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Pakistan launches 4,500 scholarships for Afghan students amid ongoing security tensions

Pakistan launches 4,500 scholarships for Afghan students amid ongoing security tensions
In this handout photograph, shared by Pakistan’s Special Representative in Afghanistan Asif Durrani, Officials and students sing national anthem during the launch of the third phase of Allama Iqbal scholarships for Afghan students at the National University of Technology in Islamabad on June 10, 2024. (Photo courtesy: X/@AsifDurrani20)
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Updated 11 July 2024
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Pakistan launches 4,500 scholarships for Afghan students amid ongoing security tensions

Pakistan launches 4,500 scholarships for Afghan students amid ongoing security tensions
  • The scholarships will allow Afghan nationals to study social and natural sciences in Pakistan for the next five years
  • Pakistani officials say relations with Afghanistan remain a high priority, with deputy PM planning a visit to Kabul
Updated 11 July 2024
Arab News Pakistan
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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday launched 4,500 scholarships for Afghan students aspiring to study social and natural sciences at local universities, amid ongoing security issues between the two countries that prompted Islamabad to launch a deportation drive targeting unregistered Afghans last year.
Pakistan introduced the Allama Iqbal Scholarship program for Afghan nationals in 2009 to strengthen bilateral ties between the two neighboring states.
The program covers tuition fees, accommodation and a monthly stipend for undergraduate, graduate and doctoral studies at Pakistani universities.
The third phase of these scholarships was launched on the same day the federal cabinet approved the extension of registration cards for 1.5 million Afghan refugees for another year.
“Glad to launch the third phase of Allama Iqbal scholarships for Afghan students,” Asif Durrani, Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, said in a social media post.
“In the coming five years, 4500 Afghan students will pursue studies in social and natural sciences in various universities of Pakistan,” he added.

 
Pakistan has witnessed a surge in militant attacks in its western provinces bordering Afghanistan since November 2022, following the breakdown of its fragile truce with the proscribed armed network, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Officials in Islamabad have blamed the Afghan government for sheltering TTP militants and providing them sanctuaries to launch attacks in Pakistan, a charge Kabul denies.
Pakistan’s also launched the deportation drive against Afghan nationals last year in November, blaming them for involvement in militant attacks and other crimes in different parts of the country.
More recently, however, representatives of the two countries held meetings in Doha to discuss bilateral issues and resolve their differences.
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar also told the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs earlier this week that relations with Afghanistan remain a high priority for his country, adding he would soon visit Kabul to meet with interim Afghan administration officials.

Topics: Pakistan Afghanistan Ties Afghan students #scholarships

Pakistani PM celebrates religious diversity, honors Hindu community’s contributions on Diwali

Pakistani PM celebrates religious diversity, honors Hindu community’s contributions on Diwali
Updated 1 min 2 sec ago
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Pakistani PM celebrates religious diversity, honors Hindu community’s contributions on Diwali

Pakistani PM celebrates religious diversity, honors Hindu community’s contributions on Diwali
  • Sharif statement comes as Pakistan occasionally grapples with violent incidents against minority communities
  • His message echoes the vision of Pakistan’s founding father who championed a pluralistic state in August 1947
Updated 1 min 2 sec ago
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed pride in Pakistan’s cultural and religious diversity while honoring the contributions of its Hindu community as he extended Diwali greetings on Thursday, with his government emphasizing an inclusive national identity amid recent violence targeting minorities.
Diwali, celebrated by millions of Hindus around the world, is the “Festival of Lights,” symbolizing the triumph of good over evil and hope over despair.
Sharif’s message comes as Pakistan grapples with violent incidents against its minority communities, such as last year’s attacks in Jaranwala, where mobs burned multiple Christian homes and churches following blasphemy allegations. The Hindu community in Pakistan has also complained of forced conversions, especially in the southeastern province of Sindh.
Pakistani authorities, striving to improve the country’s image regarding religious tolerance, have repeatedly asserted the state’s commitment to diversity and equal rights for all citizens.
“As Pakistanis, we take pride in the diversity of our society, which strengthens our national fabric and enriches our shared culture,” Sharif said in a message to mark Diwali. “I pay tribute to the valuable contributions of Pakistan’s vibrant Hindu community, whose roles in our social, economic, and political sectors continue to strengthen our nation.”
Sharif underscored the government’s commitment to upholding equality for all communities and ensuring that Pakistan offers equal opportunities for growth, regardless of faith.
He pointed to the Hindu community’s collaborative efforts with Muslim Pakistanis in advancing national development, which he described as “a source of resilience and unity among our people.”
Sharif’s statement echoes the vision of Pakistan’s founding father, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who championed a pluralistic state in a landmark August 11, 1947, address to the Constituent Assembly, assuring religious minorities they would be free to practice their faith and affirmed the state’s commitment to equal citizenship for all.
“May this Festival of Lights bring peace and prosperity to your lives and foster strong bonds of unity and brotherhood among people of all religions in our country,” the prime minister said.
 

Topics: Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif Diwali

Electric vehicles, air quality sensors proposed to curb severe winter pollution in Lahore

Electric vehicles, air quality sensors proposed to curb severe winter pollution in Lahore
Updated 31 October 2024
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Electric vehicles, air quality sensors proposed to curb severe winter pollution in Lahore

Electric vehicles, air quality sensors proposed to curb severe winter pollution in Lahore
  • The eastern Pakistani city has witnessed unprecedented rise in Air Quality Index during this week
  • WWF-Pakistan calls for removal of industrial zones from urban centers, reliance on renewables
Updated 31 October 2024
NAIMAT KHAN

KARACHI: A leading environmental conservation organization in Pakistan on Wednesday recommended adopting electric vehicles and installing air quality sensors to combat rising pollution in Lahore, one of the world’s most polluted cities during the winter smog season, according to a statement it circulated.

WWF-Pakistan pointed to several key contributors identified by policymakers, including emissions from vehicles, industrial processes, crop residue burning and coal combustion as the city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) reached unprecedented levels this week.

The call for reform came on the same day when Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif advocated for diplomatic efforts with neighboring India to address cross-border pollution, as both nations contend with extreme air quality issues.

“Worsening air quality and persistent smog is a serious issue not only for the people but also for biodiversity, especially birds and other animals,” said Hammad Naqi Khan, Director General WWF-Pakistan.

“The adoption of electric vehicles can help reduce vehicular emissions that lead to poor air quality,” he added. “However, financial subsidies and establishing EV charging infrastructure are essential for the transition to electric vehicles.”

WWF-Pakistan’s policy recommendations, drawn from air quality data collected between 2013 and 2024, lay out a comprehensive strategy to improve Lahore’s air quality. Key proposals also include establishing industrial zones away from urban centers, expanding the mass transit network and transitioning industries to renewable energy sources.

Additionally, the report advocates for integrated traffic management, which, when combined with the installation of sensor-based monitoring systems, could help reduce localized pollution in heavily trafficked areas.

“These low-cost air quality monitoring systems can be used to identify air pollution hotspots and can also be synchronized with traffic management,” Khan noted, explaining that measures such as designating alternate routes or restricting heavy transport in certain areas can help reduce emissions in high-risk zones.

The report also recommended building the capacity of farmers to manage crop residue through sustainable practices and alternative uses.

Additionally, it called for mandatory vehicular emission testing, dust control in the construction sector, and promoting solar energy to replace diesel- and coal-based power in industrial sectors like leather, textile and steel.

“Industries emitting high levels of pollutants must install relevant pollution control devices,” said Nazifa Butt, Director Climate and Energy at WWF-Pakistan, highlighting the role of industrial compliance in achieving cleaner air.

Pakistani authorities have enforced new measures to combat hazardous smog, including making mask-wearing mandatory across the city of Lahore.

New, shorter school timings have also been announced in the city while student assemblies will be conducted in classrooms rather than outdoor spaces.

All outdoor activities at schools have also been temporarily suspended, and a ban has also been imposed on fireworks in Lahore until Jan. 31, 2025.

Topics: Pakistan electric vehicles in Pakistan Pollution smog

Pakistan urges US to end Cuba restrictions as UN condemns longstanding embargo

Pakistan urges US to end Cuba restrictions as UN condemns longstanding embargo
Updated 31 October 2024
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Pakistan urges US to end Cuba restrictions as UN condemns longstanding embargo

Pakistan urges US to end Cuba restrictions as UN condemns longstanding embargo
  • UN voted 187-2 in favor of lifting the embargo, with only the US and Israel opposing the resolution
  • Pakistani diplomat says during the debate an end to embargo will improve quality of life in Cuba
Updated 31 October 2024
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani diplomat at the United Nations called for an end to the longstanding American economic restrictions on Cuba, emphasizing that the step would enhance quality of life in the Caribbean nation as the global body condemned the embargo for the 32nd consecutive year.

The UN General Assembly overwhelmingly voted 187-2 in favor of lifting the sanctions, with only the US and Israel opposing the resolution, alongside one abstention in the 193-member body.

Tensions between the US and Cuba escalated in the 1960s, following Fidel Castro’s revolutionary government’s decision to nationalize American-owned assets without compensation.

This led to US embargo as Washington aimed to isolate Cuba economically and politically, pressuring its government to carry out democratic reforms and curtail alignment with the former Soviet Union.

“Pakistan maintains that the imposition of unilateral economic measures is counterproductive and inconsistent with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and international law,” an official statement quoted the deputy permanent representative of Pakistan to the UN, Ambassador Usman Jadoon, as saying during the debate.

The statement said the Pakistani diplomat highlighted the rights of the people of Cuba to their own means of subsistence, especially food and medicine, adding that “ending the embargo would be a significant step toward improving the quality of life for the Cuban people, and will help Cuba advance on the path toward sustainable development.”

Ambassador Jadoon also expressed a deep concern on the impact that the economic, financial and commercial embargo has had on Cuba and its people.

He reiterated Pakistan’s “unwavering commitment to multilateralism,” saying his country believed in the fundamental principles of sovereign equality, non-interference and non-intervention, as enshrined in the UN Charter.

Topics: cuba US Cuba embargo

On Pakistan’s southern coast, a group of surfers chases waves and their dreams

On Pakistan’s southern coast, a group of surfers chases waves and their dreams
Updated 31 October 2024
Reuters
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On Pakistan’s southern coast, a group of surfers chases waves and their dreams

On Pakistan’s southern coast, a group of surfers chases waves and their dreams
  • Access to surfing equipment is limited in Pakistan, with the group sharing about 25 surfboards
  • Many group member learned surfing by watching videos available on social media platforms
Updated 31 October 2024
Reuters

KARACHI: Attiq Ur Rehman is determined to follow his dream to become Pakistan’s first professional surfer despite his father’s concern for his future, a lack of equipment and the messy waves near Karachi.
“I don’t care about the money right now. I just want to compete,” the 21-year-old says, shrugging off his father’s plea to take up fishing so he can get married and support his family. “It’s my surfer attitude.”

Surfers warm up and stretch as they prepare to surf at Turtle Beach in Karachi, Pakistan, on September 4, 2024. (REUTERS)

Rehman’s family are part of a poor coastal community in southern Pakistan that usually make a living from fishing or as lifeguards watching over more affluent residents of Karachi when they come for a day at the beach.
His father makes the equivalent of $100 a month to feed a family of 10 through fishing.
“I told him a thousand times (to stop surfing) but he still doesn’t listen,” said Rehman’s father, Muhammad Rafiq.

A surfboard is placed on top of a water tank near the house of Attiq, the founder of 'Surfers of Buleji', in Karachi, Pakistan, on August 28, 2024. (REUTERS)

Rehman was a lifeguard but gave it up to concentrate on his surfing, which he started aged nine, and founded a new community that calls itself “Surfers of Bulleji.”
The group has grown to around 50 and have gone viral on social media in a country where cricket and hockey are the main sports.
The group consists of surfing enthusiasts from surrounding coastal villages, some aged as young as eight.

Surfers walk along the beach at Tushan Beach in Karachi, Pakistan, on August 28, 2024. (REUTERS)

On a sunny day, their passion for surfing is on display with the right window for waves to surf along a near-empty beach close to the metropolis of 20 million.
One of cohort, Mujahid Baloch, a 24-year-old fisherman, first saw surfing on social media and instantly took a shine to it.
“Slowly, through watching, we learned. No one taught us,” he said.

Mujahid rides a wave at the end of surfing season, at the Turtle Beach in Karachi, Pakistan, on September 4, 2024. (REUTERS)

Though Sri Lanka and the Maldives to the south are on global surfers’ hit lists, Pakistan’s arid 1,000km (620 miles) of coastline is usually poorly suited for surfing, relying on local winds to generate waves that are often small and messy, or rare cyclone swells.
“When all of Karachi was being given an advisory to stay away from the sea, and a cyclone was approaching, me and the boys were getting ready to go to the beach,” said Rehman. “The waves were ideal for us.”

A fisherman walks out of the water carrying his fishing net, as people surf in the background, at Turtle Beach in Karachi, Pakistan, on September 4, 2024. (REUTERS)

While an occasional visiting surfer might join them for a paddle and some other villages along the coast have small surfing groups, competition with global peers is a challenge. The International Surfing Association has 116 member countries, including places such as Ukraine and land-locked Switzerland, but Pakistan is not on the list.
Still, members of “Surfers of Bulleji” idolize American professional surfer Kelly Slater, whose videos they often watch awe-struck, and wish to emulate his skill.

Surfers stand next to their surfboards while they wait to go surfing at Turtle Beach in Karachi, Pakistan, on September 4, 2024. (REUTERS)

But access to surfing equipment is limited in Pakistan, with the group sharing about 25 surfboards and pitching in for repairs when they are needed.
They sometimes find discarded boards in large containers of junk brought to Pakistan from around the world. They buy these junked boards for as little as $35 and repair them using basic materials like glue and resin.
“If it breaks, we repair it. Because we don’t have surfboards here,” Baloch said. Pointing to a piece of foam, he said it was found at sea and shaped into a make-shift board. “If we find more such foam, we can make our own boards here,” he said.
“Our community is getting bigger and stronger, so the shopkeepers know we will come and keep such finds safe for us,” Rehman says.

Surfers check their boards as they prepare to surf at Tushan Beach in Karachi, Pakistan, on August 28, 2024. (REUTERS)

 

Topics: Pakistan Pakistani surfers Karachi Surfers of Bulleji

Pakistan Fashion Couture exhibition to be held in Saudi Arabia on Nov. 16

Pakistan Fashion Couture exhibition to be held in Saudi Arabia on Nov. 16
Updated 31 October 2024
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Pakistan Fashion Couture exhibition to be held in Saudi Arabia on Nov. 16

Pakistan Fashion Couture exhibition to be held in Saudi Arabia on Nov. 16
  • Event featuring various designers will showcase Pakistani fashion collections in the Middle Eastern market
  • Pakistani fashion blends traditional and modern styles, reflecting the country’s rich cultural heritage
Updated 31 October 2024
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Fashion Couture exhibition will be held on Nov. 16 in Riyadh to showcase Pakistani fashion in the Saudi market, featuring a variety of designers and their collections, a media handout said on Wednesday.
The fashion practiced in the South Asian country is an eclectic blend of traditional and modern styles, reflecting Pakistan’s cultural heritage. From the intricate embroidery and ornate patterns of traditional clothing to the bold and edgy designs of contemporary fashion, Pakistani fashion is a reflection of the country’s diversity and creativity.
Fashion designers from Saudi Arabia and other countries will also participate in the event, fostering “cultural harmony” between the two sides, in addition to promoting Pakistani fashion globally.
“For the first time, a fashion exhibition will take place on November 16 in Riyadh,” the media handout by Pakistan Fashion Couture said, quoting its top official, Adnan Bashir Khan. “This event will showcase Pakistani apparel, jewelry, and other fashion items, with participation from renowned Pakistani designers.”
Addressing a news conference in Riyadh, Khan highlighted how Pakistani fashion was “admired” by Saudi, Indian and Bangladeshi communities, among other nationalities, saying the aim was to “further establish Pakistani fashion’s presence” in the Saudi market.
He said a “special designer zone” was being set up at the exhibition for “established and emerging” designers to showcase their skills.
“This event marks an important step in strengthening fashion ties between the two countries,” Khan added. “We want to introduce Saudi audiences to the vibrant colors of Pakistani fashion and promote our designers’ creations on a global platform.”
The Pakistan Fashion Couture founder hopes the exhibition, featuring “traditional attire, contemporary fashion, and exclusive bridal designs,” will be a milestone for the Pakistani fashion industry in Saudi Arabia.
“Our goal is to increase the popularity of Pakistani fashion here and create new opportunities for our industry in Saudi Arabia,” Khan said.

Topics: Pakistan Fashion Couture Pakistan Saudi Ties

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