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Tag: terrorism

  • Political rallies are not terrorism: SC

    Political rallies are not terrorism: SC

    The Supreme Court granted bail to five suspects nominated cases pertaining to May 9 riots.

    A three-member bench led by Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail and comprising Justice Hasan Azhar Rizvi and Justice Mussarat Hilali on Wednesday took up bail applications of the accused suspects nominated under various laws including the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), 1997 for rioting and vandalizing Hamza Camp in Rawalpindi.

    Last year, nationwide protests and riots took place on May 9 after the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan from the premises of Islamabad High Court. Social media feeds were filled with videos showing acts of vandalism all over the country.

    During the hearing, Justice Mandokhail asked, “How is carrying out rallies [equivalent to] terrorism?”
    Justice Mandokhail asked the authorities whether they were aware of the conditions under which Anti-Terrorism Act could be enacted.

    “Recently, an incident of terrorism occurred in which officers were martyred [in North Waziristan]. The attack on Peshawar’s Army Public School was an act of terror. The suicide attack on lawyers in Quetta was an act of terror.”

    Justice Mandokhail criticized the authorities and asked, “Is carrying out rallies or being a worker of a political party a crime?”

    The Judge also emphasized that banning political parties and student unions had gotten the country to this point.
    The SC later granted bail to the suspects by accepting their bail requests against surety bonds of Rs50,000 each.

  • Security situation in Islamabad is under control: IG

    Security situation in Islamabad is under control: IG

    Islamabad Police’s Inspector General, Dr. Akbar Nasir Khan, has stated that the security situation in Islamabad is “under control”.

    His statement comes hours after it was reported by news platforms that educational institutions were unexpectedly shut over security concerns.

    Arab News reveals that parents received messages from schools on Monday morning “urging them to pick their children a few hours after they had dropped them off” for reasons pertaining to their “safety and security.”

    According to IG Islamabad, however, the situation is under control.

    “I would like to inform you that the security and law and order situation in Islamabad is currently under control,” Dr. Khan said in a video message posted on X (formerly Twitter).

    “As of now, there is no situation which should cause you to bring about any change in your [routine regarding] schools and colleges and usual way of life out of fear,” he added.

    He added that citizens should avoid moves that could threaten the security of the city.

    What happened earlier?

    On Monday morning, several educational institutes located in Islamabad reportedly closed until further notice amid security concerns.

    According to news reports, Bahria University, Air University, and National Defence University were shut down. Security, in particular areas of and around Margalla road, F-8, and F-10, had been beefed up.

    However, according to ARY News, a number of other schools and colleges were also shut down, adding that sources reported that threat alert suggested that ‘terror attacks’ were to be carried out by “female suicide bombers affiliated with the banned organisations between January 22-24″.

    Geo News reported that according to the Islamabad Police, security was already tight due to the upcoming elections and protests outside the Press Club. Additionally, search operations were conducted yesternight in certain areas.

  • Pakistan expels Iranian ambassador from Pakistan, suspends all high level visits in response to Iranian attack on Pakistan

    Pakistan expels Iranian ambassador from Pakistan, suspends all high level visits in response to Iranian attack on Pakistan


    Pakistan confirmed on Wednesday that Iran carried out an air strike on its territory that killed two children and injured three girls after Tehran launched attacks in Iraq and Syria against what it called “anti-Iranian terrorist groups”.

    As of yet, Pakistan has expelled Iranian ambassador from Pakistan, and has suspended all high level visits in response.


    Iran offered no immediate official comment but its state-run Nour News agency said the attack destroyed the Pakistan headquarters of the jihadist group Jaish al-Adl (Army of Justice).


    However, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency that, “Two key strongholds of the Jaysh al-Dhulm (Jaish al-Adl) terrorist group in Pakistan” were “specifically targeted and successfully demolished by a combination of missile and drone attacks”, cites Dawn.


    Tasnim reported that the “focal point of this operation was the region known as Kouh-Sabz (green mountain)” in Balochistan.


    Local authorities said they had also received information about such an attack but had no further details at the time of going to print. Reports from the area suggested that a missile hit a mosque, partially damaging it and injuring some people.


    In its statement, the foreign office described the incident as an “illegal act”.


    Formed in 2012, Jaish al-Adl is blacklisted by Iran as a terrorist group and has carried out several attacks on Iranian soil in recent years.


    The strike came after Iran launched missile attacks on “spy headquarters” and “terrorist” targets in Syria, and in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region.


    The Iranian strikes add to multiple crises across the Middle East, with Israel waging a war against Hamas in Gaza and pro-Palestinian Huthi rebels in Yemen attacking commercial vessels in the Red Sea.

  • Gunman dressed as lawyer opens fire in Peshawar court

    Gunman dressed as lawyer opens fire in Peshawar court

    A gunman opened fire within the premises of the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Peshawar’s judicial complex on Monday, injuring three persons and killing one, media reports have said.

    Eyewitnesses on the scene reported that the alleged shooter, disguised as a lawyer, opened fire inside the ATC, creating panic throughout the judicial complex.

    The incident left four individuals severely injured, prompting an urgent response from law enforcement.

    The injured victims were swiftly and efficiently transported to the hospital.

    Tragically, Lady Reading Hospital Spokesperson Muhammad Asim revealed that one of the wounded individuals succumbed to injuries before reaching the medical facility.

    “Four people were brought to the hospital – one deceased and three injured,” stated the hospital’s spokesperson.

    According to senior journalist Iftikhar Firdous, the attacker has been arrested by police from the premises. He was one of the parties whose case was scheduled for hearing.


    Firdous questioned the level of security in the court in a tweet he posted on X, “And this is the security in a courtroom?”

    However, investigations are underway to ascertain the motives behind the attack and the identity of the assailant.

  • Mass shooting at Prague University by student leaves 14 dead, 25 injured

    Mass shooting at Prague University by student leaves 14 dead, 25 injured

    A 24-year-old student killed 14 people and wounded 25 at a Prague university on Thursday in the Czech Republic’s worst shooting in decades before authorities said the attacker was “eliminated”.

    The deadly violence in the city’s historic centre sparked evacuations, a massive response by heavily armed police and warnings for people to stay indoors.

    The shooting erupted at the Charles University’s Faculty of Arts, which sits near major tourist sites like the 14th-century Charles Bridge.

    “At this moment I can confirm 14 victims of the horrible crime and 25 wounded, of which 10 seriously,” police chief Martin Vondrasek told reporters after the shooting.

    All the victims were gunned down inside the building, he said. Media said at least some were the gunman’s fellow students.

    Vondrasek added the gunman, previously unknown to the police, had a “huge arsenal of weapons and ammunition” and that quick police action prevented far more serious carnage.

    Vondrasek said police started a search for the man before the mass shooting as his father had been found dead in the village of Hostoun west of Prague.

    The gunman “left for Prague saying he wanted to kill himself,” Vondrasek said. Police suggested earlier the gunman had killed his father.

    Police searched a Faculty of Arts building where the gunman was expected to show up for a lecture, but he went to the faculty’s main building nearby and they did not find him.

    “At 1359 GMT, we received the first information about shooting,” Vondrasek told reporters, adding the rapid response unit was on the scene within 12 minutes.

    “At 1420 GMT, the officers in action told us about the gunman’s motionless body,” Vondrasek said, adding unconfirmed information showed he had killed himself.

    Another murder

    Citing a probe into social media, Vondrasek said the gunman was inspired by a “similar case that happened in Russia”, without going into details.

    “At the moment, there is nothing to suggest any further imminent danger,” he added.

    Vondrasek said police believed the same gunman had also killed a young man and his two-month-old daughter in a pram during a walk in a forest on the eastern outskirts of Prague on December 15.

    The police investigation into the murder that had shocked Prague was deadlocked until evidence found in Hostoun linked the gunman with the crime.

    Vondrasek said no police officer was wounded in Thursday’s action.

    Police evacuated the building, using a concert hall across the street as a temporary refuge for the evacuees.

    Czech President Petr Pavel said he was “shocked” by the violence and expressed “deep regret and sincere condolences to the families and relatives of the victims”.

    Prime Minister Petr Fiala said the “lone gunman… wasted many lives of mostly young people”.

    “There is no justification for this horrendous act,” he added.

    The worst shooting since the Czech Republic emerged as an independent state in 1993 also prompted messages of support from across the world.

    US President Joe Biden sent his condolences, slamming the “senseless” shooting.

    “The president and the first lady are praying for the families who lost loved ones and everyone else who has been affected by the senseless act of violence,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters.

    French President Emmanuel Macron also expressed his “solidarity” with the Czech people, as did many other European leaders including European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

    ‘No other gunman’

    Czech Interior Minister Vit Rakusan said that there was no link between the shooting and “international terrorism”.

    He added that “no other gunman has been confirmed” and called on people to follow police instructions.

    Police cordoned off the area and asked people living nearby to stay at home.

    Prague’s emergency service said on X that “a large number of ambulance units” were deployed at the faculty.

    Though mass gun violence is unusual in the Czech Republic, the nation has been rocked by some instances in recent years.

    A 63-year-old man shot seven men and a woman dead in 2015 before killing himself in a restaurant in the southeastern town of Uhersky Brod.

    In 2019, a man killed six people in the waiting room of a hospital in the eastern city of Ostrava, with another woman dying days later. The man shot himself dead about three hours after the attack.

  • Landlord’s son kills renter couple, baby survives shooting after father comes between her and bullets

    Landlord’s son kills renter couple, baby survives shooting after father comes between her and bullets

    Islamabad Police has reported that the son of a house owner killed the couple who had rented his house in Barakahu after an argument. The couple’s 18-month-old daughter miraculously survived the attack. ⁠
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    Twitter account Islamabadies posted details about the victims: “The 23-year-old Rida Noor, along with her husband Asim, was shot dead in their car by unknown Shooters. The only witness to this horrific incident, their 18-month-old daughter Sabrina, was also injured in the attack. They were shot down on their way to her mother’s place in Islamabad on Monday night,” the account posted.⁠



    The account also urged the authorities to take action and provide justice to the little girl Sabrina.⁠
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    It was claimed that the attack was targeted, and aimed at murdering the entire family.⁠
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    Islamabad police has said that the police is in search of the suspects.⁠


    According to media reports, two men gunned down the couple in the limits of BharaKahu police station on the night of December 4.⁠
    ⁠
    The killers were identified as Shareefullah and Ismail, the couple’s neighbours who had a heated argument with them and opened fire at them when the victims’ vehicle blocked their passage. ⁠
    ⁠
    A brief altercation over the use of the path led to the double murder. On the day of the incident, the two groups once again had a dispute on the use of the passage, reports Dunya News. ⁠
    ⁠
    The police has confirmed that the culprits were Afghan nationals who managed to escape after committing the crime, reports Express Tribune.⁠
    ⁠

  • Unregistered sims are being used by fraudsters, terrorists

    Unregistered sims are being used by fraudsters, terrorists

    Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Cyber Crimes has submitted a report on the fraudulent acquisition of biometrics of mobile SIMs to the Ministry of Home Affairs.

    As restrictions have tightened, counterfeiters have also invented new methods, according to the FIA report, including the use of fake thumbprints for SIM registration.

    According to the report, more than 80,000 SIMs registered on silicon thumbs were reported in four years. Fraudsters are said to obtain fingerprints by luring people into registering for voter lists or for obtaining cheaper essential items etc. which are then imprinted on silicon thumbs and SIMs are consequently registered.

    According to the report, it has been revealed that unregistered SIMs are being used by terrorists. More than 3,500 SIMs obtained on fake registrations are active right now out of which 93 cases were registered over the past four years, 193 people were arrested, and 294 fake biometric devices were also used.

  • A hero in town: Roshan Bibi saves children, husband from bullets

    A hero in town: Roshan Bibi saves children, husband from bullets

    Roshan Bibi, a 28-year-old woman from Ghazar, saved her husband and children in a firing incident on a bus in Chilas.

    On December 2, when terrorists fired at a bus in Chilas, Roshan Bibi laid her one-and-a-half-year-old son, four-year-old daughter and husband on the floor of the bus and she herself lied down on top of them to protect them. Six shots were fired.

    Roshan Bibi along with her husband Syed Ahmad Shah and two children were travelling to Karachi at the time.

    In the tragic incident of firing on the bus, nine people were killed and 26 people were injured.

    Roshan Bibi was injured and shifted to Gilgit, where three bullets were removed from her body during an operation while three are still reportedly in her body, which are yet to be removed.

    Roshan Bibi has been transferred to a private hospital in Karachi.

  • Return of illegal foreigners to their country beneficial for Pakistan, says Gen. Asim Munir

    Return of illegal foreigners to their country beneficial for Pakistan, says Gen. Asim Munir

    Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir said on Thursday that the presence of illegal foreigners in the country is “seriously affecting” its security and economy, adding that the decision to send illegal foreigners to their home country is beneficial for Pakistan.

    According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the army chief passed the remarks during a visit to Peshawar, where he briefly explained the security situation, ongoing counter-terrorism operations, and the return of undocumented foreign nationals.

    “Decision to repatriate them has been taken by the government in the interest of Pakistan,” General Asim said, as quoted by the military’s media wing.

    The army chief also mentioned that all the illegal immigrants are being sent to their home country in a “humane and dignified manner.”

    According to the Interior Ministry, almost 255,029 illegal foreigners have left for Afghanistan from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

    On his visit to Peshawar, Gen. Munir interacted with soldiers and officers, and he said while addressing them that “The nation takes pride and acknowledges the accomplishments of its Armed Forces. Pakistan is destined to succeed and the Pakistan Army will continue to undertake its selfless and sacred duty of safeguarding every inch of the motherland till the last drop of blood, InshaAllah.”

  • Attack on passenger bus in Chilas; Protests Erupt, Bus Service Suspended

    Attack on passenger bus in Chilas; Protests Erupt, Bus Service Suspended

    In a tragic incident in the Chilas area of Gilgit-Baltistan’s(GB) Diamer district, a passenger bus en route to Rawalpindi was targeted by unknown assailants on December 2. The attack resulted in the loss of at least nine lives, including two soldiers, and injuries to 21 passengers.

    The attackers fired from nearby hills, causing the bus to collide with a goods truck.

    Six people have been arrested in connection with the attack, according to a local police official as per Dawn.

    The bus (Number BLN 4647) was traveling from Gahkuch, the district headquarters of Ghizer, operated by K2 Travels, a private transportation company.

    This isn’t the first time passenger buses have been attacked on the KKH by terrorists. Unlike the past attacks, in which passengers from the Shia community were targetted, this time the victims are not from a particular faith group.

    Contrary to previous incidents in the region, GB Home Minister Shams Lone emphasized that this attack was not sectarian but rather a terrorist act that claimed lives from various backgrounds.

    The local community in Diamer has reportedly rejected such acts, and the government has assured the public of taking tough measures against the perpetrators.

    The minister said that the GB government has taken “tough decisions” to deal with militants and “all culprits will be arrested soon”.

    He added that religious scholars from all sects, civil society and political parties have condemned the attack.

    GB Chief Minister Gulbar Khan, along with other top officials, attended the funeral of the victims and announced compensation of Rs1 million for the deceased, Rs500,000 for the seriously injured, and Rs300,000 for other injured passengers.

    The government has also implemented security measures, including daytime travel for passenger vehicles through Diamer in convoys escorted by security personnel.

    Protests

    Protests erupted across Chilas, Gilgit, Skardu, and Hunza, with the transporters’ association calling for protection for vehicles traveling on the Karakoram Highway (KKH).

    Bus Service Suspended

    In response to the incident, bus services from Rawalpindi to Gilgit-Baltistan remain suspended until foolproof security is provided, as stated by Malik Shahbaz, the general secretary of the Pakistan Transporter Welfare Association.

    Malik Shahbaz, the general secretary of the Pakistan Transporter Welfare Association, told Dawn that 150 to 200 coaches and buses operate from Rawalpindi to 10 GB districts daily.

    He claimed that only one security official on a motorcycle is deputed to escort the convoy of buses along the 50-kilometer-long stretch of the KKH in Chilas.

    “The public transport service will remain suspended until the provision of foolproof security to Gilgit-bound buses,” Mr Shahbaz said.

    The Pakistan Association of Tour Operators also condemned the attack and said the act of violence not only resulted in the loss of innocent lives but had a profound impact on the tourism industry as well. “Our thoughts are with the victims, their families, and all those affected by this tragedy.”

    Security Enhanced

    Meanwhile, Islamabad Capital City Police Officer(ICCPO) Dr. Akbar Nasir Khan issued directives to enhance security measures in the Diplomatic Enclave following the attack.

    “Police remains steadfast in its commitment to maintaining a peaceful environment and ensuring the protection of the lives and property of the citizens within the federal capital,” he said.

    “Citizens are urged to cooperate with the police and report any suspicious activities or items by dialling helpline Pucar 15 or at ICT-15 app,” he said.