DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Thousands of residents of Pakistan’s former tribal districts in the northwest defied a government ban on gatherings meant to contain the spread of the coronavirus to rally Tuesday against a recent attack on their top leader.
Most of the protesters were not wearing face masks and did not adhere to social distancing guidelines when they gathered in Wana, a town in the former Taliban stronghold of South Waziristan that borders Afghanistan.
Rallygoers demanded the arrest of the assailants who wounded Arif Wazir in his hometown of Wana last week. Wazir, who died in a hospital over the weekend, was a top leader of the Pashtun Protection Movement, which has emerged as a force among the country’s Pashtun minority in recent years.
Similar rallies were held in the nearby North Waziristan district and elsewhere.
Wazir was a vocal critic of the army. His group contends the military is waging a campaign of intimidation as it battles Islamist militants in the rugged border region. The military and the government deny the charge.
Pakistan on Tuesday reported another spike in deaths from the coronavirus with 28 new fatalities in the past 24 hours.
So far, 514 Pakistanis have died from the illness caused by the virus and most of the deaths were reported in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where 194 people have died from the virus, which has infected more than 21,000.
Thousands rally against fatal attack on Pashtun leader in SW
https://arab.news/8nx6n
Thousands rally against fatal attack on Pashtun leader in SW
- Defying government ban of gatherings, most were not wearing face masks and ignored social distancing guidelines
- Rallygoers demanded the arrest of the assailants who wounded Arif Wazir in his hometown of Wana last week
Pakistan expands crypto engagement with appearance at Mar-a-Lago finance forum
- Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority Chairman Bilal bin Saqib attends World Liberty Financial event at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate
- Discussions focused on future of global financial infrastructure, digital assets, stablecoins, capital markets innovation, says Saqib’s office
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA) Chairman and Minister of State Bilal bin Saqib joined global finance leaders at an event hosted by World Liberty Financial, a crypto venture linked to US President Donald Trump’s family, Saqib’s office said on Thursday.
The event was hosted by World Liberty Financial, a crypto-based finance platform launched in September 2024 linked to Trump’s family. According to Saqib’s office, the gathering was held at Mar-a-Lago, the private estate and club owned by Trump in Florida.
Speakers and attendees at the event included David Solomon, chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs, Adena Friedman, chairperson and CEO of Nasdaq as well as Lynn Martin, president of the New York Stock Exchange, Saqib’s office said. The event was organized and hosted by Eric Trump and American businesspersons Zach Witkoff and Alex Witkoff.
“Discussions focused on the future of global financial infrastructure, digital assets, stablecoins, capital markets innovation and the evolving relationship between regulation and emerging financial technologies,” the statement said.
It said Saqib’s attendance at the event reflected Pakistan’s growing engagement with global discussions shaping the next phase of financial and technological transformation.
“As Pakistan moves toward modernizing its financial infrastructure and strengthening its position in the global digital economy, such high-level engagements signal increasing international recognition of the country’s regulatory direction and leadership,” the statement added.
Last month, Pakistan signed a memorandum of understanding with a company affiliated with World Liberty Financial to explore the use of a dollar-linked stablecoin for cross-border payments.
Pakistan has stepped up efforts recently to regulate its digital asset sector and is exploring digital currency initiatives as part of broader measures to reduce cash usage.
