence, Pakistan has intensified its nationwide polio vaccination campaign after 17 cases of the disease were reported this year.
While no group has claimed responsibility for the latest attacks, TTP militants have previously targeted polio vaccination teams in KP, and Baloch separatists have used hand grenades in past assaults.
“The attack on the polio vaccination team happened at 12 PM in the Malasaid area of Salarzai tehsil in Bajaur district,” Muhammad Israr, a police spokesperson in the area, told Arab News. “One polio worker and a policeman were killed when they were going from door to door to administer vaccine to children.”
This was the second attack on a polio team in KP within the last two days. On September 9, a police vehicle escorting vaccination workers was targeted by an improvised explosive device in South Waziristan district, injuring at least 13 people.
Prior to that, in July, two policemen protecting polio vaccination teams were injured in separate incidents by unknown militants in Tank and Dera Ismail Khan districts in northwest Pakistan.
Similarly, in January, five policemen were killed and 22 others injured in a blast targeting a polio team in the Mamund region of Bajaur district.
Israr said the police were continuing their investigation into the latest attack, adding the funeral prayers for the policeman killed today had been offered at the Khar Police Station. GRENADE ATTACK
Meanwhile, at least five people were injured in Balochistan’s Turbat district after unidentified men attacked civilians standing outside a bank with a hand grenade.
The province has long grappled with a separatist insurgency, with Baloch militants accusing the central government of exploiting its mineral and gas resources. The Pakistani state denies these allegations, asserting it is working to uplift the region through development initiatives.
Last month, the Baloch Liberation Army, a militant armed faction, launched coordinated attacks in different parts of the province, resulting in over 50 deaths.
The Station House Officer in Turbat, Muhammad Hussain Baloch, told Arab News that the latest grenade attack occurred in front of the state-run National Bank of Pakistan.
“Five people were injured in the attack,” he said. “The police have initiated an investigation to determine the motive behind the attack.”
“When the attack occurred, there was no movement of security forces in the area. Only civilians standing outside the bank were injured,” he added.
KARACHI: Pakistani health authorities confirmed a fifth case of the mpox virus in the country on Wednesday, identifying the patient as a resident of the northwestern district of Lower Dir who had been isolated at home after displaying symptoms of the disease and testing positively for it.
The World Health Organization has declared a global health emergency over the spread of a new mutated strain of mpox named clade I, which first emerged in the Democratic Republic of Congo and has since spread to several countries, leading to increased monitoring and preventive measures worldwide.
Since it confirmed its first mpox case last month, Pakistan has implemented stringent screening protocols at all airports and border entry points.
“The fifth case of mpox reported in Pakistan,” the health ministry spokesperson in a statement said on Wednesday. “The citizen belongs to Lower Dir and has travel history from Gulf countries.”
The statement said the patient was referred for testing by the health department of the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province based on symptoms he displayed during screening at the airport. He was now isolating at home, the ministry said.
Dr. Mukhtar Bhart, the Prime Minister’s Coordinator for Health, said the federal ministry of health was working closely with provincial authorities to monitor new cases.
Patients who contract mpox get flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions. Mpox is usually mild but can kill, and children, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems are at higher risk of complications from the infection.
Earlier this week, health authorities had declared Pakistan’s KP province mpox-free after all four patients previously infected with the virus recovered.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Assembly on Wednesday unanimously adopted a resolution to constitute a 16-member committee to resolve issues related to the house, days after the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party said several of its lawmakers had been arrested from inside the parliament building.
Pakistani police arrested several MPs belonging to ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party in late night raids on Monday and early Tuesday after it held a rally in the capital on Sunday to demand his release. The PTI says a number of the MPs were detained while they were inside the parliament building. National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq on Tuesday opened an inquiry into the arrests as under Pakistani law, lawmakers cannot be arrested from within the precincts of parliament without the speaker’s permission.
On Wednesday, the PTI announced its lawmakers would boycott parliament sessions until it was “satisfied” with the results of the investigation into the arrests.
“The House adopts motion stating , ‘Special Committee may be constituted by the Honourable Speaker, comprising sixteen members of the National Assembly from Treasury and Opposition Benches and the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs to discuss, analyze and firm up recommendations regarding issues related to the Parliament, Parliamentarians, Constitution, Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly, 2007, and smooth functioning of the Parliament,” the National Assembly said on X.
The House adopts motion stating , "Special Committee may be constituted by the Honourable Speaker, comprising sixteen members of the National Assembly from Treasury and Opposition Benches and the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs to discuss, analyze and firm up recommendations… pic.twitter.com/9IBBjhlrSD
The motion was moved by Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar.
Earlier, while addressing the house, Tarar rejected the PTI’s claims that its MPs detained on Monday night had been taken into custody from inside the National Assembly building.
Sunday’s PTI rally was mostly peaceful, but there were clashes between police and some PTI supporters en route to the rally venue, in which one police officer was injured. The rally also went on longer than the 7pm deadline given by the district administration, a violation under the recently passed Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Act, 2024, which allows authorities to set time limits for public gatherings and designate special areas to hold them. The Islamabad administration had allowed the PTI to hold Sunday’s rally from 4pm till 7pm but the gathering went on until nearly 11pm.
Police have said the PTI MPs have been detained over violations of the new law.
“Some videos have come into your [Speaker’s] notice, some evidence has been brought forward that no one was picked up from inside the House,” Tarar, the federal government’s spokesperson, told parliament on Wednesday.
PTI leaders rejected Tarar’s statement, with Chairman Gohar saying masked men had used walkie-talkies to communicate the movements of PTI party leaders inside parliament before detaining them and escorting them to the main gate.
“Masked men came [inside], they opened all the doors. Who had the keys to open the doors? Who switched off the lights?” Gohar, who was arrested on Monday night but released on Tuesday, said.
He said the PTI would boycott parliamentary sessions until it was “satisfied” with the results of an inquiry into the arrests.
“We will not even come to your committees. This is our protest.”
Gohar also requested the house that the arrested PTI MNAs be produced in the ongoing session of the National Assembly today, Wednesday:
“This was your order and is the minimum you should do.”
“CRACKDOWN”
The PTI says it has faced an over year-long crackdown since protesters allegedly linked to the party attacked and damaged government and military installations on May 9, 2023, after Khan’s brief arrest that 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.
The party says it was not allowed to campaign freely ahead of the Feb. 9 general election, a vote marred by a mobile Internet shutdown on election day and unusually delayed results, leading to accusations that it was rigged and drawing concern from rights groups and foreign governments.
The PTI says it won the most seats, but its mandate was “stolen” by PM Shebaz Sharif’s coalition government which formed the government with the backing of the all-powerful military. Both deny the claim.
Khan, jailed 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. Since his removal, Khan and his party have waged an unprecedented campaign of defiance against the military and now the PTI is aiming to mobilize the public through public rallies to call for their leader’s release from jail in “politically motivated” cases.
The ex-PM faces a slew of legal charges and was convicted in four cases since he was first taken into custody, all of which have been either suspended or overturned by the courts. He remains in jail, however, on new charges brought by Pakistan’s national accountability watchdog regarding the illegal sale of gifts from a state repository while Khan was prime minister from 2018 to 2022.
