Half a million Afghans return from Pakistan in four months — IOM 

Half a million Afghans return from Pakistan in four months — IOM 
This photo taken on November 23, 2023 shows Afghan refugee on a truck after visiting the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Azakhel Voluntary Repatriation Centre in Nowshera, Pakistan. (AFP/File)
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Updated 22 January 2024
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Half a million Afghans return from Pakistan in four months — IOM 

Half a million Afghans return from Pakistan in four months — IOM 
  • Islamabad ordered undocumented migrants, mostly Afghans, to leave by Nov. 1 or face arrest
  • 500,200 Afghans left Pakistan between Sept. 15, 2023 to Jan. 13, 2024, UN migration agency says

KABUL: More than 500,000 Afghans have fled Pakistan in the four months since Islamabad ordered undocumented migrants to leave or face arrest, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Monday. 

According to the latest figures reported by the UN migration agency, 500,200 Afghans left Pakistan between September 15, 2023 and January 13, 2024. 

Most rushed to the border in the days leading up to a November 1 exit deadline Islamabad set for the 1.7 million Afghans it said were living illegally in Pakistan, and as police opened dozens of holding centers. 

“Since the initial peak around November 1, the number of individuals crossing these official border points have consistently decreased but remains higher than pre-September 15th,” an IOM statement said. 

Pakistan defended the crackdown by pointing to security concerns in its regions bordering Afghanistan and pressure on its struggling economy. 

“Some Afghans forced to return may be at risk of persecution, arbitrary arrest and detention and/or torture or ill-treatment,” the UN’s Afghan mission said in a report on Monday. 

Meanwhile, the busiest border crossing between the two countries remained closed for the tenth day running in a dispute over document rules for commercial drivers. 

The row centers on demands for drivers from both sides to have visas and passports — documents many Afghans do not have — as Pakistan cracks down on cross-border movements. 

More than 400 trucks were stranded on the Pakistan side of the Torkham crossing on Monday, according to a border official who asked not to be named. 

Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have grown increasingly fraught in recent months, with Islamabad accusing the Taliban government of failing to root out militants staging attacks in Pakistan from their soil. 

Kabul has always rejected the allegations. 

Millions of Afghans fleeing conflict have poured into Pakistan over the past four decades, including some 600,000 since the Taliban ousted the US-backed government and imposed its harsh interpretation of Islamic law. 

Some of the Afghans crossing into Afghanistan as a result of Islamabad’s eviction scheme were entering the country for the first time, having lived their whole lives in Pakistan. 

Upon arrival, migrants have received modest assistance from the government and NGOs in a country contending with one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. 


UK allocates £10 million for early recovery assistance for Pakistan’s flood-hit communities

UK allocates £10 million for early recovery assistance for Pakistan’s flood-hit communities
Updated 27 sec ago
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UK allocates £10 million for early recovery assistance for Pakistan’s flood-hit communities

UK allocates £10 million for early recovery assistance for Pakistan’s flood-hit communities
  • Support includes cash assistance, temporary shelters, livestock provision, rebuilding damaged infrastructure
  • Heavy monsoon rains in Pakistan this year killed over 350 people and damaged thousands of homes

KARACHI: The United Kingdom has allocated £10 million ($12.2 million) in humanitarian aid for Pakistan’s flood-hit communities, a press release from the British High Commission said on Wednesday, with a focus on providing immediate relief and early recovery assistance.
Heavy monsoon rains in Pakistan this year, especially in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and eastern Punjab provinces, killed nearly 350 people and injured hundreds of others. Thousands of homes were damaged and destroyed in flash floods, landslides and other rain-related disasters. 
In 2022, unusually heavy rains triggered flash floods in many parts of the country, killing over 1,700 people, inflicting economic losses of around $30 billion, and affecting at least 30 million people.
Scientists have attributed Pakistan’s erratic weather patterns to climate change effects. The South Asian nation is widely recognized as one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change.
“‘Monsoon may be ending, but recovery has only just begun. Once again flooding has resulted in a loss of lives, livelihoods and the destruction of infrastructure,” British High Commissioner Jane Marriott was quoted as saying in a press release from the UK mission as it announced the £10 million funding.
“We’re providing immediate relief and early recovery assistance to families whose lives have been overturned by these floods.”
The UK’s support will be targeted at meeting urgent humanitarian and early recovery needs of the most vulnerable, affected families in 13 worst hit districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit Baltistan, Balochistan, Punjab and Sindh. Immediate support includes the provision of temporary shelters, essential relief items as well as cash assistance for affected families. Work had already begun to restore damaged drinking water and sanitation infrastructure, irrigation channels, remove debris, and restore damaged infrastructure, the UK High Commission said. 
The agricultural industry was particularly affected by the floods, and the UK is helping to restore people’s livelihoods through supporting climate smart agriculture, livestock provision, and vocational skills training, the statement added. 
Working with the Concern Worldwide led consortium and the World Food Programme (WFP), the UK is supporting over 130,000 affected families, approximately 900,000 individuals, through emergency relief and restoration of infrastructure and livelihoods, the statement said.
“The UK’s focus is on improving Pakistan’s longer-term climate resilience, rather than purely responding to disasters,” Mariott added. “The UK has already helped 1.5 million people improve their resilience to extreme climate events, and aims to support a further 3 million people in the next 4-5 years.”
During the devastating floods of 2022, the UK helped over 2.3 million people, dedicating a total of £39 million in UK aid. The British public mobilized and raised £41.5 million as part of the Disasters Emergency Committee appeal. Support included emergency cash assistance, shelter kits, nutritional support, learning kits and infrastructure repair.


Record-breaking Joe Root hits hundred as England’s power to 351-3 against Pakistan

Record-breaking Joe Root hits hundred as England’s power to 351-3 against Pakistan
Updated 10 min 45 sec ago
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Record-breaking Joe Root hits hundred as England’s power to 351-3 against Pakistan

Record-breaking Joe Root hits hundred as England’s power to 351-3 against Pakistan
  • All three Pakistani pacers, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and Aamer Jamal, have taken one wicket each
  • 33-year-old Root has become England’s highest run scorer in Tests, and the fifth highest of all time in the world

MULTAN: Joe Root hit a magnificent hundred on Wednesday to guide England to 351-3 at tea on the third day of the opening Test against Pakistan in Multan after breaking Alastair Cook’s Test runs record.
The 33-year-old became England’s highest run scorer in Tests, and the fifth highest of all time, when he drove Pakistan seamer Aamer Jamal for a straight boundary to reach 71 just before lunch.
In the second session he reverse swept spinner Abrar Ahmed for a single to reach his 35th Test hundred – the sixth most by any batsman – before going to the interval on an imperious 119 not out.
Harry Brook scored his 10th Test half century and was 64 not out, leaving England 205 behind Pakistan’s first innings total of 556. Root has so far notched eight fours to Brook’s seven.
Root and Brook’s fourth-wicket stand has so far yielded 102 runs as a flat Multan stadium pitch continued to give no assistance to the bowlers.
Root added 136 for the third wicket with Ben Duckett who made a robust 84 with 11 boundaries, showing no effect of a thumb dislocation on Tuesday that forced him to bat at number four.
Duckett was the only man dismissed in the post-lunch session, trapped leg-before by seamer Aamer Jamal after hitting 11 boundaries.
All three Pakistan fast bowlers, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and Jamal have taken one wicket each.
It was a day to remember for Root, who took 268 innings and 147 Tests to go past his former captain Cook’s total of 12,472 runs from 161 Tests in a glorious career that ended in 2018.
Root also added 109 for the second wicket with Zak Crawley, who hit 13 fours in an 85-ball 78 but departed early on the third morning.
In the fourth over, Crawley failed to keep a flick down off pace bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi and was caught at the second attempt by Jamal at mid-wicket.
Duckett started with trademark aggression, taking five boundaries off spinner Abrar and completing his 10th Test half-century off just 45 balls.
It enabled Root to accumulate steadily at the other end as he brought up his 65th Test fifty off 76 balls before being applauded by a handful of England fans and teammates in the dressing room when he broke Cook’s record.
The all-time list is headed by India’s Sachin Tendulkar with 15,921 from 200 matches.
Cook tipped Root to eclipse Tendulkar’s mark.
“I can see him overhauling Sachin Tendulkar’s record,” the former England opening batsman said during commentary on BBC radio.
“You could say Sachin is still the favorite but just.
“I don’t see that happening for Root to lose that hunger and ability to keep driving himself forward for the next couple of years.”


Pakistan’s UAE envoy calls for collaboration between commerce chambers, B2B joint ventures

Pakistan’s UAE envoy calls for collaboration between commerce chambers, B2B joint ventures
Updated 16 min 40 sec ago
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Pakistan’s UAE envoy calls for collaboration between commerce chambers, B2B joint ventures

Pakistan’s UAE envoy calls for collaboration between commerce chambers, B2B joint ventures
  • Pakistani ambassador Faisal Niaz Tirmizi meets Ahmed Jasim Al Zaabi, chairman Federation of UAE Chambers of Commerce 
  • Tirmizi briefed Zaabi regarding Pakistan’s investment regime and initiatives by the government for facilitation of foreign investors

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s ambassador to the UAE, Faisal Niaz Tirmizi, has called for UAE chambers of commerce to increase collaboration with Pakistani counterparts and set up business-to-business joint ventures for the enhancement of trade and investment between the two countries, Islamabad’s embassy in Abu Dhabi said on Wednesday.
The issues were discussed during a meeting between Tirmizi and Ahmed Jasim Al Zaabi, the chairman of the Federation of UAE Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UAE Chambers) and the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ADCCI). Zaabi is also the chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED) and the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM).
“Enhancement of collaboration between UAE Chambers with Pakistani Chambers of Commerce and Industries and establishment of B2B joint ventures for enhancement of trade between the two brotherly countries were also discussed during the meeting,” the Pakistani embassy said after the meeting between the two officials. 
“Tirmizi briefed Zaabi regarding Pakistan’s investment regime and initiatives of the government for facilitation of foreign investors.”
The envy also briefed the UAE official about potential investment sectors in Pakistan including IT, food and agriculture, textile, leather, tourism, and infrastructure. He also reiterated the invitation to a business delegation from the UAE Chambers to visit Pakistan.
“Both the sides agreed on the enhancement of economic and commercial cooperation between the two brotherly countries through trade facilitation, B2B engagements and mutual exchange of delegations and participation in trade fairs and exhibitions including GITEX and TEXPO,” the Pakistan embassy said. 
Last year, Pakistan set up the Special Investment Facilitation Council, a body comprising Pakistani civilian and military leaders and specially tasked to promote investment in Pakistan. The council is so far focusing on investments in the energy, agriculture, mining, information technology and aviation sectors and specifically targeting Gulf nations.


Rights groups slam Pakistan for blocking activist’s US travel

Rights groups slam Pakistan for blocking activist’s US travel
Updated 26 min 58 sec ago
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Rights groups slam Pakistan for blocking activist’s US travel

Rights groups slam Pakistan for blocking activist’s US travel
  • Ethnic rights activist Mahrang Baloch says officials blocked her from leaving for New York to attend a TIME magazine awards gala
  • Authorities in Islamabad have blocked foreign travel for many Pakistani activists, journalists and dissenting politicians in recent years

ISLAMABAD: Human rights advocates including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai criticized Pakistan on Wednesday for stopping a leading ethnic minority activist from traveling to accept a US award.
Mahrang Baloch, one of Pakistan’s most prominent rights voices, said officials blocked her from leaving Karachi for New York on Monday night to attend a TIME magazine awards gala.
The 31-year-old had been due to accept an award for campaigning on behalf of the Baloch ethnic group, which claims it has been targeted by Islamabad with extrajudicial harassment, arrests and killings.
“Mahrang Baloch’s activism for Baloch people should be recognized, not denied a platform,” Pakistan’s Yousafzai wrote on social media platform X on Wednesday.
“I know this will not deter her from continuing to speak up and protest peacefully for human rights,” she said.
The Pakistan government says its forces are fighting separatist militants, who target state forces and foreign nationals, in southwestern Balochistan province.
Authorities in Islamabad have blocked foreign travel for many Pakistani activists, critical journalists and dissenting politicians in recent years.
Baloch said she held a valid US visa but immigration officials in Karachi prevented her from boarding her flight.
She said she was detained for five hours and that her passport and phone were seized, blaming police and the Federal Investigation Agency, a Pakistani intelligence service.
Neither organization responded immediately to a request for comment.
“This action reflects the growing fear and insecurity of the state toward Baloch voices,” Baloch said in a video statement late on Monday.
“There was no legitimate purpose for preventing my travel, except to silence Baloch voices from being heard internationally,” she said.
Baloch, a doctor, was named on the 2024 TIME100 Next list of “rising leaders” who the magazine believes “will play an important role in leading the future.”
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said blocking Baloch’s travel was “a flagrant violation of her right to freedom of movement and expression.”
UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders Mary Lawlor said on X she was “very concerned.”
Pakistan also banned another ethnic activist organization, the Pashtun Protection Movement, at the weekend.
Amnesty International said it was “part of a systematic and relentless clampdown by the Pakistani authorities on peaceful protests and assemblies by dissenting groups.”
Baloch began her activist career at the age of 16 in 2009, when her father went missing in an alleged “enforced disappearance.” His body was found two years later.
Protests and advocacy among the Baloch are generally led by women, who say their male counterparts have suffered the worst in a decades-long state crackdown.


Pakistan approves new energy market system allowing consumers to choose electricity suppliers

Pakistan approves new energy market system allowing consumers to choose electricity suppliers
Updated 56 min 35 sec ago
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Pakistan approves new energy market system allowing consumers to choose electricity suppliers

Pakistan approves new energy market system allowing consumers to choose electricity suppliers
  • Cabinet Committee on Energy has approved an independent entity to transition to multi-player electricity market
  • The initiative is expected to help address issues like circular debt, power theft and transmission losses in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The Cabinet Committee on Energy on Wednesday approved the formation of an independent entity to reform Pakistan’s energy market by enabling consumers to purchase power from multiple suppliers, moving away from the current government-controlled system, where it is the sole buyer of electricity.
Pakistan’s energy sector has long struggled with financial strain due to circular debt, power theft and transmission losses, which have led to blackouts and high electricity costs.
The development of the independent market is viewed as a critical step toward addressing these issues by fostering competition, improving transparency and attracting foreign investment, ultimately easing the financial burden on the government and consumers alike.
The committee gave principal approval for the creation of the Independent System and Market Operator (ISMO) during a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, though the decision still requires endorsement by the federal cabinet for implementation.
“ISMO will gradually replace the government as the sole buyer of electricity and transition the energy market into a multi-player independent market,” the PM Office said in a statement issued after the meeting. “Consumers will be able to purchase electricity from suppliers other than just distribution companies under this system.”
“This initiative will help establish an efficient, transparent and competitive electricity market in Pakistan,” it added.
The creation of ISMO is also expected to reduce circular debt and stabilize electricity prices.
“The ISMO board will include experts from the energy sector to ensure smooth operations,” the statement informed.
Addressing the meeting, the prime minister emphasized the need to expedite efforts to reduce theft and losses in the electricity sector.
“We are taking priority-based measures to reform Pakistan’s energy sector,” Sharif added.