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Pakistan’s first training school for skiers off to a flying start

Skiers pose for a photo with their trainer (in red), a retired service member of the Pakistan Army, at Malam Jabba resort in Swat, Jan. 17, 2020. (AN photo)
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Updated 23 January 2020
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Pakistan’s first training school for skiers off to a flying start

  • Boasts an impressive increase in numbers since its inception in 2018
  • Officials say it has all the facilities to train athletes for global competitions
Updated 23 January 2020
REHMAT MEHSUD

MALAM JABBA/SWAT: To cater to a growing demand for skiing in the region, authorities in northwestern Pakistan decided to launch the Malam Jabba Ski School for amateurs two years ago.

On Tuesday they told Arab News that there’s no looking back.

Ever since it’s inception in December 2018, the training institute, which is located in the snowcapped Malam Jabba Ski Resort, has seen an impressive increase in enrollments, with more and more locals joining in. 




Tourists enjoy the views from the roof of Malam Jabba Ski School in Swat on Jan. 17, 2020. (AN photo)

“Last year, we had 42 students but, today, we have 70 students including 12 female trainee skiers,” Pir Waris Shah, General Manager Malam Jabba Ski Resort, told Arab News, adding that they had excellent trainers as part of the faculty.
“In the next two years, you will see our players take part in a world skiing competition because we train our students at the world’s best and rarest skiing slope,” Shah said.
To facilitate the initiative, a three-day Winter Sports Festival was held at the resort last week to determine male and female athletes under the age of 10, 15 and 18 and hone their talent.
In 2007, during the Taliban’s brief reign of the Swat Valley, the militants had banned skiing before setting the entire sports complex – along with the adjoining 52-room hotel and recreational chairlift facility – on fire.

However, a 2009 crackdown by Pakistan’s military helped reclaim the scenic Swat region from the insurgent group and revived tourism, amateur skiing, and other sports in the area.

Nisar Muhammad, spokesman Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Tourism Corporation, told Arab News that tourism-related activities were in full swing in the province, prompting the provincial government to set up five more ski resorts elsewhere in the KP province and the newly-merged tribal districts.

“Five chair-lifts will be built as well as we move toward adventure tourism. Similarly, surveys are being conducted to ascertain [whether there is a demand for] water sports and other games in order to multiply tourism which has a huge potential,” he added.




Pir Waris Shah, general manager of Malam Jabba resort, talks to Arab News on Jan. 17, 2020. (AN photo)  

Additionally, arrangements are also in the final stages to hold a two-day skiing competition for foreigners on February 4-5.

Drawing attention to the students who are learning to ski at the resort, Shah said they train for five hours every day during school vacations. “The school is equipped with all sports-related facilities and ski uniforms, while the students are served milk and lunch and provided with uniforms and ski kits at no additional costs,” he said.
He added that at the end of a 20-day training session, they are allowed to demonstrate their newly-acquired skills and perform on the ground.

It sets the ground for young talent in the area.

Zubaida Khan, a seven-year-old skier from the Malam Jabba valley, is one such example.

She told Arab News that she was training to ski across the 9,000-feet-high Malam Jabba slope after three weeks of training. Thus far, she has participated in two competitions in Pakistan.
 

Topics: Pakistan skiing Winters

Pakistani security forces suffer deadliest year in decade while fighting insurgency— think tank

Updated 6 sec ago
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Pakistani security forces suffer deadliest year in decade while fighting insurgency— think tank

  • On average, nearly seven lives were lost daily, says Islamabad-based think tank’s report
  • Pakistan military says 925 insurgents, 383 soldiers were killed in operations during 2024
Updated 6 sec ago
AP

PESHAWAR: Pakistani security forces in 2024 suffered the highest causalities in nearly a decade while battling insurgency, an Islamabad-based think tank said.

This comes as militants attacked a security post in the country’s restive northwest, which borders Afghanistan, killing a police officer and a civilian early Tuesday.

An officer was also wounded in the attack at the Draban Post in Dera Ismail Khan, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, local police official Abdullah Khan said, adding that the civilian was an employee of the Customs department.

No one claimed responsibility for the attack but suspicion was likely to fall on the Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, who often target security forces across the country, especially in the former tribal regions in the troubled northwest bordering Afghanistan.

The Center for Research and Security Studies said in its report Tuesday that this year was the deadliest for Pakistani security forces in 9 years.

“On average, nearly seven lives were lost daily,” according to the report which tallied “at least 685 fatalities and 444 terror attacks.” It also said: “Equally alarming were the cumulative losses of civilians and security personnel, i.e. 1612 fatalities, accounting for over 63 percent of the total recorded this year and marking 73 percent more losses compared to 934 outlaws eliminated.”

The think tank said its latest report was based on data collected from open sources, mainly media outlets. In Pakistan, the military doesn’t regularly confirm causalities among troops.

There was no immediate comment from the military on the report.

Last week, military spokesman Lt. Gen. Ahmad Sharif said in a news conference that 925 insurgents were killed in 2024, a record high compared to the past five years, while 383 soldiers were killed in such operations. He also said Pakistani security forces this year conducted 59,775 operations against insurgents in the country.

Pakistan in recent months has stepped up intelligence-based operations against the Pakistani Taliban, emboldened since the Afghan Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 2021. 

Topics: Pakistan Pakistan militancy

Pakistan’s Azan Ali Khan clinches Junior Under-17 Scottish Open squash title

Updated 31 December 2024
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Pakistan’s Azan Ali Khan clinches Junior Under-17 Scottish Open squash title

  • Khan defeats Swiss opponent to win tournament that featured players from 22 nations
  • Khan will now compete in the British Open World Junior Squash Championship next year 
Updated 31 December 2024
Muhammad Ibrahim

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani squash player Azan Ali Khan clinched the Junior Under-17 Scottish Junior Open Championship 2024 in Edinburgh this week, defeating Switzerland’s Landro Wagle in the final while remaining undefeated throughout the tournament, a non-government organization sponsoring him said on Tuesday. 

The Scottish Junior Open 2024 was held from Dec. 28 to 30, featuring players from 22 countries such as Canada, the United Kingdom, Italy, Egypt and the United States. 

“Azlan Ali Khan has emerged as the champion of the 2024 Scottish Junior Open Championship,” Muslim Hands Pakistan, Khan’s sponsor, said in a statement. “Azan Ali Khan defeated Switzerland’s Landro Wagle in the final to win the title.”

Muslim Hands Pakistan, a branch of the UK-based charity, works to alleviate poverty, sickness and lack of education in the country. It operates over 335 schools, serving more than 25,000 students and runs projects in health care, water, sanitation and vocational training.

Khan dedicated his victory to Pakistan’s out-of-school children. The South Asian country has a population 22.8 million out-of-school children aged 5-16 years, making Pakistan the country with the second-highest number of out-of-school children. 

Rana Mashood Ahmed Khan, chairman of the Pakistan Prime Minister’s Youth Program, congratulated Khan, his coach and team manager on the achievement.

“Azan Ali Khan is now preparing for the next stage and will compete in the British Open World Junior Squash Championship,” Muslim Hands said. “The British Open World Junior Squash Championship will be held from January 2 to January 6 in Birmingham.”
 

Topics: Azan Ali Khan Pakistann Scottish Junior Open 2024 squash

Religio-political party vows to continue Karachi sit-in protests despite crackdown 

Updated 31 December 2024
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Religio-political party vows to continue Karachi sit-in protests despite crackdown 

  • Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen party leads Karachi sit-in protests in solidarity with violence-hit northwestern Kurram district 
  • Police and paramilitary Rangers force fire tear gas to disperse protesters from various locations in Pakistan’s Karachi
Updated 31 December 2024
NAIMAT KHAN

KARACHI: Pakistani religio-political party Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) on Tuesday announced it would expand its sit-in protests, currently being held in Karachi in solidarity with the violence-hit Kurram district, to other parts of Sindh as law enforcers cracked down on protesters to clear the roads for traffic. 

The MWM has been leading sit-in protests at over 10 locations in Karachi since last week to protest against violence in the northwestern Kurram district. With a population of around 600,000, Kurram has been plagued by tribal and sectarian violence for decades. The region’s volatile security situation often necessitates travel in convoys escorted by security forces. However, a devastating ambush on November 21, in which gunmen killed 52 people, underscored the persistent dangers.

The attack escalated tensions in the district, resulting in violent clashes and road blockades that have severely disrupted access to essential supplies such as food, medicine, and fuel and claimed the lives of at least 136 people since November. A grand jirga— a traditional council of political and tribal elders— has been attempting to mediate between rival factions, but the unrest has spilled beyond Kurram.

“The sit-ins will continue until the issues of Parachinar are resolved,” MWM leader Allama Hasan Zafar Naqvi, referring to Kurram district’s capital city, said in a statement. “I urge people to come out of their homes. We will extend the sit-ins from Karachi to Obaro [near the border with Punjab].”

Police and Rangers personnel used tear gas to disperse protesters in Kamran Chowrangi, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Abbas Town and Gulshan-e-Iqbal areas of Karachi on Tuesday morning. Angry demonstrators set tires ablaze and pelted stones at law enforcement personnel in response. 

Numerous protesters had been arrested during the crackdown, Naqvi alleged. However, a police spokesperson declined to confirm the arrests when approached for comment. 

The MWM leader accused the Sindh government of practicing “double standards,” claiming that representatives of the provincial government expressed solidarity with demonstrators while simultaneously ordering law enforcers to clear protest sites forcefully. 

“Last night, Sindh government representatives came to us and the issues [caused by road blockades] were resolved,” Naqvi said. “But this morning, peaceful sit-ins were attacked.”

Karachi police chief on Monday warned demonstrators of action if the protests continued to disrupt public life. The Ahle-Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ), the MWM’s rival religious group, on Monday, threatened to hold protests at 60 locations in Karachi starting Tuesday if the MWM demonstrations did not end. 

Last week, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab also criticized MWM protesters for paralyzing the city.

“If the purpose of a protest is to inconvenience people, disrupt the city’s operations, block ambulances and fire brigades, or hinder police and administrative vehicles, then such actions are inappropriate,” Wahab said. 

Meanwhile, the warring factions in Kurram are formally expected to reach a peace agreement today, Tuesday, as the grand jirga reconvenes, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government spokesperson said last week. 

Topics: Protests Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen kurram

Militants attack security post in restive northwest Pakistan, killing 2

Updated 31 December 2024
AP
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Militants attack security post in restive northwest Pakistan, killing 2

  • Militants kill police officer and civilian in attack on Dera Ismail Khan district, police say 
  • No group has claimed responsibility for incident but suspicion likely to fall on Pakistani Taliban
Updated 31 December 2024
AP

PESHAWAR, Pakistan: Militants armed with assault rifles attacked a security post in restive northwest Pakistan early Tuesday, killing a police officer and a civilian, officials said.

Another officer was also wounded in the attack at the Draban Post in Dera Ismail Khan, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, local police official Abdullah Khan said, adding that the civilian was an employee of the Customs department.

He also said security forces returned fire and that “a group of insurgents” fled the scene.

No one claimed responsibility for the attack but suspicion was likely to fall on the Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, who often target security forces across the country, especially in the former tribal regions in the troubled northwest bordering Afghanistan.

Security forces have also stepped up intelligence-based operations against the Pakistani Taliban, emboldened since the Afghan Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 2021. The TTP is a separate group but a close ally of the Afghan Taliban.

Topics: Pakistan Militancy Dera Ismail Khan

Pakistan unveils economic plan today for sustainable growth amid challenges

Updated 9 min 41 sec ago
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Pakistan unveils economic plan today for sustainable growth amid challenges

  • Economic transformation plan to focus on export-led growth so Pakistan escapes boom-bust economic cycle, says finmin
  • Development takes place as Pakistan grapples with economic crisis that has triggered inflation, drained its foreign reserves
Updated 9 min 41 sec ago
Fatimah Amjad

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s government is set to launch its five-year homegrown National Economic Plan today, Tuesday, targeting sustainable growth and development in the long-term, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said amid Islamabad’s struggle to ward off its macroeconomic crisis. 

Pakistan’s government has attempted to steer itself out of a prolonged macroeconomic crisis that has weakened the South Asian country’s currency and drained its foreign exchange reserves over the past two years. 

Pakistan’s Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said in July that the National Economic 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.

In a video message, Aurangzeb said the plan has been aptly titled “Uraan Pakistan” which means “Flying Pakistan,” and aims to take the country’s prevalent macroeconomic stability to sustainable growth. 

“There are three to four key pillars of this [economic plan],” Aurangzeb said. “First of all, our growth will be export-led so that we do not go into the boom-bust cycle that we have been going through for the past few eras. Secondly, the private sector has to lead this country,” he added. 

Pakistan agreed to a 37-month, $7 billion bailout program from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) this year, promising the lender financial reforms in exchange for it. These reforms include increasing the tax base, regulating the energy sector and handing over loss-making state owned enterprises to the private sector. 

“The structural reforms that we have started, we have to take them through the finishing line,” the minister said. “Whether that is on the taxation side, whether its on the energy side, whether it’s our SOE reforms, whether it’s our privatization agenda.”

Aurangzeb vowed that the plan would put Pakistan on an upward economic trajectory in the next two to three years, saying it would ensure that this will be the last IMF program Islamabad resorts to. 

The development takes place amid Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s increased efforts for greater collaboration in trade, defense, agriculture and other key sectors of the economy with regional allies 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. 

Pakistan 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.

Topics: Pakistan National Economic Plan

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