ISLAMABAD: Health authorities in Pakistan have detected over five dozen cases of the omicron variant of coronavirus amid a surge in virus infections in the country, local media reported on Saturday.
The omicron strain has higher transmissibility than other variants. It emerged in South Africa in November 2021 and spread across nearly 90 countries within a few weeks of its discovery.
Pakistan has reported more than 500 daily new infections over the last two days, according to official figures. The South Asian nation last month tightened up travel restrictions from some countries to counter the threat of the new strain.
Punjab, the country’s most populous province, reported 49 confirmed cases of omicron variant for the first time, the Dawn newspaper reported, citing an official.
“Forty-eight confirmed cases of the new variant were reported from Lahore while only one from Bahawalpur,” the report read. “Most of the cases were reported from [Lahore’s] Gulberg and Cantonment areas.”
Authorities in Karachi detected an omicron hotspot in Gulshan-e-Iqbal area after the emergence of 12 cases of the new strain, the Karachi East deputy commissioner’s office said.
They have imposed a lockdown in the vicinity to prevent the spread of the new variant.
Pakistan reported its first omicron case in Karachi on December 13. The South Asian nation has also stepped up its vaccination drive against coronavirus.
So far, the country had vaccinated more than 150 million people with Punjab leading the way by inoculating 68 percent of its eligible population, Pakistani Planning Minister Asad Umar said late last month.
A total of 92,086,806 people had received at least one dose of anti-COVID vaccines, while 65,149,948 individuals had been fully inoculated in the country, according to official figures.
Pakistan detects 61 omicron cases amid surge in COVID-19 infections
https://arab.news/6tjf5
Pakistan detects 61 omicron cases amid surge in COVID-19 infections
- In a first, Punjab reports 49 cases of new variant with a majority from Lahore
- Lockdown imposed in Karachi after authorities detect omicron hotspot in Gulshan-e-Iqbal
Child abuse in spotlight in Pakistan again as police probe killing of minor boy
- Body of Mohammad Sarim, 7, was found in an underground water tank 11 days after he was reported missing
- Nearly 10 child abuse cases a day are reported in Pakistan, according to Sahil which works on child protection
KARACHI: The case of a seven-year-old boy who was missing for over 10 days before his body was discovered in a water tank in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi has put the spotlight once more on child abuse in Pakistan, with a medical report seen by Arab News on Tuesday saying he was subjected to sexual violence before his death.
Nearly 10 cases of child abuse a day are reported in Pakistan, according to Sahil, an organization that works on child protection, with girls disproportionately affected.
In the latest case, Mohammed Sarim went missing on Jan. 7 after leaving home to attend religious lessons at a madrassah inside the apartment complex where he lived. He never returned home, and his body was found in an underground water tank at the same complex on Jan. 18.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Anil Haider told Arab News investigations were being carried out in the case in light of the autopsy report.
“They have written about sexual violence in the report,” he said, saying no arrests had been made so far though police were investigating suspects based on interviews with Sarim’s family members.
“The family did not nominate anyone, but we interrogated whoever they told us to include in the investigation,” Haider added, saying DNA samples of the suspects had been sent for testing to a forensics lab.
According to the medical report seen by Arab News, the boy died at least four days before the body was found, with the hair on his scalp missing in patches and the skin on several parts of his body having been peeled off.
“On the basis of the examination, it is opined that findings are suggestive of anal sexual violence,” the report said, adding that the boy had suffered 12 different injuries and wounds on various parts of the body, which were all “ante-mortem,” or caused prior to death, except for one.
Child abuse is a widespread issue in Pakistan, with perpetrators often turning out to be family members, teachers, or trusted people.
In 2020, Pakistan’s parliament passed a new law against child abuse, two years after the rape and murder of a 7-year-old girl that shocked the country. The national child abuse law introduced a penalty of life imprisonment for child abuse. The law requires police to register a case within two hours of a child’s parents reporting them missing. It also includes measures to speed up the process, including the establishment of a dedicated helpline and a new agency to issue alerts for a missing child.
The new law followed the death of Zainab Ansari, whose body was found in a garbage dumpster in Kasur district near the eastern city of Lahore in 2018, sparking large protests and accusations of negligence by authorities.
Ansari’s case triggered debate in Pakistan over whether to teach children how to guard against sex abuse, a taboo subject in the Muslim majority nation.
Pakistani province bordering Afghanistan to send talks’ delegation to Kabul within two weeks — CM
- Islamabad says it has consistently taken up the issue of cross-border militancy with Kabul
- Afghan Taliban say do not allow Afghan soil to be used by militants against other nations
ISLAMABAD: The chief minister of Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province said this week he would send a delegation to neighboring Afghanistan within two weeks for discussions on ongoing tensions, including cross-border militancy.
Already strained relations between the neighbors have deteriorated in recent months amid a spike in militant attacks in Pakistan that it blames on insurgents harboring in Afghanistan. Kabul’s Afghan rulers deny state complicity and say they do not allow Afghan soil to be used by militant groups against other nations.
Last year, KP CM Ali Amin Gandapur said he would hold direct talks with Kabul and send an emissary to Afghanistan to arrange a meeting to resolve outstanding issues. At the time, the central government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, a main rival of Gandapur’s PTI party that rules KP, said the offer amounted to a “direct attack on the federation” as no province could open talks with a foreign country, which was the jurisdiction of the government at the center.
“Now I will have to play my role. We held a provincial meeting and now I am sending a delegation to Afghanistan soon,” Gandapur told reporters on Monday. “Within two weeks a delegation that I am forming will go to Afghanistan and talk to them [Afghan government].”
A second delegation comprising main tribes from KP province would also visit Afghanistan subsequently, the chief minister added.
“A delegation comprising all tribes will also go and talk to them. I have full faith that they [Afghan authorities] will cooperate with our jirga.”
Islamabad says it has consistently taken up the issue of cross-border attacks with the Taliban administration. The issue has also led to clashes between the border forces of the two countries on multiple occasions in recent months.
In December, the Afghan Taliban said bombardment by Pakistani military aircraft in Afghanistan’s eastern Paktika province had killed at least 46 people, most of whom were children and women. Just days later, the Afghan defense ministry said Taliban forces targeted “several points” in neighboring Pakistan, further straining tense ties.
Relations between the two countries have also soured since Pakistan launched a deportation drive in November 2023 against illegal aliens residing in the country. Though Pakistan insists the campaign does not only target Afghans but all those residing in Pakistan unlawfully, it has disproportionately hit Afghans, with at least 800,000 repatriated so far.
KSrelief distributes food parcels to people in need in Mali, Pakistan
- Some 500 parcels distributed in Koulikoro region of Mali
- In Pakistan, 1,450 parcels given out in Sindh, KP provinces
RIYADH: Saudi aid agency KSrelief has provided food aid to people in need in Mali and Pakistan, reported the Saudi Press Agency.
Some 500 parcels were distributed in the Koulikoro region of Mali, benefiting vulnerable groups including displaced people and those with disabilities as part of this year’s Food Security Support Project in the country.
Meanwhile, in Pakistan, a further 1,450 food parcels were given out in the Dadu and Sanghar districts in Sindh province and the Torghar district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Finishing touches being put on Pakistan stadiums ahead of ICC Champions Trophy
- Eight-team 50-overs tournament will be first global competition held in Pakistan in 28 years
- India will play all their matches in Dubai due to political tensions with the northern neighbor
LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) this week allayed fears about the preparedness of the venues for this year’s Champions Trophy as they welcomed media for a tour of Lahore’s Qaddafi Stadium on Monday.
The eight-team 50-overs tournament will be the first global competition to be held in Pakistan in 28 years.
India, however, will play all their matches in Dubai due to political tensions with their Northern neighbors.
Stadiums in Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi are being upgraded for the tournament whose success could invite more global tournaments to a country, which was deemed unsafe to tour after a 2009 attack on the visiting Sri Lankan cricketers.
“We are in the finishing phase. Our work is almost complete, the finishing touches remain. We will complete it by the end of this month,” PCB director of infrastructure, Qazi Jawad, told Reuters in Lahore.
The stadium’s capacity has been increased to accommodate 35,000 fans while new hospitality areas have also been constructed.
Lahore and Karachi will host a tri-nation series involving New Zealand and South Africa next month to prove their readiness for the Champions Trophy beginning on February 19.
Pakistan air force contingent lands in Saudi Arabia for aerial combat exercise
- Saudi Arabia annually hosts Spears of Victory exercise, with last year’s activity having involved more than 60 aircraft from nine nations
- This year’s exercise will include participation from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Bahrain, France, Greece, Qatar, UAE, UK and US
ISLAMABAD: A Pakistan Air Force contingent comprising JF-17 Thunder Block-III fighter jets and dedicated air and ground crew has landed in Saudi Arabia to participate in the multinational aerial combat exercise, “Spears of Victory-2025,” the Pakistan army said in a statement on Tuesday.
Saudi Arabia annually hosts the Spears of Victory exercise, with last year’s activity having involved more than 60 aircraft from nine nations. This year’s exercise will include participation of fighter jets and combat support elements from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Bahrain, France, Greece, Qatar, UAE, UK and the US.
“For this International deployment, PAF fighters flew nonstop from home base in Pakistan to Saudi Arabia, carrying out inflight Air-to-Air refueling, showcasing long range employment capabilities of JF-17 Block-III Aircraft,” the Pakistan army’s media wing said.
During the exercise, PAF pilots flying AESA & Extended Range BVR Equipped JF-17 Thunder jets will be pitched against participating air forces equipped with a wide variety of sophisticated combat aircraft.
Royal Saudi Air Force is holding the fifth cycle of the exercise, “which provides an excellent opportunity to bolster interoperability within the participating Air Forces in the backdrop of technological advancement, increasing complexity in Airpower application & shared aerial defense challenges,” the army statement said.
“Participation of Pakistan Air Force contingent in the exercise not only highlights PAF’s commitment to regional & international cooperation but also underscores its capabilities and prowess to operate in diverse and challenging environments among contemporary airforces.”
