ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar announced on Saturday the government has decided to take disciplinary action against senior officials responsible to provide security to Chinese workers after five of them were killed in a deadly militant attack last month in the northwest of the country.
The incident took place when a suicide bomber rammed an explosives laden vehicle into a convoy of Chinese engineers which was on its way from Islamabad to their camp in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province where they were working on a hydropower project in Dasu.
The killing of the Chinese nationals along with their local driver prompted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to conduct a series of security meetings in which he instructed the relevant authorities to prevent such attacks in the future.
Sharif also constituted an inquiry committee to investigate the incident.
“We will not let anyone disrupt the peace [in the country],” Tarar said while addressing a news conference in Lahore. “Our armed forces and law enforcement agencies are committed to eradicating terrorism and are playing their role with full intent and dedication to uproot this scourge from its roots.”
“The inquiry committee sent its report in which the prime minister ordered disciplinary action against some officers, saying they had been negligent in their duties and should have been more vigilant,” he continued.
The information minister said these officials included the regional police officer Hazara division, district police officers in upper and lower Kohistan district, director security at Dasu hydropower project and commandant special security unit in KP.
Tarar informed that disciplinary action would be taken against them within the next 15 days.
“This is an example that future matters related to Chinese security will be taken more seriously, and no shortcomings will be tolerated,” he said.
He also pointed out the prime minister was taking personal interest in the security of Chinese workers in Pakistan, and the government was trying to devise a comprehensive and effective mechanism to protect them against such attacks.
Pakistan announces disciplinary action against senior officials after suicide attack on Chinese workers
https://arab.news/c8c6n
Pakistan announces disciplinary action against senior officials after suicide attack on Chinese workers
- Information minister says these officials had been negligent in their duties and should have been more vigilant
- He calls the decision an example that future matters related to Chinese security will be taken more seriously
Pakistan opposition rallies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to demand release of Imran Khan
- PTI-led gathering calls the former PM a national hero and demands the release of all political prisoners
- Government says the opposition failed to draw a large crowd and accuses PTI of damaging its own politics
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s opposition led by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party demanded the release of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan at a rally in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Sunday, describing him as a national hero who continues to command public support.
The gathering came days after a rare and strongly worded briefing by the military’s media chief, Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, who dismissed Khan as “narcissistic” and “mentally ill” on Friday while responding to the former premier’s allegations that Pakistan’s chief of defense forces was responsible for undermining the constitution and rule of law.
He said that Khan was promoting an anti-state narrative which had become a national security threat.
The participants of the rally called for “civilian supremacy” and said elected representatives should be treated with respect.
“We, the people of Pakistan, regard Imran Khan as a national hero and the country’s genuinely elected prime minister, chosen by the public in the February 8, 2024 vote,” said a resolution presented at the rally in Peshawar. “We categorically reject and strongly condemn the notion that he or his colleagues pose any kind of threat to national security.”
“We demand immediate justice for Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi and all political prisoners, and call for their prompt release,” it added, referring to Khan’s wife who is also in prison. “No restrictions should be placed on Imran Khan’s meetings with his family, lawyers or political associates.”
Addressing the gathering, Sohail Afridi, the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, denied his administration was not serious about security issues amid increased militant activity. However, he maintained the people of his province had endured the worst of Pakistan’s conflict with militancy and urged a rethinking of long-running security policies.
The resolution asked the federal government to restore bilateral trade and diplomatic channels with Afghanistan, saying improved cross-border ties were essential for the economic stability of the region.
The trade between the two neighbors has suffered as Pakistan accuses the Taliban administration in Kabul of sheltering and facilitating armed groups that it says launch cross-border attacks to target its civilians and security forces. Afghan officials deny the claim.
The two countries have also had deadly border clashes in recent months that have killed dozens of people on both sides.
Some participants of the rally emphasized the restoration of democratic freedoms, judicial independence and space for political reconciliation, calling them necessary to stabilize the country after years of political confrontation.
Reacting to the opposition rally, Information Minister Attaullah Tarrar said the PTI and its allies could not gather enough people.
“In trying to build an anti-army narrative, they have ruined their own politics,” he said, adding that the rally’s reaction to the military’s media chief’s statement reflected “how deeply it had stung.”
“There was neither any argument nor any real response,” he added, referring to what was said by the participants of the rally.
