Faisal Vawda warns crackdown on foreign-backed anti-state elements
Listen to article
Senator Faisal Vawda has warned that a crackdown will soon begin against those conspiring against Pakistan and acting at the behest of foreign powers.
In a post shared on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Vawda stated that Pakistan has never tolerated conspiracies in the past and will not do so now. He said arrests of anti-state elements are imminent.
'I am currently abroad,' he wrote, 'but positive news will start emerging for Pakistan in the month of May.'
He added that these positive developments would not come from the usual political quarters but 'from somewhere else.'
Reiterating his stance, Senator Vawda said conspiracies against Pakistan will be dealt with firmly, and those involved in foreign-backed agendas will face strict action.
Earlier, the federal government has set up a special team under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016 to curb social media-related crimes.
According to PECA's Section 30, the team operates under the supervision of the Islamabad IG Police.
The JIT has gathered substantial evidence suggesting that the accused were involved in spreading propaganda on social media, contributing to national instability.
Further investigations are underway to identify additional suspects and take appropriate legal action in line with Pakistan's laws.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
a day ago
- Express Tribune
Iran says US travel ban ‘violates international law'
Listen to article Iran denounced on Saturday a renewed United States travel ban targeting Iranian nationals and citizens of 11 other countries, calling the measure a reflection of 'deep hostility' and a 'racist mentality' within American decision-making. The executive order, signed on Wednesday by US President Donald Trump, revives sweeping entry restrictions that will come into effect from Monday at 12.01am. EDT (0401 GMT). The restrictions apply to citizens of Iran, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. Read: US imposes new sanctions on Iran, targeting 10 individuals and 27 entities Trump said the ban was necessary to protect the United States from 'foreign terrorists,' citing national security concerns following a firebomb attack at a pro-Israel rally in Colorado last week. More than a dozen people were injured in the incident. Authorities later identified the suspect as an Egyptian man who had overstayed a US tourist visa. Iranian officials condemned the move as discriminatory, politically motivated and in violation of international law. 'The decision to ban the entry of Iranian nationals—merely due to their religion and nationality—not only indicates the deep hostility of American decision-makers towards the Iranian people and Muslims but also violates international law,' a senior official from Iran's foreign ministry said in a statement published on X, formerly Twitter. Read More: Iran's Khamenei rejects US nuclear deal proposal to halt uranium enrichment Alireza Hashemi-Raja, director general for Iranians abroad at the ministry, called the measure 'a clear sign of the dominance of a supremacist and racist mentality among American policymakers.' He warned that the ban could entail 'international responsibility' for the US, although he did not specify any potential legal action. The latest executive order closely resembles a travel ban implemented by Trump during his first term in office from 2017 to 2021. That policy faced criticism for disproportionately targeting Muslim-majority nations and was ultimately repealed by former President Joe Biden in 2021. Iran and the United States severed diplomatic ties following Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution, and relations have remained strained ever since, especially over Tehran's nuclear programme, regional influence, and sanctions. Also read: Iran urges Europe not to back IAEA resolution on nuclear compliance Despite the lack of formal relations, the United States is home to the largest Iranian community outside Iran. According to Tehran's foreign ministry, there were about 1.5 million Iranians living in the US as of 2020. The Iranian foreign ministry said the ban deprives 'hundreds of millions of people of the right to travel based solely on their nationality or religion,' calling it discriminatory and harmful to global engagement. The statement also noted that the timing of the order—days after the Colorado rally attack—was misleading and risks fuelling xenophobia and Islamophobia in US policy. There was no immediate response from Washington to Tehran's remarks.
Business Recorder
4 days ago
- Business Recorder
PECA Act: Respondents asked to submit comments
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) gave a deadline to the respondents to submit comments in the petitions challenging amendments in the PECA Act. A single bench of Justice Inaam Ameen Minhas on Wednesday heard the petitions of Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), anchors association and Islamabad High Court Journalists Association (IHCJA). In the petition, counsel of the journalist body adopted the stance that the PECA (Amendment) Act is unconstitutional and illegal; hence, the court should conduct judicial review on it. The petition said the PECA (Amendment) 2025 increased the government control and restrictions on freedom of speech. It said the PECA law violated Article 19 and 19(A) of the Constitution as well. Therefore, it pleaded, the law should be suspended. PECA amendments challenged in SC During the hearing, Advocate Imran Shafiq and other lawyers appeared in the court on behalf of the petitioners. Advocate Shafiq said the federal government has filed its reply only through the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Information while the Ministry of Law and Justice, Parliamentary Affairs and the PTA have not submitted any response yet. He informed the bench that the federal government has raised a question on the jurisdiction of this court. He added that the federation has stated that after the 26th Constitutional Amendment, only the Constitutional Bench of the High Court can hear this case. The lawyer said the second objection was raised while giving a reference of a Quranic verse that before spreading the words, do research. The lawyer said the FIRs are being registered against people and the court should hear this case soon. The IHC bench asked whether there is no news going on? Is someone preventing news from being given or published? Riasat Ali Azad advocate prayed the court to issue a stay order that there will be no FIR or arrest against the journalist for reporting the news. He said that the parties are not submitting a response and are taking time from the court. Journalist Mazhar Abbas said that an atmosphere of harassment has been created in the media industry and the journalists are being summoned and harassed by the FIA. The petitioner's lawyer said the parties should be directed to file their replies and provide a copy of the replies to the petitioners in advance before the next hearing. Justice Inaam remarked that even if the response is not filed, the hearing will still be continued. He said that this case would take a long time and therefore, it will be scheduled after Eid. Later, the court deferred hearing of the case till the second week of July. The PFUJ said in the petition that the law infringed international human rights as well as digital rights in Pakistan. The petition read: '…a writ may be issued declaring that the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Act, 2025 is unconstitutional, being violative of the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution, due process, fair trial, and the concept of regulatory independence, as well as the doctrines of fairness, proportionality, reasonableness, and constitutional limitations or restrictions, hence void, and liable to be struck down.' Therefore, the PFUJ prayed that the respondents may be restrained and prevented from employing the coercive powers under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Act, 2025, in general, and against the journalist community, in particular till final disposal of the instant petition. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Express Tribune
4 days ago
- Express Tribune
'We will not forget you'
It has happened again. There are no words that can fully convey the raw horror of the senseless murder of 17-year-old influencer Sana Yousaf. On Monday evening, a girl on the brink of adulthood embracing the promise of all the milestones her eighteenth year would bring, was gunned down in her home on what should have been a birthday celebration. Why? As revealed by video press conferences from investigating officers, the shocking – but paradoxically unsurprising – answer is rooted in rejection. Sana's fresh-faced youthful perkiness lit up the screens of her over a million followers across both TikTok and Instagram combined. Along the way, this young influencer crossed paths with a man she had no interest in meeting. Ill equipped to deal with a 'no', that man broke into Sana's home on her 17th birthday. We all know what happened next. Mahira, Sajal take to IG Vocal showbiz A-listers with a keen finger on the pulse for justice rose united in horror across Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) to condemn this latest instance of gender-based violence – made all the more horrific by Sana's age and the cruel irony of her murder coinciding with her birthday. Mahira Khan, taking a horrified pause from promoting her upcoming Eidul Azha film Love Guru, wrote on Instagram Stories, "Can't get myself to stop thinking about Sana Yousaf. A 17-year-old beautiful girl. She had just blown out candles, made wishes, maybe danced a little. And then in seconds gone. Shot dead. Over a bloody 'No'." Digging to the rotten core of a society where a feminine rejection can lead to murder, the Maula Jatt star continued, "But is it really about one moment? One second? One word? It's not. It's the system. The way we've raised men to believe they are owed something – attention, affection, obedience. The way we fail, again and again, to protect the girls who dare to have a voice, a choice." As with any incidence of female murder, misogynist comments across Facebook under the news of Sana's murder ranged from "Yes, every female TikTokker deserves this" to "These TikTokkers advertising their stupidity make people leave Islam." With such fuel for the fire, Mahira was far from the only Pakistani star making public her disgust and despair over Sana's tragic murder as fellow actor Sajal Ali also turned to IG Stories to register her horror. "A girl lost her life simply for saying no. What kind of world are we living in?" wrote the Dil Wali Gali Mein star under the banner of the haunting hashtag #JusticeForSanaYousaf. "The lack of empathy is terrifying. I just hope that we, as a society, learn to truly feel for others. To respect boundaries. To value life. May we grow in empathy, in understanding, and in basic humanity. #JusticeForSanaYousaf." Mawra, Maya join in An equally enraged Mawra Hocane pointed to the devastating frequency with which women in Pakistan fall afoul of men they no longer wish to liaise with – and the justification offered up by social media users hinting that they asked for it. "Another story we will forget in a few days, when a new story takes over — we've failed as a society, as humans. I see no return from this point," lamented the Jafaa star. "I hear victim blaming. I hear how a woman should've behaved to evade this. It's all of us. We've contributed to men not being able to hear a NO!" Pointing fingers at an entertainment industry that perpetuates problematic societal norms, Mawra added, "Our content still romanticses forced relationships, toxic love, dominating male behaviours. Well, this is the impact. A 17-year-old was killed because a boy thought it would be okay to do so when rejected. I hope and pray that the authorities make an example out of the perpetrator." Similarly, Sunn Mere Dil actor Maya Ali, also taking to IG Stories, wrote that although she had never known Sana's family, she, too, shared in the vicarious grief felt by every woman who knows that it could have been them. "I don't care about the reason. I don't want explanations. I want justice," penned Maya. "I want the people who did this to be arrested or hanged. No mercy. No more waiting." Questioning why women must always be the gatekeepers of upholding a cultural facade, the actor continued, "Why is it always a girl or a woman who has to pay the price for so-called 'honour'? It's heartbreaking. It's unbearable. And it must stop. I strongly urge the higher authorities to take strict and immediate action against this cruel and inhuman act." Male celebs speak up Whilst the majority of celebrities who voiced their dissent on social media were predictably women, two male stars stood out. Maya's close friend and fellow actor Osman Khalid Butt voiced a similar sentiment to the former about authorities taking action. "Umar Hayat must be prosecuted without delay. No loopholes, no leniency. All eyes on our law enforcement. All eyes on the courts," posted Osman on X alongside the hashtag #JusticeForSanaYousaf. Chahat actor Imran Abbas was also amongst the first to raise his voice against the shocking incident. On Tuesday, Imran posted a widely circulated image of a beaming Sana, writing, "I'm deeply saddened by the tragic news of the 17-year-old girl's murder. The government needs to take immediate action against these horrific crimes, particularly those committed against girls under the guise of personal vendetta, honour or other pretexts. This is the fifth one in [the] last few months." Anoushey spotlights trend Perhaps the most outraged reaction came from recently married former VJ Anoushey Ashraf, whose heartfelt video and accompanying harrowing caption said it all and could also be found reposted in the IG Stories of Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum star Hania Aamir and Aiman Khan. "Another young woman silenced. Another life stolen for being seen," began Anoushey in her caption. "The murder of 17-year-old Sana Yousaf — vibrant, confident, full of promise shatters the illusion that women in Pakistan can exist freely, even in the digital world. She was a teenager creating joy for millions. To mourn her is not enough. We need to rage, to speak, to keep pushing for a world where women don't have to fear simply being. Sana, you deserved so much better. We will not forget you." To illustrate the rhetorical point that this is by no means an isolated incident, Anoushey turned the spotlight on her followers and asked women to speak up about the times they have felt unsafe, promising anonymity in return. Floored by the "countless" stories she received, the VJ posted a screenshot of at least 30 she had received, all depicting in grim detail how they had been harassed or assaulted by either strangers or men in their families. Coming on the heels of the upheld guilty verdict of the horrific Noor Makaddam case last month (nearly four years after the fact), Sana's murder is no isolated case of gender based violence. And as Anoushey's simple Instagram exercise highlights yet again, although we may be in 2025, it will be far from the last.
