Asia
Kim says he has no desire for talks and repeats a threat to destroy South if provoked
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un restated he has no desire for diplomacy with South Korea and that the North would annihilate its rival if provoked, state media said Friday, in the latest of his belligerent statements that are raising tensions in the region.
During a visit to North Korea’s Defense Ministry on Thursday, Kim said his recent moves to cut ties with South Korea allow his military to take on a more aggressive posture “by securing lawfulness to strike and destroy (the South) whenever triggered."
North Korean leader Kim calls for war readiness while inspecting construction of warships
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have increased in recent months, with Kim elevating his weapons demonstrations and threats and the United States, South Korea and Japan strengthening their combined military exercises in response.
While most South Korean officials and experts have downplayed the possibility that Kim has real intent to engage in a war, concerns about a direct military provocation have grown as the North may try to ramp up pressure in an election year in South Korea and the United States.
North Korea's Kim orders increased production of mobile launch vehicles as tensions grow with US
The North’s official Korean Central News Agency reported Kim said he took the initiative to “shake off the unrealistic pretense of dialogue and cooperation with the (South) Korean puppets who sought the collapse of our republic.” The agency said Kim on his visit to the ministry was accompanied by his daughter, thought to be named Kim Ju Ae, who some experts believe is being groomed as a future leader.
Kim Jong Un’s remarks came weeks after he declared to his rubber-stamp parliament that North Korea was abandoning its long-standing objective of a peaceful unification with South Korea and ordered the rewriting of its constitution to cement the South as its most hostile foreign adversary.
The North has since shut down government departments that handled affairs with the South, tore down a major unification monument and abolished laws that had governed past economic projects with the South.
Experts say Kim’s attempts to recalibrate relations with the South, which come amid a testing spree of potentially nuclear-capable weapons targeting neighboring rivals and the United States, are aimed at reducing Seoul’s voice and eventually forcing direct negotiations with Washington over the nuclear standoff. His long-term goal is to force the United States to accept the idea of the North as a nuclear power and negotiate security and economic concessions from a position of strength.
Other analysts say Kim may want to raise tensions with South Korea to maintain a sense of external threat for his domestic audience. Kim’s government has recently been strengthening campaigns to remove the influence of South Korean pop culture and language amongst his population, which he may see as beneficial to reinforcing the North’s national identity and prolonging his family’s dynastic rule.
In a pre-recorded interview with local television that aired Monday, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol described Kim’s government as “irrational” actors who are putting further strain on North Korea’s broken economy by aggressively expanding the country’s collection of nuclear weapons and missiles.
“We need to keep that in mind as we prepare to counter their security threats or provocations, preparing not just for actions based on rational judgments but also actions based on irrational conclusions,” Yoon said.
Pakistan votes for a new parliament as militant attacks surge and jailed leader's party cries foul
Pakistanis braved cold winter weather and the threat of violence to vote for a new parliament Thursday a day after twin bombings claimed at least 30 lives in the worst election-related violence ahead of the contested elections.
Tens of thousands of police and paramilitary forces have been deployed at polling stations to ensure security. Still, on the eve of the election, a pair of bombings at election offices in restive southwestern Baluchistan province killed at least 30 people and wounded more than two dozen others.
The balloting has also been marred by allegations from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan that its candidates were denied a fair chance at campaigning. The cricket star-turned-Islamist politician — ousted in a no-confidence vote in parliament in 2022 — is behind bars and banned from running, though he still commands a massive following. However, it's unclear if his angry and disillusioned supporters will turn up at the polls in great numbers.
The election comes at a critical time for this nuclear-armed nation, an unpredictable Western ally bordering Afghanistan, China, India and Iran — a region rife with hostile boundaries and tense relations. Pakistan’s next government will face huge challenges, from containing unrest, overcoming an intractable economic crisis to stemming illegal migration.
Read: Pakistan's election: Who's running, what's the mood and will anything change?
Fazal Hayyat, 38, a driver, was one of the first voters in the northwestern city of Peshawar. “I am happy that I became the first one to exercise the right to vote at a polling station,” he told reporters.
Sikandar Sultan Raja, the head of the Election Commission of Pakistan, said the polling began across the country despite Wednesday's bombings in Baluchistan. “We will ensure the holding of free and fair elections,” he said. “People should vote for the candidates of their choice without any fear,."
International observers are also voting polling stations after being given permission by Islamabad.
People in Pakistan's major cities, including Lahore, Karachi, Quetta and Multan, were lining up at polling stations to cast vote. Former Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also went to a polling station in Lahore to cast his vote. He Wednesday night told a the Geo news channel that his brother Nawaz Sharif will be their candidate for the office of prime minister if his part gets majority in the parliament after the vote.
The weather on voting day was cold but clear. Mobile phone service was suspended after the previous day's bombings, leaving people unable to talk to relatives who went to cast ballots and political parties unable to contact supporters. The statement from Pakistan’s Interior Ministry said the decision was made to maintain law and order. It did not say when the suspension would be lifted.
As many as 44 political parties are vying for a share of the 266 seats that are up for grabs in the National Assembly, or the lower house of parliament. An additional 70 seats are reserved for women and minorities in the 336-seat house.
After the election, the new parliament will choose the country’s next prime minister, and the deep political divisions make a coalition government seem more likely. Separately, elections are also taking place Thursday for the nation's four provincial assemblies.
The last time parliamentary elections were held in 2018, when Khan came to power, a little more than half of the country's electorate of some 127 million voters cast ballots. If no single party wins a simple majority, the first-placed gets a chance to form a coalition government, relying on allies in the house.
Read: Twin bombings at Pakistan political offices kill at least 26 a day before voting begins
The top contender is the Pakistan Muslim League party of three-time former Prime Minister Sharif who returned to the country last October after four years of self-imposed exile abroad to avoid serving prison sentences at home. Within weeks of his return, his convictions were overturned, leaving him free to seek a fourth term in office.
With his archrival Khan sidelined and in prison, Sharif seems to have a pretty straight path to the premiership, backed by his younger brother, former Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who is likely to play an important role in any Sharif-led Cabinet.
The Pakistan People's Party is a strong contender, with a power base in the south, and is led by a rising star in national politics — Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, the son of assassinated former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.
The Sharifs and Bhutto-Zardari are traditional rivals but have joined forces against Khan in the past, and Bhutto-Zardari served as foreign minister until last August, during Shehbaz Sharif's term as premier.
If Khan's supporters stay away from the polls, analysts predict the race will come down to the parties of Nawaz Sharif and Bhutto-Zardari, both eager to keep Khan's party out of the picture. As Bhutto-Zardari is unlikely to secure the premiership on his own, he could still be part of a Sharif-led coalition government.
For Khan, convicted on charges of graft, revealing state secrets and breaking marriage laws — and sentenced to three, 10, 14 and seven years, to be served concurrently — the vote is a stark reversal of fortunes from the last election when he became premier.
Candidates from Khan’s party have been forced to run as independents after the Supreme Court and Election Commission said they can't use the party symbol — a cricket bat on voting slips — to help illiterate voters find them on the ballots.
The undoing of Khan and the resurrection of the Sharif political dynasty have given the impression of a predetermined outcome, and “it may be too late to change that perception,” according to Farzana Shaikh, an associate fellow at the London-based think tank Chatham House.
On Tuesday, the United Nation’s top human rights body warned of a “pattern of harassment” against members of Khan’s party, which claims it was subjected to a “reign of terror” and that it has been prevented from holding hold rallies like Sharif's party. Authorities deny the allegations.
Pakistanis, like people in many other impoverished nations, grapple with sustained high inflation, rising poverty levels, daily gas outages and hourslong electricity blackouts.
Read: Who is Bushra Bibi, Imran Khan’s mysterious third wife?
Since Khan’s ouster, Pakistan has relied on bailouts to resuscitate its spiraling economy, with a $3 billion package from the International Monetary Fund and wealthy allies like China and Saudi Arabia jumping in with cash and loans.
Twin bombings at Pakistan political offices kill at least 26 a day before voting begins
A pair of bombings at the election offices of a political party and an independent candidate in southwest Pakistan killed at least 26 people and wounded more than two dozen others, officials said Wednesday, the day before parliamentary elections are to be held.
The first attack hit the election office of Asfandyar Khan in Pashin, a district in Baluchistan province, said Jan Achakzai, the spokesperson for the provincial government. Officials said at least 15 people were killed in the attack and the wounded are being transported to a nearby hospital. Police said some of them were listed in critical condition.
Later Wednesday, another bombing at the elections office of politician Fazlur Rehman’s Jamiat Ulema Islam party in Qilla Saifullah town of Baluchistan killed at least 11 people, Acahkzai and local authorities said.
JUI is one of the leading radical Islamist party and is known for backing the Afghan Taliban. JUI’s religious schools are spread across the country, especially in the northwest and Baluchistan bordering Afghanistan. Many of Afghanistan’s Taliban leaders studied at Islamic seminaries operated by JUI, yet Rehman and his party leaders in recent years have been attacked by the Islamic State group and other militants. Rehman and scores of candidates from his party are contesting the elections from various parts of Pakistan.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks, which came a day before Pakistan holds parliamentary elections.
Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul-Haq-Kakar denounced the bombings in Baluchistan, and conveyed his condolences to the families of those who died. He vowed that “every attempt to sabotage the law and order situation will be thwarted.”
Kakar said the government is committed to holding elections in a peaceful environment.
Caretaker Interior Minister Gohar Ejaz also denounced the bombings, saying no one would be allowed to sabotage the election process.
The bombings came despite the deployment of tens of thousands of police and paramilitary forces across Pakistan to ensure peace following a recent surge in militant attacks in the country, especially in Baluchistan.
The outlawed Baluchistan Liberation Army has been behind multiple attacks on security forces, including a Jan. 30 attack on security facilities that killed six people.
In recent years, Pakistan has struggled to rein in surging militancy. Pakistani Taliban and other militant groups also have a strong presence in the Baluchistan province and have targeted civilians in recent years.
The gas-rich province at the border of Afghanistan and Iran has been the scene of a low-level insurgency by Baluch nationalists for more than two decades. Baluch nationalists initially wanted a share of the provincial resources, but later they initiated an insurgency for independence.
Violence ahead of elections and on the day of polling is common in Pakistan. In one of the worst such attacks, Pakistan’s two-time former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was killed in a gun and bomb attack in 2007, just minutes after she addressed an election rally in the garrison city of Rawalpindi. Her son, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, led the campaign for her Pakistan People’s Party until Tuesday night amid tight security.
A bombing at an independent candidate's election office kills 14 in Pakistan ahead of elections
A bomb exploded at an election office of an independent candidate in southwest Pakistan on Wednesday, the day before parliamentary elections are to be held, killing at least 14 people and wounding more than two dozen others, officials said.
The attack happened in Pashin, a district in Baluchistan province, said Jan Achakzai, the spokesperson for the provincial government. He said the wounded are being transported to a nearby hospital, and police said some of them were listed in critical condition.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which came a day before Pakistan holds parliamentary elections.
Read: Syria says Israeli airstrikes over Homs have killed and wounded civilians
The bombing came despite the deployment of tens of thousands of police and paramilitary forces across Pakistan to ensure peace following a recent surge in militant attacks in the country, especially in Baluchistan.
The gas-rich Baluchistan province at the border of Afghanistan and Iran has been the scene of a low-level insurgency by Baluch nationalists for more than two decades. Baluch nationalists initially wanted a share of the provincial resources, but later they initiated an insurgency for independence.
Pakistani Taliban and other militant groups also have a strong presence in the province.
Who is Bushra Bibi, Imran Khan’s mysterious third wife?
The mysterious and enigmatic persona of Bushra Bibi, third wife of former Pakistani Prime Minister and cricket legend Imran Khan, has come under heightened scrutiny, particularly following their recent conviction in a corruption case.
In stark contrast to Khan’s two previous high-profile marriages with British socialite Jemima Goldsmith and journalist Reham Khan, Bushra has maintained a veiled and low-profile existence, emphasizing her intellect and character rather than her appearance, as disclosed by Khan in 2018, reports BBC.
Apart from her discreet personal life, it is Bushra’s “mystical” attributes that have fueled widespread speculation. Recognized as a faith healer with a small following, she garnered respect as a spiritual adviser, rooted in the Sufi tradition that emphasizes the inner quest for God and detachment from worldly concerns, it said.
The marriage of Khan and Bushra in 2018 marked a departure from his previous grand unions, with the ceremony influenced by their shared interest in Sufism and conducted with minimal fanfare. Rumors circulate that Khan sought advice from Bushra after encountering her at a 13th-century Sufi shrine, where she purportedly dreamt that their union would pave the way for Khan to become the prime minister. Subsequently, they married, and six months later, Khan assumed office.
Read: Pakistan's imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan is convicted again, days before elections
Bushra, however, binned the claim.
The subsequent years of Imran Khan’s tenure were marked by economic challenges, rising living costs, political oppression, curtailed media freedoms, and human rights violations.
His political downfall ensued, culminating in his ousting in 2022 through a vote of no confidence and subsequent arrests. The recent corruption case resulting in imprisonment and fines for both Khan and Bushra has raised questions about her role in the alleged illegal selling of state gifts, valued at over RS 140 million ($501,000; £395,000), the report said.
Facing a 14-year sentence, Bushra also contends with legal challenges from her former husband, Khawar Maneka – a civil servant and son of a well-known politician – filed a complaint alleging fraudulent marriage and fornication.
Under Muslim family law, women are prohibited from remarrying for a few months after their husband dies or they are divorced. It is alleged that Bushra married Imran Khan before the completion of the stipulated time following her divorce from Khawar Maneka.
As Bushra Bibi navigates through these legal complexities, a government notice suggests she will be placed under house arrest in Islamabad until further orders.
The intriguing narrative surrounding Imran Khan’s mysterious third wife continues to unfold, leaving many unanswered questions about her role and influence in the tumultuous political landscape.
Read more: Jinnah House attack case: Imran called for quizzing
520 killed in 6-month violent attacks in Myanmar
A total of 520 people have been killed in violent attacks in Myanmar in nearly six months from Aug. 1 last year to Jan. 29 this year, the official Myanmar News Agency reported on Thursday.
The victims included three Buddhist monks, 438 civilians and 79 civil servants, the media report said.
During the period, 11 electric and communications towers, 97 bridges and toll gate buildings, six healthcare buildings, 13 schools and educational buildings were also damaged in the attacks, it said.
Read: Out of options, Rohingya fleeing Myanmar and Bangladesh by boat despite soaring death toll
The People's Defence Force (PDF) has reportedly carried out the attacks across the Southeast Asian country.
Starting from Feb. 1, 2021, when Myanmar declared a state of emergency, to Jan. 29 this year, a total of 6,880 people have been killed in violent attacks across the country, the media report added.
Pakistan's imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan is convicted again, days before elections
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan was found guilty of corruption on Wednesday and sentenced to 14 years, yet another blow to the imprisoned populist leader days before his political movement attempts a return to power in parliamentary elections.
It was his second conviction in as many days and the harshest yet, and was seen as part of the long-running struggle between civilian leaders and the powerful military in the troubled Western ally.
Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi — who was also convicted Wednesday — were accused of retaining and selling state gifts in violation of government rules when he was in power. In addition to his prison term, Khan was disqualified from holding any public office for 10 years.
His lawyer, Babar Awan, dismissed the conviction as a violation of Khan's basic rights, and said the former premier was convicted and sentenced in such a hurry that the judge did not wait for the arrival of his legal team.
Read: The bodies of 9 Pakistanis killed by unknown gunmen in Iran have been repatriated
Khan — who in the waning days of his premiership began to challenge the country's military — was ousted from power in a no-confidence vote in April 2022. He now has more than 150 legal cases hanging over him.
Still, the former cricket star remains intensely popular. Pakistan saw violent demonstrations — including ones that targeted military installations — after Khan’s arrest last year.
Authorities have since cracked down on his supporters and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, or PTI, making further rallies unlikely, and many of his party's candidates have been disqualified from contesting the Feb. 8 parliamentary elections.
Pakistan has a history of arresting former prime ministers or sidelining them ahead of elections if they are deemed to pose a challenge to the security establishment — which has long held significant sway in civilian politics. More than two-thirds of its civilian rulers have been arrested, convicted or disqualified since the country gained independence from Britain in 1947.
But even given this history, analyst Azim Chaudhry said the rapid succession of Khan’s convictions — three in about six months — was unusual.
“The message is Imran Khan will remain behind bars for a longer time if he does not change his rhetoric against the country’s institutions,” said Chaudhry, who is an independent, Islamabad-based analyst.
With Khan fighting legal battles, his rival, three-time premier Nawaz Sharif, has a clear path to a fourth term in office. Sharif himself was hobbled by legal cases and prison sentences, but the Supreme Court and other courts have acquitted him on all charges and scrapped a lifetime ban on politicians with criminal convictions from contesting elections.
Read: Pakistani court sentences former Prime Minister Imran Khan to 10 years for revealing state secrets
Sharif's party succeeded Khan's after his ouster, and currently a caretaker government headed by Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-haq Kakar is running day-to-day affairs.
Though Kakar has said he would ensure free and fair elections in a peaceful environment, there have been isolated attacks at election rallies. A candidate from Khan's party, Rehan Zeb, was shot and killed Wednesday in northwestern Pakistan's Bajur district. A day earlier, four people died when a roadside bomb went off near rally participants from Khan's party in the southwestern Baluchistan province.
Khan and Bibi were indicted three weeks ago on charges that they bought gifts — including jewelry and watches from Saudi Arabia’s government — at reduced prices and sold them at market value. They pleaded not guilty.
In Pakistan, government leaders are allowed to buy gifts received from foreign dignitaries and heads of state, but they aren’t usually then sold. If they are, the earnings must be declared. The prosecution said Khan did not correctly disclose his income after selling gifts.
In addition to the prison terms, the couple was fined 787 million rupees ($2.8 million) each.
Khan is already serving a three-year sentence on a corruption conviction, and he got a 10-year term on Tuesday after being found guilty of revealing state secrets; all three sentences will be served concurrently.
In a statement, Zulfiqar Bukhari, the chief spokesperson for Khan’s party, said Wednesday's ruling was “another sad day in our judicial system history which is being dismantled.”
Awan, the lawyer, said the latest ruling would be challenged in higher courts.
Bibi was absent when the judge announced the verdict but later went to the court to avoid being arrested. She will be handed over to prison officials to serve her sentence.
Khan briefly attended Wednesday's hearing but left the courtroom when the judge was about to read the verdict. He said he could not remain there without his lawyer and asked the judge to wait. His request was denied.
Muhammad Ali, an Islamabad-based political analyst, noted that Khan's legal team has frequently skipped court hearings as part of a strategy to delay the trial.
Gohar Khan, the head of the PTI, disputed the idea that Imran Khan’s political career was over after this latest conviction.
“He is not gone and I appeal to our supporters to vote for the candidates of PTI to ensure that we win the election, and this is the best way to avenge (him),” he said.
Analysts, however, have said Khan's party will struggle in upcoming elections, with no one able to match his charisma.
Out of options, Rohingya fleeing Myanmar and Bangladesh by boat despite soaring death toll
Across a treacherous stretch of water, the Rohingya came by the thousands, then died by the hundreds. And though they know the dangers of fleeing by boat, many among this persecuted people say they will not stop — because the world has left them with no other choice.
Last year, nearly 4,500 Rohingya — two-thirds of them women and children — fled their homeland of Myanmar and the refugee camps in neighboring Bangladesh by boat, the United Nations’ refugee agency reported. Of those, 569 died or went missing while crossing the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea, the highest death toll since 2014.
The numbers mean one out of every eight Rohingya who attempted the crossing never made it, the UNHCR said last week.
Yet despite the risks, there are no signs the stream of Rohingya is ebbing. On Thursday, Indonesian officials said another boat carrying Rohingya refugees landed in the country’s northern province of Aceh.
Not a good time for Rohingya repatriation, UN Resident Coordinator says
Fishermen provided food and water to 131 Rohingya, mostly women and children, who had been on board, said Marzuki, the leader of the local tribal fishing community, who like many Indonesians goes by one name.
Some passengers told officials they had been at sea since last month and their boat's engine had broken down, leaving them adrift, said Lt. Col. Andi Susanto, commander of the navy base in Lhokseumawe.
“Southeast Asian waters are one of the deadliest stretches in the world and a graveyard for many Rohingya who have lost their lives,” says Babar Baloch, UNHCR’s spokesman for Asia and the Pacific. “The rate of Rohingya who are dying at sea without being rescued — that’s really alarming and worrying.”
Inside the squalid refugee camps in Bangladesh, where more than 750,000 ethnic Rohingya Muslims fled in 2017 following sweeping attacks by Myanmar’s military, the situation has grown increasingly desperate. Not even the threat of death at sea is enough to stop many from trying to traverse the region’s waters in a bid to reach Indonesia or Malaysia.
“We need to choose the risky journey by boat because the international community has failed their responsibility,” says Mohammed Ayub, who is saving up money for a spot on one of the rickety wooden fishing boats traffickers use to ferry passengers 1,800 kilometers (1,100 miles) from Bangladesh to Indonesia.
Global indifference toward the Rohingya crisis has left those languishing in the overcrowded camps with few alternatives to fleeing. Because Bangladesh bans the Rohingya from working, their survival is dependent upon food rations, which were slashed last year due to a drop in global donations.
Returning safely to Myanmar is virtually impossible for the Rohingya, because the military that attacked them overthrew Myanmar’s democratically elected government in 2021. And no country is offering the Rohingya any large-scale resettlement opportunities.
Meanwhile, a surge in killings, kidnappings and arson attacks by militant groups in the camps has left residents fearing for their lives. And so, starving, scared and out of options, they continue to board the boats.
Ayub has lived in a sweltering, cramped shelter for more than six years in a camp where security and sanitation are scarce, and hope even scarcer. There is no formal schooling for his children, no way for him to earn money, no prospects for returning to his homeland and no refuge for his family amid spiraling gang violence.
World must find an end to Rohingya crisis for their return to Myanmar: PM Hasina tells UK MPs
“Of course I understand how dangerous the boat journey by sea is,” Ayub says. “We could die during the journey by boat. But it depends on our fate. ... It’s better to choose the dangerous way even if it’s risky, because we are afraid to stay in the camps.”
Two hundred of the people who died or went missing at sea last year were aboard one boat that left Bangladesh in November. Eyewitnesses on a nearby boat told The Associated Press that the missing vessel, which was crowded with babies, children and mothers, broke down and was taking on water before it drifted off during a storm as its passengers screamed for help. It has not been seen since.
It was one of several distressed boats that the region’s coastal countries neglected to save, despite the UNHCR’s requests for those countries to launch search and rescue missions.
“When no action is taken, lives are lost,” says UNHCR’s Baloch. “If there is no hope restored in Rohingya lives either in Myanmar or in Bangladesh, there are no rescue attempts, (then) sadly we could see more desperate people dying in Southeast Asian seas under the watch of coastal authorities who could act to save lives.”
Six of Mohammed Taher’s family members were aboard the boat that vanished in November, including his 15-year-old brother, Mohammed Amin, and two of Taher’s nephews, aged 3 and 4. Their ultimate destination was Malaysia, a Muslim-majority country where many Rohingya seek relative safety.
Taher and his parents now struggle to sleep or eat, and spend their days agonizing over what became of their loved ones. Taher’s mother saw a fortune teller who said her relatives were still alive. Taher, meanwhile, dreamed that the boat made it to shore, where his relatives took refuge in a school and were able to bathe in warm water. But he remains unconvinced their journey ended so happily.
And so he has vowed to tell everyone to stay off the boats, no matter how unbearable life on land has become.
“I will never leave by boat on this difficult journey,” Taher says. “All the people who reached their destination are saying that it’s horrific traveling by boat.”
Yet such warnings are often futile. Ayub is now preparing to sell his daughter’s jewelry to help pay for his spot on a boat. While he is frightened by the stories of those who didn’t make it, he is motivated by the stories of those who did.
“Nobody would consider taking a risk by boat on a dangerous journey if they had better opportunities,” he says. “Fortunately, some people did reach their destination and got a better life. I am staying positive that Allah will save us.”
FM hopeful of Rohingya repatriation soon
The bodies of 9 Pakistanis killed by unknown gunmen in Iran have been repatriated
The bodies of nine Pakistani laborers killed by gunmen in Iran last week were repatriated to their home country Thursday.
It was still unclear who was behind the attack Saturday in a home in Iran’s Sistan and Baluchestan province. Three Pakistanis wounded in the attack were still being treated at an Iranian hospital.
Read: 5 killed as blast hits political rally in SW Pakistan
Tehran handed over the bodies of the slain men at the Taftan border crossing, local government administrator Waqar Kakar said. He said the bodies were being flown to the city of Multan and will be sent from there to their hometowns.
The killings occurred as tensions erupted between Pakistan and Iran after Pakistan launched retaliatory strikes inside Iran that were said to be targeting militant hideouts and killed at least nine people. An Iranian attack against alleged militant hideouts inside Pakistan killed two children in southwestern Baluchistan province.
Read: Pakistan launches retaliatory airstrikes on Iran
Following the tit-for-tat attacks, both sides agreed Monday to improve their security cooperation.
The attacks appeared to target two Baluch militant groups with similar separatist goals. The two countries have accused each other of providing safe haven to the groups in their respective territories.
Myanmar extends state of emergency for 6 more months
Myanmar's National Defense and Security Council (NDSC) on Wednesday extended the state of emergency in the Southeast Asian country for six more months, the council's information team said.
According to media report, Acting President U Myint Swe declared the extension of the state of emergency for six months during the NDSC's meeting on Wednesday.
The extension was made in accordance with the Section 425 of the State Constitution due to unusual circumstances in the country, the report said.
The meeting also discussed matters on combating telecom frauds, development of the country and promotion of education sector, preparation for the general election and preparation for national census, the report said.
Myanmar declared the state of emergency in February 2021 for one year and then extended it four times until Jan. 31 this year.