Gunmen kill cop guarding polio vaccinators as Pakistan police protests against militancy grow

Gunmen kill cop guarding polio vaccinators as Pakistan police protests against militancy grow
Pakistan’s security personnel gather to protest around an ambulance carrying the body of a slain policeman who was killed along with a polio worker in an attack by gunmen, in Bannu on September 12, 2024. (AFP)
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Updated 12 September 2024
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Gunmen kill cop guarding polio vaccinators as Pakistan police protests against militancy grow

Gunmen kill cop guarding polio vaccinators as Pakistan police protests against militancy grow
  • Police sit-in against surge in militancy, assassinations of officers entered fourth day in Lakki Marwat
  • At least 77 policemen have been killed in ambushes and target killings in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2024

DERA ISMAIL KHAN: A sit-in by police in the Lakki Marwat district of the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province against a surge in militancy and the targeted assassinations of officers entered its fourth day on Thursday, with seven people killed in attacks in the region in the last 24 hours, police said.
Security officials, policemen and polio vaccinators were among the seven fatalities. In a latest attack in Bannu, a southern district in KP, unidentified gunmen opened fire on police guards escorting a polio vaccination team on Thursday morning, killing a policeman. 
Pakistan has seen a number of militant attacks in recent months, with most of them taking place in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where religiously motivated groups like the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) have stepped up assaults, daily targeting security forces convoys and check posts, and carrying out targeted killings and kidnappings of security and government officials.
At least 77 policemen have been killed in ambushes and target killings in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2024, according to police figures. 
“Unfortunately, another brave colleague, police officer Noor Alam Jan, lost his life in a targeted attack by unidentified gunmen when he was guarding a polio team this [Thursday] morning in Domail,” Matiullah Khan, a police officer with Bannu police, told Arab News. 
The killing comes a day after police in the Bajaur tribal district announced a boycott of polio security duties following the killing of a cop by unknown gunmen. 
Last week, 13 people were wounded when a roadside bomb targeted a police vehicle escorting an anti-polio team in Pakistan’s South Waziristan tribal district, officials said. 
On Tuesday this week, Bajaur police said a security official was killed and four were injured when their vehicle was hit by a planted bomb near the Niamat Khan village of the volatile district.
On Thursday, police officer Zabihullah Wazir said two laborers and a Frontier Corps paramilitary soldier were killed during an exchange of gunfire between security officials and suspected militants in Angoor Adda, an area bordering Afghanistan in Pakistan’s South Waziristan tribal district.
The Pakistan army has a heavy presence in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan, where it has been battling militants from the Al-Qaeda, Pakistani Taliban and other groups for nearly two decades.
There have been protests in several districts of KP since July, when Pakistan’s cabinet announced that a new military operation would be launched amid a surge in terror attacks across the country. People in the northwestern region have rejected plans for an armed operation and demand that civilian agencies like the provincial police and the counter-terrorism department be better equipped.
PROTESTS GROW
Police in Lakki Marwat have been staging a sit-in for the last four days after unidentified gunmen attacked a police van in the district, killing an officer. Two brothers of a serving police man in the district were separately gunned down. 
Police and local elders in Lakki Marwat are demanding the military’s complete withdrawal from KP and the transfer of power to civilian law enforcers to restore peace and stability in the region.
Lakki Marwat police spokesman Shahid Marwat told Arab News the protests had “gained momentum” on Thursday, with more and more people and policemen joining the protest camp and loudspeaker announcements asking businesses to remain shut. 
Marwat said police officials from other districts like Bannu were also arriving in Lakki Marwat to join the sit-in in solidarity with their colleagues. 
“Today, protesters closed down all main arteries linking Peshawar-Karachi and Lakki Marwat-Punjab on the Indus Highway,” he said. 
The sit-in by policemen has also been joined by representatives of civil society and political parties as well as tribal elders and members of the public, the spokesman added. 
KP government Spokesman Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif did not return phone calls and text messages on Thursday inquiring about the government’s plans to deal with the protests in Lakki Marwat. 
Islamabad says militants mainly associated with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban-e-Pakistan frequently launch attacks from hideouts in neighboring Afghanistan, targeting police and other security forces. 
Islamabad has even blamed Kabul’s Afghan Taliban rulers for facilitating anti-Pakistan militants. Kabul denies the charges. 
Ali Amin Gandapur, the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said this week he would hold direct talks with the rulers in Kabul to take action against Afghanistan-based militant groups.
“My [Khyber Pakhtunkhwa] police has lost trust, my people have lost trust, where are you [federal government, army] taking my youth, my people?” Gandapur said as he addressed a ceremony on Wednesday evening.
“I am saying let me send a representative to Afghanistan to talk to them. Afghanistan is our neighbor, we speak the same language, we have a longer than 1,200 km border. Let me talk to them that what is happening in Afghanistan.
“I announce here … I will talk to Afghanistan myself, I will talk to them as a province. I am telling you as the representative of this province, I will send an emissary and arrange a meeting, I will sit with them and talk and Inshallah I will solve this issue through talks.”
Islamabad says it has consistently taken up the issue of cross-border attacks with the Taliban administration. The issue has also led to clashes between the border forces of the two countries on multiple occasions in recent months, including on Sunday when security forces in Pakistan said they had killed eight Afghan Taliban fighters in a border clash following what Islamabad described as “unprovoked firing” on its checkpoints.


Demoralized Pakistan look to reverse fortunes in first Test against England today 

Demoralized Pakistan look to reverse fortunes in first Test against England today 
Updated 25 sec ago
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Demoralized Pakistan look to reverse fortunes in first Test against England today 

Demoralized Pakistan look to reverse fortunes in first Test against England today 
  • Pakistan have not won the last 10 Test matches at home, with their last victory taking place in February 2021 
  • Green shirts have included Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Aamer Jamal and Abrar Ahmed in playing XI

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
 


China says two nationals killed, one injured in ‘terrorist attack’ in southern Pakistan 

China says two nationals killed, one injured in ‘terrorist attack’ in southern Pakistan 
Updated 8 min 51 sec ago
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China says two nationals killed, one injured in ‘terrorist attack’ in southern Pakistan 

China says two nationals killed, one injured in ‘terrorist attack’ in southern Pakistan 
  • Chinese staff of Port Qasim Electric Power Company were attacked near Karachi airport, says Chinese Embassy in Pakistan
  • Separatist Balochistan Liberation Army, which specifically targets Chinese interests in Pakistan, claims responsibility for attack 

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.


Pakistan observes Palestine Solidarity Day today to mark one year of Israeli invasion

Pakistan observes Palestine Solidarity Day today to mark one year of Israeli invasion
Updated 07 October 2024
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Pakistan observes Palestine Solidarity Day today to mark one year of Israeli invasion

Pakistan observes Palestine Solidarity Day today to mark one year of Israeli invasion
  • Pakistan does not recognize nor have diplomatic relations with Israel and calls for an independent Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders
  • PM Shehbaz Sharif will also host an All Parties Conference to raise a voice against the ongoing oppression of unarmed Palestinians in Gaza

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

Top official of ex-PM Khan party resurfaces in provincial assembly session after going missing in Islamabad
Updated 06 October 2024
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Top official of ex-PM Khan party resurfaces in provincial assembly session after going missing in Islamabad

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.


Thousands rally in Karachi to protest one year of Israeli invasion of Gaza

Thousands rally in Karachi to protest one year of Israeli invasion of Gaza
Updated 06 October 2024
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Thousands rally in Karachi to protest one year of Israeli invasion of Gaza

Thousands rally in Karachi to protest one year of Israeli invasion of Gaza
  • The rally, organized by Jamaat-e-Islami religious party, was attended by a significant number of women and children
  • Israeli strikes on Gaza have killed over 41,800 Palestinians since the October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas on Israeli

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.