Officials say Sindhi and Baloch ‘separatists’ forming nexus in Sindh but experts skeptical

Policemen patrol near the Pakistan Stock Exchange building following an attack by gunmen in Karachi on June 29, 2020. (AFP)
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Updated 13 July 2020

Officials say Sindhi and Baloch ‘separatists’ forming nexus in Sindh but experts skeptical

  • The little-known Sindhudesh Revolutionary Army has carried out a spate of small attacks in Sindh province in recent weeks
  • Sindh Rangers chief says series of recent assaults have proved “hostile” agencies were working to bring Sindhi and Balochi insurgents closer together

KARACHI: Security officials in Pakistan say investigations into a spate of recent attacks in the southern Sindh province have led them to believe there is growing closeness between Sindhi separatists and militant groups from the insurgency racked Balochistan province, but experts warn that it might be too early to assume a “nexus”. 

Late last month, gunmen attacked the Pakistan Stock Exchange building in the city of Karachi, the capital of Sindh, killing two guards and a policeman before security forces killed all four attackers. Counterterrorism officials said the attack had been claimed by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist group from the southwestern province of Balochistan which has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union.

Just weeks earlier, three consecutive explosions killed four people including two soldiers in Sindh. A shadowy secessionist organization, the Sindhudesh Revolutionary Army (SRA), that wants the province to break from the Pakistani federation, claimed responsibility for the attacks. This week, SRA also claimed a grenade attack on a Karachi bakery in which a retired paramilitary Rangers official was killed.

SRA and two other Sindhi groups were banned by the government in May this year.

Speaking to media after the attack on the stock exchange building, Sindh Rangers chief, Major General Omer Ahmed Bukhari, said the string of attacks had proved that “hostile intelligence agencies” were working to forge a “nexus” between Sindhi and Balochi insurgent groups, adding that he believed ongoing investigations would establish this beyond a doubt.

In a statement emailed to the media after the stock exchange attack, the BLA admitted it had “complete support” from Sindhi groups.

“Today both the nations [Baloch and Sindhi] are fighting for the independence of their homelands against Pakistan,” the BLA statement said. “We had the complete support of Sindhi nation in today’s attack and it shows a strong brotherly bond between both the nations.”

Separatists have been fighting security forces for years in Balochistan over what they see as the unfair exploitation of the province’s vast mineral wealth. They also claim security forces have pushed them to take up arms because of a long history of human rights abuses against the Baloch people, which security forces and subsequent governments in Balochistan have vehemently denied. Insurgents are also opposed to, and attack, projects linked to China’s Belt and Road infrastructure initiative in the resource-rich province.

Pakistan has regularly blamed India for supporting Baloch separatists, a charge Delhi denies.

Last month, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan told parliament he had no doubt India was behind the attack on the stock exchange building, which India promptly denied. Khan offered no evidence for his allegation, but he said there had been intelligence reports warning of attacks in Pakistan and he had informed his cabinet about the threats.

Sindhi separatists like the Sindhudesh Revolutionary Army have carried out low-intensity attacks in the past, including blowing up train tracks, but their fight has been less violent than that of neighboring Balochistan where separatists have attacked a Chinese consulate, a major hotel chain and on many occasions killed security officials patrolling a coastal highway.

Now, officials fear Sindhi groups might be able to enhance their capacity to carry our deadlier attacks with help from Baloch militants and other hostile groups.

“It can be a source of lawlessness in the future if this nexus is not broken,” said a police officer involved in investigating a “possible nexus between Sindhi and Baloch insurgent groups, backed by India.” He requested anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the media about the issue.

The police official said Baloch groups already had “some capability” to launch damaging attacks “but once there is a nexus, it can also be helpful for Sindhi nationalists, and that’s worrisome.”

A senior intelligence officer, who also declined to be named, said there was a noticeable increase in the frequency of attacks by Sindhi groups, which pointed to the fact that they might have more experienced helpers.

“Increase in capability [through a nexus with Baloch groups] will only be proved if they launch more sophisticated attacks,” he said. “Law enforcement agencies are absolutely aware and alert to the dangers posed by the growing of this nexus.”

Raja Umar Khattab, a senior counter terrorism officer in Karachi, said while teaming up with other groups might enhance the capacity of Sindhi nationalists, he did not see the nexus posing a major threat in the near future.

“The nexus can supplement the capacity of Sindhi sub-nationalists,” Khattab said, “but they will not be able create any big law and order situation due to the preparedness of the law enforcement agencies.”

Sindh’s chief of Rangers has also said Baloch and Sindh separatists were also cosying up to the London faction of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), a Pakistani political party whose leader Altaf Hussain lives in exile in London.

“Hostile intelligence agencies strive to make a nexus of the cells, sleeper cells and facilitators of the remnant terrorists organizations [separatists], which include the remnants of the MQM,” Bukhari said during his press talk after the stock exchange attack.

The MQM, one of Pakistan’s biggest political parties, mostly comprises descendants of Muslim Urdu-speaking people who migrated to Pakistan around the time of the partition of India in 1947.

Once able to control Sindh province with an iron grip, the party’s fortunes have waned in recent years, particularly since 2013 when the military launched a crackdown against criminal groups and militants as murder rates soared and mutilated bodies were dumped in alleyways daily. Many saw the operation, centered in Karachi, as a pretext to wrest control of the teeming port city from the MQM, an accusation security forces deny.

While Karachi crime rates have dropped sharply and many local businesses have welcomed the operation, allegations of brutal and illegal methods have remained.

The UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances has in the past referred dozens of cases of illegal abductions of MQM workers to the Pakistan government, concluding a “pattern of specific targeting” of the MQM by Rangers, which the paramilitary force denies.

Before the 2013 operation, law enforcement agencies and many Karachi residents accused the MQM of racketeering, the abduction, torture and murder of opponents and holding the city to ransom by calling mass strikes at will.

On Wednesday, the MQM’s Qasim Ali Raza denied the party had any links to separatists or attacks in Sindh and urged the state to stop the “blind and fraudulent” process of blaming the party.

Karachi-based political analyst Mazhar Abbas said a nexus between the MQM and separatist groups, if it existed, would not work.

“The workers of MQM neither accepted the alliance with Sindhi nationalists [in the past],” he said, “nor will they subscribe to the current idea of a friendship.”

Other analysts said there was as yet no “sold” evidence to claim the nexus existed.

“Politically, there has been some closeness between Sindhi and Baloch nationalists, but speaking about a military nexus, one needs to have solid evidence at hand,” Sohail Sangi, a Karachi-based analyst who closely observes separatist groups, said.

Anwar Sajjadi, a Quetta-based security analyst, however, said he believed a growing nexus was a possibility, saying it was no coincidence that Sindhi groups too had recently started voicing opposition to Chinese projects being built under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) umbrella, which Baloch groups have long opposed.

“We have seen uniformity in their stances,” Sajjadi said. “Same stance on CPEC and other [rights] issues is bringing all these groups closer.”
 


As IMF program nears its end, Pakistan’s finance minister reiterates country won’t default 

Updated 03 June 2023

As IMF program nears its end, Pakistan’s finance minister reiterates country won’t default 

  • Finance Minister Ishaq Dar says despite having external debts, Pakistan has assets worth billions of dollars 
  • People ‘fond’ of predicting the country would default within two, three months should be ashamed, he adds 

ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Ishaq Dar reiterated on Saturday that Pakistan would not default despite the economic challenges it was facing, adding the government would come up with new ideas in the weeks to come to steer the country out of the economic crisis. 

The South Asian country has for months been struggling with an acute balance-of-payment crisis, with inflation hovering at a record high, currency depreciating fast and foreign exchange reserves at critically low levels. 

Pakistan is making desperate attempts for the revival of a $6.5 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) program that would release a $1.1 billion bailout tranche. The installment has been pending since November and the program is due to expire on June 30, with the government expected to present the federal budget next week. 

The stalemate has raised concerns that the country may default on its international financial obligations without the IMF funding. But Dar, in a meeting with a business delegation in Islamabad, assured that Pakistan, as a sovereign country, had assets worth billions of dollars. 

“If we have $100 billion in external debts, we also have assets, and one of our assets, the gas infrastructure, alone costs $40 to $50 billion, which is 50 percent of the debt,” he said. 

“No one is saying internationally that Pakistan will default, only some pseudo-intellectuals are saying that. In fact, the MD [managing director] of the IMF issued a statement a few weeks back that Pakistan will not default. Their broad discussions center around how is Pakistan surviving.” 

Dar said his government would try to come up with new ideas to steer the country out of the present crisis. 

“Our main purpose today is just to reassure you, that we will be coming out of [this crisis] and come up with new ideas in the weeks to come,” he said. 

“There will be the budget and after that, we will also do things for Pakistan’s long-term betterment.” 

Referring to statements by ex-finance czar Miftah Ismail about the country moving toward bankruptcy, Dar said “some people were fond of” predicting dates when the country would default. 

“They say the country would default in two to three months. They should be ashamed of themselves,” he added. 


Pakistan PM expresses sorrow over loss of hundreds of lives in India train crash 

Updated 03 June 2023

Pakistan PM expresses sorrow over loss of hundreds of lives in India train crash 

  • A deadly train crash in the Indian state of Odisha has so far killed nearly 300 people, injured 900 others 
  • Rescuers were cutting through destroyed carriages on Saturday to find people who may still be trapped 

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday expressed grief over the loss of nearly 300 lives in one of the deadliest train crashes in India, as rescue workers searched through piles of debris and wreckage for bodies and survivors in the Indian state of Odisha. 

Nearly a dozen coaches of one train derailed late Friday and debris from some of them fell onto a nearby track, according to railroad ministry spokesperson Amitabh Sharma. The debris was hit by another passenger train, causing up to three coaches of the second train to derail as well. 

More than 288 dead bodies were recovered overnight and around 900 people were injured in the accident in Balasore district, while rescuers were cutting through the destroyed carriages to find people who may still be trapped under the debris. 

In his reaction to the tragedy, Pakistan PM Sharif extended his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and said he was praying for recover of the wounded. 

“Deeply saddened by the loss of hundreds of lives in a train accident in India,” the Pakistan premier said on Twitter. “I extend my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families who lost their loved ones in this tragedy. Prayers for speedy recovery of the injured.” 

Train accidents have not been uncommon in India and Pakistan, where a majority of railway tracks date back to the pre-partition British colonial era and there has been little improvement in the department since their independence in 1947. 

A speeding train ran over revellers watching fireworks during a Hindu festival in northern India on October 19, 2018, killing at least 60 people. 

In 2016, at least 146 people died when an Indore-Patna Express train with around 2,000 people on board derailed in Uttar Pradesh, sending carriages crashing into each other. 

In June 2021, more than 60 people died when a train hurtling through farmland derailed and collided with another passenger service in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province. 


Pakistan regulator approves up to 50 percent hike in gas prices 

Updated 03 June 2023

Pakistan regulator approves up to 50 percent hike in gas prices 

  • The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority estimates revenue requirement of $2.4 this fiscal year 
  • The regulator has proposed eliminating distinction between protected and unprotected slabs 

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) has okayed up to 50 percent increase in gas prices as it calculated an estimated revenue requirement of Rs697.4 billion ($2.4 billion) to be collected from consumers this fiscal year, Pakistani media reported on Saturday, amid record inflation and economic meltdown in the South Asian country. 

The South Asian nation has been witnessing an increase in the inflation rate since late last year when the government took prior actions to comply with the conditions set by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to revive a stalled $7 billion bailout program, stalled since November. 

Pakistan reported 38 percent inflation in May on the back of rising food and energy prices and a massive currency devaluation. The Pakistani rupee has devalued by around 30 percent since last June and played a major role in piling up the inflationary pressure. 

Gas consumers in the country are likely to witness a potential 50 percent increase in prices starting from July as OGRA concluded its determinations for two struggling state-run gas distributors and submitted them to the government, The News English-language daily reported. 

“The Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL), responsible for gas supply to consumers in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP), will collect Rs358.4 billion,” the report read. 

“The Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC), which supplies gas to consumers in Sindh and Balochistan, will collect Rs339 billion.” 

OGRA determined Rs1,238.68 per 1 million British Thermal Unit (mmBtu) to be the average prescribed price for SNGPL, reflecting a 50 percent increase or Rs415.11 as compared to the existing price, according to the report. 

Similarly, the average prescribed price for SSGC was set at Rs1,350.68/mmBtu, representing a 45 percent increase of Rs417.23. 

The regulator has proposed eliminating the distinction between protected and unprotected slabs for gas consumers and setting the price at 1238.68/mmBtu. 

“This change will result in a significant increase in gas prices for protected low-slab consumers,” the report read further. 

“However, two highly gas-consuming slabs will benefit from the new pricing as they were previously paying up to Rs3,100/mmBtu.” 

Interestingly, while gas will become more expensive for zero-rated consumers, gas-filling stations, cement and fertilizer plants, power stations, and independent power producers (IPPs) will experience a reduction in gas prices, according to the report. However, the feedstock gas prices for the fertilizer sector will more than double. 

The regulator has now suggested a uniform prescribed price of Rs1,238.68/mmBtu for all these categories. 

The increase in gas prices is expected to further burden the masses reeling from record inflation in the country, with many saying they have been forced to cut their kitchen spending and focus only on most essential items. 

As Pakistan’s Finance Minister Ishaq Dar prepares to present budget for the next fiscal year, financial experts have urged the government to take steps to mitigate the suffering of low-income groups. 
 


‘Embracing life’: Inspiring journey of Pakistani child battling cancer one YouTube video at a time

Updated 03 June 2023

‘Embracing life’: Inspiring journey of Pakistani child battling cancer one YouTube video at a time

  • Owais Shehzad, only nine years old, believes in celebrating life’s little wonders amid adversity
  • He finds solace in dancing and creating videos, portraying himself as any other fun-loving child

KARACHI: A young Pakistani child started sharing life’s fleeting moments on YouTube from the confines of a small room in his multistory residence in Karachi’s Baldia Town neighborhood after discovering that he was suffering from a debilitating disease.

Owais Shehzad, only nine years old, has been battling cancer for the last five years. Despite enduring intensely painful medical treatments, he found solace in dancing and creating videos, portraying himself as any other fun-loving child.

“I could neither eat nor drink, and I lost my hair and eyebrows due to chemotherapy,” he recalled, as he started reflecting on the days of enduring severe cancer treatment that caused mouth inflammation and painful blisters. “I lost my nails. It seemed like I was an alien who had come from another planet.”

“I was half-dead, yet I managed to handle the disease,” he added with a degree of pride. “My eyes sunk deep, and I could neither eat nor drink due to the blisters.”

The still image taken from a video recorded on June 1, 2023 shows Owais Shehzad, a child youtuber from Karachi, Pakistan. (AN Photo)

Owais’s battle with cancer hasn’t stopped since he has been diagnosed with a type of blood cancer in which the harmful pathogens never truly go away. However, the painful treatments he endured over the last five years have kept him alive.

His passion for dance also brought him happiness even in the darkest moments, and he served as an inspiration to fellow cancer patients at the hospital.

“My bone marrow test was done and fluid was drained through an IV injection in my back,” he said. “Even in that situation, I was dancing on the bed... I was motivating children, and they were happy to see me.”

The still image taken from a video recorded on June 1, 2023 shows Owais Shehzad, a child youtuber from Karachi, Pakistan. (AN Photo)

“Not only did it cheer me up, but it also brought happiness to the entire Indus Hospital, the children in the cancer ward, and my parents as well,” he reminisced.

Owais admitted to shedding tears, however, when he closed the door of his room, not wanting his parents to be hurt by his struggles.

He said that the road ahead remained uncertain, though he had always wanted to adopt a joyful and enthusiastic approach to life.

Nadeem Shehzad, Owais’s father and a local journalist, acknowledged that his son’s resilience uplifted the spirits of other parents when they were feeling weak.

“As a father, it was extremely difficult to witness my son in pain,” he told Arab News. “Whenever our strength and spirits wavered, we received a boost by witnessing the spirit and strength of this child.”

He informed that Owais had been diagnosed with B-all type blood cancer, with a recovery ratio ranging from two to five percent, which necessitates constant care to keep him alive.

“While treatment and care can prolong his life, the germs still remain in his body, and without complete care, they can become active at any time,” Nadeem explained, adding that it was also the reason why his son could not continue attending school.

Despite being unable to pursue education in a formal setting due to health issues, Owais’s passion for compels him to wear a school uniform and keep a bag at home.

“I wish to go to school,” he said. “However, my disease is such that I can neither sit nor stand due to the injections.”

Last year, the nine-year-old had one of his longstanding desires fulfilled when he embarked on a journey to Saudi Arabia for the Umrah pilgrimage.

“I had always wished to perform Umrah, to visit the house of Allah and witness His divine abode. Allah granted me an invitation... The experience of Umrah was truly amazing, and now I also aspire to perform Hajj,” he shared with gratitude.
Owais believes that those who remain happy even in sickness bring joy to God as well.

“May Allah grant me a long life, but whatever life I have, I’m living it to the fullest,” he said. “Currently, I am embracing life with utmost spirit and enthusiasm.”

He added that he harbors deep love for both journalism and the army, making his professional destination uncertain in life.

“Let’s see which of these two paths life takes me on,” he smiled.


Dubai-based multinational invests $6 million in Pakistan to acquire home care product manufacturer 

Updated 03 June 2023

Dubai-based multinational invests $6 million in Pakistan to acquire home care product manufacturer 

  • UAE’s New Future Consumer International General Trading completes acquisition of Zulfiqar Industries that makes famous Capri Soap in Pakistan 
  • The foreign investor says Pakistan is prioritized as part of its global business development strategy in the FMCG category with strategic partners 

KARACHI: New Future Consumer International General Trading (NFCIGT), a Dubai-based multinational company, has acquired a Pakistani home and personal care product manufacturer, Zulfiqar Industries Limited (ZIL), by injecting around $6 million foreign direct investment (FDI) in Pakistan, officials and a corporate finance adviser familiar with the deal said on Friday. 

The NFCIGT is an emerging global fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) player with business development initiatives in the Gulf countries, Russia, and now in Pakistan with local partners. The company has acquired over 5 million, or 84.84 percent, shares of the ZIL, according to a stock filing on Thursday. 

The ZIL, incorporated as a private limited company in 1960, manufactures and sells home and personal care products, including the famous Capri Soap, in Pakistan. 

Dr. Cobus Van Rooijen, the founder and managing director of the NFCIGT, said he believed in the long-term growth potential of Pakistan despite challenges. 

“Despite the challenging times, we firmly believe in the long-term growth potential of the country,” Rooijen said in a statement on Friday. “We look forward to leveraging our global experience and resources to drive innovation, create employment opportunities, and contribute to Pakistan’s economic growth.” 

The NFCIGT chief said his company has prioritized Pakistan as part of its global business development strategy in the FMCG category. 

“ZIL Limited has Capri as a fantastic heritage brand, which provides opportunities to expand into other personal care premium categories,” Rooijen said. “We have identified Pakistan as major investment opportunity based on demographics and anticipated consumption per capita growth in key consumer categories.” 

Pakistan’s economic landscape has faced numerous challenges, including the global COVID-19 pandemic, and associated economic repercussions, followed by global commodity super-cycle given the Russia-Ukraine war, and the internal political and economic challenges. 

However, the new investor remains optimistic about the long-term potential of the Pakistani market and the investment demonstrates their commitment to contributing to Pakistan’s economic development, creating job opportunities, and fostering innovation in the FMCG sector, according to the statement. 

The share price of ZIL has increased by 86.6 percent from Rs181.67 per share to Rs339 since January 2023, according to the data available at Pakistan Stock Exchange website. 

Alpha Beta Core, a Karachi-based financial advisory and investment banking firm, facilitated the acquisition that marks a significant milestone in the global expansion strategy of investors. 

“The acquisition of a Pakistani company by a multinational FMCG player signifies an important milestone at a time when the country is facing economic crisis and needs much needed foreign exchange inflows,” Khurram Schehzad, CEO of Alpha Beta Core, told Arab News. 

Schehzad said the acquisition highlights his team’s commitment to delivering exceptional financial advisory services and ability to navigate complex cross-border transactions. 

“We are confident that our clients’ investment in the Pakistani market will yield substantial returns and create mutually beneficial partnerships,” he added. 

Schehzad said the NFCIGT aims to contribute to the growth and development of the region and countries in which it operates, including Pakistan, . 

The NFCIGT chief said he would continue to look for complementary investment opportunities with local partners. 

“Our ambitions are to extend to multiple categories in the current countries followed by market entries in other targeted geographies, including Africa and CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States),” he said.