ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s southern Sindh province witnessed yet another act of animal cruelty, as widely reported by the local media on Saturday, after a camel was found dead in the region with its legs amputated.
The incident took place only a few days after a local landlord in Sanghar district was accused of torturing a camel and chopping off its leg with his employees’ help since it had strayed into his fields for grazing.
The story, which triggered significant uproar on social media, led to the camel being transported to Karachi for treatment and a prosthetic leg. Six individuals involved were also arrested by the police.
The most recent incident took place in a modest settlement near Umerkot in Sindh.
“I don’t want to accuse anyone,” Abdul Rashid, the owner of the dead camel, was reported as saying by Geo News. “I have around 40 to 45 female camels. While all of them returned after grazing last evening, she was left behind alone.”
“God knows who made her run, beat her and cut her legs,” he added. “We don’t know anything yet ... We’ll see what to do next.”
Pakistan’s existing animal cruelty laws, rooted in the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act of 1890, prohibit various forms of animal cruelty, including beating, overdriving, and mutilation.
The legislation also prescribes penalties for breaches of these anti-cruelty provisions, which can include fines and imprisonment, though these are not always effectively enforced.
Another camel found mutilated and dead, days after similar act of animal cruelty in Sindh
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Another camel found mutilated and dead, days after similar act of animal cruelty in Sindh
- The owner of the camel refuses to accuse anyone after the animal was found dead with all of its legs amputated
- Previously, a landlord was accused of torturing another camel and chopping off its leg after it strayed into his fields
Woman, two children killed in land mine blast in Pakistan’s remote southwest
- It was unclear who had laid down the land mine and when in a province where Baloch rebels frequently attack security officials
- Balochistan has seen a decades-long insurgency against what separatists call the unfair exploitation of resources
QUETTA: A woman and her two children were killed in a land mine blast in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province on Monday, paramilitary officials said.
Balochistan has seen a decades-long insurgency against what separatists call the unfair exploitation of resources in the mineral-rich region. Most of the separatist groups operate independently, but some recent reports in local media have pointed to increasing cooperation between them and with the Pakistani Taliban, also known as the TTP.
Pakistani security forces have been the main focus of sepratists and other militants in the province, but in recent years they have also targeted Chinese interests, given Beijing’s increasing economic footprint in the region.
“Family members of Mohammad Ali were coming back to their home on Monday morning when they stepped on a land mine outside their residence, killing a woman and two children aged five and two years old,” Levies sepoy Abdul Rasheed told Arab News, saying the incident took place in Gabeen village in Kech district of Balochistan.
It was unclear who had laid down the land mine and when in a province where Baloch rebels frequently attack security officials, gas pipelines, electricity infrastructure and transport links.
“Government of Balochistan along with law enforcement agencies are taking concrete measures to wipe out terrorists and their facilitators,” Home Minister Mir Zia Langove said, “Human rights organizations working in Pakistan should raise their voice against the murders of women and children.”
Low-cost airline flydubai starts flights to Islamabad, Lahore
- Flydubai started Pakistan operations in 2010 with launch of flights to Karachi
- Carrier also serves Pakistani cities of Faisalabad, Multan, Quetta and Sialkot
KARACHI: Dubai-based low-cost airline flydubai has started flights to Islamabad and Lahore, the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority said on Monday, with the first flights in both cities greeted with water cannon salutes.
Flydubai first started operating in Pakistan in 2010 with the launch of flights to the southern port city of Karachi. The carrier also serves the cities of Faisalabad, Multan, Quetta and Sialkot.
“Flydubai has also started flights to Islamabad,” CAA said in a statement. “Inaugural flight FZ 353 arrived in Islamabad from Dubai at 1:55am.”
A small dinner ceremony was organized on the occasion, CAA said, and the inaugural flight carrying 153 passengers was given a water cannon salute by the Rescue and Fire Fighting Service.
The flight returned to Dubai at 220pm on Monday with 162 passengers on board.
Separately, the CAA said flydubai’s Flight FZ 359 arrived in Lahore at 429am.
“A cake cutting ceremony was organized on this occasion and gifts were presented to the passengers,” CAA said. “Flydubai’s inaugural flight to Lahore was presented with a water cannon salute.”
In a press release last month when flydubai announced it would start flights to Lahore and Islamabad, Hamad Obaidalla, chief commercial officer of the airline, said Pakistan had long been an important market for the carrier:
“Since 2010 when we first started operations to the market, we have seen sustained demand for travel and with the start of our daily services to Islamabad and Lahore, we look forward to offering passengers more opportunities to explore Dubai, the GCC region and beyond on the flydubai network.”
As per the airline, the return business class fares from DXB to ISB start from AED 5,500 ($1497) and economy class fares from AED 1,300 ($353). Return business class fares from ISB to DXB start from Rs400,000 ($1436) and economy class fares from Rs120,000 ($430).
Pakistan sets up National Emergencies Operation Center as monsoon begins
- Public advised to download “Pak NDMA Disaster Alert” mobile app for timely alerts
- Disaster authority issues precautionary measures against urban flooding in cities
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s top disaster management authority has established a National Emergencies Operation Center (NEOC) in anticipation of intense cloud bursts and moderate to heavy rainfall expected to start tomorrow, Tuesday, as the country enters the monsoon season.
A statement from the PM office said on Monday the NEOC would use latest tools and technologies, including real-time satellite feeds, to anticipate disasters up to three months in advance and was run by a multidisciplinary team of experts employing the power of geographic information systems (GIS), remote sensing, climatology, meteorology, seismology, hydrology, and data sciences to monitor and analyze global and local hazards.
“NEOC has been reported a significant activity from the eastern Indian side, indicating intense cloud bursts that may hit Pakistani areas,” the PM Office said on Monday.
“Repeated early warnings have been shared with all provinces, and rainfall is likely to start over the upper catchments of all major rivers particularly Sutlej, Ravi and Chenab from July 2, 2024.”
The disaster management authority had also issued an alert regarding lightning expected in different cities of Punjab and the federal capital, Islamabad, during July 5-7, which could lead to rapid rises in water levels, flash flooding events, and urban flooding in metropolitan areas, the statement said.
” NDMA warns that the anticipated rainfall poses a significant risk of low to medium level flooding in River Sutlej, with water levels expected to reach low flood levels (approximately 50,000 cusecs) by July 5 and high flood levels (approximately 120,000 cusecs) by July 10,” the PM Office added.
The disaster management authority has been working closely with the federal and provincial departments to ensure preparedness and response to any potential emergency, the statement said, advising the public to remain vigilant and follow instructions from local authorities as well as download the “Pak NDMA Disaster Alert” for timely alerts, weather reports and flood updates.
“Protect yourself from floodwater, avoid contact with it, which may be contaminated or contain debris or electrical wires,” it added. “Develop an evacuation plan with your family, identify a safe location, and create an emergency kit with essential supplies.”
The disaster management authority also advised travelers to avoid unnecessary travel in case of heavy rainfalls and likely floods.
Pakistan is consistently ranked among the world’s worst-affected countries from climate change. Unprecedented rainfall and melting of glaciers in June 2022 triggered massive floods across the country that killed nearly 1,700 people and inflicted damages worth $3 billion. Scientists and experts attributed the floods to the adverse effects of climate change.
Pakistan also went through a severe heat wave in May and June, which saw temperatures in some regions rise to above 50 degrees Celsius.
Dispute over death toll as Karachi’s second-longest heat wave ends after eight days
- Government reports 45 deaths, relief agencies claim morgues received three times more bodies than usual during heat wave
- Chief Meteorologist says this year’s heat wave the longest since June 2015 when 2,000 people died from heat-induced causes
KARACHI: Pakistan’s Chief Meteorologist Dr. Sardar Sarfaraz said on Monday an eight-day heat wave in Pakistan’s largest city of Karachi was over with at least 45 dead, while relief agencies and health experts said the death toll was likely much higher.
Pakistan has been in the grips of a heat wave since May, with temperatures rising above 52 degrees Celsius (125.6 degrees Fahrenheit) in the southern province of Sindh, of which the port city of Karachi is the capital. For over a week now, Karachi has seen an unusual spike in temperatures, with the mercury rising above 40 °C (104 °F) throughout last weekend and reaching 47.2 °C (117 °F) on June 25.
“As of today, the sea breeze has been restored and the heat wave is over,” Dr. Sarfaraz told Arab News. “During four of the eight heat wave days, temperatures reached up to 42°C but felt like 54°C due to low-pressure formation over southeast Karachi.”
Dr. Sarfaraz noted that this heat wave was the longest in Karachi since June 2015 when a “killer” episode claimed over 2,000 lives. He said 45 people had died in Karachi during this heat wave.
However, Muhammad Amin from the Edhi Foundation charity, one of the largest in Pakistan, estimated that the death toll from heat-induced causes was much higher given the number of bodies received at morgues.
“We have received 1,309 dead bodies since June 19, which is a significant increase, almost three times higher, than our average during this period,” Amin said, although he was unable to confirm if all the bodies received by Edhi were of people who had died due to complications from the heat wave.
Dr. Irfan Siddiqui, the head of emergency services at Jinnah Hospital, one of the biggest government-operated hospitals in Karachi, said the figures compiled by the government were authentic.
“We have reported these figures [45] after ascertaining the cause of death. One cannot attribute a death to a certain condition on mere speculations,” he said about the Edhi estimates.
However, Dr. Siddiqui acknowledged that some heat wave deaths may have gone unreported.
“While one cannot rely solely on figures from rescue services, the government’s data may also be inaccurate,” Dr. Abdullah Muttaqi, a senior health practitioner, told Arab News. “If morgues are receiving a large number of bodies during this period, heat likely played a role, but without medical confirmation of the cause, these figures cannot be cited.
“In the case of the government, figures are likely underreported, not properly documented, and inaccurately presented.”
Dr. Qaiser Sajjad, former general secretary of the Pakistan Medical Association, also said morgues had been receiving more bodies than usual and advised that the “government should sit with rescue services and rationalize its data.”
Pakistan is one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change. In 2022, devastating rains and floods killed 1,739 people, destroyed 2 million homes, and submerged as much as one-third of the country under water. The deluges also caused more than $30 billion in damages to Pakistan’s already cash-strapped economy.
Three security officials, doctor killed in gun attacks, snooker club set on fire in northwest Pakistan
- Islamabad blames ongoing surge in militant attacks on Pakistani Taliban militants it says are operating from Afghanistan
- Afghan Taliban rulers in Kabul say violence in Pakistan is a domestic issue, it does not allow militants to operate on its territory
PESHAWAR: Three security personnel were killed by unidentified gunmen in northwestern Pakistan in the last two days, police said on Monday, while a doctor was shot dead and a snooker club set on fire.
Islamabad blames an ongoing surge in militant attacks on neighboring Afghanistan, saying Pakistani Taliban, or TTP, leaders have taken refuge there and run camps to train insurgents to launch attacks inside Pakistan. The Afghan Taliban rulers in Kabul say rising violence in Pakistan is a domestic issue for Islamabad and it does not allow militants to operate on its territory.
The TTP pledges allegiance to, and gets its name from, the Afghan Taliban, but is not directly a part of the group. Its stated aim is to impose Islamic religious law in Pakistan, as the Taliban have done in Afghanistan.
Police officer Naheed Khan said on Monday “well-armed” militants mounted an overnight attack on the Takhta Baig check post in the northwestern Khyber district, leaving a Frontier Constabulary (FC) paramilitary soldier and a police official dead.
“The security personnel deputed on the check post repulsed the attack after an intense exchange of fire, forcing the militants to flee,” he added.
In a separate incident, Rohanzeb Khan, District Police Officer (DPO) in the North Waziristan district, said unidentified gunmen shot dead a police officer of the Special Branch department late on Sunday night.
“Masked gunmen riding two motorbikes shot dead a police officer of the Special Branch in Eidak, a town on the outskirts of Miran Shah, the headquarters of the [North Waziristan] district,” Khan said.
Dr. Abdul Rasheed, who worked at the District Hospital Khar in the Bajaur tribal district, was separately gunned down by unidentified gunmen on Sunday, police said.
“The incident of the doctor’s killing took place in Mohmand,” police officer Ajab Khan told Arab News.
In the Sultankhel Market of Khyber district, police said on Monday a snooker club was set on fire and a warning note left that it should not be rebuilt. The club had been built by journalist Khalil Jibran who was gunned down by unidentified gunmen last month.
While no group has claimed responsibility for the latest violence, officials widely suspect the TTP.
Attacks against security targets and the assassination of police and government officials have been on the rise in recent months in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, with most assaults claimed by the TTP.
Last week, unidentified gunmen abducted 13 laborers in the northwestern district of Tank but released nine, police said. Separately last month, two soldiers from Pakistan’s paramilitary Frontier Corps were killed in clashes between security forces and militants who had allegedly infiltrated from neighboring Afghanistan into Pakistan’s northwestern border regions.
Pakistani forces were able to effectively dismantle the TTP and kill most of its top leadership in a string of military operations from 2014 onwards in the tribal areas, driving most of the fighters into neighboring Afghanistan, where Islamabad says they have regrouped. Kabul denies this.
Last month, the federal government announced it would launch a new counter-terrorism operation, Azm-e-Istehkam, but the campaign has so far been opposed by opposition parties.
