Activists demand closure of Karachi Zoo after video of starving animals circulates on social media

People look at a Bengal tiger in its cage at Karachi Zoo in Karachi, Pakistan, on July 28, 2019, on the eve of International Tiger Day. (AFP/File)
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Updated 24 November 2021
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Activists demand closure of Karachi Zoo after video of starving animals circulates on social media

  • A local company confirms it stopped supplying food to the animal sanctuary since it was not paid for several months
  • The Karachi Metropolitan Cooperation orders an inquiry after announcing the death of a rare white lion at the zoo

KARACHI: A local supplier of food to the Karachi Zoo confirmed on Wednesday it halted its deliveries to the animal sanctuary owing to the non-payment of dues since February, as animal rights activists asked the authorities to shut down the facility and return all the animals to their natural habitat.
The Karachi Zoo is the country’s largest animal sanctuary which was established in 1878 and was called the Mahatma Gandhi Gardens. The place was renamed after Pakistan’s independence, and it currently shelters 834 different varieties of animals and birds.
In October last year, about 40 petitioners filed a case in the Sindh High Court after a video of a 20-year-old Syrian brown bear at the zoo went viral, making many social media users claim that she looked “exhausted.”
This Monday, several people shared another video on social media, showing animals at the zoo in an awful state.
Senior journalist Quatrina Hosain posted a series of tweets as she reacted to the development, saying: “Let’s shut down all zoos.”

She also wondered why the registered contractors had not been paid since February by relevant officials.

Shaniera Akram, an Australian social worker who is married to Pakistan’s former cricketer Wasim Akram, said she was “outraged” to see the footage of malnourished animals.

Speaking to Arab News, the contractor of the zoo, Amjad Mehboob, said his company had restored the food supply to the animal sanctuary after it received assurances that its dues would be cleared next month.
“We have been providing more than 150 items of two different types of foods,” he said. “A daily meal worth around Rs80,000, which includes fruits, meat and fish, is provided to animals like lions, tigers and elephants etc. The rest is provided on a monthly basis.”
He added more than Rs45 million had been pending with the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) which had not been clearing his company’s dues.
“We were unable to continue the food supply and conveyed our position to zoo officials and KMC management before ending the supply,” he continued.
However, the director of the animal sanctuary, Khalid Hashmi, maintained the food supply was not halted.
“The animals are in perfect condition,” he told Arab News. “They have been getting their required food in sufficient quantity without any interruption. The supply was never stopped since we keep a monthly stock.”
A KMC spokesperson Ali Hasan Sajid also denied that animals were left without food, saying it was “baseless news” which was spread by people who wanted “to achieve their nefarious aims.”
“A special team constituted by the city administrator Murtaza Wahab paid a surprise visit to the zoo and found ample stocks of food available for an entire week,” he said. “Even the stuff that is provided by contractors on a daily basis were in stock for two days. We have five big deep freezers to keep the meat.”
KMC officials also made their own video of food stock and posted it on Twitter.

“Thousands of citizens visit the zoo every day for leisure and to see the animals closely,” the KMC spokesperson continued. “I invite the media to visit the place on any day and observe the condition of the animals themselves.”
He said if the negative propaganda against the facility and its management did not stop, the authorities would take legal action against those individuals and entities involved in it.
Sajid said the KMC had also provided Rs3 million to the contractor.
While Mehboob confirmed the information, however, he said it was still a small amount compared to Rs45 million of dues.
The new video clips on the social media once again made animal rights activists seek the return of zoo animals to their natural habitat.
Speaking to Arab News, Mahera Omar, co-founder of the Pakistan Animal Welfare Society, said there was need to have a conversation about whether we should be keeping wildlife in zoos.
“It is a cruel thing to deprive animals of their natural habitat,” she said, adding: “Zoos have a dark history of displaying man’s dominion over wild animals from exotic lands. In this modern day and age, with its dwindling biodiversity, shrinking habitats, and a climate crisis, our focus should be on nature-led ecological restoration.”
“Let's keep our wildlife wild and free to exhibit their natural behaviors in the habitats where they belong, and not confine them to a life of misery in zoos,” she maintained.
Meanwhile, the KMC also issued a handout on Wednesday, saying a rare white lion had died at the zoo in Karachi.
The animal was brought to the facility from Africa in 2012 and was about 15 years old.
While the handout maintained that the lion had been suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis, the Karachi administrator, Murtaza Wahab, ordered an inquiry report.
“Strict disciplinary action will be taken against the zoo management if any negligence is found after the cause of death of the lion has come to light,” the official statement quoted as saying.
 

 

 


Pakistan confirms one more polio case of 2024 taking last year’s tally to 71

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Pakistan confirms one more polio case of 2024 taking last year’s tally to 71

  • Pakistan, along with neighboring Afghanistan, remains the last polio-endemic country in the world
  • Pakistan polio program is scheduled to hold first nationwide vaccination drive of 2025 from Feb. 3

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani health authorities on Tuesday confirmed one more polio case of 2024, which took last year’s nationwide count to 71.
Polio is a paralyzing disease that has no cure. Multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine and completion of the routine vaccination schedule for all children under the age of five is essential to provide children high immunity against this terrible disease.
The regional laboratory for polio eradication at the National Institute of Health in Islamabad confirmed the wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) in a male child in the Jacobabad district of the southern Sindh province. The case — the fifth one in Jacobabad last year — was reported on December 27, 2024, according to Pakistan polio program.
“Pakistan has been responding to an intense resurgence of WPV1, with 71 cases reported in 2024,” the polio program said in a statement. “Of these, 27 are from Balochistan, 21 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 21 from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.”
Pakistan, along with neighboring Afghanistan, remains the last polio-endemic country in the world. In the early 1990s, Pakistan reported around 20,000 cases annually but in 2018 the number dropped to eight cases. Six cases were reported in 2023 and only one in 2021.
The Pakistan polio program is scheduled to hold first nationwide vaccination drive of this year from Feb. 3 till Feb. 9.
“It is crucial for parents to ensure vaccination for all their children under the age of five to keep them protected,” it said.


Pakistan PM calls for strategy to equip youth for global job market

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Pakistan PM calls for strategy to equip youth for global job market

  • Shehbaz Sharif says Pakistan’s future is linked to the development of the information technology sector
  • Government will soon launch a digital youth hub to provide information on employment to young people

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday called for a comprehensive strategy to equip Pakistan’s youth with professional skills tailored to international job markets while chairing a meeting on youth employment and skill development in Islamabad.
Estimates suggest that approximately 64 percent of Pakistan’s population is under the age of 30, offering a significant opportunity to drive economic growth through a young workforce contributing to entrepreneurship, innovation and diversification.
However, this youth bulge also poses challenges, including high unemployment rates, limited access to quality education and vocational training and the risk of social unrest due to underutilized potential.
The government, striving to stabilize the economy, has actively sought both domestic and foreign investment while engaging friendly nations, particularly in the Gulf region, to provide employment opportunities for young Pakistanis, especially in the field of information technology.
“It is essential to equip the youth with professional skills to increase employment opportunities,” Sharif was quoted as saying in a statement released by his office after he chaired a meeting of the Prime Minister’s Youth Program.
“Pakistan’s future is linked to the development of the IT sector,” he continued while directing the formation of a strategy aligned with the demands of the markets in friendly countries to provide overseas employment to young Pakistanis.
The prime minister emphasized the government’s focus on promoting the private sector to address domestic unemployment.
“The government is actively working on a policy to promote the private sector and address unemployment in the country,” he said.
He also called for action against fraudulent and unlicensed companies offering overseas employment, noting the need for stricter regulation to protect workers.
During the meeting, Sharif was briefed on the upcoming launch of the Prime Minister Digital Youth Hub, a platform designed to provide information on employment and other services to young people.
He directed the platform be made user-friendly and available not only in English but also in Urdu and other regional languages.


Trump look-alike sings to sell pudding in Pakistan

Updated 14 January 2025
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Trump look-alike sings to sell pudding in Pakistan

  • Bagga, 53, sports distinctive blond quiff because of his albinism that makes him resemble Trump 
  • Residents of eastern Sahiwal say they take selfies with Bagga, tell people they met US president-elect

SAHIWAL, Pakistan, In a bustling market in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province, a food vendor who locals say bears an uncanny resemblance to US President-elect Donald Trump gets more business — and attention — than others.

“We feel as if Trump has come here to sell kheer (pudding),” said Mohammad Yaseen, a local resident who prefers to buy the dessert from Saleem Bagga, the look-alike vendor who also sings to draw customers.

“When he sings to sell kheer, we come down to him,” Yaseen said.

Saleem Bagga, seen by some as a lookalike of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, sings songs while selling kheer, a traditional South Asian rice pudding, along a road in Sahiwal, Pakistan, on January 13, 2025. (REUTERS)

Bagga, 53, pushes his colorful wooden cart along the road delivering the milky pudding, a black jacket over his beige shalwar kameez tunic to keep out the winter cold.

A crowd gathers as Bagga, who sports a distinctive blond quiff because of his albinism, sings the lyrics to a Punjabi song: “Now you come down to me my love, don’t delay, my eyes are tired of waiting.”

Saleem Bagga, seen by some as a lookalike of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, poses for a selfie with a customer while selling kheer, a traditional South Asian rice pudding, along a road in Sahiwal, Pakistan on January 13, 2025. (REUTERS)

Local resident Imran Ashraf takes a selfie with Bagga. “His kheer is really delicious ... we talk to him and we take selfies with him and we tell our friends that we have taken these pictures with Trump,” Ashraf said.

Bagga is unfazed by the stream of attention and cameras that follow him throughout the market and even in his home neighborhood in the district of Sahiwal.

“My face resembles Donald Trump, that is why people take selfies with me...I feel very good,” he said, before extending an invitation.

“Donald Trump sahib (sir), you have won the election, now visit here and eat my kheer, you will really enjoy it,” he said.


Pakistan PM hopes new border crossing with Iran will boost legal trade, curb smuggling

Updated 14 January 2025
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Pakistan PM hopes new border crossing with Iran will boost legal trade, curb smuggling

  • Pakistan and Iran have tried to boost trade by setting up border markets, implementing barter system
  • International sanctions on Iran have hampered economic collaboration between the two countries

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday expressed hope a newly inaugurated border crossing between Pakistan and Iran in Panjur would encourage legal trade between the two neighboring states and help curb smuggling, which has long plagued the region.

Pakistan and Iran have intensified efforts in recent years to expand bilateral trade by establishing border markets and implementing barter trade mechanisms.

In April last year, Iran’s late President Ebrahim Raisi described the existing trade volume between the two countries as “not acceptable” during his visit to Pakistan. He said his government had agreed with Islamabad to boost bilateral trade to $10 billion within the foreseeable future.

In the absence of adequate formal trade, smuggling has become a significant issue along the porous 959-kilometer border, where local communities on both sides often rely on the illicit trade of goods, particularly Iranian fuel.

“A new crossing has been inaugurated at the Pakistan-Iran border in Panjgur, which will promote legal trade and help curb smuggling,” Sharif said during a federal cabinet meeting in Islamabad, referring to the new opening this month in the Kohak-Cheedgi area of Panjgur. “I thank our brotherly country Iran for their full cooperation in this regard.”

International sanctions, particularly those imposed by the United States, have significantly hampered economic collaboration between the two countries. This is particularly evident in the shape of the stalled Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project. While Iran completed its section in 2011, Pakistan halted construction due to fears of US sanctions, stalling a project that could have alleviated Pakistan’s energy shortages.

According to the Institute for Strategic Studies, Research and Analysis, a local think tank in Islamabad, trade between the two countries has also suffered owing to the same reason.

Iran’s exports to Pakistan were approximately $1.4 billion in 2022, while Pakistan’s exports to Iran stood at $842.8 million.

The think tank also says Iran’s exports to Pakistan have grown at an annual rate of 13.5 percent over the past 24 years, whereas Pakistan’s exports to Iran have declined by up to 44 percent annually.

During Raisi’s visit, both sides signed memoranda of understanding and agreements covering fields such as trade, science, technology, agriculture, health and culture.

The visit was also seen as a step toward mending fences between the two nations, which had experienced strained ties following unprecedented tit-for-tat missile strikes earlier that year.


Pakistan’s first Sindhi feature film in decades to premiere at Jaipur film festival this month

Updated 14 January 2025
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Pakistan’s first Sindhi feature film in decades to premiere at Jaipur film festival this month

  • “Indus Echoes” explores relationship between humans and Indus River with five stories 
  • Feature film to be screened at Rajasthan Adult Education Association in Jaipur on Jan. 21

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s first Sindhi-language film in nearly three decades, “Indus Echoes” or “Sindhu Ji Goonj” will have its international premiere next week at the Jaipur International Film Festival (JIFF) on Jan. 21. 

The film is directed and produced by Pakistani journalist-turned-filmmaker, Rahul Aijaz, who told Arab News in August last year that the Indus River served as inspiration for the film. The river fascinated Aijaz for a long time as it served as a “major symbol” of the Sindhi culture, he said. 

According to its synopsis, the film explores the relationship between humans and the Indus River through five stories set on, across and around the Indus. The film is a collaboration between Pakistan’s Film N’ Chips Media Productions,

Shaam Films and South Korea’s Big Meta Films. It stars Sindhi-speaking actors, Vajdaan Shah and Ansaar Mahar, in addition to Samina Seher in key roles. Renowned actor Shamoon Abbasi serves as executive producer of the film. 

“GOOD NEWS! Our Sindhi language feature film “Sindhu ji Goonj” (Indus Echoes) has been selected for the Jaipur International Film Festival in India,” Aijaz wrote on his Facebook profile on Dec. 21. “We will be having the international premiere in Jaipur next month.”

While JIFF is scheduled to kick off on Jan. 17, the Sindhi feature film will be screened at the Rajasthan Adult Education Association in Jaipur on Jan. 21. 

Pakistan reportedly released its first-ever Sindhi film, ‘Umar Marvi,’ in 1956, while the country saw the release of its last Sindhi film, ‘Himmat,’ in 1997. Since then, only a few Sindhi telefilms and short films have been produced, but no

Sindhi feature film, which averages between 75 and 210 minutes, was made in the South Asian country.

In 2020, Aijaz also produced a short Sindhi-language film called, ‘A Train Crosses the Desert,’ which was screened in four countries, including at JIFF (2021) in India and the South Asian International Film Festival (2020) in the US.