Pakistan-India javelin rivalry between Arshad Nadeem, Neeraj Chopra draws fans from subcontinent

Pakistan-India javelin rivalry between Arshad Nadeem, Neeraj Chopra draws fans from subcontinent
Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem (center) celebrates with his national flag after winning gold with silver medallist Neeraj Chopra of India (left) and bronze medallist Anderson Peters of Grenada in the Men's Javelin Throw Final in Paris Olympics 2024 in Saint-Denis, France on August 08, 2024. (REUTERS)
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Updated 09 August 2024
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Pakistan-India javelin rivalry between Arshad Nadeem, Neeraj Chopra draws fans from subcontinent

Pakistan-India javelin rivalry between Arshad Nadeem, Neeraj Chopra draws fans from subcontinent
  • Nadeem and Chopra’s rivalry has caught the imagination of India and Pakistan, known as intense cricketing foes
  • Nadeem, who started out playing state-level cricket, was Pakistan’s flag bearer during opening ceremony in Paris

SAINT-DENIS., France: The heated rivalry in cricket has been well documented. Now, India and Pakistan are competing against each other in the javelin throw at the Olympics, too.

When Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan and defending champion Neeraj Chopra of India finished 1-2 at the Paris Olympics on Thursday, fans from the subcontinent were in abundance at the Stade de France.

“There’s no doubt about the cricket rivalry. Now this javelin is also there,” Nadeem said through a translator. “People back home in Pakistan and even in India, they were eager to see us both throwing the javelin and beating each other. I’m happy to see Chopra earning silver.”

Nadeem set a new Olympic record with a throw of 92.97 meters (305 feet) in his second attempt, smashing the old mark of 90.57 set by Andreas Thorkildsen of Norway in 2008.

Chopra took silver at 89.45 meters, a season best, and Anderson Peters of Grenada took the bronze at 88.54.

“When I threw the javelin, I got the feel of it leaving my hand, and sensed it could be an Olympic record, inshallah (God willing),” Nadeem said. “God indeed made it an Olympic record.”

It was the first ever gold medal in track and field for Pakistan which, along with India, can contend for gold in cricket four years from now when that sport joins the Olympic program in Los Angeles.

Chopra fouled on all five of his other throws and said he’s been in a funk the last few years.

“I’m always injured,” said Chopra, who has been slowed by a groin injury. ”Nadeem threw really well. Congratulations to him and his country. “

Chopra became a superstar in India when he won India’s first ever gold medal in track and field three years ago. But there were no fans in Tokyo because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Indian diaspora made sure Chopra felt the full support of his nation of 1.4 billion this time.

Spectators draped in the orange, white and green Indian flags could be spotted all over stadium. There were Pakistani fans, too.

“It’s never been a sport that’s been very big and he’s captured the imagination of a lot of people to look at javelin again,” said Varun Mathur, who traveled from London on Thursday morning with his partner, Sujata Ravi, to see Chopra.

At last year’s world championships, Nadeem took silver behind Chopra.

“It’s going to be a good rivalry,” Mathur added.

Another Indian, Kishore Jena, competed in javelin qualifiers but didn’t advance to the final.

“He’s an example of how people are taking it up further,” Mathur said. “Hopefully a lot more people come through.”

Devansh Kumar, a 20-year-old from Delhi studying in Edinburgh, Suksham Chahar, a 23-year-old from Haryana studying starting her PhD in Austria, and Ishan Maheshwari, a 27-year-old living in London, traveled to Paris to see Chopra.

They didn’t know each other but met earlier in the day while watching India’s field hockey team win a bronze medal. All three had tickets to track and field, too, so they came to the stadium together — new friends united by their support of Chopra.

“He’s a star,” Kumar said. “We are hoping that any Indian listeners and people who have power, they put more money into sports, remove the politics so we can get better athletes for all sports.”

India is planning to bid for the 2036 Olympics.

“There would be no shortage of people watching the Olympics, that’s for sure,” said Pranay Dey, a 30-year-old from Delhi who is a breast cancer researcher at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. “But regarding infrastructure, there’s still a long way to go.”

Nadeem was Pakistan’s flag bearer during the opening ceremony in Paris. He played age-group cricket at the state level until he took up throwing sports, starting with shot put and discus.

“Not becoming a cricketer was the best thing that happened to me,” Nadeem said. “I wouldn’t be in the Olympics otherwise.”


Karachi hospital reports four COVID-19 deaths amid surprise summer surge

Karachi hospital reports four COVID-19 deaths amid surprise summer surge
Updated 27 sec ago
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Karachi hospital reports four COVID-19 deaths amid surprise summer surge

Karachi hospital reports four COVID-19 deaths amid surprise summer surge
  • A senior physician says all those who succumbed to the disease in the past fortnight were elderly individuals
  • Health experts say the recent surge in coronavirus cases during the summer months is an unusual trend

KARACHI: At least four people with underlying health conditions have died of COVID-19 at a major Karachi hospital in the past two weeks, as experts report an unusual spike in infections during the city’s peak summer season.
All four fatalities occurred at the Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH), where doctors say they are seeing a steady increase in admissions linked to the coronavirus— a trend they describe as “unexpected” at this time of year.
“In the past two to three weeks, we have seen a significant increase in COVID cases,” Prof. Dr. Syed Faisal Mahmood, a professor of infectious diseases at AKUH, told Arab News, confirming the death of four people during the past two weeks.
The surge, he said, was happening in late spring with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius.
COVID-19, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, is a highly contagious respiratory illness that was first detected in late 2019 and declared a global pandemic within months. While the virus typically spreads more easily in colder months due to increased indoor activity and lower humidity, experts say its spread during summer in Karachi is a rare deviation from past seasonal patterns.
Mahmood said most infected individuals have been coming to the hospital with mild symptoms, such as sore throat, cough, body aches, and fever, but the virus remains dangerous for older adults and those with weakened immune systems.
“Like in previous years, this year the severe cases of COVID are mostly being seen in people who are older, especially those above 65, or those with weak immune systems,” he said.
“Among these COVID cases, there are some patients who have been hospitalized, and there have also been some deaths,” he added.
Mahmood added that while routine testing is no longer required for everyone with symptoms, caution is essential.
“If you suspect that you have COVID or any other cold or cough-related infection, it is better that you wear a mask,” he advised. “We recommend wearing a mask for at least five to ten days so that others do not get infected.”
The infectious diseases expert also urged caution for those in close contact with the elderly.
“If you are caring for someone who is elderly, then please do not visit them if you are feeling unwell, or at least wear a mask,” he said. “Please take care of yourself, and we hope that there will not be a major further increase in COVID cases.”


Pakistan extends airspace ban on Indian aircraft until June 24 amid ongoing tensions

Pakistan extends airspace ban on Indian aircraft until June 24 amid ongoing tensions
Updated 31 min 34 sec ago
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Pakistan extends airspace ban on Indian aircraft until June 24 amid ongoing tensions

Pakistan extends airspace ban on Indian aircraft until June 24 amid ongoing tensions
  • The restriction was originally imposed on April 24 after an attack in Kashmir killed 26 tourists
  • The airspace closure impacted Indian airlines, particularly on long-haul international routes

KARACHI: Pakistan has extended its ban on Indian aircraft using its airspace until June 24, the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) announced on Friday, amid continued bilateral tensions following recent military clashes this month.

The restriction was first imposed on April 24, only two days after an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 people. India blamed Pakistan for the attack despite Islamabad’s denials. The administration in New Delhi also downgraded bilateral diplomatic ties and took other steps like suspending visas for Pakistanis and shutting border crossings.

In response, Pakistan took its own measures, including the closure of its airspace to Indian aircraft, including commercial and military flights.

“The ban on Indian aircraft flying through Pakistani airspace has been extended until 4:59 AM on June 24, 2025,” the PAA said.

“All aircraft that are Indian-registered, operated, owned or leased will remain subject to the ban,” it added.

The airspace closure has significantly impacted Indian airlines, particularly on long-haul international routes.

Air India, which operates numerous flights to Europe and North America, has been forced to reroute flights, leading to increased fuel consumption, longer flight times, and additional operational costs.

The airline estimates that the ban could result in approximately $600 million in additional expenses over a year and has sought compensation from the Indian government.

Despite a ceasefire agreement announced on May 10, which has held according to Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, the extension of the airspace ban indicates ongoing diplomatic strains.

The situation was further exacerbated by a recent school bus bombing in Pakistan that killed four children, an incident Islamabad has blamed on New Delhi. However, the Indian authorities have denied the charge.


Pakistan calls for Gaza aid access amid Israeli push for full control

Pakistan calls for Gaza aid access amid Israeli push for full control
Updated 44 min 28 sec ago
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Pakistan calls for Gaza aid access amid Israeli push for full control

Pakistan calls for Gaza aid access amid Israeli push for full control
  • Israel’s war on Gaza has killed around 53,000 Palestinians and displaced two million
  • Pakistan says it opposes any attempts to displace Palestinians from their ancestral lands

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign office on Friday called for the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid to millions of Palestinians after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced his country’s plan to press ahead with its military campaign and take full control of the Gaza Strip.

Israel imposed a total blockade of the war-torn Palestinian territory in March, cutting off the entry of food, medicine, fuel and other essential supplies. The move triggered a deepening humanitarian crisis, with aid agencies warning of widespread malnutrition and a looming famine, particularly among children.

The blockade has drawn international condemnation, with the United Nations and human rights groups urging its immediate lifting on legal and humanitarian grounds. While Israel permitted limited aid deliveries this month, UN officials described the efforts as “a drop in the ocean” for Gaza’s 2.1 million residents.

“The expansion of Israeli ground operations in Gaza, as well as its announcement to take control of all of Gaza, poses a grave threat to efforts aimed toward achieving peace and stability in the region,” the foreign office spokesperson, Ambassador Shafqat Ali Khan, said during his weekly media briefing. “In addition, Israel also continues to deliberately obstruct critical humanitarian aid from reaching millions in dire need.”

“Pakistan reiterates its call on the international community for an immediate end to Israel’s genocidal campaign and to ensure a lasting ceasefire in Gaza,” he continued. “It also urges concrete steps toward provision of unimpeded humanitarian supplies to millions of Palestinians in dire need, as well as to hold Israel accountable for its egregious crimes.”

Khan condemned Israeli attacks on hospitals and other critical infrastructure during its military campaign.

He also maintained that Pakistan opposed any attempts to displace Palestinians from their ancestral lands, expand illegal Israeli settlements or annex any part of the occupied Palestinian territories.

The war in Gaza began in October 2023 and has so far killed about 53,000 Palestinians and displaced nearly all of Gaza’s two million residents.


Pakistan says initial probe confirms Indian involvement in school bus attack in Balochistan

Pakistan says initial probe confirms Indian involvement in school bus attack in Balochistan
Updated 23 May 2025
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Pakistan says initial probe confirms Indian involvement in school bus attack in Balochistan

Pakistan says initial probe confirms Indian involvement in school bus attack in Balochistan
  • Balochistan has been the site of an insurgency for decades, though it has intensified more recently
  • Islamabad says Indian ‘terror proxies’ have been tasked to accentuate their attacks in Balochistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said on Friday that its initial probe into an attack on a school bus in the Balochistan province has confirmed the involvement of “Indian terror proxies,” promising to defeat the “nefarious” designs.

Balochistan has been the site of an insurgency for decades, though it has intensified more recently, with groups like the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) carrying out high-profile attacks on civilians and security forces.

On Wednesday, at least seven people, including six children, were killed when a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device targeted the school bus en route to an army-run school in Balochistan’s Khuzdar.

Speaking at a press conference alongside a Pakistani military spokesman, Interior Secretary Khurram Muhammad Agha called the Khuzdar bombing an attack on “our values, our education and on the very fabric of our society.”

“Initial findings confirm that this attack is in continuity of a broader pattern of violence sponsored by India through Fitna Al-Hindustan (FAH) operating under the tutelage and the patronage of the Indian intelligence agency R&AW,” he said, without offering any proof to link New Delhi to Wednesday’s assault.

The Indian administration has distanced itself from the Khuzdar school bus bombing, attributing such acts of violence to Pakistan’s “internal failures.”

The FAH comprises several separatist groups and independently operating cells who have been operating in the insurgency-hit southwestern Pakistani province, according to the Pakistani officials. These cells, after having suffered immense casualties in past few years, have now resorted to hitting “soft targets.”

“The terror proxies of Hindustan [India] have been tasked to accentuate their heinous attacks of terrorism in Balochistan and elsewhere, sabotage development in the region, incite fear among the population and derail the journey of peace and development in an attempt to repeat their playbook of 1971 [a reference to the fall of Dhaka],” he said.

During the presser, Pakistani military spokesman Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry detailed various incidents of violence that he said were carried out by India-backed groups.

“Very recently the media international media has seen self-given confessions and acknowledgements of multiple surrendered terrorists of this Fitna Al-Hindustan who told that how Hindustan is funding, planning and carrying out terrorist acts in Balochistan,” he noted.

Relations between Pakistan and India touched a new low last month, when gunmen killed 26 people in Indian-administered Kashmir in an attack India blamed on Pakistan. Islamabad denies complicity and Lt Gen Chaudhry said New Delhi had still not provided any evidence to back up its accusation.

A day earlier, Pakistan’s top diplomat at the United Nations (UN) said they would raise the school bus attack at the UN and present evidence of Indian involvement to the international community.

“This was a heinous terrorist act directed against children, against students, [which is] totally unacceptable and condemnable,” Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad told Arab News in an interview.

Interior Secretary Agha said Pakistan and its people, particularly those in Balochistan, reject such “nefarious designs” and Islamabad had the capacity and will to dismantle these networks and to bring the perpetrators and their handlers to justice.

“I assure you that the state in collaboration with the provincial governments and the state apparatus will defeat them,” he said.

“These Indian sponsored terrorists have no place in Pakistan. We have the wherewithal and the commitment to bring an end to this violence. Our resolved is firm and our response will be decisive.”

Pakistan and India have a history of bitter relations and frequently accuse each other of fomenting militancy in the other’s territory. Both countries have fought three wars, two of them over Kashmir.


Pakistan to offer US firms concessions on mining investment in tariff talks, says minister

Pakistan to offer US firms concessions on mining investment in tariff talks, says minister
Updated 23 May 2025
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Pakistan to offer US firms concessions on mining investment in tariff talks, says minister

Pakistan to offer US firms concessions on mining investment in tariff talks, says minister
  • Pakistan would put its offer of concessions for mining investment to US officials during talks over tariffs in the coming weeks
  • Pakistan’s Reko Diq gold mining project in Balochistan seeks up to $2 billion in financing, including up to $1 billion from US bank

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan plans to offer concessions to US companies to invest in its mining sector as part of negotiations with Washington over tariffs, its commerce minister told Reuters, as Islamabad seeks to capitalize on the Trump administration’s interest in boosting trade with South Asia.

Pakistan faces a potential 29 percent tariff on exports to the United States due to a $3 billion trade surplus with the world’s biggest economy, under tariffs announced by Washington last month on countries around the world. Tariffs were subsequently suspended for 90 days so negotiations could take place.

Pakistan’s Commerce Minister Jam Kamal said that Islamabad will offer US businesses opportunities to invest in mining projects primarily in Pakistan’s Balochistan province through joint ventures with local companies, providing concessions like lease grants.

The minister said that would be in addition to efforts to increase imports from the United States, particularly cotton and edible oils, which are currently in short supply in Pakistan.

Pakistan would put its offer of concessions for mining investment to US officials during talks over tariffs in the coming weeks.

Kamal did not give further information on the bidding process of these mines or other details.

“There is untapped potential for US companies in Pakistan, from mining machinery to hydrocarbon ventures,” he said in an interview with Reuters conducted on Thursday.

Pakistan’s Reko Diq copper and gold mining project in Balochistan seeks up to $2 billion in financing, including $500 million to $1 billion from the US Export-Import Bank, with term sheets expected by early in the third quarter of this year, its project director told Reuters last month.

The mine could generate $70 billion in free cash flow and $90 billion in operating cash flow over its lifespan.

US President Donald Trump has said that he’s working on “big deals” with both India and Pakistan, following Washington’s key role in brokering a ceasefire between Pakistan and India earlier this month following the worst fighting in decades between the nuclear-armed neighbors.

“The previous US administration focused more on India, but Pakistan is now being recognized as a serious trade partner,” Kamal said.

Pakistan will gradually lower tariffs in its upcoming federal budget, Kamal said.

He said that the United States has not specified trade barriers or priority sectors. The US Embassy in Islamabad did not immediately respond to a request for comment.