Pakistan government warns of risk of sixth wave of COVID-19

A young vendor sells facemasks on a street in Lahore, Pakistan, on June 25, 2020. (AFP/File)
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Updated 08 July 2022
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Pakistan government warns of risk of sixth wave of COVID-19

  • Government to issue high-alert for public only if daily positivity ratio reaches ten percent
  • Islamabad in the process of COVID-19 vaccine procurement for children aged 5 to 11 years

ISLAMABAD: Officials at the National Institute of Health said on Friday the risk of a sixth COVID-19 wave prevailed in Pakistan due to a ‘slight increase’ in new infections in recent weeks, but the government was taking necessary steps to keep the situation “under control.”

The country recorded a daily positivity ratio of 3.28 percent in the last 24 hours with 693 positive cases and zero deaths while nine people had succumbed to the disease on Wednesday. The daily positivity rate registered a sharp decline from the peak 13 percent on January 22 to 0.37 percent on April 12, according to official data, but started rising again in June.

Officials blame the rise in the positivity ratio on a low number of daily tests being conducted and are advising the public to follow health guidelines and get vaccinated.

“The risk of sixth COVID-19 wave prevails in Pakistan, but we are not there yet,” Muazzam Abbas Ranjha, a biostatistician at the National Institute of Health, told Arab News on Friday. “The strains of the omicron variant keep changing, it is comparatively more transmissible but the situation is still under control in Pakistan.”

“We have witnessed a slight increase in the positivity in recent weeks, but the same is the case the world over,” he said, adding that the whole world had lifted COVID-19 restrictions in March and opened up international travel, which led to a small increase in new cases.

Ranjha said the government was monitoring the situation closely and would issue new guidelines for the public if infection rates touched a critical level in coming weeks.

“As per our disease management policy, we will issue a high alert for the public only if the daily positivity reaches ten percent,” he said, urging the public to get booster vaccine shots.

Referring to official data, Ranjha said 86 percent of the eligible population in Pakistan over 12 years of age was fully vaccinated while 93 percent had got at least one dose so far.

Ranjha said the government was in the process of vaccine procurement for children aged five to eleven years.

“We have sent a request to GAVI for the vaccine, and hopefully we’ll be getting it in August,” he said, adding that the available vaccines could not be administered to children as their immunity level was different. GAVI is a global vaccine alliance.

Public health experts and scientific research officers said the world was losing interest in the coronavirus with the passage of time as little new epidemiology and scientific data was available now globally.

“Basic research on vaccine and the disease is available now globally, but the kind of emergency and panic is no more visible in the international community,” Professor Dr. Amir Ali Abbasi, chairperson of the National Center for Bioinformatics at the Quaid-i-Azam University in Islamabad, told Arab News.

He said the new waves and different variants would keep hitting the world but the intensity of the disease had dropped with the passage of time.

“People and the governments are getting used to the COVID-19 disease like other diseases,” he added, “and have cut funds for scientific research and vaccines.”
 


Northwestern Pakistani province says 10 workers killed in coal mine collapse in country’s southwest 

Updated 11 January 2025
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Northwestern Pakistani province says 10 workers killed in coal mine collapse in country’s southwest 

  • The mine in Sanjdi coal field in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province collapsed after a methane gas explosion on Thursday
  • Mines in Balochistan are known for hazardous working conditions and poor safety standards, where deadly incidents are not uncommon

ISLAMABAD: Ali Amin Gandapur, chief minister of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, said on Saturday that 10 residents of his province were among 12 workers killed in a coal mine collapse in the country’s southwest.
The mine in the Sanjdi coal field in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province collapsed after a methane gas explosion on Thursday and a dozen miners were trapped inside it, according to the Balochistan mining department.
Rescue teams from the Balochistan mining department and the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) recovered bodies of four miners on Friday, following an hours-long effort.
In a statement issued from his office, CM Gandapur said ten of the deceased miners hailed from the Shangla district of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
“We share the grief of the bereaved families,” the chief minister was quoted as saying by his office.
On Friday, Balochistan Chief Mines Inspector Abdul Ghani said the workers had been digging coal at 4,000 feet inside the mine, adding that the entire mine had caved in due to the intensity of the gas explosion.
“The mining department will conduct a thorough investigation to assess what kind of safety measures were put in place by the private mine owners,” he told Arab News.
Mines in Balochistan, which are operated by private companies under lease agreements with the government, are known for hazardous working conditions and poor safety standards, where deadly incidents are not uncommon.
At least 82 coal miners working on different projects were killed in Balochistan in 46 accidents last year, according to the Balochistan mining department.


Pakistan calls on world bodies to join hands for sustainable solutions for girls’ education

Updated 11 January 2025
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Pakistan calls on world bodies to join hands for sustainable solutions for girls’ education

  • The call came from PM Shehbaz Sharif at the opening session of a summit on girls’ education in Muslim countries
  • The two-day conference aims to stress Islam’s message that both men and women have the right to education

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday urged international organizations and philanthropists to join hands to find sustainable solutions for the education of girls as Pakistan opened a two-day summit to discuss girls’ education in Muslim communities.
The global summit, which aims to find ways to advance girls’ education across the Muslim world, is being attended by over 150 dignitaries from 44 Muslim and other friendly states, according to Pakistan’s foreign office.
The primary aim of the conference is to stress the implementation of the Islamic message that both men and women have the right to education, according to Pakistan Education Minister Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, whose ministry is hosting the event.
In his keynote address at the opening session, PM Sharif said ensuring equitable access to education for girls is one of the most “pressing challenges” facing the world.
“I call upon both global and Pakistani organizations, philanthropists and entrepreneurs to join us in creating scalable and sustainable solutions for girls’ education,” the prime minister said.
“Over the next decade, millions of young girls will enter the job markets [so] as they do so, they have the potential not just to lift themselves, their families and their nations out of poverty, but also to enrich the global economy, create new markets and find innovative solutions to our shared challenges.”
The Pakistan premier thanked Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and Crown Prince Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for their support and patronage of the conference.
“The pursuit of knowledge is a sacred duty for every Muslim, regardless of gender, as emphasized by Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him),” he said.
“His (PBUH) awe-inspiring message was preached in a society which was still in darkness and even in denial of the basic rights of women to exist in the world. In response to these great injustices, Islam introduced a transformative social paradigm.”
Sharif said the Muslim world, including Pakistan, faces significant challenges in ensuring equitable access to education for girls.
In Pakistan, he said, women make up more than half of the total population, yet the female literacy rate stands at only 49 percent and alarmingly, around 22.8 million children in the age bracket of five to 16 years are out of school, with a disproportionate number being girls.
“Denying education to girls is tantamount to denying them their voice and their choice, while depriving them of their right to a bright future,” he said, highlighting various initiatives undertaken by his government for the education of girls.
The Pakistan premier gave the examples of Fatimah Jinnah, sister of Pakistan’s founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Benazir Bhutto, first woman PM in the Muslim world, and Maryam Nawaz Sharif, first woman chief minister of a Pakistani province, saying they all inspired women participation in politics and socio-economic future of the country.
“History is witness to the determination and resilience of women who have thrived even within the limited spaces afforded to them, breaking the shackles of societal servitude and leaving and indelible mark on society,” he added.
Several dignitaries, including Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha and Egyptian Grand Mufti Dr. Nazir Mohamed Ayad, are attending the two-day summit.
On Saturday, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai said she was “overwhelmed” to be back in her native Pakistan as she arrived to attend the conference in Islamabad.
“I’m truly honored, overwhelmed and happy to be back in Pakistan,” she told AFP.

Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai (2R) arrives to attend an international summit on ‘Girls’ Education in Muslim Communities’, in Islamabad on January 11, 2025. (AFP)

Pakistan also extended an invitation to Afghanistan to join representatives from other Islamic countries and attend the conference in Islamabad.
“We had extended an invitation to Afghanistan but no one from the Afghan government was at the conference,” Education Minister Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui told AFP.
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.
An “Islamabad Declaration” will be announced at the end of the conference on Sunday that would outline decisive steps to transform girls’ education in Islamic countries.
With additional comments from AFP


OIC’s COMSTECH launches ‘expert service’ to foster tech cooperation among member states

Updated 11 January 2025
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OIC’s COMSTECH launches ‘expert service’ to foster tech cooperation among member states

  • COMSTECH, an intergovernmental body, aims to promote science and technology, focusing on sustainable development and poverty reduction
  • The strategic initiative is designed to enhance technological self-reliance, foster development, and mitigate brain drain in OIC member states

ISLAMABAD: The Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) Ministerial Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH) has launched an “expert service” to foster technological cooperation among OIC member states, the committee said on Friday.
COMSTECH, an intergovernmental organization established by the OIC in 1981, is headquartered in Islamabad and 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.
The service was launched during OIC Secretary-General Hissein Ibrahim Taha’s visit to the COMSTECH Secretariat in Islamabad along with Pakistan’s Science and Technology Minister Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui. The high-profile event was attended by ambassadors of OIC member states, diplomats, vice-chancellors, government officials, scientists, and researchers from various OIC countries.
Launching the COMSTECH Expert Service for Technological Cooperation, Secretary-General Taha emphasized the importance of collaboration among OIC member states in the critical fields of science and technology to overcome the key challenges faced by the Muslim world, according to COMSTECH.
“This strategic initiative is designed to enhance technological self-reliance, foster sustainable development, and mitigate brain drain within OIC member states,” the OIC body said in a statement.
“The program aims to mobilize expertise from across the Muslim world to address pressing challenges in health care, agriculture, energy, and education, embodying the spirit of collaboration and mutual progress among OIC countries.”
The OIC chief said the upcoming 16th COMSTECH General Assembly, scheduled to be held in Islamabad later this year, would be a vital platform to discuss the future of science and technology in the OIC region.
“COMSTECH is a beacon of hope, empowering individuals and communities through groundbreaking initiatives,” he said. “I urge all member states to support and actively engage in these programs to collectively create a brighter and more prosperous future for the OIC community.”
On the occasion, Siddiqui reaffirmed the importance of science and technology as fundamental pillars for sustainable development within the OIC.
He termed the launch of the COMSTECH Expert Service a “pivotal step in uniting expertise across the Muslim world to address shared challenges and build resilience.”


Malala Yousafzai ‘overwhelmed and happy’ to be back in Pakistan

Updated 37 min 31 sec ago
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Malala Yousafzai ‘overwhelmed and happy’ to be back in Pakistan

  • The education activist was shot by the Pakistani Taliban in 2012 when she was a schoolgirl
  • She has arrived for a global summit in her home country on girls’ education in Islamic world

ISLAMABAD: Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai said Saturday she was “overwhelmed” to be back in her native Pakistan, as she arrived for a global summit on girls’ education in the Islamic world.
The education activist was shot by the Pakistani Taliban in 2012 when she was a schoolgirl and has returned to the country only a handful of times since.
“I’m truly honored, overwhelmed and happy to be back in Pakistan,” she told AFP as she arrived at the conference in the capital Islamabad.

Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai (C) attends an international summit on 'Girls’ Education in Muslim Communities', in Islamabad on January 11, 2025. (AFP)

The two-day summit was set to be opened Saturday morning by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and brings together representatives from Muslim-majority countries, where tens of millions of girls are out of school.
Yousafzai is due to address the summit on Sunday.
“I will speak about protecting rights for all girls to go to school, and why leaders must hold the Taliban accountable for their crimes against Afghan women & girls,” she posted on social media platform X on Friday.
The country’s education minister Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui told AFP the Taliban government in Afghanistan had been invited to attend, but Islamabad has not received a response.

Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai (C) attends an international summit on 'Girls’ Education in Muslim Communities', in Islamabad on January 11, 2025. (AFP)

Afghanistan is the only country in the world where girls and women are banned from going to school and university.
Since returning to power in 2021, the Taliban government there has imposed an austere version of Islamic law that the United Nations has called “gender apartheid.”
Pakistan is facing its own severe education crisis with more than 26 million children out of school, mostly as a result of poverty, according to official government figures — one of the highest figures in the world.

Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai (C) meets with delegation members while atteding an international summit on 'Girls’ Education in Muslim Communities', in Islamabad on January 11, 2025. (AFP)

Yousafzai became a household name after she was attacked by Pakistan Taliban militants on a school bus in the remote Swat valley in 2012.
She was evacuated to the United Kingdom and went on to become a global advocate for girls’ education and, at the age of 17, the youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner.


Pakistan Cricket Board inducts Inzamam-ul-Haq, Saeed Anwar and others in its Hall of Fame

Updated 11 January 2025
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Pakistan Cricket Board inducts Inzamam-ul-Haq, Saeed Anwar and others in its Hall of Fame

  • Inzamam was a member of Pakistan’s 1992 World Cup-winning team, while Misbah was part of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2009 winning squad
  • Mushtaq captained the team to first-ever Test win in Australia in 1977, while Anwar scored 194 against India to break Viv Richards’ record

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has inducted former cricket greats Inzamam-ul-Haq, Misbah-ul-Haq, Mushtaq Mohammad and Saeed Anwar in its Hall of Fame, who join the likes of Abdul Qadir, AH Kardar, Fazal Mahmood, Imran Khan, Wasim Akram and Zaheer Abbas in the illustrious group.
Inzamam played international cricket from 1991 to 2007 and was a member of Pakistan’s 1992 World Cup-winning team, while Misbah, who represented Pakistan from 2001 to 2017, was part of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2009 winning squad and guided the team to the No.1 spot in the ICC Test Team Rankings in 2016.
Mushtaq played for Pakistan from 1959 to 1979 and captained the team to its first-ever Test win in Australia in 1977, featured in inaugural ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 1975 in England before coaching the Pakistan side to the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 1999 final – also in England. Saeed Anwar represented Pakistan from 1989 to 2003, amassing a total of 31 centuries and 68 half-centuries, including three centuries and three half-centuries across the 1996, 1999 and 2003 World Cups.
The four icons of the game were inducted following a voting process, which was participated in by Akram, Zaheer, former Pakistan captain Azhar Ali, former Pakistani women cricketers Bismah Maroof and Nain Abidi, and journalists Majid Bhatti, Mohi Shah, Mohammad Yaqoob, Nauman Niaz, Sawera Pasha and Zahid Maqsood.
“On behalf of the Pakistan Cricket Board, I extend heartfelt congratulations to these four cricketing legends on their well-deserved inductions into the PCB Hall of Fame,” PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi said in a statement.
“This honor represents a tribute to their outstanding contributions to Pakistan cricket and to the global game.”
The four stalwarts will be formally inducted into the PCB Hall of Fame during the course of the year when they will be presented with commemorative caps and specially-designed plaques, according to the PCB.
Inzamam said he was “deeply honored” to be inducted into the PCB Hall of Fame.
“My journey as a professional cricketer, representing Pakistan on the world stage for nearly 16 years,” he said in comments shared by the PCB.
“I owe immense gratitude to my fellow cricketers, dedicated support staff and my family, without whom this journey would not have been possible. Representing Pakistan during an era with such high-caliber players was a privilege and their influence played a vital role in my growth and development as a batter.”
In his statement, Misbah said that representing Pakistan was an “absolute privilege” and this recognition by the Pakistan Cricket Board served as the “perfect crowning achievement” of his journey.
“Being acknowledged by your parent organization, alongside the appreciation of cricketing experts and fellow players is both gratifying and fulfilling,” he said.
“It is a testament to the dedication, relentless effort and sacrifices that went into meeting the highest standards of international cricket and translating those preparations into memorable performances.”
Mushtaq said that to be honored and recognized 45 years after playing his last match for Pakistan was “truly humbling” for him.
“Being part of the Pakistan cricket team during its formative years was both exciting and rewarding,” he said. “I feel privileged to have played alongside and against some of the most outstanding cricketers and thorough gentlemen, who played hard while always upholding the true spirit of the game.”
Anwar, who struck three successive ODI centuries in Sharjah and scored 194 against India in Chennai to break Viv Richards’ long-standing record for the highest individual score in ODIs, said he was “deeply grateful” to the panel for inducting him into the PCB Hall of Fame.
“My journey had its challenges, but it was a privilege to face them head-on. Each match I played for Pakistan holds a special place in my heart, though missing out on the ICC Cricket World Cup 1992 remains a regret,” he said.
“This journey, filled with triumphs and lessons, wouldn’t have been complete without the overwhelming support of our fans and the camaraderie of my teammates.”