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PM praises security forces for successful operation against militants in Pakistan’s Balochistan

PM praises security forces for successful operation against militants in Pakistan’s Balochistan
Pakistani policemen stand guard in front of shuttered shops at the market during a strike in Quetta on October 26, 2016, a day after the militants' attack on the Balochistan Police College. (AFP/File)
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Updated 2 min 2 sec ago
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PM praises security forces for successful operation against militants in Pakistan’s Balochistan

PM praises security forces for successful operation against militants in Pakistan’s Balochistan
  • Pakistani forces killed three separatist militants and arrested two others in Balochistan’s Musa Khel district on Sunday
  • Balochistan, home to a long-running separatist insurgency, has witnessed a spike in militant attacks in recent months
Updated 2 min 2 sec ago
KASHIF IMRAN
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ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday praised Pakistani security forces and law enforcement agencies for a successful operation against militants affiliated with the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) separatist group in the country’s restive Balochistan province.
Pakistan’s Frontier Corps (FC) paramilitary force and the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) of the police intercepted a group of up to 12 militants in Rarhasham area of Balochistan’s Musa Khel district, according to Balochistan CTD.
An ensuing heavy exchange of fire three militants were killed and two were apprehended, while the rest managed to get away. The arrested suspects were being interrogated to “develop further leads.”
In a statement issued from his office, PM Sharif said timely action by the CTD and security forces foiled a major “sabotage” by the militants.
“Security forces have rendered great sacrifices to eradicate the menace of terrorism from Balochistan,” he said. “The entire nation, including me, pays tribute to the officers of FC, Police and CTD.”
The development came two days after at least seven people, including children and a police constable, were killed and nearly two dozen others injured in a roadside blast in Balochistan province, officials said.
Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan and is home to major China-led projects such as a strategic port and a gold and copper mine, has been the site of a decades-long separatist insurgency by ethnic Baloch militants. The province has lately seen an increase in attacks by separatist militants.
On Oct. 29, five people were killed in an attack by armed men on the construction site of a small dam in Balochistan’s Panjgur district. The BLA, the most prominent of several separatist groups, claimed responsibility for the attack along with the killing of two other persons in Kech and Quetta districts.
The separatists accuse the central government of exploiting Balochistan’s mineral and gas resources. The Pakistani state denies the allegation and says it is working to uplift the region through development initiatives.
 

Topics: Pakistan Balochistan Security operation Baloch Liberation Army BLA

Australia win toss, put Pakistan to bat in first ODI at Melbourne 

Australia win toss, put Pakistan to bat in first ODI at Melbourne 
Updated 14 sec ago
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Australia win toss, put Pakistan to bat in first ODI at Melbourne 

Australia win toss, put Pakistan to bat in first ODI at Melbourne 
  • Pakistan head into the match with four pacers in Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Hasnain and Haris Rauf
  • Pakistan will play three ODIs on Nov. 8 and 10 followed by a three-match T20I series on Nov. 14, 16 and 18 in Australia 
Updated 14 sec ago
Shahjahan Khurram

ISLAMABAD: Australia won the toss and elected to field first against Pakistan on Monday, as the two sides lock horns today at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in the first of the three-match ODI series. 

This is Mohammad Rizwan’s first outing as Pakistan’s white-ball captain. The second ODI between the teams will be played at the Adelaide Oval in Adelaide on Nov. 8 while both teams will travel to Perth where the third ODI will take place on Nov. 10. 

The ODI series will be followed by three-match T20I series, which will be played on Nov. 14, 16 and 18. 

“How are we going to play? I don’t want to follow the world, what the world is doing now but as a group or as a player you’re going to do [I would follow that],” Rizwan said after losing the toss to Australian skipper Pat Cummins, who chose to bowl first. 

“The thing for us is to [figure out] how we can make this into a champion team.”

When asked whether Pakistan had learned from their mistakes during the last 50-over and T20 World Cups in which the green shirts failed to qualify for the semifinals, Rizwan said:

“Always we have to learn from our mistakes, we didn’t do well at the World Cup,” he said.

Both sides last met in the 50-over format during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 on Oct. 20 where Australia defeated Pakistan by 62 runs at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. The last time both sides featured in a bilateral ODI series was in March/April 2022, when Australia visited Pakistan and the hosts won the series 2-1.

For Pakistan, Muhammad Irfan Khan and Saim Ayub are making their debuts today. Khan, 21, has already featured in three T20Is for Pakistan, while he has played 24 List-A matches, scoring one century and three half-centuries. Left-handed opening batter Ayub has been a part of six Tests and 23 T20Is for Pakistan and featured in 35 List-A matches accumulating 1,472 runs with the help of four centuries and seven half-centuries.

With Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head on paternity leave, world champions Australia have a new-look opening partnership in Jake Fraser-McGurk and Matt Short. Veteran Josh Hazlewood has been rested with Sean Abbott joining Cummins and Mitchell Starc in the hosts’ pace attack on an overcast day.

Playing XI:

Australia: 1 Matt Short, 2 Jake Fraser-McGurk, 3 Steven Smith, 4 Josh Inglis (wk), 5 Marnus Labuschagne, 6 Glenn Maxwell, 7 Aaron Hardie, 8 Sean Abbott, 9 Pat Cummins (captain), 10 Mitchell Starc, 11 Adam Zampa

Pakistan: 1 Saim Ayub, 2 Abdullah Shafique, 3 Babar Azam, 4 Mohammad Rizwan (wk, captain), 5 Kamran Ghulam, 6 Salman Ali Agha, 7 Irfan Khan, 8 Shaheen Shah Afridi, 9 Naseem Shah, 10 Haris Rauf, 11 Mohammad Hasnain

Topics: Pakistan v Australia Australia Cricket Pakistan

Pakistan says revamping polio program as virus tally reaches 45 this year

Pakistan says revamping polio program as virus tally reaches 45 this year
Updated 5 min 32 sec ago
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Pakistan says revamping polio program as virus tally reaches 45 this year

Pakistan says revamping polio program as virus tally reaches 45 this year
  • Pakistan and Afghanistan are only two countries where polio remains endemic
  • Pakistan launched this year’s third nationwide polio campaign last month 
Updated 5 min 32 sec ago
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication, Ayesha Raza Farooq, has said the government is revamping its polio eradication program to make the country free of the virus by mid next year, Radio Pakistan reported on Monday.

Two new wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) cases were reported in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, the country’s polio program said late Friday, bringing the nationwide tally to 45 this year. So far this year, 22 polio cases have been reported from Balochistan province, 12 from Sindh, nine from KP and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.

“All elements of the [polio] program, including surveillance, communication, and operations, have been revamped,” Farooq was quoted by Radio Pakistan as saying. “The new approach brings together federal, provincial, and district authorities in a coordinated effort to eliminate polio.”

Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries where polio remains endemic. Since late 2018, Pakistan has seen a resurgence of cases and increased spread of poliovirus, highlighting the fragility of gains achieved in the preceding years when cases dropped in 2023 to six, from 20 in 2022 and just one in 2022. Misinformation about vaccinations and attacks by militants on polio teams have been major impediments to immunization campaigns.

At least seven people, including five school students, were killed and 23 injured in a blast in southwestern Pakistan that targeted a polio vaccination team vehicle on Friday, police said. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Last Tuesday, a policeman was killed in an attack on a health office that manages door-to-door polio vaccination campaigns.

The attacks have coincided with Pakistan’s third nationwide polio campaign this year, launched last week with the aim to administer vaccine drops to more than 45 million children.

Topics: Pakistan Polio polio virus vaccination Arab News Pakistan

Pakistan’s privatization minister says no objection to provinces acquiring national airline

Pakistan’s privatization minister says no objection to provinces acquiring national airline
Updated 3 min 43 sec ago
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Pakistan’s privatization minister says no objection to provinces acquiring national airline

Pakistan’s privatization minister says no objection to provinces acquiring national airline
  • Punjab, KP governments have expressed willingness to acquire stakes in national airline 
  • Islamabad last week kickstarted PIA’s privatization process, receiving a low bid of $36 million for it
Updated 3 min 43 sec ago
NAIMAT KHAN

KARACHI: Privatization Minister Abdul Aleem Khan has said that the center would welcome bids from Pakistan’s Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and other provinces for the national flag carrier, stressing that the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) was a “national asset” which his government would not sell for trinkets. 

Khan’s statement comes after the government kickstarted the loss-making PIA’s privatization process on Thursday, holding a televised auction in which it received the sole bid of Rs10 billion ($36 million) from Blue World City, a real estate development firm. The bid fell far short of the minimum price of Rs85 billion ($305 million) set by the government. The KP government formally offered to exceed the bid on Friday, saying the airline should remain under government control to preserve its status. 

Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, chief of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party and father of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, said last week that the Punjab government was mulling acquiring the PIA and renaming it “Air Punjab.”

Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Khan said it was not his job as privatization minister to reform the national flag carrier rather it was his job to sell the airline in “whatever condition it is in.”

“It is a very good development that if the KP, Punjab, Sindh or Balochistan governments want to acquire it [PIA] together, why would we object,” Khan asked. “We would be very happy if all of you acquire it and bring in a very professional management.”

Khan defended the PIA’s privatization process, saying that his government will ensure the process is conducted in a very efficient manner. 

“PIA is our national asset, I cannot sell it for trinkets,” he said. “I can sell any personal belonging of mine even for free [but not a national asset].”

Separately, Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori said Karachi’s traders are interested in acquiring the national airline. 

“Karachi’s businesspersons are constantly contacting me to talk about the airline’s matters,” Tessori wrote on social media platform X on Monday. “Karachi’s businesspersons want the PIA to be given to them for a year and they are also interested in starting a new airline,” he added. 

The Sindh governor said he had advised Karachi’s businesspersons to name any new airline they would manage as “PK” in which P would stand for Pakistan and K for Karachi. 

“If Karachi Air is started, it would provide additional opportunities for jobs,” Tessori said. “I want to become the voice of the traders and give this country and its people jobs and prosperity.”

Pakistan decided to move ahead with PIA’s privatization under terms agreed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a 37-month, $7 billion bailout approved in September, aiming to divest over 51 percent of its stake in the financially struggling national carrier.

Critics, including PIA union representatives and independent analysts, last week called the $36 million bid an “embarrassment” for the government, with airline employees suggesting Pakistani authorities should expand PIA’s fleet to restore its operational viability.

A popular airline during its heydays in the ‘60s and ‘70s, PIA has grappled with financial losses, mismanagement, and operational challenges in recent years. It has also been burdened by a high debt load, inefficiencies, and corruption allegations, resulting in an overall decline in its financial performance.

The disposal of the flag carrier is a step that past elected governments have steered away from as it is expected to be unpopular with the masses. 

Topics: Pakistan PIA privatization maryam nawaz KP

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Punjab mulling over acquiring national airline, says Pakistan ruling party chief 
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Punjab mulling over acquiring national airline, says Pakistan ruling party chief 
Pakistan’s northwestern province offers over Rs10 billion to keep national airline under state control
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Pakistan’s northwestern province offers over Rs10 billion to keep national airline under state control

Punjab bans heavy transport vehicles from entering Lahore amid record pollution

Punjab bans heavy transport vehicles from entering Lahore amid record pollution
Updated 14 min 38 sec ago
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Punjab bans heavy transport vehicles from entering Lahore amid record pollution

Punjab bans heavy transport vehicles from entering Lahore amid record pollution
  • Heavy transport vehicles banned from entering Lahore on Fridays and Sundays, from Nov. 8-Jan. 31, 2025
  • Thick smog, a mix of fog and pollutants, has enveloped Lahore for days, putting health of millions at jeopardy 
Updated 14 min 38 sec ago
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: The government in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province has banned the entry of heavy transport vehicles (HTVs) in Lahore on Fridays and Sundays in its efforts to contain air pollution that has enveloped the megacity, putting the health of millions of people at risk. 

For days, Lahore, a city of 14 million people, has been enveloped by dense smog, a mix of fog and pollutants caused by low-grade diesel fumes, smoke from seasonal stubble burning and winter cooling. The air quality index, which measures a range of pollutants, exceeded 1,000 on Saturday and Sunday, well above the level of 300 that is considered “dangerous” for human health, according to data from IQAir, a Swiss air quality monitor.

In its efforts to protect people from the harmful effects of smog, the Punjab government announced on Sunday it was shutting primary schools in Lahore for a week. 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. The provincial environmental protection agency announced new restrictions in four “hot spots” in the city while rickshaws 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. Other safety measures mean that construction work has been halted and street and food vendors, who often cook over open fires, must close at 8 pm.

A notification by Punjab’s Environmental Protection Agency on Sunday said a thorough analysis of the air quality deterioration in Lahore has concluded that vehicular emission is the “major source of air pollution” in the city. It added that the volume of traffic increases vehemently on Friday and Sunday evenings and nights. 

“NOW, THEREFORE, I, Dr. Imran Hamid Sheikh (PAS), Director General, Environmental Protection Agency, Punjab in exercise of the powers conferred upon me u/s 6(1) (t) of the Punjab Environmental Protection Act, 1997, do hereby order that there shall be complete ban on the entry of Heavy Transport Vehicles (HTVs) in District Lahore on Friday and Sunday nights,” the notification said. 

“The HTVs may enter in District Lahore as per their already specified timings in other.”

The notification said that the ban will come into effect from Nov. 8 and will stay in place till Jan. 31, 2025. It further said that passenger buses, ambulances, fire brigades, Rescue 1122 vehicles, police and prison vehicles, government vehicles and HTVs carrying fuel, medicines and food supply items will be exempt from the ban. 

PUNJAB CALLS FOR PRECAUTIONS

Provincial Punjab Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb on Sunday called on people to wear masks and not venture out unnecessarily to keep themselves safe from the pollution. She said the provincial government had established smog counters at hospitals. 

“Public should strictly follow precautionary measures, the elderly, the sick and children should be especially careful,” Aurangzeb said. 

She warned farmers against burning crop residues.

“Arrests and fines for violations will continue,” she added. 

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.

On Saturday, the concentration of deadly PM2.5 pollutants — fine particulate matter in the air that causes most damage to health — was more than 40 times the level deemed acceptable by the WHO. PM2.5 levels on Sunday morning exceeded that before decreasing slightly.

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

— With additional input from AFP
 

Topics: Punjab Pakistan Lahore Arab News Pakistan

PM urges UK businesspersons to benefit from Pakistan’s investment-friendly policies

PM urges UK businesspersons to benefit from Pakistan’s investment-friendly policies
Updated 03 November 2024
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PM urges UK businesspersons to benefit from Pakistan’s investment-friendly policies

PM urges UK businesspersons to benefit from Pakistan’s investment-friendly policies
  • The development comes amid Pakistan’s efforts to boost trade and foreign investment after it narrowly escaped a default last year
  • The South Asian country has since sought to promote closer ties with regional, international allies to bolster its fragile economy
Updated 03 November 2024
KASHIF IMRAN

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday met a delegation of prominent British business figures and urged them to benefit from Pakistan’s investment-friendly climate, Sharif’s office said, amid Islamabad’s efforts to boost trade and foreign investment.
The business delegation, led by renowned British businessman Zuber Issa, met the prime minister in the eastern city of Lahore, according to Sharif’s office.
Sharif urged the delegates to invest in Pakistan, saying foreign investors were being provided best facilities by Pakistan’s Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC).
“Promotion of foreign investment in the country is the top priority of the government,” he was quoted as saying by his office.
“Due to the efforts of the government, the country’s economy has improved in recent days which has increased the confidence of investors.”
The two sides exchanged views on finding new ways to improve business-to-business relations between Pakistan and the United Kingdom.
“The delegation appreciated and expressed their confidence in the prime minister’s economic policies that put the country’s economy on the path of stability and sustainable development,” Sharif’s office added.
The development comes amid Pakistan’s efforts to boost trade and foreign investment after it narrowly escaped a default last year by securing a last-gasp $3 billion financial assistance package from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The South Asian country has since sought to promote closer economic ties with regional and international allies to bolster its fragile $350 billion economy, which has been suffering from a prolonged macroeconomic crisis.

Topics: Pakistan

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