Pakistan begins week-long anti-polio vaccination in worst affected province

A Pakistani health worker administers polio drops to a child during a polio vaccination campaign in Quetta on February 15, 2016. (AFP/File)
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Updated 30 December 2024
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Pakistan begins week-long anti-polio vaccination in worst affected province

  • Balochistan has so far reported highest number of polio cases among provinces this year, 27
  • Pakistan, along with neighbor Afghanistan, remains the last polio-endemic country in the world

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani health authorities have launched a week-long anti-polio vaccination drive in the country’s southwestern Balochistan, the province worst affected by poliovirus, on Monday, state-run media reported. 

Balochistan has reported 27 polio cases this year, the highest among all Pakistani provinces this year out of a total of 67 cases. Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh provinces have reported 19 cases each this year while Punjab and Islamabad have each reported one case of the infection. 

Pakistan, along with neighboring Afghanistan, remains the last polio-endemic country in the world. The nation’s polio eradication campaign has faced serious problems with a spike in reported cases this year that have prompted officials to review their approach to stopping the crippling disease.

“In Balochistan, weeklong anti-polio vaccination drive across the province starts today,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan said. “According to the Coordinator Emergency Operation Center Balochistan Inamul-Haq, more than 2.6 million children up to five years of age would be administered anti-polio drops.”

Haq said over 11,000 teams have been constituted for administering anti-polio vaccines to children up to five years of age at their doorstep. The official requested parents, media and citizens to play their role in making the anti-polio campaign a successful one. 

Pakistani authorities this month conducted a large-scale sub-national polio vaccination campaign in Punjab, Sindh, KP, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and Islamabad, vaccinating over 42 million children. 

Poliovirus, which can cause crippling paralysis particularly in young children, is incurable and remains a threat to human health as long as it has not been eradicated. Immunization campaigns have succeeded in most countries and have come close in Pakistan, but persistent problems remain.

In the early 1990s, Pakistan reported around 20,000 cases annually but in 2018 the number dropped to eight cases. Six cases were reported in 2023 and only one in 2021.

Pakistan’s polio program began in 1994 but efforts to eradicate the virus have since been undermined by vaccine misinformation and opposition from some religious hard-liners, who say immunization is a foreign ploy to sterilize Muslim children or a cover for Western spies. Militant groups also frequently attack and kill members of polio vaccine teams. 


Pakistani PM to meet Erdogan today in first leg of regional diplomacy tour

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Pakistani PM to meet Erdogan today in first leg of regional diplomacy tour

  • Sharif will visit Iran, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan and Turkiye on five-day visit
  • All four nations supported Pakistan in recent military standoff with India

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday started a five-day regional diplomacy tour with a trip to Turkiye where he will hold talks with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul, Erdogan’s office said.

Sharif will go onwards from Turkiye to Iran, Azerbaijan and Tajikistan, four nations that openly supported Pakistan in a military standoff with India earlier this month when the two nuclear-armed neighbors traded missile, drone and artillery strikes for days, killing around 70 people on both sides. A ceasefire was reached on May 10. 

The conflict, the worst between the neighbors in decades, was triggered by a militant attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22 that New Delhi blamed on Pakistan. Islamabad denies involvement. 

“During the meeting, bilateral relations, regional and international issues, including the fight against terrorism, will be discussed,” Erdogan’s head of communications, Fahrettin Altun, said on X.

The PM’s office in Islamabad released footage of Sharif departing on the tour and said he would hold wide-ranging discussions with the leaders of Turkiye, Iran, Azerbaijan and Tajikistan on “an entire range of issues covering bilateral relations and matters of regional and international importance.”

“He will thank friendly countries for the support they have given to Pakistan during the recent crisis with India,” the PMO statement added. 

Erdogan spoke by phone with Sharif on May 7 to convey his solidarity after India first hit Pakistan and Azad Kashmir with missiles. Leaders from the two nations had several contacts subsequently and Turkiye publicly took Islamabad’s side. It is widely believed that Turkiye played an important role, besides the US, UAE and Saudi Arabia, in convincing India and Pakistan to back off and agree to a ceasefire. The two nations have historically strong ties. 

Bitter rivals India and Pakistan have fought three wars, including two over the disputed region of Kashmir, since gaining independence from British rule in 1947. Both claim the Himalayan territory in its entirety but rule it in part. They both acquired nuclear weapons in 1998.


At least 14 killed in Pakistan storms after heatwave

Updated 25 May 2025
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At least 14 killed in Pakistan storms after heatwave

  • A clip filmed inside a plane about to land in Lahore showed passengers screaming as the aircraft was tossed about by turbulence
  • Pakistan, one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change, is grappling with increasingly frequent extreme weather events

LAHORE: “Destructive” windstorms that raged across central and northern Pakistan after an intense heatwave have killed at least 14 people and injured over 100 more, officials said Sunday.

Fierce winds, thunder and lightning swept across eastern Punjab and northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces as well as the capital Islamabad on Saturday afternoon and evening, uprooting trees and downing electric poles.

While the majority of the deaths were caused by collapsing walls and roofs, at least two people died after being hit by solar panels dislodged by the whipping gusts.

One man was killed and three others were injured by lightning strikes.

Mazhar Hussain, a spokesperson for the Punjab provincial disaster management authority, told AFP that such windstorms develop because of excessive heat, which reached above 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit) in recent days.

“There were three to four days in the recent heatwave where temperatures went up quite a lot,” he said, announcing 14 deaths in Punjab and 100 injured.

“This windstorm was particularly destructive. The wind speed was very high. There was so much dust in it that visibility was greatly reduced.”

The Pakistan Meteorological Department predicted more storms on Sunday.

Social media was replete on Saturday evening with videos of the damage the windstorms had unleashed.

A clip filmed inside a plane about to land in Punjab’s city of Lahore showed passengers screaming in terror as the aircraft was tossed about by turbulence.

The plane was later diverted to Karachi.

Other videos show cars crushed by falling trees and roads blocked by debris.

Pakistan, one of the countries most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, is grappling with increasingly frequent extreme weather events.

Islamabad experienced several usually rare hail storms throughout April and May that damaged vehicles, smashed window panes and shattered solar panels.

Soaring temperatures in April and May are becoming more common in Pakistan, which usually sees summer begin in early June.

Temperatures reached near-record levels in April, as high as 46.5C (115.7F) in parts of Punjab.

Schools in Punjab and Balochistan have announced early summer vacations because of the heat.


First batch of Bangladeshi players arrives in Pakistan to play three-match T20 series

Updated 25 May 2025
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First batch of Bangladeshi players arrives in Pakistan to play three-match T20 series

  • The series will be held in Lahore, with the first T20 scheduled for May 28
  • Both squads will train at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium on Monday, the PCB says

ISLAMABAD: A group of Bangladeshi players arrived in Pakistan on Sunday to play three Twenty20 internationals (T20Is) against the ‘Men in Green,’ the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said.

The three-match T20I series between Pakistan and Bangladesh will be held in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore, with the first match scheduled for May 28.

The first group of Bangladesh contingent arrived in Pakistan in wee hours of Sunday and two more groups will arrive on Monday, according to the PCB.

Members of Pakistan’s squad will assemble in Lahore on Sunday, while players participating in Sunday’s final of the Pakistan Super League will join on Monday.

“Both teams will train at 7:30pm at Qaddafi Stadium, Lahore,” the PCB said in a statement.

Bangladesh were initially scheduled to play five T20Is, but the tour was put in jeopardy following a cross-border conflict between Pakistan and India this month.

Both neighbors clashed for four days before agreeing to a United States-brokered ceasefire agreement on May 10.

Pakistan was also forced to reschedule its Twenty20 league — the Pakistan Super League (PSL) — after a ten-day break.

The Indian Premier League — the world’s richest cricket tournament — was also interrupted.


Pakistan, Uzbekistan hope to finalize framework agreement for 573-km railway line via Afghanistan

Updated 25 May 2025
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Pakistan, Uzbekistan hope to finalize framework agreement for 573-km railway line via Afghanistan

  • The $4.8 billion project aims to enhance regional trade and logistics movement by connecting the three countries
  • It is part of Pakistan’s efforts to position itself as a key transit hub, connecting landlocked Central Asia to the world

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Sunday discussed the Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (UAP) railway line project with his Uzbek counterpart Saidov Bakhtiyor Odilovich, the Pakistani foreign ministry said, adding the two figures expressed hope the project’s framework agreement would be completed soon.

The $4.8 billion Uzbekistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan railway line is an extensive project with the objective of creating a direct railway link between Uzbekistan and Pakistan, passing through Afghanistan’s territory.

It aims to enhance trade and logistics efficiency by establishing a 573-kilometer rail connection that would connect Termiz in Uzbekistan to the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar via Afghanistan’s Mazar-i-Sharif.

The project is part of Pakistan’s efforts to position itself as a key trade and transit hub, connecting landlocked Central Asian states to the global market through its strategic location.

“Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar today held a telephone conversation with the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Saidov Bakhtiyor Odilovich. The two leaders discussed existing bilateral relations, particularly Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (UAP) Railway Line Project,” the Pakistani foreign office said.

“They expressed the hope that framework agreement for the regional connectivity project will be finalized soon. Views were also exchanged on current regional situation.”

The three neighboring countries signed an agreement to build the regional connectivity project in February 2021. Dar also visited Afghanistan in April this year and discussed the project with the Afghan Taliban rulers in Kabul.

Pakistan is seeking to leverage its strategic position as a key trade and transit hub to connect Central Asia with global markets and since last year, there has been a flurry of high-level visits, investment discussions and other economic engagements between Islamabad and Central Asian republics.

Pakistan and Uzbekistan have also been working toward optimizing cargo flows, establishing green corridors at border customs points, and digitalization of customs clearance processes to facilitate smoother trade operations.


Pakistan allocates 2,000MW to bitcoin mining, AI data centers in digital transformation push

Updated 48 min 11 sec ago
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Pakistan allocates 2,000MW to bitcoin mining, AI data centers in digital transformation push

  • Pakistan offers a strategic location in the world for data flow and digital infrastructure as a digital bridge between Asia, Europe, and the Middle East
  • The country is positioning itself as a sovereign economy that can accumulate digital assets, export digital services, and lead in technological transformation

KARACHI: The Pakistani government has allocated 2,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity in the first phase of a national initiative to power bitcoin mining and Artificial Intelligence (AI) data centers, the finance ministry announced on Sunday, in a push to transform Pakistan into a global leader in digital innovation.

The initiative is spearheaded by the Pakistan Crypto Council (PCC), a government-backed body under the Ministry of Finance, as part of a broader strategy to monetize surplus electricity, create high-tech jobs, attract billions of dollars in foreign direct investment.

Pakistan is uniquely positioned, both geographically and economically, to become a global hub for data centers, and offers the most strategic location in the world for data flow and digital infrastructure as a bridge between Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.

Pakistan’s combination of surplus power, geographic advantage, advanced subsea cable connectivity, renewable energy potential, and a large, digitally engaged population creates a compelling case for becoming a regional epicenter of Web3, AI, and digital innovation.

“This strategic allocation marks a pivotal moment in Pakistan’s digital transformation journey, unlocking economic potential by turning excess energy into innovation, investment, and international revenue,” Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb was quoted as saying by his ministry.

Since the inception of the PCC, there has been tremendous interest from global bitcoin miners and data infrastructure companies, and several international firms have already visited Pakistan for exploratory discussions, according to the finance ministry. Following this landmark announcement, more global players are expected to visit in the coming weeks.

It said Pakistan’s underutilized power generation capacity is now being repurposed into a high-value digital asset.

“AI data centers and Bitcoin mining operations, known for their consistent and heavy energy usage, provide an ideal use case for this surplus,” the ministry said. ‘Redirecting idle energy, especially from plants operating below capacity, allows Pakistan to convert a long-standing financial liability into a sustainable, revenue-generating opportunity.”

PCC CEO Bilal bin Saqib emphasized the transformative nature of this initiative, saying Pakistan could become a global crypto and AI powerhouse with proper regulation, transparency, and international collaboration.
“This energy-backed digital transformation not only unlocks high-value investment but enables the government to generate foreign exchange in USD through bitcoin mining,” he said.

“Additionally, as regulations evolve, Pakistan can accumulate bitcoin directly into a national wallet, marking a monumental shift from selling power in Pakistani Rupees (PKR) to leveraging digital assets for economic stability.”

In April, Pakistan introduced 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 move followed the establishment of the PCC in March to create a legal framework for cryptocurrency trading in a bid to lure international investment.

With the right incentives, strategic investments, and collaborative partnerships, Pakistan is positioning itself not only as a destination for global digital infrastructure but also as a sovereign economy that can accumulate digital assets, export digital services, and lead in the next generation of technological transformation.

“By offering stable and affordable energy, Pakistan presents a highly competitive environment compared to regional counterparts like India and Singapore, where rising power costs and land scarcity limit scalability,” the finance ministry said.

“Pakistan’s strategic advantage is further underscored by the global context: while AI data center demand has soared to over 100GW, global supply remains around 15GW. This massive shortfall creates an unprecedented opportunity for countries like Pakistan with surplus power, land, and an emerging regulatory framework.”

Pakistan’s digital connectivity has also been significantly strengthened by the landing of the world’s largest submarine Internet cable. The Africa-2 Cable Project, a 45,000-kilometer global network connecting 33 countries through 46 landing stations, has now landed in Pakistan. This milestone enhances Pakistan’s Internet bandwidth, latency, and resilience through redundant fiber routes — key for ensuring high availability and operational continuity for AI data centers.

With a population of over 250 million and more than 40 million crypto users, Pakistan holds immense potential as a regional leader in digital services, according to the finance ministry.

Establishing local AI data centers will not only address growing concerns around data sovereignty but will also enhance cybersecurity, improve digital service delivery, and empower national capabilities in AI and cloud infrastructure. These centers are expected to create thousands of direct and indirect jobs, catalyzing the development of a skilled workforce in engineering, IT, and data sciences.

“This announcement marks only the first phase of a broader, multi-stage digital infrastructure rollout. Future developments are expected to include renewable energy-powered facilities — leveraging Pakistan’s immense wind (50,000 MW potential in the Gharo-Keti Bandar corridor), solar, and hydropower resources — strategic international partnerships with leading blockchain and AI companies, and the establishment of fintech and innovation hubs,” the ministry said.

“These efforts will be complemented by proposed incentives such as tax holidays, customs duty exemptions on equipment, and reduced taxes for AI infrastructure developers.”