ISLAMABAD: Jamshed Iqbal, 52, was denied a COVID-19 vaccine jab in Karachi last Sunday because he does not own a national ID card and thus could not send a text message to 1166 and register himself for a government-run vaccination program that started in February.
Iqbal, an ethnic Urdu-speaking Bihari, is a daily wage laborer whose family moved to Pakistan in 1971 after Bangladesh became an independent state. To date, him and his two sons and daughters have been struggling to get Pakistani nationality so they can enjoy the benefits of citizenship. Their efforts have so far been in vain, and now they fear being left out of a national vaccination drive as Pakistan battles a third wave of the coronavirus pandemic.
Last week, authorities turned Iqbal away when he arrived at the Expo Center in the sprawling seaside metropolis of Karachi where he now lives to get a COVID-19 jab.
“I was told that I could not register for vaccination without an identity card,” he said. “I was turned away, and I can barely describe my agony in words.”
“We are stranded Pakistanis, and unfortunately we are citizens of nowhere,” Iqbal added. “Statelessness is nothing less than a curse.”
Many of his relatives in the city’s Bihar Colony, Iqbal said, got the coronavirus, but the government did not provide them proper medical facilities and was now depriving them of COVID-19 shots also.
According to Article 15 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, “everyone has the right to a nationality.” Nevertheless, statelessness remains a reality across the world.
While the exact numbers are not known, Pakistan’s leading association of doctors recently wrote a letter to the government about the plight of stateless people in Pakistan and suggested they were no fewer than three million in number.
Pakistan’s Ministry of National Health Services and Regulations said “every person currently in Pakistan” would get the COVID-19 vaccine by waiting for the immunization process to begin for people in their respective age brackets.
Rana Muhammad Safdar, director-general health at the ministry, said refugees or any other persons in Pakistan would have to prove their identity for vaccine eligibility.
“This can be done using any document from the UNHCR or any other organization that proves their identity as non-Pakistani residents of the country,” he told Arab News.
Safdar declined to comment when asked how individuals like Iqbal could register themselves through the official helpline that only recognized 16-digit computerized national identity card numbers issued to Pakistani citizens, or why some were being turned away directly approached vaccination centers with documents.
Meanwhile, refugees continue to suffer.
Another Bihari, Salman Mushtaq, a 47-year-old auto mechanic, too tried to get the privately imported Sputnik V vaccine for his parents and himself, though he knew it would cost him a fortune. But despite willing to pay thousands of rupees for the jabs, he was refused.
“The government should at least help us get private vaccines since it is our right to save our lives like other Pakistanis,” he told Arab News. “After all, we don’t have any other option since we are not eligible for the government [free] vaccine, since we are a group of stateless people.”
In September 2018, Prime Minister Imran Khan pledged citizenship for Bengali and Afghan refugees, a decision widely hailed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees agency, civil society groups and human rights organizations. However, that promise is yet to be fulfilled.
Much like the Bihari community, Afghan nationals too face the same challenge of vaccine inaccessibility.
“We cannot get such government facilities,” 65-year-old Wakeel Khan told Arab News when asked about COVID-19 vaccination.
The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) has urged the government to start a mobile vaccination program for stateless people.
“Majority of stateless people in Pakistan live in small settlements surrounded by densely populated neighborhoods in places like Karachi. The government can use a single-dose vaccine to immunize these communities,” Dr. Qaiser Sajjad, secretary-general of the PMA, told Arab News.
He said Pakistanis would continue to face the threat of the debilitating coronavirus disease “unless its three million stateless people” were also vaccinated.
“It is responsibility of the state to own them, vaccinate them and protect other communities too from the spread of the virus,” Sajjad said.
For Pakistan’s over three million stateless people, COVID-19 jabs out of reach
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For Pakistan’s over three million stateless people, COVID-19 jabs out of reach
- Pakistan Medical Association urges government to vaccinate stateless people with single-dose vaccine to stem coronavirus spread
- Senior health officials say all non-Pakistani residents eligible for COVID-19 jabs after proving their identity using relevant documents
Pakistan’s top military, political leaders call for national consensus, political unity amid militancy surge
- Country’s top civilian and military leaders assembled at Parliament House on Tuesday to discuss measures to curb militancy
- Meeting of Parliamentary Committee on National Security called after hijacking of train by separatists in Balochistan province
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Parliamentary Committee on National Security on Tuesday stressed the need for a national consensus to counter militancy, calling for a unified political stance to confront the threat with “full force of the state.”
The statement came after a meeting of Pakistan’s top civilian and military leaders at the Parliament House days after the hijacking of a passenger train by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) separatist group in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, holding hundreds of passengers hostage. The military launched an operation and, after a day-long standoff, rescued 354 captives and killed 33 insurgents. A final count showed 23 soldiers, three railway employees and five passengers had died in the attack.
Militant violence has persisted in the province following the incident, with three paramilitary soldiers among five people killed in a suicide attack in Balochistan’s Nushki district on Sunday. The escalation in attacks prompted National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq to convene a session of the parliamentary committee on Tuesday at Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s advice.
Tuesday’s meeting at the Parliament House was attended by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, members of the parliamentary committee, political leaders, Army Chief General Asim Munir, federal ministers and senior intelligence officials. The military leadership and intelligence officials briefed the participants on the security situation, while political leaders expressed their views on how to deal with the prevailing situation. At the end of the meeting, PM Sharif read out a communiqué that was later adopted by the committee unanimously.
“The committee stressed the need for a national consensus on counter-terrorism, emphasizing strategic and a unified political commitment to confront this threat with the full force of the state,” Sharif said.
“It also called for the immediate implementation of the National Action Plan and the Azm-e-Istahkam strategy to dismantle terrorist networks, counter logistical support, and eliminate the nexus between terrorism and crime.”
Sharif said the committee expressed concern over the “increasing misuse of social media platforms” by militant groups for propaganda, recruitment and coordinating attacks.
“It emphasized the need for immediate measures to curb this threat and called for a clear framework to counter terrorists’ digital presence and activities,” he added.
The committee reiterated that no institution, individual or group collaborating with enemy forces would be allowed to jeopardize Pakistan’s peace and stability, according to the premier. It expressed regret over the absence of some opposition members.
An alliance of opposition parties, led by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, declined to participate in the meeting, objecting to Khan’s absence from the moot.
Pakistan ranks as the second-most affected country by terrorism, according to The Global Terrorism Index 2025. Militancy-related deaths surged by 45 percent, rising from 748 in 2023 to 1,081 in 2024, marking one of the steepest global increases.
Militant attacks in Pakistan more than doubled, from 517 in 2023 to 1,099 in 2024. Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, bordering Afghanistan, remained the hardest-hit provinces, accounting for over 96 percent of attacks and fatalities.
‘GOVERNANCE GAPS’
Speaking at the forum, Army Chief Gen. Munir said no agenda, no movement and no personality was greater than the security of the country, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing.
“For sustainable development, all elements of national power will have to work in harmony. This is a battle of our survival and that of our future generations,” he was quoted as saying.
The army chief stressed the need for “better governance” in the country and making Pakistan a “hard state.”
“How long will we continue to sacrifice countless lives in the style of a soft state,” he asked. “How long will we continue to fill the governance gaps with the blood of the armed forces of Pakistan and the martyrs?“
The general urged religious scholars to expose the distorted interpretation of Islam by the religiously motivated militant groups.
“We exist only if the country exists,” he said. “There is nothing more important for us than the security of the country.”
Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said Pakistan was planning a “decisive action” against militants.
“Civilian and military leadership are working to unite the entire nation against the terrorist enemy,” he said on X after the meeting. “The ranks have been formed, victory will be Pakistan’s.”
The minister criticized the PTI for its absence from the key security meeting: “No Khan, No Pakistan, is PTI standing by this slogan?”
Khan’s party said the ex-premier should have been invited to the meeting.
“No representative from us will attend the meeting and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur would attend the meeting as the KP chief minister, not the party representative,” PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja announced at a press conference earlier in the day, saying Khan should have been invited by releasing him on parole.
Sayed Zulfikar Bukhari, a close Khan close aide and spokesperson for the international media, told Arab News the government and military wanted to use the PTI for its “upcoming adventures.”
“The government and army just want to use PTI for their upcoming misadventures in Balochistan and Afghanistan,” he told Arab News, questioning how the largest party in the country could attend the meeting without directions from their leader.
“Give us access to Khan to get directions as he is the only unifying figure in the country.”
Mahmood Khan Achakzai, an opposition leader, said instead of such meetings a joint session of parliament should have been called to discuss this important issue.
“Pakistan’s dire circumstances call for a joint session of parliament, where everyone must be given the opportunity to speak,” he said.
Pakistan shuts universities in southwest province over ‘security concerns’
- Security across the provincial capital has been heightened, with an increased number of security forces on the streets
- The decision to reopen the campuses will be made after the Muslim festival of Eid, just two weeks away, an official says
QUETTA: Pakistan’s volatile Balochistan province has ordered the closure of three universities in recent weeks due to “security concerns,” an official told AFP on Tuesday, as separatist attacks surge in the region.
Two universities in the provincial capital of Quetta were ordered to close for an “indefinite period” last week, while on Tuesday, a third was instructed to switch to virtual learning, a provincial administration official told AFP on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the media.
“The decision was made after reviewing the overall security situation,” the official said
“It was decided to switch to virtual learning until further notice due to security concerns.”
The decision to reopen the campuses, which will impact thousands of students, will be made after the Muslim festival of Eid, just two weeks away, the official said.
Security across the provincial capital has been heightened, with an increased number of security forces on the streets and additional checkpoints set up throughout the city following the recent surge in separatist violence.
Last week, ethnic Baloch separatists attacked a train with 450 passengers on board, sparking a two-day siege during which dozens of people were killed.
And on Sunday, at least five paramilitaries were killed in a vehicle-borne suicide attack.
The assaults were claimed by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), one of a number of separatist groups that accuse outsiders of plundering natural resources in Balochistan near the borders with Afghanistan and Iran.
Pakistan to resume Jaffar Express train service today after deadly hijacking
- Separatist militants last week hijacked Jaffer Express and killed 31 people, including security personnel
- Railways Minister Hanif Abbasi says drone surveillance will be conducted for train operations in Balochistan
ISLAMABAD: Railways Minister Hanif Abbasi has announced the resumption of Jaffar Express train service today, Tuesday, Pakistani state media reported, a week after separatist militants hijacked the passenger train in the southwestern Balochistan province.
Fighters of the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) separatist group bombed a section of the railway track and stormed the Peshawar-bound Jaffar Express train carrying over 400 passengers, in Mushkaaf, a rugged area in the mountainous Bolan range of Balochistan on March 11.
The crisis was resolved the following day when the armed forces carried out a successful operation to rescue the hostages, killing 33 militants in the process. A final count showed 23 soldiers, three railway employees and five passengers had died in the attack.
Abbasi said the track, which had been damaged in the recent attack by separatist militants in Balochistan, has now been fully restored, the Radio Pakistan broadcaster reported.
“Jaffar Express will resume its operations from today. Drone surveillance will be launched for train operations in Balochistan,” Abbasi was quoted as saying.
“CCTV cameras are also being installed at railway stations and other sensitive locations across the country to improve security.”
In oil-and-mineral-rich Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest and least populated province, ethnic Baloch separatists have long accused the central government of denying locals of a share in the province’s resources. Islamabad and Pakistan’s military strongly reject the allegations.
The military has a huge presence in Balochistan and has long run intelligence-based operations against insurgent groups such as the BLA, who have escalated attacks in recent months on the military and nationals from longtime ally China, which is building key projects in the region, including a port at Gwadar.
More than 50 people, including security forces, were killed in August last year in a string of assaults in Balochistan claimed by the BLA.
Fear, uncertainty grip Afghan Citizen Card holders ahead of Mar. 31 deadline to leave Pakistan
- Pakistan has asked all “illegal foreigners” and ACC holders to leave, warning they would otherwise be deported from April 1
- ACC is temporary identification document for registered Afghan nationals, providing them with temporary legal status in Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: Hajji Saeed Khan Kochi was only two years old when he arrived in Pakistan more than four decades ago, fleeing the Soviet invasion of neighboring Afghanistan with his family.
For years, he remained undocumented but signed up for an Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) in 2017 when a documentation exercise for unregistered Afghan nationals was launched to give them temporary legal status in Pakistan. But earlier this month, Pakistan’s interior ministry asked all “illegal foreigners” and ACC holders to leave the country before Mar. 31, warning they would otherwise be deported from April 1.
The move is part of a larger repatriation drive of foreign citizens that began in 2023, with over 800,000 Afghans expelled from Pakistan since. The government initially said it was first focusing on expelling foreigners with no legal documentation and other categories would be included later.
More than 800,000 Afghans hold an ACC in Pakistan, according to UN data. Another roughly 1.3 million are formally registered with the Pakistan government and hold a separate Proof of Residence (PoR) card, launched in 2006 to grant legal recognition and protection to Afghan refugees. In total, Pakistan has hosted over 2.8 million Afghan refugees who crossed the border during 40 years of conflict in their homeland.
“I have lived in Pakistan for decades,” Kochi told Arab News last week in Islamabad. “My entire family, 56 members in all, has built a life here. Afghanistan may be my home country on paper but I have barely visited it a couple of times. I have no house, no land and no relatives there.”
Kochi, in his late forties, said he had built a mud house on the outskirts of Islamabad but moved his family to the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province when authorities began cracking down on Afghan nationals last year.
“This mud house was built with immense effort, investment and countless joyous memories,” Kochi added, his voice quivering as he looked at the rubble of his home, which he has demolished.
“NO PLACE TO CALL MY OWN”
Last year, the government also announced that Afghan citizens residing in Islamabad would require No Objection Certificates (NOCs) to stay, citing allegations that many had participated in an anti-government protest led by jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s opposition party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), in November, which later turned violent.
Islamabad has in the past blamed militant attacks and crimes on Afghan citizens, who form the largest portion of migrants in the country. The government says militants, especially from the Pakistan Taliban (TTP), are using safe havens in Afghanistan and links with Afghans residing in Pakistan to launch cross-border attacks. The ruling administration in Kabul has rejected the accusations.
Speaking to Arab News, senior journalist and Afghan affairs expert Sami Yousafzai said Pakistan was using Afghan refugees as “leverage” against the Taliban government in Kabul to pressure them into taking action against the TTP and other militants.
The tactic, he added, was unlikely to succeed and could fuel greater resentment against Pakistan among Afghans, potentially creating more challenges in the future.
“The Taliban did not come to power through elections, nor did they make any pledges to the people, which is why they do not feel accountable to them,” Yousafzai said.
Eighty-two-year-old Noor Khan, another Afghan refugee who arrived in Pakistan decades ago, echoed Yousafzai’s concerns.
“It’s very simple,” he said. “The Taliban don’t care. They don’t see themselves as responsible for the people’s well-being.”
Khan said deportations would only deepen the suffering of thousands of displaced Afghans, forcing them into an “uncertain and desperate future.”
For eighth-grade student Sharifa, who only shared her first name, the issue was not just about losing her home but also her education since Afghanistan is the only country in the world where secondary and higher education is strictly forbidden to girls and women. According to UNESCO data published last year, 1.4 million Afghan girls have been deliberately deprived of schooling. Access to primary education has also fallen sharply, with 1.1 million fewer girls and boys attending school.
“My parents are ACC holders. If I am sent to Afghanistan, how will I continue my education?” Sharifa asked. “There is no schooling for girls there.”
UNHCR Pakistan spokesperson Qaiser Khan Afridi said many ACC holders required international protection, emphasizing the need for a careful review of their cases.
“Any return of Afghan refugees should be both dignified and voluntary,” he added.
But those like Kochi don’t want to return and for the first time in decades feel like they have no home.
“After so many years,” he said, “I find myself in a world where I have no place to call my own.”
The Afghan embassy in Islamabad has communicated “serious concerns” to t he Pakistan government regarding the “mass expulsion of Afghan refugees within such a short timeframe and the unilateral nature of Pakistan’s decision.”
Emirates Red Crescent, UAE consulate distribute food rations among thousands in Pakistan
- UAE consulate, Emirates Red Crescent distribute food rations and iftar boxes in rural areas of Sindh, Balochistan and KP
- Muslims fast from dawn to dusk and increasingly engage in the remembrance of the Almighty in Ramadan every year
ISLAMABAD: The UAE arm of the International Red Cross, the Emirates Red Crescent, is distributing thousands of food rations with the UAE consulate in Karachi among the impoverished in various parts of Pakistan, a statement from the consulate said on Tuesday.
Every year the Emirates Red Crescent distributes iftar boxes and food rations in Pakistan during the holy month of Ramadan, during which Muslims fast from dawn to dusk and increasingly engage in the remembrance of the Almighty.
“According to UAE Consul General Bakheet Ateeq Al Remeithi, the distribution of ration and iftar boxes is continuing in the rural and backward areas of Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (provinces),” the UAE consulate said in a statement.
The statement said food rations and iftar boxes were being distributed in Sindh’s Khairpur, Nawabshah, Ghotki, Sukkur and Sanghar districts. Meanwhile in Balochistan, food rations and iftar boxes were being distributed among the poor in the districts of Gwadar, Pasni, Panjgur and other adjoining areas.
“Thousands of people will continue to be part of this journey of love and happiness on a daily basis during the month of Ramadan, through rations and iftar spreads,” Remeithi was quoted as saying by the consulate.
He said the first priority of the Emirates Red Crescent is to distribute high quality food and drink items, and iftar boxes and rations prepared in accordance with the highest standards of hygiene.
“The series of love that begins with the month of Ramadan will double the joy of Eid Al-Fitr,” Remeithi said.
