KARACHI: After being repeatedly banned in Pakistan over content that local authorities say is “immoral,” Chinese video-sharing platform TikTok had increased the number of Pakistani content moderators by over 300 percent and tripled its investment in the South Asian country, a senior official said this week.
TikTok has been banned four times in Pakistan. The most recent ban by the country’s telecom regulator, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), was imposed in July 2021, and lifted in November 2021 “after assurances by the platform to control ‘immoral and unlawful’ content.”
In October, TikTok said it had removed over 9.85 million posts generated by Pakistani users between April and June for violating community guidelines, adding that the country ranked second in terms of the volume of removed content in the world.
“Understanding the gravity of the local laws, ethics and values, TikTok has invested heavily in its team of local-language content moderators, leading to a 300 percent-plus growth in local-language moderation headcount,” Jiagen Eep, Trust and Safety, Singapore Hub Lead for TikTok, told Arab News via email.
“This large content moderation team works round the clock, monitoring content posted by our users in Pakistan,” he said. “Of course, our moderators work within the purview of prevailing labor laws and additional offline time is provided for wellbeing and training.”
The official said keeping in mind the social, religious and cultural context of Pakistan, TikTok had “more than tripled our investment in the last twelve months in our dedicated local-language moderation team for Pakistan” that ensured that content on the platform was in line with community guidelines and prompt action was taken in case of violations.
“The content moderation process has been made even more efficient with the hiring of local-language moderators who understand multiple Pakistani languages, culture and social norms and are able to make quick assessments in light of our community guidelines,” he said.
Jiagen said 16,347,396 videos were removed between January and June 2021 for violating Pakistani community guidelines. This was only 1.5 percent of the total videos uploaded during that period, he said.
“Our efforts on content moderation in Pakistan have been acknowledged and commended both by the PTA and the Prime Minister’s Committee for Social Media Rules,” he said.
The platform, Jiagen said, took action over adult nudity and sexual activities, harassment and bullying, hateful behavior, illegal activities, integrity and authenticity, minor safety, suicide, self-harm and dangerous acts, violent extremism, and violent and graphic content.
To improve content creation in Pakistan, TikTok had also launched a digital literacy initiative and was planning a creators’ academy, Jiagen said.
“We are partnering with local NGOs to drive digital literacy initiatives in Pakistan, including introducing guides in local languages for parents and teachers along with awareness sessions for safe use of the Internet,” the platform said in response to questions emailed by Arab News.
“In the future, we also plan to launch the TikTok Creators Academy in Pakistan which is a program that offers a series of workshops to empower creators to develop and create compelling content and stories across multiple content categories on TikTok,” the statement said. “We are also working on some major projects that we hope to announce soon.”
Jiagen’s comments come just weeks after the Pakistani government approved new social media rules to regulate its cyberspace, including imposing a penalty of up to Rs500 million, or roughly $3 million, on service providers and social media companies in cases of statutory violations.
The rules, which have been under discussion since November last year, have invited fierce criticism from rights groups who fear they may be used to stifle dissent and free speech.
Bitten by bans, TikTok hires Pakistani content moderators, triples investment
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Bitten by bans, TikTok hires Pakistani content moderators, triples investment
- Top official at app says TikTok had invested in 300 percent-plus growth in local-language moderators
- TikTok says has launched digital literacy initiative in Pakistan, planning TikTok Creators Academy
Medical residents from Pakistan, other states fill critical positions in US, but running into visa issues
- The US is projected to face a physician shortage in the next 11 years, the Association of American Medical Colleges says
- Over 6,600 foreign-born international medical residents matched into US programs in 2025, and another 300 filled positions
Some hospitals in the US are without essential staff because international doctors who were set to start their medical training this week were delayed by the Trump administration’s travel and visa restrictions.
It’s unclear exactly how many foreign medical residents were unable to start their assignments, but six medical residents interviewed by The Associated Press say they’ve undergone years of training and work only to be stopped at the finish line by what is usually a procedural step.
“I don’t want to give up,” said a permanent Canadian resident who matched to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Harrisburg but had her visa denied because she is a citizen of Afghanistan. She requested to remain anonymous for fear of reprisal. “But the situation also seems so helpless.”
Initially, the medical community was worried that hundreds of positions — many in hospitals in low-income or rural areas of the US — could be affected. The pause on interviews for J-1 visas for approved work or study-related programs was lifted in mid-June.
The national nonprofit that facilitates the residency match process said the visa situation is resolving, but it will take weeks to know with confidence how many medical residents have had the start of their careers derailed because they got their visa too late or were blocked by President Donald Trump’s travel ban on 12 countries, according to people who coordinate the residents’ training.
Four foreign medical residents told the AP that US embassies have been slow to open up interview slots — and some have not opened any.
“You lose out on the time you could have used to treat patients,” said one resident from Pakistan, who matched to an internal medicine program in Massachusetts and requested to remain anonymous for fear of reprisal.
Thousands of foreign medical residents fill gaps in US hospitals.
The US is projected to face a physician shortage in the next 11 years, per the Association of American Medical Colleges, and foreign medical residents fill critical gaps in the health care system. More than 6,600 foreign-born international medical residents matched into US programs in 2025 — the highest on record — and another 300 filled positions that were vacant after the match process was complete.
Not all of those residents were affected by visa issues or the travel ban on foreign nationals from countries including Afghanistan, Haiti and Sudan.
International medical graduates often take jobs in places where US medical trainees tend not to go, said Donna Lamb, president of the National Resident Matching Program.
“It’s not just that they’re coming in and they want to work in big, flashy centers on the coast,” Lamb said. “They’re truly providing health care for all of America.”
Foreign medical residents work in specialties that US applicants aren’t as eager to apply to. For example, international candidates make up almost 40 percent of residents in internal medicine, which specializes in the prevention and treatment of chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease.
“The residents are the backbone of the entire hospital,” said Dr. Zaid Alrashid from Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center in New York, which has medical residents from almost every continent. Most received their visas prior to the pause but a few were caught up in delays.
Two residents from India who spoke on condition of anonymity have not been able to get an appointment at any US embassies there despite the J-1 visa pause being lifted.
Another resident from Egypt just secured a visa appointment for mid-August but is worried her program may not be willing to wait for her. She’s already paid her security deposit for an apartment in Texas to live during her residency.
“I don’t know when this situation will be resolved,” said the resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, adding she hasn’t been eating or sleeping well.
HOSPITALS WAITING FOR RESIDENTS
In California, leaders at two graduate medical education programs said they have a small number of residents caught up in J-1 visa delays. Both spoke on condition of anonymity due to concerns for the doctors who are still trying to get visas.
A residency leader at one large health care system said two doctors in its 150-resident program are delayed, adding they could start late or defer to next year. A 135-person program at a California public health system told the AP that one resident has yet to arrive, though he was finally scheduled for a visa interview.
“We are not going to breathe easy until he’s here in our hospital,” the second leader said.
As of Wednesday, Lamb’s matching program had received fewer than 20 requests to defer or cancel residency contracts.
Worried about losing their spots if they defer, many foreign medical residents may keep trying to get to the US and start their residencies late, said Dr. Sabesan Karuppiah, a past member of the American Medical Association’s International Medical Graduates Governing Council and former director of a large residency program.
Some hospitals may struggle at this point to replace the residents who don’t make it, leaving fewer people to care for the same number of patients, said Kimberly Pierce Burke, executive director of the Alliance of Independent Academic Medical Centers.
Foreign medical trainees who’ve made it into the US remain on edge about their situations, Karuppiah said.
“I can tell you the word on the street is: ‘Do not leave the country,’” he said, adding that people are missing out on important events, seeing sick parents or even getting married. “Everybody’s scared to just leave, not knowing what’s going to happen.”
Pakistan disaster authority warns of more showers, floods till July 10
- Pakistan is currently bracing for an extreme monsoon season, which lasts till mid-Sept.
- The country has already reported over 60 rain-related deaths in a little more than a week
KARACHI: Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Thursday warned of more monsoon showers, floods and landslides in the country between July 6 and July 10, urging citizens to exercise caution during the forecast period.
The development comes as Pakistan braces for an extreme monsoon season, which usually lasts till mid-September, with 64 people killed in rains and floods in a little more than a week.
More rains and strong winds are expected in Punjab’s Rawalpindi, Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan and Dera Ghazi Khan cities as well as the capital, Islamabad. Thunderstorms are likely to hit Swat, Chitral, Peshawar, Mardan and other areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
“Due to rains and other factors, there is a risk of flooding in low-lying areas, overflowing of rivers and canals and landslides in mountainous areas,” the NDMA said in its latest advisory.
The northern Gilgit-Baltistan region and Azad Kashmir may witness heavy showers, floods and landslides, according to the authority.
Similarly, downpours are expected in Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Tharparkar and other cities of the Sindh province as well as Quetta, Zhob, Khuzdar and Sibi in Balochistan.
“Stay away from weak structures, electricity poles, billboards. There is a risk of accidents due to reduced visibility in storms, be careful,” the NDMA asked citizens. “Stay away from rivers and canals.”
Pakistan, home to over 240 million people, is consistently ranked among the countries most vulnerable to climate change.
In 2022, record-breaking monsoon rains and glacier melt caused catastrophic floods that affected 33 million people and killed more than 1,700.
Czech climber missing in Pakistan after fall on Nanga Parbat expedition
- Klara Kolouchova, 46, reportedly fell from a height between Camp I and Camp II
- Recovery efforts are underway to locate and retrieve her body from the fall site
ISLAMABAD: A Czech woman climber has gone missing after a fall during her attempt to summit Nanga Parbat, a Pakistani mountaineering club said on Friday.
Klara Kolouchova, 46, reportedly fell from a height between Camp I and Camp II of Nanga Parbat on Thursday, according to Karrar Haidri, secretary-general of the Alpine Club of Pakistan that organizes various expeditions.
“Authorities and rescue teams were immediately alerted and dispatched,” Haidri told Arab News. “Recovery efforts are underway to locate and retrieve her body from the fall site.”
Klara, an accomplished mountaineer, was globally recognized as the first Czech woman to summit both Mount Everest and K2. She had arrived in Pakistan on June 15, accompanied by her husband and five team members.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with her family, friends, and the mountaineering community during this difficult time,” Haidri said.
Nanga Parbat, the ninth-highest peak in the world at 8,126 meters, is infamous for its difficult terrain and high fatality rate, which has earned it the nickname “Killer Mountain.”
Over 100 climbers and porters have died on its slopes, with the Rupal face considered particularly unforgiving due to avalanche risk and exposure to extreme weather.
Earlier this week, three European climbers achieved a rare feat on one of the world’s most dangerous peaks by scaling Nanga Parbat from the treacherous Rupal face in alpine style, with one of them paragliding down from near the summit in a daring solo descent.
Unlike traditional expedition climbing, alpine style involves climbing in a single push without establishing fixed ropes or pre-stocked camps, requiring climbers to carry all their gear. The approach demands speed, efficiency and a high degree of skill, especially at high altitude.
German climber David Göttler was joined by French mountaineers Tiphaine Duperier and Boris Langenstein for the climb via the Schell route, a steep and rarely successful line up the mountain’s massive southern wall. The Rupal face, rising nearly 4,600 meters from base to summit, is considered the world’s highest mountain face and among the most technically demanding.
“Sometimes you need to be patient … It’s taken five attempts, but now that I’ve achieved it, I know it’s all been worthwhile,” Göttler wrote in a social media post on Tuesday, describing his 12-year pursuit of the route.
He said summiting with his teammates in alpine style was “incredible,” adding that being able to fly down from around 7,700 meters to base camp on the same day took his joy “to the next level.”
‘Best experience’: Omani motorcyclists praise Pakistan’s landscape, warmth and cuisine
- Motorcyclists from 40-member Bousher Bikers Club are in Pakistan on a 15-day goodwill tour
- Motorcyclists laud food and scenery, plan return with families as Pakistan pushes to expand tourism
ISLAMABAD: Riding more than 2,000 kilometers across Pakistan’s diverse terrain — from snow capped mountain passes to fertile river plains — a group of eight Omani bikers say their journey through the country has been unlike any other.
The motorcyclists from Oman’s Bousher Bikers Club are in Pakistan on a 15-day goodwill tour, part of a broader initiative to promote people-to-people ties between the two nations. Over the past two weeks, they have traveled through Islamabad, the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region, the Naran resort town and parts of eastern Punjab, with a final stop planned in Lahore before their departure today, Thursday.
“[This is] the best experience. I say that people here in Pakistan, they open their heart before they open their door for us,” said Majid Al-Rawahi, the group’s leader, speaking outside Islamabad’s Faisal Mosque on Monday.
“We really feel as our country here, as our home.”
The Omani riders, all part of a 40-member club based in the Bousher neighborhood of Muscat, arrived in Pakistan on June 20 on a visit facilitated by the Pakistani embassy in Muscat and the Omani government.
During their journey, they’ve explored Islamabad, the Sargodha region in Punjab, the Naran resort town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and the Khunjerab Pass, the world’s highest paved international border crossing between Pakistan and China.
Al-Rawahi said that while some of what they had heard about Pakistan before the trip included negative stereotypes, their experience on the road quickly proved otherwise.
“We crossed more than 2,000 kilometers by bike and it was a very interesting trip for us as we met a lot of people, friendly people, peaceful people, and helpful people,” he said.
Issa Al-Hasani, another member of the group, said the journey through northern Pakistan had been filled with “breathtaking landscapes,” including waterfalls, rolling hills, and vibrant small towns. But it was the warmth of the people that left the strongest impression.
“The people were kind and friendly, always greeting us with warm smiles,” he said. “Pakistan is a beautiful country with high security, good people, good manners and respect, and I want to say thank you to everyone.”
EDIBLE MEMORIES
Pakistan has in recent years promoted its northern areas as a haven for adventurists and nature lovers. With snow-capped mountains, alpine lakes, historic forts, and expansive deserts, the country offers routes that appeal to both local and international travelers, particularly bikers and overlanders seeking remote, scenic journeys.
Pakistan offers visa-free entry to citizens of 126 countries for tourism and business purposes, effective August 14, 2024. These travelers can obtain an electronic visa within 24 hours, free of charge, and use e-gates at select airports and Gwadar Port. The eVisa is valid for a single entry for 90 days.
The Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) projects the travel and tourism industry to grow annually by 6.75 percent from 2025 to 2029, reaching a market size of $5.53 billion by the end of the period.
Still, the experience of traveling in Pakistan isn’t without its challenges.
Al-Rawahi said Pakistan’s roadside infrastructure, particularly rest areas, washrooms and restaurants, could benefit from improvement to better serve tourists.
That said, the group also expressed deep appreciation for what they experienced, especially the food.
“We tried various traditional dishes and found them delicious, especially biryani and local sweets,” said Al-Rawahi.
For Kamil Al-Wahaibi, the memories are also edible.
He said he especially enjoyed kulcha paratha, a flaky, buttery flatbread.
“We call it lola in Oman and we eat it with tea,” he said with a smile.
As the group’s tour enters its final stretch with a visit to Lahore before departure on July 4, the riders are already thinking about returning.
“I want to bring my family, especially to the [Azad] Kashmir side, and during the winter to the desert as it is a good tourism time here,” Al-Rawahi said.
Al-Wahaibi agreed:
“I will come back with my family and with my friends. They will enjoy it.”
Pakistan calls for stronger agricultural and food security cooperation with Egypt
- Pakistan’s food security minister praises Egypt for arid farming and climate-smart technologies
- He also acknowledges Egypt’s support on global issues and cooperation at multilateral forums
KARACHI: Pakistan on Thursday called for enhanced collaboration with Egypt in agricultural science, biotechnology and food security, citing Egyptian expertise in climate-smart technologies and arid farming during a ceremony held in Islamabad.
Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain represented Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at the event marking Egypt’s National Day, which brought together diplomats, government officials and members of the business community.
“Referring to Egypt’s impressive progress in agricultural development, the Minister called for enhanced collaboration in areas such as agricultural science, seed development, arid farming, capacity building, drip irrigation and climate-smart technologies, where Egypt has notable expertise,” said an official statement issued after the ceremony.
“Hussain emphasized the importance of joint initiatives in food security, biotechnology and sustainable agricultural practices,” it continued.
“He said that Pakistan and Egypt’s shared experience in managing water-scarce environments offers an opportunity for meaningful partnerships between research institutions and private sectors in both nations.”
The minister acknowledged Egypt’s support to Pakistan on regional and international matters and praised the ongoing cooperation at multilateral forums such as the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the United Nations.
Noting the revival of the Pakistan–Egypt Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC), Hussain said both governments are working to finalize new bilateral agreements in trade, agriculture, higher education and cultural exchange.
Egypt’s agricultural sector is on an upward trajectory and has witnessed a strong export performance, though environmental constraints remain a concern.
