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US allocates $101 million to counter Pakistan’s ‘overreliance’ on China, ‘strengthen democracy’

US allocates $101 million to counter Pakistan’s ‘overreliance’ on China, ‘strengthen democracy’
In this screengrab, taken on July 24, 2024, Donald Lu, Assistant Secretary, US Department of State, Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, speaks during a joint hearing on “Budget Request for South and Central Asian Affairs” on July 23, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Photo courtesy: YouTube/@FArepublicans)
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Updated 24 July 2024
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US allocates $101 million to counter Pakistan’s ‘overreliance’ on China, ‘strengthen democracy’

US allocates $101 million to counter Pakistan’s ‘overreliance’ on China, ‘strengthen democracy’
  • Donald Lu says US will also use the money to stabilize Pakistan’s economy, deal with militancy issue
  • He maintains the US is living in a ‘world of constrained budgets’ while dealing with an ‘assertive’ China
Updated 24 July 2024
Muhammad Ibrahim
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ISLAMABAD: The United States plans to spend $101 million to strengthen democracy in Pakistan, address the threat of militancy and prevent Islamabad’s reliance on China in fiscal year 2025, said a senior American official who presented a written budget request to the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday.
Budget requests, policy proposals and funding plans are frequently presented by relevant officials to various congressional committees in the US. These testimonies are part of the legislative process and are used to inform and persuade lawmakers about the importance of proposed expenditures and policy directions.
The overall budget proposal of $1.01 billion for South and Central Asia was presented by Donald Lu, the assistant secretary for the region, who said it represented a 1.9 percent decrease from fiscal year 2023.
“On Pakistan, we face ongoing challenges and opportunities,” he told the House Foreign Affairs Committee. “The President’s Budget requests a straight lining of our $101 million Pakistan budget.”
“That money would be used to strengthen democracy and civil society, to fight terrorism and violent extremism, and to support economic reforms and debt management to help stabilize Pakistan’s economy and prevent further overreliance on the PRC [People’s Republic of China],” he continued.
The American official, who was widely blamed by former prime minister Imran Khan’s party for contributing to his administration’s downfall, an allegation denied by Washington, said the US was struggling to compete with China in the region, which is seeking to secure military and commercial footholds in the Indian Ocean.
He also noted that the US administration had to “live in a world of constrained budgets.”
“Our most effective strategy to counter an assertive PRC is to demonstrate that we have something better to offer — better development opportunities, better commercial deals, and better solutions for their security challenges,” he added.

Topics: Donald Lu Pakistan US Ties Afghan Taliban

Pakistan reports 48th polio case this year amid a deepening virus crisis

Pakistan reports 48th polio case this year amid a deepening virus crisis
Updated 10 sec ago
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Pakistan reports 48th polio case this year amid a deepening virus crisis

Pakistan reports 48th polio case this year amid a deepening virus crisis
  • The wild poliovirus type-1 was detected in a male child in Dera Ismail Khan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province
  • This year, 23 cases have been reported in Balochistan, 13 in Sindh, 10 in KP and one each in Punjab and Islamabad
Updated 10 sec ago
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Saturday reported another case of polio virus that took the nationwide count to 48 this year, the country’s polio program said.
The regional laboratory for polio eradication at the National Institute of Health Islamabad has confirmed the Wild Poliovirus Type-1 (WPV1) in a male child from Dera Ismail Khan district of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province.
Dera Ismail Khan is among the polio-endemic districts in southern KP and this is the third polio case from the district this year, according to the Pakistan polio program.
“Genetic sequencing of the samples collected from the child is under process,” the polio program said in a statement.
So far, 23 cases have been reported in Balochistan, 13 in Sindh, 10 in KP and one each in Punjab and the federal capital of Islamabad.
“The oral polio vaccine is essential to keep children protected from disability from a polio infection,” the statement read.
“We urge parents across the country to ensure multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine for all children under five in their care and ensure that their routine vaccination doses are also complete.”
Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries where polio remains an endemic. Since late 2018, Pakistan has seen a resurgence of cases and increased spread of poliovirus, highlighting the fragility of gains achieved in the preceding three years.

Topics: Pakistan Polio Service

Government to slash winter power tariffs to spur demand, cut gas use in Pakistan

Government to slash winter power tariffs to spur demand, cut gas use in Pakistan
Updated 4 min 10 sec ago
Reuters
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Government to slash winter power tariffs to spur demand, cut gas use in Pakistan

Government to slash winter power tariffs to spur demand, cut gas use in Pakistan
  • The move is expected to provide relief to businesses and citizens, who have suffered from steep and sudden increases in tariffs
  • Utilities in Pakistan, many of which have had to curtail or even cease operations in winter, will also benefit from the move
Updated 4 min 10 sec ago
Reuters

KARACHI: Pakistan will reduce electricity tariffs during winter in a bid to boost consumption and cut the use of natural gas for heating, its power minister told Reuters on Saturday.
The move is expected to provide relief to businesses and citizens, who have suffered from steep and sudden increases in electricity tariffs following energy sector reforms suggested by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Utilities in Pakistan, many of which have had to curtail or even completely cease operations in winter months due to demand dropping by up to 60 percent from peak summer levels, will also benefit from the move.
“Reducing prices will increase demand, especially in winter when people use inefficient gas resources,” Power Minister Awais Leghari told Reuters in a telephone interview.
Pakistan will pilot the plan starting this winter, and the lower tariffs will apply between December 2024 to February 2025, he said.
The IMF, which approved a $7 billion, 37-month loan for Pakistan in September, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Pakistan relies heavily on expensive natural gas and burning wood for heating during winter.
Power consumption in Pakistan has declined 8-10 percent year on year over the past three quarters, Leghari said. But he said he hopes that an economic recovery will cover up for lost ground and will help boost demand by a net average 2.8 percent annually over the next ten years.
Leghari expects the move to slash winter tariffs to help industries reduce electricity costs by 7-8 percent at an optimal level, while stimulating industrial growth in the process.
Leghari also said the government is working to rationalize power tariffs, re-profile power sector debt and adjust tax structures within electricity bills.
“The government is in talks with development partners to reduce taxes to spur growth of electric vehicles and combating the emergent problem of air pollution, promoting a shift away from combustion-based transportation toward clean energy,” he said.

‘Peace and comfort’: Pakistani academic finds home and harmony in Saudi Arabia

‘Peace and comfort’: Pakistani academic finds home and harmony in Saudi Arabia
Updated 39 min 7 sec ago
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‘Peace and comfort’: Pakistani academic finds home and harmony in Saudi Arabia

‘Peace and comfort’: Pakistani academic finds home and harmony in Saudi Arabia
  • Muhammad Tanveer moved to the Kingdom in 2002 after he was offered an opportunity to teach in Saudi Arabia
  • He has gone on to become a school principal, but also calls himself a ‘Saudi’ after having spent 22 years there
Updated 39 min 7 sec ago
KASHIF IMRAN

ISLAMABAD: With just eight years of experience, Muhammad Tanveer, a Pakistani academic, moved to Saudi Arabia in 2002 after he was offered an opportunity to teach in the Kingdom.
Since then, Tanveer has not only gone on to become the principal of Pakistan International School Riyadh’s English section, but also found his home in the diverse Saudi society.
Tanveer, who is skilled in curriculum development, compliance management, administration and policy development, says he has become a “Saudi” after having spent 22 years in the Kingdom and is very much impressed by its culture.
“To contribute to the Saudi education process while living in Saudi Arabia has a great feeling of satisfaction. There are many countries where there are facilities, but Saudi Arabia is one of those few countries, where there is peace,” he said in a video shared by the Saudi media ministry on X on Friday.
“As an expat, I would say that I love Saudi Arabia and I love being a resident of Saudi Arabia for all the peace and comfort and protection that [the Saudi] society provides me.”
Saudi Arabia is home to more than 2 million Pakistani expatriates, who are a vital source of remittances to the South Asian country. The Kingdom regularly seeks skilled workers from Pakistan and both nations share strong cultural, economic and defense relations.
The Pakistani academic says he was always ambitious about excelling in his field and his motivation increased manifolds when he got an opportunity to teach in Saudi Arabia. Apart from the Saudi capital, he loves traveling to other beautiful places in the Kingdom, including Abha and Tabuk.
“My favorite place apart from Riyadh is Abha. It is a very beautiful place, every summer, it’s a magnificent place, weather is really great, so I love Abha. Similarly, Tabuk is very beautiful, Tabuk’s valleys are very beautiful,” he said.
“It is very touching to be part of the Saudi society, because the love, the cooperation and the support found in the Saudi society, I could not imagine it both individually and as a professional.”

Topics: Pakistan Saudi Ties

Pakistani singer Arooj Aftab secures Grammy nominations for fourth year in a row

Pakistani singer Arooj Aftab secures Grammy nominations for fourth year in a row
Updated 09 November 2024
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Pakistani singer Arooj Aftab secures Grammy nominations for fourth year in a row

Pakistani singer Arooj Aftab secures Grammy nominations for fourth year in a row
  • Aftab’s song ‘Raat Ki Rani’ has earned the nomination in the Best Global Music Performance category
  • The song is part of her album ‘Night Reign,’ nominated in the Best Alternative Jazz Album category
Updated 09 November 2024
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani singer Arooj Aftab has once again secured Grammy nominations for the upcoming 2025 awards ceremony, with the singing sensation expressing her delight over the recognition.
Aftab’s song ‘Raat Ki Rani’ has earned the nomination in the Best Global Music Performance category. The song is part of her album ‘Night Reign’ that has received recognition in the Best Alternative Jazz Album category, which awards vocal or instrumental albums containing greater than 75 percent playing time of new alternative jazz recordings.
“OMG [oh moy God] YES!!! This will be the fourth year in a row that the @recordingacademy and industry peers have celebrated my music with these accolades and IT FEELS SO GOOD,” the singer wrote on Instagram on Friday.
“Thank you thank you thank youuuuu and keep spinning Night Reign we are just getting started,” she added.
In 2022, Aftab became the first Pakistani singer to win a Grammy for her song ‘Mohabbat’ in the Best Global Music Performance category. She had been nominated in two categories for the 2024 Grammy Awards, the highest honors in the music industry.
The 39-year-old, who has lived in New York for some 15 years, has been steadily gaining global attention for her work that fuses ancient Sufi traditions with folk and jazz music. After growing up in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, Aftab moved to the US at age 19 to attend Berklee College of Music in Boston.
The now Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter first gained critical acclaim for Bird Under Water and Siren Islands in the mid-2010s, but it was 2021’s Vulture Prince — a delicate, seven-track project dedicated to the memory of her late brother — that propelled Aftab to stardom.
 

Topics: Arooj Aftab Pakistani singer Arooj Aftab Grammy Award

Pakistan police kill top bandit who used TikTok to terrorize, transfix Punjab’s riverine marshlands

Pakistan police kill top bandit who used TikTok to terrorize, transfix Punjab’s riverine marshlands
Updated 6 min 1 sec ago
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Pakistan police kill top bandit who used TikTok to terrorize, transfix Punjab’s riverine marshlands

Pakistan police kill top bandit who used TikTok to terrorize, transfix Punjab’s riverine marshlands
  • Shahid Lund among bandits using Internet to parade hostages, exhibited arsenals of weapons in musical TikToks
  • High-standing crops in Katcha lands along Indus River provide cover for ambushes, kidnappings, highway robberies, smuggling
Updated 6 min 1 sec ago
NAIMAT KHAN

KARACHI: Pakistani police said on Friday they had killed a top bandit who was famous for his videos on TikTok and had operated for years in the notorious riverine marshlands of the Punjab province.
Shahid Lund had been hiding out in the riverine terrain in Punjab which has long offered refuge to bandits. The 28-year-old used the Internet to enthrall citizens even as he preyed on them, according to police.
On TikTok, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, he fascinated tens of thousands with messages delivered with a gun in hand, romanticizing his rural lifestyle and cultivating a reputation as a champion of the people.
The Punjab police said on Friday Lund, who led the Lund gang, one of several groups of bandits in Pakistan’s riverine area, had been killed in a joint operation by the Rahim Yar Khan and Rajanpur district police.
“The Government of Punjab had placed a bounty of Rs10 million ($35,811) on Shahid Lund,” the Punjab police said in a statement on X. “The deceased bandit was wanted by the police in 28 cases, including killing of policemen, terrorism, kidnapping for ransom, attacks on police, murders and robberies.”
Lund was said to dwell on a sandy island in the riverlands, often called the ‘katcha’ area that roughly translates to ‘backwaters,’ on the Indus River which skewers Pakistan from top to bottom. High-standing crops provide cover for ambushes and the region is riven by shifting seasonal waterways that complicate pursuit over crimes ranging from kidnapping to highway robbery and smuggling.
At the intersection of three of Pakistan’s four provinces, gangs with hundreds of members have for decades capitalized on poor coordination between police forces by flitting across jurisdictions. Sweeping police operations and even an army incursion in 2016 failed to impose law and order. This August, a rocket attack on a police convoy killed 12 officers.
Some bandits use the web to lay “honey-traps” luring kidnap victims by impersonating romantic suitors, business partners and advertising cheap sales of tractors or cars, while others parade hostages in clips for ransom or exhibit arsenals of heavy weapons in musical TikToks. Lund had by far the largest online profile — irking police with a combined 200,000 followers.
The Punjab police chief, Dr. Usman Anwar, lauded the Rahim Yar Khan and Rajanpur police for the successful operation in the riverlands.
“It is the mission of the police to eliminate terrorists, dacoits and miscreants from the katcha area,” Anwar was quoted as saying by the provincial police.

Topics: Shahid Lund Baloch Shahid Baloch tiktok Punjab Police katcha

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TikTok bandits terrorize, transfix Pakistan riverlands video
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TikTok bandits terrorize, transfix Pakistan riverlands

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