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Hindu devotees gather in Pakistan’s southwest to celebrate Hinglaj Mata festival

The picture posted on April 7, 2018, shows Hindu devotees celebrating the Hinglaj Mata festival at the Hinglaj Mata temple in Pakistan's Lasbela district. (Hinglaj Mata Mandir, Balochistan/Facebook)
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Updated 30 April 2023
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Hindu devotees gather in Pakistan’s southwest to celebrate Hinglaj Mata festival

  • Over 100,000 Hindu men, women and children annually visit an ancient cave temple in Balochistan to celebrate the festival
  • The sacred Hindu temple is also popular with people in India who long to visit the place to pay respect, perform religious rituals
Updated 30 April 2023
SAADULLAH AKHTER

QUETTA: With the rugged mountains of Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province to their left and a long road ahead, thousands of Hindu men, women, and children trudge along with water coolers in their hands and their belongings over their backs to reach the ancient Hinglaj Mata temple.

The ancient cave temple, located in Balochistan’s mountainous Hingol area in Lasbela district, is over 5,000 years old. It comes alive every year during the three-day Hinglaj Mata festival, arguably Pakistan’s largest Hindu festival, which attracts over 100,000 devotees from all parts of the country.




Hindu pilgrims are pictured climbing down the stairs of the Hinglaj Mata temple during the three-day Hinglaj festival in Pakistan's Lasbela district on April 28, 2023. (AN photo)

Pakistan, which gained independence from the British in 1947, is home to over 4.5 million Hindus. The festival, which began on Friday, will conclude today, Sunday, after three days of high priests chanting mantras and beseeching Hindu gods to accept the offerings of the devotees and bestow them with peace and prosperity.

According to Hindu mythology, Lord Vishnu cut up the body of the Hindu goddess Sati into 50 pieces, which fell to the earth. Her head, it is said, fell at Hinglaj, and it has since been the site of revered pilgrimage. According to another popular Hindu belief, Hinglaj Mata, a deity, came to fight against the oppressive monarch of Hingol. She fought and defeated the brutal tyrant and continued to live in the area.

Vesemal Kidwani, who is managing the annual festival as the general secretary of Hinglaj Welfare Society, has been visiting the site for the past 22 years.

“Hinglaj Mata temple is the holiest site for the entire Hindu community in the world, and we are lucky that this site is situated in Pakistan’s Balochistan province,” he told Arab News.

“Hundreds of thousands of devotees come to this site by walking about five kilometers, but you can see a smile on their face because they are optimistic that they will get something from this religious site,” he added.




The picture posted on April 13, 2017, shows Hindu devotees celebrating the Hinglaj Mata festival at the Hinglaj Mata temple in Pakistan's Lasbela district. (Hinglaj Mata Mandir, Balochistan/Facebook)

Hindu elders said the temple was also famous across the border in India, and many people in the neighboring state longed to visit the place. Jaswant Singh, the former foreign minister of the neighboring state, visited the cave temple in 2006 to foster peaceful relations between the two countries.

Pakistan inaugurated the Kartarpura Corridor in 2019, a visa-free border crossing which provides India’s Sikh community access to the birthplace of the founder of their religion in Pakistan’s Punjab province. A Pakistani senator, Dinesh Kumar, said the government wanted to do something similar for Indian Hindus to facilitate their pilgrimage to Hinglaj.

“We wanted to open a Kartarpur-like corridor for the Hindu community to visit Hinglaj, but due to the tense Pakistan-India relations, we could not implement the plan,” he told Arab News.




The picture posted on June 20, 2018, shows Hindu devotees heading toward the ancient Hinglaj Mata temple in Balochistan’s mountainous Hingol area in the Lasbela district. (Hinglaj Mata Mandir, Balochistan/Facebook)

Kumar said Hindu pilgrims spent three days outside the temple under the sky to attend the festival, adding the government was now constructing lodges for them by spending about Rs500 million ($178,597).

“Annually, more than one million Hindu pilgrims visit this site,” he continued. “We have the complete infrastructure for this religious site situated in the mountains while more facilities will be provided to Hindu worshippers.”




The picture posted on April 13, 2017, shows Hindu devotees heading toward the ancient Hinglaj Mata temple in Balochistan’s mountainous Hingol area in the Lasbela district. (Hinglaj Mata Mandir, Balochistan/Facebook)

Balochistan is a volatile province that has been the site of a prolonged insurgency, with several separatist and militant groups operating in the region, which boasts vast mineral resources.

Ravi Kumar, 53, came all the way from Pakistan’s southern Hyderabad city located over 300 kilometers away from the temple. He praised the security measures taken by the authorities, saying they had enabled thousands of Hindu men, women, and children to perform their religious obligations with ease in the area.

“Our gods and goddess Rama, Shiva, and Parvati visited this shrine thousands of years ago to pay homage to Hinglaj Mata,” he added. “Hence, thousands of Hindu devotees come here annually for worship.”

Topics: Hinglaj Mata festival Lasbela district

Pakistan suffered more from Afghan ‘imbroglio’ than wars with India — special envoy to Kabul

Updated 6 sec ago
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Pakistan suffered more from Afghan ‘imbroglio’ than wars with India — special envoy to Kabul

  • Ambassador Durrani hopes Pakistan will overcome security threats from Afghanistan through diplomacy
  • He warns of growing hostilities in the Middle East, saying the Iran-Israel conflict can engulf the region
Updated 6 sec ago
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Ambassador Asif Durrani acknowledged that his country had suffered a great deal more due to the volatility in its northwestern neighborhood than its recurrent wars in the east with nuclear-armed India while addressing a conference on Wednesday.

Durrani issued the statement during a penal discussion at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad while sharing a broad overview of his country’s threat perception. Pakistan blamed the administration in Kabul last year in November for not doing enough to address its security concerns by clamping down on militants operating from Afghanistan.

It even maintained there was enough evidence that Afghan authorities were “facilitating” attacks launched by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) against its people and security forces. Subsequently, Pakistan started deporting “illegal immigrants,” mostly Afghans, from its cities while citing security reasons.

“Afghanistan has become a permanent fixture in Pakistan’s regional paradigm for over four decades,” Durrani told the gathering. “In terms of blood and treasure, Pakistan has suffered more due to the Afghan imbroglio than its three wars with India.”

“Over 80,000 Pakistanis have died in the past two decades during the so-called war on terror,” he continued. “The country is still counting its dead and injured. After the withdrawal of the NATO forces, it was hoped that peace in Afghanistan would bring peace in the region. However, such expectations were short-lived.”

Durrani maintained that TTP attacked had increased by 65 percent after the departure of international forces while suicide bombings had shot up by 500 percent.

“The TTP’s enhanced attacks on Pakistan while using Afghan soil have been a serious concern for Pakistan,” he said. “Another worrying aspect is the participation of Afghan nationals in these attacks.”

He hoped that his country would overcome threats emerging from Afghanistan through diplomatic means, though he warned of the rising tensions in the Middle East while pointing out that the Iran-Israel conflict, if not contained, could engulf the whole region.

“Pakistan will also suffer,” he added.

Durrani said the estimated economic cost suffered by his country since the US-led “war on terror” was somewhere around $150 billion.

Topics: Arab News Pakistan

Pakistan doubles down on completing Iran gas pipeline despite threat of sanctions

Updated 41 min 40 sec ago
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Pakistan doubles down on completing Iran gas pipeline despite threat of sanctions

  • Major gas pipeline deal has faced delays due to geopolitical issues and international sanctions
  • On Wednesday, US warned that countries doing business with Iran faced the “potential risk of sanctions”
Updated 41 min 40 sec ago
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said on Thursday Pakistan would find a way to complete a major gas pipeline deal with Iran which has faced delays for years due to geopolitical issues and international sanctions.

During a visit by Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi to Pakistan this week, the two nations reiterated the importance of cooperation in the energy domain, including trade in electricity, power transmission lines and the IP Gas Pipeline Project, a joint statement released following the culmination of the visit said.

“We will find a way to complete it,” Asif told reporters when asked if Pakistani officials had discussed the stalled pipeline with Raisi. 

In March, Islamabad said it would seek a US sanctions waiver for the pipeline. However, later that week, the US said publicly it did not support the project and cautioned about the risk of sanctions in doing business with Tehran.

On Wednesday, the United States once again warned that countries doing business with Iran faced the “potential risk of sanctions.”

“Just let me say broadly, we advise anyone considering business deals with Iran to be aware of the potential risk of sanctions,” a State Department spokesperson said when asked about the Iranian president’s Pakistan visit and agreements signed. “But ultimately, the government of Pakistan can speak to their own foreign policy pursuits.”

The pipeline deal, signed in 2010, envisaged the supply of 750 million to a billion cubic feet per day of natural gas for 25 years from Iran’s South Pars gas field to Pakistan to meet Pakistan’s rising energy needs. The pipeline was to stretch over 1,900 kilometers (1,180 miles) — 1,150 km within Iran and 781 km within Pakistan.

Tehran says it has already invested $2 billion to construct the pipeline on its side of the border, making it ready to export. Pakistan, however, did not begin construction and shortly after the deal said the project was off the table for the time being, citing international sanctions on Iran as the reason.

Iran’s oil minister at the time responded by saying that Iran carried out its commitments and expects Pakistan to honor its own, adding that Pakistan needs to pick up the pace of work.

In 2014, Pakistan asked for a 10-year extension to build the pipeline, which expires in September this year. Iran can take Pakistan to international court and fine the country. Local media reported that Pakistan can be fined up to $18 billion for not holding up its half of the agreement.

Faced with a potential fine, Pakistan’s caretaker administration earlier this year gave the go ahead in principle to commence plans to build an 80 km segment of the pipeline. In March, Pakistan announced it would seek a sanctions’ waiver. 

Washington’s support is crucial for Pakistan as the country looks to sign a new longer term bailout program with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in coming weeks.

Pakistan, whose domestic and industrial users rely on natural gas for heating and energy needs, is in dire need for cheap gas with its own reserves dwindling fast and LNG deals making supplies expensive amidst already high inflation.

Iran has the world’s second-largest gas reserves after Russia, according to BP’s Statistical Review of World Energy, but sanctions by the West, political turmoil and construction delays have slowed its development as an exporter.

Originally, the deal also involved extending the pipeline to India, but Delhi later dropped out of the project.

With inputs from Reuters

Topics: Pakistan Pakistan Iran gas pipeline iran sanctions Arab News Pakistan

Pakistan refiners, fuel station owners oppose price deregulation, fear business closures

Updated 25 April 2024
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Pakistan refiners, fuel station owners oppose price deregulation, fear business closures

  • Petroleum dealers say government wants to avoid public criticism and shift the burden of high oil prices to consumers
  • Oil refineries also opposed deregulation earlier this week, saying it would put their $6 billion investment at risk
Updated 25 April 2024
KHURSHID AHMED   

KARACHI: After Pakistan’s oil refineries, petroleum dealers announced their decision to oppose the deregulation of fuel prices in the country on Thursday, saying the move would adversely impact their businesses and lead to their closure.
The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) of Pakistan briefed the energy ministry on the possible deregulation of petroleum products on April 17, prompting five of the country’s oil refineries to write a letter in which they described it as complex and critical issue.
The deregulation proposal would empower oil marketing companies to determine fuel prices on the basis of various market forces. Local consumers getting petrol and diesel from places closer to ports and refineries would get relatively cheaper products due to the transportation cost.
“The deregulation is the death warrant for the people and the petroleum industry in the country,” Abdul Sami Khan, Chairman of Pakistan Petroleum Association, said at a media briefing along with other dealers at the Karachi Press Club. “If this is imposed on us, we will be compelled to shut down our businesses.”
The dealers present at the briefing said the deregulation would cause an increase in the prices of petroleum products and make it difficult to maintain the quality of the fuel.
They said giving mandate to oil marketing companies to determine oil prices would be unwise and lead to different market rates.
“The government wants to shift the burden of price hike to people and get rid of the public criticism amid spiraling rates of petroleum products,” Khan added.
He said the smuggled Iranian oil had been openly sold in Pakistan, though it was not refined and damaged engines of vehicles.
He also asked the government to legalize it “in the larger public interest.”
“An agreement should be made to import crude oil from Iran to end smuggling,” Khan suggested. “The crude oil bought from Iran can be refined locally.”
Malik Khuda Buksh, senior leader and founding member of the association, said the deregulation would “create chaos in the market” since everyone would be quoting their own prices.
“Under the current mechanism, the government fixes the prices and no one can charge a single paisa more,” he explained while speaking to Arab News after the news briefing. “When the deregulation takes place, every oil marketing company will give its own price like vegetable and other product sellers, which will lead to further inflation.”
Like refiners, the petroleum dealers also warned that the deregulation of petroleum prices in Pakistan would negatively impact their business.
The letter jointly written by Attock Refinery Limited, Cnergyico PK Limited, National Refinery Limited, Pakistan Refinery Limited and Pak Arab Refinery Limited said the deregulation could jeopardize nearly $6 billion of investment.
The letter maintained it was better to spend money on upgrading the refineries since it would not only result in cleaner and environment-friendly fuels of Euro-V specifications but would also help save precious foreign exchange by substantially increasing local production.

Topics: Petrol price in Pakistan

Pakistan women’s great Bismah Maroof retires from international cricket

Updated 25 April 2024
AP
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Pakistan women’s great Bismah Maroof retires from international cricket

  • Maroof, an allrounder, batted left-handed and scored 6,262 runs including 33 half-centuries
  • Maroof captained Pakistan in 96 internationals, including at fourth World Cup in 2022 
Updated 25 April 2024
AP

LAHORE: Former Pakistan women’s captain Bismah Maroof retired from international cricket on Thursday after 276 games in an 18-year career.
“I have decided to retire from the game I love the most,” the 32-year-old Maroof said in a statement on Thursday. “It has been an incredible journey, filled with challenges, victories, and unforgettable memories.”
Maroof, an allrounder, batted left-handed and scored 6,262 runs including 33 half-centuries — three ODI scores in the 90s — and bowled right arm leg break and bagged 80 wickets.
She was 15 when she debuted for Pakistan in 2006 in a one-day international against India, and three years later played her first Twenty20 against Ireland.
Maroof took a break in 2021 to give birth to her first child and said she was grateful for a parental policy that extended her career.
“The support from the PCB has been invaluable, particularly in implementing the first ever parental policy for me, which enabled me to represent my country at the highest level while being a mother,” Maroof said.
Maroof captained Pakistan in 96 internationals, including at her fourth Women’s World Cup in 2022 in New Zealand.

Topics: Bismah Maroof Pakistan cricket

PM, president vow to end malaria, leading cause of illness and death in Pakistan

Updated 25 April 2024
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PM, president vow to end malaria, leading cause of illness and death in Pakistan

  • Over 3.4 million suspected cases of malaria reported in Pakistan between Jan-Aug 2022
  • Rapid upsurge observed in Balochistan and Sindh provinces after devastating floods in June 2022
Updated 25 April 2024
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani top leaders on Thursday called on the government, international partners and organizations, health care professionals, and individuals to unite in their efforts to end malaria, one of the leading causes of illness and death in Pakistan according to the World Health Organization.
The Pakistani prime minister and president sent out the message on World Malaria Day, commemorated on April 25 each year to highlight the need for continued investment and sustained political commitment for malaria prevention and control. The day was instituted by WHO Member States during the World Health Assembly of 2007.
According to WHO data, from January through August 2022, more than 3.4 million suspected cases of malaria were reported in Pakistan compared with the 2.6 million suspected cases reported in 2021. Over 170 000 cases were laboratory confirmed.
A rapid upsurge in cases was observed in Balochistan and Sindh provinces after devastating floods in mid-June 2022, together accounting for 78 percent of all confirmed cases. The risk was assessed by the WHO as very high considering the effect of the flood crisis on the capacity of the national health system.
“In his message on the occasion of World Malaria Day, PM emphasized collaborative efforts to strengthen health care systems, increase access to quality diagnosis and treatment, and raise awareness about the importance of prevention and control measures of malaria,” state-run Radio Pakistan said, reporting on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s message.
The PM called on research and academic institutions “to flag scientific advances to both experts and the general public, international partners, companies and foundations to showcase their efforts and reflect on how to further scale up malaria control interventions.”
He said Pakistan had significantly enhanced free malaria testing and treatment facilities in malaria-endemic districts across the country through collaboration between the health ministry, national and international partners, provincial counterparts, NGOs and private stakeholders.
In a separate message, President Asif Ali Zardari emphasized collective efforts to curb malaria and expressed concerns over the rise in malaria cases due to the 2022 floods.
“Zardari called upon the provincial governments and other stakeholders to unite to deal with this alarming situation. He also called for raising awareness about the disease,” Radio Pakistan said.
Pakistan was hit by devastating floods in June 2022 which resulted in over 33 million people being affected, 81 districts being declared as calamity-hit and the national health infrastructure being badly impacted.
An upsurge in reported malaria cases was observed after the floods. In Sindh province, confirmed malaria cases in August 2022 reached 69,123 compared to 19,826 cases reported in August 2021. In Balochistan province, 41,368 confirmed cases were reported in August 2022 compared to 22,032 confirmed cases in August 2021. These two provinces together accounted for 78 percent of all reported confirmed cases in Pakistan in 2022. 
Reports from 62 high-burden districts indicated that additional 210,715 cases were reported in September 2022, compared to 178,657 cases reported in the same districts in August 2022.

Latest updates

Pakistan suffered more from Afghan ‘imbroglio’ than wars with India — special envoy to Kabul
Pakistan doubles down on completing Iran gas pipeline despite threat of sanctions
Pakistan refiners, fuel station owners oppose price deregulation, fear business closures
Pakistan women’s great Bismah Maroof retires from international cricket
Israel says it is poised to move on Rafah

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