Latest news with #Peshawar
Arab News
9 hours ago
- Arab News
Pakistani province probes alleged sale of UNICEF-tagged soap for anti-polio campaign
PESHAWAR: Authorities in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province are probing the alleged sale of soap bars, which were provided by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) for the country's campaign against polio, at a market in Peshawar, officials said on Friday. The comments came after the seizure of over 200 soap bars at the Faqeerabad market in the provincial capital, which bore the 'not-for-sale' marking, according to Additional Assistant Commissioner Azimullah Mehsud. The local administration acted on a tip-off about UNICEF-tagged soap bars being 'diverted' to the open market. A preliminary investigation suggested the consignment originated in the southern Sindh province. Authorities arrested a shopkeeper on June 25, who was selling these soap bars on Facebook and in the local market in the northwestern Pakistani city. 'According to initial investigations, he [the suspect] said these [soaps] were being supplied to him from Sindh,' Mehsud told Arab News. 'The person we have arrested posted them on Facebook and said he is an Afghan national.' He said the UNICEF-tagged soaps were recovered by the city administration and handed over to the anti-corruption department of the city circle for further investigation. 'The suspect allegedly sold these soaps to buyers who would then change the packaging and supply them to various locations, including Jalalabad, an eastern province of Afghanistan, and inside Pakistan such as Dera Ismail Khan district,' he continued. Asked about the tip-off, he said: 'We were told that they have 20,000 cartons.' Mehsud said the authorities recovered three cartons during the raid, with a total of 216 soap bars. He informed the suspect claimed to have additional stock. 'Authorities suspect a large network may be involved [in the activity], but investigations by the anti-corruption department is expected to shed more light on the matter,' he added. Arab News reached out to UNICEF's communication specialist, Zia-ur-Rehman, for comment but did not receive a response. Meanwhile, the anti-corruption department plans to send an open letter to UNICEF and the Sindh provincial administration to further investigate the matter. One of its officials, Humayun Khan, confirmed to Arab News that his department had launched an investigation into the case. Polio is a paralyzing disease with no cure, making prevention through vaccination critical. Multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine, along with completion of the routine immunization schedule for all children, are essential to build strong immunity against the virus. Pakistan, one of the last two countries where polio remains endemic, made significant progress in curbing the virus, with annual cases dropping from around 20,000 in the early 1990s to just eight in 2018. The country reported six cases in 2023 and only one in 2021. However, Pakistan witnessed an intense resurgence of the poliovirus in 2024, with 74 cases reported. According to Pakistan's polio program, 13 cases of the virus have so far been confirmed this year.
Arab News
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Pakistan's top court rules Imran Khan's party ineligible for reserved parliamentary seats
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's top court on Friday ruled the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan is not entitled to reserved seats in the national and provincial legislatures, setting aside an earlier judgment that had granted the party its share. The Supreme Court's Constitutional Bench dismissed all review petitions filed by PTI and allied petitioners, reinstating the Peshawar High Court's earlier ruling rejecting the allocation of reserved seats to the party. 'The impugned majority judgment dated 12.07.2024 is set aside… and the judgment rendered by the Peshawar High Court, Peshawar is restored,' the short order read. The dispute about the reserved seats stems from the February 8 general elections, where PTI candidates contested as independents after the party lost its electoral symbol for not holding valid intra-party elections, as required under the Elections Act. Despite winning the most general seats in the national polls, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) ruled that PTI was ineligible for reserved seats for women and minorities in parliament, which are allocated based on proportional representation from among the seats won by political parties. Last year in July, the Supreme Court reversed the ECP's decision, terming it unconstitutional and ordering the reserved seats to be allocated to PTI. However, the government subsequently passed amendments to the Elections Act, 2017, in a move widely seen as targeting PTI's eligibility for reserved seats. The revised law stipulated that only those candidates who had formally declared their party affiliation before the returning officer — and whose party had submitted lists of nominees for reserved seats within the legal deadline — would be entitled to such allocations. Since PTI-backed candidates contested the February election as independents, and the party did not submit lists for reserved seats, the amendments effectively barred it from claiming a share. With Friday's verdict, the apex court has now ruled that the independents backed by PTI in the February election cannot be treated as party nominees for the purpose of seat allocation. Responding to the development, Khan's party described the short order as the 'funeral … of justice' in a social media post. The government, on the other hand, welcomed the decision, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulating its legal team's 'tireless efforts.' 'The decision has upheld the supremacy of the Constitution and law, and ensured correct interpretation of legal provisions,' he said in a statement. 'The opposition should now join the government in playing a constructive role for the country's development and prosperity,' he added. The reserved seats in question will now be allocated to other political parties, including Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party and its coalition partners. The top court's verdict will numerically strengthen the government while dealing yet another blow to Khan's PTI, which has faced legal and political challenges since the downfall of its administration in a no-confidence vote in April 2022.
Arab News
17 hours ago
- Climate
- Arab News
Flash floods in Pakistan kill at least 7 and sweep away dozens of tourists
PESHAWAR, Pakistan: Flash floods triggered by pre-monsoon rains swept away dozens of tourists in northwest Pakistan on Friday, killing at least seven people. The nationwide death toll from rain-related incidents rose to 17 over the past 24 hours, officials said. Nearly 100 rescuers in various groups were searching for the missing tourists who were swept away while picnicking along the Swat River in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, said Shah Fahad, a spokesman for the provincial emergency service. He said 16 members from the same family were among the dead or missing. Fahad said divers had so far rescued seven people and recovered seven bodies after hours-long efforts and the search continued for the remaining victims. Videos circulating on social media showed about a dozen people stranded on a slightly elevated spot in the middle of the Swat River, crying for help amid rapidly rising floodwaters. Fahad urged the public to adhere strictly to earlier government warnings about possible flash flooding in the Swat River, which runs through the scenic Swat Valley – a popular summer destination for tens of thousands of tourists who visit the region in summer and winter alike. Elsewhere, at least 10 people were killed in rain-related incidents in eastern Punjab and southern Sindh provinces over the past 24 hours, according to rescue officials. Weather forecasters say rains will continue this week. Pakistan's annual monsoon season runs from July through September. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed his deep sorrow and grief over the deaths of the tourists swept away by the floods in the Swat River. In a statement, he directed authorities to strengthen safety measures near rivers and streams. Heavy rains have battered parts of Pakistan since earlier this week, blocking highways and damaging homes. Still, weather forecasters say the country will receive less rain compared with 2022 when the climate-induced downpour swelled rivers and inundated one-third of Pakistan at one point , killing 1,739.
Arab News
2 days ago
- Health
- Arab News
Authorities recover 20,000 soap bars for anti-polio campaigns being sold illegally in Peshawar
PESHAWAR: Pakistani authorities on Wednesday recovered 20,000 soap bars provided by the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) for exclusive use in anti-polio campaigns after they were found being illegally sold in the northwestern Peshawar city, the UN agency said. Authorities seized the soap bars in a raid conducted at the city's famous Sabzi Mandi area, with UNICEF raising serious concerns about the diversion of humanitarian supplies to the open market. 'The seized consignment included approximately 20,000 soap bars, reportedly marked for exclusive use in Polio Campaigns,' the UN agency said. UNICEF said provincial officials believe it is highly unlikely that such a large-scale misappropriation could have occurred without either the 'active involvement or gross negligence' of personnel within the provincial Health Department and UNICEF's local and national operations. 'Further investigations are underway to determine how the supplies were diverted from official distribution channels to Open Market,' the statement said. 'Authorities have not ruled out the possibility of collusion by insiders or lapses in oversight mechanisms.' UNICEF said the incident underscored the critical need for greater accountability and monitoring in aid distribution processes, particularly in sensitive public health programs like the polio eradication campaign. Polio is a paralyzing disease with no cure, making prevention through vaccination critical. Multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine, along with the completion of the routine immunization schedule for all children, are essential to build strong immunity against the virus. According to Pakistan's polio program, 10 cases have been confirmed so far this year, with 74 reported in 2024. Pakistan, one of the last two countries where polio remains endemic, has made significant progress in curbing the virus, with annual cases dropping from around 20,000 in the early 1990s to just eight in 2018. The country reported six cases in 2023 and only one in 2021.
CNN
4 days ago
- Politics
- CNN
Sports show ‘that we're all one humanity,' Malala Yousafzai exclusively tells CNN as she announces new investment platform
Malala Yousafzai is known by millions around the world as an activist and human rights campaigner, a voice of power and inspiration who survived an assassination attempt by the Taliban at age 15. Perhaps less well known is her life as a sports fanatic. But take any major women's sports event from the past few years and you can bet on Yousafzai being in the stands, whether that's cricket, soccer, basketball, netball or the Olympic and Commonwealth Games. She even chose to spend a freezing Valentine's Day evening with her husband, Asser Malik, watching American rugby star Ilona Maher turn out for English club side Bristol Bears. Now, Yousafzai – mononamously referred to as Malala – is turning her fandom into a platform to invest in women's sports around the world, both on a professional and amateur level. Recess is her latest initiative intended to enhance the rights of women and girls through sports, a concept which you could say has been in the pipeline since Yousafzai's childhood in Pakistan. 'I remember in school recess time when boys would go off to the local cricket playground and girls had to stay behind,' she said in an exclusive interview with CNN Sports. 'From that point onwards, I knew that sports was something that girls did not have easy access to.' And in today's global climate, a time of conflict and heightened political tension, Yousafzai believes that sports play a more crucial role than ever before. 'I think about young people and how their lives are at risk, how children are killed, they're starved, and girls' rights are taken away in Afghanistan,' she said. 'Just looking at the tensions around the world, we can only hope and pray for peace and encourage everybody to put down their weapons and think about the hope for humanity. 'We are capable of dialogue, we are capable of coming together, and sports, in history, in the current times, have proven to be that powerful way of bringing communities together. … We could be competitive, but at the same time, when the game is over, we can hug each other, shake hands, and recognize that we're all one humanity.' A longtime and committed campaigner for women's education, Yousafzai became an internationally recognized figure after she was shot in the head by the Taliban while riding a bus home from school. Airlifted to a hospital in Birmingham, England, for lifesaving treatment, she had months of surgeries and rehabilitation before recovering and making the UK her new home with her family. Undeterred by the experience, Yousafzai founded the Malala Fund in 2013 to champion educational rights for girls, and the following year became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize at the age of 17. Recess, launched on Tuesday to coincide with her appearance at the Billie Jean King Power of Women's Sport Summit in London, is Yousafzai's latest initiative dedicated to women's and girls' rights. This time, she is doing it alongside her husband, who has experience setting up a cricket franchise in Pakistan and working with the country's cricket board. 'We were looking for an opportunity where we could bring in our expertise, our platform to benefit women's sports in general, just because of the lack of investments, lack of opportunities,' Yousafzai said. Among those contributing to the initiative as advisors are Billie Jean King and wife Ilana Kloss, people who 'believe in women's sports as a business opportunity, and who believe that women's sports can help us promote gender equity,' Yousafzai added. She and Malik identify the NWSL and WNBA as two leagues in which they are looking to invest, partly because of the 'huge potential' for growth, Yousafzai said, and partly because getting involved in established leagues can 'help us really test the economics and the mission side of our work.' The approach will be multipronged, focusing on women's professional sports in recognized and emerging markets, but on increasing the number of girls involved in sports around the world. By age 14, girls drop out of sporting activities at double the rate of boys, according to the Women's Sports Foundation, due to limited opportunities, social stigma and a lack of role models, among other reasons. 'For women's sports to grow everywhere, we have to have a different approach for different places,' Malik told CNN Sports. 'And obviously, Recess' approach is to treat them like a proper business and to go in and prove that it's a great business case, so that more capital comes in and it grows.' Away from boardrooms, Yousafzai, like many who grow up in Pakistan, is an avid cricket fan. She's also a keen golfer and admits to thinking about the sport 'every week almost,' even reliving her best shots to Malik after a round in precise detail. From her perspective as a fan, the 27-year-old has seen the impact of athletes like Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark, who has brought increased audiences to the WNBA. It's figures like Clark, she believes, who can act as role models and encourage more girls to take up sports, purely off the back of their performances alone. 'They have a huge impact without actually saying much,' Yousafzai said. 'I don't think we need to ask them about every topic and every issue – the fact that they're on the field and they're on the court is already changing perspectives. 'It's empowering girls. It's sending a powerful message to women, to all of us, that the sky's the limit, and women's sports will thrive. We will have more equal opportunities for women and girls and we can imagine a world where girls are empowered.'
