KARACHI: In the Saddar area of Karachi, Pakistan’s largest mobile phone market is buzzing with customers, some buying new smartphones, others seeking to get theirs repaired.
The number of mobile phone users in Pakistan is increasing daily, said Muhammad Ahsan Mosani, owner of a repair center in the market.
“Our technicians have acquired expertise either through training courses or while on the job,” he told Arab News.
“The presence of qualified technicians makes this market popular among mobile phone users.”
The advancement of cellular technology and huge investment have made Pakistan a major importer of mobile phones.
Every month, 1.5 to 2 million handsets are imported and sold in the country through legal channels, said Muhammad Rizwan, president of the Karachi Electronic Dealer Association.
He added that 30-40 percent of the electronic gadgets imported are smartphones, citing the introduction of 3G and 4G services in Pakistan. With no manufacturing facility in the country, most mobile sets are imported from China.
The huge influx has created employment opportunities for thousands of youths, as sales and repair shops have sprung up across Pakistan. Many technical institutions are now offering repair courses.
“I want to open my own mobile phone shop,” Muhammad Kamran, a student at the Memon Industrial and Technical Institute (MITI), told Arab News. “There’s huge demand for technicians.”
Muhammad Kashif, who is enrolled in a four-month course, said he has already opened a repair shop.
“There was no such facility in my area, so I decided to start my own business just weeks after starting the course,” he said.
MITI instructor Ayaz Mobin said the institute offers short courses of up to four months, and most students get jobs immediately.
Smartphone technology “is a bit complicated, but we have modern equipment to deal with it,” he told Arab News. “Our students are trained to use all kinds of equipment.”
Mobile phone repair business booms in Pakistan
Mobile phone repair business booms in Pakistan
UN torture expert decries Pakistan ex-PM Khan’s detention
- Khan’s party alleges government is holding him in solitary confinement, barring prison visits
- Pakistan’s government rejects allegations former premier is being denied basic rights in prison
GENEVA: Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan is being held in conditions that could amount to torture and other inhuman or degrading treatment, the United Nations’ special rapporteur on torture warned Friday.
Alice Jill Edwards urged Pakistan to take immediate and effective action to address reports of the 73-year-old’s inhumane and undignified detention conditions.
“I call on Pakistani authorities to ensure that Khan’s conditions of detention fully comply with international norms and standards,” Edwards said in a statement.
“Since his transfer to Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi on September 26, 2023, Imran Khan has reportedly been held for excessive periods in solitary confinement, confined for 23 hours a day in his cell, and with highly restricted access to the outside world,” she said.
“His cell is reportedly under constant camera surveillance.”
Khan an all-rounder who captained Pakistan to victory in the 1992 Cricket World Cup, upended Pakistani politics by becoming the prime minister in 2018.
Edwards said prolonged or indefinite solitary confinement is prohibited under international human rights law and constitutes a form of psychological torture when it lasts longer than 15 days.
“Khan’s solitary confinement should be lifted without delay. Not only is it an unlawful measure, extended isolation can bring about very harmful consequences for his physical and mental health,” she said.
UN special rapporteurs are independent experts mandated by the Human Rights Council. They do not, therefore, speak for the United Nations itself.
Initially a strong backer of the country’s powerful military leadership, Khan was ousted in a no-confidence vote in 2022, and has since been jailed on a slew of corruption charges that he denies.
He has accused the military of orchestrating his downfall and pursuing his Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party and its allies.
Khan’s supporters say he is being denied prison visits from lawyers and family after a fiery social media post this month accusing army leader Field Marshal Asim Munir of persecuting him.
According to information Edwards has received, visits from Khan’s lawyers and relatives are frequently interrupted or ended prematurely, while he is held in a small cell lacking natural light and adequate ventilation.
“Anyone deprived of liberty must be treated with humanity and dignity,” the UN expert said.
“Detention conditions must reflect the individual’s age and health situation, including appropriate sleeping arrangements, climatic protection, adequate space, lighting, heating, and ventilation.”
Edwards has raised Khan’s situation with the Pakistani government.
