DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Seventy-year-old Gulzar Ahmad was walking past a park near his home in the city of D.I. Khan, in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, when he heard roars of laughter. A group of men of all ages were laughing as though they had just heard a really good joke. But, Ahmad noticed, no one was telling jokes or even really talking.
“In the beginning I thought they were some crazy people — now I am one of them,” he said.
What Ahmad was witnessing was people indulging in laughter therapy, which aims to reduce stress. It was part of a yoga session, which until recently was something that not many people in the district were familiar with.
If anywhere needs its share of laughs, it is D.I. Khan. Dera Ismail Khan, to give it its full name, is the adjoining district to South Waziristan, which is one of seven tribal districts in Pakistan and shares a border with Afghanistan. Following the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, there was a huge influx of refugees in South Waziristan, which spilled over into D.I.Khan.
Subsequent military operations in the region added to the upheaval for residents of the underdeveloped district.
The first yoga group in the city was established at Haq Nawaz Park in 2015 by Mohammed Khalid Ali Zai, a retired military colonel.
“I wanted to do something for my native region, where I was born,” he said. “The people of the city have faced the brunt of terrorism, which spoils their lives.
That’s why I wanted to serve the population and help them keep physically fit.
“The city no longer belongs only to the people of D.I. Khan but also to the adjacent Waziristani people as well. They have been targeted by a plague of militancy for many years, which has destroyed them financially, mentally and psychologically. My dream is to see the public parks full of people and the hospitals empty.”
With people of all ages increasingly falling victim to a variety of skin, eye, stress and anxiety-related diseases, a new yoga and fitness club has opened in the heart of the city to help people stay healthy and overcome any problems. The Town Hall Yoga Club, which is for women only, provides basic fitness training and classes free of charge in the afternoons and evenings.
“Here, the majority of women are housewives and busy with domestic activities,” said Ghazala Shaheen, a yoga instructor at the club. “This is the perfect place where they can come and exercise, which ultimately helps them relieve their stress. Staying at home has made these women the victims of obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and other diseases.”
She said that that the popularity of the club has grown quickly: “We started with just few ladies but now, after only two weeks, we have about 60. I am hopeful that soon the numbers will rise and we will have to open new centers.”
It’s not only older women who are showing interest in the sessions, but also college and university students.
“D.I. Khan is a small city,” said Sana, a student at Gomal University. “It has few options for going out. We are feeling much better, mentally and physically, since the opening of this yoga center. Its not just a place to practice yoga but a good way to mingle with other people.”
She has also noticed improvements to her health and wellbeing, too. “Before we used to breath through our mouths. Yoga has taught us to close our mouths and inhale through our noses, which is the first step of yoga,” she said, adding that the trainers have shown her how to improve the condition of her body and respiratory system.
Nizamuddin Mehsud, a welfare officer in the city who hails from the Makin subdivision of South Waziristan, said that Yoga sessions had helped him improve his digestive system and lose weight.
“I can feel huge difference in my health,” he said, “I would recommend yoga, especially for elderly people. It’s a very good activity and helps in reducing the pain that our people have been carrying in their heads for more than a decade.”
Shoaib Alizai is a lawyer in D.I. Khan and also works as an instructor at the yoga center.
“I am happy to see more and more people joining the sessions,” he said. “Now we are conducting our sessions twice a day, morning and afternoon. There is no age restriction. Now even kids are joining us, which is very encouraging. We are seeing good results among people with diabetes, obesity and orthopedic problems.”
Doctor Muhammad Waseem Akbar, chairman of the department of media studies at Gomal University, teamed up with Khalid Ali Zai to raise awareness of the benefits of yoga among the people of the city. It was not easy at first to convince people to attend the sessions. Initially, they started practicing yoga in public parks, where they could reach people easily. As the movement gained momentum, at least six yoga centers were established in the city.
“This region had faced a lot of hardships in many ways, be it economic, psychological or financial,” said Akbar. “I felt a lot of stress among the students and that was the triggering point to launch something new for the local community that could eventually help them find peace.
“Our basic aim was attract people who had been suffering from psychiatric and psychological diseases, as those people can contract other diseases in hospitals. Such patients need an alternative place with a good environment where they can exchange their views.”
The war on terror has had a huge impact on the lives of people in the region and it will take time to heal, he added.
“Now the people are coming to us after seeing the effects that Yoga can have on their lives and bodies,” said Akbar.
Yoga trends in D.I. Khan — once a Taliban gateway
Yoga trends in D.I. Khan — once a Taliban gateway
Five injured in shooting at aid convoy en route to violence-hit Pakistani district
- More than 130 people have died in the remote district since Nov. 21 in clashes over land, sectarian disputes
- The clashes have disconnected Kurram from the provincial capital, causing medicine, food and fuel shortages
ISLAMABAD: Five people, including a top administration official, were injured after unidentified gunmen opened fire on an aid convoy en route to a restive Pakistani district that has been hit by sectarian clashes in recent weeks, officials said on Saturday.
Kurram, a northwestern district of around 600,000 people in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, has been rocked by tribal and sectarian clashes since Nov. 21 when gunmen attacked a convoy of Shia passengers, killing 52.
The attack sparked further violence and blockade of a main road connecting Kurram’s main town of Parachinar with the provincial capital of Peshawar, causing medicine, food and fuel shortages in the area, as casualties surged to 136.
Saturday’s gun attack occurred near Bagan, a tense locality in the district’s center, as Deputy Commissioner (DC) Javedullah Mehsud and other officials led an aid convoy to Kurram, leaving the top officials and four security men injured.
“The deputy commissioner has been shifted from Alizai Hospital to Tal CMH [Combined Military Hospital],” said Muhammad Ali Saif, a spokesman for the KP provincial government.
“The deputy commissioner’s surgery is ongoing, but his condition is out of danger.”
Kurram police spokesman Riaz Khan told Arab News the attack injured DC Mehsud, his police guard and three members of the Frontier Corps (FC) paramilitary force.
“The deputy commissioner suffered gunshot injuries to his legs and shoulder,” the police official said.
Mehsud was leading the convoy of 17 trucks, which were carrying tents, blankets, medical kits, tarpaulins, solar lamps and sleeping bags.
“The convoy has been temporarily stopped,” Saif said. “The clearance process is ongoing, and the convoy will be sent to Kurram soon.”
Provincial authorities have previously air-dropped relief goods and airlifted ailing and injured people from Kurram to Peshawar via helicopters.
Saturday’s gun attack comes days after a grand jirga, or council of political and tribal elders formed by the KP provincial government, brokered a peace agreement between the warring Shia and Sunni tribes, following weeks of efforts.
Under the peace agreement signed on Wednesday, both sides had agreed on the demolition of bunkers and the handover of heavy weapons to the authorities within two weeks, but the attack on the aid convoy has once again cast a cloud on peace in the restive district.
“The situation is under control and security is on high alert. The government will restore peace in the region at all costs,” Saif said, urging both Sunni and Shia sides to remain peaceful and not fall prey to the “conspiracy.”
According to the peace agreement, any party that launches an attack after the signing of the deal will be considered a “terrorist” and action will be taken against it. Another point of the agreement says that a fine of Rs10 million ($35,933) will be imposed on those who would violate the terms of the deal by using weapons against each other.
Land disputes in the volatile district will be settled on a priority basis with the cooperation of local tribes and the district administration, according to the peace agreement. Opening of banned outfits’ offices will be prohibited in the district, while social media accounts spreading hate will be discouraged via collective efforts backed by the government.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur condemned the shooting incident near Bagan.
“The incident is a deliberate and nefarious but unsuccessful attempt to sabotage peace efforts,” CM Gandapur was quoted as saying by his office.
“The provincial government, with the cooperation of the area elders, will continue its efforts until complete peace is restored in the area.”
Pakistan tops world chart in financial losses due to Internet shutdowns in 2024
- Internet disruptions lasted 9,735 hours in Pakistan and impacted 82.9 million users last year
- The South Asian country of more than 240 million people incurred a total of $1.62 billion losses
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan suffered highest financial losses in the world this past year due to Internet outages and shutdown of social media applications, a global Internet monitor said this week.
The South Asian country of more than 240 million people remained the single most affected nation in the world in 2024, incurring a total of $1.62 billion financial losses.
This was higher than the cost in civil war-ravaged countries like Sudan and Myanmar, according to a report released by Top10VPN.com, an independent VPN reviewer, on Jan. 2.
The monitor said Internet disruptions lasted 9,735 hours in Pakistan and impacted 82.9 million users, citing election and protests as major reasons behind these outages in the South Asian country.
“Asia was by far the most-affected region, thanks to the particularly impactful Internet restrictions in Pakistan, Myanmar, Bangladesh and India,” it said. “These nations were four of the six most-affected countries in 2024.”
In Feb. 2024, Pakistan held its general election that was marred by a mobile Internet shutdown and unusually delayed results, leading to accusations that it was rigged and drawing concern from rights groups and foreign governments. Pakistani election authorities denied the allegations.
Opposition parties, mainly former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, held several protest rallies last year to demand an audit of the election results. Day later, social media website X went down in Pakistan, with the government saying the block was for “security reasons.”
Worldwide, according to Top10VPN.com, Internet shutdowns caused economic losses of $7.69 billion in 2024. These outages lasted 88,788 hours, a 12 percent increase from 2023 and highest to date, and affected 648.4 million people across the globe.
“This kind of deliberate outage is Internet censorship in its most extreme form,” the monitor said. “Not only do they infringe on citizens’ digital rights but they are also catastrophic acts of national economic self-sabotage.”
The calculations were made using the Cost of Shutdown Tool (COST), based on indicators from the World Bank and other global institutions.
Pakistan weekly inflation records slight decrease after rising for three consecutive weeks
- Major decrease observed in prices of tomatoes, electricity, potatoes, eggs, liquefied petroleum gas and wheat flour
- Pakistan’s annual consumer inflation eased further to 4.1 percent in Dec. 2024, according to the country’s statistics bureau
ISLAMABAD: Short-term inflation, measured by the Sensitive Price Index (SPI), has witnessed a slight decrease in Pakistan, the country’s statistics bureau said this week, after increasing for three weeks in a row.
The SPI, which comprises 51 essential items collected from 50 markets in 17 cities, is computed on a weekly basis to assess the price movement of essential commodities at a shorter interval of time to review the price situation in the country.
The SPI for the week ending on Jan. 2 decreased 0.26 percent on a week-on-week basis, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS). Weekly inflation last decreased by 0.34 percent in Pakistan in the week ending on Dec. 5.
“During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 18 (35.29 percent) items increased, 10 (19.61 percent) items decreased and 23 (45.10 percent) items remained stable,” the PBS said in its report.
Major decrease was observed in the prices of tomatoes (13.48 percent), electricity charges for Q1 (7.48 percent), potatoes (5.59 percent), eggs (0.23 percent), garlic (0.21 percent), liquefied petroleum gas (0.18 percent) and wheat flour (0.09 percent).
The items whose prices increased during the week included chicken (10.28 percent), onions (4.93 percent), bananas (1.68 percent), diesel (1.18 percent), sugar (0.95 percent), jaggery (0.58 percent), vegetable ghee 2.5 Kg (0.53 percent) and petrol (0.21 percent).
Pakistan’s annual consumer inflation eased further to 4.1 percent in Dec. 2024, according to the PBS. Consumer inflation cooled from 4.9 percent in November, a sharp drop from a multi-decade high of nearly 40 percent in May 2023.
Pakistan condemns Israel’s ‘deliberate’ targeting of Gaza hospitals, calls for accountability
- The statement comes a week after Israeli forces burned Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza, forcefully removing patients and staff
- Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 45,000 people and forced hundreds of thousands to migrate since Oct. 2023
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has condemned Israel’s “deliberate” targeting of hospitals, patients and wounded people in Gaza, and called for its accountability over attacks on health infrastructure and other crimes.
The statement came a week after Israeli forces burned Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza and forcefully removed patients and medical staff from the facility, hospital officials said.
In its campaign since Oct. 2023 attacks by Hamas, Israel’s military has targeted hospitals, schools and residential neighborhoods in Gaza, killing more than 45,000 people and forcing hundreds of thousands to migrate, according to Palestinian officials.
Ambassador Asim Iftikhar, Pakistan’s alternate permanent representative to the United Nations, called the destruction of Kamal Adwan Hospital, the last operational major facility in northern Gaza, an “atrocity that shocks the conscience of humanity.”
“The deliberate targeting of hospitals, medical personnel, patients and wounded defies every principle of [international] humanitarian law and has no justification whatsoever,” he told a UN Security Council session on the collapse of health services in besieged Gaza.
“Not just condemnation, there must be accountability for these crimes.”
Between Oct. 2023 and Jun. 2024, at least 136 strikes were carried out on 27 hospitals and 12 other medical facilities, according to the Pakistani diplomat. More than 500 health care workers lost their lives due to the Israeli military campaign in Gaza.
He said 22 of Gaza’s 38 hospitals were rendered non-functional by June 2024 that had left the health care system on “the verge of collapse,” calling for a “decisive action” for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire to halt bloodshed and destruction in Gaza and lifting of the enclave’s inhumane blockade to ensure the flow of food, medical supplies and humanitarian aid for those in “desperate need.”
Pakistan does not recognize nor have diplomatic relations with Israel and calls for an independent Palestinian state based on “internationally agreed parameters.”
The South Asian country has dispatched several relief consignments for Gaza, besides establishing the ‘Prime Minister’s Relief Fund’ that aims to collect public donations for the war-affected people.
Protesters block key Pakistan-China trade route over power outages in Gilgit-Baltistan
- Residents report facing 20-hour outages despite the construction of several power stations
- Officials say the region relies on hydropower, which is disrupted in winter due to freezing rivers
KHAPLU, Gilgit-Baltistan: A key land route connecting Pakistan and China was blocked indefinitely by angry protesters in northern Gilgit-Baltistan on Friday, as hundreds of them staged sit-ins against prolonged power outages in the region.
The Karakoram Highway (KKH), a vital trade route between the two countries, was obstructed at Ali Abad, a significant point in the Hunza Valley. The area has witnessed a gradual increase in trade activity following an agreement between Pakistan and China to keep the Khunjerab Pass open year-round to facilitate economic exchanges.
Last month, Pakistan’s National Logistics Corporation conducted its first international cargo transportation via the border, moving goods from China to the United Arab Emirates.
“Hunza is experiencing severe power outages,” Zahoor Ilahi, a protest leader from the Awami Workers Party, told Arab News over the phone. “That’s why we have blocked the Karakoram Highway.”
“The highway has been blocked for all kinds of traffic at Ali Abad since afternoon, and we will not end the sit-in until our demands are met,” he added. “The government is not running the thermal station generators, and all parts of Hunza are facing over 20 hours of power crisis.”
Protests were also held in other parts of Hunza, including Sost and Gulmit, with shutter-down strikes observed against the prolonged power crisis.
“There has been no progress in the power sector for the last three to four years in Hunza,” Rehan Shah, a local resident of the area, told Arab News. “The speed of work on the power projects is very slow, and all residents want an uninterrupted supply of electricity.”
Shah said the protests were jointly organized by various political parties and trade associations in the region.
Meanwhile, protests were also observed in other parts of Gilgit-Baltistan, including Danyor in Gilgit city.
Speaking to Arab News, Advocate Ehsan Ali, president of the Awami Action Committee, said that most districts in the region were facing prolonged power cuts.
“The duration of the power crisis in Gilgit city is about 20 hours,” he said. “Skardu is facing 21 to 22 hours of power cuts, and Hunza is also experiencing the same. Similarly, districts like Ghizer and Chilas are also dealing with the worst kind of power outages.”
“Millions of rupees have been spent on power projects, but unfortunately, none are producing enough electricity,” he said. “In the 21st century, electricity is still unavailable here.”
Hamid Hussain, an engineer at the Gilgit-Baltistan Water and Power Department, acknowledged the issue but attributed it to technical reasons, saying the region heavily relied on hydropower, which often faced disruption in winter due to the freezing of rivers and lakes.
“There are 137 power stations in Gilgit-Baltistan,” he told Arab News. “The installed capacity of these power stations is 190 megawatts. However, power generation is 140 megawatts during the summer while 76 megawatts during the winter due to the low flow of water.”
“The residents of Hunza are demanding thermal generators,” he added. “But we can’t run them due to financial reasons. There are many thermal generators in Gilgit, but we can’t fulfill people’s demand due to the high fuel cost.”
Hussain said his department would run the thermal generators to reduce the power crisis if the government decided to release funds.
