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Pakistan marks ‘day of mourning’ today over Kuwaiti emir’s passing 

Pakistan marks ‘day of mourning’ today over Kuwaiti emir’s passing 
This picture taken on December 17, 2023 in Kuwait City shows a collection of Kuwaiti newspaper front pages, headlines featuring the death of Kuwait's Amir Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. (AFP)
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Updated 18 December 2023
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Pakistan marks ‘day of mourning’ today over Kuwaiti emir’s passing 

Pakistan marks ‘day of mourning’ today over Kuwaiti emir’s passing 
  • Caretaker PM Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar will visit Kuwait today to convey his condolences to royal family 
  • The late emir, Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, passed away at the age of 86 on Saturday 
Updated 18 December 2023
Shahjahan Khurram
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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will mark today, Monday, as a “day of mourning” due to the passing of the ruler of Kuwait, Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) said. 

Sheikh Nawaf passed away at the age of 86 on Saturday. His casket was draped in his country’s national flag, with members of the Al-Sabah family and several high-profile officials attending his funeral. 

Pakistan’s Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar is scheduled to travel to Kuwait on Monday to offer his condolences on Sheikh Nawaf’s demise. 

“Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar has declared Monday, December 18 as a day of mourning in Pakistan as an expression of fraternal solidarity on behalf of the people and government of Pakistan,” the APP said in a report. “With the royal family, the government, and people of Kuwait on the sad demise of Amir of Kuwait His Highness Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah.” 

The state-run press said the national flag would fly at half-mast throughout Pakistan on Monday. 

Several foreign dignitaries are expected to travel to the Arab country in the coming days to express condolences. The successor to the late ruler, Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah, will personally meet them at the Diwan of Al-Sabah Family at Bayan Palace on Monday and Tuesday. 

Kuwait announced an official mourning period for 40 days and the closure of official departments for three days after the announcement of the late emir’s death. 

Pakistan’s caretaker prime minister went to Kuwait on a two-day official visit last month to interact with the country’s top leadership, and sign a number of bilateral cooperation and investment deals. 

Pakistan and Kuwait agreed to broaden and deepen their relationship by specifically focusing on areas related to manpower, information technology, mineral exploration, food security, energy and defense. 

Topics: Kuwaiti Emir Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah

‘Rain prayers’ to be organized across Pakistan today as toxic smog chokes cities

‘Rain prayers’ to be organized across Pakistan today as toxic smog chokes cities
Updated 39 sec ago
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‘Rain prayers’ to be organized across Pakistan today as toxic smog chokes cities

‘Rain prayers’ to be organized across Pakistan today as toxic smog chokes cities
  • Toxic smog has enveloped the eastern city of Lahore and 17 other districts of Punjab province since last month
  • Lahore, home to 13 million people, had the worst air quality in the world on Friday, according to live readings by IQAir
Updated 39 sec ago
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: On the appeal of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, special prayers for rainfall will be organized across Pakistan today, Friday, as record-high air pollution levels have triggered hundreds of hospitalizations, school closures and stay-at-home orders in several districts of the most populous Punjab province. 
On Friday, Lahore, home to 13 million people, had the worst air quality of any city in the world, according to live readings by IQAir, a Swiss air quality monitoring company.
On Thursday, Sharif appealed to the nation to perform Istisqa prayers, a special Islamic ritual performed to seek rain, primarily during times of drought or severe water shortages.
“Salat Al-Istisqa for rain will be offered across the country today [Friday] on the appeal of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to the nation,” Radio Pakistan reported, saying Sharif had urged religious scholars and prayer leaders to play their role in organizing the special ritual. 
Earlier this week, the government of Punjab closed all high schools in the province until Nov. 17 due to persisting smog. 
Primary schools and government offices had already been closed until Nov. 17 in many districts of Punjab earlier this month, with school closures likely to affect the education of more than 20 million students, according to associations representing private and government schools.
Authorities in 18 districts of Punjab also closed all public parks, zoos and museums, historical places, and playgrounds for ten days last week. 
On Friday, a court in Lahore ordered the government to shut all markets after 8pm. Authorities have already banned barbecuing food without filters and ordered wedding halls to close by 10pm.
On Monday, the UN children’s agency said the health of 11 million children in Punjab province was in danger because of air pollution.

Topics: Pakistan Smog Lahore Smog Delhi smog

Pakistani deputy PM to attend UAE’s Sir Bani Yas Forum today

Pakistani deputy PM to attend UAE’s Sir Bani Yas Forum today
Updated 37 min 31 sec ago
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Pakistani deputy PM to attend UAE’s Sir Bani Yas Forum today

Pakistani deputy PM to attend UAE’s Sir Bani Yas Forum today
  • Three-day summit will host top decision-makers, experts for debates on regional issues
  • Ongoing war in Gaza is expected to feature prominently in discussions at Sir Bani Yas Forum
Updated 37 min 31 sec ago
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar will attend the three-day 15th Sir Bani Yas Forum in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from today, Friday, the foreign office in Islamabad said, with the ongoing war in Gaza expected to be at the center of discussions. 
The three-day annual retreat will bring together top decision-makers and experts to debate pressing Middle Eastern issues such as regional peace and security and economic transformation.
“At the invitation of His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar will participate in the 15th Sir Bani Yas Forum being held from Nov. 15-17 in the UAE,” foreign office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said at a weekly news briefing in Islamabad.
“At the forum, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister will engage in high-level dialogue with global leaders and experts addressing critical issues of regional security, economic cooperation and sustainable development.”
Dar will highlight Pakistan’s “strategic perspective on fostering diplomatic solutions to complex regional challenges and advancing collective prosperity,” Baloch added. 
The war in the Gaza Strip is expected to feature prominently in discussions at the Sir Bani Yas Forum. 
Israel invaded the enclave last year after Hamas-led gunmen attacked communities in southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people, according to Israeli authorities, and abducting more than 250 as hostages. Since then, the Israeli campaign has killed more than 43,500 people, according to Gaza health authorities, and destroyed much of the enclave’s infrastructure, forcing most of the 2.3 million population to move several times.
The issue was also at the center of the agenda at the recently concluded Joint Arab-Islamic Summit hosted by Saudi Arabia, with Baloch welcoming the resolution adopted by the summit, which, among other issues, called on the UN Security Council to impose an arms embargo on Israel and asked it to set up an independent investigation committee to investigate Israeli crimes including genocide, forced disappearances, torture and ethnic cleansing.

Topics: Ishaq Dar Sir Bani Yas Forum

Pakistan restores train service from restive Balochistan province after bombing at train station

Pakistan restores train service from restive Balochistan province after bombing at train station
Updated 48 min 9 sec ago
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Pakistan restores train service from restive Balochistan province after bombing at train station

Pakistan restores train service from restive Balochistan province after bombing at train station
  • At least 24 people were killed in a bomb blast on Saturday at a railway station in the city of Quetta
  • In August, over 50 people were killed in Balochistan in militants attacks on police stations, railway lines, highways.
Updated 48 min 9 sec ago
SAADULLAH AKHTER

QUETTA: A train service between the southwestern city of Quetta and Peshawar in Pakistan’s northwest resumed on Friday after being shut for four days following a deadly bombing at a railway station.
At least 24 people were killed and more than 40 injured in a bomb blast on Saturday at a railway station in the city of Quetta in the province of Balochistan, which is grappling with a surge in strikes by separatist ethnic militants that has raised security concerns for projects aiming to develop the province’s untapped mineral resources.
Imran Hayat, Divisional Superintendent of Pakistan Railways Quetta Division, said train operations from Balochistan to the rest of the country had been restored, with the Quetta-Peshawar bound Jaffar Express departing from Quetta Railway Station on Friday morning amid tight security at the railway station.
“We had suspended our service for four days following the threat of attacks on the train service in Balochistan,” Hayat told Arab News. 
“Today, the Quetta-Peshawar bound Jaffar Express departed from Quetta Railway Station at 9am and we have resumed service for Karachi and Chaman amid stringent security measures across the railway station.” 
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist militant group, claimed responsibility for Saturday’s attack.
The BLA seeks independence for Balochistan, a province of about 15 million people that borders Afghanistan to the north and Iran to the west. The BLA is the biggest of several ethnic insurgent groups battling the government, saying it unfairly exploits the province’s rich gas and mineral resources. The government denies this. 
In August, over 50 people were killed in Balochistan after separatist militants attacked police stations, railway lines and highways.
The assaults in August were the most widespread in years by militants fighting a decades-long insurgency to win secession for the province, home to major China-led projects such as a port and a gold and copper mine.

Topics: Quetta Blast Quetta Railway Station Baloch Liberation Army (BLA)

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Pakistan deploys mobile air monitoring stations in Lahore amid toxic smog

Pakistan deploys mobile air monitoring stations in Lahore amid toxic smog
Updated 15 November 2024
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Pakistan deploys mobile air monitoring stations in Lahore amid toxic smog

Pakistan deploys mobile air monitoring stations in Lahore amid toxic smog
  • Each station costs over $322,000, equipped for real-time air quality data
  • Smog has enveloped Lahore, Pakistan’s cultural capital, since last month
Updated 15 November 2024
Hasaan Ali Khan

ISLAMABAD: Authorities in Pakistan’s populous Punjab province have deployed five mobile air quality monitoring stations in Pakistan’s eastern Lahore city, each costing over Rs90 million ($322,000), amid worsening smog conditions, state-run media reported on Thursday.
Lahore, consistently ranked as the world’s most polluted city in live IQAir rankings in recent weeks, is facing hazardous air quality due to cold atmospheric conditions trapping dust, vehicle emissions and smoke from illegally burned fires.
The toxic smog, which has spread to 17 other districts in Punjab, has caused over 40,000 cases of respiratory illnesses this month, according to health officials, prompting authorities to close schools until November 17.
“The Punjab government has established five mobile air quality monitoring stations in Lahore to track the city’s air quality index,” Radio Pakistan reported.
It quoted the Punjab Environment Protection Department official Farooq Alam as saying the mobile stations had been placed in highly polluted areas, such as the Defense Housing Authority, Model Town, Gulberg, Bhatta Chowk and near Shimla Pahari.
Alam told Radio Pakistan that “each mobile monitoring station costs over ninety million rupees,” adding that they are equipped with advanced technology to collect real-time air quality data.
The Punjab administration official, however, did not mention any sustainable solution to the worsening smog condition, which has become a regular feature during the winter season.
Meanwhile, Punjab’s Provincial Disaster Management Authority has urged people to wear face masks as a precautionary measure against smog and to avoid venturing out unnecessarily.
The United Nations children’s agency has warned that the health of 11 million children in Punjab is at risk due to air pollution.
According to a study by the University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute last year, pollution could reduce life expectancy in the region by more than five years.

Topics: Pakistan Smog

New polio case reported in Pakistan, taking 2024 tally to 49

New polio case reported in Pakistan, taking 2024 tally to 49
Updated 15 November 2024
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New polio case reported in Pakistan, taking 2024 tally to 49

New polio case reported in Pakistan, taking 2024 tally to 49
  • In early 1990s, Pakistan reported around 20,000 cases annually but in 2018 the number dropped to eight cases
  • This year, 24 cases reported in Balochistan, 13 in Sindh, 10 in KP and one each in Punjab and Islamabad
Updated 15 November 2024
Aamir Saeed

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s anti-polio program said on Friday the country had reported a new case of the polio virus in the southwestern Balochistan province, taking the nationwide tally to 49 this year.
A new case was reported from Jaffarabad in Balochistan, according to updated figures on the website of the Pakistan Polio Eradication Program. 
Pakistan, along with neighboring Afghanistan, remains the last polio-endemic country in the world. Starting from late 2018, Pakistan saw a resurgence of cases and increased spread of polio, highlighting the fragility of gains achieved in the preceding three years.
“Genetic sequencing of the samples collected from the child is under process,” the polio program said in a statement.
This year, 24 cases have been reported in Balochistan, 13 in Sindh, 10 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and one each in Punjab and the federal capital of Islamabad. In the early 1990s, Pakistan reported around 20,000 cases annually but in 2018 the number dropped to eight cases. Six cases were reported in 2023 and only one in 2021. 
Pakistan’s polio eradication program began in 1994, and the number of cases has declined dramatically since then. 
But Pakistan continues to face challenges in its fight against polio, including militancy, with polio workers regularly targeted by attacks, particularly in the northwestern KP province.
The polio program has adapted to respond to climate disasters such as floods, but continues to face disruptions. There are also gaps in supplementary immunization activities, especially in areas where the virus is still present.

Topics: polio attack

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