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Articles by Ferya Ilyas
Karachi Power Project first step towards loadshedding-free Pakistan: Nawaz | The Express Tribune
Govt is committed to take Pakistan into an era with no poverty, says the PM. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. PHOTO: REUTERS/FILE KARACHI: The Karachi Coastal Power Project is the first step towards a loadshedding-free Pakistan, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said on Tuesday He was speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony for the nuclear power project in Karachi.
This 19-year-old Pakistani sportswoman's staggering experiences captivate UN
On March 10, 2017, Noorena Shams, a 19-year-old sportsperson from Lower Dir, addressed a youth event at the United Nations headquarters on women’s rights and education. The Commission on the Status of Women, a UN body working for gender equality and women empowerment, organises a two-week session every year on women’s rights and is attended by representatives of UN member states, civil society organisations and UN entities.
World Cancer Day: A doctor’s quest against childhood cancer
KARACHI: Dr Shamvil Ashraf, the founder of Indus Children Cancer Hospital (ICCH), is not amused by the idea of having a story written about him in a newspaper; he spends a good 20-minute trying to convince he isn’t the hero. “It is fine that a person who has dedicated his life for a cause should be appreciated for his work; I have no issues with that mainly because at the end of the day, intentions matter and only God knows our intentions.
12 startups we want to see in Pakistan in 2017
With a stellar 2015 and even better 2016, the startup ecosystem in Pakistan is only getting bigger and we have our hopes high for the New Year. As Pakistani entrepreneurs continue to beat the odds, we present to them our wish list for 2017 – a mixed bag of ideas inspired by startups from around the world.
Careem and Uber are great but we need less - not more - cars in Karachi
“When you plant cars, you harvest traffic.” But these words of wisdom from a German mayor are clearly lost on Karachi administrators who are least interested in regulating the number of new cars entering the city every day, let alone discourage existing car users. In such a situation, the arrival of taxi services such as Uber and Careem make one wonder how are they contributing to the already unbearable traffic congestion in Karachi.
Access Denied
“I have never walked in my life; I did not even crawl as a baby,” says Farhat Rasheed, who was born with cerebral palsy and has been a wheelchair user since early childhood. Rasheed, like many people with disabilities in Pakistan, has a tough time doing even the most basic tasks in public because the infrastructure in our country – buildings, transport, sidewalks – is not fully inclusive.
What did you learn today?
The openDemocracy youth newsroom asked young participants at the World Forum for Democracy to share what inspired them, and what lessons they will be taking back home. Acknowledging that solutions cannot be devised in isolation, and complex realities must be considered, this year’s World Forum for Democracy began with high energy and vibrant exchanges of ideas on education, equality and governance.
Medical tourism: In Indian hospitals, life-saving treatments for Pakistani patients
For 11 years, Abdul Basit’s survival depended on how much time he spent under the phototherapy unit, bearing intense light and heat every day. As a newborn, Basit developed severe jaundice and was diagnosed to have Crigler–Najjar syndrome – a very rare inherited disorder in which bilirubin (a substance made by the liver) cannot be broken down and can cause brain damage and hearing loss.
Increased risk: Erratic weather events more likely
KARACHI: With average temperature rising across the globe, weather events are becoming increasingly erratic -monsoon rains are heavier, heatwaves are longer and cyclones are more intense. A careful examination of climate data for Karachi reveals the city is not exempted from this phenomenon and has been experiencing severe weather events in recent decades.
Biodiversity in danger: Rapid global warming threatens ecosystems
KARACHI: Global warming is altering ecosystems everywhere, with species changing their habitats and behaviour in a life-and-death struggle to survive. Ecosystems in Karachi are also not immune to this change and many plant and animal species are believed to have moved or become extinct due to the changing environment. Given how intricately all living organisms are connected to each other to form the food web, impact on even one species has the potential to disturb life as we know it.
Negative effects: Global warming altering sea as we know it
KARACHI: The human-induced warming, that began two centuries ago, has not only made our atmosphere warmer but also triggered changes in the properties of the oceans. Since the Industrial Revolution, our seas have risen about eight inches, gotten warmer by around 0.1°C and become toxic. The changes, seemingly minimal, have devastating effect on the coastal human population as well as marine ecosystems which are sensitive to even the most modest temperature adjustment.
For little people, big disappointment in the job market
Ridiculed and cast out for being shorter than the average person, people with dwarfism live a challenging life in Pakistan where being in public means getting pushed around, laughed at or worse: Picked up like a child without permission. When looking for a job, the stigma follows them to the interview room where most of them are rejected because of their height despite fulfilling the eligibility criteria.
Pakistan's shameful denial of male rape
KARACHI : In the discreet corner of an under-construction building, Nasir* sat on the chest of a lifeless body, thumping so hard you would expect the ribcage to break any second. His victim, 14-year-old Jamal*, was first sexually assaulted and then murdered by putting a plastic bag over his face and wrapping the elastic waistband of his own shalwar around his neck. The final blows by Nasir were to make sure Jamal breathed his last in front of his eyes and no witness was left at the crime scene.
42 Day Challenge: Fit for business
On Eid, while the rest of the city was downing sawaiyaan and kebabs, a group of people were gathered at the Moin Khan Academy in DHA, Karachi, doing pushups and jumping jacks. For their trainers, Nusrat Hidayatullah and Torsam Tajik, no excuse is big enough to skip a day of their Forty Two Day Challenge (42DC).
Urban agriculture: Plant fruit trees to revive public parks
KARACHI: Urban farming in collaboration with local administration is an idea taking off in many Western cities where communal orchards are built, nurtured and harvested by locals for shared benefits. As public parks in Karachi continue to rank low on government’s development agenda, environmental activists say these spaces can be revived by planting fruits trees with the help of area residents.
The price is right: In Karachi, grow trees to increase your property value
KARACHI: This might be the best time to own property in Karachi as prices continue to soar due to improved security in the city and with little investment in trees, the value of your property can grow significantly. Trees that provide shade, bring down temperatures and clean the air are also capable of making your estate aesthetically pleasing and more valuable.
The case for urban trees: Greenery can improve public health in Karachi
KARACHI: Since 1984, when researcher Roger Ulrich discovered that patients with greener views recovered more quickly than others, there has been growing scientific evidence in support of the health benefits of trees. In Karachi where trees are at the mercy of greedy civic agencies and advertisers, there’s an urgent need to understand the link between public health and the city’s green cover and protect the urban lungs.
Urban forestry: For animals, home is where the tree is
KARACHI: Rapid development and the subsequent chopping of trees in Karachi has not only created problems for residents but also damaged the habitat of many birds and animals that lived here. Wildlife diversity, which is crucial for environmental stability, has reduced to such an extent that one doesn’t listen to birds chirping in the morning anymore.
Water, water nowhere: For rain-deprived Karachi, possible respite in nurturing trees
KARACHI: Trees are fast disappearing from Karachi’s landscape to make way for billboards selling lawn suits and crispy burgers and as we lose our source of shade and oxygen, we also reduce our chances of inviting rain during hot summer days. Rain occurs when water from the earth surface evaporates, moves up in the sky, cools down to form clouds and falls back when the cloud becomes too heavy to stay afloat. Experts say trees play a role in forming clouds and making them heavy enough to rain.
Karachi’s tree deficit
KARACHI: Karachi, with its scant tree cover, continues to suffer from the adverse effects of climate change, which with each passing day is only getting harsher. While there’s a consensus among environmentalists and the government that planting more trees is the need of the hour, we see little being done in this regard. Just like the absence of actual figures on how many people live in Karachi, there’s no data for how many trees are there in the city and how many more are needed.
No hospital big enough for transgender people
KARACHI: There is no better refuge for a sick person than in a doctor’s advice; words that comfort you and assure you everything will be alright. The reality for transgender people in Pakistan, however, is not so reassuring as they are not just denied medical help but are also shamed for who they are. Death of 23-year-old transgender activist Alisha in a Peshawar hospital is a shocking reminder of the perils the community lives in, and begs the question: Are they not equal?
Road to Makkah: The cost of visiting the House of God
“The idea was to increase options for pilgrims,” says Hajj Organisers Association of Pakistan (HOAP) Chairperson Muhammad Nadeem Sharif.Currently, around 750 HGOs are registered with the government while many more are likely to be added this year. Initially, private tour operators were given only 30,000 to 60,000 pilgrims from the total number allowed to perform Hajj in a year, says Sharif. But the number was later equally divided between the government and the private sector.
Road to Makkah: The cost of visiting the house of God
KARACHI: Hajj urges equality, but the modern experience of the greater pilgrimage relies heavily on the depth of one’s pockets. For years, the government handled management of Hajj for Pakistanis, but in 2005 the private sector was introduced after authorities in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia both agreed there was a need for choice in facilities provided to pilgrims. “The idea was to increase options for pilgrims,” says Hajj Organisers Association of Pakistan (HOAP) Chairperson Muhammad Nadeem Sharif.
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