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Pakistan announces price cap for Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine

A woman receives a dose of COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination centre in Karachi on March 10, 2021. (AFP)
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Updated 21 March 2021
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Pakistan announces price cap for Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine

  • Maximum sale price of Sputnik V is fixed at Rs8,449 ($54) for two doses, local media reports
  • Drug regulator recommends the price of imported vaccines as landed cost plus a 40% markup
Updated 21 March 2021
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani government has announced a price cap for shots of the privately imported Russian Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, the local media reported on Sunday.

A private pharmaceutical company, AGP Limited, last week imported the first shipment of 50,000 doses of the Russian vaccine to Pakistan.

In February, Pakistan said it would allow private companies to import coronavirus vaccines and agreed to exempt such imports from price caps, but on Thursday the country's health chief said that decision was being reversed and the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) would recommend a price, which the cabinet would approve.

"The government has fixed the maximum sale price of Sputnik V Russian vaccine at Rs8,449 ($54) for two doses," the Express Tribune reported, quoting a health ministry circular issued on Saturday.

According to the report, China’s Convidecia vaccine produced by CansinoBio, will cost maximum Rs4,225 per injection.

China’s Sinopharm and CansinoBio, Sputnik-V and the British AstraZeneca vaccines are approved for emergency use in Pakistan, whose government has not secured any vaccine from manufacturing companies yet and is relying so far on donations. 

The Russian vaccine that arrived in Karachi on Wednesday night is the first private batch purchased and imported by a private company.

Dr. Rana Muhammad Safdar, director-general of health at the Ministry of National Health Services and Regulations, said that following a request from AGP Limited, a DRAP pricing committee had on Friday recommended the price tag for each dose of the vaccine and forwarded the recommendation to the federal cabinet for approval.

"DRAP has submitted a summary to fix price; that requires approval of the cabinet," Safdar told Arab News."

A DRAP notification, which is available with Arab News, recommends a price formula for imported vaccines as the vaccine's landed cost plus a 40% markup.  

The maximum retail price will be calculated by "grossing up trade price to provide for retail discount at 15%," according to the notification.

Levies will "not exceed 10% of the cost of freight price by the importer."

A spokesperson for DRAP said a “robust mechanism” was in place to ensure the vaccine would only be sold at the government-fixed price.

“Let me tell you that the Sputnik vaccine won’t be available over the counter as it will be inoculated through government-authorized facilities only, at a fixed price,” Akhtar Abbas, DRAP spokesperson, told Arab News.

He ruled out any possibility of the black marketing of the vaccine: “This will be available through the government authorized mechanism only, and thus absolutely no chance of any black market (deals).”

The South Asian nation of 220 million rolled out its COVID-19 vaccination for frontline health care workers in the first week of February after receiving a donation of 500,000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine from China. This month, it started vaccinating people above the age of 60. On Wednesday, the government received another Chinese donation of 500,000 million doses of the Sinopharm.

According to official data, the government has vaccinated more than 450,000 people so far across the country.

Pakistan is also expected to receive its first shipment of the AstraZeneca vaccine this month through the COVAX vaccine sharing initiative for poorer nations.

Topics: CORONAVIRUS PAKISTAN Sputnik V Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Pakistan among top five nations with most people living in poverty — UN report

Updated 30 April 2025
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Pakistan among top five nations with most people living in poverty — UN report

  • Around 38.3 percent of Pakistanis live in multidimensional poverty, says United Nations’ annual report on Pakistan
  • Pakistan ranks 142 out of 146 on Global Gender Gap Index, highlighting disparities in women’s and girls’ economic participation
Updated 30 April 2025
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan ranks among the top five countries with the highest number of people living in poverty, the United Nations Development Programme said in its annual report recently, stating that 38.3 percent of the nation’s population experiences multidimensional poverty.
Poverty in Pakistan remains a complex challenge, exacerbated by a prolonged macroeconomic crisis that Islamabad is desperately trying to escape. Poor people in Pakistan have to face challenges in the form of lack of social protection and economic benefits, especially in informal jobs.
“According to the latest Multidimensional Poverty Index, Pakistan is among the five countries with the highest number of people living in poverty,” the UNDP said in its 2024 report on Pakistan, released on March 14.
“Around 38.3 percent of the population lives in multidimensional poverty, while 12.9 percent are vulnerable to falling into this category.”
Multidimensional poverty is a way of measuring poverty beyond income alone. It recognizes that people can experience multiple, overlapping deprivations that affect their well-being and quality of life.
These deprivations can include limited access to basic services such as access to clean water, electricity, health and sanitation facilities. 
Separately, the report ranked Pakistan 142 out of 146 on the Global Gender Gap Index, highlighting significant disparities in economic participation, political representation, and access to opportunities for women and girls.
“Ahead of Pakistan’s general elections, UNDP’s voter education campaign reached 85 million people, including 31 million women,” it added.
“This effort contributed to the registration of over 100,000 new voters, primarily women, raising women’s voter turnout to 43 percent in 2024, up from 39.7 percent in 2018.”
The Index is a benchmark tool developed by the World Economic Forum to measure gender-based disparities across countries. It evaluates how equitably resources and opportunities are distributed between men and women, regardless of overall income levels or development.
Gender disparity is a significant issue in Pakistan, characterized by unequal opportunities, wage gaps and underrepresentation of women in leadership and decision-making roles. 
Cultural norms and traditional gender roles often limit women’s participation in various sectors mostly dominated by men.

Temperatures in Pakistan may hit 50°C this week, a global record — report 

Updated 30 April 2025
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Temperatures in Pakistan may hit 50°C this week, a global record — report 

  • Wednesday and Thursday might be the hottest April days for Pakistan, says report
  • Says Pakistan recorded temperatures over 4 degrees above average so far this month
Updated 30 April 2025
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Temperatures in central and southern Pakistan may surge to 50°C this week, nearing the global record for the highest temperature ever recorded in April, as per a report by American newspaper The Washington Post. 

The warning comes amid increasingly unpredictable climate patterns across South Asia, with several cities in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province such as Karachi experiencing more frequent and intense heatwaves in recent years— a trend that climate experts attribute to broader shifts caused by global warming.

The situation underscores rising concerns over Pakistan’s preparedness for extreme weather events amid growing calls for stronger climate adaptation policies, increased tree cover in urban areas and more effective public awareness campaigns.

“Temperatures in central and southern Pakistan rose to 118 degrees Fahrenheit (47.8°C) last weekend and are forecast to climb through Wednesday, possibly nearing the global April record of 122 degrees Fahrenheit (50°C),” The Washington Post said in a report.

“Heat will build across the Middle East and South Asia through the week, with Wednesday and Thursday looking like the hottest days for Pakistan.”

It added that Sindh’s Nawabshah city had reached the 50°C mark back in April 2018 and could repeat the same this week. Nawabshah recorded a temperature of 50.2°C back then and set a new global record for the highest temperature ever observed in April. 

The report said “a sprawling dome of high pressure like a heavy lid trapping heat in a pot” was causing the current heat wave, stretching from the Middle East to South Asia. It noted that this area experiences the Earth’s most unusually warm temperatures during April.

It quoted the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts as predicting the maximum temperature to remain around 50°C in central Pakistan on Wednesday and Thursday.

“Temperatures have been more than 4 degrees above average in Pakistan so far this April, even before the arrival of this week’s potentially record-breaking heat,” it added.

Pakistan ranks among the top ten countries most vulnerable to climate change, grappling with increasingly frequent extreme weather events from deadly heatwaves to devastating floods. 

The 2015 heatwave claimed over 2,000 lives in Karachi alone while the 2022 floods left more than 1,700 dead and over 33 million displaced nationwide.

Topics: summer temperatures

Saudi Arabia, US seek de-escalation of Pakistan-India tensions

Updated 43 min 4 sec ago
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Saudi Arabia, US seek de-escalation of Pakistan-India tensions

  • Riyadh urges neighbors to resolve disagreements through diplomatic channels, strive for stability and peace for their people and region 
  • Tensions have surged following attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir that New Delhi blames on Pakistan, which denies the charge 
Updated 43 min 4 sec ago
Muhammad Ibrahim

ISLAMABAD: Saudi Arabia has expressed concern over heightened tensions between nuclear-armed neighbors Pakistan and India amid exchanges of fire along their disputed border separating Kashmir and fears of an Indian military incursion, state news agency SPA reported on Wednesday.

Relations have plummeted following a deadly attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir on Apr. 22 that New Delhi has said Pakistan was involved in. Islamabad denies the charges. Fears have risen since that India may conduct limited airstrikes or special forces raids near its border with Pakistan.

Pakistan’s information minister said on Tuesday night the country had “credible intelligence” India intended to carry out military action against it in the “next 24-36 hours on the pretext of baseless and concocted allegations of involvement in the Pahalgam incident.”

“The Kingdom appealed to both nations to de-escalate, avoid further escalation, resolve their disagreements through diplomatic channels, uphold the principles of good neighborliness, and strive for stability and peace for the welfare of their people and region,” SPA said.

Separately, US Chargé d’Affaires Natalie Baker called on Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar in Islamabad to discuss regional developments, the Pakistani foreign office said. 

“The US Cd’A conveyed the US desire for de-escalation and that it will stay engaged with both countries on the evolving situation,” the statement said. 

Meanwhile United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres spoke separately on Tuesday with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shebaz Sharif and India’s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

“The Secretary-General also expressed his deep concern at rising tensions between India and Pakistan and underscored the need to avoid a confrontation that could result in tragic consequences. He offered his Good Offices to support de-escalation efforts,” UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said. 

The US State Department has also said Washington was in touch with both India and Pakistan while urging them to work toward what it called a “responsible solution.” 

In public, the US government has expressed support for India after the attack but has not criticized Pakistan.

Since the attack, in addition to soldiers shooting over the Line of Control frontier that divides disputed Kashmir between the two nations, India and Pakistan have announced tit-for-tat diplomatic measures that included cancelation of visas and a recall of diplomats. 

New Delhi also suspended a crucial water-sharing treaty with Islamabad and ordered its border shut with Pakistan. In response, Pakistan has closed its airspace to Indian airlines.

Kashmir is disputed between India and Pakistan since 1947, with both ruling it in part but claiming it in full. 

Topics: Saudi Arabia Pakistan India Ties Kashmir attack Pahalgam attack Pakistan India

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Pilgrims begin arriving in Madinah as Pakistan launches Hajj flights operation

Updated 30 April 2025
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Pilgrims begin arriving in Madinah as Pakistan launches Hajj flights operation

  • Over 89,000 pilgrims will travel under the government’s scheme, traveling to Makkah and Madinah via 342 flights
  • Pilgrims from Karachi and Islamabad are availing Makkah Route Initiative designed to streamline immigration process
Updated 30 April 2025
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani pilgrims who will perform the annual Hajj pilgrimage this year under the government scheme began arriving in Madinah this week as Pakistan kicked off its 33-day-long Hajj flight operation.

Over 89,000 pilgrims will travel under the government’s scheme, departing for Makkah and Madinah via 342 flights, with the last one departing from Pakistan on May 31. The first Hajj flights departed from Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi and Quetta for the Saudi city of Madinah on Tuesday. 

“First flight carrying 393 pilgrims from Islamabad landed at Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport,” Radio Pakistan reported on Wednesday. 

“The intending pilgrims were transported to their residences in special buses. Later, they were warmly received at their hotels and presented flowers, chocolates, dates and refreshments as per Saudi cultural traditions.”

The pilgrims from Karachi and Islamabad availed the Makkah Route Initiative, which is designed to streamline immigration processes by enabling pilgrims to complete official travel formalities at their departure airports. Initially tested in Islamabad in 2019, the program was later expanded to Karachi, benefitting tens of thousands of Pakistani travelers. This saves pilgrims several hours upon arrival in the Kingdom, as they can simply enter the country without having to go through immigration again.

Around 50,500 Pakistani pilgrims will travel to Saudi Arabia under the initiative this year. The scheme was launched in 2019 by the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah and has been implemented in five countries: Pakistan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Morocco and Bangladesh.

Besides those using the government scheme, 23,620 Pakistanis will also perform Hajj through private tour operators. 

The total quota for pilgrims granted to Pakistan for 2025 was 179,210, which could not be filled. 

Topics: Hajj flights operation Pakistan Hajj 2025

Traditional Swati rice dish finds new life at Pakistani valley’s roadside eatery

Updated 30 April 2025
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Traditional Swati rice dish finds new life at Pakistani valley’s roadside eatery

  • Restaurant owner Nasar Khan began preparing warjale as a hobby, turned it into a business after strong demand
  • Labor-intensive dish prepared with begumi rice grown in Swat and mixed with naturally occurring bitter wild greens 
Updated 30 April 2025
WASIM SAJJAD

SWAT: At a small mudbrick, hut-style restaurant in Pakistan’s picturesque Swat Valley, customers are showing up to try a traditional delicacy: warjale. 
A local version of vegetable rice served with clarified butter, yogurt, cheese, milk, fresh cream and sometimes with the sauce of chicken meat, warjale, an old regional dish, is being kept alive as the main attraction at the Kawdareen Traditional Restaurant (KTR) in Mingora city.
Known for its scenic landscape of mountains and trees and cultural heritage and archaeological sites, Swat attracts thousands of visitors every year. 
Many now seek out Khan’s modest eatery to experience a taste of the valley’s traditional cuisine, especially warjale, which is made from a special rice called begumi, named after a noblewoman, Begum Bilqees Effandi, who had brought the rice variety’s seeds from Afghanistan in 1949 and cultivated it in the Bagh Dherai area of Swat for the first time. 

Nasar Khan prepares ingredients used in traditional rice dish “warjale” at his restaurant in Mingora, Swat on April 28, 2025, during an interview with Arab News. (AN Photo)

“I had another business, this was my hobby but God gave me a chance and made this a business out of my hobby,” Nasar Khan, the 60-year-old owner, told Arab News at the restaurant which he started six years ago to revive traditional foods from the valley and introduce them to young people.
“I had in mind that our traditional food should be commercialized so that the youth who don’t know about it should get a sense of it, that was the main aim.”
Khan said he served nearly all the traditional foods of Swat, such as warjale, khare, a popular dish made with lamb, tomatoes, garlic and minimal spices cooked in a traditional karahi pan, as well as saag, which is cooked mustard or similar bitter wild greens.

Nasar Khan prepares platter containing traditional rice dish “warjale” at his restaurant in Mingora, Swat on April 28, 2025. (AN Photo)

A warjale meal was typically served with desi ghee, fresh cream and a yogurt-based drink called lassi. A portion for two people costs around Rs1,000, less than $1, while a three-person meal costs around Rs1,300.
Cooking warjale was a labor-intensive task, Khan explained. 
“Warjale is cooked in a specific kind of saag, which can’t be cultivated but grows naturally,” he said. “The locals then pluck it and cut it in a special way … People of upper Swat call it chukan and those who live in the lower part call it warjale.”

Nasar Khan (left) serves traditional rice dish “warjale” to customers at his restaurant in Mingora, Swat on April 28, 2025. (AN Photo)

Khan said warjale’s distinct flavor derived from ingredients that could only be sourced in Swat’s environment.
“The soil of Swat is fit for growing [Begami rice], which needs cold weather, fresh water and an environment like this,” he said.
Tourists visiting the restaurant vouched for the unique taste.
Izhar Zeb Yousafzai, a computer science lecturer visiting from Timergara, said he first heard about KTR online:
“We saw some videos about this restaurant on social media. We had a day off today, so we came here with friends ... Warjale was their specialty and we got a chance to eat it after a long time. When we gave it a try, we found its taste delicious.”

Customers eat traditional rice dish “warjale” at Nasir Khan's Kawdareen Traditional Restaurant in Mingora, Swat on April 28, 2025. (AN Photo)

Asad Khan, a 28-year-old resident from Besham in Shangla district, said he had come to Swat for sightseeing before he heard about the restaurant and the dish.
“Warjale is the traditional food of Swat,” he said. “The way it is cooked and then presented with desi ghee, it has an exceptional taste, we can’t explain it.”

Topics: Pakistani cuisines Swat Valley

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