KARACHI: With the general elections only a month away, Karachi’s key political parties are vying to display their strength at the iconic Bagh-e-Jinnah, a venue that holds immense significance to the country’s electoral scene since it is adjacent to the mausoleum of Pakistan’s founding father, Mohammad Ali Jinnah.
The area is not just a vast expanse of land but also a symbol of political might that can help gauge public support for a party. Organizing a successful rally in Bagh-e-Jinnah is challenging. Yet, it is a powerful statement since filling up this mighty space requires organizational skills and popular appeal.
With the national polls scheduled for February 8, the planning for these pivotal rallies is underway, marking an essential phase in the electoral campaigns of political parties in the country’s largest city.
“The Muttahida Qaumi Movement announced their presence in Karachi and Sindh by holding rallies at Nishtar Park,” Syed Amin-ul-Haque, a former federal minister affiliated with the MQM, told Arab News. “After that, we realized that Nishtar Park, Kakri Ground and Nazimabad’s Eidgah Ground were not big enough for us. So, the party took the courageous decision to look for a bigger place and kicked off its rallies at Bagh-e-Jinnah.”
The MQM made an unparalleled record by successfully holding a female-only rally at Bagh-e-Jinnah in 2012.
“We have proved ourselves to be the largest political party of Karachi [through Bagh-e-Jinnah rallies] in the last three decades,” Haque continued.
The MQM leader informed his party was planning a grand show at the venue on January 21, which he hoped would turn out to be the biggest rally during this election season in Karachi.
Other political stakeholders in the cities, including the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), have staged impressive rallies in the area previously. The country’s former prime minister, Imran Khan, displayed PTI’s strength by gathering massive crowds near Jinnah’s mausoleum in 2011 and 2013.
Speaking to Arab News, Jamaat-e-Islami’s top official in the city, Hafiz Naeem Ur Rehman, said his party would hold a public rally at Bagh-e-Jinnah on January 28.
“Jamaat-e-Islami emerged as the biggest party in the local election held in Karachi last year in January. It secured maximum number of votes and seats,” he said, adding his political faction also hoped to outshine others in the general elections.
The Pakistan Peoples Party said it was optimistic to win maximum number of seats from Karachi in February.
“We leave the decision on the citizens of Karachi whether they believe the Peoples Party has done something for them or not,” Saeed Ghani, a senior PPP leader, told Arab News. “I believe we have. Therefore, people have started voting for the Peoples Party in areas where the party had not even imagined winning.”
Ghani’s party has been ruling Sindh for over a decade, making him say with confidence it would organize the biggest rally in the city during the election campaigns this year wherever it decided to hold the public gathering.
However, he recognized that Bagh-e-Jinnah had become the most prominent venue in the city for political parties wanting to gather huge crowds and display their political strength. PPP’s own co-chairman, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, held his first public gathering at the same place in 2014, attracting a large number of supporters in a jampacked space.
“When Peoples Party organizes a big rally or event and people come out in huge numbers to support it, it helps change the perception of anyone who thinks the party is getting weak,” he said. “For the elections, I am very clear that more activities [like holding public rallies] lead to an increase in voting turnout.”
Political parties in Karachi gear up for power shows at Bagh-e-Jinnah ahead of national polls
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Political parties in Karachi gear up for power shows at Bagh-e-Jinnah ahead of national polls
- The venue has immense electoral significance since it is adjacent to the mausoleum of Pakistan’s founding father
- It is not easy to organize a successful rally in Bagh-e-Jinnah which requires organizational skills and popular appeal
Pakistani province offers to help build cancer hospital in Afghanistan
- Ali Amin Gandapur tells Afghan envoy his administration is ready to support the welfare of the Afghan people
- KP chief minister says he wants to send a delegation to the neighboring state to ‘promote trust and harmony’
ISLAMABAD: The provincial administration of Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on Saturday offered assistance to build a cancer hospital in neighboring Afghanistan during a meeting between Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and Afghan envoy to Pakistan, Sardar Ahmad Shakib.
KP shares a long and porous border with Afghanistan and maintains strong cultural and linguistic ties with Pashtun populations across the frontier.
The province has also experienced a major surge in militant violence in recent months, with Pakistani officials frequently accusing armed groups based in Afghanistan of orchestrating cross-border attacks, a claim the Taliban government in Kabul denies.
“Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur held an important meeting with Afghanistan’s Ambassador Sardar Ahmad Shakib, during which bilateral relations, mutual cooperation and regional stability were discussed in detail,” the KP administration said in a statement.
“Gandapur offered assistance in establishing a cancer hospital in Afghanistan and assured full support in the agricultural sector [to Kabul] as well,” it added. “He expressed his commitment that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government is ready to play every possible role in the welfare of the Afghan people.”
Ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan became strained in 2023 when Islamabad launched a major crackdown on undocumented migrants, most of them Afghans, citing security concerns.
While Pakistan’s federal administration and military adopted a tough posture toward Kabul, it was widely reported in the local media that the KP government wanted diplomatic engagement with Afghan Taliban, signaling an interest in negotiated cooperation.
The two sides have recently sought to reset relations and agreed to appoint ambassadors following a China-facilitated tripartite meeting this year.
Saturday’s discussion also emphasized the deep cultural and ethnic links between the two countries, with both sides agreeing that these bonds should be strengthened through mutual respect and cooperation.
The statement said Gandapur plans to send a special delegation to Afghanistan “to serve as a bridge between the people of Pakistan and Afghanistan and to promote trust and harmony.”
Ambassador Shakib expressed appreciation for the KP government’s support for Afghan refugees and reaffirmed his commitment to enhancing bilateral ties through peaceful and people-centric initiatives.
Pakistan’s climate minister orders action over black bear killing in northern region
- Video of the incident shows men pushing an unconscious bear down a rocky slope
- Dr. Musadik Malik calls such acts of violence against wildlife ‘utterly unacceptable’
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Climate Change Dr. Musadik Malik on Saturday ordered strict action against a group of people who killed a black bear in the northern region of Gilgit-Baltistan, according to an official statement, saying such brutality cannot be overlooked under any circumstances.
A video of the incident circulating on social media shows three individuals pushing the unconscious bear down a rocky mountainside. Authorities have already lodged a police complaint and are working with the local community to ensure the accused are brought to justice.
“Such acts of violence against wildlife are utterly unacceptable and will not be allowed to continue under any circumstances,” an official statement quoted Malik as saying.
It added he had “directed the Wildlife Management Boards to take strict and immediate action against those responsible.”
The minister also stressed his commitment to protecting Pakistan’s wildlife and enforcing conservation laws across all regions, adding that community engagement was critical to prevent such incidents.
Acts of animal cruelty are not rare in Pakistan. In June 2024, a landlord in Sanghar district, Sindh, ordered the brutal amputation of a camel’s leg for straying into his fields. Days later, another mutilated camel was found dead in the region with its legs amputated.
Animal rights activists have also condemned practices like bear dancing, where the animals are trained by being forced to stand on hot metal plates, and bear baiting, a blood sport in which the chained bear is attacked by dogs for public spectacle.
Though officially banned, both practices have been reported in parts of the country over the years.
Pakistan PM defends tough structural reforms, says country can’t afford ‘business as usual’
- Shehbaz Sharif describes Pakistan’s economic stabilization efforts as ‘a long and thorny journey’
- He says merit is central to his governance model as his administration works to fix the economy
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday strongly defended his government’s structural reform agenda, particularly in tax administration, saying that difficult and often unpopular decisions were necessary to rebuild national institutions, as the country could no longer afford “business as usual.”
Speaking at an orientation session for participants of the Uraan Pakistan youth program, Sharif recalled the fragile economic conditions he inherited after assuming power following last year’s general elections.
He noted that Pakistan had narrowly avoided a sovereign default in mid-2023, when inflation surged to nearly 38 percent, before securing a critical bailout package from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The prime minister said his administration took on the “onerous task” of stabilizing the economy under immense pressure, choosing to pursue long-delayed reforms rather than temporary fixes.
“Pakistan had to undertake these long-overdue, deep structural changes if we had to find our lost place in the comity of nations through hard and untiring efforts,” he said.
Sharif pointed to a set of key reforms aligned with IMF recommendations, including the digitization of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).
He noted the transition from paper-based tax systems to digital and AI-led processes was already bearing fruit.
“Faceless interactions — these terminologies were unknown in FBR,” he said, adding that one previously underperforming sector saw its tax contribution rise from Rs12 billion to over Rs50 billion within a year due to improved enforcement.
The prime minister said his administration had prioritized accountability, removing senior FBR officials accused of corruption and resisting political pressure in doing so.
“It’s a long and thorny journey,” he continued. “We are facing bumps on the way and mountain-like impediments. But I can assure you, we will not shy away from discharging our responsibility.”
Sharif maintained that merit would remain the cornerstone of his governance model.
“Delivery is the name of the game,” he said. “Performance is the name of the game.”
Pakistan won’t send hockey teams to India — official sources
- The two nuclear-armed states had a four-day military standoff in May that left 70 people dead
- Pakistan’s refusal to participate in the Asia Cup can cost the team a place in next year’s World Cup
KARACHI: Pakistan will not travel to India for upcoming hockey tournaments over “security” concerns, government sources told AFP on Saturday, potentially jeopardizing their place in next year’s World Cup.
The nuclear-armed neighbors traded the worst violence in decades during a four-day conflict in May that killed 70 people.
Pakistan was due to participate in the Men’s Asia Cup for field hockey to be hosted by India in August and September, for which the federation had sought the government’s clearance.
“After the recent war the security and safety of our hockey players will be at risk,” said a sports ministry source, who asked not to be identified.
Pakistan will also not participate in the Junior World Cup in India in November, the source said.
Once a force in international hockey, with three Olympic gold medals and four world titles, Pakistan has slumped to 15th in the rankings.
Not featuring in the Asia Cup will likely cost Pakistan a place in next year’s senior World Cup to be held in the Netherlands and Belgium.
A second government source also confirmed the decision to AFP.
Pakistan’s foreign office has not responded to AFP’s request for comment.
India stalled all bilateral sporting ties with Pakistan in the wake of the 2008 Mumbai attacks, which it blamed on militants based across the border.
Cricket has been the most affected sport, with the two countries only meeting each other in multinational events abroad.
India refused to visit Pakistan this year when it hosted the Champions Trophy, forcing the final to be staged on neutral ground in Dubai.
In a tit-for-tat move, Pakistan will also not send its women’s cricket team to India for the 50-over World Cup later this year and the T20 World Cup in 2026.
They agreed instead to play their matches in Sri Lanka.
Pakistan’s hockey team last toured India for the 2023 Asian Champions Trophy, finishing fifth among six teams.
Pakistan seeks closer security ties with Bahrain to curb drugs, human smuggling
- Both countries share a longstanding partnership spanning diplomacy, security and people-to-people ties
- Mohsin Naqvi emphasizes enhanced cooperation in counterterrorism during his visit to the Gulf country
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Saturday called for deeper cooperation with Bahrain to combat narcotics trafficking and human smuggling, as both countries reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral security ties during his official visit to the Gulf state.
Pakistan and Bahrain share a longstanding relationship encompassing diplomacy, security, economic exchange and people-to-people links. Since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1971, the two nations have developed close political and military cooperation, including defense training, joint security initiatives and regular high-level engagements.
In recent years, with rising concerns over drug trafficking and human smuggling, both countries have intensified efforts to coordinate through formal channels to facilitate intelligence sharing and law enforcement collaboration.
“Enhanced cooperation between the interior ministries of Pakistan and Bahrain to counter narcotics and human smuggling is the need of the hour,” Naqvi said, according to an official statement issued after his meeting with his Bahraini counterpart, General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa.
The ministers discussed issues of mutual interest and emphasized the importance of strengthening bilateral cooperation in counterterrorism.
The discussion also emphasized the need to enhance the effectiveness of the Pakistan–Bahrain Joint Security Committee, a formal mechanism for coordinating on counterterrorism and related issues, while exploring ways to jointly address broader regional and global security challenges.
Bahrain’s interior minister welcomed the visit as an opportunity to deepen existing ties, describing the security cooperation and coordination between the two countries as “valued and constructive.”
He also expressed appreciation for Pakistan’s continued engagement across a range of sectors, with particular emphasis on security.
