ISLAMABAD: Saudi Arabia’s embassy in Pakistan said on Sunday it had held an exhibition in Pakistan’s cultural heart of Lahore to celebrate the Kingdom’s 94th National Day.
The Saudi National Day is celebrated each year on September 23 to commemorate the proclamation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932 by King Abdulaziz.
The Saudi National Day event in Lahore included an exhibition of the Kingdom’s cultural heritage, which was attended by Saudi Ambassador Nawaf bin Saeed Al-Malki, Punjab Governor Saleem Haider Khan and other dignitaries.
“Pakistani brothers showed their presence and feelings of love with us [at the event],” the Saudi embassy said on X.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoy strong economic, defense and religious ties. The Kingdom is home to over 2.7 million Pakistani expatriates, serving as the top source of remittances for the cash-strapped South Asian country.
Saudi Arabia has also often come to cash-strapped Pakistan’s aid by regularly providing it oil on deferred payments and offering direct financial support to help stabilize its economy and shore up its forex reserves.
“Saudi Arabia supported Pakistan in difficult circumstances and stood by Pakistan in every hour of need,” Governor Khan said, highlighting the strong ties between the two counties.
Saudi embassy holds cultural exhibition in Lahore to mark Kingdom’s 94th National Day
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Saudi embassy holds cultural exhibition in Lahore to mark Kingdom’s 94th National Day
- The Saudi National Day is celebrated each year on September 23 to commemorate the proclamation of the Kingdom in 1932 by King Abdulaziz
- The Lahore event was attended by Saudi ambassador Nawaf bin Saeed Al-Malki, Punjab Governor Saleem Haider Khan and other dignitaries
Attack on foreign diplomats’ convoy in Pakistan kills police officer, police say
- Another four police officers were wounded in the attack, official says
- All diplomats were safe and were heading back to capital Islamabad
PESHAWAR: A roadside bomb hit a convoy of foreign diplomats visiting northwest Pakistan on Sunday, killing a police officer in their security detail, police said.
Swat district police officer Zahidullah Khan said the diplomats were visiting the Swat valley area on the invitation of local chamber of commerce.
“The squad that was leading the convoy was hit by a roadside bomb,” he said.
Another four police officers were wounded, Khan said.
All the nearly dozen diplomats were safe and were heading back to Islamabad, police said.
“All the ambassadors remained safe in the attack and had been shifted to a safe place before their departure to Islamabad,” Deputy Inspector General of police Mohammad Ali Gandapur told Reuters.
The nationality of the diplomats was not immediately clear. A Pakistani foreign office spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for a comment.
No one claimed responsibility for the attack.
Pakistani counter-terrorist forces maintain a strong presence in the Swat valley, which has long been a hotbed of Islamist militant insurgency. The militants have stepped up their attacks since late 2022 after breaking a ceasefire with the government.
In 2012, Islamist militants shot and wounded Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai in the valley.
Three counter-terrorism officials killed in militant attack in Pakistan’s Balochistan
- Militant ambushed an Anti-Terrorist Force vehicle in Balochistan’s Zhob district late on Saturday night
- Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, has been the site of a decades-long separatist insurgency
QUETTA: Unidentified militants attacked a vehicle of the Anti-Terrorist Force (ATF) and killed three officials in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, a senior police official said on Sunday.
Pakistan’s largest province of Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan and is home to major China-led projects such as a strategic port and a gold and copper mine, has been the site of a decades-long separatist insurgency by ethnic Baloch militants.
The militants ambushed the ATF vehicle in Zhob, a remote district bordering the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, late on Saturday night, according to Superintendent of Police Saboor Agha. The ATF members were en route to Dera Ismail Khan after handing over a prisoner to authorities in Zhob.
“One soldier was killed at the ambush site, while two others succumbed to gunshot wounds on their to provincial headquarters of Quetta,” SP Agha told Arab News. “A fourth soldier injured in the attack is being treated in Quetta.”
Saturday’s attack occurred on the Zhob-Dera Ismail Khan highway close to Balochistan’s border with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where militants, particularly from the Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), have intensified attacks against security forces in recent months.
Last month, separatist militants hit several civil and military targets in a string of coordinated attacks in Balochistan, killing more than 50 people. The attacks prompted Pakistani military to gun down a dozen militants in separate operations in the province.
The separatists accuse the central government of exploiting Balochistan’s mineral and gas resources. The Pakistani state denies the allegation and says it is working to uplift the region through development initiatives.
Islamabad says militants mainly associated with the banned TTP frequently launch attacks from Afghanistan and has even blamed Kabul’s Afghan Taliban rulers for facilitating anti-Pakistan militants. Kabul denies the charges.
PCB announces ‘Connection Camp’ to restore Pakistan cricket to former glory
- PCB chairman to lead camp’s meeting on Monday with cricketers including Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi and coaching staff
- Development takes place after Pakistan suffered a string of humiliating losses, most recently a 2-0 Test series loss to Bangladesh
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced that its Chairman Mohsin Naqvi will head a high-level “Connection Camp” on Monday that will feature the country’s elite cricketers and coaching staff aimed at restoring the country’s cricket to its former glory.
The camp, which will be held at a local hotel, will bring together Pakistan’s white-ball captain Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Rizwan, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Test captain Shan Masood. They will also be joined by national team head coaches Jason Gillespie and Gary Kirsten, assistant coach Azhar Mahmood and high performance specialist David Reid.
The development takes place with fans and critics alarmed at the state of affairs of the sport in the country. Since 2023, Pakistan has lost to Afghanistan, Ireland, United States and Bangladesh in all three formats of the game.
The green shirts were whitewashed 2-0 by Bangladesh earlier this month. Pakistan have not won a single Test match at home since December 2021, leading many to wonder whether the sport is headed for a certain decline in the country.
“The Connection Camp is a critical step toward unifying our approach to restore Pakistan cricket to its former glory,” Naqvi said in a statement. “Our aim is to identify key issues, foster open dialogue and collectively agree on a strategic path forward.”
The session will focus on fostering stronger collaboration between players and the PCB, the board said, adding it will reaffirm its commitment to supporting players in meeting strategic goals.
“The ultimate aim is for players to take a leading role in inspiring the next generation of cricketers through outstanding performances,” it said.
Masood said the discussions will help the cricketers set a strong course for the future. The Pakistani Test skipper said he was excited to be a part of this collaborative effort.
“The outcomes of the session will include performance benchmarks, player development programs and strategies to enhance grassroots cricket,” he said.
Pakistan’s red-ball head coach Gillespie described the camp as a “valuable opportunity” for open dialogue and alignment between the coaching staff and players.
“We’re all striving toward the same goal— raising the standard of Pakistan cricket and creating a culture of winning,” he said.
Kirsten noted it was his responsibility to provide the best environment where players thrive.
“We will focus on refining our approach in white-ball cricket to meet the standards of the highest levels of international competition,” he said.
While critics and experts have pointed to a lack of quality pitches and infrastructure in the country for Pakistan’s lackluster performances, many blame frequent changes in the PCB’s management in the past year and a lack of unity in the team for the poor performances.
Pakistan police arrest six women in Karachi for using hypnosis to rob people
- Police say inter-provincial gang has conducted robberies in Lahore, Sukkur, Hyderabad and Karachi cities
- Numerous cases have been reported in Karachi in the past where victims claimed they were hypnotized
KARACHI: Pakistani police arrested a gang of six suspected female robbers in the southern port city of Karachi on Sunday, accusing them of using hypnosis to rob their victims.
Dr. Uzair Ahmed, the senior superintendent of police for investigation in the city’s Malir district, disclosed that the inter-provincial gang of women had previously committed robberies in Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Lahore and other cities of Punjab by hypnotizing their victims.
While the scientific validity of hypnosis as a crime-inducing tool is often debated, numerous cases have been reported in Karachi in the past where victims have claimed to have been hypnotized before being robbed.
“We have arrested a gang leader and five other women for looting citizens while using hypnosis to manipulate them,” Dr. Ahmed told Arab News.
He said the remaining members of the 25-member gang are still at large.
“The modus operandi of the gang was that they would come to Karachi, stay in low-priced hotels in downtown Saddar, conduct robberies in various parts of the city and then return to their homes in Punjab,” Dr. Ahmed revealed.
He said the women would enter people’s homes by using various excuses, often asking for jobs or offering to sew clothes.
“Once inside, the gang leader, an expert in hypnosis, would engage the women while others would loot them,” the police officer said.
He said the gang also had male members, whose job was to provide logistics and transportation to the women.
The arrested women have been identified as Sahiba alias Hina, Babli Maqbool, Kaneez Fareed, Sahiba Fatma, Lubna Shah, and Salman Hussain. Police said they had recovered Rs4 million [$14,418] from their possession.
“Two families of victims have also identified these women,” Dr. Ahmed said.
Various robberies over the years have been reported from Karachi in which the victims claimed they were hypnotized before robbers made away with their valuable items.
Last year, a shopkeeper in Karachi said he was hypnotized and robbed on the city’s busy Burns Road. The suspect was later arrested and charged with the crime.
In another incident reported from the port city in 2021, a man was robbed of Rs 3.5 million [$12,616] after being hypnotized in the city’s Gulshan-e-Iqbal area.
Pakistan warns torrential rains from Sept. 26-Oct. 1 may trigger floods, landslides
- Moist currents from Bay of Bengal likely to penetrate upper parts of the country from Sept. 25, says Met Office
- Urges farmers to manage activities by following weather forecast, advises tourists to remain “extra cautious“
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Meteorological Department on Sunday warned that torrential rains from Sept. 26 to Oct. 1 could trigger floods and landslides in the country’s low-lying and northern areas, urging citizens to take extra precautions to stay out of harm’s way.
The Met Office said moist currents from the Bay of Bengal are likely to penetrate the upper parts of the country from Sept. 25, adding that a westerly wave is also likely to approach the upper parts of Pakistan from Sept. 26.
“Heavy rains may increase flow in local nullas/streams in Murree, Galliyat, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Kohistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, Kashmir, Chitral, Dir, Swat, Shangla, Bajaur, Mohmand, Khyber, Nowshera, Swabi, Islamabad/Rawalpindi and Northeast Punjab during the forecast period,” the Met Office said in a statement.
It added that torrential rains may cause urban flooding in low-lying areas of Islamabad/Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Lahore, Sheikhupura, Kasur and Sialkot while landslides may disrupt roads in upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Murree, Galliyat, Kashmir and GB during the rain forecast period.
In KP, the Met Office said rain and thundershowers are expected in Chitral, Dir, Swat, Kohistan, Shangla, Battagram, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Haripur, Buner, Malakand, Bajaur, Mohmand, Khyber, Peshawar, Swabi, Nowshera, Mardan, Charsadda, Kurram, Orakzai and Kohat from Sept. 26 to Oct. 1.
In Hangu, Bannu, Lakki Marwat, Waziristan and Dera Ismail Khan, heavy rains are expected from Sept. 27 to Oct. 1 with occasional gaps.
In Punjab, the Met Office forecast rain with thundershowers in Islamabad/Rawalpindi, Murree, Galliyat, Attock, Chakwal, Tala Gang, Jhelum, Mandi Bahauddin, Gujrat, Gujranwala, Lahore, Sheikhupura, Sialkot, Narowal, Hafizabad, Wazirabad from Sept. 26 to Oct. 1.
In Sahiwal, Jhang, Toba Tek Singh, Nankana Sahib, Khushab, Sargodha, Mianwali, Chiniot, Faisalabad, Okara, Pakpattan, Kasur and Bhakkar, the department forecast heavy rains with thundershowers from Sept. 27 to Oct. 1.
In Azad Kashmir, it said that rain with thundershowers is expected in Neelum valley, Muzaffarabad, Rawalakot, Poonch, Hattian, Bagh, Haveli, Sudhanoti, Kotli, Bhimber and Mirpur from Sept. 26 to Oct. 2.
In the country’s northern GB area, the Met Office said rain and thunderstorms were expected in Diamir, Astore, Skardu, Gilgit, Hunza, Ghanche and Shigar from Sept. 26 to Oct. 2.
Meanwhile, it forecast hot and dry weather in the southern provinces of Balochistan and Sindh during the same period.
“However, rain, wind and thunderstorm is expected at isolated places in Mirpurkhas, Tharparkar, Umerkot and adjoining areas from 26th to 28th September,” the Met Office said.
It warned that windstorms and lightning may damage weak structures such as the roofs and walls of mud houses, electric poles, billboards, vehicles, and solar panels.
The Met Office urged farmers to manage their activities keeping in mind the weather forecast.
“Travelers and tourists are advised to remain extra cautious and manage their traveling according to weather conditions and avoid any untoward situation during the wet spell,” it said.
