PESHAWAR: The government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has offered to hold talks with the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), a group that campaigns for the rights of Pashtun people.
The traditional jirga, or assembly, would be headed by the KP governor and include tribal elders from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and representatives from other districts in the province.
PTM activists on Friday said they are willing to talk to the government, but insist that the meeting must be held in the presence of “international guarantors,” in particular the UN since Pakistan is signatory to many international conventions on human rights. Initial discussions were held on Wednesday at the residence of AlHajj Shah Jee Gul, a member of National Assembly from the tribal Khyber Agency, said PTM leader Ali Wazir. PTM leaders will make a final decision about participating in the talks after mutual consultation, he added.
Gul said the meeting on Wednesday was a preliminary round of formal talks in which the PTM leadership was asked to put forward the names of their representatives and the government authorities with whom they wished to talk.
The primary demands of PTM include an end to the “extra-judicial killing” of Pashtuns, the removal of land mines from their territory, and the formation of a truth and reconciliation commission to investigate human-rights violations in the Pashtun belt.
The movement has been staging rallies across Pakistan that included the chanting of anti-state slogans, leading the administration to disallow their protests.
“The fact that PTM has agreed to talks is also an achievement,” said Gul, adding that the government is now waiting for the group’s response.
PTM is set to hold another protest rally in Swat on April 29, said group member Bilal Mehsud. It will decide on a course of action regarding the talks with the government after that, he added.
“The government authorities assured us that PTM can continue its activities but now when we are holding the Swat rally on April 29, the administration is creating problems for us,” said Mehsud. “Our workers who are posting banners and making arrangements for the rally are being harassed.”
Bilal Bacha, another PTM member, said: “We made it very clear to the participants of the meeting [on the government’s side] that our elders from Quetta to Swat will take part in the upcoming talks [with the apex committee jirga].”
Sana Ejaz, also member of PTM, said formal talks with the apex committee are likely to begin soon. However, she reiterated that they must be held in presence of “international guarantors.”
“It would be unjust if we are told to pack up and later our demands are not met,” she added.
The United Nations in particular could be a guarantor, she said, given Pakistan has signed a number of UN treaties and the global body is also responsible for protecting human rights around the world.
Ejaz also called for the removal of land mines from FATA, along with an end to the ethnic profiling of Pashtuns in major urban centers, the return of missing persons, and the punishment of Karachi police officer Rao Anwar, who was involved in the killing of Pashtun Naqeebullah Mehsud.
“Going by police investigations, Anwar has killed 440 people in fake police encounters,” she said. “Also, it is not possible to release all missing people since the authorities have admitted that nearly 4,000 of them were handed over to foreign governments under the Musharraf regime alone.”
She also pointed out that security forces sometimes imposed emergency curfews in some areas, mostly in FATA, for indefinite periods, and that PTM wants an end to this.
KP government spokesman, and member of its provincial assembly, Shaukat Ali Yousafzai said the administration would consider all genuine demands from the movement. However, he added that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government fully supported the Pakistani Army.
“Our soldiers have given their lives and sacrificed a great deal to restore peace in KP and FATA,” he said. “The army should not be criticized.”
Yousafzai added that much of the rest of what the group is asking for could be debated and accepted.
“Now that peace has returned to the region, it’s not wise to disturb it through protest movements. Yes, there can be talks on the issues and genuine demands can be met,” he said.
The civilian and military leadership is taking a keen interest in addressing the PTM grievances. The military has announced it will hand over most of the checkpoints in FATA to the civilian authorities. Officials also maintain that 64 percent of the process to remove land mines from FATA has been completed.
PTM welcomes government talks offer but demands presence of ‘international guarantors’
PTM welcomes government talks offer but demands presence of ‘international guarantors’
- Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government’s offer to hold discussions with the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement — which campaigns for the rights of Pashtun people and has recently gained momentum across the country — met with a cautious, calculated response
- PTM activists demand international guarantors, in particular the United Nation, to ensure their rights
PCB proposes Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi as ICC Champions Trophy 2025 venues— report
- Pakistan are scheduled to host the eight-team ICC Champions Trophy tournament next year
- PCB chairman says upgrading existing stadiums before tournament will be a “very tough test”
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has proposed Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi as the three venues for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025, in an initial draft schedule of the tournament that it shared recently with the International Cricket Council (ICC), sports website ESPNcricinfo reported on Sunday.
Pakistan are scheduled to host the eight-team Champions Trophy tournament next year. If the tournament takes place in the South Asian country, it would mark the first time in nearly 30 years that an ICC event would be held in the country.
The green shirts won the last edition of the Champions Trophy 2025, which was held in 2017 in England. Champions Trophy 2017 was thought to be the last edition of the tournament until the ICC brought it back in the new rights cycle (2023-2027) and awarded Pakistan the hosting rights for the 2025 edition.
“Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi are the three venues proposed by the PCB in the initial draft schedule of the 2025 Champions Trophy, sent recently to the ICC,” ESPNcricinfo reported. “The eight-team tournament is expected to be played over two weeks, though the exact dates are not known yet,” it added.
It said the Pakistan board sent the initial draft after an ICC sent a team to conduct recces for the tournament. PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi confirmed the development during a news conference in Lahore on Sunday.
“The ICC’s security team came and we had a very good meeting,” Naqvi said. “They looked at arrangements here and we’ll also share stadium upgrade plans with them. We’re continuously in touch with the ICC. We are trying to ensure we host a very good tournament in Pakistan.”
A huge question mark looms over India’s prospects of touring Pakistan for the tournament. Political tensions between the two nuclear-armed nations mean they rarely play bilateral cricket against each other. India and Pakistan, fierce cricket rivals, meet each other on the field only during ICC tournaments and that too, at neutral venues.
India last toured Pakistan during the 2008 Asia Cup. Last year, the PCB had to adopt a “hybrid model” while hosting the Asia Cup, whereby some games were played in Pakistan but all of India’s games and the final were held in Sri Lanka.
Another challenge on Pakistan’s hands would be to upgrade its existing stadiums in line with international standards, something Naqvi has had his eye on ever since he assumed the PCB chairman’s post this year.
“If you look at Qaddafi [stadium in Lahore], it is good, but the viewing experience is not great for cricket. Football maybe, not cricket,” he said. Naqvi said Pakistan needed to improve facilities in the stadiums, especially the National Stadium in Karachi.
“So on May 7th, we’ll finalize bids from international companies who will come and help us design,” he said. “We will work with local consultants as well. We are already late but we need to do these upgrades in four-five months. It will be a very tough test but we can do it.”
Pakistani PM to address closing plenary of WEF special meeting, meet Saudi ministers today
- Shehbaz Sharif met Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman on Sunday and discussed bilateral ties and war in Gaza
- WEF has convened Special Meeting on Global Collaboration, Growth and Energy for Development in Riyadh
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will address today, Monday, the closing plenary of a special meeting of the World Economic Forum being held in Riyadh and meet a number of top Saudi officials, state-run APP news agency said.
Sharif arrived in Riyadh on Saturday for the World Economic Forum’s Special Meeting on Global Collaboration, Growth and Energy for Development on April 28-29. The conference has convened more than 700 participants, including key stakeholders from governments and international organizations, business leaders from the World Economic Forum’s partner companies, as well as Young Global Leaders, experts and innovators.
“Sharif is scheduled to address the closing plenary of the Special Meeting of the World Economic Forum titled ‘Rejuvenating Growth,’ on the third day of his visit to the Kingdom,” APP said.
“The third-day agenda of the prime minister’s visit also consists of his meetings with Saudi ministers for trade, energy, environment and agriculture. He is also likely to meet with the Malaysian counterpart.”
On Sunday, Sharif attended a Special Dialogue and Gala Dinner hosted by Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman where they discussed bilateral ties as well as regional issues including the war in Gaza.
Sharif’s meeting with the crown prince took place less than a week after a high-powered delegation, headed by Saudi Foreign Minister Minister Faisal bin Farhan, visited Pakistan to discuss investments.
“To continue the discussion, the Prime Minister said that he has brought with him a high-powered delegation to Riyadh, including key ministers responsible for investment, so that follow-up meetings could take place between relevant officials,” the Pakistani Prime Minister’s Office said.
Sharif reiterated his invitation to the Saudi crown prince for an official visit to Pakistan at his earliest convenience, the PMO added.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoy strong trade, defense and cultural ties. The Kingdom is home to over 2.7 million Pakistani expatriates and serves as the top source of remittances to the cash-strapped South Asian country.
Both Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have been closely working to increase bilateral trade and investment deals, and the Kingdom recently reaffirmed its commitment to expedite an investment package worth $5 billion.
Separately, Sharif met Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) co-chair Bill Gates on the sidelines of the WEF meeting on Monday, the PMO said, and discussed efforts to eradicate polio in Pakistan, one of two countries globally where the virus is still endemic. The two leaders also discussed progress on ongoing activities between Pakistan and the BMGF in immunization, nutrition, and financial inclusion, the PMO said.
Kidnapped Pakistani judge rescued after late-night operation— police
- Unidentified armed men kidnapped Shakirullah Marwat near Bagwal town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Saturday
- Police official says Marwat was recovered after police and security forces conducted joint operations in Tank, Dera Ismail Khan districts
PESHAWAR: A district and sessions judge who was kidnapped by Pakistani Taliban militants from Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province on Saturday was recovered on Sunday night after a joint operation by police and security forces, a police official confirmed on Monday.
Unidentified gunmen abducted Shakirullah Marwat near the dusty town of Bagwal on Saturday while he was traveling from his hometown city of Tank toward the Dera Ismail Khan district in KP. The incident alarmed Pakistan’s legal community and coincides with a resurgence of militant violence in KP and Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, following the Pakistani Taliban or Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan’s (TTP) termination of a fragile truce with Islamabad in Nov. 2022.
Security forces and police conducted two separate operations in Tank and Dera Ismail Khan districts “soon” after Marwat was abducted and killed six militants in the exchange, Regional Police Officer (RPO) Nasir Hussain Satti said.
“Yes, [the judge] was recovered in a joint intelligence-based operation on Sunday night,” Satti told Arab News.
He said police and security forces had taken action immediately after the judge was kidnapped on Saturday. “The forces choked all entry and exit points of the two restive districts, leaving no room for kidnappers to keep the judge with them. Finally, they had to set him free,” he added.
Satti said the judge had been recovered without paying ransom money nor had a deal been struck with his kidnappers.
Farooq Khan, Marwat’s relative who is also a lawyer, confirmed the judge reached home safely on Sunday night.
“Thank God Shakirullah has reached home safely,” he told Arab News.
In a brief video message that was released on Sunday, the judge said he was kidnapped by the Pakistani Taliban and that his release was impossible if his kidnappers’ demands were not met. He was speaking from an undisclosed location and it wasn’t clear whether he was talking under duress.
“I request the federal and provincial governments, the honorable chief justice of Peshawar High Court, the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the government of Pakistan and the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan to accept their (Taliban) demands and ensure my release,” Marwat had said.
Shah Fahad Ansari, a high court advocate and divisional president for the Peoples Lawyers’ Forum, said the legal fraternity appreciated the swift response by police and security forces to ensure the judge’s safe recovery.
“But we demand the authorities adopt all measures to ensure security in the province and discourage recurrence of these kinds of incidents in the future,” Ansari said.
Earlier this month, an attack in Dera Ismail Khan resulted in the death of six people, including five customs department officials, with another person wounded when gunmen targeted their vehicle.
The recent weeks have also seen attacks on police officials in KP.
Earlier this month, a policeman was shot dead in North Waziristan. In related incidents, an official from the provincial counterterrorism department and a senior cleric affiliated with the Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Islam religious party were fatally shot in target killings in the area.
While no group has claimed responsibility for these attacks, suspicion has fallen on the TTP, whose leadership is said to be based in neighboring Afghanistan.
Pakistan benchmark share index extends rally, breaches 73,000
- Pakistan’s benchmark index has surged 75.4% over past year, is up 12.5% year-to-date
- South Asian country’s central bank will announce a policy rate decision later in the day
KARACHI: Pakistan’s benchmark share index breached the key level of 73,000 to trade at a record high of 73,300 in early trade on Monday, according to data from the Pakistan Stock Exchange website.
The index has surged 75.4 percent over the past year and is up 12.5% year-to-date.
The Central Bank’s monetary policy will announce a policy rate decision later in the day, and the International Monetary Fund’s executive board will meet on Monday to decide on releasing the final tranche of $1.1 million to the cash-strapped nation.
Pakistan begins week-long campaign to vaccinate 24 million children against polio
- Campaign is being held in 91 districts of Sindh, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Islamabad
- Pakistani polio vaccinators and security teams guarding them have often been attacked by militant groups
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani authorities kicked off a week-long campaign to vaccinate 24 million children against poliovirus in 91 selected districts on Monday, the state-run Radio Pakistan reported, as Islamabad tries to eliminate the potentially fatal disease from the country.
Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries in the world where the poliovirus, which causes paralysis and can be a life-threatening disease, is endemic.
“The campaign is being held in ten districts of Punjab, 24 districts of Sindh, 26 districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 30 districts of Balochistan, and the federal capital Islamabad,” Radio Pakistan said, adding that 24 million children under the age of five would be administered the vaccine in these districts.
Dr. Malik Mukhtar Ahmed Bharath, coordinator to the prime minister on National Health Services, said the government is committed to ensuring that all children are protected from poliovirus.
“Poliovirus has been detected in multiple sewage samples in the country in recent months which means this virus remains a serious threat to children’s wellbeing,” Dr. Bharat was quoted as saying by the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) on Sunday.
He said the only way to protect children from the disease is to vaccinate them against it. “We are sending polio teams to your homes, so make sure to open your door to vaccinators and get your child vaccinated,” he added.
Dr. Shahzad Baig, coordinator of the National Emergency Operations Center for Polio Eradication described it as a “critical campaign” being held in districts with a high risk of poliovirus spread.
“We have detected the virus in over 31 districts this year, which is why we are continuing to implement regular vaccination campaigns in all high-risk districts to ensure that children have the immunity to fight off polio infection,” he said.
Pakistan’s efforts to contain polio have often been met with opposition, especially in the country’s northwestern KP province, where militants have carried out attacks against vaccinators and the security teams guarding them.
Many believe in the conspiracy theory that polio vaccines are part of a plot by Western outsiders to sterilize Pakistan’s population.
Pakistani masses’ doubts regarding polio campaigns were exacerbated in 2011 when the US Central Intelligence Agency set up a fake hepatitis vaccination program to gather intelligence on former Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.
