ISLAMABAD: The British Council has launched a new program for cultural organizations and artists in Pakistan, awarding grants of up to £15,000 to address the climate change emergency, aiming to promote sustainable projects and practices within the country, said a statement on Wednesday.
The program is part of an initiative to support climate action by providing grants to South Asian artists and cultural organizations in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal, with mentorship sessions offered to selected grantees by UK specialists throughout the project’s course.
According to the Global Climate Risk Index, Pakistan ranks as the fifth most vulnerable country to climate change, with its susceptibility to extreme weather events such as floods, droughts and heatwaves, which have significant impacts on agriculture, infrastructure and public health.
“A new initiative from the British Council aimed at supporting climate action in the creative industries in Pakistan is now open for applications,” the statement said on Wednesday. “The Climate Futures: South Asia program is designed to support the arts sector with grants of £15,000 available to artists and cultural organizations.”
The statement added that the program would support artist-led initiatives promoting “knowledge creation” and cultural sector sustainability, designing and implementing capacity-building initiatives, and “optimizing infrastructure to enhance climate change awareness and sustainable approaches within the arts sector.”
The deadline for all applications is November 25 at 4:59 am PST, the statement said, highlighting that successful applicants would have the opportunity to “make a significant impact on the global climate conversation through their projects.”
“We believe that the arts have a crucial role to play in addressing the climate crisis,” British Council Pakistan’s Country Director James Hampson said. “Climate Futures: South Asia is an exciting opportunity for artists and cultural organizations to lead the way and drive forward innovative projects that will inspire change.”
The British Council will also host a series of information sessions on October 8 and 22 to guide applicants through the application process and help them maximize their chances of securing funding.
British Council launches £15,000 grants for Pakistani artists to tackle climate change
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British Council launches £15,000 grants for Pakistani artists to tackle climate change
- Pakistan ranks as the fifth most vulnerable country to climate change, says the Global Climate Risk Index
- The council’s country director says arts have a crucial role to play in addressing climate crisis
5.3-magnitude quake hits central Pakistan
- US Geological Survey says quake’s epicenter located around 60 kilometers northeast of Balochistan’s Barkhan city
- Pakistan straddles boundary where Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet, making it susceptible for quakes
ISLAMABAD: A magnitude-5.3 earthquake struck central Pakistan on Sunday morning, according to the United States Geological Survey.
There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage from the shallow quake, which USGS reported had occurred around 3:30 am (2230 GMT) with the epicenter around 60 kilometers (37 miles) north-northeast of Barkhan, a city in Pakistan’s mountainous Balochistan province.
Pakistan straddles the boundary where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet, making the country susceptible to earthquakes.
The region can be challenging to navigate during crisis situations — in 2015, a 7.5-magnitude quake in Pakistan and Afghanistan killed almost 400 people across rugged terrain that impeded relief efforts.
The country was also hit by a 7.6-magnitude quake in 2005 that killed more than 73,000 people and left about 3.5 million homeless, mainly in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir.
Balochistan province, Pakistan’s largest, saw a quake in 2021 that killed at least 20 people and left more than 10 injured, with landslides hampering initial rescue efforts in the remote mountainous district of Harnai.
Islamabad says 21,700 Hajj pilgrims have left for Pakistan from Madinah so far
- Pakistani pilgrims arrive in Madinah after completing their Hajj rituals in holy city of Makkah
- Pakistan’s post-Hajj flight operation, which began on June 11, expected to continue till July 10
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s post-Hajj flight operations are in full swing as 21,700 pilgrims have so far departed for Pakistan from Madinah, state-run media reported this week, with more expected to leave in the coming days.
Pakistan began its post-Hajj flight operations on June 11 with the arrival of a Pakistan International Airlines flight, PK-732, in Islamabad carrying 307 pilgrims. The flights are expected to conclude by July 10.
State broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported on Saturday that Pakistani pilgrims are arriving in Madinah following the completion of their Hajj rituals in Makkah. It said the post-Hajj phase has begun under the supervision of the newly established Main Control Office (MCO) to facilitate Pakistani pilgrims for their return to the country.
“So far, 21,700 Pakistani pilgrims have departed for Pakistan from Madinah, with the remaining expected to leave in the coming days,” the state broadcaster said.
It said the MCO, set up in coordination with the Pakistan Hajj Mission Madinah, has been equipped with dedicated sections such as Lost and Found, Complaint Cell, Airport Team and other support services.
It said all sections are fully operational to ensure seamless facilitation for pilgrims traveling from Makkah to Madinah before their return to Pakistan.
“The office is managing pilgrims’ accommodation, food, transportation, and other logistical needs during their stay in Madinah,” Radio Pakistan said.
Pakistan received a quota of 179,210 pilgrims from Saudi Arabia for Hajj 2025, which was evenly divided between the government and private Hajj operators.
While the government filled its full allocation of over 88,000 pilgrims, a major portion of the private quota remained unutilized due to delays by companies in meeting payment and registration deadlines.
PM Sharif orders weather alerts for citizens as monsoon rains batter parts of Pakistan
- Shehbaz Sharif instructs NDMA to enhance coordination with provinces, provide all possible support
- NDMA says urban flooding is likely over the next 48 hours in the low-lying regions of southern Sindh
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday directed the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to enhance coordination with provinces and issue timely weather alerts to citizens via cellphone messages, as heavy monsoon rains continued to wreak havoc across parts of the country.
The directive came during a phone call with NDMA Chairperson Lt. Gen. Inam Haider Malik, amid reports of flash floods, urban inundation and landslides triggered by days of torrential rain.
The provincial disaster authorities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Punjab reported the death of 31 people amid heavy rains. The downpours, which claimed at least 19 lives in KP and 12 in Punjab, also damaged dozens of homes, disrupted rail operations in the southern Sindh province and prompted the meteorological department to maintain a high alert through early next week.
“Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif instructed the NDMA chairperson to remain in close contact with provincial governments, particularly in the country’s northern regions, and to provide all possible support,” said an official statement issued by the PM Office. “He also directed that weather warnings be proactively communicated to citizens via mobile phone messages.”
The NDMA issued its own emergency alert on Saturday, warning of possible urban flooding over the next 48 hours in low-lying areas of southern Sindh, including Karachi, Thatta, Badin, Sujawal, Hyderaba and Mirpurkhas.
Similar risks were flagged for the northeastern region, including Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Sialkot and Lahore.
“There is a possibility of increased water flow in southern Balochistan’s Kirthar Range streams,” the NDMA said, adding that flood levels could rise in the Swat and Panjkora rivers and their tributaries, as well as in the Kabul River and northern Punjab’s drainage systems.
The authority advised the public to avoid low-lying areas, stay away from rivers and streams and refrain from unnecessary travel in at-risk regions.
It also urged citizens to download the NDMA Disaster Alert mobile application for real-time updates and guidance.
Pakistan, home to more than 240 million people, is ranked among the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world and faces increasingly severe weather patterns, including heatwaves, droughts and floods.
In 2022, deadly floods brought by record monsoon rains and glacial melt killed over 1,700 people and impacted 33 million in Pakistan. The floods also damaged houses, crop and public infrastructure, with total losses estimated at over $30 billion.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department has forecast further heavy rainfall through Tuesday.
At least 1.2 million Afghans forced to return from Iran and Pakistan this year — UN
- Iran has deported over 366,000 Afghans this year, with the 12-day war increasing departures
- Pakistani officials have set a June 30 deadline for nearly 1.3 million Afghan nationals to leave
ISLAMABAD: At least 1.2 million Afghans have been forced to return from Iran and Pakistan this year, the UN refugee agency said Saturday, warning that repatriations on a massive scale have the potential to destabilize the fragile situation in Afghanistan.
Iran and Pakistan in 2023 launched separate campaigns to expel foreigners they said were living in the country illegally. They set deadlines and threatened them with deportation if they didn’t leave. The two governments deny targeting Afghans, who have fled their homeland to escape war, poverty or Taliban rule.
The UN high commissioner for refugees said that of the 1.2 million returning Afghans, more than half had come from Iran following a March 20 government deadline for them to leave voluntarily or face expulsion.
Iran has deported more than 366,000 Afghans this year, including refugees and people in refugee-like situations, according to the agency.
Iran’s 12-day war with Israel also has driven departures. The highest number of returns was on June 26, when 36,100 Afghans crossed the border in one day.
“Afghan families are being uprooted once again, arriving with scant belongings, exhausted, hungry, scared about what awaits them in a country many of them have never even set foot in,” said Arafat Jamal, the UNHCR representative in the Afghan capital, Kabul.
He said women and girls are particularly worried, as they fear the restrictions on freedom of movement and basic rights such as education and employment.
More than half Afghanistan relies on humanitarian assistance. But opposition to Taliban policies and widespread funding cuts are worsening the situation, with aid agencies and nongovernmental organizations cutting back on basic services like education and health care.
IRAN URGES FOREIGNERS TO LEAVE QUICKLY
Iran’s attorney general, Mohammad Movahedi Azad, said Saturday that foreigners in the country illegally should leave as soon as possible or face prosecution, state media reported.
“Foreign nationals, especially brothers and sisters from Afghanistan whom we have hosted for years, help us [so] that illegal individuals leave Iran in the shortest period,” the official IRNA news agency quoted Azad as saying.
Iranian authorities said in April that out of more than 6 million Afghans, up to 2.5 million were in the country illegally.
Iran’s top diplomat in Kabul, Ali Reza Bikdeli, visited the Dogharoun border crossing with Afghanistan and promised to facilitate the repatriation of Afghans, state TV reported.
Iranians have complained about the increasing presence of Afghans in recent months, with some accusing them of spying for Israel since the outbreak of the war.
TALIBAN PLEDGE AMNESTY
Earlier this month, on the religious festival of Eid Al-Adha, the Taliban prime minister said all Afghans who fled the country after the collapse of the former Western-backed government were free to return, promising they would be safe.
“Afghans who have left the country should return to their homeland,” Mohammad Hassan Akhund said in a message on X. “Nobody will harm them. Come back to your ancestral land and live in an atmosphere of peace.”
On Saturday, a high-ranking ministerial delegation traveled to western Herat province to meet some of the Afghans returning from Iran.
The officials pledged “swift action to address the urgent needs of the returnees and ensure that essential services and support are provided to ease their reintegration,” according to a statement from the Taliban deputy spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat on X.
People get food, temporary accommodation and access to health care upon their return, said Ahmadullah Muttaqi, the director of information and culture in Herat. Everyone receives 2,000 Afghanis, or $28.50, in cash and is taken free of charge to their home provinces.
“Upon arrival, they are housed in designated camps until permanent housing is arranged, as residential townships are currently under construction in every province for them,” he told The Associated Press.
Meanwhile, Pakistani authorities have set a June 30 deadline for some 1.3 million Afghans to leave. Pakistan aims to expel a total of 3 million Afghans this year.
Pakistan army chief hails cadets from Arab and allied nations at Naval Academy graduation
- Among the 127 graduating midshipmen were 19 cadets from Bahrain, four from Iraq and two from Palestine
- The army chief says Pakistan’s response to India standoff showed armed forces ready to defend the country
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, on Saturday hailed the presence of cadets from Arab and allied countries at a Naval Academy graduation ceremony, saying it reflected the high standard of training the country offers to its military partners.
The commissioning parade, held in Karachi, marked the completion of the 123rd Midshipmen and 31st Short Service Commission courses.
Among the 127 graduating midshipmen were 19 cadets from Bahrain, four from Iraq and two from the State of Palestine, with additional participants from the Republic of Djibouti and the Republic of Türkiye.
“The Pakistan Naval Academy has consistently provided excellent professional training to cadets from allied nations,” the army chief said, according to a statement issued by the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
“The presence of cadets from Bahrain, Iraq, the State of Palestine, the Republic of Djibouti and the Republic of Türkiye in today’s commissioning parade is a reflection of the Academy’s high training standards,” he added.
Pakistan regularly trains cadets and officers from partner nations and sends its own officers abroad to institutions in countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom for advanced military education and joint training.
The ceremony was attended by senior officials from Pakistan and other countries, government representatives and families of the graduating cadets.
In his remarks, the army chief also praised the Navy’s professionalism and its efforts as a regional maritime force committed to securing international sea lines of communication.
He also referenced the recent standoff with India, saying the country’s armed forces had “responded swiftly and decisively against a numerically superior enemy,” and were fully prepared to defend Pakistan’s sovereignty.
