PRAGUE: A young Bulgarian man was sentenced to 40 months in jail by a Czech court Tuesday over messages threatening terror attacks in Pakistan unless Islamabad freed a woman arrested with heroin in the country.
The regional court in Plzen, west of Prague, found 21-year-old Nikolai Simeonov Ivanov guilty of sending the threats by email and text message to a television channel and news website in Pakistan.
The threats demanded the release of a Czech woman he knew, named as Tereza H, who had been arrested in January at Lahore airport.
"If Pakistan does not free within 48 hours Tereza, arrested with nine kilos of heroin, and does not let her take a plane to the Czech Republic, terrorist attacks will take place in Pakistan," said the message, read out in court by the prosecution.
Ivanov, who has lived in Plzen since 2016, was sentenced to 40 months in prison by the court, after admitting that he had sent the messages, adding that he had not realised the consequences of the threats.
"I did not think that anyone would take my messages seriously, especially since I included my telephone number and email address," said Ivanov, whose lawyer had asked for a suspended sentence.
The Plzen court said in its ruling that Ivanov should be expelled from the Czech Republic for eight years after his sentence is served.
Bulgarian jailed over Pakistan attack threats: Czech court
Bulgarian jailed over Pakistan attack threats: Czech court
Pakistan forms committee to negotiate financial advisory services for Islamabad airport privatization
- Committee to engage Asian Development Bank to negotiate terms of financial advisory services agreement, says privatization ministry
- Inaugurated in 2018, Islamabad airport has faced criticism over construction delays, poor facilities and operational inefficiencies
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Privatization Ministry announced on Wednesday that it has formed a committee to engage the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to negotiate a potential financial advisory services agreement for the privatization of Islamabad International Airport.
The Islamabad International Airport, inaugurated in 2018 at a cost of over $1 billion, has faced criticism over construction delays, poor facilities, and operational inefficiencies.
The Negotiation Committee formed by the Privatization Commission will engage with the ADB to negotiate the terms of a potential Financial Advisory Services Agreement (FASA) for the airport’s privatization, the ministry said.
“The Negotiation Committee has been mandated to undertake negotiations and submit its recommendations to the Board for consideration and approval, in line with the applicable regulatory framework,” the Privatization Ministry said in a statement.
The ministry said Islamabad airport operations will be outsourced under a concession model through an open and competitive process to enhance its operational efficiency and improve service delivery standards.
Pakistan has recently sought to privatize or outsource management of several state-run enterprises under conditions agreed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as part of a $7 billion bailout approved in September last year.
Islamabad hopes outsourcing airport operations will bring operational expertise, enhance passenger experience and restore confidence in the aviation sector.
In December 2025, Pakistan’s government successfully privatized its national flag carrier Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), selling 75 percent of its stakes to a consortium led by the Arif Habib Group.
The group secured a 75 percent stake in the PIA for Rs135 billion ($482 million) after several rounds of bidding, valuing the airline at Rs180 billion ($643 million).
Pakistan’s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said this week the government has handed over 26 state-owned enterprises to the Privatization Commission.
