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US urges sports diplomacy between Pakistan, India following ICC Champions Trophy row

US urges sports diplomacy between Pakistan, India following ICC Champions Trophy row
India’s Virat Kohli is clean bowled by Pakistan’s Shaheen Shah Afridi (not pictured) during the Asia Cup 2023 one-day international (ODI) cricket match between India and Pakistan at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy on September 2, 2023. (AP/File)
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Updated 5 min 37 sec ago
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US urges sports diplomacy between Pakistan, India following ICC Champions Trophy row

US urges sports diplomacy between Pakistan, India following ICC Champions Trophy row
  • State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel highlights the role of sports in “connecting people”
  • India has refused to travel to Pakistan for ICC Champions Trophy slated to be held from Feb-March next year
Updated 5 min 37 sec ago
Hasaan Ali Khan
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ISLAMABAD: US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel on Friday encouraged sports diplomacy between Pakistan and India amid a row over New Delhi’s refusal to send its cricket team to neighboring Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy.
The ICC informed Pakistan last week India had declined to play any games in Pakistan during the Champions Trophy, which is scheduled to be held from Feb. 19 - March 9. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has sought clarification from the ICC on the refusal.
“Bilateral relationships are certainly not something for us to get in the middle of but sports is certainly a potent and connecting force,” Patel said during a weekly press briefing. “You have seen the secretary and this department really prioritize the role that sports diplomacy has in connecting people.”
Patel added that bilateral relations between Pakistan and India ought to be discussed between the countries on their own through sports orother means. 
“At the end of the day, sports really connects so many people and is a great way for the human-to-human and people-to-people ties this administration has really prioritized,” he said.
India has not toured Pakistan since 2008 because of soured political relations between the neighbors, who play each other only in global multi-team tournaments. Pakistan hosted the Asia Cup last year but the winners India played all their matches in Sri Lanka under a “hybrid model.”
The PCB has ruled out a similar arrangement for the 2025 Champions Trophy despite the Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) maintaining its stance of not sending a team to Pakistan, citing government advice.

Topics: Pakistan vs India ICC Champions Trophy 2025

Pakistan unveils first National Climate Finance Strategy on COP29 sidelines

Pakistan unveils first National Climate Finance Strategy on COP29 sidelines
Updated 15 November 2024
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Pakistan unveils first National Climate Finance Strategy on COP29 sidelines

Pakistan unveils first National Climate Finance Strategy on COP29 sidelines
  • Strategy aimed at mobilizing financial resources and investments for climate mitigation and adaptation
  • Pakistan is ranked 5th most vulnerable country to climate change, according to Global Climate Risk Index
Updated 15 November 2024
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has unveiled its first-ever National Climate Finance Strategy (NCFS), aimed at mobilizing financial resources for climate mitigation and adaptation, Radio Pakistan reported on Friday. 
The strategy was launched by Federal Minister for Finance, Muhammad Aurangzeb, and the Prime Minister’s Coordinator on Climate Change, Romina Khurshid Alam, at the Pakistan Pavilion in Baku on the sidelines of the two-week UN-led global climate conference (COP29).
“[Strategy] outlines a comprehensive framework to scale up climate-related investments, attract international funding, and strengthen domestic financial systems,” Radio Pakistan reported.
“The strategy provides a roadmap for Pakistan to systematically access climate finance from a variety of domestic and international sources, reinforcing the country’s commitment to the Paris Agreement and its climate resilience goals.”
Speaking on the occasion, Aurangzeb said the strategy would enable Pakistan to leverage international, domestic, and private finance to support climate resilience efforts.
The strategy prioritizes sectoral resilience and the development of climate-smart policies across key sectors such as agriculture, infrastructure, and urban planning, the finance minister said, adding that NCFS identified key financial instruments and channels for climate action, aiming to close the estimated $348 billion climate finance gap facing the country by 2030.
The NCFS also incorporates a new National Climate Finance Portal that will track climate finance inflows and outflows, ensuring transparency and accountability.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who spoke at a number of events at COP29 earlier this week, used the forum to highlight the need to restore confidence in the pledging process and increase climate finance for vulnerable, developing countries.
The main task for nearly 200 countries at the COP29 summit from Nov. 11-22 is to broker a deal that ensures up to trillions of dollars in financing for climate projects worldwide. 
Pakistan is ranked the 5th most vulnerable country to climate change, according to the Global Climate Risk Index. In 2022, devastating floods killed over 1,700 people and affected over 33 million, with economic losses exceeding $30 billion. International donors pledged over $9 billion last January to aid Pakistan’s flood recovery but officials say little of the promised funds have been received so far.
Speaking on the sidelines of the World Leaders’ Climate Action Summit on Tuesday, Sharif said developing countries would need an estimated $6.8 trillion by 2030 to implement less than half of their current nationally determined contributions (NDCs), or national action plans for reducing emissions and adapting to climate impacts defined by the Paris Agreement.
Most of the world’s climate-friendly spending so far has been skewed toward major economies such as China and the United States. Africa’s 54 countries received just 2 percent of global renewable energy investments over the last two decades.

Topics: Pakistan at COP29 UN COP29

‘Rain prayers’ to be organized across Pakistan today as toxic smog chokes cities

‘Rain prayers’ to be organized across Pakistan today as toxic smog chokes cities
Updated 15 November 2024
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‘Rain prayers’ to be organized across Pakistan today as toxic smog chokes cities

‘Rain prayers’ to be organized across Pakistan today as toxic smog chokes cities
  • Toxic smog has enveloped the eastern city of Lahore and 17 other districts of Punjab province since last month
  • Lahore, home to 13 million people, had the worst air quality in the world on Friday, according to live readings by IQAir
Updated 15 November 2024
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: On the appeal of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, special prayers for rainfall will be organized across Pakistan today, Friday, as record-high air pollution levels have triggered hundreds of hospitalizations, school closures and stay-at-home orders in several districts of the most populous Punjab province. 
On Friday, Lahore, home to 13 million people, had the worst air quality of any city in the world, according to live readings by IQAir, a Swiss air quality monitoring company.

A man rides his motorbike along a street engulfed in smog in Lahore on November 14, 2024. (AFP)

On Thursday, Sharif appealed to the nation to perform Istisqa prayers, a special Islamic ritual performed to seek rain, primarily during times of drought or severe water shortages.
“Salat Al-Istisqa for rain will be offered across the country today [Friday] on the appeal of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to the nation,” Radio Pakistan reported, saying Sharif had urged religious scholars and prayer leaders to play their role in organizing the special ritual. 

Commuters move along a road amid heavy smoggy conditions in Peshawar on November 11, 2024. (AFP)

Earlier this week, the government of Punjab closed all high schools in the province until Nov. 17 due to persisting smog. 
Primary schools and government offices had already been closed until Nov. 17 in many districts of Punjab earlier this month, with school closures likely to affect the education of more than 20 million students, according to associations representing private and government schools.

The 62-storey tower at the Bahria Icon Tower complex is seen through smog and air pollution on a morning in Karachi on November 15, 2024. (REUTERS)

Authorities in 18 districts of Punjab also closed all public parks, zoos and museums, historical places, and playgrounds for ten days last week. 
On Friday, a court in Lahore ordered the government to shut all markets after 8pm. Authorities have already banned barbecuing food without filters and ordered wedding halls to close by 10pm.
On Monday, the UN children’s agency said the health of 11 million children in Punjab province was in danger because of air pollution.

Topics: Pakistan Smog Lahore Smog Delhi smog

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Pakistani deputy PM to attend UAE’s Sir Bani Yas Forum today

Pakistani deputy PM to attend UAE’s Sir Bani Yas Forum today
Updated 15 November 2024
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Pakistani deputy PM to attend UAE’s Sir Bani Yas Forum today

Pakistani deputy PM to attend UAE’s Sir Bani Yas Forum today
  • Three-day summit will host top decision-makers, experts for debates on regional issues
  • Ongoing war in Gaza is expected to feature prominently in discussions at Sir Bani Yas Forum
Updated 15 November 2024
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar will attend the three-day 15th Sir Bani Yas Forum in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from today, Friday, the foreign office in Islamabad said, with the ongoing war in Gaza expected to be at the center of discussions. 
The three-day annual retreat will bring together top decision-makers and experts to debate pressing Middle Eastern issues such as regional peace and security and economic transformation.
“At the invitation of His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar will participate in the 15th Sir Bani Yas Forum being held from Nov. 15-17 in the UAE,” foreign office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said at a weekly news briefing in Islamabad.
“At the forum, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister will engage in high-level dialogue with global leaders and experts addressing critical issues of regional security, economic cooperation and sustainable development.”
Dar will highlight Pakistan’s “strategic perspective on fostering diplomatic solutions to complex regional challenges and advancing collective prosperity,” Baloch added. 
The war in the Gaza Strip is expected to feature prominently in discussions at the Sir Bani Yas Forum. 
Israel invaded the enclave last year after Hamas-led gunmen attacked communities in southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people, according to Israeli authorities, and abducting more than 250 as hostages. Since then, the Israeli campaign has killed more than 43,500 people, according to Gaza health authorities, and destroyed much of the enclave’s infrastructure, forcing most of the 2.3 million population to move several times.
The issue was also at the center of the agenda at the recently concluded Joint Arab-Islamic Summit hosted by Saudi Arabia, with Baloch welcoming the resolution adopted by the summit, which, among other issues, called on the UN Security Council to impose an arms embargo on Israel and asked it to set up an independent investigation committee to investigate Israeli crimes including genocide, forced disappearances, torture and ethnic cleansing.

Topics: Ishaq Dar Sir Bani Yas Forum

Pakistan restores train service from restive Balochistan province after bombing at train station

Pakistan restores train service from restive Balochistan province after bombing at train station
Updated 15 November 2024
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Pakistan restores train service from restive Balochistan province after bombing at train station

Pakistan restores train service from restive Balochistan province after bombing at train station
  • At least 24 people were killed in a bomb blast on Saturday at a railway station in the city of Quetta
  • In August, over 50 people were killed in Balochistan in militants attacks on police stations, railway lines, highways.
Updated 15 November 2024
SAADULLAH AKHTER

QUETTA: A train service between the southwestern city of Quetta and Peshawar in Pakistan’s northwest resumed on Friday after being shut for four days following a deadly bombing at a railway station.
At least 24 people were killed and more than 40 injured in a bomb blast on Saturday at a railway station in the city of Quetta in the province of Balochistan, which is grappling with a surge in strikes by separatist ethnic militants that has raised security concerns for projects aiming to develop the province’s untapped mineral resources.
Imran Hayat, Divisional Superintendent of Pakistan Railways Quetta Division, said train operations from Balochistan to the rest of the country had been restored, with the Quetta-Peshawar bound Jaffar Express departing from Quetta Railway Station on Friday morning amid tight security at the railway station.
“We had suspended our service for four days following the threat of attacks on the train service in Balochistan,” Hayat told Arab News. 
“Today, the Quetta-Peshawar bound Jaffar Express departed from Quetta Railway Station at 9am and we have resumed service for Karachi and Chaman amid stringent security measures across the railway station.” 
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist militant group, claimed responsibility for Saturday’s attack.
The BLA seeks independence for Balochistan, a province of about 15 million people that borders Afghanistan to the north and Iran to the west. The BLA is the biggest of several ethnic insurgent groups battling the government, saying it unfairly exploits the province’s rich gas and mineral resources. The government denies this. 
In August, over 50 people were killed in Balochistan after separatist militants attacked police stations, railway lines and highways.
The assaults in August were the most widespread in years by militants fighting a decades-long insurgency to win secession for the province, home to major China-led projects such as a port and a gold and copper mine.

Topics: Quetta Blast Quetta Railway Station Baloch Liberation Army (BLA)

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Pakistan deploys mobile air monitoring stations in Lahore amid toxic smog

Pakistan deploys mobile air monitoring stations in Lahore amid toxic smog
Updated 15 November 2024
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Pakistan deploys mobile air monitoring stations in Lahore amid toxic smog

Pakistan deploys mobile air monitoring stations in Lahore amid toxic smog
  • Each station costs over $322,000, equipped for real-time air quality data
  • Smog has enveloped Lahore, Pakistan’s cultural capital, since last month
Updated 15 November 2024
Hasaan Ali Khan

ISLAMABAD: Authorities in Pakistan’s populous Punjab province have deployed five mobile air quality monitoring stations in Pakistan’s eastern Lahore city, each costing over Rs90 million ($322,000), amid worsening smog conditions, state-run media reported on Thursday.
Lahore, consistently ranked as the world’s most polluted city in live IQAir rankings in recent weeks, is facing hazardous air quality due to cold atmospheric conditions trapping dust, vehicle emissions and smoke from illegally burned fires.
The toxic smog, which has spread to 17 other districts in Punjab, has caused over 40,000 cases of respiratory illnesses this month, according to health officials, prompting authorities to close schools until November 17.
“The Punjab government has established five mobile air quality monitoring stations in Lahore to track the city’s air quality index,” Radio Pakistan reported.
It quoted the Punjab Environment Protection Department official Farooq Alam as saying the mobile stations had been placed in highly polluted areas, such as the Defense Housing Authority, Model Town, Gulberg, Bhatta Chowk and near Shimla Pahari.
Alam told Radio Pakistan that “each mobile monitoring station costs over ninety million rupees,” adding that they are equipped with advanced technology to collect real-time air quality data.
The Punjab administration official, however, did not mention any sustainable solution to the worsening smog condition, which has become a regular feature during the winter season.
Meanwhile, Punjab’s Provincial Disaster Management Authority has urged people to wear face masks as a precautionary measure against smog and to avoid venturing out unnecessarily.
The United Nations children’s agency has warned that the health of 11 million children in Punjab is at risk due to air pollution.
According to a study by the University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute last year, pollution could reduce life expectancy in the region by more than five years.

Topics: Pakistan Smog

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