Pakistan races to protect mountain villages from runaway glaciers

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Local villagers come each day to check on the movement of the Shishper Glacier, as it advances in Hassanabad ravine, Hunza district, Pakistan, May 21, 2019. (Reuters)
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The Shishper Glacier, a black mass of ice and debris, advances in Hassanabad ravine, Hunza district, Pakistan, May 21, 2019. (Reuters)
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A villager points towards the Shishper Glacier, located 4 km away, on a bridge over the Karakoram Highway in Hassanabad village in Hunza district, Pakistan, May 21, 2019. (Reuters)
Updated 30 May 2019
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Pakistan races to protect mountain villages from runaway glaciers

  • Shishper glacier was partly on the move since last july
  • More than a third of the ice in the region would melt by 2100, says reports

HUNZA, Pakistan: A menacing black glacier is bulldozing its way down a valley in northern Pakistan, threatening to cut off a vital road link to China and blocking melt-water that could flood villages below.
Up close, the surging wall of ice almost 200 meters (656 ft) high, above Hassanabad village in Hunza district, cracked and groaned in the May sun as ice and debris fell off in big chunks.
The glacier has been advancing since last July, according to Faheem Baig, a shepherd from the village next to the Karakoram Highway (KKH), 4 km (2.5 miles) downstream of the glacier mouth.
“I went off with my yaks to the summer pasture far up above the glacier in May, and when I came back to get some supplies in October, the valley was completely blocked by this glacier,” he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
“The trail on the mountainside was gone and with great difficulty I made it back over the mountain-top. I had to leave my livestock behind. I couldn’t believe it had moved so fast.”
Shehzad Baig, assistant director of the Gilgit-Baltistan Disaster Management Authority, said the Shishper glacier was on the move partly because it was located on the main Karakoram thrust line where tectonic plates are shifting.
In addition, deposits of snow on the glacier have increased due to larger amounts of snowfall in the winter months over the past five years linked to climate change, he said.
A February report on the Hindu-Kush-Himalayan region from the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) said the Karakoram and western Himalaya areas were seeing more variability and a higher probability of snowfall.
But Philippus Wester from the Nepal-based ICIMOD, who led the study, said that while some glaciers in Pakistan are stable and a few are even gaining ice, they will nonetheless all start to melt in time as the planet heats up.
The report warned that more than a third of the ice in the region would melt by 2100 even if governments took tough action to limit global warming under the 2015 Paris climate agreement.
Hunza District Commissioner Babar Sahib Din, said the 15 km-long Shishper glacier had surged forward 2.5 km since last July, and was now advancing nearly 4 meters per day.
“At this rate it will take around two years to reach the KKH — but we are hopeful that it will stop surging,” said Sahib Din.
FLOOD PREPARATIONS
To the left of Shishper is another glacier, Muchowar, which was once parallel but retreated 4 km from 2006 to 2017, possibly sparked by rock falls linked to local mining activity.
Shishper’s surge ahead means the water coming out of Muchowar as it melts in the summer cannot run down the ravine’s streams, and has formed a lake in the Muchowar Valley.
A month ago, there was a danger that glacial lake would burst, causing floods below. But Sahib Din said the risk had passed as crevices had opened in Shishper with May’s rising temperatures, enabling water to pass through into the stream.
However, there are 72 houses downstream that are at risk from sudden flooding in case bigger crevices open and the water starts flowing faster.
Villagers have been told where to evacuate, and Sahib Din has set up a control room to monitor the situation.
An early warning system for glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) would be invaluable, he and other experts said.
The Green Climate Fund, set up to help developing countries tackle climate change, has granted $37 million to a project to reduce the risks of such floods in northern Pakistan.
Its technical adviser, Abduvakkos Abdurahmanov, who works for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Pakistan, has visited Shishper glacier and believes the work is urgent.
After a bureaucratic delay of over a year as Imran Khan’s government settled into office, the project is finally being implemented.
Sixteen valleys with threatening glaciers will be selected in the Gilgit-Baltistan region and eight in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s mountainous districts after analysis of local vulnerabilities. Abdurahmanov said the government, the UNDP’s partner on the project, had requested work be speeded up to install equipment like sensors to monitor water discharge and glacier movement.
Satellite imagery and drone mapping, meanwhile, will be used to set up early warning systems, he said.
“We can calibrate the risk — but of course it won’t be 100% precise,” he added.
Muhammad Atif, deputy director of the Pakistan Meteorological Department, noted the complexity of glacier-linked dynamics — sometimes a GLOF can be triggered by torrential rains, or a “dry flood” can occur when a lake bursts due to a temperature spike.

WATER WORRIES
Mohammed Ibrahim Khan, UNDP manager for the GLOF project, said lessons had been learned from an earlier pilot project in two mountainous valleys in Chitral and Gilgit ago, financed by the UN Adaptation Fund.
They included the need for better coordination among different government departments and agencies, he said.
Besides GLOFs, the new project will address flash floods, another big problem in these mountainous areas, he added.
Other interventions include building flood prevention structures like gabion walls, and stabilising slopes by planting shrubs with deep roots and fast-growing trees such as poplars.
Disaster official Baig said the project would raise awareness and mobilize communities at risk.
Khan Baig, who lives below Shishper glacier in Hassanabad, knows about its recent movement.
“But I’m hearing all sorts of stories – some say it will stop, others say it will come and destroy our homes and the KKH. I just don’t know,” he shrugged.
His family will move if the worst happens, but that prospect remains a good two years off, he believes.
Residents of Aliabad, one of Hunza’s main towns further up the KKH, are more concerned as their water supply could be cut off in less than a month by the glacier’s advance.
Below is a wooden bridge carrying a large water pipe, which transports water from streams above the glacier to Aliabad.
“This bridge will be eaten up by the surging glacier in 20 days’ time,” said farmer Arman Ali. Every day, he checks how far the glacier has come and worries about the pipe being destroyed.
“Water scarcity is a big issue for us,” he said, adding that local farmers had made irrigation channels for their fields at great cost to themselves.
“Then the glacier just eats them up. Our crops are suffering. But who can confront a glacier? It has a will of its own,” he lamented.


Elephant Madhubala set to reunite with kin on Tuesday after 15-year separation

Updated 16 min 1 sec ago
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Elephant Madhubala set to reunite with kin on Tuesday after 15-year separation

  • Madhubala has languished in Karachi Zoo’s solitary confinement since April 2023 after elephant Noor Jehan died
  • Animal rights activists have campaigned for elephants to be shifted to species-appropriate sanctuaries 

KARACHI: Elephant Madhubala is set to be reunited with her cousins at Karachi’s Safari Park sanctuary on Tuesday after being separated from them for 15 years and spending a year in solitary confinement, an animal welfare organization said. 
Madhubala, one of only three captive elephants in Pakistan, was brought to the country in 2009 along with three other elephants from Tanzania. She and her companion, Noor Jehan, were separated from their kin about 15 years ago and brought to the Karachi Zoo. 

This handout photo, taken and released by FOUR PAWS International, a Vienna-based animal welfare organization, on November 24, 2024, shows Madhubala, one of only three captive elephants in Pakistan, at a zoo in Karachi. (Photo courtesy: FOUR PAWS/Handout)

Noor Jehan passed away in April 2023, leaving Madhubala in solitary confinement at the zoo since then. Animal rights organizations have vigorously campaigned for Madhubala to be shifted to the Safari Park, saying the solitary confinement has taken a toll on her health. 
A team from FOUR PAWS International, a Vienna-based animal welfare organization, has arrived in Karachi to oversee Madhubala’s transfer to the sanctuary. 
“I’m excited to see how Madhubala will react when she meets her cousins,” Dr. Amir Khalil, director of reveal and rescue at FOUR PAWS, told Arab News. 

This handout photo, taken and released by FOUR PAWS International, a Vienna-based animal welfare organization, on November 24, 2024, shows officials from the FOUR PAWS work on a sanctuary being created for Madhubala, one of only three captive elephants in Pakistan, at Safari Park in Karachi. (Photo courtesy: FOUR PAWS/Handout)

“Imagine someone who hasn’t seen their siblings in fifteen years — how will she feel when they finally reunite?”
Animal rights activists have long campaigned against the plight of animals in Pakistan, especially elephants, and demanded they be shifted to “species-appropriate” locations such as the Safari Park.
FOUR PAWS has said the elephant enclosures at Safari Park would have water elements for bathing, skincare and thermoregulation. Enrichments such as hay nets, varying substrates like soil, sand, clay, and sawdust will be provided for Madhubala to dust bathe while the area is secured by elephant-proof fencing.

This handout photo, taken and released by FOUR PAWS International, a Vienna-based animal welfare organization, on November 24, 2024, shows Madhubala, one of only three captive elephants in Pakistan, at a zoo in Karachi. (Photo courtesy: FOUR PAWS/Handout)

Four Paws said in a statement last month that the adaptation work at Karachi’s Safari Park had reached its final stage. Madhubala will be carried from the Karachi Zoo to the Safari Park in a huge transport crate. 
The elephant was trained to enter and exit the crate by herself and sit inside it earlier this year. 
“As part of the final preparations, the focus now lies on completing the landscaping of the elephant enclosure at Safari Park, finalizing enrichment features, and continuing the necessary training of the three elephants, including resuming crate training for Madhubala,” FOUR PAWS said last month.

This handout photo, taken and released by FOUR PAWS International, a Vienna-based animal welfare organization, on November 24, 2024, shows official from the FOUR PAWS works on a sanctuary being created for Madhubala, one of only three captive elephants in Pakistan, at Safari Park in Karachi. (Photo courtesy: FOUR PAWS/Handout)

The relocation, among others, will be witnessed by Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab, the consul general of the United Arab Emirates and the ambassador of Austria.

This handout photo, taken and released by FOUR PAWS International, a Vienna-based animal welfare organization, on November 24, 2024, shows Madhubala, one of only three captive elephants in Pakistan, at a zoo in Karachi. (Photo courtesy: FOUR PAWS/Handout)

 


Pakistan Senate chairman leaves for Saudi Arabia to strengthen bilateral ties

Updated 25 November 2024
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Pakistan Senate chairman leaves for Saudi Arabia to strengthen bilateral ties

  • Yousuf Raza Gillani to meet Saudi Shoura Council chairman, governors of Riyadh and Madinah during visit
  • Pakistan and Saudi Arabia closely cooperate in defense, military, economy, trade and other vital sectors

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Senate Chairman Yousuf Raza Gillani left for a five-day trip to Saudi Arabia on Monday with his visit aimed at strengthening bilateral ties and promoting institutional cooperation between Islamabad and Riyadh, the Senate Secretariat said. 
The invitation to Gillani and his delegation was extended by Saudi Arabia’s Shoura Council, the secretariat said. The Majlis Al-Shoura, or Consultative Council, is a legislative body that advises the Saudi king on issues that are important to Saudi Arabia.
“Chairman Senate Syed Yousuf Raza Gillani has left for a five-day trip to Saudi Arabia with a delegation,” the Senate Secretariat said in a statement. 
“The aim of the visit is to further promote bilateral relations and institutional cooperation.”
The Pakistani delegation will hold high-level meetings with the Shoura Council chairman, governors of Madinah and Riyadh, and conduct other high-level meetings, it said. 
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoy cordial relations that have resulted in close cooperation in defense, military, economic and other sectors. 
Last month, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed investment agreements worth $2.8 billion while Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has pledged to expedite a $5 billion investment portfolio for Islamabad.
Saudi Arabia has frequently bailed Pakistan out of its economic crisis over the years, coming to its aid with loan rollovers and providing oil on deferred payments to Islamabad.


Sri Lankan artist immortalizes Pakistan’s Olympic hero Arshad Nadeem with special painting

Updated 25 November 2024
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Sri Lankan artist immortalizes Pakistan’s Olympic hero Arshad Nadeem with special painting

  • Arshad Nadeem won Pakistan its first Olympic gold medal since 1992 in August with record-breaking javelin throw
  • Titled “The Throw,” Mueen Saheed’s painting features an abstract portrayal of Nadeem and his mother

ISLAMABAD: Sri Lankan artist Mueen Saheed has paid tribute to Pakistani Olympian Arshad Nadeem by dedicating a “special painting” to the sportsman, state-run media recently reported, as a mark of respect for bagging the gold medal for his country earlier this year. 
Nadeem made history at the Paris Olympics in August by setting a new record for the longest javelin throw in the global competition, winning Pakistan its first gold medal since 1992 with a record-breaking 92.97m javelin throw. 
Saheed last week concluded an art cultural tour in Pakistan where he showcased his artwork at three major exhibitions in Lahore and Islamabad.
“Renowned Sri Lankan artist, Mueen Saheed made a memorable addition to his tour of Pakistan by presenting a special painting dedicated to Arshad Nadeem, Pakistan’s celebrated Olympic gold medalist, to the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA),” the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported on Sunday. 
The painting, now a part of the PNCA’s prestigious permanent collection, pays homage to Nadeem’s remarkable achievements and his role in uniting fans across borders.
Titled “The Throw,” the painting features an abstract portrayal of Nadeem and his mother, veiled behind Saheed’s distinctive brushstrokes and use of small squares, the APP said. 
The presentation ceremony at the PNCA in Islamabad, part of the artist’s “Passages of Light” exhibition, was attended by key figures in the arts and culture sector, including PNCA Director General Muhammad Ayoub Jamali and Information Minister Attaullah Tarar. 
“Arshad Nadeem’s story is one of resilience and humility,” Saheed explained. “His victory at the Olympics and the moments of sportsmanship with his Indian counterpart, Neeraj Chopra, were powerful examples of unity in competition.”
Tarar praised Saheed’s gesture, noting the significance of honoring a national hero whose journey resonates beyond sports, inspiring audiences from Pakistan, India, and around the world, the state-run media said.


Belarus President Lukashenko to arrive in Pakistan today amid Islamabad protest

Updated 6 min 48 sec ago
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Belarus President Lukashenko to arrive in Pakistan today amid Islamabad protest

  • Thousands of ex-PM Khan supporters expected to arrive in Pakistan’s capital for anti-government protest
  • Pakistan, Belarus expected to sign several agreements during Aleksandr Lukashenko’s three-day visit

ISLAMABAD: Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko is scheduled to arrive in Pakistan on a three-day visit today, Monday, as thousands of supporters of former prime minister Imran Khan march toward the capital for an anti-government march. 
Pakistan’s state media said last week that Lukashenko was expected to hold talks with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on bilateral cooperation while several agreements would be signed between the two countries. 
His visit comes at a time when thousands of supporters of jailed ex-PM Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party are headed toward Islamabad for a protest “long march.” Khan’s party is demanding his release from prison, independence of the judiciary and protesting against alleged rigging in the February national elections. 
“President of the Republic of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko will undertake three-day visit to Pakistan from today,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported. 
As a 68-member delegation from Belarus arrived in Pakistan’s capital on Sunday ahead of Lukashenko’s visit, Pakistan’s government described the PTI’s protest as a “deliberate conspiracy” against the country’s “honor,” vowing stern action against any persons found violating the law. 
The government last week took measures to enhance security in Islamabad, sealing off key highways and motorways leading to the capital from surrounding areas with shipping containers. 
Security in the capital has also been beefed up with the deployment of paramilitary forces and police while the government has suspended Internet services in areas deemed sensitive for security. 
PTI CARAVAN
Meanwhile, the PTI convoy led by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur left Peshawar around 1:30 p.m. on Sunday and reached Swabi in the evening, where it was joined by protesters from across the province.
The caravan then proceeded to Ghazi Barotha near Punjab, where it encountered blockades and barriers. 
Hajji Fazal Elahi, a PTI provincial lawmaker, told Arab News the party supporters were determined to reach D-Chowk, the protest venue in Islamabad.
“We will go to D-Chowk and cross all the barriers, even if it takes a day or two,” he said.
As per the latest updates, the PTI’s caravan has crossed Ghazi Barotha and reached at the Hazara Interchange.
Meanwhile, sporadic clashes erupted between law enforcers and Khan supporters near Islamabad on Sunday night after they tried to enter the capital from the nearby Rawalpindi city. 
Speaking to Arab News, Sayed Zulfikar Bukhari, a senior PTI leader and close aide to Khan, expressed dismay at the government’s response, saying his party only wanted to hold a peaceful protest.
“There is a heavy crackdown in Rawalpindi, as they [the law enforcement officials] have shot rubber bullets, teargas and also picked up people,” he said on Sunday.


Pakistan says protests cost $684 million daily as Imran Khan’s supporters march on Islamabad

Updated 53 min 24 sec ago
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Pakistan says protests cost $684 million daily as Imran Khan’s supporters march on Islamabad

  • Finance Ministry’s estimates exclude losses from IT, telecom sectors and provincial economies
  • Imran Khan has called for protests demanding his release, with demonstrations also held abroad

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Ministry of Finance has prepared a report estimating economic losses of Rs190 billion ($684 million) per day due to political protests, Federal Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said on Sunday, as supporters of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan march toward Islamabad to demand his release.
The protest, led by Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, has effectively cut off the federal capital from other cities, with authorities using shipping containers to seal all entry and exit points and announcing the closure of all educational institutions in Islamabad.

A view of a convoy by supporters of the former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), as they head toward Islamabad, during an anti-government rally in Peshawar, Pakistan, on November 24, 2024. (REUTERS)

The disruption has also impacted small businesses, with slow Internet and telecom services further compounding the economic losses.
“Protests result in a daily loss of Rs190 billion,” the finance minister said in a statement circulated by his office, warning of repercussions for the national economy.
According to the ministry’s report, the GDP suffers a daily loss of Rs144 billion, accounting for the largest share of the economic impact. Additionally, a decline in exports results in a daily loss of Rs26 billion, while disruptions in foreign direct investment contribute Rs3 billion to the daily losses.

Police personnel stand guard at a closed road before a protest by supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party for Khan's release in Lahore on November 24, 2024. (AFP)

Losses in the IT and telecom sectors are significant but separate from these figures.
“The federal government’s daily loss is Rs190 billion, while provincial losses are even higher,” Aurangzeb noted, without providing detailed provincial breakdowns.
Khan, who has been incarcerated for over a year on charges he claims are politically motivated, has urged his followers to rally both in Pakistan and abroad.

A worker places shipping containers to close a road ahead of a planned rally by supporters of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, in Islamabad, Pakistan, on November 23, 2024. (AP)

PTI supporters in countries such as the United Kingdom, France, Sweden, Spain and Japan have also organized demonstrations, calling for the former prime minister’s release.
As tensions persist, the government remains firm in its resolve to maintain public order, with Finance Minister Aurangzeb stressing that the ongoing unrest is severely undermining the country’s economic recovery efforts.

Supporters of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party and former Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan shout slogans as they take part in a protest rally for the release of their leader Khan, in Peshawar on November 24, 2024. (AN Photo)