ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday launched a COVID-19 vaccination for the general public, starting with older people, as it grapples with a high degree of vaccination hesitancy among its 220 million people, even among health workers.
The drive will begin with a focus on the oldest people in the community, generally over the age of 80, Health Minister Faisal Sultan said.
“We will work our way down in coming days,” Sultan told Reuters.
According to a survey released last week, nearly half of health care staff had concerns over China’s Sinopharm vaccine, which is the only one available in Pakistan for now.
The poll of 555 medical workers conducted by Gallup Pakistan and a physicians’ association between Feb. 12 and Feb. 20 found that many health workers would prefer other vaccines.
Pakistan distributed 504,400 Sinopharm vaccine doses to provincial authorities by Feb. 20, and 230,000 front-line health workers had got a shot by Friday, Sultan said.
One woman, Nilofar Minhas, 65, was happy to get her shot in the city of Karachi.
“I’m now secured against the disease,” she said.
Pakistan has recorded 595,239 coronavirus cases and more than 13,000 deaths, with 1,786 infections and 43 deaths reported in the last 24 hours.
Pakistan has not secured any supplies from vaccine manufacturers and is largely depending on the GAVI/WHO COVAX initiative for poorer nations and donations from old ally China.
Authorities have opened up almost all of sectors of society but on Wednesday reversed a decision to allow large indoor gatherings like cinemas, theaters and marriage halls.
Schools will also be closed again for two weeks from March 15, they said.
Pakistan launches COVID-19 vaccination drive for general public, starting with elderly
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Pakistan launches COVID-19 vaccination drive for general public, starting with elderly
- Health chief says drive will begin with a focus on oldest people in the community, generally over the age of 80
- Pakistan has not secured any supplies from vaccine manufacturers, is largely depending on COVAX initiative and donations from China
Pakistan’s Punjab closes schools for seven days amid heat wave warning
- Schools will be allowed to conduct examinations as scheduled with necessary precautions in place
- Disaster management authority said last week heat wave would hit Sindh, Punjab provinces in May and June
ISLAMABAD: Public and private schools in Pakistan’s most populous Punjab province will remain closed from May 25-31 due to a heat wave expected to last until the end of the month, the provincial education department said on Monday.
Pakistan’s disaster management authority warned last Thursday temperatures in certain areas of Pakistan’s southern Sindh and eastern Punjab provinces could surge to 40 degrees Celsius between May 15-30. On Sunday, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) warned of an “intense” heat wave in the southern districts of Punjab, with severe risk identified in Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan, Dera Ghazi Khan and Multan districts from May 21 to May 27.
“In view of the surge in temperature and heat wave in the province, all public and private schools shall remain closed for seven days with effect from 25th May 2024 to 31st May 2024,” a notification from the provincial education department read, adding that exams could be conducted during these days with necessary precautions in place.
Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikander Hayat shared the notification on social media platform X, saying the safety of children would always remain the government’s “priority.”
The PDMA’s Sunday statement urged citizens to take precautionary measures.
“Avoid exertion and exercise in strong sunlight,” it said. “Do not step out of the house unnecessarily. Wear light colored cotton clothes.”
Increased exposure to heat, and more heat waves, have been identified as one of the key impacts of climate change in Pakistan, with people experiencing extreme heat and seeing some of the highest temperatures in the world in recent years. The South Asian country of more than 241 million, one of the ten most vulnerable nations to climate change impacts, has also recently witnessed untimely downpours, flash floods and droughts.
Climate change-induced extreme heat can cause illnesses such as heat cramps, heat exhaustion, heatstroke, and hyperthermia. It can make certain chronic conditions worse, including cardiovascular, respiratory, and cerebrovascular disease and diabetes-related conditions, and can also result in acute incidents, such as hospitalizations due to strokes or renal disease.
According to the Global Climate Risk Index, nearly 10,000 Pakistanis have died while the country has suffered economic losses worth $3.8 billion due to climate change impacts between 1999 and 2018. A deadly heat wave that hit Pakistan’s largest city of Karachi, the capital of Sindh, claimed 120 lives in 2015.
In 2022, torrential monsoon rains triggered the most devastating floods in Pakistan’s history, killing around 1,700 people and affecting over 33 million, a staggering number close to the population of Canada. Millions of homes, tens of thousands of schools and thousands of kilometers of roads and railways are yet to be rebuilt.
Pakistan, Turkiye set new goal to enhance bilateral trade volume to $5 billion
- Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan arrived in Islamabad on Sunday on two-day visit
- Pakistani and Turkish FMs says current $1 billion trade volume does not reflect potential
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Türkiye on Monday set the goal of enhancing bilateral trade volume to $5 billion, vowing to hold a High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSCC) meeting in Islamabad in the “very near future.”
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan arrived in Islamabad on Sunday on a two-day official visit amid Pakistan’s efforts to boost foreign investments and better manage its $350 billion economy.
The South Asian nation has seen a flurry of foreign visits in recent weeks, including by the Iranian president, Saudi foreign minister, a delegation of top Saudi companies as well as officials from Qatar, China, Japan and Central Asian countries, among others.
On Monday, Pakistan and Turkiye engaged in delegation-level talks focusing on trade, investment, connectivity and defense ties, with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar representing Pakistan and Foreign Minister Fidan leading the Turkish delegation.
“We are taking measures to increase our trade to reach $5 billion and planning to hold the next session of the bilateral trade talks in the coming days,” Dar said at a joint media stakeout, without specifying a time period in which the new trade target would be achieved.
“We are planning to hold an HLSCC meeting in Islamabad in the very near future which would carry out a comprehensive review of our ongoing cooperation, including a holistic review of our bilateral, strategic, and economic framework.
“With each passing day, trade, investment and defense relations, as well as people-to-people contacts constitute the basis of our ongoing bilateral cooperation.”
Speaking at the press conference, Fidan said Pakistan held “major strategic and economic importance” due to its location bordering China and the Arabian Sea, positioning it at a junction of energy-rich countries and major economies.
He endorsed Dar’s statement that current bilateral trade volume of $1 billion did not reflect potential and should be enhanced to $5 billion:
“We have taken a principal decision in order to broaden our relations not only in trade but also in defense ... Pakistan is our strategic partner, and our cooperation supports regional stability and safety as well. I would like to once again highlight that we stand with Pakistan in their combat against terrorism.”
Dar also highlighted the history of Pak-Türkiye collaboration on defense projects.
“Pakistan and Turkiye are working on various joint ventures and continue to support each other to defend our territorial sovereignty and fight against terrorism in all its manifestations,” the Pakistani official added. “Our two countries have always supported each other on core issues and have assisted each other in the fight against terrorism.”
Pakistan narrowly averted default last summer, and its economy has stabilized after the completion of the last IMF program, with inflation coming down to around 17 percent in April from a record high 38 percent last May.
It is still dealing with a high fiscal shortfall and while it has controlled its external account deficit through import control mechanisms, it has come at the expense of stagnating growth, which is expected to be around 2 percent this year compared to negative growth last year.
The South Asian is also in negotiations with the IMF for a new, longer-term program of at least $6 billion.
Pakistan rebuilds girls school bombed by suspected militants, classes start today
- Two girls schools were bombed in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province this month
- Pakistan witnessed multiple attacks on girls schools until 2019, especially in Swat Valley
ISLAMABAD: The federal education ministry has rebuilt a school bombed by suspected militants last week in Pakistan’s northwest and it will open for classes today, Monday, state-run APP news agency reported.
Two girls schools were bombed in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province this month. The first attack targeted the only girls school in the town of Shawa on May 8 while the second school was bombed in an overnight attack last week in the neighboring South Waziristan district.
While there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks, suspicion is likely to fall on the Pakistani Taliban, or Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), who have targeted girls schools in the province in the past, saying women should not be educated.
The TTP group was evicted from northwest Pakistan’s Swat and other regions in recent years after successive military operations and believed to be harboring in neighboring Afghanistan. The TTP are a separate group but a close ally of the Afghan Taliban, who seized power in Afghanistan in 2021. The Taliban takeover of Kabul has emboldened the Pakistani Taliban, Islamabad says.
“Tomorrow (Monday), we celebrate the resilience of our daughters and the nation’s commitment to education,” APP said, quoting the education ministry, adding that 120 girls would be back to the classroom on Monday morning.
“This act symbolizes resilience, defiance against extremism, and a firm commitment to providing education for all, especially for the daughters of the nation.”
Similar attacks also took place in May last year when two government schools for girls in Mirali were blown up. No loss of life was reported in the incidents.
Pakistan witnessed multiple attacks on girls schools until 2019, especially in the Swat Valley and elsewhere in the northwest where the Pakistani Taliban long controlled the former tribal regions. In 2012, the insurgents attacked Malala Yousafzai, a teenage student and advocate for the education of girls who went on to become the youngest person to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
Pakistan’s religion minister urges pilgrims to promote country’s soft image during Hajj
- Over 22,000 Pakistani pilgrims have arrived in Saudi Arabia for Hajj 2024
- Annual Islamic pilgrimage Hajj is expected to run from June 14-19 this year
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s religion minister on Monday urged pilgrims to promote the country’s soft image during Hajj 2024, state-run media reported, as thousands from the South Asian country arrive in Saudi Arabia’s holy cities.
Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and requires every adult Muslim to undertake the journey to the holy Islamic sites in Makkah at least once in their lifetime, provided they are financially and physically able to do so.
Pakistani pilgrims have been arriving in Madinah since May 9 when the country launched its pre-Hajj flight operations. At least 22,696 Pakistani pilgrims have since arrived in Madinah through 93 flights, the Ministry of Religious Affairs (MoRA) said on Sunday.
Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Chaudhry Salik Hussain arrived in Makkah last week to review arrangements by the government for Pakistani pilgrims ahead of the annual Islamic pilgrimage.
“Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Chaudhry Salik Hussain has appealed to the intending Hajj pilgrims to earn a good name for the country during their stay in the holy land of Saudi Arabia,” the state-run Radio Pakistan said.
Speaking to reporters at a press conference in Makkah, Hussain said he was satisfied with arrangements undertaken by the Pakistan Hajj Mission in Makkah. He also visited a hospital for pilgrims in the holy city set up by Pakistan.
“He said that he is very happy over the operational preparedness after visiting various facilities, including the Pakistan Hajj Medical Mission, residential buildings, catering companies’ kitchens providing three meals a day and transport arrangements,” Radio Pakistan said.
Pakistan has a Hajj quota of 179,210 pilgrims this year, of which 63,805 people will perform the pilgrimage under the government scheme, while the rest will use private tour operators. This year’s pilgrimage is expected to run from June 14-19.
Pilgrims from Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi are availing the Makkah Route Initiative facility for the first time. Launched in 2019, the initiative allows for the completion of immigration procedures at the pilgrims’ country of departure. This makes it possible to bypass long immigration and customs checks upon reaching Saudi Arabia, which significantly reduces the waiting time and makes the entry process smoother and faster.
Pakistan expects over 60 percent of pilgrims performing Hajj this year to benefit from the initiative.
Pakistan PM declares day of mourning as Iran confirms President Raisi’s death
- Iranian state media confirms president, foreign minister and other officials had died in a helicopter crash
- Raisi, 63, was traveling through Iran’s East Azerbaijan province when helicopter crashed in country’s northwest
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif declared a day of mourning today, Monday, after Iranian state media confirmed President Ebrahim Raisi and other senior officials of the country had been killed in a helicopter crash in the country’s northwest.
Iranian state media IRNA said Raisi, the country’s foreign minister and others had been found dead at the site of a helicopter crash after an hours-long search through a foggy, mountainous region of the country’s northwest.
The Iranian president, 63, was traveling in Iran’s East Azerbaijan province. State TV said what it called a “hard landing” happened near Jolfa, a city on the border with Azerbaijan, some 600 kilometers (375 miles) northwest of the Iranian capital, Tehran. Later, state TV put it farther east near the village of Uzi, but details remained contradictory.
With Raisi were Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, the governor of Iran’s East Azerbaijan province and other officials and bodyguards, the state-run IRNA news agency reported. One local government official used the word “crash,” but others referred to either a “hard landing” or an “incident.”
In a post on social media platform X, Sharif extended his “deepest condolences” and sympathies to the people of Iran, hoping they would recover from the tragedy with courage.
“Pakistan will observe a day of mourning and the flag will fly at half mast as a mark of respect for President Raisi and his companions and in solidarity with Brotherly Iran,” Sharif wrote on X.
President Asif Ali Zardari expressed “profound shock and sorrow” over Raisi’s death, a statement from his office said.
“Today, Pakistan mourns the loss of a great friend,” Zardari said. “Just last month we had the honor of hosting him in Pakistan. During our discussions, I found him very keen on strengthening our bilateral relationship.”
Zardari’s son and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari expressed his heartfelt condolences over Raisi’s demise.
“Every Pakistani is deeply grieved over the saddest incident and stands in solidarity with their Iranian brethren,” Bhutto-Zardari said in a statement.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said he was “truly aggrieved” at Raisi’s passing. “Today Ummah has lost a great statesman,” he wrote on social media platform X. “Pakistan has lost a true friend.”
Pakistan’s foreign office issued a statement, saying it was shocked at Raisi’s demise.
“President Dr. Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian were esteemed leaders and statesmen whose contributions to their country and reinforcing Pakistan-Iran relations and regional cooperation will always be remembered,” the foreign office said.
The development takes place as the Middle East remains unsettled by Israel’s war on Gaza, during which Raisi under Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei launched an unprecedented drone-and-missile attack on Israel last month. Under Raisi, Iran enriched uranium closer than ever to weapons-grade levels, further escalating tensions with the West as Tehran also supplied bomb-carrying drones to Russia for its war in Ukraine and armed militia groups across the region.
Raisi was elected president at the second attempt in 2021, and since taking office ordered a tightening of morality laws, overseen a bloody crackdown on anti-government protests and pushed hard in nuclear talks with world powers.
In Iran’s dual political system, split between the clerical establishment and the government, it is the supreme leader rather than the president who has the final say on all major policies.
In April, Raisi arrived in Islamabad on a three-day official visit to Pakistan as the two Muslim neighbors sought to mend ties after unprecedented tit-for-tat military strikes earlier this year.
The Iranian president had held delegation-level meetings in the Pakistani capital as well as one-on-one discussions with Pakistan’s prime minister, president, army chief, Senate chairman and National Assembly speaker.
During the visit, Raisi had also overseen the signing of eight agreements between the two countries that covered different fields, including trade, science technology, agriculture, health, culture, and judicial matters.
