QUETTA: Twelve miners were left stranded on Thursday after a coal mine in southwestern Pakistan caved in due to a gas explosion, an official confirmed, as rescue teams reached the spot to save their lives.
The mine collapse took place in southwestern Balochistan province’s Sanjdi area, located around 40 kilometers from the provincial capital of Quetta.
Abdul Ghani, chief mine inspector of the provincial mining department, said a private coal mine caved in because of a methane gas explosion that occurred around 6:00 p.m. on Thursday evening.
“12 coal mine workers were stranded inside the mine,” Ghani told Arab News.
He added that rescue teams from Sanjdi and Quetta had reached the site and were attempting to save the stranded miners.
In response to a question, Ghani said he was not aware whether the miners were alive or dead as it was difficult to ascertain that since the mine had collapsed.
Pakistan’s mines are known to have hazardous working conditions and poor safety standards, where deadly incidents are not uncommon.
Twelve miners were killed in a gas explosion at the same mine in June last year.
12 miners left stranded in southwestern Pakistan as coal mine collapses
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12 miners left stranded in southwestern Pakistan as coal mine collapses
- Coal mine in Balochistan’s Sanjdi area collapses due to methane explosion, says official
- Pakistan’s mines are known to have hazardous working conditions, poor safety standards
Pakistan’s national airline suspends 5 crew members for allegedly smuggling cell phones
- Customs seized “expensive” mobile phones from crew members after arrival of Dubai-Multan flight on Jan. 22, says PIA
- The national airline earlier this week dismissed two crew members for smuggling mobile phones in October last year
KARACHI: Pakistan’s national airline this week suspended five crew members for allegedly smuggling cell phones into the country, a spokesperson of the flag carrier confirmed on Saturday, vowing to enforce a “zero tolerance” policy for those found guilty of wrongdoings.
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) on Jan. 23 issued a show cause notice to five crew members, two of them air hostesses and two stewards, saying that customs authorities had seized “expensive” mobile phones from them on Jan. 22 after the arrival of the PIA flight PK-222 to Multan from Dubai. .
“PIA has already started the process of probing the incident and if found guilty, the crew will be subjected to the strict most administrative action,” PIA spokesperson Abdullah Khan told Arab News.
“The spokesperson reiterates PIA’s position of zero tolerance in case any of its staff members are found involved in nefarious activities,” he added.
The airline did not disclose how many smuggled mobile phones were allegedly recovered from the five crew members.
The development took place a day after the airline fired two crew members, an air hostess and a steward, after finding them guilty of smuggling mobile phones in October from Toronto. Customs authorities seized the mobile phones from the two crew members after the arrival of flight PK-798 from Toronto to Lahore on Oct. 5, 2024, as per a copy of the dismissal notice seen by Arab News
The loss-making PIA has proven to be a headache for successive Pakistani governments over the years, needing frequent financial bailouts to function.
PIA posted losses of $270 million in 2023, according to local media. Its liabilities were nearly $3 billion, about five times the total worth of its assets.
PIA, which employs 7,000 people, has long been accused of being bloated and poorly run — hobbled by unpaid bills, a poor safety record and regulatory issues.
Pakistan’s government has said it is committed to privatizing the debt-ridden airline and has been scrambling to find a buyer. Late last year, a deal fell through after a potential buyer reportedly offered a fraction of the asking price.
Pakistan minister criticizes opposition for ‘unilaterally’ ending talks with government
- Information Minister Ataullah Tarar says Imran Khan’s party ended talks “in a hurry with ill intention”
- Khan’s PTI has ruled out further talks unless government forms judicial commissions to probe protests
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Information Minister Ataullah Tarar this week criticized former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party for ending negotiations “unilaterally” with the government, saying it should have waited for the other side’s response.
PTI leader Omar Ayub Khan announced the party’s decision to end further talks with the government on Thursday, saying that it would only resume negotiations to break political tensions if authorities established judicial commissions to investigate violence at anti-government protests organized by the PTI.
Negotiations between the two sides kicked off in December 2024 after Khan threatened a civil disobedience movement. Both sides held three rounds of talks, and the government was expected to submit a formal response to the PTI’s demands on Jan. 28.
“Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar says Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf unilaterally terminated the dialogue process without any reason,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported on Friday.
The minister said the PTI should have waited for the government’s response to their demands, lamenting that it took the decision to end talks in a “hurry with ill intention.”
Khan’s ouster in a parliamentary no-trust vote in 2022 has plunged Pakistan into a political crisis, particularly since he was jailed in August 2023 on corruption and other charges. His PTI party has regularly held protests to demand his release, with many of the demonstrations turning violent.
But despite the government-opposition stalemate, Junaid Akbar Khan, a lawmaker from the PTI, was elected on Friday unopposed as the head of the National Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), according to a statement issued by the National Assembly Secretariat. The post of the PAC chairman had been vacant since the general election in February last year.
The PTI’s demands to the government revolve around the release of all political prisoners including Khan, and the formation of two judicial commissions to probe into violent protest rallies, including one on May 9, 2023, when PTI supporters rampaged through military offices and installations, and a second one on Nov. 26, 2024 to demand Khan’s release, in which the government says four troops were killed.
So far, the government has remained tight-lipped on whether or not it would form the judicial commissions as per the PTI’s demands.
Pakistan president confers civilian award on citizen who saved pilgrims’ lives during Hajj 2024
- Asif Bashir was instrumental in saving 17 pilgrims’ lives during Hajj 2024 when they fainted due to extreme heat
- Indian Minister for Parliamentary and Minority Affairs Kiren Rijju also thanked Bashir in letter of gratitude last year
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari this week conferred the country’s third highest civilian award on Asif Bashir, a Pakistani Hajj assistant who saved the lives of several pilgrims during last year’s pilgrimage after they fainted due to the extreme heat.
Bashir was among 550 Pakistani Hajj Moavineen (assistants) recruited by the government to provide facilities to Pakistani pilgrims. However, they also provide facilities to pilgrims belonging to other countries.
Bashir, along with his five-member team, rushed to provide first aid to several pilgrims as they fainted to the ground while the temperature soared above 51 degrees last year. He was able to transport 26 to the hospital, most of whom were Indians. Nine of them died while 17 survived.
“President Asif Ali Zardari on Friday conferred the Sitara-i-Imtiaz award on Asif Bashir in recognition of his outstanding services in the field of public services,” state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported on Friday.
The state-run media said Zardari conferred the award during a special investiture ceremony held at the Aiwan-e-Sadr or President House, which was attended by parliamentarians.
Bashir and his team were able to save the pilgrims by giving them water and ORS [Oral Rehydration Solution] and transporting those who needed medical attention to a nearby hospital that was almost 5-6 kilometers from their check-post.
Out of the 17 that Bashir was able to save, 15 were Indians, one was British and one was a Canadian national.
In recognition of Bashir’s efforts, Indian Minister for Parliamentary and Minority Affairs Kiren Rijju even wrote him a letter of gratitude.
Kashif Ali to debut for Pakistan as West Indies opt to bat in second Test
- Pakistan lead series 1-0 after winning first Test in Multan by 127 runs last week
- Pakistan retain three specialist spinners in playing XI after their first Test heroics
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani pacer Kashif Ali will make his debut against West Indies today, Saturday, at the Multan Cricket Stadium as the two sides lock horns in the second Test match of the series.
Pakistan lead 1-0 in the two-match series after winning the first one at the same venue by 127 runs. Pakistan’s spin duo of Noman Ali and Sajid Khan once again did the trick for Pakistan, spinning a web around West Indies batters to dismiss them before they could chase Pakistan’s target.
Khan took nine wickets in the Multan Test while Noman took six and Pakistan’s third spin option Abrar Ahmed took five wickets to skittle the West Indies.
“West Indies win the toss and elect to bat first,” the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said in a statement.
Kashif Ali will get the Test cap today as Pakistan announced its playing XI on Friday. He will serve as the sole pacer in the upcoming fixture as Pakistan retain their spin-heavy bowling attack, featuring Sajid Khan, Noman Ali and Abrar Ahmed.
Pakistan’s playing XI:
Shan Masood (c), Muhammad Huraira, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Ali Agha, Sajid Khan, Noman Ali, Abrar Ahmed, Kashif Ali.
West Indies squad:
Kraigg Brathwaite (c), Joshua Da Silva (vc), Alick Athanaze, Keacy Carty, Justin Greaves, Kavem Hodge, Tevin Imlach, Amir Jangoo, Mikyle Louis, Gudakesh Motie, Anderson Phillip, Kemar Roach, Kevin Sinclair, Jayden Seales, and Jomel Warrican.
Pakistan police say bound to follow SOPs to protect Chinese nationals amid harassment allegations
- Group of Chinese nationals filed petition in high court accusing Sindh Police of extorting, imposing unlawful restrictions on them
- Chinese nationals, under threat from separatist groups in neighboring Balochistan, have suffered attacks in Karachi in recent past
KARACHI: The police in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province this week said they are bound to follow the federal and provincial governments’ instructions to ensure protection for Chinese nationals, responding to a group of Chinese citizens who filed a petition against alleged police harassment and extortion.
The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Friday sought a response from Pakistani authorities over alleged harassment, extortion and unlawful restrictions on Chinese nationals imposed by police in Sindh, after a group of 12 Chinese nationals filed a petition in December alleging their families were confined to their residences for nearly a week, forcing them to pay police hefty bribes.
A significant number of private Chinese investors have arrived and established businesses with local partners in Pakistan since both countries initiated the multi-billion-dollar infrastructure China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in 2015.
In Sindh, the provincial government has established a Special Protection Unit (SPU) within the provincial police force to ensure security for Chinese nationals, under threat from separatist groups operating in neighboring Balochistan province which have also carried out attacks on Chinese interests and citizens in Karachi, the commercial hub of the country.
“Sindh Police is bound to implement at any cost the instructions/SOPs issued by the Government of Pakistan and the Sindh government in the context of the safety of Chinese guests,” a statement from the Sindh Police’s Public Relations officer said on Friday.
It said the provincial police aims to provide convenience and security to Chinese investors, and is ensuring all possible measures for their “foolproof security measures.”
“The responsibility of the security of Chinese citizens associated with non-CPEC projects lies with Sindh Police and local sponsors,” the statement said, adding that security lapses and gaps are regularly checked to ensure security for Chinese nationals.
The provincial police said In case of any security complaints by Chinese investors, senior officers immediately check and resolve it.
“Sindh Police will ensure the implementation of instructions issued by the Government of Pakistan and the Government of Sindh regarding the safety of Chinese citizens so that a safe environment can be provided to Chinese investors,” it concluded.
China has repeatedly urged Pakistani authorities to ensure protection for its citizens living and working in the South Asian country.
A suicide blast claimed by the separatist Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) killed two Chinese nationals in Karachi in October, while five Chinese workers were killed in a suicide bombing in March 2024 in northwest Pakistan.
