PM asks foreign office to 'ascertain facts' after several Pakistanis die in Italy shipwreck

Funeral parlour employees load a coffin containing the body of a deceased migrant, into a van on February 26, 2023 near the beach of Steccato di Cutro, south of Crotone. (Photo courtesy: AFP)
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Updated 27 February 2023
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PM asks foreign office to 'ascertain facts' after several Pakistanis die in Italy shipwreck

  • The wooden boat crowded with over 100 migrants smashed into reefs early Sunday
  • Pakistani minister says around 40 Pakistanis have were killed in the migrant shipwreck

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed Pakistan's Foreign Office (FO) on Monday to "ascertain facts" about a migrant ship that crashed into reefs near an Italian coast on Sunday, killing at least 60 people including several Pakistanis.

Italian authorities said rescuers recovered nearly 60 bodies, and dozens more were missing in the rough waters. Officials feared the death toll could top 100 since some survivors indicated the boat had as many as 200 passengers when it set out from Turkey, United Nations refugee and migration agencies said.

At least 80 people were found alive, including some who reached the shore after the shipwreck just off Calabria's coastline along the Ionian Sea, the Italian Coast Guard said. One man was taken into custody for questioning after fellow survivors indicated he was a trafficker, state TV said.

Sajid Hussain Turi, Pakistan's minister for overseas Pakistanis, said around 40 Pakistanis were killed in the incident.

In a Twitter post, PM Sharif referred to reports of over two dozen Pakistanis drowning in the boat tragedy "deeply concerning and worrisome."

"I have directed Foreign Office to ascertain facts as early as possible & take the nation into confidence," he wrote.

More than 170 migrants were estimated to have been aboard the ship, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Organization for Migration said in a joint statement.

Among them were "children and entire families,'' according to the U.N. statement, with most of the passengers from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Somalia.

"Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis, in collaboration with Ministry of Interior, Foreign Office will formulate [a] comprehensive strategy to initiate [a] crackdown on criminal network of human trafficking," Turi wrote on Twitter.

"Those abetting abroad should be arrested by Interpol & their CNIC & passports should be confiscated & bank accounts blocked."

In 2022, some 105,000 migrants arrived on Italian shores, some 38,000 more than in 2021, according to the Italian Interior Ministry figures.

According to U.N. figures, arrivals from the Turkish route accounted for 15% of the total number, with nearly half of those fleeing from Afghanistan.

Since April 2022, Turi said, over 600,000 people had been sent abroad for jobs and his ministry was working hard to find overseas employment opportunities for Pakistani workforce.

He requested the masses not to fall prey to human trafficking.


Brother claims body of Pakistani actress Humaira Asghar Ali, denies family disowned her

Updated 5 sec ago
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Brother claims body of Pakistani actress Humaira Asghar Ali, denies family disowned her

  • Actor’s brother says family searched for her months ago but lost contact
  • Culture ministry had offered to arrange burial after initial reports of family refusal

KARACHI: The brother of Pakistani actress and model Humaira Asghar Ali, whose decomposed body was discovered in her Karachi apartment this week, collected her remains on Thursday and rejected widespread media reports claiming the family had disowned her.

Ali’s body was found on Tuesday when a court bailiff arrived at her rented flat in Karachi’s upscale Ittehad Commercial area to vacate the property following a complaint by the landlord. A post-mortem conducted by Karachi Police Surgeon Dr. Summaiya Syed indicated the body had decomposed for more than a month, but further forensic investigation suggests Ali likely died in October 2024, nearly nine months ago.

Police initially said Ali’s family had declined to claim her body, prompting Sindh’s Minister for Culture and Tourism, Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah, to announce that the provincial government would arrange her last rites. Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori also offered to assist with the burial.

However, Naveed Asghar, the deceased actor’s brother, arrived from Lahore to claim her remains from the Chhipa morgue. Speaking to reporters before leaving for Lahore, Asghar refuted reports that the family had refused to take responsibility for his sister’s burial.

“We have come here and after fulfilling all the legal requirements, have received the dead body,” Asghar said.

Naveed Asghar, brother of late Pakistani actress and model Humaira Asghar Ali, speaks to media personnel outside Chippa morgue in Karachi on July 10, 2025. (Photo courtesy: Independent Urdu)

Asghar said his sister moved to Karachi from Lahore seven years ago on her own accord and had distanced herself from the family, telling their father that she was “responsible for my own affairs.” She would visit their home once every six months to a year but had not been in touch for the past year and a half.

He added that the family had attempted to trace Ali about six months ago but her phone numbers were switched off and she had never shared her exact address. When they contacted one of her friends, they were told that she “did not know the actress.”

“Then when this incident happened, we were suddenly shocked, especially since there was already a situation at home with our paternal aunt,” Asghar said, referring to an aunt who had died in a recent road accident. He explained that the stress of persistent calls from reporters had added to their grief.

“That is why my father said that if there is any emergency, then you can bury her there [in Karachi],” Asghar said.

He also criticized sections of the media for focusing on the family’s absence rather than investigating the circumstances surrounding his sister’s death.

“Whatever matters took place with the landlord, did any of you interview him?” he asked reporters. “You created noise all over Lahore, across Pakistan, and even around the world. But we have come here to take our sister. There are certain formalities that the police have to complete, after which the body is handed over.”

The condition of Ali’s remains made the situation even more distressing. Dr. Syed, the Karachi police surgeon who conducted the post-mortem, said:

“Viscera completely autolyzed and reduced [to an] unidentifiable blackish mass. We have collected hair and specimen from [the] abdomen for chemical analysis. For positive identification, the blood sample of the brother has been collected.”

Ali rose to fame after winning the Veet Miss Super Model title in 2014 and appearing in the reality show Tamasha Ghar in 2022. She also featured in several television dramas, including Just Married, Ehsaan Faramosh, Guru, and Chal Dil Mere. On the big screen, she appeared in the 2015 action-thriller Jalaibee and in Love Vaccine in 2021.


Pakistan’s national airline concludes month-long post-Hajj flight operation

Updated 10 July 2025
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Pakistan’s national airline concludes month-long post-Hajj flight operation

  • Pakistan International Airlines’ final post-Hajj flight arrived in Islamabad from Madinah, says airline
  • PIA says repatriated over 41,500 pilgrims in total since June 10 using Boeing 777, Airbus A320 aircraft

KARACHI: Pakistan’s national flag carrier announced concluding its month-long post-Hajj flight operation on Thursday, saying it had repatriated 41,500 pilgrims since June 10 from Saudi Arabia.

Pakistan concluded its 33-day pre-Hajj flight operation in May, transporting more than 115,000 pilgrims to Saudi Arabia under both the government and private schemes for the annual Islamic pilgrimage. The Pakistan International Airline (PIA) began its post-Hajj flight operation on June 10.

The final post-Hajj flight operated by PIA arrived in Islamabad from Madinah at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, the national airline’s spokesperson said in a statement.

“In total, over 41,500 pilgrims were repatriated to Pakistan via 147 flights operated by PIA,” the spokesperson said. “PIA maintained an on-time departure rate of over 90 percent for its Hajj flights.”

The airline said its post-Hajj operation was conducted from Pakistan’s Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Quetta, Multan and Peshawar cities. The airline used its Boeing 777 and Airbus A320 aircraft for the operation.

“Pilgrims expressed satisfaction with the arrangements made by PIA,” the airline’s spokesperson said.

Pakistan has already started the registration process for Hajj 2026, with over 313,000 individuals completing the process. Intending pilgrims can register for the annual Islamic pilgrimage next year through the religion ministry’s online portal and 15 designated banks.

Pakistan has extended the deadline to register for Hajj 2026 till July 11.


Awami National Party leader killed as militant violence escalates in northwest Pakistan

Updated 10 July 2025
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Awami National Party leader killed as militant violence escalates in northwest Pakistan

  • Another person with ANP’s Maulana Zeb Khan shot dead by unidentified militants, says CM Office
  • ANP spokesperson Ihsan Ullah pays tribute to Khan, says he spoke out against militants frequently

ISLAMABAD: Two people, including a senior leader of the Awami National Party (ANP), were shot dead by unidentified assailants in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province on Thursday, the chief minister’s office said.

Maulana Zeb Khan, a leader of the Awami National Party (ANP), was shot dead along with another person in KP’s Bajaur tribal district by unknown persons, the chief minister’s office said. English language newspaper Dawn quoted police as saying that the politician was shot dead in Bajaur’s Shindai Mor while campaigning for a peace parade scheduled for July 13 when he was attacked.

ANP spokesperson Ihsan Ullah paid tribute to Khan, saying he frequently spoke out against militants and was a key member of the party, serving as its central secretary of ulema affairs.

“Two people, including Maulana Khan Zeb, were killed in Bajaur in a firing incident by unidentified assailants,” KP Chief Minister’s Office said in a statement, adding that Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur condemned the incident.

This handout photo, released by Awami National Party, shows ANP’s senior leader Maulana Zeb Khan. (Photo courtesy: ANP)

The KP chief minister directed authorities to prepare a report on the incident and ordered immediate action against those responsible for Khan’s killing.

The incident takes place amid an alarming surge in militant attacks, especially in KP’s tribal districts such as Bajaur, in recent years. Despite past military operations, recent attacks on security forces, clerics and politicians highlight growing instability in the area.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the incident. However, suspicion is likely to fall on the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) outfit that has launched some of the deadliest attacks targeting law enforcers, politicians and civilians since 2007.

Pakistan says Afghanistan-based militant groups launch attacks inside Pakistani territory, a claim Kabul has strongly denied. Islamabad also blames New Delhi for funding and arming these militant groups, which India also denies.


Pakistan police detain eight Sindh building authority officials after Karachi building collapse

Updated 10 July 2025
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Pakistan police detain eight Sindh building authority officials after Karachi building collapse

  • Twenty-seven people died when dilapidated building in Lyari collapsed last Friday 
  • Incident exposes issue of unsafe housing in city home to over 20 million people

KARACHI: Eight officials of the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) and the owners of a building that collapsed in Karachi last week have been detained in connection with the incident, Pakistani police said on Thursday. 

A five-story residential building, Fotan Mansion, collapsed last Friday around 10 am in the impoverished Lyari neighborhood of Karachi, trapping dozens under the rubble and prompting a large-scale rescue operation. Rescue officials recovered 27 bodies from the rubble after three days. 

The collapse of the dilapidated building once again exposed the persistent issue of unsafe and poorly regulated housing in Karachi, Pakistan’s most populous city, which is home to over 20 million people. The rapid urbanization and weak enforcement of building codes have put countless residents at risk.

“We have detained eight officials of the SBCA and the owners of the building in connection with the first information report regarding the building collapse in Lyari,” Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) City Arif Aziz told Arab News. 

The complaint was registered under criminal sections covering public servant misconduct, negligence in building safety, unintentional death, intentional bodily harm and property damage. These offenses carry penalties ranging from fines and short-term imprisonment to financial compensation and long-term jail.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah suspended Director General SBCA Ishaque Khuhro and ordered an inquiry over the incident on Monday. 

He also directed the SBCA to carry out safety inspections of all buildings in the city. The Sindh government announced Rs1 million ($3,513) in compensation for the families of the 27 victims.

Many of the building’s occupants were members of the low-income Hindu minority community, and residents estimated that around 40 people were inside when the structure collapsed.

Fotan Mansion had been declared unsafe three years ago, according to the SBCA. This incident is the latest in a series of deadly building collapses in Karachi.

In February 2020, a five-story building in Rizvia Society collapsed, killing at least 27 people. The following month, another residential structure in Gulbahar came down, claiming 16 lives.

In June 2021, a three-story building in Malir collapsed, resulting in four deaths. Just last year, in August, a building collapse in Qur’angi killed at least three people.


Pakistan delegation concludes UAE visit under governance exchange program

Updated 10 July 2025
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Pakistan delegation concludes UAE visit under governance exchange program

  • Meetings focused on digital governance, tax reform and service delivery
  • Delegation seeks to adopt UAE best practices in innovation, institutional performance

ISLAMABAD: A high-level Pakistani government delegation on Thursday concluded an official visit to the United Arab Emirates as part of a program aimed at sharing knowledge and best practices in governance and public sector modernization.

The delegation, led by Bilal Azhar Kayani, Pakistan’s Minister of State for Finance and Railways and Head of the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit, participated in the UAE Government’s Experience Exchange Programme (EEP). The initiative is aligned with Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif’s wider push for institutional reform and better service delivery across the country’s public sector.

During the visit, the eight-member team held detailed sessions with senior UAE officials to learn about digital governance, tax system modernization, leadership development, and innovation in public service.

“Kayani expressed gratitude to the UAE Government for facilitating valuable knowledge-sharing engagements in areas such as digital governance, public service delivery, and tax system modernization,” the Pakistan Embassy in Abu Dhabi said in an official statement.

On the final day of the program, the Pakistani delegation met senior Emirati officials including Mohammad Al Sharhan, Managing Director of the World Governments Summit, Khalid Ali Al Bustani, Director General of the UAE Federal Tax Authority, Saeed Al Eter, Chair of the UAE Government Media Office, Dr. Waleed Al Ali, Secretary General of The Digital School and Khalfan Belhoul, CEO of Dubai Future Foundation.

The sessions focused on the UAE’s approach to future foresight, media communication, and performance management in governance.

Kayani “underscored Pakistan’s commitment to adopting global best practices in digital governance, efficiency, and public sector competitiveness to enhance service delivery and institutional performance,” the statement added.

The visit builds on a Memorandum of Understanding signed on June 16, 2025, between the UAE Ministry of Cabinet Affairs and Pakistan’s Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives. The agreement aims to strengthen cooperation in governance excellence and institutional capacity-building.

The UAE is one of Pakistan’s largest trading partners and an important source of foreign remittances, with more than 1.7 million Pakistani expatriates living and working in the Emirates. According to Pakistan’s Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment, the UAE is the second-largest destination for Pakistani migrant workers after Saudi Arabia.

In recent years, bilateral trade has grown steadily, reaching nearly $10 billion in 2024, driven by energy imports, textiles, and other goods. Pakistani workers in the UAE sent home over $5 billion in remittances last fiscal year, providing vital foreign exchange for the country’s economy.

The two countries maintain close ties in investment, defense cooperation, and people-to-people exchanges, underpinned by shared commitments to economic development and regional stability.