Pakistan launches first anti-polio drive of 2025, appreciates Saudi support in disease eradication

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Sunday called on the world to take “urgent action” to safeguard wetlands, emphasizing their significant role in environmental preservation, biodiversity, and combating impacts of climate change.
The statement by Romina Khurshid Alam, the Pakistan prime minister’s coordinator on climate change, came on the World Wetlands Day being observed under the theme “Wetlands and Water.” Alam called for strengthened global and national efforts to safeguard these vital ecosystems.
The United Nations (UN) has designated Feb. 2 as World Wetlands Day to commemorate the adoption of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands in 1971. As part of Pakistan’s commitment to the Ramsar Convention, the country has designated 19 wetlands of international importance, including the famous Keenjhar Lake, Rann of Kutch, and the Haleji Lake, which support a wide variety of wildlife, especially for around 2 million migratory birds from countries in Central Asia, Siberia and northern parts of Europe.
The Pakistan PM’s aide stated that climate change has exacerbated the challenges faced by wetlands in Pakistan, with rising temperatures, changing rainfall patterns, and increasing sea levels causing wetlands to shrink disrupting the delicate balance of these ecosystems.
“As we observe World Wetland Day, it is essential that we commit taking action not just today but every day to safeguard the wetlands and the countless species that depend on them,” Alam said. “By collaborating, we can preserve these precious resources and build a sustainable future of environment.”
Wetlands are defined as both freshwater and coastal and marine ecosystems, and include all lakes and rivers, swamps, marshes, peatlands, estuaries, deltas, tidal flats, mangroves, coral reefs, and underground aquifers.
These areas are vital to human well-being and sustainable development but despite their critical role, wetlands are among the ecosystems with the highest rates of decline, loss and degradation, according to environmental experts.
Alam noted that although Pakistan contributes only 1 percent to global greenhouse gas emissions, it has been ranked among top ten climate-vulnerable nations.
“This stark disparity highlights the country’s heightened risk to the effects of climate change, such as extreme weather events, floods, droughts, and rising temperatures, which pose significant threats to its population, economy, and place additional pressure on its wetland resources,” she said, emphasizing that wetlands act as natural buffers against floods and function as carbon sinks, which helps mitigate the effects of global warming.
Pakistan last year recorded its “wettest April since 1961,” with 59.3 millimeters of rainfall while some areas of the country faced a heat wave in May and June. In 2022, unusually heavy rains triggered flash floods in many parts of the country, killing over 1,700 people, inflicting losses of around $30 billion, and affecting at least 30 million people.
Scientists have attributed Pakistan’s erratic weather patterns to climate change effects and called on countries around the world to take urgent steps to tackle the crisis.
Alam reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to protecting these vital ecosystems by strengthening environmental policies, promoting sustainable water management, and working closely with local communities to ensure that wetlands are preserved for future generations.
“Pakistan has shown resilience in the face of climate change, and our government is continuously taking steps to address environmental degradation,” she said. “Wetlands, especially in regions like the Indus Delta, play a crucial role in maintaining the ecological balance and supporting livelihoods.”

KARACHI: Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) said on Sunday it has arrested 10 persons deported from Saudi Arabia for allegedly begging in the Kingdom despite traveling there on Umrah visas. 

The trend of beggars abusing visas to beg in foreign countries has Pakistan worried that it could impact genuine visa-seekers and particularly religious pilgrims to Saudi Arabia. According to widespread media reports, Riyadh raised this issue with Islamabad at various forums last year. 

Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said in November 2024 that an “effective crackdown” was being carried out across the country against Pakistanis traveling to the Kingdom on pilgrim and other visas and resorting to begging. 

“In a major operation by FIA Immigration at Karachi airport, 10 suspects involved in begging under the guise of Umrah were arrested,” the agency said in a statement. 

The suspects were deported from the Kingdom for being involved in begging and had arrived in Karachi via flight SV-704. The FIA said they hail from Pakistan’s Rajanpur, Naushahro Feroze, Kashmore, Lahore, Peshawar, Mohmand and Larkana cities and districts.

The agency said its initial investigation proved the suspects were begging in Saudi Arabia for several months, adding that they were transferred to the Anti-Human Trafficking Circle in Karachi for further legal action. 

“FIA Immigration is conducting strict screening at all airports,” the FIA said. “Passengers going abroad are being checked from all aspects. Strict action is being taken against those involved in begging.”

Pakistanis are the second-largest expatriate community in the Kingdom, with over 2.5 million living and working in Saudi Arabia, the top source of remittances to the South Asian country.