Young man sets up portable sinks to keep Badin safe from coronavirus

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Updated 27 March 2020
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Young man sets up portable sinks to keep Badin safe from coronavirus

  • Odhejo is raising awareness about social distancing rules, has set up sinks and sanitising stations around the city of 400,000
  • Pakistan’s southern Sindh province has reported more than 400 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus so far

KARACHI: Badin city in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province, which has reported more than 400 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, is so far safe from the epidemic — and one local man has resolved to ensure that his city’s tally remains at zero.
Abdul Karim Odhejo, a student who heads the Badin Youth Organization and has been raising awareness about social distancing rules since the virus first broke out in Pakistan last month, has set up two mobile sanitizing stations, with sinks and hand sanitizers, in Badin, a city of 400,000. The sinks can be found at Qazia Wah and DHQ Hospital in the city.
“Our small city of Badin has remained safe from the virus until now and we want it to stay that way,” Odhejo told Arab News on Thursday
“We decided to build washbasins and place hand sanitizers at a couple of places in our city to help people stay clean and safe,” said Odhejo who turned to websites like Google and YouTube to learn how to make the portable sinks.
After producing a few sinks, Odhejo requested people on Twitter for help, wanting to expand the initiative to Karachi and Sukkur, Sindh’s worst-hit cities.

“If we get requisite help and material, we can make hundreds of such washbasins for people to wash their hands, keep themselves clean, and give awareness to others,” Odhejo said. “We are facing the worst challenge … But if we wash our hands and maintain distance from others we may stop this dangerous virus from spreading further.
Another country that has officially followed this route is Rwanda, which is guarding against the spread of coronavirus by flooding its capital with portable sinks at bus stops, restaurants, banks and shops across the capital Kigali. Rwanda has not recorded any cases of the virus so far
Health experts say the coronavirus spreads primarily through tiny droplets coughed or sneezed from an infected person and then inhaled by another. Vigilant hygiene can prevent transmission, they say.
On its website, the US Centers for Disease Control lists frequent hand-washing for at least 20 seconds and disinfection of surfaces with an alcohol-based cleaner as methods of prevention. Scientists have yet to develop a vaccine to prevent the disease.
The number of confirmed cases in Pakistan has soared to more than 1,000 this week, largely driven by a wave of pilgrims returning from Iran who Pakistani authorities said were inadequately tested and improperly isolated. At least eight people have died from the disease in Pakistan in the past week.
Thousands of people now need to undergo the slow process of retesting, and authorities fear the number of cases could surge in coming days. A near lockdown is being observed across the country and public officials have issued various advisories about social distancing and hand-washing.


State Minister Saqib, Trump aide discuss Pakistan plans to become regional Web3 innovation hub

Updated 8 sec ago
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State Minister Saqib, Trump aide discuss Pakistan plans to become regional Web3 innovation hub

  • Web3 is a decentralized Internet built on blockchain, giving users control over data, identity and assets
  • The move follows landmark trade deal between Pakistan and United States, which includes reduced tariffs

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s State Minister for Crypto and Blockchain Bilal bin Saqib has met with Bo Hines, President Donald Trump’s adviser on digital assets, and discussed with him Pakistan’s plans to become a regional Web3 innovation hub, the Pakistani finance ministry said on Friday, amid efforts by both countries to cooperate on crypto policy and legislation.

Web3 is a decentralized Internet built on blockchain, giving users control over their data, identity and digital assets by using peer-to-peer networks, smart contracts and cryptocurrencies to enable intermediary-free interactions. It supports decentralized apps like NFTs and DAOs to promote transparency and user ownership unlike Web2 which is dominated by platforms like Google and Facebook.

The move follows a landmark trade deal between Pakistan and the US, which includes reduced tariffs and a new partnership to develop Pakistan’s oil reserves, and the Pakistani ministry said the developments were discussed during Saqib’s meeting with Hines, executive director of Trump’s Council of Advisers on Digital Assets.

“The discussion centered on the global coordination of crypto policy and Pakistan’s ambitious plans to become a regional hub for Web3 innovation,” the Pakistani finance ministry said. “The alignment sends a strong signal: Pakistan and the US are no longer just trading partners. They are exploring now on how they can collaborate on crypto legislation.”

The meeting took place a day after the US unveiled its Digital Asset Framework, a blueprint for global regulation of digital assets.

Saqib and Hines also met in June at the White House to discuss aligning strategies on decentralized technology, fostering regulatory harmony and promoting innovation for youth engagement and financial inclusion.

While cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin are not officially regulated in Pakistan, they are not banned and the State Bank of Pakistan has not authorized any entity to trade or invest in digital assets.

In March, Islamabad launched the Pakistan Crypto Council (PCC) to develop a legal framework for cryptocurrency trading and attract global investment, with Binance co-founder and former CEO Changpeng Zhao appointed the PCC’s strategic adviser.

Pakistan introduced in April its first-ever policy framework to regulate virtual assets and service providers, aligning with compliance and financial integrity guidelines of the global Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

The country’s digital asset strategy includes allocating 2,000 megawatts of surplus power for Bitcoin mining and AI data zones to convert unused energy into economic growth, jobs and digital infrastructure.


Pakistani auto part makers fear plant closures as IMF-backed reforms take effect this month

Updated 19 min 35 sec ago
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Pakistani auto part makers fear plant closures as IMF-backed reforms take effect this month

  • The development comes as Pakistan moves to allow import of used cars, slash tariffs in compliance with conditions under a $7 billion IMF loan program
  • Members of the Pakistan Association of Automotive Parts and Accessories Manufacturers say new policy will burden local manufacturers, seek a review

KARACHI: Pakistani automobile part makers fear closure of their manufacturing plants as the country moves to allow used car imports and slash tariffs to 15 percent later this month as part of reforms backed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), a Pakistan Association of Automotive Parts & Accessories Manufacturers (PAAPAM) member said on Thursday.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government aims to expand Pakistan’s debt-ridden economy by 4.2 percent this fiscal year, which began in July, with the support of the IMF that has set out certain conditions for the South Asian nation to keep receiving tranches of its $7 billion loan that are critical for the country’s economic recovery.

Aamir Allawala, a leading PAAPAM member and a former chairman, said the IMF-backed policy measures, if implemented in their current form and without taking Pakistan’s “ground realities” into consideration, may shut 1,200 companies that have been manufacturing and supplying steel, plastic, rubber, copper, aluminum and auxiliary parts to 13 car assemblers, including local partners of Toyota, Honda, Suzuki, Hyundai, Kia Motors and Changan.

“There are some major decisions that the government has made which includes opening the import of used cars without any [vehicle] age limit,” Allawala, the CEO of Techno Auto Glass Ltd. that supplies windshields, window glass and other auto parts to Suzuki, Honda and Toyota, told reporters in Karachi on Thursday.

“Under the National Tariffs Policy, the [import] duties will be cut and that would change the automobile industry in a very strange manner,” he said, adding the new policy is expected to take effect by the end of August.

Arab News tried reaching out to Pakistani commerce ministry spokesperson Muhammad Ashraf, but he was not immediately available for a comment.

Liberalizing trade is one of the conditions set out by the IMF to help Islamabad achieve 4.2 percent economic growth.

“The new National Tariff Policy (FY25–30) should substantially streamline and reduce tariffs [customs and regulatory duties] and reduce non-tariff barriers and move away from the regime of special duties applied to imports for particular industries,” the Washington-based lender said in its country report in May.

“Trade barriers are particularly extensive in the automotive sector, and the next iteration of the automobile policy [covering fiscal years 26–31], on which consultations are still ongoing, should reduce tariffs and preferential support for local production.”

Allawala said his manufacturing plant, worth Rs4.3 billion ($15.2 million), at the Port Qasim industrial complex was running at 20 percent capacity and manufacturing 10,000 glasses a month, mainly because of what the company’s chief operating officer Arsalan Allawala called a “lack of demand.”

Besides the Techno glass manufacturing hub, Arab News visited similar facilities of Aisha Steel Mills, Agriauto Stamping Company, Rubatech Manufacturing Company, Jin Kwang Jaz and Thal Boshuku Pakistan.

While raw material manufacturer Aisha Steel Mills was hardly running its Rs22 billion ($78 million) plant, most of the other vendors were producing stamping, rubber, car seats and other accessories below capacity.

“We can produce sets for 54,000 cars a year but our current production stands at 18,000 sets due to lower demand,” said Muhammad Umer Razzaq, an official of Thal Boshuku that is a joint venture between Thal and Toyota Boshuku and Toyota Tsusho.

Faheem Kapadia, CEO of Agriauto Stamping, said while they had a capacity to supply four-wheeler auto parts for about 300,000 car units annually, his factory was catering to 130,000 vehicles only.

In recent years, Pakistan has faced high inflation, which peaked to a record 38 percent in May 2023, eroding purchasing power of the masses. Though the inflation rate has significantly declined, the World Bank last month said 45 percent of Pakistanis were now living below poverty line.

Pakistan’s car sales have dropped by more than 50 percent to 111,402 units over the last three years till June, according to the Pakistan Automotive Manufacturers Association (PAMA) data.

“The economy’s mismanagement, the kind of conditions we have, terrorism, political instability, the economic crash that happened twice, thrice resulted into the reduction of car volumes,” Allawala told Arab News, adding that up to 45 percent taxes on buying a new car can be another reason for low sales.

“It is a source of worry for us because the auto parts industry has invested billions of rupees, in fact hundreds of billions of rupees, in the auto parts manufacturing sector and there are a lot of jobs at stake.”

The government needed to be “cognizant of the policy direction to make sure that such job losses in the sector are avoided,” he said, adding that PAAPAM directly employs 500,000 skilled workers while workers associated with Pakistan’s overall automobile industry can be estimated at 2.5 million.

Sharif approved in May a “gradual but significant” reduction in Pakistan’s import tariffs that would see general customs duties capped at 15 percent, compared to current rates that sometimes exceed 100 percent.

“No car-manufacturing country in the world has allowed the import of used cars. They have a total control over the used cars’ import be that India, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, China or any other country which has its own automobile industry,” Allawala said.

India was maintaining 125 percent tariffs on car imports, Thailand 80 percent, Indonesia 60 percent and Vietnam 52 percent to protect their respective industries, according to the auto part maker.

“Pakistan is saying we are slashing the import duty to 15 percent,” Allawala exclaimed, saying PAAPAM had written a letter to the commerce ministry seeking a fact-finding mission to “see the ground reality.”

“We wrote them about three, four days ago. They have not responded yet.”


Iranian president to arrive in Pakistan tomorrow on state visit to discuss ties

Updated 56 min 49 sec ago
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Iranian president to arrive in Pakistan tomorrow on state visit to discuss ties

  • Pakistan and Iran enjoy close ties and have signed several pacts, but the two neighbors have also been at odds over instability along their shared border
  • Their ties warmed up after Islamabad voiced support for Tehran during the 12-day Israel-Iran war that began after Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear sites

ISLAMABAD: Iranian President Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian will arrive in Pakistan tomorrow on a one-day state visit to discuss bilateral relations, the Pakistani foreign office said on Friday.

Pakistan and Iran enjoy close ties and have signed several pacts in trade, energy and security in recent years. However, the two countries have also been at odds over instability along their shared porous border but have always been quick in moving to ease tensions each time.

In May, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi visited Pakistan at a time of heightened tensions between Pakistan and India over an attack in the disputed Kashmir region. His visit was followed by another by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to Iran, where he had met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

This would be Pezeshkian’s first official visit to Pakistan as the Iranian president, according to the Pakistani foreign office. He will be accompanied by a high-level delegation, including FM Araghchi, senior ministers and other high-ranking officials.

“During his stay, President Pezeshkian will meet with the President of Pakistan, H.E. Asif Ali Zardari, and hold delegation-level talks with Prime Minister of Pakistan, H.E. Shehbaz Sharif,” the foreign office said. 

Despite several agreements between them, tensions surged between Pakistan and Iran in January last year when both countries exchanged rare, tit-for-tat airstrikes on what they said were militant hideouts on each other’s soil.

Late Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi had later traveled to Pakistan on a three-day visit in April to de-escalate tensions and strengthen bilateral relations. The two sides had also signed memorandums of understanding in the fields of trade, science technology, agriculture, health, culture, and judicial matters.

The ties, which initially witnessed a thaw during FM Araghchi’s visit to Pakistan, further warmed up after Islamabad voiced its support of Tehran during the 12-day Israel-Iran war that began after Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.

Pakistan remained engaged in talks with regional partners like Saudi Arabia, Iran, China and Qatar to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East after Iran conducted retaliatory strikes on Israel and a US base in Qatar, raising fears the conflict could draw in other regional states.

“The visit [by Iranian president] is expected to further strengthen the brotherly relations between Pakistan and Iran,” the Pakistani foreign office said.


Authorities declare 37 GB villages ‘calamity-affected’ as Pakistan monsoon death toll nears 300

Updated 01 August 2025
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Authorities declare 37 GB villages ‘calamity-affected’ as Pakistan monsoon death toll nears 300

  • Torrential rains have continued to wreak havoc across Pakistan since June 26
  • Gilgit-Baltistan disaster authorities say initial assessment of losses underway

ISLAMABAD: Authorities have declared 37 villages in Pakistan’s northern Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) region “calamity-affected” after cloud burst-induced floods in the region, with the nationwide monsoon death toll nearing 300.

Torrential rains have continued to wreak havoc across Pakistan since June 26, claiming 295 lives, according to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). The deceased include 138 children, while the NDMA said 700 people have also been injured.

In GB, Diamer, Skardu, Gilgit and Ghizer were among the districts worst hit by rains and floods this week, with human, livestock, property, infrastructure and crop losses. The situation has prompted authorities to launch immediate relief activities in these areas.

“Khalti upwards road is submerged due to flood,” the National Disaster Management Authority said. “Flash flood/cloudburst incident occurred in Ishkoman Ghizer, 100+ families were preemptively relocated to neighboring villages as a precautionary measure.”

It said an initial assessment of losses was underway.

More rains with isolated heavy falls are expected in Gujranwala, Lahore, Sahiwal, Multan, DG Khan and Bahawalpur divisions, according to the NDMA. Isolated thunderstorms could also hit Islamabad and northeast Balochistan as well as Rawalpindi, Sargodha and Faisalabad divisions.

Pakistan, which ranks among the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations, has witnessed increasingly erratic weather events in recent years.

In May, at least 32 people were killed in severe storms, while a third of the country was submerged by devastating floods in 2022 that killed more than 1,700 people, affected over 30 million and caused an estimated $35 billion in damages.


Pakistan to get first US oil shipment as Cnergyico seals import deal

Updated 01 August 2025
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Pakistan to get first US oil shipment as Cnergyico seals import deal

  • This marks the South Asian country’s first-ever purchase of US crude following a landmark trade deal
  • Oil is Pakistan’s biggest import item with shipments valued at $11.3 billion in the year that ended June 30

KARACHI/SINGAPORE: Pakistan’s largest refiner Cnergyico will import 1 million barrels of oil from Vitol in October, its Vice Chairman Usama Qureshi told Reuters on Friday, marking the country’s first-ever purchase of US crude following a landmark trade deal.

The West Texas Intermediate light crude cargo will be loaded from Houston this month and is expected to arrive in Karachi in the second half of October, Qureshi said.

“This is a test spot cargo under our umbrella term agreement with Vitol. If it is commercially viable and available, we could import at least one cargo per month,” he said, adding that the shipment was not meant for resale.

The deal follows months of multiple negotiations which first began in April, he said, after US President Donald Trump threatened to impose 29 percent tariffs on imports from Pakistan.

Qureshi said Pakistan’s finance and petroleum ministries encouraged local refineries to explore US crude imports after the April tariff announcement.

Vitol did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent outside of office hours.

On Thursday, Pakistan hailed a trade deal struck with the US, its top export market, and said the agreement would increase investments. The White House said on Thursday the US will charge a 19 percent tariff on imports from Pakistan.

A key China ally, Pakistan has been warming up to Trump after he threatened tariffs. It has credited US diplomatic intervention for ending recent hostilities with neighboring India and nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Oil is Pakistan’s biggest import item and its shipments were valued at $11.3 billion in the year ended June 30, 2025, accounting for nearly a fifth of the country’s total import bill.

The import deal will help Pakistan diversify its crude sourcing and reduce reliance on Middle Eastern suppliers, who account for nearly all of its oil imports.

“Gross refining margin is on par with Gulf grades, and no blending or refinery tweaks are required,” Qureshi said.

Cnergyico can process 156,000 barrels of crude per day and operates the country’s only single-point mooring terminal near Karachi, enabling it to handle large tankers unlike other refiners in Pakistan.

The company plans to install a second offshore terminal to allow larger or more frequent shipments, and to upgrade its refinery over the next five to six years, Qureshi said.

The refiner, which has been operating at an average refinery run rate of 30 percent to 35 percent due to tepid local demand, is betting on growth in demand for oil products.

“We expect run rates to rise as domestic demand strengthens and local production is prioritized over imported fuels,” Qureshi said.

Trump said on Wednesday the US would also cooperate with Pakistan to develop the South Asian country’s “massive oil reserves,” without providing further details.