Pakistan’s HIV Surge Exposes Infection Control Failures at Health Facilities 10/08/2026 Rahul Basharat Rajput ISLAMABAD – Pakistan was once considered a low-prevalence country for HIV, but a series of outbreaks has infected hundreds of children and exposed fundamental weaknesses in its healthcare system. Southern Pakistan has been particularly affected, with HIV outbreaks linked to healthcare facilities documented at Taunsa in Punjab, Karachi’s Kulsim Bai Valika (KBV) Hospital, and […] Continue reading -> Climate Crises Erode Pakistan’s Land and People’s Resilience 12/01/2026 Rahul Basharat Rajput ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – Along the winding road to Babusar Top, a favourite summer tourist spot in northern Pakistan, there was once a thick forest that shielded the slopes and cooled the air. Today, these hillsides are bare, stripped of trees that took a century to mature. So when torrential rains arrived in August, torrents of […] Continue reading -> Fears of Sub-Standard Medicine and Rising Prices Amid Growing Cancer Burden in Pakistan 03/09/2025 Rahul Basharat Rajput ISLAMABAD – Cancer cases in Pakistan are on the increase, but patients and health advocates are caught in a struggle for access to life-saving treatment amid concerns about the quality of generic drugs and the rising cost of medicine. Tahmeena Kausar Parveen, a 45-year-old resident of Islamabad, was shocked by the news that she needs […] Continue reading -> Calls for Independent Audit of Pakistan’s Polio Program as Cases Rise 20/12/2024 Rahul Basharat Rajput ISLAMABAD – Pakistan’s last countrywide anti-polio drive of 2024 is set to conclude on 22 December but eradicating polio remains a challenge for the government, and this year’s surge in cases has resulted in calls for an independent audit of the program. Pakistan and Afghanistan are the last two countries in the world battling to […] Continue reading -> Pakistan’s ‘Super Seeders’ Show Promise in Curbing Stubble Burning, But Uptake is Slow 04/12/2024 Rahul Basharat Rajput LAHORE, Pakistan – Capital of the agriculturally rich Punjab Province, Lahore, has been engulfed in intense smoke for nearly a month. The government closed schools in Lahore and parts of the province on 7 November but even though they reopened a few weeks later, air pollution has remained at record, hazardous levels throughout the region. […] Continue reading -> Pakistan Has the World’s Highest Diabetes Prevalence – and Lacks Focus on Prevention 14/11/2024 Rahul Basharat Rajput ISLAMABAD – Muhammad Waqas is an engineer at a private telecom company. He still remembers the day six years ago in 2018 when he was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 30. It completely changed his life. The diagnosis was particularly shocking for Waqas as neither of his parents had the disease, and he […] Continue reading -> Pakistan Pushes Towards Polio Eradication – Can Elections Help Pave the Way? 02/02/2024 Rahul Basharat Rajput ISLAMABAD – As Pakistan heads towards general elections on Thursday, February 08, leaders of its polio programme are hoping that improved political stability and a more stable security situation could help make 2024 the year for final eradication of the crippling disease from the country. Pakistan and Afghanistan, neighbouring countries sharing a porous border, are […] Continue reading -> Pakistan Races to Catch Up on Childhood Vaccinations After Floods 11/10/2023 Rahul Basharat Rajput The devastating floods that submerged one-third of Pakistan in 2022 have severely disrupted the country’s vaccination programme, leaving millions of children at risk of preventable diseases. The floods severely damaged health infrastructure, causing overall immunization coverage in the country to drop to 64% in 2022, from a national average of 74% in 2020, according to […] Continue reading -> Pakistan’s Climate Activists are Building Local Resilience After Flood 17/11/2022 Rahul Basharat Rajput ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – Shujaat Ali Khan’s community in the Swat valley of Pakistan was devastated by recent flash floods, leaving thousands displaced and destroying infrastructure and crops. “Land in the area was completely destroyed and the community needed urgent support,” said Khan, who wanted to help his community. He found that climate activists from the […] Continue reading -> Climate Crisis and Poor Government Planning Are Blamed for Pakistan Floods 31/08/2022 Rahul Basharat Rajput & Mohammed Nadeem Chaudhry MAHANDRI, Pakistan – The village of Mahandri was once a scenic stopover for tourists visiting the valley of Kaghan in Pakistan’s northernmost province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa but recent flash floods have destroyed most of its infrastructure. The monsoon floods have killed about 14 people, washed away five restaurants, all 30 shops in the local market […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
Climate Crises Erode Pakistan’s Land and People’s Resilience 12/01/2026 Rahul Basharat Rajput ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – Along the winding road to Babusar Top, a favourite summer tourist spot in northern Pakistan, there was once a thick forest that shielded the slopes and cooled the air. Today, these hillsides are bare, stripped of trees that took a century to mature. So when torrential rains arrived in August, torrents of […] Continue reading -> Fears of Sub-Standard Medicine and Rising Prices Amid Growing Cancer Burden in Pakistan 03/09/2025 Rahul Basharat Rajput ISLAMABAD – Cancer cases in Pakistan are on the increase, but patients and health advocates are caught in a struggle for access to life-saving treatment amid concerns about the quality of generic drugs and the rising cost of medicine. Tahmeena Kausar Parveen, a 45-year-old resident of Islamabad, was shocked by the news that she needs […] Continue reading -> Calls for Independent Audit of Pakistan’s Polio Program as Cases Rise 20/12/2024 Rahul Basharat Rajput ISLAMABAD – Pakistan’s last countrywide anti-polio drive of 2024 is set to conclude on 22 December but eradicating polio remains a challenge for the government, and this year’s surge in cases has resulted in calls for an independent audit of the program. Pakistan and Afghanistan are the last two countries in the world battling to […] Continue reading -> Pakistan’s ‘Super Seeders’ Show Promise in Curbing Stubble Burning, But Uptake is Slow 04/12/2024 Rahul Basharat Rajput LAHORE, Pakistan – Capital of the agriculturally rich Punjab Province, Lahore, has been engulfed in intense smoke for nearly a month. The government closed schools in Lahore and parts of the province on 7 November but even though they reopened a few weeks later, air pollution has remained at record, hazardous levels throughout the region. […] Continue reading -> Pakistan Has the World’s Highest Diabetes Prevalence – and Lacks Focus on Prevention 14/11/2024 Rahul Basharat Rajput ISLAMABAD – Muhammad Waqas is an engineer at a private telecom company. He still remembers the day six years ago in 2018 when he was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 30. It completely changed his life. The diagnosis was particularly shocking for Waqas as neither of his parents had the disease, and he […] Continue reading -> Pakistan Pushes Towards Polio Eradication – Can Elections Help Pave the Way? 02/02/2024 Rahul Basharat Rajput ISLAMABAD – As Pakistan heads towards general elections on Thursday, February 08, leaders of its polio programme are hoping that improved political stability and a more stable security situation could help make 2024 the year for final eradication of the crippling disease from the country. Pakistan and Afghanistan, neighbouring countries sharing a porous border, are […] Continue reading -> Pakistan Races to Catch Up on Childhood Vaccinations After Floods 11/10/2023 Rahul Basharat Rajput The devastating floods that submerged one-third of Pakistan in 2022 have severely disrupted the country’s vaccination programme, leaving millions of children at risk of preventable diseases. The floods severely damaged health infrastructure, causing overall immunization coverage in the country to drop to 64% in 2022, from a national average of 74% in 2020, according to […] Continue reading -> Pakistan’s Climate Activists are Building Local Resilience After Flood 17/11/2022 Rahul Basharat Rajput ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – Shujaat Ali Khan’s community in the Swat valley of Pakistan was devastated by recent flash floods, leaving thousands displaced and destroying infrastructure and crops. “Land in the area was completely destroyed and the community needed urgent support,” said Khan, who wanted to help his community. He found that climate activists from the […] Continue reading -> Climate Crisis and Poor Government Planning Are Blamed for Pakistan Floods 31/08/2022 Rahul Basharat Rajput & Mohammed Nadeem Chaudhry MAHANDRI, Pakistan – The village of Mahandri was once a scenic stopover for tourists visiting the valley of Kaghan in Pakistan’s northernmost province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa but recent flash floods have destroyed most of its infrastructure. The monsoon floods have killed about 14 people, washed away five restaurants, all 30 shops in the local market […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
Fears of Sub-Standard Medicine and Rising Prices Amid Growing Cancer Burden in Pakistan 03/09/2025 Rahul Basharat Rajput ISLAMABAD – Cancer cases in Pakistan are on the increase, but patients and health advocates are caught in a struggle for access to life-saving treatment amid concerns about the quality of generic drugs and the rising cost of medicine. Tahmeena Kausar Parveen, a 45-year-old resident of Islamabad, was shocked by the news that she needs […] Continue reading -> Calls for Independent Audit of Pakistan’s Polio Program as Cases Rise 20/12/2024 Rahul Basharat Rajput ISLAMABAD – Pakistan’s last countrywide anti-polio drive of 2024 is set to conclude on 22 December but eradicating polio remains a challenge for the government, and this year’s surge in cases has resulted in calls for an independent audit of the program. Pakistan and Afghanistan are the last two countries in the world battling to […] Continue reading -> Pakistan’s ‘Super Seeders’ Show Promise in Curbing Stubble Burning, But Uptake is Slow 04/12/2024 Rahul Basharat Rajput LAHORE, Pakistan – Capital of the agriculturally rich Punjab Province, Lahore, has been engulfed in intense smoke for nearly a month. The government closed schools in Lahore and parts of the province on 7 November but even though they reopened a few weeks later, air pollution has remained at record, hazardous levels throughout the region. […] Continue reading -> Pakistan Has the World’s Highest Diabetes Prevalence – and Lacks Focus on Prevention 14/11/2024 Rahul Basharat Rajput ISLAMABAD – Muhammad Waqas is an engineer at a private telecom company. He still remembers the day six years ago in 2018 when he was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 30. It completely changed his life. The diagnosis was particularly shocking for Waqas as neither of his parents had the disease, and he […] Continue reading -> Pakistan Pushes Towards Polio Eradication – Can Elections Help Pave the Way? 02/02/2024 Rahul Basharat Rajput ISLAMABAD – As Pakistan heads towards general elections on Thursday, February 08, leaders of its polio programme are hoping that improved political stability and a more stable security situation could help make 2024 the year for final eradication of the crippling disease from the country. Pakistan and Afghanistan, neighbouring countries sharing a porous border, are […] Continue reading -> Pakistan Races to Catch Up on Childhood Vaccinations After Floods 11/10/2023 Rahul Basharat Rajput The devastating floods that submerged one-third of Pakistan in 2022 have severely disrupted the country’s vaccination programme, leaving millions of children at risk of preventable diseases. The floods severely damaged health infrastructure, causing overall immunization coverage in the country to drop to 64% in 2022, from a national average of 74% in 2020, according to […] Continue reading -> Pakistan’s Climate Activists are Building Local Resilience After Flood 17/11/2022 Rahul Basharat Rajput ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – Shujaat Ali Khan’s community in the Swat valley of Pakistan was devastated by recent flash floods, leaving thousands displaced and destroying infrastructure and crops. “Land in the area was completely destroyed and the community needed urgent support,” said Khan, who wanted to help his community. He found that climate activists from the […] Continue reading -> Climate Crisis and Poor Government Planning Are Blamed for Pakistan Floods 31/08/2022 Rahul Basharat Rajput & Mohammed Nadeem Chaudhry MAHANDRI, Pakistan – The village of Mahandri was once a scenic stopover for tourists visiting the valley of Kaghan in Pakistan’s northernmost province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa but recent flash floods have destroyed most of its infrastructure. The monsoon floods have killed about 14 people, washed away five restaurants, all 30 shops in the local market […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
Calls for Independent Audit of Pakistan’s Polio Program as Cases Rise 20/12/2024 Rahul Basharat Rajput ISLAMABAD – Pakistan’s last countrywide anti-polio drive of 2024 is set to conclude on 22 December but eradicating polio remains a challenge for the government, and this year’s surge in cases has resulted in calls for an independent audit of the program. Pakistan and Afghanistan are the last two countries in the world battling to […] Continue reading -> Pakistan’s ‘Super Seeders’ Show Promise in Curbing Stubble Burning, But Uptake is Slow 04/12/2024 Rahul Basharat Rajput LAHORE, Pakistan – Capital of the agriculturally rich Punjab Province, Lahore, has been engulfed in intense smoke for nearly a month. The government closed schools in Lahore and parts of the province on 7 November but even though they reopened a few weeks later, air pollution has remained at record, hazardous levels throughout the region. […] Continue reading -> Pakistan Has the World’s Highest Diabetes Prevalence – and Lacks Focus on Prevention 14/11/2024 Rahul Basharat Rajput ISLAMABAD – Muhammad Waqas is an engineer at a private telecom company. He still remembers the day six years ago in 2018 when he was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 30. It completely changed his life. The diagnosis was particularly shocking for Waqas as neither of his parents had the disease, and he […] Continue reading -> Pakistan Pushes Towards Polio Eradication – Can Elections Help Pave the Way? 02/02/2024 Rahul Basharat Rajput ISLAMABAD – As Pakistan heads towards general elections on Thursday, February 08, leaders of its polio programme are hoping that improved political stability and a more stable security situation could help make 2024 the year for final eradication of the crippling disease from the country. Pakistan and Afghanistan, neighbouring countries sharing a porous border, are […] Continue reading -> Pakistan Races to Catch Up on Childhood Vaccinations After Floods 11/10/2023 Rahul Basharat Rajput The devastating floods that submerged one-third of Pakistan in 2022 have severely disrupted the country’s vaccination programme, leaving millions of children at risk of preventable diseases. The floods severely damaged health infrastructure, causing overall immunization coverage in the country to drop to 64% in 2022, from a national average of 74% in 2020, according to […] Continue reading -> Pakistan’s Climate Activists are Building Local Resilience After Flood 17/11/2022 Rahul Basharat Rajput ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – Shujaat Ali Khan’s community in the Swat valley of Pakistan was devastated by recent flash floods, leaving thousands displaced and destroying infrastructure and crops. “Land in the area was completely destroyed and the community needed urgent support,” said Khan, who wanted to help his community. He found that climate activists from the […] Continue reading -> Climate Crisis and Poor Government Planning Are Blamed for Pakistan Floods 31/08/2022 Rahul Basharat Rajput & Mohammed Nadeem Chaudhry MAHANDRI, Pakistan – The village of Mahandri was once a scenic stopover for tourists visiting the valley of Kaghan in Pakistan’s northernmost province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa but recent flash floods have destroyed most of its infrastructure. The monsoon floods have killed about 14 people, washed away five restaurants, all 30 shops in the local market […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
Pakistan’s ‘Super Seeders’ Show Promise in Curbing Stubble Burning, But Uptake is Slow 04/12/2024 Rahul Basharat Rajput LAHORE, Pakistan – Capital of the agriculturally rich Punjab Province, Lahore, has been engulfed in intense smoke for nearly a month. The government closed schools in Lahore and parts of the province on 7 November but even though they reopened a few weeks later, air pollution has remained at record, hazardous levels throughout the region. […] Continue reading -> Pakistan Has the World’s Highest Diabetes Prevalence – and Lacks Focus on Prevention 14/11/2024 Rahul Basharat Rajput ISLAMABAD – Muhammad Waqas is an engineer at a private telecom company. He still remembers the day six years ago in 2018 when he was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 30. It completely changed his life. The diagnosis was particularly shocking for Waqas as neither of his parents had the disease, and he […] Continue reading -> Pakistan Pushes Towards Polio Eradication – Can Elections Help Pave the Way? 02/02/2024 Rahul Basharat Rajput ISLAMABAD – As Pakistan heads towards general elections on Thursday, February 08, leaders of its polio programme are hoping that improved political stability and a more stable security situation could help make 2024 the year for final eradication of the crippling disease from the country. Pakistan and Afghanistan, neighbouring countries sharing a porous border, are […] Continue reading -> Pakistan Races to Catch Up on Childhood Vaccinations After Floods 11/10/2023 Rahul Basharat Rajput The devastating floods that submerged one-third of Pakistan in 2022 have severely disrupted the country’s vaccination programme, leaving millions of children at risk of preventable diseases. The floods severely damaged health infrastructure, causing overall immunization coverage in the country to drop to 64% in 2022, from a national average of 74% in 2020, according to […] Continue reading -> Pakistan’s Climate Activists are Building Local Resilience After Flood 17/11/2022 Rahul Basharat Rajput ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – Shujaat Ali Khan’s community in the Swat valley of Pakistan was devastated by recent flash floods, leaving thousands displaced and destroying infrastructure and crops. “Land in the area was completely destroyed and the community needed urgent support,” said Khan, who wanted to help his community. He found that climate activists from the […] Continue reading -> Climate Crisis and Poor Government Planning Are Blamed for Pakistan Floods 31/08/2022 Rahul Basharat Rajput & Mohammed Nadeem Chaudhry MAHANDRI, Pakistan – The village of Mahandri was once a scenic stopover for tourists visiting the valley of Kaghan in Pakistan’s northernmost province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa but recent flash floods have destroyed most of its infrastructure. The monsoon floods have killed about 14 people, washed away five restaurants, all 30 shops in the local market […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
Pakistan Has the World’s Highest Diabetes Prevalence – and Lacks Focus on Prevention 14/11/2024 Rahul Basharat Rajput ISLAMABAD – Muhammad Waqas is an engineer at a private telecom company. He still remembers the day six years ago in 2018 when he was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 30. It completely changed his life. The diagnosis was particularly shocking for Waqas as neither of his parents had the disease, and he […] Continue reading -> Pakistan Pushes Towards Polio Eradication – Can Elections Help Pave the Way? 02/02/2024 Rahul Basharat Rajput ISLAMABAD – As Pakistan heads towards general elections on Thursday, February 08, leaders of its polio programme are hoping that improved political stability and a more stable security situation could help make 2024 the year for final eradication of the crippling disease from the country. Pakistan and Afghanistan, neighbouring countries sharing a porous border, are […] Continue reading -> Pakistan Races to Catch Up on Childhood Vaccinations After Floods 11/10/2023 Rahul Basharat Rajput The devastating floods that submerged one-third of Pakistan in 2022 have severely disrupted the country’s vaccination programme, leaving millions of children at risk of preventable diseases. The floods severely damaged health infrastructure, causing overall immunization coverage in the country to drop to 64% in 2022, from a national average of 74% in 2020, according to […] Continue reading -> Pakistan’s Climate Activists are Building Local Resilience After Flood 17/11/2022 Rahul Basharat Rajput ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – Shujaat Ali Khan’s community in the Swat valley of Pakistan was devastated by recent flash floods, leaving thousands displaced and destroying infrastructure and crops. “Land in the area was completely destroyed and the community needed urgent support,” said Khan, who wanted to help his community. He found that climate activists from the […] Continue reading -> Climate Crisis and Poor Government Planning Are Blamed for Pakistan Floods 31/08/2022 Rahul Basharat Rajput & Mohammed Nadeem Chaudhry MAHANDRI, Pakistan – The village of Mahandri was once a scenic stopover for tourists visiting the valley of Kaghan in Pakistan’s northernmost province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa but recent flash floods have destroyed most of its infrastructure. The monsoon floods have killed about 14 people, washed away five restaurants, all 30 shops in the local market […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
Pakistan Pushes Towards Polio Eradication – Can Elections Help Pave the Way? 02/02/2024 Rahul Basharat Rajput ISLAMABAD – As Pakistan heads towards general elections on Thursday, February 08, leaders of its polio programme are hoping that improved political stability and a more stable security situation could help make 2024 the year for final eradication of the crippling disease from the country. Pakistan and Afghanistan, neighbouring countries sharing a porous border, are […] Continue reading -> Pakistan Races to Catch Up on Childhood Vaccinations After Floods 11/10/2023 Rahul Basharat Rajput The devastating floods that submerged one-third of Pakistan in 2022 have severely disrupted the country’s vaccination programme, leaving millions of children at risk of preventable diseases. The floods severely damaged health infrastructure, causing overall immunization coverage in the country to drop to 64% in 2022, from a national average of 74% in 2020, according to […] Continue reading -> Pakistan’s Climate Activists are Building Local Resilience After Flood 17/11/2022 Rahul Basharat Rajput ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – Shujaat Ali Khan’s community in the Swat valley of Pakistan was devastated by recent flash floods, leaving thousands displaced and destroying infrastructure and crops. “Land in the area was completely destroyed and the community needed urgent support,” said Khan, who wanted to help his community. He found that climate activists from the […] Continue reading -> Climate Crisis and Poor Government Planning Are Blamed for Pakistan Floods 31/08/2022 Rahul Basharat Rajput & Mohammed Nadeem Chaudhry MAHANDRI, Pakistan – The village of Mahandri was once a scenic stopover for tourists visiting the valley of Kaghan in Pakistan’s northernmost province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa but recent flash floods have destroyed most of its infrastructure. The monsoon floods have killed about 14 people, washed away five restaurants, all 30 shops in the local market […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
Pakistan Races to Catch Up on Childhood Vaccinations After Floods 11/10/2023 Rahul Basharat Rajput The devastating floods that submerged one-third of Pakistan in 2022 have severely disrupted the country’s vaccination programme, leaving millions of children at risk of preventable diseases. The floods severely damaged health infrastructure, causing overall immunization coverage in the country to drop to 64% in 2022, from a national average of 74% in 2020, according to […] Continue reading -> Pakistan’s Climate Activists are Building Local Resilience After Flood 17/11/2022 Rahul Basharat Rajput ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – Shujaat Ali Khan’s community in the Swat valley of Pakistan was devastated by recent flash floods, leaving thousands displaced and destroying infrastructure and crops. “Land in the area was completely destroyed and the community needed urgent support,” said Khan, who wanted to help his community. He found that climate activists from the […] Continue reading -> Climate Crisis and Poor Government Planning Are Blamed for Pakistan Floods 31/08/2022 Rahul Basharat Rajput & Mohammed Nadeem Chaudhry MAHANDRI, Pakistan – The village of Mahandri was once a scenic stopover for tourists visiting the valley of Kaghan in Pakistan’s northernmost province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa but recent flash floods have destroyed most of its infrastructure. The monsoon floods have killed about 14 people, washed away five restaurants, all 30 shops in the local market […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
Pakistan’s Climate Activists are Building Local Resilience After Flood 17/11/2022 Rahul Basharat Rajput ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – Shujaat Ali Khan’s community in the Swat valley of Pakistan was devastated by recent flash floods, leaving thousands displaced and destroying infrastructure and crops. “Land in the area was completely destroyed and the community needed urgent support,” said Khan, who wanted to help his community. He found that climate activists from the […] Continue reading -> Climate Crisis and Poor Government Planning Are Blamed for Pakistan Floods 31/08/2022 Rahul Basharat Rajput & Mohammed Nadeem Chaudhry MAHANDRI, Pakistan – The village of Mahandri was once a scenic stopover for tourists visiting the valley of Kaghan in Pakistan’s northernmost province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa but recent flash floods have destroyed most of its infrastructure. The monsoon floods have killed about 14 people, washed away five restaurants, all 30 shops in the local market […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
Climate Crisis and Poor Government Planning Are Blamed for Pakistan Floods 31/08/2022 Rahul Basharat Rajput & Mohammed Nadeem Chaudhry MAHANDRI, Pakistan – The village of Mahandri was once a scenic stopover for tourists visiting the valley of Kaghan in Pakistan’s northernmost province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa but recent flash floods have destroyed most of its infrastructure. The monsoon floods have killed about 14 people, washed away five restaurants, all 30 shops in the local market […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts