ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani think tank circulated a report on a significant increase in the number of militant attacks in the country on Wednesday, saying 70 people lost their lives in at least 77 verifiable episodes of extremist violence in the month of April.
Pakistan has witnessed a prolonged surge in militant attacks since the breakdown of a fragile ceasefire between the government and a proscribed armed network, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), in November 2022.
Apart from TTP fighters, other extremist and separatist groups have also targeted Pakistani security forces and civilians in recent months.
According to Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), there was a brief lull in March before militant groups resumed their activities last month, with the northwester Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, particularly its southern districts, bearing the brunt.
“According to PICSS statistics, the country experienced at least 77 verifiable militant attacks during April, resulting in 70 fatalities, including 35 civilians and 31 security forces personnel, with four militants killed, and 67 individuals injured, among whom were 32 civilians and 35 security forces personnel,” the security report said.
“In comparison, March 2024 saw 56 militant attacks, resulting in 77 fatalities and 67 injuries,” it continued. “This indicates a 38 percent increase in the number of militant attacks, although there was a 9 percent decline in deaths, with no change in the number of injuries.”
The Islamabad-based think tank informed Balochistan witnessed 16 attacks, resulting in 21 fatalities, including 17 civilians and four security forces personnel, with 31 individuals injured.
Punjab also experienced a surge in militant activities, with four attacks reported in April compared to one in March, resulting in three fatalities.
“In the first four months of the year, Pakistan experienced a total of 323 militant attacks, resulting in 324 fatalities and 387 injuries,” the report added.
Pakistani think tank reports significant surge in militant attacks with 70 killed in April
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Pakistani think tank reports significant surge in militant attacks with 70 killed in April
- Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies says Khyber Pakhtunkhwa suffered maximum militant violence
- Pakistan has endured 323 militant attacks during the first four months of the year, resulting in 324 fatalities
Suspected militants bomb second girls school in a month in northwest Pakistan
- The attack damaged part of the facility in South Waziristan, however, no one was injured in its wake
- Though nobody claimed responsibility for the bombing, suspicion is likely to fall on the Pakistani Taliban
PESHAWAR: Suspected militants blew up another school for girls in a former stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, police and residents said on Friday.
The attack happened in the South Waziristan district that borders Afghanistan. It was the second one this month after another school was badly damaged in the region, according to district police Spokesman Habib Islam.
The overnight attack damaged one room of the facility, however, no one was hurt in its wake.
“A loud bang was heard in the night and police found early morning that a newly built girls’ school in Karikot, a village close to district headquarters of Wana City, was damaged in the explosion,” Islam told Arab News.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for bombing the school, but suspicion was likely to fall on the Pakistani Taliban, who have targeted girls’ schools in the province in the past.
A police officer from Wana said the management of the damaged school had received several threats in the past.
Jalal Wazir, general secretary of the Wana Welfare Association, regretted the bombing and said education was of “paramount importance” to beat illiteracy in the region.
“We can’t compete in today’s world if our girls are left uneducated,” Wazir said. “We will work to promote women education because if you educate a single girl, you educate an entire family.”
On May 9, unidentified militants had blown up a girls’ school on the outskirts of Miran Shah city in the neighboring North Waziristan district, prompting Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to direct authorities to immediately rebuild the damaged facility.
In May last year, two girls’ schools were blown up in the Mir Ali area of the North Waziristan district.
Pakistan witnessed multiple attacks on girls’ schools until 2019, especially in the Swat Valley and elsewhere in the northwest where the Pakistani Taliban long controlled the former tribal regions. In 2012, the insurgents attacked Malala Yousafzai, a teenage student and advocate for the education of girls who went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
Pakistan says will accelerate progress on major connectivity projects with China
- The understanding to this effect was reached during Pakistan Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar’s visit to China
- The visit comes amid Pakistan’s push for foreign investment, with Islamabad seeing flurry of high-level exchanges
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and China have resolved to accelerate progress on major connectivity projects and strengthen cooperation in multiple fields, Pakistan’s Foreign Office said on Friday, amid an increase in bilateral engagements with longtime ally Beijing to boost foreign investment in Pakistan.
The understanding to this effect was reached during Pakistan Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar’s ongoing visit to China, where he met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and other top officials.
Beijing has been one of Islamabad’s most reliable foreign partners in recent years and has invested over $65 billion in energy and infrastructure projects as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
The project, part of President Xi Jinping’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative, aims to connect China to the Arabian Sea via a network of roads, railways, pipelines and ports in Pakistan, and help Islamabad expand and modernize its economy.
“The two sides will work together to forge an upgraded version of CPEC by jointly building a growth corridor, a livelihood enhancing corridor, an innovation corridor, a green corridor by aligning them with Pakistan’s development framework and priorities,” said Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, a Pakistan foreign office spokeswoman, while briefing reporters on Dar’s visit.
“Together we will accelerate progress on major connectivity projects, including upgradation of ML-1 (Main Line-1), the Gwadar port, realignment of KKH (Karakoram Highway) phase-2, strengthen cooperation in agriculture, industrial parks, mining and information technology.”
The $6.8 billion ML-1 project is aimed at upgrading and dualizing the 1,872-kilometer existing railway track from the southern Pakistani port city of Karachi till Peshawar in the country’s northwest, while the port in Pakistan’s southwestern Gwadar city lies at the heart of CPEC.
Dar’s visit comes amid Pakistan’s recent push for foreign investment, with Islamabad seeing a flurry of high-level exchanges from diplomats and business delegations in recent weeks from Saudi Arabia, Japan, Azerbaijan, Qatar and other countries.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s office said the premier had invited a Chinese research and investment firm, MCC Tongsin Resources, to invest in Pakistan’s mining sector and assured it of “maximum facilitation.” The statement came after Sharif’s meeting with a delegation of MCC Tongsin Resources, led by Chairman Wang Jaichen, in the federal capital of Islamabad.
“The government is taking steps on priority basis to increase foreign investment in the country,” Sharif was quoted as saying by his office. “In order to increase the exports of Pakistan, investment for the extraction of minerals, their processing and export will be fully facilitated.”
Sharif has vowed to rid the country of its chronic macroeconomic crisis through foreign investment and efficient handling of the economy.
Pakistani Hajj pilgrims to leave for Makkah today from Madinah via 11 caravans
- Over 20,000 Pakistani pilgrims have so far arrived in Madinah under the government scheme
- Eleven caravans carrying 2,177 Pakistani pilgrims will leave for Makkah after Friday prayers
ISLAMABAD: Minister for Religious Affairs Chaudhry Salik Hussain on Friday visited the office of the National Adillah Establishment in Madinah to discuss travel arrangements for over 2,000 Pakistani pilgrims who will leave for Makkah today ahead of the Hajj pilgrimage, APP reported.
The National Adillah Establishment is the Saudi agency in charge of coordinating all pilgrim activities in Madinah, including passport collection, departure of pilgrims from Madinah to Makkah, visit to Riazul Jannah, accommodation and transport facilities. As part of the Hajj 2024 policy, there is an agreement on arrangements and requirements of Hujjaj between the National Adillah Establishment and the Office of Pilgrim’s Affairs Pakistan (OPAP).
Pakistan has a Hajj quota of 179,210 pilgrims this year, of which 63,805 people will perform the pilgrimage under the government scheme while the rest will use private tour operators. This year’s Hajj is expected to run from June 14-19.
Pakistani pilgrims have been arriving in Madinah since May 9 when pre-Hajj flight operations were launched. Over 20,000 Pakistani pilgrims have so far arrived in Madinah under the government scheme. Eleven caravans carrying 2,177 Pakistani pilgrims who stayed eight days in Madinah will leave today, Friday, for Makkah after Friday prayers, Radio Pakistan reported.
In his meeting with Adillah officials, Salik discussed Hajj-related matters “particularly the departure of ‘advanced caravans’ of Pakistani pilgrims today from Madinah to Makkah.”
“This year’s pilgrimage will be one of the best experiences, better management-wise,” Pakistan’s APP news agency quoted the CEO of Adillah, Esam Damyati, as telling Salik.
Salik thanked Damyati for extending all possible assistance and cooperation to the Religious Affairs Ministry and Pakistan Hajj Mission in its Hajj operation.
“Salik said the digitization of Hajj related services by the Saudi authorities had really worked in improving the Hajj arrangements,” APP said. “He appreciated the Saudi government for taking a number of innovative measures like formation of new companies, increasing number of Hajj welfare staff both male and female and use of latest technology.”
Adillah’s Head of Investment Management Ahmed Hammad said the company was keen to explore ways to enhance investment in Hajj-related matters with the Ministry of Religious Affairs and the Pakistan Hajj Mission.
X ban enters fourth month in Pakistan
- Pakistan has long struggled to regulate social media through different legislations, prompting critics to accuse it of trying to quell dissent
- The Government of Pakistan must ‘uphold the right to freedom of expression,’ restore access to X immediately, Amnesty International says
ISLAMABAD: X remained restricted in Pakistan on Friday as a ban on the social media platform entered fourth month, according to netizens.
Authorities have blocked X, formerly known as Twitter, since Feb. 17 after protests swept the country over allegations of vote rigging in a general election.
Digital rights activists and rights groups have described the shutdown, either partial or full, as a “violation” of civil liberties in the South Asian nation of more than 241 million.
“This ban continues at a time when the government has announced legislative proposals to further restrict digital freedoms,” Amnesty International, a global human rights watchdog, said on X.
Pakistani authorities have long struggled to regulate social media content through different legislations, prompting critics to accuse them of trying to quell dissent. Earlier this month, the government notified a National Cybercrimes Investigation Agency (NCCIA) to probe electronic crimes, making digital rights activists describe it as yet another official attempt to stifle criticism online.
The NCCIA was approved by the caretaker government of Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar last year to take over cybercrime investigations from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).
While the government says the move was meant to protect digital rights of millions of users, encourage responsible Internet use and prevent hate speech and disinformation, digital rights activists say successive governments have drafted new laws or amended old ones to curb online dissent and file criminal charges against journalists and activists to restrict freedom of speech and expression.
“The Government of Pakistan must uphold the right to freedom of expression and restore access to the platform [X] immediately,” Amnesty International added.
PM invites Chinese firm to invest in Pakistan mining sector seeking to boost foreign investment
- The development comes amid the Sharif government’s push to rid the country of its chronic macroeconomic crisis
- Islamabad has also lately seen a flurry of high-level exchanges with Saudi Arabia, Japan, Azerbaijan and other nations
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has invited Chinese firm, MCC Tongsin Resources, to invest in Pakistan’s mining sector and assured it of maximum facilitation, Sharif’s office said on Friday, amid an increase in bilateral engagements with longtime ally Beijing to boost foreign investment in Pakistan.
The statement came after Sharif’s meeting with a delegation of MCC Tongsin Resources, led by Chairman Wang Jaichen, in the federal capital of Islamabad, according to a statement issued from Sharif’s office.
MCC Tongsin Resources, a research and investment company, is part of the China Metallurgical Group Corporation (MCC Group), which describes itself as the world’s largest and strongest metallurgical construction contractor and operation service provider.
In his meeting with the Chinese delegates, Sharif said his government would extend all-out facilitation to the company in mining of minerals and their export from Pakistan.
“The government is taking steps on priority basis to increase foreign investment in the country,” Sharif was quoted as saying by his office. “In order to increase the exports of Pakistan, investment for the extraction of minerals, their processing and export will be fully facilitated.”
The Chinese firm expressed “keen interest” in increasing its investment in the mining and mineral sector in Pakistan.
“The company gave a detailed briefing to the prime minister regarding the construction of a mineral park in Pakistan and informed about further investment plans,” Sharif’s office said.
The development comes amid an increase in bilateral engagements between Pakistan and China in recent weeks as Islamabad attempts to boost foreign investment.
Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, who is in China since May 13, has held several meetings with Chinese business officials and entrepreneurs, and invited them to establish labor-intensive industries in Pakistan. The visit is aimed at bolstering Pakistan’s relations with China and assuring Beijing that Pakistan would enhance the security of Chinese nationals working in Pakistan.
Beijing has been one of Islamabad’s most reliable foreign partners in recent years, readily providing financial assistance to bail out its often-struggling neighbor. In July last year, China granted Pakistan a two-year rollover on a $2.4 billion loan, giving the debt-saddled nation much-needed breathing space as it tackled a balance-of-payments crisis.
China has invested over $65 billion in energy and infrastructure projects as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The project is part of President Xi Jinping’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative. CPEC is designed to provide China with a shorter and safer trading route to the Middle East and beyond through Pakistan.
Dar’s visit comes amid Pakistan’s recent push for foreign investment, with Islamabad seeing a flurry of high-level exchanges from diplomats and business delegations in recent weeks from Saudi Arabia, Japan, Azerbaijan, Qatar and other countries.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has vowed to rid the country of its chronic macroeconomic crisis through foreign investment and efficient handling of the economy.
