Pakistan urges de-escalation, says ‘deeply concerned’ as Syrian civil war back in focus

Pakistan urges de-escalation, says ‘deeply concerned’ as Syrian civil war back in focus
Rebels led by the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham drive along a street in the Al-Rashideen district of Aleppo province, Syria, on November 29, 2024. (Reuters)
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Updated 05 December 2024
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Pakistan urges de-escalation, says ‘deeply concerned’ as Syrian civil war back in focus

Pakistan urges de-escalation, says ‘deeply concerned’ as Syrian civil war back in focus
  • Armed opposition forces launched surprise offensive on Nov. 26 and swept into Aleppo on Nov. 29-30, forcing out government forces
  • Pakistan welcomes latest UNGA resolution calling for Israel’s withdrawal from Palestine, creation of independent Palestinian state

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said on Thursday it was “deeply concerned” about escalating violence in Syria, where a coalition of armed opposition forces last week launched their largest offensive against the government in years, jolting dormant frontlines with implications for the Middle East region and beyond.

The fighters swept through villages outside Aleppo last week and now say they control much of the city, meeting little resistance as the Syrian military quickly withdrew. It is the first time control of the city has shifted since 2016, when government forces, backed by Russia and Iran, defeated opposition fighters who had controlled Aleppo’s eastern districts.

There are reports of civilian casualties, displacements of tens of thousands of people, damage to civilian infrastructure, and interruption in essential services and humanitarian aid as the civil war rages on. 

“Pakistan is deeply concerned at the latest developments in Syria,” Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, the spokesperson for the foreign office, told reporters at a weekly press briefing. “We believe that the ongoing situation will further destabilize the region and embolden terrorist organizations.”

Baloch said it was critical to promote peace in Syria for regional stability. 

“We call for international efforts to de-escalate the situation and for upholding unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria,” she added. 

The Syrian government has vowed to fight back against the assault by opposition fighters. Russia, which deployed its air force to Syria in 2015 to help President Bashar Assad, is conducting airstrikes in support of the army.

It marks the most serious escalation of the conflict in years, adding to a toll which stands at hundreds of thousands dead since 2011, when the war mushroomed out of an Arab Spring uprising against Assad’s rule. Since then, more than half the pre-war population of 23 million have been forced from their homes, with millions fleeing abroad as refugees.

Separately, Pakistan has welcomed the UN General Assembly’s resolution passed on Wednesday calling for Israel’s withdrawal from Palestinian territories and the creation of an independent Palestinian state. 

“We welcome yesterday’s resolution of the UN General Assembly calling on Israeli occupation authorities to withdraw from Palestinian territories and for the creation of a Palestinian state,” Baloch said at the media briefing.

“The genocide in Gaza must end.”

Pakistan has consistently called for establishing an independent Palestinian state with Al Quds Al Sharif as its capital. Islamabad has also demanded an unconditional and immediate ceasefire in Palestine, where Israel has killed over 43,000 people since October 2023 when it launched air and ground strikes in Gaza in response to an assault by Hamas fighters.


South Africa’s Nortje ruled out of Pakistan-hosted Champions Trophy

South Africa’s Nortje ruled out of Pakistan-hosted Champions Trophy
Updated 4 sec ago
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South Africa’s Nortje ruled out of Pakistan-hosted Champions Trophy

South Africa’s Nortje ruled out of Pakistan-hosted Champions Trophy
  • Nortje has played in 19 Tests, 22 one-day internationals and 42 T20 internationals for South Africa
  • Replacement for Nortje, named in South Africa’s 15-man squad on Tuesday, will be announced soon

JOHANNESBURG: Fast bowler Anrich Nortje was on Tuesday ruled out of the Champions Trophy because of a back injury.
The latest injury setback for the 31-year-old was announced by Cricket South Africa a day after he was named in his country’s 15-man squad for the tournament in Pakistan next month.
Nortje, at his peak the fastest bowler in international cricket, underwent a scan on Monday, according to a statement by CSA, “which revealed the extent of the injury.”
The statement did not specify the exact nature of the injury.
Nortje, who has played in 19 Tests, 22 one-day internationals and 42 T20 internationals, has not played any international cricket since the final of the T20 World Cup in Barbados last June.
He had been in line to make a comeback against Pakistan last month but suffered a broken toe while batting in the nets.
Nortje was also ruled out of the ongoing SA20 franchise competition in which he was due to play for Pretoria Capitals.
CSA said a replacement would be named later.


Pakistan polio program says 72 cases reported in 2024

Pakistan polio program says 72 cases reported in 2024
Updated 15 January 2025
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Pakistan polio program says 72 cases reported in 2024

Pakistan polio program says 72 cases reported in 2024
  • Seventy-second polio case reported in female child from northwestern Dera Ismail Khan district
  • Pakistan polio program is scheduled to hold first nationwide vaccination drive of 2025 from Feb. 3

KARACHI: Pakistan’s polio program on Wednesday confirmed another poliovirus infection from last year, taking the tally of total cases reported in 2024 to 72 amid Islamabad’s attempts to stem the spread of the disease. 
Polio is a paralyzing disease that has no cure. Multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine and completion of the routine vaccination schedule for all children under the age of five is essential to provide children high immunity against this terrible disease.
The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health confirmed the 72nd case in a female child from the northwestern Dera Ismail Khan district. 
“The onset of this case was on December 31, 2024,” the program said in a statement. “D.I. Khan has now reported 11 polio cases in 2024.”
Giving a breakdown of the cases reported in 2024, the program said 27 cases were reported from Balochistan, 22 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 21 from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.
Pakistan, along with neighboring Afghanistan, remains the last polio-endemic country in the world. In the early 1990s, Pakistan reported around 20,000 cases annually but in 2018 the number dropped to eight cases. Six cases were reported in 2023 and only one in 2021.
Pakistan’s polio eradication efforts have met several challenges in recent years, including attacks by militants and misinformation by religious hard-liners.
The Pakistan polio program is scheduled to hold the country’s first nationwide vaccination drive of this year from Feb. 3 till Feb. 9.
“It is crucial for parents to ensure vaccination for all their children under the age of five to keep them protected,” it said.


Senior Bangladeshi army official, on rare visit to Pakistan, continues high-level meetings in Islamabad

Senior Bangladeshi army official, on rare visit to Pakistan, continues high-level meetings in Islamabad
Updated 16 min 30 sec ago
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Senior Bangladeshi army official, on rare visit to Pakistan, continues high-level meetings in Islamabad

Senior Bangladeshi army official, on rare visit to Pakistan, continues high-level meetings in Islamabad
  • Lt. Gen. S M Kamr-ul-Hassan, principal staff officer of Bangladesh’s armed forces, meets Pakistan’s air chief 
  • Both discuss enhancing military partnerships via joint trainings, exchange initiatives amid thaw in relations

ISLAMABAD: A senior Bangladesh army official continued his high-level meetings with Pakistan’s military leadership on Wednesday, calling on Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu to discuss bilateral collaboration, a day after he met Pakistan Army’s chief to discuss regional security. 
Lt. Gen. S M Kamr-ul-Hassan, principal staff officer (PSO) of the Armed Forces Division of Bangladesh, arrived in Pakistan this week and met the country’s senior military commanders, including Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir, on Tuesday. Pakistan’s military said Hassan and Munir both agreed during the meeting that their countries must remain resilient against “external influences.”
Pakistan and Bangladesh were once one nation, but they split in 1971 after a bloody civil war, which saw the part previously referred to as East Pakistan seceding to form the independent nation of Bangladesh.
In the years since, Bangladeshi leaders, particularly former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, chose to maintain close ties with India, Pakistan’s arch-rival. Ties between Pakistan and Bangladesh have warmed up since Hasina’s ouster as a result of a student-led uprising in August 2024, witnessing a marked improvement.
“A high-level defense delegation of Bangladesh led by Lt. Gen. S M Kamrul Hassan, Principal Staff Officer, Armed Forces Division, Bangladesh, called on Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, Chief of the Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force at Air Headquarters Islamabad,” Pakistan military’s media wing said. 
Sindhu reaffirmed his commitment to enhancing military partnership between the two air forces through joint training initiatives, the Pakistani military said. It added that the two sides agreed to explore collaboration avenues, including exchange initiatives and joint trainings.
It said Gen. Hassan lauded Pakistan Air Force’s innovative projects, cutting-edge technologies and indigenously developed technological framework.
“He expressed profound interest in sophisticated military hardware being developed, notably the JF-17 Thunder fighter jets,” the statement said. 
Amid the thaw in relations between the two countries, Pakistan and Bangladesh signed a landmark agreement to establish a joint business council in Dhaka on Tuesday.
The Pakistani business delegation held meetings with their counterparts in Bangladesh during their Dhaka visit to discuss ways to enhance trade ties. The Trade Corporation of Pakistan also signed a memorandum of understanding for rice export to Bangladesh on Tuesday.
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar is also scheduled to visit Dhaka in the beginning of February to further consolidate the relations between the two countries.


Pakistan dispatches goods convoy to Central Asia through partnership with Dubai’s DP World

Pakistan dispatches goods convoy to Central Asia through partnership with Dubai’s DP World
Updated 18 min 10 sec ago
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Pakistan dispatches goods convoy to Central Asia through partnership with Dubai’s DP World

Pakistan dispatches goods convoy to Central Asia through partnership with Dubai’s DP World
  • Pakistan and DP World this week finalized terms for freight corridor project from Karachi to country’s southwest
  • DP World CEO says partnership to provide vast business opportunities and strengthen regional economic activities

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan dispatched its first convoy of commercial goods from its southern port city of Karachi to Central Asia through the partnership between the state-owned National Logistics Corporation (NLC) and UAE-based DP World firm, state media reported on Wednesday. 
The development takes place days after Pakistan and DP World finalized terms for a freight corridor project from Karachi Port to the Pipri Marshalling yard in southern Pakistan. 
The Karachi Freight Corridor is an infrastructure project in Pakistan aimed at improving the movement of freight from Karachi, the country’s largest city, to various parts of the country. The project involves the construction of a dedicated double-track corridor and other related facilities that will run 50 km from Karachi port to the Pipri marshalling yard.
“The first convoy carrying commercial goods has been dispatched from Karachi to Central Asia through the partnership between NLC and DP World,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported. 
It added that senior officials from DP World and NLC, as well as prominent business figures attended the launch event. 
Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, DP World’s group chairman and CEO, said the strategic position of NLC in the region and DP World’s global presence will provide vast business opportunities and strengthen economic activities.
“The Director-General of NLC said this initiative will have far-reaching effects on regional trade and will be immensely beneficial for the business community of the region,” state media reported. 
Pakistan has reached out to regional allies, especially Gulf countries, to bolster trade and foreign investment in recent months. Pakistan and the UAE last year signed two inter-governmental framework agreements to establish a dedicated rail freight corridor and economic zone near Karachi.
The agreements cover plans for over $3 billion investments in railways, economic zones and infrastructure. DP World will act on behalf of Dubai, while the Pakistan Railways and Port Qasim Authority will act on behalf of Pakistan.


‘Meet with Ghalib’: Urdu festival in Dubai to bring iconic poet to life via hologram

‘Meet with Ghalib’: Urdu festival in Dubai to bring iconic poet to life via hologram
Updated 15 January 2025
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‘Meet with Ghalib’: Urdu festival in Dubai to bring iconic poet to life via hologram

‘Meet with Ghalib’: Urdu festival in Dubai to bring iconic poet to life via hologram
  • Two-day Urdu festival “Jashn-e-Rekhta” will be held from Feb. 1-2 at Dubai’s Zabeel Park
  • Mirza Ghalib (1797-1869) is considered by experts, critics as the greatest Urdu poet of all time

ISLAMABAD: Jashn-e-Rekhta, an annual festival celebrating the Urdu language, will bring to life celebrated poet Mirza Asadullah Baig Khan during its 2025 edition in Dubai via a life-sized hologram next month, the organizer said on Wednesday, offering an enthralling experience for millions of fans of the poet in the subcontinent.
Khan was born on Dec. 27, 1797, in India’s Agra city and was a well-known poet in the Persian and Urdu languages. Referred to popularly simply as “Ghalib,” he remains one of the most popular and influential masters of the Urdu language in both India and Pakistan long after his death in 1869. His poetry is characterized by sadness, the result of a tragic life that saw him orphaned at an early age and losing all seven of his children in their infancy.
Jashn-e-Rekhta is an annual event organized by Rekhta International Cultural Events since 2015. It celebrates Urdu and is dedicated to its language, literature and culture. The two-day festival will be held in Dubai from Feb.1-2 at the iconic Zabeel Park.
The event will bring together around 100 artists, poets and performers from India, Pakistan and other countries. Along with Ghalib’s hologram, another standout feature is the “Dial-e-Poet,” an artificial intelligence (AI) powered rotary phone booth that allows attendees to listen to the voices of iconic poets such as Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Jaun Elia and Ahmed Faraz.
“We will have a hologram display where a real life-size holographic image of Ghalib will appear and we, in fact, are calling it meet with Mirza Ghalib, as he actually narrates his two-and-half-minute speech,” Satish Gupta, the head of programs and festivals at Rekhta told Arab News over the phone from Dubai.
“It will be like he is attending the festival himself just to give his followers a feeling of actually meeting him.”
Gupta described the festival as “more than just an event,” calling it a celebration of Urdu’s beauty and its power to bridge cultures and bring people together.
The “Dial-A-Poet” experience features vintage rotary phones where visitors can dial specific numbers assigned to five iconic poets, including Rahat Indori, Ahmed Faraz and Faiz Ahmed Faiz, he said.
“Using advanced AI voice cloning, the phones play pre-recorded recitations of the poets’ works, offering a one-way interaction that brings their timeless poetry to life in an innovative and immersive way,” Gupta said.
He said the festival will feature around 10 to 12 programs featuring over 95 artists, lead performers and their teams.
“The lineup includes groups, bands and dance troupes from India, Pakistan and a Sufi qawwali group from Bali, Indonesia,” he added.
Gupta said the festival’s first day will showcase the debut performance of a women’s qawwali group presenting the essence of spiritual music.
“This will be followed by Piyush Mishra’s Ballimaaraan, exploring the cultural ties between Delhi and Lahore through music and Shafqat Amanat Ali’s Maah-e-Tamaam, offering a soulful and rhythmic musical journey,” he said.
The second day of the festival will feature a panel discussion on Urdu in films. Participants include prominent Pakistani actors Saba Qamar, Imran Abbas and Adeel Hashmi, Gupta said.
This will be followed by a session involving famed Indian poet, lyricist and screenwriter Javed Akhtar and Pakistani screenwriter Zehra Nigah, who will discuss the connection between films and Urdu literature.
“Arfa Sayeda Zehra and Samina Peerzada will explore Urdu as a language of love and friendship, while Ali Sethi’s musical performance, Shaam Dhale, will conclude the festival on a romantic note,” he said.
In addition to the performances, visitors can enjoy the “Aiwan-e-Zaiqa Food Festival” highlighting South Asian and Middle Eastern cuisines, or explore the Rekhta Bazaar featuring books, handicrafts and merchandise that celebrate Urdu’s artistic heritage, Gupta said.