ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s top diplomat at the United Nations said on Tuesday Israel was killing civilians in Gaza at “four times the rate of previous conflicts” as he urged the international community to move toward permanent peace in the Middle East by ending Israeli occupation of Palestinian and Arab territories.
The war in Gaza, which began in October 2023, has so far killed around 52,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, according to Palestinian health officials.
Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmed, Pakistan’s permanent representative to the UN, raised the issue during a high-level debate at the Security Council on the Middle East. He described Israel’s ongoing military campaign as “the erasure of a nation’s right to exist” and accused it of war crimes and ethnic cleansing.
“Israel’s unilateral breach of the ceasefire agreement — brokered by Egypt, Qatar and the United States [earlier this year] — was a deliberate choice of return to war over diplomacy,” Ahmed said. “This assault on Gaza is killing civilians at four times the rate of previous conflicts. Since hostilities resumed, nearly 2,000 more Palestinians have been killed, adding to the staggering death toll of over 52,000, among them more than 17,000 children.”
Ahmed condemned the attack earlier this month on Al-Ahli hospital, the last major facility providing critical health care in Gaza, calling it a “horrific massacre.”
He said Israeli forces were deliberately targeting civilians, aid convoys and critical infrastructure, while using starvation as a weapon of war.
“The deliberate targeting of civilians and essential infrastructure, the use of starvation as a weapon, and the incineration of displaced families in tents — these are not collateral damages of war; they are methods of war,” he said.
The Pakistani envoy also blamed Israel for violating ceasefire agreements and UN resolutions in Lebanon and Syria, calling the pattern “clear.”
“As long as the root cause, the illegal occupation of Palestinian and Arab lands, is ignored and not addressed, peace will remain an illusion,” he added.
Calling for immediate international action, Ahmed urged the Security Council to pursue a permanent ceasefire, full humanitarian access to Gaza and a credible path to Palestinian statehood.
He welcomed the upcoming June peace conference co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia as a “vital opportunity” and called for concrete outcomes, including a timeline for statehood, protection of civilians and full UN membership for Palestine.
“Seventy-five years of failure have shown one immutable truth: peace cannot coexist with occupation, justice cannot thrive under apartheid and stability cannot take root where millions remain stateless,” Ahmed added.
Pakistan tells UN Israel killing Palestinians at ‘four times the rate of previous conflicts’
https://arab.news/rb44h
Pakistan tells UN Israel killing Palestinians at ‘four times the rate of previous conflicts’
- Asim Iftikhar Ahmed says peace will remain an illusion until Israel’s occupation of Arab lands continues
- He calls for a ceasefire, full humanitarian access to Gaza and a credible path to Palestinian statehood
At least 87 killed, 149 injured in rain-related incidents in Pakistan since June 26
- Those killed include 42 children, 29 men and 16 women, national disaster authority says in latest report
- WHO, Pakistan government finalize contingency plan to maintain essential health services in high-risk districts
KARACHI: At least 87 people have been killed and 149 others injured in rain-related incidents across Pakistan since June 26, according to figures released Thursday by the country’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
Pakistan’s most populous province, Punjab, reported 29 deaths including 15 children, while the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province recorded 30 deaths, 14 of them children. The southern province of Sindh reported 16 deaths, eight of them children, and the southwestern province of Balochistan saw 11 fatalities, five of them children. One man lost his life in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, the NDMA said.
“The total number of 87 deceased include 42 children, 29 men and 16 women,” the NDMA report said, adding that 149 people were injured, 61 children, 52 men and 36 women.
Heavy rains have also damaged at least 242 houses nationwide, including 71 that were completely destroyed and 171 that were partially damaged.
Flood relief operations have been underway since late June, with authorities distributing tents, ration bags, blankets, sandbags, quilts, gas cylinders, mattresses, kitchen sets, mosquito nets, plastic mats, hygiene kits and food packets to affected families.
A total of 24 relief camps have been set up in Punjab and two in Sindh, providing shelter to 176 people. According to the NDMA, around 245 people have been rescued in 21 operations carried out across the country.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO), in partnership with the Pakistani government, has finalized its Monsoon Contingency Plan 2025 to ensure a coordinated emergency response and maintain essential health services in high-risk districts.
The plan will be implemented in 10 districts in Punjab and Sindh, nine in Balochistan and four in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
“WHO stands with Pakistan and partners to be ready to save lives by supporting rapid response, surveillance and the continuity of essential health services in the event of a natural disaster,” Pakistani state media quoted WHO Representative Dr. Dapeng Luo as saying.
“In a context marked by the impacts of climate change, which are exacerbating risks, it is crucial to be ready to protect the health of all, particularly the most vulnerable,” Luo added.
Pakistan has also rolled out a location-based SMS alert system to warn citizens living in flood-prone areas about imminent weather threats.
Pakistani PM orders urgent overhaul of tariff commission that sets trade duties
- Third-party review planned to boost Commission’s performance
- Automated research capacity seen as key to solving business challenges
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday ordered an urgent overhaul of a top government body responsible for regulating customs duties on imports and exports, aiming to strengthen its legal, administrative and institutional powers amid growing calls to modernize the country’s trade policy.
Announcing its federal budget for 2025-26, Pakistan said it planned to cut the overall tariff regime by more than 4 percent over the next five years, as part of reforms aimed at shifting the country toward an export-led growth model.
As per the National Tariff Policy 2025–30, the government plans to abolish additional customs duties, regulatory duties, and the fifth schedule of the Customs Act, 1969. The policy envisions a streamlined customs structure with just four duty slabs ranging from 0 to 15 percent, which would become the maximum rate. The move is part of Pakistan’s push not just to boost its exports and protect its local industry but also meet international obligations, including aligning with the government’s commitments under a $7 billion IMF program approved last year.
“Reorganization of the National Tariff Commission along modern lines is indispensable to fully meet the requirements of the new tariff regime,” a statement quoted Sharif as saying after he chaired a high-level review meeting on the NTC’s performance.
The PM’s proposed reforms aim to modernize the NTC so it can better support businesses, collect real-time market data and align with the country’s new tariff regime.
The premier directed that a third-party review be conducted to identify weaknesses in the Commission’s performance and make it “more effective.” He also stressed the importance of strengthening the NTC’s research and data-gathering abilities.
“The National Tariff Commission must have an effective capacity to gather all ground realities related to domestic business, imports, and exports market,” Sharif said.
“The automated and effective research capacity of the National Tariff Commission can play a key role in resolving the problems faced by domestic business.”
He also ordered the immediate activation of the NTC’s Appellate Tribunal, which handles disputes on tariff decisions, a step aimed at improving transparency and efficiency.
The NTC plays a crucial role in Pakistan’s trade policy. In the 2025–26 federal budget, customs duties are projected to contribute around 6 percent of total tax revenue, according to the Pakistan Economic Survey 2024–25. While relatively small, these duties are politically sensitive and impact competitiveness for domestic industries that rely on protection from cheaper imports.
Pakistan’s economic managers are under pressure to balance protection of local industry with commitments under international trade agreements and IMF-backed fiscal targets. The government says the NTC must adapt to “modern requirements” and be given adequate training and resources to support economic stabilization and export-led growth.
“The government is committed to addressing the lack of training and resources for the National Tariff Commission and to aligning its work with modern requirements,” Sharif said at Thursday’s meeting.
Sindh government to bury Pakistani actress after family refuses to claim body
- Humaira Asghar Ali’s decomposed body was found in flat when a court bailiff arrived to vacate the rented property
- Initial police investigation using phone records and social media activity shows Ali might have died nine months ago
KARACHI: The Culture Department of Pakistan’s southern Sindh province on Thursday announced it would take responsibility for the burial of actress and model Humaira Asghar Ali, whose decomposed body was found in her apartment this week, nearly nine months after her death.
Sindh’s Minister for Culture and Tourism, Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah, said the department would perform the last rites of the actress after her family refused to claim the body.
“Humaira Asghar is not without heirs, the Sindh government’s Department of Culture is her guardian,” Shah told Arab News, calling the case “heart-wrenching.”
“Our first effort will be to persuade the parents to receive the body,” he said. “If that does not happen, the Department of Culture will fully cooperate with the police to ensure Humaira Asghar is laid to rest with dignity and respect.”
Shah said he had contacted the Additional Inspector General of Police in Karachi, and the Secretary for Culture had formally written to the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) South to hand over the body.
The letter, seen by Arab News, states that the minister for culture was “very much aggrieved” by the lack of cooperation from Ali’s legal heirs.
“Considering her contributions to the arts and culture of the country, the Culture Department, Government of Sindh, is willing to take responsibility for her burial arrangements with respect and in a dignified manner,” it says.
The letter requested police to hand over the body to the department “after fulfilling formalities as per law.”
Ali’s body was discovered earlier this week when a court bailiff arrived at her apartment in Karachi’s upscale Ittehad Commercial area to vacate the property following a complaint by the landlord.
Initially, the post-mortem conducted by Karachi Police Surgeon Dr. Summaiya Syed suggested the body had decomposed over a period of about a month. However, further forensic investigation and digital evidence suggest she likely died in October 2024, nearly nine months ago.
Ali’s last known digital activity, including a Facebook post on September 11 and an Instagram post on September 30, supported that timeline, police said.
Her phone records and call detail data also confirm no communication beyond October last year.
Police said Ali’s family had declined to claim the body. It remains unclear whether she was estranged from her relatives or what the exact reason was for their refusal to receive her remains.
Ali rose to fame after winning Veet Miss Super Model in 2014 and appearing in the reality show Tamasha Ghar in 2022.
She featured in television dramas such as Just Married, Ehsaan Faramosh, Guru, and Chal Dil Mere. In cinema, she appeared in the 2015 action-thriller Jalaibee and later in Love Vaccine in 2021.
Pakistani finmin calls for reworking federal funding to provinces to reflect human development priorities
- Muhammad Aurangzeb identifies climate change, population growth as ‘existential issues’
- The minister calls for a ‘shift from infrastructure-heavy thinking to human capital investments’
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Muhammad Aurangzeb on Thursday called for a rethinking of how federal funds are allocated to provinces, arguing that future disbursements should reflect human development indicators instead of just population size.
Speaking at an event organized by the Ministry of National Health Services in connection with World Population Day in the federal capital, Aurangzeb said Pakistan’s rapid population growth posed a serious challenge and must be addressed through coordinated, long-term policy interventions.
“As we move forward with revisiting and reviewing the NFC [National Finance Commission] award, the current allocation driver must be reconsidered,” he said while addressing the gathering.
“There are broader factors, such as human development indicators, which should be incorporated,” he added. “These can help shape a revised formula for how we divvy up resources between the federation and the provinces.”
The NFC is a constitutional mechanism that determines how financial resources are distributed from the federal government to Pakistan’s provinces. The existing formula primarily weighs population, though there are several influential voices within the government demanding that future formulas consider a broader range of development metrics.
The finance minister also noted Pakistan must confront two “existential issues” — climate change and population growth — if it wants to reach its long-term goal of becoming a $3 trillion economy by 2047.
“Just think about it: 40 percent of children under the age of five in this country are stunted,” he said. “If we don’t address this, there is no sustainable path forward.”
Aurangzeb noted the issue extended beyond food and sanitation, pointing to the need for birth spacing, women’s education and family planning awareness.
He also emphasized the scale of available resources for addressing these challenges.
Referring to Pakistan’s recently signed 10-year Country Partnership Framework with the World Bank, he said the agreement includes $20 billion in financing, with $600–700 million annually earmarked for population-related measures.
“We have a lot of funds already at our disposal, provided we find the right places to invest and prioritize them correctly,” he said.
Aurangzeb also argued that Pakistan’s total development spending across federal and provincial budgets exceeds Rs 4.2 trillion ($14.7 billion).
“The issue isn’t funding,” he said. “We must shift from infrastructure-heavy thinking to human capital investments.”
No discussion to oust Zardari, promote Pakistan military chief to presidency – minister
- Speculation has swirled over alleged plan to replace president through constitutional amendment
- Interior minister says rumor campaign backed by ‘hostile foreign agencies’ aims to destabilize leadership
KARACHI: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Thursday dismissed rumors that President Asif Ali Zardari is being pushed out of office or that army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir is eyeing the presidency, reiterating that there had been no discussion about such a change.
Media chatter about a possible constitutional amendment to replace President Zardari with someone else, potentially even the army chief, has gained traction in recent days. However, key political figures have swiftly rejected the notion.
“We are fully aware of who is behind the malicious campaign targeting President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, and the Chief of Army Staff,” Naqvi said in a post on X.
“I have categorically stated that there has been no discussion, nor does any such idea exist, about the President being asked to resign or the COAS aspiring to assume the presidency.”
The president maintains a “strong and respectful” relationship with the military leadership, Naqvi said, adding that the army chief’s “sole focus” was on Pakistan’s strength and stability. He warned those pushing this narrative in coordination with “hostile foreign agencies” to continue as they wished but vowed that the government would do “whatever is necessary to make Pakistan strong again, InshAllah.”
On Tuesday, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) echoed Naqvi’s rebuke, with PPP Secretary General Nayyar Hussain Bukhari calling the rumors “baseless” and noting that the country’s federal government could not function without the PPP’s support.
“Zardari is the duly elected president of this country, and this system cannot function without him,” Bukhari said, dismissing the allegations as “uninformed and misleading.”
Irfan Siddiqui, a close aide to Prime Minister Sharif and a former senator, has also rejected the speculation, saying, “No such suggestion is under consideration at any level.”
