Tehran (AFP): Iranian police announced on Friday they arrested more than 250 people, including three foreigners, over promoting “satanism” west of the capital Tehran, state media reported.

“The Police Information Centre announced the identification, dismantling, and widespread arrest of members of the satanist network,” the IRNA state news agency reported, citing a police statement.

Police arrested “146 men and 115 women who were in an undesirable and obscene condition with emblems, signs, and symbols of satanism on their clothes, head, face, and hair”, the statement said.

“Three European citizens” were also arrested during the police operation in Shahryar City, west of Tehran, on Thursday night.

“Symbols of satanism, alcoholic beverages and psychoactive substances along with 73 vehicles were seized” during the raid, police added in the statement.

Raids on so-called “satanist” gatherings are not uncommon in the deeply conservative country, often targeting parties or concerts with alcohol consumption, which is largely banned in Iran.

In July 2009, police arrested three people in the northwestern province of Ardebil over “satan worship”.

In May of the same year, Iranian media said 104 “Satan-worshippers” were arrested in a raid on a concert in the southern city of Shiraz where people were purportedly drinking alcohol and “sucking blood”.

In 2007, police arrested 230 people in a raid on an illegal rock concert in a garden near Tehran. Authorities have in the past branded rock and heavy metal music concerts as satanist gatherings.

Rawalpindi: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Asim Munir on Friday lauded the performance of the Pakistan hockey team in the Azlan Shah Hockey Cup 2024.   

The army chief received the hockey team at the General Headquarters (GHQ) Rawalpindi, according to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) President Tariq Hussain and other PHF officials attended the reception.

Commending the team for their remarkable performance, General Asim Munir said that the hockey team had brought immense pride to the nation, and "We are committed to providing them with comprehensive support to ensure their continued success."

#ISPR
General Syed Asim Munir, NI (M), Chief of Army Staff (#COAS), received the #Pakistan Hockey team at General Headquarters Rawalpindi today.

The meeting was also attended by President Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) Tariq Hussain and other PHF officials.

During the… pic.twitter.com/cU3Zto4Omo

— Pakistan Armed Forces News 🇵🇰 (@PakistanFauj) May 17, 2024

He extended his best wishes to the players for their future endeavours.  The PHF president expressed gratitude to the COAS for meeting and interacting with the team.

Peshawar: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur on Friday set the 15-day deadline for the federal government to solve the province's outstanding dues and loadshedding problem.

Addressing the KP Assembly, he said that he had seen their [the federal government] strength in Azad and Jammu Kashmir as the government had been defeated in front of Kashmiris in a day. "What will happen if the people of KP come out," he questioned.

Gandapur made it clear that the KP had the button to turn on and off the electricity of the entire country, advising the centre to sit down and solve the problems.

He warned that if the matter was not heard, he would take over the offices of Wapda in KP, saying he would not tolerate the word of thief for the people of his province as the world knew who the thieves were.

The Chief Minister said that they needed Rs50 billion for this fiscal year in two months as the province already received Rs300bn less than its share.

Gandapur further said that if asking for their rights was an irresponsible act, he would raise his voice for their rights. The CM was of the view that they had been forced to go to this extent on electricity loadshedding.