PESHAWAR: The weeklong clashes between two rival tribes over a property dispute in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province have left 39 people dead and 109 wounded, medics said on Friday, as local elders intensified efforts to enforce a ceasefire between the warring factions.
The Kurram district, formerly a semi-autonomous area, has a history of bloody confrontations that have claimed hundreds of lives over the years.
“We have received a total of 70 casualties, with 23 of them dead in the last seven days of clashes,” Dr. Mir Hassan Jan, Medical Superintendent at the District Headquarters Hospital in Upper Kurram, told Arab News.
Separately, District Health Officer for Lower and Central Kurram, Dr. Muhammad Faisal, said that two medical facilities in the area had received 16 bodies from the firefight.
“So far, we have a tally of 62 injured people and 16 others who are dead,” he added.
The clashes erupted last week over a piece of land claimed by both sides in Kurram, which has witnessed deadly tribal conflicts, sectarian violence, and militant attacks in the past.
A major conflict that began in 2007 continued for years before being resolved with the help of a jirga, a council of tribal elders, in 2011. However, another round of clashes broke out over a property dispute in July this year, leaving 38 dead and 158 injured in the same district.
Hameed Hussain, Member of the National Assembly (MNA) from Kurram district, told Arab News that local elders, along with security and district administration officials, had stepped up efforts to ensure a ceasefire without further delay.
“The government’s approach to dealing with the situation or enforcing a ceasefire is slow,” he noted. “But we have expedited efforts and approached its officials, along with rival tribes’ elders, in hopes of negotiating a settlement.”
Earlier, police said the warring tribes were using heavy and small weapons, blocking several routes, including the Parachinar-Peshawar highway.
KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has directed the police and district administration to take action and help reach a ceasefire through a jirga.
“For the last year, law and order issues have plagued Kurram, which should be resolved permanently,” Gandapur said in a statement.
“For a durable solution, a committee comprising members of the national and provincial assemblies, local elders, and law enforcement agencies should be formed to bring the warring tribes together and resolve the issue once and for all,” he added.
Weeklong clashes in Pakistan’s northwest leave 39 dead amid ceasefire efforts
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Weeklong clashes in Pakistan’s northwest leave 39 dead amid ceasefire efforts
- Kurram tribal district has a history of bloody confrontations that have claimed hundreds of lives over the years
- KP’s chief minister has asked police, district administration to take action and help reach a ceasefire in the area
US urges sports diplomacy between Pakistan, India following ICC Champions Trophy row
- State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel highlights the role of sports in “connecting people”
- India has refused to travel to Pakistan for ICC Champions Trophy slated to be held from Feb-March next year
ISLAMABAD: US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel on Friday encouraged sports diplomacy between Pakistan and India amid a row over New Delhi’s refusal to send its cricket team to neighboring Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy.
The ICC informed Pakistan last week India had declined to play any games in Pakistan during the Champions Trophy, which is scheduled to be held from Feb. 19 - March 9. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has sought clarification from the ICC on the refusal.
“Bilateral relationships are certainly not something for us to get in the middle of but sports is certainly a potent and connecting force,” Patel said during a weekly press briefing. “You have seen the secretary and this department really prioritize the role that sports diplomacy has in connecting people.”
Patel added that bilateral relations between Pakistan and India ought to be discussed between the countries on their own through sports orother means.
“At the end of the day, sports really connects so many people and is a great way for the human-to-human and people-to-people ties this administration has really prioritized,” he said.
India has not toured Pakistan since 2008 because of soured political relations between the neighbors, who play each other only in global multi-team tournaments. Pakistan hosted the Asia Cup last year but the winners India played all their matches in Sri Lanka under a “hybrid model.”
The PCB has ruled out a similar arrangement for the 2025 Champions Trophy despite the Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) maintaining its stance of not sending a team to Pakistan, citing government advice.
Pakistan unveils first National Climate Finance Strategy on COP29 sidelines
- Strategy aimed at mobilizing financial resources and investments for climate mitigation and adaptation
- Pakistan is ranked 5th most vulnerable country to climate change, according to Global Climate Risk Index
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has unveiled its first-ever National Climate Finance Strategy (NCFS), aimed at mobilizing financial resources for climate mitigation and adaptation, Radio Pakistan reported on Friday.
The strategy was launched by Federal Minister for Finance, Muhammad Aurangzeb, and the Prime Minister’s Coordinator on Climate Change, Romina Khurshid Alam, at the Pakistan Pavilion in Baku on the sidelines of the two-week UN-led global climate conference (COP29).
“[Strategy] outlines a comprehensive framework to scale up climate-related investments, attract international funding, and strengthen domestic financial systems,” Radio Pakistan reported.
“The strategy provides a roadmap for Pakistan to systematically access climate finance from a variety of domestic and international sources, reinforcing the country’s commitment to the Paris Agreement and its climate resilience goals.”
Speaking on the occasion, Aurangzeb said the strategy would enable Pakistan to leverage international, domestic, and private finance to support climate resilience efforts.
The strategy prioritizes sectoral resilience and the development of climate-smart policies across key sectors such as agriculture, infrastructure, and urban planning, the finance minister said, adding that NCFS identified key financial instruments and channels for climate action, aiming to close the estimated $348 billion climate finance gap facing the country by 2030.
The NCFS also incorporates a new National Climate Finance Portal that will track climate finance inflows and outflows, ensuring transparency and accountability.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who spoke at a number of events at COP29 earlier this week, used the forum to highlight the need to restore confidence in the pledging process and increase climate finance for vulnerable, developing countries.
The main task for nearly 200 countries at the COP29 summit from Nov. 11-22 is to broker a deal that ensures up to trillions of dollars in financing for climate projects worldwide.
Pakistan is ranked the 5th most vulnerable country to climate change, according to the Global Climate Risk Index. In 2022, devastating floods killed over 1,700 people and affected over 33 million, with economic losses exceeding $30 billion. International donors pledged over $9 billion last January to aid Pakistan’s flood recovery but officials say little of the promised funds have been received so far.
Speaking on the sidelines of the World Leaders’ Climate Action Summit on Tuesday, Sharif said developing countries would need an estimated $6.8 trillion by 2030 to implement less than half of their current nationally determined contributions (NDCs), or national action plans for reducing emissions and adapting to climate impacts defined by the Paris Agreement.
Most of the world’s climate-friendly spending so far has been skewed toward major economies such as China and the United States. Africa’s 54 countries received just 2 percent of global renewable energy investments over the last two decades.
‘Rain prayers’ to be organized across Pakistan today as toxic smog chokes cities
- Toxic smog has enveloped the eastern city of Lahore and 17 other districts of Punjab province since last month
- Lahore, home to 13 million people, had the worst air quality in the world on Friday, according to live readings by IQAir
ISLAMABAD: On the appeal of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, special prayers for rainfall will be organized across Pakistan today, Friday, as record-high air pollution levels have triggered hundreds of hospitalizations, school closures and stay-at-home orders in several districts of the most populous Punjab province.
On Friday, Lahore, home to 13 million people, had the worst air quality of any city in the world, according to live readings by IQAir, a Swiss air quality monitoring company.
On Thursday, Sharif appealed to the nation to perform Istisqa prayers, a special Islamic ritual performed to seek rain, primarily during times of drought or severe water shortages.
“Salat Al-Istisqa for rain will be offered across the country today [Friday] on the appeal of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to the nation,” Radio Pakistan reported, saying Sharif had urged religious scholars and prayer leaders to play their role in organizing the special ritual.
Earlier this week, the government of Punjab closed all high schools in the province until Nov. 17 due to persisting smog.
Primary schools and government offices had already been closed until Nov. 17 in many districts of Punjab earlier this month, with school closures likely to affect the education of more than 20 million students, according to associations representing private and government schools.
Authorities in 18 districts of Punjab also closed all public parks, zoos and museums, historical places, and playgrounds for ten days last week.
On Friday, a court in Lahore ordered the government to shut all markets after 8pm. Authorities have already banned barbecuing food without filters and ordered wedding halls to close by 10pm.
On Monday, the UN children’s agency said the health of 11 million children in Punjab province was in danger because of air pollution.
Pakistani deputy PM to attend UAE’s Sir Bani Yas Forum today
- Three-day summit will host top decision-makers, experts for debates on regional issues
- Ongoing war in Gaza is expected to feature prominently in discussions at Sir Bani Yas Forum
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar will attend the three-day 15th Sir Bani Yas Forum in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from today, Friday, the foreign office in Islamabad said, with the ongoing war in Gaza expected to be at the center of discussions.
The three-day annual retreat will bring together top decision-makers and experts to debate pressing Middle Eastern issues such as regional peace and security and economic transformation.
“At the invitation of His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar will participate in the 15th Sir Bani Yas Forum being held from Nov. 15-17 in the UAE,” foreign office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said at a weekly news briefing in Islamabad.
“At the forum, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister will engage in high-level dialogue with global leaders and experts addressing critical issues of regional security, economic cooperation and sustainable development.”
Dar will highlight Pakistan’s “strategic perspective on fostering diplomatic solutions to complex regional challenges and advancing collective prosperity,” Baloch added.
The war in the Gaza Strip is expected to feature prominently in discussions at the Sir Bani Yas Forum.
Israel invaded the enclave last year after Hamas-led gunmen attacked communities in southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people, according to Israeli authorities, and abducting more than 250 as hostages. Since then, the Israeli campaign has killed more than 43,500 people, according to Gaza health authorities, and destroyed much of the enclave’s infrastructure, forcing most of the 2.3 million population to move several times.
The issue was also at the center of the agenda at the recently concluded Joint Arab-Islamic Summit hosted by Saudi Arabia, with Baloch welcoming the resolution adopted by the summit, which, among other issues, called on the UN Security Council to impose an arms embargo on Israel and asked it to set up an independent investigation committee to investigate Israeli crimes including genocide, forced disappearances, torture and ethnic cleansing.
Pakistan restores train service from restive Balochistan province after bombing at train station
- At least 24 people were killed in a bomb blast on Saturday at a railway station in the city of Quetta
- In August, over 50 people were killed in Balochistan in militants attacks on police stations, railway lines, highways.
QUETTA: A train service between the southwestern city of Quetta and Peshawar in Pakistan’s northwest resumed on Friday after being shut for four days following a deadly bombing at a railway station.
At least 24 people were killed and more than 40 injured in a bomb blast on Saturday at a railway station in the city of Quetta in the province of Balochistan, which is grappling with a surge in strikes by separatist ethnic militants that has raised security concerns for projects aiming to develop the province’s untapped mineral resources.
Imran Hayat, Divisional Superintendent of Pakistan Railways Quetta Division, said train operations from Balochistan to the rest of the country had been restored, with the Quetta-Peshawar bound Jaffar Express departing from Quetta Railway Station on Friday morning amid tight security at the railway station.
“We had suspended our service for four days following the threat of attacks on the train service in Balochistan,” Hayat told Arab News.
“Today, the Quetta-Peshawar bound Jaffar Express departed from Quetta Railway Station at 9am and we have resumed service for Karachi and Chaman amid stringent security measures across the railway station.”
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist militant group, claimed responsibility for Saturday’s attack.
The BLA seeks independence for Balochistan, a province of about 15 million people that borders Afghanistan to the north and Iran to the west. The BLA is the biggest of several ethnic insurgent groups battling the government, saying it unfairly exploits the province’s rich gas and mineral resources. The government denies this.
In August, over 50 people were killed in Balochistan after separatist militants attacked police stations, railway lines and highways.
The assaults in August were the most widespread in years by militants fighting a decades-long insurgency to win secession for the province, home to major China-led projects such as a port and a gold and copper mine.
