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  • In ‘Ms Marvel,’ Pakistani women find Muslim representation they’ve been waiting for 


In ‘Ms Marvel,’ Pakistani women find Muslim representation they’ve been waiting for 

Poster of the upcoming Disney+ comic series Ms. Marvel. (Photo courtesy: @msmarvelofficial/Instagram)
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Updated 20 June 2022
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In ‘Ms Marvel,’ Pakistani women find Muslim representation they’ve been waiting for 

  • Pakistani women say the show is ‘relatable’ on many levels 
  • The series launched in cinemas across Pakistan on June 17 
Updated 20 June 2022
BURAQ SHABBIR

KARACHI: ‘Ms Marvel,’ an American television mini-series, released in cinemas across Pakistan on Friday, particularly delighting women audiences for the much-awaited representation in its strong references to the Pakistani culture. 

Originally debuted on Disney+ on June 8, ‘Ms. Marvel’ is the story of a Pakistani-American teenager, Kamala Khan, who finds her powers amid her day-to-day struggles. 

Essayed by Pakistani-Canadian actor Iman Vellani, Khan, a 16-year-old Pakistani-American growing up in Jersey City, is rebellious, fun and super cool, and has a penchant for artworks and the world of superheroes. 

Pakistanis, who watched the first two episodes on the big screen on June 17, said they were proud of a Pakistani Muslim superheroine taking the lead in the project that was being watched by the whole world. 

“Watching the Pakistani culture, and also being represented so well by Hollywood, and not just Hollywood but being featured in Marvel franchise was surreal,” journalist Uroosa Jadoon said. 

“Truly loved it. I don’t know what happens in the comic series but seeing Ms Marvel in other Avengers movies would be a dream coming true.” 

The 24-year-old said everything about Khan was “relatable”: “Her relationship with her parents, her relationship with her body, and the representation of Muslim culture, that of an American teenager was relatable.” 

Nida Hasan, a 32-year-old Pakistani-Canadian entrepreneur in Toronto, said she was super excited about the show in its entirety and in awe of the representation it’s offering to the Pakistani community abroad. 

“I think it’s a great initiative given the lack of OTT (Over The Top) access in the country. Pakistanis deserve to see such representation on the big screen,” Hasan said. 

“But it’s at the same time unfortunate that a large chunk of the population still will not be able to see it. Perhaps getting TV rights with a dubbed Urdu version would be great like in the case of Turkish dramas.” 

Aamna Haider Isani, 48, editor of Something Haute entertainment website, shared Khan had managed to integrate a young Muslim girl into the popular global culture. 

“She is a regular teenage girl, with the usual dreams and fantasies, and an identity that is both Muslim and Pakistani. It is an important story to tell,” Isani said. 

“I love Kamala; she’s adorable and her energy is infectious. But I’m actually more inspired by her friend, Nakia, who represents a modern Muslim woman so perfectly. She’s confident, smart and very cool.” 

All of the women Arab News spoke to were eager to watch the entire show. The second episode of the show gave a glimpse of Pakistani powerhouses Samina Ahmed and Nimra Bucha, which came as a visual treat to the woman spectators. 

“It has inspired me because it celebrates fan culture and fandom! And also I feel saddened because it was my dream to become the first Pakistani woman to be in an MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) project,” Sania Sidiki, an English-language teacher, told Arab News. “I am glad they got Iman. Her disposition is infectious.” 

She said it was a great strategy to release Ms Marvel in cinemas across Pakistan as it would benefit the makers in terms of revenues. 

“Since it has a young Pakistani Muslim woman as a superhero, there will be talks about stereotypical representation of a young Pakistani Muslim woman and how it reaffirms or breaks the stereotypes,” she said. 

“I also believe that some wouldn’t connect with Kamala Khan on some level because she is an immigrant in America and most people don’t really know what it is like being an immigrant as they have been in Pakistan most of their lives.” 

Ayesha Manzoor, a student of Mass Communications and a freelance illustrator, said Khan not only portrays Pakistani teens, but makes them seem normal. 

“She’s not a perfect character and has her flaws but that’s what makes her real and interesting. I feel seen in the characters of the series not just Kamala but every other character,” Manzoor said. 

“I see my mother in her mother’s scolding and my dad in her dad’s awkward jokes, even a girl walking in the background wearing something I’d wear makes me excited. It’s nice to be seen.” 
Famed Pakistani filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy took up directorial duties for the show alongside Adil EI Arbi, Bilal Fallah and Meera Menon, while the official poster of the fiction series features artwork by illustrator Shehzil Malik. The diverse cast includes Nimra Bucha, Fawad Khan, Samina Ahmed, Alyy Khan, Mehwish Hayat and others from Pakistan. 

To top it off, Pakistani rapper Eva B’s song ‘Rozi’ features in the first episode, while Coke Studio 14 hit ‘Peechay Hutt’ by Hasan Raheem, Justin Bibis and Talal Qureshi also makes it to the show’s official soundtrack. 

The 3rd and 4th episodes of the show are slated for release on June 30, while the 5th and 6th — also the last two — will come out on July 14.

Topics: Pakistan Ms Marvel

Pakistan hopes Afghanistan joins other Islamic countries at girls’ education summit

Updated 6 sec ago
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Pakistan hopes Afghanistan joins other Islamic countries at girls’ education summit

  • Pakistan to host global conference on girls education in Islamabad from Jan. 11-12 
  • No justification for restricting women’s education in Islam, says education minister
Updated 6 sec ago
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s education minister on Thursday hoped Afghanistan would join representatives from 47 other Islamic countries and attend the upcoming global conference on girls’ education in Muslim countries, scheduled to be held later this week in Islamabad. 
Pakistan’s education ministry will host the global conference titled: “Girls’ Education in Muslim Communities: Challenges and Opportunities” from Jan. 11-12 in Islamabad. Pakistan’s foreign office said on Wednesday that 150 representatives from 47 countries, including education experts, religious scholars, diplomats, and politicians are expected to partake in the summit. 
Since the Afghan Taliban seized Kabul in August 2021, women and girls have been gradually barred from attending secondary school and university, undertaking most forms of paid employment, and attending public spaces such as public parks or gyms by the government there. 
“We have extended an invitation to Afghanistan to participate in this conference and hope that their delegation will attend, as it is a very important neighboring country,” Education Minister Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui told reporters during a media briefing in Islamabad.
Since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, at least 1.4 million Afghan girls have been denied access to secondary education, according to a report by the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) released in August last year.
The minister said everyone respects tribal customs and cultures, but all such practices must align with Islamic values in Muslim countries, adding that nothing holds precedence over them. 
“In Islam, there is no justification for restricting women’s education,” Siddiqui said. 
He said that while the conference will officially kick off on Saturday, a session of the world’s religious scholars on girls’ education, chaired by the religion minister, will take place on Friday.
Siddiqui said the Muslim World League, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and key Islamic countries are actively participating in this event.
“Malala Yousafzai, a renowned activist for girls’ education, will also participate in this conference,” he said, adding that experts and representatives from diplomatic missions in Islamabad from non-Muslim countries will also attend the event.
Describing the objective of the conference, he said the primary aim of the conference is to stress the implementation of the Islamic message, which clearly states that both men and women have the right to education.
“By promoting girls’ education, we can build better homes, a better society and a stronger nation,” he said. 
He said education in Pakistan was currently in an emergency state as millions of children were out of school and needed important steps to deal with this situation. 
Siddiqui said that an “Islamabad Declaration” will be announced after the conference on Sunday. 
“This declaration will outline decisive steps to transform the trends of girls’ education in Islamic countries by mobilizing all available resources,” he said. 
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will inaugurate the event and deliver the keynote address at the opening session on Jan. 11. 
Pakistan’s foreign office said Sharif will reaffirm the nation’s commitment to promoting girls’ education and gender equality.

Topics: Pakistan Afghanistan girls education afghan women's rights Afghan girls education

Pakistan province calls for inquiry after Baloch separatists attack remote southwestern town

Updated 09 January 2025
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Pakistan province calls for inquiry after Baloch separatists attack remote southwestern town

  • Balochistan Liberation Army fighters torched Levies station, NADRA office before security forces moved in
  • Strict action will be taken against district administration members found guilty of negligence, says official
Updated 09 January 2025
SAADULLAH AKHTER

QUETTA: The government in Pakistan’s Balochistan province on Thursday called for an impartial inquiry into an attack by armed fighters from the separatist Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) group on a remote town in the country’s southwest before security forces regained control of it. 
The attack in Zehri, located 150 kilometers from Khuzdar city, occurred when BLA fighters stormed the Levies force station on Wednesday and the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) office, setting the buildings ablaze and robbing a private bank.
Khuzdar deputy commissioner told Arab News that security forces retaliated in a timely manner and regained control of the area. One soldier of the Frontier Corps was injured during the standoff as the armed men escaped. 
Shahid Rind, the spokesperson for the provincial government, said strict action would be taken against the district administration members found guilty of negligence during the attack and did not retaliate in a timely manner.
“Balochistan government has called for an impartial inquiry into the Zehri attack from all aspects,” Rind said in a statement, adding that the provincial home department had issued instructions to engage the civil administration in this regard. 

Smoke billows from the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) office in Zehri, a small town in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province, on January 8, 2025. (Balochistan Police)

Rind said law enforcement agencies are monitoring the situation in Zehri while the government has strengthened security arrangements in the entire province.
“The government has been taking concrete measures to uplift the performance of the civil administrations in the entire Balochistan to prevent attacks like Zehri in the future,” the spokesperson said. 
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest and resource-rich province, has long been plagued by a low-level insurgency led by ethnic Baloch separatist groups like the BLA. They accuse Islamabad of exploiting the province’s natural resources, such as gold and copper, while neglecting the local population.
Pakistan rejects these allegations, asserting that the federal government has prioritized Balochistan’s development by investing in health, education and infrastructure projects.
The BLA has become a significant security threat in recent years, carrying out major attacks in Balochistan and Sindh provinces targeting security forces, ethnic Punjabis and Chinese nationals working on development projects.
Violence by Baloch separatist factions, primarily the BLA, killed about 300 people over the past year, marking an escalation in the decades-long conflict.

Topics: Quetta Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) Balochistan Attacks

South Africa urged by minister to boycott Afghanistan match in Pakistan

Updated 09 January 2025
AP
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South Africa urged by minister to boycott Afghanistan match in Pakistan

  • Minister criticizes Taliban’s decision to ban women’s sport, disband women’s cricket team
  • Proteas are scheduled to play Afghanistan on Feb. 21 in group match in Karachi, Pakistan
Updated 09 January 2025
AP

PRETORIA: South Africa’s sports minister has joined public calls for the Proteas to boycott the Champions Trophy game against Afghanistan next month and criticized the International Cricket Council for not upholding its own rules.
Gayton McKenzie said on Thursday he felt “morally bound to support” a match boycott because the Taliban government has banned women’s sport and disbanded the national women’s cricket team.
“It is not for me as the sports minister to make the final decision on whether South Africa should honor cricketing fixtures against Afghanistan. If it was my decision, then it certainly would not happen,” McKenzie said in a statement.
“As a man who comes from a race that was not allowed equal access to sporting opportunities during apartheid, it would be hypocritical and immoral to look the other way today when the same is being done toward women anywhere in the world.”
The Proteas are scheduled to play Afghanistan on Feb. 21 in a group match in Karachi, Pakistan.
England was also urged to forfeit its match against Afghanistan on Feb. 26 by more than 160 UK politicians on Monday.
McKenzie believed the ICC was also being hypocritical for not upholding its own mandates that member nations develop men’s and women’s cricket.
McKenzie noted Sri Lanka Cricket was suspended by the ICC from November 2023 to January 2024 for government interference.
“This does not happen in the case of Afghanistan, suggesting that political interference in the administration of sport is being tolerated there,” McKenzie said.
“Cricket South Africa, the federations of other countries and the ICC will have to think carefully about the message the sport of cricket wishes to send the world,and especially the women in sports.
“I hope that the consciences of all those involved in cricket, including the supporters, players and administrators, will take a firm stand in solidarity with the women of Afghanistan.”

Topics: Afghanistan cricket Champions Trophy 2025 ICC Champions Trophy 2025 South Africa cricket

Pakistan central bank chief expects inflation rate to fluctuate in coming months

Updated 09 January 2025
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Pakistan central bank chief expects inflation rate to fluctuate in coming months

  • Inflation rate to stabilize within 5-7 percent range by end of 2025, says central bank governor
  • Pakistan’s inflation rate slowed to 4.1 percent in December after aggressive policy rate cuts by state bank
Updated 09 January 2025
Hasaan Ali Khan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s central bank chief said on Thursday that the country will experience fluctuations in inflation in the next four to five months before it stabilizes within the five to seven percent range toward the end of the year. 
Pakistan’s consumer inflation rate slowed to 4.1 percent year-on-year in December 2024. The reductions came at the back of the State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) move to cut the key policy rate by 200 basis points to 13 percent in December, the fifth straight reduction since June, bringing cumulative rate cuts for 2024 to 900 basis points.
The reduction in the inflation rate has brought some relief for the masses, which bore the brunt of record high inflation which peaked at 38 percent in May 2023, as Pakistan faced a prolonged economic crisis. 
“At the moment it [inflation] has decreased a lot and in the month of January, it will come down a bit further but will then witness fluctuation later,” SBP Governor Dr. Jameel Ahmed said at a news conference. 
“But as per our [central bank’s] assessment by the end of 2025, it will stabilize within the target range of five to seven percent, according to the medium-term target by the state bank and the government of Pakistan,” he added. 
Ahmed said a collective effort to achieve the medium-term target of five to seven percent will bring relief to Pakistani businesses and the common man.
“But god forbid if there is any volatility in this which we are unable to control then we have seen the disruptions caused to businesses and even the common man in the past,” he said.
The South Asian country is navigating a challenging economic recovery path buttressed by a $7 billion facility from the International Monetary Fund granted in September. 
Pakistan’s finance minister has lauded the government’s fiscal measures but warned that the country needs long-term financial reforms to ensure sustainable growth and avoid future IMF bailout programs.

Topics: State Bank of Pakistan (SBP)

Gunmen abduct over a dozen workers from ‘atomic and mining projects’ in Pakistan’s northwest

Updated 09 January 2025
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Gunmen abduct over a dozen workers from ‘atomic and mining projects’ in Pakistan’s northwest

  • The incident took place in the volatile Lakki Marwat district, a hotspot for TTP's militant activities
  • A local analyst says the incident has raised serious questions about the state’s writ in KP province
Updated 09 January 2025
REHMAT MEHSUD

PESHAWAR: A group of armed men on Thursday abducted more than a dozen people working on “atomic and mining projects” in Lakki Marwat, a highly volatile district of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, a police official said.
Lakki Marwat is situated on the edge of the tribal region bordering Afghanistan, where the proscribed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has frequently targeted police precincts and checkpoints, killing several law enforcement personnel in the past.
Pakistani authorities have often accused the Afghan administration in Kabul of aiding TTP militants in their cross-border attacks, an allegation Afghanistan denies.
Speaking to Arab News, Shahid Marwat, the district’s police spokesperson, said armed men kidnapped “17 civilians,” including the driver of the team working on the mining project.
“This unfortunate incident took place on Dara Tang Road this morning,” he said. “The kidnapped individuals worked on atomic energy's mining projects. A heavy police contingent has also been dispatched to locate the kidnappers.”
Marwat did not share further details, but the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), a government agency responsible for the nuclear energy program, operates mining projects in various parts of the country.
Lakki Marwat has been a hotspot of militant activity that witnessed unprecedented protests last September, when police officers, joined by civil society members and tribal elders, staged sit-ins and blocked the Indus Highway.
The demonstrations followed a spate of militant attacks that killed several policemen, prompting members of the force to demand greater involvement and autonomy in counterterrorism operations.
While no group has officially claimed responsibility for the incident, some media outlets reported the TTP acknowledged its involvement.
Riaz Bangash, a Peshawar-based expert on the region’s security affairs, told Arab News the incident had raised serious questions about the state’s writ in the province.
“The southern districts of KP are totally neglected and are at the mercy of criminals amid vanishing government writ,” he said. “This is despite the fact that at this time all three top provincial officials, including the chief minister, governor, and inspector general of police, belong to these districts. Still, the region is in chaos.”
Bangash emphasized the importance of avoiding politicization of the region’s security issues and urged all political parties to unite and work out a joint strategy to address the “growing insecurity.”
This is not the first time such kidnappings have taken place in the region.
Last June, unidentified gunmen abducted 13 laborers from the southern Tank district of KP, who were later released. In November, armed men also abducted seven policemen from a check post in the northwestern district of Bannu, who were released after mediation by tribal elders.
So far, the government has not issued a statement about the incident.

Topics: LAKKI MARWAT

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