ISLAMABAD: Internet speed slowed down across Pakistan after a submarine cable cut degraded broadband services in the South Asian nation late Monday, the Pakistani telecom regulator said.
The fault was reported at a distance of around 400 kilometers off the coast of Pakistan toward the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman, Geo News reported.
“A cable cut has been reported in TransWorld (TW1) submarine cable system at about 6pm on Monday,” the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) said in a statement.
It said the fault had caused an outage of international bandwidth and might result in degradation of services for Transworld bandwidth users.
“The consortium is arranging adhoc bandwidth to minimize the impact. Efforts are going on to ascertain exact location of the fault and expected restoration time,” the PTA said.
In October last year, an AAE-1 submarine cable fault near Fujairah also caused disruption in Internet services across Pakistan. The AAE-1 is one of the six international submarine cables landing in Pakistan.
Pakistan has 110 million broadband subscriptions, according to the PTA.
Faulty submarine cable slows Internet speed across Pakistan
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Faulty submarine cable slows Internet speed across Pakistan
- A cut has been reported in TransWorld (TW1) submarine cable system
- Efforts are ongoing to ascertain exact location of the fault, restoration time
Pakistan to start vaccination process for Hajj pilgrims from today
- Hajj pilgrims from around the world must comply with strict vaccination requirements set by Saudi Arabia’s ministry of health
- Vaccines will be provided in Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar and Multan cities from Monday, in Karachi and other cities from Tuesday
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s religion ministry will start providing mandatory vaccines to Hajj pilgrims from today, Monday, state-run media reported as Islamabad undertakes preparations for the annual Islamic pilgrimage.
Hajj pilgrims from around the world must comply with strict vaccination requirements set by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Health to ensure public safety during one of the world’s largest annual gatherings.
Mandatory vaccines include the meningitis shot, with additional recommendations for the seasonal influenza vaccine, while travelers from regions prone to yellow fever and polio must also provide corresponding immunization certificates.
“Ministry of Religious Affairs will start provision of vaccine to intending Hajj pilgrims from Monday,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan said in a report. “The vaccine will be provided in Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar and Multan from Monday,” it added.
Meanwhile, the state broadcaster said Hajj pilgrims in Karachi, Rahim Yar Khan, Sukkur, Faisalabad and Sialkot cities will start receiving vaccines from Tuesday.
“In Quetta, mandatory vaccination for Hajj pilgrims will be carried out on Wednesday,” it said, adding that the religion ministry will also provide gifts to Hajj pilgrims.
Pakistan’s religion ministry announced this month around 90,000 Pakistanis are expected to perform Hajj this year under the government scheme. Saudi Arabia has allowed Pakistan a quota of 179,210 pilgrims for the pilgrimage, which is split equally between government and private schemes.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has formed a three-member inquiry committee to investigate why Pakistan failed to fully utilize its quota of 179,210 pilgrims for Hajj 2025.
Hajj flight operations are set to begin from Apr. 29, with the first flight departing from Pakistan’s eastern city of Lahore.
Pakistan Cricket Board refutes former head coach’s claims of not paying dues
- Jason Gillespie recently said PCB had not paid him his dues for his nine-month coaching stint
- PCB says Gillespie “abruptly” left his position without giving a four-month notice period
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) recently rejected claims by former head coach Jason Gillespie that he had not been paid his dues, clarifying that the ex-Australian cricketer breached the terms of his contract and left his position “abruptly.”
Former fast bowler Gillespie took up the coaching assignment in April 2024 but stepped down in December due to disagreements with the PCB. Since resigning from the role, Gillespie has been an outspoken critic of the PCB, criticizing the board for what he described was its short-sightedness and accusing current interim white-ball coach Aqib Javed of interfering in his job.
When asked during a recent interview with a local sports platform about his relationship with the PCB, Gillespie wished the board well but said he was still waiting for it to pay him his dues for the coaching job.
“The Pakistan Cricket Board refutes claims made by a former head coach on the non-payment of his dues,” the PCB said in a statement on Sunday. “The PCB spokesman states that the former head coach abruptly left his position without giving a four month notice period, which was a clear breach of the contractual terms.”
The board said Gillespie’s coaching contract “explicitly mentioned” a notice period applicable to both parties, adding that the former coach was “fully aware of it.”
Earlier this month, Gillespie’s comments during an interview made headlines when he revealed that his time with the PCB had a negative impact on his passion for coaching cricket.
“The Pakistan experience has soured my love for coaching, I’ll be honest,” Gillespie said. “I’ll get it back, I’m sure I will, but that was really a blow.”
The former fast bowler said he had been disappointed with how his coaching stint with Pakistan ended.
“It’s had me question whether I want to coach full time again,” he said.
Pakistan cricket analysts and critics have slammed the PCB for appointing a plethora of coaches, selectors and captains over the past few years, blaming the increasing instability within the board as the main reason for the national cricket team’s recent dismal performances.
COMSTECH to host sixth OIC steering committee meeting in Islamabad from Apr. 22-24
- Meeting will focus on reviewing implementation progress of OIC’s science, technology and innovation agenda 2026, says COMSTECH
- Representatives of 17 OIC institutions from Saudia Arabia, Turkiye, Jordan, Bangladesh, Malaysia and Pakistan to attend the meeting
ISLAMABAD: The Ministerial Standing Committee of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation for Scientific and Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH) is set to host the sixth meeting of the OIC steering committee for the implementation of the OIC Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Agenda 2026 from Apr. 22-24 in Islamabad, the organization said recently.
Established by the OIC in 1981 and headquartered in Islamabad, COMSTECH continues to serve as a cornerstone of the OIC’s mission to promote scientific excellence and technological innovation, focusing on sustainable development, poverty reduction and improvement in quality of life across member states.
Confirmed participants of the upcoming steering committee meeting include heads and representatives of 17 OIC institutions from Saudi Arabia, Kazakhstan, Turkiye, Jordan, Uganda, Bangladesh, Malaysia and Pakistan, COMSTECH said.
“The upcoming Steering Committee meeting will focus on reviewing the implementation progress of the OIC STI Agenda 2026, which was initiated following the First OIC Summit on STI in Astana, Kazakhstan, 2017,” COMSTECH said in a statement issued on Sunday.
“The agenda aims to foster research collaboration, knowledge sharing, and technology transfer among OIC member states to support sustainable development.”
It said key agenda items also include reviewing member states’ progress on STI Agenda 2026 goals, identifying new joint initiatives and partnerships and discussing future actions leading toward the proposed OIC STI Agenda.
The meeting will also feature presentations from OIC institutions on their progress, challenges and recommendations under the Abu Dhabi Declaration (2022).
To prepare for the event, COMSTECH’s Coordinator General Prof. Dr. M. Iqbal Choudhary chaired a high-level preparatory meeting at the body’s headquarters in Islamabad on Sunday where he issued key directives to ensure the smooth execution of the Steering Committee’s sessions. COMSTECH said its senior officials, program managers and departmental representatives attended the meeting.
COMSTECH said it continues to play a central role in facilitating STI cooperation and will oversee coordination among partner institutions to implement recommended initiatives and sustain momentum toward the strategic objectives of the OIC-STI agenda.
Pakistan to hold nationwide anti-polio drive from today to vaccinate over 45 million children
- Seven-day polio drive will be held nationwide from Apr. 21-27, says state media
- Pakistan and Afghanistan remain only two countries where polio remains endemic
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will hold a seven-day anti-polio drive from today, Monday, to vaccinate over 45 million children against the disease, state-run media reported as Islamabad grapples to contain the infection.
Polio is a paralyzing disease with no cure, and multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine — along with completing the routine immunization schedule for children under five — are crucial to building immunity against the virus. Pakistan, which has reported six polio cases so far in 2025, has planned three major vaccination campaigns in the first half of the year, with additional rounds scheduled for April and May.
The seven-day campaign from Apr. 21-27 will be the second nationwide anti-polio drive to be held this year, which aims to vaccinate over 45 million children against the disease. Sharif on Sunday formally kicked off the campaign by administering polio drops to a few children during a ceremony in Islamabad.
“A week-long anti- polio vaccination campaign begins across the country on Monday,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported.
“During the drive, field teams of health department will go door to door to administer anti-polio vaccine drops to over 45 million children under the age of five years.”
A day earlier, PM Sharif requested parents to get their children vaccinated against polio.
“It is my request to parents all over Pakistan that they help us out in administering polio drops to their children,” Sharif said at the ceremony. “Help our teams in the field so that this virus can be eliminated for good.”
The Pakistani premier thanked Islamabad’s local and international partners for helping fight the disease, saying he had no doubt Pakistan would stem the spread of the infection.
Sharif said the government has undertaken stringent security measures in sensitive areas for polio volunteers. He called on authorities to mobilize the public so that they become “soldiers” in the fight against poliovirus.
In 2024, Pakistan reported an alarming 74 polio cases. Along with Afghanistan, it remains one of the only two countries where polio is still endemic.
Pakistan’s polio program, launched in 1994, has faced persistent challenges including vaccine misinformation and resistance from some religious hard-liners who claim immunization is a foreign conspiracy to sterilize Muslim children or a guise for Western espionage.
Militant groups have also repeatedly targeted and killed polio vaccination workers. Gunmen attacked a vehicle and abducted two polio workers who were on their way home after visiting a health facility in Dera Ismail Khan, a district in restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, earlier this month.
Pakistan sets up 24/7 control room to address Afghan repatriation complaints
- The decision comes a day after Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar met Taliban officials in Kabul
- The government says nearly 85,000 Afghans have returned to their home country so far in April
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has established a 24/7 federal control room to assist Afghan nationals and respond to complaints of harassment during their repatriation, according to a statement issued on Sunday, amid growing criticism of Islamabad’s ongoing deportation campaign.
The decision comes a day after Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar visited Kabul and met senior Taliban officials to discuss bilateral cooperation, including issues linked to the mass return of Afghans from Pakistan.
“Pakistan has set up a 24/7 Federal Control Room at the National Crisis Information Management Cell (NCIMC) to assist Afghan nationals and address complaints of harassment during repatriation,” the office of Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Sadiq Khan, said in a statement.
It noted the helpline service was launched in line with Dar’s commitment during his visit to Kabul. Dar had promised that Pakistan’s interior ministry would issue a notification within 48 hours to streamline a complaints mechanism for Afghan returnees.
On Sunday, Pakistan’s foreign ministry said Dar spoke with Acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to thank him for the hospitality extended during the visit. Both leaders expressed satisfaction over the outcome of their talks and agreed to “expeditiously implement the decisions taken for the mutual benefit of the people of the two countries,” the ministry said
Dar also invited Muttaqi to visit Pakistan, an invitation the Afghan official accepted.
The development comes as Islamabad presses ahead with a second phase of its repatriation plan, targeting more than 800,000 Afghans whose residence permits have been canceled.
Rights groups and Afghan officials have raised concerns about the treatment of deportees, many of whom have reported harassment, arbitrary arrests and family separations.
Pakistan says nearly 85,000 Afghans have returned so far in April, with a large number of them undocumented. The United Nations says more than half of them are children, with many families entering a country where women face restrictions on work and education under Taliban rule.
Islamabad has defended the deportation policy as a national security measure, pointing to rising militant violence and alleging that many Afghan nationals have remained involved attacks inside Pakistan. The Taliban government in Kabul, however, denies the charge.
The first phase of the deportation campaign began in late 2023 wherein hundreds of thousands of undocumented Afghans were expelled from Pakistan.
