In Pakistan’s ‘city of Akbar’, Hindus, Muslims champion interfaith harmony

This picture shows the Shiv Mandir in Umerkot which Hindu residents are insisting should be opened for pilgrims from India by constructing a corridor similar to the one in Kartarpur. (AN Photo by S.A. Babar)
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Updated 11 December 2019
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In Pakistan’s ‘city of Akbar’, Hindus, Muslims champion interfaith harmony

  • Mughal emperor who ruled India for almost half a century was born in Umerkot
  • To this day, all communities in this area in Sindh partake in each other’s religious activities

Umerkot, Sindh: Rasool Bux is a Muslim activist who hosts gatherings on two major Hindu festivals, Diwali and Holi, in Umerkot – a small city in Pakistan’s Sindh province and famous for being the birthplace of Mughal emperor Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar.

With a population of over one million, Umerkot or Amarkot is home to equal numbers of Hindus and Muslims who continue to uphold Akbar’s values of interfaith harmony.




This canopy in the Umerkot city of Pakistan's Sindh province is the birthplace of Mughal emperor Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar, popularly known as Akbar the Great.(AN Photo by S.A. Babar)

“During Akbar’s reign, Muslims and Hindus maintained exemplary interfaith harmony. This is the city of Akbar. It’s a city of interfaith harmony,” Bux said.

Historical data suggests that Akbar, who ruled India for almost half a century as one of its most illustrious monarchs, was born on November 23, 1542 in Umerkot.

It was during a time when Humayun, after being routed by Sher Khan, the-then Afghan Governor of Bihar, took refuge in Umerkot along with his wife Hamida Banu, seven horsemen and a handful of followers.




A plaque shows details at the birthplace of Mughal emperor Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar in the Umerkot city of Pakistan’s Sindh province.(AN Photo by S.A. Babar)

“The fugitive uncrowned king celebrated the auspicious occasion [of his son’s birth] by distributing Mushk (a perfume) among his faithful companions with these proud words: ‘One day, the fame of this new born baby will spread all over the world like the fragrance of this Mushk’,” a plaque at Akbar’s birthplace reads.

The popular monarch, who earned the moniker “Akbar, the Great” for his vision and secular attitude, is known to have celebrated Diwali, and would allow Brahmin priests to tie strings around his wrists as a form of blessing. He had also renounced consuming beef and forbade the sale of all meats on certain days.

It’s these very qualities that have trickled down from one generation to another.




Maharaj Gyan Puri Goswami talks to Arab News on November 27, 2019. (AN Photo by S.A. Babar)

Raja Ramu Chand runs a small restaurant in Umerkot and said it was difficult to identify who was a Muslim or a Hindu in the city.

“Only when someone enters his place of worship, then people get to know about his/her faith,” Chand said, adding that they “only know love.”

“We have kept the fire of hatred extinguished. We have got this value of brotherhood from our elders,” he said.

The feeling is mutual says Dileep Kumar a Hindu resident of Umerkot who waits to celebrate Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) birthday every year.




Akbar Nama, a book by Abul Fazal which details the history of the Mughal empire up to the 47th year of Akbar’s reign, on display at the museum in Umerkot city of Pakistan's Sindh province.(AN Photo by S.A. Babar)

It’s on this occasion, among others, when Hindus and Muslims share the stage at the city’s community hall.

When the processions pass by, it’s Kumar’s duty to ensure the participants stay hydrated by offering them water at regular intervals.

“On Diwali, the diyas of my home light with oil which my Muslim friends bring,” Kumar, a trader, said before explaining why this “love and respect for another faith is not one way.”

Kumar said his family has been participating in Muharram processions for the past 35 years.

“Whether Holi or Diwali, our Muslim brothers join us in our moment of happiness,” he said.

Umerkot is also home to a temple of Hindu deity, Shiv, which houses Pakistan’s only Shivling.




A photo of the Shivling which Maharaj Gyan Puri Goswami told Arab News is one of the 12 divine stones for Hindus. (AN Photo by S.A. Babar)

“We have been part of each other’s events of happiness and grief,” Gyan Puri Goswami, Maharaj of the Shiv Mandir, said, adding that not only Hindus but Muslims also visit the temple.

Arbab Naik Muhammad is a Muslim scholar of history. He said that celebrating each other’s achievements is an important part of Umerkot’s DNA.




This picture taken on November 27 offers an aerial view of Umerkot city from the wall of the Umerkot fort. (AN Photo by S.A. Babar) 

“When a girl from the village gets married, all villagers, irrespective of their faith, give her the gifts and when the bridegroom comes he is considered a son-in-law of the entire village...

“The poetry of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, a Muslim, is recited in Hindu temples and that of Bhagat Kabir, a Hindu, can be heard from a mosque”.

And this, he said, is because we have common heroes.


Pakistan’s Punjab province shuts public spaces in smog-hit cities

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Pakistan’s Punjab province shuts public spaces in smog-hit cities

  • Access to parks, zoos, playgrounds, historic monuments, museums and recreational areas will be banned until Nov. 17
  • Punjab residents have been trapped in thick smog for over a week ever since the air quality index spiked above 1,000

LAHORE: Pakistan’s most populated province of Punjab ordered public spaces closed in smog-hit main cities, authorities said Friday, as the country battles record air pollution.

Access to parks, zoos, playgrounds, historic monuments, museums and recreational areas will be banned until November 17 due to poor air quality, according to a local government directive seen by AFP.

The concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in Lahore’s air was more than 20 times higher than the level deemed acceptable by the World Health Organization (WHO). In Multan, it was up to 48 times higher on Friday.

Punjab residents have been trapped in thick smog for over a week ever since the air quality index (AQI), which measures a range of pollutants, spiked above 1,000 — well above the level of 300 considered ‘dangerous’ — according to data from IQAir.

Schools in some of Punjab’s major cities were ordered shut on Tuesday until November 17.

The province extended that order on Wednesday to several more cities enveloped by smog, a mix of fog and pollutants caused by low-grade diesel fumes, smoke from seasonal agricultural burning and winter cooling.

The decision follows restrictions imposed last month on four “hot spots” in Lahore that banned tuk-tuks with polluting two-stroke engines, along with restaurants that operate barbecues without filters.

Seasonal crop burn-off by farmers on the outskirts of Lahore also contributes to toxic air, which the WHO says can cause strokes, heart disease, lung cancer and respiratory diseases.

Excess pollution shortens the life expectancy of Lahore residents by an average of 7.5 years, according to the University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute.

According to UNICEF, nearly 600 million children in South Asia are exposed to high levels of air pollution, which is also linked to half of childhood pneumonia deaths.


Pakistan can serve as bridge between China and US, says Islamabad’s envoy to Washington

Updated 24 min 13 sec ago
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Pakistan can serve as bridge between China and US, says Islamabad’s envoy to Washington

  • Relations between the US and China have been strained over the past several years as both world powers seek to increase their global influence
  • The complex US-China rivalry impacts Pakistan as it navigates its strategic partnerships with both while grappling with a prolonged economic crisis

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan can help bridge differences between the United States (US) and China, Islamabad’s envoy to Washington said on Thursday, amid the South Asian country’s efforts to strike a balance in its ties with the two world powers.
Relations between the US and China have been strained over the past several years as both world powers seek to increase their global influence in several domains. The two nations have often had disagreements over trade, Taiwan, the South China Sea and China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
Pakistan maintains a delicate balance in its relations with China and the US. While aligned with the US for military cooperation and counter-terrorism efforts, Islamabad has strengthened economic ties with Beijing through initiatives like the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
In a talk delivered at the University of California, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Washington Rizwan Saeed Sheikh underscored the strength of Pakistan-US relations and highlighted the role of the Pakistani-American community in fostering mutual growth, the state-run Radio Pakistan broadcaster reported.
“Pakistan has the potential to serve as a bridge between China and the United States,” Sheikh was quoted as saying at the event.
The statement came hours after the Pakistani Foreign Office said its relations with key longtime ally China would remain “unaffected” by Donald Trump winning the US presidential election
“Pakistan’s relations with China are all-weather,” Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said during a weekly press briefing when asked if Trump’s victory will affect the country’s China policy.
“They are strategic and a source of stability in our foreign policy.”
Baloch said Islamabad does not even need to consider the possibility that its relationship with China will be affected by any domestic development in another country.
The complex US-China rivalry impacts Pakistan as it navigates its strategic partnerships with both world powers while grappling with a prolonged economic crisis.
“Our relations with the United States are decades old, and we look forward to further strengthen and broaden Pakistan-US relationship in all fields,” Baloch said.
“As the Deputy Prime Minister said in a tweet yesterday, we look forward to fruitful and mutually beneficial cooperation between Pakistan and the United States.”
Pakistan and the US cultivated strong defense ties during the Cold War days yet their relationship was also tested by divergent priorities on various issues.
In recent years, Washington and Islamabad’s ties deteriorated as the former suspected the latter of supporting the Taliban in their 2021 takeover of Kabul, allegations which Islamabad rejected. Tensions rose further in 2022 when former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan accused the Biden administration of orchestrating his ouster via a parliamentary vote, a charge the US denied.
Pakistan, under PM Shehbaz Sharif’s two separate stints as prime minister in 2022 and 2024, has actively sought to improve its relations with the US.


Pakistan parliamentary panel passes bill proposing three-year jail term for preaching Zionism

Updated 34 min 38 sec ago
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Pakistan parliamentary panel passes bill proposing three-year jail term for preaching Zionism

  • Draft law proposes imprisonment and fines for individuals involved in preaching and displaying symbols of Zionism
  • Pakistan does not recognize nor have diplomatic relations with Israel and calls for an independent Palestinian state

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Senate Standing Committee on Interior has this week approved a bill proposing a three-year jail term and fines for individuals involved in propagating Zionism or displaying the movement’s symbols.
Zionism emerged in the late 19th century as an ethnic and religious movement but later converted into a political movement for the establishment of the Jewish state of Israel through the colonization of land outside Europe, which is Palestine. 
Pakistan does not recognize nor have diplomatic relations with Israel and calls for an independent Palestinian state based on “internationally agreed parameters” and the pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
The anti-Zionism bill approved by the Senate committee on Thursday was introduced in the upper house of parliament by Senator Dr. Afnan Ullah Khan, a lawmaker from the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party. He has tabled the bill as a private member, which means its approval does not signify government policy. This bill will become law only if it is passed by both houses of parliament, Senate and National Assembly, with majority vote.
“Whoever knowingly or intentionally is engaged in the preaching of Zionism to incite and provoke hatred in society shall be punished with three years imprisonment, or with forty thousand rupees ($145) fine or with both,” says the draft law.
“Whoever knowingly or intentionally display symbol of Zionism to spread hatred and cause a disturbance in public peace shall be punished with two years imprisonment, or with thirty thousand rupees ($108) fine, or with both.”
Being a Muslim state, the bill says, Pakistan “should never allow display of symbols depicting Zionism for spreading unrest in Pakistan.”


Three-year-old girl sues Punjab government as smog crisis worsens in Lahore

Updated 08 November 2024
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Three-year-old girl sues Punjab government as smog crisis worsens in Lahore

  • Record air pollution has triggered hundreds of hospitalizations, school closures, stay-at-home orders in Lahore
  • On Friday, Lahore, home to 13 million people, had the worst air quality of any city in the world, according to IQAir

ISLAMABAD: A three-year-old girl in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore has sued the government of the Punjab province as record-high air pollution levels have triggered hundreds of hospitalizations, school closures and stay-at-home orders in the city, which has been enveloped in a thick, toxic smog since last month.
On Friday, Lahore, home to 13 million people, had the worst air quality of any city in the world, according to IQAir, a Swiss air quality monitoring company.
Research shows children exposed to high levels of smog may suffer from reduced lung capacity, pneumonia, bronchitis and other lung infections and more asthma attacks and worse symptoms than adults. 
“Under Article 9-A of the Constitution, the government is obligated to provide citizens with a clean and healthy environment,” said the petition filed by three-year-old Amal Sekhera, who appeared in court with her mother Mehek Zafar on Thursday. 
Sekhera said she was seeking justice for herself, her friends and the future generations as children and the elderly were the most badly hit by air pollution and smog. She also criticized the Punjab government for failing to protect fundamental rights guaranteed by the constitution of Pakistan.
The Lahore High Court issued notices in response to the petition to the Punjab government, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the City Traffic Police. The hearing has been adjourned till Nov. 12, with the court instructing the government to ensure the presence of the provincial secretary of the Environment Protection Department and the director general of the EPA in court at the next hearing. 
Authorities earlier this week shut down schools in Lahore and said 50 percent of government employees in the city were told to work from home until next week. On Wednesday schools in 18 surrounding districts were also shut. Marriyum Aurangzeb, a senior minister in the Punjab province, has urged residents to voluntarily wear face masks and avoid unnecessary travel, and said that “otherwise, the government will be forced into a complete lockdown.” 
Authorities in the city have already banned barbecuing food without filters, as well as the use of motorized rickshaws, and wedding halls must close by 10pm. The government has also said it was looking into methods to induce artificial rainfall to combat the pollution, which has been sending patients to hospitals and private clinics complaining of coughs and burning eyes.
“Tens of thousands of patients suffering from respiratory diseases were treated at hospitals and clinics in a week,” Salman Kazmi, vice president of the Pakistan Medical Association, told media on Thursday.


Pakistan’s Muhammad Asif wins IBSF World Snooker Championship in Qatar

Updated 08 November 2024
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Pakistan’s Muhammad Asif wins IBSF World Snooker Championship in Qatar

  • Asif defeated Iran’s Ali Ghareghozlou 5-3 to clinch the title for 3rd time
  • PM Shehbaz Sharif promises to set up world-class facilities for sportsmen

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has congratulated Pakistani cueist Muhammad Asif for winning the International Billiards and Snooker Federation (IBSF) World Snooker Championship in Qatar for the third time, Pakistani state-run media reported on Thursday.
Asif defeated Iran’s Ali Ghareghozlou 5-3 to clinch the title in a thrilling final on Nov. 6. He outclassed Ali 5-3: 70-25, 7-87(84), 82(56)-8, 106(106)-08, 82-12, 43-91(58), 0-118 and 93(80)-4.
“Asif made the entire nation proud by winning the international championship for the third time,” PM Sharif was quoted as saying by the Radio Pakistan broadcaster. “The talented youth of Pakistan are highlighting the country’s name in the fields of sports.”
The IBSF, founded in 1971, is the governing body for billiards and snooker worldwide. It represents 85 member countries and is recognized by the World Confederation of Billiard Sports and the International Olympic Committee.
Asif, 42, first won the IBSF World Snooker Championship in 2012 and went on to win it again in 2019. His victory ties him with India’s Pankaj Advani who has also won the World Snooker Championship thrice.
The Pakistan prime minister said Asif’s family and coach also deserved recognition, adding that providing quality facilities to Pakistani players was top priority of his government.
“The government is making all possible efforts to provide international standard facilities to the players,” he added.