Pakistan president grants remission in sentences to prisoners for 78th Independence Day

A man walks out the central prison where British-born militant Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, convicted of masterminding the kidnap and murder of US journalist Daniel Pearl, is serving his prison sentence in Karachi on January 29, 2021. (AFP/File)
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Updated 12 August 2024
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Pakistan president grants remission in sentences to prisoners for 78th Independence Day

  • The remission was granted under Article 45 of the constitution
  • Prisoners convicted of serious crimes won’t be benefitted by it

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has granted a 90-day remission to prisoners under specific categories in order to provide relief to inmates on the occasion of the 78th Independence Day of Pakistan, state media reported on Monday.
Pakistan celebrates its Independence Day every year on August 14. The remission will apply to male prisoners of 65 years and above and female inmates above 60 years, who have served one-third of their term.
It will also be applicable to female prisoners serving their sentences with their children as well as inmates under the age of 18 years, the state-run Radio Pakistan broadcaster reported.
“The President granted the remission of the sentence under Article 45 of the Constitution of Pakistan,” the report read.
Article 45 empowers the president to “grant pardon, reprieve and respite, and to remit, suspend or commute any sentence passed by any court, tribunal or other authority.”
The remission will not be applicable to prisoners involved in “anti-state activities, espionage, murder, rape, theft, robbery, kidnapping and terrorism,” according to the report.
“Those involved in financial crimes, causing loss to the national exchequer, and convicted under the Foreigners Act 1946, and Narcotics Control (Amendment) Act 2022 will also be ineligible to get this remission,” it read.
Pakistani leaders have often announced reduction in sentences of prisoners on religious occasions and days of national significance.
In March, President Zardari approved a special remission for prisoners on the occasion of Pakistan Day and Eid Al-Fitr. In 2022, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had approved a two-month reduction in prisoner terms on account of Eid Al-Fitr.


Pakistani journalists in Karachi march in solidarity with media workers killed in Gaza

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Pakistani journalists in Karachi march in solidarity with media workers killed in Gaza

  • Israel’s military campaign has killed 175 journalists since Oct. 7, 2023, according to Gaza’s Government Media Office
  • Over 100 journalists demand end to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, “fair coverage” of war from Western media

KARACHI: Over a hundred Pakistani journalists took part in a march this week in Karachi to express solidarity with media workers killed in Gaza, demanding an immediate ceasefire and an end to Israel’s military campaigns in the Middle East. 

Israel’s war on Gaza has resulted in the killing of 175 journalists, according to Gaza’s Government Media Office, while the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has said that at least 128 journalists and media workers are among over 41,000 killed in the densely populated area since Israel launched its ruthless war on Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023.

A large number of journalists marched from the Karachi Press Club in the city to the Governor House on Monday, holding banners denouncing Israel’s military campaigns in Gaza and expressing support for the Palestinian people. Rallies in various parts of the country on Monday to mark the one-year anniversary of Israel’s war on Gaza. 

“This is actually an attempt to raise that voice for the Palestinian journalists, the people of Palestine, those unarmed people, who are being subjected to extreme brutalities, to stand with them and to make them realize that during such times, when you are being subjected to extreme brutalities, you are not alone,” journalist Nayyar Ali told a crowd of journalists at the march. 

“The entire Muslim world is with you.”

Reporter Aamir Latif said through extensive coverage, journalists have exposed “Israeli brutalities” in Gaza and Lebanon. 

“So, it is not something which we can say [is] the coincidence,” Latif told Arab News. “They are deliberately targeting journalists. Two days before, they have targeted the 175th journalist in Gaza since Oct. 7.”

Latif was referring to Palestinian journalist Hassan Hamad who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza on Oct. 6. Days earlier, the journalist had said he was warned by an Israeli officer to stop filming in Gaza. 

Veteran Karachi-based journalist and analyst Mazhar Abbas called on the Western media to provide “fair coverage” to Gaza and the Israeli military campaign in Beirut. 

“The policymakers of the Western media should revisit their policy, should give more respect to journalism, should give more respect to the fair coverage,” he said. 


Pakistan says seeking long-term partnership with Russia in defense, trade amid investment push 

Updated 5 min 45 sec ago
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Pakistan says seeking long-term partnership with Russia in defense, trade amid investment push 

  • Russian Ambassador to Pakistan Albert P. Khorev meets Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif 
  • Russia and Pakistan, once bitter rivals, have held regular trade and business interactions over past couple of years

ISLAMABAD: Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif has said that Pakistan seeks a long-term partnership with Russia in the fields of defense, trade and energy, state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported on Tuesday amid Islamabad’s push for foreign investment. 

Pakistan and Russia have held regular business and trade interactions over the past couple of years in an effort to boost ties and enhance regional cooperation. The two countries, once bitter Cold War rivals, have recently warmed up to each other as Pakistan seeks to enhance bilateral trade with landlocked Central Asian countries through Russia. 

The two countries last week held an inaugural trade and investment forum in Moscow last week where Pakistan’s privatization minister led a delegation of over 70 businesspersons to discuss bilateral trade and business cooperation with Russian officials and business community. 

Russia’s Ambassador to Pakistan Albert P. Khorev called on Asif in Islamabad to discuss matters related to defense and economic cooperation, Radio Pakistan said. 

“He said Pakistan intends to forge a long-term multidimensional partnership with Russia, especially in the fields of defense, trade, energy and people-to-people contacts,” the state broadcaster said. 

Asif reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to regional peace and security while the Russian envoy assured the minister of his country’s commitment to collaborate with Pakistan in matters of mutual interest, Radio Pakistan added. 

Apart from economic and defense cooperation, Pakistan has also turned to Russia for cheaper sources of fuel. Islamabad’s ties with Russia saw significant improvement last year after Pakistan started purchasing Russian crude oil at a discount rate. The development came after geopolitical tensions almost doubled fuel prices in Pakistan last year. 

Pakistan also received its first shipment of liquified petroleum gas from Russia in September 2023, marking Islamabad’s second major Russian energy purchase. Meanwhile last month, Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk arrived in Islamabad on a brief visit, seeking to expand trade and investment ties with Pakistan.

Pakistan has increasingly sought cooperation in terms of trade and investment with regional countries and financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in recent months to recover from a macroeconomic crisis that has drained its resources.

The South Asian country narrowly avoided a sovereign default last year when it secured a last-gasp $3 billion financial assistance package from the IMF. Pakistan’s economic crisis has seen its inflation reach double-digit figures, foreign exchange reserves plummet to historic lows and its currency weaken significantly against the US dollar over the past two years. 


Pakistani activist says offloaded from US-bound flight to attend ‘Time100 Next’ gala

Updated 12 min 31 sec ago
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Pakistani activist says offloaded from US-bound flight to attend ‘Time100 Next’ gala

  • Dr. Mahrang Baloch recognized among world’s 100 emerging leaders for “advocating peacefully for Baloch rights”
  • Government and army have questioned Baloch’s motives and called rights movement she leads a “terrorist proxy”

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani doctor and ethnic Baloch rights activist Dr. Mahrang Baloch accused the government of preventing her from attending a Time magazine event this week by illegally offloading her from a New York-bound flight, saying the action reflected the state’s “growing fear and insecurity” toward Baloch voices. 

Time magazine last week included Baloch in its prestigious ‘Time100 Next’ list which spotlights 100 personalities that shape the future of business, entertainment, sports, politics, science, health and more. Baloch, 31, was featured in the list for “advocating peacefully for Baloch rights.” 

Baloch has been a fierce critic of Pakistan’s powerful military, whom rights activists, politicians and families also blame for enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in the impoverished, southwestern Balochistan province. Pakistan’s state has led a crackdown against a separatist insurgency led by ethnic Baloch militants for the past two decades in the province. The military denies these allegations and says it is involved in several development schemes to uplift Balochistan. 

In a post on social media platform X, Baloch said she was offloaded from her flight to New York by a Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) official “without any valid or legal justification,” adding that her passport was also confiscated by the official when the flight took off. 

“I was unjustly stopped at Karachi International Airport with no legal or valid given reason, which is a clear violation of my fundamental right to freedom of movement,” Baloch wrote on Monday. “This action reflects the growing fear and insecurity of the state toward Baloch voices.”

Baloch said the purpose of preventing her from traveling to New York was to silence Baloch voices “from being heard internationally” and to control the flow of information about the situation in Balochistan.

“This arbitrary travel ban is part of the increasing crackdown on Baloch human rights defenders and activists,” she said. “I will fight back against this unjust restriction on my rights to movement.”

Baloch, who leads the Baloch Yakjehti Committee civil rights movement, last December led hundreds of women in a long march to the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, demanding justice for their “disappeared” husbands, sons, and brothers. In July, she organized the “Baloch Raji Muchi” gathering in the strategic port city of Gwadar, an event aimed at uniting the Baloch against alleged rights abuses.

Pakistan’s military has rejected the activist’s allegations in the past and questioned her motives. 

In August, military spokesperson Lt. Gen. Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry said the purpose of the BYC and the Baloch Raaji Muchi it had convened in the port city of Gwadar, where China is building a deep sea port, was to make development projects and investments “controversial” and incite people against the Pakistan army and other security forces involved in operations against insurgency and crime in Balochistan. 


Pakistan says potential cyclone in Arabian Sea may affect coastal areas this month

Updated 08 October 2024
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Pakistan says potential cyclone in Arabian Sea may affect coastal areas this month

  • The weather system is currently positioned near India’s Lakshadweep Valley and expected to move northwestward
  • Early forecasts suggest the possibility of landfall along the Pakistani coast, depending on its trajectory and intensity

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Emergencies Operation Center (NEOC) said on Monday a low-pressure system was developing in the Arabian Sea that could transform into a cyclone and affect coastal areas of the country later this month.

The system is currently positioned near India’s Lakshadweep Valley and is expected to move northwestward, according to an early advisory issued by the NEOC.

Early forecasts suggest the possibility of landfall along the Pakistani coastline in the third week of October, depending on its trajectory and intensity.

“There is a chance that this low-pressure system may evolve into a full-fledged tropical cyclone, with the potential to affect the coastal areas of Pakistan,” the NEOC said in a statement.

“Citizens and stakeholders, particularly those residing in coastal regions, are advised to stay informed of official updates and adviseries as the situation evolves.”

The NEOC said the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), in collaboration with relevant departments, was continuously monitoring the situation to provide timely updates and issue further adviseries.

In August, a cyclonic storm, ASNA, in the Arabian Sea caused heavy rains in coastal areas in Pakistan’s southern Sindh and southwestern Balochistan provinces.

Pakistan has seen erratic changes in its weather patterns which have led to frequent heat waves, untimely rains, cyclones and droughts in recent years. Scientists have blamed the events on human-driven climate change.
 


Pakistan PM assures Beijing will ‘personally oversee’ probe into attack that killed two Chinese

Updated 07 October 2024
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Pakistan PM assures Beijing will ‘personally oversee’ probe into attack that killed two Chinese

  • Two Chinese nationals were among three killed in the attack near Karachi airport on Sunday
  • The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) separatist group claimed responsibility for the attack

KARACHI: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday assured Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong of personally overseeing investigation into a militant attack on a Chinese convoy in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi, promising that those responsible would be brought to justice.
Two Chinese nationals among three people were killed and 10 others injured in the attack near the Karachi airport late on Sunday night, Pakistani officials and the Chinese embassy said. The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) separatist group claimed responsibility for the attack, saying that Chinese nationals were targeted by a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device.
China is a major ally and investor in Pakistan, having pledged over $65 billion in road, infrastructure and development projects in Pakistan under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a part of Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative, that aims to connect China to the Arabian Sea and help Islamabad expand and modernize its economy.
PM Sharif on Monday visited the Chinese embassy in Islamabad and held a meeting with Ambassador Jiang to extend his condolences over the death of the two Chinese nationals, according to the Pakistan PM’s office.
“I will personally oversee the investigation into this incident,” Sharif said, expressing sorrow over the loss of Chinese lives in the attack. “After the identification of those responsible for the incident, they will be brought to justice.”
He said his government had fully mobilized resources to identify those behind this “act of terrorism,” adding that the protection of Chinese nationals was a “top priority” of Pakistan.
Sharif also assured the Chinese envoy of further strengthening security arrangements for Chinese nationals working in Pakistan.
The Chinese ambassador expressed confidence in the Pakistani government’s “effective investigation, prompt identification of the responsible terrorists, and their swift punishment,” according to a statement issued by Sharif’s office.
“We hope that those responsible for the incident will receive appropriate punishment as soon as possible,” Ambassador Jiang was quoted as saying.
The attack targeted a convoy of the Port Qasim Electric Power Company at around 11:00pm on Sunday night, according to the Chinese embassy. Two Chinese nationals were killed and one was injured.
The embassy said the Chinese side was working with Pakistani authorities in the aftermath.
“The Chinese Embassy and Consulates General in Pakistan remind Chinese citizens, enterprises and projects in Pakistan to be vigilant, pay close attention to the security situation, strengthen security measures, and make every effort to take safety precautions,” it said in a statement.
On Monday, the Pakistani foreign office condemned the attack and said the country’s security and law enforcement agencies would make every effort to arrest the perpetrators and their facilitators.
“This barbaric act will not go unpunished,” it said.
Separately, the BLA named the militant who carried out the attack as Shah Fahad Badini, a member of its Majeed Brigade who belonged to the Kili Badini area of the Nushki district in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province.
The 28-year-old had joined the group in 2019 and had completed his degree in Business Administration at the Lasbela University, it added.
Sunday’s attack is the latest by the BLA, the most prominent of a number of separatist groups fighting for independence for Pakistan’s gas-and-mineral-rich Balochistan province, where a low-lying insurgency has been ongoing for the past two decades. Baloch militants blame the Pakistani state for exploiting the province’s resources, a charge denied by state authorities.
The BLA also accuses Beijing of helping Islamabad exploit the province and has attacked Chinese interests and projects in the past, in particular the strategic port of Gwadar on the Arabian Sea. It has previously killed Chinese citizens working in the region and attacked Beijing’s consulate in Karachi.
In March this year, a suicide bombing killed five Chinese engineers and a Pakistani driver in northwestern Pakistan as they headed to the Dasu Dam, the biggest hydropower project in the country. In 2022, three Chinese educators and their Pakistani driver were killed when an explosion ripped through a van at the University of Karachi.
Sunday’s attack came after a series of coordinated attacks, most claimed by the BLA, that killed more than 50 people in Balochistan in August. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other officials said at the time the attacks had sought to harm Chinese-funded investment and development projects.