Death of Indian fisherman in Pakistan prison renews calls for release of detainees

Indian fishermen are released by Pakistan’s authorities, at a railway station in Karachi on November 9, 2023. (AFP/File)
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Updated 25 January 2025
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Death of Indian fisherman in Pakistan prison renews calls for release of detainees

  • Babu Kana, 55, died of cardiac arrest in Karachi’s Malir prison this week, according to a Pakistani jail official
  • Of over 200 Indian prisoners, majority have completed their terms and 30 are suffering from various diseases

KARACHI: An Indian fisherman, who had been detained in Pakistan for nearly three years, died of cardiac arrest at Karachi’s Malir Prison this week, a jail official confirmed on Saturday, with the death renewing calls from human rights advocates in both countries for greater empathy and speedy procedures for the release of fisher folk who unintentionally cross maritime borders.
Indian and Pakistani fishermen are routinely detained by both maritime agencies for allegedly entering each other’s territorial waters. The poorly defined maritime boundary in the Arabian Sea, coupled with the limited navigational capabilities of many fishing boats, frequently leads to unintentional crossings.
Malir Prison, where 55-year-old Indian fisherman Babu Kana died on Thursday, has faced scrutiny in recent years over the deaths of several detainees due to health complications. In 2023 alone, two Indian fishermen, Balo Jetha and Soma Deva, died as their health deteriorated during incarceration.
Kana was detained by Pakistani authorities in 2022 after his boat strayed into Pakistani waters. Despite completing his sentence the same year, he remained imprisoned due to procedural delays in the deportation process, according to Malir Prison Superintendent Arshad Shah.
“His health suddenly deteriorated on Thursday and he was taken to the prison hospital where he passed away,” Shah told Arab News, adding that the inmate had no medical history.
The prison official said the Indian detainee had been granted consular access, but he couldn’t be deported due to a “delay in his verification from the Indian side.”
A spokesperson for the Indian high commission in Pakistan did not respond to Arab News’ request for comment as to what led to the significant delay that hindered Kana’s chances to reunite with his family.
More than 200 Indian fishermen have been languishing in Malir prison and a large number of them have completed their sentences, while 30 fishermen are suffering from different diseases, according to the jail superintendent.
“We are providing them best available treatment, but those who have completed their term should be taken back to their country,” Shah added.
Jatin Desai, an Indian rights activist who campaigns for the release of fishermen from both countries, said Kana was one of 217 Indian fishermen currently incarcerated in Pakistani prisons.
“According to our records, 216 Indian fishermen are still languishing in Pakistani jails, while 81 Pakistani fishermen are imprisoned in India,” Desai told Arab News over the phone from Mumbai.
He said the 2008 Agreement on Consular Access mandates the release and repatriation of people within one month of confirming their nationality and sentence completion.
“In Babu’s case, his consular access was granted, and his identity was confirmed,” Desai said, urging both countries to adhere to the agreement and expedite the release of all detainees.
Faisal Edhi, chairman of Pakistan’s Edhi Foundation charity, said delays in the repatriation of detained fishermen often extend even after a fisherman’s death.
“We have received the deceased’s body, but it will take over two weeks to send it back to India,” Edhi said, highlighting the plight of the families of these fishermen.
Edhi, who has been part of repatriation of nearly 400 Indian fishermen in recent years, urged both countries to immediately confirm the identities of fishermen and send them back to their countries.
Khizar Qazi, vice-chair of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), said most of these fishermen come from poor families and, in most cases, they are the sole breadwinners of their families.
“Fishermen from both sides endure harsh jail conditions that severely impact their mental health,” Qazi told Arab News.
“Upon arrest, they should be promptly handed over. If necessary, they should be detained for a short term, and upon release, their boats should be returned – a practice we have yet to witness from either side.”


Gor Khatri archaeological site in Peshawar tells a 2,000-year story of empire and faith

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Gor Khatri archaeological site in Peshawar tells a 2,000-year story of empire and faith

  • Caravanserai built by Mughal princess Jahan Ara sits atop archaeological layers dating to the Indo-Greek era
  • Excavation site, museum, mosque and temple reveal history of religious, cultural coexistence in Pakistan’s oldest city

PESHAWAR, Pakistan: In the heart of the ancient walled city of Peshawar, perched on one of its highest elevations, stands a site layered with millennia of history.

Gor Khatri, literally, “Warrior’s Grave,” is a sprawling archaeological complex where 13 successive civilizations have left their mark, from the Indo-Greeks of the second century BC to the British Raj.

Located at a strategic point in what is now northwestern Pakistan, the complex was once a major caravanserai on the trade routes linking Central Asia to the Indian subcontinent. Today, it remains one of the oldest continuously inhabited urban settlements in South Asia — a rare living museum.

Peshawar’s strategic geography has long made it a magnet for conquest, trade and religion.

An old fire brigade caravan on display in Gor Khatri, situated in Peshawar, Pakistan on July 16, 2025. (AN Photo)

Nestled at the mouth of the Khyber Pass — the historic invasion route into the subcontinent — the city has served as a crossroads between Central and South Asia for over two millennia. Greek settlers, Buddhist monks, Persian merchants, Mughal princesses and British generals have all passed through this terrain, leaving behind a mosaic of cultural and architectural legacies.

“Peshawar is one of the oldest living cities of South Asia,” said Dr. Numan Anwar, field supervisor at Gor Khatri for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Directorate of Archaeology and Museums.

“The site has the footprints of 13 civilizations.”

The current 160-by-160-foot square structure dates to 1641, when it was commissioned by Mughal princess Jahan Ara, daughter of Emperor Shah Jahan, and named Sarai Jahanabad. Built as a caravan rest stop, the complex included cells, chambers and grand gateways, many of which still survive.

“When Jahan Ara Begum came to that [caravan resting] spot and saw people from many regions gathering here, she had the present building constructed,” said Dr. Zakirullah Jan, associate professor at the University of Peshawar’s Department of Archaeology.

“The cells, rooms, gateways, all were constructed during the Mughal period.”

“BUDDHA’S BOWL”

The site’s significance reaches far deeper than the Mughal era.

Gor Khatri has yielded the earliest archaeological material ever found in Peshawar, dating back to the Indo-Greek period, roughly the second or third century BC.

Overview of Gor Khatri, an archaeological site in Peshawar, Pakistan, pictured on July 16, 2025. (AN Photo)

“The earliest level that has been discovered related to the history and archaeology of Peshawar came from the site of Gor Khatri,” Dr. Jan said.

“When Alexander came, and when the Indo-Greeks came, the Mauryans came, it touches that time.”

Excavations began in earnest in 1992 through a joint initiative by the Directorate of Archaeology and Museums and the University of Peshawar.

Archaeologists have since unearthed layers revealing Roman coins, Kushan pottery, Scythian jewelry and even traces from the White Huns and the Ghaznavid Empire.

Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang, the 7th-century Buddhist monk who translated sacred texts from Sanskrit to Chinese, is believed to have visited the site. In his writings, he is known to have described a location where “Buddha’s giant bowl was kept,” which many historians believe refers to Gor Khatri. The bowl, some researchers say, was historically kept in Peshawar and Kandahar before being moved to the Kabul Museum.

Today, a small museum inside Gor Khatri showcases pottery shards, coins, beads, seals and kitchen tools from the many civilizations that passed through.

A man pushes a cart outside the entrance gate of Gor Khatri, a Mughal-era caravanserai, in Peshawar, Pakistan, on July 16, 2025. (AN Photo) 

The complex also houses a mosque and the Goraknath Temple, a Hindu shrine built between 1834 and 1849, which now coexists in the same space — a testament to religious diversity.

“There is not a single break in the cultural history of this region,” said Dr. Jan. “Since the second century BC till now, there is a continuity of culture. That’s why the site is important.”

The British-era governor’s residence still stands at one corner of the site. Paolo Crescenzo Martino Avitabile, an Italian general in the army of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, once ruled Peshawar from this post between 1838 and 1842. Locally remembered as Abu Tabela, his tenure is part of the site’s colonial legacy.

On a typical day, students and families explore the site’s pathways and peek into excavated trenches, standing on layers of millennia-old soil.

“Whenever my friends come from cities like Mardan, Swat, or Lahore, I take them here to show them the positive side of Peshawar,” said Hamza Khan, 21, a student of Peace and Conflict Studies.

“This place represents religious and cultural diversity.”

The excavation work at Gor Khatri concluded in most parts in 2012, but archaeologists say there is still much to study.

What remains today is not just an ancient structure, but a microcosm of Peshawar’s civilizational depth — where Buddhist monks, Mughal princesses, British soldiers and local pilgrims have all, at some point, passed through.


TikTok says removed nearly 25 million videos in Pakistan during first quarter of 2025

Updated 25 min 17 sec ago
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TikTok says removed nearly 25 million videos in Pakistan during first quarter of 2025

  • TikTok says 95.8% of these videos were removed within 24 hours of their posting
  • Pakistani authorities have banned video-sharing service several times since 2020

ISLAMABAD: Video-sharing platform TikTok said this week it removed nearly 25 million videos in Pakistan during the first quarter of 2025 for violating its community guidelines, underscoring its efforts to ensure a safe digital space for everyone. 

TikTok shared the information in its Community Guidelines Enforcement Report, which covers data from January to March 2025.

“In Q1 2025, TikTok removed a total of 24,954,128 videos in Pakistan,” the video-sharing platform said in a press release on Wednesday.

“Proactive removal rates in Pakistan remained high at 99.4%, with 95% of these videos removed within 24 hours.”

TikTok said globally it removed around 211 million videos worldwide during the quarter, which represents about 0.9% of all content uploaded to the platform.

The platform said that of the total globally removed videos, 184,378,987 were detected and taken down using automated detection technologies, while 7,525,184 videos were reinstated after further review.

“The report also indicates that a significant portion of total removed videos— 30.1%— contained sensitive or mature themes that did not align with TikTok’s content policies,” the statement said. 

The platform said that an additional 11.5% of the videos removed globally breached the platform’s safety and civility standards, while 15.6% violated privacy and security guidelines.

“Additionally, 45.5% of the removed videos were flagged as misinformation, and 13.8% of the videos removed were flagged as edited media and AI-generated content,” it added. 

This is not the first time that TikTok has removed videos from Pakistan. It took down millions of videos in Pakistan last year also for violating community guidelines.

In the past, Pakistani authorities have banned the video-sharing service several times, with the first ban instituted in October 2020 over what was described as widespread complaints about allegedly “immoral, obscene, and vulgar” content on the app.

The service has been prohibited from operating in the country thrice for more than 15 months since then. In November 2021, a Pakistani court finally reversed the ban after TikTok assured the government it would control the spread of objectionable content.


Pakistan says nationwide crackdown against sugar hoarders, profiteers underway

Updated 23 July 2025
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Pakistan says nationwide crackdown against sugar hoarders, profiteers underway

  • Pakistan’s food security minister chairs meeting to review sugar market situation, pricing trends
  • Market analysts say retail sugar prices have risen sharply since January, surging to $0.70 per kg

KARACHI: Pakistan’s Food Security Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain announced on Wednesday that a nationwide crackdown against those attempting to disrupt the sugar supply in the country through hoarding and profiteering was underway, amid Islamabad’s attempts to stabilize the commodity’s price. 

Market analysts have said retail sugar prices in several parts of the country have risen sharply since January, surging to Rs200 [$0.70] per kilogram. In Pakistan, high sugar prices have triggered public outcry and become flashpoints for opposition criticism in the past, with allegations of hoarding and cartelization frequently surfacing in election years or periods of economic volatility.

Hussain chaired a meeting with representatives of the Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA) and other key stakeholders from all provinces on Wednesday, the national food security ministry said in a press release. It said the meeting aimed to review the current sugar market situation, pricing trends, and supply chain dynamics.

“During the meeting, the Federal Minister expressed serious concern over the artificial hike in sugar prices and warned of strict action against all those who are involved in hoarding and market manipulation,” the statement said.

“He announced that a nationwide crackdown is currently underway against those disrupting the sugar supply chain.”

Hussain noted that due to the government’s “decisive actions,” sugar prices have started to decline significantly from Rs200 per kg to Rs. 175–180 [$0.61-0.63] per kg in various markets.

The minister warned sugar mills that were not releasing their existing stocks that the government would not tolerate hoarding, directing all provincial governments to ensure the timely lifting of sugar from mills and facilitate its smooth transportation to markets.

Hussain noted the “exploitative role” of certain middlemen and market intermediaries, saying they were capitalizing on the market’s volatility.

“The federal and provincial authorities are now actively pursuing legal and administrative actions against such elements to curb unjust profiteering,” the ministry said. 

The minister later chaired a high-level meeting of the Steering Committee on Sugar Imports, where all technical, procedural, and operational challenges related to sugar importation were reviewed and resolved, the food security ministry said. 

Earlier this month, Pakistan announced it would import sugar in two phases. In the first phase, a tender for 200,000 metric tons of sugar would be issued, followed by another tender for 150,000 metric tons after one week, the ministry said. 

The ministry also announced it had decided to waive all duties and taxes on sugar imports to ensure the product is available at affordable prices.


Pakistan backs ‘inclusive’ political process in Syria, ceasefire in Gaza at Security Council debate

Updated 23 July 2025
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Pakistan backs ‘inclusive’ political process in Syria, ceasefire in Gaza at Security Council debate

  • Violent clashes between Druze, Bedouin clans in Syria killed over 250 people this month 
  • Ishaq Dar calls for the restoration of humanitarian supply lines in Gaza to prevent famine 

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on Wednesday backed an “inclusive” political process to stabilize a Syria rocked by clashes and demanded an unconditional ceasefire in Gaza, as he spoke at a United Nations Security Council debate on the evolving Middle East situation. 

Syria has been rocked by violent clashes between the Druze minority and Bedouin clans that broke out on July 13, killing over 250 people as per media reports and threatening to disrupt the country’s post-war transition. The violence also displaced 128,571 people, according to the United Nations International Organization for Migration.

Israel carried out a series of attacks on government targets in Syria in support of the Druze clan last week, including a strike on a tank convoy and the shelling of the Defense Ministry in Damascus. Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa ordered a fragile ceasefire between Bedouin and Druze groups last Saturday. 

Dar, who is in New York to participate in events being held under Pakistan’s presidency of the UN Security Council, spoke at an open debate titled, “The Situation in the Middle East and the Question of Palestine.”

“Pakistan supports the stabilization of Syria through an inclusive political process,” the deputy prime minister, who also serves as Pakistan’s foreign minister, said. “Syria’s unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity must be upheld.”

He called on Israel to immediately withdraw from the separation zone established under the 1974 Disengagement Agreement and vacate the Syrian Golan Heights as per the UN Security Council’s resolutions.

‘GRAVEYARD FOR INNOCENT LIVES’

The Pakistani deputy prime minister criticized Israel for its military operations in Gaza, saying that the world was witnessing the “collapse of humanity” through Tel Aviv’s actions.

“Gaza has become a graveyard for innocent lives as well as for international law, particularly international humanitarian law,” he said, noting that over 58,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s war since October 2023. 

He urged the UN Security Council to pursue with unity and urgency an “immediate, permanent, and unconditional ceasefire” in Gaza. 

Dar also called for unfettered, sustained and secure access to humanitarian relief items for all civilians and the protection of aid workers, medical teams and UN personnel there. 

“Immediate steps should be taken to ensure the delivery of life-saving food and medical assistance, restore humanitarian supply lines, and prevent famine conditions from taking hold,” he said. 

Pakistan has consistently called for an independent Palestinian state in the Middle East with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital based on the pre-1967 border. 


Father kills daughter, nephew in latest ‘honor killing’ case in Pakistan’s Balochistan

Updated 23 July 2025
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Father kills daughter, nephew in latest ‘honor killing’ case in Pakistan’s Balochistan

  • Police says latest killings motivated by accusations of an “illicit relationship” between the pair
  • Murders follow nationwide outrage over recent tribal-ordered killing of couple in Balochistan

QUETTA, Pakistan: A father has shot and killed his teenage daughter and nephew in a so-called “honor killing” in Quetta, the capital of Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, police said on Wednesday, days after a similar killing sparked outrage across the country.

The incident took place Tuesday evening in the Lashar Abad area along Quetta's Qambrani Road, and came just days after a viral video showed a young couple being executed in a separate honor killing in

Balochistan's Digari area in Quetta district. That case, involving a tribal jirga ordering the deaths of a woman and man over an alleged illicit relationship, has drawn widespread condemnation and renewed calls for legal reform.

According to Abdul Majeed, the Station House Officer of Kechi Baig Police Station, the latest victims were identified as Ghulam Qadir, 19, and Nazneen, 18.

“The slain man and woman were cousins and the father, named Abdul Latif, shot and killed both his daughter and nephew inside his house,” Majeed told Arab News. “The girl was from the Lehri tribe and the boy hailed from the Rind tribe.”

The officer said the killings were motivated by accusations of an “illicit relationship” between the pair, adding that the case had been handed over to the Serious Crime Investigation Wing (SCIW) and a search was underway for the father, who was on the run.

The family of the male victim had retrieved his body for burial, but no one from the girl’s family had come forward to claim her, Majeed added. 

Rights groups say honor killings - the murder of individuals, often women, by relatives for allegedly tarnishing family “honor” - remain widespread in Pakistan, particularly in tribal and rural regions. Activists estimate as many as 1,000 deaths a year in the name of so-called honor.

Although Pakistan passed a landmark law in 2016 to close loopholes that once allowed families to “forgive” perpetrators, conviction rates remain extremely low, often below 2 percent, according to UN estimates. 

The recent video from Balochistan, showing the execution-style killing of a couple in the Digari area in Quetta district, reignited public debate over jirga justice and the state’s failure to prevent such crimes.

Police said 11 suspects had been arrested in the Digari case, including two men named in the first information report (FIR) filed by police after the killing.

That attack, caught on video, appeared to show the victims being shot in a mountainous area on the orders of a tribal council.