PESHAWAR: A renowned sandal maker in Pakistan’s northwestern city of Peshawar, Chacha Noor-ud-Din, will be gifting two of his famous hand-crafted leather sandals to the Saudi crown prince in Islamabad during his two-day visit.
Indigenous to the Pashtuns of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the traditional sandal known as the Peshawari Chappal became iconic in recent years as Prime Minister Imran Khan’s footwear of choice, and one he has worn at all state and formal gatherings after coming to power last year.
An emotional Noor-ud-Din told Arab News that the crown prince was coming from the land of his beloved Prophet (PBUH).
“I want to lay my heart and the whole universe at the prince’s feet,” he said.
Noor-ud-Din set up his business in Peshawar’s bustling old Namak Mandi market in 1976, and despite deteriorating sales in the past, has resurfaced as one of the province’s most popular shoe-makers with his custom-made, double-sole sandals coveted by national and international celebrities, as well as local parliamentarians, bureaucrats and army officers.
With the approval of Pakistan’s information ministry, Noor-ud-Din says he is now heading for the capital before the crown prince’s arrival on Sunday, with one black and one camel colored pair in the prince’s size, size 12, as confirmed by the government.
“I wish to knot the chappal in Muhammad Bin Salman’s feet myself, but I am aware of tough security and a busy schedule,” he said, after polishing the shoes one last time and placing them in their box.
“I hope he will accept this small indigenous gift from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.”
Famous Pakistani cobbler crafts shoes for crown prince
Famous Pakistani cobbler crafts shoes for crown prince
- Famous Peshawari cobbler to gift two sandals to Saudi prince in Islamabad
- “I want to lay the whole universe at prince’s feet,” — Noor-ud-Din
Pakistan arrests suspect arriving from Cambodia amid crackdown on human smuggling
- Suspect worked at an “online fraud company” in Cambodia, later started smuggling people from Pakistan, says FIA
- Pakistan has intensified crackdown against human smugglers after hundreds of migrants drowned near Pylos in 2023
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Sunday said it had arrested a key suspect involved in smuggling humans who had arrived from Cambodia, alleging he was also part of an international fraud network.
The suspect, identified as Zainullah, was arrested by FIA officials when he arrived in the southern port city of Karachi from Cambodia.
Zainullah had traveled from Pakistan to Cambodia in September 2024, a press release issued by the agency said.
“He worked at an online fraud company in Cambodia and later became involved as an agent in recruiting individuals from Pakistan,” the FIA said.
The FIA said it recovered images of multiple individuals’ passports, payment receipts and bank transaction records after extracting data from Zainullah’s phone.
It said the suspect received money through personal bank accounts and a cryptocurrency account.
“The suspect has been handed over to the FIA Anti-Human Trafficking Circle, Karachi, for further legal proceedings,” the FIA said.
“Further investigation is underway.”
Pakistan intensified action against illegal migration in 2023 after hundreds of migrants, including 262 Pakistanis, drowned when an overcrowded vessel sank off the Greek town of Pylos, one of the deadliest boat disasters in the Mediterranean.
Authorities say they continue to target networks sending citizens abroad through dangerous routes, following heightened scrutiny at airports and a series of arrests involving forged documents.
Pakistan’s interior ministry said this week illegal migration to Europe has declined by 47 percent this year after its nationwide crackdown, saying that more than 1,700 human smugglers have been arrested in 2025.
