Here’s what is happening across the border: Imran Khan has promised to protect minorities, and seventh-century Buddha statue in Swat restored.
Lahore on alert ahead of Nawaz Sharif, daughter’s return from London
As many as 350 supporters of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s party have been arrested as Pakistan waits for his and his daughter Maryam Nawaz’s arrival from London Friday for their arrest in a conviction case, reported Dawn.
As many as 10,000 security personnel, including members of the anti-riot unit, have been deployed in Lahore, where the duo will land, and all main thoroughfares leading to the airport blocked.
Just before they left London, Maryam tweeted that her mother had opened her eyes for the first time in 30 days, Dawn reported.
1st time in 30 days,Ami opened eyes for a few secs. Don’t know if she saw or registered us. Still not conscious& on vent. Prayers solicited.
— Maryam Nawaz Sharif (@MaryamNSharif) July 12, 2018
Sharif’s wife Kulsoom Nawaz has been under treatment for cancer in London since last year, and was put on ventilator support after a heart attack a month ago.
Meanwhile, Sharif’s grandsons Junaid Safdar and Zakariya Hussain were arrested by police in London over a scuffle outside their Avenfield apartment, which has been besieged of late by members of rival parties following the former PM’s conviction, reported Geo TV.
Junaid Safdar and Zakria Hussain #Pakistan pic.twitter.com/vPO2MYidDp
— Nadeem Malik (@nadeemmalik) July 12, 2018
Protesters have been camping outside the luxury apartment complex, with someone even hurling a trolley at the apartment’s door. Junaid, Maryam’s son, claimed the protesters “had spit on and tried to attack him”, according to the report.
Spy chiefs of Russia, Iran, China meet in Pakistan to discuss IS
Islamabad played host to the spy chiefs of Russia, Iran and China Wednesday for discussions on the growth of the so-called Islamic State (IS) in Afghanistan, reported The Express Tribune.
According to the report, the participants were all countries “directly affected” by IS terrorism.
The meeting, incidentally, did not include the US, which is still the lead player in the war against terrorism in Afghanistan, stoking speculation that it was meant to undermine Washington’s efforts in the country. It comes after Russia’s allegation that US presence in Afghanistan had caused IS influence to strengthen in the country.
According to a report in Dawn, the Foreign Office officially denied the meeting. However, a spokesperson for Moscow’s foreign intelligence service confirmed the meeting to the Russian state-run media outlet, TASS.
Imran Khan says will prevent ‘forced marriage’ of Hindu girls with Muslims
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan Wednesday outlined the protection of the country’s minorities as a key party agenda, saying he would work to prevent the forced marriage of Hindu girls to Muslims if he is voted to office, Dawn reported.
“I have received complaints from the Hindu community in Sindh that their women are forcefully married to Muslims,” Khan told representatives of minority groups at a convention in Sindh. According to media reports, an estimated 25 Hindu girls are forced into marriage every month in the Umerkot district of Sindh, the province with the highest population of Hindus in Pakistan.
Khan said a civilised society was one where everybody’s rights were protected by the state and areas inhabited by minorities developed.
Swat’s disfigured Buddha statue restored
Bombed by the Taliban in 2007, an iconic seventh-century Buddha statue carved into a cliff in Swat Valley has been restored to its original form, reported The Express Tribune.
The 20-foot figure, located in Jahanabad, was restored with the assistance of the Italian government, and local authorities hope the statue’s revival will help the area gain prominence as a site of pilgrimage once again.
The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had dynamited the holy figure in continuation of a trend begun by the Afghan Taliban in Bamiyan in the early 2000s. However, only the face sustained damage in the attack.
According to the newspaper, Swat was a pilgrimage site for Buddhist worshippers, especially from the Himalayas, for centuries.
Senate chair orders probe into media claims of ‘unannounced censorship’
The chairman of the Pakistan senate (equivalent to India’s Rajya Sabha chairperson) asked the Standing Committee of Information Thursday to investigate a journalist group’s complaints about “unannounced media censorship” and disruption in the distribution of Dawn newspaper, reported Dawn. The panel has to submit its report in a week.
Sadiq Sanjrani issued the order after journalists, in response to a call issued by the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), boycotted senate proceedings Thursday. A day earlier, journalists, politicians, lawyers and civil society members, led by PFUJ president Afzal Butt, had organised an agitation in solidarity with the Dawn newspaper and news channel.
The distribution of Dawn was disrupted in several parts of the country after it published a controversial interview of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif where he was critical of the military. It’s also been a couple of months since the transmission of its channel was blocked in a few cantonments.
TV anchor Talat Hussain pointed out, “Dawn is a project of the Quaid-i-Azam (Muhammad Ali Jinnah) and closing it means stopping the message of Quaid.”
Meanwhile, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) asked watchdog Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) Thursday to serve showcause notices on TV channels broadcasting “abusive” ads issued by political parties targeting rivals, reported Dunya News.
Pakistan SC halts Zardari probe to thwart rigging claims
The Pakistan Supreme Court Thursday directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to halt all investigations against former president Asif Ali Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur, both members of the PPP, in the Rs 35 billion fake bank account case till the end of the general election, reported Dawn.
Issuing the order, Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar said, “We do not want excuses that the 25 July elections are rigged.”
“The apex court also explained that its 9 July order had not asked for placing the names of the two leaders on the Exit Control List,” the Dawn report added.
The probe against the non-political accused will continue.
Contributors: Manisha Mondal, Sharanya Munsi, Rupanwita Bhattacharjee, Hansa Kapoor and Alind Chauhan.