Family of missing student faces Pak police brutality during Tejaban protest
In Kech district, Pak Frontier Corps (FC) personnel have assaulted and used forceful measures against the family members of a missing Baloch student, Farooq Baloch, who have been staging a protest by blocking the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) route at Tejaban.
The FC personnel beat and threatened the protesters, demanding that they end their demonstration within two hours. The protesters have appealed to the Baloch nation to support their cause, which has gained momentum across various parts of Pak-occupied-Balochistan.
The sit-in protest by Farooq Baloch’s relatives on the Kech Tejaban CPEC Road continues, with demands for his immediate recovery. Farooq Baloch was one of six students who went missing after being taken into custody from Quetta on May 28. While five of his companions have been recovered, Farooq’s whereabouts remain unknown.
In a bid to intensify their protest, the family blocked the strategic CPEC route at Tump, completely halting traffic. Meanwhile, a rally is scheduled to take place in Quetta, calling for the safe recovery of Farooq Baloch and Anees Baloch, another missing student.
The protesters have vowed to maintain their blockade of the CPEC road at Tejaban until Farooq Baloch is released, defying the threats and use of force by the security personnel.
Sindhi diaspora to rally in London for release of abducted Hindu girl Priya Kumari
The Sindhi Foundation, a Washington-based human rights organization, has announced plans to organize a long march in London on June 14 to commemorate the abduction of Priya Kumari, a young Hindu girl from Pakistan’s Sindh province, three years ago.
The protest march, stretching from 10 Downing Street to the Pakistani High Commission, aims to draw attention to the plight of the minor and demand her safe return.
“We, the Sindhis living in London and elsewhere worldwide, have taken to the streets along with humanitarians, women, and men of conscience, to seek justice for Priya Kumari and bring her back home,” said Sufi Munawar Laghari, the Sindhi Foundation’s Executive Director.
Priya Kumari, then seven years old, was forcibly abducted near her home in Sangrar village, near Sukkur, while serving water to mourners during a Muharram commemoration. Since then, her whereabouts remain unknown despite the family’s efforts.
Laghari said that the highly politicized police in Sindh is failing miserably to recover the abducted minor, despite being aware of her location. He emphasized that Pakistan, as a signatory to the UN General Assembly’s Declaration of the Rights of Children and other international instruments, has an obligation to protect children like Priya Kumari.
The Executive Director alleged that Priya Kumari’s abductors belong to the “political power corridors” and targeted her because she hails from the Sindhi Hindu community, whose daughters are frequent victims of forced conversions to Islam.
“There are hundreds of Sindhi Hindu young women and girls who are forcibly converted on an everyday basis in Sindh, which goes unabated,” Laghari said.
During the long march, the Sindhi Foundation plans to present memorandums to the staff of the UK Prime Minister and the Pakistani High Commissioner, highlighting Priya Kumari’s plight and urging authorities to facilitate her safe return to her family.
Notably, Sindh has the highest population of Hindus in Pakistan and therefore witnesses most cases of forced conversion. The forced Islamisation of religious minorities has led to the steep decline in their population in the Islamic Republic.
BLA attacks Pak Army vehicle, kills two and injures four
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a prominent pro-independence group, has claimed responsibility for a deadly attack on Pak security forces in Panjgur district of Pak-occupied-Balochistan province.
According to a statement issued by Jeeyand Baloch, the BLA’s spokesperson, their fighters targeted a vehicle of the occupying Pak forces with a remote-controlled improvised explosive device (IED) on Sunday.
The attack, which took place in the Makoi Dan area of Sorap, resulted in the deaths of two Pak Army personnel, with at least four others sustaining injuries. The BLA spokesperson said that the vehicle was severely damaged in the blast.
“The Baloch Liberation Army takes responsibility for this attack. Our operations will continue until the complete evacuation of the occupying forces from Balochistan,” the statement read.
Balochistan, forcefully occupied by Pak Army is the largest but least populated province, has grappled with a long-running freedom struggle. Various Baloch freedom fighter groups, including the BLA, have waged an armed struggle against the Army, for the freedom of Baloch people and to stop the exploitation of the resource-rich region’s natural resources.
The BLA has been at the forefront of the fight, frequently carrying out attacks on security forces and infrastructure projects in the region. The group aims to establish an independent homeland for the Baloch people, who have been marginalized and oppressed by the Pak establishment.
Pak Army’s enforced disappearances target Baloch youth
The enforced disappearance of Dr. Shahid and Saif Baloch, abducted from a clinic in Beirut Mandwani area of Taunsa, has once again brought the plight of the Baloch people to the forefront. This egregious act is a grim reminder that no corner of the region is safe from the heavy-handed brutality of Pak forces.
From the coastal towns of Makuran to the inland cities like Taunsa, the Baloch populace lives in constant fear of falling victim to the Army’s oppressive tactics. The youth, including students and activists, bear the brunt of this relentless crackdown on dissent and demands for basic human rights.
Enforced disappearances have become a chilling norm, with countless Baloch individuals unlawfully detained and forcibly made to vanish without a trace. Human rights organizations have repeatedly condemned these harrowing practices and urged Pak authorities, but their pleas have fallen on deaf ears.
In response to the alarming surge in enforced disappearances and harassment targeting the Baloch student community, organizations across Pakistan are mobilizing to raise their voices in protest. These demonstrations underscore the growing frustration and unwavering determination to bring global attention to the violations perpetrated by the very state that is duty-bound to protect its people.
Since the Pak Army’s occupation of Balochistan in 1948, Baloch community has endured a relentless nightmare of oppression, not only subjected to enforced disappearances but also frequent raids, extrajudicial killings, and a complete disregard for our basic human rights.
Jury convicts Hunter Biden on all three gun charges amid addiction struggles
In a highly publicized trial, Hunter Biden, the eldest son of President Joe Biden, was found guilty on Tuesday of all three felony counts related to purchasing a handgun while being a user of crack cocaine. The verdict came after a weeklong trial that delved into the younger Biden’s well-documented struggles with addiction.
The 12-member jury deliberated for approximately three hours over two days before reaching their unanimous decision.
President Biden acknowledging the outcome, said, “I will accept the outcome of this case and will continue to respect the judicial process as Hunter considers an appeal.” He reaffirmed his commitment to stand by his son, adding, “Jill and I will always be there for Hunter and the rest of our family with our love and support. Nothing will ever change that.”
The charges stemmed from a 2018 incident in which Hunter Biden falsely stated on a Firearms Transaction Record that he was not an unlawful user of, or addicted to, any controlled substance when purchasing a Colt revolver. Prosecutors presented compelling evidence, including text messages and witness testimony, detailing his ongoing drug use during that period.
While no sentencing date has been set, Hunter Biden faces a maximum of 25 years in prison, although a lesser sentence is expected for a first-time offender. His attorney, Abbe Lowell, expressed disappointment with the verdict but vowed to “vigorously pursue all the legal challenges available.”
In a statement, Hunter Biden expressed gratitude for the support of his family and friends, stating, “Recovery is possible by the grace of God, and I am blessed to experience that gift one day at a time.”
The trial provided a candid glimpse into the personal struggles of the Biden family, with various relatives, including Hunter’s ex-wife Kathleen Buhle and former sister-in-law Hallie Biden, testifying about his addiction and its impact on their relationships.
Terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda district
Tensions escalated in the Union Territory on Tuesday night as security forces clashed with militants in Doda district, marking the third terror incident in the region within just three days.
The encounter unfolded when militants opened fire on a joint check post manned by the 4 Rashtriya Rifles and local police in the Chatergala area. Security personnel swiftly retaliated, prompting an intense gunfight that is still ongoing, according to Additional Director General of Police Anand Jain.
This latest confrontation follows a devastating militant attack on Sunday in Reasi district, where assailants ambushed a bus carrying pilgrims from the Shiv Khori temple to Katra. The assault left nine civilians dead and 41 others injured after the bus plummeted into a deep gorge. Authorities have released a sketch of one of the suspected militants.
Massive efforts are underway to neutralize the threat, with 11 teams of security forces scouring the Ranso-Poni-Treyath belt under a multi-directional cordon.
“Two terrorists, who appeared to have freshly infiltrated, surfaced in village Saida Sukhal near Koota Morh of the Police Station Hira Nagar in the late evening of June 11. They asked for water from a few houses to which villagers grew suspicious and slammed the doors on them and a few raised hue and cry. The terrorists panicked and fired randomly in the air,” ADGP Anand Jain said.
This is the first major attack that Doda district of the Chenab Valley has witnessed this year.
On the Reasi terrorist attack in Jammu & Kashmir
Over the Years
The joint efforts of the then Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif to end animosity between the two long-estranged neighbours finally bore fruit in February 1999 with commencement of a weekly bus service between Delhi and Lahore. However, this spectacular achievement with great promise was short lived as Pakistan Army chief Gen Pervez Musharraf played the spoiler by embarking on his ill-fated Kargil misadventure.
One and a half decades later, on the intervening night of May 22/23, 2014, four heavily armed Pak backed terrorists armed wearing suicide vests made an attempt to storm the Indian consulate in Herat city of Afghanistan. In the fierce gun battle that ensued, Indo-Tibetan Border Police personnel guarding the consulate eliminated two of the attackers, while the remaining two were despatched by the Afghan security forces and all Indian nationals were safe and unharmed.
Even though attacks on Indian facilities in Afghanistan by Pakistan Army sponsored terrorist groups weren’t something unusual before the Taliban seized Kabul in 2021, the timing of the Herat consulate attack certainly was! It came just two days before newly elected Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s oath taking ceremony for which Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had been invited, and this was no coincidence.
Two days after this attack, the then Afghan President Hamid Karzai disclosed that Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security had confirmed that Pakistan Army’s proxy terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba [LeT] had carried out this attack. While sceptics dismissed this claim as part of Karzai’s regular anti-Pakistan rant, but a month later, the US State Department also confirmed that this attack was handiwork of LeT and re-designated LeT as a terrorist organisation.
The time-line of events add undeniable credibility to the inference of Pakistan Army’s complicity in the Herat consulate attack.
It was on May 21, 2014 that Islamabad confirmed receiving an invitation requesting Sharif’s attendance for Modi’s oath-taking ceremony, but gave no confirmation regarding his attendance, which was indeed intriguing. The very next night, India’s consulate in Herat was attacked by a suicide terrorist squad with the obvious intent of causing extensive casualties to the diplomatic staff. Had it succeeded, this attack would have created such strong anti-Pakistan sentiments in India that Sharif would no longer be welcome. This is what the then Pakistan Army chief Gen Raheel Sharif must have thought and that’s why he didn’t bother to approve his namesake’s visit to Delhi.
However, on realising that the Herat attack had failed to cause any casualties to Indian nationals and after the prime minister’s brother and Punjab province Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s personal request, Gen Sharif on May 24, reluctantly permitted the prime minister to attend Modi’s oath-taking ceremony. Needless to say, the Army chief didn’t have any other option!
Writing in The Diplomat, senior correspondent Sanjay Kumar expresses the same sentiment by mentioning that “Pakistan’s delay in accepting the invitation not only exposes the fault lines in Islamabad between the civilian and military establishments; it also gives a hint as to the causes of the attack on the consulate int.” [Emphasis added].
Why is Rawalpindi Sabotaging Efforts to Normalise Indo-Pak Relations?
By drumming-in a concocted existential threat from a ‘Hindu India’ into the minds of its people, the Pakistan Army has cunningly legitimised the enormous extra-constitutional powers it wields. So, Rawalpindi knows very well that the moment Indo-Pak relations normalise and peace prevails, its hallowed image of being the ultimate bulwark against Indian hegemony would take a serious hit. As a result, people would start questioning the Army’s supremacy over all other organs of state, and this would be the beginning of the end of Rawalpindi’s reign in Pakistan.
In addition, portraying India as a country determined to annex Pakistan, Rawalpindi has been able to apportion the lion’s share of the country’s budget for extravagant defence expenditure purportedly to dissuade India from satiating its alleged desire to destroy Pakistan.
While Rawalpindi has made several high-end military hardware acquisitions, the fact that no less than a dozen former officers of the Pakistan armed forces have been able to acquire extremely costly properties in Dubai and even the opulent lifestyle of senior armed forces officers living in Pakistan clearly suggests that a substantial amount of money meant for defence expenditure is systematically being pocketed by them.
So, in order to preserve its turf and continue enjoying a host of unauthorised perks and privileges, Rawalpindi has no other choice but to continue tilting at windmills to keep fear psychosis among its people alive!
The Present Day
All said and done, Rawalpindi deserves due appreciation for its devious machinations and pre-emptive actions which have ensured that relations between Delhi and Islamabad don’t normalise. So, when former Pakistani Prime Minister and PML-N president Nawaz Sharif recently mentioned that “On May 28, 1998, Pakistan carried out five nuclear tests. After that Vajpayee Saheb came here and agreed with us [to usher peace]. But we violated that agreement [by the Kargil misadventure]…it was our fault,” this admission must have certainly rattled Rawalpindi.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office [FO] in its statement after Modi’s re-election as India’s prime minister stated that “We hope that India will take steps to create a conducive environment for advancement of peace and dialogue and resolution of long-standing dispute for the mutual benefit of the peoples of Pakistan and India.” Though merely a diplomatic courtesy, this overture too must have upset Pakistan Army’s top brass. So, even before New Delhi could respond, Rawalpindi decided that it was time to act and scuttle any move towards rapprochement by orchestrating a terrorist attack through its proxies.
A Terrorist Attack Most Foul
Sunday’s terrorist attack on a bus in Reasi district of J&K has ISI written all over it. Since it was carrying pilgrims returning after visiting a temple, selection of this bus in particular as the target ensured that all victims belonged to a single religious denomination, which would definitely compound the intensity of anger and rage within the concerned community.
Moreover, the attack took place just before it became dark and this gave the attackers several advantages. One, it enabled them to bring down aimed fire at the hapless pilgrims and thereby inflict maximum casualties-the fact that besides the nine occupants killed, ten others sustained bullet injuries highlights this fact. Two, the ambush site next to a ravine was deliberately selected as it would cause the ill-fated bus to plunge downhill thereby increasing the number of casualties.
Three, with darkness enveloping the area soon after the attack, rescue operations would have become more time consuming and this unavoidable delay could well have increased the death toll. Lastly, with more than 10 hours of darkness after the attack at their disposal, the terrorists involved would have got adequate time to make good their escape.
The Way Forward
With terrorists finding it extremely difficult to carry out major strikes in Kashmir Valley due to alertness of security forces, ISI appears to be in the process of shifting the pivot of its sponsored terrorist activities to areas that are less guarded. First it was the Rajouri-Poonch area, and now it’s come down to the Jammu region. So, the message is loud and clear- come what may, the Pakistan Army will not stop its ongoing proxy war. Hence there’s a crying need to accept this reality and not only brace up to boldly face this scourge, but also actively explore the institution of dissuasive measures as well as effective forms of retribution including those in the grey zone domain.
Once the gloves are off, playing the game by the rules makes no sense!
PTM ready for a major protest rally in Chaman over arrest of protesters
The Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) has called for a major rally in Chaman on June 13, demanding the release of protesters arrested during recent demonstrations against Pak Army’s enforcement of passport requirements at the Durand Line.
The rally, dubbed as a “historical” event by organizers, aims to amplify voices seeking the freedom of martyrs, injured individuals, and prisoners detained in the aftermath of the Chaman border protests. PTM has appealed to all compatriots, including disabled and young Pashtuns, to participate in the demonstration and raise their voices against the crackdown.
The protests erupted in response to Pakistan’s sudden decision to mandate passports for cross-border movement along the Durand Line, causing significant hardship for Pashtun Afghans and locals with cross-border connections. Local Pashtuns, supported by PTM, have been staging sit-ins for seven months, demanding a reversal of the controversial passport policy.
The situation took a violent turn on June 6 when the Pak Army’s Frontier Corps (FC) opened fire on peaceful protesters in Chaman, escalating tensions and transforming the protest against mandatory passports into a broader struggle against oppressive tactics employed by the Pak establishment.
Despite the protesters’ adherence to nonviolent methods, they were met with excessive force, shedding light on the heavy-handed approach used by Army to suppress dissent in the region.