KARACHI: A suspected robber was lynched by an angry mob in Korangi area on Saturday night, according to police.
Zaman Town Station House Officer (SHO) Rao Aurangzeb told Dawn that three suspects had attempted to rob citizens near Mutkay Wali Pull in Korangi No. 2.
People got hold of one suspect while his two suspected accomplices managed to escape, the official said. The mob beat him up, killing him on the spot, he said.
“The suspect was killed with sticks and other weapons. His identity could not be ascertained immediately, as no CNIC [card] was found in his pocket,” he said.
The SHO said that the suspect’s body was moved to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) for legal formalities.
Last year in May, a suspected robber was lynched by an angry mob, which also set the body on fire, after he shot and wounded two brothers during a robbery in New Karachi.
According to police, two suspects had attempted to loot a general store in Sector-11-G. Two shopkeepers, Mohammed Faisal and Mohammed Faizan, who were also brothers, put up resistance but the robbers opened fire and wounded them.
As the suspects attempted to flee, people in the area captured one of them and subjected him to a severe beating with hard and blunt objects, leading to his death on the spot. The police said that some charged youth also torched the body.
Denmark’s foreign minister said on Saturday that his country is now in a better position regarding United States President Donald Trump’s desire to acquire Greenland — an autonomous Danish territory — but stressed the crisis is not yet resolved.
“We are not out of the crisis, and we do not have a solution yet,” Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen told reporters in Greenland’s capital Nuuk, while adding: “We are in a much better position now, compared to a few weeks ago.”
The minister added that there “are no threats on the table, there is no trade war with Europe” and that everyone agreed the situation should be worked out in a “normal diplomatic way”.
Since returning to the White House last year, Trump has insisted that Washington needs to control the strategic Arctic island for security reasons.
Last month, he backed off threats to seize Greenland after striking a “framework” deal with Nato chief Mark Rutte to ensure greater US influence.
A US-Denmark-Greenland working group was established to discuss Washington’s security concerns in the Arctic, but details have not been made public.
Greenlandic foreign minister Vivian Motzfeldt, who spoke alongside Lokke Rasmussen, welcomed that the parties were now in “direct dialogue,” and added that the talks were respectful.
“But we are not where we want to be yet,” she stressed and said it was “too early” to say where the talks would lead.
While Denmark and Greenland said they share Trump’s security concerns, they insisted that sovereignty and territorial integrity are a “red line” in the discussions.
Asked whether this red line was being respected in the talks, the Danish foreign minister said he would “not go into details” about the ongoing discussions, but said they believed this red line had been made “crystal clear” going into the talks.
“So I take it as a clear sign that it should be doable to find a solution while at the same time respecting these red lines,” Lokke Rasmussen said, noting that the talks had begun with this precondition stated.
IRANIAN Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his accompanying delegation depart for the site of the talks in Oman.—Reuters
• No public acrimony witnessed as both sides stick to their guns
• Iran ‘sends message’ by testing ballistic missile before meeting
• Washington follows talks with fresh sanctions targeting oil-related entities
• Kremlin urges restraint; US tells its citizens to leave Iran
ISLAMABAD: The indirect talks between the United States and Iran held in Muscat on Friday, did slightly better than many had expected.
While there was no breakdown or public acrimony, the first meeting did not yield any breakthroughs, either. Even the tentative understanding to keep talking was left subject to approval by the respective leaderships in Tehran and Washington, after reviewing what had transpired on Friday.
In remarks following the indirect talks, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stressed the need to overcome the “wall of mistrust” between the two sides.
“It was a good start to the negotiations. And there is an understanding on continuing the talks. Coordination on how to proceed will be decided in the capitals,” Araghchi told Iranian state TV. “If this process continues, I think we will reach a good framework for an understanding.”
Mediator Badr al-Busaidi, Oman’s foreign minister, said the talks had been “very serious”, with results to be considered carefully in Tehran and Washington.
The context in which the talks took place also did little to ease tensions. Just hours before the meeting began, Iran unveiled the Khorramshahr-4 ballistic missile, a move that was widely read as a pointed message.
“Any dialogue requires refraining from threats and pressure. (Tehran) only discusses its nuclear issue … We do not discuss any other issue with the US,” Araghchi said, referring to earlier American attempts to widen the agenda of the dialogue to cover the country’s missile programme as well.
Expectations going in were low, shaped by months of escalation, a short but intense war last summer, riots in Iran, which Tehran believes were engineered from outside, and growing military pressure.
Against that backdrop, the fact that the process survived its first test was seen by many observers as a limited success.
Indirect contact
The talks themselves followed last minute hiccups and adjustments. Originally planned for Istanbul, the meeting was shifted to Oman at Iran’s request.
Tehran had pushed for Muscat both because of its past role as a discreet channel and because it offered tighter control over format and participation.
The final arrangement for the dialogue was strictly indirect. There were no direct meetings between the American and Iranian delegations, while Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi acted as the sole conduit, moving between the two sides throughout the day.
The composition of the delegations signified a lot. Iran was represented by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, backed by officials closely linked to the Supreme National Security Council, signaling that the team had a mandate to test ideas within defined limits. On the American side, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff led the talks, but he was joined by Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son in law and adviser, a presence that was widely noted.
Kushner’s participation appeared aimed at addressing long standing Iranian doubts about whether US negotiators carry sufficient authority to sustain any understanding reached at the table.
At the same time, the inclusion of Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of US Central Command, underscored the dual track nature of Washington’s approach. His presence underscored that diplomacy was being pursued alongside, not instead of, military pressure.
The significance of the Muscat talks lies less in what they produced than in what they prevented. A collapse would almost certainly have intensified military calculations at a time when the region is already saturated with forces. Continuation, even in such a tentative form, buys time to explore possibilities for peace.
But any sense of cautious optimism emerging from Muscat was quickly tempered by developments that followed. Within hours of the talks ending, Washington announced fresh sanctions targeting Iranian oil related entities, vessels and individuals reinforcing perceptions in Tehran that negotiations are being conducted under pressure and that sanctions relief, the central Iranian demand, remains distant dream.
Russia urges restraint
The Kremlin, an ally of Iran, said on Friday it hoped the negotiations would yield results and lead to a de-escalation. It urged all sides to show restraint in the meantime.
In a show of defiance, Iran’s state TV said hours before the talks that one of the country’s most advanced long-range ballistic missiles, the Khorramshahr-4, had been deployed at one of the Revolutionary Guards’ vast underground missile cities. Iran demands lifting of sanctions, re-imposed since 2018 when Trump ditched Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with six powers.
US tells citizens to leave Iran
In a related development, the US Virtual Embassy in Iran issued a security alert early on Friday urging American citizens to “leave Iran now” and make departure plans that do not rely on assistance from the US government, citing heightened risks and the possibility of sudden travel disruptions.
The alert came ahead of scheduled talks between the United States and Iran in Oman on Friday, amid little indication that the two sides have bridged differences over the agenda of the meeting.
“Leave Iran now. Have a plan for departing Iran that does not rely on US government help,” the alert said, warning that flight cancellations and other disruptions could occur with little notice. Americans were advised to check directly with airlines for updates.
With input from Reuters. Anwar Iqbal in Washington also contributed to this report
At least 31 people were killed and another 169 injured in a suicide bombing at an imambargah during Friday prayers in Islamabad, according to authorities.
The explosion occurred at Imambargah Khadijah-tul-Kubra in the Tarlai area of the federal capital.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif suggested India’s and Afghanistan’s involvement in the attack, stating, “It has been proved that the terrorist involved in the attack travelled to and from Afghanistan”.
Muhammad Kazim, a 52-year-old, said an “extremely powerful” explosion ripped through the building as prayers were just starting.
“During the sajda, we heard gunfire,” he told AFP. “And while we were still in the bowing position, an explosion occurred,” he said.
Kazim — from Gilgit-Baltistan who currently lives in Islamabad — escaped unharmed, but accompanied his wounded friend to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences hospital for treatment.
“Debris fell from the roof, and windows were shattered,” he added.
“When I got outside, many bodies were scattered … Many people lost their lives,” he said.
People beat their chest as they mourn the after a deadly explosion at the Khadijah-tul-Kubra immabargah in Islamabad on February 6. — Reuters
An ambulance evacuates casualties after a deadly explosion at Khadijah-tul-Kubra imambargah in Islamabad on February 6. — Reuters
A grieving man is comforted after a deadly explosion at the Khadijah-tul-Kubra imambargah in Islamabad on February 6. — Reuters
A forensic team arrives at the site of a deadly explosion at the Khadijah-tul-Kubra imambargah in Islamabad on February 6. — Reuters
Paramilitary forces stand guard next to a crowd of people gathered near the Khadijah-tul-Kubra imambargah in Islamabad on, February 6. — Reuters
People mourn the death of their relatives outside a hospital in Islamabad on February 6,after a suicide bombing at the Khadijah-tul-Kubra imambargah. — AFP
People chant slogans outside a hospital following a suicide bombing at the Khadijah-tul-Kubra imambargah in Islamabad on February 6. — AFP
Army personnel arrive on scene after a deadly explosion at the Khadijah-tul-Kubra imambargah in Islamabad on February 6. — Reuters
An investigator uses a metal detector to search the blast site after a suicide bombing at the Khadjah-tul-Kubra imambargah in Islamabad on February 6. — AFP
Minister of State for Interior Affairs Tallal Chaudhry speaks with media following a suicide bombing at the Khadijah-tul-Kubra imambargah in Islamabad on February 6. — AFP
Header Image: People mourn the death of their relatives following a suicide bombing at the Khadijah-tul-Kubra imambargah, outside a hospital in Islamabad on February 6. — AFP
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Jordan have agreed to move toward a preferential trade agreement (PTA) and broaden bilateral cooperation across various sectors, marking a shift toward deeper economic engagement between the two countries.
The two countries signed the protocol to translate long-standing historical, political and diplomatic ties into measurable economic and institutional outcomes. The protocol was signed at the sidelines of the 10th session of the Pakistan-Jordan Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC), held on Feb 4-5.
The JMC was co-chaired by Pakistan’s Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan and Jordan’s Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply Yarub Qudah. Both sides agreed significantly expand bilateral cooperation across 16 priority sectors, ranging from trade, finance and industry to climate change, maritime affairs, health, technology and education.
The session marks a renewed push and a milestone to operationalise cooperation under the JMC framework established in 1975. Commerce Minister Jam Kamal said that the JMC reflected the shared resolve of both countries to pursue result-oriented cooperation, particularly in trade, investment and private-sector engagement. As a significant outcome, the two sides agreed to initiate consultations on a PTA aimed at improving market access and reducing trade barriers.
A Joint Working Group on Trade and Investment will lead the process, alongside efforts to activate the Pakistan–Jordan Business Council and promote business-to-business linkages. The JMC also welcomed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on Information Technology and Telecommunications, aimed at fostering cooperation in digital innovation, technology services and collaboration between the ICT sectors of both countries.
The JMC agreed to strengthen cooperation in banking and finance, including collaboration between central banks, and to expand engagement across industry, agriculture, halal standards, education, skills development, healthcare, climate change, energy, mining, maritime affairs, media, culture, and tourism through institutional linkages and joint working groups.
Secretary, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Muhammad Humair Karim Kidwai, underscored the importance of structured follow-up mechanisms to ensure effective implementation of the agreed decisions. The breadth of cooperation reflects a shared commitment to structured follow-up and implementation.
Both sides expressed their commitment to holding the JMC regularly as a key institutional mechanism to strengthen Pakistan–Jordan economic cooperation further. Pakistan and Jordan have agreed to enhance collaboration in diverse sectors.
Speaking on the occasion, Jordanian Minister for Industry and Trade Yarub Qudah expressed a strong desire to enhance bilateral relations with Pakistan. He was confident that this year would see a breakthrough in trade and economic ties. He said the two sides have agreed to establish a working group which will work on different sectors.
Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal said both countries enjoy brotherly relations and want to transform this relationship into strong economic ties. He said the two sides have agreed to enhance cooperation in trade and investment, industries, banking and finance, agriculture, higher education, vocational training, maritime, energy and minerals.
ISLAMABAD: The leadership of the PTI and the Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) on Thursday unanimously announced that they would not compromise on the health of incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan, and urged the nation to join the nationwide shutter-down strike scheduled for February 8 (Sunday).
The remarks were made during a meeting of the PTI’s joint parliamentary committee at Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House in Islamabad.
The meeting was attended by prominent leaders, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, TTAP chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, and PTI stalwarts Asad Qaiser and Taimoor Saleem Jhagra, among others. The meeting was closed off to the media.
Addressing the participants, Qaiser said that the meeting was called because of Imran’s health. He said that representatives of 40 million people were in attendance and unanimously announced that they would not compromise on the health of the PTI founder.
“Don’t push us against the wall; otherwise, all options are open,” Qaiser said in a warning to the ‘powers that be’.
Talking about the Feb 8 protest, he said, “Today, we pledge that we will make the February 8 protest successful.”
He further said that the PTI would meet the Supreme Court chief justice at 10am on Friday and share the resolution passed by today’s meeting regarding Imran’s health.
Reading out the declaration, Qaiser said that the meeting, chaired by Achakzai, expressed concerns over the PTI founder’s health and demanded that his visitation rights be restored.
The meeting also expressed concern over the law and order situation in Balochistan, which witnessed a spate of attacks over the weekend, and showed solidarity with the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the country.
Additionally, the participants demanded that steps be taken to ensure the welfare of the people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Tirah and to rehome those who had been displaced. They also elected to intensify the PTI’s ongoing street movement, so that the nationwide protest would be successful.
The participants also condemned the arrest of party leaders and workers in Sindh and announced that rallies would be staged after Isha prayers on February 8.
They also showed solidarity with the people of Indian-occupied Kashmir and emphasised their right to self-determination. They also denounced the revocation of Article 370-A by the Indian parliament in 2019, which stripped the region of its autonomy.
However, the participants expressed their appreciation for the meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and KP CM Afridi, demanding that the province’s dues be cleared.
Before attending the meeting, Raja said that all issues, including the upcoming protests, would be discussed during at the gathering.
He further said that a statement by Achakzai and Senate opposition leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas had been misunderstood, as they said that it would not be a one-day protest.
“They meant that the struggle for democracy will carry on even after February 8,” he clarified.
The development comes after the government last week admitted that Imran was treated at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims), days after reports regarding the treatment of the ex-premier emerged in mainstream media.
Speaking to Geo News, Tarar said the former premier, who is imprisoned at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail, was taken to Pims in Islamabad for a “20-minute” medical procedure on the night of January 24.
He added that at Pims, Imran’s “eyes were further examined, and after his written approval, a 20-minute medical procedure was performed”. He said the ex-premier was then taken back to the Adiala jail with “important instructions”.
Subsequently, the Pims executive director, Professor Dr Rana Imran Sikander, said that Imran’s eye procedure was completed “smoothly” and that he remained “stable” during the intervention.
Achakzai on Tuesday wrote a letter to PM Shehbaz, seeking his “personal intervention” for the PTI founder’s medical examination by the jailed leader’s “trusted” doctors.
Meanwhile, the PTI has called a massive nationwide shutter-down strike on February 8 against the alleged rigging in the 2024 general elections.
UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan on Wednesday urged the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to move swiftly to designate the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) as a terrorist organisation under its sanctions regime, saying the listing request was already under consideration by the council.
“We hope the council will act swiftly to designate BLA under the 1267 sanctions regime, acceding to the listing request that is currently under consideration,” Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, told a UNSC briefing on ‘Threats to International Peace and Security caused by Terrorist Acts’.
In his remarks, the envoy thanked UNSC members for issuing a press statement condemning the recent attacks in Balochistan and expressed appreciation for what he described as an international “outpouring of support and solidarity with Pakistan”.
“We remain resolute in eliminating this externally sponsored scourge from our soil and exposing the sponsors, financiers, aiders and abettors sitting across our borders,” Ambassador Ahmad said.
Ambassador Ahmad said Pakistan had paid a heavy price in the global fight against terrorism.
“As a frontline state in the global counterterrorism effort, we have sacrificed blood and treasure — with more than 90,000 casualties and staggering economic losses over the years,” he said.
Recalling Pakistan’s role in earlier counterterrorism efforts, he said the Al Qaeda “core” was “largely decimated in Afghanistan due to Pakistan’s instrumental efforts,” adding that Pakistan had also played a leading role in combating the militant Islamic State group’s regional affiliate.
However, Ambassador Ahmad warned that the security situation had deteriorated in recent years, particularly after the Taliban takeover of Kabul.
“Externally sponsored and foreign-funded proxy terrorist groups such as Fitna al Khawarij TTP (Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan) and Fitna al Hindustan BLA and its Majeed Brigade have got a new lease of life,” he said.
“Operating with virtual impunity from Afghan soil and with the active support of our eastern neighbour, these groups are responsible for heinous terrorist attacks inside Pakistan.”
Referring to the latest violence in Balochistan, he said the BLA had claimed responsibility for coordinated attacks across multiple locations.
“Just this weekend, BLA claimed responsibility for a series of terrorist attacks across multiple locations in Balochistan Province that resulted in the martyrdom of 48 innocent civilians, including five women and three children,” he said, adding that “145 BLA terrorists were neutralised during the effective riposte by our valiant security forces”.
It is worth mentioning that last year in August, the US State Department added BLA and its alias, the Majeed Brigade, to its Foreign Terrorist Organisation list.
In his remarks, Ambassador Ahmad also raised concerns about the evolving regional threat emanating from Afghanistan, citing findings by the UN’s Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team.
“These terrorist groups pose a threat not only to Pakistan, but to the entire region and beyond,” he warned, pointing to recent attacks in Central Asia near the Afghan border as validation of earlier concerns.
He also cautioned against the proliferation of advanced weapons left behind after the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan.
“It has become imperative to prevent the billions of dollars of sophisticated weapons and equipment left behind by foreign forces in Afghanistan from falling into the hands of terrorists,” he said, calling for accountability of “external destabilising actors who support, finance and arm these groups, including their proxies in Afghanistan”.
He urged the international community to respond collectively, without double standards.
“The international community must address the contemporary terrorist threat through a collective, comprehensive and coordinated response, including through the balanced implementation of the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy,” he said.
Ambassador Ahmad also criticised what he described as selective approaches to counterterrorism, arguing that “counterterrorism policies have so far singled out only the adherents of one religion”.
“There must be zero tolerance for state terrorism,” he said, referring to the situation in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, and called for recognition of “legitimate struggles of peoples against foreign occupation” in line with UN resolutions.
He said the upcoming ninth review of the Global Counterterrorism Strategy later this year provided an opportunity to “renew our collective resolve” and address existing gaps.
“Pakistan will continue to support multilateral efforts aimed at devising comprehensive and holistic strategies to combat and eradicate this menace through collective endeavours and cooperation,” he added.
