KARACHI: Pakistan’s government on Saturday said it would not tolerate the mistreatment of polio workers as the final vaccination campaign of the year to eradicate the disease concluded across much of the country amid a sharp increase in cases in 2024.
The weeklong nationwide vaccination drive, held Dec. 16-22, aimed to immunize 44 million children in 143 districts, according to the National Emergency Operation Center, which coordinates polio eradication efforts. Despite extensive efforts, the center reported that the 2024 tally reached 64 cases.
Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the only two countries in the world where polio is endemic. Regular door-to-door campaigns have been a cornerstone of Pakistan’s eradication strategy, but vaccination teams often face hostility, with militant groups targeting workers. According to a recent report in Dawn, health officials in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa said at least 20 people were killed in attacks on polio teams in the province this year. There were attacks in other regions as well, including Balochistan, where nine people, including five schoolchildren, were killed when attackers last month targeted police guarding a polio vaccination drive in Mastung.
In addition to security threats, cultural traditions and societal attitudes often hinder vaccination efforts. In some communities, there is a mistrust of vaccines due to misinformation, religious beliefs, or rumors about their effects. These factors contribute to resistance against vaccination campaigns, making it difficult for health workers to immunize every child, particularly in remote or conservative areas.
Earlier this week, authorities in Sindh arrested six people after a polio team was reportedly attacked by a tribal family in Karachi’s Korangi neighborhood.
“The government has adopted a zero-tolerance policy against actions targeting polio workers,” said Ayesha Raza Farooq, the prime minister’s focal person for polio eradication, was quoted as saying in an official statement.
“Mistreatment of polio workers will not be tolerated,” she continued. “We are in contact with provincial authorities regarding incidents involving workers, and strict action will be taken against perpetrators.”
Farooq urged all provincial and district officials to take strong action against cases of harassment or abuse directed at frontline workers. She emphasized that protecting polio teams was critical to safeguarding children from the devastating effects of the disease.
The anti-polio campaign is yet to be carried out in Pakistan’s Balochistan province where officials announced a postponement of the vaccination drive until Dec. 30 due to a lack of preparedness.
The province has reported 26 cases this year, the highest in Pakistan, highlighting its vulnerability to the virus.
Farooq also appealed to communities to support and protect polio workers, calling them the backbone of the nation’s fight against polio.
“Ending polio is a national priority, and frontline workers are like our backbone [in this struggle],” she added.
Pakistan vows zero tolerance for polio worker mistreatment as vaccination drive ends
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Pakistan vows zero tolerance for polio worker mistreatment as vaccination drive ends
- Polio teams often face hostility in Pakistan, with militant groups targeting them and locals resisting their efforts
- Government promises to take strong action against cases of harassment or abuse directed at frontline workers
China rolls over $2 billion loan to Pakistan, confirms official
- Debt rollover commitments from China, Saudi Arabia and UAE helped Pakistan secure IMF bailout last year
- Development takes place as IMF delegation holds first review of Pakistan’s $7 billion loan program in Islamabad
KARACHI: China has rolled over a $2 billion loan to Pakistan, the adviser to the finance minister of Pakistan confirmed on Saturday amid Islamabad attempts to strengthen its financial reserves.
The development takes place as an International Monetary Fund (IMF) delegation is in Islamabad to conduct its first review of the $7 billion loan agreement reached between the two sides last year. The IMF delegation will assess the government’s performance in meeting key conditions of the loan. A successful review would secure the release of an additional $1 billion for Pakistan.
Debt rollover commitments from Pakistan’s allies and regional partners China, Saudi Arabia and UAE were instrumental in helping Islamabad secure the bailout program last year to keep its fragile economy afloat.
“Yes, it is confirmed that China has made this rollover,” Khurram Schehzad, the adviser to the finance minister, told Arab News on the phone. He confirmed the amount of the rollover was $2 billion.
Pakistan needs to repay over $22 billion in external debt in fiscal year 2025, including nearly $13 billion in bilateral deposits, Fitch said.
Pakistan’s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has repeatedly said the country aims to escape its prolonged macroeconomic crisis by boosting exports, undertaking long-term financial reforms and ensuring economic growth led by the private sector.
As per its deal with the IMF, Pakistan has agreed to undertake reforms in its energy sector, widen the tax net and privatize loss-making state-owned enterprises.
Pakistan was able to build some trust with the IMF by completing a short-term nine-month program last year. Previous loan programs in Pakistan ended prematurely or saw delays after the governments at the time faltered when it came to meeting key conditions.
Pakistan warns against heavy rains, snowfall from Mar. 12-16 in KP and Punjab
- Westerly wave to enter northern parts of country from Mar. 9, persist till Mar. 16, says disaster management agencies
- Disaster management authorities advise citizens against traveling unnecessarily, alets district administrations
PESHAWAR: The provincial disaster management authorities (PDMA) in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and eastern Punjab provinces have warned against heavy rains and snowfall from Mar. 9-16, alerting district administrations to act against any untoward situations.
The PDMA in both provinces said that a “shallow, westerly wave” will enter the northern parts of the country form Mar. 9 and is expected to gain strength from Mar. 12 and persist till Mar. 16.
The PDMA KP warned that during this period, intermittent rain with thunderstorms/snowfall on mountains is likely in Chitral, Dir, Swat, Kohistan, Shangla, Battagram, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Haripur, Malakand, Buner, Bajaur, Mohmand, Khyber, Orakzai, Kurram, Waziristan, Peshawar, Charsadda, Nowshera, Swabi, Bannu, Karak and Kohat districts.
“PDMA has issued a letter to all district administrations to deal with any untoward incident due to rain/snowfall in advance,” PDMA KP said in its notification on Saturday.
Meanwhile, rain with thunderstorms and snowfall is expected in Punjab’s Murree and Galiyat region Mar. 9-16, PDMA Punjab said in a notification on Sunday.
It said rain with thunderstorms is expected in Rawalpindi and Attock, Jhelum and Chakwal on Mar. 10 while rain with thunderstorms (moderate with few heavy falls) is expected in Rawalpindi, Attock, Jhelum, Chakwal, Hafizabad, Gujranwala, Mandi Bahauddin, Sargodha, Khushab, Gujrat, Sialkot, Narowal, Lahore, Sheikhupura, Sahiwal, Faisalabad, Jhang, T.T Singh and Mianwali from Mar. 12-16.
It warned residents against traveling to these areas in Punjab during this time period, calling on them to save essential items such as food and warm clothing.
Parts of Pakistan last month received rains after a months-long drought severely impacted crops like wheat, a staple food, as well as vital cash crops like potatoes in several regions, according to the Pakistani climate change ministry.
Torrential rains during the monsoon season of 2022 triggered flash floods across the country, with scientists attributing it to climate change impacts. The floods killed over 1,700 people and inflicted damages worth $33 billion on Pakistan, as per official estimates.
Pakistani sister duo rebrands grandfather’s 50-year-old leather bag business, makes it online success
- Marium and Sakina Hussain manage most domains of the leather goods business they have named after their grandfather
- Offering a range of products, the sister duo now plans to not only launch a physical outlet, but expand it beyond Pakistan
KARACHI: Turab Ali Ismail Ji Munniwala, a skilled craftsman, set up a small leather retail shop in Pakistan’s commercial capital of Karachi in 1975 and put his heart and soul into making leather bags of various shapes and sizes. His son, Aqeel Hussain, took over the business ten years later and focused it on corporate giveaways, but after the passing of Munniwala more than three decades later, it became difficult for Hussain to run the business alone.
In conservative Pakistan, people often expect a male heir like Hussain, now in his 60s, to carry forward the family’s business and legacy, but Hussain had no son and his daughters, Marium and Sakina, determined to honor their late grandfather’s 50-year legacy, took it upon themselves and amazed many by making Munniwala’s leather bag business an online success.
The sister duo, 32-year-old Marium and 25-year-old Sakina who both had full-time careers as a graphic designer and a corporate lawyer respectively, set out to take their grandfather’s business online in February 2022. Today, their venture, named ‘Turab’ after Munniwala, is breathing new life into a legacy that could have faded away without them.
“It wasn’t a planned thing initially, but it just sort of came into being that ‘okay, who’s going to help Abbu [our father]?’,” Sakina recalled how Turab came to life.
“When we basically started to grow up, it was always a thing that who is going to take this business forward because we don’t have a brother. Living in a desi [local] household, it’s always a thing that businesses are being led forward by sons in a family.”
Born and raised in Karachi, the sisters belong to the Dawoodi Bohra community. The family’s shop in Saddar still exists, with their grandfather’s working table still intact. Two of the workers, who started out with their father years ago, still work at the shop and mainly look after the production side of affairs with Hussain.
“People nowadays kill to buy pure leather products, but we don’t have the kind of market for pure leather products here. The players that we have in the market are really expensive for the masses to buy,” Sakina told Arab News.
“And that’s kind of where the idea of Turab came into being. We wanted to create something that’s not only good quality leather but also really affordable.”
Both Marium and Sakina have since been pushing their family legacy forward with a fresh, modern touch.
“As far as the designing is concerned, that’s where we come in. We decided to make the most modern and minimal products that you don’t find in the market,” Marium told Arab News.
Turab offers a range of leather products including tote bags, cross body bags, duffel bags, wallets, travel organizers and laptop sleeves in shades of red, green, orange, yellow and blue.
“Being two women, who like to carry good bags [and] funky colors, the inspiration comes from within. All the players in the market that we have for pure leather, they typically go around the shades of browns [and] blacks,” Sakina said.
“And while that’s a big classic, the youth of today really resonates with vibrant and funky colors and that’s something that we’ve tried to incorporate in our brand.”
As co-founders, the two sisters manage most domains of the online business themselves. The branding is taken care of by Marium.
She also does product photography herself, with Sakina modelling for it.
“It’s a home-based setup [and] that’s how it started. We started making all of our products at the shop and then we brought it home. We converted our dada’s [grandfather’s] room basically into the Turab room and that’s where we store all of our products,” Marium said.
The sisters have been to pop-ups and exhibitions, which they say has really helped elevate their business.
But it has its challenges too.
“When people see two women behind the table, specifically men, they come and try to question the knowledge that we have about leather [and] about the product we are selling,” Sakina shared.
“They probably think that we don’t know enough or not more than them.”
Marium, on the other hand, was initially not taken seriously by the artisans at her grandfather’s shop.
“I often go to [our shop in] Saddar to discuss the production side and the karigars [artisans] often don’t take me very seriously. They give me that look that, ‘we will talk to your dad. He knows, you don’t know’,” she said, adding that she hasn’t see any women anywhere near the leather goods production side at least.
However, her father vouched for the skill of both sisters to run the business.
“They catch everything very quickly,” he said. “The leather business is a bit technical. It took them about a year and a half [to learn], but now they can feel everything and tell you what is leather and what is not.”
The two sisters have carved a niche and the future looks promising as they plan to launch a physical outlet and make Turab a “household name” not just in Pakistan, but beyond.
“From packing orders every two days to one week, now packing every single day [and] multiple orders in a day, we have come a long way. And just going forward,” Marium said.
“We got a couple of orders from Dubai. Right now, I am talking to someone in Canada [and] the USA.”
Pakistan and Egypt agree to strengthen ties in politics, defense and trade at OIC meeting
- Pakistan’s deputy PM and Egyptian foreign minister discuss greater people-to-people interactions
- Ishaq Dar also holds meetings with the OIC secretary general and Palestinian foreign minister in Jeddah
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Egypt agreed on Saturday to enhance their political, defense, cultural and economic relations, as Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar met with Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty on the sidelines of a special Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) conference on Palestine, according to Pakistan’s foreign office.
In recent years, the two nations have strengthened bilateral ties through various initiatives, including the annual bilateral consultations focusing on cooperation in trade, investment and cultural exchanges.
In November 2022, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif attended the COP27 climate summit in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, seeking climate compensation and debt relief following Pakistan’s devastating 2022 floods.
In their meeting, Dar and Abdelatty expressed satisfaction with the trajectory of both countries’ relations.
“They praised the enduring and multifaceted relationship between the two nations, which is founded on shared beliefs, values, and cultural connections,” the foreign office said. “They agreed to further strengthen their political, defense, cultural and economic ties, as well as enhance people-to-people interactions.”
Both officials also shared perspectives on regional and global issues of common concern, voicing deep alarm regarding ongoing Israeli violence in the West Bank and the situation in Gaza.
Dar acknowledged Egypt’s crucial role in providing humanitarian aid to Palestinians and its efforts to mediate a temporary ceasefire.
The two officials reaffirmed their opposition to the forced displacement of Palestinians, agreeing that a lasting resolution lies in the creation of a viable Palestinian state based on pre-June 1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
Dar also invited Abdelatty to visit Pakistan at mutually convenient dates.
He also also conferred with OIC Secretary General Hissein Brahim Taha, discussing challenges facing the Muslim world and commending the OIC’s role in unifying the Ummah.
The deputy prime minister also met with Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki, reaffirming Pakistan’s unwavering support for the Palestinian cause and advocating for a viable Palestinian state.
Pakistani security forces kill three militants in intelligence-based operation in northwest
- The operation in Tank came just days after a twin suicide bombing in Bannu this week
- Military’s media wing says weapons and ammunition were recovered from the slain militants
KARACHI: Pakistani security forces killed three militants in an intelligence-based operation in the northwestern Tank district on Saturday, the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said in a statement.
The operation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province occurred days after a twin suicide bombing killed at least 18 people in nearby Bannu. The region has experienced increased militant violence since a ceasefire between the government and the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) collapsed in late 2022.
Pakistan refers to TTP fighters as “khawarij,” a term historically describing an extremist sect in early Islam known for rebelling against authority and declaring other Muslims apostates.
“On 08 March 2025, Security Forces conducted an intelligence-based operation in Tank District on reported presence of khawarij,” the ISPR said. “During the conduct of operation, own troops effectively engaged the khawarij location, as a result of which, three khawarij were sent to hell.”
The military recovered weapons and ammunition from the slain militants, who were allegedly involved in numerous attacks against security forces and civilians.
The ISPR informed a “sanitization operation” was underway to eliminate any remaining militants in the area, expressing the resolve of the security forces to eradicate extremist violence from the country.
