PESHAWAR: A Pakistani legislator who escaped a deadly clash between the army and activists on Sunday surrendered to authorities on Thursday, a close aide of the lawmaker said, ending a four-day long manhunt by police and the military.
Mohsin Dawar and another member of parliament, Ali Wazir, who is already in police custody, are accused by the military of being involved in an assault on a security post in Pakistan’s North Waziristan region on Sunday. Dawar and other activists of the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM), which was co-founded by Dawar and campaigns for civil rights for ethnic minority Pashtun people, said troops opened fire on unarmed people who had gathered to protest heavy-handed treatment by security forces. The PTM says 13 civilians were killed in firing while the army says three people were killed.
Abdullah Nangyal, a close aide of Dawar, said the PTM leader surrendered himself to the counter terrorism department in Bannu which would now produce him before an anti-terrorism court.
Nangyal said Dawar’s home in Darpakhel, a village on the outskirts of Miran Shah, the main town in North Waziristan, had been under siege by security forces for the last two days.
“The local administration formed a jirga of tribal elders and convinced Dawar to surrender and suspend a PTM sit-in until [the Muslim religious festival of] Eid,” he said. “The efforts by the tribal elders have helped defuse the tense situation.”
Officials of the North Waziristan administration could not be reached for comment despite repeated attempts by Arab News.
Communication is a major problem in the tribal territories bordering Afghanistan where cellphone service mostly remains patchy and landlines have been down for the last several days.
Videos that were circulated on social media appear to show unarmed protesters arguing with soldiers on Sunday and breaching a barbed-wire barricade placed on a road, before gunfire sent activists running for cover.
The violence is the most serious incident in a long-running confrontation between authorities and the PTM, which has vowed to remain non-violent. Human rights groups have called for an inquiry into the incident.
The military has accused the PTM of being funded by foreign intelligence agencies — a veiled reference to arch-foe India and its Afghan allies — to stoke unrest in Pakistan’s Pashtun lands after the Pakistani army defeated Islamist militants there.
“They wanted to exert pressure for the release of suspected terrorists’ facilitator arrested the other day,” the military’s media wing has said about the PTM’s protesters on clashs with soldiers on Sunday.
PTM leader and legislator Ali Wazir and eight others were arrested after the clash while Dawar had remained at large.
A police report lodged against the two lawmakers and their colleagues include charges of terrorism, attempt to murder, murder, assault or use of criminal force to deter public servants from discharging their duty, criminal conspiracy and abetment to an offense.
Pakistani lawmaker surrenders after bloody clash between army and protesters
Pakistani lawmaker surrenders after bloody clash between army and protesters
- Military accuses legislators Mohsin Dawar and Ali Wazir of being involved in an assault on a security post
- MPs say protesters were unarmed, Dawar had been in hiding since Sunday’s violence
Pakistan orders four-day workweek, shuts schools to save fuel amid Middle East oil crisis
- The development comes as ongoing US-Israeli strikes on Iran disrupt oil supplies in Strait of Hormuz, push prices past $119 a barrel
- Islamabad bans government purchases, cuts fuel allocation for vehicles as well as workforce in public and private offices by 50 percent
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday announced austerity measures, including a four-day work week, cuts in government expenditures and closure of schools, to offset the impact of rising global oil prices due to an ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Global fuel supply lines have been disrupted in the Strait of Hormuz, which supplies nearly a fourth of world oil consumption, after Tehran blocked it following United States-Israeli strikes on Iran and counterattacks against US interests in the Gulf region.
Oil prices surged more than 25 percent globally on Monday to $119.50 a barrel, the highest levels since mid-2022, as some major producers cut supplies and fears of prolonged shipping disruptions gripped the market due to the expanding US-Israeli war with Iran.
In his televised address on Sunday night, Sharif said global oil prices were expected to rise again in the coming days but vowed not to let the people bear their brunt, announcing austerity measures to lessen the impact of fuel price hikes.
“Fifty percent staff in public and private entities will work from home,” he announced, adding this would not be applicable to essential services. “Offices will remain open for four days a week. One-day additional off is being given to conserve oil, but it would not be applicable to banks.”
Sharif didn’t specify working days of the week and the government was likely to issue a notification in this regard.
He said a decrease of 50 percent was being made in fuel allocation for government vehicles immediately for the next two months, but they would not include ambulances and public buses.
“Cabinet members, advisers and special assistants will not draw salaries for the next two months, 25 percent salaries of parliamentarians are being deducted, two-day salaries of Grade 20 and above officers, or those who are paid Rs300,000 ($1,067) a month, are being deducted for public relief,” he said.
Similarly, there will be 20 percent reduction in public department expenses and a complete ban on the purchase of cars, furniture, air conditioners and other goods, according to the prime minister.
Foreign trips of ministers and other government officials will also be banned along with government dinners and iftar buffets, while teleconferences and online meetings will be given priority.
“All schools will be off for two weeks, starting from the end of this week, and all higher education institutions should immediately begin online classes,” he said.
Sharif’s comments were aired hours after Pakistani authorities said the country had “comfortable levels” of petroleum stocks and the supply chains were functioning smoothly, despite intensifying Middle East conflict.
Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik said three oil shipments were due to reach Pakistan this week, state media reported.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Navy (PN) launched ‘Operation Muhafiz-ul-Bahr’ to safeguard national energy shipments, the Pakistani military said on Monday, amid disruptions to critical sea lanes due to the conflict.
The navy is conducting escort operations in close coordination with the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC), according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing. It is fully cognizant of the prevailing maritime situation and is actively monitoring and controlling the movement of merchant vessels to ensure their safe and secure transit.
“With approximately 90 percent of Pakistan’s trade conducted via sea, the operation aims to ensure that vital sea routes remain safe, secure, and uninterrupted,” the ISPR said on Monday. “Currently, PN ships are escorting 2 x Merchant Vessels, one of which is scheduled to arrive Karachi today.”
