ISLAMABAD: Saad Edhi, the son of Faisal Edhi and grandson of legendary philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi, donated $100,000 on behalf of the Edhi Foundation to the victims of a deadly earthquake that struck Indonesia on Sept. 28.
“We will be starting a fundraising campaign next week to extend as much help as possible to the victims of the disastrous tsunami,” Edhi told Arab News.
Indonesia was struck by the tsunami after a 7.5-magnitude earthquake shook the world’s 11th largest island, Sulawesi. According to a census carried out in 2000, the Indonesian island plays host to 7.25 percent of the country’s entire population.
The powerful earthquake wiped out buildings, killing more than 2,000 people with search parties still trying to find victims feared buried under the rubble, mud and debris.
Saad, accompanied by his father, Faisal Edhi, and mother, handed over the donations to the Indonesian Consul General Dempo Awang Yuddie at the Indonesian Consulate in Karachi on Tuesday.
Abdul Sattar Edhi, a famous Pakistani philanthropist and humanitarian, founded the Edhi Foundation in 1951.
The foundation now runs the largest volunteer ambulance network in the world, along with homeless shelters, orphanages, animal shelters and rehabilitation centers across Pakistan. Since his death on July 8, 2016, the Edhi Foundation has been run primarily by his son Faisal and grandson Saad.
Edhi foundation donates $100,000 to Indonesian tsunami victims
Edhi foundation donates $100,000 to Indonesian tsunami victims
- A fundraising campaign is beginning next week, spearheaded by the Edhi Foundation
- The powerful earthquake has killed more than 2,000 people in Indonesia with search parties still trying to find survivors
Pakistan says it seized 32 square kilometers inside Afghanistan as border clashes escalate
- Security official describes ‘limited tactical action’ in Gudwana after Afghan assaults
- Islamabad accuses Kabul of sheltering militants as UN, China and Russia urge restraint
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has seized a 32-square-kilometer area inside Afghanistan following overnight fighting, a security official said on Saturday, as cross-border clashes between the two countries escalated sharply.
A Pakistani security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said troops carried out a “limited tactical action” in the Gudwana area opposite the Zhob sector along the frontier, capturing Afghan territory after responding to attacks on Pakistani positions.
“On the night of Feb. 26/27, posts opposite the Zhob sector launched anticipated physical attacks on multiple Pakistani positions,” the official said, referring to fighters linked to Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities, whom Islamabad identifies as Tehreek-e-Taliban Afghanistan (TTA).
“In response to aggressive unprovoked fire and physical attacks, Pakistan security forces launched a limited tactical action on the night of Feb. 27/28 in the general area of Gudwana with a view to capture TTA Tahir Post,” he continued, adding that 32 square kilometers of Afghan territory were seized.
The official said special combat teams crossed the border after preparatory bombardment, supported by intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets providing “real-time battlefield awareness.”
He said 24 Afghan Taliban fighters were killed and 37 wounded, with no Pakistani casualties reported.
The claims could not be independently verified, and there was no immediate confirmation from Taliban authorities in Kabul of any territorial loss in the Gudwana area.
The latest clashes erupted after Pakistani airstrikes targeted what Islamabad described as militant hideouts inside Afghanistan over the weekend, triggering retaliatory fire along the frontier and sharply escalating long-running tensions. Islamabad accuses Kabul of sheltering Pakistani Taliban militants responsible for attacks inside Pakistan, an allegation that Afghanistan denies.
Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Saturday evening that 352 Afghan Taliban fighters had been killed and more than 535 wounded since the latest phase of hostilities began.
Tarar said Pakistani strikes had destroyed 130 check posts, 171 tanks and armored vehicles and targeted 41 locations across Afghanistan by air. Those figures could not be independently verified.
The United Nations, as well as China and Russia, have called for restraint.
The United States said Pakistan has the right to defend itself against cross-border militancy.
