Two Chinese nationals among three killed in attack near airport in Pakistan’s Karachi

Two Chinese nationals among three killed in attack near airport in Pakistan’s Karachi
Security officials stand guard at the site of an explosion that caused injures and destroyed vehicles outside the Karachi airport, Pakistan, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (AP)
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Updated 07 October 2024
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Two Chinese nationals among three killed in attack near airport in Pakistan’s Karachi

Two Chinese nationals among three killed in attack near airport in Pakistan’s Karachi
  • Convoy carrying Chinese staff of Port Qasim Electric Power Company targeted, Beijing confirms
  • Separatist BLA says used vehicle-borne improvised explosive device to target Chinese nationals

KARACHI: Two Chinese nationals were among three people killed and 10 injured late on Sunday night in a “terrorist attack” near the airport in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi, the Chinese embassy and local officials said on Monday.

The separatist militant group, the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), claimed the attack in a statement sent to media, saying a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device had targeted the Chinese nationals.

China is a major ally and investor in Pakistan, having pledged over $65 billion in road, infrastructure and development projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project. 

“We have received the dead body of two Chinese nationals and the mutilated remains of an unidentified body,” chief surgeon for Karachi police, Dr. Sumaiyya Syed, told Arab News. “We have performed the autopsy of all three.”

Syed said 10 people were being treated for injuries at the Jinnah Hospital in Karachi, which included one child.




A Pakistani security official, who was injured in an explosion receives treatment inside an ambulance outside the Karachi airport, Pakistan, early Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (AP)

The Chinese Embassy in Pakistan said in a statement a convoy of the Port Qasim Electric Power Company was targeted in an attack near the Karachi airport around 11:00pm on Sunday night. Two Chinese nationals were killed and one was injured, the statement said, adding that the Chinese side was working with Pakistani authorities in the aftermath.

“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.

The Pakistani foreign office condemned the attack and said the country’s security and law enforcement agencies would make every effort to arrest the perpetrators and their facilitators. 

“This barbaric act will not go unpunished,” the foreign office warned. 

Sunday night’s attack is the latest by the BLA, the most prominent of a number of separatist groups fighting for independence for Pakistan’s gas-and-mineral-rich Balochistan province, where a low-lying insurgency has been ongoing for the past two decades. Baloch militants blame Pakistan’s state for exploiting the province’s resources, a charge the Pakistani state denies.




Security officials stand at the site of an explosion occured near Karachi airport in Karachi, on late October 6, 2024. (AFP)

The BLA also accuses Beijing of helping Islamabad exploit the province and has attacked Chinese interests and projects in the past, in particular the strategic port of Gwadar on the Arabian Sea. It has previously killed Chinese citizens working in the region and attacked Beijing’s consulate in Karachi. 

In March this year, a suicide bombing killed five Chinese engineers and a Pakistani driver in northwestern Pakistan as they headed to the Dasu Dam, the biggest hydropower project in the country. In 2022, three Chinese educators and their Pakistani driver were killed when an explosion ripped through a van at the University of Karachi.

Sunday’s airport attack followed a deadly day of coordinated attacks in August, most claimed by the BLA, that killed more than 50 people in Balochistan and which Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other leaders had said sought to harm Chinese-funded investment and development projects.


Pakistan set to deliver fourth consecutive rate cut today to revive economy

Pakistan set to deliver fourth consecutive rate cut today to revive economy
Updated 55 sec ago
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Pakistan set to deliver fourth consecutive rate cut today to revive economy

Pakistan set to deliver fourth consecutive rate cut today to revive economy
  • All 15 investors and analysts surveyed by Reuters expect the central bank to cut rates next week
  • Policymakers continue efforts to revive a fragile economy as inflation eases off recent record highs

KARACHI: Pakistan’s central bank is expected to cut its key interest rate further at its policy meeting today, Monday, with policymakers continuing their efforts to revive a fragile economy as inflation eases off recent record highs.
The central bank, the State Bank of Pakistan, has slashed the benchmark policy rate to 17.5 percent from an all time-high of 22 percent in three consecutive policy meetings since June, having last reduced it by 200 basis points in September.
All 15 investors and analysts surveyed by Reuters expect the central bank to cut rates. Two expect a 150 bps cut, twelve predict a 200 bps reduction, and one forecasts a 250 bps cut.
Economic activity has stabilized since last summer when the country came close to a default before an eleventh hour bailout by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The IMF, which in September gave a boost to Pakistan’s struggling economy by approving a long-awaited $7 billion facility, said that the South Asian nation had taken key steps to restore economic stability with consistent policy implementation under the 2023-24 standby arrangement.
While the economy has started to gradually recover, and inflation has moved sharply down from a multi-decade high of nearly 40 percent in May 2023, analysts say further rate cuts are needed to bolster growth.
Mustafa Pasha, Chief Investment Officer at Lakson Investments, said rates must drop under 15 percent and hold below that for six months to have a material impact.
The IMF in its latest October report forecast Pakistan’s gross domestic product growth at 3.2 percent for the fiscal year ending June 2025, up from 2.4 percent in fiscal 2024.
The government expects annual inflation to have come in at 6-7 percent last month and slow further to 5.5-6.5 percent in November.
However, inflation could pick up again in 2025, driven by electricity and gas tariff hikes under the new $7 billion IMF bailout, and the potential impact of taxes on the retail and wholesale sector proposed in the June budget.
Ahmad Mobeen, senior economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence, said that while lower rates will offer some relief to the manufacturing sector, the benefits may be limited due to “elevated input costs, driven by high electricity and gas tariffs, combined with global supply and shipping constraints.”


PM praises security forces for successful operation against militants in Pakistan’s Balochistan

PM praises security forces for successful operation against militants in Pakistan’s Balochistan
Updated 14 min 10 sec ago
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PM praises security forces for successful operation against militants in Pakistan’s Balochistan

PM praises security forces for successful operation against militants in Pakistan’s Balochistan
  • Pakistani forces killed three separatist militants and arrested two others in Balochistan’s Musa Khel district on Sunday
  • Balochistan, home to a long-running separatist insurgency, has witnessed a spike in militant attacks in recent months

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday praised Pakistani security forces and law enforcement agencies for a successful operation against militants affiliated with the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) separatist group in the country’s restive Balochistan province.
Pakistan’s Frontier Corps (FC) paramilitary force and the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) of the police intercepted a group of up to 12 militants in Rarhasham area of Balochistan’s Musa Khel district, according to Balochistan CTD.
An ensuing heavy exchange of fire three militants were killed and two were apprehended, while the rest managed to get away. The arrested suspects were being interrogated to “develop further leads.”
In a statement issued from his office, PM Sharif said timely action by the CTD and security forces foiled a major “sabotage” by the militants.
“Security forces have rendered great sacrifices to eradicate the menace of terrorism from Balochistan,” he said. “The entire nation, including me, pays tribute to the officers of FC, Police and CTD.”
The development came two days after at least seven people, including children and a police constable, were killed and nearly two dozen others injured in a roadside blast in Balochistan province, officials said.
Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan and is home to major China-led projects such as a strategic port and a gold and copper mine, has been the site of a decades-long separatist insurgency by ethnic Baloch militants. The province has lately seen an increase in attacks by separatist militants.
On Oct. 29, five people were killed in an attack by armed men on the construction site of a small dam in Balochistan’s Panjgur district. The BLA, the most prominent of several separatist groups, claimed responsibility for the attack along with the killing of two other persons in Kech and Quetta districts.
The separatists accuse the central government of exploiting Balochistan’s mineral and gas resources. The Pakistani state denies the allegation and says it is working to uplift the region through development initiatives.
 


Australia win toss, put Pakistan to bat in first ODI at Melbourne 

Australia win toss, put Pakistan to bat in first ODI at Melbourne 
Updated 39 min 31 sec ago
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Australia win toss, put Pakistan to bat in first ODI at Melbourne 

Australia win toss, put Pakistan to bat in first ODI at Melbourne 
  • Pakistan head into the match with four pacers in Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Hasnain and Haris Rauf
  • Pakistan will play three ODIs on Nov. 8 and 10 followed by a three-match T20I series on Nov. 14, 16 and 18 in Australia 

ISLAMABAD: Australia won the toss and elected to field first against Pakistan on Monday, as the two sides lock horns today at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in the first of the three-match ODI series. 

This is Mohammad Rizwan’s first outing as Pakistan’s white-ball captain. The second ODI between the teams will be played at the Adelaide Oval in Adelaide on Nov. 8 while both teams will travel to Perth where the third ODI will take place on Nov. 10. 

The ODI series will be followed by three-match T20I series, which will be played on Nov. 14, 16 and 18. 

“How are we going to play? I don’t want to follow the world, what the world is doing now but as a group or as a player you’re going to do [I would follow that],” Rizwan said after losing the toss to Australian skipper Pat Cummins, who chose to bowl first. 

“The thing for us is to [figure out] how we can make this into a champion team.”

When asked whether Pakistan had learned from their mistakes during the last 50-over and T20 World Cups in which the green shirts failed to qualify for the semifinals, Rizwan said:

“Always we have to learn from our mistakes, we didn’t do well at the World Cup,” he said.

Both sides last met in the 50-over format during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 on Oct. 20 where Australia defeated Pakistan by 62 runs at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. The last time both sides featured in a bilateral ODI series was in March/April 2022, when Australia visited Pakistan and the hosts won the series 2-1.

For Pakistan, Muhammad Irfan Khan and Saim Ayub are making their debuts today. Khan, 21, has already featured in three T20Is for Pakistan, while he has played 24 List-A matches, scoring one century and three half-centuries. Left-handed opening batter Ayub has been a part of six Tests and 23 T20Is for Pakistan and featured in 35 List-A matches accumulating 1,472 runs with the help of four centuries and seven half-centuries.

With Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head on paternity leave, world champions Australia have a new-look opening partnership in Jake Fraser-McGurk and Matt Short. Veteran Josh Hazlewood has been rested with Sean Abbott joining Cummins and Mitchell Starc in the hosts’ pace attack on an overcast day.

Playing XI:

Australia: 1 Matt Short, 2 Jake Fraser-McGurk, 3 Steven Smith, 4 Josh Inglis (wk), 5 Marnus Labuschagne, 6 Glenn Maxwell, 7 Aaron Hardie, 8 Sean Abbott, 9 Pat Cummins (captain), 10 Mitchell Starc, 11 Adam Zampa

Pakistan: 1 Saim Ayub, 2 Abdullah Shafique, 3 Babar Azam, 4 Mohammad Rizwan (wk, captain), 5 Kamran Ghulam, 6 Salman Ali Agha, 7 Irfan Khan, 8 Shaheen Shah Afridi, 9 Naseem Shah, 10 Haris Rauf, 11 Mohammad Hasnain


Pakistan says revamping polio program as virus tally reaches 45 this year

Pakistan says revamping polio program as virus tally reaches 45 this year
Updated 44 min 49 sec ago
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Pakistan says revamping polio program as virus tally reaches 45 this year

Pakistan says revamping polio program as virus tally reaches 45 this year
  • Pakistan and Afghanistan are only two countries where polio remains endemic
  • Pakistan launched this year’s third nationwide polio campaign last month 

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication, Ayesha Raza Farooq, has said the government is revamping its polio eradication program to make the country free of the virus by mid next year, Radio Pakistan reported on Monday.

Two new wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) cases were reported in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, the country’s polio program said late Friday, bringing the nationwide tally to 45 this year. So far this year, 22 polio cases have been reported from Balochistan province, 12 from Sindh, nine from KP and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.

“All elements of the [polio] program, including surveillance, communication, and operations, have been revamped,” Farooq was quoted by Radio Pakistan as saying. “The new approach brings together federal, provincial, and district authorities in a coordinated effort to eliminate polio.”

Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries where polio remains endemic. Since late 2018, Pakistan has seen a resurgence of cases and increased spread of poliovirus, highlighting the fragility of gains achieved in the preceding years when cases dropped in 2023 to six, from 20 in 2022 and just one in 2022. Misinformation about vaccinations and attacks by militants on polio teams have been major impediments to immunization campaigns.

At least seven people, including five school students, were killed and 23 injured in a blast in southwestern Pakistan that targeted a polio vaccination team vehicle on Friday, police said. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Last Tuesday, a policeman was killed in an attack on a health office that manages door-to-door polio vaccination campaigns.

The attacks have coincided with Pakistan’s third nationwide polio campaign this year, launched last week with the aim to administer vaccine drops to more than 45 million children.


Pakistan’s privatization minister says no objection to provinces acquiring national airline

Pakistan’s privatization minister says no objection to provinces acquiring national airline
Updated 34 min 2 sec ago
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Pakistan’s privatization minister says no objection to provinces acquiring national airline

Pakistan’s privatization minister says no objection to provinces acquiring national airline
  • Punjab, KP governments have expressed willingness to acquire stakes in national airline 
  • Islamabad last week kickstarted PIA’s privatization process, receiving a low bid of $36 million for it

KARACHI: Privatization Minister Abdul Aleem Khan has said that the center would welcome bids from Pakistan’s Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and other provinces for the national flag carrier, stressing that the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) was a “national asset” which his government would not sell for trinkets. 

Khan’s statement comes after the government kickstarted the loss-making PIA’s privatization process on Thursday, holding a televised auction in which it received the sole bid of Rs10 billion ($36 million) from Blue World City, a real estate development firm. The bid fell far short of the minimum price of Rs85 billion ($305 million) set by the government. The KP government formally offered to exceed the bid on Friday, saying the airline should remain under government control to preserve its status. 

Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, chief of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party and father of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, said last week that the Punjab government was mulling acquiring the PIA and renaming it “Air Punjab.”

Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Khan said it was not his job as privatization minister to reform the national flag carrier rather it was his job to sell the airline in “whatever condition it is in.”

“It is a very good development that if the KP, Punjab, Sindh or Balochistan governments want to acquire it [PIA] together, why would we object,” Khan asked. “We would be very happy if all of you acquire it and bring in a very professional management.”

Khan defended the PIA’s privatization process, saying that his government will ensure the process is conducted in a very efficient manner. 

“PIA is our national asset, I cannot sell it for trinkets,” he said. “I can sell any personal belonging of mine even for free [but not a national asset].”

Separately, Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori said Karachi’s traders are interested in acquiring the national airline. 

“Karachi’s businesspersons are constantly contacting me to talk about the airline’s matters,” Tessori wrote on social media platform X on Monday. “Karachi’s businesspersons want the PIA to be given to them for a year and they are also interested in starting a new airline,” he added. 

The Sindh governor said he had advised Karachi’s businesspersons to name any new airline they would manage as “PK” in which P would stand for Pakistan and K for Karachi. 

“If Karachi Air is started, it would provide additional opportunities for jobs,” Tessori said. “I want to become the voice of the traders and give this country and its people jobs and prosperity.”

Pakistan decided to move ahead with PIA’s privatization under terms agreed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a 37-month, $7 billion bailout approved in September, aiming to divest over 51 percent of its stake in the financially struggling national carrier.

Critics, including PIA union representatives and independent analysts, last week called the $36 million bid an “embarrassment” for the government, with airline employees suggesting Pakistani authorities should expand PIA’s fleet to restore its operational viability.

A popular airline during its heydays in the ‘60s and ‘70s, PIA has grappled with financial losses, mismanagement, and operational challenges in recent years. It has also been burdened by a high debt load, inefficiencies, and corruption allegations, resulting in an overall decline in its financial performance.

The disposal of the flag carrier is a step that past elected governments have steered away from as it is expected to be unpopular with the masses.