ISLAMABAD: Doctors this week warned of a significant threat to dermatological health in Pakistan as the South Asian nation on the searing edge of climate change faces an intense heat wave that is expected to continue well into June in some parts of the country.
This month and the next, temperatures could go as high as 55 C (131 F), weather forecasters have warned. The World Health Organization says the optimum air temperature for the body is between 18C and 24C. Any hotter and the risks rise.
Against this background, Arab News spoke to two dermatologists to understand how people can protect their skin in extreme heat conditions.
“Avoid going out in peak sun hours,” Dr. Kamran Qureshi, an expert in aesthetic medicine and anti–aging, told Arab News “Cleanse, tone and moisturize your skin. Wear a sunblock that suits you.”
Sunburn, hyper-pigmentation, and flaring of existing skin conditions like acne, eczema or rosacea are the primary risks, Dr. Qureshi added, advising drinking water, applying sunblock and wearing a hat and using an umbrella when going out.
Explaining best practices for hydrating the skin during extreme heat, the dermatologist said drinking fluids and consuming antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables could keep the skin healthy while applying aloe vera-based products could help soothe irritated skin.
Another Islamabad-based dermatologist, Dr. Mohsin Kaira, explained that excessive sunlight had different effects on varying skin types. The heat tended to make the skin produce more oil, leading to breakouts and shininess for people with oily skin and dehydration, flakiness and increased sensitivity for those with dry skin.
Additionally, individuals with pre-existing skin conditions like eczema could face flare-ups during hot weather, Dr. Kaira said, advising them to keep their living spaces cool, wear loose clothes, use a humidifier, moisturize frequently, take cold showers and stay away from products containing alcohol, fragrances and chemicals.
“People with sensitive skin are prone to irritation, redness and sunburn,” Dr. Kaira, who works as a researcher at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences and as a consultant aesthetics Dermatologist at a private clinic in Islamabad, told Arab News. “Heat accelerates aging, leading to wrinkles and loss of elasticity with people having mature skin.”
He warned that all skin types were susceptible to sunburn which caused peeling and long-term skin damage, while prolonged sun exposure also increased the risk of skin cancer.
When asked about recommended sunscreens, he advised a broad-spectrum sunscreen with a sun protection factor of at least 30 to be reapplied every two hours.
Dr. Kaira identified day timings of 10 am to 4 p.m. when direct sunlight needed to be avoided and recommended water-rich foods such as cucumbers, watermelons, strawberries, oranges and anti-oxidant heavy foods like berries, tomatoes, and carrots.
The dermatologist said certain types of fabrics and colors could also provide better protection against ultraviolet rays:
“Darker colors and bright shades like red, black, and navy absorb more UV radiation, preventing it from reaching the skin in comparison with light colors such as white or pastels that tend to be less protective.”
Dermatologists urge caution as heat wave threatens skin health in Pakistan
https://arab.news/j63qz
Dermatologists urge caution as heat wave threatens skin health in Pakistan
- Arab News spoke to two dermatologists to understand how people can protect their skin in extreme heat conditions
- Sunburn, hyper-pigmentation and flaring of existing skin conditions like acne, eczema or rosacea identified as primary risks
Pakistan offers lowest-cost Hajj package under government scheme globally, says official
- Nearly 89,000 Pakistani pilgrims are expected to perform Hajj under government scheme this year
- Pakistan has set cost of long Hajj package at Rs1,075,000 ($3,854), Rs1,150,000 ($4,122) for short one
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Director General Hajj Abdul Wahab Soomro said on Thursday that Islamabad is offering its citizens the lowest-cost Hajj package globally, vowing that authorities have aimed to prioritize pilgrims’ comfort, safety and spiritual fulfillment for this year’s pilgrimage.
Pakistan this year introduced a shortened Hajj program of 20 to 25 days to make the pilgrimage more convenient and accessible, the Ministry of Religious Affairs said earlier this year. It set the cost at around Rs1,075,000 ($3,854) for the long Hajj package and Rs1,150,000 ($4,122) for the short Hajj package, as shorter stays often incur higher airfare, premium accommodation rates, and expedited transport services, which drive up overall costs.
In a statement issued from Makkah, Soomro said the government’s Hajj Scheme for 88,380 pilgrims is being elevated to “unprecedented heights” to ensure a seamless and spiritually enriching pilgrimage, state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported.
“Highlighting the key initiatives, he [Soomro] said our scheme offers the lowest-cost Hajj package globally,” Radio Pakistan said. “Pilgrims are now given the option to choose between single, double, or triple-bed rooms at an additional cost.”
The official said that due to the non-uniform nature of Makkah’s buildings, accommodations are allocated to Pakistani pilgrims based on pilgrim profiling to ensure optimal convenience.
He said Pakistan’s health care network, in collaboration with the Saudi German Hospital and other leading medical institutions, ensures 24/7 emergency care.
“The DG Hajj said such innovative measures and enhancements demonstrate a strong commitment to facilitating Hajj with maximum convenience at minimal cost,” the statement added.
This year’s Hajj will take place in June, with over 23,620 Pakistanis expected to perform the pilgrimage through private tour operators.
Pakistan seeks greater collaboration with US in blockchain, artificial intelligence
- Pakistan Crypto Council CEO Bilal bin Saqib meets Acting US Ambassador Natalie Baker in Islamabad, says finance ministry
- Pakistan says it plans to initiate joint programs, talent exchanges and MoUs between American companies and its startups
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Crypto Council (PCC) CEO Bilal bin Saqib met Acting US Ambassador Natalie Baker on Thursday to seek deeper collaboration with Washington in blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI), the finance ministry said.
Pakistan has increasingly sought to formalize its crypto economy amid rising interest in blockchain technologies worldwide. The country is already among the world’s fastest-growing crypto markets, ranking near the top in global adoption rates, with an estimated $300 billion in annual crypto transactions and around 25 million active users.
As part of these efforts, the PCC last month partnered with World Liberty Financial (WLF), a decentralized finance platform backed by US President Donald Trump, to advance blockchain innovation, stablecoin adoption and decentralized finance (DeFi) integration across Pakistan.
“Pakistan Crypto Council CEO meets US ambassador to advance youth collaboration in blockchain & AI,” the finance ministry’s statement said.
It added that Saqib met Baker to discuss creating bridges between US institutions and Pakistan’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. The PCC emphasized Pakistan’s commitment to becoming a globally competitive innovation hub, with blockchain and AI at the core of its future economy, the council said.
“Pakistan is home to one of the world’s youngest populations — eager, ambitious, and ready to lead the future of Web3 and AI,” Saqib said. “This is the time to invest in them, to connect them with global leaders, and to create real pipelines of opportunity between the US and Pakistan.”
The ministry said that Pakistan plans to initiate joint programs, talent exchange and strategic memoranda of understanding between American tech companies and Pakistani startups to build long-term partnerships that benefit both nations.
“The Pakistan Crypto Council remains committed to using blockchain as a tool of diplomacy, education, and empowerment — ensuring that Pakistan’s youth are not left behind but stand at the forefront of the global digital revolution,” the statement concluded.
Pakistan’s proactive stance to formalize its crypto economy follows its broader push to position itself as a hub for digital finance innovation, with 64 percent of its population under the age of 30.
Rising mobile broadband access, a booming freelance economy and increasing government interest in blockchain have accelerated the country’s Web3 adoption.
Pakistanis constituted largest group of UK asylum seekers in 2024
- Number of asylum seekers in UK has tripled in recent years, with 84,200 applications in 2024
- In previous years, asylum seekers came to the UK mainly from Syria and Iran, official data says
LONDON: The number of asylum seekers has risen sharply in recent years in the United Kingdom, with tens of thousands of applications still waiting to be decided, according to official figures.
Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Thursday that he had begun formal talks with unspecified countries to create “return centers” outside the UK for those who have exhausted all legal avenues to remain in the country.
The number of asylum seekers in the UK has tripled in recent years, with 84,200 applications in 2024, compared with an average of 27,500 between 2011 and 2020, according to official figures.
In 2022, there were approximately 13 asylum applications per 10,000 people in the UK, compared with 25 asylum applications per 10,000 people in the EU at the same time.
Some 11 percent of migrants in the UK were asylum seekers or refugees in 2023 — almost twice as high as the 2019 figure of six percent.
The proportion of initial asylum applications rejected in 2024 was 53 percent, compared with 88 percent in 2004 and 24 percent in 2022.
Between 2004 and 2021, approximately three-quarters of applicants whose initial request was rejected appealed the decision, with a third being succesful.
More than 9,000 failed asylum seekers were deported in 2024 — 36 percent more than in 2023.
Some 224,700 cases were a “work in progress” in 2024, with 87,200 awaiting an initial decision and 137,500 awaiting follow-up after an initial refusal, according to official documents.
This total has been declining since 2022 but remains four times higher than in 2014 due to longer waiting times for an initial decision and a larger number of people facing deportation.
The number of people crossing the Channel in makeshift boats, a route that virtually did not exist before 2018, has increased sharply in recent years.
Between 2018 and December 2024, 148,000 migrants risked their lives and reached UK shores by this route, according to official figures.
Of those, 95 percent applied for asylum, representing 29 percent of all asylum seekers over that period.
Nearly 13,000 migrants have already crossed the Channel in 2025, more than in the same period in 2024.
In 2024, the largest group of asylum seekers hailed from Pakistan, followed by Afghanistan. In previous years, they came mainly from Syria and Iran.
Pakistan stocks soar to record high amid budget buzz, IMF tranche
- Pakistan this week received second tranche of special drawing rights worth $1,023 million from IMF under EFF program
- Pakistan’s federal budget for next fiscal year to be finalized within next four weeks, budget talks with IMF from May 14-23
ISLAMABAD: Bulls took charge of the local bourse today, Thursday, as the Pakistan Stock Exchange surged to new heights, fueled by optimism surrounding upcoming budget announcements and the release of a $1 billion tranche by the IMF, analysts said.
Pakistan on Wednesday received the second tranche of special drawing rights worth 760 million ($1,023 million) from the IMF under an extended fund facility (EFF) program. The IMF last week approved a fresh $1.4 billion loan to Pakistan under its climate resilience fund and also approved the first review of its $7 billion program, freeing about $1 billion in cash.
Pakistan’s federal budget for the next fiscal year, starting July, will be finalized within the next four weeks, with scheduled budget talks with the IMF to take place from May 14-23, according to the finance ministry.
The benchmark index witnessed a remarkable intraday rally, climbing as much as 1,453 points before closing with an impressive gain of 1,425 points at 119,961, marking a 1.20% increase and setting a new all-time high.
“Refinery stocks ended the day in the green amid sector-specific developments,” brokerage house Topline Securities said in a daily market review.
“The government is working to finalize a binding legal framework between oil marketing companies and refineries, with key clauses like take-or-pay aimed at resolving ongoing disputes over product upliftment and HSD imports — a move expected to bring greater clarity and stability to the supply chain.”
Market participation also picked up, with total traded volume reaching 695 million shares and a traded value of Rs39.01 billion. Pakistan Refinery Limited topped the volume chart with 50.8 million shares traded.
Samiullah Tariq, head of research and development at Pak Kuwait Investment Company Ltd, said the market was positive due to recent inflows from the IMF, noting the “expectations of further inflows on the back of the IMF Board approval.”
Thursday’s bullish momentum also comes as the market continues to recover from upheaval brought by the most intense military row between Pakistan and India in years last week. The two nuclear-armed nations agreed to a US-brokered ceasefire on Saturday.
Imran Khan spokesman rejects Pakistan media report party accepted PM’s offer for talks
- News report claims Khan instructed party’s chairman to hold talks with government in private for “meaningful outcomes”
- Khan aide Sayed Zulfikar Bokhari describes report as “fake news,” says government did not make any offer for talks
KARACHI: Former premier Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party spokesperson on Thursday rejected a news report that claimed he had given the green signal for fresh negotiations with the government, describing it as “fake news.”
Pakistani English language newspaper “The News” reported on Thursday that Khan had accepted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s offer to hold negotiations and instructed the party’s chairman, Gohar Ali Khan, to proceed with talks. The report said Khan had expressed “a strong preference” that the talks be conducted away from the TV cameras to ensure “meaningful outcomes.”
The PTI and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government have been at loggerheads ever since Khan was ousted from the prime minister’s office via a parliamentary vote in April 2022. The former premier has been in jail since August 2023 on a slew of charges he says are politically motivated. His party has led anti-government protests and marches that have led to clashes with law enforcement personnel.
“There is no such statement made by Imran Khan,” Sayed Zulfikar Bokhari, Khan’s adviser on international affairs and a former federal minister, told Arab News. “It is fake news. Neither has any offer been made to sit with Shehbaz Sharif or vice versa.”
Meanwhile, Gohar declined to comment on the development. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and the government’s legal spokesperson, Aqeel Malik, did not respond to Arab News’ request for a comment.
Attempts to break the political deadlock in the country via a dialogue between the PTI and the government began in December 2024. However, talks collapsed after the PTI in January presented its demands, which included the formation of judicial commissions to probe the party’s anti-government protests in May 2023 and November 2024.
The violent protest rallies, including the one on May 9, 2023, saw people carrying PTI flags rampage through military offices and installations. A second anti-government protest in November 2024 was held by the party to demand Khan’s release from prison. The government says four troops were killed in clashes with Khan supporters. The PTI denies the charges and claimed its supporters were shot by law enforcers.
The PTI gave the government seven days to form the judicial commissions, after the expiry of which the party unilaterally withdrew from talks in January.
