ISLAMABAD: The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) in Pakistan’s Sindh province said on Saturday it had arrested a “trained terrorist” belonging to the Iran-backed Zainabiyoun Brigade in Karachi, who was accused of an assassination attempt on a top Pakistani cleric among other militant activities.
Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani, a former Pakistan top court judge and a permanent member of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s International Islamic Fiqh Academy, narrowly escaped the assassination attempt on him in the port city of Karachi in March 2019.
The attack had killed two of Mufti Usmani’s guards and wounded a fellow religious scholar, Maulana Amir Shahabullah, with police at the time calling it an apparent attempt to disrupt peace and stoke sectarian tensions in the South Asian country.
In its statement issued on Saturday, the CTD Sindh said it had arrested a “trained terrorist from a neighboring country” from Karachi’s Soldier Bazaar area, who had confessed to carrying out reconnaissance of “high value targets” and provide information regarding them to his accomplices, Syed Raza Jaffri and Abid Raza.
“Syed Muhammad Mehdi, a terrorist working for Hostile Intelligence Agencies (HIAs) and is linked to the Zainabiyoun Brigade, was arrested from Karachi’s Soldier Bazaar area,” the statement said.
“The suspect further disclosed that his accomplices, Syed Raza Jaffri and Abid Raza, had also been involved in the attack on Mufti Taqi Usmani and they have targeted several important figures who belonged to the opposite sect.”
Mehdi would keep weapons and explosives received from the HIAs at his home and provide hand grenades, weapons and ammunition when they were required to eliminate the targets, according to the CTD. He had also been involved in the sale and purchase of weapons.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is believed to have formed the Zainabiyoun Brigade, and based on material posted online and reviewed by Pakistani intelligence agencies, the group could have up to 1,000 fighters. Between 2019 and 2021, the Pakistan government said the Brigade was among outfits “found actively involved in terrorist activities” in the country.
Mehdi’s arrest comes at a time of heightened tensions between Pakistan and Iran, since Iran this week conducted drone and missile strikes inside Pakistan against what it said were militant bases.
Islamabad sharply reacted to the strikes, recalling its ambassador to Iran and barring the Iranian envoy from returning to Islamabad. On Thursday morning, Pakistan conducted tit-for-tat strikes against alleged militants in Iran’s southeast, killing nine.
Iran and Pakistan share a 900-kilometer (560-mile), largely lawless border where smugglers and militants roam freely. Both countries suspect each other of supporting, or at least behaving leniently, toward some of the groups operating on the other side of the border.
Late Friday, Pakistan’s top security body, after hours of deliberation, decided to restore diplomatic relations with Iran and said it would welcome all “positive measures” from Tehran.
Pakistan arrests Iran-backed Zainabiyoun militant accused of attack on top cleric
https://arab.news/2sa98
Pakistan arrests Iran-backed Zainabiyoun militant accused of attack on top cleric
- Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani narrowly escaped an assassination attempt on him in port city of Karachi in March 2019
- Sindh Counter-Terrorism Department says arrested suspect, accomplices were involved in attack on Mufti Usmani, others
Pakistan Navy stresses importance of combat readiness to counter regional maritime threats
- Pakistan navy chief chairs meeting of apex decision-making forum to discuss plans, review policies
- Appreciates navy’s efforts in acquiring advanced platforms and technologies to counter threats
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s navy chief this week stressed the importance of maintaining combat readiness to counter conventional and non-conventional regional maritime threats, the navy said in a statement, appreciating the force’s efforts in acquiring the latest technologies and advanced platforms.
Pakistan’s Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf chaired the Command & Staff Conference at the Naval Headquarters in Islamabad on Friday.
The Command & Staff Conference is the apex decision-making forum of the Pakistan Navy, where Ashraf, along with all principal staff officers and field commanders, review policies and strategic plans.
“The Naval Chief emphasized the importance of maintaining perpetual combat readiness to effectively counter both traditional and non-traditional threats in the maritime domain,” a statement by the navy said on Friday.
“He appreciated the navy’s efforts in acquiring advanced platforms and technologies, expressing confidence in its operational preparedness to safeguard Pakistan’s maritime frontiers.”
The navy said that participants of the conference assessed the evolving maritime situation in the region with a focus on national security, geostrategic affairs and combat readiness.
Ashraf commended the navy for successfully hosting the multinational AMAN-25 naval exercise and the AMAN Dialogue, underscoring their significance in fostering maritime collaboration among regional and extra-regional naval forces.
“He noted that these initiatives reflect Pakistan’s commitment to cooperative maritime security, in line with the navy’s vision for a secure and stable maritime environment,” the navy said.
Pakistan Navy regularly collaborates with allies and friendly nations, conducting joint military exercises and other activities to enhance synergy, promote regional peace and stability, deter piracy, drug trafficking and other illicit maritime activities.
Mumbai attacks: India questions Pakistan-born Canadian accused after extradition
- India accuses Tahawwur Hussain Rana, 66, of being one of the key plotters of the 2008 Mumbai attacks
- Pakistan has distanced itself from Rana, saying he hasn’t renewed his Pakistani-origin documents in two decades
NEW DELHI: Indian investigative agencies on Friday questioned a man they extradited from the United States and charged with being a “mastermind” of the deadly 2008 Mumbai siege.
India accuses Tahawwur Hussain Rana, 66, of being a member of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) group, designated by the United Nations as a “terrorist” organization.
Rana, a Pakistan-born Canadian, has denied all charges — including waging war against India, conspiring to commit murder and acts of “terrorism.” He could face the death penalty if convicted.
New Delhi blamed the LeT group — as well as intelligence officials from New Delhi’s arch-enemy Pakistan — for the 2008 Mumbai attacks when 10 gunmen carried out a multi-day siege of the country’s financial capital.
Nine of the attackers died in the siege, while one captured alive was tried and hanged.
India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA), which accuses Rana of being the attack’s “mastermind,” took him into custody under heavy guard after he arrived in a special flight to the capital New Delhi on Thursday evening.
“Rana will remain in custody for 18 days, during which the agency will question him in detail in order to unravel the complete conspiracy behind the deadly 2008 attacks,” NIA said.
Rana, who served in the Pakistani army’s medical corps, faces 10 criminal charges including conspiracy, murder, commission of a “terrorist” act, and forgery.
Rana, who has denied the charges, is accused by India of helping his long-term friend, David Coleman Headley, who was sentenced by a US court in 2013 to 35 years in prison after pleading guilty to aiding LeT militants, including by scouting target locations in Mumbai.
Rana is accused of playing a smaller role than Headley, but India maintains he is one of the key plotters.
He was flown to India after the US Supreme Court this month rejected his bid to remain in the United States, where he was serving a 14-year sentence related to another LeT-linked attack.
India released a photograph of Rana arriving in Delhi, taken from his back, dressed in a brown jumpsuit and guarded by NIA officers.
India also accused Pakistan of direct involvement in the Mumbai attack and Rana of having connections with its intelligence agencies, charges Islamabad denies.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry spokesman Shafqat Ali said that Rana “did not apply to renew Pakistani documents over the past two decades.”
Most parts of Pakistan to experience heatwave conditions from tomorrow— Met Office
- Day temperatures likely to remain 06 to 08°C above normal in southern Pakistan, says Met Office
- Says rising temperatures in northern areas may increase the melting of snowfall from Apr. 14-18
ISLAMABAD: Most parts of the country are likely to experience heatwave conditions from tomorrow, Apr. 13, Pakistan’s Meteorological (Met) Department said this week as it warned citizens to take precautionary measures to stay safe.
In a press release issued on Friday, the Met Office predicted that a high-pressure system is likely to grip the upper atmosphere from Apr. 13, due to which heatwave conditions may develop in most parts of the country.
It said these conditions are expected to change into “severe heatwave conditions” in southern Pakistan from Monday, Apr. 14.
“Day temperatures are likely to remain 06 to 08°C above normal in southern half (Sindh, southern Punjab and Balochistan) from 13th to 18th April,” the weather department said.
It added that day temperatures are likely to remain 04 to 06°C above normal in central and upper Punjab, Islamabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan during the same period.
The PMD urged children, women and senior citizens to take precautionary measures against the heat such as avoiding exposure to direct sunlight during the day and remaining hydrated.
“Farmers are advised to manage their crop activities (wheat harvesting) keeping in view the weather conditions and take care of their livestock as well,” it said.
The Met Office said that rising temperatures in Pakistan’s northern areas may increase snowfall melting from Apr. 14-18.
“All concerned authorities are advised to remain “ALERT” and take necessary measures to avoid any untoward situation due to heatwave conditions,” it added.
Pakistan has witnessed frequent, erratic changes in its weather patterns, including floods, droughts, cyclones, torrential rainstorms, heatwaves and the slow-onset threat of glacial melting, in recent years that scientists have blamed on human-driven climate change.
In 2022, unusually heavy rains triggered floods in many parts of the country, killing over 1,700 people, inflicting economic losses of around $30 billion and affecting at least 30 million people.
Pakistan thanks Saudi Arabia for granting permission for 10,000 additional Hajj pilgrims
- Ishaq Dar says Prince Faisal bin Farhan helped secure the permission after they spoke over the phone this week
- Pakistan will begin its Hajj operations on April 29 when the first flight will take local pilgrims to Saudi Arabia
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, who also serves as foreign minister, said on Friday Saudi Arabia had granted special permission for an additional 10,000 Pakistani nationals to perform Hajj this year, following his recent phone call with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan.
Saudi authorities allocate fixed Hajj quotas to Muslim-majority countries to manage the annual pilgrimage, which draws over two million worshippers from around the world to the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah.
Pakistan has been allotted a quota of 179,210 pilgrims for Hajj 2025. According to Pakistan’s Religious Affairs Minister Sardar Muhammad Yousaf, around 90,000 of them are expected to perform the pilgrimage under the government scheme.
“Grateful to my Dear Brother and Foreign Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, HH Prince Faisal Bin Farhan Al-Saud @FaisalbinFarhan for arranging special permission for additional 10,000 Pakistanis to perform Hajj this year, following my telephonic conversation with him on 9th April 2025,” Dar said in a post on social media.
Pakistani authorities have been urging pilgrims to respect Saudi laws and customs during their stay in the Kingdom in the mandatory Hajj training workshops organized ahead of departure.
The country will begin its Hajj operations on April 29 when the first government-arranged flight will carry pilgrims to Saudi Arabia.
Hajj rituals are expected to take place between June 4 and June 9 this year, depending on the sighting of the moon.
Pakistan’s T20 league kicks off in Rawalpindi with a glittering opening ceremony
- Fans filled the stadium for musical performances ahead of Islamabad-Lahore opener
- PCB begins offering Urdu commentary on streaming platforms to expand outreach
ISLAMABAD: The 10th edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) began on Friday with a vibrant opening ceremony in Rawalpindi, as fans packed the stadium for a night of music and cricket ahead of the tournament opener between Islamabad United and Lahore Qalandars.
The glitzy launch featured performances by major Pakistani artists including Abida Parveen, Ali Zafar, Abrar-ul-Haq, Natasha Baig and the Young Stunners, marking the first time the PSL’s opening event was held at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.
“The stage is set — now we’re just waiting for you!” the official PSL account posted on X, calling the event “a celebration of cricket” as the season got underway.
Islamabad United, three-time champions, won the toss and opted to field against defending champions Lahore Qalandars in the first match of the 34-game tournament.
The six-team competition will continue through May 18, with matches scheduled in Rawalpindi, Karachi, Lahore and Multan.
In a move to broaden accessibility, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to provide full-match Urdu commentary on various streaming platforms, aiming to reach more than 75 million users nationwide.
PCB CEO Salman Naseer said the initiative would help extend the PSL’s reach to a wider audience, describing the 10th season as a milestone in the league’s journey.
Launched in 2016, the PSL has grown into Pakistan’s premier domestic T20 competition.
The league is expected to expand from six to eight teams after the 2025 edition, as part of its long-term development plan.
