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India and the European Union announced Tuesday the “mother of all deals”, a huge trade pact to create a market of two billion people, reached after two decades of negotiations.EU chiefs and Prime Minister Narendra Modi hope the pact will help shield against challenges from the world’s two leading economies, the United States and China.The agreement will cut or eliminate tariffs on almost 97 percent of European exports, saving up to 4 billion euros ($4.75 billion) annually in duties, the 27-nation bloc said.”A mother of all deals,” Modi said Tuesday in the capital New Delhi, where he met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa.”This deal will bring many opportunities for India’s 1.4 billion and many millions of people of the EU,” Modi said, adding the agreement “represents about 25 percent of global GDP, and one-third of global trade”.The EU has eyed India — the world’s most populous nation — as an important market for the future.”Europe and India are making history today,” von der Leyen said in a statement, a day after she and Costa were feted as guests of honour at India’s Republic Day parade.”We have created a free trade zone of two billion people, with both sides set to benefit.”- ‘Increasingly insecure world’ -EU officials said the deal was the most ambitious India had ever agreed, and European companies would benefit from so-called “first mover advantage”.Europe’s key agricultural, automotive and service sectors stand to gain.But sensitive agricultural sectors, such as beef, rice and sugar whose inclusion in an earlier deal struck with South American bloc Mercosur sparked farmers’ anger in Europe, were left out of the agreement.New Delhi sees the European bloc as an important source of much-needed technology and investment to rapidly upscale its infrastructure and create millions of new jobs.It also includes a security partnership, providing “new opportunities” for defence companies, Modi said.”We are not only making our economies stronger — we are also delivering security for our people in an increasingly insecure world,” von der Leyen said, speaking alongside Modi after exchanging agreements.”By combining these strengths, we reduce strategic dependencies, at a time when trade is increasingly weaponised,” she added.Bilateral trade in goods reached 120 billion euros ($139 billion) in 2024, an increase of nearly 90 percent over the past decade, according to EU figures, with a further 60 billion euros ($69 billion) in trade in services.Under the agreement, India is expected to ease market access, and European firms will get privileged access to the Indian financial services and maritime transport market, the bloc said.- ‘Highest level of access’ -Tariffs on cars will be gradually lowered from a top rate of 110 percent to as low as 10 percent — with a quota of 250,000 vehicles — while duties on wines progressively go down from 150 percent to as low as 20 percent.Currently at 50 percent, tariffs on processed foods — including pasta and chocolate — will be eliminated, according to the EU.Von der Leyen said she expected exports to India to double, and that the EU would “gain the highest level of access ever granted to a trade partner in the traditionally protected Indian market”.For India, it would boost sectors including textiles, gems and jewellery, and leather goods, as well as the service sector, Modi said.The accord comes as both Brussels and New Delhi seek to open up markets in the face of US tariffs and Chinese export controls.”The unprecedented preferential access secured for over 99 percent of Indian exports is a game-changer for Indian industry,” said Chandrajit Banerjee, director general, Confederation of Indian Industry.India is on track to become the fourth-largest economy this year, according to International Monetary Fund projections.New Delhi, which has relied on Moscow for key military hardware for decades, has tried to cut its dependence on Russia in recent years by diversifying imports and pushing its own domestic manufacturing base.Europe is doing the same with regard to the United States.

The European Union and India announced Tuesday that they had struck a “historic” trade deal that Brussels hopes will see exports double to the Asian powerhouse.They had spent two decades negotiating but the return of US President Donald Trump and his hefty tariffs accelerated the push on both sides to seal a deal.Here is what Brussels and New Delhi agreed in what India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the “mother of all deals”:- What benefits for the EU? -Indian tariffs on more than 90 percent of EU goods will be removed or cut.For example, India will progressively reduce levies to between 20 and 30 percent on European wines, down from 150 percent before the agreement.Beer tariffs will drop to 50 percent from 110 percent, while spirits will see future levies of 40 percent, down from up to 150 percent.India will also remove tariffs on EU olive oil — a major export from Spain, Italy and Greece — fruit juice, non-alcoholic beer and processed food including bread, pasta, chocolate and pet food. In a welcome move for one of the bloc’s biggest sectors and especially Germany, tariffs on cars will be gradually lowered from a top rate of 110 percent to as low as 10 percent — with a quota of 250,000 vehicles.And India will eliminate tariffs on aircraft — a potential boon for pan-European aerospace group Airbus — as well as cutting levies to zero on most machinery, medical equipment, chemicals and pharmaceutical products.- How does India benefit? -According to Brussels, the EU’s imports from India comprise mainly machinery and appliances, chemicals, base metals, mineral products and textiles.India said the EU would immediately eliminate duties on products making up the majority of its exports including textiles, leather and footwear, tea, coffee, spices, sports goods, toys, gems and jewellery, and certain marine products.And the EU agreed to phase out tariffs for processed food items as well as arms and ammunition, among other goods.Steel was a thorny issue in negotiations since India is a major exporter. Brussels says the steel makes up seven percent of total Indian exports to the EU.Under the deal, India will benefit from a duty-free quota of 1.6 million tonnes, and New Delhi will relinquish its retaliation rights under the World Trade Organization, a senior EU official said.Another sticking point for India was the EU’s carbon border tax, which aims to ensure foreign producers pay a carbon cost similar to what European companies already pay under the bloc’s internal emissions trading system.Under the deal, the EU agreed to launch a technical dialogue on the tax if needed, and vowed not to treat any other EU partner better than India.The EU has also promised to make it easier for skilled Indian workers to work in the 27-country bloc, agreeing to a memorandum of understanding on mobility covering issues related to seasonal workers, researchers and students, the EU official said.- What doesn’t the deal include? -Sensitive agricultural products are excluded from the new deal.The senior EU official said there were no concessions for sugar, ethanol, rice, soft wheat, beef, chicken meat, milk powders, bananas, honey or garlic.He also said that unlike deals the EU has struck with other partners, there were no chapters on government procurement, on energy and raw materials, or on the liberalisation of investment in manufacturing sectors.India also opposed any chapter on “sustainable development where we focus on social rights and also environmental issues”, the official added.The two partners are discussing a separate agreement on Geographical Indications, the intellectual property rights that link a product’s qualities, reputation or features to its place of origin.This “will help traditional EU farming products sell more in India, by removing unfair competition in the form of imitations”, the EU executive said.India said the deal safeguarded sensitive sectors including dairy, cereals, poultry, soybean meal and certain fruits and vegetables.

Nepal has arrested six people after an investigation into fraudulent helicopter rescues of travellers in the Himalayan nation in a $19.69 million insurance scam, police said Monday.Thousands of trekkers visit Nepal every year for its stunning views of the Himalayas and routes lined with picturesque villages — and emergency helicopter rescues are a critical part of the tourism industry.Police said they uncovered evidence of multiple insurance claims filed for a single rescue operation, or chartered flights falsely presented as emergency evacuations, and fabricated medical bills issued with the involvement of private hospitals.The arrests follow a two and a half month investigation by the Central Investigation Bureau that revealed a trail of forged and manipulated documents.Three companies had claimed insurance payouts of approximately $19.69 million, according to a police statement.”This has been a long-standing issue and we have been investigating. Six have been arrested and our investigations will continue,” Shiva Kumar Shrestha, the bureau’s spokesman, told AFP.A 2018 government probe identified 15 companies — including helicopter firms, trekking agencies and hospitals — linked to the lucrative racket. But no action was taken against any of the alleged perpetrators.Scams continued — despite Nepal introducing guidelines to control fake rescues following a warning from insurers.

Nepali sexual and gender minorities unveiled their candidates in a new political party on Monday ahead of March elections, challenging an ageing political elite ousted in last year’s mass uprising.The September 8-9 anti-corruption uprising was triggered by anger over a brief government ban on social media, and at least 77 people were killed.The uprising built on public frustration after years of economic stagnation and allegations of entrenched political corruption.The Inclusive Socialist Party, with a membership of more than 500 people, mostly from sexual and gender minorities, will field six candidates.”I have been requesting previous parliamentarians to raise our issues,” Numa Limbu, a third-gender candidate who leads the party, told AFP.”But, if we have a seat at the table, then others don’t have to speak for us.” Limbu said that the party understands wider issues of marginalised communities, and will tackle the needs not only of the LGBTIQ community but also those of youth and women.”We believe that friends from our party and community will reach the parliament,” Limbu said. Elections will be held for the 275-seat House of Representatives, the lower chamber of parliament, with 165 chosen in a direct vote and 110 through party lists.Some other political parties have listed LGBTIQ candidates in their proportional representation lists but have not fielded direct candidates.Nepal has some of South Asia’s most progressive laws on LGBTIQ rights.In 2023, an interim order from the Supreme Court allowed same-sex and transgender couples to register their marriages.However, no one from the community has held public office since 2008, when Sunil Babu Pant, an openly gay man, became a lawmaker, nominated under the proportional representation system.Former parliamentarian Pant, who has been at the forefront of pushing for changes, is an adviser to the Inclusive Socialist Party.”Absence of representation from the community has meant that rights ensured to us by the constitution have not translated to laws. We also have to go to address that,” he said.More than 900,000 people in Nepal identify as a sexual minority, according to the leading rights group the Blue Diamond Society.Despite legal strides, many LGBTIQ people still face discrimination in employment, healthcare and education.

In the heart of Nepal’s capital Kathmandu, the charred remains of a police station attacked during September’s unrest stand in stark contrast to a brand-new, fully equipped police van parked outside.Purchased through community crowdfunding, the vehicle has become a symbol of how local residents stepped in to help Nepal’s police rebuild after one of the most violent episodes of unrest in recent years. “Whenever anything happens, we call the police for rescue,” said Ganapati Lal Shrestha, who led the fundraising effort.”But where do we go when the police themselves are at risk?”Youth-led demonstrations erupted on September 8, 2025, triggered by anger at a brief ban on social media, but fuelled by deeper frustration at economic hardship and corruption.When security forces tried to crush the protests, at least 20 young demonstrators were killed, mainly in Kathmandu.Anger intensified the following day. Riots spread nationwide, with more than 50 people killed and over 2,500 structures torched, looted, or damaged, including parliament, courts and government buildings.The police were a key focus of the anger. “Police became a target, because we represent the state on the ground,” said Gopal Chandra Bhattarai, a police spokesman. “Whatever happens, it is the police who respond.”Three policemen were killed by mobs, while others ran for their lives as crowds hurled stones.At least 465 police buildings were attacked — and more than a hundred destroyed — with gangs looting weapons and uniforms.In the chaos, more than 13,500 prisoners escaped jail. The force suffered “a major loss”, Bhattarai said.- ‘Open heart’ -Kathmandu’s Janasewa police station was among those attacked. As flames ripped through its two buildings, its six vehicles, as well as several motorcycles, were pushed into the street, then set on fire. Station chief Krishna Kumar Chand said terrified officers were unable to intervene.”If we used any force, there might have been casualties,” he said, saying they bore the “physical loss instead.”Calm returned a day later, after 73-year-old KP Sharma Oli stepped down as prime minister. And the community came out to help.At several damaged stations, nearby residents brought with them cleaning supplies, paint, furniture and construction materials.”Immediately after the protests, people came forward to rebuild burned or damaged units with whatever they had,” said Kathmandu district police chief Ramesh Thapa.”The common people have supported us with an open heart,” he added.At Janasewa, residents assessed the loss — including the destruction of a van used as a quick-response vehicle for disaster response.”We felt we had to help rehabilitate the police,” said Shrestha, the fundraising organiser. “Unless the community helps rebuild their motivation, our society will not be secure.”Local residents called for contributions, and money slowly started trickling in.Eventually, they raised nearly 10 million Nepali rupees ($69,000) to purchase and equip a new Toyota HiAce van.- ‘Peace and security’ -It is not the only case. At Kathmandu’s Maharajgunj Police Station, where two officers were killed, repairs were made with the “full support from the community”, spokesman Niranjan Thapa said.Nepal, now led by an interim government headed by former chief justice Sushila Karki, is gearing up for general elections on March 5.The police say that all their units are operational, despite receiving no reconstruction budget from the government.The police force has also been recruiting thousands for temporary police jobs over the election period. “Despite some resource and mobility limitation, our operations have returned to normal,” said Bhattarai. “We are prepared for maintaining peace and security for the elections.” For officers like Chand, the community support has helped heal the trauma of the unrest and reinforced their sense of duty. “We cannot step away from our responsibilities just because our resources are damaged,” Chand said.”We have to perform basic policing. That is why we are in this society.”

Inspired bowling and a 14-ball fifty by opener Abhishek Sharma led India to a crushing eight-wicket series-clinching win over New Zealand in the third T20 international on Sunday.Pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah with figures of 3-17 and leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi (2-18) kept New Zealand down to 153-9 after India elected to field first in Guwahati.Left-handed Abhishek then hit an unbeaten 20-ball 68 and skipper Suryakumar Yadav made 57 not out as India romped home with 10 overs to spare to take an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.It was the ninth straight T20 series win for reigning T20 World Cup champions India.The series is a warm-up ahead of the T20 World Cup starting on February 7 in India and Sri Lanka.”This is the brand of cricket which we want to play, irrespective of our batting first or chasing,” said Suryakumar. “For example, if we are 24 for 3 or 44 for 4 tomorrow, we know how to bat.”New Zealand quick Matt Henry bowled Sanju Samson with the first ball of India’s chase but the hosts soon took charge with Ishan Kishan and fellow left-hander Abhishek hitting a flurry of fours and sixes.The pair put on 53 runs off 19 balls before Kishan fell for 28 off Ish Sodhi, but Abhishek raced to India’s second fastest in the format.Abhishek missed out on his mentor Yuvraj Singh’s fastest T20 fifty record for India by two balls. Yuvraj scored a fifty in 12 balls in 2007.Abhishek kept up the attack with Suryakumar, who hit his second successive fifty in his 26-ball knock. The duo put on an unbeaten stand of 102 to underline India’s status as the world’s number one-ranked T20 team.India’s bowlers set up victory with the pacers taking three wickets inside first six overs including Harshit Rana dismissing Devon Conway for the fifth time in successive white-ball matches.Rachin Ravindra fell for four to Hardik Pandya. Bumrah, who was named player of the match, then bowled wicketkeeper-batter Tim Seifert for 12 as New Zealand slumped to 34-3.Glenn Phillips, who made 48 off 40 balls, and attempted to pull things back in a partnership of 54 for the fourth wicket with Mark Chapman before Bishnoi broke through.Bishnoi, who made the Indian XI after nearly a year, had Chapman caught behind for 32 and later denied Phillips a half-century.Wickets kept tumbling and despite skipper Mitchell Santner’s 27 off 17 balls New Zealand fell well short of a testing total.”I think I’ll give credit to India with the ball as well,” said Santner.”They made it really tough for us. Obviously wickets in the powerplay is key. And then for us to scrap to 150, we knew it would be a challenge from there.”The fourth match is on Wednesday in Visakhapatnam.

European Council president Antonio Costa arrived in India on Sunday as the EU and New Delhi seek to seal a free trade pact, capping nearly two decades of negotiations between the economic behemoths.Costa and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen are chief guests for this year’s Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi on Monday, before an EU-India summit the next day where they hope to shake hands on an accord described as the “mother of all deals”.”The summit will be an opportunity to build on the EU-India strategic partnership and further strengthen collaboration across key policy areas,” the EU Council said on X.India, the world’s most populous nation, is on track to become its fourth-largest economy this year, according to International Monetary Fund projections.The EU eyes India as an important market for the future, while New Delhi sees the European bloc as an important source of much-needed technology and investment to rapidly upscale its infrastructure and create millions of new jobs.”The EU stands to gain the highest level of access ever granted to a trade partner in the traditionally protected Indian market,” von der Leyen said on Sunday, adding that she expected exports to India to double.”We will gain a significant competitive advantage in key industrial and agri-good sectors.”Bilateral trade in goods reached 120 billion euros ($139 billion) in 2024, an increase of nearly 90 percent over the past decade, according to EU figures, with a further 60 billion euros ($69 billion) in trade in services.The pact would be a major win for Brussels and New Delhi as both seek to open up new markets in the face of US tariffs and Chinese export controls.”The EU and India are moving closer together at the time when the rules-based international order is under unprecedented pressure through wars, coercion and economic fragmentation,” Kaja Kallas, the EU’s top diplomat, said on Wednesday. However, ongoing negotiations are focusing on a few sticking points, including the impact of the EU’s carbon border tax on steel exports, according to people familiar with the discussions.New Delhi, which has relied on Moscow for key military hardware for decades, has tried to cut its dependence on Russia in recent years by diversifying imports and pushing its own domestic manufacturing base.Europe is doing the same with regard to the United States.

Voting concluded in Myanmar’s month-long election on Sunday, with the dominant pro-military party on course for landslide victory in a junta-run poll critics say will only prolong the army’s grip on power.The Southeast Asian nation has a long history of military rule, but the generals took a back seat for a decade of civilian-led reforms.That ended in a 2021 military coup when democratic figurehead Aung San Suu Kyi was detained, civil war broke out, and the country descended into humanitarian crisis.The election’s third and final phase closed after voting took place in dozens of constituencies across the country, just a week shy of the coup’s five-year anniversary.The military pledges the election will return power to the people but with Suu Kyi sidelined and her hugely popular party dissolved, democracy advocates say the ballot is stacked with military allies.Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing — who has not ruled out serving as president after the poll — toured voting stations in Mandalay, wearing civilian dress.”This is the path chosen by the people,” he told reporters in response to a question from AFP. “The people from Myanmar can support whoever they want to support.”Voting is not being held in rebel-held parts of the country, and in junta-controlled areas rights monitors say the run-up has been characterised by coercion and the crushing of dissent.Teacher Zaw Ko Ko Myint cast his vote at a Mandalay high school around dawn.”Although I do not expect much, we want to see a better country,” the 53-year-old told AFP. “I feel relieved after voting, as if I fulfilled my duty.”- ‘Fabricated vote’ -The Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) — packed with retired officers and described by analysts as a military puppet — won more than 85 percent of elected lower house seats and two-thirds of those in the upper house in the poll’s first two phases.”States that endorse the results of these polls will be complicit in the junta’s attempt to legitimise military rule through a fabricated vote,” UN rights expert Tom Andrews said in a statement Friday.Official results are expected late this week.A military-drafted constitution also gives the armed forces a quarter of the seats in both houses of parliament, which will vote as a whole to pick the president.”I don’t expect anything from this election,” a 34-year-old Yangon resident told AFP earlier, requesting anonymity for security reasons. “Things will just keep dragging on.”Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party thrashed the USDP in the last elections in 2020, before the military seized power on February 1, 2021, making unfounded allegations of widespread vote-rigging.The 80-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate remains detained incommunicado at an unknown location on charges rights monitors dismiss as politically motivated.- ‘Not safe at all’ -The military has long presented itself as the only force guarding restive Myanmar from rupture and ruin.But its putsch tipped the country into full-blown civil war, with pro-democracy guerrillas fighting the junta alongside a kaleidoscope of ethnic minority armies which have long held sway in the fringes.Air strikes are frequent in some regions, others enjoy relative peace, while some zones are blockaded, haunted by the spectre of starvation.Polling was called off in one in five lower house constituencies, but some frontline locations went to the polls Sunday.”Candidates still haven’t held any campaigning because of security,” complained one parliamentary candidate, speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons. “It’s not safe at all to travel.”There is no official death toll for Myanmar’s civil war.But monitoring group ACLED, which tallies media reports of violence, estimates more than 90,000 have been killed on all sides.Meanwhile, more than 400 people have been pursued for prosecution under stark new legislation forbidding “disruption” of the election and punishing protest or criticism with up to a decade in prison.Turnout in the first and second phases of the vote was just over 50 percent, official figures say, compared to roughly 70 percent in 2020.

Myanmar opened the final round of its month-long election on Sunday, with the dominant pro-military party on course for a landslide in a junta-run vote critics say will prolong the army’s grip on power.The Southeast Asian nation has a long history of military rule, but the generals took a back seat for a decade of civilian-led reforms.That ended in a 2021 military coup when democratic figurehead Aung San Suu Kyi was detained, civil war broke out, and the country descended into humanitarian crisis.The election’s third and final phase opened in dozens of constituencies across the country at 6:00 am on Sunday (2330 GMT Saturday), just a week shy of the coup’s five-year anniversary.The military pledges the election will return power to the people but with Suu Kyi sidelined and her hugely popular party dissolved, democracy advocates say the ballot is stacked with military allies.Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing — who has not ruled out serving as president after the poll — toured voting stations in Mandalay, wearing civilian dress.”This is the path chosen by the people,” he told reporters in response to a question from AFP. “I am also a part of the people, and I support this.””The people from Myanmar can support whoever they want to support,” he said.Voting is not being held in rebel-held parts of the country, and in junta-controlled areas rights monitors say the run-up has been characterised by coercion and the crushing of dissent.Teacher Zaw Ko Ko Myint cast his vote at a Mandalay high school around dawn.”Although I do not expect much, we want to see a better country,” the 53-year-old told AFP. “I feel relieved after voting, as if I fulfilled my duty.”- ‘Fabricated vote’ -The Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) — packed with retired officers and described by analysts as a military puppet — won more than 85 percent of elected lower house seats and two-thirds of those in the upper house in the poll’s first two phases.”The junta has orchestrated the election specifically to ensure a landslide by its political proxy,” UN rights expert Tom Andrews said in a statement Friday.”States that endorse the results of these polls will be complicit in the junta’s attempt to legitimise military rule through a fabricated vote.”Official results are expected late this week, but the USDP could claim victory in the hours after polling closes.A military-drafted constitution also gives the armed forces a quarter of the seats in both houses of parliament, which will vote as a whole to pick the president.”I don’t expect anything from this election,” a 34-year-old Yangon resident told AFP earlier, requesting anonymity for security reasons. “Things will just keep dragging on.”Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party thrashed the USDP in the last elections in 2020, before the military seized power on February 1, 2021, making unfounded allegations of widespread vote-rigging.The 80-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate remains detained incommunicado at an unknown location on charges rights monitors dismiss as politically motivated.- ‘Not safe at all’ -The military has long presented itself as the only force guarding restive Myanmar from rupture and ruin.But its putsch tipped the country into full-blown civil war, with pro-democracy guerrillas fighting the junta alongside a kaleidoscope of ethnic minority armies which have long held sway in the fringes.Air strikes are frequent in some regions, others enjoy relative peace, while some zones are blockaded, haunted by the spectre of starvation.Polling was called off in one in five lower house constituencies, but some frontline locations went to the polls Sunday.”Candidates still haven’t held any campaigning because of security,” complained one parliamentary candidate, speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons. “It’s not safe at all to travel.”There is no official death toll for Myanmar’s civil war.But monitoring group ACLED, which tallies media reports of violence, estimates more than 90,000 have been killed on all sides.Meanwhile, more than 400 people have been pursued for prosecution under stark new junta-tailored legislation forbidding “disruption” of the election.It punishes protest or criticism with up to a decade in prison, and arrests have been made for as little as posting a “heart” emoji on Facebook posts criticising the polls.Turnout in the first and second phases of the vote was just over 50 percent, official figures say, compared to roughly 70 percent in 2020.

No amount of pressure, cyberbullying or arrest warrants has so far succeeded in silencing one of Pakistan’s most prominent dissidents, the human rights lawyer Imaan Mazari. She vows not to let a prison term dealt this weekend dent her resolve either. The 32-year-old shot to prominence tackling some of the country’s most sensitive topics while defending ethnic minorities, journalists facing defamation charges and clients branded blasphemers.  As Mazari’s reputation grew, so too did her own rap sheet, with charges including “cyber terrorism” and “hate speech”. On Saturday, an Islamabad court handed her and her husband, fellow lawyer Hadi Ali Chattha, 10-year jail terms over “anti-state” social media posts.  The vocal critic of Pakistan’s military “disseminated highly offensive” content, according to a court document. The sentencing came a day after the couple were arrested again as they were heading to a court hearing to face the charges.- ‘We will not back down’ -“Truth seems overwhelmingly difficult in this country,” Mazari said in court on Tuesday.”But we knew that when we got into this work, we’re ready to face that,” she told AFP. “We will not back down.”Her refusal to yield has led to comparisons with Pakistan’s late leading human rights lawyer Asma Jahangir, which Mazari said is “a huge honour and a privilege”.Mazari is the daughter of Pakistan’s former minister for human rights, Shireen Mazari, while her late father was the South Asian country’s top paediatrician.Her mother told AFP that it had been difficult for the family to cope with the threats they were facing because of her daughter’s defence of the “dispossessed and marginalised”, a cause she said made her proud.”When so many people are suffering, we expect she will also be made to suffer for speaking out against excesses to human rights,” she said.- ‘A constant challenge’ -As a pro bono lawyer, Mazari has worked on some of the most sensitive cases in Pakistan, including the enforced disappearances of ethnic Balochs, as well as defending the community’s top activist, Mahrang Baloch.She also represented those accused of blasphemy — an incendiary charge — as well as Afghans who face crackdowns by the authorities.Changes to the constitution and hasty legislation passed by parliament have pushed Pakistan towards tighter state control, with diminishing political and civil rights.Asad Ali Toor, a journalist Mazari represented in multiple cases, said she proved “a constant challenge for the state”.”Because she is representing everybody who is directly or indirectly on the receiving end of the state,” he told AFP.”Despite coming from a very well-off family, she has made her life considerably more difficult through the choices she has made about her activism,” he said.- ‘We will keep fighting’ -The University of Edinburgh graduate has also faced sexist remarks and doctored photos circulated on social media, in a country where women’s participation in the workplace remains low.Mazari was honoured in 2025 with the Young Inspiration Award by the World Expression Forum for her “extraordinary courage, integrity, and impact in the struggle for the rule of law and justice”.The same year, the UN special rapporteur for human rights defenders said the cases against her “appear to reflect an arbitrary use of the legal system to harass and intimidate”.Mazari was targeted in a January 2026 news conference by Pakistan’s military spokesman, who shared one of her X posts while building a case against “hidden elements committing subtle crimes”.”They operate under the guise of democracy and human rights to promote terrorism,” Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said.Despite such accusations, Mazari vowed to continue her work along with her husband.”We’re not the first people who will be unlawfully incarcerated in this country,” she told AFP.”We will keep fighting.”