ISLAMABAD: Legislators in Pakistan’s key Punjab and northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) provinces were sworn in as members of the cabinet on Wednesday, almost a month after the contentious polls of Feb. 8.
In Punjab, Pakistan’s most populous and politically important Punjab province, an 18-member cabinet was sworn in, whose members will serve under the country’s first woman chief minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif.
The legislators were sworn in at a ceremony held at the Governor’s House in Lahore. Punjab Governor Muhammad Balighur Rehman administered the oath of office to 18 legislators with Sharif by his side.
“That, as a minister of the government of Punjab, I will discharge my duties, and perform my functions, honestly, to the best of my ability, faithfully in accordance with the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the law,” the ministers read out their oath after the governor.
“And always in the interest of the sovereignty, integrity, solidarity, well-being and prosperity of Pakistan.”
Legislators who took oath were Marriyum Aurangzeb, Azma Bokhari, Shafay Hussain, Salman Rafique, Khawaja Imran Nazir, Syed Muhammad Ashiq Hussain Shah, Muhammad Kazim Pirzada, Rana Sikandar Hayat, Zeeshan Rafique, Bilal Akbar Khan, Sohaib Ahmed Malik, Bilal Yasin, Ramesh Singh Arora, Khalil Tahir Sandhu, Faisal Ayub, Sardar Sher Ali Gorchani, Sohail Shoukat Butt and Mujtaba Shuja ur Rehman.
Aurangzeb has been handed the portfolio of planning and development as a senior minister while Bokhari will head the ministry of information. Hussain has been given charge of the provincial ministry of commerce and industry.
Salman has been given charge of the specialized health care department while Nazir will lead the primary and secondary health ministry in Punjab. Sandhu has been handed charge of Punjab’s human rights ministry while Arora has been appointed as the minister for minorities by the chief minister.
Separately, a 15-member cabinet was sworn in at the Governor’s House in Peshawar. With newly elected Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur by his side, Governor Hajji Ghulam Ali administered the oath of office to the legislators.
Before the ceremony began, legislators shouted slogans in favor of former prime minister Imran Khan, the jailed head of the majority party in the province, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). A large, framed picture of the jailed cricketer-turned-politician was placed in the middle of the table by the legislators.
Members of the KP cabinet who were sworn in included Arshad Ayub Khan, Shakeel Ahmad, Fazal Hakim Khan, Muhammad Adnan Qadri, Aqib Ullah Khan, Muhammad Sajjad, Meena Khan, Fazal Shakoor, Nazir Ahmad Abbasi, Pakhtoon Yar Khan, Aftab Alam Khan Afridi, Khaleeq Ur Rehman, Syed Qasim Ali Shah, Faisal Khan Tarakai and Muhammad Zahir Shah.
The ceremonies take place amid a tense political atmosphere in Pakistan, with the PTI refusing to acknowledge the mandate of its rival Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party.
The PTI says it won a two-thirds majority in the Feb. 8 polls, which were marred by allegations of vote rigging and a countrywide shutdown of mobile and Internet services. Pakistan’s election regulator has rejected the PTI’s allegations it manipulated results, calling on all aggrieved parties to seek redressal from relevant forums.
As economically troubled Pakistan seeks a new long-term bailout program with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) amid overlapping security, economic and political crises, Khan’s party has vowed to continue protests against the “rigged” elections.
Cabinets take oath in Pakistan’s key Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces
https://arab.news/2j2w8
Cabinets take oath in Pakistan’s key Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces
- Eighteen-member cabinet sworn in Pakistan’s most populous eastern Punjab province
- Fifteen-member cabinet takes oath in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province
Pakistan’s Malala says Israel has decimated ‘the entire education system’ in Gaza
- Nobel Peace laureate says will continue to call out Israel’s violations of human rights in Gaza
- Israel's attack on Gaza has killed 46,537 people, the majority civilians, since October 7, 2023
ISLAMABAD: Nobel Peace laureate Malala Yousafzai on Sunday said she would continue to call out Israel’s violations of international law and human rights in Gaza.
The education advocate was speaking at a global summit on girls’ education in Muslim nations hosted by Pakistan and attended by representatives from dozens of countries.
“In Gaza, Israel has decimated the entire education system,” she said in an address to the conference.
“They have bombed all universities, destroyed more than 90 percent of schools, and indiscriminately attacked civilians sheltering in school buildings.
“I will continue to call out Israel’s violations of international law and human rights.”
Yousafzai was shot when she was a 15-year-old schoolgirl by Pakistani militants enraged by her education activism.
She made a remarkable recovery after being evacuated to the United Kingdom and went on to become the youngest ever Nobel Prize winner at the age of 17.
“Palestinian children have lost their lives and future. A Palestinian girl cannot have the future she deserves if her school is bombed and her family is killed,” she added.
The war in Gaza was sparked by Hamas’s attack on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of 1,208 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures.
During the attack, Palestinian militants took 251 people hostage, of whom 94 remain in the Gaza Strip, including 34 the Israeli military has declared dead.
Israel’s attack on Gaza has killed 46,537 people, the majority civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory considered reliable by the United Nations.
Najmul to lead Bangladesh in Pakistan-hosted Champions Trophy
- Key players Liton Das and former all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan not part of the squad
- ODI Champions Trophy tournament takes place in Pakistan and Dubai from February 19
DHAKA: Najmul Hossain Shanto will captain Bangladesh in the Champions Trophy in Pakistan and Dubai next month, the cricket board said Sunday, with key players including Liton Das missing the cut.
Former star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan is also missing from the 15-man squad for the one-day international tournament.
The Champions Trophy takes place in Pakistan and Dubai from February 19 with Bangladesh placed in Group A alongside India, Pakistan and New Zealand.
Bangladesh are ninth in the ICC ODI rankings.
They play their opener against India in Dubai on February 20.
Bangladesh squad: Nazmul Hossain Shanto (capt), Soumya Sarkar, Tanzid Hasan, Towhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Mahmudullah Riyad, Jaker Ali, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Parvez Hossain Emon, Nasum Ahmed, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Nahid Rana.
Ex-PM Khan to meet party’s negotiating committee today amid talks with government
- Khan’s party kicked off negotiations with government to break political deadlock in country last month
- PTI this week urged the government to provide it “unfettered” access to former prime minister in jail
ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan is scheduled to meet members of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party today, Sunday, who are part of a committee formed by him to hold political consultations with the government, the National Assembly’s spokesperson said in a statement.
The PTI and the government kicked off negotiations last month to break the political deadlock in the country. The last round of talks between both sides on Jan. 2 ended inconclusively after Khan’s party demanded more time to meet and consult the ex-PM before submitting their demands in writing.
Khan’s party on Tuesday demanded the government provide it “unfettered” access to the jailed ex-premier in Rawalpindi’s Adiala prison.
The PTI has previously stated two demands: the release of all political prisoners and the establishment of judicial commissions to investigate protests on May 9, 2023, and Nov. 26, 2024, which the government says involved Khan supporters, accusing them of attacking military installations and government buildings.
“The government has arranged a meeting of the negotiation committee at Adiala Jail following the Speaker’s message,” the National Assembly’s spokesperson said.
It added that the meeting will take place at 2:30 p.m. local time.
Khan’s ouster in a parliamentary no-trust vote in 2022 has plunged Pakistan into a political crisis, particularly since he was jailed in August 2023 on corruption and other charges. His PTI party has regularly held protests to demand his release, with many of the demonstrations turning violent.
Talks between the two sides opened days after Khan threatened a civil disobedience movement, and amid growing concerns he may face trial by a military court for allegedly inciting attacks on sensitive security installations during the May 9, 2023 protests.
PIA flight lands in Paris after four-year ban, marking return to Europe
- PIA’s first flight to Paris in over four years departed from Islamabad on Friday
- Europe’s aviation safety agency suspended PIA’s authorization to operate in EU in June 2020
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani national airline’s first flight to Paris in over four years landed in the French capital this week, state-run media reported on Sunday, marking the resumption of its operations to Europe.
The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight departed for Paris from Islamabad on Friday. The airline said on Friday that it was resuming two direct weekly flights to Paris.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) suspended PIA’s authorization to operate in the EU in June 2020 over concerns about the ability of Pakistani aviation authorities to ensure compliance with international standards.
EASA, United Kingdom and United States authorities suspended permission for PIA to operate in the region after Pakistan began investigating the validity of pilots’ licenses following a deadly plane crash that killed 97 people. In November 2024, the EASA announced it had lifted the ban.
“Pakistan International Airlines’ first flight to France has landed at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris after a gap of more than four years,” Radio Pakistan reported.
The report said that PIA passengers and crew were warmly received in Paris on Friday by Pakistan Charge d’Affairs Huzefa Khanum along with the Pakistani diaspora.
“The passengers who reached Paris via direct flight from Islamabad expressed pleasure over reduced travel time and quality service experienced by them,” it said.
PIA, however, remains barred from operating flights to the UK and the United States. The airline flies to multiple cities inside Pakistan, including the mountainous north, as well as to the Gulf and Southeast Asia.
PIA, which employs 7,000 people, has long been accused of being bloated and poorly run — hobbled by unpaid bills, a poor safety record and regulatory issues.
Pakistan’s government has said it is committed to privatizing the debt-ridden airline and has been scrambling to find a buyer. Late last year, a deal fell through after a potential buyer reportedly offered a fraction of the asking price.
The government hopes the opening of European routes, which officials expect will be followed by a similar announcement by the UK later this year, will boost its selling potential.
PIA posted losses of $270 million in 2023, according to local media. Its liabilities were nearly $3 billion, about five times the total worth of its assets.
In the same year, amid a national economic crisis, dozens of domestic flights were canceled when it could not afford fuel for its planes.
PIA came into being in 1955 when the government nationalized a loss-making commercial airline, and enjoyed rapid growth until the 1990s.
Food lovers relish international flavors, global cuisines at Karachi Eat 2025
- Three-day annual Karachi Eat festival features cuisines from Middle East, Turkiye and Italy
- Food stall owners say festival helps them bring global cuisines to Pakistani audiences
KARACHI: The air at Beach View Park in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi was filled with the enticing aroma of Sicilian slow-cooked beef, Arabic Paratha, beefy Chapli Kebabs from Peshawar and mouthwatering Chicken Tikka.
Welcome to Karachi Eat 2025, Pakistan’s biggest annual food festival. The three-day festival has been taking place in the ‘City of Lights’ every year in January since 2014. This year’s festival, set to conclude today, Sunday, also features hundreds of eateries and offers a variety of cuisines to visitors.
According to Ticket Wala, a platform that sells tickets for entertainment events, chefs from Indonesia, Singapore, Turkiye, Romania, Malaysia, France and other countries visited Karachi for the festival.
Sarah Aziz, a food stall owner passionately selling Sicilian cuisine, told Arab News she wanted to bring international cuisine to Pakistanis who could not travel to countries around the world.
“We want to bring the flavors out there for everyone who can’t go to Sicily, Portugal, or Malta,” she said. “We want to bring the food here, so they can also cherish and enjoy it.”
Aziz said she wanted to “convert” her cuisine, which was for a niche market, so that many people in Pakistan can enjoy and develop a taste for it.
“So, the menu is basically based on slow-cooked beef with lamb fat,” she said. “We are doing handmade pesto with garlic paste.”
For others like Muhammad Ismail, 28, the festival provided an opportunity for him to indulge in his love for Arabic cuisine.
“I just had Arabic Paratha here,” Ismail, a banker by profession, told Arab News. “I have it there [Saudi Arabia] too but this one tastes exactly like the authentic one you get in Saudi Arabia, and it’s absolutely amazing,” he said.
Shaikh Ameen, the owner of Arabi’s, a restaurant in Karachi that offers Arabic cuisine, said there was a growing appreciation for Middle Eastern cuisine in Pakistan.
“We offer authentic shawarma, mutabbaq and kunafa, so we’re serving these authentic dishes here,” Ameen said.
“There are quite a few people from the Middle East, especially families, who are familiar with this food, and they really enjoy it. Moreover, people’s tastes have evolved, and they really like these flavors now.”
Kashaf Noman, a textile designer in her 20s, expressed her enthusiasm for the festival.
“I am loving it, it’s very really organized and I have many more options here than at other festivals, so it’s really nice, I’m having fun,” she said.
Noman said she had relished fish gyozas, waffles and a Mexican drink.
CHAPLI KEBABS AND BOHRA CUISINES
While the festival featured a plethora of international flavors, it also celebrated local specialties like the Chapli Kebab, Bohra cuisines and dishes from Pakistan’s northern mountainous regions.
Bohra cuisine comprises of food items made famous by the Bohra community, a Shiite Muslim sect.
The festival also provided a platform for lesser-known regional cuisines to showcase their items. Zaeem Ud Din, 25, a student and stall owner, introduced the traditional Chapshoro dish from the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region.
“Our Chapshoro is not spicy; people’s taste buds aren’t the same but we still wanted to bring a tradition with us,” he said.
“We aimed to introduce something unique from Gilgit-Baltistan as not everyone can travel there.”
There were also some outlets from Pakistan’s second-largest city Lahore, which enjoys a food rivalry with Karachi.
Despite the general perception that Lahore’s food is inferior to that of Karachi in terms of taste, Lahore-based food stalls attracted a significant crowd at the festival.
“If someone says you can’t find anything like Karachi in Lahore, they should definitely try Arif Chatkhara,” Mirza Zaidan Baig, owner of the popular Lahore eatery “Arif Chatkhara,” told Arab News.
And for those who did not like Arif Chatkhara’s sumptuous items, Baig had a generous offer.
“If they don’t like it, we will send them back with double the amount they paid,” he said.