ISLAMABAD: The bodies of 28 Pakistani nationals who died in a bus crash in Iran while intending to visit religious shrines in Iraq arrived in their homeland on Friday night after the government sent a C-130 aircraft to the neighboring state for their repatriation.
The bus accident happened on Tuesday night in the central Iranian province of Yazd, according to Pakistani and Iranian authorities.
Another 23 people were injured in the crash, with more than a dozen reported to be in serious condition.
The funeral prayers for the deceased Pakistanis were offered in Iran before their bodies were flown back to the country along with 15 injured individuals who were discharged from the hospital after receiving medical treatment.
“A special flight has brought back the dead bodies of 28 pilgrims who were martyred in a tragic bus accident in Iran’s Yazd province,” Pakistan’s state-owned PTV news channel reported, airing visuals of the aircraft in Jacobabad city of the southern Sindh province.
A majority of the deceased Pakistanis belonged to Sindh’s Larkana district, according to a statement released by the information ministry earlier in the day.
Pakistan’s Ambassador to Iran, Mudassir Tipu, had also announced on Friday all arrangements for the repatriation of the bodies, along with the injured people, had been completed.
Millions of Shias are currently present in Iraq’s Karbala Governorate to attend the 40th-day mourning ritual after observing the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussain, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), in 680 CE.
Iran has one of the world’s worst traffic safety records, with some 17,000 deaths annually. The grave toll is blamed on a widespread disregard for traffic laws, unsafe vehicles and inadequate emergency services in its vast rural areas.
Iranian state television has blamed Tuesday’s crash on the bus brakes failing and a lack of attention by its driver.
Bodies of 28 Pakistani pilgrims killed in Iran bus crash repatriated on special flight
https://arab.news/5zmar
Bodies of 28 Pakistani pilgrims killed in Iran bus crash repatriated on special flight
- Bus accident happened on Tuesday in the Iranian province of Yazd while these people were traveling to Iraq
- A C-130 aircraft arranged by the government also brought back 15 injured who were discharged from hospital
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.
