PESHAWAR: Police have arrested 50 people suspected of arson attacks schools in Gilgit-Baltistan’s Diamer district, Inspector General Police (IGP) Sanaullah Abbasi told Arab News on Saturday.
Abbasi said the arrests were made in a string of raids during the last two weeks, adding that the operation is still ongoing.
On August 3, a group of unidentified attackers set fire to 12 schools in the region. While there were no casualties, since the schools were closed at the time, the incident has caused widespread panic in an area that is considered relatively peaceful.
Abassi confirmed that all of those arrested so far were involved in the arson attacks.
“Four militants, including their commander, Khalil, have been killed in the region since the August 3 attacks,” he said. “However, we also lost as many policemen in the fighting.”
Abbasi denied that the attacks and subsequent police action have created turbulence in the region, though he admitted that the situation was “tense” in Diamer District.
“We are also carrying out raids in the adjoining Ghizer District, since some miscreants, who were previously based in Diamer, have also fled there,” he explained.
All those arrested were locals, he confirmed, adding that his department was still trying to find out if they had links with any known militant organizations.
Quoting a Special Branch intelligence report, Abbasi said: “The recent incidents have not produced a negative effect on the region’s economy. According to our information, about 6 million tourists visited Gilgit-Baltistan over the last three months.”
However, Nawaz Khan Naji, a member of the area’s legislative assembly, wants the police to do more to combat “militants in the area.”
Law enforcement agency spokesperson, Inspector Wakeel Khan, said that the police were using “an iron fist” to deal with all criminals.
Police arrest 50 suspected arsonists in Gilgit-Baltistan
Police arrest 50 suspected arsonists in Gilgit-Baltistan
- A group of unidentified attackers set 12 schools in the region on fire earlier this month
- Police chief claims all those arrested were involved the attacks
Pakistan air chief highlights modernization as PAF marks seven years since India aerial clash
- Swift Retort was launched in 2019 after India attempted airstrikes following a Kashmir suicide bombing
- Air chief’s remarks come amid fierce clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan over cross-border militancy
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s air chief said on Friday the country’s air force had undertaken “comprehensive modernization and indigenization” in recent years, as he addressed a ceremony at Air Headquarters to mark seven years since an aerial confrontation with India.
Operation Swift Retort was launched on Feb. 27, 2019, a day after India attempted airstrikes inside Pakistan following a suicide bombing in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed at least 40 Indian paramilitary troops.
Pakistan responded with aerial strikes across the Line of Control and shot down an Indian fighter jet in a subsequent dogfight, capturing one pilot who was later returned in what Islamabad called a gesture of de-escalation.
“PAF has pursued comprehensive modernization and indigenization to transition into a Next Generation Air Force,” Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu said, according to a statement circulated by the military’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations.
He added that the force had recalibrated its operational doctrine and rapidly inducted advanced combat and support capabilities, including indigenously developed unmanned systems, electronic warfare, space and cyber assets, establishing what he described as a “home-grown multi-domain kill chain.”
Sidhu said Pakistan remained committed to peace but would respond decisively to violations of its sovereignty.
“Pakistan is a responsible country which desires peace with honor,” he continued.
The remarks come amid renewed security tensions on Pakistan’s western frontier.
Islamabad earlier this week launched airstrikes inside Afghanistan targeting what it described as hideouts of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Daesh militants. Afghan authorities condemned the strikes and subsequently launched their own military response that led to fierce clashes between the two sides overnight.
Pakistan has frequently accused Kabul of allowing militant groups to use Afghan territory to carry out cross-border attacks on Pakistani civilians and security forces, an allegation denied by Afghan officials.
Pakistani authorities said earlier in the day small drones launched from the Afghan side were intercepted and brought down by the country’s air defense systems.
Sidhu said the PAF would continue to maintain a vigilant yet responsible defense posture to safeguard national sovereignty.
