Category: 1. Pakistan

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Lahore on Saturday sent PTI founder Imran Khan’s nephew Shahrez Khan to jail on judicial remand in a case pertaining to the Jinnah House attack during the May 9, 2023 riots.

Lahore Police picked up Shahrez, son of Imran’s sister Aleema Khan, from his mother’s Lahore residence on August 21. His brother Shershah Khan was also arrested the next day over similar allegations, and sent on physical remand and then to jail.

Lahore police presented Shahrez before the court of ATC Judge Manzer Ali Gill today upon the completion of his eight-day physical remand.

Advocate Rana Mudassar Umer and PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja appeared as Shahrez’s counsel, while Imtiaz Ahmad Sipra was present as the prosecutor.

Sipra sought a further 30-day physical custody of Shahrez, while Umer urged the court to discharge his client from the case. Judge Gill denied the police’s request and ordered that Shahrez be sent to jail on a 14-day judicial remand.

“A cane has been recovered from the suspect’s possession,” the officer told the court, adding that Shahrez’s photogrammetry test had been conducted as well.

“Further investigation of the incident needs to be completed. Hence, further remand may be given,” Sipra said. He further said that Shahrez’s social media accounts also need to be verified, according to today’s court order, seen by Dawn.com.

Meanwhile, Advocate Umer filed a bail plea for Shahrez before the ATC. “No recovery of any kind was done from the suspect. The investigation has been completed,” the petition contended.

Terming Shahrez’s arrest “illegal”, the plea requested the court to order the triathlete’s release.

‘In Chitral on May 9’

Shahrez’s lawyers submitted photocopies of affidavits of seven people who either travelled with him or were residing at Chitral on May 9, according to the court order.

“Learned defence counsels representing the accused during the course of arguments have tendered some photographs, affidavits as well as detail of foreign trips of the accused,” the court order noted, adding that the defence lawyers had argued that Shahrez was not in Lahore from May 7 to May 12, 2023 but in Chitral.

According to the order, the investigating officer was asked whether he had considered the evidence, to which he replied that the documents were presented at about 12am, hence he could not verify or investigate them.

“This court is of the view that verification of social media accounts, air travel history and participation of the accused in international sports events could easily be verified and searched out through Google, social media and newspapers, etc, without taking into custody of the accused on physical remand.”

Judge Gill directed that Shahrez be presented before the court on September 13, and ordered the IO to submit the charge sheet by then.

During the hearing, Advocate Umer contended that the suspect was not present in Lahore on May 9, 2023 but was with family and friends in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Chitral.

“The statement of the hotel manager where he stayed is also available,” Umer said.

“The suspect has been involved in this [case] because he is the PTI founder’s nephew,” the lawyer claimed. He added that no statement of Shahrez’s inclusion in the case was part of the record.

“Aleema Khan raises her voice for the PTI founder’s release. Aleema Khan’s son has been arrested to silence her voice,” Umer contended.

Amnesty International and the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan have expressed their concerns over the arrests of Shahrez and Shershah, with the former terming them a “political witch-hunt”.

Shahrez’s wife has said her husband was in Chitral with her family on May 9, 2023, sharing purported pictures from the trip. At the same time, the PTI has challenged a video being shared of Shahrez, stating it was from the party’s public meeting in Kahna held on Sept 21, 2024, not from the 2023 riots.

Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry had defended the arrests last week, saying they could not be chalked off as “fake, fabricated [or] politically motivated”.

On May 9, 2023, PTI supporters, protesting Imran’s arrest, staged violent protests throughout the country, vandalising military installations and state-owned buildings, while also attacking the Lahore corps commander’s residence.

Following the riots, the state launched a crackdown on the PTI, with thousands of protesters and top party leadership arrested. Scores of PTI leaders have recently been convicted in cases over the riots and disqualified from their parliamentary roles.

President Asif Ali Zardari gave his assent on Saturday to the Pakistan Land Port Authority Bill, 2025, turning it into law and paving the way for the establishment of a new statutory body tasked with managing border crossings and facilitating cross-border movement.

The newly-created Pakistan Land Port Authority will act as a central platform for coordinating between multiple border management agencies.

Its mandate includes facilitating the smooth movement of goods and passengers across land ports, reducing delays, and ensuring more efficient trade flows.

Officials said the authority would serve as an institutional mechanism to streamline inter-agency cooperation and strengthen Pakistan’s connectivity with its neighbours. The body is also expected to improve compliance with international trade agreements and conventions.

Read: Pakistan Land Port Authority Bill sails through NA

With its formation, Pakistan has become the third country in South Asia, after India and Bangladesh, to establish a dedicated land port authority. Government officials described the step as part of wider efforts to improve regional trade integration and ease bottlenecks in border management.

According to the presidency, the authority will introduce a “robust coordination mechanism” with border agencies and play a role in enhancing the competitiveness of regional ports. It is also expected to boost Pakistan’s ability to meet international obligations in cross-border trade and security management.

Observers noted that the move could help Pakistan strengthen economic ties with neighbouring countries, particularly as regional connectivity projects expand. However, they added that the effectiveness of the new body will depend on how well it coordinates with existing institutions, such as customs and immigration.

 

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s national space agency SUPARCO is using satellite mapping and real-time imagery to help guide rescue and relief operations, officials said on Friday, as monsoon floods have devastated much of the country, killing over 800 people since the beginning of the season and destroying farms and livestock.

The agency established its Space Application Center for Response in Emergency and Disasters (SACRED) in 2014 to provide space-based support for natural disasters, from floods and droughts to glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), earthquakes and landslides. With extreme weather striking more frequently, SACRED is now central to disaster management planning across the country.

Speaking to Arab News on Friday, a SUPARCO official explained that satellites serve as the “country’s eyes in the sky,” capturing and monitoring areas cut off by rough terrain or extreme weather, and delivering crucial information, and satellite mapping to track and respond to the unfolding disaster.

“We [SUPARCO] provide real-time imagery of the affected flood area to different institutions at the national level and provincial level,” Jahanzeb Khan, General Manager Image Processing at SUPARCO told Arab News.

“The rapid response is very important. We capture satellite images of flood-hit areas in near real time and send them to the relevant departments within an hour to speed up rescue operations and save lives,” he said, adding that pre-disaster images are also compared with fresh ones to provide critical insights, helping authorities act faster on the ground.

Aisha Rabbia, General Manager Satellite Planning, said the agency constantly monitors river shifts, dam heights, and changing water levels through its own satellites and international collaboration for timely action.

“We now have four remote sensing satellites of our own that provide real-time data, and through international collaboration we get additional recordings as well,” she said.

The official explained that space-based imagery enabled authorities to draw up timely evacuation plans even if conventional communication networks fail, as SUPARCO operates its own independent link system.

“Even in case of a complete communication breakdown, our satellites ensure the flow of critical data to the relevant departments,” she added.

Rabbia said the agency supports post-disaster recovery by helping assess crop losses, guiding urban planning in hard-hit areas, and aiding rehabilitation efforts through satellite analysis.

“Space-based technology shortens the response time as work that normally takes a day is done in hours,” she continued. “We capture imagery both day and night, without limitation. So, damage assessment and recovery planning can begin immediately.”

She said weather satellites were not in SPARCO’s resources, but they would be available soon since they were included in an upcoming plan.

Another official, Dr. Muhammad Farooq, Director SACRED, stressed the need to shift from a reactive to a proactive approach, saying SUPARCO has recently developed a Disaster Risk Assessment initiative for the National Disaster Risk Management Fund (NDRMF), known as the Natural Catastrophic Modeling Project, or simply the NatCat Project. 

“This flagship initiative of NDRMF helps disaster managers identify the most vulnerable or high-risk areas so they can take preventive measures and reduce potential damage through better planning,” he added.

SUPARCO currently operates six satellites, including two for communication and four for earth observation (EO).

“With two more EO satellites due to be launched by the end of this year, SUPARCO will be in an even stronger position to provide satellite data for national institutions, including disaster management agencies,” Farooq said.

The flood emergency, fueled by torrential monsoon rains and excess water released from upstream dams in India, has made Punjab, the country’s breadbasket and home to over half of Pakistan’s 240 million people, one of the worst-hit regions.

The disaster officials reported 20 deaths in the province this week, more than 429,000 people evacuated, and 1,769 villages inundated affecting 1.45 million people.

When confronted in 2013, the man who claimed scholars agreed on the death penalty for blasphemy told his interrogators that he could not actually read Arabic.

This man, Advocate Ismail Qureshi, is at the centre of a new documentary by the Alliance Against Blasphemy Politics Pakistan (AABP). It hosted an early screening of The Inevitable Misuse of Blasphemy Politics (2024) and a new episode titled Blasphemy as Biddat: Intra-Muslim Difference in the Age of Empires on Sunday, August 17, at Kitab Ghar. A small group of students, teachers and journalists gathered to watch the documentaries and have a Q&A with the team at the modest public library in Karachi.

Read: Minister highlights response to misuse of blasphemy laws

The documentaries are on Section 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code or the country’s blasphemy law which came about in 1986 and were reinforced by the Federal Shariat Court in 1991. Section 295-C says death is the sole punishment for blasphemy against the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) and the law makes questioning its authority an act of blasphemy itself. What the authorities describe as the “misuse” of the law is, in fact, its only possible correct application. The legislation’s limitless definitions transform any action into potential blasphemy.

An estimated 767 people are currently in custody on blasphemy charges (as of mid-2024), according to the National Commission for Human Rights.

People accused of blasphemy are at extremely high risk of extrajudicial violence. The Centre for Social Justice recorded that at least 104 people were killed by mobs and in custody between 1994 and 2024. Rights groups say these numbers reflect not just legal enforcement but a broader climate in which accusations are made to settle personal scores, seize property or provoke mob action.

On April 13, 2017, Mashal Khan, a 23-year-old student at Abdul Wali Khan University, was attacked and killed by a mob following online allegations of blasphemy. An investigation team concluded that the allegations were fabricated. An anti-terrorism court tried 57 suspects in the lynching: one was sentenced to death, five to life imprisonment, 25 received shorter prison terms and 26 were acquitted, with further convictions issued afterwards.

The law claims legitimacy through centuries-old Islamic tradition and scholarly consensus (ijma). Yet, this supposed continuity of divine command has produced a striking statistical anomaly: whilst blasphemy accusations have risen 20,000% since 1986, not a single conviction has been upheld by the Supreme Court. Perhaps the most well known case is that of Asia Noreen, a Christian farm worker, who was convicted in 2010 and sentenced to death. After eight years in custody, she was acquitted by the Supreme Court on October 31, 2018, and left Pakistan for Canada.

The 13-minute animated Blasphemy as Biddat challenges the idea that these laws are rooted in timeless Islamic tradition. The films’ thesis is that Pakistan’s most-defended piece of legislation is actually erected on colonial legal foundations and fabricated Islamic scholarship. Its “sacred” language was copy-pasted from old British legal documents, Australian defamation cases, and American lawsuits.

One of the most startling revelations was the law’s linguistic origins. Through meticulous textual analysis, the team traced terms such as “innuendo,” “insinuation,” and “imputation” not to Islamic jurisprudence, but to Australian defamation law, American libel legislation, and Indian hate speech statutes.

And the man who claimed religious authority over these penalties has admitted he couldn’t even read Arabic and did not understand the texts he claimed to cite. “When we began reading the books of Islamist legal activists from the 1980s–90s, including Ismail Qureshi’s, it was glaringly obvious that they were misquoting these sources,” said a member of the AABP Team while speaking to The Express Tribune at the screening. “We met Qureshi almost a decade ago and that is where he acknowledged his lack of training to us.”

Ismail Qureshi’s fabricated scholarship had transformed Abu Hanifa’s eighth-century position — that a non-Muslim blasphemer is not punishable by death — into its complete opposite, forming the foundation for Pakistan’s 1991 Federal Shariat Court ruling. Qureshi wasn’t just any author, as the team reveals “He drafted the 295-C bill and successfully petitioned to make it a hadd (fixed) punishment, without understanding the sources he cited.”

Jurists, Islamic law scholars, historians, and legal experts argue that Pakistan’s blasphemy laws diverge from the “fiqhi” lineage of Islamic jurisprudence and are innovations (biddat) born of colonial and post-colonial statecraft. This shift was not organic, but shaped by colonial interventions aimed at controlling the “passions” of subject populations.

Classical Islamic jurisprudence, on the other hand, required strict categorisation of crimes, attention to intent, and context. This framework allowed more flexibility than today’s rigid interpretations, which impose harsh punishments without regard to intent or circumstance. These laws thus come in conflict with foundational Islamic legal principles of evidence, intent, and proportionality.

Read more: IHC orders probe into online blasphemy spike

Given the fraught nature of the subject, the AABP decided to use 2D flat symbolic animation rather than conventional documentary footage. This aesthetic choice created intellectual distance from what is extremely emotionally charged material, which makes space for rational analysis rather than just reactions. “Animation offers abstraction and safety,” explained a member of the team. “It lets us sidestep familiar tropes and charged imagery that often provoke defensiveness around blasphemy politics.”

So, instead of real faces or locations, animation of quivering shapes and merging boxes set to a calm voice over keeps the viewer concentrated on the ideas behind blasphemy politics. “In a context where blasphemy politics thrives on spectacle and naming,” another member added, “animation becomes a powerful medium to recentralise discourse over drama.” Complex legal concepts are broken down with shifting lines, blobs that swell and shrink and shapes that bleed into each other. Using real-life television or amateur social media video would have risked turning the documentary into trauma voyeurism.

Also: Blasphemy probe

The documentaries sift through meticulous scholarship to distinguish authentic tradition from its colonial and contemporary distortions. “The first step is to demystify the law to show that 295-C is not sacred, not divine, and not rooted in Islamic legal consensus,” said the team member. “It is a very modern law based on culture wars in the 80s.”

For this member of the team, making the film deepened his respect for Islamic legal tradition. “I saw how careful, nuanced, and ethically aware classical jurists were, especially in contrast to the hyper-modern, one-size-fits-all laws passed in the name of Islam.”

• Shahrez presented before ATC upon completion of remand.
• He was wanted in connection with attack on Jinnah House.
• Aleema’s son also faces charges of running anti-state campaign.
  

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An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Lahore on Saturday sent Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founding chairman Imran Khan’s nephew, Shahrez Khan, to jail on judicial remand in a case pertaining to the attack on Jinnah House during the May 9 riots.

Shahrez, son of Imran’s sister Aleema Khan, was arrested on August 21 in connection with the Jinnah House attack case — the same case in which his brother Shershah is also facing charges.

The May 9 riots broke out across the country following the arrest of the PTI founder in a corruption case in 2023. The violence included attacks on military and state installations, with the Jinnah House incident becoming one of the most high-profile cases.

Lahore police presented Aleema’s son before the ATC court Judge Manzer Ali Gill today upon the completion of his physical remand.

During the hearing, the prosecution sought an extension in physical remand for further investigation from the accused. 

Judge Gill, rejecting the police request, sent him on judicial remand.

It is pertinent to know that Shershah and Shahrez face charges of allegedly running anti-state campaign and involvement in the May 9 violence.

Sources had told Geo News earlier that both of the suspects were primarily arrested for their alleged involvement in the Jinnah House attack.

“Shershah was present with Hassan Niazi at the time of the Jinnah House attack and had earlier been booked in connection with the case. He was facing accusations of arson, vandalism, and torching a police van, as well as “running an anti-state digital campaign for months”.

He allegedly went into hiding after the violence and later fled to London, where he remained for nearly two years, the sources added.

Pakistan’s soaring used car imports pose a “serious” threat to local manufacturers, according to Indus Motor Co., the local joint venture of Toyota Motor Corp.

The roughly 40,000 to 45,000 imported vehicles comprised almost one-third of the local automobile market in the 12 months through June, compared with less than 10% in 2023, Indus Chief Executive Officer Ali Asghar Jamali said on Friday.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Saturday he looked forward to meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping along with other world leaders as he arrived in China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also touched down on his first visit after a seven-year gap.

The SCO summit, to be held in the northern port city of China’s Tianjin on Sunday and Monday, will gather more than 20 world leaders in a powerful show of Global South solidarity, including Russian President Vladimir Putin. The SCO comprises China, India, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus. Another 16 countries are affiliated as observers or “dialogue partners”.

PM Shehbaz arrived in Tianjin with Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Information Minister Attaullah Tarar.

Terming his visit “historic”, PM Shehbaz said on X today: “I look forward to meeting H.E. President Xi Jinping and other world leaders to further build upon our bilateral ties with China, our All Weather Strategic Cooperative Partner, as well as with other key countries of the region […]”

The premier expressed his aim to “enhance regional cooperation, strengthen multilateralism, and advance shared goals for peace and prosperity”.

According to a statement from the Foreign Office (FO) today, the premier is leading a delegation from Pakistan to participate in the SCO’s Council of Heads of State (CHS) summit from August 31 to September 1.

“The SCO CHS Summit will bring together heads of state and government from SCO member states, including Pakistan, Belarus, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan,” the statement read.

Leaders from Mongolia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Turkiye, Egypt, the Maldives, Myanmar and others, as well as the chief of the United Nations and heads of various regional and international organisations, will also attend as part of the expanded format.

“At the SCO CHS Summit, Prime Minister Sharif will present Pakistan’s perspectives on pressing regional and global issues, highlighting strategies to strengthen the SCO’s role in fostering regional cooperation and stability,” the FO stated.

PM Shehbaz is slated to reaffirm Pakistan’s commitment to promoting multilateralism, enhancing regional security and advancing sustainable development, the FO said. He is also expected to have bilateral meetings with other SCO leaders and invited members to “strengthen diplomatic relations”.

On the engagements in China, the FO said the prime minister would hold meetings with President Xi and Premier Li Qiang “during which multifaceted dimensions of Pakistan-China bilateral cooperation would be discussed”.

“He would also attend the military parade with President Xi and other world leaders being held in Beijing to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the World’s Anti-Fascist War,” the FO added.

PM Shehbaz, as per the statement, would “interact with reputed Chinese businessmen and corporate executives to discuss bilateral trade, economic and investment ties”. He would also address a Pakistan-China B2B Investment Conference in Beijing.

The statement highlighted that the visit was a part of leadership-level exchanges between the two countries.

“It manifests the importance attached by the two countries to further deepen their All Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership, reaffirm support on issues of respective core interests, advance Phase-II of CPEC and maintain regular communication on important regional and global developments,” FO said.

Ahead of Pakistan’s participation in the summit, FM Dar also posted on X, saying: “Pakistan’s all-weather strategic partnership with China is anchored in trust and strategic alignment. We value President Xi’s leadership and initiatives such as the Belt and Road, and the Global Development, Security & Civilisation Initiatives, which continue to transform economies and strengthen regional integration.”

He added: “The SCO has become a pivotal Eurasian platform, advancing cooperation in security, trade, energy, connectivity, and culture under the principles of mutual trust and shared development.”

In today’s multipolar world, FM Dar said, the SCO’s role in promoting multilateralism, stability, and inclusive growth is more vital than ever.

Leaders from Central Asia, the Middle East, South Asia and Southeast Asia have been invited to the 25th SCO Heads of State Council.

Last week, the government said that PM Shehbaz’s visit to China will mark the formal launch of the second phase of the China­-Pakistan Economic Corr­idor (CPEC-II), focused on industrial cooperation, after a delay of about five years.

“Prime minister’s upcoming visit will mark the formal launch of CPEC Phase-II, with both sides expected to set clear priorities and agree on tangible, measurable outcomes,” an official announcement had said, quoting Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, focal person on the multi-billion-dollar bilateral initiative.

In July, the two countries decided to form technical working groups to explore and implement projects focusing on high-yield cotton seed development, advanced water-saving irrigation technologies, and modern farming techniques.

Modi’s visit after 7-year break

Modi also arrived in Tianjin on his first visit to China since 2018, coming straight after a trip to Japan, which pledged to invest $68 billion in India.

China and India, the world’s two most populous nations, are intense rivals competing for influence across South Asia and fought a deadly border clash in 2020.

A thaw began last October when Modi met with President Xi for the first time in five years at a summit in Russia.

Xi began welcoming leaders, including Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Egyptian Premier Moustafa Madbouly.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is also due to arrive in Tianjin ahead of the summit.

China and Russia have used the SCO — sometimes touted as a counter to the Western-dominated Nato military alliance — to deepen ties with Central Asian states.

Other leaders, including Iranian and Turkish presidents Masoud Pezeshkian and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, will also attend the bloc’s largest meeting since its founding in 2001.

Multiple bilateral meetings are expected to be held on the sidelines of the summit.

The Kremlin said on Friday that Putin will discuss the Ukraine conflict with Erdogan on Monday.

Turkiye has hosted three rounds of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine this year that have failed to break the deadlock over how to end the conflict, triggered when Moscow launched its invasion of its pro-European neighbour in February 2022.

Putin will also meet with his Iranian counterpart Pezeshkian to discuss Tehran’s nuclear programme on Monday, a meeting that comes as Iran faces fresh Western pressure.

Britain, France and Germany, known as the E3, triggered a “snapback” mechanism on Thursday to reinstate UN sanctions on Iran for failing to comply with commitments made in a 2015 deal over its nuclear programme.

Russia’s foreign ministry warned that the reimposition of sanctions against Iran risked “irreparable consequences”.

Tehran and Moscow have been bolstering political, military and economic ties over the past decade as Russia drifted away from the West.

Relations between them grew even closer after Russia launched its offensive against Ukraine.