Speaker opens investigation into arrests of opposition MPs from inside Pakistan parliament 

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Updated 10 September 2024
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Speaker opens investigation into arrests of opposition MPs from inside Pakistan parliament 

  • Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf says 13 MNAs arrested on Monday night in connection with rally held on Sunday
  • Speaker asks for video footage to ascertain responsibility, says will not take the reports of arrests “lightly”

ISLAMABAD: Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, the speaker of the Pakistan National Assembly, on Tuesday opened an investigation into the arrests of opposition lawmakers from inside the parliament building on Monday evening. 

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan has confirmed the arrests of Gohar Khan, who is the party chairman, as well as 12 other lawmakers, though it was unclear if all of them were arrested from the parliament building. Police told Arab News three MPs including Gohar Khan has been arrested from the National Assembly over charges of violating a new law to regulate public gatherings in the Pakistani capital. 

The PTI had held a rally on Sunday to demand Khan’s release. The gathering was mostly peaceful, but there were clashes between some PTI supporters and police en route to the rally venue, in which one police officer was injured. The rally also went on longer than the 7pm deadline given by the district administration.

Under Pakistani law, the concerned judge or magistrate needs to inform the speaker of reasons for the arrest of an MNA, while lawmakers cannot be arrested from within the precincts of parliament without the speaker’s permission.

“Whatever is being said about what happened in parliament last night, definitely, a stand must be taken on this,” Sadiq told parliament after opposition lawmakers raised the issue of the arrests on the floor of the house. 

“I have not only requested videos of all the gates [but also] I want video footage from inside [the parliament] so we can put responsibility on the concerned.”

Sadiq said he would file a report with police against officers responsible for entering parliament and arresting MNAs and urged lawmakers from the treasury and opposition benches to meet him in his chamber and discuss the way forward.

“We have to take this up seriously,” Sadiq said. “This is not going to be something taken lightly.”

Local media widely reported that Sadiq had summoned senior police officials, including the Islamabad Inspector General of Police, to his chamber to provide an explanation for Monday evening’s events. 

Defense minister Khawaja Asif, a key member of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s cabinet, said the speaker’s suggestion on the way forward was “acceptable” and his ruling PML-N party would agree with whatever course of action was decided by other political parties and the house. 

Before the speaker’s remarks, PTI lawmaker Ali Muhammad delivered a fiery speech in parliament, calling the arrests an “attack on democracy and on Pakistan’s constitution.”

In a video released on social media, PTI leader Asad Qaiser said the party had launched a “campaign to uphold the law and constitution of Pakistan.” 

“The way they arrested [PTI] chairman Barrister Gohar [Khan] from inside parliament, I am extremely disappointed by the weakness shown by the Speaker [National Assembly],” he said. “We won’t back down from this. We won’t be frightened or suppressed.”

The chief minister of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which is ruled by the PTI, was also “missing” since he arrived in Islamabad for meetings on Monday night, the PTI said, but his family said on Tuesday morning that he was back in contact and had returned to Peshawar, the provincial capital. 

“DANGEROUS PRECEDENT”

The government last week passed the Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Act, 2024, to “regulate” holding public gatherings in Islamabad, including by specifying timings for rallies and designating specific areas. The law has set three-year jail terms for participants of ‘illegal’ assemblies, with ten-year imprisonment for repeat offenders.

The Islamabad administration had allowed the PTI to hold Sunday’s rally from 4pm till 7pm but the gathering went on until nearly 11pm. 

“They were arrested due to the violation of the new law, the Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Act, in the PTI gathering on September 8,” Islamabad police spokesperson Taqi Jawad told Arab News on Monday evening, confirming three arrests.

Police did not respond to phone calls seeking comment on the three additional arrests claimed by the PTI.

In a statement on Tuesday, Amnesty International said the new law passed on public gatherings in the federal capital threatened the “right to protest” and had set a “dangerous precedent” that could be replicated elsewhere in the country. 

Khan, jailed since last August, was ousted from the PM’s office in 2022 in a parliamentary vote of no confidence after what is widely believed to be a falling out with Pakistan’s powerful military, which denies being involved in politics. Since his removal, Khan and his party have waged an unprecedented campaign of defiance against the military. 

The ex-PM faces a slew of legal charges and was convicted in four cases since he was first taken into custody, all of which have been either suspended or overturned by the courts. He remains in jail, however, on new charges brought by Pakistan’s national accountability watchdog regarding the illegal sale of gifts from a state repository while he was prime minister from 2018 till 2022.

The PTI says it has faced an over year-long crackdown since protesters allegedly linked to the party attacked and damaged government and military installations on May 9, 2023, after Khan’s brief arrest that day in a land graft case. Hundreds of PTI followers and leaders were arrested following the riots and many remain behind bars as they await trial. The military, which says Khan and his party were behind the attacks, has also initiated army court trials of at least 103 people accused of involvement in the violence.

The party says it was not allowed to campaign freely ahead of the Feb. 9 general election, a vote marred by a mobile Internet shutdown on election day and unusually delayed results, leading to accusations that it was rigged and drawing concern from rights groups and foreign governments.

The PTI says it won the most seats but its mandate was “stolen” by PM Shebaz Sharif’s coalition government which formed the government with the backing of the all-powerful military. Both deny the claim.

Police did not respond to phone calls seeking comment on the 10 additional arrests claimed by the PTI.


Pakistan’s crypto and blockchain chief unveils country’s first strategic bitcoin reserve

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Pakistan’s crypto and blockchain chief unveils country’s first strategic bitcoin reserve

  • Bilal bin Saqib announced establishment of national Bitcoin wallet holding digital assets already in state custody 
  • Strategic bitcoin reserve is a reserve asset, funded by US Treasury’s forfeited bitcoin, announced by Trump in March 2025

ISLAMABAD: Bilal Bin Saqib, Pakistan’s minister for crypto and blockchain and the CEO of the Pakistan Crypto Council (PCC), unveiled the country’s first government-led strategic bitcoin reserve at Bitcoin Vegas 2025, his office said on Thursday.

The strategic bitcoin reserve is a reserve asset, funded by the United States Treasury’s forfeited bitcoin, announced by President Donald Trump in March 2025. The reserve will be capitalized with bitcoin already owned by the federal government. The United States is the largest known state holder of bitcoin in the world, estimated to hold about 200,000 BTC, as of March 2025.

At Bitcoin 2025, the biggest bitcoin conference in the United States which is underway in Las Vegas, Saqib unveiled “the country’s first government-led Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, and with it, a radically new vision of Pakistan on the global map,” his office said in a statement. 

“Bilal announced the establishment of a national Bitcoin wallet, holding digital assets already in state custody — not for sale or speculation, but as a sovereign reserve signaling long-term belief in decentralized finance.”

Pakistan set up the PCC in March, with Saqib, 34, as the CEO, to create a legal framework for cryptocurrency trading in a bid to lure international investment. Last month, Pakistan introduced its first-ever policy framework, created by a special government group under the Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Counter Terrorism Financing (CTF) authority, to set rules for how digital money like cryptocurrencies and the companies that deal in it should operate in Pakistan. The policy has been formulated to align with compliance and financial integrity guidelines of the global Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

Earlier this month, the government also approved setting up the Pakistan Digital Assets Authority (PDAA), a specialized regulatory body to oversee blockchain-based financial infrastructure.

Speaking during his keynote at Bitcoin 2025, the PCC CEO highlighted that Pakistan had over 40 million crypto wallets, a median age of 23, and one of the largest and most active freelancer economies in the world.

“Saqib revealed that the government of Pakistan has allocated 2,000 megawatts of surplus electricity in Phase 1 for Bitcoin mining and AI data centers, opening doors to sovereign miners, tech firms, and clean energy partners around the world,” the statement said. 

Saqib is also leading the creation of the Pakistan Digital Assets Authority (PDAA) “to empower builders, protect investors, and formalize digital finance frameworks for the future.”

“This wasn’t just a policy moment, it was a rebranding of a nation,” Saqib said at Bitcoin 2025, which featured speakers including White House officials, US lawmakers and crypto industry executives. This year’s keynote speaker was US Vice President JD Vance.

Digital assets have enjoyed a resurgence under President Trump, who courted cash from the crypto industry on the campaign trail by pledging to be a “crypto president.” In his first week in office, Trump ordered the creation of a cryptocurrency working group to propose digital asset regulations. In March, he hosted a group of crypto executives at the White House.

Congress is considering legislation to create a regulatory framework for stablecoins, a type of cryptocurrency pegged to the US dollar. The crypto industry has lobbied lawmakers to pass legislation creating new rules for digital assets and spent more than $119 million backing pro-crypto congressional candidates in last year’s elections.


Pakistanis among foreign students wary as Trump expands crackdown on elite universities

Updated 42 min 16 sec ago
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Pakistanis among foreign students wary as Trump expands crackdown on elite universities

  • Trump’s crackdown is prompting some international students to abandon applications to campuses in the United States
  • Sial, Harvard student from Pakistan, says foreign students like him were “made to fight this battle which no one signed up for”

Cambridge, United States: Donald Trump’s expanding crackdown on elite universities is prompting some international students to abandon applications to campuses in the United States and spreading stress and anxiety among those already enrolled.

The president has upended the country’s reputation among foreign students, who number around one million, as he presses a campaign against US universities he sees as obstructing his “Make America Great Again” populist agenda.

He has blocked Harvard hosting international scholars in a maneuver being challenged legally, targeted non-citizen campus activists for deportation, and most recently suspended student visa processing across the board.

Harvard applied mathematics and economic student Abdullah Shahid Sial, 20, said the Trump administration’s campaign against US universities that the president accused of being hotbeds of liberal bias and anti-Semitism had been “dehumanizing.”

“It’s really unfortunate that this is the case for 18, 19, and 20-year-olds who came here without any family, and in most cases, haven’t been to the US before,” said Sial, who is from Pakistan and hopes to be able to return to Harvard next academic year.

Sial said he advised acquaintances to have backup plans if US colleges became inaccessible, and that a friend applied to Harvard’s law school, as well as Columbia’s, and two less reputable British institutions — ultimately opting to go to the UK.

“He definitely liked Harvard way more (but) he doesn’t want this amount of uncertainty surrounding his education,” Sial said.

Karl Molden, a Harvard government and classics student from Austria, said Trump’s move to block the university from hosting and enrolling foreign students meant he was unsure if he would be able to return after summer vacation.

While that decision — affecting some 27 percent of the overall Harvard population — was paused by a judge pending a hearing Thursday, the move still threw student plans into chaos.

“I kind of figured I would be in the target group of Trump. I’m personally right in the middle of it, so an option for me would be to study abroad... I have applied to study at Oxford because of all the action” taken by Trump, said Molden, 21.

“It’s just really hard”

Harvard academics say they have already started to feel the impact of Trump’s vendetta against the school, in feedback from colleagues based outside the United States.

“I’ve already heard this from professors in other countries who say ‘we encourage our best students to go to the United States’,” Harvard professor Ryan Enos told AFP at a noisy rally against Trump’s policies Tuesday, adding “we wonder if we can tell them that anymore.”

The halt to visa processing revealed this week is reportedly to allow for more stringent screening of applicants’ social media — and protest activity.

“International students already represent the most tracked and vetted category of nonimmigrants in the United States. It is a poor use of taxpayer dollars,” said the NAFSA Association of International Educators non-profit.

Trump, meanwhile, continued his assault on Harvard, saying university leaders have “got to behave themselves.

“Harvard is treating our country with great disrespect, and all they’re doing is getting in deeper and deeper,” he said Wednesday in the White House.

One Spanish student of politics and statistics, who declined to be named for fear of retaliation, told AFP she would not be deterred from pursuing her planned year abroad at Columbia University.

“It’s scary, because we think to ourselves that all our activity on social networks could be monitored, for example, if we like pro-Palestinian posts or anti-Trump posts. All of that could see us denied a visa,” she said.

Students due to return to Harvard after the summer break are in limbo pending a ruling on Harvard’s exclusion from the foreign student system.

“I’m completely in the dark,” said 20-year-old Alfred Williamson, a Welsh-Danish physics and government student in his second year at Harvard.

“As for my other options, and like all other international students, I’m just clinging on to the hope that Harvard will win this battle against the White House.”

Sial, the Harvard student from Pakistan, said foreign students like him were “made to fight this battle which no one signed up for.”

“It’s really unfortunate that it’s come down to that.”


International rights bodies write joint letter to Pakistani PM calling for releases of Baloch activists

Updated 55 min 51 sec ago
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International rights bodies write joint letter to Pakistani PM calling for releases of Baloch activists

  • Dr. Mahrang Baloch, one of the leading campaigners for Baloch minority, was arrested in March on charges of terrorism, sedition
  • In Balochistan, impoverished province that borders Afghanistan and Iran, security forces are battling a growing separatist insurgency

ISLAMABAD: Amnesty International along with four other human rights organizations on Wednesday wrote to the Pakistani prime minister, calling for an end to the “harassment and arbitrary detention” of Baloch human rights defenders (HRDs) exercising their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, particularly in Balochistan province. 

The letter comes in the wake of Dr. Mahrang Baloch, one of the leading campaigners for the Baloch minority and the leader of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), and a number of other activists, being arrested in March on charges of terrorism, sedition and murder.

Security forces are battling a growing insurgency in Balochistan, an impoverished province that borders Afghanistan and Iran. Rights groups say the violence has been countered with a severe crackdown that has swept up innocent people. Authorities deny heavy handedness.

“All five organizations — Amnesty International, Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), Front Line Defenders, International Federation for Human Rights, World Organization Against Torture — appeal to Pakistan’s Prime Minister to release Baloch human rights defenders and end the crackdown on dissent in line with Pakistan’s international human rights obligations,” Amnesty Internation said on X, sharing a copy of the joint letter.

The joint letter called on the government to take the following steps:

Immediately and unconditionally release all Baloch HRDs and their family members “arbitrarily detained solely for peacefully exercising their rights in line with the right to liberty and safety”; drop all charges against them; pending their release, ensure the safety of HRDs and family members, including by sharing accurate information about their whereabouts, providing effective access to family members, legal counsel and medical treatment; conduct a thorough, impartial, effective and transparent investigation into the allegations of torture and mistreatment by Pakistani authorities of Baloch HRDs under detention; end the crackdown against HRDs, journalists, protesters and dissidents by ensuring their right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly are fully protected; cease all forms of reprisals against family members of HRDs; and conduct an “effective, prompt, thorough and impartial investigation into the unlawful use of force” against protesters including Dr. Baloch on March 21 in Quetta and bring those suspected of responsibility to justice through fair trials.

Activists say in the crackdown against militancy in Balochistan, authorities have harassed and even carried out extrajudicial killings of Baloch civilians. Pakistani authorities reject the “baseless allegations.”

A dozen UN experts called on Pakistan in March to immediately release Baloch rights defenders, including Dr. Baloch, and to end the repression of their peaceful protests. UN special rapporteur for human rights defenders Mary Lawlor said she was “disturbed by reports of further mistreatment in prison.”

Balochistan is the site of a long-running separatist movement, with insurgent groups accusing the state of unfairly exploiting Balochistan’s rich gas and mineral resources. The federal and provincial governments deny this, saying they are spending billions of rupees on the uplift of the province’s people. 


Violent Pakistan storms trigger floods, landslides killing 10

Updated 29 May 2025
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Violent Pakistan storms trigger floods, landslides killing 10

  • Strong winds, thunderstorms trigger flash floods, destroy homes in central and northern parts of Pakistan
  • Storms on Saturday killed at least 14 people and injured more than 100 more across the country

Muzaffarabad, Pakistan: At least 10 people were killed and 43 injured as strong winds and thunderstorms triggered flash floods and destroyed homes in central and northern parts of Pakistan, officials said Wednesday.

Four women and a man died in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and three in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the State Disaster Management Authority said, while other officials said two died in Punjab.

“One person is still missing,” Haroon Rasheed, a senior government official in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, told AFP, adding that 12 houses and a mosque were destroyed in one village.

Women walk past a damaged mosque, a day after flash floods in Balgran village near Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir on May 28, 2025. (AFP)

Storms on Saturday killed at least 14 people and injured over 100 more across the country, which is grappling with increasingly frequent extreme weather events blamed on climate change.

Stormy weather is expected to continue in northern and central parts of the country until Saturday, according to the National Disaster Management Authority.

Soaring temperatures in April and May are becoming more common in Pakistan, which usually sees summer begin in early June.

Temperatures reached near-record levels in April — as high as 46.5 Celsius (116 Fahrenheit) in parts of Punjab.

Schools in Punjab and southwestern Balochistan provinces have closed early for summer vacations because of the heat.


Pakistan, Iran agree to increase number of flights for pilgrims

Updated 29 May 2025
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Pakistan, Iran agree to increase number of flights for pilgrims

  • Pakistan-Iran border to remain open 24 hours during Muharram and Arbaeen to facilitate pilgrims
  • Iranian government will provide accommodation and meals for 5,000 Pakistani pilgrims in Mashhad

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Iran have agreed to increase the number of flights for pilgrims and keep their shared border open round the clock during Muharram and Arbaeen, state news agency APP reported on Wednesday.

Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni in Tehran on Wednesday, where both countries made several important decisions to facilitate pilgrims and improve border cooperation.

While there is no precise official count, approximately 700,000 Pakistani pilgrims visit Iran annually for religious purposes, particularly for Arbaeen, a significant religious observance in Shia Islam, marking the 40th day after the Day of Ashura. It commemorates the martyrdom of Imam Hussain, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), at the Battle of Karbala. Arbaeen is also the end of a 40-day mourning period for Imam Hussain.

“The two ministers agreed that the Pakistan-Iran border will remain open 24 hours a day during Muharram and Arbaeen to facilitate religious pilgrims,” APP reported. 

“Both sides also agreed to increase the number of flights for pilgrims and discussed sending pilgrims by sea.”

The Iranian government will also provide accommodation and meals for 5,000 Pakistani pilgrims in Mashhad, the city most famous and revered for housing the tomb of Imam Reza, the eighth Shia Imam. Every year, millions of pilgrims visit the Imam Reza shrine and pay their tributes.

“To solve issues quickly, a hotline will be set up between the two countries. A special three-nation meeting involving Pakistan, Iran, and Iraq will be held in Mashhad before Arbaeen to plan better arrangements for pilgrims,” APP added. 

Significant pilgrimages occur in Iran, especially at the Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad, the Fatima Masumeh Shrine in Qom, and the Shah Cheragh Shrine in Shiraz. 

These shrines are dedicated to revered figures in Shia Islam and are major pilgrimage destinations for Shia Muslims, including from Pakistan.