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International UN Peacekeepers Day: Pakistan remembers 181 of its own lost in line of duty

International UN Peacekeepers Day: Pakistan remembers 181 of its own lost in line of duty
The picture shared by Radio Pakistan on May 22, 2024, shows UN honoring Pakistani peacekeepers for their work in saving Bentiu from floods in South Sudan. (South Sudan)
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Updated 29 May 2025
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International UN Peacekeepers Day: Pakistan remembers 181 of its own lost in line of duty

International UN Peacekeepers Day: Pakistan remembers 181 of its own lost in line of duty
  • Over 235,000 Pakistani peacekeepers have served in 48 UN missions worldwide in seven-decade history of UN peacekeeping 
  • May 29 marks creation of UN Truce Supervision Organization in 1948 to monitor ceasefire after 1948 Arab-Israeli War
Updated 29 May 2025
Arab News Pakistan
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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan joined the international community in celebrating the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers today, Thursday, the prime minister’s office said in a message, paying tribute to 181 Pakistanis who had been killed in the line of duty.

The International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, May 29, is “an international day to pay tribute to all the men and women who have served and continue to serve in United Nations peacekeeping operations for their high level of professionalism, dedication, and courage and to honor the memory of those who have lost their lives in the cause of peace.”

“In the seven-decade history of UN peacekeeping missions, more than 235,000 Pakistani peacekeepers have rendered distinguished service in 48 UN missions around the world,” PM Shehbaz Sharif said in a message. 

“181 Pakistani peacekeepers have made the eternal sacrifice of their lives in achieving international peace and security.”

Sharif said the international day was an opportune occasion to review the many challenges facing UN peacekeeping, such as increasingly unilateral policies, financial sanctions, growing threats to the safety and security of UN peacekeepers, targeting of UN peacekeeping operations based on disinformation, and the destabilizing effects of new and emerging technologies.

In an effort to address these challenges, Pakistan, along with the Republic of Korea, co-hosted the UN Peacekeeping Ministerial Meeting in Islamabad last month with the theme, “Towards a Safer and More Effective Peace: Using Technology and an Integrated Approach”.

Pakistan also hosts the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP), one of the oldest UN peacekeeping missions, tasked with monitoring the ceasefire along the Line of Control in the UN-recognized disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

The date, May 29, for the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, marks the anniversary of the creation of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization in 1948 to monitor the ceasefire after the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, which was the first ever UN peacekeeping mission.

Topics: International UN Peacekeepers Day Pakistan

Teenager killed, 11 injured as militants storm southwestern Pakistani town

Teenager killed, 11 injured as militants storm southwestern Pakistani town
Updated 6 sec ago
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Teenager killed, 11 injured as militants storm southwestern Pakistani town

Teenager killed, 11 injured as militants storm southwestern Pakistani town
  • The militants attacked and set fire to a bank, tehsil and other offices in Balochistan’s Mastung
  • Two militants were also killed in exchange of fire with security forces who responded to assault
Updated 6 sec ago
Saadullah Akhtar

QUETTA: Dozens of militants armed with guns and rockets stormed the Mastung town in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province, a government spokesman and health officials said on Tuesday, with a teenager killed and 11 others injured in the attack.
The militants stormed a bank, tehsil and other offices, Balochistan government spokesman Shahid Rind said, adding that gunfire by militants killed a 16-year-old boy and injured seven others.
Dr. Saeed Meerwani, medical superintendent of Mastung District Headquarters Hospital, told one body and three injured were brought to the hospital, while Arbab Awais Kasi, a spokesman for Nawab Ghous Bukhsh Raisani Hospital, said the facility treated and discharged eight injured persons.
“FC [Frontier Corps paramilitary], CTD [Counter-Terrorism Department] and Levies [paramilitary] surrounded the area and the militants retreated,” Rind said in a statement.
“Two terrorists were killed and three were injured in the exchange of fire between security forces and terrorists.”
Rind said the attack was carried out by “Fitna Al-Hindustan,” a reference to alleged Indian-backed Baloch separatist groups in the region. New Delhi denies supporting militancy in Pakistan.
Balochistan has long been the scene of a low-level insurgency by separatists seeking independence from the central government. The province is also home to militants linked to the Pakistani Taliban and the Daesh (Islamic State) group.
“The swift response by security forces helped prevent further loss of lives,” Rind said. “A full-scale operation is underway against the terrorists present in the area.”
He said security agencies have also started searching for the facilitators of the attackers.
In recent months, the separatists have mounted their attacks against the government and security forces in Balochistan, where the military has a huge presence in and has long run intelligence-based operations against groups such as the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA).
In March, the BLA separatist hijacked a train with hundreds of passengers aboard near Balochistan’s Bolan Pass, which resulted in the deaths of 23 soldiers, three railway employees and five passengers. At least 33 insurgents were also killed.
More than 50 people, including security forces, were killed in August last year in a string of coordinated assaults in the province that were claimed by the BLA.

Militants storm police station, torch banks, kill a boy in southwest Pakistan

Militants storm police station, torch banks, kill a boy in southwest Pakistan
Updated 01 July 2025
AP
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Militants storm police station, torch banks, kill a boy in southwest Pakistan

Militants storm police station, torch banks, kill a boy in southwest Pakistan
  • Local officials say some insurgents were killed in a shootout with security forces
  • No group has claimed responsibility, though suspicion is likely to fall on BLA militants
Updated 01 July 2025
AP

QUETTA: Dozens of militants armed with guns and rockets stormed a police station and set fire to two banks in restive southwestern Pakistan on Tuesday, killing a boy and wounding nine others before fleeing, officials said.

The boy died when the attackers fired on civilians indiscriminately during the attacks in Mastung, a district in Balochistan province, said Jan Mohammad, a local government administrator.

Mohammad said some of the insurgents were also killed in the shootout with security forces.

A provincial government spokesman, Shahid Rind, said a security operation had been launched to pursue the assailants.

No group immediately claimed responsibility, though suspicion is likely to fall on the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army, or BLA, which often targets security forces and civilians in Balochistan and elsewhere.

The United States designated the BLA a terrorist organization in 2019.

Balochistan has long been the scene of a low-level insurgency by separatist groups seeking independence from the central government.

The province is also home to militants linked to the Pakistani Taliban and Daesh group.
 

Topics: Quetta attack Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) militancy in Pakistan

Pakistan arrests alleged land route agent linked to deadly Morocco boat tragedy

Pakistan arrests alleged land route agent linked to deadly Morocco boat tragedy
Updated 01 July 2025
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Pakistan arrests alleged land route agent linked to deadly Morocco boat tragedy

Pakistan arrests alleged land route agent linked to deadly Morocco boat tragedy
  • Migrant boat, which set off from Mauritania for Spain in January with 86 on board, mostly Pakistanis, drowned near coast of Morocco
  • Land route agent Ghulam Mustafa had been sending people to Europe since 2023 via maritime routes through Morocco, says FIA
Updated 01 July 2025
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Tuesday announced it had arrested an agent involved in the Morocco boat tragedy, in which dozens of Pakistanis attempting to travel illegally to Europe had drowned near the African country’s coast earlier this year.

The boat had set off from Mauritania in January with 86 migrants on board, among them 66 Pakistanis, for the Canary Islands administered by Spain, international rights group Walking Borders had said. Moroccan authorities said on January 16 that 36 people were rescued from the vessel, while Pakistan confirmed survivors of the tragedy included 22 of its nationals.

Pakistani authorities have launched a crackdown against agents involved in illegally sending impoverished migrants through dangerous sea routes by offering them a chance at a better life in Europe. The FIA said its Faisalabad chapter arrested Ghulam Mustafa, a land route agent who was wanted for his involvement in the Morocco boat tragedy.

“Since 2023, the suspect had been working as a land route agent to send people to Europe via the maritime route through Morocco,” the FIA said in a press release.

It said Mustafa was part of the same network of human smugglers Abdul Ghaffar and Muhammad Sarfaraz, who were arrested by the FIA in February, for smuggling the migrants on the same boat that met an accident near Morocco.

The FIA said Mustafa, Ghaffar and Sarfraz were in contact with notorious African human smuggler Abubakar.

“The suspects were involved in extorting millions of rupees from Pakistani citizens under the pretext of sending them to Spain,” the statement said. “They were found to be facilitating the illegal transport of citizens to Spain via sea routes.”

A record 10,457 migrants, or 30 people a day, died trying to reach Spain in 2024. Most of them died while attempting to cross the Atlantic route from West African countries such as Mauritania and Senegal to the Canary Islands, according to Walking Borders.

In 2023, hundreds of migrants, including 262 Pakistanis, drowned when an overcrowded vessel sank in international waters off the southwestern Greek town of Pylos, marking one of the deadliest boat disasters ever recorded in the Mediterranean Sea.

The Pakistani government has ramped up efforts in recent months to combat human smugglers facilitating dangerous journeys for illegal immigrants to Europe, resulting in several arrests.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has also urged increased collaboration with international agencies like Interpol to ensure swift action against human trafficking networks.

Topics: Morocco boat tragedy

Pakistan court hears plea to register criminal case against Donald Trump over Iran strikes

Pakistan court hears plea to register criminal case against Donald Trump over Iran strikes
Updated 01 July 2025
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Pakistan court hears plea to register criminal case against Donald Trump over Iran strikes

Pakistan court hears plea to register criminal case against Donald Trump over Iran strikes
  • Last month, a local lawyer sought to file a police case against the US president for ‘terrorizing’ millions
  • Legal experts say the petition holds no merit since no direct harm was caused to any Pakistani citizen
Updated 01 July 2025
NAIMAT KHAN

KARACHI: A local court in Pakistan’s port city of Karachi on Tuesday heard a petition seeking the registration of a criminal case against United States President Donald Trump for ordering strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, which the petitioner claimed caused mental distress to millions, including Pakistani citizens and lawyers.

The court adjourned proceedings until Wednesday, asking the petitioner to establish the maintainability of the case.

The plea was filed by Advocate Jamshed Ali Khowaja, who claims to represent hundreds of members of the International Lawyers Forum (ILF). His counsel, Jafar Abbas Jafri, argued the attack, carried out on June 21 and 22 by US B-2 bombers, induced widespread panic and psychological trauma in Pakistan.

“A case can be filed where the crime occurred and where its effects were felt. The effects were felt across the country, including within the limits of Docks Police Station,” Jafri told the court, referring to the jurisdiction where his clients are seeking to have the case registered.

He claimed suspicious US naval activity near Pakistan’s coastal belt intensified public fear.

“The act has caused mental stress and terrorized millions, including my client,” he continued.

However, the court raised questions about jurisdiction.

“This happened outside Pakistan’s territory,” the judge said. “If anything happens anywhere in the world, should Pakistani courts take up every such case?”

The court granted the petitioner time to present further arguments on maintainability.

Speaking to Arab News, senior lawyer Shaukat Hayat said the application holds no legal standing.

“Donald Trump is the president of a country, and no direct harm was caused to Pakistani citizens or lawyers,” he said. “Tomorrow if someone moves a US court to register a case against the Pakistani premier, will the US court order registering a case against our PM?”

Ali Ahmed Palh, another senior lawyer, said the petition seems aimed at seeking attention.

“The right proper forum for such complaints can be the International Criminal Court,” he argued. “Pakistani courts have no jurisdiction over such cases.”

However, Jafri defended the case.

“The act has caused mental stress and terrorized millions, including my clients, so this falls under Pakistani jurisdiction,” he told Arab News, expressing hope that the court would accept the petition.

The petition, filed on June 24, seeks court orders directing police to register a First Information Report — a formal complaint that initiates a criminal investigation — and to provide legal and financial support until its filing.

Topics: Donald Trumnp Pakistan US Ties

Pakistan, India exchange prisoners’ list despite ongoing tensions

Pakistan, India exchange prisoners’ list despite ongoing tensions
Updated 01 July 2025
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Pakistan, India exchange prisoners’ list despite ongoing tensions

Pakistan, India exchange prisoners’ list despite ongoing tensions
  • India and Pakistan’s militaries engaged in armed conflict for four days in May before agreeing to ceasefire
  • New Delhi shares list of 463 Pakistani or believed-to-be-Pakistani prisoners in its custody, says foreign office
Updated 01 July 2025
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: Islamabad and New Delhi exchanged lists of prisoners on Tuesday as part of an international agreement between the two countries, Pakistan’s foreign office said, despite ongoing tensions between the neighbors following their armed conflict in May. 

India and Pakistan exchange the lists of prisoners in each other’s custody on January 1 and July 1 each year under the Agreement on Consular Access between both sides. 

The latest development takes place despite tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors, whose militaries were embroiled in a four-day conflict in May before Washington brokered a ceasefire on May 10. 

“The Government of Pakistan handed over a list of 246 Indian or believed-to-be-Indian prisoners (53 civilian prisoners and 193 fishermen) to a representative of the Indian High Commission, Islamabad,” the Pakistani foreign office said in a statement. 

It added that India shared a list of 463 Pakistani or believed-to-be-Pakistani prisoners (382 civilians and 81 fishermen) with a diplomat from the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi. 

Pakistan’s foreign office demanded the immediate release and repatriation of all Pakistani prisoners and fishermen who have completed their respective sentences and whose national status is confirmed.

“A request for special consular access has also been made for all believed-to-be-Pakistani prisoners, including the physically- and mentally-challenged prisoners for expeditious confirmation of their national status,” the foreign office said. 

The foreign office said it has urged the Indian government to provide consular access to all prisoners to whom consular access is still awaited. The Indian side has also been urged to ensure the safety, security and well-being of all Pakistani prisoners in Indian custody, it said. 

“The Government of Pakistan remains committed to addressing humanitarian matters as a priority,” the foreign office said. “It will continue its endeavors to ensure early return of all Pakistani prisoners in Indian jails.”

Tensions reached a boiling point between the two when New Delhi blamed Islamabad for supporting a militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22. Gunmen opened fire on unarmed civilians in the attack, killing 26 in total, mostly tourists. 

Pakistan denied involvement in the incident and called for an international probe. India fired missiles into Pakistan on May 7, saying it had struck “terrorist camps” in Pakistan. For four days the two countries pounded each other with artillery fire, missiles, fighter jets and drones before US President Donald Trump announced they had agreed to a ceasefire on May 10.

Topics: Pakistan India Ties Pakistani prisoner indian prisoners

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