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☆ Death toll rises to 24 in powerful suicide bombing at rail station in southwestern Pakistan
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-09 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Ap-Live-Blog-Byline-Image.Png | The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

A suicide bomber blew himself up at a train station in restive southwestern Pakistan on Saturday, killing at least 24 people, including security officers, and wounding about 50 others, some critically, officials said. A separatist group, the Balochistan Liberation Army, claimed the attack in a statement, saying a suicide bomber targeted troops present at the railway station. Police said about a dozen security forces are also among the dead. The group often demands the halt of all Chinese-funded projects and for workers to leave Pakistan to avoid further attacks. Last month, BLA claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing that targeted a convoy with Chinese nationals outside the Karachi airport, killing two.

Persons: Hamza Shafqaat, Ayesha Faiz, Shahid Rind, Shehbaz Sharif, BLA Organizations: Balochistan Liberation Army, Islamabad . Police, Baloch, Initiative Locations: restive, Pakistan, Rawalpindi, Quetta, restive Balochistan, Balochistan, Islamabad, Beijing’s, Karachi, Beijing

☆ At least 24 killed in Pakistan train station suicide blast, Balochistan militants claim responsibility
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-09 | by ( Sophia Saifi | Asim Khan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —A suicide bombing at a train station in southwestern Pakistan on Friday killed at least 24 people, according to a senior local government official. Another 53 people were injured in the attack in the city of Quetta, Commissioner Hamza Shafqaat said in a statement. “Explosion at the railway station was a suicide bombing,” the statement said. The blast happened on a platform at the city’s main railway station at about 9 a.m., Senior Police Superintendent Muhammad Baloch said. The province’s Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti has ordered an inquiry into the incident.

Persons: Hamza Shafqaat, Muhammad Baloch, Sarfraz Bugti, Shehbaz Sharif Organizations: CNN, Baloch Liberation, Senior, Security Locations: Pakistan, Quetta, Balochistan, China, Karachi

☆ Pakistan says police responsible for killing a doctor accused of blasphemy
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-26 | by ( Associated Press | Story The | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Multan, Pakistan — Pakistan’s government said Thursday that police had orchestrated the killing of a doctor who was in custody after he was accused of blasphemy. The statement marks the first time the government has accused security forces of what the doctor’s family and rights groups have said amounted to an extrajudicial killing carried out by police. Hassan’s statement backed up Nawaz’s family allegations earlier this week. Accusations of blasphemy, sometimes even just rumors, can spark riots and mob rampages in Pakistan. Nawaz’s killing was the second case of an extrajudicial killing by police this month in Pakistan.

Persons: Shah Nawaz, Islam’s Prophet Muhammad, Ziaul Hassan, Nawaz, Hassan, Islam, Nawaz’s, “, …, ”, Mohammad Saleh, Saleh, Rehmat, Syed Khan, Khan, Mohammad Khurram Organizations: Minister, Associated Press Locations: Multan, Pakistan, Sindh, Mirpur Khas, Umerkot, Karachi, Quetta

☆ Sindh, Pakistan: Police fatally shoot blasphemy suspect in second such killing in a week
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-19 | by ( Associated Press | Story The | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Karachi, Pakistan — Police in southern Pakistan shot dead a blasphemy suspect during an alleged shootout with armed men, officials said Thursday, the second such apparent extra-judicial killing in a week, drawing condemnation from human rights groups. Videos circulating on social media showed local clerics throwing rose petals at police and praising officers for killing the blasphemy suspect. There was no immediate clarification from the Sindh government about the circumstances in which the suspect was killed. The latest killing comes a week after an officer opened fire inside a police station in the southwestern city of Quetta, fatally wounding Syed Khan, another suspect held on accusations of blasphemy. Pakistan has witnessed a surge in attacks on blasphemy suspects in recent years.

Persons: Shah Nawaz, Mohammed, Niaz Khoso, Nawaz, “, Khoso, ”, HRCP, Syed Khan, Khan, Mohammad Khurram, —, Islam Organizations: Pakistan — Police, Police, Local, Human Rights Locations: Karachi, Pakistan, Umerkot district, Sindh province, Mirpur Khas, Sindh, Umerkot, Quetta, Madyan, Punjab, Jaranwala

☆ Atlantic City mayor and his wife indicted after allegations they physically and emotionally abused teen daughter
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-18 | by ( Minyvonne Burke | Minyvonne Burke Is A Senior Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

The Mayor of Atlantic City, New Jersey, and his wife were indicted Tuesday on charges related to the alleged abuse of their teenage daughter. Prosecutors also accused him of "punching his daughter repeatedly in her legs causing bruising" during another alleged incident. The mayor's wife, who is the superintendent of Atlantic City Public Schools, is alleged to have hit the girl on several occasions. "Another incident alleged that La’Quetta Small punched her daughter in the mouth during an argument." Mayor Small was with her at the time and told the nurse the same story, according to NBC Philadelphia.

Persons: Prosecutors, Marty Small, La’Quetta, Ed Jacobs, Jacobs, Smalls, Jan, Mayor Small, Small Organizations: Prosecutor's, NBC, NBC Philadelphia, Atlantic City Public Schools, Mayor Locations: Atlantic City , New Jersey, Atlantic, NBC Philadelphia

While election winners were celebrating victory, PTI and other parties refused to accept their defeat in dozens of constituencies. Dozens of Khan’s supporters were briefly detained in the eastern city of Lahore over the weekend while protesting alleged vote-rigging. Khan could not run in the election because of the criminal convictions against him that he says are politically motivated. No party won a majority, however, so the parties will have to hold talks on forming a coalition government. The Pakistan Muslim League-N party led by three-time premier and ex-felon Nawaz Sharif secured 75.

Persons: Pakistan's, Imran Khan, Khan, Jan Achakzai, Nawaz Sharif, Sharif, Bilawal Bhutto, Zardari, establishment’s Organizations: National Assembly, Pakistan Muslim League, Pakistan People’s Party, PML Locations: QUETTA, Pakistan, Lahore, Baluchistan

CNN —At least 30 people were killed and another 40 injured in two different explosions in Balochistan province on Wednesday, a day before Pakistan’s general elections. The blasts took place in the Killa Saifullah district outside an election office belonging to Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) and in the Pishin district near the office of an independent candidate. According to police, a large number of workers were in the office at the time of the explosion. Those injured in the Pishin blast have been taken to hospital, Medical Superintendent Tehsil Headquarters Hospital Dr. Habib Ur Rehman said. The blasts come amid rising tensions in Pakistan ahead of Thursday’s election.

Persons: Pakistan’s, Saifullah, Yasir Bazai, Maulana Samiul Haq, Maulana Abdul Wasay, Asfand Yar Kakar, Pishin, Dad Mandokhail, Habib Ur Rehman, Liz Throssell, Amaq Organizations: CNN, Jamiat Ulema, UN, Human Rights, Islamic, ISIS Locations: Balochistan, Saifullah, Jamiat, Pishin, Quetta, Pakistan, Islamic State Pakistan Province

☆ His Family Put 20,000 Miles on a ’57 Chevy in One Road Trip
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-13 | by ( A.J. Baime | Photographs Kyna Uwaeme For The Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Kamran Khan, 75, a retired civil servant in Pakistan now living in Travilah, Md., on his 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air, as told to A.J. Where I grew up, in Quetta, Pakistan, people loved American cars. This was the 1950s and early ’60s, and a lot of people didn’t even have a car. My family was very fortunate and we had a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air.

Persons: Kamran Khan, A.J Organizations: Bel Air Locations: Pakistan, Travilah, Md, Quetta, American

☆ Pakistan opens new border crossings to expedite Afghans' repatriation
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Saleem Ahmed | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Afghan nationals with belongings sit atop a truck as they head back with their families to Afghanistan from Pakistan, at the Chaman Border Crossing along the Pakistan-Afghanistan Border in Balochistan Province, in Chaman, Pakistan November 10, 2023. REUTERS/Naseer Ahmed/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsQUETTA, Pakistan, Nov 13 (Reuters) - Pakistan on Monday opened three new border crossings to accelerate the repatriation of undocumented Afghan nationals who have been ordered to leave the country or face expulsion, officials said. The new crossings were set up at the Afghan border in southwestern Balochistan province in addition to the main crossing in Chaman district, said Jan Achakzai, information minister for the provincial caretaker government. More than 280,000 Afghan nationals have left Pakistan since the new policy was announced in early October, according to the United Nations High Commissioner For Refugees (UNHCR). Kabul has also asked Islamabad to give Afghan nationals ample time to leave.

Persons: Naseer Ahmed, Pakistan's, Jan Achakzai, Asif Shahzad, Hugh Lawson Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Monday, United Nations, Refugees, Thomson Locations: Afghanistan, Pakistan, Balochistan Province, Chaman, Rights QUETTA, Islamabad, Kabul, Afghan, Balochistan, UNHCR

☆ Pakistan Opens New Border Crossings to Expedite Afghans' Repatriation
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Saleem AhmedQUETTA, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistan on Monday opened three new border crossings to accelerate the repatriation of undocumented Afghan nationals who have been ordered to leave the country or face expulsion, officials said. Many Afghans have opted to go home voluntarily to avoid deportation under a government push for undocumented migrants to be expelled. The new crossings were set up at the Afghan border in southwestern Balochistan province in addition to the main crossing in Chaman district, said Jan Achakzai, information minister for the provincial caretaker government. More than 280,000 Afghan nationals have left Pakistan since the new policy was announced in early October, according to the United Nations High Commissioner For Refugees (UNHCR). Kabul has also asked Islamabad to give Afghan nationals ample time to leave.

Persons: Saleem Ahmed, Pakistan's, Jan Achakzai, Asif Shahzad, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Reuters, Monday, United Nations, Refugees Locations: Saleem Ahmed QUETTA, Pakistan, Islamabad, Kabul, Afghan, Balochistan, Chaman, UNHCR

☆ ‘There is no school for girls’: Afghans who fled to Pakistan sent back to a homeland that is foreign to many
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Sophia Saifi | Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

“I was born in Pakistan, I’ve lived here for 42 years, I went to school in Pakistan,” said Nasim, who had traveled to the Torkham border crossing from the northern city Peshawar. Nasim, who was born and raised in Pakistan, and is now preparing to return to Afghanistan. International bodies and human rights groups have warned of a looming humanitarian disaster as they return. He hoped the Taliban would greet those forced out of Pakistan and help them find new jobs. The steady deterioration of human rights under the Taliban since its return to power have only confirmed the worst fears of many Afghans.

Persons: I’ve, ”, Nasim, “ I’ve, –, “, ” Nasim, Abdul Basit, Sarfraz Bugti, Ravina Shamdasani, Wakil Kohsar, Ghulam Sakhi, we’ve, Raza Muhammad, ” Muhammad, Akhtar Muhammad, Zahid Bahand, can’t, I’m Organizations: Pakistan CNN, CNN, ”, Getty, Security, Authorities, United Nations, Human Rights, Rights Watch, ” CNN, Interior Ministry, “ Police, UN, International Organization for Migration, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Taliban Locations: Chaman, Pakistan, Pakistan’s, Peshawar, Afghanistan, ”, Quetta, “, Soviet, States, AFP, Afghan, Karachi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Balochistan’s, United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Kabul

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistani security forces on Wednesday rounded up, detained and deported dozens of Afghans who were living in the country illegally, after a government-set deadline for them to leave expired, authorities said. According to the U.N. agencies, there are more than 2 million undocumented Afghans in Pakistan, at least 600,000 of whom fled after the Taliban takeover in 2021. Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan’s Taliban-led administration have become strained over the past two years because of stepped-up attacks by the Pakistani Taliban, a separate militant group that is allied with the Afghan Taliban. Since the government deadline was announced on October 3, more than 200,000 Afghans have returned home from Pakistan. Associated Press writers Rahim Faiez in Islamabad and Abdul Sattar in Quetta, Pakistan, contributed to this report.

Persons: Sarfraz Bugti, ”, Zabihullah Mujahid, ” Mujahid, “, Ahmad Banwari, Banwari, ___ Khan, Rahim Faiez, Abdul Sattar Organizations: ” Interim, Taliban, Afghanistan’s, Pakistani Taliban, Associated Press Locations: ISLAMABAD, Islamabad, Pakistan, Afghanistan, “, ”, Karachi, Rawalpindi, Baluchistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, The New York, Kabul, Nangarhar, Pakistani, Taliban Pakistan, United States, Peshawar, Quetta

Pakistan is home to over 4 million Afghan migrants and refugees, about 1.7 million of whom are undocumented, according to Islamabad. Cash-strapped Pakistan, navigating record inflation and a tough International Monetary Fund bailout program, also said undocumented migrants have drained its resources for decades. The information minister for Balochistan province, which borders Afghanistan, told Reuters it is opening three more border crossings. Pakistani citizens who help undocumented migrants obtain false identities or employment will face legal action, Bugti warned. There are more than 2.2 million Afghan migrants in Pakistan with some form of documentation recognized by the government that conveys temporary residence rights.

Persons: Akhtar Soomro, Muhammad Rahim, Abdul Mutaleb Haqqani, Azizullah, Sohrab Goth, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, Cash, Samar Abbas, Sarfaraz Bugti, Bugti, Abbas, Uzair Ahmed, Majida, we've, Muhammad, Ariba Shahid, Charlotte, Mohammad Yunus Yawar, Saleem Shahid, Katerina Ang Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Pakistani Interior Ministry, Foreign, Monetary Fund, Sindh Human Rights Defenders Network, Islamabad, Federal, UNHCR, International Organization for Migration, Karachi East Police, Afghan Ministry, Refugees, World Bank, U.N, Thomson Locations: Pakistan, Karachi, Rights KARACHI, Pakistani, Afghanistan, Islamabad, Sindh, Balochistan, AFGHANISTAN, Charlotte Greenfield, Kabul, Quetta

☆ Afghans Return to Taliban Rule as Pakistan Moves to Expel 1.7 Million
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +9 min

Persons: Shahid, Muhammad Rahim, Abdul Mutaleb Haqqani, Azizullah, Sohrab Goth, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, Cash, Samar Abbas, Sarfaraz Bugti, Bugti, Abbas, Uzair Ahmed, Majida, we've, Muhammad, Ariba Shahid, Charlotte, Mohammad Yunus Yawar, Saleem Shahid, Katerina Ang Organizations: Reuters, Pakistani Interior Ministry, Foreign, Monetary Fund, Sindh Human Rights Defenders Network, Islamabad, Federal, UNHCR, International Organization for Migration, Karachi East Police, Afghan Ministry, Refugees, World Bank, U.N Locations: Shahid KARACHI, Pakistan, Karachi, Pakistani, Afghanistan, Islamabad, Sindh, Balochistan, AFGHANISTAN, Charlotte Greenfield, Kabul, Quetta

☆ Death toll from Pakistan blast rises to 59 as minister blames India
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( Saleem Ahmed | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Rescue workers clear the rubble from a damaged mosque, after a suicide blast in Hangu, Pakistan September 29, 2023. Pakistani officials have long claimed that India sponsors violent groups in Pakistan - claims India has always denied. "Civil, military and all other institutions will jointly strike against the elements involved in the Mastung suicide bombing," interior minister Sarfaraz Bugti told media in Balochistan's capital, Quetta. "RAW is involved in the suicide attack," he added, referring to India's Research & Analysis Wing (RAW) intelligence agency. The Pakistani Taliban (TTP), responsible for some of the bloodiest attacks in Pakistan since the group's formation in 2007, denied responsibility for Friday's blasts.

Persons: Stringer, Prophet Mohammad, Sarfaraz Bugti, Wasim Baig, Saleem Ahmed, Saud Mehsud, Charlotte Greenfield, Giles Elgood Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Research, Analysis, Police, Pakistani, Thomson Locations: Hangu, Pakistan, Mastung, Balochistan, India, Quetta, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan's

☆ Death Toll From Pakistan Blast Rises to 59 as Minister Blames India
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Saleem AhmedQUETTA (Reuters) - The death toll from a large blast at a mosque in Pakistan rose to 59 on Saturday as the government vowed to find the perpetrators and accused India's intelligence agency of being involved. Pakistani officials have long claimed that India sponsors violent groups in Pakistan - claims India has always denied. "Civil, military and all other institutions will jointly strike against the elements involved in the Mastung suicide bombing," interior minister Sarfaraz Bugti told media in Balochistan's capital, Quetta. "RAW is involved in the suicide attack," he added, referring to India's Research & Analysis Wing (RAW) intelligence agency. The Pakistani Taliban (TTP), responsible for some of the bloodiest attacks in Pakistan since the group's formation in 2007, denied responsibility for Friday's blasts.

Persons: Saleem Ahmed QUETTA, Prophet Mohammad, Sarfaraz Bugti, Wasim Baig, Saleem Ahmed, Saud Mehsud, Charlotte Greenfield, Giles Elgood Organizations: Research, Analysis, Police, Pakistani Locations: Pakistan, Mastung, Balochistan, India, Quetta, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan's

Quetta, Pakistan CNN —At least 52 people were killed and dozens more wounded in what authorities believe was a suicide attack at a religious procession in southwest Pakistan Friday. Local police told CNN two explosions had occurred at the mosque in Hangu, causing its roof to collapse and potentially trapping worshipers inside. People gather outside the Mastung hospital, following the deadly attack, on September 29, 2023. One of the attackers then detonated an explosive close to the mosque’s entrance, while the other detonated one inside the building, local police officer Saaleh Muhammad told CNN. Muhammad told CNN that while most worshipers fled during the shootings, some had remained inside as the mosque’s roof collapsed.

Persons: Prophet Mohammed, Jan Achakzai, Shaheed Nawab Ghous Bakhsh, Atta Ul Munim, Abdul Rasheed, Ul Munim, Achakzai, Anwar, Haq Kakar, Arshad Butt, Saaleh Muhammad, Muhammad Organizations: Pakistan CNN —, CNN, Local, Reuters, ” Police Locations: Quetta, Pakistan, Mastung, restive Balochistan, Balochistan, Pakistan’s, Peshawar City, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Hangu, Karachi

No group has claimed responsibility for the blasts, one of which trapped dozens of people under rubble, media said. [1/4]People gather outside the Mastung hospital, following a deadly suicide attack on a religious gathering in Balochistan province, Pakistan, September 29, 2023 in this handout image. The TTP, responsible for some of the bloodiest attacks in Pakistan since its formation in 2007, denied responsibility for Friday's blasts. In July, more than 40 people were killed in a suicide bombing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at a religious political party's gathering. The Islamic State militant group claimed responsibility for that attack.

Persons: Prophet Mohammed, Abdul Rasheed, Munir Ahmed, Shaheed Nawab Ghous Bakhsh, Fazal Akbar, Pakistan's, Saleem Ahmed, Mushtaq Ali, Shivam Patel, Gibran Peshimam, Miral Fahmy, Clarence Fernandez, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: Reuters, Geo News, REUTERS Acquire, Militant, Islamic State, Thomson Locations: Afghan, QUETTA, PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Balochistan, Madina Mosque, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan province, Handout, Hangu, Afghanistan, Taliban Pakistan, Peshawar, Quetta, Shahid, Karachi

Tens of millions of dollars have poured back into Pakistan's interbank and openmarkets, dealers say, since raids on black market operators began on Sept. 6. Ninety percent were going to black market dealers, cutting our supply of foreign exchange," Bostan explained. While a crackdown on the black market was needed to stabilise the rupee, it "is a temporary fix," said Fahad Rauf, Head of Research at Ismail Iqbal Securities. High inflation and chronic external deficits lie at the heart of the currency's problem, and closing off people's access to black market dollars risks storing up pent-up demand. "There is an unprecedented demand for the dollar," Hanifullah Mohmand, a trader in the Peshawar market, said.

Persons: Akhtar Soomro, Asim Munir, Malik Bostan, Bostan, General Munir, Haji Luqman Khan, Sheikh Allauddin, ECAP, Fahad Rauf, Ismail Iqbal, Ariba Shahid, Mushtaq Ali, Gibran Peshimam, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: REUTERS, Pakistan, Exchange Companies Association of Pakistan, Reuters, Federal Investigation Agency, FIA, Inter, Services Intelligence, ISI, Locals, International Monetary Fund, IMF, Research, Ismail, Ismail Iqbal Securities, Thomson Locations: Karachi, Pakistan, KARACHI, PESHAWAR, Peshawar, Islamabad, Lahore, Quetta, Afghanistan

[1/4] View of partial traffic with the Karachi Port Trust building, in the background, during a shutter down and wheel-jam strike called by the traders and the religious and political party Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), against the hikes in power billings, during a protest in Karachi, Pakistan September 2, 2023. Acquire Licensing Rights Read moreLAHORE, Pakistan, Sept 2 (Reuters) - Public markets across Pakistan stayed closed on Saturday due to a strike by retail associations over rising electricity prices and brisk inflation, as the country embarks on a tricky path to economic recovery. "Today, traders are observing a shutter down strike across Pakistan against the over charging electricity tariff and unjustified taxes," Ashraf Bhatti, president of the All Pakistan Traders Association, told Reuters. Major markets in Lahore and Karachi, Pakistan's two largest cities, remained shut on Saturday though grocery shops in populated neighbourhoods and medical stores stayed open. "It is the matter of the entire country as the common man is being badly affected," said Abdul Rehim Kakar, leader of a traders' association of Balochistan.

Persons: Ashraf Bhatti, Abdul Rehim Kakar, Mubasher Bukhari, Saleem Ahmed, Mushtaq Ali, Akhtar Soomro, Gibran Peshimam, Helen Popper Our Organizations: Trust, Islami, International Monetary Fund, All Pakistan Traders Association, Reuters, Jamaat, Thomson Locations: Karachi, billings, Pakistan, LAHORE, Lahore, Pakistan's, Quetta, Balochistan province, Balochistan, Peshawar

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan pauses as he speaks with Reuters during an interview, in Lahore, Pakistan March 17, 2023. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsISLAMABAD, Aug 28 (Reuters) - A Pakistani court dismissed murder abetment charges against former Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday, his lawyer said, providing some relief for the cricket hero turned politician who was jailed on corruption charges earlier this month. Khan had been charged in June with abetting the murder of Supreme Court lawyer Abdul Razzaq, who was killed in a drive-by shooting in the southwestern city of Quetta in the same month. Razzaq's son had accused Khan of being behind his father's murder. The political turmoil has caught Pakistan while the country has been struggling through one of its worst economic crises.

Persons: Imran Khan, Akhtar Soomro, Khan, Abdul Razzaq, Razzaq's, Naeem Panjutha, wasn't, Razzaq, Asif Shahzad, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: Pakistani, Reuters, REUTERS, Rights, Twitter, Thomson Locations: Lahore, Pakistan, Rights ISLAMABAD, Quetta, Islamabad

CNN —An attack on Chinese engineers in Pakistan’s southwestern province of Balochistan was thwarted by Pakistan’s military, leaving two militants dead and the Chinese workers unharmed, police say. In a statement to CNN, the Baloch Liberation Army, a militant separatist group, claimed responsibility for the attack. The Chinese Embassy in Pakistan said it strongly condemned the attack and urged the Pakistani authorities to punish the perpetrators and do all it could to prevent further attacks. But in recent years terrorist attacks targeting Chinese nationals and their interests in Pakistan have alarmed Beijing. More than a dozen people were killed after a bus carrying Chinese engineers fell into a ditch following a “fiery explosion,” according to local police.

Persons: Chakar Baloch Organizations: CNN, Baloch Liberation Army, Embassy, Pakistan Economic, University of Karachi’s Confucius Institute, Confucius Locations: Balochistan, Chakar, Gwadar, Pakistan, China, Afghanistan, Iran, Beijing

☆ Militants attack Pakistani military convoy escorting Chinese nationals
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( Gul Yousafzai | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

QUETTA, Pakistan, Aug 13 (Reuters) - Militants attacked a Pakistani military convoy near the strategic southwestern port of Gwadar on Sunday as it was escorting a delegation of Chinese nationals to a construction project, the military and China's consulate in Karachi said. China's consulate in the southern city of Karachi condemned the attack, adding in a statement that there were no casualties among its citizens on the convoy. The attack targeted Chinese passengers travelling from Gwadar airport towards a construction site in the port area, the source said. The BLA and other militant groups say Pakistan exploits the province's natural resources and have targeted Chinese interests in recent years for supporting that. Gwadar is located near the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial oil shipping route in the Arabian Sea, and is being developed under Chinese management.

Persons: Ethan Wang, Gibran Peshimam, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: Initiative, Terrorists, Separatist, Balochistan Liberation, Thomson Locations: QUETTA, Pakistan, Gwadar, Karachi, China, Balochistan, China's, Hormuz, Beijing

Seventeen prisoners turned on their guards after they were taken out of their cells for morning prayers at Chaman district jail on Thursday, district officer Muhammad Naeem Achakzai, told CNN. One prisoner later surrendered to the police but 13 remain on the run, according to Achakzai. All the prisoners were awaiting trial for alleged crimes including murder, robbery and drug possession, Achakzai said. There is a possibility that the prisoners could have escaped to Afghanistan, prompting officers to patrol the border areas, Achakzai said. Police in Chaman suspended 10 officials, including three police officers who were posted at the jail, Achakzai said.

Persons: Muhammad Naeem Achakzai, Achakzai, “, ”, Eid Organizations: Balochistan CNN — Police, CNN, Police Locations: Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan, Chaman, Afghan, Afghanistan

☆ Pakistan's Imran Khan formally named in 'abetting' lawyer's drive-by murder
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Gul Yousafzai | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

QUETTA, Pakistan, June 7 (Reuters) - Pakistani police on Wednesday formally named former prime minister Imran Khan in connection with the murder by unknown gunmen of a lawyer seeking sedition proceedings against him. Khan, who has not been charged in connection with the lawyer's murder, has dismissed all the cases against him as concocted by his opponents. Provincial government spokesman Babar Khan said Khan could face formal charges if and when the murder case goes to trial. It was not immediately clear how the link between unknown gunmen and Khan was made. Khan has accused the military and its intelligence agency of openly trying to destroy his party, saying he has "no doubt" he will be tried in a military court and thrown into jail.

Persons: Imran Khan, Khan, Rauf Hasan, Babar Khan, Abdur Razaq, Razaq, Razaq's, Siraj Ahmad, Asif Shahzad, Nick Macfie Organizations: Wednesday, Police, Reuters, Thomson Locations: QUETTA, Pakistan

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