Gunmen kidnap two polio workers in northwestern Pakistan— police

A health worker administers polio vaccine drops to a child during a vaccination campaign in Lahore on October 24, 2022. (AFP/File)
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Updated 17 October 2023
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Gunmen kidnap two polio workers in northwestern Pakistan— police

  • Gunmen initially kidnapped four team members but later released a woman and the driver, says police official
  • Attacks against polio workers are common in conservative Pakistan, especially in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province

PESHAWAR: Unidentified gunmen kidnapped two members of a polio survey team on Tuesday in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, a police official confirmed.

Gunmen initially kidnapped four members of the team from the remote village Umar Khan in Tank district, District Police Officer (DPO) Iftikhar Ali Shah said. However, they later freed two members of the team, a woman named Shaila Noor and the driver, Waheed Khan. The remaining two, Zulfiqar and Muhammad Shuaib, remain missing, Shah said.

No group has claimed responsibility for the incident.

“The kidnappers later freed the lady worker and the driver while the rest two have gone missing,” Shah told Arab News.

Pakistan remains one of only two countries in the world where polio remains endemic. So far this year, there have been seven cases of polio caused by the virus — all in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Many Pakistanis are suspicious of foreign entities funding polio vaccination campaigns and of the government itself. The doubts and fears have led to attacks on polio teams and the law enforcers guarding them, especially in KP.

Pakistan launched a national anti-polio five-day campaign on Oct. 2 to inoculate 44 million children under the age of 5.

Shah said the team, also known as the Lot Quality Assurance Sampling (LQAS) team, had gone to the far-flung village to carry out a quality assessment exercise in the wake of the campaign in the area. 

Shortly after the incident, Shah said a heavy police contingent went to the village to rescue the missing polio workers. However, they were told by the locals that the gunmen, almost 10 in number, had fled to the adjacent mountainous South Waziristan tribal area.

“The dilemma is that the polio team went to the area for monitoring without any security detail, without informing either the district administration or the police,” he added.


Pakistan to offer full Urdu commentary for PSL this year to reach wider audience

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Pakistan to offer full Urdu commentary for PSL this year to reach wider audience

  • Cricket commentary was once offered in both Urdu and English during radio and early TV’s golden era
  • A senior PCB official calls Urdu commentary a ‘historic moment’ for the league and its growing fanbase

KARACHI: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced on Saturday it will offer full-match commentary in Urdu for the first time in the history of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) this year, saying the move will make the tournament more accessible to a wider national audience.
Cricket commentary in Pakistan was long delivered in both Urdu and English, especially during the golden era of radio and early television. Legendary commentators like Omar Kureishi and Chishti Mujahid often switched between the two languages or provided parallel coverage.
Urdu commentary was particularly prominent on Radio Pakistan, helping bring the game closer to the masses and expanding its reach across the country.
“Fans will now be able to follow live broadcasts in Urdu, allowing them to enjoy the excitement and action of PSL matches in Pakistan’s national language,” the PCB said in a statement. “This initiative strengthens our connection with the millions of cricket lovers who have long awaited this addition.”
The upcoming edition of the HBL PSL will run from April 11 to May 18 across four cities — Lahore, Karachi, Multan and Rawalpindi.
The PCB said details regarding broadcast arrangements and commentary panels for both Urdu and English will be announced in due course.
PCB Chief Executive Officer Salman Naseer called it a “historic moment” for the league and its expanding fanbase.
He said cricket was a unifying force in Pakistan, and by offering commentary in Urdu throughout the tournament, the PCB aimed to bring the excitement and energy of the PSL closer to fans across the country.


PM Sharif hails Ramadan relief success, orders digital wallet model for future welfare programs

Updated 05 April 2025
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PM Sharif hails Ramadan relief success, orders digital wallet model for future welfare programs

  • Government transferred cash directly into digital wallets to provide Ramadan relief to deserving citizens
  • Over 951,000 digital wallets were used and 1.9 million payments made, according to official statistics

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday lauded the successful implementation of Pakistan’s Ramadan Relief Package 2025, praising the transparent use of digital wallets for fund distribution and instructing officials to adopt the model for future government programs, state media reported.
The premier made the comments during a meeting in Islamabad to review the execution of the nationwide relief scheme, which aimed to provide financial support during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
The package, rolled out across the country including Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir, utilized digital tools to deliver assistance to beneficiaries and was promoted as a step toward the country’s broader digital transformation agenda.
Under the initiative, aid was transferred directly into recipients’ digital wallets — secure mobile accounts linked to national ID numbers — allowing beneficiaries to access funds via mobile apps, ATMs or designated agents without needing a traditional bank account.
“Appreciating the effective and transparent implementation of the Ramazan Relief Package 2025, [the prime minister] directed the authorities concerned to emulate this model in future government schemes,” the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) news agency reported the PM Office as saying.
It said 1.9 million digital payments were made and over 951,000 digital wallets used, marking what officials described as a significant move toward realizing the “Digital Nation Pakistan” vision.
More than 823,000 women and over 2,500 persons with disabilities accessed the funds through digital platforms, APP added.
Authorities said 79 percent of the allocated funds had been disbursed, with a team of 2,224 employees resolving over 1,200 complaints during the scheme’s implementation.
Millions of robocalls, SMS alerts and outbound calls were also made to raise awareness, the report added.


Pakistan elected to UN narcotics commission with top regional vote share

Updated 05 April 2025
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Pakistan elected to UN narcotics commission with top regional vote share

  • Pakistan’s term at the commission will begin in 2026 and run through 2029
  • Commission members guide global drug policy and tackle transnational crime

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan was elected as a member of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) for a four-year term on Friday, securing the highest number of votes among member states contesting for seats from their respective regional groups, its UN mission said.
The CND, operating under the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), serves as the main policymaking body for international drug control.
Member states of the commission guide global narcotics regulations, including decisions on how certain substances are categorized and controlled.
Pakistan’s inclusion in the commission will allow it to influence international drug policy, particularly on issues affecting regional trafficking routes, public health and transnational crime.
“Pakistan is gratified by the resounding support received from ECOSOC,” the country’s mission to the United Nations said in a statement. “It reflects the confidence and trust reposed in Pakistan to play its active role in the CND as part of global counter narcotics efforts and multilateral policy discourse on drug related issues.”
“Pakistan has been at the forefront of global counter-narcotics efforts, playing a crucial role in combating illicit drug trafficking, production, and abuse,” the statement added.
Pakistan’s new term at the CND will begin in 2026 and continue through 2029.
The country has previously participated in global drug policy forums and says it looks forward to strengthening the role of the CND in ensuring effective and balanced international drug control in line with the UN conventions.


Pakistan urges UN to recover weapons left in Afghanistan, warns militants gaining access

Updated 05 April 2025
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Pakistan urges UN to recover weapons left in Afghanistan, warns militants gaining access

  • Pakistan tells the world body TTP and BLA militants are getting support from its ‘principal adversary’
  • It maintains militant groups are using new technologies like cryptocurrency to finance their activities

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday voiced concern at the United Nations Security Council over militant groups like Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) acquiring sophisticated weapons, urging the international community to recover stockpiles left behind by foreign forces in Afghanistan.​
Pakistan has previously highlighted that US-led international forces abandoned automatic assault rifles and night vision devices in Afghanistan during their hurried withdrawal from Kabul in August 2021.
The pullout was widely criticized as unplanned and chaotic, leading to Congressional inquiries in the US and intense criticism of former US President Joe Biden’s administration.
However, the previous American government denied Pakistan’s claims, saying all military hardware was intended for the Afghan National Army, which collapsed as the Taliban seized power. US officials acknowledged that these weapons subsequently fell into the hands of the Taliban.​
“We know that non-state actors do not have many of the capabilities to manufacture advanced illicit arms, thus raising questions of culpability of certain state actors in these nefarious activities,” Syed Atif Raza, Counsellor at Pakistan’s UN Mission, said during a UNSC meeting on small arms and light weapons management.​
“Pakistan is concerned at the acquisition and use of modern and sophisticated illicit arms by terrorist groups such as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, a UN-listed terrorist organization, which operates with impunity from Afghanistan, as well as the so-called Baloch Liberation Army and Majeed Brigade,” he added.​
Raza noted these militant groups possessed lethal weapons left in Afghanistan that were now used against civilians and Pakistan’s armed forces.
“We call upon our international partners to recover the vast stockpile of abandoned weapons, prevent their access to armed groups and take measures to close this thriving black market of illicit arms,” he added.
Pakistan has witnessed a significant uptick in militant violence in its western provinces bordering Afghanistan in recent years.
The Pakistani diplomat asserted that militants receive external support and financing from Pakistan’s “principal adversary,” alluding to India.​
He also highlighted that the evolving nature of warfare and new technologies posed challenges in combating the proliferation of increasingly lethal small arms.
“Criminal groups and terrorists are leveraging new technologies such as cryptocurrency for anonymous transactions by using the dark web to evade detection,” Raza said, adding that these technologies also offered more tools to law enforcement to address the situation.​


Pakistan forms committee to assess impact of US tariffs, craft policy response

Updated 05 April 2025
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Pakistan forms committee to assess impact of US tariffs, craft policy response

  • President Trump announced ‘reciprocal tariffs’ on several countries this week, including a 29 percent levy on Pakistani goods
  • The move is expected to hit Pakistan’s textile sector and undermine the country’s efforts to stabilize its fragile economy

KARACHI: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has constituted a high-level steering committee led by the finance chief to assess the impact of a 29 percent tariff imposed by the United States on Pakistani goods and devise a policy response, according to a government notification this week.
The development follows US President Donald Trump’s announcement Wednesday of “reciprocal tariffs” on several countries, a move widely seen as a blow to the global economy still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. Trump defended the decision as necessary to correct trade imbalances and what he described as unfair treatment of American goods abroad.
Pakistan’s inclusion in the list of affected nations is of particular concern as the South Asian nation is seeking to boost its export-led growth. The US remains Pakistan’s top export destination, and the imposition of the 29 percent tariff threatens to undercut Islamabad’s fragile recovery efforts.
“Prime Minister has been pleased to constitute steering committee for in-depth analysis and policy responses to recently announced US Reciprocal Tariffs,” read a notification issued by the Prime Minister’s Office on Thursday.
The committee, chaired by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, will supervise a working group led by the commerce secretary and finalize policy recommendations.
It will also be responsible for engaging with US officials as needed and updating the prime minister on related developments and initiatives.
According to data from Pakistan’s central bank, the country exported $5.44 billion worth of goods to the US last year.
During the current fiscal, exports to the US reached $4 billion from July 2024 to February 2025, up 10 percent from the same period the previous year.
Textiles account for nearly 90 percent of Pakistan’s exports to the US and are expected to be hardest hit by the new tariffs.
Officials fear the increased cost burden could weaken Pakistan’s position in its main overseas markets, especially if competitors like China, Bangladesh and Vietnam begin diverting goods to Europe after facing steeper tariffs in the US.
The tariff decision is also expected to hamper Pakistan’s broader efforts to stabilize its economy with the support of International Monetary Fund programs.
Global financial markets fell sharply on Friday after China vowed to retaliate with 34 percent tariffs on American goods, raising concerns of an escalating trade war and potential global recession.