Thousands attend funeral of senior Pakistani cleric slain in northwest
Thousands attend funeral of senior Pakistani cleric slain in northwest/node/2592033/pakistan
Thousands attend funeral of senior Pakistani cleric slain in northwest
Mourners carry the casket of senior cleric Maulana Hamidul Haq, who was killed in a suicide bomb attack at a local seminary on Friday, during his funeral prayer in Akora Khattak, Pakistan, on March 1, 2025. (AP)
Thousands attend funeral of senior Pakistani cleric slain in northwest
Hamidul Haq, the head of Jamia Haqqania seminary, was one of seven people killed in a suicide bombing a day earlier
Haq was the son of the late Maulana Samiul Haq, a Pakistani politician who was assassinated in 2018 in Rawalpindi
Updated 01 March 2025
AP
AKORA KHATTAK: Thousands of mourners attended a funeral Saturday of a cleric slain in Pakistan’s northwest.
Hamidul Haq, the head of Jamia Haqqania seminary, was one of seven people killed in a suicide bombing a day earlier at a mosque inside a seminary compound. Police said Haq was the target of the attack.
He was the son of the late Maulana Samiul Haq, a Pakistani politician who led his own faction of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-S) party before being assassinated in 2018 in Rawalpindi.
Nobody has claimed responsibility for Friday’s attack.
Authorities issued a photo of the alleged suicide bomber and urged the public to identify him, offering a reward of Rs500,000, or $1,787, for information on his name, parentage and place of residence.
Mourners packed into the main hall of the seminary for Haq’s funeral, with more praying on the street. The prayers passed without incident due to a heavy police deployment and seminary students guarding the venue.
The bombing at Jamia Haqqania seminary was one of four attacks in Pakistan on Friday, two of them at mosques, which were unusual both in their number and timing, just before the holy month of Ramadan.
ISLAMABAD: A confident Peshawar Zalmi squad, led by skipper Babar Azam, will lock horns with Karachi Kings in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) X clash in the southern port city of Karachi tonight.
Zalmi will head into the match with their heads high after registering a record 120-run win over former champions Multan Sultans last week. The “Yellow Storm,” courtesy of impressive contributions from Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Hussain Talat, Abdul Samad and a fiery spell from young pacer Ali Raza, beat Multan to register their first win of this year’s PSL.
Karachi Kings are placed at the number three spot in the PSL points table. They have had a mixed tournament so far, winning two matches and losing two so far. The Kings had a horrible outing on Sunday, losing their PSL fixture to table-toppers Islamabad United who beat them by six wickets after scoring a modest 128/7 from their 20 overs.
“From the capital to the City of Lights, Zalmi on the move,” the franchise wrote on Instagram, showing a video of skipper Azam arriving in Karachi with his players.
Zalmi are placed at number five on the PSL points table, with only two points under their belt in the tournament so far. The Yellow Storm lost their opening two matches before registering a record win over Multan.
Former Pakistan captain Azam and explosive hitter Saim Ayub are expected to open for the squad while in Cadmore, Mohammad Haris, Samad and Hussain Talat, Zalmi have plenty of batting firepower to dismantle any bowling line-up.
Spinner Arif Yaqoob and Raza were instrumental in Peshawar’s win over Multan last week, returning figures of 3/20 and 4/21 from their four overs respectively.
The match is scheduled to begin at 8:00 p.m. Pakistan Standard Time.
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif offered his condolences to the Christian community on Monday over the passing of Pope Francis, describing him as a strong advocate of interfaith harmony and peace.
The Vatican announced Francis’ death in a video statement on Monday. The first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church, his death ended an often-turbulent reign marked by division and tension as he sought to overhaul the hidebound institution.
The pope was 88 and had survived a serious bout of double pneumonia.
“The passing of Pope Francis is an irreparable loss for the entire world, especially the Christian community,” Sharif was quoted as saying by his office.
“On behalf of the government of Pakistan and the people of Pakistan, I extend heartfelt condolences and sympathies to the Vatican City, the global Christian community and all his admirers around the world.”
Pope Francis called for a ceasefire in Gaza during his brief appearance before thousands of Catholic pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the Vatican’s open-air Easter Sunday mass.
Sharif praised Francis for calling for the cessation of hostilities in Gaza, saying it was reflective of his “deeply humane” character.
“Under his leadership, the Catholic Church spread the message of love, tolerance, and mutual respect across the world,” he said.
Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected pope on Mar. 13, 2013, surprising many church watchers who had seen the Argentine cleric, known for his concern for the poor, as an outsider.
He sought to project simplicity into the grand role and never took possession of the ornate papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace used by his predecessors, saying he preferred to live in a community setting for his “psychological health.”
He inherited a church under attack over a child sex abuse scandal and torn by infighting in the Vatican bureaucracy, and was elected with a clear mandate to restore order.
But as his papacy progressed, he faced fierce criticism from conservatives, who accused him of trashing cherished traditions. He also drew the ire of progressives, who felt he should have done much more to reshape the 2,000-year-old church.
While he struggled with internal dissent, Francis became a global superstar, drawing huge crowds on his many foreign travels as he tirelessly promoted interfaith dialogue and peace, taking the side of the marginalized, such as migrants.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan sent 151,120 skilled laborers to Gulf countries in the first three months of 2025, state-run media reported on Monday, with Saudi Arabia topping the list of countries where the most number of Pakistani workers went.
A significant number of Pakistanis seek employment opportunities abroad for a better standard of living as the country grapples with macroeconomic challenges. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and other Gulf countries are key destinations for Pakistan’s skilled and unskilled workers, whose remittances are vital for the cash-strapped country.
“The report stated that the highest number of 121,970 Pakistanis went to Saudi Arabia, while 6,891 people went to the UAE, 8,331 to Oman, 12,989 to Qatar and 939 to Bahrain,” the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) said.
“Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment, an attached department of the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development had sent around 172,144 Pakistani workers abroad to different countries in the first three months of this year.”
The report said of the Pakistani workers that went abroad, 38,274 were drivers, 3,474 technicians, 2,130 electricians, 1,859 masons, 1,689 cooks, 1,479 engineers, 1,058 welders, 849 doctors, 436 teachers and 390 were nurses.
The report highlighted that 1,454 workers also went to the United Kingdom, 870 to Turkiye, 815 to Greece, 775 to Malaysia, 592 to China, 350 to Azerbaijan, 264 to Germany, 257 to the United States, 109 to Italy and 108 to Japan in the same time period.
In 2024, the Overseas Pakistanis Ministry reported that 727,381 skilled laborers were sent to work in Middle Eastern and European countries. A senior Pakistani official said in February that the government was working to bridge the skills gap and enhance the global competitiveness of Pakistani workers, particularly in the Middle Eastern job market.
In January, Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Chaudhry Salik Hussain said Islamabad was focused on increasing the number of skilled workers heading to Saudi Arabia, highlighting the importance of an innovative project management and a well-trained labor force.
Pakistan sends approximately one million skilled workers abroad each year to help reduce unemployment and boost foreign exchange reserves through remittances.
Pakistan also received a record-high $4.1 billion in remittances in March 2025, a positive sign for the government’s efforts to revive an economy it expects to grow by three percent this year, with Saudi Arabia once again leading as the top contributor.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has deported 979,486 Afghan nationals since the government launched an expulsion drive against illegal foreigners in 2023, state-run media reported on Monday, reiterating that authorities are ensuring their return takes place in a “dignified” manner.
Islamabad launched the deportation campaign in November 2023, asking all foreigners without legal documentation to leave the country. Earlier this year, it launched the second phase of deportations, setting a deadline of Mar. 31 for people with Afghan Citizen Cards (ACCs) — which since 2017 have granted temporary legal status to Afghans — to leave the country or face being deported.
According to United Nations data, Pakistan has hosted more than 2.8 million Afghan nationals who crossed the border in a desperate attempt to escape decades of war and instability in their home country. Around 1.3 million are formally registered as refugees and hold Proof of Registration (PoR) cards, which grant them legal protection. Another 800,000 Afghans possess ACCs, a separate identity document issued by the Pakistani government that recognizes them as Afghan nationals without conferring refugee status.
“The total number of illegal Afghan nationals leaving Pakistan has reached 979,486,” Radio Pakistan said in a report. “Three thousand, three hundred and eighty-seven illegal Afghan nationals were sent back to their homeland yesterday [Sunday].”
Pakistan established a 24/7 federal control room on Sunday to assist Afghan nationals and respond to harassment complaints during their repatriation. The decision came a day after Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar visited Kabul to discuss with the Afghan Taliban the issues linked to the mass return of Afghan nationals.
Last week during his visit to Pakistan, Afghan refugees minister proposed the formation of a high-level committee comprising officials from Pakistan, Afghanistan and relevant international organizations to address “refugee-related issues in a coordinated manner.”
Afghanistan has called for the peaceful and coordinated repatriation of its citizens amid reports of arrests and harassment during Pakistan’s mass expulsion drive. Islamabad denies the accusations and has urged Kabul to facilitate the reintegration of its citizens.
Pakistan’s deportation policy in 2023 followed a rise in militant attacks, particularly in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province that borders Afghanistan. Islamabad has in the past blamed militant attacks and other crimes on Afghan citizens, who form the largest portion of migrants in the country.
The government says militants, especially from the Pakistani Taliban also known as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), are using safe havens in Afghanistan and links with Afghans residing in Pakistan to launch cross-border attacks. The ruling administration in Kabul has rejected the accusations.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates on Monday signed multiple memoranda of understanding (MoUs) to further cooperation in trade, culture and consular affairs during an official visit by UAE’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan to Islamabad.
The UAE deputy premier arrived in Islamabad on Sunday for a two-day official visit aimed at strengthening cooperation in energy, trade and security, Pakistan’s foreign ministry said in an earlier statement.
Pakistan and the UAE have deepened their economic partnership in recent years. The UAE is Pakistan’s third-largest trading partner after China and the United States, and a major source of foreign investment, with over $10 billion invested in the last two decades.
“I must say that our relationship has been growing on a good pace,” Al Nayhan said during a joint media interaction with his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“I think both our leaders, the people of Pakistan and the UAE do want to see more development in the relationship,” he added.
UAE's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan (second left), meets his Pakistani counterpart, Ishaq Dar (not pictured), in Islamabad, Pakistan, on April 21, 2025. (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
The UAE deputy prime minister said relations between the two countries, over the past few years, have been “moving faster than they have for a while.”
“And I really look forward that the good spirit that has been moving the relationship in the last few months would continue on so many different cycles, if it’s trade, investment, aviation,” Al Nayhan said.
After a brief interval, Dar and Al Nayhan signed several memoranda of understandings (MoUs) to promote bilateral cooperation between the two countries in multiple sectors including culture, trade and consular affairs, state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) said.
Dar and Al Nahyan signed an MoU between the UAE ministry of culture and the culture division of Pakistan to promote cooperation in culture sector. The two dignitaries also signed an MoU for the establishment of joint committee for consular affairs.
Pakistan's Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, Ishaq Dar (right) receives his UAE counterpart, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in Islamabad, Pakistan, on April 21, 2025. (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
The two sides also witnessed the exchange of an MoU signed between the Federation of UAE Chambers of Commerce and Industry and the Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) for the establishment of the UAE Pakistan Joint Business Council.
The UAE royal is also scheduled to meet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during his visit.
His stay in Pakistan is expected to further strengthen the longstanding ties between the two countries and contribute to deepening bilateral engagements in diverse fields, benefiting the peoples of both countries, according to the foreign office.
The UAE is home to over a million Pakistani expatriates, the second-largest overseas Pakistani community globally, and a major source of remittance inflows to Pakistan.
Policymakers in Islamabad view the UAE as an ideal export destination due to its geographic proximity, which lowers freight costs and facilitates smoother trade.
In recent years, the two countries have signed a series of agreements to boost economic ties.
In February, during the Abu Dhabi crown prince’s visit to Pakistan, the two sides signed accords in mining, railways, banking and infrastructure.
Last year in January, Pakistan and the UAE signed deals worth more than $3 billion covering railways, economic zones and infrastructure development.
The UAE has become an even more crucial partner for Pakistan amid Islamabad’s efforts to achieve sustainable economic growth after suffering from a prolonged macroeconomic crisis.
