Lahore most polluted city on earth, Agra’s toxic smog hides Taj Mahal

Short Url
Updated 14 November 2024
Follow

Lahore most polluted city on earth, Agra’s toxic smog hides Taj Mahal

  • Smog obscured India’s famed monument to love, the Taj Mahal, and Sikhism’s holiest shrine, Golden Temple in Amritsar
  • Delhi flights faced delays, with tracking website Flightradar24 showing 88 percent departures and 54% of arrivals were delayed

NEW DELHI: Toxic smog obscured India’s famed monument to love, the Taj Mahal, as well as Sikhism’s holiest shrine, the Golden Temple in Amritsar, and delayed flights on Thursday, becoming too thick to see through in several places.

The city of Lahore in neighboring Pakistan ranked as the world’s most polluted in winter’s annual scourge across the region, worsened by dust, emissions, and smoke from fires burnt illegally in India’s farming states of Punjab and Haryana.

In the city of Agra, the Taj Mahal was barely visible from the gardens in front of the 17th-century monument, while dense fog wreathed worshippers at the Golden Temple in Punjab, television images showed.

Delhi flights faced delays, with tracking website Flightradar24 showing 88 percent of departures and 54 percent of arrivals were delayed.

Officials blamed high pollution, combined with humidity, becalmed winds and a drop in temperature for the smog, which cut visibility to 300 m (980 ft) at the city’s international airport, which diverted flights in zero visibility on Wednesday.

More patients flocked to hospitals, particularly children.

“There has been a sudden increase in children with allergies, cough and cold ... and a rise in acute asthma attacks,” Sahab Ram, a paediatrician in Punjab’s Fazilka region, told news agency ANI.

Delhi’s minimum temperature fell to 16.1 degrees Celsius (61°F) on Thursday from 17 degrees C (63 degrees F) the previous day, weather officials said.

Its pollution ranked in the ‘severe’ category for the second consecutive day, with a score of 430 on an index of air quality maintained by the top pollution panel that rates a score of zero to 50 as ‘good’.

Pollution in New Delhi is likely to stay in the ‘severe’ category on Friday, the earth sciences ministry said, before improving to ‘very poor’, or an index score of 300 to 400.

The number of farm fires to clear fields in northern India has risen steadily this week to almost 2,300 on Wednesday from 1,200 on Monday, the ministry’s website showed.

Lahore, the capital of Pakistan’s eastern province of Punjab, was rated the world’s most polluted city on Thursday, in live rankings kept by Swiss group IQAir. Authorities there have also battled hazardous air this month. 


Pakistan PM assures top judge of expediting effective measures on ‘missing persons’

Updated 10 sec ago
Follow

Pakistan PM assures top judge of expediting effective measures on ‘missing persons’

  • Hundreds of political workers, rights activists have gone missing in Pakistan over the years
  • Pakistan’s security forces deny allegations they abduct, torture these “missing persons”

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday assured Chief Justice Yahya Afridi of expediting effective measures related to “missing persons,” a statement from Sharif’s office said, as the two met to discuss the country’s justice system.
Hundreds of political workers, rights activists and professionals have gone missing in Pakistan over the years, particularly in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and the southwestern Balochistan provinces, where militants have waged a war against the state for long.
Families and rights activists say people picked up by security forces often disappear for years and are sometimes found dead, with no official explanation. Pakistani security agencies have been blamed in many cases, though they have always denied involvement in such disappearances.
Sharif met Justice Afridi at the Chief Justice House in Islamabad, where he congratulated him on assuming his responsibilities. Justice Afridi was sworn in as Pakistan’s 30th chief justice in October 2024.
“The prime minister also assured the chief justice of expediting effective measures regarding missing persons,” the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement, without elaborating what these measures were.
The PMO said Sharif informed the chief justice about pending tax disputes in Pakistani courts, requesting Justice Afridi to decide these cases on merit at the earliest.
Sharif’s office said he discussed Pakistan’s economic situation and security challenges with the top judge.
Justice Afridi sought suggestions from Sharif on improving the country’s justice system, the statement said.
“Chief Justice Yahya Afridi welcomed the Prime Minister’s discussion on improving the justice system,” the PMO said. 
Pakistan’s Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar, Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Khan Cheema, Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan and the Supreme Court’s registrar were also present during the meeting. 
Pakistan’s government set up a Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances (COIOED) in 2011 to trace missing persons in the country and hold those responsible for abducting them. 
In a report released last year, the commission said around 10,285 cases had been registered with the body since January 2018, of which 4,514 individuals had returned home. 
It said around 1,002 persons were in internment centers, 671 in prisons and the bodies of 277 had been recovered. Additionally, the report said 1,551 cases were closed for various reasons.


Pakistan, Saudi Arabia to form joint committee to produce films, songs and documentaries

Updated 19 February 2025
Follow

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia to form joint committee to produce films, songs and documentaries

  • Pakistan’s information attends fourth edition of Saudi Media Forum in Riyadh 
  • Islamabad, Riyadh stress on collaborating to combat misinformation, propaganda

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have agreed to form a joint committee to produce songs, films and documentaries, Pakistan’s information ministry said on Wednesday, as the two countries aim to foster stronger ties in the media industry. 

Pakistan’s Information Minister Ataullah Tarar met Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Media Salman Al-Dossary in Riyadh as he attended the fourth edition of the Saudi Media Forum. 

The event brings together over 200 leading media professionals, innovators and thought leaders from across the world. This year’s edition is taking place under the “Media in an Evolving World” theme and will run from Wednesday to Friday.

“Pakistan and Saudi Arabia agree to form a joint committee for joint productions, songs, films and documentaries,” Pakistan’s information ministry said. 

“The meeting also focused on enhancing cooperation in various sectors including the exchange of journalists and training programs.”

The ministry said discussions between the two ministers focused on strengthening media relations and enhancing cooperation between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia in promoting regional peace and stability.

Tarar and Al-Dossary also emphasized the importance of collaborating to combat misinformation and propaganda, the statement said, adding that Tarar reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to supporting Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030.

The Pakistani minister said Islamabad’s brotherly ties with Riyadh were transforming into an economic partnership. He said relations between the two countries were growing stronger with each passing day. 

Al-Dossary said several Pakistanis were playing an important role in Saudi Arabia’s development, the information ministry said. 

“Promoting cooperation with Pakistan in all sectors, including information, is our priority,” Al-Dossary was quoted as saying by Pakistan’s information ministry. 

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are close regional partners and economic allies. Both countries signed 34 agreements worth $2.8 billion in October last year. 

The Kingdom is also home to over 2.7 million Pakistani expatriates, serving as the top destination for remittances for the cash-strapped South Asian country.


New Zealand hand Pakistan mammoth 321-run target in Champions Trophy opener

Updated 19 February 2025
Follow

New Zealand hand Pakistan mammoth 321-run target in Champions Trophy opener

  • Will Young, Tom Latham hit centuries to guide New Zealand to 320-5 in Karachi
  • Fast bowler Naseem Shah was the best Pakistan bowler, returning figures of 2-63 

KARACHI: Will Young and Tom Latham hit sparkling centuries to guide New Zealand to 320-5 on Wednesday in the opening match of the Champions Trophy, marking Pakistan’s first international tournament in three decades.

New Zealand's Will Young celebrates after scoring century during the ICC Champions Trophy cricket match between Pakistan and New Zealand, at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi on February 19, 2025. (AP)

Tom Latham hit an unbeaten 104-ball 118 while opener Young scored 107 from 113 balls as New Zealand — sent in to bat by Pakistan — made the most of a flat National Stadium pitch.

New Zealand's Tom Latham celebrates after scoring fifty during the ICC Champions Trophy cricket match between Pakistan and New Zealand, at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi on February 19, 2025. (AP)

The eight-nation event was launched with country’s Air Force flying over the stadium to mark the occasion as thousands of fans, including President Asif Zardari, took their seats on a historic day.


On the field, Young and Latham revived the innings from 73-3 with a 118-run fourth wicket stand, helping their team overcome the early loss of Devon Conway (10), Kane Williamson (1) and Daryl Mitchell (10).
Young hit 12 boundaries and a six in his fourth one-day international century before holing out to Naseem Shah in the 38th over.

Pakistan's Naseem Shah celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of New Zealand's Will Young, caught out by substitute Faheem Ashraf during the ICC Champions Trophy cricket match between Pakistan and New Zealand, at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi on February 19, 2025. (REUTERS)

Latham and Glenn Phillips, who made an aggressive 39-ball 61, gave the innings more impetus as New Zealand smashed 113 in the last 10 overs and 64 in the last five.
Latham hit 10 boundaries and three sixes in his eighth one-day hundred while Phillips’s robust knock had four sixes and three boundaries.

Pakistan's Shaheen Shah Afridi, right bowls as New Zealand's Tom Latham watches during the ICC Champions Trophy cricket match between Pakistan and New Zealand, at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi on February 19, 2025. (AP)

Fast bowler Naseem Shah was the best Pakistan bowler with 2-63 but fellow pacers Haris Rauf finished with 2-83 and Shaheen Afridi conceded 68 in 10 wicket-less overs each.


Gunmen shoot dead policeman guarding Pakistan polio team

Updated 33 min 43 sec ago
Follow

Gunmen shoot dead policeman guarding Pakistan polio team

  • Two motorcycle riders open fire on police officer in northwestern Bajaur district, say police
  • Militants have attacked vaccination teams, police guarding them over the years in Pakistan

PESHAWAR: Gunmen shot dead a Pakistan police officer guarding a polio vaccination team on Wednesday in a remote area close to the Afghan border, police said.
Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan are the only countries where polio is endemic and militants have for decades targeted vaccination teams and their security escorts.
Polio has resurged in Pakistan, with two cases reported so far this year, and at least 73 polio infections last year, compared to six in 2023.
“Two motorcycle riders opened fire... as a result, the police officer died on the spot, but the polio team remained unharmed,” Niaz Muhammad, a police officer in Bajaur district, told AFP.
Bajaur district in northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province shares a 52-kilometer (32-mile) border with Afghanistan.
The start of the polio campaign had been delayed in the district for security reasons, after a rise in militant attacks in the area, said Waqas Rafiq, a senior police official.
“Despite the attack, the campaign continues in all areas (of the district) except the site of the incident,” he said.
Polio mostly affects children under five and sometimes causes lifelong paralysis but can easily be prevented by the oral administration of a few drops of vaccine.
Over the past decade, hundreds of police officers and health workers have been killed by militants waging an offensive against the Pakistani state.
In the past, firebrand clerics falsely claimed the vaccine contained pork or alcohol, forbidding it for consumption by Muslims.
A fake vaccination campaign organized by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in Pakistan in 2011 to track Osama bin Laden compounded the mistrust.
Pakistan has witnessed a dramatic uptick in attacks in its remote border regions since the return of the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2021, with Islamabad claiming hostile groups plan their attacks from Afghan soil.
The Taliban government denies the claim. 
It comes as the Champions Trophy cricket tournament kicked off in Pakistan on Wednesday, with the hosts and seven international teams visiting Rawalpindi, Karachi and Lahore under improved security.


Pakistan rejects Kabul’s ‘misplaced’ allegations of mistreating Afghan refugees

Updated 19 February 2025
Follow

Pakistan rejects Kabul’s ‘misplaced’ allegations of mistreating Afghan refugees

  • Afghanistan on Wednesday accused Pakistani authorities of subjecting Afghans to arrest, searches in Islamabad, Rawalpindi
  • Pakistan urges Afghanistan to create “conducive conditions” in its country to fully integrate Afghan nationals repatriated

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson on Wednesday rejected allegations by the Afghan chargé d’affaires that Islamabad was mistreating Afghan refugees in the country, describing them as “misplaced” and calling on Kabul to ensure its nationals’ smooth repatriation.
Pakistan’s response comes a few hours after the Afghan embassy in Islamabad issued a strongly worded statement on Wednesday, saying Afghan nationals in Islamabad and the nearby garrison city of Rawalpindi have been subjected to arrests, searches and orders from the police to leave the twin cities and relocate to other parts of Pakistan.
Islamabad launched a deportation drive in 2023 mainly targeting Afghan nationals after a spike in suicide bombings which the Pakistan government, without providing evidence, says were carried out by Afghan nationals. Islamabad has also blamed them for smuggling, militant violence and other crimes.
The Afghan embassy said Pakistan’s foreign ministry has confirmed that there is a “definitive and final plan” to deport all Afghan refugees from the entire country in the near future. Pakistan has so far deported over 800,000 Afghan nationals since it launched the deportation drive in 2023.
“We have noted the remarks made by the Afghan Charge d’ Affaires in Islamabad, about Pakistan’s Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan,” the foreign office said.
“His assertions regarding mistreatment of Afghan nationals are misplaced,” the ministry added.
It said that Pakistan has hosted millions of Afghans for decades “with respect and dignity” with little support from the international community. 
The foreign office said Islamabad began its deportation drive against illegal immigrants in 2023 and put in place appropriate mechanisms to ensure that no one is mistreated or harassed during the repatriation process.
It said Pakistani authorities extensively engaged Afghanistan to ensure a smooth repatriation of Afghan nationals. 
“While Pakistan has done what it could, we expect interim Afghan authorities to create conducive conditions in Afghanistan so that these returnees are fully integrated in the Afghan society,” the foreign office said.
“The real test of Afghan authorities would be to ensure that the rights of these people about whom the Afghan Cd’A talked are protected in Afghanistan.”
Other than Afghan officials, international rights agencies have also expressed concerns over the alleged harassment of Afghan nationals by Pakistani law enforcement agencies. 
In January, Amnesty International expressed its concern over reports of arbitrary detention and harassment of Afghan refugees and asylum-seekers by law enforcement agencies in Islamabad.
Until the government initiated the expulsion drive in 2023, Pakistan was home to over four million Afghan migrants and refugees out of which around 1.7 million were undocumented, as per government figures.
Afghans make up the largest portion of migrants, many of whom came after the Taliban took over Kabul in 2021, but a large number have been present since the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
Islamabad insists the deportation drive is not aimed specifically at Afghans but at all those living illegally in Pakistan.