Pakistan government to resume talks with protesters today amid weeks-long anti-inflation sit-in

Pakistan government to resume talks with protesters today amid weeks-long anti-inflation sit-in
Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar addresses a press conference in Islamabad, Pakistan on May 2, 2024. (PID/File)
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Updated 07 August 2024
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Pakistan government to resume talks with protesters today amid weeks-long anti-inflation sit-in

Pakistan government to resume talks with protesters today amid weeks-long anti-inflation sit-in
  • Around 3,000 supporters of the Jamaat-e-Islami have occupied a road in the garrison city of Rawalpindi since July 26
  • Several rounds of talks have been held between government and protest leaders but there has been no breakthrough so far

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information Attaullah Tarar has said the government will resume talks today, Wednesday, with the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) religious political party, whose followers have been camped near the Pakistani capital for nearly two weeks against new taxes and inflation, particularly skyrocketing power bills.

Around 3,000 supporters of the JI, demanding that the government withdraw taxes on electricity to offset price hikes, have occupied a road in the garrison city of Rawalpindi since July 26, after being prevented by police from heading to the capital, Islamabad.

Several rounds of talks have been held between a government negotiating team and protest leaders but there has been no breakthrough so far.

“The government team had a productive discussion with the JI which would bring positive outcomes,” Tarar told media on Tuesday night, saying talks would resume on Wednesday. 

The JI negotiating team is led by Liaquat Baloch, the party’s Naib Amir, while the government team comprises Minister for Interior Mohsin Naqvi, Minister for Information Tarar, Minister for Kashmir Affairs and States and Frontier Regions Amir Muqam, Minister for Energy Awais Leghari, the Prime Minister’s Media Coordinator Badar Shahbaz and Senior Leader of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudhry.

The government raised power prices 26 percent during the last fiscal year, which ended June 30, before tacking on another 20 percent increase on July 13. Officials say the increases were needed to meet conditions set by the International Monetary Fund for a $7 billion loan deal reached last month.

The government has also added a confusing bevy of taxes on top of the base price, adding up to a bill that has more than doubled for some Pakistanis.

On Wednesday, the JI announced a series of protests starting with a march toward Islamabad tomorrow, Thursday, from Rawalpindi’s Liaquat Bagh. A sit-in is planned for Lahore on August 11 and another in Peshawar on August 12, followed by a nationwide shutdown call after August 14, which is the country’s Independence Day.


Who are Pakistan’s ethnic militants behind attack near Karachi airport?

Who are Pakistan’s ethnic militants behind attack near Karachi airport?
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Who are Pakistan’s ethnic militants behind attack near Karachi airport?

Who are Pakistan’s ethnic militants behind attack near Karachi airport?
  • Separatist militant group the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the attack, which they said had targeted Chinese nationals
  • The BLA specifically targets Chinese interests, in particular Gwadar port on Arabian Sea, accusing Beijing of helping Islamabad exploit Balochistan

ISLAMABAD: Two Chinese nationals were killed in an explosion near the international airport of the southern Pakistani city of Karachi on Sunday night, the Chinese embassy in Pakistan said, in what it described as a “terrorist attack.”
Separatist militant group the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the attack, which they said had targeted Chinese nationals, including engineers. Here are some facts about the group, which has specifically targeted Chinese interests in the past.
WHAT ARE THE BLA’S GOALS?
The BLA seeks independence for Balochistan, a province located in Pakistan’s southwest and bordering on Afghanistan to the north and Iran to the west. It is the biggest of several ethnic insurgent groups that have battled the federal government for decades, saying it unfairly exploits Balochistan’s rich gas and mineral resources.
Balochistan is home to key mining projects, including Reko Diq, run by mining giant Barrick Gold and believed to be one of the world’s largest gold and copper mines. China also operates a gold and copper mine in the province.
WHAT ARE THE BLA’S TARGETS?
The BLA often targets key infrastructure projects and security posts in Balochistan, but has also launched attacks in other areas — most notably in Karachi, where a convoy from the Port Qasim Electric Power Company was attacked near the airport on Sunday.
In August, the BLA launched several coordinated attacks in Balochistan, killing more than 70 people.
The BLA specifically targets Chinese interests, in particular the strategic port of Gwadar on the Arabian Sea, accusing Beijing of helping Islamabad to exploit the province.
It has previously killed Chinese citizens working in the region and attacked Beijing’s consulate in Karachi. The BLA showed its muscle when it stormed army and naval bases in 2022, and has expanded its traditional use of guerrilla gunmen to include women suicide bombers, as seen in an attack on Chinese nationals on a university campus in Karachi, also in 2022. The group has also targeted both military and Chinese officials, including launching an attack on Gwadar in March. The BLA, separately, was also at the center of tit-for-tat strikes earlier this year between Iran and Pakistan over what they called militant bases on each other’s territory, which brought the two neighbors close to war.
THE ATTACK’S SIGNIFICANCE
Pakistan is preparing to host the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in the capital Islamabad next week, which authorities have vowed to secure, as high-level Chinese representation is expected, as well as the first visit to the country by an Indian foreign minister in a decade.
Beijing and Islamabad are working together in the aftermath of Sunday’s attack, with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif saying that the country would “leave no stone unturned” to ensure the security and well-being of its “Chinese friends.”
Balochistan is an important part of China’s $65 billion investment in the China Pakistan Economic Corridor, a wing of President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road initiative.
The decades-old insurgency has continued to keep the province of some 15 million people unstable and created security concerns around Pakistan’s plans to access untapped resources under Balochistan’s desert and mountainous terrain. It is Pakistan’s largest province by size, but the smallest by population and strategically located.
Balochistan also has a long Arabian Sea coastline in the south, not far from the Gulf’s Strait of Hormuz oil shipping lane. Hundreds of Balochs, many of them women, have protested in Islamabad and in Balochistan recently over alleged abuses by security forces — accusations the Pakistani government denies.
 


Pakistan says security of foreign dignitaries ‘top priority’ ahead of SCO summit 

Pakistan says security of foreign dignitaries ‘top priority’ ahead of SCO summit 
Updated 07 October 2024
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Pakistan says security of foreign dignitaries ‘top priority’ ahead of SCO summit 

Pakistan says security of foreign dignitaries ‘top priority’ ahead of SCO summit 
  • The inter-governmental Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit is scheduled to be held in Islamabad on Oct. 15-16
  • Security fears have surged after three people, including two Chinese nationals, were killed in a Karachi blast on Sunday

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson said on Monday that the security of high-level foreign dignitaries expected to arrive in Islamabad for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit next week is a “top priority” for the government, as the South Asian country deals with a surge in militant attacks in the country. 

The foreign office spokesperson’s comments came a day after three people, including two Chinese nationals, were killed and 10 were injured in a blast near Karachi airport on Sunday night. The attack was claimed by the separatist Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), which said it used a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device to target the Chinese nationals.

Pakistan, the current chair of the SCO Council of Heads of Government, will host the summit in Islamabad from Oct. 15-16 which is expected to feature participation from senior dignitaries from China, India and Russia. To bolster security ahead of the summit, Pakistan’s government has deployed the army in the capital till Oct. 17. 

“With regards to the security around the conference that is a top priority of the government of Pakistan and measures are being taken to ensure the safety and security of all guests to come to Pakistan for the SCO Heads of Government meeting,” Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch told reporters during a media briefing.

“We are ready to welcome all our distinguished guests and to make their visit and stay in Pakistan as comfortable as possible.”

Last week also saw clashes between police and former prime minister Imran Khan’s supporters in the Pakistani capital. Hundreds of Khan supporters arrived in Islamabad on Friday to protest against the government’s proposed constitutional amendments that his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party says are aimed at curtailing the independence of the judiciary. The government denies the allegations. 

One constable was killed while 31 other cops were injured in clashes between Khan supporters and Islamabad Police over the weekend, while police said they arrested over 900 “miscreants” involved in the violent protests. 

Baloch said Pakistan was expecting senior diplomats from member states to attend the summit, including representatives from the observer state of Mongolia and special guest Turkmenistan. The spokesperson said representatives of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), the Commonwealth of Independent States and the European Economic Community were also expected to attend the high-level summit. 

“The SCO meeting will discuss cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, environment, socio-cultural linkages, as well as reviewing the performance of the organization,” she said. Baloch said the world leaders present at the summit would adopt organizational decisions to further enhance cooperation among member states and improve the inter-governmental body’s budget. 

Baloch spoke about the Oct. 4 Moscow Format consultations on Afghanistan, saying that Pakistan and other participating countries expressed deep concern over the country’s security situation. 

“The Moscow Format countries noted the continued threat posed by terrorist and separatist groups to global and regional stability,” she said. 

Baloch said Pakistan was led in the consultations by additional foreign secretary of Afghanistan and West Asia, Ambassador Ahmed Naseem Waraich. 

“They [Moscow format countries] emphasized the need for Afghanistan to take comprehensive measures to combat terrorism and prevent its territory from being used against neighboring countries and the wider region,” she said.


High-level Saudi delegation to visit Pakistan from Oct. 9-11 amid Islamabad’s investment push 

High-level Saudi delegation to visit Pakistan from Oct. 9-11 amid Islamabad’s investment push 
Updated 07 October 2024
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High-level Saudi delegation to visit Pakistan from Oct. 9-11 amid Islamabad’s investment push 

High-level Saudi delegation to visit Pakistan from Oct. 9-11 amid Islamabad’s investment push 
  • Saudi delegation’s visit aims to enhance bilateral cooperation, “mutually rewarding economic partnership,” says foreign office
  • Condemns Israel’s “war crimes” in Middle East, urges world powers to impose an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza

KARACHI: Saudi Arabia’s Investment Minister Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al-Falih will visit Pakistan with a high-level delegation from Oct. 9-11, Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson said on Monday, stressing that the visit would aim to enhance bilateral cooperation and economic partnership between the two allies. 

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have been closely working in recent months to increase bilateral trade and investment deals, with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reaffirming the Kingdom’s commitment to expedite an investment package of $5 billion to the South Asian country earlier this year. 

Pakistan has increasingly engaged with regional partners, especially Saudi Arabia and its allies in the Middle East, for mutually rewarding economic ties and partnerships. Islamabad sees lucrative foreign trade and investment deals as its key to escape a prolonged economic crisis that has drained its resources, triggered high inflation and weakened its currency. 

“A high-level Saudi delegation led by Minister for Investment Engineer Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al-Falih will visit Pakistan from 9th to 11th of October 2024,” Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson, told reporters at a press briefing. She said Al-Falih’s delegation will comprise people from Saudi Arabia’s government agencies and private sector, which will meet Pakistan’s prime minister and president during the visit. 

“This visit is aimed at lending positive impetus to enhanced bilateral cooperation and mutually rewarding economic partnership,” she added. 

Separately, Baloch paid tribute to the 42,000 people killed by Israeli armed forces since its war on Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023. She said Pakistan remains “deeply concerned” about the people of Gaza and Palestine as they suffer starvation and genocide. 

“The past year has seen Israel’s indiscriminate and horrifying attacks on civilian targets, including hospitals, schools, and shelters,” she noted. 

The foreign office spokesperson called on the United Nations Security Council to act decisively and impose an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, calling for Israel to be held accountable for its “war crimes” in the Middle East. 

Baloch criticized Israel’s foreign minister’s statement banning UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres from entering Israel, saying Islamabad condemns measures that hinder the functioning of the UN and its agencies in occupied Palestine. 

“And in that respect, we urge the international community to take measures to protect that role of the United Nations,” she said. “We also welcome the decision by the UN Security Council condemning the latest measure regarding the UN Secretary-General by the Israeli occupation authorities.”


Party to file plea against ban on meeting ex-PM Khan, wife in prison until Oct. 18

Party to file plea against ban on meeting ex-PM Khan, wife in prison until Oct. 18
Updated 07 October 2024
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Party to file plea against ban on meeting ex-PM Khan, wife in prison until Oct. 18

Party to file plea against ban on meeting ex-PM Khan, wife in prison until Oct. 18
  • Pakistan is expected to host foreign dignitaries in Islamabad from Oct. 15-16 for SCO summit 
  • Khan’s party has called on supporters to continue anti-government protests in the capital

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party said on Monday it would appeal the Punjab government’s decision to ban meetings with him and his wife in prison until Oct. 18 citing security reasons, saying that seeking legal consultation was the incarcerated former premier’s right. 

The government’s decision to ban prisoner visits until Oct. 18 in Rawalpindi’s central prison, where Khan and his wife are incarcerated, takes place after the PTI urged supporters to continue anti-government protests in the capital. PTI supporters arrived in Islamabad and tried to congregate at the D-Chowk square on Friday to press for Khan’s release and agitate against the ruling coalition, which the party says is planning to pass constitutional amendments to curtail the independence of the judiciary. The government denies it aims to suppress the judiciary. One police constable was killed while 31 cops were injured in clashes between the two sides over the weekend. 

Pakistan has bolstered security in the capital, as it gears up to host the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Islamabad on Oct. 15 and 16 in which several high-profile foreign dignitaries are expected to participate from member states. The government has already deployed the army in Islamabad, whose top officials will oversee the city’s security until Oct. 17.

“Legal team is going to court, requesting lifting ban on meetings with Imran Khan & Bushra Bibi,” the PTI said in a statement, pointing out that Islamabad High Court (IHC) judge Sardar Ijaz had ordered authorities recently to allow prison meetings via video link. 

“Given the amount of cases the Former Prime Minister has to deal with, legal consultation is a given and, therefore should be provided,” the party concluded. 

The government had previously called on the PTI to delay any gathering until after diplomatic engagements in the city. Pakistan is also expecting a delegation from Saudi Arabia later this month and preparing for a visit by the Chinese premier.

Khan, the main rival of the coalition government led by PM Sharif, has been in prison for more than a year in connection with over 150 criminal cases. He remains a popular figure despite the cases, which critics and his party say are politically motivated. He was ousted in 2022 through a no-confidence vote in parliament and arrested in 2023 after a court handed him a three-year jail sentence in a graft case. Sharif came into power for his second term after the Feb. 8 vote which Khan says was rigged.

Sharif’s government says Khan’s party wants to weaken the country’s economy by staging violent protests despite the threat posed by the Pakistani Taliban and other militants, who have stepped up attacks in recent years. On Sunday, two Chinese nationals were killed in a separatist attack in the southern port city of Karachi. 
 


Islamabad rejects Afghanistan’s ‘unacceptable, frivolous’ statement on Pakistan’s political tensions

Islamabad rejects Afghanistan’s ‘unacceptable, frivolous’ statement on Pakistan’s political tensions
Updated 07 October 2024
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Islamabad rejects Afghanistan’s ‘unacceptable, frivolous’ statement on Pakistan’s political tensions

Islamabad rejects Afghanistan’s ‘unacceptable, frivolous’ statement on Pakistan’s political tensions
  • Afghanistan had expressed alarm at rising tensions between Pakistan’s government, opposition over weekend protests in Islamabad
  • Pakistan urges Afghanistan to focus on “fixing its own domestic problems” such as militancy and lack of rights for women and girls

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson on Monday rejected Afghanistan’s “unacceptable” and “frivolous” statement expressing alarm over rising political tensions in the country following protests in Islamabad last week, urging Kabul to focus on its domestic issues instead. 

Afghanistan’s foreign ministry expressed alarm on Sunday over the weekend protests by former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party in Islamabad. Hundreds of Khan supporters arrived in the capital on Friday to protest against the government’s proposed constitutional amendments and to demand his release from prison. All major routes leading to Islamabad were blocked with shipping containers while mobile phone services were suspended from Friday to Sunday afternoon as police clashed with Khan supporters. 

One police constable was killed while 31 other cops were injured during the clashes, police said, adding that they had rounded up over 870 protesters. Afghanistan’s foreign office expressed alarm over the rising tensions, saying that they could “adversely impact” the region. Kabul had urged Pakistan to address the “legitimate demands of the people” through negotiations and understanding. 

“Pakistan categorically rejects the frivolous statement made by spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan yesterday,” Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson, said in a statement. 

“The statement constitutes an unacceptable and deplorable interference in the domestic affairs of Pakistan.”

Baloch said that instead of lecturing Pakistan, Afghanistan should “focus on fixing its own domestic problems” which included granting women and girls the right to education rather than “curtailing their rights through misguided interpretation of religion.”

“The AIG should also deliver on the commitments given to the international community by denying space to terror groups which are seriously threatening peace and security in neighboring countries; and by preventing Afghanistan from becoming once again the center of global terrorism,” she added. 

Baloch said Islamabad remains committed to peace, dialogue and cooperation in the region. She said Pakistan expects all states, including Afghanistan, to adhere to “basic norms of responsible international conduct and interstate relations.”

Ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan have remained strained since the Afghan Taliban seized Kabul in August 2021. Pakistan has suffered a surge in militant attacks carried out by the Pakistani Taliban, or the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) outfit in its northwestern province bordering Afghanistan since November 2022. 

Pakistan blames Afghanistan for sheltering TTP militants and has urged Kabul to take decisive action against terror outfits it says use Afghan soil to launch attacks against Pakistan. Afghanistan rejects Pakistan’s allegations and has urged its neighboring country to resolve its security challenges domestically. 

Tensions between the two countries reached a head in March when Pakistan conducted airstrikes into Afghanistan on what it said were militant targets. Kabul said the airstrikes killed six civilians, warning Islamabad against conducting similar actions in future. 

Bilateral relations further soured last year when Islamabad blamed Afghan nationals for being involved in militant activities in Pakistan, before launching a deportation drive against undocumented immigrants in the country that affected mostly Afghan refugees in the country. Since last year, Pakistan has expelled over 700,000 Afghans from the country as part of the deportation drive.