Pakistani elephant Madhubala ‘still’ suffering from potentially fatal parasite infection, confirms vet

A veterinarain from Four Paws International shoots a tranquiliser to the elephant Madhu Bala before they begun her treatment at Karachi Zoological Garden in Karachi on August 17, 2022. (AFAP/File)
Short Url
Updated 01 June 2023
Follow

Pakistani elephant Madhubala ‘still’ suffering from potentially fatal parasite infection, confirms vet

  • Madhubala is one of only three captive elephants in Pakistan after Noor Jehan passed away in April 
  • The African elephant can only be shifted to sanctuary once it tests negative for the infection, says vet 

KARACHI: Pakistani elephant Madhubala “still” has blood infection Trypanosomiasis, Egyptian veterinarian Dr. Amir Khalil said on Thursday, adding that the animal would be shifted to a new sanctuary once it tests negative for the infection. 

Madhubala, one of only three captive elephants alive in Pakistan, was brought to the South Asian country with three other elephants from Tanzania in 2009. One of her long-time companions, 17-year-old Noor Jehan, passed away in April after suffering from multiple ailments including the same Trypanosomiasis infection. Noor Jehan’s death prompted animal rights activists and organizations to raise alarm over Karachi Zoo’s poor living conditions. They demanded Madhubala be shifted to a “species-appropriate” sanctuary immediately to avert another potential tragedy. 

Khalil, an employee of the international animal rights welfare organization FOUR PAWS, said last week that the Trypanosomiasis infection can be fatal. However, he said Madhubala was luckier than Noor Jehan as she was provided medicine for the infection before it reached an advanced stage. He also said FOUR PAWS is supporting the Karachi city government’s efforts to build an animal sanctuary at the Safari Park and that Madhubala would be shifted to it once it is completed. 

“Madublaha has a blood parasite still and she will receive medicine two times within two weeks, then another blood test [needs] to be done,” Khalil told Arab News. “Transfer should be done only when she is negative,” he added. 

Khalil had told Arab News last week that work on the sanctuary at Karachi’s Safari Park has already begun, adding that a night enclosure for Madhubala is also being built according to international standards. He said depending upon Madhubala’s health and the speed of the work on her sanctuary, authorities hope to shift her to it by the end of June or the first week of July. 

The developments take place more than two years after Kaavan, dubbed as the “world’s loneliest elephant,” was released from a dilapidated zoo in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad. Animal rights activists had long campaigned against the plight of the 35-year-old elephant who had lived alone since the death of his mate in 2012. 

Kaavan was transferred to Cambodia in late 2020 in a blaze of publicity after his plight caught the attention of US superstar Cher, who helped raise funds for the jumbo relocation.


Pakistan’s army chief vows to create favorable environment for economic development in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Updated 48 min 16 sec ago
Follow

Pakistan’s army chief vows to create favorable environment for economic development in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

  • The country’s northwestern province has experienced a surge in extremist violence after the government-TTP truce ended last November
  • General Asim Munir says women in KP faced multifaceted challenges due to a prolonged war against militancy in their province

ISLAMABAD: Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir said on Wednesday the country’s armed forces would continue to play their role to create a safe environment in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province to ensure its economic progress.

The army chief made the statement during his visit to Peshawar where he was received by the top general and briefed about the overall security situation, including initiatives against smuggling, hoarding and drug trafficking.

Pakistan has experienced a surge in militancy, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa which shares its western border with Afghanistan, after a fragile truce between the proscribed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the government in Islamabad collapsed in November last year.

The Pakistani administration is also trying to generate economic activity across the country to deal with tough financial challenges, though security challenges in places like the northwestern province and Balochistan have impeded its efforts.

Pakistan Army will continue to play its role in ensuring peace and stability in KPK to provide a secure environment for economic development

“We have to synergize our efforts for peace and prosperity of our beloved country,” the army’s media wing, ISPR, quoted him as saying during the visit. “Pakistan Army will continue to play its role in ensuring peace and stability in KPK to provide a secure environment for economic development.”

The army chief also had an interactive session with the women of the province at the “KPK Women Symposium, 2023.”

Addressing the participants of the gathering, he said that women had played a vital role in the progress of the country throughout Pakistan’s history.

He acknowledged that women of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had faced multifaceted challenges due to the country’s prolonged war against extremism in their province. However, he also applauded them for their “resilience, commitment and bravery” in the face of all odds.

The army chief also encouraged them to participate in the progress and development of their province and the newly merged tribal territories.


Pakistan PM arrives in Saudi Arabia for Umrah following diplomatic odyssey to United Nations

Updated 22 min 45 sec ago
Follow

Pakistan PM arrives in Saudi Arabia for Umrah following diplomatic odyssey to United Nations

  • Kakar and his administration are trying to convince foreign business leaders to explore investment opportunities in Pakistan
  • He praised the normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran during his speech at the UN General Assembly

ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar arrived in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after wrapping up his official tour to New York where he addressed the 78th United Nations General Assembly session before flying to London for a few days.
Kakar and his administration officials have been trying to convince business leaders around the world to explore investment opportunities in Pakistan after the country set up the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), a civil-military forum, to attract foreign funding amid mounting financial challenges.
He achieved a historic milestone as the first caretaker prime minister of his country to address the annual UNGA session in New York, where he tackled various global issues, spanning from extremist violence and relations with India to the escalating challenges of climate change and Islamophobia.
“Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar has reached Madinah Munawara on a private tour,” his office announced in a brief statement on Wednesday night.
“Governor of Medina Faisal bin Salman warmly welcomed him at the Royal Terminal of Medina Airport along with Ambassador of Pakistan Ahmad Farooq, other senior officers of the Pakistani embassy and consulate general in Jeddah,” it added.
The prime minister visited the Grand Mosque in Madinah and paid his respects at the shrine of the Prophet (PBUH).
He also toured the International Fair and Museum of the Prophet’s Biography and Islamic Civilization and applauded the Saudi authorities for preserving the rich heritage of Islam.
The management of the museum also presented him with a shield and books while he watched various items displayed at the facility.
The prime minister is scheduled to leave for Makkah today to perform Umrah. He is also expected to meet high-ranking Saudi officials during his stay in the kingdom.
It may be recalled that Kakar applauded the normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran while commenting on the overall strategic situation in the Middle East during his UNGA address.
“Pakistan welcomes the progress made toward ending the conflicts in Syria and Yemen, in particular we warmly welcome the normalization of relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he told the world body.


Pakistani company aims to boost soil, farmers’ harvests with ‘worm poop’ 

Updated 28 September 2023
Follow

Pakistani company aims to boost soil, farmers’ harvests with ‘worm poop’ 

  • Vermicomposting is the process of making worms devour manure and using the worms’ nutrient-rich waste as fertilizer
  • The technique cuts farmers’ water consumption by one-third, increases crop yield and plant health significantly, says company official

RAWALPINDI: Aniqa Sattar walked around large piles of bed-shaped, rectangular spaces filled with manure, and covered with large straws of hay. She hunched over and thrust one hand into one of the beds and closely inspected what it held: a few wiggling worms burrowing through the dung. 

Sattar is the co-founder of the Pakistani company Pak Organic Life in Rawalpindi produces nutrient-rich organic fertilizer via a process called vermicomposting. The process involves making worms devour manure. The nutrient-rich waste that worms excrete after eating manure— vermicompost— is used to boost crop health and yield. 

Agriculture forms the backbone of Pakistan’s economy, contributing 21.4 percent to the South Asian country’s gross domestic product. It employs 45 percent of Pakistan’s labor force and contributes to the growth of other sectors of the economy. According to a report published this year by the Pakistan Business Council, Pakistan’s food crop yield has stagnated over the years while its population has increased rapidly, posing food insecurity dangers. 

According to Sattar, vermicomposting does farmers a whole lot of good. 

“It reduces their [farmers] water consumption [by] about one-third and the taste of their vegetables, their fruits, whatever they are producing, it is enhanced,” Sattar told Arab News this week.

According to data by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Pakistan, the South Asian country uses over 155 kilograms of conventional fertilizers per hectare and has a total cropped area of 23.3 million hectares. With such a large cropped area to fertilize, it only helps that the vermicompost is cheaper compared to conventional fertilizers: it costs Rs45 ($0.16) per kilogram while a fertilizer costs Rs300 ($1.05) per kilogram. 

But the process involves labor and takes months to complete.

Vermicomposting begins by first treating the animal waste, which Sattar’s company collects from farmers around Rawalpindi’s surrounding areas and dumps into an open field. The waste is sprayed with water for two weeks before it is spread into beds and the earthworms are added to it. 

“The worms eat the manure and they convert it into a very nutrient-rich thing,” Sattar explained. “It takes the complete dung to be converted into the vermicompost after a process of about two to three months,” she added. 

There are plenty of worms to go around, as Sattar’s company owns about 5,000 kilograms of them. For farmers who aspire to start their own business of producing vermicompost, she sells them worms for Rs5,000 ($17.5) per kilogram. Her company is currently rearing over two tons of worms per month and plans to increase it further in the coming months. 

The bulk of the company’s customers are from Pakistan’s southern Sindh province, including the cities of Karachi and Hyderabad. 

“Our customers are purchasing it [vermicompost], most of them have their own gardens, or they own some land on which they are producing something like food, vegetables, “Sattar shared. “The yield is increased [by the vermicompost] by about 10-15 percent.”

And if they were using vermicompost, Sattar said farmers wouldn’t need to use different fertilizers on their crops. 

“Here in vermicompost, we have all the 17 plant nutrients in the same fertilizer,” she said. “We don’t have to go for any second option.”
Abbas Ali, the manager of a plant nursery in Rawalpindi, has been using vermicompost for his seedlings and plants for the last two to three months. 

“At the moment, thanks to God, we are using the fertilizer on seasonal seedlings and the result is very good,” Ali told Arab News as he planted cabbage seeds in a flowerpot.

Pakistan’s government has been educating farmers about vermicomposting through the National Agricultural Research Center (NARC) in Islamabad. Here, scientists train farmers on vermicomposting and how to rear earthworms. 

“We are promoting this technology to end users because it is entrepreneurship at the house level,” Dr. Tariq Sultan, director of NARC Land Resources Research Institute in Islamabad, told Arab News. 
Sultan said he always recommended people start vermicomposting from a “small level” with a few worms and then increase it gradually. He said the process also reduces global warming as it triggers carbon sequestration.

And in times of staggering inflation, Sultan thinks vermicomposting could be very good for business.

“It is a very profitable business because at the time fertilizer rates are very high,” he said. “It is a high need of the time that this technology should be promoted in Pakistan.”


Pakistan’s digital banking transactions surged by 57 percent in FY23— central bank

Updated 28 September 2023
Follow

Pakistan’s digital banking transactions surged by 57 percent in FY23— central bank

  • In latest report, Pakistan’s central bank says paper-based transactions declined by over 4 percent during FY23
  • During FY23, number of transactions by Point of Sales, ATMs grew annually by 45 percent and 17 percent respectively

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s mobile and Internet banking transactions surged by a whopping 57 percent in volume and 81 percent by value during the fiscal year 2022-23, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) said in a report on Wednesday. 

According to the Annual Payment Systems Review for the fiscal year 2022-23 released by the SBP, Internet banking users increased by 15.1 percent to 9.6 million in Pakistan while mobile phone banking users rose by 30.2 percent to reach 16.1 million in FY23. 

“The e-banking is attracting more customers due to its efficient and instant payment solutions, and its transactions are growing at a steady pace over the years,” the SBP said in the report. 

The report said paper-based transactions declined by over 4 percent during FY23 and cumulatively around 20 percent in the last five years. However, it added that the value of paper-based transactions increased by 20 percent in FY23.

The SBP report further said that as of June 30, 2023, there were 115,288 Point Of Sales terminals, 17,808 ATMs, 520 Cash/Cheque Deposit Machines and 6,889 e-commerce merchants to provide payments services to customers. 

“During the fiscal year, the number of transactions through POS (199.3 million) and ATMs (809.7 million) grew annually by 45 percent and 17 percent respectively,” it said. “Domestic e-commerce transactions using payment cards were 31.8 million which amounted to PKR 142 billion during the year.”

The report said that as of June 30, 2023, there were 58.1 million payment cards in circulation in Pakistan of which 44.5 million were issued by banks and Microfinance Banks, 10.8 million by branchless banks, and 2.8 million by EMIs.


‘I even wore cricket pads in bed’: How Pakistani pacer Shaheen Afridi rose to greatness

Updated 28 September 2023
Follow

‘I even wore cricket pads in bed’: How Pakistani pacer Shaheen Afridi rose to greatness

  • Hailing from Landi Kotal, a town near the Afghan border, Afridi dedicated himself to cricket as soon as he could hold a bat
  • He destroyed India with figures of 3-31 as Pakistan recorded their only win to date in a World Cup match against their arch-rivals

KARACHI: As a young boy in a family of seven cricket-mad brothers, Pakistan pace bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi immersed himself in the sport — even when sleeping.
“I used to come home after training and he would take my pads and somehow wear them to bed,” said elder brother Riaz, a decent player himself with one Test cap to his name.
“He would place the stumps next to his pillow and dream of playing,” he told AFP.
Pakistan’s hopes of winning the World Cup in India will rely heavily on the lanky 23-year-old Shaheen turning those dreams into reality.
The team were recently deposed as the world’s top-ranked ODI side by India, and a less-than-stellar performance in the recent rain-hit Asia Cup won by their bitter cross-border rivals has some fans questioning the side’s commitment and ability.
Nobody can doubt Shaheen’s devotion to the sport, however.

Pakistan's Shaheen Shah Afridi (L) celebrates after taking the wicket of India's Virat Kohli (R) during the Asia Cup 2023 one-day international (ODI) cricket match between India and Pakistan at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy on September 2, 2023. (AFP/File)

Hailing from Landi Kotal — a town near the Afghan border with a notorious reputation for smugglers and drug traffickers in Pakistan’s rugged Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province — Shaheen dedicated himself to cricket as soon as he could hold a bat.
“His commitment to playing was matched only by his dedication to watching matches,” Riaz said.
“His mood would sour if Pakistan lost a match, and things would only return to normal when Pakistan won, or if he performed well himself on the field.”
He is now one of the most feared opening bowlers in any form of the game.
“In my early days, I used to throw the ball in school games instead of bowling it,” Shaheen recalled.
“Riaz bhai taught me to bowl properly, and encouraged me to bowl fast.”

Pakistan's Shaheen Afridi prepares to ball during the fourth day of the second and final cricket Test match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka at the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) Ground in Colombo on July 27, 2023. (AFP/File)

An early breakthrough came in 2015 when he attended a trial to join a regional Under-15 team.
His towering height and rapid action caught the selectors’ attention, and it took just two deliveries for them to recognize his talent.
“I bowled two deliveries right on target, they gave their approval,” Shaheen recalls.
He went on to be the most successful bowler in the championship, claiming 12 wickets, and earned a spot on the Pakistan Under-16 team for a tour to Australia in 2016.
During one of these matches, former Australian captain Steve Waugh — there to watch his son in action — predicted Shaheen would be a future star.
Shaheen joined Khan Research Laboratories — the entity which runs Pakistan’s nuclear program and also fields a First Class cricket side — making an immediate impact.
On his debut in 2017 he took eight wickets for 39 runs against a formidable Rawalpindi team — still the best First Class debut performance by a bowler in Pakistan.
“I was thrilled to witness his natural talent,” said Aqib Javed who played 22 Tests and 163 ODIs for Pakistan and became one of Shaheen’s mentors.
“His flawless action, unwavering commitment, and innate ability to swing the ball were truly exceptional.”
Shaheen, standing an impressive 1.98 meters (six feet, six inches) continued to improve every year, culminating in his inclusion in Pakistan’s Twenty20 side in 2018.
He impressed with his pace in the 2019 World Cup in England, taking 16 wickets in five matches — including tournament-best figures of 6-35 against Bangladesh at Lord’s.
Now established as the country’s most dominant bowler, in the 2021 Twenty20 World Cup in Dubai he destroyed India’s top order of Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli with figures of 3-31 as Pakistan recorded their first and only win to date in a World Cup match against their arch-rivals.