Senate panel told: ‘Criminals within Pakistani community in S Africa allegedly resorted to contract killings’

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Foreign Affairs Committee was told on Monday that criminal elements within the Pakistani community in South Africa have allegedly resorted to contract killings, with the Pakistani High Commissioner revealing that four Pakistanis recently killed in the country were targeted over a personal dispute.

The Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs met here under the chairmanship of Senator Agha ShazaibDurrani. The meeting reviewed a range of important foreign policy and diplomatic matters, including appointments and absorptions in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Pakistan’s mediatory role in the Iran-US conflict, the President’s visit to Kyrgyzstan and the anti-immigrant crisis in South Africa.

The committee considered the presentation of a report on the anti-immigrant crisis in South Africa. The panel was briefed that no loss of life was reported during the riots. However, the Pakistani High Commissioner informed the committee that the four Pakistanis killed in South Africa had been targeted due to a personal dispute.

The High Commissioner further revealed that a contract killing plot had emerged in connection with the incident. He also pointed to the presence of criminal elements within the Pakistani community in South Africa, saying that Pakistanis were, in some cases, having each other killed through gangs.

The committee was given a detailed briefing on the appointments, the criteria adopted for induction and the quota-wise distribution of seats. Officials informed the committee that appointments on deputation are not made through the quota system.

The briefing, however, raised concerns among committee members over the absorption of personnel from fields considered unrelated to the core requirements of the Foreign Service.

The committee further sought a comprehensive tabulated record of the total strength of such officers and officials, including their date and time of appointment, details of absorption and the criteria under which each appointment and absorption was made.

The committee was also briefed on Pakistan’s lead role in mediating between Iran and the United States during the conflict, with officials highlighting Islamabad’s efforts to promote restraint, dialogue and diplomacy at a critical juncture. The initial ceasefire, the Islamabad Talks of 10-11 April and subsequent extensions of the ceasefire created a window for sustained diplomatic engagement. Through continued leadership-level contacts, Pakistan encouraged a peaceful settlement of the dispute, facilitated the exchange of messages between the two sides and worked to create conditions for meaningful and result-oriented negotiations.

The culmination of these efforts came with the signing of the historic Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding on 18 June by the Presidents of the United States and Iran, with Pakistan endorsing the document in its capacity as mediator.

The committee was informed that the Islamabad MoU represents a landmark development in Pakistan’s diplomatic history. As a follow-up to the agreement, Pakistan, together with Qatar, hosted High-Level Technical Talks in Burgenstock, Switzerland. The talks were attended by the Prime Minister of Pakistan as well as high-level delegations from Iran and the United States. Pakistan continues to remain engaged in efforts to build trust and bridge differences between Iran and the United States, while urging all sides to resume negotiations for implementation of the Islamabad MoU.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026