KARACHI: The Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) said on Thursday it was not aware of the reported presence of Israeli nationals on a flydubai flight that made an emergency landing in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi earlier this week.
Flydubai flight FZ-569 was en route to Colombo, Sri Lanka from Dubai, when a woman aboard the plane fell ill, forcing the plane to make an emergency landing at the Jinnah International Airport on Wednesday.
Israeli newspaper, The Times of Israel, reported the flight was carrying two Israeli citizens among passengers, citing the Israeli foreign ministry. The ministry said it had “worked, together with others, to ensure the welfare” of the Israelis, the report added.
But a PCAA spokesperson, Saifullah Khan, said Pakistani authorities were unaware of the presence of Israeli nationals on the flight.
“The report about the Ffydubai flight 569 just had that it was en route to Colombo from Dubai and the condition of some woman [aboard] worsened and it landed at 11pm [on Wednesday] in Karachi,” Khan told Arab News.
“But she expired. Her body was sent to [Pakistani charity] Khidmat-e-Khalq Foundation in Malir and the plane left at 3am [on Thursday]. It was not mentioned [in the report] how many passengers were aboard and what their nationalities were.”
The woman, who later died on the plane, was a Sri Lankan national, according to Khan. Her body was flown to Sri Lanka on another flight.
Pakistan does not recognize nor have diplomatic relations with Israel and calls for an independent Palestinian state based on “internationally agreed parameters” and the pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
Since the beginning of Israel’s war on Gaza in October last year, Pakistan has repeatedly raised the issue at the United Nations and OIC and demanded international powers and multilateral bodies stop Israeli military actions in the Palestinian territory.
Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, told The Independent’s Urdu service the flydubai flight was diverted to Karachi due to a medical emergency.
“The Sri Lankan woman aboard the plane was examined by a medical team and declared dead, after which the body was taken off the plane,” she said. “No other passenger got off the plane.”
Pakistan says unaware Israeli nationals aboard plane that made emergency landing in Karachi
https://arab.news/9swyh
Pakistan says unaware Israeli nationals aboard plane that made emergency landing in Karachi
- Flydubai flight to Colombo made emergency landing at Jinnah International Airport on Wednesday
- Israeli media quoted the Israeli foreign ministry as saying flight was also carrying two Israeli citizens
UNESCO lists Pakistan’s ancient Bareendo instrument as endangered cultural heritage
- 5,000-year-old Sindhi clay wind instrument placed on UNESCO urgent safeguarding list
- Only two known practitioners remain as Pakistan launches four-year preservation plan
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s 5,000-year-old folk instrument Bareendo has been added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list for urgent safeguarding, the UN agency said this week, placing it among cultural traditions considered at immediate risk of disappearing.
Believed to originate in the ancient Indus Valley Civilization, the clay wind instrument is the oldest known surviving musical form in the southern Sindh province. Its soft, breath-driven tones have accompanied Sufi devotional gatherings, winter festivals and village ceremonies for generations, forming a core part of Sindh’s musical and spiritual identity.
The inscription was approved at the 20th Session of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Committee for Intangible Cultural Heritage, which documents vulnerable cultural practices globally, from oral folklore to craftsmanship, to ensure they are preserved and passed on.
UNESCO announced the listing on X on Tuesday:
“New inscription on the Urgent Safeguarding List of Intangible Heritage: Boreendo, Bhorindo: ancient dying folk musical instrument, its melodies, knowledge, and skills.”
Pakistan’s Permanent Delegate to UNESCO, Ambassador Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, welcomed the move, calling it the recognition of a tradition preserved through centuries of community transmission.
“Bareendo is not only an emblem of the Indus Valley’s cultural continuity but also a living expression of Sindh’s artistic and spiritual heritage,” she was quoted as saying by Pakistan’s Embassy in France.
“This recognition by UNESCO reaffirms Pakistan’s commitment to the protection and promotion of our diverse cultural traditions.”
Only two people are believed to retain full mastery of Bareendo today, musician Ustaad Faqeer Zulfiqar and master potter Allah Jurio, underscoring why the nomination was marked urgent, the embassy said.
The nomination followed an intensive consultation process between the Sindh government, Pakistan’s Mission to UNESCO and UNESCO headquarters in Keti Mir Muhammad Loond village and led to a four-year safeguarding strategy (2026–2029). Planned measures include a community music school, integration into formal and informal education and digital archiving to open access beyond Sindh’s rural belt.
With this recognition, Bareendo joins existing UNESCO-listed intangible traditions like Suri Jagek (the astronomical knowledge of the Kalash people), Falconry, and Nowruz, the regional spring new year.
