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WWF, global biopharma giant join hands to protect freshwater resources in Pakistan, India

WWF, global biopharma giant join hands to protect freshwater resources in Pakistan, India
The picture shared by WWF-Pakistan on March 25, 2025, shows picture of River Indus and Taunsa barrage. (WWF-Pakistan)
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Updated 25 March 2025
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WWF, global biopharma giant join hands to protect freshwater resources in Pakistan, India

WWF, global biopharma giant join hands to protect freshwater resources in Pakistan, India
  • Freshwater ecosystems have seen an alarming 85 percent decline in wildlife since 1970, WWF says
  • Pakistan’s Indus Basin, in particular, faces threats from pollution, dams and climate change
Updated 25 March 2025
Arab News Pakistan
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ISLAMABAD: The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the GSK global biopharma giant have launched a five-year initiative to conserve and restore freshwater resources in water-stressed regions of Pakistan and India, Pakistani state media reported on Tuesday.
The collaboration, running until 2030, will focus on the Indus River Basin in Pakistan and the Sutlej River Basin in India, key areas for medicine production. The initiative aims to replenish over 300,000 cubic meters of water and benefit more than 100,000 people by implementing nature-based solutions.
Key efforts include restoring freshwater habitats, protecting endangered species like river dolphins and otters, and promoting sustainable water management in local communities and farms, the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) news agency reported.
“Ensuring sustainable water supply is critical to delivering life-saving medicines,” Regis Simard, president of global supply chain of GSK that operates three manufacturing sites in these regions, was quoted as saying by the APP.
“Partnering with WWF allows us to drive meaningful change in these vulnerable ecosystems.”
Freshwater ecosystems have seen an alarming 85 percent decline in wildlife populations since 1970, according to WWF’s Living Planet Report. The Indus Basin, in particular, faces threats from pollution, dams and climate change.
The partnership aligns with global biodiversity goals, including the Freshwater Challenge that seeks to restore 300,000 kilometers of rivers and 350 million hectares of wetlands by 2030.
“Pakistan faces severe water scarcity and pollution,” said Hammad Naqi Khan, director-general of WWF-Pakistan, highlighting the urgency of water conservation.
“Companies like GSK are leading by example not just reducing water use but actively replenishing resources.”

Topics: WWF Pakistan GSK global

‘No one to return to’: Afghans fear Pakistan deportation

‘No one to return to’: Afghans fear Pakistan deportation
Updated 25 sec ago
AFP
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‘No one to return to’: Afghans fear Pakistan deportation

‘No one to return to’: Afghans fear Pakistan deportation
  • Islamabad announced at the start of March that 800,000 Afghan Citizen Cards would be canceled
  • The deportation program has already forced 800,000 undocumented Afghans across the border
Updated 25 sec ago
AFP

Rawalpindi: Benazir Raufi stands alone in her restaurant, her staff and customers too afraid to visit after Pakistan’s government announced it was canceling the residence permits of hundreds of thousands of Afghans.
Islamabad announced at the start of March that 800,000 Afghan Citizen Cards (ACC) would be canceled — the second phase of a deportation program which has already forced 800,000 undocumented Afghans across the border.
“If I’m deported, it will destroy me. Either my heart will stop, or I’ll take my own life,” 45-year-old Raufi, who was 13 years old when her family fled civil war in Afghanistan in the 1990s, told AFP.
“Pakistan gave us our smile and now those smiles are being taken away.”
Ten Afghan women who worked for her have refused to leave home after the restaurant in Rawalpindi was raided by police — facing deportation to a country where women are banned from studying, certain jobs and visiting some public places like parks.
“I have no one to return to. The Taliban won’t accept us,” Raufi added, her voice cracking.
The government’s deadline for ACC holders to leave voluntarily has been pushed back to April, but harassment by authorities has been underway for months, according to activists.
Those born in Pakistan, married to Pakistanis, or living for decades in the country are among those to have their government residence permits canceled.
The deportation campaign comes as political ties between the neighboring governments have soured over Pakistan’s rapidly deteriorating security situation along the border.
Last year was the deadliest year in almost a decade in Pakistan, with more than 1,600 people killed in attacks — nearly half of them security forces personnel — according to the Islamabad-based Center for Research and Security Studies.
Pakistan accuses the Taliban government of failing to root out militants sheltering on Afghan soil, a charge the Taliban government denies.
The Taliban government has repeatedly called for the “dignified” return of Afghans to their country, with Prime Minister Hassan Akhund urging countries hosting Afghans not to force them out.
“I have freedom (in Pakistan) — I can visit the park, and my daughter can go to school,” Dua Safay, who fled when the Taliban government returned to power in 2021.
“There’s no future for me or my daughter in Afghanistan,” added Safay, whose real name has been changed.
Some 600,000 Afghans have crossed the border into Pakistan since the Taliban government implemented their austere version of Islamic law.
“They will be sent back to a country where conditions are extremely harsh, especially for women and children,” according to Moniza Kakar, a Pakistan-based human rights lawyer.
“These people fled to escape persecution. Forcing them back into that fire is a violation of international law.”
Millions of Afghans have traveled to Pakistan over the past four decades, fleeing successive conflicts including the Soviet invasion, a civil war and the post-9/11 US-led occupation.
The ethnic Pashtun belt of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa which borders Afghanistan shares close cultural and linguistic ties with Afghan Pashtuns.
Around 1.3 million Afghans with resident cards issued by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) are allowed to remain in the country but have been banned from the cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
“Over 1,000 people have been moved to detention centers in the past three to four days, while thousands are leaving voluntarily all over Pakistan,” Kakar added.
Many families fear being mistreated or extorted for money by the authorities if they are detained, or of being separated from relatives.
“If I have to go, I’ll go in tears, with a broken heart,” said 43-year-old Naimatullah, who was born in Pakistan and has never been to Afghanistan.
“They (people) won’t even see me as an Afghan — they’ll call me Pakistani. I am a nobody.”
After the deadline, Samiullah, who was born in an Afghan refugee camp in Pakistan and is married to a Pakistani woman, will be considered an illegal foreigner.
“My wife will not be able to go with me, my daughters are from here. It is a constant struggle. I can’t get caught,” the 29-year-old told AFP.
Tens of thousands of Afghans living in Pakistan who are waiting to be relocated to Western nations also fear being deported.
Most are advised by Western nations to cross into Pakistan where their asylum claims take months to be processed.
Among them is Samia Hamza, a 31-year-old women’s rights activist and mother of four, currently in the northwestern city of Peshawar.
“They gave us a support letter but the Pakistani police does not recognize it,” she told AFP.
“We need to stay one more month in Pakistan, then we will receive our visa to Brazil and leave.”

Topics: Pakistan Afghan Refugees Afghan Refugees in pakistan Pakistan Afghanistan Ties Afghan Taliban Afghan girls education

European experts to arrive in Islamabad tomorrow to train Pakistani aviation inspectors

European experts to arrive in Islamabad tomorrow to train Pakistani aviation inspectors
Updated 31 min 14 sec ago
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European experts to arrive in Islamabad tomorrow to train Pakistani aviation inspectors

European experts to arrive in Islamabad tomorrow to train Pakistani aviation inspectors
  • Pakistan has recently witnessed a massive surge in militant violence, including deadly suicide attacks
  • The development comes months after EU lifted its ban on PIA and authorized Airblue to fly to the bloc
Updated 31 min 14 sec ago
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: A team from the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) will arrive in Islamabad on Monday to provide specialized security training and certification to Pakistani aviation inspectors, a Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) official said on Sunday, amid growing security concerns in the South Asian country.
Pakistan has recently witnessed a massive surge in militant violence, including deadly suicide attacks, in its two western provinces of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
According to the Global Terrorism Index (GTI) 2025 report, Pakistan is the second-most affected country by terrorist violence, with a 45 percent rise in deaths in 2024.
Pakistan reached out to the ECAC for the training of its civil aviation inspectors after the resumption of Pakistani flights to the EU in Jan. this year, according to PCAA officials.
“The ECAC team is arriving in Pakistan tomorrow to conduct training of our inspectors on two key areas of Explosives Trace Detection (ETD) and Explosive Detection Dogs (EDD),” PCAA Director of Aviation Security Shahid Qadir told Arab News.
“The training aims to enhance their ability to inspect explosive detection machines as well as guide the handlers of detection dogs on key focus areas and essential elements to ensure the highest standards of inspection.”
In November, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) lifted its ban on the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and authorized another local airline, Airblue, to operate flights to Europe. The ban had been in place since June 2020 due to concerns over the ability of Pakistani aviation authorities to meet international standards.
Qadir said the PCAA was committed to meeting all international standards and it was ensuring the credentials of Pakistani inspectors align with those of developed countries in Europe and the United States.
“The two-member ECAC team will conduct a four-day training at Islamabad International Airport, where twelve of our aviation security regulatory inspectors will receive the training,” the official said.
“They will conduct the training and certify the inspectors upon its completion.”
He said this training would enhance the Pakistani team’s specialization and strengthen the country’s credibility, urging aviation inspectors to apply across all airports in Pakistan.
Aviation security is the most frequently inspected area each year, according to Qadir. During such inspections, one of the first things international regulators review is the profile of inspectors.
“When they see the courses, training, and certifications our inspectors have completed, they recognize that we meet international standards,” he added.

Topics: Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority

Islamabad, Beijing sign agreement to boost Pakistan’s cotton production

Islamabad, Beijing sign agreement to boost Pakistan’s cotton production
Updated 06 April 2025
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Islamabad, Beijing sign agreement to boost Pakistan’s cotton production

Islamabad, Beijing sign agreement to boost Pakistan’s cotton production
  • As per agreement, Chinese and Pakistani institutes will work on genetically improving cotton to increase its production
  • Cotton is one of Pakistan’s most important crops, having a massive 51% share in country’s total foreign exchange earnings
Updated 06 April 2025
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Two prominent institutes owned by the governments in China and Pakistan have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to boost Pakistan’s cotton production through technological methods, state broadcaster reported on Sunday. 

Cotton is one of Pakistan’s most important cash crops. At present, Pakistan is the fifth-largest producer of cotton and the third-largest producer of cotton yarn in the world, according to the Ayub Agricultural Institute. 

Cotton has a 0.8% share in Pakistan’s GDP and a massive 51% share in the country’s total foreign exchange earnings. Cotton production in Pakistan has contributed to a vibrant textile industry with over 1,000 ginning factories and around 400 textile mills across the country. 

“The MoU has been signed between the Ayub Agricultural Research Institute of Pakistan (AAIR) and the Institute of Cotton Research (ICR) of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences,” Radio Pakistan said in a report. 

It said that as per the agreement, AAIR and ICR will work on genetically improving cotton to increase its production and promote Pakistan’s cotton industry globally.

ICR is China’s only state-level organization for professional cotton research. It focuses on basic and applied research, and organizes and presides over major national cotton research projects that address significant science and technology-related issues in cotton production. 

Established in 1962, Punjab government’s AAIR describes itself as one of the country’s most prestigious research institutes that says its mission is to develop new varieties of crops and technologies for food safety. 

The agreement takes place as Pakistan faces a surge in cotton imports this year due to low production. According to the Pakistan Central Cotton Committee, factories in Pakistan have received 5.51 million bales of cotton as of January this year, a significant decline of 34% compared to last year.

Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province, which produces the most cotton out of all provinces in the country, grew 2.7 million bales, a decline of more than 36% compared to last year. 

Experts blame the low production of cotton due to irregular weather patterns brought about by climate change.

Topics: Pakistan China Ties

Pakistan says pre-Hajj arrangements for government scheme pilgrims in ‘last stages’

Pakistan says pre-Hajj arrangements for government scheme pilgrims in ‘last stages’
Updated 06 April 2025
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Pakistan says pre-Hajj arrangements for government scheme pilgrims in ‘last stages’

Pakistan says pre-Hajj arrangements for government scheme pilgrims in ‘last stages’
  • Says first Hajj flight to depart from Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore for Saudi Arabia on April 29
  • Around 90,000 expected to perform Hajj under government scheme, says religion affairs minister
Updated 06 April 2025
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s religious affairs minister said on Sunday that pre-Hajj arrangements for pilgrims performing the pilgrimage under the government scheme this year were in the “final stages,” vowing to ensure the best possible facilities for people.

The annual Islamic pilgrimage is expected to take place this year in June. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed the Hajj Agreement 2025 in January, according to which 179,210 Pakistanis are expected to perform the pilgrimage this year. The quota was divided equally between government and private schemes.

“All pre-Hajj arrangements both here and in Saudi Arabia are in their final stages,” Sardar Muhammad Yousaf, Pakistan’s minister for religious affairs, told reporters at a press conference in Lahore. 

He said around 90,000 pilgrims were expected to perform Hajj under the government’s scheme this year, promising to ensure the best possible facilities for them. 

“And there too every year, the Saudi government makes the best possible arrangements and provides pilgrims with better facilities,” the minister said. 

The minister said Hajj operations will begin from Apr. 29 when the first flight will depart from Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore. 

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday constituted a three-member inquiry committee to probe why Pakistan had failed to comply with the Kingdom’s Hajj 2025 policy and, as a result not availed a large number of private Hajj quotas for pilgrims. 

“The prime minister has constituted a committee and directed them to present a report on the matter within three working days,” Yousaf said. 

Responding to Pakistani nationals who travel to Saudi Arabia on an Umrah visa and are found begging there, the minister said that the government has taken strict notice of it. 

“If any [tour] company here takes such [beggars] it will be blacklisted and fined,” Yousaf said. “And any person caught there will be deported.” 

Topics: Hajj 2025 Pakistan Saudi Ties

Nationalist party accuses Pakistan police of stopping march for Baloch rights activists’ release

Nationalist party accuses Pakistan police of stopping march for Baloch rights activists’ release
Updated 06 April 2025
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Nationalist party accuses Pakistan police of stopping march for Baloch rights activists’ release

Nationalist party accuses Pakistan police of stopping march for Baloch rights activists’ release
  • Balochistan National Party-Mengal plans to lead march from Lakpass to Quetta to demand release of Dr. Mahrang Baloch, other activists
  • Balochistan government says protesters won’t be allowed to close highways, BNP-M chief will be arrested if he moves toward Quetta
Updated 06 April 2025
SAADULLAH AKHTER

QUETTA: The senior leader of a prominent Baloch nationalist party on Sunday accused Balochistan police of stopping “peaceful” supporters from marching toward the provincial capital of Quetta to demand the release of rights activists, as authorities warned of stern action against anyone violating a ban on public gatherings. 

The Balochistan National Party (BNP-M), led by lawmaker Sardar Akhtar Mengal, on Friday announced its supporters would march from Lakpass toward Quetta after two rounds of talks with officials failed to yield any results.

The BNP-M is demanding the release of Baloch Yakjehti Committee’s (BYC) top leader, Dr. Mahrang Baloch, and several of her colleagues who were arrested on Mar. 22 after staging a sit-in outside the University of Balochistan. Pakistani authorities charged them with “terrorism,” sedition and murder following a protest in which three demonstrators were killed, according to police documents.

Sanaullah Baloch, a senior BNP-M leader, said police stopped the party’s march from Lakpass, an area between Quetta and Mastung cities, from proceeding further toward Quetta on Sunday morning. 

“We started our march toward Quetta this morning but the police stopped us, citing the imposition of section 144,” Baloch told Arab News, referring to a legal provision that empowers authorities to ban public gatherings of more than four people to maintain law and order.

He said the provincial government has deployed a “large number of troops” at Lakpass who have surrounded the area to stop the march. 

“We are peaceful and we will attempt again to start our march for the release of our detained daughters including Dr. Mahrang Baloch,” he vowed. 

Separately, Mengal took to social media platform X and alleged that a major operation against the party was “imminent.”

“I call upon all districts to immediately shut down all national highways in protest,” he wrote. “Let the world witness this injustice. We remain peaceful, but resolute. Whatever unfolds today— the consequences, the blood, the fallout— will rest solely on the shoulders of the government and the local administration.”

Shahid Rind, spokesperson of the Balochistan provincial government, replied to Mengal’s post on X by saying that he was informed around 6:00 am that he would be detained by authorities under the Maintenance of Public Order ordinance. 

“Sardar Akhtar Mengal refused to be arrested,” Rind wrote. “The administration and police clearly told him that if he moves toward Quetta, he will be arrested and that’s why the law enforcement agencies are there.”

He said the BNP-M’s call to block highways will increase the masses’ problems. 

“The administrations of all districts have clear instructions that the national highways will not be closed,” the official said. 

Rind had warned the BNP-M a day earlier that it would not be allowed to enter the Red Zone, a high-security area in Quetta housing key government buildings. 

“The provincial government is ready to allow Mengal and his party to protest at Sariab Road [in Quetta], but he is adamant on entering the Red Zone,” Rind said on Saturday. 

“The Government of Balochistan will not allow anyone to violate Section 144, and action will be taken against protesters,” he added. 

On Friday, Pakistan’s top army generals met to review the national security situation and pledged not to let “foreign-backed proxies” and their “political supporters” destabilize Balochistan.

Authorities have long claimed a nexus between the separatist Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) militants and BYC activists, an allegation the latter denies.

The crackdown on BYC leaders followed a deadly train attack last month in Balochistan, in which BLA separatists took hundreds of passengers hostage. The standoff lasted nearly 36 hours until the army launched a rescue operation, killing 33 militants.

A final count showed 26 passengers had also died in the incident.

Topics: Balochistan National Party Mengal Quetta protest BNP-M Baloch Yakjehti Committee Sardar Akhtar Mengal

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