ISLAMABAD: Funeral prayers for Kulsoom Nawaz, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s wife, were offered at the Islamic Cultural Center in London on Thursday. The prayers were attended by sons Hassan and Hussain, brother-in-law Shehbaz Sharif, Chaudhry Nisar and Ishaq Dar, among others.
The former first lady’s body will be flown back to Pakistan on Thursday night by daughter Asma, Hussain Nawaz’s son, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Chief Shehbaz Sharif and other family members. Hassan and Hussain will not travel to Pakistan for their mother’s funeral. Kulsoom will be laid to rest at Jati Umra, the family’s private residence near Lahore.
Pakistan’s three-time premier Nawaz, his daughter Maryam Nawaz, and her husband Capt. Mohammad Safdar — currently serving sentences for corruption — have been temporarily released on parole to attend the funeral. Jati Umra has been declared a sub-jail, with the trio confined to three rooms within the residence.
On Sept. 12, the Punjab cabinet extended the parole time to 62 hours.
Kulsoom Nawaz’s funeral held in London
Kulsoom Nawaz’s funeral held in London
- Funeral prayers for Kulsoom Nawaz were offered at the Islamic Cultural Center in London on Thursday
- Kulsoom will be laid to rest at Jati Umra, the family’s private residence near Lahore
Pakistan arrests two suspected human smugglers amid ongoing crackdown
- Islamabad has intensified crackdown on human trafficking after multiple boat tragedies involving Pakistani migrants in recent years
- This week, crew members of humanitarian rescue ship Ocean Viking rescued several Pakistanis among 44 migrants off the coast of Libya
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has arrested two human smugglers from the eastern province of Punjab, the agency said on Sunday, as part of an ongoing nationwide crackdown to dismantle trafficking networks and curb illegal migration.
Islamabad has intensified its crackdown on human trafficking networks after multiple boat tragedies resulted in its citizens getting killed in recent years. This week, crew members of humanitarian rescue ship Ocean Viking rescued Pakistanis among 44 migrants off Libya’s coast.
The FIA said it had conducted raids in Punjab’s Okara and Mianwali districts and arrested two suspects involved in visa fraud and human smuggling, who had swindled a few individuals out of Rs1.15 million ($4,142) on pretext of sending them to Oman.
“The suspects had gone into hiding after receiving money from citizens,” the agency said in a statement. “An investigation has been launched after the arrest of the suspects.”
Several Pakistanis attempt the dangerous and illegal journey each year in a bid to escape surging inflation and opt for a better life as the cash-strapped country navigates a tricky path to economic recovery from a macroeconomic crisis.
In 2023, hundreds of migrants, including 262 Pakistanis, drowned when an overcrowded vessel sank in international waters off the southwestern Greek town of Pylos, marking one of the deadliest boat disasters ever recorded in the Mediterranean Sea.
Other incidents have also seen Pakistani migrants perish in shipwrecks off Italy, Tunisia and Libya, highlighting the persistent risks faced by people attempting irregular sea crossings to Europe.
Pakistani authorities have repeatedly urged citizens not to undertake such perilous journeys, while international agencies warn that smugglers continue to exploit economic hardship and conflict to lure migrants onto unsafe boats.
