ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Sunday peaceful protests were a democratic right, but there should be “no tolerance” for violence, amid protests in Azad Kashmir for subsidized wheat flour and cheaper electricity.
The statement came a day after clashes erupted between police and supporters of the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) in various parts of the territory, resulting in the killing of a police officer and injuries to 90 others on both sides, according to officials.
The protests turned violent when police attempted to stop a rally headed for the Azad Kashmir capital of Muzaffarabad from Kotli and Poonch districts. The protesters are demanding electricity as per hydropower generation cost in Azad Kashmir, subsidized wheat flour, and an end to privileges enjoyed by the elite.
In his message on X, PM Sharif said he was “deeply concerned” over the situation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and had asked AJK PM Anwar-ul-Haq to hold talks with the protesters.
“Unfortunately, in situations of chaos and dissent there are always some who rush in to score political points,” he said. “While debate, discussion and peaceful protests are the beauties of democracy, there should be absolutely no tolerance for taking the law in one’s own hands and damaging government properties.”
Sharif urged all parties to resort to peaceful course of action for the resolution of their demands. “Despite best efforts of detractors, the matter will hopefully be settled soon,” he said.
Separately, the Azad Kashmir government on Sunday invited protesters for talks.
“The situation is currently peaceful and under control, and we are trying to settle issues through talks,” Abdul Majid Khan, a spokesperson of the Azad Kashmir government who is also its finance minister, told Arab News.
“We have invited the action committee to come and sit with us for dialogue on all their demands.”
Khan warned that no one would be allowed to take the law into their hands, emphasizing the government had exercised “significant restraint.”
He noted the government was providing wheat in Azad Kashmir at Rs3,100 [$11.16] per 40kg, which was already heavily subsidized and cheaper than in Pakistan’s most populous Punjab province, the main producer of the crop in the South Asian country.
The Himalayan territory of Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since their independence from Britain in 1947. Both countries rule part of the territory, but claim it in full and have fought three wars over the disputed region.
The western portion of the larger Kashmir region is administered by Pakistan as a nominally self-governing entity.
Pakistan last year narrowly avoided a default on the payment of foreign debts when the International Monetary Fund and several friendly nations came to its rescue by giving it loans.
Pakistan’s monthly inflation rate at one point reached over 40 percent, but authorities say it had come down to 17 percent ahead of talks with the IMF for a new bailout. Islamabad plans to get at least $6 billion from the lender when it reaches a deal expected in the coming months.
Pakistan PM says ‘no tolerance’ for violence amid Azad Kashmir protests over price hikes
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Pakistan PM says ‘no tolerance’ for violence amid Azad Kashmir protests over price hikes
- Clashes erupted in parts of Azad Kashmir Saturday as protesters demanded cheaper wheat flour, electricity
- The violence resulted in the killing of a police officer and injuries to 90 others on both sides, officials say
Pakistani man accused of killing young TikTok influencer appears in court
- Umar Hayat is accused of killing TikTok influencer Sana Yousaf for rejecting friendship offers
- Pakistani judge orders Hayat to be presented again on June 18 for pretrial proceedings
ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani man accused of killing a 17-year-old TikTok influencer after she rejected his offer of friendship made his first court appearance Wednesday, officials and police said.
Suspect Umar Hayat, 22, who also creates content on TikTok, was arrested Tuesday by Islamabad police in Faisalabad, an industrial city in eastern Punjab province.
He is accused of shooting Sana Yousuf, who had more than one million followers on social media. The killing earlier this week in Islamabad drew widespread condemnation.
TV footage showed Hayat with his face covered as he was brought to court, where police requested additional time to complete their investigation and file formal murder charges.
The judge ordered that Hayat be presented again on June 18 for pretrial proceedings.
Yousuf, originally from the scenic northern region of Chitral, was known for promoting traditional Chitrali music and dress through her videos. She also advocated for girls’ education. TikTok has more than 60 million users in Pakistan, many of them young women and teenagers.
Hours before her murder, she had posted a photo celebrating her birthday with friends.
Pakistan’s Punjab issues solar panel installation guidelines following accidents
- Over 70% of 124 accidents reported across Punjab during May 24 thunderstorms were related to solar panels, says disaster management authority
- Guidelines include installation of solar panels by those certified by federal government, using wind-rated mounting systems that withstand pressure
ISLAMABAD: The disaster management authority in Pakistan’s most populous Punjab province on Wednesday issued new guidelines for the installation of solar systems, citing that over 70 percent of accidents related to solar panels were reported during a thunderstorm last month.
Thunderstorms killed at least 21 people and injured more than 100 others in Punjab late last month as moist currents penetrated upper parts of Pakistan, according to national and provincial disaster management authorities.
Earlier this week, the Punjab Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) issued a fresh alert for rain and strong, dusty winds across the province from June 2 to June 5.
“During the thunderstorm on May 24, there were 124 small and large accidents in Punjab,” PDMA spokesperson Mazhar Hussain told Arab News.
“When this was analyzed, it was revealed that over 70 percent of the accidents have been caused by solar panels or related structures,” he added.
PDMA Director General Irfan Ali Kathia said new guidelines and a regulatory framework were prepared by stakeholders, including the province’s energy department and the local government department.
“These instructions are aligned with the national framework provided by the Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB), and include essential safety protocols, installation standards and the responsibilities of certified installers,” Kathia explained.
According to the guidelines seen by Arab News, the PDMA has directed users to procure the services of AEDB-certified installers to ensure a professional solar system design and so that the panels are properly mounted, sealed and structurally reinforced.
Along with other technical details, the PDMA stresses people to use wind-rated mounting systems attached to mountings by stainless steel nut bolts. The authority directs that these bolts be fastened using stainless steel spring washers.
It also says people should consider windstorm-safe anchors or extra brackets in the province’s regions prone to storms.
“The mountings itself should be properly secured with base/floor to ensure it can withstand windstorms and other climatic vagaries,” the document stated.
Kathia said only professionals approved by the AEDB will be authorized to install solar energy systems. He said this move was aimed at ensuring technical standards were maintained and risks associated with faulty or unregulated installations were reduced.
“In addition, all structures across Punjab that may be vulnerable to future damage are being surveyed by the respective deputy commissioners,” the PDMA official said.
He added strict compliance would be ensured in close coordination with district administrations to avoid such accidents in the future.
Khalil Ahmed, owner of a solar installation company in Punjab’s provincial capital Lahore, supported the PDMA’s decision.
Ahmed said people often hire non-professional installers to save a small amount of money, putting both their systems and safety at risk.
“Ensuring that only AEDB-certified professionals handle solar installations is not just a matter of compliance, it’s a matter of public safety,” he told Arab News.
Proper mounting, structural reinforcement, and weatherproofing are essential to prevent accidents and protect both lives and property, he added.
PM invites opposition leader for talks on Pakistan election commissioner’s appointment
- PM, opposition leader are required to finalize three names for chief election commissioner before forwarding them to parliamentary committee
- Omar Ayub’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party accuses Shehbaz Sharif’s party of rigging 2024 election by colluding with Election Commission of Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday wrote a letter to opposition leader Omar Ayub, inviting him to hold consultations regarding the appointment of a new Pakistan chief election commissioner.
Former chief election commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja and two other members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) from Sindh and Balochistan completed their five-year tenures on Jan. 26 this year. However, they continue to hold office as per Article 215 of the constitution until their replacements are appointed.
As per Pakistan’s constitution, the prime minister shall forward, after consultations with the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, three names for the appointment of the chief election commissioner to a parliamentary committee for hearing and confirmation of any one person.
“In view of the aforesaid, you are invited for a meeting for consultation, in terms of clause (2A) of Article 213 of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 1973, in order to finalize three names each for appointment of Chief Election Commissioner and Members from Sindh and Balochistan,” a copy of Sharif’s letter to Ayub, seen by Arab News, said.
Raja oversaw Pakistan’s contentious general election last year marred by a countrywide shutdown of cellular networks, suspension of Internet services and delayed results. Ayub’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and other opposition parties alleged the ECP, under Raja, manipulated the results of the polls to facilitate his political rivals.
The ECP strongly rejected the PTI’s allegations while the caretaker government at the time said mobile phone and Internet services were suspended to maintain law and order in the country. Sharif’s government has also rejected the PTI’s allegations and said the polls were free, fair and transparent.
Former prime minister Imran Khan’s PTI has held several protests against the government and demanded it investigate allegations of rigging in the 2024 election, and return its “stolen” mandate.
The government, on the other hand, has urged the PTI to seek legal recourse and avoid taking to the streets in protest.
Talks between the two sides to break political tensions were held earlier this year. However, after a couple of rounds, the PTI pulled out, accusing the government of not fulfilling its demands to form judicial commissions to probe violent protests in May 2023 and November 2024.
The government alleges the violent protests were instigated by the PTI leadership.
Pakistan PM to visit Saudi Arabia tomorrow to thank Kingdom for solidarity during India conflict
- Saudi Arabia was actively involved in defusing tensions as Indian, Pakistani militaries fought last month
- Pakistan Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar says Saudi foreign minister was in touch throughout conflict
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will travel to Saudi Arabia tomorrow, Thursday, to thank the Kingdom’s leadership for its support to Pakistan during its recent conflict with India, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said.
Saudi Arabia was actively involved in defusing tensions between India and Pakistan as the two countries engaged in four days of intense fighting last month before agreeing to a ceasefire on May 10.
Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir also paid a daylong visit to Pakistan on May 9, which followed his surprise stop in New Delhi for talks with Indian officials as the fighting continued.
“For your information, we are visiting KSA [Kingdom of Saudi Arabia] tomorrow [Thursday] for 24 hours,” Dar told reporters at a news briefing in Islamabad.
“The prime minister will go tomorrow, and I will also go with him. We will go there to thank them for their solidarity and support.”
Dar, who also serves as Pakistan’s foreign minister, said the Kingdom’s leadership, especially Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, was in touch with Islamabad throughout the conflict.
Nuclear-armed India and Pakistan engaged in four days of fighting, the worst between them since 1999, last month following weeks of tension after New Delhi blamed Islamabad for being involved in an attack at an Indian-administered Kashmir tourist resort.
Islamabad denied it was involved in the April 22 attack that had killed 26 Indian tourists, calling for a credible, international probe.
After both countries traded missiles, drone strikes, artillery fire and used fighter jets to bomb each other for four days, US President Donald Trump announced on May 10 that Washington had brokered a ceasefire between India and Pakistan.
While the ceasefire continues to hold, tensions remain high as India has vowed to hold a decades-old water-sharing treaty with Pakistan in abeyance.
Islamabad has vowed that any attempt to disrupt or divert its flow of water will be considered an “act of war.”
Pakistan says US confirmed no F-16s flown, shot down during India standoff
- Deputy PM says Pakistan had approached US authorities who confirmed no F-16s involved in May 7-10 fighting with India
- Armies of nuclear-armed neighbors India and Pakistan faced-off in four days of their worst confrontation in decades
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said on Wednesday the US had confirmed to Pakistani officials that no F-16 fighter jets of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) were flown or shot down during the four-day conflict with India last month.
Militaries of nuclear-armed neighbors India and Pakistan faced-off in four days of fighting between May 7-10, which saw the use of fighter jets, missiles, drones and artillery by both sides before a ceasefire was announced by US President Donald Trump.
In the days that followed, Indian media claimed the Indian Air Force had shot down a Pakistani F-16 fighter jet during the conflict.
“Turned out to be a lie that the F-16 they claimed of shooting down,” Dar said while addressing a press conference.
“It was proved when we approached relevant authorities in America, they confirmed in 24 hours that no F-16 was flown from Pakistan or went down.”
The US has not commented on the Pakistani deputy PM’s remarks.
The use of F-16s in the latest conflict could have raised concerns due to the strict end-use monitoring agreements imposed by the US.
In February 2025, the US had released $397 million for a program aimed at ensuring that Pakistan’s F-16s were used exclusively for counterterrorism operations and not against other nations, particularly India.
The funds will support the Technical Security Team (TST), a group of contractors stationed in Pakistan to oversee the use of F-16s under strict end-use monitoring rules.
According to Pakistan-specific defense and analysis group Quwa, TST has been present in Pakistan since 2019 when the US approved its current deployment with a $125 million support package for the PAF F-16 fleet.
Pakistan in 2019 invited US officials to conduct a count of its F-16 jets after India made a similar claim of shooting down a Pakistani F-16 during a dogfight in the skies that year. According to a Foreign Policy magazine report, the officials had said that all F-16s were present and accounted for.
In 2022, the US government had notified Congress of a proposed $450 million foreign military sale to Pakistan to support the sustainment of the PAF’s F-16 program.
Tensions between Pakistan and India remain high after the two countries agreed to a ceasefire on May 10. Both sides accuse each other of supporting militancy across their respective borders, allegations both governments deny.
