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Hindus in Pakistan celebrate Holi, spring festival of colors

Hindus in Pakistan celebrate Holi, spring festival of colors
People from the Pakistani Hindu community celebrate Holi, the festival of colors, in Karachi, Pakistan, on March 24, 2024. (AP)
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Updated 25 March 2024
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Hindus in Pakistan celebrate Holi, spring festival of colors

Hindus in Pakistan celebrate Holi, spring festival of colors
  • Hindu festival is observed at the end of the winter season on the last full moon of the lunar month
  • Non-Muslims make up small fraction of 241 million people in Pakistan, with less than 2 million Hindus 
Updated 25 March 2024
Fatimah Amjad
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ISLAMABAD: Hindus in Muslim-majority Pakistan are celebrating the Holi festival in Karachi today, Monday, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulating the minority community on the “festival of colors.”

The Hindu festival, which heralds the start of spring, is observed at the end of the winter season on the last full moon of the lunar month. 

Non-Muslims make up a small fraction of the 241 million people in Pakistan. There are less than 2 million Hindus in the South Asian nation.

“As Pakistanis we take pride in the multi-ethnic, multi-lingual, multi-cultural and multi-religious characteristics of our society,” Sharif said in a message to Pakistan’s Hindu community. 

“Let us commemorate this day with a resolve to celebrate our differences as strengths. May the arrival of spring bring new beginnings, hope, and happiness to us all. Happy Holi to all who celebrate!” 




Hindus celebrate Holi, the spring festival of colors, at the Shree Swaminarayan Hindu Temple in Karachi, Pakistan on March 24, 2024. (AFP)

In Karachi on Sunday night, the eve of Holi, adult and child devotees celebrated by spraying colored powder solutions into the air and smearing it on each other’s faces. Water guns and water-filled balloons were used to play and color each other, with anyone and any place considered fair game for spraying.

Visitors to homes were served with Holi delicacies such as gujia, shakkarpaare, matri, and dahi-bada as well as desserts and drinks. People also gathered around a lit bonfire, symbolizing the victory of good over evil and removal of the old and the arrival of the new. Various rituals were performed around the fire such as singing and dancing.

“May God keep peace [in Pakistan] and like the Holi festival, may He bring colors of happiness to our lives, our community, Pakistani society, and the life of every citizen, bring colors of peace and prosperity and we stay away from adversity and calamity,” Hindu devotee Seema Maheshwari said on Sunday night as she celebrated Holi with her family. 




Hindu women celebrate Holi, the spring festival of colors, at the Shree Swaminarayan Hindu Temple in Karachi, Pakistan on March 24, 2024. (AFP)

Another devotee Ritika Rani said festivals like Holi made a difficult life amid inflation and poverty more bearable:

“I think you all should celebrate Holi if possible, and enjoy the colorful life with different colors. Life is already very difficult but there are some ways by which we can make it colorful.”

With inputs from AFP

Topics: Hindus HOLI Pakistan Karachi spring Arab News Pakistan

Polio officer in northwestern Pakistan reports threats to life for vaccinating children

Polio officer in northwestern Pakistan reports threats to life for vaccinating children
Updated 23 sec ago
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Polio officer in northwestern Pakistan reports threats to life for vaccinating children

Polio officer in northwestern Pakistan reports threats to life for vaccinating children
  • Mirzali Khan, a polio officer in Jamrud, says masked men threatened to shoot him if he continued vaccinating children
  • Pakistan has witnessed surge in polio cases and attacks on vaccinators in recent months by religiously motivated militants
Updated 23 sec ago
WASIM SAJJAD

PESHAWAR: A polio officer from Pakistan’s northwestern Jamrud town said on Thursday that unidentified armed men recently threatened to shoot him dead if he did not stop vaccinating children, amid a surge in polio infections and attacks on vaccinators in the country.

Religiously motivated militants, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, have frequently launched attacks on polio vaccination teams in Pakistan in the past. These groups accuse polio vaccination teams of using inoculation campaigns to sterilize Pakistani children based on a Western conspiracy.

Two policemen guarding a polio vaccination team were killed on Oct. 29 in the northwestern Orakzai district while in another attack, a polio worker and a police constable were killed when militants attacked a polio team in northwest Pakistan’s Bajaur district on Oct. 12.

“On Dec. 7, I was on the way in Gudar area when two masked men, one of whom was carrying a pistol, intercepted and told me what I was doing was improper and I should stop it,” Mirzali Khan, the operational officer in Jamrud for Pakistan’s anti-polio program, told Arab News over the phone.

Khan said the masked men threatened to shoot him if he “continued vaccinating children,” adding that he had immediately registered a police complaint at the nearby police station.

Khan said the incident had left him depressed, saying that he wanted safety and security for his family.

Jamrud Police Station’s Station House Officer (SHO) Shah Khalid confirmed that Khan had filed a complaint over the incident.

“The details were processed to the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) for further details to look into the matter,” Khalild told Arab News.

Ihtisham Ali, adviser to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister on health, told Arab News several polio volunteers and police officials guarding them have been killed by militants during anti-polio campaigns in the past.

He said the government plays its role in ensuring the safety of polio volunteers and that their safety was the provincial government’s top priority. 

“We will tackle the case with concerned authorities after investigation,” Ali said.

Pakistan, along with neighboring Afghanistan, remains the last polio-endemic country in the world. It has so far reported 59 cases of the infection this year.

Pakistan’s efforts to contain polio have been hit hard with repeated militant attacks against vaccinators and law enforcers guarding them.

The masses’ doubts regarding polio campaigns were exacerbated in 2011 when the US Central Intelligence Agency set up a fake vaccination program to gather intelligence on former Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.

Topics: anti-polio program Attack on polio team Polio Campaign attacked polio campaign in Pakistan

Pakistan hosts Islamic Capital Markets Conference in push to make financial system Shariah-compliant

Pakistan hosts Islamic Capital Markets Conference in push to make financial system Shariah-compliant
Updated 34 min 49 sec ago
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Pakistan hosts Islamic Capital Markets Conference in push to make financial system Shariah-compliant

Pakistan hosts Islamic Capital Markets Conference in push to make financial system Shariah-compliant
  • Islamic Capital Markets promote Shariah-compliant securities and instruments as alternatives to conventional ones
  • Finance minister says 56 percent of market capitalization at the Pakistan Stock Exchange comprises Shariah-compliant securities
Updated 34 min 49 sec ago
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb highlighted the importance of Islamic capital markets in helping the country remain on the road to economic stability, as the South Asian nation hosted the second International Islamic Capital Markets Conference & Expo in Karachi on Thursday. 

Islamic Capital Markets are a sub-sector of capital markets that promote Shariah-compliant securities and instruments as alternatives to conventional ones.

The minister was addressing the inaugural session of the conference that opened on Thursday in Karachi, Pakistan’s financial hub, where senior officials such as Dr. Sami Al-Suwailem, acting director general of the Islamic Development Bank Institute, Akif Saeed, chairman of the Securities Exchange Commission of Pakistan, Saleemullah, deputy governor of the State Bank of Pakistan, and other senior delegates were in attendance. 

The minister noted that Islamic finance, specifically Islamic capital markets, can play a pivotal role in Pakistan’s economic progress as instruments such as sukuk, equity funds, and Shariah-compliant investment vehicles not only attracted investment but also reduced reliance on interest-based borrowing.

“In his keynote address to the session, the finance minister described the conference as reflective of Pakistan’s growing commitment to fostering a robust Islamic capital market, highlighting the country’s dedication to transforming its financial ecosystem in line with Shariah principles,” Pakistan’s Finance Division said in a press release. 

 Aurangzeb revealed that as of June 30, 2024, 56 percent of market capitalization at the Pakistan Stock Exchange comprises Shariah-compliant securities.

“In the collective investment segment, 48 percent of assets under management of mutual funds, 66 percent of assets under management of voluntary pension funds, and 95 percent of assets under management of REITs are already Shariah-compliant,” the press release said.

“These statistics deflect the progress that we have made over a year.”

 Aurangzeb said that a growing interest in Shariah-compliant investment products was a testament to the increasing global demand for ethical and sustainable financial solutions. 

“The steady and healthy growth of Islamic finance, both in Pakistan and internationally, reflects the shifting preferences of investors toward value-based financial systems,” he said.

The minister noted that the full realization of Islamic finance’s potential was not possible without the collaborative efforts of scholars, financial institutions, regulatory bodies, and industry practitioners. 

They, he said, can address existing challenges, develop innovative Shariah-compliant financial products and build public trust. 

“We must ensure that Islamic finance is not only rooted in Shariah principles but also practical, transparent, and capable of meeting the evolving needs of our people,” Aurangzeb said.

Topics: Pakistan economy Islamic Capital Markets Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb

Pakistan stocks smash 113,000 mark on strong performance by energy, fertilizer sectors

Pakistan stocks smash 113,000 mark on strong performance by energy, fertilizer sectors
Updated 12 December 2024
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Pakistan stocks smash 113,000 mark on strong performance by energy, fertilizer sectors

Pakistan stocks smash 113,000 mark on strong performance by energy, fertilizer sectors
  • KSE-100 index climbed 2784.61, or 2.51 percent, to stand at 113,594.82 points at 2:48pm
  • Investors confident of significant interest rate cut at next monetary policy meeting on Dec. 16
Updated 12 December 2024
Hasaan Ali Khan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani stocks continued their record-breaking streak on Thursday, crossing the 113,000-point mark for the first time during intra-day trading, with the strong performance of energy and fertilizer shares contributing to the gains. 

The benchmark KSE-100 index climbed 2784.61, or 2.51 percent, to stand at 113,594.82 points at 2:48 pm, from the previous close of 110,810.21 points. 

“Lower T-Bill yields, leading up to next week’s monetary policy, are driving investor enthusiasm,” Head of Equities at Intermarket Securities Raza Jafri told Arab News. “Index heavyweight energy and fertilizer contribute most to today’s rise.”

Arif Habib Corporation Chief Executive Officer Ahsan Mehanti attributed the record-breaking streak to surging global crude oil prices, upbeat Pakistan Oil Fields sales, car sales, cement dispatches data for November 2024 and the Asian Development Bank raising the growth forecast to three percent for FY25.

“These factors played the role of a catalyst in the record surge,” he told Arab News. “Stocks showed record bullish activity after government bonds yields fell by up to 100bps in the State Bank of Pakistan auction expected to bring significant policy easing next week.”

Stocks have been performing well this week on the back of investor confidence of a significant interest rate cut by the central bank at the next monetary policy meeting on Dec. 16.

Pakistan’s central bank has already slashed interest rates by 700 basis points (bps) in four consecutive meetings since June, bringing it to 15 percent.

According to a poll by Topline Securities, 71 percent of participants expect the central bank to announce a minimum rate cut of 200bps next week. 

Pakistan’s annual consumer inflation also slowed to 4.9 percent in November, lower than the government’s forecast and the lowest in nearly six years. This is down from 38 percent last year.

Trade data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics also supports positive investor sentiment as the trade deficit narrowed by 7.39 percent during the first five months (July-November) of the current fiscal year, standing at $8.651 billion, compared to $9.341 billion during the same period last year.

Exports rose by 12.57 percent to hit $13.69 billion, while imports increased by 3.90 percent to $22.342 billion during this period. November’s trade deficit narrowed even further, dropping by 18.60 percent year-on-year to $1.589 billion compared to $1.952 billion in November 2023.

Topics: Pakistan Pakistan Stock Exchange trade

Pakistan’s Imran Khan, wife indicted in second graft case involving state gifts

Pakistan’s Imran Khan, wife indicted in second graft case involving state gifts
Updated 12 December 2024
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Pakistan’s Imran Khan, wife indicted in second graft case involving state gifts

Pakistan’s Imran Khan, wife indicted in second graft case involving state gifts
  • Couple is accused of undervaluing gifts from a state repository and buying them at a lesser price
  • Khan, who has been in jail since August 2023, says all cases against him are politically motivated
Updated 12 December 2024
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: A special court in Islamabad on Thursday indicted jailed ex-premier Imran Khan and his wife in a case involving the sale of gifts from a state repository, his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) said. 

The reference, popularly called the new Toshakhana case, was filed in July and involves a jewelry set worth over €380,000 gifted to Bushra Khan, the former first lady, by a foreign dignitary when Khan was prime minister from 2018-2022. The couple are accused of undervaluing the gift and buying it at a lesser price from the state repository. Both deny wrongdoing. This is the second case against the couple involving the sale of gifts from the state repository. 

Khan has been in jail since August last year following his conviction in four cases, two of which have been suspended, including an original one relating to state gifts, and he was acquitted in the rest. He was also granted bail in the new Toshakhana case last month but remains behind bars in other cases. Bushra has been out on bail since October. 

“This is a classic example of how a politically motivated case is being driven to keep one man in prison,” the PTI said in a statement sent to reporters, confirming his and Bushra’s indictment by a special court of the Federal Investigation Agency.

Khan’s convictions earlier this year prevented him from contesting the Feb. 8 election. The former prime minister and his party allege the cases are politically motivated and were a ploy by the then caretaker government, Pakistan’s electoral watchdog, the powerful military and his political rivals, led by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party, to keep Khan and his party away from elections. All deny the allegations. 

Khan, who was ousted from office after a parliamentary vote in April 2022, has since waged an unprecedented campaign of defiance against the country’s powerful military, which is thought to be aligned with the government. The military denies it interferes in politics. 

Khan continues to remain popular among the masses, especially the youth, with his party’s rallies drawing thousands of people. The PTI has held several rallies over the past few months to build public pressure to secure his release from prison. 

Four troops and 12 PTI supporters were killed in the latest protest in Islamabad last month after security forces raided the protest site to disperse demonstrators who had gathered at a square that is in the federal capital’s heavily-policed red zone, home to key government and diplomatic buildings as well as the Supreme Court. 

Topics: Imran Khan

Afghanistan, Pakistan should accelerate efforts to achieve universal birth registration by 2030 — UNICEF

Afghanistan, Pakistan should accelerate efforts to achieve universal birth registration by 2030 — UNICEF
Updated 12 December 2024
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Afghanistan, Pakistan should accelerate efforts to achieve universal birth registration by 2030 — UNICEF

Afghanistan, Pakistan should accelerate efforts to achieve universal birth registration by 2030 — UNICEF
  • New UNICEF report shows that 42 million children under age five are still without legal identities in South Asia
  • According to report, one-fourth of total number of unregistered children under five globally lives in South Asia
Updated 12 December 2024
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: South Asia has seen the fastest increase in birth registration rates among all regions in the last two decades, soaring from 39 percent in 2008 to 76 percent in 2024, according to a new UNICEF report released this week, which called on Afghanistan and Pakistan to speed up efforts to achieve universal birth registration by 2023. 

India, Nepal, and Bangladesh have made significant strides in securing legal identities for millions of children, as per the report, ‘The Right Start in Life: Global Levels and Trends in Birth Registration, 2024 Update.’ Maldives, Bhutan and Sri Lanka have near 100 percent coverage due to prioritizing timely registration, using health, social protection, and education systems to register babies, expanding services to more locations, digitizing the process and eliminating fees.

Released on UNICEF’s 78th birthday, the report is the latest update on the number of children registered since 2019. Article 7 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child states affirms every child’s right to have their identity established ‘immediately’ after birth through birth registration. 

“To achieve universal birth registration by 2030, Afghanistan and Pakistan, in particular, must accelerate their efforts,” UNICEF said on its website in a statement about the report.

“Bangladesh, which has made significant increases over the past decade, needs to scale up birth registration. India has also made remarkable progress over the last ten years, and a ‘celebrating the last-mile’ strategy would enable the country to reach universal birth registration by 2030.”

Sanjay Wijesekera, UNICEF Regional Director for South Asia, said in a statement a birth certificate was the foundation for legal identity.

“But it’s so much more than a document, it protects children’s rights and enables them to access essential services like health care, education and other social services,” she said. 

“Today, as UNICEF marks 78 years of championing children’s rights, we celebrate the millions of children who now have their right to a legal identity and a lifetime of promise and possibility.” 

Over 42 million children under age five are still not registered and remain ‘invisible’ in South Asia. 

This means they are deprived of their right to legal identity and social services. According to the report, one-fourth of the total number of unregistered children under five globally lives in South Asia.

Countries can recommit to scale up birth registration across South Asia, ahead of the ‘Third Ministerial Conference on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) in Asia and the Pacific’ in June 2025, UNICEF said, calling for every child to be registered at birth, for the registration process to be streamlined and for health, social protection and education programs to be used in scaling up birth registration.

“To uphold our commitment to leave no child behind, we must prioritize birth registration to protect children and give them the best start in life,” said Wijesekera.

“UNICEF calls on leaders across South Asia to accelerate efforts so that every child in the region is registered at birth. It’s the right thing to do.” 

Topics: birth registration

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