ISLAMABAD // Imran Khan may have failed to hold an anti-drone protest in Pakistan's north-western tribal belt, but his unprecedented action has tapped popular sentiment and could bolster his waning popularity.
The Pakistani government and opposition leaders have been vocal in opposing the drone attacks by the United States, which they say have killed many innocent civilians. But no leader has taken such a high-profile stand against the strikes as Mr Khan, the cricketer turned politician, whose "peace march" attracted throngs of people including a contingent of western peace activists.
The march, which included hundreds of vehicles, started in Islamabad on Saturday and wound its way through the towns and villages in central Punjab province and the north-west for more than 400 kilometres.
On Sunday, Pakistan's military halted Mr Khan and thousands of his supporters from entering South Waziristan on the border with Afghanistan to hold the protest, saying it was too risky for them to venture into the militant-infested region.
While the abandonment may have disappointed many of Mr Khan's supporters, analysts said the public interest in the anti-drone campaign by holding the march could help the charismatic leader drum up support for his political party, Tehrik-e-Insaaf, or Movement of Justice, ahead of general elections due early next year.
"He will organise more such marches to keep up this momentum," said Hasan Askari Rizvi, a Lahore-based political analyst. "He will try to give an impression through these rallies that his party is alive and kicking and is a big threat to his opponents."
Mr Khan, 59, has been involved in Pakistani politics for the past 15 years. But it was not until last year that he became a serious political figure after staging a series of large rallies across the country, partly because of growing disillusionment with mainstream political parties led by the Pakistani president, Asif Ali Zardari, and his main rival and the former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif.
However, a recent survey conducted by the Washington-based International Republican Institute, which advances freedom and democracy worldwide, showed that Mr Khan's popularity had fallen by 22 per cent since last February.
Internal fighting in his party and the introduction of allegedly corrupt and inefficient politicians in its ranks have dented his popularity to a large extent.
Shireen Mazari, the central vice president of the party, resigned last week from her post as well as from the basic membership of the party, saying it had been "hijacked by fuedals".
But Mr Khan's campaign placed the international media spotlight on the US campaign, although Washington is unlikely to change its course given the successes it says have been achieved by the strikes.
"Imran Khan could not make it to South Waziristan but he has been successful in highlighting the drone issue in international media by holding this march," said Rahimullah Yusufzai, editor of the The News International based in Peshawar. "It's a good achievement for him."
Mr Khan, who led the Pakistan team to Cricket World Cup glory in 1992, has been nicknamed "Taliban Khan" by his liberal opponents, who say he was not as outspoken against the Taliban's bomb and suicide attacks that have also killed hundreds as he was against the US drone campaign.
Mr Khan also seemed to have tried to throw down a political gauntlet to Islamist groups by staging an anti-US rally in a region that has traditionally been their stronghold, analysts said.
Throughout his journey, Mr Khan criticised Fazal-ur-Rehman, one of Pakistan's top politicians, in an apparent attempt to garner support from ethnic Pashtun tribes, many of whom had been supporting hardline Islamist groups in the polls.
"Imran Khan's party is not the party of mullahs but it is politically right and Islamist in orientation, and that's why he is trying to win the support of voters with religious leanings," Mr Rizvi said.
But Mr Yusufzai said it was too early to say whether Mr Khan would be successful in denting the support of hardline clerics in the north-west.
foreign.desk@thenational.ae
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Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinFlx%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20January%202021%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Amr%20Yussif%20(co-founder%20and%20CEO)%2C%20Mattieu%20Capelle%20(co-founder%20and%20CTO)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%20in%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinTech%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%20size%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%241.5m%20pre-seed%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Venture%20capital%20-%20Y%20Combinator%2C%20500%20Global%2C%20Dubai%20Future%20District%20Fund%2C%20Fox%20Ventures%2C%20Vector%20Fintech.%20Also%20a%20number%20of%20angel%20investors%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
500 People from Gaza enter France
115 Special programme for artists
25 Evacuation of injured and sick
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm from 1,500-3,500rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 7.8L/100km
Price: from Dh94,900
On sale: now
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
Scoreline
Al Wasl 1 (Caio Canedo 90 1')
Al Ain 2 (Ismail Ahmed 3', Marcus Berg 50')
Red cards: Ismail Ahmed (Al Ain) 77'
Uefa Nations League: How it works
The Uefa Nations League, introduced last year, has reached its final stage, to be played over five days in northern Portugal. The format of its closing tournament is compact, spread over two semi-finals, with the first, Portugal versus Switzerland in Porto on Wednesday evening, and the second, England against the Netherlands, in Guimaraes, on Thursday.
The winners of each semi will then meet at Porto’s Dragao stadium on Sunday, with the losing semi-finalists contesting a third-place play-off in Guimaraes earlier that day.
Qualifying for the final stage was via League A of the inaugural Nations League, in which the top 12 European countries according to Uefa's co-efficient seeding system were divided into four groups, the teams playing each other twice between September and November. Portugal, who finished above Italy and Poland, successfully bid to host the finals.
Company profile
Date started: January, 2014
Founders: Mike Dawson, Varuna Singh, and Benita Rowe
Based: Dubai
Sector: Education technology
Size: Five employees
Investment: $100,000 from the ExpoLive Innovation Grant programme in 2018 and an initial $30,000 pre-seed investment from the Turn8 Accelerator in 2014. Most of the projects are government funded.
Partners/incubators: Turn8 Accelerator; In5 Innovation Centre; Expo Live Innovation Impact Grant Programme; Dubai Future Accelerators; FHI 360; VSO and Consult and Coach for a Cause (C3)
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
The Baghdad Clock
Shahad Al Rawi, Oneworld
The%20specs
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
CHATGPT%20ENTERPRISE%20FEATURES
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What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
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Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
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- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
Student Of The Year 2
Director: Punit Malhotra
Stars: Tiger Shroff, Tara Sutaria, Ananya Pandey, Aditya Seal
1.5 stars
Premier League results
Saturday
Crystal Palace 1 Brighton & Hove Albion 2
Cardiff City 2 West Ham United 0
Huddersfield Town 0 Bournemouth 2
Leicester City 3 Fulham 1
Newcastle United 3 Everton 2
Southampton 2 Tottenham Hotspur 1
Manchester City 3 Watford 1
Sunday
Liverpool 4 Burnley 2
Chelsea 1 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1
Arsenal 2 Manchester United 0
Apple's%20Lockdown%20Mode%20at%20a%20glance
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MATCH INFO
Karnataka Tuskers 110-5 (10 ovs)
Tharanga 48, Shafiq 34, Rampaul 2-16
Delhi Bulls 91-8 (10 ovs)
Mathews 31, Rimmington 3-28
Karnataka Tuskers win by 19 runs
MATCH RESULT
Al Jazira 3 Persepolis 2
Jazira: Mabkhout (52'), Romarinho (77'), Al Hammadi (90' 6)
Persepolis: Alipour (42'), Mensha (84')
