KHAPLU, GILGIT-BALTISTAN: Prominent Pakistani women mountaineers Naila Kiani and Samina Baig on Sunday summited the country’s second-highest mountain, Nanga Parbat, making the former the first Pakistani woman climber to achieve the feat.
Nicknamed the “Killer Mountain,” Nanga Parbat stands at 8,125 meters (26,660 feet) and is recognized as the world’s ninth-highest peak and Pakistan’s second-highest. Several climbers have in the past died attempting to summit the towering mountain, among them Italian Daniele Nardi and Briton Tom Ballard who went missing and were later declared dead in 2019.
With her latest feat, Kiani became the first Pakistani woman to summit the peak and the first Pakistani female climber to summit seven out of the 14 eight-thousander mountains in the world. Baig and Kiani achieve the feat with over a dozen national and international climbers who summited Nanga Parbat.
“Today on July 2, 2023, at 10:18 a.m., Naila Kiani scaled the majestic Nanga Parbat, standing tall at an inspirational height of the eight-thousander,” Karrar Haidri, the secretary-general of the Alpine Club of Pakistan — a non-government organization that promotes mountaineering — said in a statement.
“Naila has now ascended seven of the enormous 8,000-meter peaks on the planet, establishing her as one of the most talented climbers of our time,” Haidri added.
Speaking to Arab News, Haideri said:
“Samina Baig and Naila Kiani are both strong climbers and they are making the name of our country proud.”
Prior to this feat, Kiani has summited the legendary Mount Everest, the difficult K2, the commanding Lhotse, the perilous Annapurna, the elusive G1, and the G2 in Pakistan.
With her latest feat, Baig has now summited three out of the 14 eight-thousanders in the world. According to Haidri, Wajid Ullah Nagri and ten other international climbers summited Nanga Parbat on Sunday with Baig and Kiani.
“They overcame hazardous terrain, severe weather, and a plethora of challenges thanks to their undying determination, talent, and teamwork,” he said. “Their success serves as both a source of motivation for aspirant climbers and proof of the unflappable spirit of human endeavor,” the statement added.
Last month, 23 climbers from Norway, Russia, the United States, Switzerland, France, Turkiye, Mexico, Nepal and Pakistan summited Nanga Parbat.
Pakistani women climbers Naila Kiani, Samina Baig summit ‘Killer Mountain’ Nanga Parbat
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Pakistani women climbers Naila Kiani, Samina Baig summit ‘Killer Mountain’ Nanga Parbat
- Naila Kiani becomes first Pakistani woman to summit seven out of 14 eight-thousander mountains
- Kiani and Samina Baig achieve summit Nanga Parbat with other a dozen local, international climbers
Azad Kashmir demonstrators call off protests as government cuts electricity, wheat prices after clashes
- Protests began on May 11 and lasted for days until the Pakistan government approved $83 million in subsidies
- One police officer and three young demonstrators were killed as protests turned violent in the Himalayan region
ISLAMABAD: An alliance of civil rights groups on Tuesday called off a protest that had lasted for several days across Azad Kashmir and led to serious clashes with police and paramilitary Rangers after the government met its demand to reduce electricity and wheat prices in the region.
The Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) organized the protests that started on May 11, seeking subsidized wheat flour and a reduction in electricity tariffs to bring them in line with the hydropower generation cost in Azad Kashmir.
The demonstrations led to four deaths, including one police officer who was reportedly killed by protesters in gunfire, while three demonstrators lost their lives in clashes with Rangers in Muzaffarabad.
Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq Chaudhry said at a news conference on Monday his government had notified reduced wheat and electricity prices after the Pakistani government approved Rs23 billion ($83 million) in subsidies.
“On the appeal of the Awami Action Committee, it has been decided to end the ongoing lockdown and wheel-jam strike across Azad Kashmir,” Amjad Ali Khan, a member of the JAAC core committee, told Arab News on Tuesday.
He said JAAC demanded compensation for the three young demonstrators killed in clashes with Rangers. He also informed that a day of mourning and a shutter-down strike would be held today across Kashmir to honor the three demonstrators.
Speaking about the details of JAAC’s agreement with the government, Khan said the authorities had agreed to drop all the cases and release the arrested individuals.
“The Awami Action Committee demanded the formation of a judicial commission to investigate police violence in the Mirpur Division and Muzaffarabad,” he added, saying the judicial commission’s investigation should be made public and those responsible should be punished.
Abdul Majid Khan, a spokesperson for the AJK government, said the authorities had shown utmost restraint to pacify the situation.
“All the demands of the protesters have been fulfilled, and the situation will hopefully return to normalcy now,” he told Arab News.
Pakistan’s information minister, Attaullah Tarar, said the situation in Azad Kashmir had been addressed after the federal government approved the grant to deal with people’s concerns.
“With the grant given by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the issue has been resolved to meet the people’s demands,” he told the media in Islamabad.
He mentioned Azad Kashmir’s special status, pointing out that its affairs were managed with the grants of Pakistan’s federal government.
“The government will look after the police personnel who fell victims of the protests,” he added.
The Himalayan territory of Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since their independence from Britain in 1947, with both countries ruling part of the territory but claiming it in full.
The western portion of the larger Kashmir region is administered by Pakistan as a nominally self-governing entity, while India rules the southern portion as a union territory.
While the Indian portion has faced an ongoing insurgency for decades and multiple armed attempts by the state to quell it, the Pakistani side has remained relatively calm over the decades, though it is also highly militarized.
Protesters call off march in Pakistan’s Azad Kashmir after demands met
- March called off day after Pakistan’s PM Sharif approves $86 million grant to subsidize flour, electricity
- Clashes between protesters and police, which began last week, claimed lives of three civilians, one cop
MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan: An alliance of civil rights group on Tuesday called off a protest march in Pakistan-ruled Kashmir after several days of clashes over high prices in which four people have been killed and over 100 injured, officials said.
Protesters called off the march a day after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif approved a grant of 24 billion rupees ($86 million) to help meet most of their demands, which included subsidies on flour and electricity prices.
The alliance’s head, Shaukat Nawaz Mir, announced the decision in Muzaffarabad, the capital city of the scenic Himalayan region.
“The government has accepted all of our demands,” he said, calling on protesters to return to their homes and businesses.
Mir also demanded the government give financial compensation for the families of three protesters and a police official who were killed in the violence.
The protesters were killed on Monday evening after paramilitary troops opened fire when they were attacked, said local government official Adnan Khurshid. The police official died in clashes over the weekend.
Kashmir’s Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq Chaudhry said late on Monday that the funds would help lower some prices in the region.
The subsidized rate for 40 kgs (88.2 lb) of flour will be 2,000 rupees, down from 3,100 rupees, he said. He also announced a substantial dip in the electricity prices.
The protests coincide with the visit of an International Monetary Fund mission to negotiate a new long-term loan with Islamabad.
The IMF has already warned that social tensions triggered by the high cost of living could weigh on policy implementation, adding that fiscal slippages could present a challenge for the government.
PM says Pakistan to privatize all state-owned entities except ‘strategically important’ ones
- Finance Minister Aurangzeb last week said there is “no such thing as strategic” public entities
- PM Sharif urges privatization process of state-owned enterprises to be broadcast live for transparency
KARACHI: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced on Tuesday that his government would privatize all state-owned enterprises (SOEs) except for those deemed “strategically important” or essential ones, state-owned media reported, as Islamabad looks to overhaul its public entities to improve their performance.
The announcement is in direct conflict with Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb’s statement from Sunday in which he said that all public entities would be handed over to the private sector. The minister had said he and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar were on the same page that “there is no such thing as a strategic SOE.”
Former finance minister Dar had chaired a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Privatization on May 10 in which he had said the government’s business would only be limited to essential or strategic SOEs. Dar said while priority would be accorded to loss-making entities, even SOEs who were earning profits would be considered for privatization.
PM Sharif chaired a high-level meeting on matters related to the Ministry of Privatization and Privatization Commission on Tuesday, the state-run Radio Pakistan reported.
“Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has announced to privatize all government-owned enterprises with the exception of strategically important state-owned enterprises,” Radio Pakistan said. “The Prime Minister directed all federal ministries to take necessary action in this regard and cooperate with the Privatization Commission.”
Pakistan’s Finance Division has defined strategic entities as those whose functions have significant strategic, security, or social importance in addition to economic values for the country. It has defined essential SOEs as those which are critical for the execution of government policies and where the private sector is unable to assume those functions due to various reasons.
The Oil & Gas Development Limited (OGDCL), Pakistan State Oil (PSO), National Bank of Pakistan, and hydropower projects are considered strategically important enterprises owned by the government. However, the government has not classified strategic assets for privatization yet.
Pakistan agreed to overhaul its public entities under a $3 billion financial bailout agreement it signed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) last year, a deal that helped it avert a sovereign debt default in 2023. The IMF has said Pakistan’s SOEs whose losses are burning a hole in government finances would need stronger governance. Pakistan is currently negotiating with the international lender for a larger, longer program for which it must implement an ambitious reforms agenda, including the privatization of debt-ridden SOEs.
Among the main entities Pakistan is pushing to privatize is its national flag carrier, the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA). The government is putting on the block a stake ranging from 51 percent to 100 percent.
Sharif instructed authorities to ensure transparency in the privatization process of all state-owned entities, including the PIA.
“He directed to televise live Pakistan International Airlines Company Limited’s privatization including bidding and other important steps,” Radio Pakistan said. “The process of privatization of other institutions will also be broadcast live.”
The prime minister was informed that the pre-qualification process for PIA’s privatization would be completed by the end of May. He was told loss-making SOEs would be privatized on priority and that a “pre-qualified panel of experts” is being appointed in Pakistan’s Privatization Commission to speed up the process.
Separately, Aurangzeb chaired a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on State-Owned Enterprises on Monday which was attended by ministers of maritime affairs, economic affairs, housing and works, the governor of Pakistan’s central bank and other officials. The meeting was held to evaluate the performance of the country’s public entities and review the progress of the government’s privatization agenda.
Aurangzeb directed concerned ministries and divisions to submit proposals for the categorization of their respective public entities by May 20. The step is aimed at reviewing the rationale for retaining any commercial functions within the public sector, the finance ministry said.
“The objective is to retain only the essential functions within the public sector & to assign the remaining functions to the private sector,” it said. “At the same time the entities which remain in public sector have to be more competitive, accountable, and responsive to the needs of citizens.”
Participants agreed to foster transparency, efficiency, and sustainable growth within the SOEs, reflecting the government’s dedication to ensuring the optimal utilization of public resources, the ministry said.
Tahir Abbas, the head of research at Arif Habib Limited, considered Pakistan’s largest securities brokerage company, said the conflicting statements between Sharif and Aurangzeb showed lack of coordination between them.
“There seems lack of coordination between them on the classification of assets for privatization,” he told Arab News.
Pakistan face dangerous Ireland in T20I series decider today
- Buoyed by stellar performances from Rizwan, Fakhar Zaman, Pakistan beat Ireland on Sunday to level series 1-1
- After Ireland series, Pakistan will head to England for four-match T20 series as preparation before T20 World Cup
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will face a dangerous Ireland cricket team today, Tuesday, in the third and final T20 match of the series between the two teams in Dublin, as both sides look to gain momentum with less than a month to go before the World Cup kicks off in June.
The visitors were shocked by minnows Ireland last week when they lost in the series opener on Friday. However, the South Asian country bounced back in the second T20I on Friday, beating Ireland by seven wickets in a match that saw stellar performances from Mohammad Rizwan, Fakhar Zaman, Shaheen Shah Afridi and a late blitz from Azam Khan.
“The third and last T-20 between Pakistan and Ireland will be played at Dublin today,” state-run Radio Pakistan reported. “The match will start at 7:00 p.m. Pakistan Standard Time.”
Pakistan and Ireland are both in Group A of the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 in the West Indies and the USA. They will face each other in the tournament on 16 June, Sunday, in Florida. Ireland have given Pakistan a tough time in the series, losing the second match after taking early breakthroughs and handing skipper Babar Azam’s side an impressive 194-run target.
Pakistan’s bowling attack, considered its main strength which features the likes of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and Mohammad Amir, has been in the spotlight for conceding too many runs and failing to trouble the Irish batters much.
Separately, Cricket Ireland on Monday officially confirmed a first men’s tour of Pakistan in August and September in 2025. The series will see both countries play three T20Is and three ODIs against each other. It was part of the Future Tours Programme (FTP) of the ICC scheduled for September 2025.
The decision was finalized after Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi met Cricket Ireland Chairman Brain MacNeice. A statement released by the PCB, however, did not mention any dates and venues for the schedule of the series. It follows in the wake of Ireland Women touring Pakistan, who also played three ODIs and three T20Is in November 2022.
The Pakistan men’s team will head to England for a four-match T20I series after the third T20I against Ireland. Following the England series, with matches scheduled at Headingley (22 May), Birmingham (25 May), Cardiff (28 May), and The Oval, London (30 May), both England and Pakistan will head to the US for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.
England will face Scotland in Barbados on June 4 in their opening match, while Pakistan will launch their campaign against the United States (US) in Dallas on June 6. Pakistan will take on arch-rivals India on June 9 in New York which is set to be one of the most anticipated clashes of the T20 World Cup.
Squads:
Ireland: Paul Stirling (captain), Mark Adair, Ross Adair, Andrew Balbirnie, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Graham Hume, Barry McCarthy, Neil Rock, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Ben White, Craig Young
Pakistan: Babar Azam (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir (unavailable for first T20I), Mohammad Rizwan, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Usman Khan
US study group urges Washington to address growing threats from Pakistan, Afghanistan
- Study group led by US policymakers say extremist groups gaining strength in ways that threaten America, allied interests
- Group calls on US to work with Pakistan again on fighting militants, securing long-term access to Pakistani airspace
Washington: The United States must move on from the “trauma” of two decades of war and step up counterterrorism efforts to face growing threats from Afghanistan and Pakistan, a study said Tuesday.
The study group, led by former senior US policymakers, made clear it was not advocating a return to America’s longest war which ended when President Joe Biden pulled troops from Afghanistan in 2021 and the Taliban regained control.
But it said that, after the overwhelming focus on counterterrorism following the September 11, 2001 attacks, the pendulum “appears to have swung in the opposite direction” as the United States focuses on competition with China, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Israel’s war on Hamas.
“Both decision-makers and many who have labored within the national security agencies show signs of something like collective trauma resulting from a 20-year-long counterterrorism effort,” said the study group, convened in 2022 under the US Institute of Peace.
“The tragic end of US involvement in Afghanistan has also made it a toxic issue, reinforcing inclinations to keep the region off the policy agenda and the public’s radar,” it said.
But it said that extremist movements are “gaining strength in ways that threaten US and allied interests” and have found a “range of new opportunities for regrouping, plotting and collaborating” in Afghanistan.
It pointed to the Daesh, Taliban rivals who have nonetheless found a haven in Afghanistan and were implicated in a major attack in March in Moscow, and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, which has been waging an armed campaign against Islamabad.
The report called on the United States to be “less restrictive” on the use of force against threats in Afghanistan — not a return to conventional war but pursuing military action against direct threats identified to the United States.
It also called for the United States to consider “shows of force” such as flying drones to pressure Taliban leaders to sever persistent ties with Al-Qaeda.
Noting a drop in US intelligence and capabilities since the withdrawal, the study called for the United States again to work with Pakistan, including on fighting militants and securing long-term US access to Pakistani airspace.
Pakistan became a top US aid recipient during the Afghanistan war but US officials long believed that Islamabad was playing a double-game and keeping the Taliban alive.
The Biden administration has shown little interest in engaging Pakistan, an inclination not helped by the tumultuous politics inside the world’s fifth most populous country.
“You’ve got a lot of people currently serving at the highest levels of the US government who have a strong distaste for Pakistan based on experience during the 20 years in Afghanistan,” said Laurel Miller, co-chair of the study group, who served as the US special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan and now heads The Asia Foundation.
“There’s a strong feeling of Pakistan having been disingenuous, to say the least, with the United States,” she told AFP.
“But there are certain immutable realities, which include that Pakistan is next door to Afghanistan, which currently is a sanctuary for terrorist groups,” she said.
“So I think there’s just no choice other than to have a kind of relationship with Pakistan that enables the US to protect its own interests in the region.”
She said that US policy on Pakistan was also affected by the “zero-sum view” of India, a growing partner of Washington which has long criticized US ties with its neighbor and historic adversary.
The study called for the United States to make clear to Pakistan “serious negative repercussions” if militants based in the country again attack India.
The report’s other co-chair was Michael Nagata, a retired army lieutenant general with experience in counterterrorism.
Other members of the group included Anne Patterson and Michael McKinley, former US ambassadors to Pakistan and Afghanistan respectively, and prominent scholars.
