Courtesy: Dawn News

At least 52 people, including a police officer, were killed while around 50 were injured in what officials believe was a suicide blast near a Rabiul Awwal procession in Balochistan’s Mastung district on Friday.

District Health Officer (DHO) Abdul Rasheed Shahi confirmed the casualties to Dawn.com while City Station House Officer (SHO) Mohammad Javed Lehri said a police official was among the dead.

Dr Saeed Mirwani, chief executive of Shaheed Nawab Ghous Bakhsh Raisani Memorial Hospital, said dozens were being treated at the facility while more than 20 injured people have been referred to Quetta for medical assistance.

“The process of moving bodies and injured persons is under way,” the hospital CEO said, adding that 22 were shifted to the Mastung district hospital.

Unverified images and videos emerging afterward depicted bloodied corpses and severed limbs strewn about as bystanders assessed the extent of the damage.

Mastung Assistant Commissioner (AC) Atta-ul-Munim told Dawn.com that the explosion took place when people were gathering for an Eid-i-Miladun Nabi procession near Madina Masjid at Alfalah Road.

“The bomber detonated himself near the vehicle of the deputy superintendent of police (DSP),” Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Munir Ahmed told Reuters, adding that the blast took place near the mosque where people were gathering for a procession to mark Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) birthday, which is a public holiday.

The Mastung AC had identified the martyred DSP as Nawaz Gishkori. SHO Lehri also confirmed that the explosion was a “suicide blast”.

“A procession of hundreds of people came out of the Madina mosque and as it reached Al Falah road a suicide bomber targeted it,” said Mastung Deputy Commissioner Abdul Razzaq Sasoli.

The banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan denied it had carried out the attack.

Balochistan interim Information Minister Jan Achakzai said rescue teams had been dispatched to Mastung.

“The enemy wants to destroy religious tolerance and peace in Balochistan with foreign blessings,” Achakzai said. “The explosion is unbearable,” he said, appealing urgently for blood donors to help treat the wounded.

Later in a press conference, the minister said the death toll in the blast “is immensely unfortunate”. He revealed that a number of families had buried their loved ones without bringing them to the hospital, adding that the government had not included these people in the official death toll.

“As far as the injuries are concerned, a number of people are in critical condition and they are being moved to intensive care units and trauma centres,” Achakzai stated, adding that if their condition further deteriorated, the wounded may be air lifted to Karachi from Quetta.

time.

He said it was a controlled hand grenade blast near a bus stop by Counter Terrorism Department officials who were defusing it. The official went on to say that the area was cordoned off to avoid any mishap.

‘Perpetrators don’t deserve any leniency’

Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar strongly denounced the explosion in Mastung, stating that the government was determined to root out terrorism from the country, Radio Pakistan reported.

In their separate statements, the premier and President Dr Arif Alvi expressed deep grief and sorrow over the death of people and directed the authorities concerned to provide the best possible medical treatment to the injured.

Interim Interior Minister Sarfraz Ahmed Bugti strongly condemned the blast as well and expressed his grief at the loss of lives.

Stating that “terrorists have no faith or religion”, Bugti asserted that all resources were being put to use during the rescue operation. He added that no effort would be spared in treating the injured and that terrorist elements did not deserve any concession.

وزیر داخلہ سرفراز احمد بگٹی کی مستونگ میں مدینہ مسجد کے قریب دھماکے کی شدید مذمت، دھماکے میں قیمتی جانوں کے ضیاع پر گہرے دکھ اور افسوس کا اظہار، عید میلاد النبی کے جلوس میں شرکت کیلئے آئے معصوم لوگوں پر حملہ انتہائی قبیح عمل ہے، دہشت گردوں کا کوئی دین اور مذہب نہیں

Ministry of Interior GoP@MOIofficialGoP

ریسکیو آپریشن اور امدادی کارروائیوں میں تمام وسائل کو بروئے کار لایا جائے گا،زخمیوں کے علاج معالجے میں کوئی کسر اٹھا نہ رکھی جائے گی، دہشت گرد عناصر کسی رعایت کے مستحق نہیں، دہشت گردوں سے نمٹنے کے لیے زیرو ٹالرنس پالیسی پر عمل پیرا ہیں: سرفراز بگٹی احمد بگٹی

should be provided to all the injured persons.

The caretaker CM also announced three days of mourning throughout the province over the tragic incident.

The information minister stated that the purpose of mourning was to express solidarity with the families of the martyrs. “National flags will remain at half-mast on government buildings during the three days of mourning.”

Former prime minister Shehbaz Sharif said he was “deeply saddened by the cowardly attack on innocent people” and that such heinous acts had “no place in our country”. “May justice be swift for those responsible,” he added.

Shehbaz Sharif@CMShehbaz

Deeply saddened by the cowardly attack on innocent people during Eid Miladun Nabi (SAW) procession in Mastung. Such heinous acts are highly condemnable and have no place in our country. May the victims rest in peace, and may justice be swift for those responsible.

In its condemnation, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said it was “unacceptable that the residents of Balochistan are compelled to live in constant fear amid deteriorating law and order”.

“Those responsible for this heinous attack must be brought to justice. HRCP believes, however, that hyper-securitisation will not resolve the security problem in the province,” it added.

Human Rights Commission of Pakistan@HRCP87

HRCP strongly condemns the suicide blast at a religious procession in #Mastung that has left at least 50 dead and scores injured. It is unacceptable that the residents of Balochistan are compelled to live in constant fear amid deteriorating law and order. Those responsible for this heinous attack must be brought to justice. HRCP believes, however, that hyper-securitisation will not resolve the security problem in the province.

The PTI also condemned the incident and demanded that the injured be provided with quality treatment facilities.

See new posts

 

PTI@PTIofficial

پاکستان تحریک انصاف کی مستونگ میں دھماکے کی شدید مذمت قیمتی جانوں کے ضیاع پر گہرے رنج اور دکھ کا اظہار زخمیوں کو علاج معالجے کی معیاری سہولیات کی فراہمی کا مطالبہ واقعے کی جامع تحقیقات اور ذمہ داروں کیخلاف سخت کارروائی کی ضرورت پر بھی زور متاثرہ خاندانوں سے دلی ہمدردی اور تعزیت کا اظہار زخمیوں کی جلد اور مکمل شفایابی کیلئے دعا وفاقی و صوبائی حکومتوں سے سیاسی انتقام اور بےگناہ شہریوں کیخلاف جبر و فسطائیت کی روش ترک کرکے دہشتگردی جیسے اصل خطرے سے نمٹنے پر توجہ دینے کا مطالبہ

It further demanded that the “federal and provincial governments give up political revenge and oppression and fascism against innocent citizens”, and instead “focus on dealing with a real threat like terrorism”.

PPP leader Sherry Rehman, while condemning the incident, extended sympathy and solidarity with the grieving families and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.

She also requested PPP workers to reach hospitals in Balochistan for assistance in relief operations and blood donations.

SenatorSherryRehman@sherryrehman

بلوچستان کے ضلع مستونگ میں دھماکا کی شدید مذمت کرتے ہیں۔ ڈی ایس پی سمیت تمام شہداء کے لواحقین کے ساتھ دلی ہمدردی اور یکجہتی کے ساتھ کھڑے ہیں۔ زخمیوں کی صحتیابی کیلئے دعاگو ہیں۔ پیپلز پارٹی کے کارکنان سے درخواست کے امدادی کاروائیوں اور خون کے عطیات کیلئے مستونگ اور کوئٹہ ہسپتال پہنچیں۔ مستونگ میں بڑھتے ہوئے دہشتگردی کے واقعات قابل تشویش ہیں۔ حملے میں ملوث دہشت گردوں کے خلاف سخت کاروائی کی جائے

It added that the security forces of Pakistan would continue to thwart efforts of the enemies of peace and prosperity in the country.

Heightened security across country

Soon after the explosion, the Punjab police also said that its “diligent officials” were performing security duties for Friday prayers at mosques across the province.

Punjab Police Official@OfficialDPRPP

پنجاب پولیس کے مستعد اہلکار صوبہ بھر میں نماز جمہ کے لیے مساجد کی حفاظت کے فرائض انجام دے رہے ہیں

In another post on social media site X (formerly Twitter), it said more than 46,000 policemen were deployed at “1,281 mehfils and 2,510 processions and mehfils” across Punjab.

It added that all processions and events were being monitored through the Safe City Authority security cameras, while the provincial police chief ordered the senior officers to monitor the events themselves.

Punjab Police Official@OfficialDPRPP

لاہور سمیت صوبہ بھر میں جشن عید میلاد النبیﷺ کی1281 محافل، 2510 جلوسوں اور ریلیوں کی سکیورٹی کے فرائض سرانجام دینے کیلئے پنجاب پولیس کے 46 ہزار سے زائد افسران اور اہلکار تعینات۔ سیف سٹی اٹھارٹی کے کیمروں کی مدد سے تمام ریلیوں، جلوسوں اور محافل کی مانیٹرنگ جاری، تمام سنئیر افسران سیکیورٹی انتظامات کی خود نگرانی کریں۔ آئی جی پنجاب ڈاکٹر عثمان انور

Meanwhile, the Karachi police said that Additional Inspector General Khadim Husain Rind has directed the police to remain “completely on high alert” in view of the Mastung blast.

He was quoted as directing the policemen to tighten security arrangements regarding Eid-i-Miladun Nabi processions and Friday prayers across the city, as well as to monitor any unusual activities.

Karachi Police@KarachiPolice_

ایڈیشنل آئی جی کراچی خادم حسین رند نےمستونگ میں دھماکے کے تناظر میں کراچی پولیس کو مکمل طور پر ہائی الرٹ رہنے کے احکامات جاری کیے ہیں۔ کراچی پولیس کو شہر میں عید میلادالنبی اور نماز جمعہ کے حوالے سے سیکیورٹی اقدامات مزید سخت بنانے اور انتہائی متحرک رہنے اور غیر معمولی سرگرمیوں کی مکمل نگرانی کرنے کی سخت ہدایت جاری کی ہیں

 

In a social media post, the Islamabad police said a security alert was in place in the capital city. It stated Dr Akbar Nasir Khan, the capital city police chief, had issued orders to all officers to remain alert in their respective areas.

“The security of Eid Milad-ul-Nabi processions should be made more effective,” it said, adding that the Islamabad police were always ready to deal with any possible emergency situation.

slamabad Police@ICT_Police

اسلام آباد میں ممکنہ حالات کے پیش نظر سکیورٹی الرٹ کردی گئی۔ آئی سی سی پی او ڈاکٹر اکبر ناصر خاں نے تمام افسران کو اپنے اپنے علاقوں میں الرٹ رہنے کے احکامات جاری کردئیے۔ عید میلادالنبی کے جلوسوں کی سکیورٹی کو مزید موثر کیا جائے، اسلام آباد پولیس کسی بھی ممکنہ ایمرجنسی صورت حال سے نمٹنے کے لیے ہمہ وقت تیار ہے۔ شہری پولیس کے ساتھ تعاون کریں اور کسی بھی مشکوک سرگرمی کے متعلق پکار 15 پر اطلاع دیں

Rise in terror incidents

Earlier this month, at least 11 people, including Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) leader Hafiz Hamdullah, were injured in a blast in the same district.

A week prior to that, a Levies official was gunned down at a bus stand by unidentified men, while two others who were passing by were injured.

In May this year, unidentified attackers targeted a polio vaccination team in the Killi Sour Karez area on the outskirts of Mastung, resulting in a policeman being martyred.

In October last year, three people were killed and six others were injured in a bomb attack targeting two vehicles in the mountainous area of Qabu in Mastung.

In July 2018, at least 128 people, including politician Nawabzada Siraj Raisani, were killed and more than 200 were injured in a deadly suicide blast in the same district.

---

This is a developing story that is being updated as the situation evolves. Initial reports in the media can sometimes be inaccurate.

Courtesy: Dawn News/AFP/Reuters

Israel’s Tourism Minister Haim Katz arrived in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for the first such high-level public visit to the kingdom amid talks to secure bilateral ties.

“Katz is the first Israeli minister to head an official delegation in Saudi Arabia,” his ministry said in a statement, adding he would attend a United Nations World Tourism Organisation event in Riyadh.

During the two-day visit he is due to hold meetings “with his counterparts”, Katz’s office said without specifying which countries will be represented in such talks.

The landmark visit comes as Riyadh sent its first delegation to the occupied West Bank in three decades.

Nayef al-Sudairi, who was appointed non-resident ambassador to the Palestinian territories last month, held talks Tuesday with senior Palestinian officials including president Mahmud Abbas.

The diplomatic travels come as the United States presses its allies Israel and Saudi Arabia to normalise ties.

Israel has moved closer to the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco following a US-driven diplomatic initiative in 2020 which pushed for normalisation of relations.

Establishing ties with Saudi Arabia — home to some of Islam’s holiest sites — would be the grand prize for Israel and change the geopolitics of the Middle East.

Last week, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said “six or seven” Muslim countries could “make peace” with Israel if it signed a peace agreement with Saudi Arabia.

He also stated that “peace with Saudi Arabia means peace with the greater Muslim world”.

“There are at least another six or seven countries that I have met with —significant Muslim countries with which we do not have relations — that are interested [in peace],” the minister added.

Normalisation with Israel, however, would break Riyadh’s decades-long stance against recognising Israel before it resolves the conflict with the Palestinians.

1- Header image: Israeli Tourism Minister Haim Katz is in Saudi Arabia to attend a UN conference. — Reuters/File

Courtesy: Dawn News/AFP

Swedish police said on Tuesday that they were investigating whether a fire that reduced a mosque to rubble the previous day in central Sweden was arson.

“The investigation into the fire is continuing. Police will question witnesses and verify whether there were security cameras in the area,” the police said in a statement on their website.

The fire broke out on Monday around noon in Eskilstuna, a town of 108,000 people 150 kilometres (93 miles) west of Stockholm, causing no injuries, a police spokesman told AFP.

There are no suspects and no arrests have been made.

“The mosque is almost completely destroyed, nothing can be saved,” mosque spokesman Anas Deneche told AFP.

Deneche said the mosque had been the target of several acts of violence in the past year and his family had been threatened.

“But it’s still too early to draw any conclusions (about the cause of the fire), we’ll have to wait for the police to do their work,” he said.

Police said they were investigating several leads but provided no other details.

Between 15,000 and 20,000 Muslims live in Eskilstuna.

The mosque fire coincides with a spate of public desecrations of the Holy Quran in Sweden in recent months. The burnings have sparked widespread outrage and condemnation in Muslim countries.

The country has condemned the desecrations of the Holy Quran but upheld its laws regarding freedom of speech and assembly.

The government has vowed to explore legal means of stopping protests involving the desecration of holy texts in certain circumstances, though a majority appear to be opposed to such a change.

Call to ban acts displaying of religious hatred

In July, the United Nations Human Rights Council approved a resolution on religious hatred, which was introduced by Pakistan on behalf of the 57-nation Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

The resolution called for the UN rights chief to publish a report on religious hatred and for states to review their laws and plug gaps that may “impede the prevention and prosecution of acts and advocacy of religious hatred”.

The same month, the UN General Assembly adopted, by consensus, a Moroccan resolution, co-sponsored by Pakistan, calling for countering hate speech and strongly deploring attacks against places of worship, religious symbols and holy books.

The resolution, titled ‘Promoting interreligious and intercultural dialogue and tolerance in countering hate speech’, won the approval of the 193-member assembly and stated: “Strongly deploring all acts of violence against persons on the basis of their religion or belief, as well as any such acts directed against their religious symbols, holy books, homes, businesses, properties, schools, cultural centres or places of worship, as well as all attacks on and in religious places, sites and shrines in violation of international law.”

1- Header image: Swedish police said Tuesday they were investigating whether a fire that reduced a mosque to rubble the previous day in central Sweden was arson. — AFP/File

Courtesy: Dawn News/Reuters

A Canadian Sikh group has called on its members to protest outside the Indian diplomatic missions of main Canadian cities on Monday, a week after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau raised the prospect of New Delhi’s involvement in the murder of a Sikh separatist leader in British Columbia.

Trudeau said last week Canada was pursuing “credible allegations” that Indian government agents may be linked to the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was shot dead outside a Sikh temple on June 18 in Surrey, a Vancouver suburb with a high Sikh population.

India swiftly denied any role in the killing and described the allegations as “absurd”. The accusations have sparked tensions between the two countries, with each nation expelling diplomats, and New Delhi suspending visas for Canadians.

Jatinder Singh Grewal, a director for Sikh for Justice in Canada, told Reuters on Sunday that his organisation will lead the demonstrations outside the Indian embassies and consulates in Toronto, Ottawa and Vancouver to increase public awareness about Nijjar’s killing.

“We are asking Canada to expel the India ambassador,” Grewal said.

Representatives for India’s diplomatic missions in Ottawa and Toronto were not immediately available for comment.

The Toronto Police Department said it was aware of the planned demonstrations on Monday but declined to disclose details of the security preparations or potential response to any violent situations that may arise during the protest.

Nijjar, who worked as a plumber, left the north Indian state of Punjab a quarter-century ago and became a Canadian citizen. He has supported the formation of an independent Sikh homeland, called Khalistan, to be created out of Punjab. India designated Nijjar a “terrorist” in July 2020.

The Canadian government has amassed both human and signals intelligence in a months-long investigation into the Sikh separatist leader’s murder, CBC News reported last week, citing unidentified sources.

The report said the intelligence included communications of Indian officials present in Canada, adding that some of the information was provided by an unidentified ally in the Five Eyes alliance.

Canada is home to about 770,000 Sikhs — the highest population of Sikhs outside their home state of Punjab — and the country has been the site of many demonstrations that have irked India.

Sikhs make up just 2 per cent of India’s 1.4 billion population but they are a majority in Punjab, a state of 30 million where their religion was born 500 years ago.

Punjab’s Sikhs fear row threatens them at home, abroad

The bitter row between India and Canada is being felt in Punjab, where some Sikhs fear both a backlash from India’s Hindu nationalist government and a threat to their prospects for a better life in North America.

In the village of Bharsinghpura, there are few memories of Nijjar, but his uncle, Himmat Singh Nijjar, 79, said locals “think it was very brave of Trudeau” to accuse Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government of potential involvement in the killing.

“For the sake of one ordinary person, he did not need to take such a huge risk on his government,” the uncle told Reuters, sitting on a wooden bench by a tractor in his farmhouse, surrounded by lush paddy fields and banana trees.

Still, though, the elder Nijjar said he is worried about deteriorating diplomatic relations with Canada and declining economic prospects in Punjab.

The once-prosperous breadbasket of India, Punjab has been overtaken by states that focussed on manufacturing, services and technology in the last two decades.

“Now every family wants to send its sons and daughters to Canada as farming here is not lucrative,” said the elder Nijjar.

India is the largest source for international students in Canada, their numbers jumping 47 per cent last year to 320,000.

“We now fear whether Canada will give student visas or if the Indian government will create some hurdles,” said undergraduate Gursimran Singh, 19, who wants to go to Canada.

He was speaking at the holiest of Sikh shrines, the Golden Temple in Amritsar, where many students go to pray for or give thanks for student visas.

The temple became a flashpoint for Hindu-Sikh tension when then prime minister Indira Gandhi allowed it to be stormed in 1984 to flush out Sikh separatists, angering Sikhs around the world. Her Sikh bodyguards assassinated her soon afterwards.

Ties between Sikh groups in Punjab and Modi’s Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government have been strained since Sikh farmers led year-long protests against farm deregulation in 2020 and blocked the capital, forcing Modi to withdraw the measure in a rare political defeat for the strongman.

Modi’s government has created “an atmosphere of fear”, especially for young people, said Sandeep Singh, 31, from Nijjar’s village.

“If we are doing a protest, parents wouldn’t like their child to participate because they are afraid their children can meet the same fate” as Nijjar in Canada, he said.

Kanwar Pal, political affairs secretary for the radical separatist Dal Khalsa group, said, “Whosoever fights for Khalistan fights for the right to self-determination, rights for plebiscite in Punjab. India perceived those Sikhs as their enemies and they targeted them.”

A BJP spokesperson declined to comment on the accusations.

Senior BJP leaders have said there was no wave of support in Punjab for independence and that any such demands were a threat to India. At the same time, the party says no one has done as much for the Sikhs as Modi.

Courtesy: Dawn News

Two human rights activists visiting Faisalabad from Karachi were allegedly briefly detained and tortured by police, it emerged on Saturday, following which police accused the duo of misbehaviour in its rebuttal.

The incident was raised by lawyer and rights activist Jibran Nasir on Friday in a series of posts on X, formerly Twitter.

In a post about what he dubbed “extremely alarming and condemnable action by Punjab police”, Nasir said two prominent human rights activists from Karachi, Pastor Ghazala Shafique and Luke Victor, were visiting Faisalabad to help Reverend Father Eleazar Sidhu.

@MohsinnaqviC42

@OfficialDPRPP

@anwaar_kakar

to ensure their immediate release.

Christian priest Sidhu was shot at and injured on September 3, according to the first information report (FIR) of the incident available with Dawn.com. The FIR stated that Sidhu — who served at Myong-Sang Naserth church in Jaranwala tehsil — was returning home from the church in the evening when an unidentified bearded man shot and injured him.

The FIR also mentioned that he was leading prayers in the church on August 28 when someone wrote objectionable religious slogans against him on the outer wall of the church, which were whitewashed by police on his complaint.

A few days prior to the alleged incident, when he went to drop his son off at school, a few bearded people threatened him, saying, “As our written slogans have been deleted from the wall of the church, soon you will also be deleted,” the FIR said.

According to Nasir’s posts on social media, Sidhu was arrested, “unlawfully kept captive by local police and subjected [to] torture, being forced to state that the deadly attack on him after the Jaranwala incident was self-inflicted”.

He alleged that Sidhu was forced into giving a statement that he “shot himself so real culprits could remain safe”.

In a subsequent post, he said Pastor Ghazala Shafique had been released but alleged that her phone was withheld by police.

“She contacted her family from someone else’s phone,” he said, adding: “She revealed that the police put a black cloth on Luke Victor’s face and took him and Pastor Vicky (Sidhu) away beating them both.”

M. Jibran Nasir @MJibranNasir

Update: horrifying details revealed by Pastor Ghazala Shafique. She has been released from DSP office but her phone has been withheld. She contacted her family from someone else’s phone. She revealed that the Police put a black cloth on Luke Victor’s face and took him and Pastor Vicky away beating them both. She has now gone to PS Sadr Faisalabad to get Luke and Pastor Vicky released.

@MohsinnaqviC42

@OfficialDPRPP

@anwaar_kakar

@ShehzadRoy

In a third post, Nasir alleged that police personnel at Saddar police station in Faisalabad had “badly beaten up Luke Victor”.

Nasir went on to say: “The interim Punjab chief minister, the interim prime minister, and the incumbent chief justice of Pakistan all visited Jaranwala to help victims. Luke did the same, but he wasn’t powerful and influential so Punjab police got to torture him.

“Pastor Ghazala is afraid that if only Luke is allowed to leave then police might torture and harm Pastor Vicky further.”

M. Jibran Nasir @MJibranNasir

The Police at Thana Sadr Faisalabad has badly beaten up Luke Victor Patrick who has worked as a para legal with me since the last 5 years. He is one of the most honest, dedicated and compassionate individual and activist I know. The Interim CM Punjab, the Interim PM and the incumbent CJP all visited Jaranwala to help victims. Luke did the same but he wasn’t is powerful and influential so Punjab Police gets to torture him. Pastor Ghazala is afraid that if only Luke is allowed to leave then Police might torture and harm Pastor Vicky further who is also now again in Police custody and to help home Ghazala and Luke had gone from Karachi.

@MohsinnaqviC42

@OfficialDPRPP

@AnwaarKakar

The Jaranwala incident referenced here took place on August 16, during which a violent mob of hundreds ransacked and torched nearly two dozen churches and attacked the residences of members of the Christian community and the office of the local assistant commissioner in the area. As per police and local sources, the violence erupted after some locals alleged that several desecrated pages of the Holy Quran were found near a house at Cinema Chowk in Jaranwala, where two Christian brothers resided.

In yet another post, Nasir shared a video of Victor saying: “Video made of Luke Victor at Sadr Thana Faisalabad after his release. He had bruises all over his body. His crime is to help find the truth about Pastor Eliezer alias Vicky’s case who got shot a few days after the Jaranwala incident.”

Victor can be seen with welts on his neck and face.

Nasir urged interim Punjab CM Mohsin Naqvi to launch an inquiry into the matter.

“It only highlights how vulnerable the Christian community is and how they are completely at the mercy of the state authorities. While Luke and Pastor Ghazala have been released Pastor Vicky has been reportedly arrested by transposing him from complainant to accused in the very FIR Pastor Victor got registered against the attack on him,” he wrote on X.

Trigger Warning: video made of Luke Victor at Sadr Thana Faisalabad after his release. He had bruises all over his body. His crime to help find the truth about Pastor Eliezer alias Vicky's case who got shot a few days after #Jaranwala incident. @MohsinnaqviC42 must launch an… https://t.co/jsgxo3rkgW pic.twitter.com/FJRA6b5HAJ

— M. Jibran Nasir 🇵🇸 (@MJibranNasir) September 22, 2023

In the early hours of Saturday (today), Nasir shared a video statement by Pastor Ghazala Shafique on X, wherein she said the clip was recorded in Saddar police station.

Shafique said Sidhu had been detained and that he and Victor were allegedly tortured by police. She further claimed that her and Victor’s phones, too, had been taken from them.

“Our only demand is that if there’s any case against him (Sidhu), tell us about it,” she said.

The timing of the video’s recording is not clear.

When Faisalabad City Police Officer Usman Akram Gondal was asked about Nasir’s allegations, he said: “It is absolutely wrong.”

The official claimed that Sidhu had shot himself during the September 3 incident, saying that an FIR had been filed against him. “He has submitted a confessional statement and is on remand,” CPO Gondal told Dawn.com.

As for Shafique and Victor, he said: “The two reached there and were trying to get him (Sidhu) out of there. They misbehaved with [police] and threatened the SHO (station house officer). The police had no choice but to stop them.”

The police’s claim was reiterated in Sidhu’s termination letter issued by the Presbyterian Church of Pakistan (PCP) on September 13.

“This letter is to inform that as of September 13, 2023, you, Mr Eleazar Sidhu s/o Bashir Masih Sidhu … are no longer employed by the Presbyterian Church of Pakistan [henceforth referred to as PCP]. This decision is because of the facts that came to light during your conversation with multiple colleagues, friends, and family members regarding the incident of alleged shooting on your right arm dated September 3, 2023, in which you voluntarily confessed that this was a self-inflicted injury and you admitted to planning this whole act without any fear, duress or pressure.

“While we are refraining from jumping to any conclusions since the matter is sub-judice, we reserve every right to sever your employment and to cut off any professional ties until the matter comes to its logical conclusion,” the letter, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, read.

A press statement issued by the PCP on the same day, cited the findings of Sidhu’s first medical report and said: “It was revealed that the injury was likely self-inflicted based on the angle/trajectory of the bullet, bare minimum damage to skin, injury etc.”

The PCP also raised multiple questions regarding the September 3 incident based on Sidhu’s “contradictory statements”.

The PCP called on the “highest authorities”, including all the investigative agencies, to bring all the facts pertaining to the matter to light.

“Any person can lie or make up stories. However, facts and science do not lie. We demand that one black sheep should not spoil the reputation of the whole flock. Not every pastor or Christian desires to apply for asylum and leave his/her country. We demand that an open, fair and independent investigation be carried out and if Mr Sidhu, as per his initial confession, circumstantial evidence, witness corroboration, and contradictory statements regarding the whole incident is found guilty, he should be meted an exemplary punishment,” the PCP press statement said.

It further said the “organisation or the leadership cannot and must not be held responsible for any ‘lone wolf’ or rogue actions of an employee that were not within the scope of his employment nor in furtherance of his job description”.

Meanwhile, a video of Sidhu has surfaced, which according to details collected by Dawn.com, was recorded two days ago — after he was allegedly forced into giving his confessional statement.

In the video, a weeping Sidhu with a sling on his right arm, is seen claiming four of his associates, including a 15-year-old boy, had been detained by police and were being persuaded into giving statements that his injury was self-inflicted.

He denies shooting himself and writing objectionable religious slogans on the church’s wall. Sidhu further claims that he was tortured by police and three police personnel have been staying inside his house all day long.

Sidhu also alleged that he was not provided food and water in police custody.

1- Header image: This screengrab from a video shared by rights activist Jibran Nasir on X shows Pastor Ghazala Shafique and Luke Victor as they give a video statement. — Photo via Jibran Nasir’s X

Courtesy: Dawn News/ISPR

Chief of Army Staff Gen Asim Munir on Monday commended the Christian community’s contributions to Pakistan’s national development and praised their “outstanding” role in defending the motherland.

The army chief made these remarks during a meeting with President Bishops (Church of Pakistan and Bishop of Raiwind) along with a 13-member delegation of the Christian Community who called on him at the General Headquarters, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.

The meeting comes a month after a violent mob of hundreds ransacked and torched nearly two dozen churches, attacked the residences of members of the Christian community and the office of the local assistant commissioner in Jaranwala, sparking nationwide outrage and condemnation.

COAS Munir had denounced the attacks on churches a day later and vowed no leniency for “intolerance and extreme behaviour”.

“It’s imperative for the people to discern the difference between truth, half-truth, lies, misinformation and disinformation,” he had said.

In a more recent development on Saturday, two human rights activists, who were part of the Christian community and had travelled from Karachi to Faisalabad, were reportedly subjected to a brief detention and alleged mistreatment by the police. In response, police countered the claims, accusing the duo of misconduct.

The incident was brought to light by lawyer and human rights activist Jibran Nasir on Friday through a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter).

Today, the Christian community delegation called on the army chief and discussed matters of “mutual interest, religious and inter-faith harmony”, according to the ISPR.

The ISPR quoted the army chief as lauding “the contributions of the Pakistani Christian Community in national development, including promotion of quality education, healthcare and philanthropic services and the outstanding role played by them for the defence of the motherland”.

While expressing “deep respect” for the Christian community, the army chief stressed the need to promote greater interfaith harmony in society in order to “follow Quaid’s true vision of a united and progressive Pakistan”.

“Islam is a religion of peace and there is no space for intolerance and extremism in Islam and society. No one can be allowed to take law into his own hands in a civilised society,” COAS Munir remarked.

In response, the visiting delegation acknowledged the Pakistan Army’s efforts in combating terrorism and providing a secure environment for the minorities in the country.

“They appreciated the army chief’s gesture as an inspiration for Pakistani minorities to take greater and more active part in nation building and in restoring their faith in a cohesive and tolerant society,” the ISPR added.

1- Header image: Chief of Army Staff Gen Asim Munir pictured with a delegation of the Christian community at the GHQ on Monday. — Photo via ISPR

Courtesy: Geo News/AFP

An explosion that rocked Iran’s Bandar Abbas refinery last week left one person dead and four injured, Iranian state media reported Monday.

The incident occurred during emergency repairs on September 22, with five maintenance workers affected. Sadly, one of the injured workers succumbed to their injuries on Monday.

The Bandar Abbas refinery, one of Iran’s largest, managed to maintain its production despite the unfortunate incident, according to the Iranian Oil Ministry’s Shana news agency.

The loss of life and injuries serve as a sobering reminder of the risks faced by workers in industrial settings, even during routine maintenance operations.

Investigations into the incident are likely underway to determine the cause and prevent such tragedies in the future.

1- Header image: Incidents like these have become common in Iran, which in turn suspects them to be acts of sabotage. —AFP

Courtesy: Geo News/Reuters

Iranian authorities have successfully neutralised 30 simultaneously timed bombs in Tehran and apprehended 28 individuals associated with Daesh, according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency.

The country’s intelligence ministry revealed that some detainees have ties with Daesh and have a history of involvement with Takfiri groups across various regions, including Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the Kurdistan area of Iraq.

Daesh has previously claimed responsibility for several attacks in Iran, notably the 2017 twin bombings that targeted Iran’s parliament and the tomb of the country’s founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

More recently, Daesh claimed a deadly attack on a Shia shrine in October of the previous year, resulting in 15 casualties in the southwestern city of Shiraz.