ISLAMABAD: Zahid Iqbal, 43, has become the first Pakistani living in China to receive the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine, Pakistani state news agency APP reported on Thursday.
Pakistan said last month it would purchase 1.2 million COVID-19 vaccine doses from Chinese manufacturer Sinopharm in the first official confirmation of a vaccine purchase by the South Asian country as it battles a second wave of infections.
This week, Dr. Faisal Sultan, the de facto health minister of Pakistan, said he was hopeful the country would receive the first batch of the vaccine from Sinopharm in “early February.”
Iqbal told Chinese media he received his second dose on January 10 and felt “excited," APP reported.
“At first, the news of being vaccinated was scary but after some research I decided to go for it,” said Iqbal, who hails from Sahiwal and has worked as head of curriculum and sciences at an international school in Shanghai for 18 years.
There was a long queue at the vaccination centre but “after going through different steps, I got vaccinated which felt very normal," Iqbal said.
"We were told to fill a medical consent form in case of any reactions like muscular pain, fatigue, or fever in a day or two after being vaccinated,” he added, saying he was kept under observation for 30 minutes in case of an immediate adverse reaction.
Iqbal lauded the Chinese government's prevention and control tactics during the pandemic, saying it had handled the crisis "smoothly.”
First Pakistani receives Sinopharm vaccine in China
https://arab.news/8berz
First Pakistani receives Sinopharm vaccine in China
- Zahid Iqbal hails from Sahiwal and has worked as head of curriculum and sciences at a school in Shanghai for 18 years
- He received his second dose of the virus on January 10, says is excited and satisfied with the vaccination process
Pakistan’s Mahnoor Omer named among TIME’s ‘Women of the Year’ for 2026
- Omer moved a Pakistani court against the so-called ‘period tax’ in Sept. 2025 which has since sparked a national debate
- Taxes on sanitary pads in Pakistan can add up to 40 percent to retail price, UNICEF says only around 12 percent women use such products
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani women’s rights activist Mahnoor Omer, who fought against taxes on menstrual products, has been named among the TIME magazine’s ‘Women of the Year’ for 2026.
Omer’s efforts have been recognized alongside 16 activists, artists, athletes and businesswomen in the TIME’s Women of the Year 2026 list, including Olympic gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Chloe Zhao.
Dissatisfied with the efforts to educate Pakistani girls about sexual violence, Omer founded the Noor Foundation at the age of 14 and held her own workshops with village girls about everything from climate change to menstruation, according to the TIME magazine.
Two years later, a conversation with a domestic worker about the price of pads made her realize that not everyone could afford these essentials. She moved a court against the so-called “period tax” in Sept. 2025 and the case has sparked a national debate on the subject, considered a taboo by many in Pakistan, since its first hearing late last year.
“A decade and one law degree after her interest in activism was sparked, Omer, now 25, is putting her passion and expertise to work in the name of gender equity,” TIME wrote about Omer on its website.
Taxes imposed on sanitary products in Pakistan can add up to 40 percent to the retail price. UNICEF estimates just 12 percent of women in the country use commercially produced pads or tampons. The alternative, using cloth, risks health impacts including rashes and infections, and can make it impossible for girls to attend school while menstruating.
Omer’s suit, which awaits the government response, has sparked a national discussion. She says she spoke about menstruation to her father and male cousins, who thanked her for standing up for their daughters.
The 25-year-old, who is currently enrolled in a master’s degree in gender, peace, and security at the London School of Economics, sees this case as just the first of many.
“I’m not free until every woman is free,” she was quoted as saying by TIME. “I want to leave no stones unturned in terms of what I can do with the next few decades, as a lawyer for the women in my country and gender minorities in general.”
