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Express Tribune
7 days ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Bugti urges rights groups to propagate impartial narrative
Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti has urged the human rights organizations to build an impartial and fact-based narrative of Balochistan's history, current realities, and overall situation. In a meeting with a delegation from the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) at the Chief Minister's Secretariat in Quetta, the Balochistan CM said the ongoing narrative at national and international level regarding Balochistan is inconsistent with facts and it needs revision to reflect a balanced and accurate perspective. The meeting included in-depth discussions on law and order, human rights conditions, and the province's social development initiatives. Dwelling the history, Bugti highlighted that the accession of the Kalat state to Pakistan was based on mutual agreement rather than coercion, adding certain groups deliberately distorted historical facts to mislead those unfamiliar with the region's true history. Referring to recent terrorist incidents, he condemned the targeted killing of innocent citizens based on their identity, calling it a part of a broader agenda by hostile foreign powers, particularly India. "These terrorist acts have nothing to do with a struggle for rights but are part of an organised attempt to destabilise and divide Pakistan," said the Balochistan CM, adding the supporters of these groups have openly expressed their intentions on various national and international platforms. Questioning the legitimacy of such violent acts, Bugti asked, "What kind of rights movement involves killing people based on their ethnic identity?" Balochistan CM Mir Sarfraz Bugti pointed out that those elements rejected dialogue and openly spoke about dividing Pakistan, a mindset that was unacceptable in any civilized state or society.
Express Tribune
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
CM Bugti calls for correction of misleading Balochistan narrative nationally, globally
Listen to article Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti has noted that the narrative being promoted at both national and international levels regarding province is often inconsistent with facts and requires correction to reflect a balanced and accurate perspective. He urged human rights organisations to develop an impartial and fact-based understanding of Balochistan's history, current realities, and overall situation. Chief Minister Bugti shared these views during a meeting with a delegation from the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) at the Chief Minister's Secretariat in Quetta on Saturday. The meeting involved detailed discussions on law and order, the human rights situation, and the province's social development initiatives. Bugti clarified that the accession of the State of Kalat to Pakistan was the result of a mutual agreement, not coercion. He alleged that certain groups deliberately distort historical facts to mislead those unfamiliar with the region's true history. Read More: Terrorists slaughter nine passengers Referring to recent terrorist incidents, he strongly condemned the targeted killings of innocent passengers based on their identity, describing it as part of a broader agenda orchestrated by hostile foreign powers, particularly India. He emphasised that these terrorist acts have nothing to do with a legitimate struggle for rights, but rather form part of an organised attempt to destabilise and divide Pakistan. 'What kind of rights movement involves killing people based on their ethnic identity?' the chief minister asked, questioning the legitimacy of such violent actions. Bugti further stated that the elements behind such attacks reject dialogue and openly speak about dividing Pakistan — a mindset, he stressed, that is unacceptable in any civilised state or society. He reiterated that the state has a constitutional and legal responsibility to protect the lives and property of its citizens, and this obligation will be fulfilled under all circumstances. A day earlier, terrorists belonging to the Fitna al-Hindustan on Thursday killed at least nine passengers after abducting them from buses in the Loralai district of Balochistan, a district administration official and the provincial government spokesperson said. Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind said that the terrorists, who carried out this gruesome attack belonged to the "Fitna-al-Hindustan". The term refers to India-funded terrorist organisations operating in Balochistan. Also Read: Seven 'India-backed terrorists' killed in Balochistan On the issue of missing persons, Bugti acknowledged the seriousness of the matter but noted that it is not exclusive to Balochistan — similar cases occur in other provinces of Pakistan and globally. However, he expressed concern that in Pakistan, there is a tendency to blame state institutions without presenting solid evidence. He pointed out that in several verified cases, individuals initially labelled as 'missing' were later found to be involved in serious terrorist activities.
Express Tribune
11-07-2025
- Express Tribune
Over 70 Badin labourers freed from private jail in Punjab
More than 70 labourers — including women and children from Badin — were allegedly held captive in a private jail by a landlord in Faisalabad's Farooqabad area, after being lured in with promises of agricultural work. The labourers had travelled to Faisalabad for seasonal jobs such as rice planting and maize harvesting. However, upon demanding their due wages, they were reportedly denied payment by the landlord, who claimed he had already disbursed an advance sum of Rs1 million. The workers denied receiving any such payment, suggesting that the money may have been handed over to a labour contractor or agent instead. According to the affected labourers, they were confined to the landlord's farmhouse under constant surveillance by armed guards. As days passed and food supplies dwindled, the conditions became desperate, with some workers going without food for up to two days. The ordeal came to light when more than 40 labourers managed to escape the farmhouse and alert their families in Badin. The news quickly gained traction on social media, prompting the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) to take notice. The commission tasked its local team to investigate the matter and gather evidence for legal proceedings. Following HRCP's intervention and growing public pressure, the landlord reportedly released the remaining captive labourers. One of the victims, Abbas Mallah, shared a mobile number that helped confirm the identities of those still held. His relative, Ali Ghulam Mallah, revealed that the agent who had arranged the trip to Faisalabad, identified as Khero Kohli, had since gone into hiding and was unreachable. Speaking to reporters after his release, Abbas Mallah said he and 33 fellow workers were stranded at Faisalabad railway station, awaiting financial help from relatives in order to return home to Hyderabad. The freed labourers have appealed to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif to take strong action against those responsible for their exploitation and to ensure they receive their unpaid wages.
Express Tribune
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Another terror act
Listen to article One more gruesome killing incident in Balochistan goes on to confirm that authorities are at a fail in cracking down on the terror nexus. Nine passengers on two Punjab-bound buses were pulled out after being screened on lingual basis and then executed on the highway linking Musakhail-Makhtar and Khajuri. This wanton killing sends the wrong signals in a province that is already teetering under lawlessness and socio-economic deprivation. The outlawed BLA, an Indian proxy, has claimed responsibility for the crime, and the government rightly believes in exterminating such foreign-sponsored outfits. However, the fact is that there is something amiss in taking on such unscrupulous elements, and there is nothing much to do other than remorse after every such tragedy. A coherent political-cum-military strategy to overcome such fissures is indispensable. This butchery on the Zhob-Loralai junction invites some introspection. It attests that non-state actors or their cahoots are scot-free, and have a set mindset to bleed. Secondly, the repeated targeting of a particular ethnic community is probably meant for sending down the message that national cohesion is up for a toss. The government's sole reliance on the kinetic strategy, disregarding the political option completely, has kept the province on tenterhooks, endangering not only the lives of its inhabitants but also the prospects of broader development of the province and the region. The HRCP, and the likes, are right in pressing for a negotiated solution to the imbroglio that is unending and taking a toll in the form of pushing the entire country over the brink as communal cross-currents are being flared through such killings. The grievances of people in the absence of political space and true representation are genuine, and cannot be brushed aside by alienating them. Besides employing the kinetic-political method that also features an unconditional dialogue offer to all the dissidents, there is need to launch an aggressive diplomatic campaign to apprise the regional countries of foreign meddling, and bring them round to collectively work to rid the region of the menace of terrorism.
The Independent
11-07-2025
- The Independent
Pakistani man kills teen daughter for refusing to delete TikTok account
A 16-year-old girl was shot dead by her father in Pakistan after she refused to delete her TikTok account, police have said. The teenager, a student of Class 9, was killed on Tuesday in Rawalpindi, near capital Islamabad. Police said the father was upset with her presence on the video-sharing platform and murdered her when she refused to remove it. 'The girl's father had asked her to delete her TikTok account. On refusal, he killed her,' a police spokesperson told AFP. The father escaped after the daughter's death, according to Pakistan's Dawn n ewspaper, and the family initially tried to portray the death as a suicide. However, the police later detained him, and the family admitted the father had carried out the killing in the name of 'honour'. Honour killings – the murder of a family member, often a woman, on the pretext of protecting perceived family honour – remain a serious issue in Pakistan. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) documented at least 346 reported cases in 2024 alone, and estimates put the true number closer to 1,000 per year. Reforms in recent years have aimed to curb the practice, including stripping perpetrators of the right to pardon assailants. Yet enforcement remains a challenge. The murder is the latest in a series of deadly attacks on women in Pakistan linked to social media activity. Last month, 17-year-old TikTok influencer Sana Yousaf, who had over a million followers across platforms, was killed at her home by a man whose advances she had rejected. The app is hugely popular in Pakistan, especially among young people and those with limited literacy. For many women, it has become a rare source of income and visibility in a country where fewer than 25 per cent of women participate in the formal workforce. However, access to digital platforms remains deeply unequal. Just 30 per cent of women in Pakistan own a smartphone, compared to 58 per cent of men – the widest gender gap in mobile ownership in the world, according to the 2025 Mobile Gender Gap Report. Pakistani authorities have repeatedly threatened to ban TikTok over 'immoral' content, while online visibility has put many women at risk in conservative areas where tribal or religious norms remain dominant. In October, police in Karachi arrested a man after he killed four female relatives over 'indecent' TikTok videos. Earlier this year, a man in Balochistan confessed to orchestrating the murder of his 14-year-old daughter after claiming her videos brought 'dishonour' to the family.
