Sri Lankan | Pakistan

The Pakistan Navy on Saturday successfully conducted the medical evacuation of a Sri Lankan national on the high seas, approximately 1,500 kilometres off Pakistan’s coast. A statement by the navy said that PNS ships Tabuk and Moawin successfully conducted the medical evacuation of a Sri Lankan national requiring “urgent medical attention” on an Indonesian-flagged merchant vessel (MV) Grey Palm. ​”The operation was initiated following a formal request from [the] Sri Lankan Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) for [the] provision of medical assistance to a Sri Lankan national crew member in critical condition onboard MV Grey Palm, positioned 800 nautical miles (approximately 1,500 kilometres) from Pakistan’s coast,” the statement said. The Pakistan Navy dispatched its ships as first responders and evacuated the Sri Lankan crew member along with an attendant, it said. Subsequently, the patient was immediately provided with the necessary treatment aboard the navy vessel, it added. “The Sri Lankan authoritie...

A teary-eyed Rashina narrates her ordeal.—Fahim Siddiqi / White Star KARACHI: After going underground in Pakistan as an illegal alien for 18 years, a 65-year-old Sri Lankan woman, will now be able to return home to her children in Colombo, thanks to concerted efforts by Edhi Foundation, Saylani Welfare Trust and human rights advocate Zia Ahmed Awan. Speaking at a press conference at the Edhi headquarters at Meethadar on Friday, Rashina could not hold back her tears as she thanked all for coming to her aid. “I’m a poor woman. The government of Pakistan had imposed a 22 lac rupees fine on me for illegally overstaying in Pakistan. I didn’t even have money to pay for my return ticket to Sri Lanka, what to say of the heavy fine,” she said. “But God is great. God sent me help in all these people who made it possible for a destitute widow to reunite with her orphaned children,” she said. Sharing her story, Rashina said that she is a born Muslim from Sri Lanka, who found employment as a telephone operator at a travel...

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Thursday said Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir facilitated the talks with Sri Lanka, resulting in the latter’s cricket team deciding to stay in Pakistan for the ongoing matches. Sri Lanka’s cricket board said late last night that its team’s ongoing tour of Pakistan will proceed, averting a crisis-like situation after reports about some players returning home in the wake of Tuesday’s deadly suicide bombing in Islamabad. “Our field marshal himself spoke to their defence minister, secretary and convinced them and assured them fully of [providing] security,” Naqvi, also the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief, said while speaking on the Senate floor. View this post on Instagram He recalled that the Sri Lankan team yesterday “decided to return after the bomb blast occurred”. “Our interaction with them began […] their board, players and everyone decided with great bravery to stay here,” the PCB chairman added. “They had many concerns, but we tried to allay all of ...