ISLAMABAD: Altaf Hussain, the founder of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), who lives in self-exile in London, has been found not guilty by a jury of encouraging acts of terrorism after making fiery speeches to followers in Pakistan’s financial capital Karachi.
The verdict was reached by a majority decision in London on Tuesday.
British police said in 2019 they had charged the London-based leader with a terrorism offense in connection with a speech delivered three years ago in which he was accused of urging a crowd of hunger strikers in Karachi to ransack media houses and storm the local headquarters of a military unit.
Two TV studios were soon after attacked and taken off air, while police officers were assaulted and injured, prosecutors said. One person was killed in the violence.
Rupert Bowers, a defense lawyer, sought to cast doubt over whether Hussain meant for his words to be taken literally that day. He urged jurors to judge the case “by the yardstick of Pakistan” and its “endemic violence,” Bloomberg reported.
“Mr. Hussain did nothing other than he has always done in trying to represent an oppressed part of the population while organizing what is axiomatically a peaceful protest by way of hunger strike,” Bowers said in his summing up. “If violence ensued in the latter part of that day he’s regretful of that — he’s not a terrorist.”
Fearing assassination, Hussain requested asylum in Britain in the 1990s and later gained British citizenship. But he ruled the port city of Karachi with an iron fist despite living thousands of miles away in London, able to close businesses and bring streets to a standstill with a single order.
But that ability has ebbed since 2013, when the military launched a crackdown in which the MQM says hundreds of its supporters have been arrested and killed in extrajudicial operations. Authorities deny the charge, saying they have targeted criminals and militants irrespective of political affiliations, and brought down crime rates considerably.
Hussain’s control over the party he founded in 1984 has also been undermined as loyalists led by former right-hand man Farooq Sattar announced in August 2016 the MQM would no longer be run from London but by politicians in Karachi.
The MQM, one of Pakistan’s biggest political parties, mostly comprises descendants of Muslim Urdu-speaking people who migrated to Pakistan from India around the time of the partition of India in 1947. The party is also accused of exercising influence through gangs engaged in racketeering, kidnappings for ransom and targeted killings in Karachi. The MQM denies the charges.
London jury declares exiled Pakistani politician Altaf Hussain not guilty of ‘encouraging terrorism’
https://arab.news/6t5ws
London jury declares exiled Pakistani politician Altaf Hussain not guilty of ‘encouraging terrorism’
- British police in 2019 charged Hussain with terrorism offense in connection with speech delivered in 2016
- Defense lawyer urged jurors to judge the case “by the yardstick of Pakistan” and its “endemic violence”
US hand Pakistan shock defeat in first T20 World Cup upset
- Match went into Super Over after both teams scored 159 from 20 overs
- US Skipper Monank Patel leads from the front with fighting half-century
ISLAMABAD: Led by skipper Monank Patel, the United States registered the first shock upset of this year’s T20 World Cup on Thursday when they defeated Pakistan by five runs in a thriller that went down to the Super Over.
Pakistan were sent in to bat first after the US won the toss and elected to field against the 2009 T20 world champions in Dallas. Pakistan’s upper order failed them once again, with opener Muhammad Rizwan, Usman Khan and Fakhar Zaman departing for 9, 3 and 11 runs respectively.
Skipper Babar Azam scored 44 runs from 43 balls while all-rounder Shadab Khan made 40 from 25 balls. Pinch-hitter Azam Khan went for a golden duck, while pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi scored an unbeaten 23 runs from 16 balls to ensure Pakistan finished at 159/7 from 20 overs.
However, Pakistani bowlers were unable to defend the target, with the match ending in a tie that ultimately went to a Super Over. In T20 cricket, each team bats for an additional over when the match ends in a tie.
“HISTORY MADE,” the International Cricket Council (ICC) wrote on social media platform Instagram. “Stunning scenes in Dallas as USA pull off a remarkable Super Over win over against Pakistan.”
Nosthush Kenjige was the pick of the American bowlers, returning figures of 3/30 while Saurabh Netravalkar pitched in with 2/18 to keep the Pakistani batters at bay.
In response, US captain Patel led from the front, scoring 50 runs from 38 balls. Pakistani pacers Mohammad Amir, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf returned figures of 1/25, 1/26 and 1/37 from their four overs. Afridi remained wicketless, returning figures of 0/33 as the US finished at 159/3 from 20 overs.
Sent in to bat first, the US managed to score 18 runs courtesy of a boundary, some fielding mishaps from Pakistan and three wide deliveries from Amir.
Pakistan sent in batters Zaman and Iftikhar Ahmed to chase the 19-run target from six balls. However, they lost the Super Over after finishing five runs short of the target at 13/1.
With the latest win, the US move to the top of the table with four points from two matches. India are second-placed in the table while Pakistan, Canada and Ireland are yet to open their account in the World Cup.
Saudi Arabia thrash Pakistan 3-0 in FIFA World Cup qualifier
- Saudi football striker Firas Tariq Nasser Al-Buraikan scores twice to hand Pakistan defeat
- Pakistan will now face Tajikistan in Dushanbe in last away match of World Cup qualifying round
ISLAMABAD: Saudi Arabia beat Pakistan 3-0 at the Jinnah Football Stadium in Islamabad on Thursday, as the two sides locked horns in the second round of the FIFA World Cup qualifying matches of Group G.
Saudi Arabia’s Firas Tariq Nasser Al-Buraikan dealt Pakistan an early blow in the 26th minute, netting the first goal of the match. Fifteen minutes later, the Saudi footballer netted another one, giving the visitors a 2-0 edge over the hosts.
Pakistan attempted to regroup and mount a comeback in the second half with a couple of attacks. However, their efforts were thwarted when Saudi Arabia’s Musab Fahd Al-Juwayr netted the third goal of the match in the 51st minute of the match.
“Our last home game of the FIFA WCQ ends in defeat,” the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) wrote on social media platform X.
Pakistan are bottom-placed at Group G of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers. The South Asian team lost to Saudi football team 4-0 in the first leg of the qualifying matches when they faced off in Al Ahsa.
The green shirts will face Tajikistan on June 11 in Dushanbe in what will be their final round 2 away fixture.
Apart from Saudi Arabia, the other two teams with Pakistan in Group G are Jordan and Tajikistan. In the second round of the qualifiers, a total of 36 football squads have been split into nine groups with four teams each. The winners and runners-up from each group would go through to the third round.
Pakistan were already out of the race to qualify for the third round of the FIFA World Cup qualifying matches after losing four matches on the trot.
Pakistani court grants FIA two-day remand of rights activist Sarim Burney in human trafficking case
- Burney was arrested in Karachi on Wednesday after his return to country from United States
- Burney, associates accused of smuggling and illegally three children to the United States
KARACHI: A local court in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi on Thursday granted a two-day physical remand of rights activist Sarim Burney to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), a day after he was arrested on charges of human trafficking and illegally sending children to the United States.
Burney, a prominent rights activist in Pakistan, was produced before the court of Judicial Magistrate Khaleeque Zaman in Karachi a day after he was arrested on his return to Pakistan from the US. According to the FIA, Burney had been arrested over human trafficking charges levelled against him by US authorities.
The Anti-Human Trafficking cell of the FIA had registered a case against Burney under Sections 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged document), 109 (abetment) of the Pakistan Penal Code with Sections 3 (trafficking in persons), 4 (aggravating circumstances) and Section 5 (abetment and criminal conspiracy) of the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Act, 2018.
The social worker was arrested on charges of human trafficking which includes smuggling and illegally sending children to the US after American authorities filed a complaint against him, the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) said.
“Sarim Burney and his associates Basalat Ali Khan, Humaira Naz and others, in collusion with each other knowingly and willfully gave false information, made misdeclaration as well as concealment of the facts before the Hon’ble Family Courts District East Karachi in the garb of illegal adoption and guardianship of three baby girls by using and providing fraudulent documents,” a copy of the complaint seen by Arab News said.
The complaint said the Sarim Burney Trust claimed the baby girls were orphans and had been found outside the gate of the trust. The trust had also claimed it tried its level best to find their parents but no person came forward to claim them.
The complaint said the suspects’ statements about the three girls were “contrary to the facts” and that the girls had been trafficked abroad “by way of adoption/guardianship.”
Investigation Officer Chaudhry Bilal requested the judge to remand Burney for 14 days in police custody. The magistrate, after hearing the arguments, handed over the accused to the FIA on a two-day remand.
“Meanwhile, the court rejected Burney’s request to discharge him from the case,” the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) said.
According to local media reports, Burney alleged that a campaign was being run against him, vowing not to let his arrest get in the way of his philanthropic activities.
Arab News contacted the US Consulate in Karachi for to get their version, who refused to respond to specific queries.
“We are aware of reports regarding the arrest of Sarim Burney. This is an internal Pakistani judicial matter for Pakistan’s authorities to investigate,” Anastasia Kolivas, public diplomacy officer at the consulate, told Arab News.
“We have been clear and consistent in calling for respect for the rule of law, and we will continue to do so.”
Sindh press clubs demand action as report says 10 journalists killed across province
- Pakistan-based media watchdog launches report which says from 2018-2023, 10 journalists killed in Sindh
- Journalists say Sindh continues to remain one of Pakistan’s most concerning regions for their safety
KARACHI: Journalist unions and press clubs across Pakistan’s Sindh on Thursday urged the government to take urgent action to ensure freedom of expression and that journalists remained safe in the province, citing a report that said 10 media workers have been killed in the past five years there.
Representatives of press clubs and journalist unions from Sindh’s Sukkur, Khairpur, Hyderabad and Karachi cities attended the launch of a special report, titled: “Journalism in the Shadow of Violence” at the Karachi Press Club. The report was launched by Pakistan-based media and development sector watchdog, Freedom Network. The event was organized by the Sindh chapter of the Pakistan Journalists Safety Coalition (PJSC).
As per the report, 184 incidents of violence against journalists took place in Sindh between 2018 and 2023, whichincluded the killings of 10 journalists in the province. Freedom Network Executive Director Iqbal Khattak said the report described the current situation of media freedoms and journalists’ safety in Sindh.
“Sindh continues to remain one of the most concerning regions for the safety of journalists in Pakistan, even though the province has a special legislation to combat impunity in crimes against journalists,” Khattak said, according to a press release by the PJSC.
President of the PJSC’s Sindh chapter, Amir Lateef, said the targeting of journalists in the province has increased alarmingly, especially in northern Sindh, which has witnessed a disturbing rise in physical attacks against journalists.
“The issue is that the state is not supporting journalists,” Lateef said. “We will use the report’s findings to lobby with government officials and policymakers to ensure that they support the journalist community against safety risks.”
Senior journalist Mazhar Abbas demanded media owners also be held accountable or the safety of their workers while Khan Muhammad, president of the Khairpur Press Club, said journalists in rural Sindh require support against legal and physical threats.
Imdad Buzdar, president of the Sukkur Press Club, called on journalists to unite for a constant struggle for their rights while Sajjad Khanzada, the Hyderabad Press Club’s president, said brazen attacks on journalists will continue until their perpetrators are brought to justice.
Khattak had earlier shared details of the report, the PJSC said, adding that it shows low-income backgrounds of critical journalists, the lack of enforcement of labor laws in the news industry and the lack of digital safety skills create pressures for local journalists. This, the PJSC said, makes them vulnerable to threats and forces them to take undue risks.
Pakistani gemstone traders urge government to adopt modern technology, remove restrictions to enhance exports
- Export of gems declined by 82 percent and 10 percent in terms of quantity and value this year, official data shows
- Conventional blasting methods damage gemstones, cause them to lose value, says leading exporter
KARACHI: Pakistani exporters and traders of gemstones and jewelry items on Thursday urged the government to adopt modern technological methods and remove restrictions to enhance exports from the South Asian country.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif last month urged authorities to upgrade the country’s gems and precious stones sector to industry status. According to a report by Pakistan’s Ministry of Commerce, the country’s exports of pearls and precious stones to China saw a 47 percent increase in 2023, showcasing the rising demand for Pakistani precious stones in China. Pakistan has huge reserves of emerald, ruby, sapphire, topaz, aquamarine and tourmaline gemstones.
Syed MinHajjuddin Shah, chairman of the All-Pakistan Commercial Exporters Association of Rough & Unpolished Precious and Semi Precious Stones, told Arab News that other countries were taking advantage in the exports of gemstones by adopting modern technological methods where Pakistan was losing out.
“China is big market for Pakistani gems but other countries, including Sri Lanka, are taking benefit,” Shah said. “Due to lack of modern mining technology our products get wasted during mining process.”
The total import and export value of China’s jewelry industry reached a record high of $145.334 billion in 2023, an increase of 8.62 percent on a year-on-year basis. Pakistan’s exports of gems and precious stones to China saw a 47 percent increase in 2023, indicating growing recognition of the quality of Pakistani gemstones among Chinese buyers, as per a Chinese media report.
Since 2023, the demand for colored gemstones in China has been steadily expanding, supplementing the traditional asset of gold. According to market research by the China Gems and Jade Association (Beijing) Fund Management Company, the average price increase for colored gemstones across all categories in China during the first half of 2023 ranged between 30 percent and 50 percent. Prices for larger or relatively rare gems surged by as much as 100 percent to 150 percent.
Shah said conventional blasting methods used in Pakistan to extract precious stones result in fracturing and cracking that reduce the quality and value of the gemstones. This, in turn, makes them less desirable for use in jewelry and other applications.
“Adoption of modern technology for mining can save a huge quantity of gemstones which will ultimately lead to value addition and higher foreign exchange earnings,” he said, Pakistan can also increase its exports to Gulf countries.
Adnan Qadri, the convener of a standing committee on gems and jewelry producers, manufacturers and exporters of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) told Arab News that last year, Pakistan’s gems exports experienced significant challenges and fluctuations.
He said this was due to Pakistan’s move to impose restrictions on the export of gems and jewelry to comply with the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) conditions aimed at curbing money laundering and terror financing.
“This led to a dramatic drop in exports, from $30 million to less than $10 million,” Qadri explained. He said the FPCCI has proposed measures to the government on how it can boost exports of gemstones from the country.
According to official data, the export of gems declined by 82 percent and 10 percent in terms of quantity and value during the current fiscal year. Pakistan exported 966 kilograms of gems worth $5.6 million during July-April period of the current fiscal year as compared to 5,436 kilograms worth $6.3 million exported during the same period last year.
The FPCCI, the apex representative body of Pakistani traders and industrials, has pointed out that restrictions on exporting precious gems and gold jewelry through courier services in Pakistan has led exporters to resort to misdeclare precious items as artificial jewelry, resulting in suppressed exports in the sector.
“Pakistan’s export policy hinders the growth potential of the gems and jewelry industry, which constitutes only a minimal fraction of the country’s total exports (0.04-0.05 percent of total exports),” the FPCCI noted in a budget proposal for upcoming budget for fiscal year, FY25.
Muhammad Zubair Motiwala, chief executive of the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan(TDAP) could not be reached for his comments on the export strategy.
