ISLAMABAD: A team of medical professionals belonging to King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief) met a group of Pakistani doctors and relevant officials in Islamabad on Tuesday to plan a series of open-heart surgeries to benefit ailing children whose parents cannot afford expensive medical procedures.
According to some estimates, over 60,000 children in Pakistan are born with congenital heart disease annually which requires them to undergo surgeries. According to the Associated Press of Pakistan, the KSRelief medical team will also perform cardiac catheterization to treat various cardiovascular conditions.
Last month, the Saudi humanitarian organization launched a major campaign in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province to combat blindness by conducting 4,000 examinations and 400 surgeries only in Karachi.
Pakistan is the fifth largest recipient of humanitarian and development aid offered from the Saudi organization that has given more than $120.2 million since 2015.
KSRelief has also helped the people of Pakistan in the wake of natural catastrophes like earthquakes and floods, apart from denoting food items to help the destitute during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
Tuesday’s coordination meeting was attended by Saudi Ambassador Nawaf Bin Said Al-Malki as well.
KSRelief medical team to perform open-heart surgeries in Pakistan
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KSRelief medical team to perform open-heart surgeries in Pakistan
- Pakistan is the fifth largest recipient of humanitarian and development aid offered by the Saudi agency
- KSRelief has also helped Pakistan in the wake of natural catastrophes like earthquakes and floods
Sit-in protests in solidarity with violence-hit Kurram district enter third day in Karachi
- Demonstrators call protests in Karachi vital to draw attention to ‘overlooked’ crisis in Kurram
- Traffic police urges citizens to avoid traveling unnecessarily in protest areas, exercise patience
KARACHI: Sit-in protests at various locations across Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi continued for a third consecutive day today, Sunday, with demonstrators showing solidarity with the people in Kurram district, where violence and a lack of medical access have claimed over 130 lives in recent weeks.
Kurram, a northwestern district of around 600,000 people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, has long been a hotspot for tribal and sectarian violence, with authorities struggling to maintain control.
The area’s situation has necessitated travel in convoys escorted by security personnel, yet it failed to prevent an attack on Nov. 21, when gunmen ambushed a convoy, killing 52 people. The attack sparked further violence and road closures, restricting access to medicine, food and fuel in the region.
A grand jirga, or council of political and tribal elders, has attempted to mediate between rival factions, as protests in Parachinar, the main city in Kurram, spread to Karachi on Friday where demonstrators held sit-in protests at 10 different locations in the city.
“Protest demonstrations due to the Parachinar incident in Karachi city are ongoing,” Karachi Traffic Police said in an advisory, urging citizens to avoid traveling unnecessarily in certain locations across the metropolis.
The protests have been called by the Majlis-e-Wahdatul Muslimeen (MWM), a Shia organization, with demonstrators blocking main thoroughfares, including Shahrah-e-Faisal, which connects the airport to the city’s Red Zone, home to sensitive government installations, and major hotels.
Another area that has been choked is Numaish, a vital junction linking the city’s central district to its commercial hubs.
“Passengers are requested to exercise patience and refrain from going to locations where the demonstrations are taking place,” the traffic police said.
MWM’s Karachi spokesperson, Syed Ahmad Naqvi, told Arab News on Saturday that the protests would continue as long as the Parachinar protests persist.
“Large-scale protests in Karachi highlight the situation in Kurram, where many precious lives have been lost in recent weeks but have received no attention,” he said.
Meanwhile, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab criticized demonstrators for disrupting daily life in the city.
“If the aim of a protest is to inconvenience people, disrupt a city’s system, prevent ambulances and fire brigades from operating, or hinder police and administrative vehicles, then I believe this is inappropriate,” Wahab told Arab News on Saturday.
ICC shortlists Pakistani batter Saim Ayub for Emerging Cricketer of the Year award
- Saim Ayub scored two centuries in recently concluded ODI series against South Africa
- He has been nominated alongside Kamindu Mendis, Shamar Joseph and Gus Atkinson
ISLAMABAD: The International Cricket Council (ICC) this week shortlisted Pakistan’s new batting sensation Saim Ayub for the Men’s Emerging Cricketer of the Year award for his match-winning performances against South Africa and Zimbabwe this month.
Ayub has played six Test matches for Pakistan, scoring 323 runs at an average of 26.91 and scored three half-centuries. He has played nine ODIs, scoring 515 runs at an average of 64.37 with three centuries and a fifty already under his belt.
The aggressive opening batter’s two centuries against South Africa in the recently concluded ODI series has earned him critical acclaim and comparisons with former Pakistan batting legend Saeed Anwar.
“With nine categories in total, cricket fans around the world have the opportunity to cast their votes and help decide the winners of the ICC Awards 2024,” the ICC wrote on Saturday.
Ayub has been nominated for the award with Sri Lanka’s Kamindu Mendis, West Indies’ bowler Shamar Joseph and England’s Gus Atkinson.
Pakistan are currently playing the first of their two-Test match series against South Africa in Centurion. The hosts have handed the Proteas a 148-run target, as South Africa struggle at 27/3 to chase the target.
Pakistan minister says May 2023 protests ‘unforgivable’ despite talks with Imran Khan’s party
- Pakistan’s government this week kicked off negotiations with Khan’s party to ease political tensions
- May 9, 2023, protests saw people carrying flags of Khan’s party attacking government, military installations
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Information Minister Ataullah Tarar has said that the violent protests of May 2023 led by former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party were “unforgivable,” despite the government’s ongoing negotiations with the PTI, state-run media reported this week.
Tarar was referring to the violent countrywide protests of May 9, 2023, that saw people carrying PTI flags attack government and military installations. Khan’s party denies involvement in the protest, saying that the May 9 incident was a “false flag” operation designed to crush the party.
Pakistan’s military this month sentenced 85 civilians to prison, which included Khan’s nephew, for sentences ranging from two years to 10, for their involvement in the protests. The decision was criticized by the European Union, the US and the UK, who raised questions over the transparency of the trials.
Pakistan’s government this week opened talks with Khan’s PTI party to ease political tensions in the country. The PTI has demanded the release of political prisoners and the establishment of judicial commissions to investigate protests on May 9, 2023, and Nov. 26 this year.
“He [Tarar] said incidents of violence like May 9 cannot be overlooked and anyone who commits acts of violence has to face the law,” Tarar told journalists at a press conference in Gujranwala, state broadcaster Radio Pakistan said.
The minister said that there was “irrefutable evidence” against people sentenced by the military for the May 9 protests, categorically stating that the right to fair trial was ensured.
“The government wants to build on a momentum of hard-earned economic progress during the last few months and political stability is inevitable to this end,” Radio Pakistan said.
Khan’s ouster in a parliamentary vote of no-confidence in 2022 has plunged the country into a long-term political crisis, particularly since the PTI founder was jailed in August last year on corruption and other charges and remains behind bars.
His party and supporters regularly hold protests calling for his release, with many of the demonstrations turning violent, including one last month in which the government says four troops were killed and the PTI says 12 of its supporters died.
The next session of talks between the government and the PTI is scheduled to be held on Jan. 2 in which it is expected that the PTI will present their demands in writing.
Gilgit-Baltistan defeats Chitral in ice hockey match at Shandur Lake
- The match was part of Shandur Ice Sports Challenge held from December 24 to 28
- The ice hockey match was tied 2-2 before Gilgit-Baltistan won on penalty shootouts
PESHAWAR: Shandur Lake in Pakistan’s northern region hosted an ice hockey match on Saturday, with Gilgit-Baltistan defeating Chitral 4-3 in a penalty shootout, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Tourism Authority said.
The match concluded the Shandur Ice Sports Challenge, organized by the tourism authority, which was held from December 24 to 28 and featured competitions in ice hockey and speed skating.
While ice hockey remains a developing sport in Pakistan, it has gained traction in the northern regions, where freezing temperatures and frozen lakes create natural rinks.
“A large number of locals participated in the ice hockey event,” said Tashfeen Haider, Director General of the tourism authority. “The match at Shandur Lake demonstrates the region’s potential to host winter sports.”
Shandur is widely known for its annual polo festival, a tradition dating back to 1936, when British officials set up a polo ground at the Shandur Pass, located at approximately 3,700 meters above sea level.
The festival attracts teams from Chitral and Gilgit-Baltistan and has become a significant cultural and sporting event.
The tourism authority informed that the ice hockey match at Shandur was tied 2-2 in regular time before being decided on penalty shootouts.
The match highlighted the growing interest in winter sports in Pakistan’s northern regions, which can help boost local tourism and community engagement.
Key coalition ally criticizes Pakistan government’s ‘excuses’ for imposing Internet restrictions
- Pakistan announced in June it was setting up a firewall to curb ant-state propaganda, which slowed Internet speeds countrywide
- Pakistan’s opposition and rights activist criticize government’s measures, allege they are designed to crack down on criticism
ISLAMABAD: The chairman of a key coalition partner of the government, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, this week criticized the center’s “excuses” for imposing Internet restrictions in Pakistan that freelancers and rights activists say are aimed at cracking down on dissent in the country.
The PPP chairman’s criticism comes in response to the government’s recent measures which have been interpreted by activists and opposition parties as a digital clampdown on Internet freedom in the country. Pakistani officials admitted in June that the government was installing a national firewall, ostensibly designed to curb “anti-state propaganda” and “blasphemous content,” which slowed Internet speeds across the country.
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has also intensified its crackdown on virtual private networks (VPNs), allowing their legal use only after users register with the government— posing challenges for freelancers and businesses relying on online access.
Activists say the curbs are meant to counter criticism from jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supporters, who have a powerful presence on social media platforms. The government denies these allegations.
“There is a lot of room for criticism on this digital issue,” Bhutto-Zardari told reporters in the southern Larkana city on Saturday.
“Every day there is a new excuse— sometimes they admit that we are shutting it [Internet] off and sometimes they say that we have done nothing of the sort. Then sometimes they say that our wires have been cut, then they say that there is a [firewall] testing going on,” he added.
Earlier this week, the PPP chairman called for a “digital bill of rights” to ensure Internet freedoms for people across the country.
In December, Minister of State for IT and Telecom Shaza Fatima Khawaja defended Internet restrictions, citing security concerns.
“No one is interested in shutting down the Internet,” she told parliament. “Law and order is paramount for us, but we will make every effort to ensure no disruption to the industry.”
Slow Internet speeds across the country have troubled Pakistani freelancers, who have reported disruptions in completing assignments and tasks.
According to data from the central bank, Pakistani freelancers earned $397.3 million in foreign remittances during the fiscal year 2021-22.
The amount is likely underreported, as much of the freelance income is received as home remittances.
