ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Raja Ali Ejaz revealed on Thursday that 150 Pakistani nationals in Saudi Arabia had been infected by coronavirus and 30 of them had lost their lives to the infectious disease.
According to an official handout shared by foreign ministry, he made the statement while briefing Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi who was invited to interact with the Pakistani citizens in the Kingdom through a video link.
The virtual town hall meeting was also attended by members of the country’s diplomatic mission in the Arab state.
The Pakistani envoy informed that Saudi authorities had taken strict lockdown measures to prevent virus spread, adding that they were also offering best medical facilities to those who were suffering from the disease.
The foreign minister shared Pakistan’s national tally in response, pointing out that more than 22,000 people had suffered from the infectious respiratory illness since the beginning of its emergence in the country during the last week of February. However, he said that the country had a low coronavirus mortality rate.
Qureshi maintained that Pakistan was likely to hit the COVID-19 peak toward the end of May and beginning of June, saying it was a major consideration that needed to be taken into account by the government while devising a strategy to deal with the issue.
He noted that it was not possible for a country like Pakistan to remain in lockdown indefinitely since it had limited resources and its economy was dwindling.
The foreign minister said that the government wanted to devise a mechanism through national consensus that not only arrested the virus spread but also allowed the national economy to remain functional.
He said that any extension in the lockdown situation would result in greater unemployment in the country, making the daily wage earners suffer the most.
Discussing the overall economic strategy of the country, Qureshi said the government was striving for debt relief on the instruction of Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Qureshi also praised Saudi Arabia for patiently dealing with foreign nationals in the Kingdom and not forcing them out of the country.
He also lauded overseas Pakistanis for always stepping forward to help their country in times of crisis.
150 Pakistani nationals in Saudi Arabia contracted COVID-19, says envoy
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150 Pakistani nationals in Saudi Arabia contracted COVID-19, says envoy
- Pakistani foreign minister hold virtual meeting with citizens in the Kingdom, says Pakistan likely to hit COVID-19 peak by May end
- Qureshi thanks Saudi authorities for showing patience with foreign nationals during the pandemic
Islamabad court sentences seven individuals to life imprisonment over ‘digital terrorism’
- The convicts include Wajahat Saeed Khan, Shaheen Sahbahi, Haider Raza Mehdi, Adil Raja, Moeed Peerzada, Akbar Hussain and Sabir Shakir
- The cases against them relate to May 9, 2023 riots over ex-PM Imran Khan’s arrest that saw vandalization of government, military installations
ISLAMABAD: An Islamabad anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Friday awarded two life sentences each to seven individuals, including journalists and YouTubers, over “digital terrorism,” in connection with May 9, 2023 riot cases.
The court sentenced Wajahat Saeed Khan, Shaheen Sahbahi, Haider Raza Mehdi, Adil Raja, Moeed Peerzada, Akbar Hussain and Sabir Shakir under various sections of the Anti-Terrorism Act and the Pakistan Penal Code.
The riots had erupted after former prime minister Imran Khan was briefly arrested in Islamabad on corruption charges on May 9, 2023, with his supporters attacking government buildings and military installations in several cities.
ATC judge Tahir Sipra announced the reserved verdict, following a trial in absentia of the above-mentioned individuals who were accused of “digital terrorism against the state on May 9.”
“The punishment awarded will be subject to the confirmation by Hon’ble Islamabad High Court,” the verdict read, referring to each count of punishment awarded to the convicts.
It also imposed multiple fined on the convicted journalists and YouTubers, who many see as being closed to Khan.
The prosecution presented 24 witnesses, while the court had appointed Gulfam Goraya as the counsel of the accused, most of whom happen to be outside Pakistan.
Pakistan’s anti-terrorism laws allow trials in absentia of the accused persons.
Thousands of supporters of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party were detained in the days that followed the May 2023 riots and hundreds were charged under anti-terrorism laws in a sweeping crackdown, with several cases transferred to military courts.
The government of PM Shehbaz Sharif accuses Khan’s party of staging violent protests in a bid to incite mutiny in the armed forces and to derail democracy in the country. The PTI denies inciting supporters to violence and says the government used the May 2023 protests as a pretext to victimize the party, a claim denied by the government.
The May 2023 riots took place a little over a year after Khan fell out with Pakistan’s powerful military, blaming the institution for colluding with his rivals to oust him from office in a parliamentary no-trust vote, a charge denied by the military.
Khan, who has been jailed since Aug. 2023 on a slew of charges, has led a campaign of unprecedented defiance against the country’s powerful military. He also accuses the then generals of rigging the Feb. 8, 2024 election in collusion with the election commission and his political rivals to keep him from returning to power. The military, election commission and Khan’s rivals deny the allegation.
