Fear grips travelers a day after deadly bombing at Pakistan train station

Fear grips travelers a day after deadly bombing at Pakistan train station
A policeman stands guard outside a railway station, a day after an explosion allegedly by Pakistani separatists in Quetta, Pakistan, on November 10, 2024. (AFP)
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Updated 10 November 2024
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Fear grips travelers a day after deadly bombing at Pakistan train station

Fear grips travelers a day after deadly bombing at Pakistan train station
  • The suicide bombing at Quetta Railway Station killed 26 people and injured 64 others on Saturday morning
  • This was the deadliest attack since coordinated assaults in August that killed over 50 people in Balochistan

QUETTA: Fear gripped passengers traveling via trains on Sunday from Quetta to different parts of the country, a day after a deadly suicide bombing killed more than two dozen people in the southwestern Pakistani city.
At least 26 people were killed and 64 others injured when a bomb blast struck the Quetta Railway Station early on Saturday morning in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province, according to officials.
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) separatist group claimed responsibility for the attack, the deadliest since a string of coordinated assaults on Aug. 25-26 in which more than 50 people, civilians and security officials, were killed in the region.
On Sunday, signs of destruction and blood stains were still visible at the railway station and passengers traveling from Quetta to other cities described the environment as “fearful.” 
“There is silence at the railway station this morning because everyone is in fear due to Saturday’s attack,” Muhammad Mubashir, a 24-year-old passenger who was traveling to Sibi, told Arab News.
“After any attack, the government increases the security arrangements but after a couple of days, they end the stringent security.”




Police personnel stand guard outside a railway station, a day after an explosion allegedly by Pakistani separatists in Quetta, Pakistan, on November 10, 2024. (AFP)

Muhammad Ijaz, who came to see off his family at the railway station, was concerned about safety of his children who were traveling to Multan.
“The government must provide security to the commuters traveling through trains because it is a reasonable traveling service for poor passengers,” he demanded.
Imran Hayat, the Quetta divisional superintendent of Pakistan Railways, said they had beefed up security measures at the railway station following Saturday’s attack.
“It is very difficult to take preventive measures against suicide bombings, however, we have increased vigilance and due diligence at the Quetta Railway Station,” he told Arab News.




People mourn the death of their relatives in a hospital following a bomb blast at a railway station in Quetta, Pakistan, on November 9, 2024. (AP)

Balochistan is a resource-rich but impoverished province where separatist militants have been fighting a decades-long insurgency to win secession of the region. Insurgents say they are fighting what they see as the unfair exploitation of the province’s mineral and gas wealth by the federation at the center.
The Pakistani government and military deny they are exploiting Balochistan and have long maintained that neighbors such as India, Afghanistan and Iran foment trouble in the remote province and support and fund the insurgency there to impede its development potential. Balochistan is home to major China-led investment projects such as a strategic port and a gold and copper mine.
In a statement shared with the media, the BLA said its suicide unit, the Majeed Brigade, had carried out the bombing to target a “Pakistani army unit” returning via train after completing a course at an infantry school. The claim has not yet been confirmed by the Pakistani military.
The rise in separatist attacks in Balochistan poses a major challenge for the weak coalition government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, which is battling an economic crisis and political instability as well as a rise in militant violence by both religiously motivated and separatist groups across the country.
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Army Chief General Asim Munir visited Quetta on Saturday to attend funeral prayers of those killed in the railway station attack.




In this handout photo, taken and released by Pakistan’s Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR), Pakistan’s civil and military leadership attend the funeral prayers of army officers, who were killed during a suicide bombing in Quetta early Saturday, in Quetta on November 10, 2024. (ISPR)

“We must battle this terrorism together. Apart from the Balochistan government and the federation, the people of Pakistan have to fight against it too,” Naqvi told reporters in Quetta alongside Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti.
“And you will see, God willing, as the chief minister said, we will eliminate this wave of terrorism.”
 


Death toll in Pakistan sectarian clashes now over 130, official says

Death toll in Pakistan sectarian clashes now over 130, official says
Updated 23 sec ago
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Death toll in Pakistan sectarian clashes now over 130, official says

Death toll in Pakistan sectarian clashes now over 130, official says
  • Kurram, near border with Afghanistan, has been a flashpoint for sectarian tensions for decades
  • Pakistani government mediated seven-day ceasefire deal between the rival groups last Sunday

PESHAWAR: Deadly sectarian clashes have continued in Pakistan's northwestern Kurram district in spite of a tentative ceasefire struck late last week, local officials said, with the death toll now over 130 as authorities try to broker a solution.
Kurram, near the border with Afghanistan, has been a flashpoint for sectarian tensions for decades. They spilled over into a fresh wave of attacks last month when clashes between Sunnis and Shias left dozens dead.
District administration official Wajid Hussain said 133 people had been killed in the attacks in the last week and a half.
"The district administration and other relevant authorities have initiated efforts to stop fighting between the two communities but there is no breakthrough yet," he said.
A Pakistani government team mediated a seven-day ceasefire deal between the rival groups last Sunday. Armed Shia and Sunni Muslims have engaged in tribal and sectarian rivalry for decades over land and other local disputes in Kurram.
Provincial authorities put the death toll at 97, with 43 people killed in the initial attack when gunmen opened fire on mostly Shia drivers and the rest killed in retaliatory clashes.
Chief Minister for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province Ali Amin Khan Gandapur visited the area on Saturday for a large gathering of tribal elders and leaders.
"Anyone who takes up arms will be treated as a terrorist, and their fate will be that of a terrorist," said Gandapur according to a statement from his office late on Saturday, adding that security forces would remain in the area.
Residents and officials said the main highway connecting Kurram's main city of Parachinar to the provincial capital Peshawar was blocked, which had created challenges transferring wounded people to hospitals.
"Our medical team is working around the clock to perform surgeries due to the challenges in referring patients to larger hospitals in Peshawar and elsewhere," said Dr Syed Mir Hassan, from Parachinar's district hospital.
He added that they were currently treating around 100 wounded patients and had received 50 bodies during the violence.


Trump cabinet pick criticizes New York’s deal to rent Pakistan’s Roosevelt Hotel for $220 million

Trump cabinet pick criticizes New York’s deal to rent Pakistan’s Roosevelt Hotel for $220 million
Updated 7 min 48 sec ago
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Trump cabinet pick criticizes New York’s deal to rent Pakistan’s Roosevelt Hotel for $220 million

Trump cabinet pick criticizes New York’s deal to rent Pakistan’s Roosevelt Hotel for $220 million
  • Vivek Ramaswamy has been picked by Trump to co-lead ‘Department of Government Efficiency’
  • New York’s iconic Roosevelt Hotel was repurposed into an arrival center for migrants last year

ISLAMABAD: Vivek Ramaswamy, US President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to co-lead a new government department, on Sunday criticized a deal by the New York City government to rent the Pakistan-owned Roosevelt Hotel for a whopping $220 million for what he said were “illegal migrants.”
Cash-strapped Pakistan rented out its iconic Roosevelt Hotel to the New York City government for three years, as per an agreement reached last year. 
Pakistan’s then aviation minister Khawaja Saad Rafique said that the New York administration would pay a rent of as much as $210 for each of the 1,025 rooms of the century-old hotel owned by the state-run Pakistan International Airlines (PIA). 
The New York City administration has repurposed the Roosevelt Hotel as an arrival center for migrants where they can get access to vaccines, food and other resources. 
“A taxpayer-funded hotel for illegal migrants is owned by the Pakistani government which means NYC taxpayers are effectively paying a foreign government to house illegals in our own country,” Ramaswamy wrote on social media platform X, responding to a post by American author John Lefevre. 
“This is nuts.”
Roosevelt Hotel was closed by Pakistani authorities in October 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic, as the country’s economy weakened and the aviation sector faced significant losses.
However, the facility accumulated liabilities of around $25 million in taxes and other overheads.
Ramaswamy, a former Republican presidential candidate, will co-lead a newly created Department of Government Efficiency with billionaire Elon Musk. Trump has indicated the department will operate outside the confines of government.


Pakistan anti-terrorism court rejects Imran Khan’s bail plea in May 9 riots case

Pakistan anti-terrorism court rejects Imran Khan’s bail plea in May 9 riots case
Updated 01 December 2024
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Pakistan anti-terrorism court rejects Imran Khan’s bail plea in May 9 riots case

Pakistan anti-terrorism court rejects Imran Khan’s bail plea in May 9 riots case
  • Khan is facing charges of inciting attacks against military and government installations on May 9, 2023
  • Judge notes Khan was found guilty of offenses, says found “no merits” in former premier’s bail petition

ISLAMABAD: An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Pakistan’s eastern city of Lahore this week rejected former prime minister Imran Khan’s request for bail in a case relating to nationwide riots that broke out in May 2023 after his brief detention on graft charges. 
Supporters of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party attacked and damaged government and military installations on May 9, 2023, after his brief arrest that day. The attacks took place a little over a year after Khan fell out with Pakistan’s powerful military, blaming the institution for colluding with his rivals to oust him from office in a parliamentary vote in April 2022. The military rejects his allegations. 
Several cases against Khan and his party related to the May 9, 2023 violence were registered by the government, which also cracked down on his supporters allegedly involved in the riots. Khan’s party has distanced itself from the protests and accused the country’s intelligence agencies of framing his party for the violence. The military denies the accusations. 
The ATC on Wednesday dismissed Khan’s petitions seeking post-arrest bail in eight May 9, 2023 cases, including an attack on a senior military commander’s residence. The judge had reserved the verdict in another case relating to an alleged attack on a police vehicle, which Justice Manzer Ali Gill announced on Saturday.
“Resultantly I found no merits in the bail petition in hand,” he said. “Hence the post-arrest bail of Imran Ahmad Khan Niazi stands dismissed.”
The judge noted in his written statement that Khan was not “an ordinary man,” adding that none within the PTI leadership even thinks about denying his directives. Gill said that as per police, all attacks on May 9 took place against military installations, police officials and government buildings, and that too on the same day. 
The judge observed that the prosecution accused Khan of hatching a criminal conspiracy to attack government buildings and military installations. 
“The offenses fall within the prohibitory clause of Section 497 of the Code of Criminal Procedure,” the judge noted. “Petitioner was found guilty.”
Khan, who remains a popular figure in Pakistan despite several court cases against him, has led a campaign of unprecedented defiance against the country’s powerful military. He also accuses the military of rigging the February 2024 polls in collusion with the election commission and his chief political rivals to keep him away from power. 
The military rejects these allegations and insists it keeps away from politics.


Pakistan calls for sustainable interventions, strengthening health systems on World AIDS Day

Pakistan calls for sustainable interventions, strengthening health systems on World AIDS Day
Updated 01 December 2024
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Pakistan calls for sustainable interventions, strengthening health systems on World AIDS Day

Pakistan calls for sustainable interventions, strengthening health systems on World AIDS Day
  • Around 88.4 million people in total have been affected HIV worldwide, says World Health Organization
  • Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif resolves to expand access to essential health care services to all Pakistani citizens

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called for strengthening health systems throughout the country and for sustainable interventions as the international community marks World AIDS Day today, Sunday.
Every year on Dec. 1, the international community marks World AIDS Day to unite people in the fight against HIV and AIDS. The day is marked to show strength and solidarity against Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), and to remember the lives lost to the disease. 
HIV attacks and destroys the infection-fighting CD4 cells (CD4 T lymphocyte) of the immune system while AIDS is its most advanced form. People with HIV who are not on medication and do not have consistent control of their HIV can transmit it through sexual intercourse, sharing of needles, pregnancy and breastfeeding. If HIV is controlled, the risk of transmission is close to zero.
“By working together, we will continue to strengthen our health systems and expand access to essential services for our citizens,” Sharif said in a statement. 
The Pakistani premier noted that HIV/AIDS remains a global health challenge and a significant socio-economic issue that threatens livelihoods, disrupts families and deepens inequalities.
“Despite our collective efforts, the HIV epidemic in Pakistan continues to grow, underscoring the need for bold, innovative, and sustainable interventions,” Sharif noted. “It is only through the strategy rooted in equality and inclusion that we can halt the spread of HIV.”
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 88.4 million people have been infected with the HIV virus since the beginning of the epidemic and about 42.3 million people have died of HIV in total. 
Globally, 39.9 million people were living with HIV at the end of 2023. An estimated 0.6 percent of adults aged 15–49 years worldwide are living with HIV, although the burden of the epidemic continues to vary considerably between countries and regions.


Pakistan deputy PM rejects accusations Imran Khan supporters were shot dead in protests

Pakistan deputy PM rejects accusations Imran Khan supporters were shot dead in protests
Updated 01 December 2024
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Pakistan deputy PM rejects accusations Imran Khan supporters were shot dead in protests

Pakistan deputy PM rejects accusations Imran Khan supporters were shot dead in protests
  • Khan’s party shares death certificates allegedly of three supporters which says they were killed by gunshots
  • Ishaq Dar urges PTI to provide “graves” and “dead bodies” to prove claims, accuses protesters of being violent

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar this week denied allegations the government had shot dead Imran Khan’s supporters in recent protests, as the former premier’s party alleged three of them were shot dead by law enforcers.
The PTI says at least 20 of its supporters were killed in this week’s clashes with law enforcers as thousands of Khan supporters marched toward Pakistan’s federal capital demanding Khan’s release from prison. The government rejects this and says four paramilitary personnel and a cop were killed by protesters.
On Saturday, the party shared the death certificates of three of its alleged supporters, Sardar Ali, Anees Shahzad Satii and Malik Mubeen, which said they were killed by gunshots. The certificates were prepared by the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) and Federal Government Services Hospital in Islamabad. 
“Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Saturday strongly refuted allegations of state brutality and indiscriminate firing by law enforcement authorities during recent clashes with protesters,” the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan reported.
Dar described claims that Khan supporters suffered gunshot wounds and were subjected to unwarranted violence as “malicious” and “absolutely false,” urging them to provide evidence such as “graves and dead bodies” to substantiate the accusations.
The deputy premier said protesters came to the capital armed with heavy ammunition and tear gas canisters.
“The mob was determined to create chaos and ready to kill,” he was quoted as saying by the APP. “Our security and law enforcement agencies exercised maximum restraint with patience despite deaths within their ranks.”
The protest was called off after security forces raided the D-Chowk protest site in complete darkness soon after midnight on Wednesday, firing rubber bullets and tear gas, according to police and government officials who deny using live ammunition during the operation.
Rawalpindi police said this week that over 170 cops were injured in the protests and that police have arrested over 1,150 for clashing with law enforcers.