Tag: Pakistán
Charity-seekers from all over Pakistan flock to Karachi at Ramadan to collect alms
By Betsy Joles KARACHI, Pakistan — On a recent Monday afternoon, 61-year-old Sayani Soomar, a widow, sits on a curb in a busy Karachi commercial area with a paper sign asking for help. She holds in her lap packages with pills for high blood pressure, her husband’s death certificate and an electricity bill — evidence…
Pakistan Is Trying to Integrate the ‘Most Dangerous Place’ on Earth. It’s Failing.
The country’s former tribal areas bordering Afghanistan are plagued by escalating militancy, leading to widespread disillusionment. By Zia ur-Rehman Zia ur-Rehman traveled to Pakistan’s former tribal districts bordering Afghanistan for this story. The rugged borderlands of northwestern Pakistan have long had a reputation for lawlessness and militancy, labeled by President Barack Obama as “the most…
Pakistan Separatists Hijack Train With 400 Onboard and Give Ultimatum
The militants, Baloch ethnic fighters, said they would kill dozens of seized security personnel if the Pakistani government did not agree to a prisoner exchange. By Zia ur-Rehman Reporting from Karachi, Pakistan Separatist militants hijacked a train carrying more than 400 people in an isolated mountainous area of southwestern Pakistan on Tuesday. A militant group…
Tensions Escalate After Pakistan Pounds Afghanistan With Airstrikes
Pakistani leaders were once friends of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Now, cross-border violence has become alarmingly frequent. By Zia ur-Rehman Reporting from Karachi, Pakistan Airstrikes by Pakistani warplanes inside Afghanistan have intensified tensions in recent days in an already volatile region. Once-close ties between Pakistan’s leaders and the Afghan Taliban have frayed, and violent cross-border…
A Long Fight to Keep a Closer Eye on Madrasas Unravels in Pakistan
In a deal with Islamist parties, Pakistan is abandoning a requirement that religious seminaries, long seen by Western officials as a potential threat, register with the government. By Zia ur-Rehman Reporting from Karachi, Pakistan They draw millions of poor Pakistani children with the simple promise of free education, meals and housing. For devout families, they…
Russia Turns to Barter to Overcome Western Sanctions
The economic sanctions imposed on Russia following the invasion of Ukraine have forced the country to explore alternatives to maintain its international trade relations. Among these measures, barter has emerged as a key strategy, allowing the direct exchange of goods without relying on money, thereby circumventing international financial restrictions.