Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Pakistan court orders release of Pashtun rights leader

A Pakistani court on Saturday (15) ordered the release of a Pashtun rights leader critical of the military, his lawyer said, weeks after he was arrested on sedition charges.

Manzoor Pashteen, chief of the Pashtun Protection Movement (PTM), was arrested last month on charges of sedition, hate speech, incitement against the state, and criminal conspiracy.


His lawyer Saeed Akhtar said that he had already been bailed on three of five complaints against him.

"Today the court has granted him bail in the remaining two, against surety bonds of one hundred thousand rupees ($650) each," Akhtar said.

He added that he hoped Pashteen would be released from jail later Saturday. A government prosecutor also confirmed the bail to AFP.

Pashteen, a former veterinary student, and the PTM have rattled Pakistan's military since 2018 with calls to end alleged abuses by security forces targeting ethnic Pashtuns in the restive tribal areas along the border with Afghanistan.

Once plagued by militancy and unrest, the region is where Washington believes Pakistan provides safe haven to militant groups including the Afghan Taliban and Haqqani Network.

The army has carried out many operations in the region, and security across Pakistan has dramatically improved in recent years.

But the PTM claim the operations came at a heavy price because of alleged abuses -- including enforced disappearances and targeted killings.

The movement remains peaceful, but has been notable for its direct verbal attacks on the armed forces in a country where such criticism is largely seen as a red line.

Islamabad and the military have repeatedly denied the claims and arrested PTM activists.

A far-reaching media blackout has kept news and images of peaceful PTM rallies off TV screens and front pages nationwide.

An opinion piece written by Pashteen in the New York Times in 2019 was censored in Pakistan.

Pashtuns are a fiercely independent ethnic group that straddles both sides of the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

They account for roughly 15 percent of Pakistan's population, with a majority of the 30 million-strong group living in the northwest.

More For You

Pushkar Singh Dhami

Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said the law promotes 'equality.' (Photo: X/@pushkardhami)

India's Uttarakhand implements common civil code

THE INDIAN state of Uttarakhand has begun implementing a common civil code to replace religious laws, a move that has raised concerns among minority Muslims about a possible nationwide rollout by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi’s BJP has long advocated for a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) to standardise laws on marriage, divorce, and inheritance across India. On Monday, Uttarakhand became the second Indian state to enact such a law.

Keep ReadingShow less
Yunus dismisses Bangladesh’s growth boom as ‘false narrative’

Muhammad Yunus

Yunus dismisses Bangladesh’s growth boom as ‘false narrative’

BANGLADESH’S interim leader, Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, said last Thursday (23) that the country's high growth under ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina was “fake” and criticised the world for failing to question her alleged corruption.

Yunus, 84, an economist and 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner, assumed leadership of the south Asian country’s interim government in August after Hasina fled to India following weeks of violent protests.

Keep ReadingShow less
Asian bishop in Liverpool quits after sexual assault claims

Right Reverend Dr John Perumbalath (Photo: Church of England)

Asian bishop in Liverpool quits after sexual assault claims

THE Bishop of Liverpool said on Thursday (30) he was stepping down from his post after a British broadcaster aired allegations of sexual assault and harassment against him.

His resignation comes just weeks after Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, leader of the world's Anglicans, also stepped down over failures in the Church of England's handling of a serial abuse case.

Keep ReadingShow less
washington-crash-reuters

Debris is seen at the site of the crash, after American Eagle flight 5342 collided with a Black Hawk helicopter while approaching Reagan Washington National Airport and crashed into the Potomac River. (Photo: Reuters)

Scores feared dead after jet and helicopter collision in Washington

AN AMERICAN Airlines regional passenger jet carrying 64 people and a US Army Black Hawk helicopter collided midair and crashed into the Potomac River near Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday night.

Officials have not confirmed the number of casualties, but many are feared dead.

Keep ReadingShow less
kumbh-satellite-reuters

A satellite image shows a crowd of people along banks of Yamuna river, following a stampede at the Maha Kumbh Mela on January 29. (Photo: Maxar Technologies/Handout via REUTERS)

Massive crowds return to Maha Kumbh festival day after deadly stampede

MILLIONS of Hindu devotees gathered in Prayagraj, northern India, on Thursday for the Maha Kumbh festival, a day after a stampede killed dozens during the event’s most significant bathing day.

Despite the large turnout, some participants remained cautious following the incident.

Keep ReadingShow less