ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Minister for Science and Technology, Fawad Chaudhary, said Indian and Pakistani scientists were “very capable” but that the Indian leadership had endangered space through its recently failed lunar missions.
The latest, $145 million space mission, Chandrayaan, Sanskrit for “moon craft,” was launched in July this year, poised to make India the first country in the world to probe the unexplored lunar south pole. On Saturday, India’s space agency said it had lost contact with its spacecraft just as it was about to touch down. The cause of the failure is not yet known.
In March, India intentionally destroyed one of its satellites called ‘Shakti’ with a missile, in a move NASA described as “unacceptable” as the resulting debris posed a significant risk to the safety of astronauts on board the International Space Station.
“With the irresponsible attitude India have shown towards space, (India) is actually playing havoc with... humanity,” Chaudhary told Arab News.
“Once powered descent starts, we have no control over it,” Kailasavadivoo Sivan, chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) said at his last press appearance on Saturday. “We have done all the simulation possible, for systems and subsystems, done whatever is humanly possible.”
Chaudhary said the larger issue was the political paradigm of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and called India’s space ambitions “political gimmicks.”
“Indian leadership is actually playing havoc with their own people. Our galaxies are delicate,” he said.
Pakistan announced in July that it would send its first astronaut into space by 2022.
Indian leadership endangering space, says Fawad Chaudhary
Indian leadership endangering space, says Fawad Chaudhary
- Indian Chandrayaan, a $145 million robotic moon mission, appears to have crashed on Friday
- Pakistan minister calls Indian space ambitions PM Modi’s “political gimmickry”
Afghan refugees suffer ‘like prisoners’ in Pakistan crackdown
- Millions of Afghans have traveled to Pakistan over the four decades, fleeing successive conflicts
- Pakistani officials have blamed these refugees for launching militant attacks, stoking political unrest
ISLAMABAD: The space in which refugee Shaharzad has to live has shrunk to the small courtyard of a guesthouse in Pakistan’s capital, reminiscent of her life under Taliban rule in Afghanistan.
She fears being swept up in a wave of anti-Afghan sentiment, including reports of harassment, extortion and arrests by Pakistan authorities who have cracked down on mainly undocumented families living there.
“For Afghans, the situation here is terrible and the behaviour of the Pakistani police is like that of the Taliban,” said Shaharzad, who lives in constant fear of being deported with her children.
Her son was recently detained while walking in a park, when “the police asked him for money instead of documents,” she said.
The government cited spiking militant attacks claimed by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, also known as the Pakistani Taliban, for a campaign last summer that evicted some 750,000 Afghans, mostly undocumented.
In recent months, however, Islamabad and the police have also started alleging Afghan involvement in opposition unrest over the imprisonment of former prime minister Imran Khan.
Afghans who are waiting to be relocated to Western nations say they are being caught up in the political tensions.
“After coming here, we feel like we are out of the frying pan and into the fire,” said Afghan Mustafa, who is waiting with his family for visas to the United States.
The 31-year-old said his family cannot go out freely to buy groceries and medicine for fear of arrest.
“If they know you are an Afghan, whether you have the visa or not, they will arrest you or will extort you,” he said.
More than three years after the Afghan Taliban returned to power in Kabul, the United States and European countries have yet to reopen their embassies there, forcing Afghans to complete their applications from within Pakistan.
Shaharzad was told to travel to Pakistan by a European nation that said it would process her onward visa from the capital Islamabad.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry called on Western nations in July to expedite the relocation of more than 44,000 Afghans living in Pakistan and awaiting relocation to the United States, Australia, Canada, Germany and Britain.
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.
Some 600,000 Afghans have fled to Pakistan since the Taliban government took over again in August 2021 and implemented their austere version of Islamic law.
According to UNHCR, Pakistan currently hosts some 1.5 million Afghan refugees and asylum-seekers, alongside more than 1.5 million Afghans of different legal statuses.
A campaign to deport undocumented Afghans was launched as political ties between the neighboring governments frayed and Pakistan’s economic and security woes worsened.
A wave of political protests in the capital in support of jailed former premier Khan last month saw a new spike of about 30 arrests of Afghans, according to officials.
Khan’s heartland is in the ethnic Pashtun belt of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which shares close cultural and linguistic ties with Afghan Pashtuns.
Muhammad Khan, an Afghan community leader in Islamabad, said the protests were used as a cover to intimidate Afghans.
Clashing with the official account, he claimed close to 200 Afghans were arrested over several days, including during raids on guesthouses.
“Afghan refugees are the sacrificial lambs for Pakistan’s domestic problems and the tensions between the governments in Islamabad and Kabul,” Khan said, denying the involvement of Afghans in Pakistani political activities.
Pakistan’s interior ministry did not respond to a request for comment.
Imaan Mazari, a human rights lawyer who defends arrested Afghans in Islamabad courts, said the protests have led to a spike in “racial profiling (of Afghans) in Islamabad and Rawalpindi,” just south of the capital.
The police have been given “a completely free license to pick up whoever they want, extort them (and) exploit them.”
The provincial Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, who led the recent protests, said hostility toward Afghans has spread to Pakistani Pashtuns.
In a letter to Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, he accused the police of the “arbitrary rounding up” of “Pashtun laborers in Islamabad” and warned that “such actions risk fostering a sense of alienation and exclusion among communities.”
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said it was “deeply concerned by the alleged ethnic profiling of ordinary Pashtun citizens” and called on Islamabad police to refrain from actions “that create divisions among various communities living in the country.”
The Afghan embassy in Islamabad has denied any involvement by Afghans in political activities in Pakistan.
“This policy (of blaming the Afghans) brings no benefit to Pakistan and will only deepen the mistrust between the two neighboring countries,” it said in a statement.
For Afghans in limbo as they wait to be relocated, life has become similar to what they left behind in Afghanistan.
“We have become like prisoners, we go out very rarely and only when we really have to,” Mustafa said.
Pakistani religio-political factions ends Karachi sit-in after peace agreement reached in Kurram
- Majlis Wahdat-ul-Muslimeen had camped at over 10 locations in Karachi since last week to protest Kurram violence
- The conflict started on November 21 when 52 people were killed in an ambush targeting a local convoy of residents
KARACHI: A Pakistani religio-political party announced on Wednesday an end to its sit-in protests in the southern port city of Karachi after warring tribes in Pakistan’s northwestern Kurram district signed a peace agreement to end prolonged violence that started in November.
The Majlis Wahdat-ul-Muslimeen (MWM) had been leading demonstrations at over 10 locations in Karachi since last week to protest the violence in Kurram, which has long been plagued by tribal and sectarian clashes.
The unrest escalated after a deadly ambush on a convoy on November 21 killed 52 people, mostly Shias, triggering clashes that have since claimed at least 136 lives in the district, home to a population of around 600,000.
“I announce the conclusion of the sit-ins and protests held in Pakistan and around the world in support of the oppressed people of Kurram district,” Senator Allama Raja Nasir, the leader of MWM, said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. “From Karachi to Khyber, the elderly, youth and women who braved harsh cold weather to hold sit-ins in solidarity with their compatriots are remarkable and unparalleled individuals who awakened the government and security institutions from their slumber.”
He described the peace agreement as a positive development, adding that his party would continue to raise its voice and strive for the permanent resolution of Kurram’s issues until the agreement was fully implemented.
The sit-ins in Karachi had disrupted life in the port city, drawing sharp warnings from the Sindh administration that threatened stern action if demonstrators did not move their protests to designated spots.
Tensions boiled over earlier this week when law enforcement officials clashed with protesters in Karachi.
Meanwhile, in Kurram, warring factions signed the peace agreement on Wednesday following weeks of mediation by a grand jirga — a council of tribal and political elders formed by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) provincial government.
Under the agreement, both sides pledged to dismantle bunkers, surrender heavy weapons to the government, and refrain from using arms against each other.
“Both sides have agreed on the demolition of bunkers and the handover of heavy weapons,” KP government spokesperson Muhammad Ali Saif said in a statement. “We congratulate the people of Kurram on the signing of the peace agreement, which will usher in a new era of peace and prosperity in Kurram.”
Saif added the agreement would ensure a return to normalcy in the district.
According to the agreement, violations will trigger government action with the cooperation of a peace committee against the offending area.
Kurram, situated along Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan, has a history of violent tribal conflicts and militant attacks. A major conflict between Sunni and Shia tribes erupted in 2007 and continued for years before a jirga-mediated truce was reached in 2011.
Pakistan vows to work with other states to address global conflicts at the onset of UNSC term
- Pakistan has replaced Japan on the Asia seat as a non-permanent Security Council member for two years
- A formal flag-raising ceremony will be held at the UN headquarters today to welcome the new members
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Thursday Pakistan would work closely with United Nations member states as the country started its two-year term on the UN Security Council with a pledge to strive for an end to global conflicts and mitigate the impact of great power rivalries.
This marks the eighth time Pakistan has taken a seat as a non-permanent member of the UNSC since joining the world body in 1947.
The 15-member council includes five permanent members — the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom and France — and 10 non-permanent members elected for two-year terms.
Non-permanent members play a crucial role by contributing to discussions on global peace and security, as well as influencing the drafting of resolutions.
“Pakistan has proudly assumed its seat at the United Nations Security Council for the term 2025-26,” Sharif said in a statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“We remain fully committed to the UN Charter and its principles,” he continued. “During its term, Pakistan looks forward to playing a constructive role at the UNSC and working closely with other members of the Security Council to contribute to global peace and security.”
A formal flag-raising ceremony will be held at the UN headquarters in New York on Thursday to welcome the incoming members of the Council. Pakistan replaces Japan on the Asian seat, joining Denmark, Greece, Panama and Somalia as new non-permanent members for the 2025-26 term.
Speaking a day earlier, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Munir Akram, highlighted the country’s commitment to addressing global challenges.
“As a responsible state — the fifth largest by population — Pakistan will play an active and constructive role, in accordance with the UN Charter, to halt wars, promote the pacific settlement of disputes and contain the negative impacts of great power rivalries, the arms race, new weapons and domains of conflict as well as the spreading scourge of terrorism,” he said.
The federal cabinet also hailed Pakistan’s assumption of the UNSC seat, calling it a diplomatic success and an opportunity to enhance the country’s contributions to international peace and security.
Pakistan’s term as a non-permanent member comes amid rising geopolitical tensions and ongoing challenges, including regional conflicts and global economic instability.
Sharif’s government has pledged to use its position to advocate for peaceful dispute resolution and the principles of the UN Charter.
From heartbreak to hope: Polio survivor’s father turns vaccine champion in southwest Pakistan
- Hajji Abdullah Khan started advocating polio vaccination after his son’s diagnosis in 2019
- The 74-year-old worries about his son’s future, as he struggles to walk even short distances
PISHIN, Balochistan: On a crisp December morning, Hajji Abdullah Khan walks through the crumbling streets of Killi Taratt, a small village in Pakistan’s polio-endemic Balochistan province, accompanied by his five-year-old son, Muhammad Hamza, who struggles to walk without support. Their journey is more than just a stroll— it’s a mission to meet villagers ahead of a province-wide anti-polio vaccination campaign.
Polio, which causes crippling paralysis and has no cure, remains a persistent threat to young children. Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries in the world where polio is still endemic, despite Islamabad’s decades-long eradication efforts that began in 1994.
Hamza, the twin brother of a sister, was diagnosed with Type 1 wild poliovirus in July 2019 after suffering a high fever that prompted his father to take him to a hospital in Quetta. There, doctors confirmed that the boy had contracted the disease.
Since then, 74-year-old Khan has become a vocal advocate for anti-polio campaigns, working to convince hesitant families in his village, located 10 kilometers from Balochistan’s high-risk Pishin district. His efforts are all the more remarkable given his financial constraints, with his family solely dependent on the earnings of four of his children who work as daily wage laborers.
“There are nine children in my home and Hamza is the favorite one of his mother,” Khan told Arab News. “My wife used to hide him from polio teams because of fear that he might catch an evil eye. Since my son was declared a polio-affected child, I have started my struggle of advocating polio vaccine to convince the resisting parents by sharing my tale of suffering with them. Thus, the resistance against polio vaccine has declined in my village and Pishin district.”
Pakistan has reported 67 new polio cases this year amid attacks on polio workers and the security personnel guarding anti-polio vaccination teams in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and southwestern Balochistan provinces, which border Afghanistan. According to the National Emergency Operation Center (NEOC) for Polio Eradication, Balochistan reported the highest number of cases this year, with 27 infections recorded across 13 districts.
Last month, the Balochistan government postponed an anti-polio drive for two weeks due to security threats and logistical challenges arising from a boycott by provincial health staff.
Khan shared that poliovirus had affected Hamza’s left leg and arm, which at times stop functioning completely.
“While he can walk with support, nonetheless, sometimes his leg and arms stop working and he falls on the ground,” he said.
Despite nationwide vaccination drives and endorsements from prominent religious scholars and political figures, many parents in Pakistan remain skeptical of the polio vaccine. Public health studies attribute this hesitancy to factors such as lack of awareness, poverty and rural residency.
Dr. Najeebullah Khan, an official at the Balochistan Emergency Operation Center, said most cases in Balochistan in 2024 involved children whose parents had hidden them during vaccination campaigns.
“We need parents like Hajji Abdullah Khan who have been helping us in saving other children from lifetime disability,” he told Arab News, calling Khan an “ambassador for anti-polio vaccination.”
A sub-national polio vaccination campaign was launched in all 36 districts of the province on December 30 and will continue until January 5.
Dr. Najeebullah expressed optimism about a decline in polio cases in 2025, saying, “We have removed flaws from Union Council to provincial level and reset our strategy for the ... provincial anti-polio drive.”
Khan expressed concern about the future of his son, who barely manages to walk to a nearby seminary for religious education.
“I am worried about my son’s future because when me and my wife will die, my son will keep falling in the streets,” Khan said.
“Who will feed and clean him? No one,” he lamented, urging parents to vaccinate their children at all costs.
Pakistan government, ex-PM Khan party to resume talks to break political deadlock today
- Khan’s party wants political prisoners released, establishment of judicial commissions to investigate protests
- Khan’s ouster in a parliamentary no-confidence vote in April 2022 has plunged Pakistan into a political crisis
Islamabad: Former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party and the government will resume talks today, Thursday, in a bid to break political tensions in the country.
The government and PTI held the first round of formal negotiations on Dec. 23, with the PTI asked to present its demands in writing on Jan. 2. Khan previously rejected talks with the government, saying his party would only talk to the “real powerbrokers” in Pakistan, the all-powerful army.
However, last month he set up a negotiating committee of top party members to open a dialogue with the government for the fulfilment of two demands: the release of political prisoners and the establishment of judicial commissions to investigate protests on May 9, 2023, and Nov. 26, 2024, which the government says involved his party supporters, accusing them of attacking military installations and government buildings.
Khan’s ouster in a parliamentary no-trust vote in 2022 has plunged Pakistan into a political crisis, particularly since the PTI founder was jailed in August last year on corruption and other charges and remains behind bars. His party and supporters have regularly held protests calling for his release, with many of the demonstrations turning violent.
“We doubt their intentions and we think they are just trying to buy time,” Meher Bano Qureshi, a PTI leader, told a private news channel on Wednesday. “But still we are talking to them with an open heart and very seriously.”
The talks opened days after Khan threatened a civil disobedience movement and amid growing concerns he may face trial by a military court for allegedly inciting attacks on sensitive security installations during the May 9, 2023, protests.
National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, who took part in the negotiations last month, said on Dec. 23 that the first round of talks were held in a “cordial” environment, calling them vital to end “political polarization” in the country.
“The opposition will also present a charter of demands in the meeting,” he said.
Khan’s close aide, Asad Qaiser, told reporters that the PTI team had asked the government to release all political prisoners, including the former prime minister, and form a judicial commission, comprising senior Supreme Court judges, to probe the May 9 and Nov. 26 protests.
