PESHAWAR: A group of Pakistani volunteers found the body of a Japanese climber who died while trying to descend from one of the highest mountains in the country, officials said Tuesday.
The body of 64-year-old Hiroshi Onishi was brought down the previous day from the 7,027-meter (23,054 feet) Spantik Peak — also known as Golden Peak — where he died, a local police chief Mohammad Hanif told The Associated Press by phone.
He was the third Japanese climber to die in Pakistan in less than a month.
Onishi was coming down from the mountain with other Japanese climbers after successfully reaching the summit when he slipped and fell into a crevasse and died, police said.
The body of Onishi was being sent to Islamabad by an ambulance, according to Javed Ali Munwa, a local official told the AP. His family is expected to reach Pakistan later this week.
A six-member team of volunteers led by a Pakistani mountaineer Abbas Ali undertook the risky mission to retrieve the body after bad weather prevented helicopters from flying to the Spantik, Munwa said. He added that it took 6 days of arduous work to find and bring the body down.
Hiroshi’s death came after two other Japanese climbers, Atsushi Taguchi and Ryuseki Hiraoka, died while trying to scale the same mountain. They went missing on June 13, and Hiraoka’s body was found two days later after that incident.
His colleague was presumed dead after an unsuccessful weeklong search. Both had fallen into a deep crevasse.
Golden Peak is known for its distinct golden hue at sunrise and sunset, making it a popular destination for mountaineers.
Every year, hundreds of climbers try to scale mountains in northern Pakistan, including K2 and Nanga Parbat, and several die.
Body of missing Japanese climber retrieved from mountain in northern Pakistan
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Body of missing Japanese climber retrieved from mountain in northern Pakistan
- Hiroshi Onishi, 64, died after falling into a crevasse while descending the 7,027-meter Golden Peak
- Six volunteers retrieved his body after bad weather prevented helicopters from flying over the peak
Pakistan Navy commissions advanced warship to enhance region’s maritime security
- PNS Hunain was inducted at a ceremony in Romania that was attended by Pakistan’s naval chief
- The Pakistani vessel is equipped with terminal defense and advanced electronic warfare systems
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Navy has commissioned its offshore patrol vessel, PNS Hunain, at a ceremony in Romania, the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said on Friday, adding the move will help strengthen regional maritime security in the Indian Ocean.
Pakistan’s Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf attended the commissioning ceremony as chief guest which was also joined by Romanian Chief of Defense Staff General Gheorghita Vlad and other senior officials and dignitaries.
“The induction of the ship will further enhance Pakistan Navy’s maritime security capabilities, presence in distant international waters and operational readiness,” the ISPR quoted the naval chief as saying. “The induction of
PNS Hunain will further strengthen the regional maritime security patrol deployment in the Indian Ocean.”
PNS Hunain is a multi-role, ultra-fast warship equipped with terminal defense and advanced electronic warfare systems, anti-ship and anti-air warfare capabilities, the statement added.
The naval chief also appreciated the professionalism of Damen Shipyard and its management for providing modern technology to Pakistan.
Earlier this month, the Pakistan Navy assumed command of a multinational task force responsible for ensuring maritime security in the southeastern waters of the Middle East by operating in the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman and Gulf of Aden.
Combined Task Force 150 (CTF-150) is part of the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), a 34-nation coalition aimed at promoting security and stability in some of the world’s most important shipping lanes, focusing on counter-terrorism, anti-smuggling and enhancing navigational security.
WWF says housing schemes, uplift projects destroying mangroves forests in southern Pakistan
- The organization says 200 hectares of mangrove forests were lost in Karachi between 2010 and 2022
- Mangrove trees are part of coastal ecosystem that shield populations from climate-induced disasters
ISLAMABAD: A leading international organization focusing on environmental research and conservation said on Friday mangrove forests in Pakistan’s southern metropolis of Karachi, which shield the city from climate-induced disasters, face a significant threat due to the unchecked expansion of housing schemes and development projects.
Mangroves are part of coastal ecosystem that adapt to survive in harsh, salty conditions. Mangrove trees evolve to thrive in areas with low oxygen levels, high salinity and frequent flooding. They are found in over 100 countries, with the largest presence in Indonesia, Australia, Brazil and Nigeria.
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in its latest report released today warn of significant deforestation in the existing mangrove areas in Karachi, saying they could be destroyed in the near future if immediate steps are not taken through better planning.
The organization proposed the implementation of strict enforcement of laws, reforestation and natural regeneration programs.
“Amidst Karachi’s growing concrete jungle, mangrove forests which protect the city’s coastline against cyclones, strong winds, coastal flooding or other climate change induced disasters, face a serious threat of destruction,” the WWF warned.
“Several locations along the Karachi coast were identified where tracts of mangroves have been cleared for housing schemes and commercial and industrial projects,” it added.
The WWF highlighted that land reclamation and cutting mangroves for housing schemes and uplift projects had result in the decline of Karachi’s mangrove cover, according to the data recorded by geospatial experts who use remote sensing devices.
The report also sheds light on the efforts made by the Sindh Forest Department in the conservation of provincial mangrove forests by planting trees over 55,555 hectares of land along the coastline mainly in the Indus Delta between in the last four years.
“They also initiated various mangrove reforestation and management programs in collaboration with WWF-Pakistan and the International Union for Conservation of Nature Pakistan,” the report said.
However, the organization noted that nearly 200 hectares of mangrove forests along Karachi’s coastline were lost between 2010 and 2022 due to land grabbing and residential projects.
It cited satellite-based evidence of mangrove destruction along the Karachi coast that indicated large tracts of mangroves “completely cleared and converted into residential projects.”
“Mangrove forests are severely threatened by rampant urban development, illegal logging, pollution, and insufficient enforcement of conservation laws,” the report quoted the WWF Pakistan Director General Hammad Naqi Khan as saying.
“This loss of mangrove cover along the coastline has not only increased the vulnerability of local communities to oceanic disasters but also eliminates other essential services including biodiversity support, urban cooling, air purification and storage of carbon dioxide.”
Naqi suggested relevant stakeholders work together to conserve the mangroves given their ecological, economic and social benefits.
The report also highlighted the need to protect critical mangrove areas for their role in mitigating climate change impacts and supporting local fisher communities, recommending continuous monitoring and research using advanced tools to assess conservation effectiveness.
ADB approves $400 million for reconstruction of flood-damaged houses in Pakistan’s Sindh province
- The 2022 floods were attributed to the challenge of climate change and caused more than $35 billion in damages
- ADB says many flood victims still reside in temporary shelters lacking services like water, sanitation and electricity
ISLAMABAD: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Friday announced the approval of a $400 million concessional loan to support the reconstruction of houses and community infrastructure damaged by the devastating floods in 2022 in Pakistan’s southeastern province of Sindh.
The floods were triggered by unprecedented monsoon rains in the country, attributed to climate change, which claimed 1,700 lives and destroyed homes, farmlands and public infrastructure, causing more than $35 billion in damages.
The ADB’s approval of the loan under the Sindh Emergency Housing Reconstruction Project is part of its commitment to provide $1.5 billion in total assistance to the country from 2023 to 2025 in an effort to catalyze Pakistan’s flood recovery.
“This project will help rebuild homes and communities, and restore livelihood and basic services in Sindh, the province most affected by the devastating 2022 floods,” ADB Director General for Central and West Asia Yevgeniy Zhukov was quoted in a statement circulated by the bank. “It is part of ADB’s extensive support to help Pakistan recover from the disaster which affected 33 million people and damaged houses and infrastructure across the nation.”
According to ADB estimates, Sindh sustained about 83 percent of the total housing damage inflicted by the floods, with around 2.1 million houses either fully destroyed or damaged.
“Two years on, many victims still reside in inadequate, temporary shelters lacking essential services such as water, sanitation, and electricity,” the statement said.
The ADB says its project will support conditional cash grants for the reconstruction of 250,000 houses with multi-hazard resilient and environment-responsive designs.
The concessional loan will also support community-driven construction of infrastructure such as drinking water and sanitation facilities, covered drainage, and renewable energy solutions for 100,000 households in around 1,000 flood-damaged villages in the province.
The project will also support conditional cash grants for livestock, agriculture, small enterprises and e-commerce.
“ADB’s support will not only help Pakistan build back better, but it will also promote community-led climate resilience and disaster risk management strategies to better prepare for future hazards,” the bank’s Director for Water and Urban Development Srinivas Sampath said. “We are coordinating closely with other development partners to support the government’s recovery and reconstruction priorities.”
The project supports the government’s resilient rehabilitation, reconstruction and recovery strategy and will follow an integrated and sequential approach to ensure that investments across sectors complement each other.
ADB has also promised $500,000 technical assistance grant to further support the government’s operational capabilities in procurement, safeguard compliance and technical and financial management.
Pakistan, Tajikistan discuss land and air connectivity, cooperation in education, agriculture, defence
- Tajikistan envoy to Pakistan calls on Prime Minister Sharif in Islamabad
- Two officials also discuss CASA-1000 regional energy transmission project
ISLAMABAD: Tajikistan’s envoy to Pakistan, Sharifzoda Yusuf Toirali, expressed his country’s desire for enhanced bilateral cooperation with Pakistan in various areas during a meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at the PM House on Friday.
The meeting comes against the backdrop of Pakistan’s active economic diplomacy with Central Asian states to strengthen connectivity and ensure a smooth flow of trade for greater regional prosperity.
Earlier this month, Sharif visited Tajikistan on a two-day trip where he met President Emomali Rahmon and highlighted the “unlimited potential” for foreign investment in Pakistan.
He also offered the Tajik administration the use of Pakistani ports, Gwadar and Karachi, to enhance trade via global sealanes with the rest of the world.
“The Tajik Ambassador briefed the prime minister on a number of proposals aimed at enhancing bilateral cooperation in various fields including education, agriculture and defence as well as connectivity through land and air routes,” the state-owned Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported after the meeting.
The prime minister, who welcomed Toirali and wished him a successful tenure to the country, tasked relevant ministries to get in touch with the Tajik envoy for further discussions.
The two sides also focused on regional connectivity projects, including CASA-1000, during the meeting.
The initiative is a regional energy project aimed at transmitting surplus hydroelectric power from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to Afghanistan and Pakistan.
It involves the construction of high-voltage transmission lines to deliver up to 1,300 megawatts of electricity, enhancing energy security and fostering economic cooperation between Central and South Asia.
Pakistan and Tajikistan have also tried to increase people-to-people contacts in recent months, with a Tajik airline inaugurating direct flight operations between Dushanbe and Islamabad.
Pakistani woman attacked by family with axe for ‘seeking divorce’ — police
- The woman told police in a complaint filed few days ago that she was receiving threats from her father and other relatives
- The plight of women in Pakistan is marked by significant challenges rooted in deeply ingrained social norms, cultural practices
KARACHI: A woman was attacked with an axe by her family members for “seeking divorce” from her husband in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province, police said on Friday.
The woman had registered a complaint a few days ago and stated that she was receiving threats from her father and other relatives for seeking divorce from her husband, according to a Naushahro Feroze police spokesperson.
She had also sought legal protection. The woman was presented before a local court and shifted to a shelter home on the court orders, but she decided to go to her mother’s home after a few days.
“Suspect Ghulam Mustafa (father of the woman), along with his brother and another suspect, attacked his daughter in Gul Town area of the Naushahro Feroze district, injured her and damaged her legs,” the spokesperson said in a statement on Friday.
A picture of Batool released by the police after she was attacked and following her medical treatment showed both her legs bandaged with plaster.
Police have lodged a case against the suspects under sections 114, 148, 149, 324, 506/2 of the Pakistan Penal Code (provisions related to criminal offenses and penalties) and apprehended a suspect, Qurban Shah.
“Raids are being conducted at different places to arrest other suspects,” the police spokesperson said. “They will be brought before the law very soon.”
The plight of women in Pakistan is marked by significant challenges rooted in deeply ingrained social norms. Cultural practices often restrict freedoms and perpetuate gender-based violence, including domestic abuse and honor-related crimes.
The attacks fit a wider pattern of eroding women’s rights in the Muslim-majority nation of more than 240 million, where women are frequently treated as second-class citizens and laws against domestic violence are not implemented properly.
