KHAPLU, GILGIT-BALTISTAN: Oman’s Nadhira Alharthy became the first person from her country to summit the 8,126-meter Nanga Parbat mountain in northern Pakistan on Wednesday, a Nepal-based adventure tour company confirmed.
Gilgit-Baltistan, a sparsely populated northern region administered by Pakistan as an autonomous territory, is home to some of the highest peaks in the world and a major tourist destination. Hundreds of tourists visit the region each year for expeditions on various peaks, paragliding and other sports activities.
Nanga Parbat, also known as “Killer Mountain,” is Pakistan’s second-highest peak and the world’s ninth-highest mountain. Several climbers have died in the past attempting to summit the towering mountain.
“Huge congratulations to our team members and Sherpa who reached the pinnacle of Nanga Parbat on 10 July 2024,” Seven Summit Treks, the Nepalese company that organized the expedition, wrote on its social media platforms. it mentioned Alharthy’s name among the successful climbers.
“Against all odds, the team conquered this majestic peak, fueled by determination and teamwork,” it added.
Alharthy’s latest achievement makes her the first Omani woman to summit four peaks higher than 8,000 meters.
The 46-year-old climber has previously summited Mount Everest (8,849 meters) in 2019, Mount Manaslu (8,156 meters) in 2021, and K2 (8,611 meters) in 2022. She also climbed the 4,478-meter high Matterhorn in 2023 and the 6,812-meter high Ama Dablam mountain in Nepal in 2021.
Thaneswar Guragai, the company’s general manager, told Arab News that nine people summitted Nanga Parbat on Wednesday.
He said that of the nine climbers, three are from Nepal, one each from Oman, Azerbaijan, France, Norway, Ecuador and Greece.
“Professionally she works as a government officer in the Ministry of Education [of Oman]. However, for the last few years she has been continuously climbing peaks,” he disclosed.
According to the Gilgit-Baltistan Tourism Department, more foreign climbers and trekkers have been issued permits to climb Pakistan’s mountains this year compared to 2023.
“This year, more than 2000 climbers and trekkers have been issued permits to climb and trek different peaks of Pakistan,” Sajid Hussain, deputy director for the GB Tourism Department, told Arab News.
He said last year, 650 mountaineers visited Pakistan while this year the government has issued permits to over 800 mountaineers.
“Out of 800 mountaineers, almost 200 climbers will try their luck to conquer K2,” Hussain said. “Women teams are also at the K2 base camp.”
Four foreigners have died in GB in less than two months this year. A Brazilian tourist was killed in a paragliding accident while a Japanese climber died while descending the Spantik mountain, with both deaths taking place this month.
Last month, two Japanese climbers went missing in GB. The body of one of the climbers was found after which authorities presumed the other dead and called off the search to recover him. The two Japanese climbers had also attempted to summit the Spantik mountain in GB’s Nagar district.
Nadhira Alharthy becomes first Omani to summit Pakistan’s ‘Killer Mountain’
https://arab.news/wan8m
Nadhira Alharthy becomes first Omani to summit Pakistan’s ‘Killer Mountain’
- Alharthy, 46, was part of 10-member expedition that summited Nanga Parbat mountain on Wednesday
- Her latest achievement makes Alharthy first Omani to summit four peaks higher than 8,000 meters
Pakistan saw most militant attacks in a decade in March, says conflict monitoring group
- PICSS reports 228 fatalities of civilians, security personnel and militants in 105 attacks
- Another 107 also lost their lives in security operations carried out by Pakistani forces
KARACHI: Militant attacks in Pakistan surpassed 100 in March for the first time in over nine years, marking it to be the deadliest month since 2015, a leading security think tank said on Tuesday, as violence spiked across the country’s two western provinces.
The Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan were the hardest hit, though Punjab and Sindh provinces also experienced an uptick in militant activity.
Islamabad has repeatedly blamed Afghanistan for providing shelter to militant groups targeting civilians and security forces in cross-border attacks, an allegation denied by the authorities in Kabul.
“The number of militant attacks surpassed 100 for the first time since November 2014,” PICSS said in a statement.
The think tank reported 105 militant attacks during the month, resulting in 228 fatalities — 73 security personnel, 67 civilians and 88 militants — and 258 injuries, equally split between civilians and security forces.
Security operations conducted during the same period resulted in an additional 107 deaths and 31 injuries, bringing the overall death toll for the month to 335.
“According to the PICSS Militancy Database (PMD), March 2025 recorded the highest overall fatalities since August 2015,” the statement added.
Balochistan witnessed at least 122 fatalities, including 40 civilians and 37 security personnel, as well as three suicide bombings, two of which were carried out by factions of the separatist Baloch Liberation Army. The province also saw the March 11 hijacking of the Jaffar Express, which left 26 hostages and 33 militants dead.
PICSS said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa reported the highest number of total deaths — 206 — comprising 49 security personnel, 34 civilians and 123 militants. Of these, 82 fatalities occurred in the tribal districts, formerly part of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), where security operations also intensified.
The think tank informed that Punjab also witnessed an increase in militant activity, with seven attacks recorded — mostly in Dera Ghazi Khan — marking the highest number of incidents in the province in a single month in a decade.
Six people were killed and 22 suspected militants arrested in Lahore, it added.
The southeastern Sindh province also reported three low-intensity attacks, including one claimed by Daesh.
PICSS also recorded six suicide attacks in March — three in Balochistan, two in mainland KP and one in the tribal districts — making it the deadliest month for such incidents in recent years.
Pakistan extends deadline for expulsion of Afghans
- The deadline has been shifted to next week due to Eid holidays in the country
- Authorities in Kabul have urged countries hosting Afghans not to force them out
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has postponed a deadline for hundreds of thousands of Afghans to return to their country due to Eid Al-Fitr holidays marking the end of Ramadan, a government official told AFP on Tuesday.
In early March, Islamabad announced a deadline of the end of the month for Afghans holding certain documentation to leave the country, ramping up a campaign to send Afghans back to their homeland.
“The deadline has been extended until the beginning of next week due to Eid holidays,” the official said on the condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the media.
Afghans holding Afghan Citizen Cards (ACC) — issued by Pakistan authorities and held by 800,000 people, according to the United Nations — face deportation to Afghanistan after the deadline.
More than 1.3 million Afghans who hold Proof of Registration (PoR) cards from the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, are also to be moved outside the capital Islamabad and neighboring city Rawalpindi.
The UN says nearly three million Afghans live in Pakistan, many having fled there over decades of war in their country and after the return of the Taliban to power in Afghanistan.
“Many have been living in the country for years and going back means going back to nothing,” Pakistani human rights lawyer Moniza Kakar told AFP.
Ties between the neighboring countries have frayed since the Taliban takeover, with Pakistan accusing Kabul’s rulers of failing to root out militants sheltering on Afghan soil, a charge the Taliban government denies.
A delegation from Islamabad met with officials in Kabul in March, with Pakistan emphasizing the importance of security in Afghanistan for the region.
The Taliban government has repeatedly called for the “dignified” return of Afghans to their country, with Prime Minister Hassan Akhund urging countries hosting Afghans not to force out them out.
“We ask that instead of forced deportation, Afghans should be supported and provided with facilities,” he said in an Eid message the day before Pakistan’s original deadline.
Rights groups have condemned Pakistan’s campaign.
Human Rights Watch slammed “abusive tactics” used to pressure Afghans to return to their country “where they risk persecution by the Taliban and face dire economic conditions.”
Afghan girls and young women would lose rights to education if returned to Afghanistan, as per Taliban authority bans.
Amnesty International condemned the removal of Afghans in Islamabad awaiting resettlement in other countries, saying they would be “far from foreign missions who had promised visas and travel documents, and risk deportation due to the increased difficulty in coordinating their relocation with missions such as the United States.”
Following an ultimatum from Islamabad in late 2023 for undocumented Afghans to leave Pakistan, more than 800,000 Afghans returned between September 2023 and the end of 2024, according UN figures.
Spiced to perfection: How a small southern city became Pakistan’s pickle powerhouse
- Shikarpuri achar traces roots to pre-partition India when the local Hindu community perfected its intricate preparation
- From humble beginnings, Shikarpur’s achar industry has grown into network of factories, shops and home-based ventures
SHIKARPUR, Sindh: Few table spreads in Pakistan are complete without a jar of pickles, their tangy, spicy, and complex flavors adding punch to main dishes like lentils, curries and rice.
One city in Pakistan has become synonymous with the production of achar, or pickles as they are called in Urdu.
Located deep in the heart of the southern Sindh province, Shikarpur has been churning out some of the country’s most beloved achar for generations, selling to shops around the country and also exporting to the UK, US, UAE, Saudi Arabia and other countries.
Shikarpur city houses at least 12 pickle manufacturing factories, which run networks of shops. The main brands include Hajji Mola Bux Memon, Hajji Sikander Memon, Tahir Shabir Shaikh, Nisar Ahmed Memon, Shah Nawaz Soomro, Soomra, and Nawab Memon. Other small home-based manufacturers also operate in the city, producing some of the best pickles made in Pakistan.
Abdul Saboor, the fourth-generation owner of Hajji Mola Bux Memon Achar, a leading brand from the city, said his great-grandfather established the business in 1965.
“When you hear the name Shikarpur, your taste buds automatically come alive,” he told Arab News as he supervised the packaging of products at his factory.
“The real joy is when you think of achar, and you say, ‘If it’s achar, it must be Hajji Mola Bux’.”
Saboor said the roots of Shikarpuri achar could be traced back to pre-partition India, a time when the local Hindu community first mastered the intricate preparation of the popular delicacy:
“When Hindus migrated [to India after Pakistan was born in 1947], our ancestors took inspiration from them and started the business.”
Barkatullah Asif Soomro, the owner of the home-based Memsa Achar company, said his business was started by his maternal grandmother.
“Our grandmother ran the business at home about 50 to 60 years ago,” he told Arab News. “As the demand grew, we naturally moved to a shop, but the achar spices are the same as those used at home.”
“ANCESTORS’ FORMULA”
Achar recipes vary across regions and families, but the basic process involves fermenting vegetables, fruits, or other ingredients in a mixture of spices, salt, oil, vinegar and lemon juice.
Today, Shikarpur’s achar, alongside its Hyderabadi counterpart, enjoys immense popularity both domestically and internationally. The most favorite Shikarpuri blend is a mixed pickle with carrots, turnips, onions, cauliflower, chickpeas, garlic, green chilies, lime and mango, creating a spicy, tangy and aromatic product that has delighted generations. Other favorites are pickles made of mango, green chilies and chickpeas, as well as pickled chicken, beef and mutton.
Maqsood Ahmed Meerani, a salesman with 30 years of experience, highlighted the popular ‘Mix Oil Golden’ variety.
“It has good quality and is made in mustard oil,” he said. “It includes lemon, chili, mango, carrot, falsa, garlic, ginger and many other ingredients, and it has a very distinct taste.”
Pickles serve as appetizers and are believed to help in the digestion of foods by aiding the flow of gastric juices. Experts say fermented pickles have beneficial bacteria that help control harmful intestinal microbes.
But the specialty of Shikarpuri achar, according to Saboor, was the meticulously sourced, organic spice mix made by grounding down fresh herbs as per age-old recipes.
“We buy all our herbs and spices ourselves and grind them with machines, right in front of our eyes,” he said. “All the spices we use are from our ancestors’ formulas, entirely organic.”
Over time, the Hajji Mola Bux brand has refined its techniques, introducing new ingredients, but the core focus on quality and organic spices remains unchanged.
“When the lid of the achar jar opens, and the aroma hits, it should be delightful,” Saboor said. “If it smells good, you can be sure of its quality.”
The business previously sold to Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom but had to halt exports during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“After Eid, our export business will resume,” Saboor said, referring to the Eid Al-Fitr holiday which falls from Mar. 31 to Apr. 2 this year.
Junaid Ahmed, a resident of Shikarpur, said the city’s achar was so famous friends and relatives residing elsewhere often requested it when they heard someone was traveling from Shikarpur.
“Nothing else, but achar is a must to bring as a gift,” he said as he bought jats of pickles for his family from a local shop.
“It’s something we also send as gifts to our friends or relatives. Whether it’s Karachi or Lahore, no matter where in Pakistan, we send achar as a gift.”
Top Pakistani journalists’ union demands probe into media delegation’s visit to Israel
- PFUJ calls 10-member media delegation’s visit to Israel an affront to journalists worldwide
- It describes the visit as ‘troubling’ given the deaths of over 150 journalists covering the Gaza war
ISLAMABAD: A leading association of Pakistani journalists on Tuesday called for an investigation into a recent visit by local media professionals to Israel, describing the trip as an affront to journalists worldwide following the deaths of more than 150 media workers covering the war in Gaza.
Last month, a 10-member delegation of Pakistani journalists, intellectuals and influencers visited Israel for a week to learn about the Holocaust and the October 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas, according to Israeli media.
The visit sparked widespread criticism in Pakistan, which does not recognize Israel and has no diplomatic relations with the country. Islamabad has consistently advocated for the creation of an independent Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders and internationally agreed parameters.
Pakistan has also been a vocal critic of Israel’s ongoing military offensive in Gaza, which it has labeled a “genocide.”
In a strongly worded statement, the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) condemned the visit, calling it a breach of journalistic ethics and a betrayal of the global struggle for press freedom and human rights.
“The PFUJ urged authorities to launch a thorough investigation into how and why these journalists undertook the trip, emphasizing that such actions contradict Pakistan’s long-standing diplomatic stance,” the statement said.
“The PFUJ also condemned the move as an affront to journalists worldwide who have risked or lost their lives in conflict zones while exposing human rights abuses,” it added.
The union said the timing of the visit was particularly troubling, given that over 150 journalists — the majority of them Palestinian — have been killed in Gaza since October 2023, making it one of the deadliest conflicts for media workers in recent history.
It warned that such trips risk legitimizing those killings and undermining the sacrifices of journalists covering conflicts in Palestine, Kashmir, Afghanistan and elsewhere.
This is not the first time Pakistani media professionals have traveled to Israel. In 2022, a similar delegation included journalists and Pakistani-Americans participating in interfaith and diplomatic engagement efforts.
Responding to media reports on the latest visit, Pakistan’s foreign office said the country’s position on Israel “remains unchanged.”
“Pakistani passports explicitly state they are ‘not valid for travel to Israel,’” it said. “Pakistan does not recognize Israel and steadfastly supports the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, including the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders.”
Malaysia PM seeks deeper economic ties as investment from Pakistan hits $397 million
- Anwar Ibrahim wants more Pakistani investment in agriculture, petrochemicals and biomass industries
- He says his government is looking forward to PM Shehbaz Sharif’s official visit to Kuala Lumpur in May
ISLAMABAD: Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Monday expressed hope for increased Pakistani investment, noting it had grown to nearly $397 million in recent years, as the two countries look to deepen economic and diplomatic ties.
Ibrahim’s comments came shortly after a phone conversation with his Pakistani counterpart Shehbaz Sharif, during which both leaders exchanged Eid Al-Fitr greetings and reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen bilateral relations.
Sharif is expected to travel to Kuala Lumpur in May on an official visit, following Ibrahim’s three-day trip to Islamabad last October. That visit saw the signing of several memoranda of understanding between the two sides and the conferment of Pakistan’s highest civilian award, the Nishan-e-Pakistan, on the Malaysian leader.
“This evening, I spoke with my counterpart from Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif, exchanging and reaffirming our commitment to strengthening Malaysia-Pakistan ties,” Ibrahim wrote in a post on social media platform X. “Our friendship continues to deepen, opening new avenues for cooperation, particularly following my visit to Pakistan last October.”
“Pakistan’s investments in Malaysia have grown to approximately $397 million, and I welcome further investments, especially in agriculture, petrochemicals and biomass industries,” he said.
The two leaders also reviewed collaboration in trade, education and research while agreeing to expedite pending matters to advance shared goals, Ibrahim added.
The Malaysian prime minister said the conversation also covered the ongoing conflict in Gaza, where “Israel’s violations of the ceasefire continue to undermine peace efforts.”
Both leaders discussed coordinated efforts to support reconstruction in the besieged territory and to end the violence against Palestinians.
“I look forward to welcoming Prime Minister Shehbaz on his maiden visit to Malaysia on 9 May,” Ibrahim said, expressing his hope that the partnership would continue to strengthen for the benefit of both nations.
Pakistan and Malaysia have long maintained cordial relations, with both countries working to expand cooperation in various sectors.
The renewed outreach comes as Islamabad intensifies its economic diplomacy to attract foreign investment and revive its struggling economy.
