Top National Thailand Stories From the Past Week: Death Toll in School Mass Shooting Reaches 9, Chinese Man Gets 46 Years for Military Weapons, and More

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Tuesday that the recent protests by the banned Joint Awami Action Committee in Azad Jammu and Kashmir were not peaceful. He alleged that militant groups pursuing a foreign agenda, backed by funding from India, were involved in the unrest. Earlier the same day, AJK Information Secretary Muhammad Rashid Hanif said many protesters taking part in the JAAC demonstrations were linked to Fitna Al Khawarij. This is the term Pakistani authorities use for militants belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan. Speaking at a press conference, Hanif said illegal and violent acts had taken place in AJK, aimed at disrupting the ongoing phases of the region’s elections. He said maintaining law and order and protecting the democratic process remains the state’s core duty, and the state is capable of doing so. Hanif said the JAAC protests were not made up of ordinary citizens alone. He played a video showing masked gunmen standing on a rooftop as evidence. He said common protesters were fewer in number, while armed militants linked to Fitna Al Khawarij were present in significant numbers. He urged people to distance themselves from these elements and said the government would issue public appeals soon. He also alleged that anti-state groups were using women and children as human shields, and that misleading videos calling this a human rights movement were being spread on social media. AJK police spokesperson DIG Irfan Kashfi said these armed individuals would be treated as militants, not peaceful protesters, given their possession of automatic weapons, M-4 rifles, AK-47s, and reportedly sniper rifles. He said one police official was killed and five others injured in recent clashes. One suspect, described as a foreign national acting as a sniper, was arrested in Rawalakot with a military-grade weapon in his possession. Kashfi said security forces were acting purely in self-defence and to protect the public, and assured citizens that militants would not be allowed to capture Rawalakot or any other area. AJK Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore said the unrest had been planned for weeks and described the march toward Muzaffarabad during the elections as a scheme to trigger mass unrest. He appealed to the public to stay away from the protesters, alleging they were using civilians as human shields. The JAAC was declared a banned organisation on June 5 after weeks of protests demanding the abolition of 12 reserved refugee seats in the AJK assembly. Authorities have since arrested many of its leaders and placed 147 activists under anti-terrorism watch.

Islamabad: The Senate Sub Committee on Interior and Narcotics Control ordered an investigation into an alleged media campaign against committee members following a previous meeting on a customs seizure case. The committee also raised serious questions regarding the handling of seized goods, legal procedures and possible weaknesses in the customs monitoring system. The committee, convened by Senator Saifullah Abro, directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to conduct an impartial inquiry into TV channels and media platforms accused of running targeted coverage against Senate members after the committee discussed the seizure of 11 loaded trucks on the motorway. The committee stated that after the previous meeting held on July 20, 2026, an official handout was issued and circulated on different media platforms which allegedly targeting the Chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Interior and other members. Taking notice of the matter, the committee directed the Member FBR to personally examine the handout issued by the FBR media wing and identify the officials responsible for preparing and issuing the material. The FIA was instructed to complete a detailed inquiry and submit a report to the committee regarding the alleged campaign. During the meeting, the committee also raised serious questions about the seizure of 11 trucks and the legal process Customs authorities followed. Senators questioned whether Customs had proper jurisdiction over the motorway operation, stating that motorway operations primarily fall under other relevant authorities while Customs provides assistance when required. The committee expressed concern over different valuation figures linked to the seized trucks, pointing out a major difference involving Rs 22 crore. The owners of the transport company and steel company were directed to provide complete details regarding the matter. The committee also questioned the FIR’s registration in the case and asked why 11 truck drivers were produced before the court after a delay of six days. Members directed the inspector responsible for preparing the FIR to appear before the committee and explain the legal basis and details mentioned in the case. The Deputy Collector of Customs was also asked to explain why certain names mentioned during the site presence were not included in official reports. The Inspector General Motorway Police informed the committee that a Memorandum of Understanding exists between Motorway Police and Customs, allowing operational support for stopping suspicious vehicles. The committee also raised concerns over the system of issuing Consumption Certificates and questioned why manual certificates were still being issued despite official digital procedures. The Convener asked Customs officials whether physical inspections were conducted before issuing such certificates. Officials informed the committee that they did not always conduct physical verification visits and often relied on available information and administrative authority. The committee expressed dissatisfaction with the explanation and stressed the need for stronger verification mechanisms. Another major issue discussed was the handling of tax exempted imports. The committee examined details related to approximately Rs 1,120 billion worth of imports in tax exempted areas and stated that the information provided was incomplete. Officials were directed to provide a detailed breakdown of goods imported, their movement and their sale in local markets under the 2025 and 2026 quota registration system. The committee said that weaknesses in customs monitoring could create opportunities for smuggling, tax losses and misuse of exemptions. Members emphasized that customs posts, dry ports and revenue institutions must operate with greater transparency and accountability. The committee reaffirmed that it would continue investigating issues related to smuggling networks, anti narcotics controls, seized assets and possible revenue leakages.