Pakistan reaffirms commitment to UN peacekeeping on International Day of Police Cooperation

This photo, released by Pakistan’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations on social media platform X on September 7, 2024, shows Pakistani police officers with their counterparts from different countries. (Photo courtesy: X/ @PakistanUN_NY)
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Updated 08 September 2024
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Pakistan reaffirms commitment to UN peacekeeping on International Day of Police Cooperation

  • Pakistan says it has contributed 235,000 troops to 48 peacekeeping missions in 29 countries since 1960
  • Over 180 Pakistanis deployed in different parts of the world have died during these UN operations

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations on Saturday reaffirmed its commitment to UN peacekeeping missions while marking the International Day of Police Cooperation, noting its police contingents have actively contributed to global peace by serving the world body since the 1960s.
UN peacekeeping operations, carried out in conflict zones, are crucial in maintaining security, protecting civilians and fostering sustainable peace in post-conflict areas.
In May, Pakistan announced it had contributed 235,000 troops to 48 missions in 29 countries since 1960.
A month later, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi pledged to send 128 additional police officers to UN peacekeeping forces after meeting with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in New York.
“Since the 1960s, Pakistan’s police have actively contributed to United Nations’ peacekeeping missions in countries such as Sudan, Haiti, Kosovo, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo,” the Pakistani diplomatic mission said in a social media post. “Their roles include maintaining law and order, training local police forces, and providing security for humanitarian operations.”
It said Pakistan also deploys female officers, enhancing their ability to engage with vulnerable groups, adding the professionalism of the country’s police has earned them international recognition.
“On the International Day of Police Cooperation today, we reiterate our resolve to continue working under the @UNPeacekeeping to promote global peace, security and stability,” it continued.

 
According to the Pakistan military’s statement, more than 180 Pakistanis deployed in different parts of the world have died during the peacekeeping operations.


Pakistan’s Sindh orders inquiry after clashes at Imran Khan party rally in Karachi

Updated 2 min 47 sec ago
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Pakistan’s Sindh orders inquiry after clashes at Imran Khan party rally in Karachi

  • Khan’s PTI party accuses police of shelling to disperse its protesters, placing hurdles to hinder rally in Karachi 
  • Sindh Local Government Minister Nasir Hussain Shah vows all those found guilty in the inquiry will be punished

ISLAMABAD: The government in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province has ordered an inquiry into clashes that took place between police and supporters of former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party in Karachi on Sunday, as it held a rally to demand his release from prison. 

The provincial government had granted PTI permission to hold a public gathering at Karachi’s Bagh-i-Jinnah Park and had also welcomed Sohail Afridi, the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province where Khan’s party is in power, when he arrived in the city last week. However, the PTI cited a delay in receiving a permit and announced a last-minute change to a gate of Mazar-i-Quaid, the mausoleum of the nation’s founder. 

Despite the change, PTI supporters congregated at the originally advertised venue. PTI officials claimed the party faced obstacles in reaching the venue and that its supporters were met with police intervention. Footage of police officers arresting Khan supporters in Karachi were shared widely on social media platforms. 

“A complete inquiry is being held and whoever is found guilty in this, he will be punished,” Sindh Local Government Minister Nasir Hussain Shah said while speaking to a local news channel on Sunday. 

Shah said the PTI had sought permission to hold its rally at Bagh-i-Jinnah in Karachi from the Sindh government, even though the venue’s administration falls under the federal government’s jurisdiction. 

He said problems arose when the no objection certificate to hold the rally was delayed for a few hours and the party announced it would hold the rally “on the road.”

The rally took place amid rising tensions between the PTI and Pakistan’s military and government. Khan, who remains in jail on a slew of charges he says are politically motivated since August 2023, blames the military and the government for colluding to keep him away from power by rigging the 2024 general election and implicating him in false cases. Both deny his allegations. 

Since Khan was ousted in a parliamentary vote in April 2022, the PTI has complained of a widespread state crackdown, while Khan and his senior party colleagues have been embroiled in dozens of legal cases.