#punjab province

[coochiequeens]

Ladies, vote for yourself and those denied the right

Dhurnal (Pakistan) (AFP) – Perched on her traditional charpai bed, Naeem Kausir says she would like to vote in Pakistan's upcoming election -- if only the men in her family would let her.

Issued on: 05/02/2024 - 08:41

In  the village of Dhurnal in Punjab, spread across crop fields and home to several thousand people, men profess myriad reasons why women should not be allowed to vote © Farooq NAEEM / AFP

Like all the women in her town, the 60-year-old former headmistress and her seven daughters -- six already university educated -- are forbidden from voting by their male elders.

"Whether by her husband, father, son or brother, a woman is forced. She lacks the autonomy to make decisions independently," said Kausir, covered in a veil in the courtyard of her home.

"These men lack the courage to grant women their rights," the widow told AFP.

Although voting is a constitutional right for all adults in Pakistan, some rural areas in the socially conservative country are still ruled by a patriarchal system of male village elders who wield significant influence in their communities.

In the village of Dhurnal in Punjab, spread across crop fields and home to several thousand people, men profess myriad reasons for the ban of more than 50 years.

"Several years ago, during a period of low literacy rates, a council chairman decreed that if men went out to vote, and women followed suit, who would manage the household and childcare responsibilities?" said Malik Muhammad, a member of the village council.

"This disruption, just for one vote, was deemed unnecessary," he concluded.

Robina Kausir, a healthcare worker, talks to AFP in Dhurnal of Punjab province, ahead of the upcoming general election © Farooq NAEEM / AFP

Muhammad Aslam, a shopkeeper, claims it is to protect women from "local hostilities" about politics, including a distant occasion that few seem to remember in the village when an argument broke out at a polling station.

Others told AFP it was simply down to "tradition".

First Muslim woman leader

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has stressed that it has the authority to declare the process null and void in any constituency where women are barred from participating.

In reality, progress has been slow outside of cities and in areas that operate under tribal norms, with millions of women still missing from the electoral rolls.

Muhammad Aslam, a shopkeeper, claims a ban on women voting is to protect them from "local hostilities" about politics © Farooq NAEEM / AFP

The elders in Dhurnal rely on neighbouring villages to fill a government-imposed quota which maintains that 10 percent of votes cast in every constituency must be by women.

Those who are allowed to vote are often pressured to pick a candidate of a male relative's choice.

In the mountainous region of Kohistan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province home to almost 800,000 people, religious clerics last month decreed it un-Islamic for women to take part in electoral campaigns.

Although voting is a constitutional right for all adults in Pakistan, some rural areas in the socially conservative country are still ruled by a patriarchal system of male village elders who wield significant influence in their communities © Farooq NAEEM / AFP

Fatima Tu Zara Butt, a legal expert and a women's rights activist, said women are allowed to vote in Islam, but that religion is often exploited or misunderstood in Pakistan.

"Regardless of their level of education or financial stability, women in Pakistan can only make decisions with the 'support' of the men around them," she said.

Pakistan famously elected the world's first Muslim woman leader in 1988 -- Benazir Bhutto, who introduced policies that boosted education and access to money for women, and fought against religious extremism after military dictator Zia ul-Haq had introduced a new era of Islamisation that rolled back women's rights.

However, more than 30 years later, only 355 women are competing for national assembly seats in Thursday's election, compared to 6,094 men, the election commission has said.

Pakistan reserves 60 of the 342 National Assembly seats for women and 10 for religious minorities in the Muslim-majority country, but political parties rarely allow women to contest outside of this quota.

Those who do stand often do so only with the backing of male relatives who are already established in local politics.

"I have never seen any independent candidates contesting elections on their own," Zara Butt added.

'Everyone's right'

Forty-year-old Robina Kausir, a healthcare worker, said a growing number of women in Dhurnal want to exercise their right to vote but they fear backlash from the community if they do -- particularly the looming threat of divorce, a matter of great shame in Pakistani culture.

She credits part of the shift to access to information as a result of the rising use of smartphones and social media.

"These men instil fear in their women – many threaten their wives," she told AFP.

Robina, backed by her husband, is one of the few prepared to take the risk.

When cricketing legend Imran Khan swept to power in the 2018 election, Robina arranged for a minibus to take women to the local polling station.

Only a handful joined her, but she still marked it as a success and will do the same on Thursday's election.

"I was abused but I do not care, I will keep fighting for everyone's right to vote," Robina said.

[allthegeopolitics]

Tens of thousands of farmers in Pakistan are holding protests in several cities over the government’s decision not to buy their wheat, causing them huge losses in income. The farmers in Punjab, the country’s largest province and often called the “bread basket” of Pakistan, are demanding that the government stop wheat imports that have flooded the market at a time when they expect bumper crops. At a protest in Lahore, the provincial capital, on Monday (April 29), police violently pushed back the farmers with batons and arrested dozens of them.

Continue Reading

[mapsontheweb]

The Yusufzai are the largest and northernmost Pashtun tribe by both population and land area, numbering in the millions The Yusufzai are part of the Sarbani confederation of Pashtuns, inhabiting the hills & valleys along the Swat, Panjkora and Indus rivers along with the Peshawar Valley in the south extending into the Chachh Valley of Attock District in Punjab province There are 20 clans (khels) within the Yusufzai whom are categorized into 5 sub-tribes based on lineage & descent

by generic_maps

[beardedmrbean]

KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) — Dozens of members from Pakistan's civil society rallied on Tuesday in the southern port city of Karachi against the death sentence handed down to a Christian man on blasphemy charges, nearly a year after one of the worst mob attacks on Christians in the country.

Several Christians also joined the rally which comes a day after a court in Sahiwal in the Punjab province announced the death sentence to Ehsan Shan after finding him guilty of sharing “hateful content" against Muslims on social media.

Shan's lawyer Khurram Shahzad said on Monday he will appeal the verdict.

He was arrested in August 2023 after groups of Muslim men burned dozens of homes and churches in the city of Jaranwala in Punjab after some residents claimed they saw two Christian men desecrating pages from Islam’s holy book, the Quran. The two men were later arrested.

Though Shan was not party to the desecration, he was accused of reposting the defaced pages of the Quran on his TikTok account.

At Tuesday's rally in Karachi, a Christian leader Luke Victor, called for Shah's release.

He also demanded action against those who were involved in burning churches and homes of Christians in Jaranwala.

Blasphemy accusations are common in Pakistan. Under the country’s blasphemy laws, anyone found guilty of insulting Islam or Islamic religious figures can be sentenced to death. While authorities have yet to carry out a death sentence for blasphemy, often a mere accusation can cause riots and incite mobs to violence, lynching and killings.

[hyperallergic]

Pakistani cinema made history last year when Joyland (2022), written and directed by Saim Sadiq, became the first Pakistani film to premiere at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, receiving a standing ovation and international acclaim. During its festival circuit, Joyland received several prizes and was shortlisted for the Academy Awards but was banned in its home country. Despite previous clearances from federal and provincial censorship boards, distribution of the Punjabi-language film was halted by the Pakistani government last November as the film consisted of ���highly objectionable material” including scenes of LGBTQ+ intimacy.

While Pakistan’s Federal Censor Board quickly reversed the nationwide ban three days later with “minor cuts” to the film’s more controversial scenes after immense criticism for censorship on social media, the Punjab Censor Board ultimately prohibited the film from being screened in the province of Punjab, where the film is set and filmed.

Now, New Yorkers can watch the contested film at Manhattan’s Film Forum theater.

[travelbeing-blog]

Main Languages Spoken in Pakistan

Pakistan is a linguistically diverse country with a rich cultural heritage, home to numerous languages spoken across its provinces and regions. Each language reflects the identity and traditions of its people. Here are some of the main languages spoken in Pakistan:

Urdu

Urdu is Pakistan’s national language and serves as a unifying medium across the country. It is widely spoken and understood, especially in urban areas. Urdu poetry and literature hold a special place in the cultural landscape of Pakistan. Explore Urdu phrases for travelers.

Sindhi

Sindhi is spoken in Sindh province and is known for its ancient literary heritage and deep connection to Sufi poetry. The language is written in a script derived from Arabic and is rich in folklore and traditional music. Learn Sindhi phrases to connect with locals.

Punjabi

Punjabi is the most spoken language in Pakistan, primarily in Punjab province. It is vibrant and expressive, famous for its folklore, songs, and Bhangra dance. The language is written in Shahmukhi script in Pakistan. Discover Punjabi phrases for your trip.

Pashto

Pashto is spoken in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and parts of Balochistan. It is a key part of the Pashtun culture, rich in oral traditions, poetry, and hospitality practices. It has its own script and distinctive linguistic style.

Balochi

Balochi is the primary language of Balochistan. It has ancient roots and is influenced by Persian and Arabic. The language is known for its storytelling traditions and epic poetry.

Seraiki

Seraiki is spoken in southern Punjab and parts of Sindh. Known for its soft and melodic tone, it is closely related to Punjabi and has a strong tradition of folk music.

Brahvi

Brahvi is a Dravidian language spoken in Balochistan. Its unique linguistic roots make it distinct from the surrounding languages. It is often associated with the cultural identity of the Brahvi-speaking tribes.

Shina

Shina is spoken in Gilgit-Baltistan and is a key language in the mountainous northern regions. It is vital to preserving the oral traditions and stories of the region.

Broshiski

Broshiski is an isolate language spoken in Hunza and Nagar Valleys. It has no known linguistic relatives and is treasured for its cultural significance.

Balti

Balti is a Tibetan-origin language spoken in parts of Gilgit-Baltistan, including Skardu. Its script and traditions reflect a mix of Buddhist and Islamic influences.

Chitrali (Khowar)

Khowar, or Chitrali, is spoken in Chitral and surrounding valleys. It is known for its poetic nature and deep connection to the region’s mountainous culture.

Makrani

Makrani is a dialect spoken by communities in southern Balochistan and coastal Sindh. It blends influences from Balochi, Sindhi, and Swahili, reflecting the area's maritime heritage.

Learn Local Languages with Travel & Culture

Travel and Culture in Pakistan offers specialized tours for those interested in learning local languages and exploring the cultural diversity of the country. Find more at Travel & Culture.

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Police in eastern Pakistan arrested more than 100 Muslim men and charged them under anti-terrorism laws for attacking a Christian father and son over allegations they desecrated pages of Islam’s holy book, officials said Monday.

The mob went on a rampage Saturday after locals said they saw burnt pages of the Quran outside the two Christian men's house and accused the son of being behind it, setting their house and shoemaking factory on fire in the city of Sargodha in Punjab province, said senior police officer Assad Ijaz Malhi. They also attacked the son...

[collapsedsquid]

At least one police officer was killed and dozens of people injured in Pakistan as supporters of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan clashed with security forces outside the capital Islamabad on Monday, officials and Khan's party said. Authorities have enforced a security lockdown for the last two days after Khan called for a march on parliament for a sit-in demonstration to demand his release, while highways into the city have been barricaded. One police officer was shot and killed, at least 119 others were injured, and 22 police vehicles were torched in clashes just outside Islamabad and elsewhere in the Punjab province, provincial police chief Usman Anwar said. Two officers were in critical condition, he said.

Get stormin that capital to free your imprisoned leader and correct the stolen election!

[kemetic-dreams]

Anbesa (Amharic)- Lion-  (አንበሳ)

In Africa, the range of the lion originally spanned most of the central African rainforest zone and the Sahara desert. In the 1960s, it became extinct in North Africa, except in the southern part of Sudan.

In southern Europe and Asia, the lion once ranged in regions where climatic conditions supported an abundance of prey. In Greece, it was common as reported by Herodotus in 480 BC; it was considered rare by 300 BC and extirpated by AD 100. It was present in the Caucasus until the 10th century. It lived in Palestine until the Middle Ages, and in Southwest Asia until the late 19th century. By the late 19th century, it had been extirpated in most of Turkey. The last live lion in Iran was sighted in 1942 about 65 km (40 mi) northwest of Dezful, although the corpse of a lioness was found on the banks of the Karun river in Khūzestān Province in 1944. It once ranged from Sind and Punjab in Pakistan to Bengal and the Narmada River in central India

[stvlti]

Favourite first watches

I was tagged by @silenthillmutual to list my favorite first watches of june - which was a no-brainer for me! If you follow me on Letterboxd you might have noticed that I went a bit crazy watching new movies every other week this year. In June alone I watched 7 new movies and finished/started 2 new shows. So without further ado here are my faves:

(one of these is not like the others lmao - I'll give you a hint: it's the only one that's a predominantly white Anglo production 😂)

Joyland (2022) dir. Saim Sadiq

A mesmerising look into the lives of 3 disenchanted people living under the patriarchy of Lahore, Pakistan. It was banned in the province of Punjab, where the story takes place, so you know it definitely hit a nerve. Bonus points for the trans character actually being played by a trans actress. Can't recommend this enough!

Monkey Man (2024) dir. Dev Patel

I saw it opening night in Hong Kong with a homie. The action sequences are its high points but it surprised me in its approach to portraying gender and community too. I shan't say more and spoil it too much!

Derry Girls (2018 - 2022)

1×01 is hands down the best comedy pilot I've ever seen. I fell in love with this show at first watch.

Masters of the Air (2024)

I've got 1 episode left to go but it definitely holds up. The emotional story beats hit and well...it helps that the cast is very easy on the eyes 😁

This was fun! I'm gonna tag @aquilathefighter @fromjannah @thenaphorism @frostedjustice @artemisa97 and all other mutuals who wanna take a stab at this :)

[mariacallous]

MIRAN SHAH, Pakistan—Mohsin Dawar’s campaign for re-election to Pakistan’s parliament was almost cut short before it began in early January when his convoy was ambushed in a village just a few minutes’ drive from his home in Miran Shah in Pakistan’s North Waziristan district, near the lawless borderlands with Afghanistan. As his car came under attack from militants armed with automatic weapons, sniper rifles, and rocket-propelled grenades, he and his team were lured into a compound by residents who promised them safety.

It was a trap. Once the gates closed behind Dawar, the attack intensified. For almost an hour, he said, they were pinned down. Police and Pakistan Army backup finally arrived but not before two of Dawar’s team had been shot and injured. The vehicle took more than 80 bullets, and the windows show just how accurate the attackers’ aim was: Either one of the shots to the windshield or passenger window would have struck and likely killed him if he hadn’t been protected by bulletproof glass.

The Jan. 3 attack on a popular, outspoken, liberal leader in one of the most vulnerable regions of a country fighting a growing insurgency by extremist militants hardly registered in Pakistan, where most believe the military attempted—and failed—to manipulate the Feb. 8 election in an effort to install Nawaz Sharif as prime minister for a fourth time and where media operate under tight government control.

The election wasn’t quite the foregone conclusion that had been expected, with candidates aligned with the jailed cricket star-turned-populist leader Imran Khan winning more votes than each of the major parties—the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party—forcing them into a coalition to get the majority needed to form a government. PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif nominated his brother, Shehbaz Sharif, to become prime minister and his daughter Maryam Nawaz as chief minister of Punjab province, ensuring the dynastic line continues.

Candidates across the country, not only those loyal to Khan, alleged that the results had been rigged against them and in favor of military-backed candidates. Two days after the election, with his seat still undeclared amid growing concerns nationwide about vote rigging, Dawar and about a dozen of his supporters were injured when security forces opened fire on them as they gathered outside the official counting room.

At least three people died of their injuries; What Dawar had believed was an unassailable lead, according to polling by his secular National Democratic Movement party, had disappeared. In the count that was listed as final by Pakistan’s Election Commission, the seat went to Misbah Uddin of the Taliban-aligned Jamiat Ulama-e-Islam-Fazl party. Dawar is still recovering from a serious leg wound.

Dawar’s hometown is, once again, the battleground of what he calls “Project Taliban”—a war against the Pakistani state.

The Taliban’s transnational ambitions are threatening security beyond the borders of Afghanistan, and nowhere is this more evident than in Pakistan’s northwest, where the militant presence has been growing since the terrorist-led group came back to power in August 2021. Attacks on civilians, soldiers, and police have soared. The region bristles with checkpoints and hilltop outposts and is heavily patrolled on the ground and in the air by the Pakistan Army and armed border police. That’s during daylight hours, Dawar told Foreign Policy. Once night falls, it’s a different story.

“The Army checkposts you will only see during the daytime. Before sunset, they go to their barracks, and the people of Waziristan are at the disposal of the militants. Everyone has to secure himself or herself for their own protection,” he said. “It is militarized, and I believe it is a continuation of a proxy war that was started long ago. ‘Project Taliban’ is still continuing.”

The roots of militancy and terrorism in Waziristan go back to colonial times, when the mostly Pashtun people here were characterized as fearless fighters and pressed into service for the British. The stereotype stuck; the region became a center of recruitment and training for young men to fight the Soviets after Moscow’s 1979 invasion of Afghanistan.

After the United States led an invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 in retaliation for the 9/11 attacks, leaders of the Taliban and al Qaeda moved over the border and for the following 20 years enjoyed the protection of the Pakistani military’s intelligence wing, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency.

The ISI wanted a tame Taliban-led Afghanistan to thwart the ambitions of archrival India to become the dominant regional power. The Taliban had different ideas. The group’s return to power has inspired affiliated and like-minded groups worldwide, as the extremist regime provides safe haven for dozens of militant groups, according to the U.N. Security Council. They now openly use Afghanistan as a base to train fighters seeking to overthrow governments from China and Tajikistan to Iran and Israel. Among them is Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which, Afrasiab Khattak, a former Pakistani lawmaker and now a political analyst, said, is “just Taliban, there is no difference.”

Earlier this month, the Taliban reiterated the group’s stance on the international border between Afghanistan and Pakistan when the acting foreign minister, Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, said the government doesn’t recognize the Durand Line that has delineated the two countries since 1893. The line runs through the tribal regions, dividing ethnic Pashtun and Baloch tribespeople. Recent bilateral tensions have often focused on the border, with tit-for-tat closures impacting cross-border trade.

In comments that Pakistan’s foreign ministry later called “fanciful” and “self-serving”—and which underlined the simmering hostility between Pakistan and the Taliban it helped put in power—Stanikzai said: “We have never recognized Durand and will never recognize it; today half of Afghanistan is separated and is on the other side of the Durand Line. Durand is the line which was drawn by the English on the heart of Afghans.”

The Security Council said in 2022 that the TTP had up to 5,500 fighters in Afghanistan. That number has likely risen, Dawar said, as neither country, mired in economic mismanagement and crisis, can offer its youthful population an alternative livelihood. Victory brought strength, Dawar said, and the Taliban “can attract the youth because money and power is what attracts youth the most.”

The simmering conflict threatens to return Pakistan’s northwest to the wasteland of less than decade ago, when the TTP controlled the region: Dissenters were routinely killed. Terrorists turned the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), now part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province after an administrative merger in 2018, into a death zone. Millions of people were displaced as those who could leave fled to peace and safety.

Those who stayed lived in fear and poverty until the Army finally took action in 2016 and ended the TTP’s 10-year reign by simply killing them, often in attacks that also killed civilians, or pushing them over the porous border into Afghanistan, where they joined Taliban forces fighting the U.S.-supported republic until it collapsed in 2021.

The TTP wants an independent state in these border regions. It broke a cease-fire with the government in November 2022 and has demanded that the merger of the FATA with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa be reversed. Attacks on the military and police have escalated alarmingly, presenting what a senior government official, who spoke anonymously, called “not only an existential threat to the state but also to the common man”—a recognition that what Dawar calls “Project Taliban” not only threatens to engulf the northwest but, if not contained, poses a potential threat to a fragile and barely stable state.

Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar disagreed, telling reporters before the Feb. 8 vote that the military had the upper hand in the region, by virtue of numbers alone. “I don’t see that they pose an existential threat to the state of Pakistan,” he said, while nevertheless conceding it was a “big challenge” that could take years to dislodge.

He could be right. After the failure of peace talks, ironically brokered by the Taliban’s acting interior minister, U.N.-listed terrorist Sirajuddin Haqqani, Pakistan stepped up pressure on the TTP. Asfandyar Mir, an expert on South Asian political and security issues, said this appeared to have made a “marginal” difference.

“For instance, we haven’t seen a complex or suicide bombing attack by the TTP or one of its fronts for a couple of months now,” he said. “In that sense, it appears the Taliban is sensitive to pressure,” though “smaller-scale attacks and the erosion of Pakistani state authority in parts of the northwest continue.” Things could change, he said, once a new government is installed and, perhaps, brings some stability to the political landscape.

For the people of Waziristan, struggling to survive unemployment, a lack of development, and government neglect of basic services such as roads, electricity, clean water, and education—coupled with a downturn in vital cross-border trade with Afghanistan—priorities have again switched to peace. “The local people have learned through their own bitter experience of devastating war” what a Taliban resurgence means, said Khattak, the political analyst. The security establishment is playing a dangerous game, indulging the TTP so that “local people become so desperate they want the military to come in and help them,” he said.

Hundreds of thousands of people have marched through the streets and bazaars of North and South Waziristan over the past year, demanding action against terrorism and an end to state violence. Yet it continues. “No one is safe. Everyone is a target,” said a man in his 30s as he rolled off a list of potential victims: politicians, business people, teachers, doctors, journalists, civic activists, women’s rights advocates, anyone deemed “un-Islamic.” Even barbers are not immune from extremists who ban men from shaving: The day before the Jan. 3 attack on Dawar’s convoy, the bodies of six young hairdressers were found in the nearby town of Mir Ali.

Another local resident pointed to a “Taliban checkpoint” on the road between Miran Shah and the bustling town of Bannu. The long-haired, kohl-eyed, gun-toting youths in sequined caps stand outside their roadside hut in the shadow of an Army post on the hill above. Around the clock, the resident said, they randomly stop vehicles to shake down the drivers. “It’s just for money,” he said. “Money and power.”

But it’s killing, too, “on a daily basis,” said a government worker who left Miran Shah with his family at the height of the TTP terror and visited in early February from Peshawar so he and his wife could vote for Dawar. The aim, he said, is “to create an atmosphere of fear so that people leave and what is here is theirs.”

Dawar said the turning of the Taliban tables on Pakistan “was predictable.” The Taliban “are now a threat to Central Asia. They are now a threat to Iran, to Pakistan, and to even China. All of them thought we will control the Taliban after the takeover. The problem is it didn’t happen,” he said.

In 2011, then-U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned Pakistan’s leaders that they couldn’t keep “snakes,” as she called the Taliban, in their own backyard and “expect them only to bite your neighbors.”

“There used to be a time when people were sent from here to Afghanistan. Now they are coming around, they are biting,” Dawar said.

[beardedmrbean]

Pakistan's most-populous province of Punjab has imposed a ban on almost all open-air activities and ordered stores, markets and malls in some areas to close early as high levels of air pollution cause an unprecedented rise in smog-driven illnesses.

Schools have also closed in the main cities of the province, of which Lahore is the capital, with all the restrictions to run until November 17.

Earlier this month, Lahore, which regularly ranks among the world's most polluted cities, had an air pollution index score of 1,900 in some places, according to Swiss group IQAir.

Although the level is now lower, its index score of more than 600 on Monday still means that residents are breathing highly toxic air, with 0-50 considered the target score.

What did the Punjab government say?

"The spread of conjunctivitis/pink eye disease due to bacterial or viral infection, smoke, dust or chemical exposure is posing a serious and imminent threat to public health," the Punjab government said.

It said open-air sports events, exhibitions, festivals and restaurant dining were prohibited, but "unavoidable religious rites" could still take place.

Pharmacies, oil depots, dairy shops and fruit and vegetable shops are also to be allowed to stay open beyond the 8 p.m. local time closing time stipulated in the directive.

What is causing the smog?

Air pollution rises each winter in several regions of South Asia as cold air traps dust, factory and vehicle emissions and smoke from stubble burning on farms.

In addition, the Punjab government is blaming the air pollution crisis this year on neighboring India.

The pollution problems there have been made worse by the smoke emitted by firecrackers set off on Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights celebrated on October 31 this year, despite a ban.

Children at risk

UNICEF on Monday called for more to be done to save children from the deleterious effects of air pollution.

The UN's child protection agency said the toxic air in the region was putting more than 11 million children below five years of age at risk.

"In addition, schools in smog-affected areas have been closed ... the learning of almost 16 million children in Punjab has been disrupted," said Abdullah Fadil, UNICEF representative in the country, adding that the country could ill afford more learning losses.

The WHO says that air pollution can trigger strokes, heart disease, lung cancer and other respiratory diseases.

Children, especially babies, and the elderly are the groups most at risk.

[warningsine]

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Lightning and heavy rains have killed at least 49 people across Pakistan in the past three days, officials said Monday, as authorities in the country’s southwest declared a state of emergency.

Some deaths occurred when lightning struck farmers harvesting wheat. Rains caused dozens of houses to collapse in the northwest and in eastern Punjab province.

Arfan Kathia, a spokesman for the provincial disaster management authority, said 21 people had died in Punjab, where more rains were expected this week. Khursheed Anwar, a spokesman for the disaster management authority in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan, said 21 people died there.

Rain also lashed the capital, Islamabad, and killed seven people in southwestern Baluchistan province. Streets flooded in the northwestern city of Peshawar and in Quetta, the Baluchistan capital.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said in televised remarks that he had ordered authorities to provide relief aid. Pakistan’s water reservoirs would improve because of the rains, he said.

Rafay Alam, a Pakistani environmental expert, said such heavy April rainfall is unusual.

“Two years ago, Pakistan witnessed a heat wave in March and April and now we are witnessing rains and it is all of because of climate change, which had caused heavy flooding in 2022,” he said.

In 2022, downpours swelled rivers and at one point inundated one-third of Pakistan, killing 1,739 people. The floods also caused $30 billion in damage.

Meanwhile, heavy flooding from seasonal rains in Afghanistan killed 33 people and injured 27 others in three days, according to Abdullah Janan Saiq, the Taliban’s spokesman for the State Ministry for Natural Disaster Management.

More than 600 houses were damaged or destroyed while around 200 livestock died. The flooding also damaged large areas of agricultural land and more than 85 kilometers (53 miles) of roads, he said.

He said authorities in Afghanistan had provided aid to nearly 23,000 families, and that flash floods were reported in 20 of the country’s 34 provinces.

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Muslims fired gunshots and threw fuel bombs at the homes of Christians in a village in Pakistan at 2 a.m. on Monday (Feb. 12) for supporting an opposing political party in last week’s elections, sources said. No one was hurt in the attacks in Chak 6/11-L village in Sahiwal District, Punjab Province, by area Muslims also upset about Christians constructing a church building…

[mudassarali]

Pakistani Clothes Shopping Online In The USA

Pakistani clothes shopping is a magical experience that takes you to a world of bright colors, advanced designs, and timeless beauty. The clothing customs of Pakistan represent its rich cultural background, and buying Pakistani clothes provides a sensory experience unlike any other. This explores the exciting world of buying Pakistani clothing, from the ease of online markets to the colorful bazaars of Pakistan.

People must visit the country's busy bazaars and markets for the most realistic Pakistani clothing purchasing experience. There is a sensory harm of colors, sensations, and noises in these living environments that are full of life. Traditional markets like Karachi's Saddar Market and Lahore's Anarkali Bazaar are full of displays and stores selling a variety of Pakistani Dresses Online USA. Customers may browse anything from casual and ready-to-wear shalwar kameez outfits to wedding lehengas with beautiful embroidery.

Every province and area of Pakistan contributes its own unique look to the nation's clothes, which displays the nation's cultural variety. Pakistani fashion is different, with colorful Ajrak prints from Sindh, hand-embroidered patterns from Balochistan, elaborate wedding dresses from Punjab, and stylish urban styles from Karachi. The variety of Pakistani Wedding Dresses In USA has you covered whether you're looking for casual clothes for everyday wear, traditional dresses for festival events, or luxurious bridal wear.

The possibilities for customization are one of the fun things about buying Pakistani clothing in person. You may choose your chosen fabric, pattern, and embroidery work at many stores and boutiques. This provides tailoring services to create unique clothing that properly suits your style and size. This guarantees that the clothes you wear are a distinctive and customized statement of your sense of style.

Online Marketplaces For Pakistani Clothes Shopping

Online marketplaces have transformed the availability of Pakistani clothes for a worldwide audience while buying in the busy bazaars of Pakistan is a sensory trip. With the help of specialized websites like Utsav Fashion, 786 Shop, and Andaaz Fashion as well as e-commerce giants like Amazon and eBay. It's now simple to search for and purchase Pakistani clothes from the comfort of your own home. You can easily read reviews, compare prices, and browse a huge selection of products.

A celebration of cultural variety, brilliant colors, and beautiful patterns can be found while Pakistani clothes shopping. The world of Pakistani fashion has something to offer everyone. Whether you decide to visit the colorful bazaars of Pakistan in person or enjoy the ease of online shopping. It's a lovely experience that gives you the chance to learn about Pakistan's rich traditions and beautiful expertise. While also expanding your wardrobe with chic, classic pieces.

The great and varied selection of possibilities is one of the main draws of purchasing Pakistani clothing online in the USA. Sites on the internet offer access to a world of Pakistani fashion. It includes formal and traditional clothing like shalwar kameez, sarees, lehengas, and sherwanis as well as modern and stylish wear. There is a choice for any event, whether you're going to a wedding, a fun party, or you just want to appear beautiful on a daily basis.

Online buying is undoubtedly convenient. You may browse collections from various Pakistani clothing manufacturers and designers. Also, compare costs, and read customer reviews with only a few clicks. Because of this degree of accessibility, wearing Pakistani clothes has become more popular among fashionable Americans. With only a few actions, you may access the world of Pakistani fashion without having to look for local shops.

Advantages Of Online Shopping

Online shopping for Pakistani clothing in the USA combines convenience, variety, and a connection to a rich cultural past in a wonderful way. You may experience fine embroidery, brilliant colors, and traditional beauty. This characterizes Pakistani clothes thanks to the accessibility of this lovely trend. The online world of Pakistani fashion is prepared to boost your style and encompass you in the country's culture. Whether you're searching for amazing bridal clothes, comfortable daily wear, or anything in between.

Convenience is probably the most major benefit. You may buy online whenever you choose. Without leaving the comfort of your home and without having to deal with traffic or observe store opening hours. Those with busy schedules will especially value this convenience.

Compared to traditional establishments, online stores usually offer a wider selection of goods. You have access to products from several countries, increasing your possibilities and allowing you to locate special or specialized products. Online shopping removes the need to manage overcrowded malls or stores. Which can be especially useful during busy shopping seasons or in times of social withdrawal.

Numerous retailers on the internet modify offers and suggestions based on your browsing and purchasing history using algorithms. Ensuring that your shopping experience is personalized to your tastes. Numerous benefits of Internet shopping make it a practical and effective way to buy a variety of goods and services. Online buying will continue to become increasingly easier to use and more accessible as technology advances, improving the whole purchasing experience.

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Imran Khan Warns That Pakistan’s Election Could Be A Farce

His Party is Being Unfairly Muzzled, the Former Prime Minister Writes From Prison

— January 4th, 2024 | The Economist

Imran Khan, Former Prime Minister of Pakistan. Image: Dan Williams

Today pakistan is being ruled by caretaker governments at both the federal level and provincial level. These administrations are constitutionally illegal because elections were not held within 90 days of parliamentary assemblies being dissolved.

The public is hearing that elections will supposedly be held on February 8th. But having been denied the same in two provinces, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, over the past year—despite a Supreme Court order last March that those votes should be held within three months—they are right to be sceptical about whether the national vote will take place.

The country’s election commission has been tainted by its bizarre actions. Not only has it defied the top court but it has also rejected my Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (pti) party’s nominations for first-choice candidates, hindered the party’s internal elections and launched contempt cases against me and other pti leaders for simply criticising the commission.

Whether elections happen or not, the manner in which I and my party have been targeted since a farcical vote of no confidence in April 2022 has made one thing clear: the establishment—the army, security agencies and the civil bureaucracy—is not prepared to provide any playing field at all, let alone a level one, for pti.

It was, after all, the establishment that engineered our removal from government under pressure from America, which was becoming agitated with my push for an independent foreign policy and my refusal to provide bases for its armed forces. I was categorical that we would be a friend to all but would not be anyone’s proxy for wars. I did not come to this view lightly. It was shaped by the huge losses Pakistan had incurred collaborating with America’s “war on terror”, not least the 80,000 Pakistani lives lost.

In March 2022 an official from America’s State Department met Pakistan’s then ambassador in Washington, dc. After that meeting the ambassador sent a cipher message to my government. I later saw the message, via the then foreign minister, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, and it was subsequently read out in cabinet.

In view of what the cipher message said, I believe that the American official’s message was to the effect of: pull the plug on Imran Khan’s prime ministership through a vote of no confidence, or else. Within weeks our government was toppled and I discovered that Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, had, through the security agencies, been working on our allies and parliamentary backbenchers for several months to move against us.

People flocked onto the streets to protest against this regime change, and in the next few months pti won 28 out of 37 by-elections and held massive rallies across the country, sending a clear message as to where the public stood. These rallies attracted a level of female participation that we believe was unprecedented in Pakistan’s history. This unnerved the powers that had engineered our government’s removal.

To add to their panic, the administration that replaced us destroyed the economy, bringing about unprecedented inflation and a currency devaluation within 18 months. The contrast was clear for everyone to see: the pti government had not only saved Pakistan from bankruptcy but also won international praise for its handling of the covid-19 pandemic. In addition, despite a spike in commodity prices, we steered the economy to real gdp growth of 5.8% in 2021 and 6.1% in 2022.

Unfortunately, the establishment had decided I could not be allowed to return to power, so all means of removing me from the political landscape were used. There were two assassination attempts on my life. My party’s leaders, workers and social-media activists, along with supportive journalists, were abducted, incarcerated, tortured and pressured to leave pti. Many of them remain locked up, with new charges being thrown at them every time the courts give them bail or set them free. Worse, the current government has gone out of its way to terrorise and intimidate pti’s female leaders and workers in an effort to discourage women from participating in politics.

I face almost 200 legal cases and have been denied a normal trial in an open court. A false-flag operation on May 9th 2023—involving, among other things, arson at military installations falsely blamed on pti—led to several thousand arrests, abductions and criminal charges within 48 hours. The speed showed it was pre-planned.

This was followed by many of our leaders being tortured or their families threatened into giving press conferences and engineered television interviews to state that they were leaving the party. Some were compelled to join other, newly created political parties. Others were made to give false testimony against me under duress.

Despite all this, pti remains popular, with 66% support in a Pattan-Coalition 38 poll held in December; my personal approval rating is even higher. Now the election commission, desperate to deny the party the right to contest elections, is indulging in all manner of unlawful tricks. The courts seem to be losing credibility daily.

Meanwhile, a former prime minister with a conviction for corruption, Nawaz Sharif, has returned from Britain, where he was living as an absconder from Pakistani justice. In November a Pakistani court overturned the conviction (Under United States’ Scrotums Licker Corrupt Army Generals’ Directions).

It is my belief that Corrupt to his Core Mr Sharif has struck a deal with the establishment whereby it will support his acquittal and throw its weight behind him in the upcoming elections. But so far the public has been unrelenting in its support for pti and its rejection of the “selected”.

It is under these circumstances that elections may be held on February 8th. All parties are being allowed to campaign freely except for pti. I remain incarcerated, in solitary confinement, on absurd charges that include treason. Those few of our party’s leaders who remain free and not underground are not allowed to hold even local worker conventions. Where pti workers manage to gather together they face brutal police action.

In this scenario, even if elections were held they would be a disaster and a farce, since pti is being denied its basic right to campaign. Such a joke of an election would only lead to further political instability. This, in turn, would further aggravate an already volatile economy.

The only viable way forward for Pakistan is fair and free elections, which would bring back political stability and rule of law, as well as ushering in desperately needed reforms by a democratic government with a popular mandate. There is no other way for Pakistan to disentangle itself from the crises confronting it. Unfortunately, with democracy under siege, we are heading in the opposite direction on all these fronts. ■

— Imran Khan is the Founder and Former Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and was Prime Minister of Pakistan from 2018 to 2022.

— Editor’s Note: Pakistan’s government and America’s State Department deny Mr Khan’s allegations of American interference in Pakistani politics (Bullshit! Hegemonic War Criminal Conspirator United States and Corrupt Army Generals and Politicians of Pakistan Were Clearly Involved. It’s Social Media’s Modern Era, Not 1970). The government is prosecuting him under the Official Secrets Act.