Karachi – Sri Lanka’s depleted national cricket squad arrived in Pakistan on Tuesday expressing confidence in security promises by the hosts despite reports that the team could be targeted by militants.
The Sri Lanka team were attacked in Lahore in 2009 and since then most international teams have refused to tour the South Asian country, leaving Pakistan to play nearly all their “home” games in the United Arab Emirates.
Ten senior players citing security concerns have opted out of the tour, comprising three one-day internationals and three Twenty20 matches, beginning on Friday.
But the rest arrived in Karachi later on Tuesday and were whisked to their hotel under heavy security.
The captain of the Twenty20 squad, Dasun Shanaka, said he had no misgivings about returning to Pakistan after they played a Twenty20 international in Lahore on October 2017, their first since the 2009 attack.
“I have been there before,” Shanaka told reporters just before the team left Colombo, where they were blessed by saffron-robed Buddhist monks.
“I am satisfied with the security arranged for us and I am happy to lead my team to Pakistan. We hope to give a good fight to our very strong hosts.”
ODI skipper Lahiru Thirimanne said he also had no concerns and they had been given assurances of a very high degree of protection in Pakistan, usually reserved for visits by heads of state.
Sri Lanka’s cricket board received the all-clear from the defense ministry last week to go ahead with the tour after establishing that there was no threat.
The 2009 attack left six players injured when gunmen attacked their bus. Six Pakistan policemen and two civilians were killed.
Sri Lanka squad arrive in Pakistan despite security concerns
Sri Lanka squad arrive in Pakistan despite security concerns
- “Hope to give a good fight to our very strong hosts,” said skipper Shanaka
- The Sri Lanka team were attacked in Lahore in 2009, when six Pakistani policemen and two civilians were killed
Indian Sikh pilgrims to visit Kartarpur today to mark birth anniversary of religion’s founder
- Sikh pilgrims from India cross over into Pakistan every year via visa-free Kartarpur Corridor
- Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, Narowal, is Sikhism founder’s final resting place
ISLAMABAD: Indian Sikh pilgrims will visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in the eastern Kartarpur town today, Monday, to mark the 555th birth anniversary of their religion’s founder Baba Guru Nanak Dev Ji, state media reported.
Every year Indian Sikh pilgrims cross over from India to Pakistan via a visa-free border crossing known as the Kartarpur Corridor. The corridor connects Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, near Narowal in Pakistan’s Punjab, to Gurudwara Dera Baba Nanak in Indian Punjab’s Gurdaspur district.
Inaugurated in 2019, the corridor is seen as a rare example of cooperation and diplomacy between the two South Asian neighbors.
“Sikh pilgrims will visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur on Monday to celebrate the 555th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak Dev Ji,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported.
It said that the pilgrims would visit Gurdwara Rohri Sahib in Eminabad on Wednesday before concluding their journey in Pakistan’s eastern city of Lahore.
Much of Sikh heritage is located in Pakistan. When Pakistan was carved out of India at the end of British rule in 1947, Kartarpur ended up on the Pakistani side of the border, while most of the region’s Sikhs remained on the other side.
For over seven decades, the Sikh community had lobbied for easier access to their holiest temple.
Pakistan’s initiative to open the corridor earned widespread appreciation from the international community, including the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, who had described it as a “Corridor of Hope.”
Fly Jinnah celebrates inaugural Lahore-Dammam flight amid Saudi expansion
- Pakistan’s low-cost airline began domestic operations in 2022 and is now focusing on the Middle East
- Fly Jinnah has also been connecting Pakistani cities to Sharjah, Riyadh and Jeddah, as PIA struggles
KARACHI: Fly Jinnah, Pakistan’s low-cost airline, celebrated its inaugural flight from Lahore to Dammam on Sunday, further enhancing air connectivity between the South Asian nation and Saudi Arabia amid growing demand for international travel.
Established in 2021 as a joint venture between Pakistan’s Lakson Group and the United Arab Emirates’ Air Arabia Group, Fly Jinnah began domestic operations in October 2022, connecting major Pakistani cities such as Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar and Quetta.
In February 2024, the airline launched its first international route, connecting Islamabad to Sharjah, before expanding to Saudi Arabia— home to an estimated 2.7 million Pakistanis— with flights to Riyadh and Jeddah.
“We are happy to celebrate our inaugural flight from Lahore to Dammam, further enhancing connectivity between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia for our passengers,” the airline said in a social media post.
The first flight to Dammam in the kingdom’s Eastern Province was operated a day earlier. A substantial number of Pakistani families reside in and around the Saudi city, drawn by job opportunities in the oil-rich region.
The addition of Dammam to its network highlights Fly Jinnah’s aim to capture the lucrative Middle Eastern travel market as Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), the struggling national carrier, faces financial challenges.
The Pakistani government has been exploring privatization options for PIA, leaving a gap that private airlines such as Fly Jinnah aim to fill.
Saudi Arabia is a key destination for Pakistani travelers, driven by religious pilgrimage to Makkah and Madinah and by a thriving expatriate workforce.
Fly Jinnah’s direct connections offer affordable travel options, positioning the airline as a viable competitor in this high-demand sector.
Pakistan dispatches 19th relief consignment to Syria amid conflicts in Middle East
- Pakistan says it will continue to support people affected by Israel’s military campaign in the region
- Since the beginning of the war in Gaza, Pakistan has called for a ceasefire at the UN, other forums
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) dispatched its 19th relief consignment on Sunday to help war-affected people in Syria and refugees from Lebanon, according to an official statement, reaffirming the country’s commitment to supporting those impacted by ongoing conflicts in the Middle East.
The aid shipment, sent in collaboration with the Pakistani charity Al-Khidmat Foundation, consisted of 17 tons of humanitarian supplies, including buckets, powdered milk, tinned food, family packs, sleeping bags and medical kits.
The consignment departed via a chartered flight from Jinnah International Airport in Karachi to Damascus in Syria.
“This 19th consignment has been dispatched for the people of Syria and refugees from Lebanon,” the NDMA said in its statement. “Prior to this, the Government of Pakistan has sent 12 aid consignments to Palestine and six shipments to Lebanon, with a total volume of 1,722 tons.”
The statement reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to supporting the people of Palestine and Lebanon who are in distress due to Israel’s military campaigns in the region.
It also emphasized the importance of collaboration by welfare organizations and the Pakistani public in strengthening the government’s efforts to assist those in need.
Pakistan has already established a special fund titled the “Prime Minister’s Relief Fund for Gaza and Lebanon,” inviting public donations.
Since the beginning of the war in October last year, Pakistan has called for a ceasefire in Gaza and has raised the issue at the United Nations, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and other international forums, urging an end to Israeli military actions and a resolution to the humanitarian crisis.
Women in Pakistan’s Karachi protest against honor killings, rising extremism
- Participants of the rally say Karo-Kari is ‘rampant’ in Sindh, oppose marriages to settle disputes
- Protesters also raise concern about proposed amendments to Pakistan’s water distribution system
KARACHI: Hundreds of women marched in Karachi on Sunday to protest honor killings, rising extremism and social injustices, while voicing concerns over proposed changes to Pakistan’s water distribution mechanism earlier this year, which southern provinces argue are detrimental to their interests.
The rally, organized by Sindhiyani Tehreek, a women-led movement supported by civil society groups, drew demonstrators from across Sindh who marched from Regal Chowk to the Karachi Press Club.
Dr. Marvi Sindhu, the central general secretary of the movement, highlighted the threat of so-called honor killings, locally referred to as Karo-Kari. These killings target individuals accused of engaging in illicit relationships or marrying against their families’ wishes, often as a means to restore the perceived honor of the family.
“We are raising our voices against the rampant killing of women in the name of honor in Sindh,” she told Arab News. “We are also here to raise our voices against rising religious extremism.”
Sindhu said Karo-Kari was “alarmingly rampant” in northern Sindh, though she noted other socially conservative practices also undermined the interests and wellbeing of women.
“Women are married to settle disputes or murder cases [in the province], only to face harassment [from their in-laws] for the rest of their lives,” she continued, urging Pakistan’s senior judiciary to form a commission to address such issues.
Amar Sindhu, a professor and member of the Women’s Action Forum, echoed similar concerns, saying the rise in extremist ideologies was deepening social injustices and threatening women’s safety in Sindh.
“We stand united against these injustices and demand action to protect women from violence and oppression,” she said.
Sindhiyani Tehreek, founded in 1980, has been a prominent force in the province, advocating for women’s rights, social justice and the preservation of Sindhi culture. The movement also has a long history of resistance against authoritarian rule, gender-based violence and environmental degradation.
Apart from social and gender issues, the protest also highlighted proposed amendments to the Indus River System Authority (IRSA) Act, 1992, introduced in July to restructure Pakistan’s water regulatory authority.
Key changes include appointing a permanent federal chairman to the authority, replacing the current rotational system where provincial representatives take turns leading IRSA.
The movement’s general secretary condemned the amendments as “unlawful,” warning they could exacerbate interprovincial disputes and deprive Sindh of its rightful share of water.
“Sindh deserves its share of water to sustain its crops, mangroves and marine life,” she said.
One killed in northwestern Pakistan blast targeting religio-political party leader
- Attack on Maulana Shehzad Wazir of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam has left him critically injured
- The JUI leader was on his way to a mosque in Azam Warsak when the explosion took place
PESHAWAR: One person was killed and six others injured in a blast triggered by an improvised explosive device (IED) targeting a senior leader of a prominent religio-political party in South Waziristan district on Sunday, leaving him in critical condition, police said.
The attack on Maulana Shehzad Wazir comes amid complaints from his Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) party about being targeted by militants operating in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province.
JUI chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman also voiced concerns over militant threats disrupting the party’s election campaign in the region ahead of the February 8 national polls, citing warnings from law enforcement about dangers to its candidates.
“The IED was planted in a street leading to Maulana Shehzad Wazir’s mosque, who is politically affiliated with the JUI-F,” Bilal Wazir, a police officer in Wana, the headquarters of South Waziristan tribal district, told Arab News over the phone. “Mufti Ijaz Wazir died on the spot while six others, including Maulana Shehzad Wazir, who was apparently the target of the attack, were left in critical condition.”
The officer said a police contingent was dispatched to the area soon after the explosion to gather evidence and shift the wounded to the hospital.
Asked about the intensity of the blast, he said it shook the entire neighborhood of Azam Warsak, a settlement on the outskirts of Wana.
Speaking to Arab News, Mufti Ijaz Shinwari, the JUI senior vice president in the tribal area, condemned the incident, saying the victims of the attack were religious leaders and key figures of his political party on the provincial level.
“This is inhumane,” he added. “This is clearly a terrorist attack and a cowardly act.”
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, though Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a banned militant group, has a history of targeting civilians, security forces and politicians in the region, aiming to perpetuate instability in KP.
In recent months, the TTP has claimed responsibility for several attacks and is suspected by officials in others.
Earlier this week, however, Daesh, a separate militant outfit, shot dead Hameed Sufi, a senior leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, in the adjacent Bajaur tribal district.
In June, four people, including Maulana Mirza Jan, the president of JUI’s Wana chapter, were shot by unidentified attackers.
Pakistan claims Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers are providing shelter to TTP fighters across the porous border separating the two countries. However, the Afghan Taliban insists they do not allow anyone to use their soil to launch violent attacks in the neighborhood.
