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☆ How illegal steroids actually work, according to a former smuggler
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-21 | by ( Kyle Desiderio | Nazar Risafi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Chet Sandhu is a former smuggler. He estimates that he trafficked over $50 million worth of illegal steroids. He was arrested during a smuggling run and sentenced to 4 ½ years in the Fontcalent correctional facility in Alicante, Spain, one of Europe's most infamous prisons. He highlights the harsh prison sentences imposed in some countries and advocates for steroid use to be handled as a medical issue. Since his release from prison, Sandhu has written two books, "From King of Karachi to Lockdown in the Costa Del Crime" and "Self-Made, Dues Paid."

Persons: Chet Sandhu, Sandhu Organizations: Lockdown, Costa Locations: Karachi, Pakistan, Netherlands, France, Spain, United Kingdom, Alicante, King

☆ Death toll rises to 24 in powerful suicide bombing at rail station in southwestern Pakistan
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-09 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Ap-Live-Blog-Byline-Image.Png | The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

A suicide bomber blew himself up at a train station in restive southwestern Pakistan on Saturday, killing at least 24 people, including security officers, and wounding about 50 others, some critically, officials said. A separatist group, the Balochistan Liberation Army, claimed the attack in a statement, saying a suicide bomber targeted troops present at the railway station. Police said about a dozen security forces are also among the dead. The group often demands the halt of all Chinese-funded projects and for workers to leave Pakistan to avoid further attacks. Last month, BLA claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing that targeted a convoy with Chinese nationals outside the Karachi airport, killing two.

Persons: Hamza Shafqaat, Ayesha Faiz, Shahid Rind, Shehbaz Sharif, BLA Organizations: Balochistan Liberation Army, Islamabad . Police, Baloch, Initiative Locations: restive, Pakistan, Rawalpindi, Quetta, restive Balochistan, Balochistan, Islamabad, Beijing’s, Karachi, Beijing

☆ At least 24 killed in Pakistan train station suicide blast, Balochistan militants claim responsibility
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-09 | by ( Sophia Saifi | Asim Khan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —A suicide bombing at a train station in southwestern Pakistan on Friday killed at least 24 people, according to a senior local government official. Another 53 people were injured in the attack in the city of Quetta, Commissioner Hamza Shafqaat said in a statement. “Explosion at the railway station was a suicide bombing,” the statement said. The blast happened on a platform at the city’s main railway station at about 9 a.m., Senior Police Superintendent Muhammad Baloch said. The province’s Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti has ordered an inquiry into the incident.

Persons: Hamza Shafqaat, Muhammad Baloch, Sarfraz Bugti, Shehbaz Sharif Organizations: CNN, Baloch Liberation, Senior, Security Locations: Pakistan, Quetta, Balochistan, China, Karachi

☆ Lahore air pollution hits historic high, forcing school closures
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-04 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

KARACHI, Pakistan — Unprecedented air pollution levels in Pakistan’s second-largest city of Lahore prompted authorities to take emergency measures on Sunday, including issuing work-from-home mandates and closing primary schools. To reduce vehicle pollution, 50% of office employees would work from home, Aurangzeb said. The government has also imposed a ban on three-wheelers known as rickshaws and halted construction in certain areas to reduce the pollution levels. Aurangzeb described the situation as “unexpected” and attributed the deterioration in air quality to winds carrying pollution from neighboring India. The smog crisis in Lahore, similar to the situation in India’s capital, Delhi, tends to worsen during cooler months due to temperature inversion trapping pollution closer to the ground.

Persons: Punjab Marriyum Aurangzeb, Aurangzeb, ” Organizations: Citizens Locations: KARACHI, Pakistan, Lahore, India, Swiss, Punjab, Delhi

☆ Two Chinese nationals killed in ‘terrorist attack’ near Karachi airport
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-07 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

ISLAMABAD — Two Chinese nationals were killed in an explosion near the international airport of the southern Pakistani city of Karachi on Sunday night, the Chinese embassy in Pakistan said, in what it described as a "terrorist attack." The Chinese embassy said a convoy from the Port Qasim Electric Power Company was attacked near the airport. Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said a Chinese national was also injured and that an investigation was underway. It has previously killed Chinese citizens working in the region and attacked Beijing’s consulate in Karachi. In March, a suicide bomber killed five Chinese engineers working on a hydropower project in northern Pakistan.

Persons: Shehbaz Sharif, Asif Hassan, Imran Khan ., —, Xi Organizations: Baloch Liberation, Port Qasim Electric Power Company, Embassy, General, Pakistan's, Getty Images, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Geo News, Beijing, Beijing’s, Authorities Locations: ISLAMABAD, Pakistani, Karachi, Pakistan, Port, Pakistan's, AFP, Getty Images Pakistan, Islamabad, Balochistan, Pakistan’s, Afghanistan, Iran, Gwadar, China

☆ A massive blast outside Karachi Airport in Pakistan kills 2 and injures at least 8
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-06 | by ( Story The Associated Press | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Karachi, Pakistan AP —A massive blast outside Karachi Airport in Pakistan on Sunday killed two people and injured at least eight, officials said. Police and the provincial government said a tanker exploded outside the airport, which is Pakistan’s biggest. A vehicle is seen on fire at the site of an explosion that caused injures and destroyed vehicles at outside the Karachi airport, Pakistan, Sunday, Oct. 6. Security officials examine the site of an explosion that caused injures and destroyed vehicles at outside the Karachi airport, Pakistan, Monday, Oct. 7. The home minister and inspector general also visited the blast site, but they did not talk to the press.

Persons: Zia Ul Hassan, Mohammad Farooq, Beijing’s, Fareed Khan, East Azfar Mahesar, Rahat Hussain Organizations: Pakistan AP, Sunday, Police, Geo, Ministry, Associated Press, Initiative, ” Police Locations: Karachi, Pakistan, Karachi Airport, Beijing’s multibillion, Asia

☆ Pakistan says police responsible for killing a doctor accused of blasphemy
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-26 | by ( Associated Press | Story The | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Multan, Pakistan — Pakistan’s government said Thursday that police had orchestrated the killing of a doctor who was in custody after he was accused of blasphemy. The statement marks the first time the government has accused security forces of what the doctor’s family and rights groups have said amounted to an extrajudicial killing carried out by police. Hassan’s statement backed up Nawaz’s family allegations earlier this week. Accusations of blasphemy, sometimes even just rumors, can spark riots and mob rampages in Pakistan. Nawaz’s killing was the second case of an extrajudicial killing by police this month in Pakistan.

Persons: Shah Nawaz, Islam’s Prophet Muhammad, Ziaul Hassan, Nawaz, Hassan, Islam, Nawaz’s, “, …, ”, Mohammad Saleh, Saleh, Rehmat, Syed Khan, Khan, Mohammad Khurram Organizations: Minister, Associated Press Locations: Multan, Pakistan, Sindh, Mirpur Khas, Umerkot, Karachi, Quetta

☆ Sindh, Pakistan: Police fatally shoot blasphemy suspect in second such killing in a week
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-19 | by ( Associated Press | Story The | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Karachi, Pakistan — Police in southern Pakistan shot dead a blasphemy suspect during an alleged shootout with armed men, officials said Thursday, the second such apparent extra-judicial killing in a week, drawing condemnation from human rights groups. Videos circulating on social media showed local clerics throwing rose petals at police and praising officers for killing the blasphemy suspect. There was no immediate clarification from the Sindh government about the circumstances in which the suspect was killed. The latest killing comes a week after an officer opened fire inside a police station in the southwestern city of Quetta, fatally wounding Syed Khan, another suspect held on accusations of blasphemy. Pakistan has witnessed a surge in attacks on blasphemy suspects in recent years.

Persons: Shah Nawaz, Mohammed, Niaz Khoso, Nawaz, “, Khoso, ”, HRCP, Syed Khan, Khan, Mohammad Khurram, —, Islam Organizations: Pakistan — Police, Police, Local, Human Rights Locations: Karachi, Pakistan, Umerkot district, Sindh province, Mirpur Khas, Sindh, Umerkot, Quetta, Madyan, Punjab, Jaranwala

☆ Pink, peacock-populated, possibly possessed Pakistani palace
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-17 | by ( Associated Press | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

AP —Stained glass windows, a sweeping staircase and embellished interiors make Mohatta Palace a gem in Karachi, a Pakistani megacity of 20 million people. The palace sits on prime real estate in the desirable neighborhood of Old Clifton, among mansions, businesses and upmarket restaurants. The land under buildings like the Mohatta Palace is widely coveted, said palace lawyer Faisal Siddiqi. Mohatta Palace is a symbol of that diversity. “I’m from Bahawalpur (in Punjab, India) where we have the Noor Mahal palace, so I wanted to look at this one.

Persons: there’s, Faisal Siddiqi, Heba Hashmi, Shivratan Mohatta, Fatima Jinnah, Pakistan’s, Shirin, Nasreen Askari, ”, “, don’t, Ahmed Tariq, “ I’m, It’s, Askari, ” Hashmi Organizations: Foreign Ministry Locations: Karachi, Pakistani, Rajasthan, Old Clifton, Lahore, Mughal, ”, Mohatta, Jodhpur, India, Pakistan, Bahawalpur, Punjab, It’s

☆ Pakistan extends visas for 1.45 million Afghans but denies deportations on hold
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-11 | by ( Lex Harvey | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Pakistan is extending the stay of nearly 1.5 million registered Afghan refugees – but its mass deportation of “illegal immigrants” will continue, authorities said. The fate of 1.45 million refugees whose PORs expired at the end of June had previously been in doubt, with many fearing they’d be deported. But Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs disputed the UN’s claims that Islamabad had put on hold its plan announced last October to deport undocumented Afghan refugees. Trucks transporting Afghan refugees and their belongings are seen along a road heading toward the Pakistan-Afghanistan Torkham border on November 3, 2023. More than 3 million Afghan refugees, including registered refugees and more than 800,000 undocumented people were living in Pakistan as of March 2024, according to UNHCR data.

Persons: ”, Shehbaz, they’d, ” Filippo Grandi, Mumtaz Baloch, Abdul Majeed, They’re, Moniza, ” Kakar, Asif Hassan, Ruwanpathirana Organizations: CNN, United Nations, Pakistan’s, of Foreign Affairs, Trucks, Getty, Pakistan, Afghan, UNHCR, Taliban, UN, ” Police, South Asia, Amnesty International Locations: Pakistan, Afghanistan, Islamabad, AFP, Karachi, South

☆ Opinion | The Tragedy at This Year’s Hajj Is Just the Beginning
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-10 | by ( David Wallace-Wells | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

A potter’s field burial site on Hart Island was receiving 24 bodies each day, as many as the city typically used to bury there in a week. Last month in Karachi, Pakistan, temperatures approached 120 degrees Fahrenheit and hospitals reportedly treated thousands for heatstroke. A nonprofit operating four mortuaries registered 128 deaths in a single day, mostly of people on the margins of society. In June, more than one-third of the country’s population was under extreme heat advisories, but immediately after Independence Day things intensified. In Palm Springs, Calif., temperatures reached a record 124 degrees, Las Vegas broke its own previous record by three degrees and in Death Valley, Calif., temperatures reached 129, within one degree of the all-time, anywhere-in-the-world modern record.

Persons: Yorkers, ” Jeff Goodell, Mikhail Chester Organizations: New, Edhi Foundation, Las Locations: New York City, Hart, Karachi, Pakistan, Palm Springs, Calif, Las Vegas, Death Valley, California, Phoenix

☆ As Violence Surges, Can Pakistan Protect Its Chinese Projects?
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-10 | by ( Zia Ur-Rehman | Christina Goldbaum | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In a busy port city along Pakistan’s southwestern coast, a newly built security barrier and hundreds of new checkpoints safeguard Chinese workers. Across Pakistan, authorities are hurrying to bolster security for Chinese workers after a surge in militant violence targeting Chinese-funded megaprojects. That investment in Pakistan, which began in 2015 as part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, involves around $60 billion of planned projects. Tens of thousands of Chinese workers are thought to be in Pakistan, though estimates vary widely. Chinese investment has proved critical since support from the United States tapered off after the war in neighboring Afghanistan ended in 2021.

Organizations: Initiative Locations: Pakistan’s, Karachi, Islamabad, Pakistan, United States, Afghanistan

☆ Pakistan Withers Under Deadly Heat and Fears the Coming Rains
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-06 | by ( Zia Ur-Rehman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In nearly every corner of Karachi, there are signs of the heat wave scorching the sun-baked city. Hundreds of patients suffering from heat-related illnesses pour into the hospitals every day, pushing them far past their capacity. Even the usually bustling markets and streets have emptied as people avoid leaving their homes unless they must. In a particularly dire eight-day stretch late last month, temperatures reached 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius), with high humidity adding to the misery. That was the hottest since 2015, a year when officials reported that more than 1,200 people died from heat-related causes in Karachi.

Organizations: Asia roasts Locations: Karachi, Pakistan’s, Asia

Rights groups are furious the Taliban meeting is going ahead without Afghan women, and say it legitimizes Afghanistan’s leaders and fails to hold them to account for grave injustices. Whatever we had, we spent it,” Arzo’s brother Ahamad, a 27-year-old journalist under threat from the Taliban due to his occupation, told CNN in November. Arzo told CNN what drove her suicide attempt. Pakistan’s policy on “illegal foreigners” is no different to that of other nations, Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Mumtaz Zahra Baloch told CNN. CNNArzo doesn’t want a life like that for herself, her sister, or the women and girls still in Afghanistan.

Persons: ”, Arzo, Javed Iqbal, ” Richard Bennett, Zabihullah Mujahid, “, Richard Bennett, weren’t, – they’ll, They’re, Mahsa, Ahamad, Doctors, Arzo’s, CNN Arzo hadn’t, ” Mahsa, they’ve, can’t, Moniza Kakar, Rain, Kakar, Abbas, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, Baloch, hadn’t, ” Amanullah, He’s, Amanullah, he’s, CNN Arzo, Heather Barr, ” Barr, “ It’s, Bennett, she’ll, “ I’m Organizations: CNN, Lifeline, International Association for Suicide Prevention, Befrienders Worldwide, Pakistan CNN —, United Nations, Human Rights, UN, Security, “ ACC ”, Afghan, ACC, Pakistani Ministry of Foreign, “, Taliban, Human Rights Watch, International Court of Justice, Criminal Court, ICC Locations: Karachi, Pakistan, Pakistani, Afghanistan, CNN Pakistan, Doha, Qatar, Afghan, Kabul, Islamabad, –, Soviet, ”, Canada, Israel, Gaza

☆ Muggings, Murders and Mob Justice: Violent Crime Roars Back in Karachi
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-12 | by ( Zia Ur-Rehman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The terrifying stories are sprawled across local newspapers and recounted in hushed tones at tea stalls and bus stands: another day, another brutal death during an armed robbery in Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city. Last Wednesday, a car mechanic was shot dead by muggers trying to steal his phone. A few days earlier, robbers killed a 27-year-old mechanical engineer, stealing his phone, cash and motorcycle. Across Karachi, Pakistan’s economic powerhouse, the rate of violent crime has soared. The country’s president, Asif Ali Zardari, has called for a “large-scale operation” against the street criminals.

Persons: muggers, Asif Ali Zardari, mugging, ”, Shamim Ali Locations: Karachi, Pakistan’s

☆ Pakistan: Temperatures cross 125°F as heat wave hits Sindh
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-28 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Temperatures rose above 52 degrees Celsius (125.6 degrees Fahrenheit) in Pakistan’s southern province of Sindh, the highest reading of the summer and close to the country’s record high amid an ongoing heat wave, the met office said on Monday. Extreme temperatures throughout Asia over the past month were made worse most likely as a result of human-driven climate change, a team of international scientists have said. The reading is the highest of the summer so far, and approached the town’s and country’s record highs of 53.5 C (128.3 F) and 54 C (129.2 F) respectively. But with the current heat wave, shops are seeing almost no footfall. The highest temperature recorded in Pakistan was in 2017 when temperatures rose to 54 C (129.2 F) in the city of Turbat, located in the Southwestern province of Balochistan.

Persons: Daro, Shahid Abbas, Rizwan Tabassum, ” Wajid Ali, ”, Abdul Khaliq, Khaliq, Mushtaq Ahmed, Khursheed Alam, Sardar Sarfaraz Organizations: CNN, Pakistan Meteorological Department, Reuters, Getty Locations: Pakistan’s, Sindh, Asia, Karachi, AFP, “, Pakistan, Turbat, Southwestern, Balochistan, Mohenjo Daro, Karachi — Pakistan’s

☆ Dasu dam: Chinese workers killed in suicide bomb blast as Pakistan grapples with attacks on Beijing’s interests
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Sophia Saifi | Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif offered condolences for the death of the Chinese nationals during a visit Tuesday to the Chinese Embassy in Islamabad, where he met with Beijing’s ambassador. The blast Tuesday follows two militant attacks in recent days in southwest Pakistan, where China is investing billions in infrastructure projects. Half a year later, a separatist group attacked a luxury hotel in Gwadar, often used by Chinese nationals working at the port. In August last year, BLA militants opened fire on a Pakistani military convoy in Gwadar as it was escorting a delegation of Chinese nationals to a construction project. Two militants were killed and no harm was caused to any military personnel or civilians, according to the Pakistani military.

Persons: Muhammad Ali Gandapur, Xi, Tuesday’s, Shehbaz Sharif, Ishaq Dar, ”, “ Organizations: Islamabad CNN —, Beijing . Senior, Taliban, Foreign Ministry, Embassy, Beijing’s, Baloch Liberation, Pakistan Economic, Pakistan Stock Exchange Locations: Islamabad, Pakistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, China, Afghanistan, restive, Balochistan, Gwadar, Beijing, Xinjiang, Karachi

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) announced the coalition late Tuesday, naming former premier Shehbaz Sharif as prime minister and Asif Ali Zardari as president. Aamir Qureshi/AFP/Getty ImagesIndependent candidates affiliated with former Prime Minister Khan’s Pakistan Tehereek-e-Insaf (PTI) party secured the most parliamentary seats, in a stunning victory for the jailed cricket icon. But none of the three major parties that contested won the necessary seats to declare a majority in parliament. Shortly after the coalition announcement, the PTI accused the PMLN and PPP of stealing their mandate to govern. Sharif is on course to become prime minister for the second time, with Asif Ali Zardari, the husband of Pakistan’s slain former leader Benazir Bhutto, by his side.

Persons: Imran Khan, Shehbaz Sharif, Asif Ali Zardari, “, ” Sharif, Aamir Qureshi, Khan’s, ”, Khan, Nawaz Sharif, Asim Hafeez, Sharif, Pakistan’s, Benazir Bhutto Organizations: Pakistan CNN —, Pakistan Muslim League, Nawaz, Pakistan People’s Party, Getty, PTI, Pakistan People's Party, Bloomberg Locations: Islamabad, Pakistan, Kasur, Punjab, Khan’s Pakistan, Karachi

☆ Shehbaz Sharif Set for Pakistan's Top Job as Elder Brother Steps Aside
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

Before his stint as prime minister, the younger Sharif was known more as a good administrator than a politician, having served as chief minister thrice in the country's largest province, Punjab. The deal was signed after Sharif personally called on IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva last June. Although defence and key foreign policy decisions are largely influenced by the military, Sharif will have to juggle relations with the U.S. and China, both major allies. He started his political career as the chief minister of Punjab in 1997 with a signature "can-do" administrative style. As chief minister, the younger Sharif planned and executed a number of ambitious infrastructure mega-projects, including Pakistan's first modern mass transport system in Lahore.

Persons: Asif Shahzad, Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam, Sharif, Nawaz Sharif, Nawaz Sharif's, Maryam, Imran Khan, Shehbaz Sharif, Khan, Shehbaz, Kristalina Georgieva, Tehmina Durrani, Ariba Shahid, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Pakistan Muslim League, Nawaz, Monetary Fund, IMF, U.S Locations: Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam ISLAMABAD, Sharif, London, country's, Punjab, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, China, India, Iran, Afghanistan, Lahore, Panama, Karachi

☆ Analysis: At this general election in Pakistan, old dynasties vie for power and populist Imran Khan languishes in prison
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Sophia Saifi | Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

That sets the stage for a difficult road to recovery for whoever wins in a nation where no democratically elected prime minister has ever completed a full term in office. Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan attends a lawyers' convention in Lahore on September 21, 2022. Veteran Sharif will face a strong challenge, however, from first-time candidate for Prime Minister, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, 35, son of slain former leader Benazir Bhutto. Manahil Ahmed, 23, called Pakistan’s political environment “particularly hostile” right now. For Pakistan’s military and police forces, the last year was the bloodiest in a decade.

Persons: Imran Khan, –, Arif Ali, Nawaz Sharif, Sharif, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Benazir Bhutto, Khan –, Khan, Fareed Khan, ”, Rabiya Arooj, Khan’s, Bushra Bibi, Imran Khan's, Asad Zaidi, Pakistan’s, Farzana Shaikh, “, ’, Murtaza Solang, Maryam Nawaz Sharif, Mohsin Raza, he’s, Raja Ikram, Ameer Hamza, Manahil Ahmed, Shaikh, Hussain Nadim, Maurice R, Greenberg, ‘, Aamir Qureshi, Shoaib Tanveer, Baou Nadeem, ” Shaikh, Farooq Naeem, “ Sharif, He’s, Tim Willasey Organizations: Pakistan CNN —, Getty, PTI, World Bank, Pakistan, Bloomberg, The Royal Institute of International Affairs, CNN, for Research, Security Studies, Pakistan’s People’s Party, Pakistan Muslim League, Baloch Liberation Army, Yale University, Pakistan Army –, Workers, King’s College London Locations: Islamabad, Pakistan, Pakistan CNN — Pakistan, Lahore, AFP, Karachi, “, Rawalpindi, Asia, Hafizabad, Khan’s, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, India, Afghanistan, Iran, State Khorasan, restive Balochistan, Balochistan, Punjab, Sharif, States, China, British

☆ Many Pakistanis Make a Perilous Journey to Vote
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

With tens of thousands displaced from the tribal regions, most candidates vying to represent constituencies there have campaigned in other cities such as Dera Ismail Khan. "Due to the war, people's houses were destroyed," Moulana Jamal Uddin, a candidate from South Waziristan, told Reuters by phone. "I appeal to the people of South Waziristan to vote," he said. Khan Ullah, a 42-year-old shop owner, said he has avoided political gatherings in Dera Ismail Khan because he feared an attack on them was a real possibility. (Reporting by Saud Mehsud in Dera Ismail Khan; writing by Ariba Shahid in Karachi; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)

Persons: Saud Mehsud DERA ISMAIL, Ullah Mehsud, Mehsud, Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan's, Amjad Khan, Khan, hometowns, Maulana Raheem Ullah, Moulana Jamal Uddin, Khan Ullah, Saud Mehsud, Ariba Shahid, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Reuters, Pakhtunkhwa, Pak Institute, Peace Studies, Force Locations: Saud Mehsud DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan, South Waziristan, Qaeda, U.S, Afghanistan, Waziristan, Khyber, Taliban Pakistan, Balochistan, KP, Karachi

☆ Ahead of Election, Pakistan Seals Plan to Sell National Airline
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +8 min

"Our job is 98% done," Privatisation Minister Fawad Hasan Fawad told Reuters when asked about the plan to sell the airline. Details of the privatisation process have not been previously reported. PIA had liabilities of 785 billion Pakistani rupees ($2.81 billion) and accumulated losses of 713 billion rupees as of June last year. Its CEO has said losses in 2023 were likely to be 112 billion rupees. PIA spokesman Abdullah Hafeez Khan said the airline was assisting the privatisation process, extending "full cooperation" to the transaction adviser.

Persons: Asif Shahzad, Fawad Hasan Fawad, Fawad, Ernst & Young, Shamshad Akhtar, Abdullah Hafeez Khan, Nawaz, Nawaz Sharif, Imran Khan, Sharif's, Ishaq Dar, EASA, Brendan Sobie, Gibran Peshimam, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Pakistan International Airlines, International Monetary Fund, PIA, IMF, Reuters, Caretaker, Ernst &, Ernst, FAST, Pakistan Muslim League, European Union Aviation Safety Agency, Heathrow, Manchester, Birmingham, Kuwaiti Locations: Asif Shahzad ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Czech, Hungarian, Karachi, Europe, Kuala Lumpur, Toronto, Singapore, East, North America, Paris, New York

☆ Costs, Crackdown Put a Damper on Pakistan's Election Campaigns
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Ariba ShahidKARACHI (Reuters) - Higher living costs and political uncertainty have muted Pakistan's once boisterous election campaigns, with both candidates and those who supply them with materials bemoaning the need to do more with much less. Syed Arsalan Haider, a Karachi printer, said the cost of a square foot of banner was up by 130% since the last election. Khan, whose party won the last election, says the military wants to keep him from power, which the military denies. Meherbano Qureshi, a PTI candidate and daughter of the party's jailed vice chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi, said people were scared to show their support and hang campaign material. (Reporting by Ariba Shahid in Karachi and Mubasher Bukhari in Lahore; Editing by YP Rajesh and Miral Fahmy)

Persons: Shahid, Imran Khan, Jawad Jiwani, Syed Arsalan Haider, Abdul Aziz, Taj Haider, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Faisal Subzwari, Khan, Meherbano Qureshi, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Khurram Sher Zaman, They're, Ariba Shahid, Mubasher Bukhari, YP Rajesh, Miral Organizations: Monetary Fund, Pakistan People's Party, PTI, Mubasher, YP Locations: Shahid KARACHI, Pakistan, Karachi, festooned, Lahore

☆ Tensions With Iran Add to Pakistan's Economic Challenges
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

Pakistan conducted strikes inside Iran, targeting separatist Baloch militants two days after Tehran said it had attacked the bases of another group within Pakistani territory. It is undergoing a tough $3 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout programme that pulled it from the brink of default last summer. Pakistan's international bonds fell after its foreign ministry said it conducted strikes inside Iran on Thursday, two days after Tehran attacked the bases of another group within Pakistani territory. Earlier in the day, Pakistan's benchmark share index fell 1.6% after Pakistan said it conducted strikes inside Iran, before recovering some ground. Pakistan's economic ties with Iran, while not huge, are important for Islamabad as it struggles to supply its western- most regions in Balochistan with critical commodities, including fuel and electricity.

Persons: Aneel Salman, Salman, Pakistan's, Hasnain Malik, Ariba Shahid, Karin Strohecker, Amanda Cooper, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Baloch, Monetary Fund, Liquified Petroleum Gas, Islamabad Policy Research Institute, Pipeline Locations: KARACHI, LONDON, Pakistan, Iran, Tehran, Tradeweb, Islamabad, Balochistan, Afghanistan, Russia, India, Karachi, London

KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) — From Berlin to London and Limassol to Karachi, thousands of people took to the streets Sunday to mark the 100th day of Israel’s war with Hamas. Opposing demonstrations either demanded the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas or called for a cease-fire in Gaza. In the southern Pakistani city of Karachi, tens of thousands waved Palestinian flags or wore the keffiyeh, the traditional Palestinian scarf, to express their solidarity with Palestinians in a rally organized by the country’s largest religious political party, Jamaat-e-Islami. The party’s Karachi chief, Hafiz Naeem Ur Rehman, called on the U.S. to stop backing Israel and compensate Palestinians for their losses. Protesters in London held posters with photos and the words “100 days in hell” to express their solidarity with Israel.

Persons: Hafiz Naeem Ur Rehman, Israel, ” Rehman, Ishrat Zahid, ”, Ayelet Svatitzky, “, ’ ’, Nadav Popplewell, Channah Peri, Peri, Roi Popplewell, Akrotiri, Osman Delibas, Delibas, Pope Francis, ____, Hadjicostis, Christophe Ena, Andrew Wilks, Frances D'Emilio Organizations: Hamas, Islami, Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Protesters, Israel, Palestine, ” Protesters, RAF, British, British Ministry of Defense, Turkey’s Humanitarian Relief Foundation, . Foundation, Anadolu, Associated, Associated Press Locations: KARACHI, Pakistan, Berlin, London, Limassol, Karachi, Gaza, Pakistani, Israel, Dublin, Edinburgh, Paris, ”, Cyprus, British, Yemen, Britain, Egypt, Turkey, Istanbul, Iraq, Kurdish, St, Ukraine, Palestine, Rome

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