ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar this week denied allegations the government had shot dead Imran Khan’s supporters in recent protests, as the former premier’s party alleged three of them were shot dead by law enforcers.
The PTI says at least 20 of its supporters were killed in this week’s clashes with law enforcers as thousands of Khan supporters marched toward Pakistan’s federal capital demanding Khan’s release from prison. The government rejects this and says four paramilitary personnel and a cop were killed by protesters.
On Saturday, the party shared the death certificates of three of its alleged supporters, Sardar Ali, Anees Shahzad Satii and Malik Mubeen, which said they were killed by gunshots. The certificates were prepared by the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) and Federal Government Services Hospital in Islamabad.
“Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Saturday strongly refuted allegations of state brutality and indiscriminate firing by law enforcement authorities during recent clashes with protesters,” the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan reported.
Dar described claims that Khan supporters suffered gunshot wounds and were subjected to unwarranted violence as “malicious” and “absolutely false,” urging them to provide evidence such as “graves and dead bodies” to substantiate the accusations.
The deputy premier said protesters came to the capital armed with heavy ammunition and tear gas canisters.
“The mob was determined to create chaos and ready to kill,” he was quoted as saying by the APP. “Our security and law enforcement agencies exercised maximum restraint with patience despite deaths within their ranks.”
The protest was called off after security forces raided the D-Chowk protest site in complete darkness soon after midnight on Wednesday, firing rubber bullets and tear gas, according to police and government officials who deny using live ammunition during the operation.
Rawalpindi police said this week that over 170 cops were injured in the protests and that police have arrested over 1,150 for clashing with law enforcers.
Pakistan deputy PM rejects accusations Imran Khan supporters were shot dead in protests
https://arab.news/c6aqd
Pakistan deputy PM rejects accusations Imran Khan supporters were shot dead in protests
- Khan’s party shares death certificates allegedly of three supporters which says they were killed by gunshots
- Ishaq Dar urges PTI to provide “graves” and “dead bodies” to prove claims, accuses protesters of being violent
Pakistan, IFC review steps to unlock private investment, jobs
- Talks focus on public-private partnerships, mobilizing private capital
- Government flags IT, agriculture, mining, health care as priority sectors
KARACHI: Pakistan’s finance minister on Thursday reviewed ways to deepen cooperation with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to mobilize private investment, expand public-private partnerships and support job creation, the finance ministry said in a statement.
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb met an IFC delegation led by Khawaja Aftab Ahmed, the lender’s director for the Middle East, Pakistan and Afghanistan, as Islamabad seeks to translate recent macroeconomic stabilization into sustained private-sector growth.
Pakistan has made progress under an International Monetary Fund–backed reform program, easing immediate default risks and restoring a measure of macroeconomic stability. But officials say the next phase hinges on reviving investment, expanding exports and creating jobs, particularly as fiscal space remains tight and development spending constrained.
“Both sides agreed on the need to align investment and advisory support with Pakistan’s medium-term development priorities, with a clear focus on job creation, sustainability, and export-oriented growth,” the finance ministry said.
According to the statement, the IFC briefed the minister on its expanding engagement in Pakistan across investment and advisory operations, including local-currency financing, private-sector investments and sustainability-oriented initiatives. Particular emphasis was placed on the IFC’s role in strengthening public-private partnership frameworks, including projects aimed at improving urban services, infrastructure performance and resource efficiency.
Aurangzeb outlined the government’s strategy of creating enabling ecosystems rather than direct state intervention, identifying priority areas such as the digital and information technology economy, agriculture and agri-value chains, minerals and mining, health care and skills-based human capital exports.
Both sides also discussed closer coordination within the World Bank Group to deploy advisory, financing and risk-mitigation instruments more effectively, while stressing the importance of timely execution of approved transactions to maintain investor confidence.
Pakistan’s engagement with the International Finance Corporation is part of a broader long-term partnership aimed at catalyzing private sector-led growth. Since its early involvement in the country, IFC has deployed a range of equity and loan investments across sectors including renewable energy, infrastructure, manufacturing and agribusiness, with cumulative investments reaching an estimated $13 billion over several decades.
In recent years, IFC has boosted financing for strategic initiatives such as Pakistan’s first sustainable aviation fuel facility in Punjab, where it is providing up to $35 million in equity and debt capital to generate jobs, support exports and reduce carbon emissions.
