Pakistan’s Punjab finalizes bill to regulate sale of acid to protect women

Pakistan’s Punjab finalizes bill to regulate sale of acid to protect women
Member of the Provincial Assembly (MPA) Arif Iqbal (center) chairs a meeting of the Punjab Assembly’s Standing Committee on Home in Lahore, Pakistan, on April 14, 2025. (Photo Courtesy: Provincial Assembly of the Punjab)
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Updated 15 April 2025

Pakistan’s Punjab finalizes bill to regulate sale of acid to protect women

Pakistan’s Punjab finalizes bill to regulate sale of acid to protect women
  • Acid attacks, which disfigure and often blind women victims, have long been used to settle personal or family scores in Pakistan
  • New law bars people from engaging in business of acid without license, prohibits sale of acid to people below 18 years of age

ISLAMABAD: The government in Pakistan’s most populous Punjab province recently finalized a bill to control the sale and distribution of acid to ensure protection for women, following numerous acid attacks targeting women over the years. 

Acid attacks, which disfigure and often blind their overwhelmingly female victims, have long been used to settle personal or family scores in Pakistan, with hundreds of cases reported each year. These attacks are often driven by motives such as rejected marriage proposals, domestic disputes or family feuds. 

Between 2007 and 2016, Pakistan recorded 1,108 acid attacks affecting 1,375 individuals. The issue peaked in the early 2000s, with a surge in reported cases between 1999 and 2005 — 494 attacks were reported in 2002 and 417 in 2003.

The proposed legislation titled “The Punjab Acid Control Act 2025” aims to prevent such attacks, ensure accountability and create a safer environment for women across the province by tightening control over the sale and purchase of the product.

“It is necessary to regulate and control the business of acid in Punjab by providing a comprehensive mechanism and for the matters ancillary thereto and connected therewith,” a copy of the bill seen by Arab News on Tuesday said. 

The bill has been prepared by Punjab Women Protection Authority chairperson and lawmaker Hina Parvez Butt. 

The draft legislation prohibits people from engaging in the sale and purchase of acid without a license. It also bars the sale of acid to anyone under 18 years of age and mentions 30 different types of acid. 

According to the draft law, anyone already involved in the acid business before the new law comes into effect must apply for a license within 30 days of when the law is implemented. They need to submit an application with a specific form and pay a fee set by the authorities. 

The license will also state the maximum amount of acid the license holder is allowed to keep at any given time.

Any importer or acid manufacturer already licensed under the current laws will need to register under the new law and maintain a record of their acid-related business, which must be submitted to the licensing authority within one month after the end of each year.

The law mandates that an acid container must clearly display visible information printed on it which includes the name and type of acid, the name, address and license number of the seller, the volume and quantity of acid, manufacturing and expiry dates, and a warning label with the words “DANGEROUS/CORROSIVE” in red along with other safety precautions.

The punishment for violating the provisions of the law includes imprisonment of up to three years and a fine of up to $1,780 (Rs500,000), with an additional three-month prison time if the fine is not paid.

The bill highlighted that offenses committed under this law are cognizable, non-bailable, non-compoundable and will be tried in court.

The draft law states that a person will face imprisonment for two to five years, along with a fine ranging from $712 to $3,560 (Rs200,000 to Rs1 million) if the acid business causes harm to any person or property.

There has been a significant decline in acid attacks in Pakistan since a legislation criminalizing acid and burn violence was passed in December 2011, according to a 2017 report by the Acid Survivors Foundation.

However, recent years have seen a marked decrease: in 2014, 153 acid attacks were reported with 210 victims, followed by 69 in 2015 and 73 in 2016. The downward trend continued in 2017, with only 39 incidents reported.


Pakistan army chief visits Egypt to enhance military, defense cooperation

Pakistan army chief visits Egypt to enhance military, defense cooperation
Updated 23 October 2025

Pakistan army chief visits Egypt to enhance military, defense cooperation

Pakistan army chief visits Egypt to enhance military, defense cooperation
  • Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir meets Egyptian minister of defense, grand imam of Al Azhar Institute, says military’s media wing
  • Army chief discusses matters of mutual interest, stresses need to eradicate extremist ideologies, “contorted interpretations” of Islam

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s army chief is in Egypt where he held meetings with top defense and military officials to enhance bilateral military cooperation, Pakistani military’s media wing said on Thursday, with talks between both sides focusing on regional security and matters of mutual interest. 

Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir met Egypt’s Minister of Defense General Abdul Maged Sagar and the chief of staff of the country’s armed forces, Lt. Gen. Ahmed Khalifa Fatehi, during his visit, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said. 

The Pakistani army chief described Egypt as a brotherly country, adding that cooperation between both states would not only benefit their people will also lead to peace and stability in the region. 

“The visit is aimed at enhancing military cooperation and defense collaboration between the two brotherly countries,” the ISPR said. 

Munir was presented with the guard of honor when he arrived at the Ministry of Defense in Egypt, the military’s media wing said. He also laid a floral wreath at the ‘Memorial of Unknown Soldier’ and the grave of former Egyptian president Mohamed Anwar Al Sadat.

The Pakistani army chief also met Sheikh Ahmed El Tayab, the grand imam of the Al Azhar institute, during which the imam shared his views on the challenges faced by the Muslim world. 

“The COAS highlighted the need to eradicate extremist ideologies and contorted interpretations of Islam,” the ISPR concluded. 

Pakistan and Egypt have cordial ties and both countries have resolved in recent years to facilitate businessmen with visas, exchange trade-related information and promote private-sector contacts.

Military and defense officials of the two countries regularly hold meetings to review the regional security situation. Pakistan’s chairman joint chiefs of staff committee, General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, visited Egypt in July this year for the third round of defense and security talks between the two countries.

In July also, senior officials from both countries discussed enhancing bilateral cooperation in agriculture, food security and farming, with Islamabad expressing interest in learning from Cairo’s successful experiences in these areas. 


South Africa suffer injury blows ahead of limited-overs tour of Pakistan

South Africa suffer injury blows ahead of limited-overs tour of Pakistan
Updated 23 October 2025

South Africa suffer injury blows ahead of limited-overs tour of Pakistan

South Africa suffer injury blows ahead of limited-overs tour of Pakistan
  • Proteas’ stand-in T20 captain David Miller, pacer Gerald Coetzee ruled out of limited-overs Pakistan tour 
  • Matthew Breetzke, uncapped Tony de Zorzi added to T20 squad while Donovan Ferreira will captain visitors

JOHANNESBURG: South Africa’s stand-in Twenty20 captain David Miller and fast bowler Gerald Coetzee have been ruled out of the limited-overs tour of Pakistan, Cricket South Africa said on Thursday.

Miller was due to lead the T20 side in the three-match series, which starts on Tuesday, but strained a hamstring in training and is out of the tour.

Coetzee will miss the T20 series and three one-day internationals that follow in because of a pectoral muscle injury, sustained while bowling during the one-off T20 international against Namibia in Windhoek this month.

Matthew Breetzke and uncapped Tony de Zorzi have been added to the T20 squad, while Donovan Ferreira will captain the side. Ottneil Baartman has been named as Coetzee’s replacement in the ODI squad.

The squads are without players being rested after the two-test series against Pakistan, including usual T20 skipper Aiden Markram, batsman Tristan Stubbs and fast bowler Kagiso Rabada. ODI captain Temba Bavuma is also not touring as he works his way back to fitness after a calf injury to be fit for the two-test test series in India next month.

T20 squad: Donovan Ferreira (captain, Titans), Ottneil Baartman (Dolphins), Corbin Bosch (Titans), Matthew Breetzke (Warriors), Dewald Brevis (Titans), Nandre Burger (Western Province), Quinton de Kock (Lions), Tony de Zorzi (Western Province), Reeza Hendricks (Lions), George Linde (Western Province), Lungi Ngidi (Titans), Nqaba Peter (Lions), Lhuan-dre Pretorius (Titans), Andile Simelane (Dolphins), Lizaad Williams (Titans).

ODI squad: Breetzke, Baartman, Bosch, Brevis, Burger, De Kock, De Zorzi, Ferreira, Bjorn Fortuin (Lions), Linde, Ngidi, Peter, Pretorius, Sinethemba Qeshile (Warriors), Williams.


Pakistan bans religiopolitical party under Anti-Terrorism Act after violent clashes

Pakistan bans religiopolitical party under Anti-Terrorism Act after violent clashes
Updated 23 October 2025

Pakistan bans religiopolitical party under Anti-Terrorism Act after violent clashes

Pakistan bans religiopolitical party under Anti-Terrorism Act after violent clashes
  • Violent clashes between Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan and police took place in Punjab earlier this month during a planned protest march
  • Known for street mobilization and confrontational politics, TLP has repeatedly staged mass sit-ins and marches to Islamabad since 2017

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s federal cabinet unanimously approved a summary declaring religiopolitical party Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) a proscribed organization under the Anti-Terrorism Act, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said on Thursday, following violent clashes between the party’s supporters and law enforcement personnel earlier this month. 

The Punjab government announced last Friday it had formally approved a recommendation to ban the TLP and sent it to the government for final enforcement. Punjab’s move came a few days after a pre-dawn operation by law enforcement authorities in Muridke, a town near Lahore, where the TLP had set up a protest camp en route to Islamabad. The crackdown led to violent clashes and dozens of arrests, effectively halting the group’s planned march. 

The party said its march toward Islamabad was for peaceful purposes and was intended to culminate in a sit-in outside the US Embassy in Islamabad to demonstrate solidarity with Gaza.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday chaired a meeting of the federal cabinet in which the interior ministry submitted the summary to ban the TLP on behalf of the Punjab government, the PMO said. The cabinet was briefed on the “violent and terrorist” activities of the TLP across the country, it added. 

“The federal cabinet has unanimously approved declaring the TLP (Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan) as a proscribed organization under the Anti-Terrorism Act,” the PMO said. 

Senior Punjab government officials took part in the cabinet meeting via video link, the statement said. Members of the cabinet were told that since the party was formed in 2016, it had incited unrest throughout the country via violent protests. 

This is not the first time the government has decided to ban the TLP. The federal government outlawed the group in April 2021 under the same Anti-Terrorism Act, following a wave of violent anti-France protests that left several police officers dead.

However, the ban was lifted just months later in November 2021, after Islamabad negotiated a deal with the party to end its march toward the capital.

The PMO noted that the TLP’s violent protest rallies and gatherings in the past have resulted in the deaths of security personnel and innocent citizens. Punjab Police said earlier this month that clashes with TLP protesters injured nearly 100 police personnel.

“After the briefing and recommendations from the Punjab government, the federal cabinet unanimously concluded that the TLP is involved in terrorism and violent activities,” it concluded. 

TLP’S RISE

The TLP, led by its chief Saad Hussain Rizvi, is known for its street mobilization and confrontational politics. The party has repeatedly staged mass sit-ins and marches to Islamabad since its rise in 2017. Previous protests have often turned violent, resulting in extended clashes with police and days-long disruption of traffic on key highways leading to the capital.

TLP has its ideological roots in Barelvi Islam, a mainstream sect traditionally seen as moderate but for which blasphemy is a red line. It was formed in 2015 by Rizvi’s wheelchair-bound father, Khadim Hussain Rizvi, known for his fiery speeches and harsh criticism of political opponents. 

The party started making waves in 2016 when it protested the execution of Mumtaz Qadri, a bodyguard who assassinated the governor of Punjab over his stance on blasphemy.

The TLP bagged 2.2 million votes in the 2018 national elections, mostly from the easter Punjab province, and won two provincial seats in southern Sindh. It also emerged as the third-largest party in Punjab, behind former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and ex-premier Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

According to Gallup Pakistan, over 2.89 million people voted for the far-right party in the 2024 national elections, 0.76 million more compared to the 2018 polls.


Islamabad, Doha sign protocol to realize Qatar’s $3 billion investment in Pakistan

Islamabad, Doha sign protocol to realize Qatar’s $3 billion investment in Pakistan
Updated 23 October 2025

Islamabad, Doha sign protocol to realize Qatar’s $3 billion investment in Pakistan

Islamabad, Doha sign protocol to realize Qatar’s $3 billion investment in Pakistan
  • Pakistan’s Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan meets Qatari counterpart at sixth Joint Ministerial Commission session
  • Qatar, Pakistan agree to enhance cooperation in road, railways, aviation, health, media digital economy and IT sectors 

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Qatar have signed a protocol that commits both nations to realize Doha’s $3 billion investment in Pakistan’s key sectors, the economic affairs ministry said in a statement on Thursday, amid Islamabad’s efforts to attract foreign funding to stabilize its economy. 

The development took place during the sixth session of the two-day Pakistan-Qatar Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC) on economic, trade and technical cooperation between the two countries. The Qatari emir’s office said in 2022 that the Qatar Investment Authority aims to invest $3 billion in Pakistan to support the South Asian nation’s cash-strapped economy. Qatar’s investment will focus on Pakistan’s transport, civil aviation, education, health, culture, media, communications, information technology and labor sectors.

The agreement was signed between Pakistan’s Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan and his Qatari counterpart, Sheikh Faisal bin Thani bin Faisal Al Thani, during the JMC meeting, the economic affairs ministry said. 

“In the realm of trade, economy and investment, the signed protocol commits both nations to realizing His Highness the Emir of Qatar’s vision of investing $3 billion in Pakistan through the Qatar Investment Authority or other investment vehicles,” the Pakistani ministry said.

Both sides agreed to enhance direct coordination between Pakistan’s Special Investment Facilitation Council— a government body formed in June 2023 to fast-track decisions related to international investment in Pakistan— and the Qatar Investment Authority, to create a more conducive environment for Qatari investors.

As per the signed protocol, Qatar will enhance cooperation in Pakistan’s public transport system including rail, bus and metro networks and support the adoption of electric vehicles in the country. Pakistan and Qatar’s aviation authorities will also meet early next year to further strengthen cooperation, it added.

The statement said the agreement also included a memorandum of understanding between Pakistan and Qatar’s education ministries to enhance technical skills development.

It highlighted the need to form a joint working committee to attract Pakistani medical professionals to Qatar’s Hamad Medical Corporation and promote the exchange of health expertise between the two countries.

“They also provide for exploring the mutual recognition of pharmaceuticals and medical instruments to facilitate market access,” the ministry said.

It also included news exchange agreements between state-run entities Qatar News Agency and the Associated Press of Pakistan for joint documentary and drama productions, along with cultural program exchanges with Pakistan Broadcasting Cooperation and Qatar Radio.

The agreement called for stronger cooperation in e-government, smart cities, digital economy and transformation in the communication and IT sector.

In the labor sector, it urged sending skilled Pakistani workers to Qatar and fast-tracking a new MoU on labor cooperation.

Pakistan shares cordial ties with Qatar rooted in economic cooperation, defense, shared values, faith and culture. Qatar hosts a large Pakistani workforce and this month facilitated dialogue that resulted in a ceasefire with Afghanistan after border skirmishes.


Gunmen kill Pakistan militia chief, five others

Gunmen kill Pakistan militia chief, five others
Updated 23 October 2025

Gunmen kill Pakistan militia chief, five others

Gunmen kill Pakistan militia chief, five others
  • Assailants torched bodies of pro-government militia chief and others in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, says official
  • No group has claimed responsibility but official says Pakistani Taliban demanded extortion money from militia chief

PESHAWAR: Gunmen fired on a vehicle in Pakistan’s northwestern border region, killing a pro-government militia leader and five others before torching their bodies, an official told AFP on Thursday.

The attack took place in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Wednesday, where violence has surged since the Taliban returned to power in neighboring Afghanistan in 2021.

The gunmen fired on the victims, poured fuel onto their vehicle and set it ablaze, a senior administration official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

“The assailants set the vehicle on fire to spread fear, completely charring the bodies of the six victims,” the official said.

No group has claimed responsibility, but the official said the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) — the Pakistani Taliban — had been demanding extortion money from the militia leader, which he refused to pay, and was killed in reprisal.

Pakistan has accused the Taliban authorities in Afghanistan of sheltering TTP militants and allowing them to launch cross-border attacks from there — a charge Kabul denies.

The border between the two countries was closed after clashes this month, sparked by an explosion in Kabul on October 9, killed dozens of civilians and troops on both sides.

Afghanistan’s Taliban government blamed the blast on Pakistan and launched a retaliatory offensive along the border.

A ceasefire brokered over the weekend remained in effect on Thursday, with Pakistani and Afghan officials due to meet in Turkiye on Saturday.