PESHAWAR: Seven policemen and six militants were killed in a late-night attack on a police training center in Pakistan’s restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, police said on Saturday, amid a surge in militancy in the region bordering Afghanistan.
The attack came a day after reports of airstrikes in the Afghan capital, Kabul, that reportedly sought to target Noor Wali Mehsud, chief of the Pakistani Taliban, or the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
The TTP initially claimed the assault on the police training center in DI Khan, saying a suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle at the gate before others entered the facility, but later retracted the statement.
Yaqoob Khan, a DI Khan police spokesman, told Arab News the wall of the facility collapsed because of the impact of the blast and killed two policemen, followed by a fierce gunbattle both sides.
“A total of seven policemen were martyred and 13 others injured,” Khan said, adding all six militants were killed. “All 200 trainees and staff at the training center were safely evacuated.”
Pakistan has struggled to contain a surge in militancy in KP in recent years, where militant groups, mainly the TTP, frequently target security forces and have been involved in killings and kidnappings of government officials. This week, at least 12 Pakistani soldiers, including three officers, were killed in separate militant attacks in the region.
Islamabad has frequently blamed the Afghan Taliban for harboring TTP militants, saying the group launches cross-border attacks against its security forces and civilians from the Afghan soil, though Kabul has denied the allegation.
The two countries traded sharp warnings on Friday after Kabul accused Islamabad of violating its airspace and bombing a border town while the Pakistani military vowed to do “whatever is necessary” to defend Pakistan’s territorial integrity.
ISLAMABAD: Spotify has named Pakistani musician Samar Jafri as its featured artist for the fourth quarter of 2025 under its global Radar program, highlighting the singer’s rapid rise and growing popularity among young listeners across the country.
Jafri gained widespread recognition after his songs ‘Main Rahun’ and ‘Guzaarishein’ garnered over 23 million streams since their release in April and May this year.
Platforms like Spotify have played a key role in spotlighting emerging talent and connecting local voices with global audiences as the Pakistani music industry undergoes a digital transformation.
“Samar Jafri is a remarkable talent and a fitting choice to close out RADAR Pakistan Season 2025. We’re excited to spotlight his journey and share his music with even more listeners through this platform,” Rutaba Yaqub, Spotify’s Artist & Label
Partnerships Manager for Pakistan and the UAE, was quoted as saying by Asiatic Public Relations firm.
Apart from Pakistan, Jafri’s music has been streamed most in Bangladesh, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the UAE over the past 28 days. His listeners are mostly between 18 and 24 years old.
Jafri shared his excitement on being recognized by Spotify’s Radar Pakistan, saying that it was something he had been dreaming about for years.
“I’ve been making music for over six years now, but it took a lot of time and courage to finally start putting out originals. Seeing that music connects with so many people, especially on a platform like Spotify, means everything,” he was quoted as saying.
“Being able to tell my story through Spotify RADAR is surely one of the highlights of this year for me. There’s so much more to come, and I can’t wait to share it all with you.”
Spotify will also showcase Jafri’s journey in a special mini documentary exploring his creativity, the inspiration behind his music and the moments that shaped him into the artist he is today.
The digital audio streaming service had named Pakistani musician Afusic for his track ‘Pal Pal’ as its RADAR Pakistan artist for the third quarter of 2025.
KARACHI: When climate activist Ahmad Shabbar began working in garbage collection a few years ago, he was startled by what he found buried among the city’s waste: hundreds of books, from primers used in schools to novels and encyclopedias, discarded like ordinary trash.
A nuclear physicist from Reed College and a mechanical and energy engineer, Shabbar runs GarbageCAN, a waste management company focused on recycling and sustainability. He said he realized there were tons of books in good condition coming out of the trash, making him feel as if people were “throwing away a treasure of knowledge.”
The realization marked the beginning of a project, one that led him to preserve nearly 4,000 discarded books and transform salvaged materials into a living, breathing library.
“We removed the books from trash and gave them a second home,” he said in a conversation with Arab News, sharing how his efforts culminated this month in the opening of the Second Home Library – The Earth Pod, a community space in Karachi built entirely from recycled and natural materials.
The picture posted on September 17, 2025, books lying on libaray floor in Karachi, Pakistan. (Construct Earth)
The library stands inside the Ra’ana Liaquat Ali Khan School in Karachi’s Shah Faisal Colony, a densely populated working-class neighborhood. The structure’s design mirrors its mission: to reuse, recycle and rethink.
“We figured that because the books have been salvaged, the structure of the library [should] also be constructed with salvaged materials or trash or natural materials,” he said.
Shabbar noted the Second Home Library balances “environmental, financial and structural sustainability,” combining “indigenous wisdom and scientific knowledge, both for climate adaptability and resilience.”
Pakistan is among the countries most vulnerable to climate change, ranking high on the Global Climate Risk Index.
The picture posted in Ovtober 2025, shows interior view of the library. (Iffi via Google Earth)
Its susceptibility to glacial melt, extreme heatwaves and erratic monsoons — underscored by the catastrophic floods in 2022 and again this year — has made climate-resilient infrastructure critical.
“The wall behind you, it's made out of mud,” he said. “It's made out of earth bags. And there's supposed to be a 10 to 15 degrees difference between the outside temperature and the inside temperature just because of that wall.”
“Even the concrete wall integrates plastic bottles and wrappers,” he continued, adding that about 1,600 plastic bottles and 800,000 chip wrappers were used in it.
“Those chip wrappers would otherwise be in the stormwater drains, choking it and causing urban flooding or finding their way to the sea.”
The roof, made of bamboo, features a dual-canopy system with a porous bottom and a waterproof top, shaped like a funnel to enhance natural ventilation.
“Wind can naturally come in and take all the hot air away,” Shabbar said.
Inside, the library’s shelves hold a diverse mix of books — religious texts, Urdu novels, children’s stories, encyclopedias and poetry — all rescued from waste.
For Meerab, an eighth-grade student, the library has opened a new world.
“I really enjoy reading poetry books and writing poetry as well,” she said. “Since the library has opened, I come here and find many poetry books. These books give me a lot of knowledge, and they are also very good.”
Mubeen Ahmad, a ninth-grader with a passion for cricket, spends his reading time with stories and loves exploring world records.
“When it comes to books, I like English books, Urdu stories, novels and sometimes books like the Guinness World Records,” he said.
Ahmad also admired the architecture of the building, saying he found it unique.
Shabbar said he wanted to build the library in an underserved area.
“We figured that this would be the best place,” he said, referring to the vicinity where children are not from privileged families.
“A thousand kids will be utilizing this [facility],” he added. “It will be open for kids who are out of school as well.”
PESHAWAR: At least three militants were killed late Friday night after heavily armed gunmen mounted an attack on a police training center in Dera Ismail Khan, triggering an intense firefight, according to a law enforcement official.
The attack came a day after reports of airstrikes in the Afghan capital, Kabul, that reportedly sought to target Noor Wali Mehsud, the Pakistani Taliban chief.
The militant group, also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), claimed responsibility for the assault, saying a suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle at the gate of the training center before others entered the facility.
Initial reports from the area also mentioned explosions followed by an exchange of heavy fire.
“As of now, three terrorists have been killed in the ongoing firefight,” Yaqoob Khan, police spokesman in the area, told Arab News over the phone. “The operation is still underway, and more information will be shared once the situation becomes clear.”
He said militants attacked the facility with heavy weapons, adding that a large contingent of police and security forces rushed to the scene upon receiving information.
Imran Khan, another police official, said the training center is located in Ratta Kulachi, a locality on the outskirts of the city.
He informed that additional police personnel had been deployed and the area had been cordoned off.
Pakistan has frequently blamed the Afghan Taliban for harboring TTP militants, saying the group launches cross-border attacks against its security forces and civilians, though Kabul has denied the allegation.
Earlier on Friday, the Afghan defense ministry accused Pakistan of violating its airspace and bombing a border town, warning of consequences.
Separately, the Pakistani military vowed to do “whatever is necessary” to defend the country’s territorial integrity, saying it wanted the Afghan administration to ensure its soil was not used for attacks against Pakistan, calling it “a fair and just demand.”
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s interior minister Mohsin Naqvi said on Friday that the government would not allow any group to march on the federal capital after a religio-political party took out a rally to stage a protest outside the United States embassy in Islamabad to express solidarity with Palestine.
The call by the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) prompted law enforcement authorities to raid the party headquarters in Lahore on Wednesday to prevent its leadership from following through on its plans. The raid led to clashes that left at least two people dead.
TLP is known for its street mobilization and agitational politics, often invoking blasphemy-related issues or religious grievances. Since its rise in 2017, the group has repeatedly staged mass sit-ins and marches to Islamabad, many of which have paralyzed the capital and key highways for days or weeks.
The protests have also turned violent in the past, resulting in clashes with police and major disruptions to daily life. Previous governments have struggled to disperse or dislodge the group’s supporters, often resorting to negotiations or temporary concessions instead of forceful crackdowns.
“No group will be allowed to march on Islamabad or any other city under any circumstances,” Naqvi said while reviewing security arrangements in Islamabad’s Faizabad area, according to a statement. “No one can be permitted to take the law into their own hands.”
Authorities in the federal capital have closed several key roads and suspended mobile phone services as a security precaution.
Shipping containers have been placed on major arteries in Islamabad to block protesters, while dozens of TLP supporters have reportedly been detained.
School administrations in Islamabad and the adjoining city of Rawalpindi sent students home early on Friday amid growing security concerns, according to a local school association.
Local media reported late Friday that party supporters had reached the Shahdara area on the outskirts of Lahore.
Addressing the media, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry warned on Friday evening that there was no longer any room in the country for mob politics and said no one would be allowed to challenge the writ of the state.
He said many of the protesters were carrying sticks, chemicals, and nails, adding that they were clearly prepared for confrontation.
“They have used these against the police and Rangers and injured over a dozen of them,” he added.
KARACHI: Pakistan’s Privatization Commission has cleared a key procedural step in the sale of its majority stake in the First Women Bank Limited (FWBL) to a United Arab Emirates (UAE) entity, recommending a reference price to the federal cabinet for approval, the finance ministry said on Friday.
The move comes as Islamabad pushes ahead with long-delayed asset sales under its broader economic reform and fiscal stabilization agenda.
Established in 1989, the FWBL was conceived as a development-oriented financial institution to promote women’s economic participation and financial inclusion.
It was set up to address the limited access women had to formal banking channels and to provide them with tailored credit, savings and entrepreneurship services.
“The Privatization Commission (PC) Board, in its 240th meeting held under the chairmanship of Mr. Muhammad Ali, Chairman, Privatization Commission, has recommended a Reference Price for the privatization of First Women Bank Limited (FWBL) to the Cabinet Committee on Inter-Governmental Commercial Transactions (CCoIGCT),” the statement said.
“This decision marks an important step toward finalization of the Government-to-Government (G2G) process,” it added.
“FWBL, incorporated in 1989, is 82.64 percent owned by the Government of Pakistan and is currently being negotiated with the nominated entity of the Government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) under the Inter-Governmental Commercial Transactions Act, 2022.”
The bank, whose mandate centered on empowering women through access to credit, savings and entrepreneurship opportunities, has seen its profitability decline in recent years, with its growth trajectory under strain.
The government moved to divest its stake in the institution earlier this year amid consistent pressure from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) under a $7 billion loan program to reduce the state’s footprint in the economy.
“Successful completion of the process would not only attract fresh foreign direct investment into the country but also enhance investor confidence in Pakistan’s broader privatization program,” the statement said.
