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In Islamabad’s Himalayan foothills, these are the hiking trails to conquer

A view of the Margalla Hills with Faisal Mosque in the distance. Since 1980, the Margalla Hills have been a protected and maintained site by the city's Capital Development Authority. Sept. 13, 2019 (Obaid Khan, Wikipedia)
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Updated 23 December 2019
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In Islamabad’s Himalayan foothills, these are the hiking trails to conquer

  • Pakistan’s modern capital has a range of hiking trails easily accessible in the Margalla Hills
  • The trails vary in difficulty level, with some easy enough for novices and families
Updated 23 December 2019
Sabah Bano Malik

Islamabad: North of Islamabad, the lush Margalla Hills mark the relatively benign beginnings of the mighty Himalayas. The cold winter months don’t usually stop outdoor enthusiasts from lacing up their hiking boots and gaining some elevation on one of the six trails. If your new year’s resolution involves incorporating more fitness into your life, whether you’re a local or just visiting, these hilly tracks are for you.

Trail 1
The first trail is a full leg workout, and requires a real time commitment-- approximately two hours depending on speed. The trail reaches its peak at the top terminal of Pir Sohawa in Islamabad. If you head up the main road for another 20 minutes, you’ll find yourself at the famous Monal restaurant, with breath-taking views of the city below.




A view of the Margalla Hills with Faisal Mosque in the distance. Since 1980, the Margalla Hills have been a protected and maintained site by the city's Capital Development Authority. Sept. 13, 2019 (Obaid Khan, Wikipedia)

Trail 2
A lighter impact trail, this is good for families and starts out just above the Pir Sohawa road, or behind the Islamabad Zoo. It ends up in Daman-e-Koh viewpoint, about halfway to the Monal, which makes it a relatively easier climb for hiking novices. The viewpoint offers attractions like playgrounds, street food, and chai wallahs. It’s also a popular tourist spot and it’s usually easy to grab a cab for the way down, if you’re done with hiking for the day. Daman-e-Koh also connects the hiking trails to the cactus ridge walking path which intersects other trails in the hills.




Margalla Hill's Trail 4's flat terrain connects Trail 3 and 5 and makes for a stunning walk across the hills before descending or climbing up further. April 9, 2016. (AN photo by Sabah Bano Malik)

Trail 3
The oldest and perhaps most popular of the trails is Trail 3, divided into trails ‘A’ and ‘B.’ The hike can be both challenging and relaxing depending on which you pick. With starting points off of Margalla Road in Islamabad, 3A is a steep, rocky, albeit short 40-minute hike that is a cardio buster. On the other hand, 3B is a wooden, more forest-covered trek that meets at the same viewpoint but takes a little longer at nearly an hour. The tougher 3A is also listed in the Strava runners app with an 18-minute run challenge, and also has points for people who are interested in rock climbing.




A shot of Trail 3B's fire trail- a narrow and steep slip on the side of the hills that makes for a formidable climb. May 16, 2018. (AN photo by Sabah Bano Malik)

Trail 4
If you’re looking for a longer walk with panoramic views, the stunning Trail 4 is for you. A flatter terrain nestled in the hills and home to gorgeous scenes from the hills, this trail is ideal for those looking to extend their walking time and to get immersed into the hillsides for a day of avid walking.




Margalla Hills National Park which frames the capital city has a number of trails interconnecting its main trails, including the cactus ridge walk that sits adjacent to Trail 2. March 12, 2015. (AN photo by Sabah Bano Malik)

Trail 5
Trail 5 is an extremely popular trail, scenic with a diverse landscape. It is ideal for runners, walkers, families, those looking for a challenge and even pets! It is one of the only trails which is dog-friendly due to its mostly flat terrain at the beginning which leads you through gorgeous forested areas punctuated with tributaries aligned with massive rock formations. Though it is not a difficult hike, it’s an adventurous one. The trail is also home to a number of scenic waterfalls and has a walking path which lands you at the gorgeous Saidpur village, which is bustling full of restaurants.




Beautiful views of the Margalla Hills north of Pakistan's capital, from a popular hiking trail. March 12, 2015. (AN photo by Sabah Bano Malik)

Trail 6
A hidden but iconic starting point behind Faisal Mosque’s visitors’ parking lot, Trail 6 is a favorite among the city’s hiking enthusiasts. It is steep with a view pay-off that makes the two-hour hike truly worth it. For avid hikers, it provides a challenging climb that is usually not as crowded as Trails 3 or 5. Trail 6 also has a track within it which is difficult and more challenging but gives you a landing spot at a waterfall great for dipping your toes into and for taking in the city beneath. This trail is not for beginners but certainly one to aspire to.
 

Topics: hiking Islamabad

Pakistan farmers announce nationwide protest from May 10 amid wheat import crisis

Updated 05 May 2024
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Pakistan farmers announce nationwide protest from May 10 amid wheat import crisis

  • Farmers are demanding the government stop wheat imports that have flooded markets, leading to price slump
  • Agriculture contributes about 24 percent of the GDP and accounts for half of the employed labor force in Pakistan
Updated 05 May 2024
KASHIF IMRAN

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani farmers on Sunday announced a nationwide protest over the wheat import crisis from May 10, a day after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif promised to address their grievances.
Farmers in Pakistan’s Punjab province, which produces most of the wheat crop, are demanding the government stop wheat imports that have flooded the market at a time when they expect bumper crop.
They say the import of wheat in the second half of 2023 and the first three months of this year has resulted in excess amounts of the commodity in the country, leading to reduced prices.
On Saturday, PM Sharif took notice of the matter and formed a committee under the Ministry of National Food Security and Research to address farmer grievances, Pakistani state media reported.
“On the 10th [of May], after the Friday prayers, we are initiating protest from Multan and this protest will be expanded to the whole of Pakistan,” Khalid Khokhar, who heads the Kissan Ittehad Pakistan, said at a press conference.
“Thousands of farmers will come, there will be hundreds of tractors, trailers. Animals, cattle and children and women will also be accompanied.”
Agriculture is the backbone of Pakistan’s economy and constitutes its largest sector. According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), agriculture contributes about 24 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and accounts for half of the employed labor force in the country.
However, the prices of wheat have dropped in Pakistan in recent weeks and are much below the government’s support price of Rs3,900 per 40-kilogram bag.
“We do not have any option other than this. The mafia made Rs100 billion, Pakistan’s $1 billion worth of foreign exchange was spent and the farmers incurred around Rs400 billion losses,” Khokhar said.
“They slaughtered 60 million farmers just for the sake of corruption.”

Topics: Pakistan wheat Pakistan Wheat Scandal Pakistan farmers

Pakistan’s Dr. Shahzad Baig makes it to TIME’s 100 world leaders in health

Updated 05 May 2024
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Pakistan’s Dr. Shahzad Baig makes it to TIME’s 100 world leaders in health

  • Before arriving in Pakistan, Baig was a technical adviser to Nigeria’s polio eradication effort, which remained successful
  • Pakistan, Afghanistan are only two countries in world where polio continues to threaten health and well-being of children
Updated 05 May 2024
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: US news magazine TIME has included Dr. Shahzad Baig, the Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme’s national coordinator, to its list of 100 most influential people across the world in the field of health in 2024.
The list, titled ‘TIME100 HEALTH,’ this week honored individuals from across the world for their services for fresh discoveries, novel treatments, and global victories over disease.
Baig was recognized for his efforts for the eradication of poliovirus, which mainly affects children under the age of ten years by invading their nervous system, and can cause paralysis or even death.
Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries in the world where polio continues to threaten the health and well-being of children. 
“On the front lines in the effort to stamp it [polio] out is Dr. Shahzad Baig, national coordinator of Pakistan’s polio-eradication program,” TIME wrote on its website.
“In 2019, polio disabled or killed 147 people in Pakistan; since Baig assumed the position, in 2021, case counts have plummeted, with only six children stricken in 2023.”
Before arriving in Pakistan, Baig was a technical adviser to Nigeria’s polio eradication effort, which succeeded spectacularly, according to the US magazine.
In 2020, the African country became the most recent one in the world to be declared polio-free.
“If Baig has his way, Pakistan will be the next,” it added.

Topics: Time 100 Health Pakistan Polio Service Dr. Shahzad Baig polio eradication

Canada has ‘political compulsion’ to blame India for Sikh slaying — New Delhi

Updated 05 May 2024
AFP
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Canada has ‘political compulsion’ to blame India for Sikh slaying — New Delhi

  • Canadian police on Friday arrested three for the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, saying they were investigating their links to Indian government
  • The killing soured Ottawa-New Delhi diplomatic ties after PM Trudeau said there were ‘credible allegations’ linking Indian intelligence to crime
Updated 05 May 2024
AFP

NEW DELHI: Canada’s investigation into alleged Indian involvement in the assassination of a Sikh separatist in Vancouver last year is a “political compulsion,” New Delhi’s foreign minister said after three Indian citizens were arrested over the killing.
Canadian police on Friday arrested the trio for the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, saying they were investigating their links to the Indian government, “if any.”
The killing sent diplomatic relations between Ottawa and New Delhi into a tailspin last autumn after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there were “credible allegations” linking Indian intelligence to the crime.
India vehemently rejected the allegations as “absurd,” halting the processing of visas for a time and forcing Canada to significantly reduce its diplomatic presence in the country.
“It is their political compulsion in Canada to blame India,” the Press Trust of India news agency quoted external affairs minister S. Jaishankar as saying on Saturday.
Thousands of people were killed in the 1980s during a separatist insurgency aimed at creating a Sikh homeland known as Khalistan, which was put down by security forces.
The movement has largely petered out within India, but in the Sikh diaspora — whose largest community is in Canada, with around 770,000 people — it retains support among a vocal minority.
New Delhi has sought to persuade Ottawa not to grant Sikh separatists visas or political legitimacy, Jaishankar said, since they are “causing problems for them (Canada), for us and also for our relationship.”
He added that Canada does not “share any evidence with us in certain cases, police agencies also do not cooperate with us.”
Nijjar immigrated to Canada in 1997 and acquired citizenship 18 years later. He was wanted by Indian authorities for alleged terrorism and conspiracy to commit murder.
The three arrested Indian nationals, all in their twenties, were charged with first degree murder and conspiracy.
They were accused of being the shooter, driver and lookout in his killing last June.
The Canadian police said they were aware that “others may have played a role” in the murder.
In November, the US Justice Department charged an Indian citizen living in the Czech Republic with plotting a similar assassination attempt on another Sikh separatist leader on American soil.
A Washington Post investigation reported last week that Indian foreign intelligence officials were involved in the plot, a claim rejected by New Delhi.

Topics: Canada India tensions India Canada relations Khalistan movement

PCB chief announces $100,000 reward for each player if Pakistan wins T20 World Cup

Updated 05 May 2024
Shahjahan Khurram 
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PCB chief announces $100,000 reward for each player if Pakistan wins T20 World Cup

  • Mohsin Naqvi made the announcement during his visit to Qaddafi Stadium, where the Babar Azam-led side has been practicing
  • The Pakistan side is scheduled to travel to Ireland, England for T20 tours later this month, followed by the World Cup in June
Updated 05 May 2024
Shahjahan Khurram 

ISLAMABAD: Mohsin Naqvi, chief of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), has announced $100,000 reward for each player in case the national side wins the upcoming Twenty20 World Cup, the PCB said on Sunday.
Naqvi made the announcement during his visit to the Qaddafi Stadium in Lahore, where the Babar Azam-led side began the national camp on Saturday, according to the PCB.
He stayed there for two hours and held a detailed discussion with Pakistan players on the strategy of upcoming games.
“This reward is nothing compared to Pakistan’s victory,” Naqvi was quoted as saying.
“I hope you will raise the green flag. Play without any pressure and compete hard. God willing, victory will be yours.”
The Pakistan side is scheduled to travel to Ireland and England for T20 tours later this month.
The tours will help the side prepare for the T20 World Cup scheduled to be held in the United States and the West Indies in June.

Topics: Pakistan Cricket Board Mohsin Naqvi Pakistan cricket team

IMF says its mission will visit Pakistan this month to discuss new loan

Updated 05 May 2024
Reuters
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IMF says its mission will visit Pakistan this month to discuss new loan

  • Pakistan last month completed a short-term $3 billion program, which helped stave off sovereign default
  • But the government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has stressed the need for a fresh, longer-term program
Updated 05 May 2024
Reuters

KARACHI: An International Monetary Fund mission is expected to visit Pakistan this month to discuss a new program, the lender said on Sunday ahead of Islamabad beginning its annual budget-making process for the next financial year.
Pakistan last month completed a short-term $3 billion program, which helped stave off sovereign default, but the government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has stressed the need for a fresh, longer-term program.
“A mission is expected to visit Pakistan in May to discuss the FY25 budget, policies, and reforms under a potential new program for the welfare of all Pakistanis,” the IMF said in an emailed response to Reuters.
Pakistan’s financial year runs from July to June and its budget for fiscal year 2025, the first by Sharif’s new government, has to be presented before June 30.
The IMF did not specify the dates of the visit, nor the size or duration of the program.
“Accelerating reforms now is more important than the size of the program, which will be guided by the package of reform and balance of payments needs,” the IMF statement said.
Pakistan narrowly averted default last summer, and its $350 billion economy has stabilized after the completion of the last IMF program, with inflation coming down to around 17 percent in April from a record high 38 percent last May.
It is still dealing with a high fiscal shortfall and while it has controlled its external account deficit through import control mechanisms, it has come at the expense of stagnating growth, which is expected to be around 2 percent this year compared to negative growth last year.
Earlier, in an interview with Reuters, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said the country hoped to agree the contours of a new IMF loan in May.
Pakistan is expected to seek at least $6 billion and request additional financing from the Fund under the Resilience and Sustainability Trust.

Topics: Pakistan IMF talk IMF bailout

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