Month: January 2024

QUETTA / ISLAM­ABAD: Nine Pakistani workers were gunned down by unidentified attackers in Iran’s Sistan-Baluchestan province near the border with Pakistan on Saturday, as the neighbouring countries have sought to ease tensions after deadly cross-border fire.

Iran’s Mehr news agency reported that “according to witnesses, this morning unknown armed men killed nine non-Iranians in a house in the Sirkan neighbourhood of Saravan city” in Sistan-Baluchestan province.

Three Pakistanis were also injured in the indiscriminate fire.

No group or individual immediately claimed res­p­o­nsibility for the attack.

The individuals who lost their lives in the incident were from Pun­jab, specifically originating from Multan, Muzaff­argarh and Bahawalpur districts.

The province’s deputy governor, Alireza Marha­mati, told the official IRNA news agency that according to survivors of the incident, “three armed people shot at the foreigners after entering their residence and fled the scene”.

The Iranian media repor­ted that the incident happened early in the morning and the victims were atta­cked while they were sleeping. All victims received multiple bullet injuries and died on the spot.

Four victims were identified as Mohammad Azar, Ashfaq, Shoaib and Usman. The deceased also included two brothers.

Besides, five of the victims belonged to the Alipur tehsil of the Muzaffargarh district, Deputy Commi­ssioner Mian Usman Ali confirmed. They had been living in Iran for eight years and were on a work visa.

After the news of the killings arrived, the relatives of the victims protested in front of the assistant commissioner’s office in Alipur and appealed to the government of Pakistan to ensure the return of the bodies of their loved ones to Muzaffargarh.

According to sources, the five victims were identified as Muhammad Asif, Muhammad Asghar, Muhammad Akhtar, Muhammad Shoaib and Shabbir Arain.

Pakistan demands justice

The Foreign Office demanded a comprehensive investigation and swift prosecution of those responsible for the brutal attack.

“We are in touch with Iranian authorities and have underscored the need to immediately investigate the incident and hold to account those involved in this heinous crime,” FO spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said and condemned the “horrifying and despicable” attack.

She said Pakistan’s consul in Zahedan was en route to the hospital to provide assistance to the injured and was expected to arrive within a few hours due to the considerable distance and security challenges. The Pakistani diplomat was also scheduled to meet local authorities to demand decisive action against the perpetrators.

Ms Baloch said that efforts were underway to facilitate the prompt repatriation of the remains of those killed in the attack. “This cowardly attack does not diminish Pakistan’s resolve to combat terrorism,” she added.

Pakistan’s ambassador to Iran, Muddasir Tipu, expressed his shock over the killings, ensuring full support to the families of the bereaved. “We have called upon Iran for full cooperation in this matter,” Mr Tipu tweeted.

He subsequently spoke with two of the individuals injured in the attack, assuring them of Pakistan’s unwavering support. He reported that all three injured persons were in stable condition and receiving appropriate care at the hospital.

The incident’s timing is particularly significant, occurring just a day before the Iranian foreign minister’s visit to Islamabad, which is expected to include discussions on border security and the challenge of militant sanctuaries along the shared border.

This incident, which occurred within a week of the tit-for-tat strikes by Iran and Pakistan, is likely to add to the tension between the two countries. The attack was carried out in the same region where Pakistan had recently hit Baloch insurgent sanctuaries in its retaliatory strikes.

Besides underscoring the prevailing security challenges in the area, the killings also hint at the intricate nature of the cross-border dynamics between the two countries.

Meanwhile, Ambassador Tipu presented his credentials to President Ebrahim Raisi of Iran on Saturday and, according to the Mehr news agency, praised Mr Raisi’s role in managing the recent developments between Iran and Pakistan as “inspiring and effective”.

“Borders are an opportunity for economic exchanges and improving the security of neighbours, and it is necessary to protect this opportunity against any element of insecurity,” President Raisi said during the meeting with the Pakistani envoy.

The Iranian president called the two countries “brothers” and described their relations as “unbreakable”.

Regional tensions

Saturday’s deadly attack follows rare military action in the porous border region of Balochistan that had stoked regional tensions already inflamed by Israel’s war on Gaza.

On Jan 18, Pakistan launched air strikes on “militant targets” in Iran, two days after Iran had launched strikes on its territory.

Tehran said it had targeted Jaish al-Adl, a militant group which has carried out a spate of deadly attacks in Iran in recent months and has been blacklisted by Iran as a “terrorist” organisation.

The Iranian strikes, which Pakistan said killed at least two children, drew a sharp rebuke from Islamabad, which recalled its ambassador from Tehran and blocked Iran’s envoy from returning to Islamabad.

Tehran also summoned Islamabad’s charge d’affaires over Pakistan’s strikes, which left at least nine people dead.

The two countries, however, announced last Monday that they had decided to de-escalate and resume diplomatic missions with the two ambassadors returning to their posts.

Malik Tahseen Raza in Muzaffargarh also contributed to this report

In a bid to provide voters with crucial insights into their plans, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari Friday invited Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif to engage in a debate with him anywhere before the February 8 general elections in the country.

The blame game and trade of rhetoric between leaderships of the PPP and the PML-N — two key allies in the former Pakistan Democratic Movement-led government — have intensified as the country moves closer to polls.

Taking to his X handle, formerly known as Twitter, Bilawal said: “I invite the PM candidate of @pmln_org, @NawazSharifMNS, to engage in a debate with me anytime, anywhere before Feb 8.”

He further said globally, presidential and prime ministerial candidates participate in televised debates, providing voters with crucial insights into their plans.

“This transparency is vital for an informed electorate ahead of the voting process,” he added.

Earlier this month, Bilawal had been nominated as the party’s candidate for the slot of prime minister in the upcoming general elections.

The decision was taken by the PPP’s top decision-making body — the Central Executive Committee (CEC) — which met at Bilawal House in Lahore to discuss the party’s campaign for the upcoming general election.

Eying on regaining his party’s lost glory in Punjab, the PPP chairman has been holding mass public gatherings in the province these days.

Earlier today, firing a fresh salvo at the PML-N, the PPP stalwart vowed to hunt “lion” amid “raining arrows” on February 8.

 

Referring to the rising incidents of terrorism, skyrocketing inflation, unemployment and economic crisis being faced by the country, Bilawal said his party would fight against the menace of terror and economic crisis.

“Those who turn politics into personal enmity have divided the nation,” Bilawal said and vowed to end the politics of hatred and division once and for all.

The PPP leader said that his party presented a 10-point economic agenda to rid the people of problems. He retreated to abolish 17 federal ministries if voted to power, Rs1,500 billion subsidy provided to elite class would be spent on the masses, he added.

The PPP stalwart promised to build three million houses for the poor.

Coming down hard on the PML-N, Bilawal said that Sharifs were giving the wrong impression about Lahore, adding that streets were dilapidated in the Punjab’s capital too.

The PML-N could not present its manifesto even just days before the upcoming elections, he took a dig at the former ruling party.

“They don’t know what to do after winning [elections],” he added.

Dubbing Nawaz the “thief” of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the PPP chairman clarified that the game-changer project was initiated by his father and former president Asif Ali Zardari.

Likewise, former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was the founder of the country’s nuclear programme, he added.

WASHINGTON: The United States State Department has expressed concern over reports citing the lack of press freedom and free expression in Pakistan with the general elections in the country just days away.

The country’s eligible population will vote to select the next government during the upcoming polls, slated to be conducted on February 8, a moment when the role of the press and media is critical to educate and inform citizens.

Addressing a press briefing in Washington on Thursday, State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said: “We also have not been ambiguous about how we feel very strongly that a free and independent media are vital institutions that undergird healthy democracies by ensuring that elector can make informed decision and hold the government to account.”

Patel added that the US believes journalists play a critical role in covering fair and transparent elections.

He further stated: “We also continue to be concerned by any report that may be out there of restrictions on freedom of expression, freedom of association and the press.

That would be — those kinds of things, we believe, are at odds with Pakistani authorities’ self-stated goal of a fully fair and transparent election.”

Commenting on the transparency of elections in the country, the US official reiterated that Pakistan’s future leadership was for the Pakistani people to decide. “Our interest continues to be in the democratic process.”

When asked about Pakistani Foreign Secretary Syrus Qazi’s statement on India’s involvement in transnational killings after Canada and the US, the official said he wasn’t aware of the specific report.

He added that the Pakistani and Indian governments should “speak more about this”.

A day earlier, Qazi, in a presser, said Pakistan has “credible evidence” for Indian agents’ link to the killings of two of its citizens on Pakistani soil, exposing the “sophisticated and sinister” Indian campaign of extra-territorial and extra-judicial killings.

The statement came months after both Canada and the US separately accused Indian agents of being linked to assassination attempts on their soil. However, New Delhi has rejected Ottawa’s allegations and has launched an investigation into Washington’s claims.

“These are killings-for-hire cases involving a sophisticated international set-up spread over multiple jurisdictions,” Foreign Secretary Syrus Qazi told reporters during a press conference in Islamabad.

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday delivered a video speech to a reception in Beijing celebrating the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and France.
The establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France 60 years ago was a major event in the history of international relations. With extraordinary wisdom and courage, Chairman Mao Zedong and General Charles de Gaulle opened the door for exchanges and cooperation between China and the West, bringing hope to the world amid the Cold War, Xi noted.
Over the past 60 years, China-France relations have always been at the forefront of China’s relations with Western countries, bringing benefits to the two peoples and contributing to world peace, stability and development, Xi said.
The unique history of China-France relations has shaped the “China-France spirit” featuring independence, mutual understanding, foresight, mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, Xi stressed, adding that in the face of the new era, China and France should uphold the original aspiration of the establishment of the diplomatic relations, look forward to the future, and dare to make greater progress.
The two sides should unswervingly develop bilateral relations and respond to world uncertainties with the stability of China-France relations. The two sides can take the China-France Year of Culture and Tourism and the Paris Olympic Games as opportunities to expand cultural and people-to-people exchanges and promote closer people-to-people ties, Xi said.
He called on the two sides to jointly advocate an equal and orderly multi-polar world and economic globalization that is inclusive and beneficial to all and continues to contribute to maintaining world peace and stability and addressing global challenges.
While deepening traditional cooperation, the two sides need to actively tap the potential of cooperation in emerging areas such as green industries and clean energy, make the “pie” bigger for mutual benefit, pool cooperation forces and share development opportunities through openness, Xi said.
Facing the next 60 years, China and France will work together to create greater glories, he added.
French President Emmanuel Macron also delivered a video speech.
Macron said that 60 years ago, General Charles de Gaulle went beyond the logic of camp confrontation and made the historic decision to establish diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China. Today, the two sides have the responsibility to build on the ambitious goals set in 1964 and continue to work together to build a partnership that not only meets the needs of the two peoples but also contributes to world peace and stability.
France is willing to join hands with China to address global challenges and promote the resolution of international crises, he said.
Noting that the year 2024 is the France-China Year of Culture and Tourism, and the two sides will hold a variety of activities, Macron said the two sides should take this opportunity to enhance the exchanges between the two peoples, especially the youth, and lay a more solid foundation for the future of France-China relations.
The two countries will also hold an event to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations and the opening of the Cultural Tourism Year at the Palace of Versailles in Paris on January 31 and broadcast video speeches from the two heads of state.

The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said the attack occurred on the outskirts of Gaza City, in the north of the territory, with 150 people also wounded. Hamas said the incident amoun­ted to a “horrific war crime”. Islamic Jihad said they were killed by “artillery shells and missiles”.

Witnesses interviewed said they had been targeted by Israeli forces. “People were going to get food and flour as they had nothing to eat,” Abu Ata Basal, the uncle of one of the injured, said.

“Suddenly, tanks appeared and started firing shells at the people, who were cut into pieces.” “We were heading to get flour, and they shelled us four times, and some people were martyred and injured,” said Mohammed al-Rifi, who was injured in his hand and leg.

The casualties were brought to Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, where bodies were seen lying on the floor, a journalist said.

The incident came a day after the United Nations said tank shelling at a UN shelter in the southern city of Khan Yunis, the current focus of Israel’s military campaign, killed 12 people.

Khan Yunis, the hometown of Hamas’s Gaza chief Yahya Sinwar, faced relentless bombardments, a journalist said. Hamas reported fierce clashes in the centre and west of the city.