UAE-based Carrefour partners with Pakistani NGO to help the needy in Ramadan

In this photo taken on March 21, 2023, representatives of Carrefour Pakistan and Pakistani non-profit organization (NGO) Alkhidmat Foundation sign an agreement to help the needy during Ramadan. (Photo courtesy: Carrefour Pakistan)
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Updated 22 March 2023
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UAE-based Carrefour partners with Pakistani NGO to help the needy in Ramadan

  • Carrefour, Pakistan’s Alkhidmat Foundation to provide meals to less privileged Pakistanis in Ramadan
  • The two will also provide humanitarian aid to people affected by the devastating quake in Türkiye, Syria

ISLAMABAD: Retail company Carrefour Pakistan, owned and operated by UAE-based holding firm Majid Al Futtaim, announced on Wednesday its decision to join hands with Pakistani non-profit organization (NGO) Alkhidmat Foundation to provide relief to earthquake victims in Syria and Turkiye, and provide free meals to the less privileged in Pakistan during Ramadan. 

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting, prayer, reflection, and charity. The first fast in Pakistan is likely to be observed on Thursday, March 23.

Through the collaboration, Carrefour said the two would provide meals to the less privileged Pakistanis in Ramadan and also send relief items to victims of the recent devastating earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria.

“We believe in the power of collective action and community support. We are greatly pleased to join hands with Alkhidmat Foundation to play our part in eliminating food hunger in the country, whilst providing relief to those affected by the earthquakes in Turkiye and Syria,” Umer Lodhi, Carrefour Pakistan’s country manager, said.

“We hope our combined efforts will make a positive impact on those who need it the most.”

The statement added that customers would also have the opportunity to give back to the community this Ramadan by purchasing special, pre-packed boxes filled with essential food items such as rice, flour, oil, dates & pulses.

The pre-packed boxes, it said, will then be distributed among needy families to help provide them some relief during Ramadan as the South Asian country grapples with decades-high inflation.

“Earthquake relief boxes comprising shelter supplies, clothing, and non-perishable food items are available for customers to buy and donate at all Carrefour stores,” the statement said.


Pakistan police book man for wounding buffalo with ax in Bahawalpur district

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Pakistan police book man for wounding buffalo with ax in Bahawalpur district

  • Complainant accuses a landowner in Ahmadpur East of attacking buffalo for straying into his fodder field 
  • Pakistan police register case against suspect under Pakistan Penal Code for injuring cattle 

ISLAMABAD: Police in Pakistan’s eastern Bahawalpur district registered a case on Sunday against a landowner for wounding a buffalo with ax for straying into his fodder field, in another case of animal brutality in the country. 

As per a copy of the police complaint seen by Arab News, the complainant Bashir Ahmad, a laborer and resident of the Ismail Pur area of the Ahmadpur East city, said the incident took place on Jan. 24. 

Ahmad said he arrived at his home after work on Saturday to find that his buffalo had escaped. Ahmad searched for the animal along with two others he cited as eyewitnesses in his report. They discovered that the buffalo had strayed into a fodder field nearby owned by a man named Manzoor Hussain.

“During this time, Manzoor Hussain came with an ax and as we watched, attacked both of the front legs of the buffalo,” the police report quoted Ahmad as saying. 

The complainant said the buffalo collapsed as a result of the assault. It did not mention whether the buffalo had died or not. 

Ahmad said the suspect abused him and the other eyewitnesses and left the area after they arrived. 

“Manzoor Hussain has committed a grave injustice by injuring my buffalo,” the report quoted Ahmad as saying. “I want action to be taken against him.”

Police registered a case against Hussain under Sections 427 [mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees] and 429 [mischief by killing or maiming cattle of any value or any animal of the value of fifty rupees] of the Pakistan Penal Code. 

Local media reported the suspect had been arrested following the police complaint. 

Animal abuse cases in Pakistan have frequently made headlines over the years. In June 2024, a local landlord in the southern Sanghar district was accused of chopping off a camel’s leg after it strayed into his fields for grazing. 

The story, which triggered an uproar on mainstream and social media, led to the camel being transported to an animal shelter in Karachi for treatment. Six suspects were arrested by the police. 

In another incident in the southern Umerkot district during June 2024, a camel was found dead with its legs amputated. 

In July 2024, a man was arrested in Pakistan’s eastern Shahpur city for chopping off a buffalo’s tongue.

Pakistan’s existing animal cruelty laws, rooted in the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act of 1890, prohibit various forms of animal cruelty, including beating, overdriving, and mutilation. 

The legislation also prescribes penalties for breaches of these anti-cruelty provisions, which can include fines and imprisonment, though these are not always effectively enforced.