BANDUNG: Indonesia has handed death sentences to a gang of more than a dozen drug traffickers, including an Iranian couple and a Pakistani man, the prosecutor’s office said.
A total of 13 suspects — three Iranians, a Pakistani and nine Indonesians — were ordered to be executed by firing squad for the gang’s role in smuggling about 400 kilograms of methamphetamine, according to authorities.
The ruling was delivered by video link in West Java’s Sukabumi city, where members of the ring were caught last June, due to Covid-19 restrictions.
Iranian Hossein Salari Rashid led the smuggling plot, said Bambang Yunianto, head of the Sukabumi prosecutor’s office.
“There are four foreigners in the group with (Rashid) the mastermind of the crime. He was sentenced together with his wife,” Yunianto said.
Tuesday’s ruling was a record for the number of drug traffickers sentenced to death at one time in Indonesia, Amnesty International said.
It brought to 30 the number of people given the death penalty in the Southeast Asian nation this year, including several foreigners, the rights group said. Most were drug trafficking cases, it added.
Indonesia has some of the world’s toughest anti-drug laws, but it has held off conducting executions for several years.
In 2019, a French drug trafficker briefly on death row saw his sentence reduced to a long prison term on appeal.
A year earlier, eight Taiwanese smugglers were sentenced to death by an Indonesian court after being caught with around a ton of crystal methamphetamine.
Several foreign traffickers have been executed by firing squad, including Australians Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran in 2015, a case that sparked diplomatic outrage and a call to abolish the death penalty.
Pakistani man, Iranian couple get death sentence in Indonesia in drug trafficking case
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Pakistani man, Iranian couple get death sentence in Indonesia in drug trafficking case
- A total of 13 suspects ordered to be executed by firing squad for role in smuggling about 400 kilograms of methamphetamine
- Tuesday’s ruling a record for number of drug traffickers sentenced to death at one time in Indonesia, Amnesty International says
Pakistan stocks recover as oil supply fears ease after Islamabad seeks Red Sea route— analyst
- Pakistan has sought Saudi help to secure oil supplies via Red Sea port after Iran’s closure of Strait if Hormuz
- Analyst says higher crude oil prices, expectations of IMF releasing next loan tranche also triggered bullish activity
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani stocks marked a sharp recovery when trading closed on Thursday, as institutional activity increased following Islamabad’s move to seek crude oil supplies through the Red Sea port eased oil supply fears, a financial analyst said.
Pakistani stocks have recorded a sharp decline this week, with the benchmark KSE-100 index recording its largest-ever single-day decline on Monday when it plunged 16,089 points. Escalating conflict in the Middle East triggered panic selling at the Pakistani bourse, forcing a temporary trading halt on Monday.
The KSE-100 index, however, gained 3.49 percent or 5,433.46 points to close at 161,210.67 when trading ended on Thursday, up from the previous close of 155,777.21 points, according to Pakistan Stock Exchange’s (PSX) data.
Pakistan’s Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik met Saudi Ambassador Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki on Wednesday to discuss Iran’s closure of the key Strait of Hormuz, which has threatened Pakistan’s energy supply. Roughly 20 percent of the global oil and gas supply passes through the route. Saudi Arabia indicated it could facilitate shipments through the Red Sea port of Yanbu, offering an alternative route if Gulf shipping lanes remain disrupted, the petroleum ministry said on Wednesday.
“Stocks staged a sharp recovery at PSX amid institutional activity on easing fuel supply fears after KSA [Kingdom of Saudi Arabia] commits oil supplies through the Red Sea port,” Ahsan Mehanti, chief executive officer at Arif Habib Commodities, told Arab News.
He said higher global crude oil prices and expectations of the International Monetary Fund releasing its next tranche of the $7 billion loan for Pakistan also helped bullish activity at the PSX.
An IMF mission was in Pakistan to hold talks on the third review of a $7 billion Extended Fund Facility multi-year program, and for the second review of the $1.4 billion Resilience and Sustainability Facility this week.
However, the delegation left for Türkiye amid tensions in the Gulf. Pakistani officials have said talks are likely to continue virtually in the coming days.
Pakistani brokerage Topline Securities said in its daily market review report that strong institutional buying “turned the tide” on Thursday after the market’s recent overreaction to regional issues.
The report added that Hub Power Company (HUBC), Oil & Gas Development Company (OGDC), Fauji Fertilizer Company (FFC), Engro Corporation (ENGROH), and Meezan Bank Limited (MEBL) collectively contributed 2,197 points to the KSE benchmark’s gain.
Topline Securities said 723 million shares were traded on Thursday, with K-Electric Limited (KEL) stealing the spotlight as more than 1.17 billion shares changed hands.
Pakistani investors are closely monitoring developments in the Gulf, particularly around energy routes and further retaliatory actions, as the conflict’s trajectory remains uncertain.
