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Granting citizenship to Afghan refugees is Pakistan’s internal matter – UNHCR

In this file photo, an elder Afghan refugee sits outside a shop at a refugee camp on the outskirts of Islamabad on Oct. 18, 2018. Pakistan is one of the largest refugee-hosting nations in the world, but many Pakistanis have long viewed Afghan refugees in particular suspiciously. (AFP)
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Updated 18 February 2020
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Granting citizenship to Afghan refugees is Pakistan’s internal matter – UNHCR

  • Pakistan currently hosts over 1.4 million Afghan refugees registered with UNHCR
  • Many Afghans born in Pakistan see their host country as their homeland 
Updated 18 February 2020
Sib Kaifee

ISLAMABAD: The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) made it clear on Monday that granting citizenship to Afghan refugees is in the Pakistani government’s discretion, as Islamabad has already done much in the past four decades for the world’s second-largest displaced community.

“That is a matter for the Pakistani government to discuss,” UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi told Arab News on the sidelines of an ongoing international summit – 40 Years of Hosting Afghan Refugees in Pakistan – held in Islamabad.

“In general, the measures that have been taken without reaching that level (offering Pakistani citizenship to refugees) have been very positive,” Grandi added, referring to Pakistan’s efforts to provide shelter, protection, and other facilities to persons displaced by conflict in Afghanistan. 

Pakistan hosts over 1.4 million Afghan refugees registered with UNHCR, but many others are not registered. It is estimated that some 2 million Afghans have been living in Pakistan.
A citizenship pledge to refugees was made by Prime Minister Imran Khan in 2018, shortly after assuming office. “Afghans whose children have been raised and born in Pakistan will be granted citizenship, inshallah (God willing) because this is the established practice in countries around the world,” he said at the time.

“They are humans. How come we have deprived them and have not arranged for offering them a national identification card and passport for 30 years, 40 years?”

Refugees still hope the premier will deliver on his promise.

Pakistan’s former ambassador to Afghanistan, Rustum Shah, told Arab News that Pakistan should grant the refugees nationality after four decades of hosting them.

“Afghan refugees would continue to stay here. As long as there is no reconciliation there is no peace,” Shah said adding that forced repatriation would be wrong.

“The government of Pakistan must consider giving them nationality now because they have been here for 40 years,” the retired diplomat said.

Arab News has more in this video.

Topics: Afghan refugee Refugee Summit Pakistan UNHCR

Two new species of cobia fish found off Gwadar coast in northern Arabian Sea

Updated 4 min 49 sec ago
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Two new species of cobia fish found off Gwadar coast in northern Arabian Sea

  • New study published in the peer-reviewed academic journal Zoologischer Anzeiger
  • Research team found species during study of commercially popular black king cobia 
Updated 4 min 49 sec ago
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Two newly identified species of the cobia fish have been found off Pakistan’s Gwadar coast in the northern Arabian Sea, according to a new study published in the peer-reviewed academic journal Zoologischer Anzeiger, whose latest edition came out this month.

The cobia is a species of marine carangiform ray-finned fish, whose other common names include black kingfish, black salmon, ling, lemonfish, crabeater, prodigal son, codfish, and black bonito.

“This study describes two newly identified species, Rachycentron blochii sp. nov. and Rachycentron makranesis sp. nov. from Gwadar in the northern Arabian Sea,” said the study, authored by Dr. Sher Khan Panhwar and Dr. Imtiaz Kashani, professors at the Center of Excellence in Marine Biology at the University of Karachi.

“The newly discovered species differ significantly from their relatives in multiple morphological traits, such as head profile, mouth, pectoral fin, caudal fin, caudal peduncle, dorsal and anal fin bases, gill rakers, and body coloration.”

The recent finding increases the number of cobia species in the northern Arabian Sea, Pakistan, the study says, presenting information on the species’ biological and ecological aspects such as feeding habits, age assessment, habitat preferences and fishery-related details.

The research was financially supported by the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan through its National Research Programme for Universities project.

“At first glance, I thought it was another black king cobia but when I looked closer at the markings on its body, I knew it was different,” Dr. Panhwar told Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper, explaining that he was traveling with students on a routine survey of the Gwadar fish harbor last year when he spotted the new species. The team was there to study the black king cobia or Rachycentron canadum, a commercially popular large fish found around the world.

Fresh specimens weighing between 4 and 7 kg were immediately cooled in dry-ice and packed into ice boxes for transportation to the fisheries laboratory at the University of Karachi, some 650km away from the Gwadar harbor.

Back at the laboratory, Dr. Pan­hwar and his colleague Dr. Kashani analyzed the unusual cobias, examining their appearance, dissecting them, and comparing them with the typical species. 

The two new species have been named the Blotchy Cobia, a nod to the large gray markings found on its body as well as to the Balochi language spoken in the region. The other one will be called Makran Cobia, named after the Makran coast where it was found.

“At this time, these species of cobia have only been spotted in Pakistan,” Panhwar told Dawn.

Topics: Gwadar coast Arabian Sea Pakistan Cobia

After bail in state gifts case, new charges filed against Pakistan’s Imran Khan

Updated 21 November 2024
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After bail in state gifts case, new charges filed against Pakistan’s Imran Khan

  • Khan has been named in case relating to alleged violence by his supporters during a rally in September 
  • Khan, who has been in jail since August 2023, says all cases against him are politically motivated 
Updated 21 November 2024
Hasaan Ali Khan

ISLAMABAD: Rawalpindi police said on Thursday they had filed fresh charges against former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan related to violence at a party rally in September, a day after a court granted the ex-premier bail in a case involving the illegal sale of gifts from a state repository. 

On Wednesday, the Islamabad High Court granted Khan bail in the new Toshakhana case, filed in July and involving a jewelry set worth over €380,000 gifted to the former first lady by a foreign dignitary when Khan was prime minister from 2018-2022. The couple is accused of undervaluing the gift and buying it at a lesser price from the state repository.

Before the new case was filed, Khan, who has been in jail since last August, was convicted in four cases. Two of the cases have since been suspended, including an original one relating to state gifts, while he was acquitted in the remaining two.

“A case has been registered for arson, stone pelting, resisting the police, damage to government property and other incidents,” Rawalpindi Police announced on X, reading the charges against Khan in connection to a protest held by his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party in September. 

“Investigation team headed by SSP Investigation is investigating Imran Khan. Khan will be produced in court to obtain physical remand.”

Charges have also been filed in the case against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and a number of PTI leaders, including Seemabia Tahir, Amir Mughar and Aliya Hamza.

The police report of the case, which was filed on Sept. 28, the day of the rally, lists terrorism, attempted murder, vandalism, destruction of public and state property, and interference in government operations as the main charges. It says participants of the PTI rally created unrest, obstructed public access by burning tires and caused difficulties for citizens.

It also charges PTI leaders and supporters of raising anti-government slogans, hurling stones at the police and attacking them with iron rods during the protest.

Several police vehicles were damaged by PTI rallygoers and one police officer was injured, the report says.

Khan was in prison when the Sept. 28 rally took place. The former premier denies any wrongdoing, and alleges all the cases registered against him since he was removed from power in 2022 are politically motivated to keep him in jail.

Topics: Imran Khan PTI state gifts case Arab News Pakistan

Pakistani PM thanks King Salman, Gates foundations for global anti-polio efforts

Updated 21 November 2024
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Pakistani PM thanks King Salman, Gates foundations for global anti-polio efforts

  • Pakistan, along with neighboring Afghanistan, remains last polio-endemic country in the world
  • This year, 50 cases have been reported in Pakistan so far, a majority in Balochistan province 
Updated 21 November 2024
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday met a delegation of the Polio Oversight Board in Islamabad and thanked the King Salman and Bill & Melinda Gates foundations, among others, in their global efforts for polio eradication.

Pakistan, along with neighboring Afghanistan, remains the last polio-endemic country in the world. The nation’s polio eradication campaign has hit serious problems with a spike in reported cases this year that has prompted officials to review their approach to stopping the crippling disease.

Poliovirus, which can cause crippling paralysis particularly in young children, is incurable and remains a threat to human health as long as it has not been eradicated. Immunization campaigns have succeeded in most countries and have come close in Pakistan, but persistent problems remain.

“The Prime Minister thanked the King Salman Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Rotary Foundation, UNICEF and CDC, which are partners with the Government of Pakistan in the polio eradication campaign,” Sharif’s office said in a statement after the meeting. 

“The role of all these organizations reflects the global efforts in the polio eradication campaign.”

This year, 50 cases have been reported in Pakistan: 24 from Balochistan province, 13 from Sindh, 10 from KP and one each from Punjab and Islamabad. 

In the early 1990s, Pakistan reported around 20,000 cases annually but in 2018 the number dropped to eight cases. Six cases were reported in 2023 and only one in 2021. 

Pakistan’s polio eradication program began in 1994, and the number of cases has declined dramatically since then. But efforts to eradicate the virus have for years been undermined by vaccine misinformation and opposition from some religious hard-liners, who say immunization is a foreign ploy to sterilize Muslim children or a cover for Western spies. Militant groups also frequently attack and kill members of polio vaccine teams. 

In July 2019, a vaccination drive in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was thwarted after mass panic was created by rumors that children were fainting or vomiting after being immunized.

Public health studies in Pakistan have shown that maternal illiteracy and low parental knowledge about vaccines, together with poverty and rural residency, are also factors that commonly influence whether parents vaccinate their children against polio.

Pakistan’s chief health officer this month said an estimated 500,000 children had missed polio vaccinations during a recent countrywide inoculation drive due to vaccine refusals. 

Topics: King Salman Gates foundations anti-polio program

Government moves to accelerate relocation of Chinese industries to Pakistan

Updated 21 November 2024
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Government moves to accelerate relocation of Chinese industries to Pakistan

  • Seven-member panel was formed in September to formulate policy framework to boost Chinese industrial migration 
  • Panel’s focus is to develop incentive package to attract Chinese investment, make Pakistan regionally competitive
Updated 21 November 2024
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal said on Wednesday Pakistan would provide land to Chinese industries as Islamabad pushes forward with initiatives to boost industrial migration from the neighbor and longtime ally, Radio Pakistan reported.

A seven-member panel was formed by Iqbal in September to formulate a comprehensive policy framework for relocating Chinese industries to Pakistan, aimed at enhancing industrial collaboration under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Last year the government said it had completed more than 50 schemes worth $25 billion under CPEC, a flagship project under China’s Belt and Road Initiative, with more than $65 billion pledged for road, rail and other infrastructure developments in the South Asian nation of 241 million people.

“Iqbal has directed the officials concerned to identify suitable sites for the establishment of Model Special Economic Zones and prepare a comprehensive concept paper for the purpose,” Radio Pakistan reported about Iqbal’s meeting with the industrial migration panel. 

“The minister said Pakistan would provide land to Chinese industries, while they would manage the infrastructure and market these zones themselves.”

The panel is led by the additional secretary of the Board of Investment and comprises members from the Commerce Ministry, the Ministry of Industries and Production, the Finance Division, the State Bank of Pakistan, the Federal Board of Revenue, and the CPEC Secretariat. 

The panel’s primary focus is to identify challenges in industrial relocation, propose solutions, and develop an incentive package to attract Chinese investment and make Pakistan regionally competitive.

The security of the Chinese nationals and their interests, which are often attacked by insurgents, remains the biggest challenge for Islamabad.
 

Topics: Chinese industries Pakistan

Pakistan inaugurates nation’s first maritime science and technology park 

Updated 21 November 2024
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Pakistan inaugurates nation’s first maritime science and technology park 

  • Park to be hub for AI, cybersecurity, ocean renewable energy, seafood processing, shipbuilding and coastal tourism
  • Naval chief says park will address Pakistan’s economic challenges, be expanded to Islamabad, Lahore and Gwadar
Updated 21 November 2024
Hasaan Ali Khan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s naval chief inaugurated the country’s first Maritime Science and Technology Park (PMSTP) in the southern port city of Karachi on Wednesday, according to the navy’s media wing, which said the facility would prove to be a “significant step” in addressing the country’s economic challenges. 

The navy said in its press release that the PMSTP is Pakistan’s first dedicated maritime science park integrating academia, industry and the government in a unique collaboration to foster growth across the country’s maritime sectors. 

It said the park’s initiatives will target diverse fields including naval technologies, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, ocean renewable energy, seafood processing, shipbuilding and coastal tourism. Pakistan Navy Chief Admiral Naveed Ashraf inaugurated the park on Wednesday during the second day of the International Defense Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS) exhibition in Karachi. 

“PMSTP is envisioned as a transformative hub for innovation and advancement, focusing on maritime science and technology to bolster Pakistan’s blue economy,” the navy said. “The project represents a significant step toward addressing Pakistan’s economic challenges, with plans for expansion beyond Karachi to Islamabad, Lahore, and Gwadar.”

Pakistan, home to multiple sea ports, has tried to tap into them to enhance its economic growth especially in the trade and tourism sectors. Pakistan’s ports, which have access to the Arabian Sea, employ thousands of people in fishing, shipping and other marine sectors.

IDEAS is Pakistan’s premier weapons expo, held biennially since its inception under former army chief General (r) Pervez Musharraf’s administration in 2000 and has grown into a key event for the defense sector. 

This year’s exhibition is running from Nov.19 — Nov. 22 and is expected to host over 550 exhibitors, including 340 international defense companies, alongside more than 350 senior civil and military officials from 55 countries.

Topics: Maritime Science and Technology Park IDEAS 2024 Karachi Pakistan Pakistan Navy

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