Bangladesh continues curfew as students await official notice on government job reforms

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Updated 22 July 2024
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Bangladesh continues curfew as students await official notice on government job reforms

Bangladesh continues curfew as students await official notice on government job reforms
  • Bangladesh internet connection has been cut off since Thursday night
  • Main student group says not all of their demands have been met 

DHAKA: Bangladesh remains under curfew and a widespread communications blackout on Monday, a day after the Supreme Court scaled back a controversial job-quota system following deadly clashes that have killed more than 100 people over the past week. 

University students have been demonstrating since the beginning of this month to demand a reformation of the quota system that reserved 30 percent of government jobs for relatives of veterans who fought in Bangladesh’s 1971 liberation war. 

The peaceful protests turned violent last week, with clashes between student protesters and security forces killing 174 people and injuring thousands, according to a count by Bengali daily Prothom Alo, which reported over a dozen deaths on Sunday alone. 

Bangladesh was still under curfew for a third day on Monday, with military personnel patrolling the capital and other areas, while internet connection remained suspended across the country since it was disrupted from Thursday night. 

“Everything is in order today across the country, except a few separate incidents in Dhaka, Narayanganj and Narsingdi,” Biplab Barua, special assistant to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, told Arab News. 

“We hope that in the next 48 hours, the situation will take a better look, and the country will go for normal operations. We are expecting to restore the broadband Internet services tonight (Monday). As soon as the situation takes a normal look, the length of curfew hours will be eased.” 

On Sunday, the Supreme Court ordered for the quota reserved for relatives of veterans to be cut to 5 percent and for 93 percent of jobs to be allocated on merit, while the remaining 2 percent will be reserved for members of ethnic minorities and people with disabilities. 

Bangladesh’s top court was ruling on an appeal. The government had abolished the quotas following student protests in 2018 but they were reinstated by the High Court in June, setting off a fresh round of demonstrations. 

“Our students are not responsible for the anarchy and atrocities on the streets. It’s the opposition parties … which hijacked the movement from the students,” Barua said. 

“Students’ demands have been fulfilled by the court, and the government will issue a circular by Tuesday regarding the quota system in the government job.” 

Students Against Discrimination, the main protest organizing group, said on Monday that some of their demands are still unmet, including the reopening of universities as well as investigations into the deadly crackdown. 

Student protesters are also waiting for the government to issue an official notification on the Supreme Court decision. 

“Since the curfew is underway, we are not on the streets at the moment. It will endanger the lives of our students,” Sarjis Alam, a protest coordinator with Students Against Discrimination, told Arab News.  

“At the moment, we are waiting to see the government circular on the quota system … We demanded reformation of quota systems in all grades of government jobs … It’s very important to us,” he said. “(After) seeing the government’s circular, we can comment whether our demands were addressed or not.” 


Minerals to be ‘real game changer’ for Pakistan’s economy— finance minister

Minerals to be ‘real game changer’ for Pakistan’s economy— finance minister
Updated 8 min 44 sec ago
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Minerals to be ‘real game changer’ for Pakistan’s economy— finance minister

Minerals to be ‘real game changer’ for Pakistan’s economy— finance minister
  • Pakistan hosted minerals investment forum on Apr.8-9 to attract international investment in the sector 
  • Muhammad Aurangzeb urges all economic sectors to export to earn Pakistan valuable foreign exchange

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said on Saturday that the country’s minerals sector would prove to be the “real game changer” for the national economy in the years to come, reiterating the government’s ambitions to ensure export-led growth.

His comments came following the Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum 2025 hosted by the government in Islamabad in collaboration with its partners from Apr. 8-9. The summit was aimed at attracting foreign investment in the country’s mining sector and saw participation from major international companies including Canada-based Barrick Gold and government officials from the United States, Saudi Arabia, China, Turkiye, the United Kingdom, Azerbaijan and others.

Pakistan is home to one of the world’s largest porphyry copper-gold mineral zones, while the Reko Diq mine in southwestern Balochistan province has an estimated 5.9 billion tons of ore. Barrick Gold, which owns a 50 percent stake in the Reko Diq mines, considers them one of the world’s largest underdeveloped copper-gold areas, and their development is expected to have a significant impact on Pakistan’s struggling economy.

But despite rich reserves of salt, copper, gold and coal, Pakistan’s mineral sector contributes only 3.2 percent to GDP and 0.1 percent to global exports. The country is now aiming to tap into this underutilized potential.

“So, 2028 onwards when we talk about whether we have an exportable surplus or not, from traditional sectors textile is going to remain absolutely critical for us as we go forward,” Aurangzeb said while speaking to members of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce. 

“IT services [also] as we go forward and minerals, as we go forward,” he added. “This [minerals sector] is going to be the game changer, the real game changer.”

Aurangzeb said the minerals summit hosted by Pakistan was reflective of the country’s economy heading in the right direction. 

He said around 300-400 delegates from several countries attended the conference with a keen interest in investing in Pakistan’s minerals. 

“These are all manifestations that we have to take this forward,” the minister said. 

Reiterating the government’s resolve to ensure export-led growth in the economy, Aurangzeb called upon all economic sectors to export their products to earn Pakistan valuable foreign exchange. 

“Every single sector has to export,” he said. “No one has taken the responsibility that only textile has to export or any other has to.”

The finance minister noted that Pakistan’s auto manufacturers have started exporting their products, saying there were markets for Pakistani exporters in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and African countries.


Gazans struggle to find water as clean sources become increasingly scarce

Gazans struggle to find water as clean sources become increasingly scarce
Updated 11 min 12 sec ago
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Gazans struggle to find water as clean sources become increasingly scarce

Gazans struggle to find water as clean sources become increasingly scarce
  • Many residents across the enclave queue for hours to get one water fill, which usually is not enough for their daily needs
  • The Gaza Strip’s only natural source of water is the Coastal Aquifer Basin, which runs along the eastern Mediterranean coast from the northern Sinai Peninsula in Egypt, through Gaza and into Israel

GAZA/CAIRO: Hundreds of thousands of Gaza City residents have lost their main source of clean water in the past week after supplies from Israel’s water utility were cut by the Israeli army’s renewed offensive, municipal authorities in the territory said.
Many now have to walk, sometimes for miles, to get a small water fill after the Israeli military’s bombardment and ground offensive in Gaza City’s eastern Shejaia neighborhood, in the north of the Strip, damaged the pipeline operated by state-owned Mekorot.
“Since morning, I have been waiting for water,” said 42-year-old Gaza woman Faten Nassar. “There are no stations and no trucks coming. There is no water. The crossings are closed. God willing, the war will end safely and peacefully.”
Israel’s military said in a statement it was in contact with the relevant organizations to coordinate the repair of what it called a malfunction of the northern pipeline as soon as possible.
It said a second pipeline supplying southern Gaza was still operating, adding that the water supply system “is based on various water sources, including wells and local desalination facilities distributed throughout the Gaza Strip.”
Israel ordered Shejaia residents to evacuate last week as it launched an offensive that has seen several districts bombed. The military has said previously it was operating against “terror infrastructure” and had killed a senior militant leader.
The northern pipeline had been supplying 70 percent of Gaza City’s water since the destruction of most of its wells during the war, municipal authorities say.
“The situation is very difficult and things are getting more complicated, especially when it comes to people’s daily lives and their daily water needs, whether for cleaning, disinfecting, and even cooking and drinking,” said Husni Mhana, the municipality’s spokesperson.
“We are now living in a real thirst crisis in Gaza City, and we could face a difficult reality in the coming days if the situation remains the same.”
Worsening water crisis
Most of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have become internally displaced by the war, with many making daily trips on foot to fill plastic containers with water from the few wells still functioning in remoter areas — and even these do not guarantee clean supplies.
Water for drinking, cooking and washing has increasingly become a luxury for Gaza residents following the start of the war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, whose fighters carried out the deadliest attack in decades on Israel in October 2023, killing 1,200 people in southern Israel and taking some 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
Since then, more than 50,800 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s military campaign, Palestinian authorities have said.
Many residents across the enclave queue for hours to get one water fill, which usually is not enough for their daily needs.
“I walk long distances. I get tired. I am old, I’m not young to walk around every day to get water,” said 64-year-old Adel Al-Hourani.
The Gaza Strip’s only natural source of water is the Coastal Aquifer Basin, which runs along the eastern Mediterranean coast from the northern Sinai Peninsula in Egypt, through Gaza and into Israel.
But its salty tap water is severely depleted, with up to 97 percent deemed unfit for human consumption due to salinity, over-extraction and pollution.
The Palestinian Water Authority stated that most of its wells had been rendered inoperable during the war.
On March 22, a joint statement by the Palestinian Bureau of Statistics and the Water Authority said more than 85 percent of water and sanitation facilities and assets in Gaza were completely or partially out of service.
Palestinian and United Nations officials said most of Gaza’s desalination plants were either damaged or had stopped operations because of Israel’s power and fuel cuts.
“Due to the extensive damage incurred by the water and sanitation sector, water supply rates have declined to an average of 3-5 liters per person per day,” the statement said.
That was far below the minimum 15 liters per person per day requirement for survival in emergencies, according to the World Health Organization indicators, it added.


Pakistan skipper Rizwan says ‘not ashamed’ he can’t speak English fluently

Pakistan skipper Rizwan says ‘not ashamed’ he can’t speak English fluently
Updated 34 min 53 sec ago
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Pakistan skipper Rizwan says ‘not ashamed’ he can’t speak English fluently

Pakistan skipper Rizwan says ‘not ashamed’ he can’t speak English fluently
  • Fans frequently poke fun at Mohammad Rizwan for his inability to speak English fluently during post-match conferences
  • Pakistani captain says nation demands cricketing achievements from him rather than ability to speak English fluently

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s ODI skipper Mohammad Rizwan said this week that he was “not ashamed” of his inability to speak English fluently, adding that only his ability to perform as a cricketer mattered at the end of the day. 

Rizwan, like several other Pakistani professional cricketers, had to choose the sport over education to pursue it as a full-time career. Fans have poked fun in the past at iconic Pakistani cricketers such as Javed Miandad, Inzamam ul Haq, Saeed Ajmal and others for their inability to speak English fluently. 

Since being appointed captain last year, Rizwan’s interactions with the media have increased. This has put his inability to speak English fluently with reporters from around the world in the spotlight. Cricket fans have poked fun at Rizwan with memes on the Internet while others have criticized him for not opting for a translator when speaking to the press in English. 

“I am proud that whatever I say, I say it from the heart and I tell the truth,” Rizwan said while speaking to reporters at a press conference in Karachi on Friday.

“But I am not even one percent ashamed that I am a Pakistani and I can’t speak English,” he added. 

The Pakistan captain said he regretted not completing his education, admitting that he could not express himself properly due to it. Rizwan said he advises young cricketers to pursue education so that they can express themselves properly unlike him. 

“My Pakistan at this time is demanding cricket from me,” Rizwan said. “It is not demanding English. If it wants English, I will leave cricket to become a professor, learn it and then return. But I don’t have time for that.”

Rizwan, who leads the Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Multan Sultans, will be seen in action on Saturday against the Karachi Kings. 

The third match of the PSL 2025 is scheduled to kick off at 8:00 p.m. in the southern port city of Karachi. 

Defending champions Islamabad United cruised to an eight-wicket win over Lahore Qalandars in Rawalpindi in the PSL opener on Friday night.


Iran delegation in Oman for high-stakes nuclear talks with US

Iran delegation in Oman for high-stakes nuclear talks with US
Updated 13 min 11 sec ago
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Iran delegation in Oman for high-stakes nuclear talks with US

Iran delegation in Oman for high-stakes nuclear talks with US
  • Iranian state TV said that after his delegation arrived in Muscat on Saturday morning Araghchi met with Omani officials
  • Trump had made a surprise announcement last Monday that the talks would take place

Muscat: The United States and Iran begin high-stakes talks on Tehran’s nuclear program on Saturday, with President Donald Trump threatening military action should they fail to produce a new deal.
They will be the highest-level discussions between the foes since an international agreement on Iran’s nuclear program crumbled after Trump pulled out in 2018 during his first term in office.
Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi are set to lead the discussions behind closed doors in Muscat, the capital of Oman, which has long played a mediating role between Iran and Western countries.
Iranian state TV said that after his delegation arrived in Muscat on Saturday morning Araghchi met with Omani officials.

Iran seeks 'fair' deal with US in nuclear talks

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Saturday his country seeks a “fair and honorable” deal with the United States, hours before the start of talks between the two sides.
“Our intention is to reach a fair and honorable agreement from an equal position, and if the other side also comes from the same position, then hopefully there will be a chance for an initial understanding that will lead to a path of negotiations,” he said, according to a video posted by state TV before the talks on Iran’s nuclear program.
Hours before the talks were due to begin Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One: “I want Iran to be a wonderful, great, happy country. But they can’t have a nuclear weapon.”
Trump had made a surprise announcement last Monday that the talks would take place.
Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s adviser Ali Shamkhani said Tehran was “seeking a real and fair agreement,” adding that “important and implementable proposals are ready.”
If Washington showed goodwill, the path forward would be “smooth,” he said on social media platform X.
The format for the talks has not been confirmed, with the United States calling them direct talks but Iran insisting on an intermediary.
According to Iranian news agency Tasnim, the delegations will start indirect negotiations after a meeting with Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi.
The talks are expected to begin in the afternoon with Busaidi as intermediary, Tasnim added.
Trump announced the talks during a White House press appearance with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, Iran’s arch foe.
'Red line'
The contact between the two sides, which have not had diplomatic relations for decades, follows repeated threats of military action by both the United States and Israel.
“If it requires military, we’re going to have military,” Trump said on Wednesday when asked what would happen if the talks fail to produce a deal.
Responding to Trump’s threat, Tehran said it could expel United Nations nuclear inspectors, a move that Washington warned would be an “escalation.”
Iran, weighed down by years of sanctions and weakened by Israel’s pummelling of its allies Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza, has strong incentives to negotiate.
The United States wants to stop Iran from ever getting close to developing a nuclear bomb.
The 2015 deal which Trump withdrew from aimed to render it practically impossible for Iran to build an atomic bomb, while at the same time allowing it to pursue a civil nuclear program.
Britain, China, France, Russia and Germany were the other parties to the agreement, of which Araghchi was a key architect.
Witkoff told The Wall Street Journal that “our position today” starts with demanding that Iran completely dismantle its nuclear program — a view held by hard-liners around Trump that few expect Iran would ever accept.
“That doesn’t mean, by the way, that at the margin we’re not going to find other ways to find compromise between the two countries,” Witkoff told the newspaper.
“Where our red line will be, there can’t be weaponization of your nuclear capability,” added Witkoff.
Iran, which insists its nuclear program is only for civilian purposes, stepped up its activities after Trump abandoned the 2015 agreement.
The latest International Atomic Energy Agency report noted with “serious concern” that Iran had an estimated 274.8 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent, nearing the weapons grade of 90 percent.
'Survival of the regime'
Karim Bitar, a Middle East Studies lecturer at Sciences Po university in Paris, said negotiations “will not focus exclusively on... the nuclear program.”
“The deal would have to include Iran stopping its support to its regional allies,” a long-standing demand by US allies in the Gulf, he said.
For Iran, it could be a matter of the government’s very survival.
“The one and only priority is the survival of the regime, and ideally, to get some oxygen, some sanctions relief, to get their economy going again, because the regime has become quite unpopular,” Bitar said.
Ali Vaez, of the International Crisis Group think-tank, said agreeing the scope of the talks would be “one of the first and most consequential issues.”
“Iran does not want an expanded agenda in the early stages. But no deal will be sustainable unless it becomes more comprehensive,” he said.
Iran is “likely to engage on steps to roll back its nuclear program, but not dismantle it entirely” in exchange for sanctions relief, Vaez added.


Pakistan says Zainebiyoun Brigade militant arrested in Karachi for involvement in sectarian attacks

Pakistan says Zainebiyoun Brigade militant arrested in Karachi for involvement in sectarian attacks
Updated 12 April 2025
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Pakistan says Zainebiyoun Brigade militant arrested in Karachi for involvement in sectarian attacks

Pakistan says Zainebiyoun Brigade militant arrested in Karachi for involvement in sectarian attacks
  • CTD says suspect was directly and indirectly involved in sectarian activities funded by Zainebiyoun Brigade
  • Pakistan’s interior ministry designated Zainebiyoun Brigade as a “terrorist” organization in March 2024

KARACHI: The Counterterrorism Department (CTD) in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province said on Saturday it had arrested a key member of the Iran-backed Zainebiyoun Brigade outfit in Karachi, accusing him of being involved in sectarian attacks in the city. 

Pakistani authorities have arrested several militants affiliated with the Zainebiyoun Brigade in recent years, notably in the country’s commercial hub of Karachi. The city has been a significant recruitment hub for the militant outfit, along with three other regions – Parachinar, Quetta and Gilgit Baltistan.

Pakistan’s interior ministry designated Zainebiyoun Brigade as a “terrorist” organization in March 2024, saying it had reasons to believe the outfit was engaged in certain activities “prejudicial to the peace and security of the country.”

The CTD said in its press release that Syed Muhammad Musa Rizvi, alias Kamran, was arrested from the city’s Soldier Bazaar area, adding that the accused had been in hiding for fear of being arrested.

“The suspect is an important member of the Zainebiyoun Brigade and has been directly and indirectly involved in various sectarian activities that have been regularly funded by the organization,” the CTD said. 

It said Rizvi had confessed to carrying out a sectarian attack in Karachi’s Taimuria area on Sept. 5, 2023, which had resulted in the killing of a person named Qari Khurram and injuries to two others. 

The CTD said Rizvi also confessed to killing a person named Sher Khan on Sep. 20, 2023, in Karachi’s Mobina Town with his accomplices and another named Jannat Gul on Nov. 26, 2023, in the city’s Sachal area. 

It said that Rizvi confessed that on Nov. 13, 2024, that he played the role of a facilitator in the killing of a person named Syed Abu Hashim in Karachi’s Samanabad area.

It said that the suspect was being investigated for terror financing and other cases based on which he had been arrested. 

“The investigation of the accused is going on and more revelations are expected,” the CTD said. 

In January 2024, Sindh CTD said it had apprehended Syed Muhammad Mehdi, a suspected militant associated with the Zainebiyoun Brigade who had been involved in an assassination attempt on Mufti Taqi Usmani, a top Pakistani cleric, in Karachi in 2019. The attack had killed two of Mufti Usmani’s guards.

In July 2022, then Pakistan interior minister Rana Sanaullah Khan told the Senate that Zainebiyoun Brigade members were among the militants “found actively involved in terrorist activities” in the country in 2019-2021.