In partnership with
Profit
THREE KILLED, SEVEN INJURED AS TERRORISTS ATTACK PASSENGER BUS IN KALAT Thursday, 17 July, 2025 | 21 Muharram, 1447
g
g
Rs 20.00 | Vol XVI No 9 | 8 Pages | Karachi Edition
PRESIDENT, PM AND INTERIOR MINISTER STRONGLY CONDEMN KILLING OF CIVILIANS, REAFFIRMING DETERMINATION TO ELIMINATE TERRORISM FROM THE COUNTRY
THE INCIDENT COMES WEEK AFTER NINE PASSENGERS TRAVELLING ON TWO PUNJAB-BOUND COACHES WERE ABDUCTED AND KILLED
T
QUETTA
Staff RepoRt
HREE passengers were killed and seven others were injured when a Quetta-bound passenger bus was attacked by the terrorists of “Finta al-Hindustan” in Balochistan’s Kalat, according to the security sources and the provincial government spokesperson. In a statement Shahid Rind, the Spokesperson to the Balochistan government, confirmed that three passengers were martyred and seven were injured when a shooting occurred on a passenger coach coming from Karachi to Quetta in Kalat’s Nemargh area. The incident comes a week after at least nine passengers travelling on two Punjab-bound coaches were abducted and killed by unidentified armed men in the Sur-Dakai area, situated on the border between Balochistan’s Zhob and Loralai districts. The government had said that Fitna al-Hindustan had carried out attacks at three different places — Kakat, Mastung and Sur-Dakai. The Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), a banned outfit, later claimed responsibility for the attack. A spokesman for the group said it had killed the nine individuals after blocking the highway between Musakhail-Makhtar and Khajuri. Rind said the injured were being moved to the Kalat District Headquarters Hospi-
WEB DESK
The United Kingdom on Wednesday removed Pakistan from its Air Safety List, allowing Pakistani airlines to apply to operate flights to the UK. This decision followed a positive air safety inspection conducted by the UK Department for Transport at Islamabad International Airport, which deemed Pakistan’s security arrangements “satisfactory and in line with international standards.” Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) had been banned from flying to the UK, European Union, and United States in June 2020 after a deadly crash involving an Airbus A-320 in Karachi, which killed nearly 100 people. The EU ban was lifted last November, and now, with improvements in air safety, the UK has also lifted restrictions on Pakistani carriers. The British High Commission in Islamabad confirmed the decision, stating that individual airlines still need to apply for permits to operate to the UK via the UK Civil Aviation Authority. British High Commissioner Jane Marriott praised the collaborative efforts between aviation experts in both countries, noting the importance of the safety improvements made.
Recent fuel price hikes have left many scratching their heads as global pressures settle down ISLAMABAD
ahmad ahmadani
tal for treatment, adding that an emergency had been imposed at the facility. Meanwhile, the Edhi Foundation rescue service put the number of injured at 10, saying they were taken to Civil Hospital Quetta for treatment. “Security agencies, district administration, and rescue teams have immediately reached the scene. Security forces have cordoned off the area, and a search operation is underway. Security forces are pursuing the attackers,” Rind said. He said Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti had taken notice of the incident and sought a report from police and law enforcement agencies. “Based on initial information, terrorists lying in ambush, stopped the bus and then attacked it,” Rind informed, adding that the number of terrorists involved in the attack could not be confirmed, but they (terrorists) carried out the attack from both sides of the road. State broadcaster PTV also posted a video of a passenger who said the terrorists had indiscriminately fired at the bus. It also shared a statement from security sources that said: “Ever since the security forces started successful operations against the terrorists of Fitna al-Hindustan and the FC (Frontier Corps) sealed the border, cutting off their smuggling income, these cowardly terrorists, in a state of frustration, are targeting the lives of innocent people.
UK lifts restrictions on PIA after air safety improvements
Why did Pakistani govt increase fuel prices, despite a drop in global oil price?
CONTINUED ON PAGE 03
Major martyred, three India-backed terrorists killed in Awaran IBO: ISPR RAWALPINDI
Staff RepoRt
A Pakistan Army major was martyred during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Balochistan’s Awaran district that killed three Indian-sponsored terrorists, the military’s media wing said on Wednesday. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the operation was launched on confirmed intelligence regarding the presence of terrorists belonging to Fitna-al-Hindustan, an Indian proxy group operating in the region. “Security forces effectively engaged the terrorist hideout,” the statement read, adding, “As a result of the intense exchange of fire, three Indian-sponsored terrorists were sent to hell.” However,
agencieS
The US Congress may soon urge President Donald Trump’s administration to consider imposing sanctions on countries that suppress religious freedom and violate human rights, Republican Congressman Christopher H. Smith suggested during a congressional hearing on Pakistan on Tuesday. “One of the biggest disappointments—regardless of who is in the White House or at the State Department—is the absence of sanctions,” said Smith, who co-chairs the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission (TLHRC). Smith recalled that the only individual ever sanctioned under US religious freedom laws was Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, following the 2002 Gujarat riots. “We are going to call on the Irfa office to consider imposing [sanctions]—especially in light of the terrible acts committed against people of various faiths,” he said. The Irfa office, based at the State Department, enforces the International Religious Freedom Act, which authorizes the US gov-
Iran’s envoy to Pakistan ‘widely respected,’ FO says after FBI puts Moghadam on ‘most wanted list’ CONTINUED ON PAGE 03
during the engagement, Major Syed Rabnawaz Tariq, 34, a resident of Muzaffarabad, embraced martyrdom. The ISPR said the brave officer was leading his troops from the front and fought gallantly before laying down his life in the line of duty.
US lawmakers warn Pakistan over transnational repression, hint at ‘possible sanctions’ WASHINGTON
The government has announced significant fuel price hikes effective July 16, 2025, with petrol increasing by Rs5.36 per litre to Rs272.15 and high-speed diesel rising by Rs11.37 per litre to Rs284.35. The Finance Division stated these revised prices follow recommendations from the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) and relevant ministries, while kerosene and light diesel oil prices remain unchanged. The increases come despite a noticeable decline in global oil prices, which begs the question, why? Industry sources attribute the domestic hike to a combination of geopolitical tensions, rupee depreciation, and IMF-imposed fiscal conditions. But how viable is that explanation? To answer that question, let us dive into the numbers. The Iran-Israel conflict has had a particularly significant impact on the global oil economy, with the premium on petroleum imports surging from $5 per ton to $9.06 per ton. Pakistan State Oil (PSO) was additionally compelled to pay war risk premiums on fuel imports during this conflict, which further escalated the costs. Currency depreciation added another layer of financial strain, with the Pakistani rupee’s weakness against the US dollar estimated to have increased consumer prices by approximately Rs2 per litre. For high-speed diesel specifically, the government raised the previously reduced inland freight equalisation margin by Rs4 per litre, contributing to the price escalation. This effect was partially seen in the price hike at the start of the month.
ISLAMABAD
Staff RepoRt
ernment to designate and penalize countries that engage in or tolerate severe religious persecution. “That’s it. We’ve got 18 sanctions here, and we are going to impose them on you,” Smith declared during the hearing on Pakistan’s current political and human rights situation. Amnesty International’s advocacy director for Europe and Central Asia, Ben Linden; PTI leader Zulfi Bukhari; law firm Perseus Strategies’ Managing Director Jared Genser; and Afghanistan Impact Network founder Sadiq Amini provided their testimonies during the hearing. Although the TLHRC does not directly recommend sanctions, Smith’s remarks were widely seen as a signal that such measures may be under consideration if current trends persist. His Democratic counterpart, Congressman James McGovern, echoed the concern. “A vibrant Pakistani community in Massachusetts engages me all the time, and quite frankly, they are worried about the signals coming from our government right now,” he said.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry on Wednesday stressed that Iran’s Ambassador to the country, Reza Amiri Moghadam, was “widely respected” after the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) added him to its Most Wanted list for his alleged role in the 2007 disappearance and suspected abduction of retired FBI agent Robert A. “Bob” Levinson. “As far as Pakistan is concerned, the ambassador of Iran is widely respected for his role in the promotion of Pakistan-Iran relations,” FO spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan stated while responding to media queries. “He is entitled to all the privileges, immunities and respect due to [being an] ambassador, that too, from a friendly neighbouring country,” Shafqat highlighted. On Tuesday evening, the FBI’s Washington Field Office released ‘seeking information’ posters of three senior Iranian intelligence officials, whom it blamed for playing key roles in Levinson’s disappearance and in efforts to conceal Tehran’s alleged involvement. While Pakistani authorities have not been linked to the incident, the case now has a direct connection to Islamabad through Moghadam’s diplomatic posting. The FBI statement said Moghadam had previously headed the operations unit of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS), adding that he reportedly oversaw agents operating across Europe during that time. Levinson arrived on Iran’s Kish Island on March 8, 2007 and went missing the following day.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 03
CONTINUED ON PAGE 03