ISLAMABAD: The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) in Pakistan’s Sindh province said on Saturday it had arrested a “trained terrorist” belonging to the Iran-backed Zainabiyoun Brigade in Karachi, who was accused of an assassination attempt on a top Pakistani cleric among other militant activities.
Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani, a former Pakistan top court judge and a permanent member of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s International Islamic Fiqh Academy, narrowly escaped the assassination attempt on him in the port city of Karachi in March 2019.
The attack had killed two of Mufti Usmani’s guards and wounded a fellow religious scholar, Maulana Amir Shahabullah, with police at the time calling it an apparent attempt to disrupt peace and stoke sectarian tensions in the South Asian country.
In its statement issued on Saturday, the CTD Sindh said it had arrested a “trained terrorist from a neighboring country” from Karachi’s Soldier Bazaar area, who had confessed to carrying out reconnaissance of “high value targets” and provide information regarding them to his accomplices, Syed Raza Jaffri and Abid Raza.
“Syed Muhammad Mehdi, a terrorist working for Hostile Intelligence Agencies (HIAs) and is linked to the Zainabiyoun Brigade, was arrested from Karachi’s Soldier Bazaar area,” the statement said.
“The suspect further disclosed that his accomplices, Syed Raza Jaffri and Abid Raza, had also been involved in the attack on Mufti Taqi Usmani and they have targeted several important figures who belonged to the opposite sect.”
Mehdi would keep weapons and explosives received from the HIAs at his home and provide hand grenades, weapons and ammunition when they were required to eliminate the targets, according to the CTD. He had also been involved in the sale and purchase of weapons.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is believed to have formed the Zainabiyoun Brigade, and based on material posted online and reviewed by Pakistani intelligence agencies, the group could have up to 1,000 fighters. Between 2019 and 2021, the Pakistan government said the Brigade was among outfits “found actively involved in terrorist activities” in the country.
Mehdi’s arrest comes at a time of heightened tensions between Pakistan and Iran, since Iran this week conducted drone and missile strikes inside Pakistan against what it said were militant bases.
Islamabad sharply reacted to the strikes, recalling its ambassador to Iran and barring the Iranian envoy from returning to Islamabad. On Thursday morning, Pakistan conducted tit-for-tat strikes against alleged militants in Iran’s southeast, killing nine.
Iran and Pakistan share a 900-kilometer (560-mile), largely lawless border where smugglers and militants roam freely. Both countries suspect each other of supporting, or at least behaving leniently, toward some of the groups operating on the other side of the border.
Late Friday, Pakistan’s top security body, after hours of deliberation, decided to restore diplomatic relations with Iran and said it would welcome all “positive measures” from Tehran.
Pakistan arrests Iran-backed Zainabiyoun militant accused of attack on top cleric
https://arab.news/2sa98
Pakistan arrests Iran-backed Zainabiyoun militant accused of attack on top cleric
- Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani narrowly escaped an assassination attempt on him in port city of Karachi in March 2019
- Sindh Counter-Terrorism Department says arrested suspect, accomplices were involved in attack on Mufti Usmani, others
’Super Flu’: Pakistan confirms presence of fast-spreading H3N2 influenza strain
- Health authorities say virus is not new but shows higher transmission rate
- WHO reports global rise in seasonal influenza cases, especially in Europe
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani health authorities on Monday confirmed the presence of the H3N2 influenza strain, often referred to as a fast-spreading “super flu,” in the country, but stressed there was no cause for panic, saying the virus is not new and remains manageable with standard treatment and vaccination.
Officials said the strain is part of seasonal influenza viruses that circulate globally each year and has undergone genetic changes that make it spread more quickly, a pattern health experts say is common for influenza.
The confirmation comes as the World Health Organization (WHO) reports a global increase in seasonal influenza activity in recent months, with a growing proportion of influenza A(H3N2) cases detected, particularly across several European countries, including the United Kingdom.
“Yes, we have witnessed confirmed cases of H3N2 influenza (super Flu) in Pakistan since November this year. Out of total around 1,691 cases reported throughout Pakistan since last month, 12 percent are of the so called super flu,” Dr. Shafiq-Ur-Rahman, Senior Scientific Officer at Pakistan’s Center for Disease Control (CDC), told Arab News.
He said the virus had undergone a genetic drift, a gradual mutation that is typical of influenza viruses.
“The symptoms are similar to other influenza strains, but speed of transmission is high for H3N2,” Rahman said, adding that treatment remains the same as for other flu types and vaccination is critical to limiting spread.
Seasonal influenza is an acute respiratory infection caused by influenza viruses that circulate year-round worldwide. The WHO has stressed that influenza continues to evolve through gradual genetic changes, making ongoing surveillance and regular vaccine updates essential.
Influenza spreads easily through droplets when infected people cough or sneeze. While most individuals recover within a week without medical treatment, the illness can range from mild to severe and may result in hospitalization or death, particularly among high-risk groups such as young children, older adults, pregnant women and people with underlying health conditions.
Doctors say early symptoms of the flu can resemble those of the common cold, but the progression often differs. Colds typically develop gradually, beginning with a runny or blocked nose, sneezing and sore throat, followed by mild coughing and fatigue.
Flu symptoms, however, tend to appear suddenly and more intensely, with patients often experiencing high fever, extreme tiredness, body aches, headaches and a dry cough.
Health experts say this abrupt and severe onset is usually the clearest indication that an illness is influenza rather than a common cold, which is generally milder and slower to develop.
