Fasting on the frontline: Karachi ambulance driver navigates chaos to save lives during Ramadan

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Updated 18 March 2025
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Fasting on the frontline: Karachi ambulance driver navigates chaos to save lives during Ramadan

  • For Ghulam Nabi and hundreds of other Edhi ambulance drivers, Ramadan does not change their daily duties
  • Nabi says his iftar often consists of just dates and water, eaten on the road between emergencies

KARACHI: In Karachi, where traffic is relentless and sirens are a constant, 63-year-old Ghulam Nabi has spent the past 14 years behind the wheel of an Edhi Foundation ambulance, responding to emergencies in a city where every second can mean the difference between life and death.

The Edhi Foundation, one of the world’s largest charities, operates nearly 1,800 ambulances, including over 200 in Karachi, where it was founded by the late veteran philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi, who passed away in July 2016. Nabi is one of the hundreds of drivers keeping the wheels of these ambulances going.

Even during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, he remains committed to his duty. Often, his iftar — the evening meal to break the fast, which most people share with their families at home — happens on the road, between dispatches.

“Whether it’s sunny, hot, stormy, rainy, Ramadan or Eid, no matter what, we have to do our duty and serve humanity,” he said in a recent conversation with Arab News.

Living in an old apartment in the city’s historic Kharadar area, he begins his day by walking to the Edhi headquarters nearly a kilometer away. From there, his shift unfolds unpredictably, sometimes requiring him to attend to road accidents, rush cardiac arrest patients to hospitals or transport the deceased to their final resting places.

“Just yesterday, it was time to break the fast. Five to ten minutes before iftar, we were informed that an accident had occurred on Mai Kolachi Road,” Nabi recalled, adding that he had to leave iftar and rush to the spot.

“On the way, someone gave us dates, and we broke our fast with them,” he added.

Nabi recalled that at one point during Ramadan, he was asked to pick up a corpse from a house where it had remained unattended for nearly a week. As he reached the place, he realized it was decomposed and in such a condition that no one wanted to go near it.

But Nabi handled it, giving it to the relatives in a casket after completing the required legal procedures.

“We had to carry the body while fasting,” he said.

‘FRONTLINE HEROES’

Muhammad Amin, who oversees the Karachi Control Room at the Edhi Foundation, holds his team, particularly Nabi, in high esteem.

“He is an excellent driver, and all the qualities required in his job are found in him,” he told Arab News. “From keeping the ambulance clean to its general upkeep, following driving protocols and handling emergencies, Ghulam Nabi excels in all these aspects.”

Amin noted Ramadan always brought unique challenges to the drivers since their workload never decreased.

“There was a fire near Chakar Hotel on the Super Highway [yesterday], where our team, which included the drivers, went,” he said. “The drivers were fasting, but they worked through the fire and performed their duties.”

“If you look at it, these drivers can truly be called our frontline heroes,” he added.

Nabi said his entry into this line of work was unexpected. He used to run a small business that suffered losses, forcing him to shut it down. As he started looking for employment opportunities, a friend referred him to Edhi in 2010.

“Since that day, I have been engaged in humanitarian work,” he said.

‘SAVING HUMANITY’

Karachi, a megacity with over 20 million people, suffers from broken roads, congested streets and widespread disregard for traffic rules. These conditions significantly increase the challenges of Nabi’s job, making him fear that he might not be able to reach people in need on time.

Despite such hardships, he said he was proud of his work and found fulfillment in transporting patients and the injured to hospitals for treatment.

“Whoever saves a life, saves all of humanity,” he said, his eyes shining.

To Nabi, his work is a continuation of the legacy of Abdul Sattar Edhi, the late humanitarian whose foundation has provided free ambulance services for decades.

“Here, we are carrying forward Edhi Sahib’s mission,” he said. “Humanitarian work will never stop.”

As dusk falls and families across Karachi gather for iftar at home, Nabi finds himself away from his loved ones.

“Our hearts also long to break our fast with our children, but our iftar is often on the road or in the ambulance, and we have to break our fast with dates or water,” he said, as he opened his fast with the evening prayer call while sitting on a roadside bench in a Karachi street.


Pakistan urges halt in Israeli strikes on Gaza for success of Saudi-backed conference on two-state solution

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Pakistan urges halt in Israeli strikes on Gaza for success of Saudi-backed conference on two-state solution

  • Development comes after French President Emmanuel Macron said he spoke with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince and they will co-chair a conference on the two-state solution
  • Pakistan does not recognize Israel and has consistently called for an independent Palestinian state based on ‘internationally agreed parameters’ and pre-1967 borders

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan urges the world to halt Israeli strikes on Gaza for the success of a conference in June on the two-state solution to the Palestine issue, Pakistan’s permanent mission to the United Nations (UN) said on Saturday.
The statement came days after French President Emmanuel Macron said he spoke with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the two leaders condemned the resumption of Israeli strikes on Gaza. Macron said they will co-chair a conference on a two-state solution, aimed at “helping revive a political perspective for both Israelis and Palestinians.”
The Israeli military on Wednesday resumed ground operations in central and southern Gaza, as a second day of airstrikes killed at least 48 Palestinians, according to health authorities. The renewed ground operations came a day after more than 400 Palestinians were killed in airstrikes in one of the deadliest episodes since the beginning of the conflict in October 2023, shattering a ceasefire that has largely held since January.
“If we can halt Israel’s military campaign, sustain a ceasefire and end the humanitarian crisis, it would create conditions conducive to the success of the endeavor for a two-State solution at the Conference, co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France, next June,” the Pakistani mission quoted the country’s permanent representative, Munir Akram, as saying at the UN.
“This is an outcome that should be desired by the world and should enjoy consensus within the Security Council.”
Palestinian territory – encompassing the Gaza Strip and West Bank, including East Jerusalem – has been occupied by Israel since 1967. Pakistan does not recognize Israel and has consistently called for an independent Palestinian state based on “internationally agreed parameters” and pre-1967 borders.
“The Security Council, and the world community, cannot sit back and watch this on-going ethnic cleansing,” Akram was quoted as saying. “A failure to halt this brutal war will unleash the worst instinct of powerful and predatory states, shred the principles of the UN Charter, designed to prevent aggression and the scourge of war.”
Israel’s war on Gaza, which began after the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas, has killed more than 48,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and displaced almost all of Gaza’s 2 million population by laying waste to swathes of neighborhoods, schools and hospitals.


At least nine injured as police, ethnic Baloch protesters clash in Pakistan’s southwest

Updated 19 min 19 sec ago
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At least nine injured as police, ethnic Baloch protesters clash in Pakistan’s southwest

  • The clashes erupted during a protest by the Baloch Yakjehti Committee rights group over the arrest of three of its key members by authorities this week
  • Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province by land, has been the site of an insurgency for decades and has witnessed a surge in violence in recent months

QUETTA: At least nine people, including policemen, were injured after clashes broke out between police and protesters from an ethnic Baloch rights group, the Baloch Yakjehti Committee, late Friday night in the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta, officials said.
The BYC accused law enforcement agencies of forcibly arresting its three central committee members on Wednesday and called for a protest on Sariab Road in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province which has recent witnessed a spike in separatist attacks.
The call for protest followed a clash between protesters and the police after people attempted to take away bodies of deceased militants who were killed after the Jaffar Express train hijacking last week, according to authorities. The provincial government lodged a police case against the protesters who stormed the mortuary at Civil Hospital Quetta and booked 12 protesters on Thursday.
Last week, militants from the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) separatist group hijacked the Peshawar-bound Jaffar Express passenger train in the rugged, mountainous Bolan region, with more than 400 passengers onboard. The hours-long siege ended after Pakistan launched an operation and killed 33 militants. The deadliest train assault resulted in the killing of over 30 Pakistani security personnel and civilians.
“The Baloch Yakjehti Committee blocked highways in Quetta and the police took legal action against the protesters who were blocking the roads,” Shahid Rind, a spokesman for the Balochistan government, said on Friday.
“The protesters pelted stones at police and tortured policemen, injuring several cops and civilians.”
The BYC was staging a sit-in on Sariab Road with bodies of three protesters, which it alleged were killed by gunfire from the authorities.
Rind said the government was ascertaining whose bodies BYC placed in their protest: “It is impossible to know the causes of death of the bodies unless the bodies were brought to the hospital for medico-legal procedure.”
Dr. Arbab Kamran Kasi, head of Trauma Center Quetta told Arab News, they had received nine injured persons, including policemen.
“Six injured with minor wounds were discharged, two are being treated and one was referred to the Combined Military Hospital,” he shared.
Dr. Mahrang Baloch, a veteran human rights activist who heads the BYC, accused police of killing three protesters by shooting at a peaceful rally in Quetta.
“We called a peaceful sit-in today on the Sariab Road in Quetta but the police attacked our protesters,” she told Arab News. “Now we have camped at Sariab Road with the bodies of three slain protesters and we won’t end the protest until justice has been provided to our slain workers.”
The office of the Quetta commissioner denied reports of firing by authorities.
“No shelling was carried out by the administration during the BYC protest. No firearms or rubber bullets were used,” it said in a statement. “Only water cannons (non-lethal and safe method) were used to disperse the crowd.”
It said the administration respects the right to peaceful protest, however, lawlessness and attacks on state institutions cannot be permitted.
Amnesty International, a global human rights watchdog, voiced alarm over the reports of deaths of three protesters and nearly a dozen injuries following live ammunition fired by authorities against the protesters in Quetta, describing it as “a shocking indictment of the Pakistani authorities’ utter disregard for human life.”
“In blatant violation of the right to protest, the authorities conducted mass arrests and fired tear gas before resorting to unlawful use of lethal weapons against the unarmed protesters. Mobile networks in the city remain suspended, hindering free flow of information,” it said on X.
“Amnesty International urges the Pakistani authorities to immediately stop the reckless crackdown against the peaceful protesters and guarantee the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and expression, in line with Pakistan’s international human rights obligations.”
Balochistan is Pakistan’s largest province by land but its most backward by almost all economic and social indicators. For decades it has been plagued by a low-level insurgency by militants fighting for a greater share of the province’s wealth.
Separatist militants, such as the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) accuse the central government of denying locals a share of Balochistan’s mineral resources. The federal government and the military strongly deny these accusations, and say they have launched several projects in the province to support its development.
Violence by Baloch separatist factions, primarily the BLA, killed about 300 people last year, according to official statistics, marking an escalation in the decades-long conflict.


From suhoor drums to online apps: Ramadan through lens of three generations of a Pakistani family

Updated 22 March 2025
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From suhoor drums to online apps: Ramadan through lens of three generations of a Pakistani family

  • Digital age has significantly altered how Ramadan is observed, offering spiritual engagement through apps, social media and online platforms
  • Mobile apps have become indispensable tools for Muslims worldwide during Ramadan, whether to check prayers timings or order food

ISLAMABAD: The clatter of plates, spoons and forks filled the air as Mahmood Ahmed Hashmi, 67, broke his fast earlier this week at his home in Islamabad, seated with his three sons, daughters-in-law and grandchildren around a large, colorful tablecloth spread on the floor.

Ramadan traditions and practices evolve across generations, influenced by changing demographics, media, lifestyles and digital apps, while retaining the core spiritual elements of fasting, prayer, and charity. As in other parts of the world, the digital age has also significantly altered how Ramadan is observed by Pakistani families, offering new avenues for spiritual engagement, community connection, and resource access through apps, social media, and online platforms.

Hashmi, a retired civil servant, detailed how Ramadan had changed through the generations of his family, beginning with the tradition of Ramadan drummers walking through the streets, beating drums to wake people for the pre-dawn meal (suhoor) before fasting began for the day. Once a typical feature of the holy month, today the tradition’s usefulness had been eclipsed by TV, mobile phones and alarm clocks.

“In those days, the elders used to come out in the neighborhood to wake up people for suhoor,” Hashmi told Arab News at iftar. “They used to do some drumming and other things so that people could get up, but now you have everything in your cell phone.”

Mobile apps have become indispensable tools for Muslims around the world during Ramadan, offering features like prayer time reminders, Qur’anic recitations, and fasting trackers, ensuring accurate timing and accessibility.

While many people used to visit neighborhood or community religious gatherings earlier, now platforms like YouTube and TikTok host Islamic scholars and influencers who share daily Ramadan reflections, Qur’anic tafseer (exegesis), and tips for spiritual growth, making Islamic education more accessible, especially for younger Muslims.

Social media platforms have also become main avenues for sharing Ramadan greetings, exchanging recipes, and discussing spiritual reflections.

Handwritten Eid cards — once widely exchanged among friends and relatives ahead of the post-Ramadan Eid Al-Fitr festival — were now a rarity in the age of digital greeting cards shared on Whatsapp and other messaging platforms, Hashmi lamented. 

“How good the feeling used to be to get Eid cards from your loved ones,” he said. “Your near and loved ones used to wait for them. People used to display them in their drawing rooms or bedrooms. Now a picture [card] will come [on mobile phone].”

Iftar and suhoor meals would also be made entirely at home, or with snacks and food bought from neighborhood eateries, and would be consumed as a family, while food was now increasingly ordered from online apps as per individual choices, Hashmi added. 

While the retired official lamented the decline in many of the Ramadan customs of his youth, his son Miraj Mustafa Hashmi, a professor at the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), said digital innovations such as mobile apps had streamlined everyday rituals while still nurturing cherished Ramadan traditions. 

“Apps like FoodPanda have replaced traditional market trips for iftar [items],” Miraj said, explaining that this was beneficial for people who did not have the luxury of time due to jobs and other responsibilities. 

“It is a digital era, things are going on like that and people are comfortable in it. I think it is a very positive change … because people like us have to stay in the office all day and work … Obviously, we want to go to the market but the pressure of work and the load is there.”

Digital platforms and apps have also made it easier for people to donate to charity and support those in need during Ramadan, a core aspect of the holy month, Miraj said. 

For his 10-year-old son Ibrahim, a student of grade five who began fasting at the age of seven, Ramadan was about being able to order his favorite dishes online and checking the Internet for iftar and suhoor timings. 

“I love having noodles, pizza, macaroni, samosas, pakoras, and jalebis for iftar,” Ibrahim said as he had a piece of pizza for iftar. 

But was there anything Miraj missed about the way Ramadan used to be observed?

Relatives and friends used to meet each other more often at Ramadan events when they did not have the luxury to connect through video calls, he said. 

“When I think of my childhood, we used to go to social events, we used to go shopping with our grandparents, we used to do all these activities,” the professor said. 

“If we see, our parents spent a very tough life due to limited facilities, but they made it a little easier [for us] and our children are living a much easier life and technology is helpful.”


Pakistan floats bitcoin mining proposal using surplus electricity at first crypto council meeting

Updated 22 March 2025
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Pakistan floats bitcoin mining proposal using surplus electricity at first crypto council meeting

  • The council was officially launched this month to integrate crypto technologies into Pakistan’s financial system
  • The country’s finance chief emphasizes the need for a future-ready financial ecosystem that attracts investment

KARACHI: A proposal to leverage surplus electricity for bitcoin mining was floated at the inaugural meeting of the Pakistan Crypto Council (PCC) on Friday, according to a statement by the Finance Division, as members of the newly established body vowed to open a new digital economy chapter in the country’s history.
The PCC was officially launched on March 15 to explore the integration of crypto and blockchain technologies into Pakistan’s financial ecosystem and draft a regulatory framework for the sector. Its formation marked a significant shift for the country that was once reluctant to embrace cryptocurrencies due to regulatory and security concerns.
The council’s first meeting was presided over by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and attended by senior officials, including the governor of the State Bank, the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan and the federal IT and law secretaries.
“The meeting focused on Pakistan’s untapped potential in the crypto space, with [PCC] CEO Bilal Bin Saqib presenting a comprehensive vision and mission for the Council,” the statement said.
“Saqib emphasized the importance of regulatory models and use cases, particularly in the region, that could be tailored to Pakistan’s unique context,” it added. “He also presented the concept of leveraging Pakistan’s surplus electricity for Bitcoin mining, potentially turning the country’s liabilities into assets.”
Bitcoin mining is the process by which new bitcoins are created and transactions verified through complex mathematical computations that require powerful, energy-intensive computers.
Pakistan’s surplus electricity, which often goes unused due to low demand or inadequate infrastructure, could be redirected to power these mining operations, according to the proposal, and generate revenue from otherwise wasted energy.
Finance Minister Aurangzeb praised the council’s vision and underlined its strategic importance for Pakistan’s digital transformation.
“This is the beginning of a new digital chapter for our economy,” he said. “We are committed to building a transparent, future-ready financial ecosystem that attracts investment, empowers our youth and puts Pakistan on the global map as a leader in emerging technologies.”
Aurangzeb noted that while Pakistan should learn from global best practices, it must develop business and revenue models grounded in local realities.
He called for building on previous work by various stakeholders to ensure the country doesn’t start from scratch.
Other council members highlighted the need for regulatory clarity, consumer protection, licensing regimes and a national blockchain policy. They also stressed the importance of sequencing the rollout, running pilot programs and ensuring compliance with international obligations.


Pakistan stocks post 2.5% weekly gain as IMF talks fuel investor confidence

Updated 21 March 2025
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Pakistan stocks post 2.5% weekly gain as IMF talks fuel investor confidence

  • The bullish sentiment was triggered by a recent IMF visit, raising hopes for a staff-level agreement
  • Analysts expect the market to remain positive as Pakistan seeks $1.5 billion in IMF climate financing

KARACHI: Pakistan’s stocks ended the week on Friday with a 2.5 percent weekly gain, with the benchmark KSE-100 Index hitting a record high as investors expected a positive outcome from the country’s ongoing talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) under the first review.
The last trading session of the week witnessed the stocks gauge rising to 119,405 points during the day before closing in the red at 118,442 points, 0.3 percent lower than the last close due to profit-taking.
An IMF staff mission left Pakistan last week after concluding a visit that lasted for over half a month, with its chief, Nathan Porter, issuing a statement saying the two sides “made significant progress toward reaching a Staff Level Agreement,” triggering a bull run at the Pakistan Stock Exchange.
“The week commenced with the completion of the IMF mission’s visit to Pakistan for the first review of the ongoing $7 billion Extended Fund Facility, though a staff-level agreement remains awaited,” he said.
Pakistan, he continued, was also in the process of securing an arrangement under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF) with the IMF for additional financing to address the impacts of climate change.
Pakistan is one of the world’s most affected nations by climate change and has witnessed extreme weather events like floods, droughts and heatwaves. The country is seeking about $1.5 billion in climate financing from the global lender, which is currently evaluating the country’s request.
The Karachi-based brokerage research firm Arif Habib Ltd. said the market remained “jubilant” during the week as investor sentiment was supported by expectations of a staff-level agreement between Pakistan and the IMF that will lead to the disbursement of $1.1 billion to Pakistan.
The IMF, it said, shared a draft of the Memorandum of Economic and Financial Policies with the authorities in Pakistan, which signaled progress.
“Furthermore, potential resolution of power circular debt charged up the overall sentiment,” it said.
The IMF has also allowed the government to recalibrate its Rs12.97 trillion tax collection target for the current fiscal year to Rs12.35 trillion.
“We expect the market to remain positive in the upcoming week,” said the research firm. “The equity investors will closely follow developments leading up to Pakistan’s pact with the IMF that is projected to keep the momentum at the bourse buoyant.”