ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has secured consensus in the Fifth Committee of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on a resolution to fund the newly established Office of the Special Envoy on Combating Islamophobia, officials said on Saturday.
The Fifth Committee is one of six main committees at the UNGA, which deals with internal United Nations administrative and budgetary matters. The resolution on revised budget estimates was adopted during the closing session of the first part of the 79th UNGA.
Jibran Khan Durrani, first secretary at Pakistan’s UN mission, delivered the national statement at the session, expressing gratitude to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the Group of 77 (G77) and China, and other international partners for their support.
“My delegation welcomes the consensual outcome of the resolution of the revised estimates of Islamophobia, an agenda item which was very important for my delegation as well as other OIC countries,” he said.
“My delegation extends sincere gratitude to the support extended by all members of the Group of 77 and China, OIC countries, and welcomes the constructive discussion that we had with our partners during the course of negotiations, making the consensus the first among all the consensual outcomes of this session.”
The Office of the Special Envoy on Combating Islamophobia will be established effective from April 1, according to the resolution. Its mandate will include monitoring, reporting and advising on rising Islamophobic trends globally and supporting the UN’s broader efforts against religious intolerance.
Pakistan played a leading role in the Fifth Committee discussions and the adoption of the resolution marks a milestone in Islamabad’s multilateral engagement, following its successful push to designate March 15 as the International Day to Combat Islamophobia in 2022.
“We look forward to working with all delegation members in the upcoming session in the same spirit,” Durrani said, thanking the attendees, the 5th Committee Secretariat and all those who were part of the negotiations.
This month, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stressed the need to reverse an “alarming tide” of Islamophobia as the world marked the international day to combat the phenomenon.
He said March 15 not only serves as a “stark reminder” of the gravity of the challenges being faced by Muslims worldwide, but also as a powerful call to action, reflecting the collective will of the international community to combat Islamophobia through concrete legislative and policy measures.
“However, much more is urgently needed to reverse the alarming tide of Islamophobia and end the flagrant violations of fundamental human rights and religious freedoms,” Sharif said in a statement.
“At a time when religious intolerance is on the rise, we reaffirm that no justification exists for blasphemy or the desecration of sacred symbols under the guise of freedom of expression.”
Sharif said Pakistan was extremely proud to have led this important initiative at the UN and welcomed actions taken by some member states to outlaw the desecration of the Holy Qur’an as well as to address systemic marginalization of Muslims, urging the international community, human rights organizations, and global leaders to raise awareness against Islamophobia.
Pakistan secures consensus at UN on funding to appoint Islamophobia envoy
https://arab.news/cnavq
Pakistan secures consensus at UN on funding to appoint Islamophobia envoy
- The resolution on revised budget estimates for Office of the Special Envoy on Combating Islamophobia was adopted during first part of 79th UNGA session
- The adoption marks a milestone for Islamabad’s multilateral engagement, following designation of March 15 as the International Day to Combat Islamophobia
Rains and flash floods kill 11 in Pakistan’s Swat, claim 12 lives in Punjab
- A search operation to find the three missing persons was still underway in Swat on Saturday
- Met Office warns the risk of heavy rains and flash floods will remain high until at least Tuesday
PESHAWAR/KARACHI: At least 11 people have been killed in flash floods in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, while heavy rains have claimed another 12 lives in the most populous Punjab province, provincial rescue and disaster authorities said on Saturday.
Flooding in the Swat river swept away 17 people early Friday, of which three were rescued and bodies of 11 others were recovered.
Shah Fahad, director-general of the provincial rescue service, said a search operation to find the three missing persons was still underway.
“Rescue 1122 operation is currently underway in different areas of Swat, including Khwaza Khela, Kabal Bypass and Barikot,” Fahad said in a statement. “More than 120 personnel of Rescue 1122 are engaged in relief activities.”
Flooding in the province has also damaged 56 houses, six of which were destroyed, the KP Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said on Friday.
The ongoing spell of rains, which began on June 25, has killed a dozen people in the eastern Punjab province and delayed the arrival and departure of trains in Sindh province in the south.
“Twelve people died and 39 were injured in various accidents,” the Punjab PDMA said in a statement. “Majority of deaths were caused by the collapse of roofs and walls.”
Punjab PDMA chief Irfan Ali Kathia urged citizens to avoid unnecessary travel and not to stay in dilapidated homes in bad weather conditions.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department has warned that the risk of heavy rains and possible flash floods will remain high until at least Tuesday.
Babar Raza, a spokesperson for Pakistan Railways, told Arab News the weather conditions had affected the railway signaling system, while the speed of trains had also been deliberately reduced for the sake of passenger safety.
“As a result, some trains are reaching their destinations with a delay of three to four hours,” he said. “No trains have been canceled so far.”
Pakistan is one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to the effects of climate change, and its 240 million inhabitants are facing extreme weather events with increasing frequency.
Last month, at least 24 people were killed in severe storms in the South Asian nation, which experienced several extreme weather events in the spring, including strong hailstorms.
Pakistan arrests two for defrauding citizens with fake jobs in Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom
- The suspects arrested in the Pakistani city of Multan have been accused of human smuggling
- The Federal Investigation Agency says both men extorted money and were involved in visa fraud
KARACHI: Pakistani authorities have arrested two men accused of human smuggling after they defrauded citizens with false promises of jobs in Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom, officials said on Saturday, as the country intensifies its crackdown on trafficking networks following a series of deadly migrant boat disasters.
The arrests, made by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in Multan, come amid Pakistan’s broader campaign to curb human smuggling. The issue has drawn significant attention following recent tragedies in the Mediterranean, including shipwrecks off Greece, Libya and Morocco involving scores of Pakistani nationals.
“The accused, Muhammad Muzammil and Sher Khan, extorted large sums of money from citizens by falsely promising overseas employment opportunities,” the FIA said in a statement. “Muzammil took Rs852,000 [$2,982] from a victim under the pretense of securing a job in Saudi Arabia, while Sher Khan collected Rs2 million [$7,000] by offering fake employment in the UK,” it continued. “Both failed to deliver and went into hiding after collecting the money.”
The statement noted that the suspects were also involved in visa fraud.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has vowed to crack down on the criminal networks exploiting vulnerable people with false hopes of better lives abroad. His administration began focusing on the issue after more than 200 Pakistanis were presumed dead in a shipwreck off Greece among hundreds of other illegal migrants trying to reach European shores.
Earlier this year, over 40 Pakistanis were feared drowned near Morocco’s coast, while the International Organization for Migration said at least 60 migrants, including Pakistanis, were feared dead after a pair of shipwrecks off the coast of Libya in June.
The FIA said on Saturday that both suspects were arrested from separate locations in Multan and have been taken into custody for further investigation. It added that its crackdown on human smugglers remains ongoing.
Pakistani province probes alleged sale of UNICEF-tagged soap for anti-polio campaign
- The development comes days after officials seized over 200 UNICEF-tagged soap bars from Peshawar market
- UNICEF’s communication specialist did not respond to multiple queries seeking a comment on the matter
PESHAWAR: Authorities in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province are probing the alleged sale of soap bars, which were provided by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for the country’s campaign against polio, at a market in Peshawar, officials said on Friday.
The comments came after the seizure of over 200 soap bars at the Faqeerabad market in the provincial capital, which bore the “not-for-sale” marking, according to Additional Assistant Commissioner Azimullah Mehsud.
The local administration acted on a tip-off about UNICEF-tagged soap bars being “diverted” to the open market. A preliminary investigation suggested the consignment originated in the southern Sindh province.
Authorities arrested a shopkeeper on June 25, who was selling these soap bars on Facebook and in the local market in the northwestern Pakistani city.
“According to initial investigations, he [the suspect] told us that they got this supply [of soaps] from Sindh,” Mehsud told Arab News. “The person we have arrested told us he gives this [to people] on Facebook marketplace and said, ‘I’m an Afghan national’.”
Mehsud said the authorities recovered three cartons during the raid, with a total of 216 soap bars. He said the suspect claimed to have additional stock.
“Here people used to buy [a soap bar] from him at a cost of Rs40 or Rs45 and then used to change its packaging at Rs3, and then [they were] being supplied to Jalalabad, Afghanistan and here in Pakistan, I think, including D.I. Khan and many other places,” he said.
“When we contacted him, he [suspect] told us to come tomorrow and he will arrange 3,000 more [soap bars] for us. Then we told the anti-corruption to locate the link to his network.”
Arab News reached out to UNICEF’s communication specialist, Zia-ur-Rehman, but did not receive a response to its queries seeking comment on the matter.
Polio is a paralyzing disease with no cure, making prevention through vaccination critical. After a significant decline over the past decades, Pakistan witnessed an intense resurgence of the poliovirus in 2024, with 74 cases reported. According to Pakistan’s polio program, the country has reported 13 cases of the virus so far this year.
The KP anti-corruption department plans to send an open letter to UNICEF and the Sindh provincial administration to further investigate the matter.
Humayun Khan, the Peshawar circle officer of the anti-corruption department, confirmed to Arab News that his department had launched an investigation into the case.
“It [investigation] will go ahead properly with a procedure,” he said. “It will take time.”
Suicide attack kills 13 soldiers in Pakistan’s northwest — officials
- The attack injured 29 others, including civilians, in North Waziristan district
- Hafiz Gul Bahadur group of the Pakistan Taliban claimed the suicide attack
PESHAWAR: A suicide attack claimed by the Pakistani Taliban killed 13 soldiers and wounded 29 people, including civilians, local government officials and police officers told AFP.
“A suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a military convoy. The blast killed 13 soldiers, injured 10 army personnel and 19 civilians,” said a local government official in North Waziristan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
“The explosion also caused the roofs of two houses to collapse, injuring six children,” a police officer posted in the district told AFP.
The condition of four injured soldiers is critical, an administrative official added.
The attack was claimed by the suicide bomber wing of the Hafiz Gul Bahadur armed group, a faction of the Pakistan Taliban.
Pakistan has witnessed a sharp rise in violence in its regions bordering Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021, with Islamabad accusing its western neighbor of allowing its soil to be used for attacks against Pakistan — a claim the Taliban deny.
Around 290 people, mostly security officials, have been killed in attacks since the start of the year by armed groups fighting the government in both Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, according to an AFP tally.
Rescuers search for three missing persons 24 hours after flash floods in Pakistan’s Swat
- The deluges swept away 17 people, of whom 11 were killed and three were rescued
- The ongoing wet spell has delayed arrival, departure of several trains in the country
ISLAMABAD: Rescuers are still searching for three people who were swept away by flash floods in the Swat river in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, an official said on Saturday, 24 hours after the tragic incident.
Flooding in the river swept away 17 people early Friday, of which three were rescued and bodies of 11 others were recovered, according to KP Rescue 1122 officials. The victims and survivors were tourists who reportedly hailed from Punjab and KP provinces.
The operation to find the three missing persons has been ongoing for the last 24 hours, according to Shah Fahad, director-general of the provincial rescue service.
“Rescue 1122 operation is currently underway in different areas of Swat, including Khwaza Khela, Kabal Bypass and Barikot,” Fahad said in a statement. “More than 120 personnel of Rescue 1122 are engaged in relief activities.”
Flooding in the province has also damaged 56 houses, six of which were destroyed, the KP Provincial Disaster Management Authority said on Friday.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department has warned that the risk of heavy rains and possible flash floods will remain high until at least Tuesday.
The ongoing spell of rains has also killed nearly a dozen people in the eastern Punjab province and delayed the arrival and departure of trains in Sindh province in the south.
Babar Raza, a spokesperson for Pakistan Railways, told Arab News the weather conditions had affected the railway signaling system, while the speed of trains had also been deliberately reduced for the sake of passenger safety.
“As a result, some trains are reaching their destinations with a delay of three to four hours,” he said. “No trains have been canceled so far.”
Pakistan is one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to the effects of climate change, and its 240 million inhabitants are facing extreme weather events with increasing frequency.
Last month, at least 24 people were killed in severe storms in the South Asian nation, which experienced several extreme weather events in the spring, including strong hailstorms.
