Pakistan court reserves verdict on reserved parliamentary seats for Imran Khan-backed party – Arab News

• Police say the murder was not premeditated and took place after a heated argument between the two
• A man in Sindh was recently arrested for burying his daughter as he could not get her medical treatment

Updated 3 sec ago

July 09, 2024 11:57

KARACHI: Police arrested a software engineer in Karachi on Tuesday on the charge of killing his company’s chief executive officer over unpaid salaries, shedding light on the country’s dire economic conditions and progressively increasing cost of living.

Shoaib Khan, who recently quit his job as a web developer at the company, visited the office of the software house situated at the busy Shahrah-e-Faisal thoroughfare of the city on Monday evening and stabbed his former boss, Naveed Khan.

The CEO of the company died of his injuries while being transported to the hospital, according to a preliminary police report of the incident.

“Shoaib Khan has been arrested on murder charges,” Tariq Mehmood, the station house officer of Tipu Sultan police station, told Arab News. “He confessed to stabbing the deceased after a heated argument over three months of unpaid salaries, which had previously led to Shoaib’s resignation.”

Mehmood said the killing did not appear to be premeditated.

“The accused used a knife available at the office and did not carry any weapon with him, indicating that the incident was not planned beforehand,” he informed.

Imtiaz Khan, the brother of the deceased who also works at the company as a web support manager, said he was present when Shoaib went to the CEO’s cabin.

“We rushed to the room and took my brother to the hospital, but he passed away on the way,” he said in conversation with Arab News.

“My brother is survived by his widow and three children,” he added. “His youngest son was born just ten days ago.”

The incident highlights Pakistan’s severe economic challenges, rendering life increasingly unaffordable for a significant portion of the population.

Last Sunday, in Sindh’s Naushahro Feroze district, a father was arrested for burying his daughter alive.

The accused, identified as Machar Rajpur, told the police his financial situation had compelled him to commit the desperate act, as he could not afford medical treatment for his daughter.

• The development comes after a local court questioned the legal basis of such mass surveillance in the country
• The issue came under spotlight after audio clips of ex-PM Khan emerged on social media ahead of national polls

Updated 26 min 15 sec ago

July 09, 2024 11:20

ISLAMABAD: The government authorized the country’s premier spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), to intercept phone calls and messages “in the interest of national security” in a notification issued on Monday, a little more than a week after a local court questioned the legal basis of such surveillance.

The issue came under the spotlight after several audio clips, including those of former prime minister Imran Khan and his spouse, emerged on social media in the lead-up to the February 8 general elections. This prompted Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, and other individuals to file petitions challenging unauthorized surveillance and privacy violations.

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) took up the case, revealing the use of a mass surveillance system facilitating access to private messages, multimedia content, call records and web browsing histories without proper legal oversight or judicial authorization.

“In exercise of the powers conferred under section 54 of the Pakistan Telecommunication (Re-organization) Act, 1996 (the Act), the Federal Government in the interest of national security and in the apprehension of any offense, is pleased to authorize the officers not below the rank of grade 18 to nominated from time to time by Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to intercept calls and messages or to trace calls through any telecommunication system as envisaged under Section 54 of the Act,” said the notification issued by the information technology ministry.

Section 54 of the PTA Act deals with the issue of national security and authorizes such intercepts, though it does not specify the agency or the rank of officials that can issue the surveillance orders.

The IHC order issued on June 26 mentioned that the PTA had mandated telecom companies to implement the LIMS, which facilitated surveillance without legal or judicial oversight.

The court temporarily barred telecom companies from allowing LIMS to access their networks or procure consumer data and ordered the PTA to provide detailed reports on the system’s procurement and operation.

The hearing was adjourned until September for further proceedings.

• Iranian petroleum products are smuggled frequently into Pakistan due to Iran’s low production costs, weak currency 
• Iran and Pakistan share 900-kilometer porous and largely lawless border, where militants and smugglers operate with impunity

Updated 41 min 40 sec ago

July 09, 2024 11:06

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Coast Guards seized over 15,000 liters of Iranian diesel being smuggled into the country through the southwestern Balochistan province in two separate operations, state media reported on Tuesday. 

Iranian petroleum products are regularly smuggled into Pakistan through Balochistan as Iran offers the world’s cheapest petrol and diesel due to low production costs, international sanctions and weak currency.

The illegal activity takes place regularly as Iran and Pakistan share a 900-kilometer (560-mile) porous and largely lawless border, where militants and smugglers operate with impunity. 

“Pakistan Coast Guards seized 10,370 liters of illegal Iranian diesel from two vehicles at Uthal check post during routine checking,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan said in a report. It added that 5,270 liters of diesel were also recovered from three vehicles in another operation between Balochistan’s Lasbela and Hub districts. 

Earlier this year, Pakistan’s Frontier Constabulary (FC) force seized around 379,000 liters of smuggled Iranian diesel at the Sindh-Balochistan border. 

Pakistan’s petroleum dealers in May 2023 flagged a surge in the smuggling of Iranian fuel to Pakistan, saying that up to 35 percent of diesel sold in the country had arrived illegally from Iran. 

• SalamAir flight arrives in Islamabad from Muscat with 203 passengers on board, says civil aviation 
• Low-cost carrier operates direct flights to Pakistan’s Multan, Karachi, Sialkot and Peshawar cities 

Updated 09 July 2024

July 09, 2024 10:25

ISLAMABAD: Omar’s SalamAir airline completed its maiden flight to Islamabad on Tuesday, Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) confirmed, saying that the airline plans to operate five flights between the capital city and Muscat per week. 

SalamAir, which describes itself as Oman’s first low-carrier airline, kicked off its flight operations to Pakistan with Sialkot on May 17, 2017. The city also operates flights to Multan, Karachi, and Peshawar. 

The airline’s first flight to Islamabad, OV564, arrived in Pakistan’s capital at 2:55 a.m. on Tuesday with 203 passengers on board, the PCAA said. 

“The inaugural flight was welcomed with a traditional water cannon salute, followed by a cake-cutting ceremony attended by the Omani ambassador and the COO/Airport Manager,” the PCAA said, adding that the airline’s management was also present on the occasion.

 “Subsequently, flight OV564 departed Muscat at 4:00 a.m. with 201 passengers on board,” the PCAA said. 

The civil aviation authority said SalamAir plans to operate five Islamabad-Muscat flights per week. 

 In October 2023, SalamAir completed its maiden flight to Peshawar from Muscat, making the northwestern city its fourth Pakistani destination. 

• PM Shehbaz Sharif meets UN high commissioner for refugees to discuss deportation of Afghan refugees
• Pakistan last year kicked off deportation drive targeting undocumented migrants after surge in suicide attacks

Updated 20 min 49 sec ago

July 09, 2024 09:14

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday urged the international community to be mindful of security threats and socio-economic challenges that Pakistan faces in hosting a “large” Afghan refugee population, a statement from the premier’s office said as he met United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Filippo Grandi in Islamabad. 

Millions of Afghans fled their homeland over the past four decades to escape war and poverty, most settling in Pakistan or Iran. Pakistan’s government launched a deportation drive last year against undocumented migrants, mostly Afghan refugees, after a spike in suicide bombings which the Pakistan government blamed on Afghan nationals without providing evidence. Islamabad also says Afghans are involved in smuggling, militant violence and other crimes. 

The deportation drive also took place as cash-strapped Pakistan navigated record inflation alongside a tough International Monetary Fund bailout program last year. Islamabad had also said undocumented migrants had drained its resources for decades. State media said last month Pakistan has so far repatriated over 620,000 Afghan refugees since last year. 

Grandi is on an official visit to Pakistan from July 7-9 to meet high-ranking government officials and Afghan refugees. The UNHCR official met Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on Sunday during which both sides discussed a wide range of issues relating to the global refugee situation, with a particular focus on Afghan refugees, Pakistan’s foreign office said. 

“While reaffirming Pakistan’s commitment to address protection and safety needs of people in vulnerable situations, the Prime Minister underscored that the international community needed to be mindful of the socio-economic challenges and security threats being faced by Pakistan in this regard,” the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement. 

Sharif told Grandi that the international community needed to recognize the burden that Pakistan shoulders while hosting such a “large” refugee population, adding that it also needed to demonstrate collective responsibility in this regard. 

He sought the UNHCR’s support in mobilizing resources to host Afghan refugees and urged it to play its role in promoting durable solutions to address the situation. The Pakistani prime minister told Grandi that despite several challenges, Pakistan hosted Afghan refugees with “exemplary respect and dignity” for over four decades. 

“The UN High Commissioner expressed gratitude for Pakistan’s generosity and hospitality in hosting millions of Afghan refugees for the past many decades and assured that UNHCR would continue to work closely with Pakistan to fulfill the basic needs of the Afghan refugees,” the PMO said. 

Pakistan’s move to deport thousands of Afghan refugees has also strained its ties with the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan. The Afghan government, which is struggling to deal with an influx of its citizens returning from Pakistan, has urged Islamabad to treat Afghan nationals respectfully.