Pakistan: At least 16 soldiers killed in a suicide attack – DW – 06/28/2025
Local authorities said the soldiers were killed in a suicide attack in north-western Pakistan. The attack was claimed by a faction of the Pakistani Taliban.
At least 16 Pakistani soldiers were killed in a suicide attack that was claimed by the Pakistani Taliban, local government officials and police officers told AFP on Saturday.
The attack in north-western Pakistan also left 29 people injured, including 10 army personnel and 19 civilians.
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DW
6 hours ago
- DW
Pakistan: At least 16 soldiers killed in a suicide attack – DW – 06/28/2025
Local authorities said the soldiers were killed in a suicide attack in north-western Pakistan. The attack was claimed by a faction of the Pakistani Taliban. At least 16 Pakistani soldiers were killed in a suicide attack that was claimed by the Pakistani Taliban, local government officials and police officers told AFP on Saturday. The attack in north-western Pakistan also left 29 people injured, including 10 army personnel and 19 civilians.
DW
a day ago
- DW
Pakistan: How social media can become a danger to women – DW – 06/27/2025
As more women in Pakistan embrace self-expression and economic freedom online, they're often met with harassment, privacy violations and violence. Earlier this month, 17-year-old TikTok star Sana Yousaf was shot dead by a man who had repeatedly contacted her online, according to police. The killing of the popular Pakistani teenager, who had more than 1 million followers across TikTok and Instagram, has raised renewed concerns over the safety of online personalities in Pakistan, particularly young women. "I had posted a story on social media while at a burger shop," Hira Zainab, a Pakistani social media user, told DW. "On my way back, a car passed by, and someone called out my name." Zainab, who has been active on Instagram since 2017, has maintained several public accounts, including a food blog and a society column. She said this wasn't the only instance where online stalking turned into a real-life encounter. "Once, I was at a salon, and after I left, I received a message saying, 'That color looks nice on you.'" Both times, Zainab said the messages came from strangers who had previously made online advances she had ignored. Other recent incidents — such as leaked video footage purporting to show TikToker Maryam Faisal in a private moment with a partner — have highlighted concerns about women's digital safety. In Pakistan, self-expression and economic independence in digital spaces comes with a surge of threats, privacy violations, and social backlash pressures that often escalate into real-world violence. According to a 2023 study by the Digital Rights Foundation, an NGO that advocates women's rights in the digital space, 58.5% of online harassment complaints in Pakistan are filed by women. But public conversation rarely addresses the deeper, systemic issue — particularly the patriarchal norms that stretch from the online world into homes, workplaces, and society at large. Women with public-facing digital lives have been asking why does visibility so often come at a cost? DW spoke with several Pakistani women who use social media in a public capacity. Yusra Amjad, a Pakistani poet, has used Instagram publicly since 2017. "What started with poetry grew into opportunities for content creation and collaboration," she told DW. "The coolest thing that happened was when Yrsa Daley-Ward, a British African poet, selected someone from Instagram comments for a video call and I won" Amjad said. "I also connected with Indian writers and poets." She recalled one of many hate comments she has received. "When my mother and I did yoga in a park. Hate comments alluded to it being shameless and dishonorable." To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Bisma Shakeel, who is based in the Pakistani city of Kohat, uses social media to raise awareness about mental health, focusing on narcissistic abuse and domestic violence. Her motivation stems from personal experience, having left a toxic relationship in which her partner was controlling and discouraged her from using social media to build a professional presence. But the 29-year-old's journey wasn't straightforward. Securing permission from her family to post videos showing her face took time. For many women, freedom on social media, just like in offline spaces, exists on a spectrum. "My father is liberal, but even he said, 'You shouldn't post. People will talk. In our community, girls don't do that.'" Though Shakeel is now active on social media, she said it doesn't come without risk. "Not so much on Instagram, but on TikTok, you can't imagine the kind of threats we get. Rape threats, death threats," she said. Women in Pakistan — especially those who are visibly active online, whether talking about politics or society or simply owning their space — are often judged and perceived as a threat to religious and cultural values. ''That framing is what makes the harassment feel 'deserved' to many. It's not random, it's deeply structured: she's labeled as immoral or un-Islamic, and then attacking her becomes a form of social or religious duty,'' said Maham Tariq, a feminist activist associated with Pakistan's "Aurat Azadi March" (Women's Freedom March). "It allows people to feel righteous while being violent." To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Several women interviewed expressed frustration that social media platforms often fail to adequately support victims of online harassment. The complaint process is slow and often ineffective. Aisha*, a Karachi native now based in Berlin, has used Instagram as a blog and community platform for years. She shared her experience of being impersonated online with fake profiles and doctored photos. ''Family members would screenshot my photos,'' she said. ''And I saw fake profiles of myself.'' Aisha said that a recent Instagram feature whereby blocking an account also blocks associated IPs has dramatically reduced the number of fake accounts. Following Sana Yousaf's killing, rights expert Dad noted that many women influencers have become active in reporting victim-blaming comments. "They also reported profiles glorifying Sana's murder,'' said Dad, who noted that low digital literacy combined with widespread internet access remains a challenging and risky mix in Pakistan. ''So bad actors, somehow, they have this sort of trust in the system that it won't work for victims and survivors,'' she said. While authorities often act swiftly on victims' complaints, that's not always the case. For some, like Aisha, safety remains a major concern when visiting Pakistan, even from abroad. She says she keeps her accounts private during view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
Int'l Business Times
a day ago
- Int'l Business Times
Hong Kong's Dragnet Widens 5 Years After National Security Law
Jailed pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong shrugged and shook his head after a Hong Kong court this month announced a fresh charge of breaching the city's national security law. The 28-year-old protest icon has spent more than four years behind bars and hoped to be let out in early 2027. Now, there is no end in sight. Monday marks five years since Beijing imposed a national security law after widespread and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests in the finance hub, which Chinese officials saw as a challenge to their rule. China sees former protest leaders such as Wong as "incorrigible troublemakers", said John Burns, an honorary professor of politics and public administration at the University of Hong Kong. "We have a daily drumbeat of national security on TV, in the media," Burns told AFP. The new charge against Wong, who was jailed for subversion and unlawful assembly, underscores how Hong Kong authorities are still widening the dragnet. The national security law criminalised for the first time secession, subversion, terrorism and foreign collusion, with offenders facing up to life imprisonment. Since the law was introduced, 165 people have been convicted of various national security crimes, including under follow-up legislation in 2024 and colonial-era sedition laws. The most severely punished was legal academic Benny Tai, who was sentenced in November to 10 years in prison as part of a sprawling subversion case involving 47 opposition figures. A lawyer, who requested anonymity in order to discuss sensitive cases, said five years spent defending security law clients had laid bare the limits of his role. Of all those charged with national security crimes, only two have been acquitted. "Our hands are tied," he told AFP. "Practically the only thing (lawyers) can do is argue for a lighter penalty." Authorities have also warned against "soft resistance", a vague term introduced in 2021 and recently highlighted by Xia Baolong, China's top official overseeing Hong Kong. Regina Ip, convenor of the Hong Kong government's cabinet, told AFP: "I don't think the government is being paranoid. "Because of the increasingly complex and volatile international environment, we all need to be alert," she added. Beijing security officials in Hong Kong also took part in "interviews" this month with collusion suspects for the first time, authorities said. Eric Lai, a research fellow at the Georgetown Center for Asian Law, said the city was adapting approaches from mainland China such as "invitation to tea" -- a practice associated with state security agents. Such informal methods "to regulate and to stabilise society" were favoured because they are "less visible", Lai said. Another local lawyer with experience in security cases also noted a worsening "information gap" that has kept the public in the dark. "There are fewer prosecutions now but more arrests, 'interviews' and operations where (people) are not brought to court," said the lawyer, who requested anonymity. High-profile legal battles have not ended: the case of media tycoon Jimmy Lai continues, while a trial involving organisers of Hong Kong's once-annual vigil marking Beijing's deadly Tiananmen Square crackdown has not yet begun. Scores of pro-democracy and civil society groups, including trade unions and media outlets, have closed since 2020 and the ouster of opposition lawmakers has had "massive consequences for accountability", said Burns. Hong Kong's Democratic Party has begun a process that will lead to its dissolution, while local media reported on Wednesday that the League of Social Democrats, the other remaining opposition party, could fold within days. The security law has prompted a wave of departures. Hong Kong independence advocate Tony Chung said he felt unsafe after finishing a prison sentence for secession and fled to the United Kingdom in 2023. Chung is among 19 people Hong Kong authorities deem to be national security fugitives. The 24-year-old has at times struggled to adapt while he waits in Britain for political asylum but insists on promoting his separatist views. "Many friends told me that I can start a new life here and leave politics behind," he told AFP. "I see the sun, good weather, a grassy field... But I force myself to remember why I came here." The national security law criminalised for the first time secession, subversion, terrorism and foreign collusion, with offenders facing up to life imprisonment AFP Since the law was introduced, 165 people have been convicted of national security crimes, including under follow-up legislation in 2024 and colonial-era sedition laws AFP High-profile legal battles have not ended: the case of media tycoon Jimmy Lai (C) continues AFP Scores of pro-democracy and civil society groups, including trade unions and media outlets, have closed since 2020 AFP Infographic showing known prosecutions under Hong Kong's national security laws AFP
