ISLAMABAD: It’s a far cry from those sponsored Facebook posts asking you to invest in a start-up’s new digital watch or an unbreakable phone case.
But Imran Khan wants Pakistanis to crowdfund a whopping $14 billion for desperately needed dams, a plea capitalizing on nationalist fervor but ridiculed by detractors as unrealistic.
If it succeeded it would be the largest crowdfunding effort in history — shattering the current Kickstarter record 700 times over.
But while Pakistanis have responded to Khan’s plea with enthusiasm, the tally so far is just a drop in the ocean of what’s needed to alleviate the country’s chronic water crisis.
“We have only 30 days water storage capacity,” cricketer-turned-premier Khan warned in a televised appeal this month.
“We already have so many loans that we have problems in paying them back... We alone will have to build this dam, and we can.”
The biggest crowdfunding effort in the world to date, a Kickstarter campaign for the Pebble Time Smartwatch, raised just over $20 million in 32 days, according to the Wall Street Journal.
But Khan appeared undaunted by the magnitude of what he was asking.
If the millions of Pakistanis living overseas all contribute $1,000 then Pakistan will have the funds to build the dams, he claimed.
“I promise to you that I will safeguard your money,” he added.
Critics say Khan’s plan is little more than pie in the sky.
“You can’t collect $14 billion via crowdfunding. It’s not feasible,” Khaleeq Kiani, senior economics correspondent with Pakistani daily Dawn, told AFP.
“We have no example in which such a huge amount was collected to build such a huge project.”
Few would deny Pakistan desperately needs new reservoirs.
The country is rich in glaciers and rivers, but has just two large-capacity dams, and has for decades slept through warnings of a water crisis. With its surging population experts warn Pakistan faces “absolute water scarcity” by 2025.
The government’s plan is to build two facilities: the Mohmand dam in the country’s northwest, widely seen as feasible, and the much larger, troubled Diamer-Basha project in the north, first mooted in the early 2000s.
Its location in territory disputed by India means major international donors have refused funding, while financing terms proposed by ally China were rejected as too harsh.
Experts also question whether the Diamer-Basha dam is feasible in an earthquake-prone region, while others point out that simply patching up Pakistan’s current water infrastructure and rethinking its water policies would be more efficient.
This summer the issue caught the attention of maverick Supreme Court Chief Justice Saqib Nisar, who created the dam fund in July.
Khan’s decision to join the fray in September has transformed Nisar’s idea into a nationalist cause, with the fund at the State Bank of Pakistan doubling to $33 million, or 0.25 percent of the target.
That includes a $9,740 donation from the national football team, its winnings from a recent tournament, along with $8 million worth of salaries donated by the powerful army.
The donations have flowed despite the fact that Khan, who took power in August, has offered no detailed plan for the money — or explained how Pakistanis could recoup their cash if the project fails.
The lack of specifics has not bothered many citizens who, in a country riddled with corruption, have placed their faith in “honest” Khan.
“Imran Khan will take care of every single rupee,” said Islamabad shopkeeper Muhammad Naseem.
Khan has form. He built two of the country’s only state-of-the-art cancer hospitals purely on donations, raising over $300 million to date, a campaign that laid the foundations for his political career.
Concerns about the fundraising have centered on the Chief Justice Nisar, who used his power to force people to donate, demanding one lawyer give $8,000 if he wanted more time in preparing his case.
Nisar has even suggested that opposing the fund was tantamount to treason.
The remarks invited a backlash.
Political analyst Ijaz Haider, writing in the Pakistani edition of Newsweek, wondered if experts who pointed out legitimate problems might find themselves in trouble.
Would they be “considered traitors to the cause?” he wrote.
Imran Khan’s bid to crowdfund $14bn for Pakistan dams
Imran Khan’s bid to crowdfund $14bn for Pakistan dams
PM Sharif seeks swift implementation of Security Council’s ceasefire resolution in Gaza
- The PM says Pakistan stands shoulder to shoulder with Palestinians ‘who are fighting against oppression’
- Pakistan has consistently called for a viable and geographically contiguous Palestinian state at the UN
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday called for the swift implementation of the United Nations Security Council’s ceasefire resolution in the Gaza Strip to end Israel’s relentless military campaign against the people of Palestine which has lasted for over five months.
Israel launched its campaign after a surprise attack was initiated by Hamas on Oct. 7 in response to the deteriorating condition of Palestinian people living under Israeli occupation. Since then, Israel has killed over 32,000 Gaza residents, most of them women and children, by targeting hospitals and residential neighborhoods.
The Security Council demanded an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas earlier this week in what was viewed as a massive legal blow to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration that has been widely accused of running a genocidal campaign against Palestinians.
The resolution was passed after the United States abstained from the vote.
The Pakistani prime minister mentioned the UN resolution at an iftar-dinner hosted by the foreign ministry to honor the members of the diplomatic community in the country.
“Pakistan welcomes the UN Security Council resolution for a ceasefire in Gaza,” he said while addressing the gathering. “Immediate implementation of the UN Security Council’s ceasefire resolution in Gaza is necessary.”
He noted that Ramadan was a month of peace, blessings and generosity, adding that the gathering reflected his country’s cultural values and interfaith harmony.
“We stand shoulder to shoulder with unarmed Palestinians and Kashmiris who are fighting against oppression even during Ramadan,” the prime minister added.
Pakistan has consistently called for a ceasefire in Gaza at the United Nations and other international forums while seeking a viable and geographically contiguous Palestinian state based on the pre-1967 borders.
Pakistan PM to meet chief justice amid allegations of intelligence meddling in judicial matters
- The meeting was scheduled following the top court’s deliberations over the accusations made by six high court judges
- The judges had complained of coercion by intelligence agencies in a letter to Supreme Judicial Council earlier this week
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is scheduled to meet Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa today, Thursday, apparently to discuss the allegations made by six Islamabad High Court (IHC) judges in a letter about intelligence agencies’ meddling in judicial affairs.
The meeting is expected to take place a day after the Supreme Court held a full court meeting to deliberate on the issue without issuing a statement or decision.
The six judges, out of a total IHC strength of eight, sent a written request to the Supreme Judicial Council earlier this week to hold a judicial convention to discuss how intelligence agencies put judges under pressure and coerce them to issue desired verdicts.
“The prime minister, along with the attorney-general of Pakistan, is scheduled to have a meeting with the chief justice on the court’s premises at about 2pm today,” the attorney-general’s office confirmed to Arab News over the phone.
It declined to provide further details about the agenda of the meeting.
Prior to the development, Pakistani bar associations called for a transparent inquiry into the matter while reacting to the letter.
“The concerns highlighted in the letter are indeed grave and warrant immediate attention,” Pakistan Bar Council said in a statement, demanding an investigation into the matter by a three-member committee of the Supreme Court judges.
“The contents of the letter depict a troubling narrative of attempts to undermine autonomy of the judiciary and influence judicial proceedings for political ends,” it continued.
The six judges provided various examples of alleged interference, including a case concerning Pakistan’s imprisoned former prime minister Imran Khan. They informed that when two of the three judges on the bench deemed a plea to disqualify Khan for allegedly concealing his paternity of a daughter as not maintainable, they faced pressure from “operatives of the ISI [Inter-Services Intelligence]” through their friends and relatives.
The judges also mentioned incidents where their relatives were abducted and tortured and their homes were secretly surveilled, aiming to coerce them into delivering favorable judgments in specific cases.
The Islamabad High Court Bar Association and legal experts also demanded an investigation into the issue, calling it a “serious threat to rule of law and independence of judiciary.”
Speaking to Arab News, Justice (r) Shaiq Usmani said the Supreme Judicial Council had the power to summon anybody, examine the record and evidence and record statements of those involved in a matter. He said it should take the lead and investigate the matter raised by the IHC judges.
“The Supreme Judicial Council should record statements of all those involved in this matter besides examining the available evidence to fix responsibility,” he said. “The whole process could be completed in an in-camera inquiry with integrity and without sensationalizing the matter.”
First Pakistani female Diana Legacy Award winner hopes to spotlight other humanitarians in her country
- Alizey Khan, a law graduate, has been combating food insecurity by distributing ration bags and cooked meals
- Previously, a survivor of the 2014 Army Public School shooting received the award for his deradicalization work
ISLAMABAD: A 26-year-old Pakistani humanitarian worker became the first woman from her country to win the Diana Legacy Award in recognition to her social services this month, prompting her to describe the achievement as an opportunity to bring broader recognition to other people working in her field.
The Diana Legacy Awards are presented biennially, honoring the achievements of 20 young leaders worldwide. This year’s edition of the awards coincided with Lady Diana’s 25th anniversary.
Alizey Khan, the young Pakistani humanitarian worker, is a law graduate who got the award from Prince William on March 14 at a ceremony held in London.
Khan established the Ruhil Foundation in 2016 to combat food insecurity by delivering ration bags and cooked meals to those in need. She did extensive work during the COVID-19 pandemic before providing food and other relief items to flood-hit families in Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan provinces.
Speaking to Arab News on Wednesday, she pointed out that many women in Pakistan were engaged in remarkable humanitarian and welfare efforts and deserve global acknowledgement.
“They have not received the same recognition or exposure,” she said. “Therefore, I am grateful for this award as it shines a spotlight on the valuable contributions of Pakistani women. Hopefully, it will encourage more women to step forward, receive nominations and gain recognition through prestigious international awards.”
According to the Diana Award website, Khan’s organization delivered 5,500 monthly food parcels and 10,000 meals between April 2016 and March 2022. It also expanded its focus to education and shelter by raising over $150,000.
Additionally, Khan’s humanitarian venture financed 200 weddings, distributed 600 sanitary pads, provided 1,100 blankets in winter, disbursed 1,000 interest-free emergency loans and gave monthly stipends to 25 transgender people and widows during the same period.
She said that she felt exceptionally proud when it was announced during the award ceremony that she was the first woman from Pakistan to receive the honor. Previously, only one Pakistani, Ahmed Nawaz, who survived the 2014 Army Public School shooting, received the award in 2019 for deradicalization efforts.
“I received the award due to my consistent involvement in humanitarian efforts as I commenced my humanitarian work at the age of 16, and over the past decade, I have significantly expanded both the scope and reach of my initiatives,” she said, adding that youth was considered a positive factor since the jury valued young individuals dedicated to community welfare.
Speaking about her work over the years, she said her primary focus had been on food distribution among deserving individuals that involved several transgender people and widows.
Additionally, her organization provides complete meals at weddings for underprivileged families, having already supported about 200 of them.
“We also undertake the adoption and reform of various orphanages, ensuring their efficient and effective operation by connecting them with our network of donors,” she added.
For the Diana Award, Khan said an individual’s work should demonstrate sustainability and impact over a prolonged period of time.
“Among the 20 recipients of the Legacy Award this year, I had raised the most funding for my projects, enhancing their impact and sustainability,” she added.
Khan said the award offered more than just recognition since it also included a two-year mentoring program with regular sessions with individuals in one’s own field.
“Participants have access to programs where they can connect with experts in the field and access fundraising opportunities,” she continued, adding the attention garnered in the field of welfare work aided in the growth and sustainability of one’s initiatives.
In Rawalpindi, 63-year-old drummer defies modernity to keep Ramadan suhoor spirit alive
- Imam Buksh roams Rawalpindi streets at night during Ramadan, waking up believers for pre-dawn meals
- Drummer says modern technology has threated the tradition but people still appreciate his suhoor wake-up calls
ISLAMABAD: The streets of Satellite Town, an old and upscale neighborhood in the Pakistani garrison city of Rawalpindi, reverberated with loud beats around 2am earlier this week as Imam Buksh pounded his colorful barrel drum with wooden sticks.
Houses and shops lit up behind the drummer and residents peeked out of their homes to catch a glimpse of the 63-year-old who daily roams the streets of Rawalpindi after midnight during the holy month of Ramadan, urging worshipers with his drum beats to wake up for the fast-keeping suhoor meal.
For decades a Ramadan tradition, the nocturnal practice finds itself at odds with modernity as old neighborhoods in the vast garrison city have made way for more modern housing colonies, and the drumbeaters’ usefulness has been eclipsed by TV, mobile phones and alarm clocks.
But Buksh is resolved to preserve the practice and continues his daily drum pounding from 2:30am until the Fajr prayers throughout Ramadan. For him, it’s a way to earn Allah’s blessings.
“I have been doing this here for approximately 16 years, to awaken people [for suhoor] which pleases Allah,” Buksh, who moved to Rawalpindi from the nearby Jhang district to work as a drum-beater at weddings, told Arab News on Monday.
“I fulfill my duty for Allah during the holy month of Ramadan and after completing my daily duty, I return to my place for rest every day … I used to do drum-beating in Rawalpindi back when there were only a few houses, and people used to give a rupee or a few coins as reward.”
Ramadan marks the month in which the Qur’an was revealed on Prophet Muhammad. Fasting, by abstaining from food and water from sunrise to sunset, is one of the five pillars of Islam, a grueling routine the devout repeat every day for a month.
In much of the Muslim world, particularly the Middle East, suhoor drummers call for people to wake up. Often people offer them money for their services.
“If someone gives something I accept it, otherwise I will keep going on my way as it makes me as well as people in the area happy,” Buksh said. “Many people are happy because of my drum-beating and request me from their rooftops to beat it more.”
He said he often got calls from people if he skipped a neighborhood.
“Just the other day, I received a call from someone in a colony where I used to beat the drum last year,” he said. “They asked why I had stopped coming to their area, and I explained that I cannot travel as much now.”
Buksh has four sons who have all followed in his footsteps. Two are drummers in the southern port city of Karachi, while two work from their hometown of Jhang.
Asked about his future plans, he said he wished to perform Umrah or a pilgrimage to the Muslim holy sites.
“I wish that someone would help me go to Umrah or pilgrimage to the holy places,” he said. “Wherever they can send me, I will pray for them and ask for more blessings for them from Allah.”
Pakistan shares initial findings with China on attack that killed five Chinese nationals
- The Chinese citizens were working on a hydropower project in Pakistan’s northwest where a suicide bomber targeted them
- Pakistani officials say they are doing DNA testing on the remains of the bomber whose face is said to be beyond recognition
PESHAWAR: Pakistani authorities have shared with China the preliminary findings of an investigation into a deadly attack that killed five Chinese nationals and their Pakistani driver in the country’s volatile northwest, officials said Wednesday.
Authorities were doing DNA testing on the remains of a suicide bomber who rammed his explosives-laden car into a vehicle that was carrying the Chinese engineers and construction workers.
The attack took place in Shangla, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province where thousands of Chinese nationals work on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which includes a multitude of megaprojects such as road construction, power plants and agriculture. The CPEC is a lifeline for Pakistan’s cash-strapped government, currently facing one of its worst economic crises.
The five Chinese nationals were heading Tuesday to the Dasu Dam, the biggest hydropower project in Pakistan, where they worked. Their remains were transported to the capital, Islamabad, local police official Altaf Khan said, adding that the deceased had a police escort when the attack happened.
Khan said DNA testing was necessary as the bomber’s face was beyond recognition. He hoped the results of the DNA tests will help in identifying the bomber.
Pakistani officials said they shared the latest investigation developments with their Chinese counterparts. China is expected to send its own experts to the attack site to conduct an independent investigation while collaborating with Pakistani authorities.
Khan also said they have further expanded a search started a day earlier for the attacker’s possible accomplices.
The UN Security Council in a statement Wednesday condemned “in the strongest terms the heinous and cowardly terrorist attack.” The council “underlined the need to hold perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism accountable and bring them to justice.”
No group had claimed responsibility for the attack as of Wednesday, but suspicion was likely to fall on separatists and the breakaway Gul Bahadur faction of the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP, and is a separate group, but a close ally of the Afghan Taliban.
The TTP denied being behind the suicide bombing in a statement Wednesday, saying: “We are in no way related to the attack on the Chinese engineers.”
Tuesday’s attack came less than a week after Pakistani security forces killed eight Balochistan Liberation Army separatists who opened fire on a convoy carrying Chinese citizens outside the Chinese-funded Gwadar port in the volatile southwestern Balochistan province.
The Chinese foreign ministry condemned the attack and offered “deep condolences to the deceased” in a statement Wednesday.
The ministry said China has asked “Pakistan to thoroughly investigate the incident as soon as possible, hunt down the perpetrators, and bring them to justice” and added that “any attempt to undermine China-Pakistan cooperation will never succeed.”
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif promised a swift conclusion to the investigation during a visit with the Chinese ambassador, Jiang Zaidong, on Tuesday.
Zaidong, accompanied by Pakistani officials, visited the Dasu Dam Wednesday, according to a statement by Pakistan’s government.
The statement also said Sharif presided over a high-level security meeting, attended by the country’s powerful army chief Gen. Asim Munir. In the meeting, the premier said Tuesday’s attack was “creating mistrust” between Pakistan and China and vowed to bring “the barbaric perpetrators to justice.”
The army chief seconded Sharif’s promise and said they would ensure the safety of all foreigners in the country, “especially Chinese nationals, contributing to the prosperity of Pakistan.”
Chinese laborers working on CPEC-related projects in Pakistan have come under attack in recent years.
In July 2021, at least 13 people, including nine Chinese nationals, were killed when a suicide bomber detonated the explosives in his vehicle near a bus carrying several Chinese and Pakistani engineers and laborers, prompting the Chinese companies to suspend work at the time. Pakistani authorities initially insisted it was a road accident, but China disputed the claim, saying victims were the target of a suicide attack.