Saudi Arabia’s KSrelief performs over 4,484 successful eye surgeries in Pakistan

The undated photo shows a beneficiary of KSrelief's project to combat blindness in Pakistan after getting an eye surgery in a hospital in Pakistan. (Photo courtesy: KSrelief)
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Updated 20 June 2025
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Saudi Arabia’s KSrelief performs over 4,484 successful eye surgeries in Pakistan

  • KSrelief holds free eye treatment camps in Sindh, Balochistan, Punjab and Azad Kashmir regions
  • Teams examined 43,294 patients, distributed 11,050 eyeglasses free of charge, says state media

ISLAMABAD: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) performed over 4,484 successful eye surgeries across Pakistan under a voluntary program to provide free medical services to the underprivileged, state-run media reported this week. 

The state-run Pakistan Television (PTV) reported on Thursday that KSrelief successfully concluded 11 comprehensive eye treatment camps in Pakistan under the “Noor Saudi Volunteer Program 2025.” These camps, PTV said, were organized in collaboration with the Al-Basar International Foundation and Ibrahim Eye Hospital Karachi.

The camps were held to provide free medical services to underprivileged individuals suffering from blindness or other eye-related ailments, it added. These camps were organized in both the urban and rural areas of Pakistan’s Sindh, Balochistan, Punjab, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir regions where access to quality eye care services remains limited, PTV said. 

“During the campaign, medical teams examined a total of 43,294 patients and performed over 4,484 successful surgeries,” the state television said. “Additionally, 11,050 eyeglasses were distributed free of charge, along with the provision of prescribed medications to deserving patients.”

It said these camps were conducted in various Pakistani cities such as Karachi, Matli, Kandhkot, Shikarpur, Hyderabad, Naseerabad, Kharan, Khuzdar, Jhelum and Rawalakot. The camps enabled thousands of patients to benefit from specialized eye treatments due to which many were able to regain their vision.

“This initiative reflects the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s strong humanitarian commitment and its dedication to enhancing the lives of people affected by visual impairments,” PTV said. 

KSrelief has implemented hundreds of projects in Pakistan worth millions of dollars to improve the lives of vulnerable communities. Efforts include emergency relief for natural disasters, and long-term projects addressing food security, health care, education, and shelter. 

The Saudi charity organization has one of the largest humanitarian budgets available to any aid agency across the world, which has allowed its officials to undertake a wide variety of projects in more than 80 countries. Pakistan is the fifth largest beneficiary of its aid and humanitarian activities and has greatly benefited from its assistance since the 2022 monsoon floods.


Pakistan, Afghanistan border clashes kill 5, officials say

Updated 06 December 2025
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Pakistan, Afghanistan border clashes kill 5, officials say

  • Afghanistan and Pakistan trade blame for “unprovoked firing” along Chaman-Spin Boldak border
  • Exchange takes place nearly a week after a fresh round of peace talks between neighbors failed

KABUL: Pakistan and Afghanistan exchanged heavy fire along their border late on Friday, officials from both countries said, killing at least five people amid heightened tensions following failed peace talks last weekend.

Afghan Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Pakistani forces launched attacks in the Spin Boldak district of Kandahar province.

His deputy Hamdullah Fitra told Reuters that shelling by Pakistan killed five people, including a Taliban member.

A spokesman for Pakistan’s prime minister said Afghan forces carried out “unprovoked firing” along the Chaman border.

“Pakistan remains fully alert and committed to ensuring its territorial integrity and the safety of our citizens,” spokesman Mosharraf Zaidi said in a statement.

The exchange came nearly a week after a new round of peace talks between the South Asian neighbors ended without a breakthrough, although both sides agreed to continue their fragile ceasefire.

The talks in Saudi Arabia last weekend were the latest in a series of meetings hosted by Qatar, Turkiye and Saudi Arabia to cool tensions following deadly border clashes in October.

At the heart of the dispute, Islamabad says Afghan-based militants have carried out recent attacks in Pakistan, including suicide bombings involving Afghan nationals. Kabul denied the charge, saying it could not be held responsible for security inside Pakistan.

Dozens were killed in October’s clashes, the worst violence on the border since the Taliban took power in Afghanistan in 2021.