Former lawmaker and National Democratic Movement (NDM) Chairman Mohsin Dawar remained unhurt after his vehicle came under fire in North Waziristan’s Miranshah on Wednesday, police said.
North Waziristan District Police Officer (DPO) Rohan Zeb said Dawar was targeted during an election campaign in the area. “The vehicle carrying the former lawmaker was bulletproof,” he told Dawn.com.
Zeb said security guards accompanying Dawar responded with gunfire, adding that the attackers used short machine guns (SMGs) in the assault.
The DPO said an additional contingent of police had been sent to the NDM leader after the attack.
Separately, in a social media post, the NDM said terrorism had been increasing in Waziristan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa due to the policies of the state regarding the Taliban.
“How will a level playing field be provided to Mohsin Dawar in such a dangerous environment?” it asked, demanding an immediate investigation into the attack. The party added that the local administration was responsible for making security arrangements for candidates contesting in the upcoming general elections.
“We demand the election commissioner to immediately call an emergency meeting regarding the security of candidates in KP,” the NDM said.
The incident comes a day after the bodies of at least six people were found in the North Waziristan district. According to police, the bodies of the barbers, who had been running shops in Mir Ali bazaar for many years, were discovered in agricultural fields after being abducted and executed in the night by unknown assailants.
As the Supreme Court is set to resume hearing a petition against the chronic malaise of enforced disappearances, a shutterdown strike was observed in several cities of Balochistan on Wednesday against “state oppression” and “atrocities” committed in the province for the last 70 years.
Photos shared by the Balochistan Yakjehti Committee, one of the organisers of the Baloch long march against extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances in Islamabad, showed deserted streets as businesses remained closed in Gaddani, Nohski, Khuzdar, Turbat and other areas.
A day earlier, Baloch protesters — who have been camping in freezing cold outside the National Press Club in Islamabad — called for a shutterdown demonstration across the country after their seven-day ultimatum to the government expired.
Their demands included the release of all protesters detained during police action, detailed investigation into rights violations in Balochistan, elimination of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings, release of all victims of enforced disappearances, restrictions on the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) and elimination of “state-sponsored death squads”.
Last night, the BYC said the state had failed to negotiate with the protesters and announced that a press conference would be held at 3pm today.
It also said that a large number of Islamabad police officials had arrived in front of their sit-in camp. “We are concerned that they’re going to crack down on us and arrest the peaceful protesters,” it stated.
Moreover, the protesters said police were not allowing them food, tents, sound systems and other facilities. “In this cold weather, old mothers and sisters are desperately facing harsh difficulties. Anything can happen to their health,” they added.
SC to resume hearing petition against enforced disappearances
Meanwhile, a three-member SC bench will take up the case brought forward by Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan that highlighted how the unlawful practice of enforced disappearances continued unabated, haunting generations upon generations.
Headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, the bench comprises Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Musarrat Hilali.
A day earlier, the top judge had emphasised that the case held great public importance and that the court intended to resolve the matter for good but insisted that the matter could be settled only if all accepted responsibility.
“This country belongs to all of us. Even those who may have other viewpoints,” he had observed and called for making Pakistan “strong from within”.
The court had also requested Ahsan’s counsel, Shoaib Shaheen, to present concise points on potential legal actions regarding enforced disappearances.
A Chinese exchange student who fell victim to a “cyber kidnapping” scam in which his parents were extorted for $80,000, was found alive but “cold and scared” in a tent in the Utah wilderness, police said.
Kai Zhuang, age 17, was reported missing on Thursday after his parents in China told officials at his host high school in Riverdale, Utah that he appeared to have been kidnapped and a ransom had been requested.
The case followed a typical pattern for cyber kidnapping, in which “kidnappers” tell a victim to isolate and provide pictures of themselves as if being held captive — photos that are then sent to the victim’s family to extort payment.
The victims comply under the belief their family will otherwise be harmed.
After analysing bank records, purchases and phone ping records in a days-long search, police became convinced he was isolating in a tent some 40 kilometres north in a large area near Brigham City.
“Due to the cold weather in Utah this time of year, we became additionally concerned for the victim’s safety in that he may freeze to death overnight,” the Riverdale Police Department said in a press release after he was found on Sunday.
A sergeant hiking on foot up a mountainside discovered Kai’s tent — which had no heat source but only “a heat blanket, a sleeping bag, limited food and water and several phones that were presumed to be used to carry out the cyber kidnapping,” the department said.
The detective “contacted the victim inside the tent and found he was alive but very cold and scared.”
After being rescued, Kai “requested a warm cheeseburger” and to speak to his family, which had paid $80,000 to bank accounts in China during the scam, according to Riverdale police.
Kai’s host family in Riverdale had initially been unaware he was missing, having heard him in the kitchen in the early morning of the day of his disappearance.
Riverdale police worked with the FBI, the US embassy in China and Chinese officials to find the missing teenager, according to the press release.
The Chinese embassy in Washington warned its citizens living in the United States to “boost safety awareness, take necessary precautions, and stay vigilant against ‘virtual kidnapping’ and other forms of telecom and online fraud,” a spokesperson said.
Cyber kidnappers have been targeting foreign exchange students recently, and in particular, Chinese foreign exchange students, Riverdale police said.
The Peshawar High Court on Tuesday reserved its verdict on review pleas filed by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) against the PHC’s decision to suspend the electoral watchdog’s declaration of PTI’s intra-party polls as void and the revocation of its election symbol.
On December 22, the ECP had decided against letting PTI retain its iconic ‘bat’ symbol for the February 8 general election, saying that the party had failed to hold intra-party polls — which saw Barrister Gohar Khan becoming the PTI chairman — in accordance with its prevailing constitution and election laws.
Subsequently, the PTI had approached the PTI. Last week, the court had suspended the ECP’s declaration of the PTI’s intra-party polls as unconstitutional as well as the subsequent revocation of the party’s iconic symbol.
It had also noted that general elections were scheduled for February 8 and the last date for allotment of election symbols was January 13.
On Saturday, the ECP had filed a review petition in the PHC against the suspension of its decision to declare PTI’s intra-party polls as void and not let the party retain its ‘bat’ electoral symbol.
During the hearing today, presided by Justice Ejaz Khan, ECP counsel Sikandar Mohmand appeared in court.
At the outset, the judge inquired if the Supreme Court had passed orders that directives issued by a high court applied to the entire country.
“Absolutely. The SC suspended the Lahore High Court’s decision regarding returning officers,” the lawyer replied. He elaborated that the judgment was suspended under a unilateral decision.
“The second point is that the interim relief and final plea are the same,” he added. At one point, the judge asked where the petitioner in the case was to which the ECP counsel said he was unaware.
Justice Khan also stated that he could not issue an order in the case as it was fixed before a division bench on Jan 9. However, the ECP lawyer said he only wanted the court to withdraw the PHC order, adding that arguments would be presented before the division bench.
Subsequently, the court reserved its verdict.
ECP pleas
ECP’s counsel, Mohsin Kamran Siddique, had filed two applications in the high court.
In one application, the ECP requested the high court to accept its plea and recall the interim relief granted to the petitioners (PTI leaders) by a single-member bench on Dec 26. In the other, the commission has sought the formation of a two-member special bench to hear the matter.
It argued that the writ petition of the PTI came up for hearing before the high court on Dec 26 and the court passed an interim order without issuing notice to the ECP.
“The petitioners have sought interim relief for the suspension of the order of the commission dated Dec 22, 2023, as well as for publication of intra-party polls certificate on the commission’s website along with restoration of party symbol (bat). That the interim order referred herein above, in fact, decides the whole writ petition which amounts to granting of final relief,” the ECP said.
“That under Article 199 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the High Court of a province is empowered to make an order directing a person performing within its territorial jurisdiction. The election symbol of the petitioner is to be allocated across the country, hence without conceding the impugned order, the same has prima facie been passed beyond the territorial jurisdiction of this Hon’ble Court,” it said.
The ECP also argued that issues raised in the PTI’s writ petition were exclusively within the commission’s purview and generally not subject to judicial review under Article 199.
“Even otherwise it is settled law that disputed questions of facts cannot be resolved while exercising jurisdiction under Article 199 of the Constitution. The Constitution unambiguously vests the powers and jurisdiction in the commission to make factual determinations in regard to the subject matter of the writ petition,” the ECP added.
The bodies of at least six people were found in the Mir Ali area of the North Waziristan district on Tuesday morning, a senior police official said.
Speaking to Dawn.com, Bannu Regional Police Officer Qasim Ali Khan said the bodies were recovered from fields in the Mosaki area of Mir Ali last night. The deceased were killed by unidentified assailants, he said.
The senior official said that the slain individuals worked as barbers in the area and hailed from Punjab. “One of the slain men had a computerised identification card which shows he belongs to Dera Ghazi Khan,” the official added.
Khan said all the bodies had been moved to a nearby hospital for medico-legal formalities.
It must be noted that at least five terrorists were killed in an intelligence-based operation by security forces in the Mir Ali area three days ago.
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations, the terrorist had been actively involved in numerous terrorist activities against security forces as well as extortion and targeted killings of civilians.
The world welcomed 2024 with a mix of celebration and sombre reflection.
Sydney sparkled under a shower of silver and gold fireworks commemorating the 50th anniversary of its iconic Opera House, while the mood in Gaza remained bleak, with residents more concerned with survival.
In Europe, Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II announced her abdication after over half a century on the throne.
Here’s how places and people around the world bid farewell to 2023 and welcomed the New Year.
People take pictures as they observe the last sunset of the year on a viewing deck at Namsan tower in Seoul, South Korea on Dec 31. — AFP
Fireworks explode over the city skyline along the Chao Phraya River during New Year’s Eve celebrations in Bangkok on Jan 1, 2024. — AFP
A man wearing traditional attire takes part in a parade to celebrate Tamu Lhosar, a New Year festival of the Gurung community in Kathmandu, Nepal on Dec 31. — Reuters
The “family fireworks”, displayed three hours before midnight every year ahead of the main show at midnight, fill the sky over the Opera House (L) and Sydney Harbour Bridge (R) in Sydney on New Year’s Eve on Dec 31. — AFP
A woman wearing traditional attire dances as she takes part in a parade to celebrate Tamu Lhosar, a New Year festival of the Gurung community in Kathmandu, Nepal on Dec 31. — Reuters
Visitors throng the illuminated Atal Pedestrian Bridge over Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad on the eve of New Year on Dec 31, 2023. — AFP
People gather to observe the last sunset of the year at the Botahtaung jetty on Yangon River in Yangon, Myanmar on Dec 31. — AFP
People dance during an eight-hour tour where customers visit different bars and restaurants in Caracas, Venezuela on Dec 30, 2023. — Reuters
People ride a historical tramway at Taksim Square during preparations to celebrate the New Year 2024 in Istanbul on December 31, 2023. — AFP
Fireworks explode over the Grand Palace during the New Year celebrations, in Bangkok, Thailand, January 1, 2024. — Reuters
People dance during a party on New Year’s day in Mumbai, India, January 1, 2024. — Reuters
“2024” is projected in the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, during the New Year’s celebrations, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, January 1, 2024. — Reuters
Children play during New Year’s Eve celebrations at a street in Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines, December 31, 2023. — Reuters
A reveller wearing a 2024 headband looks on during a New Year countdown event in Beijing, on December 31, 2023. — AFP
A musician plays the guitar and sings on a street during the New Year’s Eve celebrations in Moscow, Russia December 31, 2023. — AFP
People celebrate 2024 during a fireworks show for children at Museumplein in Amsterdam, on December 31, 2023. — AFP
Denmark’s popular Queen Margrethe II, Europe’s longest-serving monarch, said on Sunday that she would abdicate on January 14 and pass the baton to her son Crown Prince Frederik.
Margrethe, 83, has reigned for 52 years and has been Europe’s only reigning queen after the death of Britain’s Elizabeth II.
She has been hailed for subtly modernising Danish royalty in her half-century on the throne.
She made the surprise announcement during her traditional New Year’s Eve speech broadcast on Danish television, citing her age and health issues.
“In two weeks time I have been Queen of Denmark for 52 years,” she said.
That length of time would take its time on anyone, she added. “One cannot undertake as much as one managed in the past…
“On 14th January, 2024 — 52 years after I succeeded my beloved father — I will step down as Queen of Denmark. I will hand over the throne to my son Crown Prince Frederik.”
The chain-smoking queen has repeatedly said she would never abdicate, but back surgery she underwent in February “gave cause to thoughts about the future — whether now would be an appropriate time to pass on the responsibility to the next generation”.
The queen, known for her artistic talents, has been hugely popular in Denmark.
“She has managed to be a queen who has united the Danish nation in a time of large changes: globalisation, the appearance of the multicultural state, economic crises in the 1970s, 1980s and again in 2008 to 2015, and the pandemic,” historian Lars Hovebakke Sorensen told AFP.
“The basis of her popularity is that the queen is absolutely non-political,” he said.
Queen of arts
With sparkling blue eyes and a broad smile, she is known for her relaxed and playful side, as well as for her involvement in Denmark’s cultural scene.
A painter as well as a costume and set designer, she has worked with the Royal Danish Ballet and Royal Danish Theatre on numerous occasions. She studied at Cambridge and the Sorbonne in Paris, and is fluent in English, French, German and Swedish.
She has also translated plays, including Simone de Beauvoir’s “All Men Are Mortal” with her French-born husband under a pseudonym.
But it is primarily her paintings and drawings that have caught the public’s eye.
She has illustrated several books, including a Danish 2002 edition of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings”, and her paintings have been exhibited in museums and galleries in Denmark and abroad.
Crown Prince Frederik, 55, is meanwhile the embodiment of the country’s relaxed, liberal monarchy.
Passionate about the environment, he has discreetly imposed himself in the shadow of his mother, championing Denmark and its drive to find solutions to the climate crisis.
“When the time comes, I will guide the ship,” he said in a speech celebrating his mother’s half century on the throne.
“I will follow you, as you followed your father” in leading the thousand-year-old institution, Prince Frederik added.
He met his wife Mary Donaldson, an Australian lawyer, at a Sydney bar during the 2000 Olympic Games.
They have tried to give their four children as normal an upbringing as possible, sending them mainly to state schools. Their eldest, Prince Christian, who recently turned 18, was the first Danish royal to go to daycare.
Frederik and Mary are “modern, woke, lovers of pop music, modern art and sports,” said historian Sebastian Olden-Jorgensen, adding that they would represent a careful transition to the times.
Frederik has said that he sees himself complementing his mother, a polymath who is an accomplished writer and artist.
“You paint, I exercise. You dig for buried objects from the past, I buried my head in order not to be recognised during my time in the armed forces. You are a master of words. I am sometimes at a loss for them,” he joked during the queen’s jubilee celebrations.
