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One killed, four injured in gas leak blast in southwestern Pakistan

One killed, four injured in gas leak blast in southwestern Pakistan
Pakistani security personnel stand guard as an ambulance drives past in Quetta, Pakistan, on October 25, 2016. (AFP/File)
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Updated 11 January 2024
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One killed, four injured in gas leak blast in southwestern Pakistan

One killed, four injured in gas leak blast in southwestern Pakistan
  • Explosion occurred in southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta when family attempted to light a gas heater
  • Blasts caused by gas leaks are common in Balochistan due to inadequate pressure, no gas outages during winter
Updated 11 January 2024
SAADULLAH AKHTER
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QUETTA: A minor was killed while four others were injured in southwestern Pakistan on Thursday by a powerful explosion triggered by a gas leak inside a home, police confirmed. 

The explosion occurred on the rooftop of a building in Quetta’s Jinnah Town area when a family attempted to light a gas heater. Police said unknown to the family, the room where the heater was kept was filled with gas that had leaked. 

“The rooftop of the building has been completely destroyed due to the intensity of the explosion,” Station House Officer (SHO) Jinnah Town Ijaz Mehmood told Arab News. 

“A four-year-old girl named Isma Bibi was killed after the rubble of the building fell on a slum located under the building.” 

He said investigation teams, including the Bomb Disposal Squad, have been probing the incident and as per the initial report, the blast was caused as the room was filled with leaked gas. 

Four others injured in the explosion were shifted to Civil Hospital Quetta’s trauma center.

“Four injured, including a woman, are now being treated inside the burn ward while the body of the minor girl was shifted to the morgue,” Dr. Waseem Baig, a spokesman for the provincial health department, said in a statement.

Explosions caused by gas leaks are common in Balochistan during the bitter winters, where many homes do not have fixed gas outages. The unpredictable gas pressure at odd hours of the day or night causes houses to sometimes be flooded with gas accidentally left on.

Every year, residents of Pakistan’s impoverished Balochistan province hold protests against the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC), a private organization responsible for providing gas supply in Pakistan’s Sindh and Balochistan provinces. 

According to data compiled by Arab News, 25 people were killed in Balochistan from Oct. 2022 to Dec.2022 in incidents involving gas leaks. At least 15 people suffered severe burn injuries from three separate gas explosions in Quetta during December 2023.

Pakistan discovered natural gas reserves in Balochistan’s Sui area in Dera Bugti district back in 1952 but the province only started receiving natural gas in 1970. Baloch nationalist parties and armed separatist groups accuse the Pakistani state of exploiting the natural resources of Balochistan, leaving locals deprived of their natural wealth. The state denies this.

The SSGC has more than 300,000 registered gas consumers in Quetta and has been providing 210 million cubic feet of gas to the population of Balochistan.

Topics: Quetta Pakistan

At least 16 killed, 30 injured in blast hitting Pakistan railway station

At least 16 killed, 30 injured in blast hitting Pakistan railway station
Updated 28 sec ago
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At least 16 killed, 30 injured in blast hitting Pakistan railway station

At least 16 killed, 30 injured in blast hitting Pakistan railway station
  • The outlawed Baloch Liberation Army has claimed the bomb attack in Balochistan’s capital of Quetta
  • It comes amid a spike in militant attacks in Balochistan, home to a long-running insurgency, in recent months
Updated 28 sec ago
Saadullah Akhtar

QUETTA: At least 16 people were killed and 30 others injured in a bomb blast at a railway station in the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta, officials said on Saturday, in the latest violence to hit the restive Balochistan province.
Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, has been the site of a decades-long separatist insurgency by ethnic Baloch militants. The province has lately seen an increase in attacks by separatist militants.
Saturday’s blast occurred at a time when the railway station was crowded with passengers, who were waiting for the Peshawar-bound Jaffar Express train, according to Muhammad Baloch, senior superintendent of police (SSP).
“Around 150 passengers were gathered at the platform,” Baloch told Arab News. “We are investigating whether it was a suicide attack or any explosive device was placed at the platform.”
The outlawed Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), the most prominent of several separatist groups in Balochistan, claimed responsibility for the bomb attack.
Bilal Safdar, an eyewitness who was standing some 500 meters away from the site of the blast, told Arab News people were crowded under a shed, when he heard a powerful explosion at the platform.
“There was a plume of smoke at the station and people were screaming for help, bodies and injured were laying down on the ground,” he told Arab News. “We just ran away from the site and my feet was injured.”
SSP Baloch shared the injured persons had been shifted to Civil Hospital in Quetta, while officials were awaiting footage from security cameras installed at the railway station to ascertain the exact nature of the blast.
Balochistan, home to major China-led projects such as a strategic port and a gold and copper mine, has seen a surge in militants attacks in recent months.
Last month, 21 miners working at privately run coal mines in Balochistan’s Dukki were killed in an attack by unidentified gunmen, while five people were killed in an attack by armed men on the construction site of a small dam in Balochistan’s Panjgur district Oct. 29. In August, separatist militants killed more than 50 people, including civilians and security men, in a string of coordinated attacks in various districts of Balochistan, with the BLA claiming most of them.
The separatists accuse the central government of exploiting Balochistan’s mineral and gas resources. The Pakistani state denies the allegation and says it is working to uplift the region through development initiatives.
 

Topics: Quetta Blast Quetta attack Arab News Pakistan

Pakistan to face 5 million ton wheat shortage next year amid reduced sowing area

Pakistan to face 5 million ton wheat shortage next year amid reduced sowing area
Updated 54 min 42 sec ago
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Pakistan to face 5 million ton wheat shortage next year amid reduced sowing area

Pakistan to face 5 million ton wheat shortage next year amid reduced sowing area
  • Federal government wants 33.58 million tons, while provinces expect 27.92 million due to reduced sowing area
  • Farmers urge minimum support price announcement from Punjab to encourage wheat sowing this season
Updated 54 min 42 sec ago
Aamir Saeed

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is expected to face a wheat shortage of over five million tons next year with a reduction in the crop sowing area and production, according to provincial governments estimates, as economists and food security experts say this will strain on the economy and lead to inflation.
Wheat is a staple food in Pakistan and its shortage can lead to political unrest and protests against governments. The South Asian nation of 241 million is expected to face a shortfall of 5.66 million tons of the commodity next year and would have to spend foreign exchange to import wheat to fulfill local demand.
This year, the government allowed the private sector to import over three million tons of wheat to overcome shortages while tens of thousands of farmers staged protests in several cities over the government’s decision not to buy their wheat, causing them huge income losses.
The government routinely purchases around 20 percent of all the wheat produced by local farmers at a fixed cost to ensure price stability, prevent hoarding, and maintain the supply chain. However, it lowered its purchase target to two million tons from around six million tons this year, with farmers in Punjab, the country’s largest wheat producer, asking the authorities to stop imports and purchase the commodity from them at the minimum support price fixed officially.
“The provinces have come up with a lower sowing area and production target of wheat for the next year, therefore the country will face a shortage of the commodity,” Yasir Shakeel, a deputy director at Ministry of National Food Security and Research, told Arab News. “The provincial governments have been taking measures to achieve the sowing and production targets of wheat to fulfill the local need.”
He said the Federal Committee on Agriculture had set a wheat production target of 33.58 million tons from target area of 10.368 million hectares for 2025-26 based on national requirement for the produce to attain self-sufficiency.
“According to provincial governments’ proposals the target area for wheat will be 9.263 million hectares with production of 27.92 million tons,” he said.
The official said the Indus River System Authority’s advisory committee has anticipated a shortage of water to the extent of about 16 percent for Punjab and Sindh during the winter crop season, running from October to April, which could impact the wheat production along with other crops.
Farmers on the other hand have urged the government to announce a minimum support price of over Rs4,500 per 40 kilogram to encourage their community to sow the crop to achieve the government’s production target.
“There are still 15 to 20 days before the wheat sowing season concludes, so the government’s intervention at this stage may help encourage farmers sow the crop instead of looking for the alternatives,” Khalid Bath, President Kissan Ittehad, a farmers’ association, told Arab News.
As per the Kissan Ittehad estimates, the wheat sowing area can drop more than 30 percent this year compared to the previous year due to the Punjab administration’s policy of reducing the procurement target.
Dr. Abid Qaiyum Suleri, food security expert, said the farmers had not received a fair price for their cash crop, adding they were short of investments to sow the wheat crop on a large area.
“Farmers are looking for substitutes to earn profits on their crops as the government is apparently not willing to announce the minimum support price for the next year’s crop,” he told Arab News. “This will definitely lead to food shortages in the country, and the private sector will have a role to play to import the product to meet the local demand.”
Asif Arsalan Haider, a senior economist, maintained Pakistan’s inflation rate was heavily influenced by the agricultural products in the country, pointing out that wheat shortage would have a major impact on it.
“Pakistan’s rural economy is dependent on agriculture,” he said. “Therefore, farmers may face hardships if the government does not procure their produce at a fixed price.”
“The government should come up with a long term agricultural policy instead of resorting to stopgap arrangements each year,” he added.
Earlier this year in May, local media reported that the Punjab government had reduced its usual wheat procurement, allowing the private sector to play a larger role in purchasing the crop due to significant financial constraints, with annual procurement costs reaching around Rs400 billion ($1.4 billion).
The move was described partly as a response to the International Monetary Fund’s recommendations to cut provincial expenditures.
Reports also quoted Punjab’s Finance Minister Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman as saying that most farmers had sold their wheat to middlemen, leading to market prices of Rs3,200-3,300 per maund, a traditional unit of mass commonly used in South Asia, amounting to about 40 kilograms, though this shift slightly reduced profit margins for farmers.
 

Topics: Pakistan wheat Pakistan farmers

Dozens arrested in southwest Pakistan as clashes between police, Imran Khan’s party injure 14

Dozens arrested in southwest Pakistan as clashes between police, Imran Khan’s party injure 14
Updated 08 November 2024
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Dozens arrested in southwest Pakistan as clashes between police, Imran Khan’s party injure 14

Dozens arrested in southwest Pakistan as clashes between police, Imran Khan’s party injure 14
  • PTI members tried to stage a rally near the Chief Minister House in Quetta, seeking Khan’s release
  • Quetta’s deputy commission says two of the arrested people were carrying guns and hand grenades
Updated 08 November 2024
SAADULLAH AKHTER

QUETTA: Dozens of protesters were rounded up by police in southwestern Balochistan on Friday after clashes broke out between former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supporters and law enforcement personnel, leaving at least 14 people injured, including eight policemen.
The incident occurred in the provincial capital of Quetta after PTI protesters attempted to stage a rally near the Chief Minister House, demanding the release of the ex-premier from a high-security jail in Rawalpindi. Khan has faced prison trials on multiple charges since his arrest last year in August, which he claims are fabricated to keep him out of the country’s political landscape.
Police officials said the PTI organized the rally without securing official permission, violating Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure imposed in the city, which prohibits gatherings of four or more people to maintain order or address urgent threats to public safety.
“The protesters were carrying weapons that they used against the police,” said Station House Officer (SHO) of Civil Line Police Naseebullah Khan while speaking to Arab News. “They pelted stones and even hit our officials with their vehicles. Fifty-five protesters have been arrested and a first information report has been lodged against the PTI workers.”

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party's supporters protest to demand the release of former prime minister Imran Khan, in Quetta on November 8, 2024. (AFP)

The SHO informed a senior police officer was among the injured, adding that both of his legs were fractured after a protester tried to run him down with a car.
Quetta’s Deputy Commissioner Saad bin Asad said the PTI was protesting without official permission, which had been denied despite the party’s decision to appeal to the court.
He added that authorities informed the judge they would not permit the gathering and provided reasons for the decision.
“But they deliberately came out for a rally,” Asad said, adding that among the arrested individuals, “two were carrying guns and hand grenades while participating in the protest.”
He confirmed that at least 14 people, including eight policemen, were injured in the clashes.
Asad said PTI supporters began pelting police with stones, prompting law enforcement to use tear gas to disperse them.
Dawood Shah, PTI’s provincial president in Balochistan, told Arab News the party was holding a peaceful rally near Quetta Railway Station because the government had “refused its workers permission to hold the rally at the designated venue.”
“Unknown people disguised as protesters started pelting stones and instigated PTI workers,” he said, adding that 67 PTI supporters were arrested and nine were injured in the clashes.
“Peaceful protest is our democratic right,” Shah continued. “We scheduled a peaceful rally at the Hockey Ground for the release of Imran Khan, but the administration did not give us permission.”
He accused the authorities of “attempting to repeat the 9th May episode,” referencing last year’s riots where people carrying PTI flags targeted government buildings and military installations after Khan’s brief arrest on corruption charges.
The incident triggered a crackdown on the party, whose leaders distanced themselves from the protests, alleging that they were intended to discredit the PTI.

Topics: Pakistan PTI protest Quetta Arab News Pakistan

Pakistan’s Punjab bans entry to parks, zoos and playgrounds amid pollution

Pakistan’s Punjab bans entry to parks, zoos and playgrounds amid pollution
Updated 08 November 2024
Reuters
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Pakistan’s Punjab bans entry to parks, zoos and playgrounds amid pollution

Pakistan’s Punjab bans entry to parks, zoos and playgrounds amid pollution
  • The province has set up a ‘smog war room,’ using satellite, drones and AI to monitor and address pollution
  • Environmentalists want government to address fuel quality, renewable electricity and industrial emissions
Updated 08 November 2024
Reuters

LAHORE: Pakistan's eastern Punjab province banned entry to parks, zoos, playgrounds and other public spaces on Friday to protect the public from polluted air, and is considering closing down universities after shutting schools earlier this week.

The air quality in Lahore has deteriorated drastically, earning Punjab's regional capital the rank of world's most polluted city from Swiss air purification equipment maker IQAir.

"We are closely monitoring the situation. There's a possibility of closing universities and colleges on Monday to reduce vehicle emissions," said Jahangir Anwar, Secretary of the Environment Protection Department Punjab.

Friday's order from the regional government placed a "complete ban on public entry in all parks ... zoos, playgrounds, historical places, monuments, museums and joy/play lands" until Nov. 17 in areas including Lahore.

In addition to shutting schools, the province has already taken other steps such as suggesting half of employees work from home and banning rickshaws in certain areas.

South Asia annually faces severe pollution due to trapped dust, emissions and stubble burning - the practice of setting fire to fields after the harvest of grain.

Punjab has attributed this year's particularly high pollution levels to toxic air from neighbouring India, where air quality has also reached hazardous levels.

Punjab has set up a "smog war room," using satellite, drone technology and AI to monitor and address pollution. Nevertheless, Anwar says there is not enough equipment to effectively monitor the province, with only four air quality monitoring machines for the entire city of Lahore, "whereas we should have 50.”

Anwar said the department had imported and deployed five mobile monitoring units and plans to deploy eight more by year-end.

Ahmad Rafay Alam, an environment lawyer and member of the Pakistan Climate Change Council, stressed the need for robust data and policy changes.

"Right now, we just simply don't have those monitors, we simply don’t have as robust data as we should have to make decisions," Alam said.

He warned that without addressing fuel quality, renewable electricity and industrial emissions, the problem will continue to worsen.

 

Topics: Pakistan smog Pollution

Father accused of killing daughter tells UK jury wife told him to confess

Father accused of killing daughter tells UK jury wife told him to confess
Updated 08 November 2024
AFP
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Father accused of killing daughter tells UK jury wife told him to confess

Father accused of killing daughter tells UK jury wife told him to confess
  • Urfan Sharif is accused of murdering Sara Sharif last year, alongside her stepmother and uncle
  • Police found the girl’s body with multiple fractures, bruises, burns and bite marks at her home
Updated 08 November 2024
AFP

LONDON: The father of a 10-year-old British-Pakistani girl on trial in London for her murder on Friday said his wife told him to confess to killing his daughter.
Urfan Sharif, 42, is accused of murdering Sara Sharif on August 8 last year, alongside her stepmother Beinash Batool, 30, and the girl’s uncle, Faisal Malik, 29.
All three deny the charge and of causing or allowing her death.
A jury at the Old Bailey court was told that all three left the family home in Woking, southwest of London, the day after Sara died and flew to Pakistan.
Sara’s body, which had multiple fractures, bruises, burns and bite marks, was found by police after a tip-off from Sharif in Islamabad.
Giving evidence for a fourth day, he said he was devastated by her death but agreed to leave because Batool had told him Sara had been beaten by another of his children, and he feared the consequences for them.
Before leaving, he wrote a note taking the blame. “Whoever sees this note, it’s me Urfan Sharif who killed my daughter by beating,” it read.
But Sharif told the jury that the confession was dictated by his wife.
“I was merely writing, the wording was not mine,” he said, insisting he took the blame to protect his other children.
Before leaving on August 9, 2023, Sharif left the house keys under the doormat, so the police would not have to break through the door, and had resolved to tell the authorities about Sara when he was out of the country.
A recording was played in court of Sharif’s garbled phone call to police in the UK after arriving in Islamabad.
“I killed my daughter, I killed my daughter,” he said.
Instructing police to the house, he said he “left in a panic” and added: “I promise I’ll come back.”
One month later, Sharif, Batool and Malik returned to the UK and were arrested.

Topics: Urfan Sharif

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