Machh tragedy: PM Imran Khan promises to visit Hazaras 'very soon'

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday told the members of the Hazara community that he stands with them in their time of suffering and assured them he would visit "very soon" but asked them to bury their loved ones.

The prime minister took to Twitter to assure the Hazara families that lost their loved ones in Machh that he was cognizant of their "suffering and demands".

"We are taking steps to prevent such attacks in the future and know our neighbour is instigating this sectarian terrorism," said PM Imran. He told the Hazara families that he shares their pain and reminded them that he had come to them earlier as well and stood by them during their "time of suffering".

The prime minister assured them that he would visit them very soon to "offer prayers and condole with all the families personally".

"I will never betray my people's trust. Please bury your loved ones so their souls find peace," said PM Imran.

I share your pain & have come to you before also to stand with you in your time of suffering. I will come again very soon to offer prayers and condole with all the families personally. I will never betray my people's trust. Please bury your loved ones so their souls find peace.

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) January 6, 2021

The tweets by the premier came as the Hazara families continue their sit-in following the brutal killing of 11 coal miners in Machh.

He also tweeted after a delegation headed by federal minister Ali Zaidi, sent by him, failed to convince families of the slain miners to bury their dead and not keep Prime Minister Imran Khan's visit a condition for their last rites.

The talks were held a day after Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed’s visit failed to end the protest.

The incident

Ten colliers were killed and four others seriously injured on Sunday after armed men attacked them at a coal field in Balochistan's Bolan district.

The coal miners, according to police, were taken to nearby mountains where they were shot.

The 10 miners were kidnapped before dawn on Sunday as they slept near the remote coal mine in the southwestern mountainous Machh area — 60 kilometres southeast of Quetta city, local government official Abid Saleem said.

Security officials who did not want to be named told AFP the attackers first separated the miners before tying their hands and feet and taking them into the hills to kill them.

Two of the miners were Afghans and their bodies have been sent to Afghanistan for burial, a local security official told AFP.

Officials on Monday clarified ten people had died in the attack, revising a previous death toll of 11, AFP reported.

The militant group Daesh has claimed the attack, according to SITE Intelligence, which monitors militant activities worldwide.

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Touching $34,000: Bitcoin trades near all-time high

The world's most prominent cryptocurrency has been trading north of $34,000 on Wednesday, according to CoinDesk data.

It rose to as much as $34,435.42 today, fluctuating close to the record level of $34,452.08 it set on January 3. A day later, Bitcoin fell over 14% with traders citing volatility in highly leveraged markets.

“As we’ve repeatedly seen, particularly in the absence of other technical trading data, the BTC price is attracted to round numbers,” the MD of Digital Capital Management Tim Enneking told Forbes.

“Now that the price is so high, it’s [in the] ten thousands, rather than the individual thousands, which are receiving this sort of attention. That’s clearly true at $30k and it will probably be even more true at $40k.”

Bitcoin has been on a roll, hitting all time highs after breaking through the prior record level of roughly $20,000 in December 2020.

Its advance has also reflected expectations it will become a mainstream payment method. Its potential for quick gains has also attracted demand from larger US investors.

“The fact bitcoin has bounced back after hitting $30,000 and then moved right back to the $34,000 range is bullish, but it should not be viewed as strong support or weak resistance because there is so little history at this price level,” said Jon Pearlstone, publisher of the newsletter CryptoPatterns.

“It seems quite clear that this short-term consolidation in the low $30s is in preparation for an assault on $40k,” he added.

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Osama murder: ATC grants physical remand of five cops

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) granted on Wednesday a seven-day physical remand of the arrested five policemen in the murder case of 22-year-old Osama Satti.

The investigation officer of the case presented all accused, named Muddassir, Shakeel, Mohammad Mustafa, Saeed Ahmed and Iftikhar Ahmed before the ATC on completion of their previous remand.

“Was the youngster shot from behind? the ATC judge asked the IO, to which the latter responded in the affirmative. To another question, the IO said five bullets hit Osama from behind.

At this, the judge questioned how a bullet could hit the victim from behind without piercing the seat of the car he was driving when he was shot at and asked the police official to show a picture, if he has taken, of the front seat to substantiate his claim.

The IO replied that he has not taken such a photo, drawing ire of the court. “This means you are all hand in gloves,” the judge remarked, and asked the cop to place on record the photo so that it can be made part of the case trial.

“I am 50 years old. Will you shoot me if I don’t pull over? the judge questioned the accused and asked them to relate how did the incident take place?

One of the accused said ASI Saleem sent a voice message by wireless about a robbery bid and they were called to Kashmir Highway to intercept a white color car with four people in.

“Your vehicle was big while that of Osama small,” the judge snapped. “Don’t you know how to stop a vehicle? Will you spray it with bullets?”

The court expressed displeasure over the IO for failing to take photos of the crime scene.

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Osama murder: ATC grants physical remand of five cops

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) granted on Wednesday a seven-day physical remand of the arrested five policemen in the murder case of 22-year-old Osama Satti.

The investigation officer of the case presented all accused, named Muddassir, Shakeel, Mohammad Mustafa, Saeed Ahmed and Iftikhar Ahmed before the ATC on completion of their previous remand.

“Was the youngster shot from behind? the ATC judge asked the IO, to which the latter responded in the affirmative. To another question, the IO said five bullets hit Osama from behind.

At this, the judge questioned how a bullet could hit the victim from behind without piercing the seat of the car he was driving when he was shot at and asked the police official to show a picture, if he has taken, of the front seat to substantiate his claim.

The IO replied that he has not taken such a photo, drawing ire of the court. “This means you are all hand in gloves,” the judge remarked, and asked the cop to place on record the photo so that it can be made part of the case trial.

“I am 50 years old. Will you shoot me if I don’t pull over? the judge questioned the accused and asked them to relate how did the incident take place?

One of the accused said ASI Saleem sent a voice message by wireless about a robbery bid and they were called to Kashmir Highway to intercept a white color car with four people in.

“Your vehicle was big while that of Osama small,” the judge snapped. “Don’t you know how to stop a vehicle? Will you spray it with bullets?”

The court expressed displeasure over the IO for failing to take photos of the crime scene.

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NAB files corruption reference against ex-ambassador

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Wednesday filed a corruption reference against a former ambassador for embezzling embassy funds.

The national graft buster filed the reference in an Islamabad accountability court.

According to the reference, former ambassador to Bulgaria Babar Hashmi in cahoots with former accountant Tufail Qazi embezzled Rs19 million from 2016 to 2018. The funds were released for Pakistan’s embassy in Sofia.

The bureau conducted the investigation on the request of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The accused used the embassy funds for personal use by paying bills of hotels and throwing parties. The embezzlement was detected when a new accountant took charge of the embassy in Sofia.

Last year in August, NAB had apprehended Qazi in the case. The court will conduct hearing on the reference after its scrutiny by the registrar’s office.

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NAB files corruption reference against ex-ambassador

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Wednesday filed a corruption reference against a former ambassador for embezzling embassy funds.

The national graft buster filed the reference in an Islamabad accountability court.

According to the reference, former ambassador to Bulgaria Babar Hashmi in cahoots with former accountant Tufail Qazi embezzled Rs19 million from 2016 to 2018. The funds were released for Pakistan’s embassy in Sofia.

The bureau conducted the investigation on the request of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The accused used the embassy funds for personal use by paying bills of hotels and throwing parties. The embezzlement was detected when a new accountant took charge of the embassy in Sofia.

Last year in August, NAB had apprehended Qazi in the case. The court will conduct hearing on the reference after its scrutiny by the registrar’s office.

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CMEA In-House Meeting with Hamid Abbas Lafta, Ambassador of the Republic of Iraq to Pakistan

The Ambassador of the Republic of Iraq to Pakistan, H.E. Hamid Abbas Lafta expressed his desire to translate friendly sentiments between Iraq and Pakistan into practical cooperation and coordination through increased research and dialogue. He was hosted by the Centre for Middle East & Africa (CMEA) at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) here on Monday.

The ambassador was received at the Institute by Chairman BOG, ISSI Ambassador Khalid Mahmood and Director CMEA, Ms. Amina Khan. First Secretary of the Iraq Embassy in Pakistan, Mrs. Wassan Jabbar Abdullah and Attache, Mr. Asseel Noori Talib were also present on the occasion.

Director CMEA, Ms. Amina Khan gave a briefing to the Ambassador on activities of ISSI and CMEA. Welcoming the Ambassador’s visit, Ms. Amina Khan remarked that academic and research interaction between both sides is key to strengthening Pakistan-Iraq bilateral relations. The ambassador lay emphasis on the importance of Centers such as CMEA for promoting cooperation and coordination.

Ambassador Khalid Mahmood, Chairman BOG ISSI said that the people of Pakistan regard the land and people of Iraq with high respect and reverence and the Pakistani government is keen to forge lasting ties with the Government of Iraq. Both sides pledged continued exchanges and collaboration in future.

The Centre for Middle East and Africa (CMEA) of the Institute of Strategic Studies, Islamabad (ISSI) aims to promote and provide quality research, analysis, policy input and dialogue on issues related to the Middle East and Africa. It envisions synergy of inquiry and cooperation with these important regions as envisaged in Pakistan’s foreign policy. Fostering closer comprehensive ties with the Muslim countries in the Middle East and identifying areas of mutual interest between Pakistan and Africa in keeping with Pakistan’s Engage Africa policy are key priorities that underline the vision of CMEA.

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