TORONTO: Relatives of a Canadian Muslim family killed in London, Ontario, when a man rammed them with his pick-up truck this week are urging the wider community to oppose racism and Islamophobia after police said the suspect was motivated by hate.
The four family members killed on Sunday were: Salman Afzaal, 46; his wife, Madiha Salman, 44; their 15-year-old daughter, Yumna Afzaal; and Afzaal’s 74-year-old mother, whose name has not yet been released. Their 9-year-old son, Fayez Afzaal, remained hospitalized on Tuesday with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
A 20-year-old suspect named Nathaniel Veltman is in police custody, charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.
In a statement issued late on Monday, relatives of the victims disputed an initial police appraisal that the accused man was not a member of any hate group and had no accomplices.
“The young man who committed this act of terror was influenced by a group that he associated with, and the rest of the community must take a strong stand against this,” the relatives said in a statement, though they did not identify the group or explain how they know about the alleged ties.
“We need to stand against hate and Islamophobia and raise awareness in our communities and across all the political spectrum,” they added.
Police, citing witnesses, said Veltman jumped the curb in his vehicle and struck five members of the family. Veltman, with no previous criminal record, is due back in court on Thursday after being remanded to custody on Monday.
The relatives of the victims said the children had both been top students and their parents excelled in their fields.
“Everyone who knew Salman and the rest of the ... family know the model family they were as Muslims, Canadians and Pakistanis. They were always there giving and participating in spreading goodness,” the statement said.
The family has declined to comment further.
‘COULD HAVE BEEN ME’
Sana Yasir, a family friend for 12 years who lived near where they were killed, launched a GoFundMe page to raise funds for charitable donations to be made on behalf of the victims.
Yasir said she and her relatives would see them frequently on their daily walks.
The family members were active members of London’s Muslim and Pakistani communities and the children attended the local Islamic school. They moved to Canada from Pakistan in 2007, according to local media reports.
“We’ve seen the kids grow up,” Yasir said.
Yasir noted that the women were wearing hijabs and traditional shalwar kameez — a pair of loose, pleated trousers worn with a long shirt by many women from South Asia.
“They were visible,” Yasir said. “It could have been me.”
The GoFundMe page described Afzaal, a physiotherapist, as a cricket enthusiast with a warm smile and Salman as a scholar working hard to obtain her PhD in civil engineering from the University of Western Ontario.
As of Tuesday morning, the page had raised just shy of C$270,000 ($223,454 in US dollars).
On Tuesday morning, Fayez Afzaal was alert in the hospital and in stable condition, Yasir said.
The local school board said Yumna Afzaal, a ninth-grade student, would be “deeply missed,” adding that flags would be flown at half-staff for the week and a trauma-response team would be available at area schools.
The attack was the worst against Canadian Muslims since a man gunned down six members of a Quebec City mosque in 2017.
“After Quebec it was: are we safe praying in our mosques? And now it’s: are we safe going out for a walk after dinner?” said Nawaz Tahrir, a spokesperson for the London Muslim Mosque, where Afzaal was a familiar figure.
Tahrir added that Canadians have to “ask more of our leaders” and enact policies that address the causes of anti-Muslim hate.
“Until we do that, I fear that this isn’t going to be the last incident,” Tahrir said.
($1 = 1.2083 Canadian dollars)
'Stand against hate': Pakistan-origin Canadian Muslim family loses three generations in attack
https://arab.news/ptm4h
'Stand against hate': Pakistan-origin Canadian Muslim family loses three generations in attack
- Attack was worst against Canadian Muslims since a man gunned down six members of a Quebec City mosque in 2017
- Family of victims says man who committed ‘act of terror’ was influenced by a hate group, urges community to stand against Islamophobia
Pakistani actress Mahira Khan bags ‘Artist in Fashion’ award at EMIGALA ceremony in Dubai
- EMIGALA awards in Dubai acknowledge creative and innovative impacts in the beauty and fashion industries
- With a string of successful projects in film and TV, Mahira Khan is considered Pakistan’s most successful actress
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani actress Mahira Khan bagged the “Artist in Fashion” award at the recently held prestigious EMIGALA awards in Dubai, where some of the world’s biggest names in fashion and beauty worldwide were honored.
Khan was in attendance at the award ceremony held at Festival Bay in Dubai on Apr. 27 and 28. The event featured an array of A-list attendees such as Brazilian-American beauty personality Camila Coelho, Lebanese-British fashion entrepreneur Karen Wazen, Dubai Bling star Loujain Adada, social media sensation Narins Beauty, Indian singer Arjit Singh and Khan, among others.
The EMIGALA awards acknowledge the creative and innovative impacts of global celebrities in the realms of beauty and fashion.
“The Artist in Fashion, Mahira Khan,” Emi Gala Awards wrote on Instagram with a picture of Khan posing with her trophy on Monday.
Khan is counted among Pakistan’s most prolific actresses, gaining widespread recognition for her work in her country’s entertainment industry. The Pakistani actress became a household name after a string of successful drama serials following which she forayed into movies and made her mark across the border in India.
She had her Bollywood debut opposite iconic actor Shah Rukh Khan in a crime action film, “Raees,” which was released in 2017. The Pakistani celebrity was also working on other Indian movie projects, though they could not take off when relations between the two countries deteriorated in 2016 after an Indian army brigade headquarters came under attack in Uri. The administration in New Delhi suspected Pakistan’s involvement which was denied by officials in Islamabad.
In 2021 Khan achieved another milestone when she debuted at the Cannes Film Festival, representing L’Oreal Paris Hair in her country. She has also represented various renowned local brands such as Elan, Zohra Rahman, and Menahel and Mehreen.
Death toll from heavy rains in northwestern Pakistan surges to 92
- Heavy rains in Pakistan’s northwest have injured 110, destroyed 4,200 houses since Apr. 10, says authority
- Prone to natural disasters, Pakistan consistently ranks among countries most affected by impacts of climate change
PESHAWAR: The death toll from rain-related incidents in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province since Apr. 10 has surged to 92 while the number of injured has increased to 116, a spokesperson of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) confirmed on Tuesday.
The rains which began on Apr. 10 have destroyed 4,200 houses and damaged 5,900 others, PDMA spokesperson Anwar Shehzad shared. At least 17 people have been killed and 23 injured in rain-related incidents over the past three days, as per data from the PDMA’s latest report on Tuesday.
The report said the 17 dead included nine men, three women and five children while the 23 injured included nine men, three women and 11 children. Deaths and financial losses due to heavy rains were reported in Bajaur, Swat, Mansehra, Battagram, Dir Lower, Malakand, Lakki Marwat, Shangla, Mohmand and South Waziristan districts, the PDMA report added.
“At least 92 persons have died including women, children, and elderly people while 116 others were wounded since Apr. 10 in incidents involving roof collapse and lightning in parts of the province,” Shehzad told Arab News.
The PDMA’s report said the authority, district administrations and relief teams are engaged in relief activities in the affected districts. “The PDMA has also directed district administrations of the affected districts to provide immediate financial support to the victims,” it added.
Pakistan has received heavy rains this month that have triggered landslides and flash floods in several parts of the country.
The eastern province of Punjab has reported 21 lighting- and roof collapse-related deaths, while Balochistan, in the country’s southwest, reported at least 15 deaths this month from torrential rains.
In 2022, unprecedented rains swelled Pakistan’s rivers and at one point flooded a third of the country, killing 1,739 people. The floods also caused over $30 billion in damages, from which Pakistan is still trying to rebuild.
Pakistan has been prone to natural disasters and consistently ranks among the most severely affected countries in the world due to the effects of climate change.
Pakistani PM says IMF approval of $1.1 billion funding to bring economic stability
- Funding is last tranche of a $3 billion standby arrangement with the IMF secured last year
- Islamabad is seeking a new, larger long-term Extended Fund Facility agreement with the IMF
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Tuesday the International Monetary Fund’s approval of $1.1 billion in funding for Pakistan would bring economic stability, amid discussions for a new bailout loan.
The funding is the second and last tranche of a $3 billion standby arrangement with the IMF, which Islamabad secured last summer to help avert a sovereign default.
The approval came a day after Sharif discussed a new loan program with IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Riyadh.
“Sharif expressed his satisfaction over the release of the last financial tranche of the IMF today,” the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement. “Receiving the last tranche of 1.1 billion dollars from the IMF will bring more economic stability in Pakistan.”
This is the second Stand-by Arrangement (SBA) for short-term financial assistance that Pakistan has completed, the last one being in 2016 during the government of three-time PM Nawaz Sharif, who is Sharif’s elder brother.
“Bitter and difficult decisions were taken for the economic security of Pakistan, but their fruits are coming in the form of economic stability,” Sharif added about reforms under the IMF program.
The $350 billion economy faces a chronic balance of payments crisis, with nearly $24 billion to repay in debt and interest over the next fiscal year — three-time more than its central bank’s foreign currency reserves.
Islamabad is seeking a new, larger long-term Extended Fund Facility (EFF) agreement with the fund after the current standby arrangement expires this month, and continuing with necessary policy reforms to rein in deficits, build up reserves and manage soaring debt servicing.
Aramco acquires 40% stake in GO, marking first entry into Pakistani fuel retail market
- Saudi oil giant Aramco inked agreement to buy 40 percent stake in Gas and Oil Pakistan Ltd. in December 2023
- Acquisition to bring much-needed foreign direct investment in Pakistan’s energy sector, says competition commission
KARACHI: The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) this week approved Saudi oil giant Aramco’s decision to acquire a 40 percent stake in local company Gas & Oil Pakistan Ltd, officially marking the Saudi company’s entry into Pakistan’s fuels retail market.
Aramco and Gas signed the agreement to acquire 40 percent stake in Gas and Oil Pakistan Ltd., a licensed oil marketing company, in December 2023. Gas and Oil Pakistan Ltd. is involved in the procurement, storage, sale, and marketing of petroleum products and lubricants. It is also one of Pakistan’s largest retail and storage companies.
Aramco is a global integrated energy and chemicals company that produces approximately one in every eight barrels of the world’s oil supply and develops cutting-edge energy technologies. Aramco Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd., a Singaporean company wholly owned by Saudi Aramco, filed the pre-merger application with the CCP. It specializes in sales, marketing, procurement, logistics, and related services, with a focus on prospecting, exploring, drilling, extracting, processing, manufacturing, refining, and marketing hydrocarbon substances.
“The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) approved a 40 percent equity stake acquisition in Gas & Oil Pakistan Ltd. (GO) by Aramco, a global leader in integrated energy and chemicals,” the CCP said in a statement on Monday. “This transaction marks Aramco’s first entry into Pakistan’s fuels retail market, underscoring its confidence in the country’s economic potential and its commitment to its growth.”
The CCP said it had authorized the merger after determining that the acquisition would not result in the acquirers’ “dominance” in the relevant market post-transaction.
“Aramco’s acquisition indicates a significant milestone in Pakistan’s energy sector, bringing advanced expertise and technology to the fuels retail market,” it said. “This development is expected to boost competition, elevate service standards, and provide consumers with a broader range of high-quality products.”
The CCP said the acquisition would help bring much-needed foreign direct investment in Pakistan’s energy sector, contributing to economic growth and development of the country.
In February 2019, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia inked investment deals totaling $21 billion during the visit of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman to Islamabad. The agreements included about $10 billion for an Aramco oil refinery and $1 billion for a petrochemical complex at the strategic Gwadar Port in Balochistan.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who is in Saudi Arabia for a special meeting of the World Economic Forum, held meetings this week with Saudi Arabia’s ministers of energy, economy and planning, and environment, according to his office.
In a meeting with Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman on Monday evening, Sharif highlighted initiatives undertaken by Pakistan to facilitate investment in the energy sector. The Saudi side showed keen interest in Pakistan’s energy projects highlighted by Sharif, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said.
The proposed projects included building new and improving existing energy infrastructure, increasing focus on renewable energy, and bringing efficiency across entire energy ecosystem in Pakistan, according to the statement.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoy strong trade, defense and cultural ties. The Kingdom is home to over 2.7 million Pakistani expatriates and serves as the top source of remittances to the cash-strapped South Asian country.
Both countries have been closely working to increase bilateral trade and investment deals, and the Kingdom recently reaffirmed its commitment to expedite an investment package worth $5 billion.
Abu Dhabi International Book Fair kicks off with Pakistani writers participating for first time
- Two panels on Pakistani literature and drama will speak at the international fair
- This year’s fair welcomes 145 new exhibitors and publishers from around the world
ISLAMABAD: The Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, considered one of the world’s most important cultural platforms, kicked off this week in the UAE capital with participation from Pakistani writers for the first time ever.
The book fair is an annual event that brings different writers together with the goal of promoting reading, diverse cultures and knowledge locally, regionally, and globally. Organizers of the fair say their aim is also to promote cultural exchange and dialogue between several nations.
It also brings together leaders from the publishing and creative industries every year, providing promising opportunities for those involved in this sector to form new partnerships, learn about the latest trends and developments and discuss its fundamental priorities.
“Pakistan is being represented at the Abu Dhabi Internationally Book Fair at @Adnec from April 29 to May 5,” the Pakistan Consulate General Dubai wrote on social media platform X on Monday.
Two sessions at the fair will feature participation from Pakistani writers. On May 1, a session titled: “The Pakistani Drama: Capturing Diverse Realities, Dreaming Many Dreams” will be moderated by journalist Mehwish Ajaz. It will feature panelists Amna Mufti, a renowned Urdu playwright and novelist, and Shazia Ali Khan, a UAE-based Urdu film screenplay writer.
The second session is scheduled to be held on May 3 and is titled: “Pakistani Fiction’s Connection with Past, Present & Future.” This session will be moderated by Mufti and will feature participation from Urdu novelist Tahira Iqbal and Osama Siddique, an English and Urdu novelist.
This year’s fair welcomes 145 new exhibitors and publishers this year along with 12 countries joining for the first time, namely Greece, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Pakistan, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Mozambique, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Indonesia.
