Pakistan participates in Earth Hour as world community pledges to fight climate change

This photo, taken on March 27, 2021, shows a general view of Pakistan's Prime Minister office building with its lights switched off during Earth Hour in Islamabad. (Photo courtesy: AFP/File)
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Updated 25 March 2023
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Pakistan participates in Earth Hour as world community pledges to fight climate change

  • PM Shehbaz Sharif says saving the planet from the impact of climate change requires collective action
  • Millions across the globe observed Earth Hour on Saturday by switching off lights for just one hour

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan joined the global community to observe Earth Hour on Saturday after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the country would fulfil its obligations related to climate change.

Millions of people from over 190 countries observed Earth Hour by switching off lights for just one hour to reduce carbon emissions and other harmful greenhouse gases.

The occasion, first introduced by the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) in 2007, is part of an annual tradition to raise awareness about climate change and spark global conversations on protecting nature, tackling the effects of climate change, and working in collaboration to shape a brighter future for all.

“Pakistan joins the global community today in observing Earth Hour and demonstrating its commitment to the fulfillment of its obligations to climate change actions,” the prime minister wrote in a Twitter post.

“Saving our planet from the ill effects of climate change is a collective endeavor, one in which everyone matters,” he added.

Last year, Pakistan was ranked as the 8th most vulnerable country to the impact of climate change by the “Global Climate Risk Index 2021.” The report maintained that the country’s challenges included water stress, desertification, glacier melting, extreme weather events, and the spread of diseases.

Earlier, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also appealed to the international community to participate in the global event.

“#EarthHour is a call to massively increase #ClimateAction & a reminder that all of us can play our part,” he wrote on Twitter.

“I invite you to switch off your lights for an hour on 25 March at 8.30 pm local time - wherever you are. Every minute and every hour counts.”

 


Pakistan’s interim government advocates inclusive elections, calls for impartial state media coverage

Updated 11 sec ago
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Pakistan’s interim government advocates inclusive elections, calls for impartial state media coverage

  • Murtaza Solangi says it is the responsibility of the caretaker government to create the right environment for transparent polls
  • PM Kakar told international media on Friday it was possible to hold fair elections without ex-PM Khan who was facing legal action

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s interim information minister Murtaza Solangi stressed the importance of unfettered political participation in the upcoming national elections on Sunday, saying the state media must remain impartial during the political contest.
Solangi’s issued the statement at a time when supporters of former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party have tried to highlight attempts to eliminate their top leader from the political landscape of the country.
Khan has been facing a number of cases since his ouster from power in a parliamentary no-trust vote in April of last year and remains incarcerated in a high-security prison on charges of corruption and violating the Official Secrets Act.
Addressing a ceremony at Radio Pakistan Karachi, Solangi said it was clearly written in the constitution that the country would be run by democratically elected leaders.
“The state media should not support or oppose any political party,” he was quoted as saying by the Associated Press of Pakistan news agency.
He said it was the responsibility of the caretaker government to provide the right environment for transparent polls. He instructed the country’s official media to provide fair coverage to all registered political parties in the country.
It may be recalled that Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar said in an interview with The Associated Press on Friday it was “absolutely absurd” to say Pakistan’s powerful military would want to manipulate the election results keep ex-PM Khan from winning.
However, he also maintained in the same conversation it was possible to hold fair elections without the former premier and his jailed party leaders since they were involved in violent protests on May 9 and were facing legal action as a consequence.


Fathers of Noor Mukadam, Sara Inam call for expedited justice in daughters’ murder cases

Updated 24 September 2023
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Fathers of Noor Mukadam, Sara Inam call for expedited justice in daughters’ murder cases

  • The demand for quicker trials by fathers of the two high-profile murder victims highlights a stagnant justice system
  • The murders of Mukadam and Inam led to public outrage, calling into question the safety and rights of women in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The fathers of Noor Mukadam and Sara Inam, victims of two high-profile murders in Pakistan, held a news conference in the federal capital on Sunday, calling for expedited legal proceedings speedy justice in their daughters’ cases.
The media interaction was arranged exactly a year after Inam, a 37-year-old economist, was killed by her husband, Shahnawaz Amir, in suburban Islamabad.
The fathers of the two women not only pressed the judiciary for timely justice but also reignited the focus on the safety and rights of women in Pakistan which came under question after the two murders.
“It has been a year,” lamented Engineer Inam Rahim, Sara's father. “We were hoping this would take about six months since these were open-and-shut cases.”
He also asked the media not to forget about the murders and discuss them in newspapers and on television channels.
“We request you to continue to highlight these cases since that will raise our hopes of getting justice,” he continued, adding that his daughter was trapped by a husband whose main goal was her wealth and who eventually subjected her to brutal murder.
Shaukat Ali Mukadam, the father of Noor Mukadam who was murdered in July 2021, also called for a speedy trial.
“The courts will lose their credibility if such cases continue to remain pending in them,” he said.
His statement came as Zahir Jaffer, who was sentenced to death in his daughter’s murder case, filed an appeal with the Supreme Court of Pakistan in April 2023. The case has remained pending since then.


Pakistan recalls injectable medicine amid eye infection reports, initiates probe

Updated 24 September 2023
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Pakistan recalls injectable medicine amid eye infection reports, initiates probe

  • The interim health minister assures the public of transparent inquiry, vows to prosecute those responsible
  • The government had received complaints related to loss of sight among diabetic patients using Avastin in Punjab

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s interim health minister Nadeem Jan said on Sunday the government had recalled an injectable medicine from the market after receiving reports it had caused eye infections and loss of sight among patients in the Kasur, Multan, Lahore, and Sadiqabad districts located in the eastern Punjab province.
According to media reports, the caretaker administration in Punjab formed a five-member committee to investigate the issue, following complaints related to a locally manufactured injection called Avastin which was used by diabetic patients in the province.
The federal health minister invited his provincial counterpart to Islamabad to discuss the issue in the wake of this development. He said authorities had launched an investigation and would soon assign responsibility for the matter.
“Investigations are ongoing,” Jan said in a televised statement. “A committee has been formed, comprising five of our most senior experts, who will analyze the issue from all angles and provide us with a comprehensive report within the next three days.”
“As of now, the batch of medicine in question has been recalled,” he continued. “It is now in our possession, and its sales are prohibited.”
The minister explained the investigation team was tasked with determining whether the problem was caused by the medicine itself, issues in its supply chain, the skill level of the administering doctors, or the sterilization process.
He added the government had filed a police report against two individuals representing the supply company and had initiated legal action against them.
Jan assured the public of a transparent inquiry, adding the authorities would share their findings and prosecute those responsible for causing harm to patients.


Asian Games: Sri Lanka beat Pakistan to set up India cricket final

Updated 24 September 2023
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Asian Games: Sri Lanka beat Pakistan to set up India cricket final

  • Pakistan manage below-par 75-9 in 20 overs against Sri Lanka 
  • Pakistan and Bangladesh will face off for bronze on Monday

HANGZHOU, China: In-form Sri Lanka, fresh from a stunning Twenty20 series victory in England, beat Pakistan by six wickets on Sunday to reach the women’s cricket final at the Asian Games and set up a clash with India.
Pakistan never got going on a difficult batting surface affected by days of rain at the Zhejiang University of Technology ground in Hangzhou, and could only muster a below-par 75-9 in their 20 overs.
Left-arm medium pace bowler Udeshika Prabodhani led the Sri Lankan attack with three wickets and Kavisha Dilhari took two with her offspin.
Sri Lanka sauntered to their target with 21 balls to spare to spark wild celebrations as their players ran on to the field to high-five and hug each other.
Earlier, the Indians routed Bangladesh for 51 on the same ground with all-rounder Pooja Vastrakar, only drafted into the squad as a last-minute replacement, taking four wickets.
They wasted no time in racing to an eight-wicket victory with more than 11 overs remaining as Jemimah Rodrigues top-scored with an unbeaten 20.
Rodrigues is yet to be dismissed in the Asian Games, scoring 47 not out in the quarter-final against Malaysia, which was later abandoned because of rain.
It was the second time in just over a week that Sri Lankan cricketers had proven party-poopers by preventing a Pakistan-India major cricket final.
The country’s men’s team beat Pakistan in the semifinal of the 50-over Asia Cup in Colombo to prevent a final showdown against their fierce rivals India.
Earlier this month, Sri Lanka’s women secured a historic first-ever white-ball series triumph over England, winning 2-1.
Pakistan and Bangladesh will face off for bronze on Monday before India take on Sri Lanka in the gold-medal match.


Train crash in eastern Pakistan injures at least 30

Updated 24 September 2023
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Train crash in eastern Pakistan injures at least 30

  • Lahore-bound passenger train collides with another in Shaikhupura district
  • Railway authorities suspend driver, assistant, two members of ground staff

LAHORE: A passenger train collided with another already parked and carrying goods in eastern Pakistan on Sunday, injuring at least 30 passengers, five of them seriously, officials said.

Railway authorities suspended the driver of the Lahore-bound passenger train, his assistant and two of the ground staff for negligence as an investigation has been opened, said top railways official Shahid Aziz.

Aziz said the incident happened in Shaikhupura district near Qila Sattar Shah station early morning as the passenger train which left Mianwali for Lahore was directed to the track where the goods train was already parked.

He said most of the injured were treated at the train station, but those with serious injuries were moved to hospital and the tracks were quickly cleared.

Such accidents are common in Pakistan where railways suffer from decades-old signal systems and tracks.