Pakistan

Speaking at the Human Rights Council, Balochistan human rights group requested for UN intervention over human rights violations in Pakistan. The speaker said that the Balochs are being “dehumanised” in Pakistan, and that they are deprived of education, health and other social amenities. He further stated that the aforementioned human rights violations are resulting in “extreme poverty” among the Balochs.

Addressing at the 77th session of UNGA in New York, Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan said that India and Pakistan “have not established peace between them yet”. This has come as he raided the border issue of India’s Kashmir. He then considered the situation “unfortunate”, and hoped that peace will be established soon. Notably, Erdogan met PM Modi on the sideline of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit on September 16.

About 48 Pakistani pilgrims arrived at the Attari Border in Punjab’s Amritsar, and are scheduled to visit various Sikh shrines in India. The pilgrimage will be extended to 25 days, and the pilgrims will reportedly be travelling to various parts of India. Some of the highlights of the pilgrimage include, Amritsar’s Golden Temple, Delhi, Uttarakhand and Hemkund Sahib. This is facilitated by the 1974 protocol on visits to religious shrines.

In Pakistan’s Islamabad, an anti-terrorist court (ATC) granted extension of pre-arrest bail (anticipatory bail) to former Pakistan PM Imran Khan, in an alleged anti-terrorism case. The case was filed after Khan allegedly threatened Additional Sessions Judge Zeba Chaudhry during a public rally on August 20. The FIR filed against Khan stated that Khan intended to “terrorise” police officials and the judiciary.

In Pakistan’s Sindh province, the country’s largest lake Manchar, has now started to overflow, putting the lives of the residents in danger. The lake has now swelled to an area hundreds of square kilometres wide, owing to the monsoon season. The peninsulas and islands in the lake have now been swallowed up, reported CNN. The province is home to 48 million people, and efforts to lower water level are underway.