KARACHI: A leading medical facility in the United Arab Emirates has launched the Middle East’s first comprehensive online COVID-19 rehabilitation program that will also serve Pakistani patients and provide prescriptions tailored to their needs.
According to a statement circulated by RAK Hospital on Wednesday, the program is free of cost and Pakistani citizens can register themselves to participate in it by logging on to www.rakhospitalrehab.com.
The hospital intends to offer weekly webinars to guide patients on relevant medical issues and will give complimentary physical appointments wherever required.
The management of the medical facility said in its statement that about 30 percent of COVID-19 patients experienced long-term debilitating or painful aftereffects of the disease which hamper their ability to perform simple daily tasks.
The rehabilitation program is envisaged to help patients deal with such complications.
“It is an exclusive program for patients from across the globe,” said Dr. Raza Siddiqui, executive director of the hospital in Ras Al-Khaimah. “Nothing like this exists at the moment and we are extremely proud of our unique initiative which is supported and patronized by ARISE UAE. Ours is the only initiative providing an integrated and holistic approach to COVID recovery and rehabilitation, offered complimentary to all recovering patients.”
Led by the hospital’s wellness division, the comprehensive program combines the expertise of a multidisciplinary team of physicians, nutritionists, psychologists, and physiotherapists who collectively conceived the idea.
“RAK Hospital introduced its physical post COVID recovery rehabilitation program last year,” said Professor Adrian Kennedy, who supervises the initiative. “However, we wanted to extend our reach to larger communities and wider geographies, thus, to support the community in the comfort of their homes, we created our online COVID Rehab product which assesses the recovering COVID patients’ medical details, test results, comorbidities, symptoms, etc. and instantly makes available a comprehensive online COVID rehab health prescription for a speedy recovery.”
UAE hospital offers free online COVID-19 rehabilitation to patients in Pakistan
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UAE hospital offers free online COVID-19 rehabilitation to patients in Pakistan
- About 30 percent of coronavirus patients experience long-term aftereffects, requiring such multidisciplinary rehabilitation programs
- The hospital aims to provide online health scans and medical prescriptions tailored to a patient’s needs
PIA to resume European operations tomorrow with Paris flight after four-year suspension
- Flights to Europe were suspended following an air crash in Karachi that killed 97 in May 2020
- Resumption of European operations will boost PIA’s revenue, improve privatization prospects
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s national air carrier will resume flights to Europe on Friday, with the first flight departing from Islamabad to Paris, marking the end of a nearly four-year suspension of its European operations, the airline announced on Thursday.
The ban was imposed in 2020 following a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane crash in Karachi that killed 97 people and subsequent claims by a former aviation minister of the country that nearly 40 percent of local pilots held “dubious” licenses.
The statement raised global concerns about Pakistan’s aviation safety oversight, prompting European regulators to ground PIA flights.
“PIA’s flight will depart from Islamabad to Paris tomorrow,” the airline said in a statement, adding that two weekly flights will initially operate on Fridays and Sundays, with plans to gradually increase the frequency.
The airline noted the flight schedule had been designed for maximum convenience, adding that flights from Islamabad would depart at 11:30 a.m. and arrive in Paris at 4:00 p.m., while return flights would leave Paris at 6:00 p.m. and reach Islamabad at 5:00 a.m. the following day.
“The schedule is so convenient that passengers can have breakfast in Pakistan and lunch in Paris,” the airline said, emphasizing the appeal of the new service.
The suspension of European operations had exacerbated PIA’s financial woes, as the debt-ridden carrier struggled to recover from a tarnished reputation.
The government faced challenges privatizing the airline, a condition set by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) during last year’s $7 billion loan negotiations, due to its fragile financial state.
The resumption of European flights is expected to boost PIA’s revenue stream and improve its appeal to potential investors, strengthening the government’s privatization efforts.
Baloch separatists attack remote town in Pakistan’s southwest, security forces regain control
- Balochistan Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the latest attack in Zehri town of Khuzdar district
- BLA torched Levies station and NADRA office, robbed a private bank before security forces moved in
QUETTA: Armed fighters from the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) attacked a small town in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province on Wednesday, seizing government facilities before security forces regained control, an administration official in the area confirmed.
The attack in Zehri, located 150 kilometers from Khuzdar city, occurred when BLA fighters stormed the Levies force station and the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) office, setting the buildings ablaze and robbing a private bank.
The incident comes days after an explosion targeting a Frontier Corps (FC) convoy in Turbat killed five paramilitary soldiers and injured over 40 people.
“Dozens of armed men attacked Zehri town on Wednesday and burnt a Levies station, NADRA office and robbed a private bank,” Khuzdar’s deputy commissioner, Yasir Iqbal Dashti, told Arab News over the phone. “Security forces timely retaliated and regained control of the area. One soldier of the Frontier Corps got injured during the standoff.”
The BLA claimed responsibility for the attack, saying its fighters had seized government properties and set them on fire. Videos shared on social media showed armed men patrolling Zehri’s streets and taking vehicles and motorbikes belonging to security officials.
Asked about the amount stolen from the bank, Dashti said the authorities were investigating and did not yet have the figure.
“Armed men have managed to escape, and the situation is under control now,” he added.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest and resource-rich province, has long been plagued by a low-level insurgency led by ethnic Baloch separatist groups like the BLA. They accuse Islamabad of exploiting the province’s natural resources, such as gold and copper, while neglecting the local population.
Pakistan rejects these allegations, asserting that the federal government has prioritized Balochistan’s development by investing in health, education and infrastructure projects.
The BLA has become a significant security threat in recent years, carrying out major attacks in Balochistan and Sindh provinces targeting security forces, ethnic Punjabis and Chinese nationals working on development projects.
Violence by Baloch separatist factions, primarily the BLA, killed about 300 people over the past year, marking an escalation in the decades-long conflict.
UN experts urge President Biden to pardon Guantanamo prisoner arrested in Pakistan
- Abu Zubaydah was never an Al Qaeda member, as per US report, though he was waterboarded 83 times
- He was among the early Guantanamo detainees, held at the facility for nearly 20 years without a charge
GENEVA: United Nations experts called Wednesday on outgoing US President Joe Biden to issue a pardon for Abu Zubaydah, who has been held at Guantanamo for nearly 20 years without charge.
“We are exceptionally requesting a Presidential pardon for Mr. Abu Zubaydah, owing to his treatment while in detention and the lack of due process since he was first detained,” a dozen independent UN experts said in a statement.
“His immediate release and relocation to a third safe country are long overdue.”
Abu Zubaydah was the first of a number of prisoners to be subjected to CIA “enhanced interrogation” techniques following the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.
The Saudi-born Palestinian, whose full name is Zayn Al-Abidin Muhammad Husayn, was captured in Pakistan in 2002 and has been held without trial at the US Guantanamo camp in Cuba since 2006.
He was waterboarded 83 times and suffered other physical abuse, according to a US Senate report, which said that the CIA conceded he was never a member of Al-Qaeda and not involved in planning the 9/11 attacks.
The UN experts, including the special rapporteurs on torture and on promoting human rights while countering terrorism, warned in Wednesday’s statement that Zubaydah “suffers serious health conditions.”
Those included “injuries sustained during torture that are allegedly exacerbated by the denial of medical attention,” they said.
The experts, who were appointed by the UN Human Rights Council but who do not speak on behalf of the United Nations, also lamented that his “lawyer-client communication has been seriously impeded.”
They highlighted findings by a range of international and regional rights mechanisms that Zubaydah suffered multiple violations linked to the US rendition and secret detention program.
Zubaydah had endured “profound psychological and physical trauma of torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and enforced disappearance,” they charged, demanding he be granted compensations and reparations.
He is among 15 people still being held at the controversial American base, after the US Defense Department on Monday said it had resettled 11 Yemeni detainees from Guantanamo to Oman.
Biden pledged before his election in 2020 to try to shut down Guantanamo, but it remains open with just weeks left in his term.
The facility was opened in the wake of 9/11 and has been used to indefinitely hold detainees seized during the wars and other operations that followed. Some 780 prisoners have spent time there.
The conditions there and the denial of basic legal principles have prompted consistent outcry from rights groups, and UN experts have condemned it as a site of “unparalleled notoriety.”
Pakistan’s UN envoy condemns Israel’s occupation of Syrian Golan Heights, seeks ‘full withdrawal’
- Ambassador Munir Akram calls a peaceful transition to a more inclusive governance structure in Syria
- He also appeals for international assistance in Syria’s reconstruction, emphasizing United Nations’ role
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s top diplomat at the United Nations on Wednesday condemned Israel’s occupation of the Golan Heights and called for the restoration of Syrian territorial integrity alongside the establishment of an inclusive government structure.
Ambassador Munir Akram delivered his remarks during a Security Council briefing on Syria’s political and humanitarian situation. Pakistan, which began its two-year term as a non-permanent council member this month, has pledged to uphold the UN Charter and promote just resolutions to global conflicts.
The Security Council briefing follows the downfall of the former Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime after a swift offensive was launched by opposition forces led by the religio-political group Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS).
The rebels quickly seized key cities, including Aleppo, Hama, Homs and Damascus, forcing Assad to flee to Russia, where he was granted asylum. While Damascus airport has resumed international flights to facilitate exiles’ return, Syria remains burdened by significant economic, political and security challenges.
“Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity must be restored,” the Pakistani diplomat told the council. “Israel’s occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights is illegal and ‘null and void’ as declared by Security Council ... The Council must demand Israel’s full withdrawal.”
Calling Syria a “fraternal country,” Akram welcomed positive statements from the interim administration but stressed the need for their practical implementation.
“Syria is at an important juncture in its history,” he noted. “The recent political developments offer the opportunity to restore normalcy, stability and peace in Syria. Yet this will depend on ensuring a peaceful transition to a new governance structure which is inclusive and stable and ensures Syria’s unity and territorial integrity.”
He also urged vigilance against the “danger of terrorism” emanating from Syria, citing concerns over the presence of foreign fighters and the potential resurgence of Al-Qaeda and Daesh.
“The antecedents of some of the groups, and the reported presence of foreign fighters, dictates caution,” Akram said.
Emphasizing the need to address Syria’s dire humanitarian crisis, thee Pakistani diplomat highlighted that over 70 percent of the population requires aid, with more than one million displaced in recent weeks.
He called for full funding of the UN Humanitarian Response Plan and support for the safe repatriation of Syrian refugees, including those in Turkiye.
He further appealed for international assistance in Syria’s reconstruction, urging collaboration with the new administration to rebuild institutions and stabilize the country.
“The role of the United Nations – especially the Security Council and the Secretary-General – will be indispensable to ensure effective action on all aspects of the challenges confronting Syria,” Akram said.
Saudi low fare airline ‘Flyadeal’ to begin operations in Pakistan next month— official
- Flyadeal is a subsidiary of Saudi Arabia’s national flag carrier, Saudia
- Airline to operate two flights weekly each from Riyadh and Jeddah to Karachi
KARACHI: Saudi Arabia’s low fare airline, ‘Flyadeal’ is all set to launch its operations in Pakistan from next month, a Pakistani civil aviation officer confirmed this week, saying that it would offer cheaper fares to customers.
Flyadeal is a Saudi low-cost airline headquartered at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah. It is a subsidiary of Saudi Arabia’s flag carrier, Saudia, that commenced operations on Sept. 23, 2017. Initially, it served domestic destinations within the Kingdom. On Jun. 10, 2022, the airline expanded its network by launching flights from Dammam to Cairo.
The airline’s move to expand its operations to Pakistan takes place as Saudi Arabia seeks to boost its tourism sector under the Vision 2030 strategy, which aims to attract over 150 million domestic and international tourists annually to the Kingdom by the end of the decade.
“It will increase market competition by offering better facilities and more affordable tickets,” Air Commodore (retired) Shahid Qadir, director of security of Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) told Arab News on Wednesday. He confirmed Pakistan had granted permission to the Saudi airline to conduct operations in the country.
Flyadeal’s fleet consists of Airbus A320 aircraft. The airline, which will initially operate two weekly flights to Karachi each from Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh and Jeddah cities, has hinted at plans to expand its network to include more Pakistani cities in future.
“Our new Karachi flights serving Jeddah and Riyadh are a stepping stone for further planned expansion in Pakistan,” Steven Greenway, Flyadeal’s chief executive officer, was quoted as saying by Pakistan’s state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) in December.
Pakistanis constitute the second-largest expatriate community in Saudi Arabia, with an estimated population exceeding 2.5 million. Saudi Arabia remains the primary source of remittances for Pakistan. Furthermore, Pakistan is among the leading nations in terms of the number of pilgrims visiting the Kingdom for Islamic pilgrimages Umrah and Hajj.
Qadir said Flyadeal will become the third Saudi origin airline to conduct operations in Pakistan. The Kingdom’s national flag career, Saudia and Flynas, a private Saudi low-cost airline, are already conducting operations in Pakistan.
The Pakistani official said Flyadeal’s entry into the Pakistani market is expected to enhance travel options for passengers.
“Thousands of Pakistani passengers will greatly benefit from it,” he said.
Flyadeal’s first flight will depart from Riyadh on Feb. 1 and return from Karachi on the same day. The second flight will fly from Jeddah on Feb. 3 and return the same day.
