Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

Karachi elects prisoner as mayor

The Pakistani port megacity of Karachi on Wednesday (23) elected as mayor a politician who is currently in jail on sedition and terrorism charges, a day after the leader of his party was charged with treason.

Waseem Akhtar, a former minister and parliamentarian of the influential Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), won the mayoral poll by a landslide with 196 of the total 294 votes cast by the city’s municipal authorities.


Akhtar was arrested in July and accused of ordering a crackdown on city riots in 2007, when he was serving as provincial home minister, that resulted in a bloody massacre.

Later he was also booked on sedition and terrorism charges.

The MQM has long dominated Karachi’s politics, largely thanks to the support of Mohajirs, a group of well-off Muslims who migrated from India in the 1940s.

The movement has a stranglehold on the council of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, which elected Akhtar, the MQM’s chosen candidate, from among its members.

“I have been languishing in jail for the past month on false charges, but the people have voted for me,” Akhtar told media outside the historic Karachi Metropolitan Corporation building before being escorted by police to a prison van.

“Thank you Karachi, which has gone through this election in such difficult times,” Akhtar added. “It will go down in history that such an election has never before taken place in Pakistan.”

He vowed to seek his freedom in court—but said if he is denied, he will “solve the public’s problems from jail”.

Akhtar was elected after a turbulent two days in Karachi politics that centred on his party’s exiled leader, Altaf Hussain.

MQM activists clashed with police and ransacked a private television station in the southern city on Monday, leaving at least one man dead and seven injured, after Hussain gave a telephone address to supporters from London in which he castigated the media for their coverage.

Security forces arrested some of his party leaders and shut down their headquarters before charging Hussain with treason and inciting terrorism on Tuesday.

His own second-in-command, Farooq Sattar, disowned him at a press conference later that day, accusing him of repeatedly embarrassing the party and vowing the MQM should be run from Pakistan.

Akhtar appeared to be trying to distance himself from the furore on Wednesday.

“I am not the mayor of MQM. I am the mayor of Karachi,” he said.

The MQM, run by Hussain from London, has long been blamed for ethnic violence in Karachi, and accused of using extortion and murder to cement its grip on power.

It has clashed repeatedly with authorities who, according to rights groups, have resorted to hundreds of extra-judicial killings during a “clean-up” operation that began in 2013 in a city already plagued by violence.

Last year, Pakistani police registered a case under terrorism laws against Hussain over a speech criticising the country’s powerful military establishment.

Previous charges have not resulted in action or extradition requests against Hussain, who has lived in London since fleeing a military operation against his party in 1992 and is a British citizen.

Hussain remains a highly influential figure in Karachi, Pakistan’s economic centre and main port, though observers believe his grip on power is gradually diminishing in his absence and his party is no longer the force it once was.

More For You

Air India flight crash
Air India's Boeing 787-8 aircraft, operating flight AI-171 to London Gatwick, crashed into a medical hostel complex shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad on June 12.
Getty Images

Air India crash probe finds fuel to engines was cut off before impact

Highlights

 
     
  • Fuel to both engines of the Air India flight was cut off seconds before the crash
  •  
  • A pilot was heard questioning the other over the cut-off; both denied initiating it.
  •  
  • The Dreamliner crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad, killing 260 people.
  •  
  • Investigators are focusing on fuel switch movement; full analysis may take months.

FUEL control switches to both engines of the Air India flight that crashed shortly after takeoff were moved from the "run" to the "cutoff" position seconds before the crash, according to a preliminary investigation report released early Saturday.

Keep ReadingShow less
Chinese vessel tracked in Bay of Bengal after disabling identification system

The Indian Navy and Coast Guard have consistently reported Chinese research vessel presence. (Representational image: Getty Images)

Chinese vessel tracked in Bay of Bengal after disabling identification system

A Chinese research vessel was detected operating in the Bay of Bengal near Indian waters while attempting to conceal its presence by disabling its Automatic Identification System (AIS), according to a report by The Economic Times, citing French maritime intelligence firm Unseenlabs.

The French company conducted a 16-day satellite-based survey tracking ships through radio frequency emissions. It monitored 1,897 vessels, with 9.6 per cent showing no AIS activity, indicating attempts to avoid detection. The survey raised concerns amid increased Chinese activity in the region.

Keep ReadingShow less
Asian-inspired garden earns
five awards at Hampton Court

(From left) Malcolm Anderson (RHS, head of sustainability) Clare Matterson (RHS director general), Lorraine Bishton (Subaru UK and Ireland, managing director) Andrew Ball (director, Big Fish Landscapes) Mike McMahon and Jewlsy Mathews with the medals

Asian-inspired garden earns five awards at Hampton Court

BRITISH Asians are being encouraged to take up gardening by a couple who have won a record five medals at the Royal Horticultural Society’s Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival.

“It’s a contemporary reimagining of a traditional walled garden, highlighting the British and Irish rainforests,” said Jewlsy Mathews, who was born in Britain of parents from Kerala, a southern Indian state known for its lush vegetation.

Keep ReadingShow less
uk weather

Amber heat health alerts have been issued across several regions of England

iStock

England faces widespread heat alerts and hosepipe bans amid rising temperatures

Highlights:

  • Amber heat health alerts in place for large parts of England
  • Hosepipe bans announced in Yorkshire, Kent and Sussex
  • Temperatures could reach 33°C over the weekend
  • Health risks rise, especially for elderly and vulnerable groups

Heat warnings in effect as UK braces for another hot weekend

Amber heat health alerts have been issued across several regions of England, with temperatures expected to climb to 33°C in some areas over the weekend. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) activated the warning at 12 pm on Friday, with it set to remain in place until 9 am on Monday.

The alerts cover the East Midlands, West Midlands, south-east, south-west, East of England, and London. Additional yellow alerts were issued for the north-east, north-west, and Yorkshire and the Humber, starting from midday Friday.

Keep ReadingShow less
Essex ladybird invasion

One of the largest gatherings was filmed on a beach at Point Clear

Dee-anne Markiewicz / SWNS

Swarms of ladybirds invade Essex coastline amid soaring temperatures

Highlights:

  • Ladybird swarms reported across Essex and Suffolk coastal towns
  • Hot weather likely driving the sudden surge in population
  • Sightings include Point Clear, Shoebury, Clacton and Felixstowe
  • Similar outbreaks occurred in 1976 during another hot UK summer

Sudden surge in ladybird numbers across the southeast

Millions of ladybirds have been spotted swarming towns and villages along the Essex coast, with similar sightings stretching into Suffolk. Residents have reported unusually high numbers of the red and black-spotted insects, particularly near coastal areas, with the recent hot weather believed to be a major contributing factor.

One of the largest gatherings was filmed on a beach at Point Clear, a village near St Osyth in Essex, where the insects could be seen piling on top of each other on driftwood and plants.

Keep ReadingShow less