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Punjab chief minister kicks off cleanliness drive in Lahore to combat smog

A screenshot from a video captures workers cleaning streets following Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi's anti-smog cleanliness initiative in Lahore, Pakistan on December 10, 2023. (Photo courtesy: @MohsinnaqviC42/X)
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Updated 10 December 2023
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Punjab chief minister kicks off cleanliness drive in Lahore to combat smog

  • Lahore, considered Pakistan’s cultural capital, has been blanketed in thick haze since onset of winters
  • Punjab chief minister deploys four teams with one hundred members each to clear roads off dust
Updated 10 December 2023
Shahjahan Khurram

ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi kicked off a cleanliness drive in smog-hit Lahore on Sunday, in a bid to clear the dust off the roads as thick haze hangs heavy in the provincial capital of Punjab.

Lahore, a city that houses over 11 million residents, has been blanketed in thick haze that partially blocks the sun and shrouds streets with fog at night. The problem is aggravated during the winter season, as temperature inversion prevents a layer of warm air from rising and traps pollutants closer to the ground.

Heavy smog has forced authorities in Punjab to announce several measures, including lockdowns, school closures, changing business hours for markets, and cracking down on smoke-emitting vehicles and industries since November.

Thousands of people in Lahore, children in particular, have suffered from respiratory issues due to the smog since the onset of winter.

“Taking another step to combat smog in Lahore,” Naqvi wrote on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

“A cleanliness drive has started today, deploying four teams with 100 members each to clear the roads from dust.”

 

The caretaker chief minister said the initiative was aimed at improving Lahore’s air quality “without impacting traffic flow.”

The state-run Radio Pakistan said in a post that the campaign encourages citizens’ participation and emphasizes the responsibility of the community in “fostering a cleaner and greener Lahore.”

“By combining targeted actions with a commitment to minimal disruption, the government aims to set a precedent for effective and responsible governance in environmental management,” Radio Pakistan said.

Lahore topped the world’s most polluted city index several times in November, consistently having an air quality index (AQI) above 300, according to Swiss group IQAir.

The AQI is a standardized tool measuring air pollutants, serving as a crucial barometer for public health. An AQI between 101 and 200 is considered ‘unhealthy’, particularly for sensitive groups while an AQI between 201 and 300 is said to be ‘very unhealthy’ and above 300 is ‘hazardous.’

Topics: Pakistan Lahore smog Pollution

Imran Khan’s party has ‘history of lawlessness,’ Pakistani deputy PM tells diplomatic corps

Updated 11 sec ago
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Imran Khan’s party has ‘history of lawlessness,’ Pakistani deputy PM tells diplomatic corps

  • Ishaq Dar briefs diplomats on recent protests by PTI and government actions to disperse demonstrators
  • The PTI says at least 20 of its supporters have been killed, while the government says four troops died
Updated 11 sec ago
Falak Mahmood Khan

ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said on Wednesday the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf of jailed ex-premier Imran Khan had a “history of lawlessness,” as he briefed the diplomatic corps on recent protests by the party and government actions to disperse demonstrators. 
Thousands of PTI supporters had gathered in Islamabad’s historic D-Chowk square last month to demand Khan’s release from prison. The protest convoy broke through several lines of security and reached the edge of the capital’s highly fortified red zone, home to key government and diplomatic buildings. The protest was called off after security forces carried out a midnight raid on the site, with the government saying it used rubber bullets and tear gas but no live ammunition. 
The PTI says at least 20 of its supporters have been killed, while the government says four troops died. The PTI has also said “hundreds” of its supporters had been hospitalized with gunshot wounds and the government was attempting to cover up the extent of the deaths and injuries, which state authorities deny. Meanwhile, social media platforms have been awash for days with pictures and video footage of the injured and dead that the government has called “fake propaganda,” insisting there were no civilian casualties.
Briefing diplomats at the Foreign Office in Islamabad on Wednesday, Dar reiterated that law enforcement agencies were not provided live ammunition but used water cannons, tear gas and batons.
“Our priority has always been to take care of the red zone … And we are very conscious that our valuable ambassadors, high commissioners, their colleagues, they are all housed in that area so this has always been a priority during our governance that we make sure that this area, which we call the red zone, is free from any protests or any violence,” the deputy PM said. 
For this purpose, Dar explained, parliament passed a law this year, the Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Act 2024, to streamline the process for obtaining permission to hold public gatherings in Islamabad and designating specific areas and timings for such activities. 
Prior to the start of the PTI’s protest on Nov. 24, a Pakistani court had also ruled that the party would not be allowed to demonstrate in the red zone, but should engage with the government and be designated an alternative location.
“The government obviously tried its best, the ministry of interior engaged them [PTI], there were long sessions of three days but nothing came out of it,” Dar said. “They were insistent that law or no law, that we will come in the red zone, so unfortunately [there is] a history of lawlessness in this party.”
The deputy foreign minister, who also serves as the country’s foreign minister, also said the party had a history of announcing protests during visits by foreign dignitaries. 
The November protest coincided with a visit to Pakistan of the president of Belarus while protests in October, which the PTI later called off, had been planned on the days of a key Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Islamabad. 
“This shows mala fide intent,” Dar added. 
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vowed legal action against “rioters” involved in the PTI’s anti-government protests as the party decried a state-backed crackdown against its supporters.
In the aftermath of the protests, Sharif has formed two task forces: one to identify and take legal action against rioters and another to track and bring to justice suspects behind what the government describes as a “malicious campaign” to spread “concocted, baseless and inciting” online news, images and video content against the state and security forces.

Topics: Ishaq Dar Imran Khan PTI protest Islamabad Protest

Pakistan stocks smash record 105,000 mark on rate cut hopes

Updated 46 min 59 sec ago
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Pakistan stocks smash record 105,000 mark on rate cut hopes

  • State Bank has already slashed interest rates by 700 basis points in four consecutive meetings since June
  • Poll by Topline Securities says 71 percent participants expect central bank will announce rate cut of 200bps
Updated 46 min 59 sec ago
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani stocks continued their record-breaking streak on Wednesday, crossing the 105,000 point mark for the first time on the back of investor confidence of a significant interest rate cut by the central bank at the next monetary policy meeting on Dec. 16.

The Pakistan Stock Exchange’s (PSX) benchmark KSE-100 Index climbed 914.49 points, or 0.87%, to hit a new intraday high of 105,473.56. Wednesday’s session follows Tuesday’s impressive gains, with the market closing at 104,559.07, adding 1,284 points.

The State Bank has already slashed interest rates by 700 basis points (bps) in four consecutive meetings since June, bringing the rate to 15%.

According to a poll conducted by Topline Securities, 71 % of participants expect the central bank will announce a minimum rate cut of 200bps.

“Out of the 71 percent, 63 percent expect the interest rate to be cut by 200bps, 30 percent expect a cut of 250bps, and 7.0 percent anticipate a cut of more than 250bps,” the poll said.

Market analysts credit the rally in stocks to improving macroeconomic indicators, strong trade performance, and the anticipation of further monetary easing.

Pakistan’s annual consumer inflation slowed to 4.9% in November, lower than the government’s forecast and the lowest in nearly six years. This is down from 38% last year.

Trade data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics also supports positive investor sentiment as the trade deficit narrowed by 7.39% during the first five months (July-November) of the current fiscal year, standing at $8.651 billion, compared to $9.341 billion during the same period last year.

Exports rose by 12.57% to hit $13.69 billion, while imports increased by 3.90% to $22.342 billion during this period. November’s trade deficit narrowed even further, dropping by 18.60% year-on-year to $1.589 billion compared to $1.952 billion in November 2023.

Topics: Pakistan Stock Exchange

Pakistan recall fast bowler Mohammad Abbas after 3 years for test matches in South Africa

Updated 42 min 46 sec ago
AP
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Pakistan recall fast bowler Mohammad Abbas after 3 years for test matches in South Africa

  • Abbas has taken 90 wickets in 25 test matches but hasn’t played red-ball cricket for Pakistan since the Jamaica test in 2021
  • He has been in impressive form of late, picking up 31 wickets in five premier domestic four-day tournament matches
Updated 42 min 46 sec ago
AP

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan recalled fast bowler Mohammad Abbas after three years for test matches while Shaheen Shah Afridi will play only white-ball cricket in South Africa.
Abbas has taken 90 wickets in 25 test matches but hasn’t played red-ball cricket for Pakistan since the Jamaica test in 2021. He has been in impressive form of late, picking up 31 wickets in five premier domestic four-day tournament matches.
“Shaheen Shah Afridi’s exclusion from the test squad is a strategic decision to ensure he remains physically and mentally fresh for the Champions Trophy,” selection committee member Aaqib Javed said in a statement on Wednesday.
Naseem Shah, who missed the last two home test matches against England, Khurram Shahzad and left-armer Mir Hamza are the pace bowlers named to the test squad.
Pakistan begins its tour of South Africa next Tuesday with three T20s, followed by three ODIs and two test matches at Centurion and Cape Town.
“We have adopted a horses for courses policy to ensure all three squads are well-balanced and capable of performing strongly in South Africa,” said Javed, who was also appointed interim white-ball coach ahead of Pakistan’s tour to Zimbabwe.
“Our focus in ODIs is to continue building momentum ahead of the Champions Trophy, while the T20 series provides a platform to blend experience with emerging talent.”
Off-spinner Sajid Khan missed out on the test team despite claiming 19 wickets in the last two test matches against England at Multan and Rawalpindi. Noman Ali, who picked up 20 wickets in those two memorable victories for Pakistan, won the selectors’ nod ahead of Sajid.
“Leaving out Sajid Khan, despite his stellar performances against England, was an extremely tough and difficult decision,” Javed said. “However, considering the pace-friendly conditions at Centurion and in Cape Town, we opted for Mohammad Abbas instead, who is an outstanding exponent of seam bowling.”
Former all format captain Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Saim Ayub and Salman Ali Agha were named to all three squads.
The selectors have kept faith in youngster Sufiyan Muqeem for T20s and ODIs after the left-arm wrist spinner claimed eight wickets in two T20s against Zimbabwe. Sufiyan also recorded Pakistan’s best-ever T20 figures of five wickets for three runs at Bulawayo on Tuesday that routed Zimbabwe for its lowest T20 score of 57 all out.
Squads:
Tests: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel, Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Haseebullah Khan, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub and Salman Ali Agha.
ODIs: Mohammad Rizwan, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Tayyab Tahir and Usman Khan.
T20s: Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Jahandad Khan, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Irfan Khan, Omair Bin Yousuf, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Tayyab Tahir and Usman Khan.

Topics: Pakistan vs South Africa

At UN forum, Pakistan raises alarm over attacks on mosques in occupied territories

Updated 53 min 23 sec ago
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At UN forum, Pakistan raises alarm over attacks on mosques in occupied territories

  • Statement comes amid ongoing Israeli invasion of Gaza where nearly 1,000 mosques have been destroyed
  • Palestinian Religious Affairs Ministry has said about 300 Islamic scholars have been killed in the military strikes
Updated 53 min 23 sec ago
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has renewed its call at the United Nations on the need for an “action plan” to tackle Islamophobia and raised the issue of an “alarming rise” in attacks on mosques and other Islamic sites, particularly in “territories under foreign occupation,” the state-run APP news agency said on Wednesday. 
Additional Foreign Secretary Imran Ahmed Siddiqui represented Pakistan at 10th UN Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) Global Forum, the UNAOC High Level Group of Friends Ministerial Meeting and the Global Conference on safeguarding religious sites held in Cascais, Portugal, with the ambassador of Pakistan to Portugal, Khalid Ejaz, part of the Pakistan delegation.
“Siddiqui reaffirmed Pakistan’s unwavering commitment to combating this scourage of Islamophobia,” APP reported about his address at the UNAOC forum. 
“At the same time, he reiterated Pakistan’s deep concern over the continued rise of Islamophobia, as manifested in the continued desecration of religious symbols, demolition of mosques and other Islamic religious and heritage sites, hate speech and disturbing attacks on Muslims, particularly in the territories under foreign occupation.”
The statement comes amid the ongoing Israeli invasion of Gaza, which has resulted in significant destruction and damage to numerous religious sites including mosques and churches. 
By March this year, more than 1,000 mosques had been destroyed by Israeli attacks. 
Hundreds of imams and religious scholars have also been killed as a result of the campaign in Gaza. The Palestinian Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs has said about 300 Islamic scholars, including Qur’an teachers, Islamic preachers and imams, have been killed in strikes.

Topics: Pakistan at UN Islamophobia

Bundoo Khan: How one restaurant parlayed barbeque into a Karachi landmark

Updated 04 December 2024
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Bundoo Khan: How one restaurant parlayed barbeque into a Karachi landmark

  • Founded in 1948, Bundoo Khan Restaurant is a mainstay for politicians, celebrities, and residents of the port city
  • Eatery first gained prominence when its barbeque caught the eye of ex-president Ayub Khan at a local exhibition
Updated 04 December 2024
NAIMAT KHAN

KARACHI: For over seven decades, the Bundoo Khan Restaurant has been a culinary landmark in the Pakistani port city of Karachi, delighting generations of food lovers with its signature kebabs, sizzling chicken tikkas and crunchy parathas.
Founded in 1948 by Al Hajj Bundoo Khan, a migrant from Meerut in present day India, the restaurant began as a humble barbecue stall on Karachi’s MA Jinnah Road, then known as Bandar Road, using family recipes passed down from a maternal uncle.
While the eatery was a hit from the beginning, it gained visibility when its innovative approach to grilling and marinating caught the eye of General Ayub Khan, who served as the president of Pakistan from 1958 until his resignation in 1969. Becoming a favorite of the president turned the small eatery into the talk of the town, and it began to draw large crowds from all walks of life.
“My father can be called the founder of barbecue [in Karachi],” Akber Bundoo Khan, the founder’s 62-year-old son, told Arab News. 
“No one knew how to make tikka [like him], how kebabs were made, how parathas were made or how halwa was made.”
Indeed, barbeque has become synonymous with the Bundoo Khan name in Karachi, cementing its reputation as a must-visit destination for the city’s residents and a gathering place for politicians, government officials, actors and singers.
“This brand has been around for 76 years,” said Waqar Mehmood, Bundoo Khan’s grandson who oversees a branch in the city’s Sindhi Muslim area.
“When we first set up an exhibition [during the first few decades], the first person to visit was [Pakistan’s former president] Ayub Khan who gave us the first prize and a gold medal for our barbecue.”
Mehmood spoke about visits to the restaurant by General Ayub Khan’s family, as well as Pakistan’s former first lady Ranaa Liaquat Ali Khan, ex-premier Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and the now jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan. Legendary Pakistani actors like Muhammad Ali, Zeba and Waheed Murad were also loyal patrons and iconic singer Noor Jehan continued to request Bundoo Khan’s food until her last days before she passed away in 2000.
“Every day, I would personally take her double-spiced chicken tikka and six kebabs to the hospital,” he said.
The restaurant’s influence has also been immortalized in Pakistani music, with songs like Ahmed Rushdi’s 1954 hit “Bandar Road Se Keamari” and Mehdi Hassan’s 1977 track “Makhan Jesi Larki,” both mentioning the eatery.
Pakistani TV and film actor Behroze Sabzwari recalled childhood memories of visiting the original branch on MA Jinnah Road and meeting the restaurant’s founder, who passed away in 1987 at the age of 105.
“I lived and grew up in the area right behind the Bundoo Khan [Restaurant] in Jacob Line,” he told Arab News. “It wasn’t much, but you could get tikka for just 10 or 15 rupees [$0.05] and everything else as well. And believe me, the taste from those days of that halwa, that tikka, those kebabs, that paratha still lingers with me to this day.”
Asad Sohail, an engineer and regular customer, also recalled visiting Bundoo Khan as a child with his father and grandfather, saying dinner at the restaurant was a must after a night out at the movies.
“We used to come here with my grandfather, wearing shorts, when we were little. Then, as kids, we came with our father,” he said.
“Their barbecue, I haven’t tasted anything like it anywhere in Pakistan. It’s truly unique. Their kebabs are so tender, the marination is perfect, and the tikka, what can I say? It’s completely different from anything else.”
Today, while the restaurant keeps attracting new customers at all its branches in Karachi and across Pakistan as well as in Dubai and Madinah, the first branch on MA Jinnah Road has seen a decline in clients in recent years due to a rise in crime in the area. 
Still, Akber Bundoo Khan’s son insists the original location will never shut down.
“This is our asset,” he said. “The flavor that started here has spread all over the world. It’s because of this taste that we’re famous ... Our identity, our entire legacy, has been built from here.”

Topics: Bundoo Khan karachi food Pakistani food

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At UN forum, Pakistan raises alarm over attacks on mosques in occupied territories

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