ISLAMABAD: With Ramadan just around the corner, ordinary Pakistanis out of work say they are living on a prayer that the holy month will bring with it divine relief despite the relentless rise in cases of Covid-19 in the country.
With over 8,000 confirmed cases of the virus and 160 deaths as of Sunday, most provinces have reported a steady spike in the rates of cases and fatalities. As part of strict containment measures, most cities remain on partial lockdown, bringing the economy to a virtual halt despite the easing of some rules by the government earlier this week and a weekend announcement that Ramadan prayers in mosques around the country would be allowed.
Wearing a facemask, gloves and with a hand sanitizer tucked into his pocket, Muhammad Ashfaq Abbasi, a server at a local food joint in the federal capital said he used to make between Rs25,000 to Rs30,000 ($184) a month at work before the global pandemic hit Pakistan in February. But since the lockdown was imposed, Abbasi told Arab News he hadn’t been able to earn even 10 percent of that figure.
“The coronavirus has gripped us all in fear. Our predicament has limited choices. If we try to survive the virus, we’ll die of starvation. If we try to overcome the financial problem, we expose ourselves to the disease,” he said.
Abbasi added he was now living on a prayer that Ramadan might bring with it divine intervention, and said he was uncertain about how to cope with the approaching month, when business activity usually witnesses a dip even under normal circumstances.
Pakistan said on Saturday it had disbursed more than Rs53 billion to over 4.4 million people under its Ehsaas Emergency Cash program to help support families falling into the lowest income brackets in the resource-strapped country of 210 million people.
Many are still waiting for government help.
“I haven’t received any relief or funds from the government,” Abbasi said.
“Daily work is the only option I have to sustain my lifestyle and support my family,” he said.
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Imran Khan announced restrictions would be eased on some categories of industries, merchants, and small businesses to resume operations in a move aimed to counter the economic fallout of the lockdowns. But with consumers and customers largely indoors and supply chains still shut down, the effort hasn’t had the desired effect.
“Under the circumstances, I can’t even prepare for Sehr and Iftaar when I am out of pocket and unable to buy food and essentials,” mobile shop owner, Muhammed Saeed Bajwa, told Arab News.
Defying shutdown, Bajwa has reopened his business but keeps his shop shuttered down. With mounting bills and a family to support, he said he had no time or money to even think of Ramadan preparations this year.
It is undignified to beg for relief or a loan, Bajwa said, but he appealed to Prime Minister to allow businesses to resume operations with all preventive measures taken to protect against the virus.
“Expenses won’t stop so the government needs to introduce standard operating procedures and penalties for those breaking protocol but at least allow business activity to continue,” Bajwa said.
In one corner of Islamabad’s main markets, cobbler Karam Khan said it felt like Ramadan had come early for his family, who had been going hungry for weeks, unable to afford basic food items.
On a good month, he said he usually earned roughly Rs15,000 ($92).
“I won’t die from corona but definitely from hunger,” Khan said.
Living on a prayer: As Ramadan approaches, Pakistanis lament loss of livelihood
https://arab.news/58hkn
Living on a prayer: As Ramadan approaches, Pakistanis lament loss of livelihood
- Lockdown has left families grappling with rising expenses and no money to prepare for Ramadan
- Most provinces have reported a steady rise in the rates of Covid-19 cases and fatalities
Pakistan Railways awaits security clearance to repair track damaged in deadly Balochistan attack
- BLA separatists targeted a passenger train earlier this week, taking more than 200 hostages
- The militants killed 31 people in the attack, derailing the train and damaging 398 feet of track
QUETTA: A delegation of Pakistan Railways officials visited the site of a militant attack on a passenger train in the southwestern mountainous Bolan region on Saturday, saying repair work on the damaged track would begin after security clearance to restore train service from Balochistan.
Dozens of separatist Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) militants attacked the Quetta-Peshawar-bound Jaffar Express with bomb, gun and rocket attacks on Tuesday afternoon, killing 31 people and taking more than 200 passengers captive.
The hostage crisis lasted for 36 hours before security forces executed a rescue operation, killing 33 militants and securing the release of the passengers.
Speaking to the media, Rasheed Imtiaz Siddiqui, deputy chief engineer of Pakistan Railways, said four carriages of the Jaffar Express had derailed in the attack and 398 feet of track was damaged.
“Our teams are ready at Sibi, Mushkaf, Paneer and Aab-e-Gum railway stations,” he told reporters at the Bolan site where the train was hijacked.
“This is a highly sensitive area, and our teams will have to work from dawn to dusk since there can be security issues in the dark requiring formal clearance [from Pakistani forces],” he added.
Siddiqui said it would take at least eight to nine hours to clear the derailed carriages and repair the track.
Armed separatist groups often target trains and passenger coaches in southwestern Balochistan province, which has witnessed a low-level insurgency for decades against the Pakistani state.
The separatists accuse the government of stripping the province’s natural resources and leaving its people mired in poverty. However, government officials deny the allegation, saying they are working to uplift the province through development projects, including multibillion-dollar schemes funded by Beijing.
Last August, the BLA destroyed a historic bridge built by the British Army in the 18th century in the hilly area of Kolpur, suspending train service for nearly a month.
Pakistan's Frontier Corps stand guard at the siege site after armed militants ambushed a train in the remote mountainous area, at Pehro Kunri in Balochistan province on March 15, 2025. (AFP)
Brig. Umar Altaf, Commandant Sibi Scouts, told the media that the area was clear.
“The terrorists were confident they could prolong the standoff and propagate that the area was under their control,” he said, pointing out that they could not withstand the rescue operation.
“We have recovered eight magnetic improvised explosive devices from the area,” he continued. “They [the militants] were ready to blast the train, but we neutralized them.”
Blast in Pakistan’s northwest kills founder of banned militant outfit
- Mufti Munir Shakir of Lashkar-e-Islam was targeted in Peshawar while he was entering a mosque
- He was rushed to Lady Reading Hospital in critical condition where he succumbed to his injuries
PESHAWAR: A blast on the outskirts of the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar on Saturday killed local cleric Mufti Munir Shakir, founder of the banned militant outfit Lashkar-e-Islam, a hospital official confirmed after Shakir was rushed there in an injured state following the explosion.
Established in 2004, Lashkar-e-Islam initially focused on enforcing a strict interpretation of Islam before establishing a parallel governance system in parts of the Khyber district between 2008 and 2014.
Its members frequently clashed with Pakistani security forces, contributing to the broader insurgency in the tribal region, which was later merged with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
“Mufti Munir Shakir ... was brought into the [Lady Reading] hospital in a critical condition with three other wounded people in the blast,” Muhammad Asim, the spokesperson of the medical facility, said in a statement. “Unfortunately, Mufti Munir Shakir embraced martyrdom at the hospital. Right now, we are in the process of handing over his dead body to his relatives.”
Speaking to Arab News, Noor Muhammad, the Station House Officer of the area where the attack occurred, said the blast took place outside a mosque and specifically targeted Shakir.
“The moment Mufti Munir Shakir was entering the mosque at around 5 PM the blast took place, leaving four persons wounded,” he said. “It was a planted bomb.”
No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has experienced a surge in militant violence, with frequent attacks targeting security forces and civilians.
The region has mostly been targeted by the proscribed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), whose leadership is reportedly based in neighboring Afghanistan.
Pakistan has frequently accused the interim Afghan Taliban administration of sheltering these militants and facilitating their cross-border attacks in its border region, an allegation denied by Kabul.
Last month, a prominent religious cleric, Maulana Hamid-ul-Haq, lost his life in a massive suicide bombing at the Darul Uloom Haqqania seminary in Akora Khattak that killed at least six other individuals.
The seminary has earned a reputation for producing several Afghan Taliban leaders, prompting the administration in Kabul to condemn the attack and blame it on the rival Daesh group in the region.
Prior to the explosion that killed Mufti Shakir on Saturday, police officials confirmed that militants launched four coordinated overnight attacks in the province, targeting police stations in two districts, leaving one attacker dead and a police officer injured.
The first three attacks took place in Bannu, a restive district located on the periphery of North Waziristan bordering Afghanistan.
The fourth attack occurred in the adjacent Lakki Marwat district when a group of well-armed militants launched an assault on the Abbasia police station, sparking a fierce gunbattle.
The confrontation resulted in the death of one militant, while others managed to flee the scene.
“During the chase, a police vehicle hit a roadside improvised explosive device, injuring one police official who was transported to a nearby medical facility for treatment,” Shahid Marwat, the spokesperson of the district’s police, told Arab News.
In a statement released earlier in the day, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Police Chief Zulfiqar Hameed also paid tribute to the courage of the police personnel for thwarting successive militant attacks in the two districts.
Pakistan Navy launches second Hangor-class submarine in China to boost maritime defense
- Equipped with advanced weapons and sensors, the submarine will strengthen Pakistan’s deterrence capabilities
- The deal with the Chinese company will get Pakistan six more submarines with technology transfer agreement
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Navy launched its second Hangor-class submarine, PNS/M Shushuk, at a ceremony in Wuhan, China, as part of a strategic initiative to bolster its maritime defense capabilities, according to an official statement on Saturday.
The country’s defense ministry signed an agreement with China Shipbuilding and Offshore International Company during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Pakistan in 2015 to acquire eight of these submarines. Under the deal, four submarines are being built in China, while the remaining four will be constructed at Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works under a transfer of technology program.
Equipped with state-of-the-art weapons and sensors, these submarines are expected to enhance Pakistan’s naval capabilities by enabling precision strikes at standoff ranges.
Pakistan’s Vice Chief of the Naval Staff, Ovais Ahmed Bilgrami, attended the ceremony as the chief guest.
“While addressing the ceremony, the Vice Chief of the Naval Staff highlighted the importance of maritime security in the prevailing geo-strategic environment of the region, as well as Pakistan Navy’s commitment to safeguarding national interests and ensuring a safe and conducive maritime environment for all,” the official statement circulated by the Directorate General of Public Relations of Pakistan Navy said.
“He emphasized that Hangor-class submarines, equipped with state-of-the-art weapons and sensors, will play a pivotal role in maintaining the balance of power and maritime order in the region,” it added.
Pakistan’s deal with the Chinese company is expected to enhance its naval defense in the Indian Ocean region by equipping its fleet with stealth-capable submarines designed for low acoustic signatures, making them harder to detect.
These advanced vessels also aim to strengthen the country’s deterrence capabilities while reinforcing Pakistan-China military ties through strategic defense collaboration.
Beyond the Hangor-class project, Pakistan is enhancing its naval capabilities through collaborations with other nations.
In 2018, the country signed a contract with Turkiye for the construction of four MILGEM-class corvettes.
Additionally, a Turkish company was also engaged to upgrade Pakistan’s Agosta 90B-class submarines.
Security forces kill nine militants, lose two soldiers in Pakistan’s northwest
- Pakistani forces carried out two separate intelligence-based operation in Mohmand and Dera Ismail Khan
- An official statement says the armed forces recovered weapons, ammunition from the deceased militants
KARACHI: Pakistani security forces killed nine militants in two intelligence-based operations in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said in a statement on Saturday, adding two soldiers also lost their lives in one of the encounters.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has seen a surge in violence by banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants in recent months, with deadly suicide bombings, attacks on security checkpoints and targeted of civilians and security personnel.
Pakistani security forces have conducted several intelligence-based operations in the region, with the latest ones carried out in Mohmand District and Dera Ismail Khan between March 14 and 15.
Pakistan refers to TTP militants as “khwarij,” a historical term describing an extremist sect in early Islam known for rebelling against authority and declaring other Muslims apostates.
“On reported presence of Khwarij, an intelligence based operation was conducted by the Security Forces in Mohmand District,” the ISPR said. “During the conduct of operation, own troops effectively engaged the khwarijs’ location, resultantly, seven khwarij were sent to hell.”
“However, during intense fire exchange, two brave sons of soil, Havildar Muhammad Zahid (age: 37 years, resident of District Malakand) and Sepoy Aftab Ali Shah (age: 26 years, resident of District Chitral) having fought gallantly, rendered the ultimate sacrifice and embraced shahadat [martyrdom],” it added.
The second operation was carried out in Maddi, Dera Ismail Khan District, where security forces engaged militants in a gunfight.
“A fire exchange took place between own troops and khwarij,” the statement continued. “Resultantly, two khwarij were effectively neutralized.”
The ISPR said security forces also recovered weapons and ammunition from the militants, who, according to the military, were actively involved in multiple violent activities.
The statement informed that “sanitization operations” were ongoing in both districts to eliminate any remaining militants.
Pakistan set to face New Zealand in T20I series opener in Christchurch on Sunday
- Skipper Salman Ali Agha says the team will try to produce better results in New Zealand
- A three-match ODI series, set to follow the T20I action, will run from March 29 to April 5
KARACHI: Pakistan are all set to take on New Zealand in a five-match T20I series starting Sunday, the country's cricket board said in a statement, with the first game to be played at Hagley Oval in Christchurch.
The Pakistan squad arrived in New Zealand on Thursday and held their first training session on Friday afternoon. Before their arrival, the T20I squad underwent a pre-series camp from March 7 to 10 in Lahore.
Pakistan’s squad includes three uncapped players — Abdul Samad, Hasan Nawaz and Mohammad Ali — who earned call-ups to the national side following their impressive performances in recent domestic events.
Skipper Salman Ali Agha, who led the team to a 2-1 T20I series win in Zimbabwe in his first series as captain, expressed satisfaction with the players' performance ahead of the series.
“The team's preparations are going well, and we will try to produce better results in New Zealand," the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) quoted him as saying in a statement. "We have some young players in the side, and it is an opportunity for them to showcase their talent at the international level after performing well in domestic cricket.”
Pakistan have an upper hand over New Zealand in the 44 T20I contests between the two sides, with 23 wins, while the Black Caps have secured victory in 19 fixtures.
The last T20I series featuring the two sides, played in Pakistan in 2024, ended in a 2-2 draw, with one match abandoned due to rain.
More recently, though, Pakistan's cricket squad has come under significant criticism for their performance following their early exit from the 2025 Champions Trophy after losses to New Zealand and India.
During their tour to New Zealand, Pakistan will play their second match at University Oval in Dunedin on March 18, while the third match of the series will be played at Eden Park in Auckland on March 21.
The fourth and fifth T20Is will be played at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui and Sky Stadium in Wellington on March 23 and 26, respectively.
A three-match ODI series will follow the T20I action and will be played from March 29 to April 5.
