ISLAMABAD: Firdous Ashiq Awan, Special Assistant to Prime Minister Imran Khan on information and broadcasting, left for Saudi Arabia on a two-day visit on Monday to attend the Golden Jubilee celebrations of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) in Jeddah.
Awan is visiting Saudi Arabia on the invitation of the OIC Secretary General and the Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia.
“As a founding member, Pakistan has always played an active and vibrant role in the OIC,” Awan said in a statement before her departure.
She also expressed deep concern over an attempt to burn the Holy Qur’an in Norway by an extremist right-wing group early this month, and said that on Prime Minister Khan’s directions, she will raise the issue alongside the grave situation in Indian-administered Kashmir at the OIC.
“Islamophobia is a threat to global peace,” Awan said, and added: “All Islamic countries will have to formulate a comprehensive mechanism to combat Islamophobia.”
President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Sardar Masood Khan is also in Jeddah and called on the OIC Secretary General, Dr. Yousaf bin Ahmed Al-Othaimeen on Sunday.
President Khan apprised the Secretary General on the latest situation in Kashmir and said the revocation of Kashmir’s special status by India on Aug. 5 was “unilateral and illegal.”
In September this year, the OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir expressed its solidarity with the Kashmiri people on the side-lines of the 74th UNGA session in New York.
PM’s information adviser leaves for OIC celebrations in Jeddah
PM’s information adviser leaves for OIC celebrations in Jeddah
- The OIC, of which Pakistan is a founding member, turns 50 this year
- Awan will bring up issues of Islamophobia and Kashmir at platform
WOW: How a driving school program empowers Pakistani women
- Operational since 2017, WOW program teaches women how to operate two-wheelers in eastern city of Lahore
- WOW program has trained at least 6,600 women since 2017 in Pakistan, where it is rare for women to drive two-wheelers
LAHORE, Pakistan: Pakistani student Laiba Rashid, 22, hopes her life will change once she learns how to drive a motorcycle after undergoing a training program that teaches women how to operate two-wheelers in the bustling eastern city of Lahore.
Although the program is 7 years old, it’s rare to see women driving motorcycles. Women driving cars or riding pillion on two-wheelers driven by a male relative is more socially acceptable in the conservative nation.
“I hope this will change my life because I am dependent on my brother to pick me up and drop me to college,” Rashid told Reuters on her first day at the Women on Wheels (WOW) driving program offered free by the Lahore traffic police.
She said she wants to buy a motorcycle to go to college, adding that, previously, there were no women drivers in her family. “Now everybody is convinced that women should be independent in their movement to schools, jobs and markets,” she said.
Women driving two-wheelers has been a cultural and religious taboo, said Bushra Iqbal Hussain, a social activist and director of Safe Childhood, an organization advocating the safety of female children.
But more women are now changing the culture, she said, like they did in the 1980s with regular cars, in a bid to reduce their reliance on men to commute.
The WOW program has been in operation since 2017, but has become increasingly popular in recent months as car prices have soared and motorcycles offer a cheaper alternative.
“Stagnant wage growth and high inflation have eroded the purchasing power of the middle class, leaving motorcycles as the only viable option for many households,” said auto sector analyst Muhammad Abrar Polani of investment house Arif Habib Limited.
The cheapest four-wheeler in Pakistan, where the annual GDP per capita is $1,590, costs about 2.3 million rupees($8,265) compared to about 115,000 rupees for the most affordable China-made two-wheeler.
Sohail Mudassar, a traffic warden, said the WOW program has trained at least 6,600 women, and Rashid’s batch was the 86th since it started.
“Women of different ages and segments of society join our camp,” said female trainer Humaira Rafaqat, a senior traffic warden who has trained about 1,000 women. “Young women are quick learners because they are enthusiastic and take risks.”
One of them, Ghania Raza, 23, who is pursuing a doctorate in criminology, said learning to drive a two-wheeler gave her a deep sense of achievement and empowerment: “It was like breaking a glass ceiling,” she said.
Shumaila Shafiq, 36, a mother of three and a part-time fashion designer, said she has been driving her husband’s motorcycle to the market and other places after graduating from the program.
She has designed a special short length abaya, a dress used by Muslim women, to wear while operating the motorcycle.
“Wearing a long abaya with loose fitting poses risks as it may get entangled in the wheels,” she said, adding that she intends to market the design to fellow women riders.
Pakistan to launch five-year Economic Transformation Plan targeting stability on Tuesday
- Transformation plan to be based on 5Es framework, which includes energy, economic growth, exports, equality and education, says state media
- Eager to escape macroeconomic crisis, Pakistan has sought stronger trade relations with Gulf countries, Russia, Central Asian states and others
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal has said Islamabad will launch its five-year National Economic Transformation Plan on Tuesday, state-run media reported, reiterating that it would be based on economic factors that Islamabad needs to address and achieve to ensure long-term progress and stability.
Iqbal said in July that Pakistan’s National Economic Transformation Plan will be based on the 5Es framework (exports, energy, economic growth, education and equality), adding that it would aim to foster stability and lay the foundation for future growth in Pakistan.
“Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal says National Economic Transformation Plan for next five years will launch tomorrow [Tuesday],” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported on Monday. “He said that the transformation plan is based upon several factors which need to be addressed and achieved if Pakistan wants to develop and progress in future.”
Speaking at the passing out ceremony of the officers of the 47th Specialized Training Program of Pakistan Administration Service in Lahore, the minister urged Pakistan to focus its resources on promoting an export-based economy.
He urged authorities to pay attention on automation, nanotechnology and artificial technology, stressing that these sectors will “reshape future economics.”
“He urged the civil servants to utilize all their capabilities to better manage public issues, as civil service is a huge responsibility rather than just a job,” the state broadcaster said.
Islamabad has been struggling to recover from a macroeconomic crisis that has plagued the country for the past two years. Inflation in the South Asian country surged to a record high of 38 percent in May 2023 fueled by rising prices of food and fuel, as the country’s national currency weakened against the US dollar while its foreign exchange reserves plummeted to historic lows.
Pakistan almost suffered a sovereign default before Islamabad clinched a last-gasp $3 billion bailout program from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in 2023 that helped its economy stay afloat. Pakistan’s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has repeatedly said Islamabad needs to adopt an export-led economy to achieve long-term and sustainable economic growth.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has also urged the government to seek greater collaboration in trade, defense, agriculture and other key sectors of the economy to attract foreign investment and brighten Pakistan’s economic prospects.
In its move to attract foreign investment in key sectors, Pakistan has enhanced its bilateral trade and investment ties with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Russia, Central Asian states and other Gulf countries.
10 dead, 7 injured as passenger bus crashes in eastern Pakistan
- Passenger bus overturned due to driver’s negligence, says motorway police official
- Fatal road accidents are common in Pakistan, where traffic rules are rarely followed
PESHAWAR: Ten people were killed and seven were injured when a passenger bus headed toward Pakistan’s capital overturned and crashed in the eastern city of Fateh Jang on Monday, police said in a statement.
The incident took place on the motorway when a passenger bus from Pakistan’s Bahawalpur city headed toward Islamabad overturned due to the bus driver’s negligence, the National Highways and Motorway Police (NHMP) said in a statement.
“Ten people have been killed and seven injured as the bus met with an accident near Fateh Jang city,” the NHMP said, adding that senior officials of the motorways police reached the site of the accident immediately after hearing about it.
“All bodies and the injured have been shifted to DHQ Fateh Jang [hospital],” it said.
Fatal road accidents are common in Pakistan where traffic rules are rarely followed and roads, particularly in rural and mountainous areas, are in poor condition.
Pakistan PM ‘saddened’ as former US president Jimmy Carter dies aged 100
- Shehbaz Sharif says Carter will be remember for statesmanship, advocacy for global peace and humanitarian causes
- Carter won presidency after infamous Watergate scandal and Vietnam War before losing it to Reagan after one term
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Monday he was “saddened” at the passing of ex-US president Jimmy Carter, saying that the former American leader will be remembered for his statesmanship and advocacy for global peace.
Carter, the longest-lived American president, died on Sunday at the age of 100 more than a year after entering hospice care at his home in the small town of Plains, Georgia. A moderate Democrat, Carter entered the 1976 presidential race as a little-known Georgia governor with outspoken Baptist mores and technocratic plans reflecting his education as an engineer.
The former US president won the presidency in the wake of the infamous Watergate scandal and the Vietnam War. He went on to endure a humbling defeat after one tumultuous term and then redefined life after the White House as a global humanitarian, building houses for the poor well into his 90s.
“Saddened to learn of the passing away of former US President Jimmy Carter,” Sharif wrote on social media platform X.
“I offer my sincere condolences to his family members and the American people. He will long be remembered for his humility and statesmanship as well as his advocacy for global peace and contribution to humanitarian causes.”
Carter governed amid Cold War pressures, turbulent oil markets and social upheaval over racism, women’s rights and America’s global role. His most acclaimed achievement in office was a Mideast peace deal that he brokered by keeping Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin at the bargaining table for 13 days in 1978. That Camp David experience inspired the post-presidential center where Carter would establish so much of his legacy.
Yet Carter’s electoral coalition splintered under double-digit inflation, gasoline lines and the 444-day hostage crisis in Iran. His bleakest hour came when eight Americans died in a failed hostage rescue in April 1980, helping to ensure his landslide defeat to Republican Ronald Reagan.
Pakistan has enjoyed varying relations with US presidents over the decades, reflecting ties between the two countries for over 70 years. Islamabad and Washington collaborated during the Cold War and in the fight against Al-Qaeda after 9/11.
However, ties have been strained due to coups in the South Asian country by Pakistan’s military, support for the Taliban’s 1996-2001 rule in Afghanistan, and over Pakistan’s nuclear weapons program.
With inputs from AP
From Olympic gold to cricket tragedies, here’s how Pakistan fared in sports in 2024
- Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem bagged Olympic gold in August by throwing javelin at impressive 92.97 meters
- Pakistan suffered first round exit from T20 World Cup but also beat Australia and South Africa in away ODI series
ISLAMABAD: From cricket to field hockey and even track and field competitions, Pakistan’s sports journey was rife with several highs and lows throughout 2024 that left fans jumping with joy or extremely dejected and heartbroken.
As 2024 draws to a close, here is a snapshot of how Pakistani sports fared throughout the year in cricket, field hockey, mixed martial arts, and track and field competitions.
ARSHAD NADEEM’S OLYMPIC HEROICS
Pakistan’s biggest sporting triumph this year was Arshad Nadeem. The star javelin thrower shocked the world in August when he threw the javelin at a record-breaking 92.97 meters, earning his country its first Olympic gold medal in javelin.
Nadeem became a household name overnight, earning cash prizes and awards from government officials for his notable achievement.
NOOH DASTGIR LIFTS COMMONWEALTH GOLD
Pakistani weightlifter Nooh Dastgir Butt grabbed gold for Pakistan at the prestigious Commonwealth Games in South Africa in October. He lifted a staggering 370 kilograms in his first powerlifting competition at Sun City, becoming Pakistan’s first powerlifting gold medalist.
Butt has already received the Pride of Performance Award in Pakistan for his athletic heroics.
SHEHROZE KASHIF SHATTERS MOUNTAINEERING RECORDS
Renowned Pakistani mountaineer Shehroze Kashif made history by becoming the youngest high-altitude climber from Pakistan to summit all 14 of the world’s tallest peaks this year. He was able to achieve the feat after his successful ascent of the Shishapangma mountain in Tibet.
These 14 peaks, known as the “eight-thousanders,” are each over 8,000 meters high and represent the ultimate challenge in mountaineering. At just 22 years old, Kashif’s remarkable journey in climbing began when he was only 11 years old.
SOHAIL SISTERS BAG FOUR GOLD MEDALS
Two Pakistani female weightlifters, Cybil and Veronica Sohail, who also happen to be sisters, bagged four gold medals during a sports championship in South Africa in August.
The Sohails competed in the 52- and 57-kilogram categories, winning four gold medals each in the squat, bench press, deadlift, and total categories.
SHAHZAIB RIND MAKES IT BIG IN KARATE
Pakistan’s Shahzaib Rind brought laurels to the country when he won the World Karate Combat Light Heavyweight Championship in September, defeating Brazil’s Luiz Victor Rocha in the final held in Singapore.
The World Karate Combat is a global professional martial arts league featuring fighters from various weight classes and countries. Rind, from Balochistan, triumphed in the Light Heavyweight division, which includes fighters weighing between 175 and 205 pounds (79 to 93 kg).
PAKISTAN’S MMA STAR ANITA KARIM BEATS ITALIAN OPPONENT
Anita Karim, Pakistan’s first-ever female Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter, secured a victory over Italy’s Adriana Fusini in January 2024 in Thailand, making her country proud with a stellar performance.
Hailing from Hunza Valley, Karim has previously earned numerous accolades at both local and international levels.
Competing in the ‘Women’s Atomweight’ category, the match lasted just one round, with Karim defeating Fusini in 2 minutes and 20 seconds by forcing a submission with a keylock.
BISMAH MAROOF CALLS IT A DAY
Former Pakistan women’s captain Bismah Maroof announced she was retiring from international cricket in April this year.
Maroof is the only Pakistani woman batter to score over 3,000 runs in One Day Internationals (ODIs) and 2,500 runs in T20 Internationals (T20Is). She holds the record for the most runs in both formats, cementing her status as one of the finest batters Pakistan has ever seen in women’s cricket.
She featured in 276 international matches throughout her 18-year career for Pakistan.
PAKISTAN’S FIELD HOCKEY RESURGENCE
The Pakistan hockey team displayed a remarkable performance at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Malaysia this year, making it to the final for the first time in 13 years. In the final, Pakistan faced Japan and after a 2-2 draw at full time, Japan won 4-1 in a penalty shootout, claiming the title.
PAKISTAN LIFT BLIND T20 WORLD CUP TROPHY
Pakistan won the Blind T20 World Cup in December after defeating Bangladesh by 10 wickets in a victory that coincided with the annual International Day Of Persons With Disabilities.
This was the first time Pakistan won the Blind T20 World Cup since the inception of the tournament in 2012, with India winning the previous three editions.
The hosts lifted the cup after taking part in a tournament where India did not feature due to its political tensions with Pakistan.
MOHAMMAD ASIF WINS WORLD SNOOKER TITLE
Veteran Pakistani cueist Mohammad Asif won his third IBSF World Snooker Championship title in November, equaling India’s Pankaj Advani’s record of three individual world titles. Pakistan’s other pool players achieve remarkable results as well, with Awais Munir claiming the Asian 6-Red Snooker Championship and rising star Mohammad Hasnain defeating Ahsan Ramzan to win the Asian U21 Snooker Championship this year.
CRICKET HEARTBREAKS
Pakistan cricket was rife with bad news for enthusiastic fans throughout the year. The ICC T20 World Cup in June was disappointing for the green shirts, who crashed out of the tournament in the first round after a shock defeat at the hands of minnows USA and arch-rivals India.
To add insult to injury, Pakistan succumbed to its first Test series defeat against Bangladesh at home 2-0 in September.
However, the men’s squad turned their fortunes around by beating England 2-1 at home in a Test series before beating Australia in an ODI away series 2-1 for the first time in 22 years. Pakistan also became the first side to whitewash South Africa 3-0 in an away ODI series in December.
PAKISTAN FAIL TO QUALIFY FOR FIFA WORLD CUP 2026
The year 2024 was another challenging one for Pakistani football, with the men’s national team failing to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
However, the national team reached a historic milestone by advancing to the second round of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) qualification for the 2026 World Cup this year. This success was especially notable because Pakistan secured their place in the second round after a historic 1-0 aggregate victory over Cambodia in the first round.