KARACHI: A retired Pakistani industrialist sent thousands of saplings to Iraq on Friday to bring shade to pilgrims, an idea formed when his relatives returned from a holy site with sunburn.
Mohammedi Durbar, 85, wants to plant nearly 50,000 trees along the entire 80-km (50-mile) pilgrimage route between Iraq’s Shi’ite Muslim holy cities of Najaf and Kerbala.
Millions of people make the pilgrimage every for the religious ritual of Arbaeen, which marks the 40-day mourning period for the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad. They walk most of the way under a baking sun.
Among the worshippers last year were Durbar’s grandson and daughter-in-law, who returned to Pakistan tanned and with photographs showing a barren landscape.
“I immediately realized there was no shade,” Durbar told Reuters at his farm on the outskirts of the city of Karachi.
Durbar traveled to Iraq, spoke to officials and got permission for his project, and a promise the trees would be cared for. He also planted some trees in Najaf to see if they could thrive there.
The test was a success. “The trees are happy,” he said.
A first batch of 9,800 saplings of eight types of trees, up to eight months old, set off from Karachi by truck on Friday, for their journey across Iran to Iraq.
The shipment was delayed about a month because of anti-government protests in Iraq and last minute visa delays.
Durbar says the saplings will be well looked after on their journey with the truck stopping to ensure they get regular sunshine and water.
He is confident they will arrive in good shape and plans to travel back to Iraq to work on the plan.
The trees will spend the winter in a nursery in Baghdad, with the planting due to begin in March.
He said about a dozen people would plant the trees, with the help of small digger he is also sending from Pakistan.
Durbar, a member of the Dawoodi Bohra sect of Shia Islam, estimates it will take three years to plant all of the trees at a cost of 25 million rupees ($160,000), which he is paying.
He is not sure if he will live to see pilgrims walking under his trees, but he knows he has found his calling after a lifetime in industry.
“I thank God, at this age, he has put me on the right path,” he said.
“Partnership with nature is good.”
Pakistani man aims to bring shade to Iraq’s Arbaeen pilgrims
Pakistani man aims to bring shade to Iraq’s Arbaeen pilgrims
- First batch of 9,800 saplings of eight types of trees set off from Karachi by truck on Friday
- Trees will spend the winter in a nursery in Baghdad, with the planting due to begin in March
Pakistan stocks edge higher as export financing, industrial power tariffs are cut
- KSE-100 index gained 1,607.26 points, or 0.88%, to close at 183,945.38
- Rebound follows steep sell-off a day earlier amid regional geopolitical tensions
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s stock market rebounded on Friday, with the benchmark index gaining more than 1,600 points, as analysts pointed to cuts in export refinancing rates and lower electricity tariffs for industrial consumers as key drivers of the recovery.
The KSE-100 index rose 1,607.26 points, or 0.88%, to close at 183,945.38, up from 182,338.12 a day earlier, according to Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) data.
The uptick followed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s announcement of a Rs4.4 per unit cut in electricity tariffs for industrial consumers, alongside a reduction in the export refinance rate from 7.5% to 4.5%.
“Stocks staged an early recovery at the PSX on institutional buying in oversold scrips after the prime minister’s assurance to renegotiate the IMF deal, along with cuts in the export refinance rate to 4.5% and industrial power tariffs by Rs4.4 per unit,” Arif Habib Commodities Chief Executive Officer Ahsan Mehanti told Arab News.
He added that higher global crude oil prices and earnings-season speculation also acted as catalysts for bullish activity.
According to local media reports last week, Pakistan is seeking flexibility in IMF lending conditions for the 2026–27 budget and aims to renegotiate its agreement to complete the remaining $7 billion under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and a $1.4 billion Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF) by September 2027.
The rebound came a day after Pakistani stocks plunged 6,042.26 points on Thursday, a drop analysts attributed to heavy selling and heightened geopolitical tensions between Iran and the United States.
Those concerns intensified after US President Donald Trump warned Iran this week that “time is running out” to reach a deal on its nuclear program, amid a steady buildup of US military forces in the Gulf.
