Lebanese mountaineer embarks on journey to become first Arab woman to climb K2

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Updated 20 June 2022
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Lebanese mountaineer embarks on journey to become first Arab woman to climb K2

  • Nelly Attar, born and raised in Saudi Arabia, summited Mount Everest in 2019
  • She is using her experiences to help shape emerging sports landscape in Saudi Arabia

ISLAMABAD: Nelly Attar, a Lebanese mountaineer born and raised in Saudi Arabia, on Monday began a 50-day journey to become the first Arab women to summit K2, the world's second highest mountain, saying she wanted to use her climbs as a vehicle to inspire women in Pakistan and across the Middle East.

Attar in 2017 left her career as a mental health professional to focus on sports and expeditions. She is the founder of Move Studio, Saudi Arabia’s first dance studio. In 2020, the Muslim Women Network named her “One of the Top Influential Women in Sports,” while Sports 360in 2019  called her the “Female Fitness Influencer of the Year Across the GCC.” 

Attar successfully summited Mount Everest in 2019 and had scaled 15 other peaks around the world before setting her sights on K2.

At 8,611 metres (28,251 foot), K2, known as the Savage Mountain, is widely considered the most dangerous climb in the world due to its difficult terrain and treacherous weather. Fewer than 20 women globally have summited K2 and for about every five people who have reached the top of the mountain, one has died in the process.




Lebanese mountaineer Nelly Attar speaks to Arab News in Islamabad on June 18, 2022. (AN photo)

In 2014, three Nepali women led the first all-female team to climb what most mountaineers consider a much tougher challenge than Everest.

“I am embarking on the most challenging journey to climb K-2 on June 20 [today],” Attar told Arab News in an interview in Islamabad last week. “I feel like there's so much unknown, there's so much to this journey that we will be embarking on, so I'm very excited.”

Attar said she had been thinking about climbing K2 for the last three years but her father's passing last year had sparked the urge to execute her dream on his first death anniversary.

“It was a very difficult time for me and I was just thinking how can I find the purpose of this year that would give a bit of drive and excitement, so, I started work on the idea of K2,” she said.

After all, the love for hiking and climbing too was a gift from her father who she used to accompany at an early age on treks.

“This was something I feel like was part of my childhood and my first climb was with my father when I was 17, when he took me to Mount Kenya,” Attar said. “I liked the sport of mountaineering because you take so many risks and with those risks, you feel so alive and everything in life is amplified.”

The climber trained for K2 in Nepal at Ama Dablam, a 6,000 meter peak that many mountaineers say resembles K2.

“I went to Ama Dablam in early December last year and after coming back was ready for mission K2,” Attar said, saying she felt ready for the mountain’s tough weather, altitude and terrain.

“I am not afraid, no matter what happens…I have big faith that Allah is always with us and never leaves us and has the best plans for us,” the climber said, urging other Arab and Pakistani women to pursue their dreams.

“They can do it, regardless of the challenges that they're faced with, regardless of the limitations, they can do it,” she said. “Nothing, and no one should stop you. If you have a vision, if you have a dream, go and achieve that dream … Don't use your circumstances as an excuse, use them as your reason to go forward.”

Attar is now focused on utilizing her wide-ranging experiences and knowledge to help shape the emerging sports landscape in Saudi Arabia.

Beyond Move Studio, she has worked on numerous public sector initiatives to get people active across the kingdom, including partnering with Saudi Tourism initiatives and collaborating with global brands such as Nike, Adidas, Reebok, Nestle, and Apple to carry out community initiatives and activities across the GCC region.

“It is amazing to see that there are so many opportunities for women,” Attar said, commenting on the sports landscape in the kingdom. “They are not only encouraged now to take part in sports and businesses [in Saudi Arabia] but they are heavily supported.”
 


Pakistan’s Punjab issues fresh rain alert after 21 killed by storms last month

Updated 02 June 2025
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Pakistan’s Punjab issues fresh rain alert after 21 killed by storms last month

  • Pakistan has seen erratic weather changes leading to frequent heatwaves, untimely rains, storms and droughts in recent years
  • Thunderstorms last month also claimed more than 10 lives and injured 30 others in the neighboring Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province

ISLAMABAD: The Punjab Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) on Monday issued a fresh alert about rains and strong, dusty winds in the province from June 2 till June 5, days after thunderstorms killed nearly two dozen people in Pakistan’s most populous province.

Thunderstorms killed at least 21 people and injured more than 100 others in Punjab as moist currents penetrated upper parts of Pakistan late last month, according to national and provincial disaster management authorities.

More rains and gusty winds are expected in Rawalpindi, Murree, Galiat, Attock, Chakwal, Mandi Bahauddin, Gujrat, Jhelum, Gujranwala, Lahore, Kasur, Sialkot, Narowal, Okara, Faisalabad, Toba Tek Singh, Jhang, Khushab, Sargodha, Mianwali, Multan, Dera Ghazi Khan, Bahawalpur and Bahawalnagar districts.

“Citizens should stay in safe places to protect themselves from lightning. The public should never go out under the open sky during thunderstorms and storms,” the PDMA quoted its Director-General Irfan Ali Kathia as saying.

Due to possible rains, it said, the intensity of heat will decrease during the three-day Eid Al-Adha festival, which begins on Saturday.

Kathia said the PDMA has alerted the district administrations as well as health, irrigation, construction and communications, local government and livestock departments.

Pakistan has seen erratic changes in its weather patterns which have led to frequent heat waves, untimely rains, storms, cyclones and droughts in recent years. Scientists have blamed the events on human-driven climate change.

Thunderstorms last month also claimed more than 10 lives, while 30 others sustained injuries in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan’s northwest, according to provincial authorities.

In 2022, devastating floods, blamed on human-driven climate change, killed more than 1,700 Pakistanis, affected another 33 million and caused the country over $30 billion in economic losses.


Pakistan to play in Colombo when India hosts women’s World Cup

Updated 02 June 2025
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Pakistan to play in Colombo when India hosts women’s World Cup

  • India and Pakistan have not played a bilateral series since 2013 and play their matches in neutral venues when either country hosts an ICC event
  • Neutral venue arrangement between the countries will also be in place for the men’s T20 World Cup in 2026, which India will co-host with Sri Lanka

Pakistan will play all their women’s 50-over World Cup matches in Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo when India hosts this year’s tournament, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Monday.

Politically-estranged India and Pakistan, who have not played a bilateral series since 2013, will play their matches in neutral venues when either country hosts an ICC event, the sport’s global governing body announced in December.

“The venues for the knockouts are dependent on Pakistan qualifying as two alternative venues have been identified for one semifinal and the final,” the ICC said.

“Colombo will be the venue for the first semifinal and the final only if Pakistan qualify for those stages.”

Bengaluru, where the tournament will start with India playing in the opening match, will host the final on November 2 if Pakistan are knocked out earlier in the tournament, the ICC added.

Bengaluru will also stage the second semifinal on October 30, a day after the first semifinal in Colombo or Guwahati. Visakhapatnam and Indore are the two other host cities for the eight-team tournament.

India played all their matches in Dubai when Pakistan hosted the men’s Champions Trophy this year, including the final which they won.

Both the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the Pakistan Super League were suspended last month amid clashes between the two countries following an attack targeting tourists that killed 26 people in disputed Kashmir region in April. Matches resumed after a ceasefire was announced.

The neutral venue arrangement between the countries will also be in place for the men’s T20 World Cup in 2026, which India will co-host with Sri Lanka, and the women’s T20 World Cup in 2028 in Pakistan.


Pakistan earmarks $3.5 billion for development projects in upcoming budget

Updated 02 June 2025
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Pakistan earmarks $3.5 billion for development projects in upcoming budget

  • The budget for fiscal year 2025-26 will be announced in the National Assembly on June 10
  • Pakistan’s annual inflation rose to 3.5% in May, though macroeconomic outlook has improved

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said on Monday that the Finance Division has allocated Rs1 trillion ($3.5 billion) for development projects in the upcoming budget for fiscal year 2025-26.

The 2025–26 budget is expected to be presented by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb in Pakistan’s lower house of parliament on June 10, following the Eid Al-Adha holidays, after the government postponed an earlier date of June 2.

Providing the breakdown $3.5 billion development budget, Iqbal said Rs664 billion ($2.3 billion) would be allocated to infrastructure projects, including energy, water, transport, physical planning and housing.

“Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed that Rs120 billion ($426.7 million) be allocated for N25 Chaman-Quetta-Karachi Expressway,” he said at a press conference in Islamabad.

“Rs150 billion ($533.3 million) are for social sectors, special areas, including Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, have been allocated Rs63 billion ($223.9 million), and merged [tribal] districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have been allocated Rs70 billion ($248.4 million).”

Similarly, Rs53 billion ($188.3 million) have been earmarked for science and information technology, Rs9 billion ($32.2 million) for governance and reform projects, and Rs11 billion ($39.1 million) for production sectors, according to the minister.

“The majority [of allocation] is for water, power and highway sector,” he added.

Late last month, Iqbal said Pakistan’s defense spending would be hiked in the upcoming budget as the military would “certainly require” more financial resources to defend the country against India. But neither Iqbal nor any other government official has so far shared any figures. Pakistan’s defense budget currently stands at Rs2.122 trillion ($7.53 billion).

The remarks came days after Pakistan and India attacked each other with missiles, drones and artillery in their worst conflict in decades that killed around 70 people on both sides. The two nations agreed to a ceasefire on May 10 after four days of hostilities sparked by a militant attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir in April.

Pakistan’s annual inflation rate rose to 3.5% in May, though the country’s macroeconomic outlook has improved in recent months, supported by a stronger current account balance, increased remittances and declining inflation.

Authorities remain cautious as they aim to build on recent economic stabilization, guide the country toward gradual growth, and reaffirm their commitment to ongoing economic reforms.


Pakistan announces four-day holiday on Eid Al-Adha

Updated 02 June 2025
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Pakistan announces four-day holiday on Eid Al-Adha

  • Eid Al-Adha is one of two important Islamic festivals, in which Muslims sacrifice animals and share their meat among family, friends and the poor
  • Believers observe the annual festival to commemorate the willingness of Prophet Ibrahim (Peace Be Upon Him) to sacrifice his son on God’s command

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has announced a four-day holiday on Eid Al-Adha starting from June 6, the Cabinet Division said on Monday.

Eid Al-Adha is one of the two most important festivals of the Islamic calendar. The other, Eid Al-Fitr, occurs at the end of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting.

Muslims mark the Eid Al-Adha holiday by slaughtering animals such as sheep and goats, and the meat is shared among family and friends and donated to the poor.

“The prime minister has been pleased to declare 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th June, 2025, (Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday) as public holidays on the occasion of Eid Al-Adha,” the Cabinet Division said.

Last week, Pakistan’s moon sighting committee announced that the crescent marking the beginning of the Islamic month of Dhul Hijjah was not sighted due to unclear skies and the Eid Al-Adha festival would commence from June 7.

Eid Al-Adha is observed on the 10th day of Dhul Hijjah to commemorate the willingness of Prophet Ibrahim (Peace Be Upon Him) to sacrifice his son on God’s command.

Dhul Hijjah is the twelfth and final month of the Islamic calendar, a sacred period during which the Hajj pilgrimage takes place. This year, the annual Hajj pilgrimage will commence on June 4.


Pakistan’s Air Sial launches inaugural flight to UAE

Updated 02 June 2025
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Pakistan’s Air Sial launches inaugural flight to UAE

  • Flight took off from Islamabad around 11:34am with 137 passengers aboard
  • The Pakistani airline already operates flights to cities in Saudi Arabia and Oman

ISLAMABAD: Air Sial, a Pakistani private airline, has launched its first flight to the United Arab Emirates, it said on Monday, in a significant development for the Pakistani aviation industry.

Inaugurated in 2020 by the Sialkot Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the airline initially aimed to improve air travel to and from Pakistan’s Sialkot city, a major industrial hub in the eastern Punjab province.
Over the years, Air Sial has expanded its operations not just countrywide, but to countries in the Gulf region and uses a fleet of modern Airbus A320 aircraft.

“Pakistan Airports Authority successfully facilitated and supervised the launch of Air Sial’s inaugural international flight (PF784) from Islamabad International Airport to Dubai,” Air Sial said on Monday, adding the flight departed around 11:34am with 137 passengers aboard.

Air Sial’s domestic network includes major cities like Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Sialkot, Quetta and Multan.

The airline entered the international market in March 2023 with the launch of its inaugural flight to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It also flies to Riyadh, Madinah and Dammam.

Air Sial extended its international reach the same year in June by launching direct flights from Pakistan to Oman.

Late last month, the state-run Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) also resumed direct flights between Dubai and Pakistan’s mountainous Skardu district in a bid to boost tourism.