PESHAWAR: Pakistani counter-terrorism forces say they have killed three Afghan militants who belonged to the Daesh group during a raid on a hideout near the country’s border with Afghanistan.
The gunbattle was the latest episode of violence in Pakistan involving extremist groups that appear to have been emboldened by the return to power of the Taliban in Afghanistan.
The dawn raid was carried out in Peshawar, capital of the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, said Javed Khan, an officer with the provincial Counter-Terrorism Department. The branch is a special police unit that fights local and foreign militant groups.
Khan said the slain militants were Afghans, and that the raid foiled a possible terrorist attack. Two other fighters managed to flee, he said, giving no further details.
Pakistan has witnessed scores of terrorist attacks in recent years, most of which were claimed by the Pakistani Taliban and the Daesh group. Both organizations have been emboldened by Taliban resurgence in Afghanistan, where Pakistani militants are still believed to be hiding.
Pakistan’s foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi was in Kabul along with a delegation on Thursday for talks on a range of issues, the foreign ministry said before news of the raid was released. It was unclear whether the matter would come up in discussion.
Three Afghans from Daesh group killed near border — Pakistan police
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Three Afghans from Daesh group killed near border — Pakistan police
- Police says the raid carried out in Peshawar foiled a possible terrorist attack
- Pakistan has witnessed scores of attacks in recent years claimed by Pakistani Taliban and Daesh
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.
