Tag: Khyber Pakhtun­khwa

  • Pakistan’s security forces lost 386 personnel in 2023: report

    Pakistan’s security forces lost 386 personnel in 2023: report

    A recent Security Report released by the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) reveals that Pakistan’s security forces lost at least 386 personnel, including 137 army soldiers, in the first nine months of the ongoing year, marking an eight-year high as the country continues to battle militant violence.

    The Islamabad-based think tank’s report states, “Over the past five years, there has been a consistent and alarming surge in violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan provinces. Equally greater concern is the collective percentage of violence-related fatalities recorded in these two provinces which indicates a disturbing upward trend over the last five years; together, they suffered 72% of all fatalities in 2019, and this unsetting figure surged to a staggering 92% in the first 9 months of 2023.”

    There has been a trend of brutal attacks against religious congregations in the country, with more than 60 people losing their lives in two separate bombing incidents at a mosque and a gathering to mark the Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) birth anniversary on Friday.

    “Pakistan’s security forces lost at least 386 personnel, 36 percent of all fatalities – including 137 army and 208 police personnel – in the first 9 months of 2023, marking an eight-year high as the country continues to battle proxy terrorism, largely in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan,” the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) said in its report released on Saturday.

    “With 1087 violence-related fatalities recorded so far during the year, the outlaws suffered 368 (34 percent), followed by civilians with 333 (31 percent) fatalities,” it added.

    The CRSS maintained there had been a consistent and alarming increase in violence in the two Pakistani western provinces over the past five years.

    Experts attribute the recent increase in militant violence and security forces casualties in Pakistan to the change of government in neighboring Afghanistan, saying it emboldened militant groups in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and fueled separatist violence in Balochistan.

  • Fallout of cheating scandal: MDCAT test to be conducted again

    Fallout of cheating scandal: MDCAT test to be conducted again

    Fall out of the cheating scandal of the Medical Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) continues, with the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa announcing that it will again conduct the test following the insistence of candidates.

    Chief Education Secretary Arshad Khan presented a report regarding MDCAT in the supervisory cabinet meeting presided over by Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Muhammad Azam Khan.

    After discussing the report in the meeting, it was decided to conduct the test again within six weeks under the supervision of Khyber Medical University.

    On this occasion, caretaker information minister Barrister Feroze Jamal Kakakhel told the media in a briefing that the forensics of the gadgets seized from more than 200 students in MD CAT will be carried out.

    The minister said that samples of all the gadgets have been sent to Islamabad, to clean the systems from duplication and prevent such incidents.

    Previously, Peshawar police arrested seven suspects, including the mastermind “facilitating” cheating in MDCAT.
    City police also received several complaints of some students cheating via Bluetooth devices and more equipment.

    Additionally, 74 candidates, including men and women have also been arrested and 19 cases have been registered at eight police stations in the provincial capital.

    The case

    Dozens of candidates had been caught cheating in the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) MDCAT exams conducted in a number of cities on September 10.

    Over 40 candidates, including 20 female candidates, were arrested in Peshawar while 10 were taken into custody in DI Khan.

    All of the detainees were said to be using Bluetooth to cheat in the test. And as reported by Geo, DI Khan police sources claimed that VIP passes were issued to the candidates for which a hefty amount was paid to take the exam through dishonest means.

    Students and parents filed complaints to the Human Rights Cell in Peshawar regarding the results and integrity of the system which were then sent to the PHC chief justice.

    The applicants asserted that approximately 200 students were caught using Bluetooth devices during the examination.

  • 21 million more voters registered since 2018: ECP

    21 million more voters registered since 2018: ECP

    Compared to the statistics of the 2018 general elections, the number of voters in Pakistan has increased by 21 million 24 thousand and 863 voters.

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has said that the total number of voters has reached 126,980,272, while the total number of voters in the country in the 2018 general elections was 105,955,409.

    The number of male voters in 2023 has increased to 68,508,258; while the number of female voters has increased to 58,472,014.

    This means that the number of male voters is 10,036,244 more than women.

    Province-wise increase in voters

    Punjab

    Voters in Punjab have increased by one crore 16 lakh 37 thousand (11,637,811).

    2018: 60,672,771

    2023: 72,310,582

    Sindh

    In total, an increase of 42 lakh 59 thousand (4,259,917) voters has been recorded in Sindh.

    2018: 22,391,244

    2023: 26,651,161

    Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

    In total, 63 lakh 78 thousand (6,378,212) voters have increased in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

    2018: 15,314,169

    2023: 21,692,381

    Balochistan

    The number of voters in the province has increased by 9 lakh 58 thousand (985,100) voters.

    2018: 4,299,494

    2023: 5,284,594 

    Islamabad

    Number of voters in the federal capital has increased by 2 lakh 76 thousand (276,107) voters.

    2018: 765,447

    2023: 1,041,554

    Age-wise voter statistcis:

  • Students pays four lacs to kill exam director for not leaking tests

    Students pays four lacs to kill exam director for not leaking tests

    Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police have arrested four people, including an employee of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Public Service Commission (KPPSC) on Tuesday on suspicion of killing a director of the commission, AAJ TV has reported.

    This was confirmed by SSP Operations Kashif Aftab Abbasi. Allegedly a KPPSC employee was also involved.

    Arshad Khan was KPPSC director of the examination.

    The case is still being probed as some suspects have been traced and additionally, mobile data has also been recovered from them.

    According to SSP Abbasi Khan was killed as he did not leak the paper to the students.

    In a post on X (formerly Twitter) journalist Iftikhar Firdous shared an AAJ TV clip reporting that the student paid Rs400,000 to a target killer to kill the Director Examination.

    Case

    Arshad Khan was shot on July 24 while he was on his way to Peshawar from Charsadda.

    He died on the spot from bullet wounds.

    At the time, police was unable to find the reason for the murder while the body was shifted to a hospital for post-mortem examination.

  • New Zealand awards SSP Sonia Shamroz Khan from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

    New Zealand awards SSP Sonia Shamroz Khan from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

    Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) and District Police Officer (DPO) of Battagram district, Sonia Shamroz Khan, received ‘Officer of the Year’ award from International Association of Women Police (IAWP) in Auckland, New Zealand.

    SSP Battagram Sonia Shamrose has been awarded for excellence in policing strategies and prevention of violence against women.

    She previously worked as DPO Chitral during which she actively worked on local social issues, including establishment of a complaint cell to prevent forced marriages.

    While speaking to Geo News, SSP Sonia Shamzroz Khan dedicated her award to all the women victims of gender discrimination and diligent women police officers who are working tirelessly to ensure peace and security.

    She added that she has always been mindful of cultural norms and sensitivity attached to certain issues while working. Previously, she highlighted, women in Battagram did not approach the police, but now, there is an increase in crime reports pertaining to their issues.

  • Love online: Swedish woman flies to KP to marry Pakistani lover

    Love online: Swedish woman flies to KP to marry Pakistani lover

    A 41-year-old woman from Sweden has flown to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to marry 23-year-old Ahmed whom she met online.

    Tianarat and Ahmed wed in a simple ceremony in Charbagh with only their family present.

    Ahmed Shah resides in Charbagh and is studying English Literature at a university, while Tianarat has embraced Islam after marrying him.

    In recent months, a spate of foreign women have travelled to Pakistan to marry men whom they had formed connections with online. In July, several cases emerged of women from different countries who had met Pakistani men on social media, fallen in love and later arrived in the province to marry them while converting to Islam. Mexican national Rosa married 18-year-old Izaz Ali after becoming friends on Facebook, and converted to Islam after marrying him.

    Read more: Ye KP mein kya ho raha hai: Mexican woman flies to Pakistan to marry Facebook lover

    In Sindh, another online romance case emerged when a Filipino woman Mikona married a man from Larkana, Oshaq, whom she met on Facebook. Their ceremony took place on video call with friends and family members present.

    Read more: Love online: Yet another foreign woman marries Pakistani man

  • KP govt limits Health Card benefits, shifts focus to fiscal sustainability

    KP govt limits Health Card benefits, shifts focus to fiscal sustainability

    The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) caretaker government, under the leadership of caretaker Chief Minister Muhammad Azam Khan, recently convened a significant cabinet meeting. During this gathering, attended by cabinet members, the chief secretary, additional chief secretary, and administrative secretaries, the pivotal topic of discussion was the Health Card scheme.

    During a press conference, Advisor to the Chief Minister on Health, Riaz Anwar, said that due to escalating expenses, the full benefits of the Health Card scheme would now be exclusively available to beneficiaries of the Benazir Income Support Programme. The financial liability associated with the scheme had surged from Rs30 billion to Rs39 billion, leading to a proposal to potentially discontinue the programme.

    The cabinet subsequently approved a set of reforms for the Health Card initiative. Under these reforms, individuals with an income of up to Rs37,000 will be required to cover 25 per cent of their medical expenses. This contribution will be calculated based on data from the Benazir Income Support Programme, ensuring that those with higher incomes contribute to their healthcare costs.

    While the poor and underprivileged will continue to receive free healthcare services, access to free facilities at the emergency ward will be extended to everyone. Importantly, it was clarified that the Health Card programme itself would not be terminated; instead, it would persist in serving the underprivileged.

    According to Samaa, this shift in focus is a response to budgetary constraints, as the expenses of KP’s Health Card programme rose from Rs30 billion to Rs39 billion.

  • Ye KP mein kya ho raha hai: Mexican woman flies to Pakistan to marry Facebook lover

    Ye KP mein kya ho raha hai: Mexican woman flies to Pakistan to marry Facebook lover

    Rosa, a 49-year-old woman from Mexico, has flown to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) to marry 18-year-old Izaz Ali, a young man she met on Facebook.

    According to Geo, a police official has confirmed that Rosa arrived in KP on June 17 with complete documentation to marry Ali, a resident of Buner.

    The two have married in a lavish ceremony, with Rosa changing her name to Ayesha after embracing Islam.

    According to DPO Shah Hassan, Ayesha flew back to Mexico on July 19. Ali is currently completing his Matric exams and will fly to Mexico once his results are out.

    This is the fourth case in recent weeks of a foreign woman flying to KPK to marry a local man. On Saturday it was revealed that 36-year-old Nicola from Chile flew to Upper Dir to marry Ikramullah, whom she had met on TikTok.

    READ MORE: Humaray paani mein kuch hai? In third love story this month, Chile woman flies to marry Pakistani lover

  • Cop martyred, eight injured in Khyber district blast

    Cop martyred, eight injured in Khyber district blast

    The police said on Thursday that a cop was martyred and eight others, including policemen, were injured in an explosion in the Bara Bazar area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Khyber district.

    According to the initial police report, the explosion was suspected to be a suicide attack.

    The latest attack occurred at the tehsil compound, where police were checking people entering it. Other than that, there is a Bara Police Station, government offices, and a cell of the counter-terrorism department in the tehsil compound.

    The police said that the injured have been shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital, Dogra Khyber Agency. There is still no information about the nature of the blast.

    The KP police also suffered an attack last night in which two cops were martyred and two others injured.

  • Khyber Pakhtunkhwa businessmen threaten industrial shutdown amidst worsening law and order situation

    Khyber Pakhtunkhwa businessmen threaten industrial shutdown amidst worsening law and order situation

    Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) business community has expressed their concerns regarding the unfavorable law and order conditions, threatening a potential shutdown of industrial operations.

    Malik Imran Ishaq, President of Hayyatabad Industrial State, highlighted the persistent issue of extortion demands faced by industrialists. He further stated that unidentified individuals resort to grenade attacks on residences and offices when businessmen fail to comply with the extortion demands.

    In light of these circumstances, the president of the KP industrialists association has urged the government to ensure adequate security measures, emphasising that failure to do so would force them to halt their industrial activities.

    The deteriorating law and order situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province has become a cause for concern among businessmen and residents alike.

    As per available records, a total of 411 incidents were reported in the province in the year 2022, out of which 342 cases were filed in relation to extortion.

    Additionally, the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) registered First Information Reports (FIRs) for 69 extortion incidents and successfully apprehended 173 individuals involved in extortion activities during the same year.