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One dead as rescue teams control fire at residential building in Karachi

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Updated 11 September 2024
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One dead as rescue teams control fire at residential building in Karachi

One dead as rescue teams control fire at residential building in Karachi
  • Pakistan’s most populous city witnesses hundreds of fire incidents annually due to poor safety controls
  • Rescue 1122 says the firefighters used foam to put out the flames, helped people stranded on the roof
Updated 11 September 2024
NAIMAT KHAN
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KARACHI: One man was killed and his body retrieved after a fire broke out at a residential building in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi on Wednesday, prompting authorities to deploy five fire brigade vehicles to control the blaze.
Karachi, Pakistan’s largest and most populous city, is home to hundreds of thousands of industrial units, residential neighborhoods and some of the country’s tallest buildings.
However, it suffers from a fragile firefighting system and poor safety controls, leading to hundreds of fire incidents annually.
Last month, a massive fire engulfed a plastic factory in the city, which took several hours to extinguish, though no casualties were reported.
“The fire was brought under control due to Rescue 1122’s quick response,” informed a statement released by the service, adding that its workers used foam to put out the flames.
“During the search, the body of a 55-year-old deceased man was recovered from the building,” it said.
The statement also mentioned that some people who were stranded on the roof were safely rescued.
“The final search operation will be conducted after the cooling process,” the statement continued.
The fire incident occurred at the Shah Faisal Colony, a densely populated neighborhood in the city.

Topics: fire accident Karachi Rescue 1122

Washington says Pakistan needs to address barriers to American exports, companies

Washington says Pakistan needs to address barriers to American exports, companies
Updated 35 min 15 sec ago
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Washington says Pakistan needs to address barriers to American exports, companies

Washington says Pakistan needs to address barriers to American exports, companies
  • Islamabad, Washington last week kicked off negotiations after President Trump announced tariffs on countries, including Pakistan
  • Talks expected to “sail through” but Pakistan’s textile industry may take a hit if they fail, warns financial analyst Shankar Talreja
Updated 35 min 15 sec ago
Ismail Dilawar

KARACHI: Pakistan’s government needs to address its tariff and non-tariff barriers against American exports and companies, a spokesperson at the US consulate general in Karachi said on Thursday as both nations seek to forge closer trade ties through negotiations.

Reva Gupta, the spokesperson at the US consulate general in Karachi, made the comments a week after Pakistan and the US started what the official described as “dynamic” negotiations with Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Washington’s imposition of tariffs.

The talks take place as US President Donald Trump imposed steep tariffs on a number of countries earlier this year, a move widely viewed as a setback for the global economy still recovering from the coronavirus pandemic. Pakistan faces a potential 29 percent tariff, currently under a 90-day pause announced in April, on its exports to the US due to a $3 billion trade surplus with the world’s biggest economy.

“In our bilateral engagements with Pakistan, we always message the need to jointly tackle challenges to our trade relationship, including the need for Pakistan to address its longstanding tariff and non-tariff barriers against US exports and companies,” Gupta told Arab News.

The tariffs could be a setback to Islamabad’s hectic efforts aimed at navigating a tricky path to economic recovery. Pakistan hopes to achieve sustainable economic growth driven by exports.

The US is Pakistan’s largest export destination. American exports to Pakistan were valued at $2.1 billion in 2024, up 4.4 percent ($90.9 million) from 2023, according to US government data. The import of goods from Pakistan to the US totaled $5.1 billion in 2024, up 4.9 percent ($238.7 million) from 2023.

“The United States and Pakistan share a robust economic relationship going back decades, of which trade and investment are key elements,” Gupta said. “That the United States remains Pakistan’s largest export market globally is a testament to this strong partnership”.

Gupta, however, referred to US Trade Representative’s (USTR) National Trade Estimate Report which highlights significant foreign barriers to US exports in various countries, including Pakistan.

 The USTR details tariff and non-tariff hurdles ranging from Pakistan charging higher tariffs to US businesses to the closure of Internet services, imposing a ban on US beef imports and “perceived politicization” of the anti-graft National Accountability Bureau body.

“US companies have cited concerns that Pakistan has been imposing high tariff rates and, in some cases, additional duties, on products such as automobiles and finished goods,” the report said.

Qamar Sarwar Abbasi, a spokesperson of Pakistan’s finance ministry, did not respond to Arab News’ request for comment.

Some prominent American companies operating in Pakistan include Pepsi-Cola, General Electric International, Procter and Gamble, Pfizer and DuPont, according to the International Trade Administration, a US government agency.

Experts have warned the tariffs could harm Pakistan’s competitiveness in the global market, especially if regional exporters such as China, Bangladesh and Vietnam redirect more goods to Europe, intensifying competition in alternative markets.

‘LIKELY TO SAIL THROUGH’

However, economist Shankar Talreja, who is also the director of research at Topline Securities Ltd. brokerage form, said talks between Washington and Islamabad are likely to “sail through.”

“Pak-US trade talks are likely to sail through as Pakistan exports are primarily based on labor-intensive industry such as textile,” Talreja told Arab News.

He said Pakistan is likely to increase its import of agricultural commodities such as cotton and petroleum products from the US to fill the trade deficit.

But if talks fail, Pakistani textile exports may be adversely affected, he said.

“If talks are not successful, Pakistan textile exports may get hurt in future assuming other countries will successfully negotiate with the US,” the analyst warned.

The textile industry attracts the largest amount of foreign exchange for Pakistan, fetching $17 billion for the cash-strapped nation in FY2024.

Topics: Karachi port Pakistan US Ties Trump tariffs

Pakistan’s Met Office forecasts ‘severe’ heatwave during Eid Al-Adha holidays 

Pakistan’s Met Office forecasts ‘severe’ heatwave during Eid Al-Adha holidays 
Updated 05 June 2025
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Pakistan’s Met Office forecasts ‘severe’ heatwave during Eid Al-Adha holidays 

Pakistan’s Met Office forecasts ‘severe’ heatwave during Eid Al-Adha holidays 
  • High pressure likely to develop over country on June 7, expected to grip most areas from June 8
  • Day temperatures likely to remain 5°C to 7°C above normal from June 7-12 in country’s upper half
Updated 05 June 2025
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Thursday forecast a “severe” heatwave in the country during the Eid Al-Adha holidays from June 7 to 12, urging the public to take precautionary measures.

Pakistan ranks among the top ten countries most vulnerable to climate change and has faced increasingly frequent extreme weather events in recent years, including deadly heatwaves and devastating floods.

“Met Office predicted that high pressure is likely to develop over the country on June 7 and is expected to grip most parts from June 8,” the PMD said in a statement.

“Day temperatures are likely to remain 5°C to 7°C above normal in the upper half (central & upper Punjab, Islamabad, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan) from June 7 to June 12.”

Dust storms and gusty winds are expected across the plains of the country due to intense heat, it added.

The Met Office advised women, the elderly and children to avoid direct sunlight during the day and stay hydrated at all times as precautionary moves. 

Farmers were urged to manage their crop activities according to the latest weather conditions and to take care of their livestock.

The Met Office urged authorities to remain vigilant and take necessary measures to prevent any adverse situations arising from the heatwave conditions.

Pakistan experienced its most recent heatwave in May but no loss of life was reported.

In June 2024, nearly 700 people died in less than a week during a severe heatwave in the country, with most fatalities reported in the port city of Karachi and other parts of the southern Sindh province.

A similar heatwave in 2015 claimed over 2,000 lives in Pakistan’s largest city Karachi alone, while catastrophic floods in 2022 left more than 1,700 people dead and displaced over 33 million across the country.

Topics: Pakistan Met office eid al-adha Eid Al-Adha 2025

Pakistan says ‘no formal decision’ taken on abrogating bilateral agreements with India

Pakistan says ‘no formal decision’ taken on abrogating bilateral agreements with India
Updated 8 min 33 sec ago
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Pakistan says ‘no formal decision’ taken on abrogating bilateral agreements with India

Pakistan says ‘no formal decision’ taken on abrogating bilateral agreements with India
  • Pakistan’s defense minister earlier said Simla Agreement with India “has no worth or value”
  • Pakistan, India agreed to resolve Kashmir dispute bilaterally in the 1972 Simla Agreement
Updated 8 min 33 sec ago
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has so far not made any decision to abrogate any bilateral agreement with India, a senior official of the country’s foreign office said on Thursday, hours after Defense Minister Khawaja Asif stated the provisions of Islamabad’s Simla Agreement with Delhi was no longer applicable.

India and Pakistan signed the Simla Agreement in 1972 after the 1971 war between the two countries, which New Delhi won and led to the creation of Bangladesh. One of its main clauses was that India and Pakistan both agreed to bilaterally discuss and resolve the issue of the disputed Himalayan territory of Kashmir.

Another clause of the agreement was that both countries renamed the Ceasefire Line, the de facto border separating Pakistan-administered Kashmir from the one governed by India, to the “Line of Control” (LoC). Both India and Pakistan agreed not to change it unilaterally.

After India suspended a decades-old water-sharing treaty with Pakistan following an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir in April, Pakistan announced a raft of tit-for-tat measures against Delhi. Islamabad said it had the right to hold all bilateral agreements with India, including the Simla Agreement, in abeyance.

Speaking to Geo News, Asif said the “sanctity” of the agreement had ended due to India’s steps and that all of its provisions were no longer applicable. The defense minister said the bilateral agreement as a whole after India and Pakistan’s May military confrontation, “has no worth or value.”

“No formal decision on abrogation of any bilateral agreement with India has so far been made,” a senior official of Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) told Arab News.

Asif had reiterated Pakistan’s position that India’s move to hold the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in abeyance was illegal as the terms dictated that neither of the two parties could alter its status unilaterally.

Signed in 1960, the treaty allocates the six Indus Basin rivers between India and Pakistan, with the World Bank acting as its guarantor.

Pakistan has rights to the western rivers — Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab — for irrigation, drinking, and non-consumptive uses like hydropower. India controls the eastern rivers — Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej — for unrestricted use but must not significantly alter their flow.

India can use the western rivers for limited purposes such as power generation and irrigation, without storing or diverting large volumes

Asif said neither the World Bank nor any other institution had any “interference or patronage” in the Simla Agreement when it was signed in 1972.

“So then, the Control Line will once again shift to its original status of Ceasefire Line,” the minister said.

While the fragile ceasefire between India and Pakistan announced on May 10 by US President Donald Trump -persists, tensions remain high as delegations by both nuclear-armed neighbors head to world capitals and blame each other for the May conflict.

Kashmir has always remained the root cause of conflict between India and Pakistan. The two countries claim the region in full but administer only parts of it. They have fought two out of three wars since 1947 over the territory.

Delhi blames Islamabad for fomenting militancy in the part of Kashmir it administers. Pakistan denies the allegations and says it only extends diplomatic support to the people of Kashmir it says are living under “occupation.”

Topics: Pakistan India Ties Indus Water Treaty Khawaja Asif

Pakistan PM embarks on two-day Saudi Arabia visit to bolster bilateral ties

Pakistan PM embarks on two-day Saudi Arabia visit to bolster bilateral ties
Updated 05 June 2025
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Pakistan PM embarks on two-day Saudi Arabia visit to bolster bilateral ties

Pakistan PM embarks on two-day Saudi Arabia visit to bolster bilateral ties
  • During his stay on June 5 and 6, Sharif will celebrate Eid Al-Adha, hold bilateral meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
  • Discussions are expected to focus on enhancing cooperation in trade, investment and regional security, welfare of Muslim Ummah
Updated 05 June 2025
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif departed on Thursday on a two-day official visit to Saudi Arabia at the invitation of Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman to strengthen bilateral relations between the two longstanding allies, the premier’s office said. 

During his stay on June 5 and 6, Sharif will celebrate Eid Al-Adha in the Kingdom and hold a bilateral meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The discussions are expected to focus on enhancing cooperation in trade, investment and regional security.

“The two leaders will discuss ways to further strengthen bilateral cooperation in various fields, including trade and investment, welfare of the Muslim Ummah, and regional peace and security,” according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.

Sharif is also expected to express gratitude to the Saudi leadership for their role in de-escalating recent tensions between Pakistan and India. 

Last month, following the worst military confrontation between India and Pakistan in decades, Saudi Arabia, along with other Gulf nations, played a key role in mediating between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, helping to avert a potential war. 

The visit also comes amid deepening economic ties between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. In recent months, the two countries have signed multiple agreements aimed at boosting bilateral trade and investment. Notably, Saudi Arabia has committed to a $5 billion investment package to support Pakistan’s economy, which has been grappling with a balance of payments crisis.

Last year, Saudi and Pakistani businessmen signed 34 memorandums of understanding worth $2.8 billion, covering sectors such as industry, technology, and agriculture. Additionally, Saudi Arabia’s Manara Minerals is in talks to acquire a 10-20 percent stake in Pakistan’s $9 billion Reko Diq copper and gold mining project, one of the largest of its kind globally.

Defense cooperation is also a key component of the bilateral relationship. The two nations have a history of military collaboration, with Saudi Arabia providing support to Pakistan during times of regional tension and Pakistan training Saudi forces. 

Pakistan has a 2.7 million-strong diaspora in Saudi Arabia, which accounts for the highest remittance inflow, a crucial lifeline for the country’s economy.

Topics: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Pakistan Saudi Arabia ties PM in Saudi Arabia

Pakistani pilgrims pray for Palestinians, Muslim world on sacred Day of Arafat

Pakistani pilgrims pray for Palestinians, Muslim world on sacred Day of Arafat
Updated 05 June 2025
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Pakistani pilgrims pray for Palestinians, Muslim world on sacred Day of Arafat

Pakistani pilgrims pray for Palestinians, Muslim world on sacred Day of Arafat
  • Over 117,000 Pakistanis have joined millions of Muslims from around the world in Arafat to seek forgiveness
  • Pilgrims express satisfaction with facilities provided by Pakistan’s Hajj mission supported by Saudi authorities
Updated 05 June 2025
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani pilgrims on Thursday vowed to pray for Palestinians and the wider Muslim world as they joined over a million fellow worshippers in Arafat on one of the most sacred days in Islam to seek forgiveness.

The Day of Arafat, observed on the 9th of Dhu Al-Hijjah, the final month of the Islamic calendar, marks the spiritual peak of the annual Hajj pilgrimage. Its central ritual, Wuquf, involves standing in devotion from noon until sunset near Mount Arafat, where the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) delivered his farewell sermon.

After sunset, pilgrims travel to Muzdalifah, located between Arafat and Mina, to collect pebbles for the symbolic “stoning of the devil” ritual performed the following day.

“It is a big day for the Muslims around the world and those who are present here,” Pakistan’s Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Muhammad Yousaf said while speaking to media from Mount Arafat.

“I urge Pakistani pilgrims that along with praying for their own families, they should also pray for the country, Muslim Ummah, especially people of Gaza, Palestine and Kashmir,” he added.

Malik Aslam, a Pakistani pilgrim from Gujar Khan, a city in Rawalpindi District, said the situation in Gaza was deeply disturbing and that he would pray for Palestinians.

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“All pilgrims should pray for all the Muslims, especially those in Palestine,” he told Arab News. “Pilgrims should pray for the success of Muslims in all fields.”

“I am also praying for my parents and all those who left this world,” he added.

Expressing his feelings from Mount Arafat, Muhammad Usman, another pilgrim from Gujrat district in Punjab, said he was thankful to God for blessing him with the opportunity to perform Hajj.

“Today, I am reflecting on my entire life and praying that Allah grant me a better, righteous life ahead,” he told Arab News, saying he would begin a new chapter of life after Hajj.

“I hope to leave here with all my known and unknown sins forgiven,” he added.

Muhammad Abdullah, from Mardan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, said his day was going well, as the weather was not too hot.

“I will pray for the whole Ummah, following example of our Holy Prophet [PBUH],” he added.

Speaking about the arrangements, Samad Wazir, a pilgrim from the northwestern Waziristan tribal district, expressed satisfaction with the facilities provided by both the Pakistani Hajj mission and Saudi authorities, hoping the same standard would continue in the coming days.

“It is very well arranged and there has been no problem at all in the tents and other places,” he said, adding that everyone had their own folding beds and received meals on time in the tents.

“Even on the buses, the arrangements were smooth, as everyone boarded in turn with the help of Hajj volunteers, who also guided us all the way to our tents,” he added.

Munir Ahmed Bhatti, a pilgrim from Gujranwala city, also praised the Pakistani mission for the arrangements in Mina and Arafat.

“We gathered for Hajj and this time the government of Pakistan has done very good arrangements and we are satisfied,” he said, adding that pilgrims got good residences, food and transportation.

Over 117,000 Pakistani pilgrims are currently in Saudi Arabia for Hajj 2025.

Topics: Hajj 2025 Pakistan Palestine Day of Arafat

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