ISLAMABAD: Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf bin Saeed Al-Malki on Saturday offered his condolences over the deaths of 21 people during a snowstorm in the Pakistani hill station of Murree, 64 km (40 miles) northeast of the capital Islamabad.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) had predicted heavy snowfall in Murree and the Galiyat mountainous regions from January 6 to 9. Despite appeals by authorities to postpone plans due to bad weather and roadblocks, tens of thousands of snow-tourists reached the resort town over the past two days.
At least 21 people, including nine children, died in freezing temperatures after being stuck in their vehicles overnight on snowed-in roads in a crisis that trapped thousands.
“We condole with the families of those who died in Murree and pray for God’s mercy for them,” Ambassador Al-Malki said in a Twitter post.
“We wish for the well-being of the rest of all.”
On Saturday, the local administration declared Murree “calamity hit,” with long lines of cars stuck in the resort town after the snowstorm made the roads impassable.
Rescue efforts to get people and vehicles out were still ongoing on Saturday evening.
“Our teams are in the field and trying to rescue stranded people as quickly as possible,” Rafaqat Zaman, a spokesperson for the Rescue 1122 emergency service, told Arab News, saying up to six feet of snow had accumulated on the roads and streets, and thousands of tourists and vehicles were trapped in it.
“The death toll may go up, but we don’t want to speculate on it,” he said.
The Pakistan army on Saturday afternoon announced it had established four camps in the area and a “control division” and opened rescue centers.
“Heavy machinery from Murree army engineers division and FWO (Frontier Works Organization) are working without any pause to assist people who are struck,” the army’s media wing said. “Troops are out in the field. Where machinery can’t reach, troops have been moved and they are clearing traffic and opening roads.”
On Friday evening, the Islamabad administration announced it was closing the roads leading to Murree for the rest of the weekend “in public interest.”
For hours overnight and well after daybreak on Saturday, thousands of cars lined the snow-clogged roadway as their drivers grew increasingly desperate about their predicament and exasperated by what appeared to be a slow response by authorities.
Authorities in Rawalpindi, which is adjacent to Islamabad, said on Saturday over 23,000 stranded vehicles had been already evacuated from Murree and around 1,000 were still stranded.
A strong westerly wave entered Pakistan’s western and upper parts earlier this week, producing rain and snowfall. It is forecast to grip the areas until Sunday.
Saudi ambassador offers condolences over tourist deaths in Pakistan snowstorm
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Saudi ambassador offers condolences over tourist deaths in Pakistan snowstorm
- Thousands arrived in Murree in last two days to see snow despite authorities’ appeals to postpone plans
- A snowstorm made the roads impassable, stranding motorists without food and water in the freezing cold
Elephant Madhubala to reunite with cousins today after 15-year separation
- Madhubala, one of only three captive elephants in Pakistan, was brought from Tanzania in 2009 along with three other elephants
- She and her companion, Noor Jehan, were then brought to Karachi Zoo, Noor Jehan died last year, leaving Madhubala alone
KARACHI: Elephant Madhubala is set to be reunited with her cousins at Karachi’s Safari Park sanctuary today, Tuesday, after being separated from them for 15 years and spending the last year alone, an animal welfare organization said.
Named after a legendary Indian actress, Madhubala, one of only three captive elephants in Pakistan, was brought to the country in 2009 along with three other elephants from Tanzania. She and her companion Noor Jehan were separated from their kin about a decade and a half ago and moved to the Karachi Zoo.
Noor Jehan passed away in April 2023 at the age of 17 after being critically ill due to neglect, leaving Madhubala alone at the zoo since then. Animal rights organizations have since campaigned for Madhubala to be shifted to the Safari Park, saying the solitary life was taking a toll on her health.
A team from FOUR PAWS International, a Vienna-based animal welfare organization, has arrived in Karachi to oversee Madhubala’s transfer to the sanctuary on Tuesday.
“I’m excited to see how Madhubala will react when she meets her cousins,” Dr. Amir Khalil, director of reveal and rescue at FOUR PAWS, told Arab News.
“Imagine someone who hasn’t seen their siblings in fifteen years — how will she feel when they finally reunite?”
FOUR PAWS said in a statement last month that the adaptation work at Karachi’s Safari Park had reached its final stage.
Madhubala will be carried from the Karachi Zoo to the Safari Park in a huge transport crate. The elephant has been trained to enter and exit the crate by herself and sit inside it during the move.
“As part of the final preparations, the focus now lies on completing the landscaping of the elephant enclosure at Safari Park, finalizing enrichment features, and continuing the necessary training of the three elephants, including resuming crate training for Madhubala,” FOUR PAWS said.
The elephant enclosures at Safari Park will have water elements for bathing, skincare and thermoregulation. Enrichments such as hay nets, varying substrates like soil, sand, clay, and sawdust will be provided for Madhubala to dust bathe. The area has also been secured by elephant-proof fencing.
Animal rights activists have long campaigned about the plight of animals in Pakistan, especially elephants, and demanded they be shifted to “species-appropriate” locations such as the Safari Park.
Pakistan says over 20,000 Hajj applications received today
- Saudi Arabia has allotted Pakistan a total quota of 179,210 pilgrims for the upcoming Hajj pilgrimage
- Quota of 5,000 has been allocated this year for overseas Pakistanis on “first-come, first-served basis”
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani religious affairs ministry has said over 20,000 Hajj applications had been received by Monday, as the nation prepares for the annual pilgrimage slated to be held in June next year.
Saudi Arabia has allotted Pakistan a total quota of 179,210 pilgrims for the upcoming Hajj pilgrimage, to be divided equally between the government and private schemes. Around 15 designated Pakistani banks started receiving applications for Hajj 2025 from intending pilgrims on Monday.
“20,170 Hajj applications received till Monday,” a spokesperson for the Religious Affairs Ministry said on Monday, saying applications were continuing to be filed at designated banks across the country.
“Reception of applications under the government Hajj scheme will continue till December 3.”
A quota of 5,000 has been allocated for overseas Pakistanis on a “first-come, first-served basis,” the ministry said, adding that the lottery for the government Hajj scheme would be held on Dec. 6
Pakistan’s religious affairs minister this month announced the country’s Hajj 2025 policy, according to which pilgrims can pay fees for the annual Islamic pilgrimage in installments for the first time.
Under the government scheme, the first installment of Hajj dues, amounting to Rs200,000 ($717), has to be deposited along with the Hajj application, while a second installment of Rs400,000 ($1,435) must be deposited within ten days of the balloting. The remaining amount has to be deposited by Feb. 10 next year.
On Sunday, Pakistan’s religious affairs ministry said it had launched the “Pak Hajj 2025” mobile application to guide and facilitate pilgrims. The app is available for both Android and iPhone users.
Naval chief says Pakistan’s economic future ‘inextricably linked’ to maritime security
- Admiral Naveed Ashraf says challenges in Indian Ocean Region requires greater vigilance
- He says Pakistan’s socio-economic prosperity can be assured by harnessing blue economy
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf on Monday emphasized the importance of maritime security for the country’s economic future, calling for robust measures to address “unprecedented challenges” in the Indian Ocean Region.
In a message issued to mark the Seventh Maritime Security Workshop, scheduled to run from November 26 to December 5 at the Pakistan Navy War College in Lahore, Ashraf highlighted the need to harness the country’s maritime potential while ensuring a secure environment for trade and economic growth.
He noted the Indian Ocean Region faced significant challenges, including geopolitical competition, nuclearization and transnational threats, compounded by rapid technological advancements.
“The country’s economic future is inextricably linked to the sea, which serves as mankind’s last reservoir for sustenance,” he said. “Securing our maritime domain is not merely a national priority but a necessity, requiring cooperation, innovation and vigilance.”
Ashraf stressed the potential of Pakistan’s maritime resources to drive socio-economic prosperity through the exploitation of the blue economy, enabled by a secure maritime environment.
His comments come at a time when Pakistan has made a strategic offer to landlocked Central Asian economies for access to its ports, allowing them to conduct trade via sea routes.
The initiative underscores Pakistan’s ambition to position itself as a critical hub for regional economic activity.
“Our rich maritime resources offer great potential for economic prosperity,” the naval chief maintained.
“Let us work toward a secure and stable maritime environment that benefits not only our nation but the global community at large,” he added.
One policeman killed, over 100 injured in clashes with Imran Khan supporters leading Islamabad protest
- Punjab inspector general says 119 officers wounded in violence by Khan’s supporters, party says scores of its followers also hurt
- Protest ‘long march’ has coincided with visit of Belarus president, with government accusing PTI of trying to sabotage economic recovery
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani officials said on Monday one police constable had been killed and nearly 120 were wounded in violence by supporters of jailed former premier Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, which is leading a protest march to the federal capital of Islamabad.
Thousands of rallygoers reached the edges of Islamabad on Monday evening after protest caravans set out from various parts of the country a day earlier to call for the release of political prisoners, including Khan, among other demands.
The protesters set out despite the government refusing to grant the PTI permission to enter Islamabad for a sit-in. Last week, the district administration also imposed a two-month ban on public gatherings in the capital, citing security challenges and inconvenience to the public.
Authorities have closed all schools in Islamabad and the adjacent garrison city of Rawalpindi, while the Internet and WhatsApp messaging services have also slowed as the protest march continues. All routes connecting Islamabad and Rawalpindi have been completely shut for the last two days, as are highways and roads from other cities leading to the federal capital.
Addressing a press conference in Lahore, the provincial capital of Punjab, Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari said one policeman had been killed in clashes with PTI supporters.
“Constable Mubashir has lost his life. Five people remain in critical condition,” the minister said.
She added that 70 people had been wounded in clashes with the protesters just outside Islamabad, while there were reports of several other clashes elsewhere in the province. It was unclear if the 70 people were all policemen.
Inspector General (IG) Punjab, Dr. Usman Anwar, said 119 cops had been injured.
“Four of them sustained firearm injuries caused by a weapon,” he told reporters. “Our forces could also use firearms but to avoid any mishap we kept them without firearms.”
He said several police officers had critical head injuries.
“More than 22 police vehicles have been damaged. Despite this, the Punjab Police remains on duty, with 22,000 personnel still actively performing their responsibilities.”
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said those who had given the call for the Islamabad protest were responsible for those who had been killed and injured.
“We have clearly communicated to all the Inspector Generals of Police, Islamabad Police, and everyone involved that those who issued this call [for protest] and incited people to gather will be held fully responsible for these actions and we will not leave anyone,” Naqvi said at a press conference after attending the funeral prayers of the policeman who was killed during the protests.
“FIRs [police report] will be registered against all of them. The protesters have fired live bullets, and our security forces could also do the same, but they only answered with rubber bullets.”
Khan’s party said scores of its workers were also hurt.
“TILL MY LAST BREATH”
The PTI march started on Sunday but could not reach Islamabad as shipping containers placed by the government on key points on major highways slowed the pace of the caravans. The PTI says its final destination is D-Chowk, a high-security area in the capital’s Red Zone that houses key government buildings and is a popular site for protests. Heavy contingents of police and other security forces have been stationed across Islamabad and at entry and exit points.
The largest PTI protest caravan began its journey from Peshawar, the provincial capital of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province where Khan’s party is in power. It is being led by KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and Khan’s wife Bushra Khan, who was released on bail in October after nearly nine months in detention.
Khan has been in jail since August last year and faces a slew of charges he says are politically motivated.
On Monday evening, the PTI said in a text to reporters that the rally had “broken through one of the biggest barrages of containers and is at the gate of Islamabad.”
“Until Khan does not return to us, we will not end this march,” Bushra said to supporters from atop the protest caravan as the PTI edged closer to Islamabad. “I will stand there till my last breath, you people have to stand by me. I will keep standing even if nobody does because this does not concern just my husband but the country and its leader.”
Islamabad police confirmed over 400 arrests related to the protest in the past few days, saying the detainees were being held in different police stations. The PTI said over 3,500 of its leaders and supporters had been arrested in connection to the protests.
PTI leader Shaukat Yousafzai, who is part of the caravan, told Arab News over the phone the march would carry on until it reached D-Chowk.
“We will only return from D-Chowk when Imran Khan and other innocent party workers are released from Pakistani prisons,” he said.
The PTI also said key leaders Gohar Khan and Ali Mohammad Khan had been allowed to meet the PTI flounder at Adiala jail, but no details were shared about the focus or outcome of the discussions. A second meeting with Khan was also reported late on Monday night.
The PTI’s march has coincided with a visit to Islamabad by Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko and a 68-member delegation to discuss investment deals. The government has accused the PTI of trying to sabotage the foreign visit in a bid to destabilize its economic recovery efforts.
Yousafzai rejected this criticism, saying his party had called the protest well before the Belarusian delegation’s arrival was announced.
“We have not blocked the roads,” he added. “The government has blocked the roads, creating a situation like this. The government should have held talks with the PTI instead of blocking the roads.”
Wheel-jam strike paralyzes Balochistan highways amid protest over kidnapped schoolboy
- 11-year-old Muhammad Musawir Khan was kidnapped by armed men in Quetta on Nov. 15
- Government says law enforcement agencies are working for the kidnapped boy’s recovery
QUETTA: A wheel-jam strike paralyzed highways in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province on Monday as protests over the kidnapping of an 11-year-old schoolboy entered their 11th consecutive day in Quetta.
Muhammad Musawir Khan, a third-grade student, was kidnapped from a school van by unknown armed men while on his way to school on November 15.
The family has not received any ransom call from the kidnappers in all these days since his abduction. They have also categorically said they will not pay a single penny to the kidnappers.
“Today, all national highways connecting Balochistan with the rest of the country are closed against the kidnapping of my son,” Raz Muhammad, the boy’s father, told Arab News. “We will continue our protest until he safely returns home.”
Muhammad urged Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Army Chief General Asim Munir to consider Khan as their own child and play a role in his recovery.
Other family members echoed the sentiment, saying it was the state’s responsibility to ensure the boy’s recovery and improve the general environment of insecurity.
“We have been sitting here for the last 11 days to seek protection for all children like Muhammad Musawir Khan from these kidnappers,” Hajji Malang, the boy’s uncle, told Arab News. “Whoever kidnapped our child, we will not bargain with them for his release.”
The kidnapped boy belongs to a prominent tribal family involved in the gold trading business in Balochistan for decades. According to the family, he was abducted from Patel Bagh, a busy neighborhood in Quetta.
Political and religious parties, traders, transporters, lawyers and civil society members have all been visiting the protest camp to express solidarity with the family and demand the immediate and safe recovery of the boy.
Speaking to the media outside the provincial assembly, Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti said he thought of the kidnapped child like his own son.
“We are utilizing our full capacity and the government is making serious efforts to ensure his safe recovery,” he said.
Commissioner of Quetta Division Hamza Shafqaat shared the same update while speaking to Arab News.
“The government, along with all law enforcement agencies, is working diligently for the recovery of Muhammad Musawir Khan,” he said.
“We have shared our report on the progress in the recovery of the kidnapped boy to with the Balochistan High Court, chief minister and the provincial assembly, and they have all expressed satisfaction that the investigation is heading in the right direction,” he added.
However, Shafqaat declined to divulge details of the ongoing investigation.
Malik Muhammad Sadiq Kakar, senior member of Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party, said that highways in Balochistan’s Quetta, Mastung, Khuzdar, Killa Abdullah, Chaman, Zhob, Killa Saifullah and Loralai districts were closed to protest the kidnapping of the child.
“We are sitting with the family of the kidnapped boy to express solidarity because we want peace in Balochistan,” he told Arab News.
Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province, which shares borders with Afghanistan and Iran, has been the site of a low-level insurgency by separatist militants for over two decades.
Other extremist factions, including Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and Daesh’s Khorasan chapter, also have a presence in the region and frequently attack security forces and civilians.
Last week, Pakistan approved a “comprehensive military operation” in the province, targeting ethnic Baloch separatist groups attacking security forces and Chinese nationals working on the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
