Pakistan’s tallest man passes away on Alam Channa’s death anniversary, once the world’s tallest 

Pakistan’s tallest man passes away on Alam Channa’s death anniversary, once the world’s tallest 
The collage of images created on July 3, 2024 shows Pakistan’s tallest man Zia Rasheed (center in the image on left) and Alam Channa, another Pakistani who was once the tallest living person on earth. (Vintage Pakistan/Facebook)
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Updated 03 July 2024
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Pakistan’s tallest man passes away on Alam Channa’s death anniversary, once the world’s tallest 

Pakistan’s tallest man passes away on Alam Channa’s death anniversary, once the world’s tallest 
  • 30-year-old Zia Rasheed was 8 feet tall, had several height-related medical conditions 
  • Channa held Guinness world record as tallest living man between 1982-1998 at 7.7 feet tall

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s tallest man Zia Rasheed died at the age of 30 on July 2, local media widely reported, coincidentally the 26th death anniversary of Alam Channa, another Pakistani who was once the tallest living person on earth.

Rasheed is believed to have reached the height of 8 feet by the time he was 18, but his stature brought with it a host of illnesses associated with being too tall. The current tallest man in the world, Sultan Kosen from Türkiye, stands at a height of 8 feet 3 inches, around three inches taller than Rasheed. 

Height is a risk factor for multiple health conditions such as cellulitis, skin abscesses, chronic leg ulcers, and osteomyelitis. Height is also believed to be related to the incidence of diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

“Zia Rasheed, the tallest person in Pakistan, died after protracted ailments on Tuesday,” Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper report said, adding that the youngest of five brothers had been unwell for a long time and was laid to rest in his native village near Vehari district in Pakistan’s central-eastern Punjab province.

“He suffered from a leg-related illness that caused him considerable discomfort and pain for much of his life,” the Samaa news website said. 

“Unfortunately, Zia never received the proper medical treatment he needed. Despite his condition, he remained in Pakistan, unable to secure the resources necessary to seek better medical facilities abroad.”

“Rasheed had a normal childhood until he experienced a significant growth spurt at the age of 12, which was later attributed to a malfunctioning pituitary gland,” Samaa added. “This glandular issue caused an overproduction of growth hormone, leading to his extraordinary height.”

Ironically, Rasheed died the same day as Alam Channa, a Pakistani who held a Guinness Book of World Record as the tallest living man in the world between 1982 and 1998, measuring 7.7 feet. A local celebrity and common fixture at moving circuses for most of his life, he suffered from kidney failure and high blood pressure and was sent by the government for treatment to the US. 

He was admitted to the Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, New York but died on July 2, 1988. He is buried in Sehwan, a town in Sindh known for the famous shrine of Sufi saint, Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, where Channa’s family members as helpers had worked for decades. He himself worked for the shrine in his youth before joining the circus.


India blocks Pakistani celebrities on social media

India blocks Pakistani celebrities on social media
Updated 03 May 2025
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India blocks Pakistani celebrities on social media

India blocks Pakistani celebrities on social media
  • Last month, India banned more than a dozen Pakistani YouTube channels for spreading ‘provocative’ content
  • Fawad Khan, Babar Azam, and Arshad Nadeem among celebrities whose accounts have been blocked

NEW DELHI: New Delhi widened measures against Islamabad on Saturday, blocking access to the social media accounts of Pakistani actors and cricketers, as well as extending trade blocks and stopping postal services.
India blames Pakistan of backing the deadliest attack in years on civilians in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22, in which 26 men were killed.
Islamabad has rejected the charge, and both countries have since exchanged gunfire across their contested de facto border in Kashmir.
Pakistan’s military said it carried out a “training launch” of a surface-to-surface missile weapons system on Saturday, further heightening tensions.
On Saturday, India’s communications ministry issued a statement saying it had “decided to suspend the exchange of all categories of inbound mail and parcels from Pakistan through air and surface routes.”
The arch-rivals had already expelled each other’s citizens and closed the main border crossing, and barred aircraft from each other’s airspace.
Indian media on Saturday, citing a Directorate General of Shipping (DGS) order, said that Pakistani-flagged ships are barred from any Indian port — and Indian ships are banned from Pakistan.
The move, however, is seen as largely symbolic, as regular diplomatic flare-ups between the neighbors over decades have prevented close economic ties.
But cultural ties remain far stronger. The nations were only divided by the 1947 colonial creation at the violent end of British rule, partitioning the sub-continent into Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan.
On social media, India banned on April 28 more than a dozen Pakistani YouTube channels for allegedly spreading “provocative” content, including Pakistani news outlets.
On Saturday, further restrictions blocked access in India to the Instagram account of Pakistan’s ex-prime minister and cricket captain Imran Khan.
Bollywood movie regulars Fawad Khan and Atif Aslam were also off limits, as well as a wide range of cricketers — including star batters Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan and retired players Shahid Afridi and Wasim Akram.
Olympic gold medallist Arshad Nadeem’s Instagram account was also no longer accessible to Indian users, reflecting the broad scope of the clampdown beyond just cricket.
Users in India attempting to access these accounts are shown a message indicating that they are unavailable due to compliance with a legal request.


Pakistan envoy urges Trump administration to help resolve Kashmir amid tensions with India

Pakistan envoy urges Trump administration to help resolve Kashmir amid tensions with India
Updated 16 min 34 sec ago
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Pakistan envoy urges Trump administration to help resolve Kashmir amid tensions with India

Pakistan envoy urges Trump administration to help resolve Kashmir amid tensions with India
  • Pakistan envoy tells Fox News world must address root causes of India-Pakistan tensions
  • He says President Trump can build a peacemaker legacy by resolving the Kashmir dispute

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s envoy to the United States has urged Washington to move beyond crisis management and support efforts to resolve the Kashmir dispute, saying President Donald Trump came build a legacy by addressing the issue following last month’s deadly attack in the region.
The April 22 gun attack at a tourist hotspot in Indian-administered Kashmir left 26 people dead, prompting New Delhi to blame Pakistan, though Islamabad denied the charge forcefully.
India expelled Pakistani nationals and diplomats in the wake of the incident, closed a major border crossing, suspended a decades-old river water sharing treaty and imposed trade and shipping restrictions. Pakistan took reciprocal steps but also sought a neutral and impartial international investigation. Islamabad also warned that any military action by India would elicit a major response despite its desire to avoid escalation.
In an interview with Fox News on Friday, Ambassador Rizwan Saeed Sheikh said the risk of such crises would persist unless the global community moved beyond “band-aid solutions” and tackled the root cause of tensions.
“What we would urge the US leadership is to not only afford de-escalatory support in this situation but also to look at the broader issue of the disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
India and Pakistan have fought several wars over the disputed Himalayan region, which both countries claim in full but rule in part.
“This is one nuclear flash point. There’s nothing flashier than this in terms of the impact on a large chunk of humanity that any misadventure, any miscalculation, any war here can cause. So, it would be an important part, it could be an important part of President Trump’s legacy to attend to this situation,” Sheikh added.
The Pakistani envoy noted that in previous crises, the international community had often intervened only to pull back before tensions were fully defused.
“This time ... it would be reasonable and perhaps even timely ... to perhaps not afford a band-aid solution, but to address the broader problem, the major disease that is there, and try and have a durable solution to the Jammu and Kashmir dispute,” he said.
Sheikh emphasized what he described as the “disproportionate responsibility” of the United States, as a preeminent global power, to help maintain and establish international peace and security.
He warned that the current crisis should not be allowed to fade without meaningful diplomatic solution.
“There is an opportunity in this situation, which we believe should not be squandered by the international community,” he added.


Over 8,800 Pakistani pilgrims in Madinah with 3,300 more expected today — state media

Over 8,800 Pakistani pilgrims in Madinah with 3,300 more expected today — state media
Updated 03 May 2025
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Over 8,800 Pakistani pilgrims in Madinah with 3,300 more expected today — state media

Over 8,800 Pakistani pilgrims in Madinah with 3,300 more expected today — state media
  • The first groups of Pakistani pilgrims are scheduled to depart for Makkah on May 7
  • Pilgrims going directly to Makkah will visit Madinah after performing Hajj rituals

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Hajj mission in Saudi Arabia has received nearly 8,890 pilgrims in Madinah, state media reported on Saturday, adding that 3,300 more were expected to arrive by the end of the day.
Pakistan launched its Hajj flights on April 29. For the first 15 days of the operation, pilgrims will continue to arrive in Madinah. Afterward, incoming pilgrims will land in Jeddah and travel directly to Makkah.
“The Pakistan Hajj Mission has so far received approximately 8,890 intending Pakistani pilgrims in Madinah by Saturday, who arrived through 35 flights operated by various airlines from major cities of Pakistan to perform their religious obligation under the government scheme,” the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported.
“As many as 12 flights, carrying 3,300 more pilgrims, are scheduled to arrive in the holy City Madinah on Saturday,” it added.
Pilgrims from across the world are converging in Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj, which begins on the 8th of Dhu Al-Hijjah, the final month of the Islamic calendar.
The first groups of Pakistani pilgrims are scheduled to depart for Makkah on May 7 after completing their eight-day stay in Madinah. Departures will follow the sequence of their arrival in the city, according to the religious affairs ministry.
Under the single-route system, all Pakistani pilgrims arriving in Madinah will proceed to Makkah for Hajj before returning to Pakistan via Jeddah.
Pilgrims flying directly to Makkah will later visit Madinah before departing for home.
Upon reaching Makkah, pilgrims will perform their first obligatory Umrah, according to the ministry.


India bans imports from Pakistan amid tension over tourist killings

India bans imports from Pakistan amid tension over tourist killings
Updated 03 May 2025
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India bans imports from Pakistan amid tension over tourist killings

India bans imports from Pakistan amid tension over tourist killings
  • New Delhi has issued a notification barring goods coming from or transiting through Pakistan
  • Pakistani-flagged ships and Indian-flagged ships are barred from entering each other’s ports

NEW DELHI: India said on Saturday it had banned the import of goods coming from or transiting via Pakistan and barred Pakistani ships as tensions rise between the nuclear-armed neighbors in the wake of a deadly attack on tourists in the disputed Kashmir region.
India’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade said in a notification that the ban would take effect immediately.
“This restriction is imposed in the interest of national security and public policy,” it said.
Suspected militants killed at least 26 people in last week’s attack on a mountain tourist destination in the Pahalgam area of the Kashmir valley.
The Muslim-majority Himalayan region is claimed by both India and Pakistan, and has been the focus of several wars, an insurgency and diplomatic standoffs.
India has accused Pakistan of involvement in the attack, which Islamabad denies. Pakistan has said it has “credible intelligence” that India intends to launch military action.
Pakistan’s retaliatory measures have included halting all border trade, closing its airspace to Indian carriers and expelling Indian diplomats.
It has also warned that any attempt to prevent the flow of river water promised under a decades-old treaty would be considered an act of war.
On Saturday, India said Pakistani-flagged ships would not be allowed to visit any Indian port, and Indian flagged-ships would not visit any ports in Pakistan.
“This order is issued to ensure safety of Indian assets, cargo and connected infrastructure, in public interest and for interest of Indian shipping,” the Directorate General of Shipping said in an statement.
Trade between the two nations has dwindled over the last few years.


Türkiye reaffirms solidarity with Pakistan after Kashmir attack, urges restraint amid regional tensions

Türkiye reaffirms solidarity with Pakistan after Kashmir attack, urges restraint amid regional tensions
Updated 03 May 2025
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Türkiye reaffirms solidarity with Pakistan after Kashmir attack, urges restraint amid regional tensions

Türkiye reaffirms solidarity with Pakistan after Kashmir attack, urges restraint amid regional tensions
  • The Turkish envoy in Islamabad meets PM Sharif, says Ankara appreciates Pakistan’s position
  • Sharif says Pakistan’s focus remains on economic recovery, which requires regional peace

ISLAMABAD: Türkiye has reaffirmed its solidarity with Pakistan following the April 22 attack at a tourist hotspot in Indian-administered Kashmir while calling for de-escalation and restraint to preserve peace in South Asia, the Prime Minister’s Office in Islamabad said on Saturday.
The assault in Pahalgam, a popular destination in the disputed Himalayan region, killed 26 tourists last month. India accused Pakistan of orchestrating the attack, an allegation Islamabad has since denied repeatedly.
The Pakistani administration has also called for an international investigation into the incident, warning that India’s claims risk further inflaming tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.
With Islamabad engaged in active diplomacy to project its stance over the issue, Turkish Ambassador Dr. Irfan Neziroglu met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and conveyed Ankara’s appreciation for Pakistan’s response earlier today.
“The Turkish Ambassador informed the Prime Minister that Türkiye appreciated Pakistan’s position and expressed its solidarity with Pakistan while calling for de-escalation and urging restraint in the current crisis to maintain peace and security in South Asia,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.
During the meeting, Sharif reiterated Pakistan’s offer for a credible, transparent and neutral international probe into the Pahalgam attack and welcomed Türkiye’s potential participation in such an inquiry.
Last month, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had urged both India and Pakistan to exercise restraint after the attack.
Pakistan and Türkiye share close diplomatic, economic and defense ties.
Turkish defense firms have helped modernize Pakistan’s Agosta 90B-class submarines and supplied military equipment including drones and targeting systems.
The two countries also hold regular joint military exercises, most recently the Ataturk-XIII drills aimed at enhancing interoperability.
Sharif also told the Turkish envoy that Pakistan’s focus remained on economic recovery and growth, which required peace and stability in the region.
He highlighted Pakistan’s longstanding struggle against militant violence, pointing out the country had sacrificed 90,000 lives and incurred $152 billion of losses.