QUETTA: Two policemen and four militants were killed in an attack on a police check-post in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, police officials said Friday.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province in terms of landmass, has been the site of an insurgency for the last two decades, with separatists frequently attacking police, security forces and civilians they see as “outsiders” in the resource-rich region.
In the latest incident, armed men attacked a police check-post in Shaban area, some 35 kilometers away from the provincial capital of Quetta, local police station in-charge Munir Khan told Arab News.
“Terrorists attacked a police post in Shaban, killing two policemen and injuring two others. The police force timely retaliated and killed four terrorists,” he said.
“Search and clearance operation continued till early hours of Friday as some terrorists fled to the nearby mountains.”
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but suspicion was likely to fall on armed separatist groups who have carried out a number of attacks in a similar fashion in the past.
It comes two days after the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) group killed seven passengers, who hailed from the Punjab province, after off-loading them from a bus in Balochistan’s Barkhan district, according to authorities.
Pakistan has been struggling to contain mounting attacks by separatists in Balochistan, which shares a porous border with Iran and Afghanistan.
At least, 25 policemen were killed and 61 others injured in Balochistan in nearly 40 attacks against police in 2024, according to provincial government figures. This is apart from losses incurred by security forces and civilians killed in targeted killings.
The separatists accuse the Pakistani government of exploiting the province’s natural resources for development elsewhere in the country, while neglecting the local population. The government denies the allegations and says it has prioritized Balochistan’s development through investments in health, education and infrastructure projects.
Separately, a man, who was allegedly carrying explosives, was killed in an explosion on Quetta’s Qambrani Road on Thursday night, according to police.
“It has been unclear whether he was a suicide bomber or delivering the explosives,” Qasim Rodeni, a police officer in Quetta, told Arab News.
“The man was carrying around 4-5 kilograms of explosive material which exploded on the road. We are investigating the incident.”
More than 50 people, including security forces, were killed in August last year in a string of assaults in Balochistan that were claimed by the BLA. Last month, dozens of fighters of the separatist outfit wrested control of a small town in Khuzdar from the Levies paramilitary forces. Pakistani authorities had regained the town after hours of efforts.
Two cops, four militants killed in attack on police check-post in Pakistan’s southwest
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Two cops, four militants killed in attack on police check-post in Pakistan’s southwest
- The attack comes two days after gunmen offloaded seven passengers from a Punjab-bound bus and killed them in Balochistan’s Barkhan
- Pakistan has been struggling to contain mounting attacks by separatists in Balochistan, which has been the site of an insurgency for decades
Pakistan regulator amends law to facilitate capital raising by listed companies
- The amendments address challenges faced by listed companies when raising further capital from existing shareholders through a rights issue
- Previously, listed companies were prohibited from announcing a rights issue if the company, officials or shareholders had any overdue amounts
KARACHI: The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) has notified amendments to the Companies (Further Issue of Shares) Regulations 2020 to facilitate capital raising by listed companies while maintaining adequate disclosure requirements for investors, it announced on Monday,
The amendments address challenges faced by listed companies when raising further capital from existing shareholders through a rights issue. Previously, listed companies were prohibited from announcing a rights issue if the company, its sponsors, promoters, substantial shareholders, or directors had any overdue amounts or defaults appearing in their Credit Information Bureau (CIB) report.
This restriction constrained financially stressed yet viable companies from raising capital, even in circumstances where existing shareholders were willing to support revival, restructuring, or continuation of operations, according to the SECP.
“Under the amended framework, the requirement for a clean CIB report will not apply if the relevant persons provide a No Objection Certificate (NOC) regarding the proposed rights issue from the concerned financial institution(s),” the regulator said.
The notification of the amendments follows a consultative process in which the SECP sought feedback from market stakeholders, including listed companies, issue consultants, professional bodies, industry associations, law firms, and capital market institutions.
The amendments are expected to enhance market confidence, improve access to capital for listed companies, and strengthen transparency within the rights issue framework, according to the SECP.
“To ensure transparency and protect investors’ interests, companies in such cases must make comprehensive disclosures in the rights offer document,” the regulator said.
“These disclosures must include details of any defaults or overdue amounts, ongoing recovery proceedings, and the status of any debt restructuring.”
The revised regulations strike an “appropriate balance” between facilitating corporate rehabilitation and enabling investors to make informed investment decisions, the SECP added.
