ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday sought the implementation of a ‘comprehensive strategy’ against violence, as a SriLankan Airlines flight arrived in Colombo with the remains of Priyantha Kumara, a Sri Lankan factory manager who had worked in Pakistan for many years and last week was lynched by a Muslim mob over blasphemy allegations.
On Friday, a mob attacked and killed Kumara, who had worked at a garment factory in the city of Sialkot in Pakistan’s Punjab province. The crowd also publicly burned the Sri Lankan national’s body over what police have said are accusations he desecrated religious posters.
Blasphemy is considered a deeply sensitive issue in Pakistan and carries the death penalty. International and domestic rights groups say accusations of blasphemy have often been used to intimidate religious minorities and settle personal scores.
Prime Minister Imran Khan chaired a meeting attended by Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Jawed Bajwa and senior members of the cabinet to review security in the country after the lynching incident.
“The participants of the meeting were of the view that individuals and mobs cannot be allowed to take the law into their hands and such incidents cannot be tolerated,” a statement issued by the Prime Minister Office said. “Therefore, a comprehensive strategy shall be implemented to curb such incidents and strict punishments to all the perpetrators shall be ensured.”
“The meeting expressed serious concern over the cruel act of killing of Sri Lankan national Priyantha Diyawadanage in Sialkot and expressed the resolve to bring the perpetrators to justice”.
A spokesperson for Sialkot police, Khurram Shehzad, said 132 people had been arrested so far in the case, after being identified with the help of CCTV footage.
“Police has arrested seven more of the prime suspects including key suspect Imtaiz aka Billi who was involved in torture and disrespecting the dead body,” Shehzad told Arab News in a phone interview, saying 26 key suspects had been remanded in police custody.
Human Rights Minister Dr. Shireen Mazari told media it was time to fully implement existing policies to combat violence, including the National Action Plan (NAP), a counter-terrorism strategy that was devised in 2014 after militants attacked an army-run school in Peshawar, killing 134 children.
“This lynching was not the first of its kind,” Mazari told Dawn. “It’s now time to take definitive action as the state.”
Meanwhile, Kumara’s remains were transported from the Pakistani city of Lahore via SriLankan Airlines flight UL-186 at 12:30pm on Monday.
The flight landed in Colombo at around 5pm where Kumara’s remains were received by Pakistan’s acting high commissioner in Colombo, Tanvir Ahmed, along with other Sri Lankan officials.
“Pakistan Acting High Commissioner Tanvir Ahmad and Press Secretary Kalsoom Qaiser received the mortal remains and conveyed the sympathies of the people and government of Pakistan to the relatives of the deceased present at the airport,” the Pakistan high commission in Colombo said in a statement.
Representatives from all walks of life visited the Pakistan High Commission on the occasion, the statement added: “They came from Sri Lankan Parliament, Coordinators for the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka for all religions including Hinduism,Christianity, Buddhism & Islam. All of them expressed their satisfaction over the quick action of the Pakistan Government in apprehension of the perpetrators of the Sialkot tragedy.”
On Monday, a delegation of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party met with Sri Lankan high commissioner Mohan Wijewickrama in Islamabad and condoled with him over Kumara’s death.
“This was a horrific murder and we are concerned the way it was carried out. But we have seen that the government of Pakistan has immediately taken all possible actions at the highest level and they have assured to the family and to us that very stringent actions will be taken against the culprits,” Wijewickrama told the delegates. “And we are seeing it now that a large number of people have been arrested and remanded. So, we believe that the government of Pakistan is very sincere on this issue.”
Pakistani leaders, including PM Khan and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, have said Islamabad is working closely with Sri Lankan authorities on the case. Top Pakistani leaders have promised accountability after the Sri Lankan leadership demanded Islamabad ensure justice in the case.
Few issues are as galvanizing in Pakistan as blasphemy, and even the slightest suggestions of an insult to Islam have been known to supercharge protests and incite lynching. Perpetrators of violence in the name of blasphemy often go unpunished.
PM seeks ‘comprehensive strategy’ against violence as Sri Lanka lynching victim’s remains reach Colombo
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PM seeks ‘comprehensive strategy’ against violence as Sri Lanka lynching victim’s remains reach Colombo
- Priyantha Kumara was killed and his body publicly burnt by a Muslim mob in Pakistan’s Sialkot city last week
- Islamabad has assured Sri Lanka all those involved in the crime will be brought to justice, PM personally overseeing probe
President Biden’s first contact with PM Sharif signals support amid regional challenges
- Biden’s letter is the first top-level contact between the two countries in a long time, signifying a thaw in their frosty ties
- The US president describes the partnership between the two countries’ people as ‘crucial for global and local security’
ISLAMABAD: In the first top-level contact between the United States and Pakistan in years, President Joe Biden assured Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday of his administration’s full support in addressing the critical challenges facing the region.
Biden’s letter to Sharif signifies a thaw in the frosty US-Pakistan relations following the strained ties during the withdrawal of international forces from Afghanistan and the subsequent allegations by Pakistan’s former premier Imran Khan of a US conspiracy against his administration.
The US president’s outreach marks a notable shift from the previously perceived indifference, evident in the absence of direct communication with Khan’s government.
The correspondence underscores a potential recalibration of bilateral relations, with the US president describing the partnership between the two countries’ people as “crucial for global and local security.”
“The US will stand with Pakistan in facing the most critical challenges of the time and region,” Biden was quoted as saying in an official statement released by the Pakistani authorities. “Public health protection, economic growth and education for all are shared visions that will continue to be promoted together.”
The US president also highlighted various areas where the two countries have been working together while promising to strengthen their joint efforts.
He specifically mentioned the US-Pakistan Green Alliance Framework, saying his administration would continue to work with Pakistan for environmental improvement.
Biden also spoke of sustainable agricultural development, water management and recovery from the devastating effects of the 2022 floods in Pakistan.
He also expressed dedication to protecting human rights and promoting development together with Pakistan amid previous US concerns over freedom of speech and expression in the wake of period social media disruptions in the South Asian country.
“The strong partnership established between the two nations will be strengthened,” he said in the letter.
Pakistan’s finance minister eyes fresh IMF loan deal by fiscal year-end
- Muhammad Aurangzeb plans to discuss the contours of the new loan program during his meetings in Washington
- Pakistan has successfully completed the second and final review under a short-term IMF agreement for $1.1 billion
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan plans to reach a staff-level agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a new loan program by the end of the current fiscal year, said finance minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Friday, adding the issue would come up for discussion in his upcoming meetings in Washington.
Pakistan successfully completed the second and final review under a short-term IMF stand-by arrangement amounting to $3 billion earlier this month, clearing the way for the disbursement of the final tranche of nearly $1.1 billion.
However, the country’s fragile $350-billion economy continues to be in desperate need for external financing to shore up its foreign exchange reserves and escape yet another macroeconomic crisis. This was also indicated by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif who pointed out it was “inevitable” for his government to seek further IMF assistance after taking over the top political office of his country.
The Pakistani finance minister said he was going to attend the spring meetings in Washington where he would meet the IMF and World Bank officials and discuss the contours of a fresh Extended Fund Facility (EFF).
“Those discussions will go into end April, into May,” he informed. “We can expect, because no final discussion or agreement [with IMF] has taken place yet, but it is our desire that by the time we wrap up this fiscal year, so end June, early July, we at least reach the staff-level agreement [for the EFF].”
Committing to a new IMF program will require Pakistan to implement steps needed to stay on a narrow path to recovery. The country has already tried to implement stringent economic reforms like raising fuel and power rates that have led to spiraling inflation in the country.
Getting into another IMF program would further limit the government’s policy options to provide relief to a deeply frustrated population and cater to industries that are looking for government support to spur growth.
PCB meets to discuss national team captaincy amid reports of Babar Azam comeback
- Meeting takes place amid widespread speculation Babar could take over as Pakistan captain for upcoming T20 series against New Zealand
- Babar stepped down as all-format captain last November following the team’s failure to reach ICC Men’s World Cup semifinals with five defeats
KARACHI: The chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) met the body’s selection committee and other key officials to discuss the national team’s captaincy, the PCB said on Friday, amid reports former all-format captain Babar Azam’s name was under consideration for the position.
PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi chaired the meeting at the PCB headquarters in the eastern city of Lahore, according to the cricket board.
PCB Chief Operating Officer Salman Naseer, Selection Committee members Muhammad Yusuf, Wahab Riaz, Abdul Razzaq and Bilal Afzal, and PCB International Cricket Director Usman Wahla attended the conference.
“The members of the selection committee made recommendations to Chairman PCB Mohsin Naqvi about the captain of the national cricket team,” the PCB said in a statement.
“Coaches were also consulted at the meeting.”
Local media has widely speculated this week that Babar could make a comeback as Pakistan captain in the upcoming five-match T20 series against New Zealand.
The series is scheduled to be played in Rawalpindi on April 18, 20 and 21 and in Lahore on April 25 and 27.
The PCB, under former chief Zaka Ashraf, had appointed Shaheen Shah Afridi as Pakistan captain for the limited-over format after the national team’s poor show at the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in India. Shan Masood was given the Test captaincy at the time.
In November last year, Babar announced he was stepping down as all-format captain following the team’s failure to reach the World Cup semifinals with five defeats — including a seven-wicket mauling by India in front of more than 100,000 fans — and four wins. The team also lost to Afghanistan for the first time.
Babar was particularly under fire for the poor show of a team that was ranked as the world’s top ODI side before the tournament.
This was the fifth time in the last six World Cups that Pakistan failed to reach the semifinals.
Babar was appointed T20I and ODI captain in 2019 before eventually captaining the Test side since 2020.
Pakistan briefs Chinese investigation team on security measures after deadly suicide bombing
- Five Chinese nationals were killed on Tuesday in northwestern Pakistan when a suicide bomber targeted their vehicle
- Pakistan has since then enhanced security for Chinese personnel in the country, vowed to punish culprits of the attack
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Friday briefed a Chinese investigation team on a suicide attack in Pakistan’s Shangla, which killed five Chinese nationals this week, promising to bring to justice the perpetrators of the deadly bombing.
Five Chinese nationals and their Pakistani driver were killed on Tuesday in the northwestern Pakistani district of Shangla, when a bomber rammed his explosive-laden car into their vehicle.
The victims were en route to a hydropower project when the attack occurred in an area vital to the Chine-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), part of Beijing Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
Naqvi visited the Chinese embassy in Islamabad to brief the special investigation team that arrived from China, according to the Pakistani interior ministry.
“In the meeting, measures for the protection of Chinese citizens and overall security were discussed,” Naqvi’s ministry said in a statement. “The real culprits of the Shangla attack will be brought to justice,” the statement quoted the minister as saying.
Naqvi also met the Chinese ambassador and shared with him updates regarding the attack, according to the statement.
Tuesday’s attack came less than a week after Pakistani security forces killed eight Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) separatists, who opened fire on a convoy carrying Chinese citizens outside the Chinese-funded Gwadar port in the volatile southwestern Balochistan province.
Hundreds of Chinese engineers and technicians have been working on projects, primarily in Pakistan’s northwest and southwest, under CPEC — a network of roads, railways, pipelines and ports in Pakistan that will connect China to the Arabian Sea and help Islamabad expand and modernize its economy.
Beijing has pledged to invest over $65 billion in energy and infrastructure projects in Pakistan as part of the corridor.
The interior minister’s meeting with the Chinese team came a day after Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said his government believed Islamabad would hold accountable the perpetrators of the deadly attack.
“The Pakistani side is working intensively to investigate and handle the aftermath and has taken concrete steps to enhance security for Chinese personnel, projects and institutions,” Lin told reporters during a press briefing.
“We believe Pakistan will get to the bottom of the attack and bring the perpetrators to justice as soon as possible.”
In a first, foreign minister replaces finance chief in Pakistan’s largest decision-making body
- The CCI decides matters like distribution of natural resources upon which there is disagreement between center, provinces
- Members of the council include four provincial chief ministers as well as foreign, defense and frontier regions ministers
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani government this week constituted the Council of Common Interests (CCI), with the foreign minister replacing the finance chief in the decision-making body.
The CCI is a constitutional body and its members are appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister. The council resolves power-sharing and other disputes between the federation and the provinces.
Members of the council include four provincial chief ministers, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif, and State and Frontier Regions Minister Ameer Muqam, according to a government notification.
“In exercise of the powers conferred under Article 153 of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the president, on the advice of the prime minister, has constituted the Council of Common Interests, with effect from 21st March,” read the notification dated March 25.
“This supersedes Secretariat of CCI’s notification of even number, dated 9th January.”
The CCI is the largest decision-making body in the country that decides matters like the distribution of natural resources, upon which there is a disagreement between the center and provinces.
The top forum is headed by the prime minister.