ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Munir Akram, has demanded “strict accountability” for Israeli crimes against Gaza’s children, state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported on Friday.
UN aid chief Tom Fletcher briefed the UN Security Council meeting on Thursday via video from Stockholm and bluntly assessing the past 15 months of war in Gaza said: “Children have been killed, starved, and frozen to death … They have been maimed, orphaned, separated from their family. Conservative estimates indicate that over 17,000 children are without their families in Gaza. A generation has been traumatized.”
The continued lack of basic shelter combined with winter temperatures pose serious threats to children. With more than a million children living in makeshift tents, and with many families displaced over the past 15 months, children face extreme risks, UNICEF has said. The UN Human Rights Office has said nearly 70 percent of fatalities it had verified in Gaza were women and children.
“Heinous crimes have been committed in this brutal [Israel-Hamas] war, particularly against children in violation of international humanitarian law, the Geneva Conventions, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the Convention on Genocide,” Akram said at the briefing to the UN Security Council this week.
“There must be accountability for these crimes. This is essential to restore international legitimacy. We must try to ensure that such a brutal slaughter of children never happens again.”
Palestinian health authorities say Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 47,000 people, with another 10,000 believed to be dead and uncounted under the rubble. A United Nations damage assessment released this month showed that clearing over 50 million tons of rubble left in the aftermath of Israel’s bombardment could take 21 years.
Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire deal to halt fighting in Gaza and exchange Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners on Jan. 15, opening the way to a possible end to a 15-month war that has upended the Middle East.
Pakistan demands accountability for Israel’s ‘heinous crimes’ against Gazan children
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Pakistan demands accountability for Israel’s ‘heinous crimes’ against Gazan children
- UN Human Rights Office has said nearly 70 percent of fatalities it had verified in Gaza were women and children
- Over a million children live in makeshift tents, many families have been displaced over 15 months, UNICEF says
Sana Mir becomes first Pakistani woman to be inducted in ICC Hall of Fame
- Mir inducted alongside former greats Graeme Smith, Hashim Amla, Matthew Hayden, Daniel Vettori and Sarah Taylor
- Mir played over 200 white-ball matches for Pakistan, picking up 150 wickets in 121 ODIs and 89 wickets in 106 T20Is
KARACHI: Former Pakistan cricketer Sana Mir made history this week when she became the first woman from her country to be inducted into the International Cricket (ICC) Hall of Fame alongside other cricket greats.
ICC announced the names of the inductees which included Mir, former South African batters Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla, Matthew Hayden of Australia, Daniel Vettori of New Zealand and England’s Sarah Taylor on Monday.
The ICC Hall of Fame pays tribute to the extraordinary achievements of cricket legends who have shaped the sport’s rich history with players inducted only five years after they have played their last international match.
“A veteran in over 100 matches in both formats of white-ball cricket, Sana Mir becomes the first Pakistan woman cricketer to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame,” the ICC said in a post on its website on Monday.
Mir has several accolades under her belt. The cricketer remains the highest wicket-taker in ODIs and the second-highest in T20Is among Pakistani women. Mir was also the first Pakistani woman cricketer to pick up 100 ODI wickets.
The former off-spinner has remained a prolific cricket voice off the field as well, amplifying a strong stance on body shaming, prioritizing mental health and helping people affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
Mir played international cricket for 15 years, captaining Pakistan for eight of those. She picked up 150 wickets in 121 ODIs and 89 wickets in 106 T20Is, scoring 1630 and 820 runs respectively. Her best year was 2014 in which she collected 21 wickets in 11 ODIs while leading the team to an Asian Games gold medal, a feat she had achieved in 2010 as well, one year after being appointed as captain.
In 2018, Mir became the first Pakistani woman to reach the top of the ICC ODI Player Rankings. She was also the first Asian woman cricketer to play 100 T20Is, along with being the first Pakistan woman cricketer to play 100 ODIs.
She was also the first Pakistani woman cricketer to win the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Cricketer of the Year award and now is the first Pakistani woman to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame.
The ICC credited Mir for speaking up for women’s rights and pushing women’s cricket in Pakistan. In 2019, she was included in the ICC Women’s committee as one of the three player representatives and was named the ambassador of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier in 2024.
“Mir knew she was doing the right thing and continued to live by her words, inspiring thousands of girls in not just her country but across the globe,” the ICC said.
Pakistan to unveil national budget today as it eyes sustainable growth
- Pakistan released pre-budget document a day earlier which said economy expected to grow 2.7 percent in outgoing fiscal year
- Budget comes as Pakistan undertakes efforts to navigate tricky path to economic recovery, guided by IMF-backed fiscal reforms
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s coalition government will unveil the national federal budget today, Tuesday, for the fiscal year till June 2026 with Islamabad eyeing sustainable economic growth and vowing to continue ahead with painful fiscal reforms to ensure that.
The budget comes a day after the government unveiled the annual Economic Survey, a pre-budget document assessing the economy’s trajectory over the past year, which said Pakistan’s economy is expected to grow 2.7 percent in the outgoing fiscal year, missing Islamabad’s 3.7 percent target.
The budget every year highlights the government’s plans to raise revenue, outlines its expenditures, states inflation and growth assumptions as well as allocations for several areas such as defense, education, health and other sectors of the economy.
“The Federal Budget for the next fiscal year will be presented in the National Assembly on Tuesday,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported, adding that the lower house of parliament will meet at 5:00 p.m. for the session.
“Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb will present the Federal Budget in the National Assembly and later he will lay a copy of the Finance Bill, 2025, containing the Annual Budget Statement before the Senate.”
The budget comes as Pakistan undertakes efforts to navigate a tricky path to economic recovery. The South Asian country, which came to the brink of a sovereign default in June 2023, has since then undertaken painful macroeconomic reforms that it credits for gains such as a low inflation rate, increasing investors’ confidence in the stock market and current account surpluses.
Pakistan has vowed to stay the course of long-term reforms, which include widening the tax net, taking steps to privatize loss-making state-owned assets, slashing subsidies and undertaking reforms in energy and other vital sectors.
An International Monetary Fund (IMF) team concluded its visit to Pakistan last month after discussions with authorities regarding the budget, broader economic policy and reforms under its ongoing $7 billion loan program for the country.
The IMF last month approved the first review of Pakistan’s loan program, unlocking a $1 billion payment. A fresh $1.4 billion loan was also approved under the IMF’s climate resilience fund. The IMF’s loan is vital for Pakistan which is trying to revive its debt-ridden economy.
In a televised news briefing on Monday afternoon while releasing the Economic Survey, Aurangzeb reaffirmed the government’s commitment to implementing IMF-backed structural reforms to transform the fundamentals of Pakistan’s economy.
“The DNA of Pakistan’s economy has to be fundamentally changed through tax and energy reforms that have started showing remarkable results,” he said.
According to the survey, Pakistan’s revenues rose sharply over the past year. It said tax collections increased by 26.3 percent to Rs9.3 trillion ($32.9 billion), while total revenues stood at Rs13.4 trillion ($47.5 billion). The primary surplus also improved to 3.0 percent from 1.5 percent.
Government expenditure during this period rose to Rs16.3 trillion ($58 billion), with current and development spending increasing by 18.3 percent and 33 percent, respectively. On the external front, Pakistan recorded a sharp turnaround in its current account, moving from a $1.3 billion deficit to a $1.9 billion surplus, driven by improved exports and record remittance inflows.
Pakistan Hajj Mission awarded for excellence as Saudi Arabia unveils 2026 pilgrimage policy
- Pakistan’s director general of Hajj says early release of Hajj policy will ensure timely preparations
- He calls the Excellence Award a recognition of the ‘outstanding performance’ of the Pakistan team
Songs of healing: Karachi’s blind musician uplifts young patients at kidney hospital
- For over two decades, Zainab Imran has used music to bring comfort to children battling chronic illnesses
- SITU is a highly regarded hospital for its urology and transplantation services, particularly kidney transplants
KARACHI: In the waiting area of the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT), soft music drifted through the corridors earlier this month.
Children began to gather, some sitting beside a woman at the keyboard, others nestled quietly in their parents’ laps.
The melodies bring calm, even joy, to an otherwise tense space filled with long waits to see doctors and the dread of the difficult treatments that follow.
At the heart of this daily ritual is Zainab Imran, a 44-year-old blind singer known among staff and patients as the “nightingale of SIUT.”
For more than 20 years, she has been performing for young patients at SIUT, a leading health care facility in Karachi, highly regarded for its urology and transplantation services, particularly kidney transplants.
“If these children find happiness through my singing, then nothing is greater than that,” Imran said as she prepared for another session of singing. “I cannot see, but I truly feel their pain, what they’re going through, how hard it must be. When they smile, even briefly, it brings me deep inner peace.”
Her journey with SIUT began in February 2004, when she met Javed Mir, a musician with polio who hosted children’s music programs on national television.
“He used to sit with me and sing for the children. He encouraged me and taught me so much,” she recalled.
During her first performance at SIUT’s children’s ward around two decades, Imran played national songs on a keyboard.
The response was overwhelming — clapping, smiles, and laughter filled the room. But behind the joy, there was also visible pain.
“Many children were crying, they were in such pain,” she said.
Her mother, who had accompanied her to the hospital, gently urged her to continue and to be strong for the children who needed her.
Imran also credits the support of SIUT founder Professor Dr. Adib ul Hasan Rizvi as a defining moment.
“He placed his hand on my head and said, ‘You are our daughter, and you can do anything.’ That gave me strength.”
Imran has since become a beloved fixture at SIUT. To her, music is not just art, it is also medicine.
“It’s often said that music is food for the soul,” she said with a smile. “If you’re upset or sad, even humming a tune can help you feel better. That’s exactly how I see music as well.”
“NEVER LOSE HEART”
Founded in 1974 as a 12-bed ward within a public hospital, SIUT has grown into a 2000-bed hospital with multiple units. In 2024 alone, it treated 4.2 million patients, including over 600,000 outpatient visits and more than 500,000 dialysis sessions.
Professor Dr. Ali Asghar Lanewala, head of the Pediatric Nephrology Department, said the facility’s outpatient pediatric clinic saw 300 to 400 children on each of its four weekly working days, with families often waiting three to four hours to see a doctor.
“Her very melodious voice creates a vibrant atmosphere, and she engages the children by singing familiar songs with them,” he told Arab News. “This way, the long three to four-hour waiting period becomes a bit easier for the children.”
Imran hopes she can carry on singing for as long as life allows her.
“Never lose heart. Insha’Allah, everything will be fine,” she told the children as she started to tap the keys of her keyboard.
“Children must stay brave and strong, and keep reminding themselves, ‘No, I have to get better’.”
Pakistan expects 2.7% economic growth in FY25 amid weak farm and industrial outlook
- Current account swings to $1.9 billion surplus after record remittance inflows and stronger exports
- Some analysts expect industrial and services sectors to post decent growth due to lower interest rates
KARACHI: Pakistan’s economy is expected to grow 2.7 percent in the outgoing fiscal year, missing the government’s 3.7 percent target due to what analysts called weaker-than-expected performance in the agriculture and industrial sectors, as Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb unveiled the annual Economic Survey on Monday.
The survey, released ahead of the national budget on June 10, serves as a pre-budget document assessing the economy’s trajectory over the past year.
It outlines key indicators and policy challenges facing the country, which remains under an International Monetary Fund (IMF) program and is navigating a fragile recovery after a prolonged financial crisis.
“This has been a gradual recovery,” Aurangzeb told a televised news briefing in Islamabad, adding that the country’s economic performance must be viewed in the larger global context.
The finance minister said after contracting by 0.2 percent in FY23, Pakistan’s economy grew 2.5 percent last year and is expected to expand slightly to 2.7 percent in the outgoing year.
“We plan to stay the course to ensure that we remain on the sustainable growth trajectory,” he added.
Aurangzeb reaffirmed the government’s commitment to implementing IMF-backed structural reforms to transform the fundamentals of Pakistan’s economy.
“The DNA of Pakistan’s economy has to be fundamentally changed through tax and energy reforms that have started showing remarkable results,” he said.
The minister maintained staying in the IMF program would help Pakistan bring permanence to its hard-earned macroeconomic stability and reduce its economic vulnerability.
“Implementing a 37-month, US$7 billion IMF Extended Fund Facility (IMFEFF) has bolstered policy credibility and provided essential financial support to promote inclusive and reform-driven growth,” the Economic Survey also proclaimed.
Analysts said Pakistan targeted 3.7 percent economic growth for the outgoing fiscal year but was forced to revise it to 2.7 percent last month due to underperformance in the agriculture sector.
“The government did fall short of its 3.7 percent GDP growth target for FY25 and primarily it was due to a major setback in the agriculture sector,” said Sana Tawfik, head of research at Arif Habib Limited.
“The agriculture sector posted a growth of just 0.6 percent so the situation was especially concerning in major crops,” she added.
According to the survey, the agriculture sector is expected to grow by 0.56 percent, while the industrial and services sectors are likely to expand by 4.77 percent and 2.91 percent, respectively.
Meanwhile, inflation has eased significantly, giving room for monetary easing.
Aurangzeb called the inflation trend a “fantastic story” for Pakistan, with the pace of price hikes slowing to a record low of 0.3 percent in April. Inflation is expected to settle at 4.3 percent in the outgoing financial year.
The State Bank of Pakistan also cut its benchmark interest rate by over 1,000 basis points to 11 percent in FY25, with more easing likely ahead.
“This is the domain of the State Bank and the monetary policy committee so I don’t want to comment on that,” Aurangzeb said. “But I do expect where our core inflation is, where headline inflation is, there is room to do more.”
On the fiscal side, the survey showed that the government managed to contain the deficit at 2.6 percent of GDP for July-March, compared with 3.7 percent during the same period a year ago.
Revenues rose sharply, with tax collections increasing by 26.3 percent to Rs9.3 trillion ($32.9 billion), while total revenues stood at Rs13.4 trillion ($47.5 billion). Primary surplus also improved to 3.0 percent from 1.5 percent.
Government expenditure during this period rose to Rs16.3 trillion ($58 billion), with current and development spending increasing by 18.3 percent and 33 percent, respectively.
On the external front, Pakistan recorded a sharp turnaround in its current account, moving from a $1.3 billion deficit to a $1.9 billion surplus, driven by improved exports and record remittance inflows.
“The industry also struggled. If you look at the manufacturing sub-sector so LSM [large scale manufacturing] remained in the negative territory,” said Tawfik, noting that weak domestic demand, high inflation and elevated interest rates had weighed on performance.
“In short both demand and supply side factors combined dragged down the overall growth across key sectors of the economy,” she continued.
Aurangzeb said the government was working to further reduce energy costs for local investors.
“On the energy side, as I said one-third of the tariffs, seven rupee is not a small amount and Mr. Leghari [power minister] is working on it day in and day out,” he said.
Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal last week said the government was targeting 4.2 percent growth in the next fiscal year starting July. Aurangzeb echoed this target, noting that growth would be driven by a rebound in agriculture and industry.
“This target would be achieved through growth in industries and agriculture that are expected to rebound on the back of government’s favorable financial, tax and energy policies,” he said.
Pakistan’s multilateral and bilateral partners, including the IMF, World Bank, China, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, remain supportive of the country’s reform path.
“With respect to the Fund and multilateral partners I’ve already mentioned we are in a good place with them both in terms of the mission and the senior management of the Fund,” Aurangzeb said. “The monetary institutions and our bilateral partners are standing by us as we move forward.”
Shankar Talreja, an economist and director at Topline Research Ltd., expressed optimism about the outlook.
“There will be some natural rebound in important crops under the agriculture segment,” he said. “Similarly, due to lower interest rates, industrial and services sectors will also post decent growth.”
