Pakistan’s Haider Ali wins bronze at Paris Paralympics discus throw
Pakistan’s Haider Ali wins bronze at Paris Paralympics discus throw/node/2570350/pakistan
Pakistan’s Haider Ali wins bronze at Paris Paralympics discus throw
Pakistan's Ali Haider celebrates after winning the bronze medal in the Men's Discus Throw - F37 during the 2024 Paralympics, in Paris, France, on Sept. 6, 2024. (AP)
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday congratulated Haider Ali for winning bronze at the Men’s Discus Throw event at Paris Paralympics 2024, describing him as an “inspiration for the entire nation.”
Ali won the bronze medal with a 52.54-meter throw, clinching his fourth Paralympic medal. Uzbekistan’s Tolibboy Yuldashev won gold with a massive 57.28m throw, setting a personal best on his sixth attempt.
Ali led the field in the first attempt with a solid 52.28-meter throw, but was overtaken by Canada’s Jesse Zesseu, who won silver, with a 52.81m throw in the third round.
In his post on X, Pakistan PM Sharif said his country was celebrating Ali’s performance at the Paris Paralympics.
“Congratulations Haider Ali @HaiderAthlete on winning the Bronze medal at the Paris #Paralympics 2024,” the prime minister said. “Your courage and determination are a source of inspiration for the entire nation. Wishing you the very best!“
The development comes weeks after Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem made history at the Paris Olympics by setting a new record for the longest javelin throw and winning a gold medal for his country.
His record-breaking 92.97m javelin throw in Paris earned Pakistan its first Olympic medal since the 1992 Barcelona Games and first gold medal since the 1984 Los Angeles Games.
KARACHI: Pakistan Customs has foiled an attempt to smuggle donkey hides, worth around Rs80 million ($283,862), to China, a customs spokesperson said on Friday.
The staff deployed on the Risk Management Profiling System of the Karachi customs collectorate detected a container number SEGU-3154225 cleared from the South Asia Pakistan Port (SAPT) terminal in Karachi, whose export documents showed 285 packages of leather products were being sent to China by Messrs. Wow Trading.
The container was allowed to be loaded on a ship after the export collectorate issued a permit, but customs authorities conducted a detailed inspection after being informed by the Anti-Smuggling Organization (ASO) staff and found the prohibited donkey hides in the container.
“[The inspection] resulted in the recovery of 14,000 kilograms of prohibited donkey hides, declared under the guise of leather products, in the container, the export of which is prohibited under the export policy of the Government of Pakistan,” Irfan Ali, a customs spokesperson, said in a statement.
“A case has been registered against the exporter under the relevant provisions of the Customs Act. Further investigation is underway.”
Pakistan is frequently listed as one of the countries with the highest number of donkey populations worldwide, with Islamabad reporting its donkey population had increased to 5.9 million during the fiscal year 2023-24 from 5.5 million in 2019-2020, according to the Pakistan Economic Survey (PES) 2023-24.
The animal’s meat and hides are quite popular in China. Gelatin derived from donkey hides is highly sought after in China for its use in Ejiao, a traditional medicinal remedy. Several Chinese eateries sell donkey meat and burgers for consumption.
The seizure of donkey hides comes amid a Pakistani government crackdown on smuggling of various goods.
“Karachi Customs Enforcement Collector Moinuddin Wani appreciated and praised the performance of the officers and staff of the enforcement collectorate for this successful operation,” Ali added.
Threat of war with India empties scenic Pakistani valley of summer tourists
Gunmen last week killed 26 people in the Indian-administered Kashmir’s resort town of Pahalgam
The attack has fueled tensions after India blamed Pakistan for the attack, Islamabad denies charge
Updated 02 May 2025
AP
MUZAFFARABAD: Neelum Valley in northern Pakistan attracts some 300,000 tourists each summer who marvel at its natural beauty. But the threat of war with nearby India has emptied its hotels.
Gunmen last week killed 26 people in the Indian-administered Kashmir’s resort town of Pahalgam, fueling tensions between the nuclear-armed nations after India blamed Pakistan for the attack, a charge Pakistan denies.
Neelum Valley is less than 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) from the Line of Control, the de facto border that divides the disputed region of Kashmir, making it vulnerable to any military activity.
Hotel owner Rafaqat Hussain said Thursday the crisis has hit the tourism industry hard.
“Most tourists have left and returned to their cities because there is a risk of war,” he said.
Authorities in the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir temporarily shuttered dozens of tourist resorts following the attack as a precaution.
No such order has come from Pakistani authorities. Bazaars in the Pakistani border town of Chakothi were open for business, although people were concerned.
“First of all, our prayer is for peace, as war always affects civilians first,” shop owner Bashir Mughal told The Associated Press, saying he would fight alongside the army in the event of conflict.
Pakistan used to help residents build bunkers near their homes during periods of intense cross-border firing. But the population has grown and some homes lack shelters.
“Local casualties could be devastating if war breaks out,” Mughal warned.
Saiqa Naseer, also from Chakothi, shuddered at the childhood memories of frequent firing across the border.
“Now, as a mother, I find myself facing the same fears,” she said.
She remembered Indian shells striking the picturesque valley when the two countries came close to war in 2019. She has a bunker at her home.
“If war comes, we will stay here. We won’t run away,” she said.
Rising Jhelum River threatens people in Azad Kashmir
The development comes after India’s suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, cutting off vital flood data
Locals face growing uncertainty and increased risk, say they received no prior notification of water release
Updated 02 May 2025
Reuters
MUZAFFARABAD, Azad Kashmir: Rising water levels along the Jhelum River in Muzaffarabad in Azad Kashmir have caused concern for thousands of residents living downstream.
With India releasing more water than usual into the river and the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty cutting off vital flood data, locals face growing uncertainty and increased risk.
Along the riverbank, 72-year-old Rafiq Hussain and his family of six have been watching floodwaters creep within meters of their home.
“When India released the water, the river rose by eight to ten feet. There’s a lot of fear and uncertainty, especially after hearing reports that more water could be released without any warning,” he said.
Hussain, a farmer and father of four, said they received no prior notification of the water release. He estimates that over ten thousand people residing in about one thousand homes along the riverbank are directly exposed to the flood risk.
The 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, once a rare symbol of cooperation, is now in question. India claims sovereignty over water use, while Pakistan warns of weaponization of a shared resource.
“Well there are bilateral agreements between India and Pakistan, but this Indus Waters Treaty is trilateral. It’s not between only India and Pakistan, but the World Bank is there. And as far as the articles of that agreement is concerned, that no one, either India or Pakistan, can walk away from this. They have to agree mutually if they want to scrap this agreement,” said Raja Muhammad Farooq Haider Khan, former prime minister of Azad Kashmir, a region administered by Pakistan as a nominally self-governing entity in the western portion of the larger, disputed Kashmir region.
For families like Hussain’s, this is no longer just about diplomacy — it’s about survival.
“I cross the river to fish and sell it locally, just enough to get by. Last week, I set my nets, but two days later, a sudden ten-foot surge of water hit. By the time I returned, the nets were gone. I suffered heavy losses,” said Hameed Hussain, Rafiq’s son.
Tensions between India and Pakistan in Kashmir have increased since an attack last week on tourists in Indian-controlled Kashmir that killed at least 26 people, mostly Indian visitors to the region. India has blamed Pakistan for supporting the attack, a charge which Pakistan vigorously denies.
Sindh governor to fund treatment of Pakistani teen separated from Indian mother after Arab News coverage
Muhammad Ayan, paralyzed after a spine injury in 2023, was under treatment at New Delhi’s Apollo Hospital, when he and his family were forced to leave India
The development came after Pakistan, India asked each other’s nationals to leave following a deadly attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 tourists
KARACHI: Kamran Tessori, the governor of Pakistan’s southern Sindh province, has taken notice of an ailing Pakistani teenager who was separated from his Indian mother as tensions rose between the two neighboring countries, Tessori’s office said on Thursday, after Arab News published a story about the 17-year-old.
Relations between the nuclear-armed neighbors have plummeted after India accused Pakistan of backing an attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir’s Pahalgam that killed 26 people on April 22. Islamabad has rejected the charge. Both countries have since exchanged gunfire in Kashmir, taken diplomatic measures against each other, expelled citizens and ordered the border shut, leaving many in limbo.
Muhammad Ayan, paralyzed after he suffered a gunshot wound to his spine during a gunfight between police and street criminals in Karachi in 2023, was under treatment at New Delhi’s Apollo Hospital, when he and his family were forced to leave India, following the Kashmir attack. Ayan’s mother, Nabeela, who is an Indian national, could not travel with them.
Arab News this week published a story on the 17-year-old teenager who had to return to the southern Pakistani city of Karachi along with his father, Muhammad Imran, and siblings after being separated from his mother, prompting Governor Tessori to take notice of Ayan’s tragedy.
“I will pay all the expenses of the treatment of the disabled child,” Tessori was quoted as saying by his office.
Ayan narrated to Arab News how he got separated from his mother amid tears and sobs.
“She was separated from us while crying and we also came here with great difficulty, crying,” an emotional Ayan said.
Ayan’s father, Imran, had married his maternal cousin, Nabeela, a resident of New Delhi, 18 years ago. Since then, Nabeela had been living in Pakistan on a visa that was intermittently renewed without her ever needing to acquire Pakistan’s nationality.
But the suspension of visas meant Imran and his Pakistani children’s 45-day medical visa was no longer valid. And Nabeela was eventually left behind in India.
The April 22 assault occurred as tourists enjoyed tranquil mountain views at the popular site of Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir, when gunmen burst out of forests and raked crowds with automatic weapons.
Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since their independence in 1947, with both claiming the territory in full but governing separate portions of it. Both countries have two of their three wars over the disputed territory.
Separatist groups have waged an insurgency in Indian-controlled Kashmir since 1989, demanding independence or a merger with Pakistan. New Delhi accuses Pakistan of backing the militants, Islamabad denies it and says it only supports Kashmiris diplomatically and politically.
Imran said he went to India after spending “every single rupee” with the hope that his son would walk again. However, bilateral tensions between India and Pakistan, and the ensuing atmosphere in India made his family “very scared.”
“I told them, ‘I am married [to her],’ I pleaded with them, cried, and showed a lot of humility,” Imran said about his interaction with Indian authorities.
“But they said, ‘No, write an exit and leave.’“
For Ayan, the shock of being separated from his mother compounded the trauma of his paralysis and incomplete treatment.
“I went for treatment with a hope but that hope shattered because of that accident and then the fact that my mother was not coming with us,” he said.
“I was completely separated from a mother’s love. We were far apart; it made me cry.”
In his statement, Governor Tessori said Pakistanis are a proud nation and know how to share each other’s pain.
“If India has descended into hostility toward humanity, I will get him treated,” he said.
SWAT: Along the banks of the Swat River in northwest Pakistan, dozens of men spend their days hunched over sieves, washing mud and stones in the hope of discovering a fragment of green that could transform their lives.
Among them is 55-year-old Javeed Khan from Buner, who has spent the past six years buying sacks of debris from contractors operating near the region’s famed emerald mines, which he and others then sift through in search of gemstone particles.
The picturesque Swat valley is known internationally for producing high-quality emeralds, with reserves of approximately 70 million carats, prized for their deep color and clarity — though few of the men searching here have ever held one in their hands.
Armed with little more than a wooden sieve, a small knife and a can of water, the prospectors pour river water over sacks of stone and sand, rubbing and inspecting the contents under the sun.
“In the past, [these sacks] used to be cheap and had more particles,” said Khan as he scrubbed away at a fresh batch. “Now, it needs good fortune. Some are lucky enough to find [emeralds], and some poor go home empty-handed.”
Men sift sand alongside Swat river in search of rare emerald in Swat, Pakistan on April 27, 2025. (AN Photo)
The sacks of debris, leftovers from mining operations, are sold for anywhere between Rs100 ($0.36) and Rs2,000 ($7.12), depending on how promising the contents look.
For most people, it’s a gamble that doesn’t pay off.
“I have not found something of a hefty amount,” said Khan. “The most I ever made [in a single day] was around Rs30,000 [$107] to Rs40,000 [$142].”
Even that kind of meagre luck comes once in a while, he added. Some prospectors made a modest living. Others lost everything.
Muhammad Ali, 50, from Miandam, has been trying his luck for six months but was now finally walking away from this work.
“I haven’t found a single thing to this day,” said Ali, who recently sold his livestock to fund his search for emerald fragments. “This is my last day at this work. I am giving up.”
The desire to chase emeralds was like throwing one’s money into the famed Swat River, he added.
A man holds uncut emerald found in sand for a picture taken on 27 April, 2025, in Swat, Pakistan. (AN Photo)
At the other end of the trade are contractors like Noor-ur-Rahman, 33, from Shangla, who manages a mine near Mingora city, a main town in Swat.
“The workers come and see the debris,” he said. “If they find any signs of emeralds, like green particles or color in the sand, they buy it. Some [contractors] sell the debris cheap, and some sell it expensive. When we give a sack at Rs100, we call that a doubtful one.”
The business of emerald picking has grown beyond the riverbank, with Qaisar Sultan, president of the Swat Gemstones Merchants Association, estimating that thousands of people were now involved in the work of cleaning and sorting mine debris.
“The debris is also taken by women and children to homes,” he said, “where they clean it and try to collect emeralds.”