ISLAMABAD: Eight people, including women and children, were killed after a jeep plunged into a ravine in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, rescue officials said.
The incident occurred in KP’s Shangla district, when the driver lost control of the vehicle and it fell into the ravine, according a spokesperson of the Rescue 1122 service.
As a consequence, four women and three children were killed on the spot, while one person was injured who was shifted to the district headquarters hospital.
“A rescue team recovered bodies of the victims and handed them over to relatives,” the Rescue 1122 spokesperson said in a statement.
The spokesperson said the injured person later succumbed to his injuries at the hospital.
Road accidents are common in Pakistan, where traffic rules are rarely followed and roads, particularly in many rural areas, are in poor condition. In the country’s mountainous north, such tragedies are frequently reported.
In March, at least 20 people were killed and over a dozen others were injured after a bus plunged into a gorge in the northern Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) region.
Eight killed as jeep plunges into ravine in northwest Pakistan
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Eight killed as jeep plunges into ravine in northwest Pakistan
- The incident occurred in the northwestern Shangla district after the driver lost control of the vehicle
- Road crashes are common in Pakistan, where traffic rules are rarely followed, roads are in poor condition
‘She can’t do it’: How a Pakistani teenage boxer fought her biggest battle before the first punch
- Aliya Soomro, 19, knocked out Thailand’s Suthida Ganyanooch in a boxing contest in Bangkok on May 3
- The eldest daughter of a laborer, Soomro says people often told her parents not to let her pursue boxing
KARACHI: In a powerful display of grit and determination, 19-year-old Aliya Soomro punched her way to international recognition, knocking out Thailand’s Suthida Ganyanooch in the first round of “The Fighter: World Boxing” match in Bangkok on May 3.
Yet, for the teenage fighter from Karachi’s gritty Lyari neighborhood, the real battle was fought long before she entered the ring, as she braved relentless criticism and deeply ingrained gender norms back home.
In a country where many women still struggle to pursue their ambitions, especially in fields traditionally considered the preserve of men, Soomro said her victory was about more than just boxing as it challenged the limits others had set for women like her.
“They ended up motivating me,” she told Arab News at her modest residence, referring to all those who questioned her passion. “People thought they were demotivating me, but what they didn’t realize was that their negativity was actually turning into my motivation.”
“People gossiped about me, saying things like, ‘Make her quit, she can’t do it, this is beyond her,’” she said, recounting how many of them whispered such comments in her parents’ ears.
Born and raised in Lyari, an area long associated with poverty and gang violence, Soomro grew up hearing doubts about girls’ capabilities and endured years of neglect.
“You know, people still follow old-fashioned thinking that girls can’t do anything, that it’s not in their capacity and that they should just stay at home and tend to the stove,” she said.
But she was not just disappointed in people but also the sports authorities since even after being repeatedly shortlisted for Pakistan’s national boxing team, she was dropped without explanation.
“I was told, ‘Be ready, you’ll get your ticket in the morning.’ But when I got ready and sat waiting in the morning, I found out someone else had taken my place.”
Soomro’s father, Muhammad Hanif Soomro, a laborer and former footballer, said he made it his life’s mission to help his daughter, eldest of his four children, succeed.
“I am very happy as what has happened with me is not happened with my daughter,” he said, recalling how his poverty and lack of support deprived him of making his dream of playing football for his country come true.
He said he just unheard criticism of his daughter.
“If we had listened to the criticism, this would not have been possible,” he maintained. “The answer to criticism is hard work, dedication and she proved it. That’s her response.”
Without sponsors or institutional backing, Soomro said she walked from company to company during Ramadan, seeking help.
“Even during Ramadan, while fasting, I would go around to companies asking for sponsorship,” she said. “No one supported me.”
Eventually, help came from unexpected place, with Muhammad Hussain Bhatti, a leader from the fishermen’s community, getting her visa and tickets.
“After that, he took full responsibility for my sponsorship,” she added.
The victory in Bangkok has changed how Soomro is seen. Upon her return, she was applauded by Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah who awarded her a shield and Rs1 million ($3,553) cash prize.
“Now, after returning with a victory, the situation has changed,” she said. “The chief minister is giving me great support.”
She’s also been offered a sports scholarship and professional coaching support ahead of her upcoming fight against an Indian opponent in Dubai.
But for Soomro, the transformation is deeply personal.
“The same ground where people once gossiped about me, I was later invited there as a chief guest, and they said, ‘She is our daughter.’ That was a moment of pride for me,” she said.
Soomro hopes her success will inspire other girls in Lyari and across Pakistan to pursue their dreams, regardless of societal pressures.
“I would just say this,” she said. “Don’t confine girls within four walls. Let them live freely. Just as you consider boys to be strong, know that women’s strength is even more important in your life... Women are powerful.”
She informed that boxing ran in her blood, with her maternal grand grandfather being a boxer.
“There was this one story. A cow had broken free. My great grandfather stood in a specific stance and threw a counter right, and it hit so hard that one of the cow’s horns broke off,” she said, smiling.
Despite being a third-year BBA student at a local university, Soomro balances her studies, training and coaching.
“Boxing isn’t just a sport for me,” she said. “Boxing is my life.”
Recalling her fight in Bangkok, Soomro said when she stepped into the ring, she just wanted to win. She knocked her opponent out in just 45 seconds.
When her Thai rival stood up, she hugged Soomro, saying: “Your punch is very hard.”
Islamic Development Bank supports Pakistani project to reactivate out-of-work women doctors
- Originally launched in 2018, eDoctor program was born out of national need to bring licensed but inactive doctors back to work
- As many as 35 percent of female medical doctors are unemployed in Pakistan, according to 2023 Gallup Pakistan survey
KARACHI: Pakistan’s Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) and health and education tech platform EDUCAST on Wednesday launched a telemedicine initiative aimed at reviving the careers of out-of-practice Pakistani women doctors in a project funded by the Islamic Development Bank.
Originally launched in 2018, the eDoctor program was born out of a national need to reclaim licensed but inactive female doctors who had exited the medical field due to social, familial, or logistical barriers, resulting in estimated Rs. 35 billion losses to the public exchequer. As many as 35 percent of female medical doctors are unemployed in Pakistan, according to a Gallup Pakistan survey in 2023.
The first phase of the project successfully trained and reactivated over 1,500 female doctors across 27 countries through a self-paced, digitally-enabled certification program in partnership with Germany’s Lecturio and Standford University’s Digital Medic platform.
The second phase of the project, Doctor 2.0, launched this week will offer advanced online certification in clinical practice and telemedicine, hands-on clinical observation opportunities at partner clinics, access to Al-powered virtual clinics via smartphones and integration into national initiatives such as ElderCare, polio eradication, MCH support, and rural telehealth.
“This is more than a training program, this is a movement to empower Pakistani women doctors through technology, purpose and dignity,” said Prof. Dr. Jehan Ara Hassan, Acting Vice Chancellor of DUHS. “With Doctor 2.0, we’re giving them a toolkit to reclaim their profession and serve their people.”
She added that Doctor 2.0 was positioned to become a “global model” for female-led, Al-powered, digital health, with plans to export the model to conflict-affected and underserved countries through partnerships with humanitarian agencies.
“This program embodies what modern, resilient, and inclusive health care should look like,” EDUCAST CEO Abdullah Butt said. “We’re proud to be the digital backbone of this transformative initiative.”
Past work of the eDoctor project include managing over 500,000 patients through EDUCAST’s COVID home care program in Sindh during the coronavirus pandemic.
In Afghanistan, the program provided teleconsultation services across 20 Afghan provinces, enabling cancer care, maternal health, and urgent second opinions, while in Yemen, through partnerships with NGOs like INSAN, it offered digital support in areas with no access to on-ground health services.
The program was also used to mobilize tele-triage and digital support during emergencies such as floods in Pakistan and is the backbone of Pakistan’s first elderly home health care platform, BRIDGE, supporting hundreds of senior citizens remotely.
Lebanese hairstylist expands footprint in Pakistan with Lahore salon launch
- Michael Kanaan moved to Pakistan over two decades ago and has worked in Beirut, Cairo and Dubai
- Luxury salons are gaining ground in Pakistan amid rising demand in a largely informal grooming market
ISLAMABAD: A Lebanese hairstylist known for bringing international styling techniques to Pakistan has opened a new salon in the eastern city of Lahore, expanding his presence in the country’s high-end grooming market.
Michael Kanaan, who began his career as a teenage apprentice in Mount Lebanon, has worked in Beirut, Cairo, Dubai and Abu Dhabi. He moved to Pakistan more than two decades ago and launched his first salon in Islamabad in 2009 with his wife and business partner, Elizabeth Whitney Kanaan.
Known for his distinctive personal style and precision-based technique, Kanaan has built a reputation among diplomats, socialites and professionals in the Pakistani capital. His salons now employ more than 30 staff, including four international stylists.
“Expanding into Lahore is a big step for us,” Kanaan was quoted in a statement circulated after the launch of the Lahore branch last week.
“It’s fresh energy and a new audience. We’re quite excited about bringing what we do to a whole new community while growing the brand in a way that still feels personal and true to our roots.”
With rising demand for luxury grooming services in Pakistan’s urban centers, salons offering international standards are carving out space in a market still dominated by informal setups.
Kanaan said a key focus remains on consistent training and long-term client relationships.
“The beauty industry has evolved in so many ways,” he said, “but at its heart, it’s always been about making people feel beautiful, confident and empowered.”
Religious minister directs prompt distribution of Nusuk permit cards to Pakistani Hajj pilgrims
- Nusuk is an permit and ID document to help manages logistics and administration for pilgrims
- 2,800 Pakistani pilgrims traveling from Madinah to Makkah have already received their cards
ISLAMABAD: Religious Minister Sardar Muhammad Yousaf has instructed the Pakistan Hajj Mission to promptly distribute Nusuk identification cards to pilgrims arriving in Saudi Arabia, state media reported this week.
Over the last few years, Saudi Arabia has launched mobile apps like Nusuk, Hajj Navigator, Tawakkalna and Asefny to streamline services, offer real-time guidance and ensure pilgrim safety.
Nusuk cards are an essential Hajj permit for pilgrims traveling to Makkah and the holy sites. It facilitates movement and ensures the well-being of Hajj pilgrims by managing logistics and administration. The card also allows pilgrims to access information about their Hajj mission, schedules, and allows for communication with their mission. Additionally, it enables receiving alerts, evaluating services, and filing observations.
The Nusuk app offers permit issuance, booking services, interactive maps, real-time updates and health facility access in multiple languages.
“Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Sardar Muhammad Yousaf on Tuesday directed the Pakistan Hajj Mission to ensure the immediate delivery of Nusuk Cards to incoming pilgrims upon their arrival in Saudi Arabia,” the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) said on Tuesday.
So far, 2,800 pilgrims traveling from Madinah to Makkah had received their Nusuk cards, the minister added.
This year’s annual pilgrimage is expected to take place between June 4-9, with nearly 89,000 Pakistanis expected to travel to Saudi Arabia under the government scheme and 23,620 Pakistanis through private tour operators.
Pakistan Met Office warns of heatwave from May 15-20
- Day temperatures could rise between 4-7°C above normal in different parts of the country, Met office says
- In June 2024, almost 700 people died in a heat wave in less than a week, with most deaths recorded in Karachi
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Wednesday warned of a heatwave in the country from May 15 to 20, urging citizens to take precautionary measures to protect themselves.
The warning comes amid increasingly erratic climate patterns across South Asia, with cities in Pakistan experiencing more frequent and intense heat waves in recent years, a trend climate experts link to global warming.
In June 2024, almost 700 people died in a heat wave in less than a week, with most deaths recorded in the port city of Karachi and other cities of the southern province of Sindh, according to the Edhi Foundation charity.
“The Met Office predicted that a high pressure is likely to grip most parts of the country on May 15,” the PMD said in a statement. “Day temperatures are likely to remain 4°C to 6°C above normal in southern half (Sindh, southern Punjab, and Balochistan) from May 15-20.”
Day temperatures in the central and upper Punjab province, the federal capital Islamabad, and northern areas like Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan would rise 5°C to 7°C above normal from May 15-19, the Met Office added.
Normal temperatures in the southern parts of Pakistan during May typically range between 40°C and 45°C, while they are between 36°C and 41°C in central and upper Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In Islamabad, average temperatures range from 34°C to 37°C.
Pakistan ranks among the top ten countries most vulnerable to climate change and has grappled in recent years with increasingly frequent extreme weather events, including deadly heat waves and floods.
A 2015 heatwave claimed over 2,000 lives in Karachi alone, while floods in 2022 left more than 1,700 dead and over 33 million displaced nationwide.
