Pakistan’s Yasir Sultan clinches bronze in Asian Throwing Championships javelin event
Pakistan’s Yasir Sultan clinches bronze in Asian Throwing Championships javelin event/node/2612664/pakistan
Pakistan’s Yasir Sultan clinches bronze in Asian Throwing Championships javelin event
The screengrab taken from a live stream of the Korea Athletics Federation shows Pakistani javelin star Yasir Sultan preparing for his fifth javelin throw at the Asian Athletics Championships in Mokpo, South Korea, on August 21, 2025. (Screengrab/YouTube/@KoreaAthletics)
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani javelin star Yasir Sultan on Friday clinched the bronze medal at the Asian Throwing Championships in South Korea, with a season’s best throw of 77.43 meters.
Sultan threw the massive 77.43 meters on his sixth attempt to break his previous season’s best of 76.07 meters at the Asian Athletics Championships in May.
Sri Lanka’s Pathirage Rumesh Tharanga won gold with an 82.05-meter throw and became the only athlete to cross the 80m barrier this morning. He was followed by Japan’s Gen Naganuma with 78.60 meters.
“Yasir Sultan throws a season’s best of 77.43m to clinch BRONZE at the Asian Throwing Championships 2025 in Mokpo, South Korea,” the Pakistan Sports Board said on Instagram.
“Yasir not only secured a podium finish but also broke his own season’s record. A new victory for Pakistan athletics!“
Sultan won the silver medal at the last year’s Asian Throwing Championships with a 78.10-meter throw and the bronze medal in 2023 with a 79.93-meter throw, which still stands as his personal best.
The javelin ace has yet to cross the 80-meter mark.
KARACHI: A three-member investigation committee has concluded its investigation into the death of Pakistani journalist Khawar Hussain and declared it a “suicide,” it emerged on Friday.
The body of Hussain, a Karachi-based correspondent for Dawn News, was recovered from his car parked outside a local restaurant in Sanghar district of SIndh province on Aug. 16, with a gunshot wound to his head. Police also found a pistol clutched in Hussain’s hand.
The probe committee, led by Additional Inspector General Azad Khan, said Hussain had traveled alone to Sanghar from Karachi on Aug. 16 and did not meet anyone. The journalist also removed SIM card from his phone and reset it prior to committing suicide.
The panel said it was clear from the firearm forensic examination that the lone bullet that caused the death of the deceased had been fired from the handgun recovered from his right hand.
“The committee after a thorough probe, based on detailed visit of the crime scene, interview of the witnesses, examination of post-mortem reports, forensic reports, and analysis of CCTV footage, concludes suicide as the only probable cause of death,” the probe committee report said.
Hussain’s death had shocked the media fraternity in Pakistan and prompted calls from senior journalists for a thorough probe into it, given a history of violence against journalists in the South Asian country
As per a report released by the Pakistan-based media and development sector watchdog Freedom Network last year, 184 incidents of violence against journalists took place in Sindh between 2018 and 2023. These included the killings of 10 journalists in the province.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has forecast fresh rains and potential flooding across multiple regions of the country till Aug 30, with the nationwide monsoon death toll soaring past 780.
Three rain-bearing weather systems were entering Pakistan, under the influence of which heavy rains are likely in most parts of the country between August 23 and August 30, according to the NDMA advisory.
The cumulative death toll from rain-related incidents in Pakistan has risen to 785 since late June when monsoon rains first began in the country, with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) reporting the highest 469 fatalities.
The new weather systems are likely to impact Islamabad, Azad Kashmir, KP, Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan as well as coastal districts in the southern Sindh and Balochistan provinces.
“There is severe risk of flooding situation in urban and low-lying areas and of landslides due to rains in mountainous areas,” the NDMA said. “Water flow in Indus River is expected to reach 500,000 cusecs at Taunsa, Guddu and Kalabagh.”
The authority said it was continuously monitoring the situation and urged masses to be careful during rains and floods and ensure safety measures.
“Tourists are requested to avoid traveling to the northern areas due to the risk of possible rains and landslides,” it added.
Pakistan, one of the most climate-vulnerable nations in the world, is currently witnessing an intense monsoon season. Urban floods triggered by heavy rains this week inundated the country’s commercial hub of Karachi, while local media reported overflowing rivers in southern parts of the most populous Punjab province.
Annual monsoons are vital for agriculture and water needs but in recent years have unleashed destructive flooding and landslides.
The ongoing situation has raised fears of a repeat of the catastrophic 2022 floods that submerged a third of Pakistan and killed more than 1,700 people, besides causing $30 billion in economic losses.
On road to learning, mobile schools bring education and joy to underprivileged children in Islamabad
Pakistan has an estimated 22.8 million children aged 5-16 not attending school, representing 44 percent of the total population in this age group
In 2023, the Federal Directorate of Education launched the initiative to offer primary-level education to children who’ve never had a chance at schooling
ISLAMABAD: The eyes of Mukhtiyar Ahmed shine bright as soon as he sees a colorful bus pulling over near his village, Thalla Saiyidan, on the outskirts of the Pakistani capital of Islamabad. The 62-year-old walks his grandson, Muhammad Hamza, to the vehicle where he attends a two-hour Montessori class along with other out-of-school children in their locality.
The bus, adorned with smart screens, chairs, desks, whiteboards and air conditioners, offers a ray of hope to Ahmed. For Hamza and other children, it provides a rich, interactive learning experience that is both fun and foundational, bringing primary education to rural and underserved communities in Islamabad.
Pakistan has an estimated 22.8 million children aged 5-16 not attending school, representing 44 percent of the total population in this age group, according to United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). In the 5-9 age group, 5 million children are not enrolled in schools and after primary-school age, the number more than doubles to 11.4 million adolescents.
To promote education in underserved communities in Islamabad, the Pakistan government launched the “School on Wheels” initiative in 2023 , which aims to offer primary-level education to children who’ve never had a chance to attend school, especially those whose parents cannot afford to send them to formal institutions.
“He is my grandson. I leave him here in the morning and take him back at this time [noon],” Ahmed told Arab News as he came to pick Hamza after the class. “I want him to have an education so he can have a good future.”
Montessori students attend a class inside bus, under the “School on Wheels” initiative in Thalla Saiyidan village, on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan, on August 20, 2025. (AN)
Currently, only two operational buses travel to various informal settlements and slums in Islamabad as part of the pilot project, with officials hoping to scale it up as they describe their experimental journey as “incredible.”
“When we started, we had just 30 to 35 children across both buses,” Riffat Jabeen, the Federal Directorate of Education’s (FDE) director of academics and quality assurance, said.
“Now, in just two years, over 250 children have graduated from these mobile classrooms, many of them had never even held a pencil before stepping onto the bus.”
Jabeen stressed the critical role of School on Wheels in disaster-affected areas, especially in light of Pakistan’s recurring climate emergencies, including the recent flash floods.
“Many schools have been damaged or rendered non-functional,” she said, referring to the devastation caused by the ongoing monsoon. “According to the Pakistan School Safety Framework, aligned with international standards, education must resume within 72 hours of any disaster.”
“If we can’t rebuild schools immediately,” she continued, “mobile classrooms like School on Wheels can ensure that learning continues.”
Montessori students take part in a morning assembly under the “School on Wheels” initiative in Thalla Saiyidan village, on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan, on August 20, 2025. (AN)
The government launched the initiative in Tarnol and Nilore, situated on Islamabad’s peripheries, with the aim to provide education to underprivileged children at their doorstep.
Both buses are staffed by a dedicated trio: a Montessori head teacher, a trained instructor and a sports coach, all working together to make learning hands-on, engaging and joyful for children.
“Step inside one of our School on Wheels buses, and you’ll see it’s not just a vehicle, it’s a fully equipped, air-conditioned Montessori classroom,” Dr. Ehsaan Mahmood, the area education officer of the Tarnol sector, said.
“The walls are lined with bright, level-based charts and everything the children need, from stationery to sports equipment, is already on-board,” he added. “They don’t have to bring a thing from home.”
Shadab Khan, the head teacher, said the goal is not just to teach ‘ABC’ or ‘123,’ but to foster a love for reading and learning while motivating the children to continue their education long after the bus rolls away.
“When children first step onto this bus, many of them don’t even know how to speak properly,” she said. “There’s a real language barrier, English sentences are especially tough for them to grasp.”
“They start picking up not just language, but manners, classroom etiquette and social skills such as how to sit, how to interact, how to live in a community,” she added. “These changes don’t happen overnight. It’s the result of consistent, patient work by our teachers.”
Montessori students attend a class inside bus, under the “School on Wheels” initiative in Thalla Saiyidan village, on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan, on August 20, 2025. (AN)
For families like Ahmed’s, the arrival of School on Wheels isn’t just a convenience, it’s a lifeline. In places where traditional classrooms remain out of reach, this mobile initiative brings dignity, structure and the promise of a better tomorrow right to their doorstep.
“He speaks well at home, with mother, father, with us,” Ahmed said of his grandson, Hamza. “He is getting a very good upbringing.”
These brightly colored buses have become more than just vehicles for children: they’re spaces of joy, discovery and transformation.
“The kids absolutely love it,” Khan, the head teacher, told Arab News. “They’re excited to learn, they participate in every activity, and they’re developing a real passion for reading.”
“It’s heartwarming to see how motivated they’ve become,” she added.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will begin a two-day visit to Bangladesh today, Saturday, for talks with the leadership in Dhaka, the foreign office said, in the latest sign of improving ties between the two South Asian countries.
Bangladesh underwent a political upheaval last year when its longtime leader Sheikh Hasina was ousted in a popular uprising. Seen as close to India and often critical of Pakistan, she fled to New Delhi after her fall, straining Dhaka’s ties with its western neighbor.
The shift has since created space for Pakistan and Bangladesh — one country until the bloody 1971 war of independence — to reset relations, with senior officials meeting more often at global forums.
Dar is scheduled to meet Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus and Adviser for Foreign Affairs Md. Touhid Hossain during his stay in Dhaka, with discussions covering bilateral relations as well as regional and international issues.
“On the invitation of the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar, will pay an official visit to Bangladesh on 23-24 August 2025,” the foreign office said in a statement on Friday.
Pakistan’s Commerce Minister Jam Kamal is already in Bangladesh on a four-day official visit due to end on Aug. 24, aimed at expanding trade ties through meetings with senior officials and business leaders.
Among other things, Kamal discussed collaboration on agriculture and food security to strengthen crop yields.
Pakistan’s foreign secretary Amna Baloch also held foreign office consultations in Dhaka earlier this year in April, the first such dialogue in 15 years.
A statement at the time described her talks as “constructive and forward-looking,” covering political, economic, trade, agricultural, education and defense ties, as well as regional integration and a revival of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).
Dar’s visit will be the highest-level trip by a Pakistani official to Bangladesh since Hasina’s ouster.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday constituted the 11th National Finance Commission (NFC) to determine how federally collected revenues are divided between the Center and the provinces, amid renewed calls to revisit the resource-sharing formula that has remained unchanged for 15 years.
The 7th NFC Award, introduced in 2010, has continued far beyond its original tenure, with successive governments extending it annually due to disagreements between Islamabad and the provinces over a new arrangement.
According to a Finance Division notification, the commission will be chaired by Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Muhammad Aurangzeb and include the four provincial finance chiefs. It will also include one expert member from all four provinces.
In pursuance of Clause (1) of Article 160 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, and in supersession of its Notification No. S.R.O. 635(1)/ 2020 dated the 21st July, 2020, the President of Islamic Republic of Pakistan is pleased to constitute the 11th National Finance Commission (NFC) with immediate effect,” the notification said.
Specifying the terms of reference, it said the commission will make recommendations to the president on how to distribute the net proceeds of specific taxes between the federation and the provinces.
The commission is also mandated to advise on grants-in-aid to provinces, borrowing powers of the Center and provinces and cost-sharing of financial expenses for projects of national or trans-provincial scope.
Successive commissions after the 7th Award failed to produce a new formula because of disagreements between the Center and the provinces. The 10th NFC, constituted in 2020, was formally dissolved with immediate effect following Friday’s order.
Officials and political leaders have floated proposals in recent years to base transfers not only on population but also on new criteria such as education, health and climate resilience, pointing out this would better reflect development needs and incentivize performance.
The 18th constitutional amendment in April 2010 stipulates no province’s allocation in a future award can be less than what it received in the previous one, a protection that has previously made it difficult to reach consensus on resource distribution.
