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Three children die due to floods in Pakistan’s northwest as Punjab braces for downpours

Three children die due to floods in Pakistan’s northwest as Punjab braces for downpours
Commuters make their way along a street during rainfall in Dadu on August 4, 2024. (AFP)
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Updated 06 August 2024
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Three children die due to floods in Pakistan’s northwest as Punjab braces for downpours

Three children die due to floods in Pakistan’s northwest as Punjab braces for downpours
  • Officials in Punjab say all necessary arrangements have been made in anticipation of a possible flood situation
  • The country has witnessed most monsoon deaths due to lightning strikes and collapse of dilapidated buildings
Updated 06 August 2024
Arab News Pakistan
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ISLAMABAD: Authorities in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province announced the deaths of three children due to heavy rains and flash floods on Tuesday, as more downpours were forecast in several districts of Punjab in the next 24 hours.
The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) of Punjab has reported 54 people lost their lives during this year’s monsoon season in Pakistan, with 141 others injured in various rain-related incidents in the province.
Most of the fatalities were due to lightning strikes and the collapse of dilapidated buildings, highlighting the severe impact of the heavy rains.
Similar incidents have plagued KP since the onset of the monsoon, exacerbating the region’s vulnerability to such natural disasters.
“Monsoon rains are likely in most districts of Punjab in the next 24 hours,” the Punjab PDMA informed in a statement. “In the last 24 hours, Murree recorded 18 mm, Rahim Yar Khan 17, Chakwal 12 and Joharabad also recorded 12 mm of rain.”
“Due to monsoon rains, the water level in rivers, dams and canals is increasing,” the statement added.
PDMA officials in KP also released 24-hour tabulated data up until 1 PM on Tuesday, reporting the deaths of two children in the Mohmand tribal district and one in Mansehra during that period.
The Punjab PDMA chief, Irfan Ali Kathia, said all necessary arrangements had been made in anticipation of a possible flood situation in parts of the province.
He added that financial assistance had been provided to the families of those who lost their loved ones during the monsoon.
“The precious loss of life can be avoided by taking precautionary measures,” he emphasized.
The Punjab PDMA also urged people to avoid weak and dilapidated buildings.

Topics: Monsoon in Pakistan Pakistan Floods

Punjab asks citizens to follow precautions as Lahore pollution soars to record high

Punjab asks citizens to follow precautions as Lahore pollution soars to record high
Updated 12 sec ago
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Punjab asks citizens to follow precautions as Lahore pollution soars to record high

Punjab asks citizens to follow precautions as Lahore pollution soars to record high
  • Lahore’s air quality index soars to unprecedented 1,194 as smog envelopes city
  • Punjab government says strong winds from India has increased pollution in Lahore
Updated 12 sec ago
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The Punjab government has urged Lahore citizens to strictly adhere to precautions against smog as the city’s air quality index soared to a record-breaking score of 1,194 on Sunday, with a thick blanket of smog enveloping the megacity. 

As winter season approaches, Lahore’s 14 million people have been enveloped by smog over the past few days, a mix of fog and pollutants caused by low-grade diesel fumes, smoke from seasonal agricultural burning and winter cooling.

The air quality index, which measures a range of pollutants, soared to 1,067 on Saturday, more than 700 above the 300 considered ‘dangerous,’ as per data from IQAir.

“Due to strong winds from India, Lahore attains the number one spot in the air pollution index,” the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), the ruling party in Punjab, wrote on social media platform X.

“Lahore is on top of the global air quality index with [a score of] 1,194 while India’s two cities acquire the second and third spots.”

Punjab’s Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb was quoted by the PML-N as saying that Pakistani cities bordering India are severely affected by the changing wind speeds and direction, adding that the burning of farmers’ crop residues in the neighboring country has caused a “large-scale increase” in air pollution. 

“Public should strictly follow precautionary measures, the elderly, the sick and children should be especially careful,” Aurangzeb said, urging people to wear face masks and not venture outside their homes unnecessarily. 

She said the government’s plan will be implemented strictly, warning farmers against burning crop residues. 

“Arrests and fines for violations will continue,” Aurangzeb said. 

Breathing the toxic air has catastrophic health consequences, with the World Health Organization saying strokes, heart disease, lung cancer and respiratory diseases can be triggered by prolonged exposure.

Smog is particularly pronounced in winter, when cold, denser air traps emissions from poor-quality fuels used to power the city’s vehicles and factories at ground level.

Last month, authorities banned schoolchildren from outdoor exercise until January and adjusted school hours to prevent children from traveling when the pollution is most punishing.

Children are particularly vulnerable because they have less developed lungs and breathe more rapidly, taking in more air relative to their size than adults.

Last week, the provincial environmental protection agency announced new restrictions in four “hot spots” in the city.

Tuk-tuks equipped with polluting two-stroke engines are banned, as are restaurants that barbecue without filters.

Government offices and private companies will have half their staff work from home starting Monday.
Construction work has been halted and street and food vendors, who often cook over open fires, must close at 8 pm.

With additional input from AFP 

Topics: Pakistan Lahore smog

Pakistani airline Air Sial launches weekly flights from Islamabad to Riyadh

Pakistani airline Air Sial launches weekly flights from Islamabad to Riyadh
Updated 34 min 50 sec ago
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Pakistani airline Air Sial launches weekly flights from Islamabad to Riyadh

Pakistani airline Air Sial launches weekly flights from Islamabad to Riyadh
  • Air Sial launches two flights per week from Islamabad to Riyadh, says airline 
  • Airline says will start flights from Lahore, other Pakistani cities to Riyadh “soon” 
Updated 34 min 50 sec ago
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: Air Sial, one of Pakistan’s most prominent private airlines, on Sunday launched its weekly flights from Islamabad to Riyadh, announcing that flights from the eastern city of Lahore to the Saudi capital will commence “soon.”

Thousands of Pakistanis visit the Kingdom every year where they live and work, and to perform the voluntary Umrah pilgrimage at some of the holiest sites in Islam in Makkah and Madinah.

 Several Pakistani airlines offer direct flights to Jeddah, Riyadh and other Saudi cities at economical rates, promoting religious tourism and connectivity between the two close allies. 

“Pakistani airline, Air Sial has commenced weekly flights to the Saudi capital Riyadh from Islamabad, with two flights per week,” Air Sial said in a statement. 

“The management has announced that flights to Lahore will also start soon.”

Pakistan’s Welfare Attaché, Rana Muhammad Masoom, inaugurated the airline’s regional office in Riyadh, Air Sial said, adding that community members and Air Sial’s country and regional management were also present at the ceremony.

“A cake-cutting ceremony was held to celebrate the start of the weekly flights from Riyadh to Islamabad, and it was announced that new flights to Lahore and other cities will be launched soon,” the airline concluded. 

Air Sial was inaugurated in 2020 by the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce & Industry to improve air travel to and from Pakistan’s Sialkot city, a major industrial hub in Punjab. The airline uses a fleet of modern Airbus A320 aircraft for its operations. 

Topics: AirSial Islamabad airport

Pakistan eyes enhanced trade, economic ties with Uzbekistan amid investment push

Pakistan eyes enhanced trade, economic ties with Uzbekistan amid investment push
Updated 03 November 2024
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Pakistan eyes enhanced trade, economic ties with Uzbekistan amid investment push

Pakistan eyes enhanced trade, economic ties with Uzbekistan amid investment push
  • Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan arrives in Tashkent for three-day official visit
  • Khan to take part in fourth Uzbekistan-Pakistan Business Forum, says commerce ministry
Updated 03 November 2024
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan is in Uzbekistan on a three-day visit aimed at enhancing bilateral trade, commerce and economic ties with the Central Asian state, his ministry confirmed on Sunday, amid Islamabad’s efforts to attract foreign investment to improve its economic prospects.

Pakistan has increasingly sought to enhance regional connectivity to landlocked Central Asian states by providing them access to its warm water ports. It recently offered Central Asian states to become part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project, under which Beijing has pledged around $65 billion in energy, infrastructure and other projects in Pakistan.

Khan arrived in Tashkent on Saturday evening marking the start of his three-day visit to Uzbekistan, the commerce ministry said.

“Key agenda items include strategic meetings with top Uzbek officials such as Deputy Prime Minister Mr. Jamshed Khujaev and Transport Minister Mr. Ilkhom Makhkamov to discuss pivotal projects in trade, investment, and logistics,” the ministry said.

Khan’s visit will feature the ninth session of the Pakistan-Uzbekistan Inter-Governmental Commission (IGC) on Trade-Economic and Scientific-Technical Cooperation, and the fourth Uzbekistan-Pakistan Business Forum, the commerce ministry said. The session will be co-chaired by Khan and Uzbek Minister for Investment, Industry and Trade Mr. Laziz Kudratov.

The ministry said that the Business Forum will host 33 Pakistani business delegates across various sectors for B2B meetings aimed at fostering new partnerships and enhancing trade.

“The minister’s visit reflects both nations’ dedication to deepening economic and technical collaborations and supporting mutual goals, including Uzbekistan’s ongoing WTO accession,” the ministry concluded.

Pakistan has increasingly sought to promote closer ties with regional allies to bolster its fragile $350 billion economy, which is currently suffering from a prolonged macroeconomic crisis.

The South Asian country narrowly avoided a sovereign default last year when it secured a last-gasp $3 billion financial assistance package from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Pakistan’s economic crisis saw its inflation reach double-digit figures, foreign exchange reserves plummet to historic lows and its currency weaken significantly against the US dollar over the past two years.

Topics: Pakistan Uzbekistan Ties Pakistan Uzbekistan Business Forum Tashkent Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan

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Pakistan pick pace-dominated XI to rattle Australia in first ODI 

Pakistan pick pace-dominated XI to rattle Australia in first ODI 
Updated 03 November 2024
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Pakistan pick pace-dominated XI to rattle Australia in first ODI 

Pakistan pick pace-dominated XI to rattle Australia in first ODI 
  • Pakistan head into Melbourne ODI with Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Hasnain and Haris Rauf in playing XI
  • Green shirts will play three ODIs against Australia on Nov. 4, 8 and 10 at Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth, respectively
Updated 03 November 2024
Fatimah Amjad

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will head into the first ODI against Australia on Monday with fiery fast bowlers Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf and Mohammad Hasnain featuring in the playing XI squad, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said. 

Pakistan’s new white-ball skipper Mohammad Rizwan will lead his side for the first time since assuming captaincy this month at Melbourne against Australia on Monday. 

The South Asian country is scheduled to play three ODIs on Nov. 4, 8 and 10 in Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth, respectively before taking on Australia in a three-match T20I series on Nov. 14, 16 and 18. 

“The men’s national selection committee has confirmed Pakistan’s playing XI for the first ODI against Australia,” the PCB said in a statement. 

Rauf and Hasnain have both had ample experience playing on Australian pitches for the Big Bash League (BBL). Both bowlers have the ability to bowl above 150 kmph and bamboozle batters through sheer pace. 

Australian pitches favor pace and bounce, serving as ideal hunting grounds for pacers from Australia, South Africa, Pakistan and the West Indies in the past. 

Afridi and Shah, Pakistan’s experienced pace bowlers, will return to the squad after they were dropped from the Test squad after England drubbed Pakistan in the first Test in Multan last month. 

Former Pakistan captain Babar Azam and Kamran Ghulam have both been included in the squad while the green shirts will rely on openers Abdullah Shafique and Saim Ayub to deliver the goods with the bat against Australia. 

Playing XI:

Abdullah Shafique, Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Kamran Ghulam, Salman Ali Agha (vice-captain), Muhammad Irfan Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain 
 

Topics: Pakistan vs Australia Pakistan cricket Pakistan Cricket Board Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Pakistan Australia Cricket Pakistan ODI series Pakistan tour of australia Babar Azam Mohammad Rizwan

‘Most liberated area’: Karachi Press Club’s journey to becoming a stronghold of dissent

‘Most liberated area’: Karachi Press Club’s journey to becoming a stronghold of dissent
Updated 14 min 20 sec ago
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‘Most liberated area’: Karachi Press Club’s journey to becoming a stronghold of dissent

‘Most liberated area’: Karachi Press Club’s journey to becoming a stronghold of dissent
  • Established in 1958 in a British-era building, KPC has consistently held annual elections
  • Zia regime labeled it ‘enemy territory’ for providing platform to opposition, rights activists
Updated 14 min 20 sec ago
NAIMAT KHAN

KARACHI: Slogans echo from the crowd gathered outside the historic 19th-century Victorian-style, double-story building on Sarwar Shaheed Road in the heart of Karachi. Inside, a conference is underway— one of many events that have transformed this once-quiet haven for journalists into a dynamic hub of activism and dissent.
This is the Karachi Press Club (KPC), an iconic institution in Pakistan’s largest city, often called the “Hyde Park” of the country.
Founded in 1958, KPC is one of Pakistan’s oldest and most influential press clubs, serving as a gathering point not only for media professionals but also for writers and intellectuals. Frequently described as a symbol of press freedom, the club has long been a refuge for journalists seeking solidarity, especially during times of political upheaval and censorship.
“The Karachi Press Club turned into an institution because it became the voice of dissent,” Mazhar Abbas, a veteran journalist and former secretary of the club, told Arab News, recalling how it evolved from a space for journalists “to sit, share their notes and enjoy tea or coffee” into a center for protests.

Arab News’ Naimat Khan (left) and senior photojournalist Zahid Hussein enter Karachi Press Club in Karachi, Pakistan, on October 30, 2024. (AN photo)

“Irrespective of whether it was a civilian or military government [in Pakistan], the press club became the voice for those whose voices couldn’t make it to the media,” he added. “It raised its own voice against restrictions imposed on it and provided a platform for political parties facing bans.”
KPC truly emerged as a hub of democracy and dissent during the 1970s and 1980s, especially under the military rule of General Zia-ul-Haq, when Pakistan experienced strict censorship and widespread crackdowns on freedom of expression.

Journalists sit at a camp during their hunger strike at the Karachi Press Club in 1978, during a movement by the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) against the crackdown on newspapers and journalists by then-military ruler General Zia-ul-Haq. (Zahid Hussein/ Arab News)

The club became a stronghold for journalists, activists and intellectuals advocating for democratic principles and press freedom, organizing protests and sit-ins and often risking personal safety.
A.H. Khanzada, a senior journalist and former club leader, recalled how a minister in the Zia regime labeled KPC “enemy territory” for amplifying the voices of the opposition.
“A journalist quipped in response, ‘No, sir, this is not enemy territory; this is the most liberated area,’” he said with a hint of pride, adding that KPC had since been “a symbol of democracy.”

The picture shared by the Karachi Press Club administration on November 1, 2024, shows members of the Karachi Union of Jouranalists protesting against press freedom in Karachi, Pakistan. (Karachi Press Club/ Arab News)

Khanzada remembered the time when it was difficult for politicians to gather, but the club opened its doors, allowing historic meetings by the Movement for Restoration of Democracy, a major political alliance against the Zia regime, which was formed in 1981.
He recalled how Nusrat Bhutto and Kulsoom Nawaz Sharif, the wives of two former Pakistani premiers from rival political factions, held gatherings inside the club when they faced significant state pressure.

Kulsom Nawaz (in green), wife of Pakistan's former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, is pictured at Karachi Press Club in Karachi, Pakistan. (AN photo)
Kulsom Nawaz (left), wife of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz Sharif (center) are pictured at Karachi Press Club in Karachi, Pakistan. (AN photo)

KPC also provided space for leaders of Pashtun and Baloch rights movements to voice dissent and freely express grievances amid extreme pressure.
Shoaib Ahmed, the club’s secretary, said KPC had not only supported democratic forces in Pakistan but also practiced democracy within its walls, noting that its own elections had been held regularly since its inception.
These elections produce a 12-member governing body led by a president and a secretary, which manages the club’s administration and provides various services to over 1,800 members and their families.
“We conduct workshops and awareness sessions, and we provide medical facilities for our members,” he said, adding that the club has a computer lab and digital studio to assist journalists in their work. The facility also features a gym and indoor games.

Fan crowd famous Urdu novelist Ismat Chughtai (right) during her visit to Karachi Press Club in Karachi, Pakistan, in December 1976. (Zahid Hussein/ Arab News)

KPC now has over 150 women members, most of whom have joined in recent years and benefit from a dedicated complex for female members, offering a place to rest and work.
“To enhance women’s development and skills, various workshops and programs are also organized here,” Mona Siddiqui, a governing body member, said.
While women have held various positions within the club, Siddiqui expressed her hope that more of them would assume leadership roles, including those of president and secretary, in the coming years.
“We too will strive to maintain the identity of this club and uphold the principles of freedom of expression, following in the footsteps of our predecessors,” she said.

Topics: Karachi Press Club Karachi press freedom

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