At medical camps, a flood of disease after rains deluge in southern Pakistan 

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Updated 01 October 2022
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At medical camps, a flood of disease after rains deluge in southern Pakistan 

  • Nearly 350 people have died in Sindh province since July 1 of diseases that have spread in the aftermath of floods. 
  • Doctors have treated 3.38 million patients with diarrhea, skin and respiratory infections, malaria, dengue at 21,955 medical camps 

DADU, Sindh: Inside a small tent on a major highway in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province, Shabiraan Ameer held up her arms and moved her face to a side to bare her neck, both covered in rashes and stained with blood from constant scratching. 

Ameer’s family is only one among nearly 15 million people affected by recent floods in Sindh and living in tent-cities and makeshift shelters on roadsides or staying back in flooded villages, surrounded from all sides with water. 

As waters from the floods recede, which officials say may take up to six months, swaths of Pakistan, particularly the Balochistan and Sindh provinces, have become infested with diseases including malaria, dengue fever, diarrhea and skin infections. 

According to a Sindh health department report, nearly 350 people have died since July 1 of diseases that have spread in the aftermath of floods. Doctors have treated 3.38 million patients with diarrhea and skin diseases, acute respiratory infection (ARI), and suspected and confirmed cases of malaria, dengue and other conditions at 21,955 medical camps in Sindh. 

“It [skin] bleeds when I rub it,” Ameer, a young mother of two, told Arab News. “I clean the wound with a cloth, then I sit and cry.” 

In Dadu district where Ameer is from, Pakistan’s largest freshwater lake of Manchar burst its banks, submerging hundreds of villages and displacing nearly 0.8 million people. 

As the water level rose three weeks ago, Ameer and her entire family were forced to tread to safety through toxic waters. 

“We don’t have a home and if we had money, we would have treated this,” Ameer said of her infection. “My entire body is taken over by disease.” 

Pointing to her children, she added: “My small children shout and cry in pain. Their bodies also bleed, they weep.” 

Many patients interviewed by Arab News at government medical camps for flood survivors in Dadu said they were not attended by doctors or given proper medication. 

“I got my check-up, but fever doesn’t go away,” Ibrahim, a child whose mouth had rashes due to high-fever, told Arab News. 

Rukhsana, who only gave her first name, said her three-year-old son had been ill for over a month: 

“I got him treated at a government hospital, we have given him a lot of medicines but his fever doesn’t go away.” 

Doctors and organizers at the tent city admitted they did not have adequate resources to deal with the scale of the problem, especially when there was one doctor available per 500 patients. 

Flight Lt. (R) Musarrat Shah, a social activist who is running a tent-city in Kakkar, said women and children were particularly vulnerable. 

“We are unable to provide good treatment and good medicines to this large scale of people,” she said. “A single doctor for 500 … is not enough when people are facing so many diseases, so many problems.” 

Dr. Muhammad Ali Chandio, a government doctor in Dadu’s main city camp, said fever and skin disease were rampant at the facility and malaria was suspected in a growing number of people. 

“The water available here is not clean, which is causing abdominal diseases in people, there are cases of diarrhea, cholera,” the doctor said. “If the environment is not good, then it’s obvious that diseases will spread.” 

At the IDP camp in Dadu city, Dr. Saima Parveen, the doctor in charge, said medicines needed proper storage and an enabling environment to work. 

“Fever will subside if you give syrup, paracetamol to kids with high fever but this environment, and this weather, the hot weather, will not let the fever go away,” she said. 

“They [doctors] gave anti-malarial to children but due to the atmosphere here, the dirty water standing here, the mosquitoes will come, mosquitoes bite them and they get malaria again.” 

Chandio added: “A temperature of 25 Celsius is required to keep medicines but here it is very hot and the medicines get spoiled and they are no longer effective.” 


US mission in Islamabad eases staff movement curbs after India-Pakistan ceasefire

Updated 4 sec ago
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US mission in Islamabad eases staff movement curbs after India-Pakistan ceasefire

  • The embassy upholds ‘Do Not Travel’ statue for areas near the eastern border
  • It also maintains a ‘Reconsider Travel’ advisory in the country more broadly

ISLAMABAD: The United States eased movement restrictions on its diplomatic personnel in Pakistan on Saturday, following a ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan that brought a pause to days of cross-border military exchanges.
The conflict was sparked by a deadly attack in Indian-administered Kashmir last month that killed 26 tourists, with New Delhi blaming Pakistan for the incident despite Islamabad’s denial of the allegation.
India launched missile strikes on what it said were “terrorist camps,” prompting Pakistan to respond with attacks on Indian military targets.
A ceasefire brokered by Washington was announced Saturday afternoon by President Donald Trump, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying both sides had agreed to hold talks at a neutral venue.
“Movement restrictions on US government personnel in Islamabad, Karachi, and Lahore have been adjusted to allow travel within city limits,” the US mission said in a security alert.
However, it reiterated its “Do Not Travel” advisory for areas near the India-Pakistan border and the Line of Control, citing “terrorism” and the risk of “armed conflict.”
It also maintained a “Reconsider Travel” advisory for Pakistan more broadly, reflecting long-standing US concerns about militant violence and limited consular access in parts of the country.
Earlier this year, the US State Department had cited Pakistan’s deteriorating security conditions, especially in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces.
In its recent alert, the US embassy advised citizens in Pakistan to review their security plans and stay alert.
It noted that flight availability remained fluid in Pakistan, urging travelers to confirm schedules with their airlines.
 


Pakistan reopens airspace, resumes Hajj flights after India ceasefire

Updated 2 min 14 sec ago
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Pakistan reopens airspace, resumes Hajj flights after India ceasefire

  • Country shut down its airspace following strikes on three of its air bases by Indian forces
  • Ten Hajj flights were canceled due to closure of flight operations since Wednesday this week

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan reopened its airspace to all domestic and international flights on Saturday and resumed Hajj operations after a ceasefire agreement with India put pause to cross-border missile and drone attacks that disrupted regional travel and raised fears of a wider conflict this week. 

The reopening was announced after the two nations agreed to a US-brokered ceasefire deal that came less than 24 hours after Pakistan said India had struck three of its air bases, which led Islamabad to hit multiple bases in India in response, including a missile storage site in India’s north.

“Pakistan’s airspace has been completely restored for all types of flights,” the Pakistan Airports Authority said in a statement. 

“All airports in the country are available for normal flight operations,” it added, asking passengers to contact their airlines for updated schedules.

The religious affairs ministry separately said Hajj flights would now resume as per schedule. 

“A total of 10 Hajj flights were canceled due to the closure of flight operations from time to time,” a spokesman for the ministry said. “Flights cancelation affected the schedule of 2,290 pilgrims.”

So far, 19,669 Pakistani pilgrims had arrived in Saudi Arabia ahead of the Hajj pilgrimage in early June, the spokesman added. 

Flights were grounded, rerouted or delayed across South Asia this past week as tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors escalated.

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) suspended operations after halting ground services, while several foreign airlines — including Korean Air, EVA Air, and China Airlines — opted to avoid Pakistani airspace, citing security concerns.

The standoff between the two South Asian nuclear states was sparked by a deadly attack in Indian-administered Kashmir last month that killed 26 people, mostly tourists. India blamed Pakistan for the incident, though officials in Islamabad repeatedly denied any involvement and called for a neutral and impartial probe.

However, New Delhi launched missile strikes on what it called “militant training camps” in at least five Pakistani cities on Wednesday and the two nations have since variously exchanged drone and missile attacks as well as seen increased gunfights on their de facto border at disputed Kashmir. 


Pakistan and India agree to ceasefire 

Updated 52 min 19 sec ago
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Pakistan and India agree to ceasefire 

  • US secretary of state says two countries had agreed to talks on “broad set of issues at a neutral site”
  • Announcement comes after Pakistan and India launched attacks on each other early morning Saturday 

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and India both confirmed on Saturday they had agreed to a ceasefire after President Donald Trump said the US had mediated late night talks between the nuclear-armed South Asian nations on the brink of an all-out war.

The announcement came after the Pakistan military said early on Saturday India had attacked three bases in Pakistan with missiles, after which it had targeted multiple bases in India in response, including a missile storage site in India’s north. India said there was limited damage to equipment and personnel at air force stations in the Udhampur, Pathankot, Adampur and Bhuj areas. The military said there were several high-speed missile attacks on several air bases in Indian Punjab, and that India had responded to the attacks.

Five civilians were killed in attacks in the Jammu region of Indian-administered Kashmir, regional police said.

“Pakistan and India have agreed to a ceasefire with immediate effect. Pakistan has always strived for peace and security in the region, without compromising on its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar wrote on X.

The Indian ministry of external affairs also confirmed the ceasefire deal in a briefing. 

Separately, Trump said:

“After a long night of talks mediated by the United States, I am pleased to announce that India and Pakistan have agreed to a FULL AND IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE. Congratulations to both Countries on using Common Sense and Great Intelligence.”

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the two countries had also agreed to talks on a “broad set of issues at a neutral site.”

Earlier on Saturday, Pakistani and Indian officials had both separately said they would consider de-escalation if the other nation reciprocated. 

Through this week, allies and friends like Saudi Arabia, China, Iran and Qatar have offered mediation and urged restraint. The Group of Seven (G7) major countries called on India and Pakistan to engage in direct dialogue while the US government said it had offered assistance in starting “constructive talks.”

Saturday’s military confrontation, the worst fighting between the longstanding enemies in decades, followed days of daily clashing since Wednesday through drones and missiles and gunfighting on the Line of control, the de facto border that divides the disputed Kashmir region between them. At least 50 have been killed on both sides.

The latest tensions were triggered by a militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 people on April 22. New Delhi said Islamabad was involved, which denied the allegation and repeatedly said it was willing to participate in a transparent and credible inquiry.

Pakistan and India have a history of bitter relations, having fought two of their three wars over Kashmir, a region split between them, since gaining independence from the former British colonial rule in 1947.

Both nations acquired nuclear weapons in 1998.

– Inputs from Reuters


In separate attacks, gunmen kill two, set police vehicle ablaze in southwest Pakistan

Updated 10 May 2025
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In separate attacks, gunmen kill two, set police vehicle ablaze in southwest Pakistan

  • Balochistan has been the site of a decades-old insurgency where separatist militants often target security forces, foreigners and ethnic Punjabi workers
  • The latest attack comes at a time when Pakistan is fighting another insurgency in its northwest and is engaged with arch-foe India at the eastern border

QUETTA: Gunmen killed three people, including two barbers from the eastern Punjab province, and set a police vehicle ablaze in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province in the southwest, police and paramilitary Levies officials said on Saturday.

Balochistan, Pakistan’s most impoverished province, has been the site of a decades-old insurgency, where separatist militants often target security forces, police, foreigners and ethnic Punjabi commuters and workers, who they see as “outsiders,” by wresting control of highways and remote towns.

In this first attack, gunmen shot dead three people and injured another one inside a barber shop in Lasbela, a district adjacent to Pakistan’s commercial capital of Karachi, according to Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Atif Amir.

“Two of the deceased hailed from Bahawalpur (Punjab) and one from Quetta,” the official told Arab News. “Hunt for the attackers is underway.”

In another incident, dozens of armed men entered the Panjgur district late on Friday night and attempted to seize control of the Panjgur city and nearby areas.

“The armed men set a police vehicle and record of the Panjgur police station on fire,” Abdullah Baloch, an official at the Panjgur Levies control room, told Arab News.

“No casualty was reported despite an exchange of fire between security forces and armed men in Panjgur city and Goran, another area located 15 kilometers from Panjgur.”

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks, but Baloch separatists have carried out similar assaults on law enforcers and ethnic Punjabis in the past.

The separatists accuse Islamabad of exploiting the province’s natural resources, such as gold and copper, and accuse foreigners and people from other province of backing the Pakistani state. Successive Pakistani governments have denied the allegations and said they only worked for the uplift of the region and its people.

The latest attacks come at a time, when Pakistan is fighting another insurgency by religiously motivated militant groups in its northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, while the country’s eastern border with India has also flared up in recent weeks over an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 tourists last month.

Islamabad has variously accused Afghanistan and India of supporting the Pakistani Taliban and Baloch separatist groups, an allegation denied by Kabul and New Delhi.

In March, the Baloch Liberation Army separatist group hijacked a train with hundreds of passengers aboard near Balochistan’s Bolan Pass, which resulted in the deaths of 23 soldiers, three railway employees and five passengers. At least 33 insurgents were also killed, according to officials.

Late last month, police killed nine suspected militants in an intelligence-based operation in Balochistan’s Pishin district.


Pakistan shuts its airspace for 24 hours after fresh exchange of strikes with India

Updated 10 May 2025
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Pakistan shuts its airspace for 24 hours after fresh exchange of strikes with India

  • India-Pakistan tensions, sparked by last month’s attack Kashmir that killed 26 people, spiraled into a military conflict this week
  • The ongoing conflict has forced intermittent closure of airspaces in both countries, plunging the regional air traffic into disarray

KARACHI: Pakistan has once again closed its airspace to all domestic and international flights for 24 hours, the country’s airports authority said on Saturday, hours after Islamabad hit Indian military targets in retaliation to what it said were strikes on three of its air bases.
India-Pakistan tensions, sparked by last month’s attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 people, spiraled into a military conflict this week, when India conducted missile strikes on what it called “militant training camps” in five Pakistani cities, which Islamabad said killed 31 civilians.
Both sides have since exchanged drone, missile and artillery strikes, with either one claiming to have acted in retaliation. The ongoing conflict forced intermittent closure of airspaces in both countries, where flight operations were already affected since the neighbors closed their airspaces for the other shortly after the Kashmir attack.
While Pakistan partially resumed flight operations this week, Islamabad decided to close its airspace for another 24 hours after Pakistan launched strikes on Indian military targets in response to what it said were attacks on three of its air bases, one close to the capital, in the wee hours of Saturday.
“Pakistan’s airspace will remain closed for all types of flights until 12PM tomorrow (May 11),” a Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) spokesperson said around Saturday noon.
The ongoing tensions between Pakistan and India have plunged flight operations across the region into a disarray, with several domestic and international flights delayed, canceled or returned. The state-run Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) this week suspended all flights after halting ground operations and initially diverting airborne planes to Karachi.
The latest closure bars both domestic and international air traffic from entering Pakistan’s airspace, a major corridor for flights between Europe and Asia.
Several Asian airlines, including EVA Air, Korean Air, Thai Airways and China Airlines, have rerouted or delayed flights for Europe, citing “safety concerns” due to the ongoing conflict. A Taipei-Milan flight was diverted to Vienna for refueling this week, while Korean Air opted for a longer route via Myanmar and Bangladesh.
India’s flight operations have also been impacted, with several airports closed.
The conflict has drawn international concern and world powers, including the United States, United Kingdom and China, have urged both countries to exercise restraint and avoid any escalation.