ISLAMABAD: The government in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has signed an agreement with a private firm to establish a power transmission line in the province, an official said on Saturday.
The power transmission line will be established in one and a half year with a cost of Rs8 billion ($28.8 million), according to Muhammad Ali Saif, KP chief minister’s adviser on information.
In the first phase, a 40-kilometer section of the line will be built from Matiltan to Madyan in Swat to supply power to local industries and national grid.
“Industries will be provided very cheap electricity through the transmission line,” Saif said in a statement. “The completion of its first phase generate Rs7 billion for the province.”
Pakistan has enough installed capacity to meet its demand for electricity, but the South Asian country lacks adequate resources and cannot afford to invest in new infrastructure and power lines, which often result in transmission losses.
In January 2023, the country suffered a nationwide blackout due to a frequency failure in the national grid, which happened because of a major mismatch between demand and supply. It was the second nationwide shutdown in three months.
In November last year, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved $250 million loan for Pakistan to help the South Asian country deliver reliable electricity by expanding and improving its power transmission network in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab provinces.
KARACHI: Over a century ago, Khaliqdina Hall, a stately colonial-era building on Karachi’s M.A. Jinnah Road, became the stage for a pivotal moment in the history of the Indian subcontinent.
Originally established in 1906 as a library and community center, the iconic building served as a hub for political and literary gatherings, hosting leaders, thinkers and activists who shaped the region’s destiny.
On July 9, 1921, the hall witnessed the trial of Muhammad Ali Jauhar, a renowned journalist, activist and leader of the Khilafat Movement, who stood accused of sedition alongside other prominent figures such as his brother Shaukat Ali, Dr. Saifuddin Kitchlew, Maulana Husain Madani, and Sri Shankaracharya.
While not a traditional courtroom, Khaliqdina Hall became a platform for debates that shaped history and a sanctuary for intellectuals seeking knowledge and inspiration since it first opened to the public.
But in recent decades, the hall fell into disuse as Karachi’s cultural and political life waned amid conflict and urban challenges. Now, following a meticulous restoration this year, the 118-year-old building is poised to reclaim its former glory, offering hope for a revival of the city’s lost vibrancy.
“This building is not just heritage but also history,” said Bashir Sadozai, President of the Students Welfare Organization, which occupies a room in the hall. “To many people, the history of this place starts in 1906 with the construction of the building, but it actually started long before, when the British, after occupying the Indian subcontinent, began reforms.”
This photo, taken on December 22, 2024, shows Khaliqdina Hall, a stately colonial-era building, on M.A. Jinnah Road in Karachi. (AN Photo)
Sadozai explained that in 1851, the British set up a one-room library named the Native Library in the nearby Ranchore Line area. It soon became overcrowded, leading to the formation of a trust comprising local philanthropists. One such individual, Ghulam Hussain Khaliqdina, donated Rs18,000 out of the total Rs33,000, enabling the construction of the building in 1906.
The restoration, initiated in August and completed on November 15, 2024, addressed decades of neglect.
Saima Zaidi, director of Numaish, the organization tasked with the renovation by the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), said the building was structurally sound but in a derelict condition.
She informed electrical work, seepage in the walls, paint and woodwork all required attention.
“Doors, windows and grills were stripped of layers of paint, cleaned, polished and repaired across the building,” she told Arab News. “The library, with its rare collection of books, was in complete disarray, exposed to the elements in broken cupboards and panes.”
Additional touchups were made to the dock where Jauhar stood during his trial in 1921.
“Around 100 years ago, Maulana Muhammad Ali Jauhar stood exactly in this place where he was sentenced to two years imprisonment,” Mehdi Maloof, senior director of the KMC, said.
Jauhar famously declared his desire for martyrdom, urging the court to deliver its verdict, as he had never denied opposing British colonial rule. Less than a decade later, he died in London and was buried in Jerusalem according to his will.
After partition, the hall hosted the All-India Muslim League’s conference, where it was decided to remove “All India” from its name. The country’s founding father, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, also delivered a speech here to civil servants of the newly independent Pakistan.
Asked about the decline in the hall’s relevance to the city’s cultural life in recent years, Zaidi explained that Karachi’s turbulent history— marked by decades of ethnic, militant and sectarian conflict— had also impacted Khaliqdina Hall, as public spaces fell silent amid the violence.
“M.A. Jinnah Road itself witnessed a lot of conflict, violent protests and deadly bomb blasts,” she said. “A whole generation grew up in fear.”
Despite these challenges, she said, the restoration marked a turning point.
“In these politically and economically unstable times, this space offers an opportunity for the younger generation to connect with each other and the city, reclaiming their role in shaping its future,” she continued.
Zaidi also highlighted plans to restore the library with 2,000 books, including 500 rare editions from the 18th and 19th centuries, soon to be accessible to the public.
Designed by renowned architect Moses Somake, the hall features Ionic columns and intricate woodwork that have been carefully preserved.
“It’s a really precious gem of a building,” she said.
For visitors like Mehwish Rafi, the restoration has brought Khaliqdina Hall back to life.
“Somebody who’s an average citizen, when I walk into this place, I feel overwhelmed,” Rafi said. “And that’s the beauty of this.”
ISLAMABAD: An end-of-year survey released by market research firm Ipsos has shown that the primary destinations for Pakistanis wanting to leave the country are Saudi Arabia and the UAE, debunking the commonly held belief that young people from the South Asian nation want to migrate to Western countries.
During the year 2015, the highest number of Pakistanis, 946,571, went abroad for the purpose of employment, according to the Pakistani Bureau of Emigration. As of September this year, 525,378 Pakistanis had moved for jobs abroad, while over 800,000 Pakistanis left the country of 220 million to take up jobs in 2022. This was up from a pre-pandemic total of 625,876 in 2019, and 382,439 the year before that.
Most Pakistanis wanting to leave the country are believed to be frustrated by a decline in purchasing power and limited opportunities to improve their standard of living.
“Among those who express a desire to relocate, the primary destinations are economically stable countries in close proximity to Pakistan, with Saudi Arabia (30%) and the UAE (20%) topping the list, nullifying the commonly believed myth of youth’s interest toward Western countries,” the survey report said.
It also said an “acute majority” of young Pakistanis, 74%, desired to stay in Pakistan, while a privileged
youth segment — which comprised people in the ages of 18-24 age in upper socio-economic classes living in the federal capital of Islamabad — had a greater inclination toward leaving Pakistan.
“The trend reveals that Pakistani youth (74%) are committed to their country and are NOT inclined to leave,” the Ipsos survey data showed.
“A couple of years back, Oct 2022 saw a 32% consider leaving, this number plummeted to 23% by February 2024 amidst pre-election hope indicating stability toward the end of 2024.”
Amid a prolonged economic crisis in recent years, Pakistani officials have expressed increasing worries about the snowballing brain drain that could hamper the country’s eventual recovery.
“The huge exodus of educated youth is of great concern,” Ahsan Iqbal, minister for planning, development and special initiatives, told reporters earlier this year.
“It is our responsibility to provide them an enabling environment to stem the emigration.”
The government has launched several development initiatives which it hopes will help retain talent, he added.
They include establishing 200,000 paid internships for young engineers, a 10-billion-rupee ($37.35 million) innovation fund and a 40-billion-rupee program to develop 20 poor districts.
ISLAMABAD: British politician Jeremy Corbyn, who has been a member of parliament for Islington North since 1983, said this week he was “deeply concerned” about the continued detention of Pakistan’s former premier Imran Khan, calling for the release of all political prisoners around the world.
Several world leaders have called for Khan’s release in recent weeks, including Richard Grenell, US President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for presidential envoy on special missions, and former Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz, who Trump wants to serve as the nation’s top lawman. In October, over 60 Democratic lawmakers from the US House of Representatives wrote to President Joe Biden, urging him to use Washington’s leverage with Pakistan to secure the release of Khan.
“I remain deeply concerned about the ongoing detention of Imran Khan,” Corbyn wrote on X on Monday.
“His disgraceful treatment is an affront to the democratic rights of the people of Pakistan. We must continue to speak up for the release of all political prisoners everywhere.”
I remain deeply concerned about the ongoing detention of Imran Khan.
His disgraceful treatment is an affront to the democratic rights of the people of Pakistan.
We must continue to speak up for the release of all political prisoners everywhere.
Khan has been in jail since August 2023 and has faced dozens of cases since he was removed as prime minister in 2022 after which he launched a protest movement against a coalition of his rivals led by current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Khan says cases against him, which disqualified him from contesting the 2024 elections, are politically motivated. He had a fallout with Pakistan’s military that he blames for his ouster. The military denies political interference. Pakistan’s government denies being unfair in the treatment of Khan or his supporters.
Candidates whom Khan backed secured the highest number of seats in the elections. However, his rivals formed a coalition government. A UN human rights working group has said Khan’s detention violates international law.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the United Nations have agreed to strengthen cooperation to prevent Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) from spreading, state-run media reported on Tuesday, with both sides also exploring the possibility of employing religious scholars to raise awareness about the disease.
HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) attacks and destroys infection-fighting CD4 cells (CD4 T lymphocytes) of the immune system, while AIDS is the most advanced stage of the disease. People with HIV who are not on medication and lack consistent control of the virus can transmit it through sexual intercourse, sharing needles, pregnancy, and breastfeeding. However, if HIV is properly controlled, the risk of transmission is nearly zero.
Pakistan is the second largest country in South Asia, only behind India and Nepal, in terms of the HIV epidemic, according to the National Institute of Health. Despite many efforts, the HIV infection rate has increased significantly over the past few years in the country.
UN country director for AIDS, Trouble Chikoko, met with the Secretary of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Dr. Atta-ur-Rehman in Islamabad to discuss the various ongoing programs to curb the disease.
“Pakistan and the UN have agreed to enhance cooperation to curb the spread of AIDS,” Radio Pakistan said. “Chikoko said scholars and religious schools can play a positive role in raising awareness about AIDS prevention among the public.”
During the meeting, Rehman stressed the need for cooperation with relevant UN agencies and other partners to prevent AIDS, polio and other diseases from spreading across the country.
Pakistan’s National AIDS Control Program, established in 1986-87 aims to prevent and control the disease. It has registered 72,515 HIV cases as of September 2024, with 49,939 individuals currently on Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) in 94 centers across the country.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), since the start of the epidemic, 88.4 million people have been infected with HIV, and approximately 42.3 million have died from AIDS-related causes. By the end of 2023, an estimated 39.9 million people were living with HIV globally.
Around 0.6 percent of adults aged 15–49 are living with HIV, although the impact of the epidemic varies significantly across countries and regions.
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday criticized Washington for imposing fresh sanctions on Pakistan’s ballistic missile program, saying it was intended only for deterrence purposes and not for aggressive designs.
The US State Department announced on Dec. 18 that it was imposing more sanctions related to nuclear-armed Pakistan’s long-range ballistic-missile program, including on the state-owned defense agency that oversees the program. The sanctions freeze any US property belonging to the targeted entities and bars Americans from doing business with them.
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement that the measures slapped on the National Development Complex (NDC) and three firms were imposed under an executive order that “targets proliferators of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery.”
Pakistan’s foreign office responded sharply to the announcement the same day, describing the move as “double standards and discriminatory practices,” warning it endangered regional and international peace and security.
“The sanctions imposed on the National Development Complex and other firms, there is no justification for it,” Sharif told members of the federal cabinet during a meeting. “Pakistan does not harbor any intentions in which its nuclear system is aggressive, it is 100 percent in Pakistan’s defense. It is just deterrence, nothing else,” he added.
Sharif said Pakistan’s nuclear program did not belong to either him or members of the federal cabinet. Rather, he said it belonged to the 240 million people of the country.
“There will be no compromise on it [nuclear program] and the entire nation is completely united on this,” the Pakistani premier declared.
A State Department factsheet said the Islamabad-based NDC had sought to obtain components for Pakistan’s long-range ballistic-missile program and missile-testing equipment. It said the NDC “is responsible for the development of Pakistan’s ballistic missiles,” including the Shaheen family of missiles.
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists research organization says the Shaheen series of missiles is nuclear-capable. Pakistan conducted its first nuclear-weapons test in 1998, becoming the seventh country to do so. The Bulletin estimates Pakistan’s arsenal at about 170 warheads.
Islamabad has refused to sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty, the cornerstone of the international system designed to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons.
The other three entities slapped with the US sanctions were Affiliates International, Akhtar and Sons Private Limited and Rockside Enterprise, all located in Karachi, the factsheet said. It said the companies worked with the NDC to acquire equipment.
Relations between the US and Pakistan have seen significant ups and downs. The countries collaborated during the Cold War and in the fight against Al-Qaeda after 9/11.
However, ties have been strained due to coups in the South Asian country by Pakistan’s military, support for the Taliban’s 1996-2001 rule in Afghanistan, and over Islamabad’s nuclear weapons program.
