TikTok bandits terrorize, transfix Pakistan riverlands

TikTok bandits terrorize, transfix Pakistan riverlands
This photograph taken on October 9, 2024 shows elite police personnel patrolling on a sandy island along the Indus river, in the 'Katcha lands' at Rahim Yar Khan district. (AFP)
Short Url
Updated 01 November 2024
Follow

TikTok bandits terrorize, transfix Pakistan riverlands

TikTok bandits terrorize, transfix Pakistan riverlands
  • The outlaws parade hostages in clips for ransom or exhibit arsenals of heavy weapons in musical TikToks
  • Sweeping police operations and even an army incursion in 2016 failed to impose law and order in the area

RAHIM YAR KHAN: With a showman’s flair and an outlaw’s moustache, the Pakistani gangster dials the hotline on his own most wanted notice — taunting the authorities who put a bounty on his head.
Staring down the lens in a social media clip, Shahid Lund Baloch challenges the official on the phone and his thousands of viewers: “Do you know my circumstances or my reasons for taking up arms?“
The 28-year-old is hiding out in riverine terrain in central Punjab which has long offered refuge to bandits — using the Internet to enthral citizens even as he preys on them, police say.
On TikTok, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram he fascinates tens of thousands with messages delivered gun-in-hand, romanticizing his rural lifestyle and cultivating a reputation as a champion of the people.
But he is wanted for 28 cases including murder, abduction and attacks on police — with a 10 million rupee ($36,000) price on his head.
“People who are sitting on the outside think he is a hero, but the people here know he is no hero,” said Javed Dhillon, a former lawmaker for Rahim Yar Khan district close to the hideouts of Baloch, and other bandits like him.
“They have been at the receiving end of his cruelty and violence.”
Baloch is said to dwell on a sandy island in the “Katcha lands” — roughly translating as “backwaters” — on the Indus River which skewers Pakistan from top to bottom.
High-standing crops provide cover for ambushes and the region is riven by shifting seasonal waterways that complicate pursuit over crimes ranging from kidnapping to highway robbery and smuggling.




An elite police personnel monitoring security near a post on a sandy island along the Indus river, in the 'Katcha lands' at Rahim Yar Khan district, Pakistan, on October 9, 2024 (AFP)


At the intersection of three of Pakistan’s four provinces, gangs with hundreds of members have for decades capitalized on poor coordination between police forces by flitting across jurisdictions.
“The natural features of these lands support the criminals,” said senior police officer Naveed Wahla. “They’ll hide out in a water turbine, move in boats, or through sugarcane crops.”
Sweeping police operations and even an army incursion in 2016 failed to impose law and order. This August, a rocket attack on a police convoy killed 12 officers.
“In the current state of affairs here there is only fear and terror,” said Haq Nawaz, whose adult son was abducted late September for a five million rupee ransom he cannot afford.
“There is no one to look after our wellbeing,” he complains.




In this photograph taken on October 10, 2024, Haq Nawaz, whose adult son was abducted by bandits, speaks during an interview with AFP in Rahim Yar Khan district. (AFP)

But the gangs are increasingly online.
Some use the web to lay “honey-traps” luring kidnap victims by impersonating romantic suitors, business partners and advertising cheap sales of tractors or cars.
Some parade hostages in clips for ransom or exhibit arsenals of heavy weapons in musical TikToks.
Baloch has by far the largest online profile — irking police with a combined 200,000 followers.
Rizwan Gondal, the head police officer of Rahim Yar Khan district, says that his detectives have a dossier proving his “heinous criminal activities.”
“Police have made multiple efforts to capture him however he escapes,” he added.
“He’s a very media savvy guy. Let him say, ‘I am going to surrender before the state to prove that I am innocent’ and let the media cover it.”
In his clips Baloch protests his innocence whilst casting himself as a vigilante in a lawless land, claiming he chose to fight only after family members were slain in tribal clashes.
“We couldn’t get justice from the courts so I decided to pick up arms and started fighting with my enemies,” Baloch told AFP. “They killed our people, we killed theirs.”
But he also plays off the cycle of state neglect which breeds banditry and in turn relegates the destitute farming communities further to society’s fringes.
“The villagers here are not viewed as human but as animals,” Baloch told AFP. “If they gave us schools, electricity, government hospitals and justice, why would anyone even think of taking up arms?“
In comments sections his viewers call him “beloved brother bandit” and a “real hero.” “You have won my heart,” claims another.
“He is popular in the mainstream because he is giving the police authorities a tough time,” said former lawmaker Dhillon.
“People like that he says the things they can’t say out loud against people they can’t speak out against.”
Police have proposed countering bandits by downgrading mobile phone towers to 2G in the Katcha lands, preventing social media apps from loading.
That has not yet happened and would risk cutting communities off further still.
But more low tech solutions have had some success.
An anti-honey trap police cell cautions citizens against the gangs with the help of billboards and loudspeakers at checkpoints entering the area, preventing 531 people from falling prey since last August, according to their data.
Baloch scoffs at police. But one problem plaguing his bid for online stardom has his attention.
Copycat social media accounts pretend to be him and share duplicates of his videos — earning thousands more followers and views than his legitimate accounts.
He feels robbed. “I don’t know what they are trying to achieve,” he complains.
But for police, his Internet hero status is at odds with the toll of his crimes.
“People will idealize Shahid Lund Baloch but when they ultimately get kidnapped by him, then they will realize who Shahid Lund Baloch really is,” said senior officer Wahla.


Gunmen attack checkpoint, abduct six laborers in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province

Gunmen attack checkpoint, abduct six laborers in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province
Updated 14 sec ago
Follow

Gunmen attack checkpoint, abduct six laborers in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province

Gunmen attack checkpoint, abduct six laborers in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province
  • The Baloch Liberation Army claims responsibility for twin attacks in Nushki district this week
  • Pakistan has announced an operation against Baloch separatists targeting Chinese nationals

QUETTA: Baloch separatist militants have targeted a dam construction site and a Levies check post in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan in two separate attacks, a senior official confirmed Saturday, abducting six laborers and seizing weapons just days after Pakistan announced a comprehensive operation against armed factions in the province.
The attacks occurred late Thursday night along the border of the remote Nushki and Kharan districts.
Pakistan’s largest but sparsely populated province, Balochistan borders Afghanistan and Iran and is central to the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects. The region has been the site of a low-level insurgency by separatist militants for over two decades, though violence has intensified in recent months.
In August, the province witnessed a series of coordinated attacks that killed over 50 people.
“Unknown armed men attacked a dam construction site in Nushki district on Thursday night and abducted six laborers,” Additional Chief Secretary Home Shahab Ali Shah said while speaking to Arab News. “The laborers were working for a private construction company.”
“In another incident, armed men attacked a Levies check post at Zarin Jungle area and snatched three submachine guns from the soldiers,” he continued, adding that no loss of life was reported in the attack.
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a prominent militant group in the province, claimed responsibility for the attacks on Friday, saying the group seized weapons from the Levies and “arrested” construction company personnel.
“BLA fighters captured a post of the Pakistani Levies force on the highway at Zarin Jungle and seized the weapons,” it said in a statement. “At the same time, different squads of fighters conducted a snap-check on the highway and arrested five personnel working on a construction project.”
It added the BLA had destroyed the construction company’s machinery and equipment by setting them on fire.
Rich in land and mineral wealth, Balochistan is otherwise an impoverished region, prompting separatist groups to accuse Pakistan of exploiting provincial resources, including gold and copper.
Pakistan denies the allegations and says the government is carrying out several development projects in the region to ensure its prosperity and improve the quality of life of its residents.
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif approved a “comprehensive military operation” in Balochistan against the separatist outfits involved in attacks on Pakistani security forces after a suicide bombing at the Quetta Railway Station killed about 25 people, including army troops.
Baloch separatists have also been involved in targeting Chinese workers in Pakistan, prompting Beijing to urge authorities in Islamabad to provide them with foolproof security.


Pakistan PM sympathizes with Malaysian counterpart over loss of lives in recent floods

Pakistan PM sympathizes with Malaysian counterpart over loss of lives in recent floods
Updated 30 November 2024
Follow

Pakistan PM sympathizes with Malaysian counterpart over loss of lives in recent floods

Pakistan PM sympathizes with Malaysian counterpart over loss of lives in recent floods
  • The floods have killed at least four people and forced over 122,000 people out of homes in several states of Malaysia
  • The number, which surpassed the 118,000 evacuated during one of Malaysia’s worst floodings in 2014, is feared to rise

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday telephoned his Malaysian counterpart Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim and offered his deepest sympathies over the loss of lives and damage caused to property in recent floods in several states of Malaysia, Sharif’s office said.
At least four people have been killed and more than 122,000 people forced out of their homes as massive floods caused by relentless rains swept through Malaysia’s northern states, disaster management officials said Saturday.
The number surpassed the 118,000 evacuated during one of the country’s worst floodings in 2014, and disaster officials feared it could rise further as there was no let-up in torrential downpours.
During his telephonic conversation, Sharif told his Malaysian counterpart that the people of Pakistan stood in solidarity with their Malaysian brothers and sisters in these testing times.
“The Prime Minister offered all possible assistance to Malaysia and announced the immediate dispatch of humanitarian assistance as a token of Pakistan’s support to their Malaysian brethren,” Sharif’s office said.
The prime minister also expressed admiration for the swift response of the Malaysian government in dealing with this natural calamity.
Pakistan and Malaysia enjoy a strong bilateral relationship, rooted in shared Islamic values and historical ties. Since 1957, they’ve fostered economic cooperation, defense collaborations, and cultural exchange. The Pakistan-Malaysia Free Trade Agreement of 2008 boosted trade and investment, while regular high-level visits have solidified their partnership, underpinned by mutual respect and trust.
Recalling the recent visit to Pakistan by PM Ibrahim in October this year, Sharif expressed satisfaction at the positive trajectory of bilateral relations and reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to further strengthen bilateral cooperation in all areas of mutual interest.
He also noted with satisfaction that some of the trade related issues identified during the Malaysian prime minister’s visit had already been resolved amicably.
Trade between Malaysia and Pakistan currently stands at $1.4 billion, including in palm oil, apparel, textiles, chemical and chemical-based products, and electrics and electronic products. Among South Asian countries, Pakistan is Malaysia’s third-largest trading partner.
“The Malaysian Prime Minister thanked the Prime Minister for his support and agreed that the two countries need to continue to work closely on advancing ties in all important areas,” Sharif’s office said.
“Both leaders also agreed to continue the momentum of high level visits, with both the Prime Minister as well as Deputy Prime Minister & Foreign Minister expected to visit Kuala Lumpur early next year.”


Participation of foreign nationals in political activities in Pakistan ‘unacceptable,’ FO says

Participation of foreign nationals in political activities in Pakistan ‘unacceptable,’ FO says
Updated 30 November 2024
Follow

Participation of foreign nationals in political activities in Pakistan ‘unacceptable,’ FO says

Participation of foreign nationals in political activities in Pakistan ‘unacceptable,’ FO says
  • Statement comes after government accuses ex-PM Khan’s party of deploying Afghan nationals in this week’s protests in Islamabad
  • Pakistan has said that Afghan nationals won’t be allowed to stay in Islamabad without proper authorization after December 31

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Foreign Office has said that the participation of foreign nationals in any political activity in Pakistan is “unacceptable,” days after authorities said they had arrested dozens of Afghan nationals during violent protests in Islamabad this week.
Clashes broke out between law enforcers and supporters of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party this week after they set out for Islamabad in caravans from different parts of the country to demand the release of Khan, who has been in jail since August 2023.
The government accused the PTI of deploying Afghan nationals to take part in the anti-government protests and said authorities had arrested over 1,100 Khan supporters, including 60 Afghan nationals living illegally in the country, who had stormed the Pakistani capital earlier this week.
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Moh­sin Naqvi on Wednesday announced that Afghan nationals would not be allowed to stay in the federal capital of Islamabad without proper authorization after December 31, 2024.
Asked about the impact of seeking permission to stay in Islamabad for even the 3 million legal Afghan refugees, Pakistani Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said the Pakistani interior ministry would soon issue details of the policy.
“We expect all foreigners in Pakistan to respect Pakistani laws and customs,” she said at a weekly press briefing in Islamabad on Friday. “Details of the policy with regards to continued stay of Afghan nationals in Islamabad will also be released by the Ministry of Interior.”
The move comes as the latest blow to Afghans living in Pakistan, with nearly 800,000 that Islamabad says were residing in the country ‘illegally’ expelled since November last year when the government launched a deportation drive that has drawn widespread criticism from international governments and rights organizations.
Pakistan began expelling illegal foreigners from Nov. 1, 2023, following a spike in bombings which the government said were carried out by Afghan nationals or by militants who crossed over into Pakistan from neighboring Afghanistan.
Islamabad has also blamed illegal Afghan immigrants and refugees for involvement in smuggling and other crimes. The Taliban government in Kabul says Pakistan’s security and other challenges are a domestic issue and cannot be blamed on the neighbor.
“I am not aware of any communication that has taken place,” Baloch said, when asked if the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) had contacted Pakistan about the deadline announced for Afghan refugees living in Islamabad.
“The Ministry of Interior will share with the media the details of these Afghan nationals and their status in Pakistan.”


Pakistan court grants bail to journalist, critical of government, in terrorism and narcotics case

Pakistan court grants bail to journalist, critical of government, in terrorism and narcotics case
Updated 30 November 2024
Follow

Pakistan court grants bail to journalist, critical of government, in terrorism and narcotics case

Pakistan court grants bail to journalist, critical of government, in terrorism and narcotics case
  • Matiullah Jan was arrested from outside a hospital in Islamabad where he was investigating alleged fatalities during this week’s protests
  • Jan has a history of criticizing Pakistan’s government and military, while he was also briefly detained in 2020 during ex-PM Khan’s tenure

ISLAMABAD: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Pakistan on Saturday granted bail to journalist Matiullah Jan, critical of the Pakistani government and military, in a terrorism and narcotics case.
Jan, a presenter for TV channel Neo News with a popular YouTube channel, was “picked up” from outside a hospital in Islamabad on Wednesday where he was investigating alleged fatalities during this week’s protests in Islamabad in support of jailed ex-prime minister Imran Khan, his son said.
The FIR registered against Jan included Code of Criminal Procedure’s sections 279 (rash driving or riding on a public way), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of duty), 382 (theft after preparation made for causing death, hurt or restraint in order to the committing of the theft), 427 (mischief causing damage), 506 (criminal intimidation) along with 7ATA (terrorism-related section) and a narcotics-related section.
On Saturday, ATC Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra, who presided over the hearing of Jan’s bail petition, approved the plea against surety bonds worth Rs10,000 ($36), according to Jan’s lawyer.
“He [judge] listened to the prosecutor and to us during arguments on bail and then he granted bail while ordering to deposit surety bonds of Rs10,000,” Jan’s counsel Hadi Ali told reporters outside the court.
Jan has a history of criticizing Pakistan’s government and the powerful military establishment. He was also briefly detained by uniformed men in the middle of Khan’s four-year tenure in 2020.
Successive Pakistan governments have often been criticized by rights monitors for using overbroad anti-terrorism legislation to quash dissent.
More than 1,000 marchers were arrested over the three days of unrest in Islamabad this week, according to police.
Amnesty International said security forces used “unlawful and excessive force” on crowds, but Information Minister Attaullah Tarar told reporters on Wednesday the PTI was “lying saying people have died.”
The protesters’ main demand was the release of Khan, who has been jailed since August 2023 and snarled in a succession of legal cases he insists were orchestrated to prevent his comeback in the February 8 election.
The PTI won more seats than any other party in the vote but were shut out of power by a coalition of parties many believed to be backed by the military. The party has since staged regular protests alleging the vote was rigged, an allegation denied by authorities.


Ex-PM Khan party dares Pakistan government to impose governor’s rule in province it administers

Ex-PM Khan party dares Pakistan government to impose governor’s rule in province it administers
Updated 30 November 2024
Follow

Ex-PM Khan party dares Pakistan government to impose governor’s rule in province it administers

Ex-PM Khan party dares Pakistan government to impose governor’s rule in province it administers
  • Under the governor’s rule, a provincial chief minister loses all of their administrative powers for up to six months
  • Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government says it will resort to street protests and move courts if governor’s rule is imposed

ISLAMABAD: Jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party on Saturday dared the federal government, led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, to impose governor’s rule in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, which the PTI has been ruling for the last more than 10 years.
In Pakistan, the federal government can impose the governor’s rule in a province and hand over all administrative powers to the governor, a representative of the federation, for up to six months in case the provincial government fails to tackle a “grave emergency.” Under the governor’s rule, the provincial chief minister and his cabinet lose all administrative powers and virtually stand suspended.
The development comes amid heightened tensions between the KP government, led by Khan’s party, and the federation following violent protests in Islamabad this week by PTI supporters, who sought to pressure the central government to release Khan from jail. The protests resulted in clashes that Pakistan’s government said killed three paramilitary soldiers and a police officer. The PTI says at least 20 of its supporters were killed after being shot by law enforcers, an allegation denied by authorities.
“We know the federal government is considering options to impose the governor’s rule in KP, but we warn them to refrain from this adventure,” Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif, the KP government spokesperson, told Arab News.
The statement came a day after local media widely reported that a majority of members in PM Sharif’s cabinet had supported the idea of imposing the governor’s rule in KP after the Islamabad protests.
Saif said the provincial government would “react strongly” to any such move as they had “multiple options” available to deal with it, including street protests.
“We will obviously move the courts against this illegal and unconstitutional move if imposed on us,” he added.
Under Article 232 of the Constitution of Pakistan, the president can issue a proclamation of emergency if he is satisfied that “a grave emergency exists in which the security of Pakistan, or any part thereof, is threatened by war or external aggression, or by internal disturbance beyond the power of a Provincial Government to control.”
The constitution says a resolution from the provincial assembly was required for the imposition of emergency, which the KP Assembly would not pass as Khan’s PTI has a two-third majority in the house.
“If the President acts on his own, the Proclamation of Emergency shall be placed before both Houses of Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) for approval by each House within ten days,” the article says.
Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, president of Pakistan Institution of Legislative Development (PILDAT) in Islamabad, said the coalition government of PM Sharif was in a position to impose the governor’s rule in KP as they had majority in both houses, the National Assembly and the Senate, of parliament to pass a resolution for the purpose.
“At the moment, sufficient justification is available for the federal government to declare emergency in the KP province following the violent protests in Islamabad,” he told Arab News.
As per the constitution, Mehboob said, the federal government could impose the governor’s rule only for a maximum of six months, initially for two months and then it could twice extend it for a period of two months following approval of a resolution from parliament.
He, however, urged political parties to find a political solution to the issue.
“Political forces should find out political solutions for the issues instead of invoking specific laws and articles of the constitution against each other,” he said. “This will only vitiate the ongoing political crisis in the country.”
Legal experts said the imposition of the governor’s rule in any province would ultimately be challenged in the respective high court or the Supreme Court for a final judgment.
“The imposition of the governor’s rule by the center is not a piece of cake,” advocate Sharafat Ali told Arab News. “The government has to fulfil certain legal and constitutional requirements to justify the proclamation of emergency, otherwise it would be turned down by the courts.”
In 2009, the then federal government, led by the Pakistan Peoples Party, had imposed the governor’s rule in Pakistan’s most populous Punjab province to suspend the administrative powers of then chief minister Shehbaz Sharif. However, the Supreme Court had later voided the proclamation and reinstated the Sharif government in the province.
Khan’s PTI has staged several protests this year to demand the release of the ex-premier, who has been in jail since August last year on a slew of charges, as well as to challenge results of the Feb. 8 national election, which it says were manipulated to keep the party from coming to power in the country. The Pakistani government and election authorities deny this.