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Pakistani climbers Sirbaz Khan, Naila Kiani summit world’s 6th highest mountain in Tibet

Pakistani climbers Sirbaz Khan, Naila Kiani summit world’s 6th highest mountain in Tibet
The collage of images show Pakistani climbers Sirbaz Khan (left) and Naila Kiani. (Photo courtesy: Radio Pakistan and Naila Kiani)
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Updated 02 October 2023
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Pakistani climbers Sirbaz Khan, Naila Kiani summit world’s 6th highest mountain in Tibet

Pakistani climbers Sirbaz Khan, Naila Kiani summit world’s 6th highest mountain in Tibet
  • Sirbaz Khan becomes first Pakistani climber to summit 13 out of 14 eight thousanders
  • Naila Kiani, Khan summited Cho Oyu after 28 hours of climbing in challenging conditions
Updated 02 October 2023
Shahjahan Khurram
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ISLAMABAD: Pakistani mountaineers Sirbaz Khan and Naila Kiani on Monday summited the sixth highest mountain in the world, Cho Oyu, the non-governmental sports organization Alpine Club of Pakistan confirmed in a statement. 

Standing at an imposing height of 8,188 meters or 26,906 feet high, Cho Oyu is located on the Nepalese–Tibetan (Chinese) border about 20 miles (30 kilometers) northwest of Mount Everest. According to Karrar Haidri, secretary of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, it took both mountaineers 28 hours to summit the treacherous mountain amid challenging conditions. 

“Sirbaz has accomplished an amazing accomplishment by ascending Cho Oyu, 8,188 meters high and the sixth highest peak in the world, in over 28 hours via a marathon alpine style climb,” Haidri told Arab News over the phone, adding that Khan is the first Pakistani climber to summit Cho Oyu. 

“He achieved this feat without the need for additional oxygen, which makes it even more amazing.”

Khan’s latest feat makes him the only Pakistani climber who has summited 13 out of a total of 14 mountains that stand above 8,000 meters high, which are also known as “eight-thousanders.” These mountains are all located in the Himalayan and Karakoram mountain ranges – across Nepal, Tibet (China) and Pakistan. 

“There is still one summit left on his trek, this being the thirteenth successful one,” Haidri said. 

Haidri praised Kiani for becoming the first Pakistani woman to summit Cho Oyu, saying that she was able to achieve the feat in “incredibly challenging conditions with very poor visibility and hostile weather.”

“We all hope and pray for Naila’s safe return from this extraordinary adventure,” Haidri said, adding that with the latest feat, Naila successfully climbed her 10th eight thousander.

Kiani’s X account updated her followers with her achievement, saying that she became the first Pakistani with Khan to summit Cho Oyu.

“First Pakistani woman to summit 10 8,000er, only Pakistani to summit 7 8,000er in six months,” Kiani’s account wrote. 

Kiani, Khan and mountaineer Shehroze Kashif summited Mount Manaslu in Nepal last month, which is the eighth-highest mountain in the world. Mount Manaslu stands at an imposing height of 8,163 meters above sea level. 

Topics: Naila Kiani Pakistan Sirbaz Khan Tibet

‘Particularly worried’ about penetration of militants from Afghanistan into Pakistan — UN chief 

‘Particularly worried’ about penetration of militants from Afghanistan into Pakistan — UN chief 
Updated 30 sec ago
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‘Particularly worried’ about penetration of militants from Afghanistan into Pakistan — UN chief 

‘Particularly worried’ about penetration of militants from Afghanistan into Pakistan — UN chief 
  • Pakistan has seen rise in attacks in recent weeks which it blames on militants operating from Afghanistan
  • Afghan Taliban say they do not allow Afghanistan’s territory to be used by militants against other nations 
Updated 30 sec ago
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Wednesday the international body was “particularly worried” about the penetration of militants from Afghanistan into Pakistan, calling on Kabul not to allow its soil to be used by terror groups.
Pakistan has seen a rise in militant attacks in recent weeks, with many of them taking place in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan where Islamabad says groups like the outlawed Pakistani Taliban, or TTP, are hiding and from where they daily target security forces convoys and check posts, and carry out targeted killings and kidnappings of law enforcers and government officials. 
Militants, particularly from separatist groups, have also repeatedly struck in the southwestern Balochistan province, which borders Afghanistan and Iran.
“We are particularly worried… when we look into the neighboring countries, we are particularly worried with the fact that there is a penetration of terrorists from Afghanistan into Pakistan and that that is creating, of course, many innocent victims and being a threat to Pakistani security,” Guterres told reporters in response to a question about what the UN planned to do about militants using safe havens in Afghanistan to launch attacks in Pakistan. 
“So, one of the things that is absolutely essential is that Afghanistan controls its territory and doesn’t allow terrorist groups from any other country to operate from Afghanistan.”
Islamabad says militants mainly associated with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) frequently launch attacks from Afghanistan and has even blamed Kabul’s Afghan Taliban rulers of facilitating anti-Pakistan militants. Kabul denies the charges.
Over 80 policemen have been killed in ambushes and target killings in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2024, according to police figures.

Topics: Pakistan Afghanistan

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Pakistan condemns Israel’s use of communications devices to commit ‘terrorism’ in Lebanon

Shan Foods, Pakistan’s top spice mix maker, eyes Middle East expansion

Shan Foods, Pakistan’s top spice mix maker, eyes Middle East expansion
Updated 19 min 35 sec ago
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Shan Foods, Pakistan’s top spice mix maker, eyes Middle East expansion

Shan Foods, Pakistan’s top spice mix maker, eyes Middle East expansion
  • Co-chairperson of one of Pakistan’s largest producers of packaged spices speaks to Arab News in exclusive interview
  • Says Middle East “key focus area” for company, claims business in the region has grown exponentially in 20 years
Updated 19 min 35 sec ago
NAIMAT KHAN

KARACHI: Shan Foods (Private) Limited, one of Pakistan’s largest producers of packaged spice mixes, says Saudi Arabia and the Middle East are a “key focus area” for expansion, a top official at the company said this week, adding that it had already captured 65 percent of the market in the United Arab Emirates.
Shan Foods has a presence in more than 75 countries currently. It was founded in 1981 by Sikander Sultan who along with his wife started making spice mixes at home. The spices became popular and formed a loyal fan-base both at home and with Pakistanis who had moved to Arab countries, Europe, US and Canada.
“So, it [Middle East] is one of our key focus areas, it’s a key focus market for us because there is a huge South Asian population that lives in Saudi Arabia and then the Arab consumers are also familiar with our food and the kind of food that we eat,” Sammer Sultan, the co-chairperson of Shan Foods, said in an interview to Arab News. 
“They’re very exposed to it. So, it’s definitely one of the core areas of focus for us, and we want to grow our business there. UAE specifically is one of our biggest regions already in terms of our sales values.”
When asked about the size of Shan Foods in the Middle Eastern market, she replied:
“It would be difficult for me to give you a number like that, but we’ve had exponential growth. If I were to compare from 20 years ago, it’s probably 100x by now. So, what we were selling maybe 20 years ago, we’re selling 100 times that now. So it’s been phenomenal.”
PARTNERSHIP WITH SYMRISE
Shan Foods last year partnered with Symrise AG, a German manufacturer of food flavorings, to establish Symrise’s first-ever production facility in Pakistan, aiming to localize Shan’s supply chain and strengthen its position within the local and global food industries. 
Since 2005, Symrise has seen double-digit growth year on year with its partners across the Middle East and Pakistan region.
Sultan said the joint venture would not only facilitate Shan Foods and Symrise but also benefit businesses and consumers within the larger framework.
“The whole objective of import substitution is that you are trying to bring in something that is locally available instead of trying to import it to the country,” she said, pointing out that many of Shan Foods’ raw materials were currently sourced from abroad.
“We are not fully local in the sense that a lot of our inputs are coming in from abroad and that’s the process that we are working collaboratively with Symrise to figure out, how do we localize all our supply to Pakistan,” Sultan added. 
“That is something that ties in with Shaan’s sustainability goals as well because we also want to localize the top 10 raw materials that we’re using in our spices because, you see, logistics, wars, there’s so many factors that come into play when the global supply chain gets affected.”
Also, with rising inflation and cost pressures on businesses, localizing key raw materials decreased prices and benefited consumers, Sultan said.
“They get to pay a lower price,” she explained, “or at least every year the price doesn’t go up as much because we are localizing the raw materials and input.”

Topics: Shan Foods

Pakistan condemns Israel’s use of communications devices to commit ‘terrorism’ in Lebanon

Pakistan condemns Israel’s use of communications devices to commit ‘terrorism’ in Lebanon
Updated 30 min 13 sec ago
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Pakistan condemns Israel’s use of communications devices to commit ‘terrorism’ in Lebanon

Pakistan condemns Israel’s use of communications devices to commit ‘terrorism’ in Lebanon
  • On Wednesday, hand-held radios used by Hezbollah detonated across Lebanon’s south, with 20 people killed
  • Wednesday’s blasts came a day after pagers used by Hezbollah members exploded simultaneously, killing 12
Updated 30 min 13 sec ago
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday “strongly” condemned and called “reprehensible” the use of electronic devices by Israel to attack Lebanon amid spiraling tensions following mass assaults on Hezbollah communications devices this week.
On Wednesday, hand-held radios used by Hezbollah detonated across Lebanon’s south, with 20 killed, according to Lebanon’s health ministry. Wednesday’s blasts came just a day after pagers exploded simultaneously, killing least 12 and leaving nearly 3,000 others injured on Tuesday. 
Hezbollah has vowed to retaliate against Israel, which has declined to comment on the explosions, believed to have been carried out by its spy agency Mossad.
“Pakistan strongly condemns this week’s attacks in Lebanon carried through detonation of electronic equipments,” Foreign Office Spokeswoman Mumtaz Zahra Baloch told reporters.
“Use of cyber and electronic means to commit terrorism in foreign countries is reprehensible.”
She said the attacks showed “Israel’s alarming adventurism in the region,” which was endangering regional peace and security.
“Pakistan reaffirms its support for Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and calls upon the international community to take urgent steps to hold Israel to account on its act of international terrorism and violations of international law,” Baloch added.
This week’s operations, which have appeared to throw Hezbollah into disarray, played out alongside Israel’s 11-month-old war in Gaza and heightened fears of an escalation on its Lebanese border and the risk of a full-blown regional war. 
“We are opening a new phase in the war. It requires courage, determination and perseverance from us,” Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said in remarks at an air force base.
The US, which has denied any involvement in the blasts, says it is pursuing intensive diplomacy to avert an escalation of the conflict. 
The United Nations Security Council will meet on Friday about the pager blasts after a request by Arab states.

Topics: pager explosions lebanon blasts Israeli war on Gaza

Pakistan PM seeks enhanced trade, climate change cooperation with United Kingdom

Pakistan PM seeks enhanced trade, climate change cooperation with United Kingdom
Updated 37 min 52 sec ago
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Pakistan PM seeks enhanced trade, climate change cooperation with United Kingdom

Pakistan PM seeks enhanced trade, climate change cooperation with United Kingdom
  • Shehbaz Sharif highlights Pakistan’s economic challenges in a meeting with British High Commissioner
  • The Pakistan PM will attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa next month
Updated 37 min 52 sec ago
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif urged cooperation on trade and climate change between Pakistan and the United Kingdom during a meeting with British High Commissioner Jane Marriott on Wednesday, reiterating his administration’s commitment to working closely with the British leadership.
Pakistan and the UK have a long and multifaceted relationship, with the latter hosting a large Pakistani diaspora community. Earlier this month, Pakistan’s deputy premier Ishaq Dar embarked on a five-day official visit to London where he held wide-ranging discussions with the new British administration.
The Pakistani premier also accepted an invitation by King Charles III over a telephone call on Wednesday to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa next month.
“The PM emphasized the need to promote coordination and cooperation on trade and investment, climate change, social connectivity as well as regional and multilateral issues of mutual interest,” the PM Office said in a statement after the meeting.
The prime minister said Pakistan and the UK shared “long and historic” relations that could be expanded through cooperation in various fields. He also highlighted the economic challenges faced by the country and hoped the overseas Pakistanis in Britain would play a key role in strengthening relations between the two sides.
Sharif will attend the Commonwealth meeting from October 21-26.
This will also be the first time King Charles will head the meeting of the global association since his coronation.
Pakistan is a member of the Commonwealth, a voluntary association of 56 countries out of which the vast majority are former British territories.

Topics: Pakistan UK Ties

Pakistani lawyers to convene in Lahore today to protest government’s proposed constitutional amendments

Pakistani lawyers to convene in Lahore today to protest government’s proposed constitutional amendments
Updated 19 September 2024
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Pakistani lawyers to convene in Lahore today to protest government’s proposed constitutional amendments

Pakistani lawyers to convene in Lahore today to protest government’s proposed constitutional amendments
  • Government plans to increase the retirement age of superior judges, change chief justice’s appointment process
  • An organizer of the convention says Pakistani lawyers are gathering in Lahore to uphold judiciary’s independence
Updated 19 September 2024
Aamir Saeed

ISLAMABAD: A section of Pakistani lawyers has arranged a convention today, Thursday, in the eastern city of Lahore to protest the government’s proposed constitutional amendments that aim to establish a separate federal constitutional court and increase the parliamentary role in the appointment of judges.
The package of reforms, widely believed to include as many as 22 amendments, is also expected to increase the retirement age of superior judges by three years and change the process by which the Supreme Court chief justice is appointed.
The amendments have raised widespread concerns among opposition parties and legal experts who believe they aim to increase the government’s power in making key judicial appointments and deal with defection of lawmakers during house votes.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan has criticized the constitutional package, saying it is meant to grant an extension to incumbent Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa, who is widely viewed to be aligned with the ruling coalition and in opposition to its chief rival, the PTI.
“In today’s convention, lawyers from across Pakistan are participating to voice their concerns about the proposed amendments that are clearly an assault on the independence of the judiciary,” advocate Ishtiaq Ahmad Khan, President of the Insaf Lawyers Forum, told Arab News.
The forum is PTI’s wing among the legal fraternity and one of the organizers of the convention along with the Lahore High Court Bar Association.
“We want to let the government know through this convention that they should back out from the constitutional amendments, otherwise the lawyers will hit the streets to lodge their protest,” he added.
While most political parties have their own lawyers’ wings, the legal community’s politics in Pakistan is mainly divided into two major camps: professional and independent groups. The professional lawyers, led by senior advocate Hamid Khan, is aligned with ex-PM Khan, while the independent faction mainly supports the ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
“This convention is not party-specific,” the Insaf Lawyers Forum’s president added. “Instead, the lawyers are gathering in Lahore for a cause, and the cause is to protect the independence of the judiciary and uphold the rule of law.”
The ruling coalition, comprising the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), is short of at least 13 lawmakers in the National Assembly and four in the Senate to complete the required two-thirds majority for the amendments to pass.
Both parties have since engaged various political players, including the Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Islam of Maulana Fazlur Rehman, to garner support for the amendments.

Topics: Pakistan judiciary

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