Pakistan’s first woman firefighter now trains future heroes

In this picture taken in Lahore in 2018, fire rescue cadets learn the ins and outs of operating iconic fire trucks that are often first on the scene of accidents. (Photo courtesy: Shazia Parveen) ​
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Updated 10 July 2020
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Pakistan’s first woman firefighter now trains future heroes

  • Shazia Parveen served six years at a fire station in Vehari, responding to fires in fields and factories
  • In 2016, a promotion brought Parveen to Lahore as a fire instructor at the Punjab Emergency Services Academy

RAWALPINDI: Ten years ago, Shazia Parveen could have never imagined a job hunt would lead her to Vehari, a small city in southern Punjab, where enrolling in a training course at Rescue 1122 would see her become Pakistan’s first woman firefighter. 

For six years, Parveen worked at the Vehari fire station, putting out fires in fields and factories. The big jump came in 2016 when she was promoted to an instructor and sent to Lahore to train a future generation of rescue hopefuls.




Shazia Parveen on duty as a fire rescue trainer at the Punjab Emergency Services Academy near Thokar Niaz Baig, Lahore, Pakistan, on July 9, 2020. (Photo courtesy: Shazia Parveen)

“I knew it was going to be different, something out of the ordinary, but I didn’t realize it would involve firefighting,” Parveen, who was 22 when she joined the rescue service in vehari in 2010, told Arab News over the phone on Thursday. “In fact, I didn’t know until after the training began that I was the first female firefighter in the country.”

One of eight siblings, Parveen said she was raised by a father, a retired military officer, who had taught his children to choose a job where they could help other people and serve their country.




In this undated picture taken in Lahore, Pakistan, firefighter Shazia Parveen leads a class on putting out stubborn fires. In her time in Vehari, she often dealt with electrical fires in an area populated with factories. (Photo courtesy: Shazia Parveen)

“There were so many incidents [in Vehari] that it’s hard to think of one that really stood out,” she said. “But I remember a fire at a cotton factory due to the immense heat we felt when we entered the building to stop it.”

Parveen said her family and other people in her district were “incredibly supportive” of her chosen occupation.




In 2010, Shazia Parveen became the first Pakistani woman to battle fires in the country’s history. A few years later, she started instructing women cadets on how to handle small fires using an extinguisher at the Punjab Emergency Services Academy. Picture taken in Lahore in 2019. (Photo courtesy: Shazia Parveen)

“Of course, sometimes they are a little shocked to see a female as a first responder,” she laughed, “but they are in their offices or homes and I am out [on these missions] doing this job for them and they truly appreciate it.”

Firefighters do more than put out fires. In cases of medical emergencies, they are often the first on the scene, equipped as Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), and are trained in search and rescue operations.




In this picture taken in Lahore in 2019, firefighter Shazia Parveen oversees drills with female cadets. She hopes that her visibility as a first responder in rescue services will encourage other women to join the field as well. (Photo courtesy: Shazia Parveen)

Then in 2016, a promotion brought Parveen to Lahore as a fire instructor at the Punjab Emergency Services Academy, where many of her students are female recruits.

“I train girls and boys as firefighters now,” she said.




In 2010, Shazia Parveen became the first Pakistani woman to battle fires in the country’s history. A few years later, she started instructing women cadets on how to handle small fires using an extinguisher at the Punjab Emergency Services Academy. Picture taken in Lahore somewhere in 2019. (Photo courtesy: Shazia Parveen)

The number of her trainees has exceeded 1,000 people per year in a program that takes about six months to complete.

“It’s exciting to see the growing number of female recruits, though most of them come in to train as EMTs for an ambulance response. However, it’s heartening to see some of them join the fire rescue training as well,” Parveen said.




Firefighting Instructor Shazia Parveen “feels proud” of being responsible for protecting “people and their property” as a fire rescue responder. Picture taken in Lahore in 2017. (Shazia Parveen)

Thinking about her time with the service, Parveen said: “I was always treated with respect and supported by my colleagues. I am also proud to be training these firefighters today. All men and women must be encouraged to serve your country by joining such professions.”




In this picture taken in Lahore somewhere in 2019, firefighter Shazia Parveen leads a class on putting out stubborn flames. In her time in Vehari, she often dealt with electrical fires in an area populated with factories. (Photo courtesy: Shazia Parveen)

As someone who has excelled in a dangerous occupation, she hopes to inspire other women as well.




In 2010, Shazia Parveen became the first Pakistani woman to battle fires in the country’s history. A few years later, she started instructing women cadets on how to handle small fires using an extinguisher at the Punjab Emergency Services Academy. Picture taken in Lahore somewhere in 2019. (Photo courtesy: Shazia Parveen)

“I take care of people and their properties,” Parveen said. “Everything they have in their lives is my responsibility to protect, and that’s empowering. I hope my visibility brings more women into this field.”


Pakistan extends deadline for Hajj applications under government scheme by one day

Updated 16 August 2025
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Pakistan extends deadline for Hajj applications under government scheme by one day

  • More than 110,000 Hajj applications received in 12 days, with only 7,000 seats remaining
  • Online portal closed at midnight on Aug. 16, but banks will accept applications on Monday

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan announced on Saturday it has extended the deadline for receiving Hajj applications under the government scheme by one day, with designated banks set to accept forms on Monday, as authorities reported receiving more than 110,000 applications over the past 12 days.

The country has a Hajj quota of 179,210 pilgrims, of which 129,210 seats have been allocated to the government scheme and the rest to private tour operators.

The religious affairs ministry said earlier the State Bank of Pakistan had accepted its request and ordered 14 designated banks to keep branches open for Hajj applications on the final day, which fell on Saturday, though the deadline was later extended in the evening.

“The receipt of Hajj applications has been extended by one day,” a ministry spokesperson said in a statement.

“Designated banks will continue receiving applications on Monday, Aug. 18," it added. "More than 110,000 applications have been received in the last 12 days, with only 7,000 seats left under the government scheme.”

The ministry said the extension was on a “first-come, first-served basis” and that applications would close as soon as the quota was filled.

It clarified that no extension would be granted for the ministry’s online portal, which would stop accepting applications at midnight on Aug. 16.

Pakistan began receiving applications on Aug. 4. Applicants were advised to obtain computerized receipts and verify their details through the ministry’s portal or the Pak Hajj 2026 app.

Under the government scheme, pilgrims can choose between a long package (38-42 days) and a short package (20-25 days), with costs ranging between Rs1,150,000 and Rs1,250,000 ($4,050–4,236).

Applicants are required to deposit a first installment of Rs500,000 or Rs550,000 depending on the package, while the remaining dues will be collected in November.

Saudi Arabia had approved the same quota for Pakistan in 2025, though private tour operators last year struggled to utilize their share, saying they faced technical and financial delays, even as the government filled its quota of over 88,000 pilgrims.


Pakistan army says not interested in mass evacuations for Balochistan operations

Updated 16 August 2025
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Pakistan army says not interested in mass evacuations for Balochistan operations

  • ISPR chief stresses focus on intelligence-based operations and cooperation with local communities
  • Army spokesman says Balochistan will always remain part of Pakistan amid separatist insurgency

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s army is not interested in evacuating entire areas in the restive southwestern province of Balochistan to launch operations against militants, the top military spokesman said Saturday, insisting the region will always remain part of the country.

Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest but most impoverished province, has been the site of a long-running insurgency that has intensified in recent months, with separatist militants attacking security forces, government functionaries and non-local residents.

Intelligence-based operations have been launched in response, though outfits such as the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its Majeed Brigade faction have carried out increasingly coordinated strikes, including a passenger train hostage-taking earlier this year and an attack on a school bus that killed and injured several children.

“We are not interested in evacuating an entire area, sending in troops, clearing all the localities and then declaring that peace has been restored because you cannot station the army permanently,” Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said while addressing students in a military internship program in Rawalpindi.

The ISPR shared portions of his remarks in a video released on its Facebook page.

“Once the army leaves, the terrorists would return,” he added. “That is why we need to work in a very intelligent manner. We need to work with the population, with the local administration, and we need to identify the terrorists, their sympathizers and their facilitators. That is what we are doing.”

Chaudhry emphasized that the military has no interest in falsely accusing or targeting innocent civilians.

“However, if someone facilitates terrorism, if someone keeps explosives in their house or gives shelter to terrorists, then they will have to face the consequences,” he continued.

The military spokesperson also underlined that Balochistan would “always remain part of Pakistan,” noting the province’s ethnic and demographic diversity and its connections with other parts of the country.

The comments came as violence in the mineral-rich province has intensified in recent months.

Earlier this week, the United States designated the BLA and the Majeed Brigade as “foreign terrorist organizations.”

Separatist groups accuse Islamabad of exploiting Balochistan’s resources to fund development elsewhere, while the federal government denies the charge, saying it is working to uplift local communities.


Pakistan’s disaster agency restricts mountain tourism as 332 killed in northern floods in two days

Updated 46 min 17 sec ago
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Pakistan’s disaster agency restricts mountain tourism as 332 killed in northern floods in two days

  • The nationwide monsoon death toll has reached 645 after accounting for the latest surge in casualties
  • Khyber Pakhtunkhwa administration has declared an emergency in nine flood-hit districts until August 31

DIR, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Saturday issued an advisory to limit tourism in mountainous areas after the death toll from torrential rains and floods in Pakistan’s northern regions in the last 48 hours increased to 332, according to an official statement.

The NDMA's latest situation report put the cumulative death toll since the beginning of the monsoon season from June 26 to August 16 at 645, with the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province being the worst hit with 383 casualties, followed by Punjab with 164.

In the last 48 hours, raging hill torrents swept away dozens of people in KP’s Swat, Buner, Bajaur, Torghar, Mansehra, Shangla and Battagram districts, with the NDMA recording 312 deaths in the region. Other areas such as Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir suffered nine and 11 deaths, respectively.

Rescuers, backed by boats and helicopters, worked for hours in KP and other areas to save stranded residents and tourists as ambulances transported bodies to hospitals.

“On the Prime Minister’s directive, the National Disaster Management Authority has issued an advisory to limit tourism in mountainous areas due to the intensity of the monsoon,” the NDMA said in a statement.

“Public movement should be restricted in high-risk areas during monsoon spells,” it continued. “If necessary, tourist restrictions may be imposed under Section 144, with law enforcement agencies in tourist areas ensuring compliance with these restrictions.”

Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) empowers local authorities to prohibit gatherings of four or more people and impose restrictions on movement or activities in a specific area to prevent unrest or ensure public safety.

The NDMA also urged the public to avoid traveling to affected areas.

Separately, the KP administration declared an emergency in districts affected by rains and flash floods.

“A notification has been issued stating that the emergency will remain in effect from August 15 to August 31, 2025, in the vulnerable districts,” the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said in a statement.

“The emergency will be enforced in the districts of Swat, Buner, Bajaur, Torghar, Mansehra, Shangla, Lower Dir, Upper Dir and Battagram, which have been affected by rains and flooding,” it added.

The Pakistani authorities have said the current spell of heavy rains in the region is likely to continue intermittently till August 21, with the KP PDMA issuing directives to intensify relief activities in all the affected districts and provide immediate relief to those affected.

The NDMA also said on Saturday that its team has reached Peshawar to supervise relief work.

Deputy PM Ishaq Dar expressed sorrow over the tragic loss of life and property caused by the cloudbursts and flash floods in KP and other parts of Pakistan.

“Our hearts go out to the families who have lost loved ones, to those who are injured, and many whose homes and livelihoods have been swept away,” he said on X. “The Government of Pakistan is mobilizing all available resources to provide relief and conduct rescue operations.”

The deluges have evoked memories of 2022 when catastrophic monsoon rains and glacial melt submerged a third of the country, killing more than 1,700 people and causing over $30 billion in damages.

Pakistan, which contributes less than 1 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, is among the countries most vulnerable to climate change.

Scientists say rising temperatures are making South Asia’s monsoon rains more erratic and intense, increasing the risk of flash floods and landslides in mountainous regions like KP and Gilgit-Baltistan, where at least 20 people have died in similar incidents and several are missing.

A study released this week by World Weather Attribution, a network of international scientists, found rainfall in Pakistan from June 24 to July 23 was 10 percent to 15 percent heavier because of global warming.


Body of Chinese climber killed during K2 summit descent retrieved by rescue team

Updated 16 August 2025
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Body of Chinese climber killed during K2 summit descent retrieved by rescue team

  • Guan Jing was hit by falling rocks while descending the mountain after a successful summit
  • Her body has been flown to Skardu and will be sent to Islamabad after official coordination

GILGIT, Pakistan: A rescue team from Pakistan and Nepal has retrieved the body of a Chinese climber who was killed on K2, the world’s second-highest peak in northern Pakistan, a regional government spokesman said Saturday.

Faizullah Faraq, spokesman for the Gilgit-Baltistan government, said the body of Guan Jing was airlifted by an army helicopter from K2’s base camp after a team of mountaineers brought it down.

Jing died Tuesday after being struck by falling rocks during her descent, a day after she had reached the summit with a group of fellow climbers.

Faraq said her body was taken to a hospital in Skardu city and would be sent to Islamabad after coordination with her family and Chinese officials.

Karrar Haidri, vice president of the Pakistan Alpine Club, said the body was retrieved after days-long efforts, during which one of the rescuers was injured and airlifted by a helicopter.

K2, which rises 8,611 meters (28,251 feet) above sea level, is considered one of the world’s most difficult and dangerous peaks to climb.

Jing’s death comes more than two weeks after German mountaineer and Olympic gold medalist Laura Dahlmeier died while attempting another peak in the region.


Prominent religio-political leader’s children killed, wife injured in northwestern Pakistan home shooting

Updated 16 August 2025
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Prominent religio-political leader’s children killed, wife injured in northwestern Pakistan home shooting

  • Mufti Kifayatullah of JUI-F sustained serious injuries after his son opened fire on the family and fled
  • The motive behind the incident remains unclear, though it may have stemmed from a domestic dispute

PESHAWAR: A shooting at the residence of a prominent religio-political party leader, Mufti Kifayatullah, in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province left his son and daughter dead and his wife critically wounded on Saturday, while he himself sustained serious injuries, according to an official statement.

A former provincial lawmaker from Malakand division and district chief of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) party, Kifayatullah was attacked inside his residence in Batkhela, Levies officials said in a statement.

“A shooting incident took place at the house of Mufti Kifayatullah, district chief of JUI-F in Batkhela,” the statement said. “As a result of the firing, Kifayatullah was seriously injured, his daughter and son were killed, and his wife was also critically wounded.”

Authorities said the assailant was the JUI-F politician’s own son, who managed to escape after the attack.

The bodies and the injured were taken to the District Headquarters Hospital in Batkhela, where doctors later said Kifayatullah’s condition was out of danger.

The motive behind the shooting was not immediately clear, though the incident appeared to be linked to some domestic dispute.

The JUI-F, a major religio-political party with deep roots in northwestern Pakistan, has long exercised influence in the area.

However, it struggled in the 2024 general elections, with leaders blaming security threats for their inability to run a full campaign.