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Pakistan PM advocates economic empowerment on World Poverty Day

Pakistan PM advocates economic empowerment on World Poverty Day
In this handout photograph, taken and released by Pakistan’s Press Information Department, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif speaks during a parliament session in Islamabad on August 2, 2024. (PID/File)
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Pakistan PM advocates economic empowerment on World Poverty Day

Pakistan PM advocates economic empowerment on World Poverty Day
  • Shehbaz Sharif terms poverty eradication a cornerstone for achieving sustainable development
  • He says government wants to bring down the cost of living amid global economic uncertainties
Updated 30 min 2 sec ago
Arab News Pakistan
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ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Thursday efforts to alleviate poverty must focus on long-term solutions that lead to economic independence, according to an official statement issued to mark the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.
The day, observed globally on October 17, raises awareness about the need to eliminate poverty and improve living conditions worldwide. In September last year, the World Bank reported that nearly 40 percent of Pakistan’s population was living below the poverty line due to the country’s ongoing economic challenges.
“We believe that lifting people out of poverty is not just about immediate relief but about creating sustainable pathways to economic empowerment,” the prime minister said. “Eradicating poverty is not just a moral duty but a fundamental cornerstone for achieving sustainable development and ensuring peace and prosperity for all.”
Reaffirming Pakistan’s commitment to the global community in ensuring a world where successful opportunities were not limited to a person’s background or circumstances, he said the government was making efforts for poverty alleviation.
“Our targeted efforts aim at empowering communities, especially women and children, and giving them the tools they need to build a better future,” he added. “As we face global challenges, including inflation and economic uncertainty, the Government of Pakistan remains committed to making life more affordable for its people.”
The prime minister noted Pakistan would continue collaboration with global partners in the inclusive growth, education, health care and environmental sustainability sectors.
“Poverty eradication is also at the forefront of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which Pakistan remains fully committed to achieving,” he said. “We are also proud of the progress made in empowering women and ensuring that their contributions are integral to the nation’s economic and social fabric.”
Sharif expressed confidence in Pakistan’s “unwavering dedication” to alleviating poverty, urging people to join their efforts of building a more “equitable and inclusive” world.
“On this day, I extend my deepest appreciation to all those, both in Pakistan and around the world, who are working tirelessly to eradicate poverty,” the prime minister concluded.

Topics: PM Shehbaz Sharif

Pakistan dispatches relief aid to Lebanon for victims of Israel’s military campaign

Pakistan dispatches relief aid to Lebanon for victims of Israel’s military campaign
Updated 17 October 2024
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Pakistan dispatches relief aid to Lebanon for victims of Israel’s military campaign

Pakistan dispatches relief aid to Lebanon for victims of Israel’s military campaign
  • The relief goods include medicines, ready-to-eat meat, warm bedding and winter clothing
  • This is Pakistan’s second aid shipment to Lebanon since Israel started targeting its cities
Updated 17 October 2024
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Thursday dispatched a consignment of relief items to Lebanon, confirming in a statement that the initiative is part of the government’s effort to provide humanitarian assistance to people affected by Israel’s military campaign in the Middle East.
Israel besieged the Gaza Strip and launched airstrikes after a surprise attack by Hamas in October last year, which the group said was in response to the worsening conditions of Palestinians under Israeli occupation.
The war has lasted for over a year, resulting in nearly 43,000 Palestinian deaths, mostly women and children.
More recently, Israel opened another front in Lebanon, with the stated aim of destroying Hezbollah, which attempted to provide military assistance to Palestinians, raising fears of a broader regional conflict, potentially involving Iran.
“On the directives of the Prime Minister of Pakistan, National Disaster Management Authority continues to provide humanitarian aid to the war-affected people of Gaza and Lebanon,” the NDMA said. “On Thursday, the second consignment of aid was dispatched from Karachi to Lebanon.”
“This aid shipment, sent by NDMA in collaboration with Al-Khidmat Foundation, comprises approximately 100 tons of supplies, including medicines, ready-to-eat meat, tents, tarpaulins, warm bedding, winter clothing, and powdered milk,” it continued.
It informed the send-off ceremony, held at Jinnah International Airport, was attended by representatives from NDMA, the foreign ministry, Al-Khidmat Foundation and the local administration.
“This is Pakistan’s 12th aid shipment to Palestine and Lebanon,” the statement said. “Prior to this, 10 aid consignments were sent to Palestine, and Thursday marked the second shipment to Lebanon.”
The government has already established the prime minister’s relief fund to collect public donations to support the people in Gaza and Lebanon.

Topics: Israel-Lebanon War on Gaza National Disaster Management Authority of Pakistan (NDMA)

Pakistan’s Educast partners with Islamic Development Bank to provide critical support to Afghans

Pakistan’s Educast partners with Islamic Development Bank to provide critical support to Afghans
Updated 17 October 2024
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Pakistan’s Educast partners with Islamic Development Bank to provide critical support to Afghans

Pakistan’s Educast partners with Islamic Development Bank to provide critical support to Afghans
  • Project plans to empower ‘thousands of Afghan female doctors’ in the field of digital health and telemedicine
  • Educast provided 1,000 consultations during the pilot phase in six Afghan provinces, benefitting 5,000 people
Updated 17 October 2024
NAIMAT KHAN

KARACHI: A Pakistan-based global telehealth and online training technology provider has partnered with the Islamic Development Bank and Afghanistan Humanitarian Trust Fund to deliver critical support to Afghans in need of medical and livelihood assistance in their country, according to a statement on Wednesday.
Karachi-based Educast is a digital health and education platform that provides virtual training and telemedicine services. The Fund, established by the Islamic Development Bank in collaboration with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), has sought its assistance to help Afghan nationals.
“The Islamic Development Bank and Afghanistan Humanitarian Trust Fund have joined forces to provide critical humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, and their telehealth and clinical support program is making a significant impact,” said a statement released by the Pakistani firm. “Through its partnership with Educast … they’re able to reach remote and underserved areas.”
“The program’s operational details include deploying smart hubs for enhanced education, constructing and operationalizing health facilities, and providing essential health care services to vulnerable communities,” the statement added.
Educast said the key components of the programs include providing remote health services, training local health care professionals through online programs and setting up smart hubs to serve as educational facilities in 20 provinces of Afghanistan.
It also highlighted its aim to empower “thousands of Afghan female doctors,” medical students and health care workers in the field of digital health and telemedicine.
The statement informed the pilot phase of the project had already been carried out in six Afghan provinces, during which 1,000 consultations were provided, benefiting 5,000 individuals.
Educast also trained 1,500 local health care professionals, and work on setting up 20 medical education facilities is underway.
The statement further noted the partnership demonstrated the power of collaborative humanitarian efforts.
“The success of the pilot phase serves as a model for scalable, impactful interventions in conflict-affected regions,” it added.

Topics: Educast

‘Love match’ apps rival traditional matchmaking in Pakistan

‘Love match’ apps rival traditional matchmaking in Pakistan
Updated 17 October 2024
AFP
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‘Love match’ apps rival traditional matchmaking in Pakistan

‘Love match’ apps rival traditional matchmaking in Pakistan
  • Marriage apps describe themselves as ‘halal,’ offering options to blur profile pictures for privacy
  • Some users say people lie about their details on apps while using fake names and photos themselves
Updated 17 October 2024
AFP

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan’s traditional matchmakers play a revered role in molding daughters into potential brides, but marriage apps marketing themselves as halal are offering women a new route to finding a husband.
“When I saw my colleague happy after being married to someone she met online... I thought, since we have tried rishta aunties for four or five years, let’s try this too,” Ezza Nawaz, a textile designer in Lahore, told AFP.
Rishta aunties – or traditional matchmakers – polish up women and present them to the families of potential suitors, in a country where dating is considered dishonorable.
But in the last few years, marriage apps for Muslims have emerged in Pakistan promising so-called “love matches.”
Some offer a “chaperone” option – which provides a weekly transcript of sent and received messages to a chosen relative, satisfying families wary of their son or daughter connecting with strangers.
For Ezza, it was a success: just three months after meeting Waseem Akhtar on Muzz, she was married.
“We went on a couple of dates before we got our family involved. We took our time,” she said.
More than 80 percent of Pakistanis have arranged marriages, according to a survey by Gallup and Gilani Pakistan, where families decide the union, sometimes settling an engagement without the bride and the groom even meeting.
Parents enlist the help of professional rishta aunties to help find a suitable family, with the first impression often based on how the young woman looks as she pours tea for her potential in-laws.
The app, however, says 1.2 million Pakistanis have signed up since it launched last year with an advertising campaign in major cities, and 15,000 people have already married.
Marriage apps describe themselves as “halal,” or permissible in Islam, offering options to blur profile pictures for privacy and making clear the purpose is to reach a proposal.
But they continue to battle a stigma linking them to casual dating apps such as Tinder, which has been banned in Pakistan for being “immoral.”
“I do not tell people how I met my wife until I am sure that the person would not judge us,” said Waseem.
Marriage is viewed as a coming together of two families in Pakistan, where many live in multigenerational households.
Choosing your husband or wife yourself can be seen as a challenge to the deeply ingrained reverence toward elders and a threat to the traditional family structure.
Rishta aunties are therefore relied upon to find suitors from acceptable families – a process that young women, who are widely expected to marry by the age of 25, can sometimes find demeaning.
“I was asked not to tell the guy’s family that my hobbies are hiking or photography, but are cooking and cleaning... it made me angry,” said Rida Fatima.
“They had the audacity to talk about how I looked, what I did, how much I earned, who my family is, how many brothers I have, what are my future aspirations. So, every little thing is judged.”
Fatima was presented with several potential matches through a rishta auntie appointed by her parents, but was asked to pay around $700 for an introductory meeting with a guy.
The rate fluctuates depending on whether the match has a foreign passport, she added.
Eventually, she ditched the process, becoming part of the 18 percent of Pakistanis who have a “love marriage” after meeting her husband by chance.
“No matter how the guy looks, even if he is bald or has a big belly, he wants a wife who looks like a model,” said Muskan Ali, the managing director at a marriage consultancy in Karachi.
Rishta aunties do not feel threatened yet.
Their offices buzz with parents and their children crafting profiles on computers, as matchmakers strive to digitize their businesses with sleek websites and WhatsApp groups for client communication.
Consultants teach young women how to walk, talk and dress to best correspond to the wishes of their future in-laws.
Many traditional matchmakers like Fauzia Aazam, the head of a community of rishta aunties in Rawalpindi, reject marriage apps altogether.
“People waste time on these apps,” she said.
“Chatting together all through the night, I just don’t like it.”
For Aisha Sarwari, a feminist author, the matchmaking process is about exercising “control” over daughters-in-law.
“I would say that we need to find a good middle ground, where the respect is equal on both sides and there is no sense of demeaning a human being just because they look a certain way or they are from a particular race,” she told AFP.
Aneela, a digital media artist, whose name has been changed, tried her best to avoid being poured over by a matchmaker and turned to a marriage app, but found a new set of concerns.
“It is hard being on an app... men lie,” she said, swiping through her profile at a cafe in Islamabad.
She later admitted to using a fake name and pictures on her profile so that men cannot identify her.
“The only option left is to go for an arranged marriage instead.”

Topics: Marriage app

Pakistan’s Sajid Khan takes seven as England all out 291, trail by 75

Pakistan’s Sajid Khan takes seven as England all out 291, trail by 75
Updated 17 October 2024
AFP
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Pakistan’s Sajid Khan takes seven as England all out 291, trail by 75

Pakistan’s Sajid Khan takes seven as England all out 291, trail by 75
  • The 31-year-old off-spinner took three of the four wickets after England resumed at 239-6 in Multan
  • England lead the three-match series 1-0 following their innings and 47 run victory in the first Test
Updated 17 October 2024
AFP

MULTAN: Sajid Khan took seven wickets as England were dismissed for 291 on day three of the second Test on Thursday to trail Pakistan’s first innings 366 by 75 runs.
The 31-year-old off-spinner took three of the four wickets to fall in the morning session for figures of 7-111 – his second five wicket haul – after England had resumed at 239-6 in Multan.
Left-arm spinner Noman Ali was the only other Pakistan wicket-taker, finishing with figures of 3-101.
England added nine runs to their overnight score before Sajid struck in the fourth over of the session, Brydon Carse being caught at long-on for four.
In his next over, Sajid bowled Matthew Potts, who made six, off a sharply turning delivery.
Noman took his 50th Test wicket when he removed Jamie Smith, caught at mid-off by Saim Ayub for 21.
Last pair Shoaib Bashir and Jack Leach hung around to add 29 before Sajid had Bashir caught at short mid-wicket for nine to end the innings.
Leach was 25 not out having hit three fours.
England lead the three-match series 1-0 following their innings and 47 run victory in the first Test, which also took place in Multan.

Topics: Pakistan vs England Multan Test sajid khan

SCO summit: Indian journalists hail Jaishankar’s Pakistan visit as ‘positive’ for bilateral ties

SCO summit: Indian journalists hail Jaishankar’s Pakistan visit as ‘positive’ for bilateral ties
Updated 17 October 2024
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SCO summit: Indian journalists hail Jaishankar’s Pakistan visit as ‘positive’ for bilateral ties

SCO summit: Indian journalists hail Jaishankar’s Pakistan visit as ‘positive’ for bilateral ties
  • Subrahmanyam Jaishankar’s visit to Pakistan this week marked first by top Indian diplomat in nearly 10 years
  • Indian journalists say longstanding issues between both nations hinder any major breakthrough in strained ties
Updated 17 October 2024
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: Indian journalists accompanying External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar to Pakistan this week described his visit to Pakistan as a “positive” sign for bilateral ties between the two states, but expressed little hope the move would trigger a major thaw in strained relations between them. 

Around a dozen Indian journalists accompanied Jaishankar to Islamabad when he arrived in the capital on Tuesday to attend the two-day Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s (SCO) Council of Heads of Government summit. This marked the first visit by a top Indian diplomat to Pakistan in nearly 10 years. 

Nuclear-armed India and Pakistan are bitter adversaries with longstanding political tensions, having fought several wars and numerous skirmishes since the partition of British India in 1947. Cross-border militancy and territorial dispute over the Himalayan Kashmir region ruled in parts by both countries have fueled their conflicts over the years. 

Jaishankar shook hands with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during the visit, exchanged greetings and sat with Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar during a luncheon for SCO delegates. Hours after the two-day regional gathering concluded, Jaishankar thanked the Pakistani leaders and government for their “hospitality and courtesies.”

“The fact that he [Jaishankar] did choose to come, that the prime minister [Narendra Modi] did ask the foreign minister to attend this summit meeting, that is a positive signal and a construct,” Smita Sharma, an Indian freelance journalist, told Arab News on Wednesday. 

She noted that the SCO Charter does not permit member states to highlight bilateral issues, describing it as a “blessing in disguise.” 

“This adds to the pressure on both New Delhi and Islamabad to not really bring their differences to the table and derail this platform as well,” Sharma noted. “But whether they utilize this opportunity to pave the way for a larger bilateral construct, I have very little hopes of it.”

Sharma blamed India and Pakistan’s “inflexible issues” and difficult, principled positions on “terrorism” and the Kashmir disputed for longstanding tensions.

“I do not see a peace dividend or a peace appetite at the moment as far as the political leaderships are concerned,” she said.

Ashish Kumar Singh, the national bureau head at ABP News in New Delhi, called for greater access between the two countries. This he said could be achieved by easing visa restrictions to enhance people-to-people exchanges and journalists.

“As far as people-to-people exchanges are concerned, before 2014 there were more exchanges between India and Pakistan,” Singh pointed out. “But then the relationship was made hostage primarily due to India’s concerns on terrorism.”

During his address at the summit, Jaishankar spoke of three major issues facing the region, “terrorism, separatism and extremism.” He said the multi-nation platform sought greater regional cooperation but also noted that lack of good neighborliness and trust was impeding cooperation within the SCO. 

’POSITIVE’ BODY LANGUAGE 

Singh said he observed that the body language of both Pakistani leaders and Jaishankar at the summit was “positive.”

“The kind of body language that I have just noted, and in diplomacy, body language matters,” Singh said. “When an external official is there, to see him for two consecutive days sharing good smiles with the prime minister of Pakistan is positive,” he said.

Pakistan’s current premier Sharif is the younger brother of former three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who during his previous tenure in office tried to improve Pakistan’s relations with India. Nawaz Sharif faced criticism from his political opponents for warming up to Pakistan’s traditional rival.

Singh noted that whenever the Sharif family comes into power in Pakistan, both countries take steps in a positive direction for India-Pakistan relations.

“The kind of body language we are seeing here during the SCO summit, it gives a way of hope and maybe in days to come, both sides may sit and find some way of increasing the people-to-people contact,” he said. 

Talking to the media, Pakistan’s information minister Attaullah Tarar described Jaishankar’s visit as an “ice breaker.” He said that by hosting the SCO summit, Pakistan had enhanced its capacity at the regional level.

“We have chaired this session of the SCO summit and for regional connectivity, for climate change, for counterterrorism, we can play our role and the world accepts that we have a key role to play as a major player,” Tarar told Arab News. 

Topics: SCO summit 2024 Pakistan India Ties

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