ISLAMABAD // A spate of terrorist attacks against a minority sect has set off bitter verbal sparring between top Pakistani officials over the growing threat of militancy in the country's most populous and prosperous province, Punjab.
Major differences have emerged over how to tackle the spectre of Islamist extremism in the country's Punjabi heartland, with federal officials accusing the provincial government of turning a blind eye.
On Tuesday, Rehman Malik, the interior minister, said a small-scale operation would be carried out in South Punjab after intelligence has been gathered. However, he ruled out a full-scale military operation.
The eastern city of Lahore was rattled last month after a group of gunmen attacked two places of worship belonging to the minority Ahmadi sect.
At least 80 people were killed in the attacks that were allegedly carried out by militants belonging to a banned Sunni-sectarian group, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, according to Mr Malik.
Four days after the massacre, gunmen stormed Jinnah Hospital where one of the arrested attackers was being treated along with wounded victims of the earlier attack. The raid on one of Lahore's major hospitals was ostensibly aimed at killing or freeing the gunman from police custody. The attempt failed after a gun battle in which four policemen and a civilian were killed.
The attacks have put the government of Punjab under an intense spolight for, at best, its perceived failure to combat the spread of extremist groups, and at worst, complicity with them, according to the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party and independent analysts.
After the attacks, Mr Malik issued a warning that militants were gaining strength in southern Punjab. Local news media outlets quoted the interior minister as saying that the "Punjabi Taliban" was allied with al Qa'eda and Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan and was involved in planning major attacks in the country, especially in Punjab.
The federal government has accused the provincial government in Punjab, headed by Shahbaz Sharif, the opposition politician with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) who has a reputation for being a strict administrator, of turning a blind eye to the growing influence of militant groups in Punjab. Mr Sharif, however, scoffed at the allegations and took exception to the term "Punjabi Taliban", saying such statements reek of provincialism.
PML-N officials have said the way to curb militancy is to bring such elements into the mainstream of the society instead of using force.
In March, Rana Sanaullah, the provincial law minister and a senior leader of the PML-N, campaigned along with Maulana Muhammad Ahmad Ludhyanvi, the leader of the militant group Sipah-e-Sahaba, during a by-election in Jhang district of Punjab.
Mr Sanaullah's tacit support and endorsement of Sipah-e-Sahaba caused an uproar in the country and drew wide criticism.
Pakistani analysts say the war of words, and the competing approaches to fighting militancy between the two rival officials, have political undertones as well. "At first blush, Mr Malik's comments about the Punjabi Taliban are not very problematic or controversial. The term has been used for years now to refer to militant groups who cut their teeth in the Kashmir jihad before teaming up with other strains of militants and eventually turning their guns on the Pakistani state. But there is a political context here that Mr Malik ought to know much about", read an editorial in Dawn, the country's leading English daily, on Friday.
"Perhaps the PML-N has seen in the latest comments by the interior minister a PPP plot to once again lay siege to the Punjab government, this time on grounds of law and order and security", the editorial said.
While the northern parts of Punjab province are relatively affluent and industrialised, poverty, unemployment and illiteracy is rampant in its southern districts.
The local economy is dependent on agriculture, feudal social structures are strong and vast swathes of land are dotted with madrassas, which officials say are incubators for extremism.
Sectarian groups such as Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan, a virulently anti-Shiite outfit; Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, a splinter group even more extreme in its views and violence; and Jaish-e-Muhammad have managed to operate despite a government ban on their activities in the southern Punjab.
The banned militant groups are present not just in the far-flung areas of south Punjab, but in the urban centres as well.
On Tuesday Sipah-e-Sahaba staged a rally in Aabpara, one of the main shopping centres of Islamabad, which falls under the purview of the federal government.
More than a hundred madrassa students gathered at the main square of Aabpara, barely a kilometre from the headquarters of Inter-Services Intelligence, the country's intelligence organisation.
Holding flags, members of Sipah-e-Sahaba mounted loudspeakers on nearby traffic signals.
One organiser ordered the students to stand in disciplined lines, urging them not to provoke police during the protest, which was meant to denounce the Israeli attack on the flotilla carrying aid for Gaza.
Around a dozen police officers closed traffic in adjoining streets, as Haq Nawaz, a police inspector, quietly watched the proceedings from a distance. When asked if the protesting group was banned by the government, Mr Nawaz feigned ignorance. He said there were no orders to make any arrests.
foreign.desk@thenational.ae
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
More on Palestine-Israeli relations
Kill%20
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FIGHT%20CARD
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
SPECS
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Monster
Directed by: Anthony Mandler
Starring: Kelvin Harrison Jr., John David Washington
3/5
Five films to watch
Castle in the Sky (1986)
Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
Only Yesterday (1991)
Pom Poki (1994)
The Tale of Princess Kaguya (2013)
The specs
Engine: 8.0-litre, quad-turbo 16-cylinder
Transmission: 7-speed auto
0-100kmh 2.3 seconds
0-200kmh 5.5 seconds
0-300kmh 11.6 seconds
Power: 1500hp
Torque: 1600Nm
Price: Dh13,400,000
On sale: now
French Touch
Carla Bruni
(Verve)
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
Fitness problems in men's tennis
Andy Murray - hip
Novak Djokovic - elbow
Roger Federer - back
Stan Wawrinka - knee
Kei Nishikori - wrist
Marin Cilic - adductor
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Medicus AI
Started: 2016
Founder(s): Dr Baher Al Hakim, Dr Nadine Nehme and Makram Saleh
Based: Vienna, Austria; started in Dubai
Sector: Health Tech
Staff: 119
Funding: €7.7 million (Dh31m)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
Who: UAE v USA
What: first T20 international
When: Friday, 2pm
Where: ICC Academy in Dubai
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs: 2017 Dodge Viper SRT
Price, base / as tested Dh460,000
Engine 8.4L V10
Transmission Six-speed manual
Power 645hp @ 6,200rpm
Torque 813Nm @ 5,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 16.8L / 100km
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The biog
From: Ras Al Khaimah
Age: 50
Profession: Electronic engineer, worked with Etisalat for the past 20 years
Hobbies: 'Anything that involves exploration, hunting, fishing, mountaineering, the sea, hiking, scuba diving, and adventure sports'
Favourite quote: 'Life is so simple, enjoy it'
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
UAE squad
Rohan Mustafa (captain), Ashfaq Ahmed, Ghulam Shabber, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Boota, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Shaiman Anwar, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Qadeer Ahmed, Mohammed Naveed, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan
The Farewell
Director: Lulu Wang
Stars: Awkwafina, Zhao Shuzhen, Diana Lin, Tzi Ma
Four stars
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