ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has reported another case of polio virus in the federal capital of Islamabad, authorities said on Friday, taking the national tally to 17 this year.
The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio at the National Institute of Health detected the wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) in a child from Union Council Rural 4 of Islamabad, according the country’s polio program.
This is the first human case reported in Islamabad in 16 years, while environmental samples from the capital and neighboring Rawalpindi district have been positive for WPV1 since June, underscoring the persistent threat of polio to children’s well-being.
“It is incredibly heartbreaking that another Pakistan child has been affected by a disease that has no cure, but is entirely preventable with the help of an easily accessible vaccine,” Ayesha Raza Farooq, Prime Minister’s focal person for polio eradication, said in a statement.
In view of the “intense outbreak” of poliovirus in the country, she said, the polio program had held in-depth consultative sessions with the provinces and districts to implement plans to improve all aspects of polio eradication activities, starting from a polio campaign beginning next week.
“From September 9 onwards, polio teams will go house-to-house in 115 districts to vaccinate more than 33 million children under five,” Farooq said. “This virus does not discriminate. Wherever it finds a child with weak immunity, it will attack. Parents must understand the urgency of ensuring that their children receive polio drops and are up to date on their routine immunization.”
Muhammad Anwarul Haq, coordinator of the National Emergency Operations Center for polio eradication, said the polio program was launching this targeted vaccination campaign particularly in districts where the virus had been detected and where the risk of continued transmission and spread was really high.
“We’re ramping up efforts to reach every child with polio vaccines, including in Islamabad,” he said. “We have a collective responsibility to protect the health and wellbeing of our children.”
Haq reiterated that unfortunately, parents had not always welcomed and opened their doors to the vaccinators when they visited their homes.
“I encourage all parents and caregivers to make sure your children are not missed when the vaccinators visit your house next week,” he added.
Pakistan earlier reported 12 polio cases from Balochistan, three from Sindh and one from Punjab this year.
Pakistan reports 17th polio case of this year in Islamabad
https://arab.news/wuu4v
Pakistan reports 17th polio case of this year in Islamabad
- This is the first human case reported in Pakistan’s federal capital of Islamabad in 16 years
- Pakistan has reported 12 polio cases in Balochistan, three in Sindh and one in Punjab this year
Pakistan foils attempt to traffick women to Saudi Arabia under guise of Umrah
- Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency says four women were being sent to Kingdom for forced labor
- Ex-Punjab Police employee, travel agent involved in the crime, say Pakistan’s investigation authorities
KARACHI: Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Sunday foiled an attempt to traffick four women to Saudi Arabia under the guise of Umrah, the agency said, adding that a former police employee was involved in the crime.
The incident took place at the Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, where FIA officials offloaded four women from a flight who were traveling to the Kingdom on an Umrah visa, the agency said.
“According to the initial investigation, the victims were being sent to Saudi Arabia for forced labor,” the FIA said in a statement, adding that the women had traveled to the Kingdom before.
The agency said the preliminary investigations revealed a former Punjab Police employee, Asia, was involved in the crime. The FIA said that Asia had borne the travel expenses of the four women to Saudi Arabia.
“An agent named Wasim Gujjar was facilitating the stay and other expenses [of the women] in Saudi Arabia,” the statement said.
The agency said it was extracting information from the women about other agents involved in the crime.
Pakistan has acknowledged the issue of its citizens exploiting the Umrah visa to travel to Saudi Arabia and resorting to begging there. Last year it launched a crackdown against the practice.
The trend of beggars abusing visas to beg in foreign countries has Pakistan worried it could impact genuine visa-seekers and particularly religious pilgrims to Saudi Arabia. According to widespread media reports, Riyadh raised the issue with Islamabad at various forums last year.
Pakistanis are the second-largest expatriate community in the Kingdom, with over 2.5 million living and working in Saudi Arabia, the top source of remittances to the South Asian country.
Paramilitary soldier killed in attack targeting Levies checkpost in Pakistan’s southwest
- Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemns attack, vows to defeat militancy in country
- Southwestern Balochistan has long faced a low-level insurgency by Baloch militants
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday condemned a “terrorist attack” that targeted a Levies checkpost in southwestern Pakistan and resulted in the killing of one paramilitary soldier, his office said.
The casualty occurred in southwestern Balochistan’s Kalat district where a checkpost of the paramilitary Levies force was targeted in an attack, Sharif’s office said. As per local media reports, two other Levies personnel were injured.
“Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemns the terrorist attack on a Levies post in Kalat,” the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement. “The prime minister pays tribute to martyred officer Ali Nawaz.”
Sharif also prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured personnel, saying that “terrorists” were enemies of Balochistan’s progress and development.
“Will not allow the nefarious objectives of terrorists to succeed,” Sharif was quoted as saying by the PMO.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province by landmass and rich in mineral resources, has long faced a low-level insurgency led by separatist groups like the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), who accuse Islamabad of exploiting the province’s natural resources, such as gold and copper, while neglecting the local population.
Pakistan’s government denies these allegations, saying it has prioritized Balochistan’s development through investments in health, education and infrastructure projects.
Earlier this month, 18 security forces were killed and five, including two civilians, were injured after separatist militants launched overnight attacks in Balochistan's Mangochar town. The BLA claimed responsibility for the attack
Violence by Baloch separatist factions, primarily the BLA, killed about 300 people last year, according to official statistics, marking an escalation in the decades-long conflict.
Indian cricketers arrive in Dubai for Pakistan-hosted Champions Trophy
- India will begin their Champions Trophy campaign against Bangladesh on Feb. 20
- Dubai will host India’s Champions Trophy matches due to tensions with Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: India’s national cricket squad arrived in Dubai this week to take part in the Champions Trophy 2025 cricket tournament hosted by Pakistan, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed this week.
Led by skipper Rohit Sharma, India will begin their campaign to win the trophy on Feb. 20 against Bangladesh in Dubai.
India’s government refused to send its team to Pakistan for the tournament due to political tensions and security concerns. As a result, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), BCCI and the International Cricket Council (ICC) agreed that India will play all of its matches in Dubai as a form of a hybrid model.
“Touchdown Dubai,” BCCI wrote on its Instagram profile on Saturday. “Indian cricket team has arrived for Champions Trophy 2025.”
A video uploaded by the BCCI shows Indian cricketers Sharma, Virat Kohli and others embarking their tour bus and arriving at their hotel.
India will take on Pakistan in Dubai on Feb. 23 in what is being touted as one of the most anticipated cricket clashes of the year.
India’s matches with Pakistan draw thousands of spectators to stadiums across the globe while millions tune in from their homes.
Defending champions Pakistan beat India in the final of the Champions Trophy tournament in 2017 by 180 runs to lift the trophy.
Pakistan share Group A with India, New Zealand and Bangladesh. They take on New Zealand in the southern port city of Karachi on Feb. 19.
Pakistan’s Punjab province launches mass tree plantation drive to fight smog
- Punjab to plant 634,000 trees along banks of River Ravi in Lahore, says provincial minister
- Provincial government has already planted 105,000 trees over 44 acres of land, she says
ISLAMABAD: The government in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province has launched a campaign to plant 634,000 trees in Lahore in its bid to curb smog in the eastern city, a minister of the provincial government said on Sunday.
Air pollution or smog choked Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province, particularly Lahore, for weeks in November 2024, sickening nearly two million people and shrouding vast swathes of the province in a toxic haze.
The intense air pollution forced Punjab to close schools and offices, ban outdoor activities and shorten timings for restaurants, shops and markets last year in a bid to control the smog. Lahore also consistently ranked among the world’s most polluted cities in the world.
Senior Punjab Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb announced that the provincial government has launched the tree plantation project on 978 acres of land on the banks of River Ravi in Lahore.
“A tree plantation campaign in Lahore is essential to end air pollution and extreme heat,” Aurangzeb said. “A green belt on 978 acres on the banks of the Ravi River will provide fresh oxygen and clean air to citizens.”
She urged citizens to join the government in its efforts to erect “a wall of trees” in Lahore to ensure a smog-free Lahore, adding that 105,000 trees have already been planted on 144 acres of land near River Ravi.
Punjab’s battle against smog led it to install Pakistan’s first locally designed smog cleaning tower in Lahore in December 2024. Smog towers are large-scale air purifiers designed to reduce pollution by filtering out fine particulate matter and other harmful pollutants.
Using fans, the towers draw in polluted air, which passes through high-efficiency filters to capture PM2.5 and PM10 particles, which pose severe health risks. The cleaned air is then released back into the surrounding area, improving local air quality.
Pakistan to launch highly anticipated Champions Trophy tournament in Lahore today
- Key figures from ICC, PCB, other boards, foreign envoys and cricket legends to attend event at Lahore Fort
- Defending champions Pakistan will play first match of the tournament on Feb. 19 against New Zealand
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will launch the highly anticipated Champions Trophy cricket tournament at the iconic Lahore Fort today, Sunday, state-run media reported as participating teams other than India arrive in the host country.
Defending champions Pakistan are the hosts of the Champions Trophy 2025 edition, an eight-nation 50-over cricket tournament. The first match will be played from Feb. 19-Mar. 9 when Pakistan face New Zealand in the southern port city of Karachi.
The ceremony will be attended by key figures from the International Cricket Council (ICC), the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), and ICC member boards. Foreign envoys, former cricketers and Pakistan’s political leadership will also attend the event.
Some captains of competing teams are also likely to attend the event at the sprawling lawns of the fort.
“The ceremony at the Lahore Fort will officially launch the tournament,” the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported on Saturday.
Despite Pakistan hosting the tournament, four matches, including the first semifinal, will be co-hosted by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Pakistan.
The UAE was inducted as the co-host after the Indian cricket board refused to send its cricket team to Pakistan to play in the tournament due to political tensions and security concerns.
The Indian team will play its group matches against Pakistan, Bangladesh and New Zealand at the Dubai Cricket Stadium while the first semifinal will also be played at the same venue.
The final of the tournament will also be played in Dubai if India qualify for it. The traditional captains’ photoshoot will not take place ahead of the trophy due to the absence of Indian skipper Rohit Sharma.
New Zealand, South Africa, Afghanistan, England and Afghanistan have already reached Pakistan. Only two warm-up matches are scheduled in Pakistan while the third and last one will be played in the UAE between Pakistan Shaheens and Bangladesh.
Pakistan won the Champions Trophy tournament in 2017 under former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed’s leadership, beating India in the final by 180 runs in a one-sided contest.
