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Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem returns home to hero’s welcome after Olympic glory

Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem returns home to hero’s welcome after Olympic glory
Pakistan's javelin gold medallist at the Paris Olympics 2024 Arshad Nadeem waves to his fans from a bus upon his arrival at the Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore on August 11, 2024. (AFP)
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Updated 11 August 2024
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Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem returns home to hero’s welcome after Olympic glory

Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem returns home to hero’s welcome after Olympic glory
  • Top government officials, among hundreds, arrive at Lahore airport to receive star javelin thrower
  • Nadeem shattered Olympic record with 92.97-meter throw this week to win gold medal for Pakistan
Updated 11 August 2024
Shahjahan Khurram
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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s star athlete Arshad Nadeem arrived in the eastern city of Lahore late Saturday night to a hero’s welcome, with senior government officials among hundreds showing up to the airport to pay tribute to the javelin thrower after he won a historic Olympic gold medal for the country earlier this week in Paris. 

Nadeem won gold at the Paris Olympics 2024 in the men’s javelin throw competition on Thursday when he threw the light spear at an impressive distance of 92.97 meters, a new Olympic record. It was the first time Pakistan won gold at the Olympics since 1984 and the first time since 1992 when the South Asian country won any medal at the international competition. 

Hundreds thronged the airport to catch a glimpse of Nadeem as he arrived at the Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore on Saturday night. The Turkish Airlines flight carrying Nadeem was welcomed with a water cannon salute upon its arrival. Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Prime Minister Youth Program Chairman Rana Mashhood and Minister of State for IT Shaza Fatima welcomed Nadeem at the airport. 

Speaking to reporters, Nadeem thanked Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for supporting his achievements, recalling how he had first made a mark as a javelin thrower in a sports festival organized by Sharif when he was Punjab’s chief minister years ago. 




Security officials escort Pakistan's javelin gold medallist at the Paris Olympics 2024 Arshad Nadeem (C) upon his arrival at the Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore on August 11, 2024. (AFP)

“From there I started playing this game and I thank Allah that I have reached this stage now,” Nadeem said. 

When asked whether he would ever become a politician, Nadeem responded:

“I don’t think it is my cup of tea. If I continue to do what is my job, I think that’s better.”

The javelin superstar left the airport for his hometown of Mian Channu in Khanewal district via a double-decker bus escorted by Punjab Police. 

The federal government on Saturday issued a special postage stamp themed ‘Azm-e-Istehkam’ or Resolve for Stability in connection with Pakistan’s Independence Day, which will be celebrated on August 14. 
The postage stamp features an image of Nadeem with a javelin in his hand, paying tribute to his Olympic heroics.
Separately, Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday issued instructions to award one of the country’s highest civilian honors, the Hilal-e-Imtiaz, to Nadeem. 
As per a statement from the president, he would award the Pakistani athlete in a special ceremony to recognize his Olympic feat. 
Nadeem, who comes from humble beginnings, is one of nine children of a daily wage laborer who showed great versatility as an athlete from a young age while dabbling in all kinds of sports at school.

Though the family lacked the financial means to encourage Nadeem’s enthusiasm for sports, his spirit earned him the support he needed, with his elder brothers working to help him build a career in sports, the family told Arab News in an interview in 2021.

Topics: Arshad Nadeem Paris Olympics 2024

Pakistani top minister says ‘concerned’ about delays in reconstruction efforts after 2022 deadly floods

Pakistani top minister says ‘concerned’ about delays in reconstruction efforts after 2022 deadly floods
Updated 10 sec ago
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Pakistani top minister says ‘concerned’ about delays in reconstruction efforts after 2022 deadly floods

Pakistani top minister says ‘concerned’ about delays in reconstruction efforts after 2022 deadly floods
  • Nearly 350 people killed and 648 injured in rain-related incidents in Pakistan since the monsoon season began in July
  • Pakistan government has not receive most funds out of $9 billion pledged by international community in 2023
Updated 10 sec ago
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal on Monday expressed concern about delays in reconstruction efforts after the 2022 devastating floods that killed over 1,700 people, as new rains this monsoon season have continued to drench and wreak havoc in areas that had been badly hit by the deluges two years ago.

Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said last week 347 people were killed and 648 injured in rain-related incidents throughout the country since the monsoon season began in July.

“Ahsan Iqbal underscored the need for swift and efficient implementation of projects to rebuild affected communities and restore livelihoods,” Radio Pakistan reported on the minister’s comments as he presided over the 4th meeting of the Policy and Strategy Committee and the Oversight Board on Post-Flood Reconstruction Activities in Islamabad.

“While discussing the Integrated Flood Resilience and Adaptation Project, the Minister expressed concerns about the delays in flood reconstruction efforts in [southwestern] Balochistan [province].”

The $400 million Integrated Flood Resilience and Adaptation Project aims to assist approximately 35,100 Balochistan homeowners with housing reconstruction grants to rebuild their homes according to resilience standards. It will also provide livelihood grants to smallholder farmers to support livestock, promote climate-smart agriculture, and enhance other productive activities. The project also focuses on restoring essential services by rehabilitating damaged community infrastructure and facilities, including water supply, irrigation, roads, and other community amenities.

Last week, Save the Children said people affected by floods this monsoon season were living in a relief camp in Sanghar, a district in the southern Sindh province, which was massively hit by floods two years ago.

“The rains and floods have destroyed 80 percent of cotton crops in Sanghar, the primary source of income for farmers, and killed hundreds of livestock,” the charity said.

Another charity, UK-based Islamic Relief, also said weeks of torrential rains in Pakistan have once again triggered displacement and suffering among communities that were already devastated by the 2022 floods and were still in the process of rebuilding their lives and livelihoods.

Pakistan has yet to undertake major reconstruction work because the government didn’t receive most of the funds out of the $9 billion that were pledged by the international community at last year’s donors’ conference in Geneva.

Experts say Pakistan is still not prepared to handle any 2022-like situation mainly because people ignore construction laws while building homes and even hotels in the urban and rural areas.

– With inputs from AP

Topics: Pakistan Pakistan Floods 2022 NDMA Sanghar

Synthetic drug production in Afghanistan responsible for growing substance abuse in Pakistan — official

Synthetic drug production in Afghanistan responsible for growing substance abuse in Pakistan — official
Updated 13 min 32 sec ago
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Synthetic drug production in Afghanistan responsible for growing substance abuse in Pakistan — official

Synthetic drug production in Afghanistan responsible for growing substance abuse in Pakistan — official
  • Kabul government rejects ANF claims of “unprecedented” rise in the production of synthetic drugs in Afghanistan
  • Although there are no official statistics, health professionals in Pakistan warn that addiction to crystal meth is soaring
Updated 13 min 32 sec ago
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: A senior Pakistani anti-narcotics official said this week an “unprecedented” surge in synthetic drug production in neighboring Afghanistan and smuggling to Pakistan was responsible for a spike in substance use in the last few years.

Afghanistan has historically been the epicenter of poppy cultivation and a major supplier of global opiates. But the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said last year opium cultivation fell throughout the country to just 10,800 hectares (26,700 acres) in 2023 from 233,000 hectares the previous year, slashing supply by 95 percent to 333 tons.

“While there has been a decline in poppy cultivation in our neighboring country, an unprecedented rise in the production of synthetic drugs there has been witnessed,” ANF Director Syed Sijjeel Haider told reporters on Monday. 

“There has been an increase in drug usage and narcotics smuggling in Pakistan over the past few years, with the majority of those affected being our youth.”

Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen rejected Haider’s claim, calling it an effort to “malign” Afghanistan.

“It is not true. We don’t have chemicals in Afghanistan which are used in synthetic drugs,” he told Arab News in a written statement. “All these chemicals are available in Pakistan. There are factories in tribal areas in Pakistan which make synthetic drugs.” 

Although there are no official statistics, health professionals in Pakistan, a nation of some 240 million, warn that addiction to crystal meth is soaring. Meth is a highly addictive stimulant that can be injected, snorted, smoked, or ingested orally. Health experts say users get a “euphoric high” that can last from minutes to several hours. Meth abuse can lead to anxiety, insomnia, and violent behavior, according to experts.

Pakistan’s interior ministry approved a fresh National Drug Survey this year to help combat the growing drug problem. The last survey in 2012-13 revealed that around 6 percent of the Pakistani population at the time, or 6.7 million people, had used substances other than alcohol and tobacco in the previous year. The highest prevalence of drug use was in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where almost 11 percent of the population used an illicit substance.

The real figures were and are likely much higher as drug abuse is a taboo in Pakistan where many do not seek treatment for addiction.

Haider said Pakistan had largely eliminated drug production and the ANF was collaborating with security agencies to combat poppy cultivation, mainly in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the southwestern Balochistan provinces, both of which border Afghanistan.

“This year, the ANF destroyed poppy crops over 1,113 acres and sealed three storage facilities,” the ANF director said, adding that the force had seized 113,798 kilograms of narcotics in various operations that were valued at approximately $6.5 billion in the illicit international drugs market.

More than 1,400 suspects, including 116 women and 44 foreigners, were arrested and three ANF personnel were killed during raids this year, he added. Additionally, 2,931 drug addicts were treated at seven ANF rehabilitation centers and over 5,500 awareness sessions on the prevention of drug abuse were conducted nationwide in 2024 so far.

Topics: drug medicine Pakistan Pakistan Afghanistan Ties

Key Imran Khan ally, a serving provincial chief minister, ‘missing’ from Islamabad — party

Key Imran Khan ally, a serving provincial chief minister, ‘missing’ from Islamabad — party
Updated 41 min 11 sec ago
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Key Imran Khan ally, a serving provincial chief minister, ‘missing’ from Islamabad — party

Key Imran Khan ally, a serving provincial chief minister, ‘missing’ from Islamabad — party
  • Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur ‘missing since 7pm’ on Monday, PTI spokesman says
  • Three PTI leaders detained in late night swoops on PTI members day after rally to demand Khan’s release
Updated 41 min 11 sec ago
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Tuesday Ali Amin Gandapur, a senior leader of the party who is a sitting chief minister of the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, had been “missing” since Monday when he was invited to the capital for an official meeting.

Reports of Gandapur’s ‘disappearance’ emerged as PTI Chairman Gohar Khan and two other members of the party were detained in late night arrests in Islamabad over charges of violating a new law to regulate public gatherings in the Pakistani capital.

“Our sitting Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has been missing since 7pm. It has now been confirmed that he has been abducted/arrested,” PTI leader Zulfi Bukhari wrote on X. “There is no element of a democracy left after this recent crackdown tonight.”

PTI’s Omar Ayub Khan, who is the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, said Gandapur was “being held incommunicado by the Federal Government/ Establishment after being invited for a cup of tea.”

“His security staff is not traceable, and their phones are powered off,” he said. “All this is being done because PTI and our Allies held a peaceful protest in Islamabad on 8th September.”

PTI held a major political gathering on the outskirts of the city demanding Khan’s release on Sunday. The gathering was largely peaceful but some supporters clashed with police en route to the gathering, in which a senior police official was injured, police said.

The government last week passed the Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Act, 2024, to “regulate” holding public gatherings in Islamabad, including by specifying timings for rallies and designating specific areas. The law has set three-year jail terms for participants of ‘illegal’ assemblies, with ten-year imprisonment for repeat offenders.

The Islamabad administration had allowed the PTI to hold Sunday’s rally from 4pm till 7pm but the gathering went on until nearly 11pm. 

“They were arrested due to violation of the new law, the Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Act, in PTI gathering on September 8,” Islamabad police spokesperson Taqi Jawad told Arab News, confirming the arrests of PTI leaders Gohar Khan, Shoaib Shaheen and Sher Afzal Marwat.

Neither police nor any other security agency or government official has commented yet on the whereabouts of Gandapur, who delivered a hard hitting speech at Sunday’s rally, directly taking on the all-powerful military and calling on it to put its house in order. 

“Fix your institution, fix your generals, fix yourself,” Gandapur said in a direct reference to the army.

Khan, jailed since last August, was ousted from the PM’s office in 2022 in a parliamentary vote of no confidence after what is widely believed to be a falling out with Pakistan’s powerful military, which denies being involved in politics. Since his removal, Khan and his party have waged an unprecedented campaign of defiance against the military. 

The ex-PM also faces a slew of legal charges and was convicted in four cases since he was first taken into custody, all of which have been either suspended or overturned by the courts. He remains in jail, however, on new charges brought by Pakistan’s national accountability watchdog regarding the illegal sale of gifts from a state repository while he was prime minister from 2018 till 2022.

The PTI says it has faced a months-long crackdown since protesters allegedly linked to the party attacked and damaged government and military installations on May 9, 2023, after Khan’s brief arrest that day in a land graft case. Hundreds of PTI followers and leaders were arrested following the riots and many remain behind bars as they await trial. The military, which says Khan and his party were behind the attacks, has also initiated army court trials of at least 103 people accused of involvement in the violence.

The party says it was not allowed to campaign freely ahead of the Feb. 9 general election, a vote marred by a mobile Internet shutdown on election day and unusually delayed results, leading to accusations that it was rigged and drawing concern from rights groups and foreign governments.

The PTI says it won the most seats but its mandate was “stolen” by PM Shebaz Sharif’s coalition government which formed the government with the backing of the all-powerful military. Both deny the claim.

Topics: Imran Khan PTI PTI leaders arrested Barrister Gohar Khan Gohar Khan Sher Afzal Marwat Ali Amin Gandapur Arab News Pakistan

Court orders transfer of graft case against ex-PM Khan after changes to Pakistan accountability laws

Court orders transfer of graft case against ex-PM Khan after changes to Pakistan accountability laws
Updated 09 September 2024
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Court orders transfer of graft case against ex-PM Khan after changes to Pakistan accountability laws

Court orders transfer of graft case against ex-PM Khan after changes to Pakistan accountability laws
  • Supreme Court last week restored amendments to anti-graft laws, limiting accountability watchdog’s jurisdiction to graft cases of over Rs500 mln
  • Interestingly, Khan, who had petitioned the top court against the changes, has become a direct beneficiary of the restored amendments to the laws
Updated 09 September 2024
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: An accountability court on Monday barred the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) from pursuing a graft case against former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Khan, and ordered its transfer to another court, local media reported.
The case, also called the new Toshakhana reference, came to the fore after the accountability watchdog arrested the couple following their acquittal in an illegal marriage case on July 13. It pertains to a jewelry set, comprising a ring, bracelet, necklace a pair of earrings worth over €380,000 (Rs138 million), gifted to the former first lady by a foreign dignitary that was allegedly undervalued by the couple and retained against a lesser price.
The Supreme Court of Pakistan last week restored amendments to the country’s anti-graft laws approved in 2022, limiting NAB’s jurisdiction to cases involving corruption of over Rs500 million, reducing the term of the chairman of the bureau and prosecutor general to three years and transferring all pending inquiries, investigations and trials to other authorities.
On Monday, Accountability Court Judge Muhammad Ali Warraich heard post-arrest bail applications of Khan and his wife in the new Toshakhana case after they were brought before the court from jail, Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper reported.
“The court declared that following the NAB amendments, the reference in question ceased to come under the anti-graft body’s jurisdiction, therefore, it will now be transferred to the FIA court, which will rule on bail,” the report read.
Khan had petitioned the top court against the amendments, claiming they were brought to benefit the influential, including top politicians, and would legitimize corruption in the country.
Interestingly, Khan, who has been in jail since August last year on a slew of charges, has become a direct beneficiary of the restored amendments after being able to move the courts for his acquittal in at least two major corruption cases, namely a land bribe case involving a 190-million-pound bribe and the investigation involving the illegal sale of state gifts.
“It’s safe to say new Toshakhana [state gifts] case against Imran Khan can no longer continue as it exceeds Rs500 million cap, making it ineffective, as per the new amendments,” Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party said last week after the Supreme Court approved the amendments. “It will also impact the £190 million case.”
The ex-premier was convicted in four cases. Two of the cases have since been suspended and he was acquitted in the remaining two, including the illegal marriage case.
Khan’s convictions had ruled the 71-year-old out of the February general elections as convicted felons cannot run for public office under the Pakistani law. Arguably Pakistan’s most popular politician, Khan says the cases against him are “politically motivated,” aimed at keeping him from returning to power. Pakistani authorities deny this.
The ex-premier is also facing multiple cases relating to May 9, 2023 protests, which saw his supporters attack government and military installations over his brief arrest in a graft case.

Topics: Ex-PM Imran Khan graft case Toshakhana reference

Imran Khan party leaders arrested as crackdown begins over violations of Pakistani law on rallies

Imran Khan party leaders arrested as crackdown begins over violations of Pakistani law on rallies
Updated 09 September 2024
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Imran Khan party leaders arrested as crackdown begins over violations of Pakistani law on rallies

Imran Khan party leaders arrested as crackdown begins over violations of Pakistani law on rallies
  • Gohar Khan, Shoaib Shaheen and Sher Afzal Marwat arrested a day after Khan’s PTI party held a rally in Islamabad to press for his release
  • The Islamabad administration on Sunday informed officials of Khan’s party they had failed to conclude their rally by appointed time
Updated 09 September 2024
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad police said on Monday they had arrested the chairman and two other members of former prime minister Imran Khan’s party on charges of violating a new law to regulate public gatherings in the Pakistani capital.
The development came a day after Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party held a rally in Islamabad to press authorities for the release of the former prime minister, who has been in jail since last August.
The government last week passed the Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Act, 2024 to streamline the process for obtaining permission to hold public gatherings in Islamabad and designating specific areas for such activity.
The Islamabad administration had allowed the PTI to hold the rally in Islamabad from 4pm till 7pm on Sunday, but later said in a letter to PTI Islamabad President Amir Masood Mughal that the condition had not been adhered to by the party. 
“Three PTI leaders, Barrister Gohar Khan, Shoaib Shaheen and Sher Afzal Marwat were arrested today,” Islamabad police spokesperson Taqi Jawad told Arab News.
“They were arrested due to violation of new law, the Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Act, in PTI gathering on September 8.”
The new law proposes three-year jail terms for participants of “illegal” assemblies, with ten-year imprisonment for repeat offenders.
Footage shared by the PTI on X showed its chairman Gohar Khan being taken away by the Islamabad police.
“The chairman of Pakistan’s largest political party with the biggest voter base, Barrister Gohar, has been arrested at the gates of Parliament along with other PTI leaders and Members of the National Assembly,” the PTI said on X.
“This shows how opposition is being suppressed using brute force.”
Khan’s PTI says it has faced a months-long crackdown since protesters linked to the party attacked and damaged government and military installations on May 9, 2023, after Khan’s brief arrest that day in a land graft case.
Hundreds of PTI followers and leaders were arrested following the riots and many remain behind bars as they await trial. The military has also initiated army court trials of at least 103 people accused of involvement in the violence.
“The government and the establishment have been in depression since yesterday’s rally and the leaders of Tehreek-e-Insaaf are being arrested right now,” Shahbaz Gill, a PTI member and Khan ally, said on X.
“Will all this help stop this movement? Get some sense. This is Imran Khan’s time.”
Khan, who has been in jail since August last year, faces a slew of charges and was convicted in four cases since he was first taken into custody, all of which have been either suspended or overturned by the courts. He remains in jail, however, on new charges brought by Pakistan’s national accountability watchdog regarding the illegal sale of gifts from a state repository while he was prime minister from 2018 till 2022.
The ex-premier has waged an unprecedented campaign of defiance against Pakistan’s powerful military and blamed the then army leadership of orchestrating his ouster in a parliamentary no-trust vote in April 2022. The army says it does not interfere in political affairs.

Topics: Barrister Gohar Khan Ex-PM Imran Khan Shoaib Shaheen Sher Afzal Marwat Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf

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