A bystander listens Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan addressing the nation on television, in Karachi on March 4, 2021, after Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi announced that Khan would seek a confidence vote in the National Assembly. (AFP)
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan bitterly criticized the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) during his address to the nation on Thursday, accusing it of "damaging democracy in the country" by holding Senate elections through secret ballot.
Khan and his ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party believe that lawmakers in national and provincial assemblies sold their votes ahead of the Senate polls on Wednesday.
While the PTI managed to win 25 seats in the upper house of parliament, it lost a major contest in Islamabad where Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh was defeated by the joint candidate of the opposition Pakistan Democratic Movement alliance.
The outcome of the election was followed by demand for the prime minister's resignation since the opposition claimed that his administration had lost its majority in the assembly.
After the government's announcement that Khan would seek vote of confidence on Saturday, he decided to address the nation in which he reminded the election commission that its foremost duty was to hold free and fair elections.
"I could not understand why you went to the [apex] court and said that Senate polls should be held through secret ballot," he said while referring to recent Supreme Court proceedings focusing on the mode of Senate elections in response to a presidential reference.
In response to the commission's argument in front of the court that it was not possible to allow open ballot under the constitution, Khan asked: "Tell me, does any constitution permits anyone to steal or bribe which has been happening [in Pakistan] for the past 30 years?"
He said that the Supreme Court had allowed the ECP to continue with secret balloting but make all votes traceable to prevent corrupt practices.
"I kept saying before the election that people were putting themselves up for sale," Khan continued. "Why couldn't you barcode 1500 ballot papers even after getting the opportunity from the Supreme Court? You gave full opportunity [to politicians] to discredit democracy in the country."
"You protected criminals through secret balloting," he added. "You have damaged our democracy. Tell me, what kind of a democracy is this where people become senators by using money?"
The prime minister also accused the ECP of "damaging the morality of the country."
Khan also told his party members that he recognized their right to say no to his leadership during the vote of confidence on Saturday, saying he would respect their decision and "sit in the opposition."
KARACHI: A centuries-old staple of South Asian closets, the farshi shalwar, is back in Pakistan and ruling fashion trends this Eid Al-Fitr.
The word “farshi” comes from the Persian word “farsh,” meaning “floor,” and the farshi shalwar, particularly popular in Pakistan and northern India, is characterized by its floor-length, flowing and wide, loose pants, creating a dramatic and graceful silhouette.
“Right now, it’s the hottest trend,” fashion stylist and director Tabesh Khoja, popularly known as Khoji, told Arab News, saying he first styled a farshi shalwar in 2023 for the fashion label of model and actress Sadaf Kanwal.
“I styled Sadaf Kanwal actually and after that I have seen every other designer doing a farshi shalwar version of their own,” Khoja said.
The picture posted by Sadaf Kanwal Fashion on February 15, 2025, shows Pakistani model Sadaf Kanwal wearing farshi shalwar from her latest collection. (Sadaf Kanwal Fashion/Instagram)
No doubt, Kanwal seems to have played a key role in bringing the farshi shalwar back this Ramadan and Eid, with her label Sadaf Kanwal Fashion creating a number of outfits over the last two years featuring the baggy trousers.
“Throughout the [last] year, I shot so many collections of so many designers and all of those designers at least used to have two farshi shalwars for sure in their collections,” Khoja said. “So it took us an entire year to make it a fashion trend.”
According to the stylist, the trend dated back to the 17th century and was popular among noble women in the Mughal era. Modeled after the flowing gowns worn by British noblewomen, the complete outfit consists of three basic parts: a kurta or a long shirt, dupatta or long stole, and the third and most important, the farshi shalwar or pajama, a flowing two-legged trouser held by drawstrings that falls straight to the ankles from where it starts flaring and flowing copiously onto the floor, trailing as one walks.
In media, iconic movies such as Umrao Jaan (1981) and Shatranj Ke Khilari (1977) that depict Muslim culture of 19th-century Lucknow show noblewomen and royal courtesans wearing farshi shalwars.
“They had a variety of silhouettes in terms of a kurta or a jacket on top, among other things. The outfit has been there, the silhouette has been there since the 17th century but how you make it relevant now is very important,” Khoja added.
The picture, posted on August 4, 2022, by the Instagram page " Purana Pakistan," shows Pakistani women wearing farshi shalwar in 1970s. (Hibah Najeeb via Purana Pakistan)
HOW TO STYLE A FARSHI SHALWAR?
According to Khoja, some of the popular ways to style the farshi shalwar include pairing it with a button down shirt and accessorizing it with different kinds of jewelry pieces and hairdos.
“You can dress it up or dress it down. Sadaf [Kanwal] uses big organza dupattas. You can do big shawls also like [actress] Mahira Khan wore [designer] Banto Kazmi’s when she got an award at the UK Parliament. So something of that sort also with a plain silhouette.”
The picture, posted on July 16, 2023, shows Pakistani models wearing farshi shalwar by designer Hussain Rehar. (Hussain Rehar)
Pakistani actress Tuba Anwar said celebrities had been wearing farshi shalwars since last year but the trend had “peaked” among the general public in recent months. For her, the fact that everyone would be wearing the baggy trousers this Eid reduced their appeal.
“I was planning to wear farshi shalwar on this Eid and then when everybody started discussing it, I was like ‘No, this is not what I’m going to wear because I have to do something very different’.”
When she wore farshi shalwars at all, Anwar said she preferred them in solid colors.
“In terms of styling, I would like to wear it with solid colors, not a lot of embroidery going on, not a lot of things or abstract things going on in the clothes that I am going to wear,” she said.
Pakistani actor Tuba Anwar is seen wearing farshi shalwar. (Tuba Anwar)
The farshi shalwar craze is not limited to women alone.
Actor and host Fahad Mustafa has donned the farshi shalwar look on his hit gaming show Jeeto Pakistan during Ramadan. Singer and songwriter Falak Shabbir has been seen in the outfit as well.
“It’s certainly not limited to women. Fahad Mustafa was of course wearing it on Jeeto Pakistan. I am going to wear it on Eid,” Khoja said. “So, you will see a lot of people of different sorts, male and female, wearing it.”
Pakistani actor and host Fahad Mustafa r is seen wearing farshi shalwar. (Fahad Mustafa)
KARACHI: Until last year on the days before Eid Al-Fitr, the home of Zahra Arif, 20, used to be filled with laughter and the aroma of kulcha, qatlama, beef pulao and other traditional foods being prepared in anticipation of the religious holiday.
This year, the small apartment in which the family of ten lives on the outskirts of Pakistan’s megacity of Karachi was quiet and the air was tense. They are Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders, refugees granted temporary legal status in Pakistan in 2017 but whom the government ordered earlier this month to leave before Mar. 31 or face expulsion — a date that coincides with the first day of Eid this year.
“We haven’t made any preparations for this Eid because the situation is uncertain,” Arif, who was born and raised in Karachi and whose family has lived there for 35 years, told Arab News.
“They are expelling Afghans so who would feel like making new clothes for Eid?”
The move is part of a larger repatriation drive of ‘illegal foreigners’ that began in 2023, with over 884,261 Afghans expelled from Pakistan since, according to government figures. Authorities initially said they were first focusing on expelling foreigners with no legal documentation and other categories like ACC holders would be included later.
More than 800,000 Afghans hold an ACC in Pakistan, according to UN data. Another roughly 1.3 million are formally registered with the Pakistan government and hold a separate Proof of Residence (PoR) card, launched in 2006 to grant legal recognition and protection to Afghan refugees. In total, Pakistan has hosted over 2.8 million Afghan refugees who have crossed the border during 40 years of conflict in their homeland.
A worker from the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), speaks to Afghan citizens while verifying their identity cards on an online tab, during a door-to-door search and verification drive for undocumented Afghan nationals, in an Afghan Camp on the outskirts of Karachi, Pakistan, on November 21, 2023. (REUTERS/File)
Islamabad has in the past blamed militant attacks and crimes on Afghan citizens, who form the largest portion of migrants in the country. The government says militants, especially from the Pakistan Taliban (TTP), are using safe havens in Afghanistan and links with Afghans residing in Pakistan to launch cross-border attacks. The ruling administration in Kabul has repeatedly rejected the accusations.
The latest deadline has left the nearly 800,000 ACC holders, including an estimated 65,000 in Karachi, grappling with the prospect of a forced return to a country many have never even visited.
“We have been living here for 30 to 35 years, how will we survive there,” said Arif, whose family comprises her parents, two brothers, five sisters, and herself. “There is no place for us there, no home, nothing.”
“EID HAS TURNED INTO POISON”
Arif also has other worries.
She fears for the career and higher education prospects for herself and her five sisters in Afghanistan, where over three years of Taliban rule has led to the “striking” erasure of women from public life, according to the UN.
Afghanistan is the only country in the world where secondary and higher education is strictly forbidden to girls and women. According to UNESCO data published last year, 1.4 million Afghan girls have been deliberately deprived of schooling. Access to primary education has also fallen sharply, with 1.1 million fewer girls and boys attending school.
Since the Taliban took power in 2021, professional opportunities for women have also been severely restricted. Many women lost their jobs and others were only allowed to continue if they worked from home. Any woman who still has a job has to be accompanied on their journey to work by a male relative.
Arif, who completed her high-school in Karachi, had dreams of pursuing a career in IT but now believes all her efforts were in vain.
“I have taken computer courses and was thinking of doing a freelancing course but how will I do that there?” she asked. “The twelve years of education I completed here, my intermediate degree, everything will be useless there.”
Afghan men load their belongings as they head back to Afghanistan, after Pakistan gave a final warning to undocumented immigrants to leave, at a bus stop in Karachi, Pakistan, on November 4, 2023. (REUTERS/File)
Idrees Khan, a 25-year-old Afghan refugee who was born in Pakistan and sells French fries at a roadside stall, also wondered what he would do in Afghanistan, a country he has never visited and where he had heard there were few jobs and future prospects.
“For us, Pakistan has always felt like our country but now, on Eid, they are telling us to leave. This is distressing,” he said. “If they had given us some time to process and prepare, it would have been better for everyone. But forcing us to leave now is inappropriate.”
Hajji Abdullah Shah Bukhari, a community elder who represents Afghan refugees in the southern Sindh province, said he was “still in shock” over the government’s decision to expel ACC holders.
“Pakistan has hosted Afghan refugees for 47 years and we are grateful for this hospitality, but the recent announcement of expelling us is heartbreaking.”
The government’s decision was taking an “emotional toll” on the community ahead of the Eid holiday, the community leader said.
“A year ago, around this time, people would be buying clothes and essentials for their children to celebrate Eid,” he said. “But now, if you look inside any Afghan household, you will see people shedding tears of blood, wondering what to do.”
Bukhari urged Islamabad to reconsider its policy and engage with Afghan authorities on any issues between the two governments.
“Why doesn’t the Islamic Republic of Pakistan negotiate with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan?” he asked. “Afghan refugees are not involved in the policies of either Afghanistan or Pakistan. We have always remained away from politics, but what is happening to us now is injustice.”
Afghan children look out from the bus window as they are being repatriated to Afghanistan along with their families, who according to police were undocumented and detained at a temporary holding centre, after Pakistan gave the last warning to undocumented migrants to leave, in Karachi, Pakistan, on November 2, 2023. (REUTERS/File)
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) also expressed concerns.
“We have seen and are aware of the [Pakistani] government’s plans regarding ACC holders,” Qaiser Khan Afridi, a UNHCR spokesperson in Pakistan, told Arab News.
“UNHCR is concerned regarding the latest directive, as among the Afghan Citizen Card-holders there may be individuals requiring international protection.”
Afridi called for a humanitarian approach and urged dialogue between Pakistan and Afghanistan:
“It is imperative that returns are voluntary and dignified so that reintegration in Afghanistan is sustainable.”
A statement from the government on Sunday said “no mistreatment will occur during the [repatriation] process,” adding that arrangements had been made for food and health facilities for those returning.
But amid the fear and uncertainty, Gul Jan, a 53-year-old refugee with 11 children and an ailing husband, pleaded for compassion from the authorities.
“This Eid has now become a sorrow for us, it has turned into poison,” she said. “But if the government’s word changes now, then any regular day will be Eid for us.”
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday voiced his support for the Palestinian people and demanded the world stop human rights violations in Gaza, Sharif’s office said, as Pakistanis marked Eid Al-Fitr.
The three-day Eid Al-Fitr festival starts on the first day of the month of Shawwal in the Islamic lunar calendar. The festival marks the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan.
In Pakistan, the day dawned with special congregational prayers at mosques and Eidgahs nationwide, with people praying for peace, progress and security of Pakistan and the Muslim world.
In his message on Eid, Sharif said it is a day of joy, gratitude, brotherhood and compassion, and the people of Pakistan must remember their brothers and sisters, especially the oppressed people of Palestine, on the occasion.
“Pakistan always stands with them and will always be,” he said. “The international community should stop human rights violations and provide relief to these innocent Muslims.”
Pakistan, which does not recognize Israel, has consistently called for a cessation of hostilities in Gaza, where Israel’s war has killed more than 48,000 Palestinians since Oct. 2023 attacks by Hamas on Israel.
The South Asian country has dispatched several aid consignments for the war-torn Palestinian people and demands an independent Palestinian state based on “internationally agreed parameters” and pre-1967 borders.
Sharif said Pakistan was currently facing threats from both internal and external enemies and called for national unity to foil any conspiracy against the country.
“We must avoid all kinds of extremism, hatred and sectarianism,” the prime minister urged. “We should unite and lead our country on the path of development and prosperity.”
In his message, President Asif Ali Zardari urged the nation to remember their brothers and sisters, who were less privileged on this joyous occasion, saying the real happiness of Eid lies in sharing the joys with others.
“This day also teaches us the lesson of unity and solidarity, that we should unite in our ranks, support each other and play our role in taking Pakistan on the path of progress and prosperity,” Zardari said. “We have to promote brotherhood among ourselves so that our country emerges as a strong and prosperous state.”
Pakistan’s military services chiefs and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee also congratulated the nation on Eid Al-Fitr, urging the nation to stand united amid a surge in militancy in the South Asian country.
“Eid Al-Fitr, marking the conclusion of Ramadan, stands as a symbol of unity, compassion, and gratitude. For our soldiers, the true essence of Eid is embodied in the honor of defending our cherished nation— even in separation from family— while striving to foster peace, prosperity, and harmony,” said the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing, citing the top brass.
“In the spirit of Eid, the Armed Forces of Pakistan call upon all citizens to unite under the banner of love, respect, and solidarity, the very principles that define our great nation.”
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan have ruled out opener Usman Khan from the second one-day international (ODI) against New Zealand owing to a hamstring injury, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Sunday.
The 29-year-old opening batter sustained the injury while fielding during his side’s first ODI against New Zealand at the Mclean Park in Napier on Friday.
“The MRI scan confirmed a Low-Grade tear, making Usman unavailable for second ODI scheduled on 2 April at Seddon Park in Hamilton,” the PCB said.
New Zealand eased to a 73-run win over Pakistan in the first ODI after Mark Chapman struck a sublime century and Nathan Smith claimed four wickets.
The recalled Babar Azam top-scored for Pakistan with 78 off 83 balls but it was his dismissal that started the rot.
Both teams feature numerous changes to those who played out a five-match T20 series, won 4-1 by New Zealand.
KARACHI: A top official of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Pakistan on Sunday said Islamabad’s decision to expel refugees has “shaken” the Afghan community in the country, urging the international community to keep step up and share the responsibility.
Pakistan this month announced that that Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders must leave the country by March 31, which coincides with Eid Al-Fitr. According to UN data, Pakistan hosts more than 2.8 million Afghans, many of whom fled decades of war and instability in their home country. Around 1.3 million of them are formally registered as refugees and hold Proof of Registration (PoR) cards, which grant them legal protections.
Another 800,000 Afghans possess ACCs, a separate identity document issued by the Pakistani government that recognizes them as Afghan nationals without offering refugee status, according to the UNHCR. With the government now requiring ACC holders to leave by March 31, these 800,000 Afghans face the prospect of being forcibly returned to a country many have never even seen.
“For nearly five decades, millions of Afghans have come and gone from Pakistan, fleeing waves of violence since 1979 and returning home under mixed circumstances over the years. Some have chosen to repatriate voluntarily, while others have felt compelled to do so,” UNHCR representative in Pakistan Philippa Candler said on Sunday.
“Recent Government announcements about departure deadlines have again shaken the Afghan community in Pakistan.”
The move is part of a larger repatriation drive for foreign citizens that began in 2023, following a string of suicide attacks that Islamabad said involved a number of Afghan nationals. Over 800,000 Afghans have since been expelled from Pakistan.
In 2023, the Pakistani government said it was first focusing on expelling foreigners with no legal documentation and other categories like ACC holders would be included later.
Candler said it was “heartbreaking” to see how fearful these ACC-holders are of their forced return, adding that “their hopes and dreams have been shattered.”
She said Pakistan’s continued support for Afghan refugees, who have become woven into the fabric of Pakistan’s society, is “admirable” but undeniably a challenge for the host state.
“Healthcare, education, and other public services are often overburdened, and host communities are feeling the strain. Pakistan is stuck in a tough spot – balancing the needs of its own people, dealing with a growing security challenge, and shouldering the financial impact of hosting refugees,” she said.
“At the same time, the world expects Pakistan to keep delivering. The international community needs to keep stepping up and acknowledge that this stability comes at a cost, and that the responsibility must be shared.”
The situation requires a multifaceted approach, according to the UNHCR official. Pakistan and Afghanistan must work together to make sure that Afghan refugees can voluntarily and safely return home.
She called for a “sustainable return” of Afghan refugees, saying that many of those forced to return in 2023 were back in Pakistan again.
“Sustainable return means creating a peaceful and secure environment in Afghanistan, so refugees don’t have to fear persecution or discrimination when they go back. For Afghans who cannot return safely for the moment, efforts must be made in Pakistan to expand access to education, health care, and employment opportunities, while also granting them legal recognition and protection under international refugee law,” Candler said.
“The international community has a significant role to play. The responsibility on Pakistan should not be borne alone. Humanitarian aid needs to continue, not just to provide short-term relief but to support long-term development programs. Promises were made for the relocation of Afghans who entered the country since 2021. While many Afghans have left to third countries, thousands still remain in limbo in Pakistan. UNHCR is calling for their speedy departures, which means a durable solution and stability for the refugees.”
