In Pakistan, children chomp at the bit to keep first Ramadan fasts

Shehzeen Rashid attends an event to celebrate her Roza Kushai, or first ever fast, in Karachi on May 19, 2019. (AN photo)
Updated 25 May 2019
Follow

In Pakistan, children chomp at the bit to keep first Ramadan fasts

  • Roza Kushai is celebrated across the community with special meals, gifts for the fasting child and alms for the poor
  • In Karachi, the event is commemorated most fervently by Urdu-speaking MoHajjirs who migrated to Pakistan when India was partitioned in 1947

KARACHI: Shehzeen Rashid sat on the stage at her home in downtown Karachi wearing a pale gold dress sprinkled with iridescent diamantes, her hands covered in paisley patterns of henna, and sparkling bracelets adorning her wrists. 
As she giggled and fidgeted nervously with the tiny tikka falling over her forehead, women climbed onto the stage one by one, some kissing her face, others putting garlands around her neck but each one leaving an envelope of money or a gift-wrapped box on the table before her. Many of the guests just wanted to have a picture taken.




Shabana Rashid, the mother of Shehzeen Rashid, puts a garland around her ten-year-old daughter’s neck at an event to celebrate her Roza Kushai, or first ever fast, in Karachi on May 19, 2019. (AN photo)

This scene from last Sunday is not from Shehzeen’s birthday party; neither is she getting married. She’s ten years old and her parents have called more than 200 relatives, friends, and neighbors over to celebrate her ‘Roza Kushai,’ or first ever fast.
Muslims around the world, obligated to fast throughout the holy month of Ramadan, abstain from food and even water between suhoor (the meal at dawn) and iftar (the meal at dusk). The ailing, elderly, pregnant women and young children are usually exempt. 
But when children do keep their first fast, usually between the ages of seven and ten, it is seen as a rite of passage into the grown-up world of discipline and self-control and celebrated across the community with special meals, gifts for the fasting child and alms for the poor. 




Shehzeen’s Qur’an teacher looks on as the ten-year-old reads verses of the holy book at an event to celebrate her Roza Kushai, or first ever fast, in Karachi on May 19, 2019. (AN photo)

In Karachi, Roza Kushai is celebrated most fervently by MoHajjirs, a mostly Urdu-speaking community that migrated to Pakistan when India was partitioned in 1947 after independence from British colonizers. 
“I am really happy, I will always remember this beautiful day,” Shehzeen, who studies in the sixth grade, told Arab News minutes before breaking her first ever fast.
As she said a prayer and ate Ajwa dates, an expensive Saudi variety, she declared proudly: “I didn’t even feel thirsty or hungry all day.”
To ensure this, Shehzeen’s mother Shabana Rashid had prepared chicken curry, a yogurt milk drink of lassi, fluffy paratha bread and tea for her daughter’s suhoor. “But she only ate the paratha, which is her favorite, with yogurt,” Shabana said. 




Shehzeen Rashid with her father Muhammad Rashid and mother Shabana Rashid at an event to celebrate her Roza Kushai, or first ever fast, in Karachi on May 19, 2019. (AN photo)

“I was a bit worried that she may feel thirsty and hungry through the day but she showed patience and never complained,” said the proud mother, adding that she was impressed Shehzeen had powered through her first fast despite Karachi’s humid, sticky summer heat made worse by frequent power cuts. 
In Pakistan, and across the Muslim world, it is up parents to decide when a child has become mature enough to fast, which is usually after the age of ten or twelve. When youngsters insist on fasting too young, parents try to find a compromise to help them feel they are part of a communal activity without draining them completely: they can, for instance, fast by skipping lunch or just abstain from water all day or forgo food from sunrise only until noon. After ten, most parents will allow their children to fast and some will have a significant celebration for the first fast.




Chicken korma curry, biryani rice, and custard are on the menu at an event to celebrate the Roza Kushai, or first ever fast, of Shehzeen Rashid in Karachi on May 19, 2019. (AN photo)

“We never ask a child to keep a fast, is it is not obligatory upon them,” Shahzeen’s father Muhammad Rashid said. “A date [of Roza Kushai] is finalized only once the child has insisted for long and hard that they want to fast.”
He said his own parents, who hailed from the town of Allahabad in India, had arranged similar celebrations when he and his brother kept their first fasts.
“Our religion is not about forcing a child to fast so we try to make it a celebration for our children,” Rashid said. “The idea is to make children happy and bring them close to Allah.”
Shahzeen has had a busy few days preparing for her big day, picking everything “from her wardrobe, bangles and the design of henna to the menu” herself, her mother said. 
“Everything was Shehzeen’s choice,” Shabana said, explaining that children were allowed the responsibility of making all the decisions surrounding their Roza Kushai to help them understand the importance of the obligation of fasting, which is one of the five pillars of Islam.




Muhammad Rashid says he invited around 200 relatives, friends and neighbors at an event to celebrate the Roza Kushai, or first ever fast, of his daughter Shehzeen Rashid in Karachi on May 19, 2019. (AN photo)

“I know that all this is for my first fast only,” Shehzeen said, pointing toward her gifts and the streamers and lights set up on the stage on which she sat. “This won’t happen for every Roza [fast] but I’m still planning to continue fasting until the end of Ramadan.”
Then someone placed a Qur’an in front of Shehzeen and she began to read verses out loud, rocking back and forth as she traced the Arabic lettering with her henna-stained hands as her Qur’an teacher interrupted now and then to fix her pronunciation and her mother and aunts fussed over her, tucking wisps of her hair back into the gold scarf covering the little girl’s head.


Pakistan’s defense minister reports ‘death threat’ to British police, received during subway ride

Updated 14 November 2024
Follow

Pakistan’s defense minister reports ‘death threat’ to British police, received during subway ride

  • Individuals who heckled Khawaja Asif recorded a video, warning he could be stabbed with a knife
  • Pakistani ministers have also complained of harassment by Imran Khan’s followers in the past

ISLAMABAD: Defense Minister Khawaja Asif has lodged a report with the British police over the alleged death threat and abuses hurled at him during a train ride in London, the Pakistan High Commission in the United Kingdom said on Thursday.
A viral video surfaced on social media a day earlier, showing an unidentified man hurling abuses at the Pakistani minister in the native Punjabi language, saying, “Take him away before someone stabs him with a knife.”
While Asif chose to ignore the incident and got off the next stop, he visited the Pakistan High Commission on Thursday to formally report the “death threat” to the UK police and demanding an investigation.
“Khawaja Muhammad Asif lodged a report of the train incident with the local police at the Pakistan High Commission,” said a statement released by the Pakistani diplomatic facility. “He informed the police about the details of the knife threat and harassment incident on the train.”
The incident that took place on the Elizabeth Line is now being investigated by the London Transport police, it added.
“I am on a private visit to London,” Asif was quoted as saying. “I was going to Reading via the Elizabeth Line with a loved one.”
He added that a family of three to four persons “harassed and threatened to kill with a knife and used abusive language” against him while making the video.
“I do not know anyone involved in the incident,” the Pakistan High Commission quoted him as saying. “London Transport Police should use CCTV footage to track down the suspects.”
Asif further said death threats and harassment were a “source of shame” for 1.7 million Pakistanis residing in the UK apart from British citizens.
This is not the first time Pakistani ministers belonging to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s coalition government, led by the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz party, have been heckled or harassed in the UK.
In the past, Pakistan Information Minister Ataullah Tarar and Punjab Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb have endured the same treatment allegedly by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party supporters of jailed former PM Imran Khan.
 


Seven killed in Pakistan’s northwest as militant’s car bomb explodes accidentally

Updated 14 November 2024
Follow

Seven killed in Pakistan’s northwest as militant’s car bomb explodes accidentally

  • The explosion took place in Mir Ali where a militant was fitting a bomb in a car at his residence
  • Blast damaged several nearby homes and wounded 14 people, with some in critical condition

PESHAWAR: A powerful car bomb accidentally detonated at the house of a Pakistani Taliban militant in northwestern Pakistan on Thursday, killing at least two children and five suspected militants, police said.
The explosion took place before dawn in the city of Mir Ali in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province when a man identified a local commander of the militants, Rasool Jan, was fitting a bomb in a car at his house, police official Irfan Khan said.
He said other militants from the Pakistani Taliban group quickly arrived at the scene and removed the bodies of the insurgents who died. Authorities later found the bodies of two children in the rubble of the house, which collapsed in the explosion.
The blast also badly damaged several nearby homes and wounded 14 people, including women. Some of the injured were in critical condition in a hospital, Khan said, but he did not provide details.
The Pakistani Taliban and other insurgents in the region often target security forces with assault rifles, rockets, grenades and suicide car bombings, and Khan said it appeared the car bomb was being prepared for such an attack.
The Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, are separate from the Afghan Taliban but have been emboldened by the group’s takeover of Afghanistan in 2021.
Also Thursday, security forces raided a hideout of insurgents in Harnai, a district in restive southwestern Balochistan province, triggering an intense shootout in which a soldier and three insurgents were killed. During the operation, an army major was killed when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle, the military said in a statement.
Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif paid tribute to whom they called the “martyred soldiers” in separate statements. They said the fight against terrorism will continue until the elimination of all insurgents.
 


Pakistan, Russia call for regional collaboration on Afghanistan amid shared security concerns

Updated 14 November 2024
Follow

Pakistan, Russia call for regional collaboration on Afghanistan amid shared security concerns

  • The call comes as Moscow’s special representative for Afghanistan visits Pakistan for a day
  • Despite security issues, Afghanistan’s neighboring states view its stability as vital for progress

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Russia on Thursday called for greater collaboration among regional states to address the situation in Afghanistan, amid shared concerns over militant violence emanating from the war-torn country.
The call came during a visit by Moscow’s special representative for Afghanistan, Ambassador Zamir Kabulov, who met with Pakistan’s foreign secretary, Amna Baloch, and held detailed discussions with the additional secretary, Ahmad Naseem Warraich, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad.
“The two sides exchanged views on relations with Afghanistan and called for enhanced coordination among regional countries for a peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan,” the foreign office said. “The two sides agreed to remain engaged toward this end.”
The talks come as both nations grapple with security threats linked to Afghanistan. Russia has voiced alarm over Daesh and its attacks, including a concert bombing in Moscow earlier this year that was linked to militants with ties to Afghanistan.
While the Afghan Taliban and Daesh are sworn enemies, Pakistan accuses the Afghan administration of facilitating the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a proscribed militant network blamed for cross-border attacks, an allegation Kabul denies.
Pakistan’s approach to Afghanistan has grown increasingly confrontational since last year as it pressures Kabul to rein in the TTP. By contrast, Russia announced last month it would remove the Taliban from its list of terrorist organizations, signaling a step toward normalizing ties with Afghanistan’s rulers.
Beyond security, Russia is keen to retain its influence in Central Asia and engage in Afghanistan’s economic reconstruction, particularly in energy and infrastructure projects.
Initiatives such as the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) Gas Pipeline and the Trans-Afghan Railway remain key priorities for Moscow, though persistent security challenges have delayed progress.
For Pakistan also, Afghanistan is critical for regional connectivity. Islamabad has offered landlocked Central Asian nations access to its ports, aiming to facilitate trade with global markets via sea routes.
Despite security concerns shared by Afghanistan’s neighboring countries, its stability is viewed as vital to unlocking the economic potential of regional projects.
 


PM Sharif urges nation to perform rain prayers as toxic smog chokes Pakistani cities

Updated 14 November 2024
Follow

PM Sharif urges nation to perform rain prayers as toxic smog chokes Pakistani cities

  • Shehbaz Sharif urges Islamic scholars to play their role in organizing ‘Istisqa’ prayers across the country
  • Toxic smog has enveloped Pakistan’s cultural capital, Lahore, and 17 other districts of Punjab province

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has urged the nation to perform prayers for rainfall, calling on Islamic scholars to take the lead in organizing “Istisqa” prayers, his office announced on Thursday, as worsening air quality continues to endanger the health of millions.
The Istisqa prayer is a special Islamic ritual performed to seek rain, primarily during times of drought or severe water shortages. It symbolizes the community’s humility, repentance and reliance on divine mercy for sustenance.
Toxic smog has enveloped Pakistan’s cultural capital, Lahore, and 17 other districts in Punjab since last month. Health officials report that more than 40,000 people have sought treatment for respiratory illnesses, prompting Punjab authorities to close schools until November 17 to safeguard children’s health.
“PM Sharif appeals to the nation to offer Istisqa prayers for rain,” his office announced in a statement. “Scholars should especially play their role in organizing Istisqa prayers.”
The prime minister noted the rainfall would improve the environment apart from aiding in getting rid of diseases.
“Istisqa prayers should be organized in all mosques under the auspices of the federal government and the provinces,” he was quoted as saying. “In the current situation, there is a dire need for rain.”
A day earlier, Pakistan’s Meteorological Department forecast light rains from Nov. 14-16 in most districts of the country’s populous Punjab province.
The UN children’s agency has warned that the health of 11 million children in Punjab is in danger due to air pollution.
South Asia, particularly India and Pakistan, gets shrouded in intense pollution every winter as cold air traps emissions, dust, and smoke from farm fires.
Pollution could cut more than five years from people’s life expectancy in the region, according to a University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute study last year.
 


Pakistan signs four-year pact with Global Green Growth Initiative to boost climate resilience

Updated 14 November 2024
Follow

Pakistan signs four-year pact with Global Green Growth Initiative to boost climate resilience

  • The agreement will help Pakistan’s transition to a green economy, address water scarcity and deforestation
  • Pakistan has ranked as the fifth most vulnerable country to climate change, with its cities engulfed in smog

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has signed a four-year country program framework agreement with an international green economy organization to advance its sustainable development goals by enhancing climate resilience through green growth initiatives, according to an official statement released on Thursday.
The agreement was signed by Pakistan’s Climate Change Ministry Secretary, Aisha Humera Moriani, and the Global Green Growth Initiative’s (GGGI) Deputy Director-General, Helena McLeod, during a formal ceremony at the United Nations-led Global Climate Conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Pakistan ranks as the fifth most vulnerable country to climate change, according to the Global Climate Risk Index. In 2022, catastrophic floods claimed over 1,700 lives, affected more than 33 million people, and caused economic losses exceeding $30 billion.
While international donors pledged over $9 billion last January to help Pakistan recover from the devastating floods, officials report that little of the pledged amount has been disbursed so far.
“The Ministry of Climate Change & Environmental Coordination and GGGI has signed a four-year Country Programme Framework agreement to advance Pakistan’s sustainable development goals through targeted climate action and green growth interventions,” said the official statement.
On the occasion, McLeod said her organization aimed to facilitate Pakistan’s transition to a green economy through collaboration with national stakeholders to address water scarcity, deforestation and energy challenges “compounded by climate change effects.”
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s Coordinator on Climate Change Romina Khurshid Alam thanked the GGGI for engaging with Pakistan to “mobilize green finance, support climate action frameworks and promote investment” to achieve climate resilience.
Pakistan also regularly faces other climate change-induced effects such as droughts, cyclones, torrential rainstorms and heatwaves.
Currently, record-high air pollution levels have triggered hundreds of hospitalizations, school closures and stay-at-home orders in the eastern city of Lahore and other cities in the populous Punjab province, which has been enveloped in thick, toxic smog since last month.
A mix of low-grade fuel emissions from factories and vehicles, exacerbated by agricultural stubble burning, blanket Lahore and its surroundings each winter, trapped by cooler temperatures and slow-moving winds.
The city of 14 million people stuffed with factories on the border with India regularly ranks among the world’s most polluted cities, but it has hit record levels this month, as has New Delhi.