LAHORE: The Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman failed to convince Nawaz Sharif, the three times former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo, to personally attend the All Parties Conference (APC) organized by the opposition parties.
The PML-N will now be represented in the APC by its delegation headed by party chairman Raja Zafarul Haq.
The MMA chief met Sharif on Sunday to muster his support for a possible joint opposition alliance against the ruling Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) Government.
Senator Pervaiz Rasheed, Zahid Hamid and Rana Tanveer from PML-N and MMA leader Akram Durrani were also in attendance.
The meeting between the two leaders lasted for two hours but Fazl failed to get his desired results and left the venue by using the back door of Sharif’s Jati Umra estate without talking to the media waiting for him at the gate. The participants of the meeting discussed at length the country’s political scenario.
The MMA chief has become increasingly active in forming a united opposition front against the government. He also met with Asif Ali Zardari, former president of Pakistan and the co-chairman of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), which is the second largest party in the country and the ruling political force in Sindh province.
The PPP holds the maximum number of seats in the National Assembly — after the ruling PTI — leaving behind the biggest opposition party, PML-N.
Sharif cannot hold any office after his conviction by the Supreme Court of Pakistan in graft cases, but he heads the PML-N as its “leader for life.” He is also the de facto chief of the party and influences every decision taken in-house.
Rehman’s political activism aims to get major opposition parties under one banner to dislodge the PTI Government, which he claims was formed as a result of rigged elections.
He has convened an APC in this regard and requested Zardari’s personal presence at the moot.
Zardari has also expedited his political activities after slamming the government for its incompetence and inability to govern the country. He called upon opposition parties to table a resolution against the government.
Political analysts believe Sharif is reluctant to launch an aggressive move against the incumbent government as it will provide an excuse to the sitting elite for their failure to provide relief for the masses.
“The PML-N is of the view that with every passing day, the incompetence of the government in meeting the challenges of the day is being exposed. Nawaz Sharif is of the opinion that the movement against the government at this point will benefit the PTI,” Salman Ghani, senior political analyst and confidant of the Sharif family, told Arab News.
“PML-N is not ready to sit with the PPP as according to them, the later is launching the movement to save its own leadership from the course of law,” he added.
Another group of political analysts believes the Sharif family is avoiding entering into confrontation with any state institution at the moment, although their silence has irked their supporters.
“Nawaz Shaif’s refusal to attend the APC summoned by the opposition raises several questions. Why is Nawaz Sharif keeping mum on important developments in the country?” asked Salim Bokhari, editor of daily The Nation.
Fazl fails to get Nawaz Sharif’s support on All Parties Conference
Fazl fails to get Nawaz Sharif’s support on All Parties Conference
- Nawaz Sharif refuses to attend APC in person, agrees on sending delegation
- PML-N wants to give time to PTI to get it exposed
Emirs of Qatar, Kuwait accept PM Sharif’s invitation to visit Pakistan— PMO
- PM Shehbaz Sharif holds separate meetings with ambassadors of Qatar, Kuwait to Pakistan
- Visits to prove effective in increasing investment, cooperation with both countries, says PM Office
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s office said on Sunday that the emirs of Qatar and Kuwait have accepted his invitation to visit Pakistan, as Islamabad looks to increase foreign trade and investment from allies to escape a macroeconomic crisis.
Sharif separately met the ambassadors of Qatar and Kuwait to Pakistan on Sunday during which matters relating to bilateral relations, trade and cooperation were discussed.
During the meetings, the ambassadors of both countries presented letters from their emirs addressed to Sharif which conveyed they had accepted his invitation to visit Pakistan.
“Visits by the emirs of Kuwait and Qatar to Pakistan will prove effective in increasing investment and cooperation further with Qatar and Kuwait,” the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said.
In his meeting with Kuwait’s Ambassador to Pakistan Abdulrahman Jasser Al-Mutairi, Sharif recalled his recent meeting with Kuwait’s emir at the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Riyadh in April.
“The prime minister expressed satisfaction that the next meeting of the Pakistan-Kuwait Joint Ministerial Commission will be held from May 28-30 in Kuwait,” the PMO said.
Sharif also met Qatar’s envoy Mubarak Ali Essa Al-Khater in which he said Islamabad values its “historic brotherly relations” with Doha and reiterated Pakistan’s determination to increase mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries, the PMO said.
The Pakistani premier said both countries should start preparing for the Qatari emir’s visit by exchanging delegations to ensure the visit becomes a productive and successful one.
This development takes place amid a flurry of foreign visits in recent weeks to Pakistan. These included visits by the now deceased Iranian president, the Saudi foreign minister, a delegation of top Saudi companies as well as officials from Qatar, China, Japan, Turkiye and Central Asian countries, among others.
Reeling from high inflation, low forex reserves, and an unstable currency, Sharif has vowed to steer Pakistan out of its prolonged economic crisis by enhancing bilateral trade with allies and attracting more international investments. This week, Sharif met UAE’s President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan who committed to investing $10 billion in multiple sectors of Pakistan.
Islamabad is also currently in talks with the IMF to secure a new, longer-term bailout package of at least $6 billion to stave off a chronic balance of payment crisis.
Pakistan’s Multan sees increase in patients as heat wave intensifies
- Pakistan’s disaster management authority last week warned of heat wave in Punjab from May 25-31
- Health experts at Multan’s Nishtar Hospital advise people to remain indoors, stay hydrated
ISLAMABAD: Doctors in Pakistan’s Multan this week advised citizens to exercise caution during the ongoing heat wave, as the administration of the city’s main hospital said it has recorded an increase in the number of patients in recent days owing to the extreme temperature.
The Punjab Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) last week warned that the southern districts in Punjab, namely Multan, Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan and Dera Ghazi Khan would experience a heat wave from May 21-27. Authorities in the province ordered schools to remain shut from May 25-31 due to the extreme heat.
Heat waves become severe and frequent due to climate change. These events, occurring in summer, are caused by slow-moving high-pressure systems leading to prolonged high temperatures.
“These days the temperature is rising already, it’s almost touching 48 and 47, so the patients are coming with minor symptoms,” Dr. Farooq Ahmad, medical superintendent at Multan’s Nishtar Hospital, told Reuters.
“During summer, we face two things, one is the heatwave, the other is the diarrhea season, both basically cause for dehydration and the losses and everything.”
Health experts advise citizens to take special precautions against the heat and not venture out unnecessarily.
“We try our best to inform people coming in [to the hospital about the dangers of heat stroke],” Dr. Ayub Qazi, deputy superintendent at the hospital, told Reuters.
“We tell them to not to leave their homes unnecessarily, and cover their heads when they do.”
Pakistan experienced its first severe heat wave in June 2015 when temperatures as high as 49 degrees Celsius struck the country’s south, causing the deaths of about 2,000 people from dehydration and heatstroke, mostly in the southern port city of Karachi.
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.
Army captain, soldier killed in gunbattle with militants in northwest Pakistan
- Five militants killed, three injured during shootout in Peshawar district, says army’s media wing
- Pakistan has seen surge in attacks since Nov. 22 when its truce broke down with Pakistani Taliban
ISLAMABAD: A Pakistan Army captain, soldier and five militants were killed in a shootout with militants in the northwestern Peshawar District on Sunday, the army’s media wing said in a statement.
The gunbattle took place when security forces conducted an intelligence-based operation in Hassan Khel area in Peshawar District on the reported presence of “terrorists,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the army’s media wing, said.
It said five “terrorists” were killed while three others were injured during the exchange of fire.
“However, during an intense exchange of fire, leading his troops from the front, Captain Hussain Jahangir (age: 25 years, resident of Rahim Yar Khan District) along with another brave son of soil, Havildar Shafiq Ullah (age: 36 years, resident of District Karak), having fought gallantly, made the ultimate sacrifice and embraced Shahadat,” the ISPR said.
The army said a sanitization operation was being carried out to eliminate any militants found in the area.
“Security forces of Pakistan are determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve,” the army said.
Pakistan’s security forces have suffered a surge in attacks from the Pakistani Taliban or the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in the country’s western regions bordering Afghanistan ever since a fragile truce between the state and the banned outfit broke down in November 2022.
The TTP, which seeks to impose its strict version of Islam in the South Asian country, has carried out some of the deadliest attacks against Pakistani civilians and security forces since 2007 before the army conducted multiple operations to drive them out of the tribal areas.
Repeated attacks from the TTP against Pakistan’s security forces have soured relations between Islamabad and Kabul. Pakistan has accused the Taliban of providing shelter to TTP militants to attack Pakistan. Kabul has denied the allegations and insisted it does not allow any group to launch attacks on other countries from its soil.
Pakistan PM backs China amid Beijing’s rising tensions with Taiwan
- Development takes place after China launched military drills around Taiwan this week after its new president took oath
- PM Sharif resolves to continue support for China on Taiwan issue, says “so-called elections” do not change facts
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday backed China’s stance on Taiwan, saying it was an inalienable part of China amid Beijing’s rising tensions with Taipei.
The development takes place as China launched joint exercises involving the army, navy and air force in the sea near Taiwan this week after its new president, William Lai Ching-te, took oath of office and called on Beijing to stop its “intimidation” of the island.
China views democratic, self-ruled Taiwan as part of its territory and has vowed to take it one day, by force if necessary.
In a message on social media platform X, Sharif said Pakistan has always supported China’s principled stance on Taiwan and would continue to do so.
“Pakistan adheres to ‘One China’ policy, regards Taiwan as an inalienable part of the People’s Republic of China and supports the Chinese government’s efforts for national reunification,” Sharif wrote.
“The so-called elections or transition of the self-proclaimed government in Taiwan do not change the objective facts on the Taiwan issue,” he added.
Beijing has referred to Lai as a “troublemaker” and a “separatist” in the past.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense said it had placed its military on “high alert” in response to the latest drills, which it described as “irrational provocations and actions that disrupt regional peace and stability.”
China has been one of Pakistan’s most reliable foreign partners in recent years and has invested over $65 billion in energy and infrastructure projects as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in Pakistan.
The project, part of President Xi Jinping’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative, aims to connect China to the Arabian Sea via a network of roads, railways, pipelines and ports in Pakistan, and help Islamabad expand and modernize its economy.
Sunday cricket an escape for Pakistani, Indian and Sri Lankan migrants in Lebanon
- Migrant workers mainly from Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India play cricket at Beirut’s Ashrafieh neighborhood every Sunday
- Over 160,000 migrants were in Lebanon last year, where tension have increased due to Hezbollah’s clashes with Israeli military
BEIRUT: In a Beirut car park, migrant workers cheer as their teams face off in a cricket tournament, a moment of respite in crisis-hit Lebanon, where working conditions are often tough.
“Sunday we are so happy... We eat together, we laugh together,” said cricketer Pradeepa Silva, a 42-year-old Sri Lankan, as she and her teammates prepared coconut rice and other traditional food nearby to share.
“Work is very tiring” and workers are stressed and worried, said Silva, who is employed as a housemaid six days a week and pays for her daughter’s university studies back home.
Every Sunday, players mainly from Sri Lanka but also from the Philippines, India and Pakistan gather in Beirut’s Ashrafieh neighborhood to play cricket — a little-known sport in Lebanon.
Migrant workers are employed under Lebanon’s controversial “kafala” sponsorship system, which rights groups have repeatedly denounced saying that it enables a wide range of abuses.
On May 19, several hundred people gathered for a tournament that also brought together traditional food stalls, a DJ playing Bollywood hits and other music, teams from the British and Sri Lankan embassies and young Syrian refugee players.
Iris Sagario from the Philippines ran onto the field for the Roaring Lions women’s team, wearing an orange and blue shirt with her name printed on the back.
“I love cricket,” said the 43-year-old, who works as a housekeeper. “I’m very excited to play every Sunday” — her only day off.
After winning their match, Sagario’s team broke out into cheers, hugging and high-fiving each other. They went on to take the women’s trophy.
More than 160,000 migrants from 84 nationalities were in Lebanon last year, according to a report from the International Organization for Migration.
With daily bombardment in south Lebanon as Hezbollah and the Israeli army clash amid tensions over Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, some foreign embassies have advised their nationals to leave the country.
“At first I was worried” but “my sir (employer) assured me that all is good,” said Sagario, who was also in Lebanon in 2006, when Israel and Hezbollah last went to war.
“I’m choosing to stay because... I don’t know what I’ll do if I go back to the Philippines. I want to give financial (help) to my family,” she said.
Curious passersby sometimes peered over a tumbledown stone wall to watch the matches.
Organizer Fernando Sugath, 52, from Sri Lanka said some players nicknamed the car park they have been using for around two decades “Lord’s of Lebanon,” a reference to the famous Lord’s cricket ground in London, which is known as the “home of cricket.”
Matches in the car park were halted for five years when the players lost access to the site but resumed in 2022, Sugath said.
His team changed its name to the Saint Joseph Cricket Club in honor of the neighboring church that helped them return to the site.
Migrant workers at the cricket match “are very lucky that they’ve got some good employers who give them the Sunday off,” said Sugath, who first came to Lebanon in 1996 as a cleaner and is now an administrative assistant.
Rights groups have long criticized Lebanon’s restrictive sponsorship system, saying it facilitates exploitation and leaves migrant workers at the mercy of their employers, amid persistent reports of physical and sexual abuse, unpaid wages and long work hours.
Sugath appealed to all employers to give workers “at least one hour, two hours off on Sunday... Let them have some freedom, let them use the phone, call their families.”
As the men’s competition kicked off, big hitters began smashing the ball into the trees lining the car park as fielders scrambled for a catch.
Majid Satti, 39, from Pakistan, captains the Eleven Brothers team — with five players from Pakistan and six from India — which came runner-up in the men’s tournament.
Their two countries have long had a strained relationship, but “we have no issue... we are all like brothers here,” said Satti, a concierge who has been in Lebanon for 15 years.
Vice-captain Raju Singh, 41, from India, said the players “never think about” politics.
An electrician by trade, Singh wore his team’s traditional cricket whites, with long white trousers and shoes, and was among those in charge of the coin toss to decide which teams would field or bat first.
The Lebanese 500 lira coin he used, valued until 2019 at around 35 US cents, is now worth less than a single cent following Lebanon’s economic collapse, during which some migrant workers were abandoned by their employers and others pushed to leave the country.
Singh said he loved cricket and traveled almost 30 kilometers (20 miles) each week for the Sunday games.
“When we finish (and) we go home, we are waiting for next Sunday,” he said.
