World

Islamabad, May 24 (IANS) A church leader has accused Pakistani police of not following the Supreme Court's order to arrest all suspects involved in the attacks that took place on multiple churches and Christian homes in Jaranwala area of Pakistan's Punjab province in 2023, a report has stated.

The Rev. Khalid Mukhtar, whose parish house was among the properties destroyed in the violence, said authorities made little progress despite the Supreme Court's orders on March 31, where it directed police to arrest absconding suspects and ordered the Faisalabad anti-terrorism court to conclude the trials within six months, the Christian Daily International reported.

Mukhtar, who is now serving as priest of St Joseph’s Church in Faisalabad, said: "The Supreme Court directed the police to immediately arrest all absconding suspects and ordered the anti-terrorism court to conclude the trials within six months."

"Despite providing police with video and photographic evidence identifying many of those involved, there has been no meaningful progress in arrests. We have met senior police officials several times since the ruling, but their assurances have not translated into concrete action."

Mukhtar said that only one suspect remains in prison among 336 suspects against whom police have submitted charge sheets, while the others have either been granted bail or discharged from cases lodged by Christians, the report said.

Speaking to Christian Daily International-Morning Star News, he noted that police and intelligence reports estimated that more than 5,000 people participated in the attacks. He stated that nearly 400 suspects were arrested initially; however, the majority of them were granted bail, acquitted or discharged due to weak investigations and insufficient proof. According to him, some complainants faced intimidation and pressure from suspects.

Violence in Jaranwala erupted after two Christians were accused of desecrating the Quran. Later, a trial court acquitted both men and stated that they had been falsely implicated following a personal dispute.

Earlier this month, the International Religious Freedom (IRF) Roundtable Pakistan held a consultation, where concerns were raised over the continued patterns of religious discrimination, blasphemy laws misuse, forced conversions, forced marriages and the targeting of minority women and children.

During the event, the participants reviewed the current status of religious minorities in Pakistan. Faith leaders, human rights advocates, journalists, and civil society representatives called for stronger protections for Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, and religious minority communities, the Illinois-based legal news website National Law Review said.

"As faith leaders, human rights advocates, and citizens of Pakistan, we believe there must be no discrimination on the basis of religion," said Kashif Mirza, a Karachi-based internationally recognised human rights activist and Pakistan Director of the IRF Roundtable.

"Children have become among the worst victims of religious discrimination. This must stop. Pakistan must protect every child, every woman, and every minority citizen equally under the law," Mirza added.

During the consultation, the participants spoke about the recent legislative developments, including the introduction of minority-rights and communal-property protection bills in Punjab and the passage of the National Commission for Minorities Rights Bill 2025 by Pakistan’s Parliament. However, they stressed that legislation must be implemented on the ground and demanded accountability.

IRF Roundtable Pakistan co-chair Anila Ali - a native of Pakistan, author, and a women rights advocate - also demanded urgent action to end forced conversions and forced marriages in the country.

--IANS

akl/vd

Islamabad, May 24 (IANS) Pakistan's Karachi is facing a chronic water shortage, creating a situation where access to this basic necessity is increasingly determined by either personal connections or financial capacity.

Those with means often turn to the so-called tanker 'mafia', paying inflated rates for additional supply, while others struggle to secure the limited government-supplied water tankers available each day, a report said on Saturday.

"In areas still privileged to receive piped water, neighbours compete with each other to pull more than their fair share into their own water tanks. Meanwhile, the friendless and economically destitute must line up overnight at public pumps or 'black market' dealers stealing from water mains for a bucket or two for their daily use. It is a pitiable situation, made galling by the consistent lack of care shown by successive rulers and administrators of the city towards its long-suffering residents," an editorial report in Pakistani daily Dawn detailed.

"With the onset of summer, the situation is expected to worsen considerably. And the city's politicians have started preparing for the inevitable," it added.

The report highlighted that Pakistani lawmakers from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) on Wednesday raised the issue of Karachi's water shortage in the National Assembly, holding the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)-led Sindh government responsible for the delays in the completion of the K-IV water supply project.

While the federal minister for water resources assured that the federal government and Pakistan's Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) contribution to K-IV would be completed within the current year, an MQM leader countered, saying that he feared the project may still not be completed by 2030.

"Interestingly, no credible solution seems to have been proposed or discussed during the session. Sadly, this is quite typical of the political leadership's general response to the difficulties Karachiites routinely face. They drop a few headline-worthy quotes here and there, make empty promises, and then return to usual business," the report noted.

"The script is rinsed and repeated year after year, to be put into play the moment the citizenry starts crying out in distress. This is admittedly a rather bleak view, but what else can be said? The progressively deteriorating state of the country's commercial engine cannot be denied, and it seems Karachi is fated for worse unless its leaders and representatives can be brought to see some incentive in improving its state," it added.

--IANS

scor/sd/

Islamabad, May 24 (IANS) The illegal organ trade in Pakistan, driven by the economic vulnerability of victim "donors" and the greed of both recipients and the doctors involved, continues to present significant challenges as people from the poorest sections of the society continue to "act as spare parts for the rich".

As Pakistan grapples with a persistent illegal organ trade, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) recently raided a prominent private hospital in Islamabad, arresting nine people, including a well-known urologist -- exposing the scale of organ trafficking networks.

Although authorities carry out periodic raids and arrests, the illegal kidney trade continues, with numerous victims losing their kidneys, at times without their knowledge or consent.

According to a report in the leading Pakistani daily The Express Tribune, the illegal organ trade continues to pose serious challenges in the country, fuelled by the economic vulnerability of victim "donors" and the greed of recipients as well as the doctors involved in the procedures. It has become a stark example of "forcing the poorest citizens to act as spare parts for the rich."

"The network busted in Islamabad allegedly lured victims from the impoverished southern Punjab districts of Rahim Yar Khan and Dera Ghazi Khan, exploiting their desperation for paltry sums before selling their kidneys for millions. Making the situation even more horrifying is the fact that the level of exploitation is often much worse -- at least these people were paid something," the report detailed.

It further mentioned that earlier this year, a labourer was kidnapped in Rawalpindi so that his kidney could be stolen and sold for transplantation to a "wealthy foreign patient".

"That gang ran a sophisticated operation that offered 'packages' to clients, mostly from the Middle East, that blended airport pickups and five-star hotel stays with backroom surgeries in residential basements," it added.

The report highlighted hundreds of cases at brick kilns across the country, where the Pakistani authorities continue to ignore widespread bonded labour and the abuses endured by the "virtual slaves".

It added that kiln workers are lured with large sums to clear their "debts" in exchange for the vital organ, but are later underpaid. As the time taken to heal limits their earning capacity, many find themselves trapped in the same debt cycle, while the kiln owners pocket most of the money.

Recently, a report in an online magazine, The Diplomat, stated that Pakistan's illegal organ trade is primarily driven by financial incentives, with victim selection largely shaped by class.

It further mentioned that extreme poverty in the country sustains a persistent supply-demand gap, as individuals in desperate circumstances are often willing to take significant risks in exchange for monetary compensation, particularly when the sums offered for organs appear relatively high.

According to the report, without stronger external enforcement mechanisms and enhanced international cooperation, this "dark trade" is likely to persist in Pakistan.

--IANS

scor/sd/

New Delhi, May 24 (IANS) Pakistan’s deepening energy crisis and rising burden of circular debt are the result of years of flawed policy decisions, expensive imported fuel dependence and weak regulatory oversight rather than the International Monetary Fund (IMF) alone, according to a strongly worded analysis examining the country’s power sector.

The report cited by The Tribune Express argued that Pakistan’s energy sector problems worsened significantly after the Nawaz Sharif-led government returned to power in 2013 and cleared nearly Rs 480 billion in circular debt within weeks of taking office.

The move coincided with the launch of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor under China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

According to the analysis, Chinese officials had advised Pakistan to prioritise renewable energy projects such as solar, wind and hydropower.

However, the country instead focused on imported liquefied natural gas (LNG)-based and coal-fired power plants dependent on imported fuel priced in US dollars.

The article claimed that major hydropower projects, including the Diamer-Bhasha Dam, Dasu and Bunji hydropower projects, which together had the potential to generate more than 15,000 MW of electricity, were sidelined in terms of priority and not fully integrated into the CPEC energy portfolio.

It further argued that Pakistan missed an opportunity to retrofit ageing oil and gas-fired power plants in cities such as Faisalabad, Karachi and Muzaffargarh to improve efficiency at a significantly lower cost.

The report contrasted Pakistan’s decisions with neighbouring India’s retrofitting of 17,500 MW of thermal power capacity to deliver cheaper electricity.

The analysis also criticised the handling of Pakistan’s Thar coal reserves. It said China’s Shenhua Group had proposed developing mine-mouth coal power projects in Thar capable of generating electricity at far lower tariffs.

However, the project reportedly collapsed due to tariff disputes with Pakistan’s power regulator, the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority.

The report claimed that Pakistan now pays between 12 and 17 US cents per unit for electricity, significantly higher than the projected cost of power from Thar coal projects.

It also accused the regulator of approving inflated tariffs and construction costs for later Thar coal projects.

--IANS

pk

New Delhi, May 24 (IANS) US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday said that "significant progress" has been made in diplomatic efforts involving the US and Iran, while indicating that a "good news" regarding the Strait of Hormuz could be emerge in the coming hours.

While addressing a joint press conference with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday, Marco Rubio said, "I do think perhaps there is the possibility that over the next few hours the world will get some good news, at least with regards to the straits and with regards to a process that can ultimately leave us where the president wants us to be and that is a world that no longer has to be in fear or worry about an Iranian nuclear weapon and so, I do think there's some good news on that front, but not final news on that front. But, perhaps a little bit later today, we'll have more to say. But, some progress has been made. I don't want to downplay that. But I also want to caveat it by saying we still have some work to do, we will see."

Rubio reiterated US President Donald Trump's stance that Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon. He said, "On the Iran situation, there'll be, I believe, maybe more news coming out a little bit later today on this topic. And I'll leave it to the president to make further announcements on it. Suffice it to say that some progress has been made, significant progress, although not final progress has been made. Ultimately, here's, I remind everybody, I think this ties into the second question that was asked with relations to it. What is the goal here? The goal here ultimately, the ultimate goal is that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon. Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon. The President has been clear about that they will never possess a nuclear weapon, certainly not as long as Donald Trump is president of the United States."

He stressed that US and its partners in the Gulf region have been working on an outline that could lead to a completely open Strait of Hormuz without tolls. However, he mentioned that it requires that Iran fully accepts and implements it.

Rubio said, "Related to that is this issue of the straits. This is an international waterway. They don't own it. It's an international waterway and what they are doing now is basically they are threatening to destroy commercial vessels using an international waterway, that is illegal under any concept of international law that governs us. But it's also an... but If we allowed that to become normal, we would be normalizing an unacceptable status quo and setting a dangerous precedent that could be replicated here in this region and in multiple places around the world. So, the desire, the president has, his preference is to find a diplomatic way that these problems can be solved that's always the president's preference. He would have much rather have me and the Department of State solve this problem than the Department of War having to solve this problem but the problem is going to be solved one way or the other."

"So, we've made some progress over the last 48 hours working with our partners in the Gulf region on an outline that could also ultimately, if it succeeds, leave us not just with a completely open straits, and I mean open straits without tolls, and with addressing some of the key things that underpin what has been Iran's nuclear weapons ambitions in the past. So, we think we've made some progress on the outline of something that, if it works, could give us that outcome. Obviously, that will require full Iranian acceptance and then compliance, and it will require some future work on negotiating the details. When you're talking about a nuclear program, as an example, these are highly technical matters and ones that would probably need to be addressed over some period of time," he added.

He praised US President for his commitment on Iran not having nuclear weapon, stressing that several presidents of the US have said same thing but only Trump has "actually done anything about it." He said that Trump's commitment to Iran not having nuclear weapon should not be questioned by anyone.

Rubio said, "On the issue of benefits that they could get from it and whatever domestic criticisms there may be, I don't think anyone's been tougher on the Iranian nuclear ambition than President Trump. Understand, okay. Again, I'm not, I don't know what some of these individual comments have been from different sectors of our politics in the United States, but I will say this. There is no one who has been stronger on this issue than President Trump. Multiple political leaders, multiple presidents of the United States have all said the same thing."

"Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. The only one who's tried to do anything and has actually done anything about it in a real way has been President Trump. So, his commitment to that principle that they'll never have a nuclear weapon shouldn't be questioned by anybody. And the idea that somehow this president, given everything he's already proven he's willing to do, is going to somehow agree to a deal that ultimately winds up putting Iran in a stronger position when it comes to nuclear ambitions is absurd. That's just not going to happen. But our preference is to address this through a diplomatic means and that's what we're endeavouring to do here. I think we've made some progress," he added.

--IANS

akl/mr

New Delhi, May 24 (IANS) As global geopolitical fault lines deepened, Indian diplomacy had to navigate complex challenges while chairing major multilateral forums, including the G20 in 2023 and the BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in 2026.

Held amid the escalating US-Israeli conflict with Iran and its spillover effects across the Gulf, the BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi revealed conflicting views within the bloc, particularly between Iran and the UAE. The lack of consensus underscored the greater challenges BRICS could face if the hostilities in the West Asian region do not halt soon, Anil Trigunayat, a former Indian diplomat, wrote in ‘Saviours’.

He further highlighted that “dialogue, diplomacy, and de-escalation” remain India’s preferred approach for easing tensions.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar engaged extensively with their counterparts across the region and beyond to help reduce tensions while safeguarding the interests of India’s nearly 10-million-strong diaspora in West Asia,” the seasoned diplomat stated.

Trigunayat noted PM Modi expanded the BRICS acronym through the theme of India’s presidency -- ‘Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability’.

“This theme symbolises the direction in which BRICS, as a non-Western platform in an increasingly fractured global order, is likely to evolve. While the BRICS remains primarily focused on geo-economic cooperation, geopolitical divisions and great-power competition inevitably impinge upon its non-adversarial orientation. India has consistently emphasised that ‘non-Western’ should not be equated with ‘anti-Western’,” the former diplomat stated.

“However, as the United States and several major powers increasingly depart from established norms of international law and post-Second World War conventions, the search for alternative frameworks and models of global engagement has intensified,” he added.

According to the seasoned diplomat, India is set to chair the BRICS Summit in September; the US–Iran–Israel conflict has cast uncertainty over the prospects of securing a consensus-driven outcome document.

Trigunayat, however, stressed that the BRICS extends far beyond the immediate conflict, with the grouping focusing on a broad agenda covering “economic cooperation, counter-terrorism, climate action, trade, technology, connectivity, people-to-people exchanges, and sustainable development.”

Under India’s presidency, Trigunayat said that several practical, forward-looking initiatives are expected to emerge aimed at enhancing security, prosperity, and equitable development across the Global South.

“Equity, equality, and equanimity -- driven by consensus, inclusiveness, and sustainable growth -- increasingly define both the foundational principles of BRICS and India’s broader diplomatic priorities. These principles have acquired growing relevance and appeal among countries of the Global South or the ‘Global Majority’, despite the many internal and external challenges confronting the grouping,” he mentioned.

Reaffirming India’s commitment to BRICS in unequivocal terms: External Affairs Minister(EAM) Jaishankar had said, “India remains committed to strengthening BRICS in line with the principles of mutual understanding, solidarity, openness, inclusiveness, full consultation, and consensus.”

--IANS

scor/sd/

Islamabad, May 24 (IANS) Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) immigration wing at New Islamabad International Airport is facing allegations of inexperience, negligence, and administrative indifference after two passengers were reportedly offloaded from international flights despite holding valid travel documents and visas, a report has highlighted.

The affected passengers have alleged in their complaints that both junior-level immigration staff and senior administrative officers failed to address the issue properly. The incidents concern two Pakistani citizens travelling separately to South Africa and Turkey, who claim they were prevented from boarding despite having all required legal documents, a report in the Pakistani daily Express Tribune detailed.

The passengers accused FIA immigration officials of humiliating treatment and failing to offer satisfactory explanations for the decisions to offload them.

A video recorded by one of the passengers, identified as Shehzad Gondal, at the airport, went viral on social media. The footage showed him claiming that he held a valid South African visa for travel from Islamabad to Cape Town, along with confirmed hotel bookings, a return air ticket costing around Pakistani Rs 550,000, and nearly $1,500 for travel expenses.

He claimed that FIA immigration officials offloaded him without offering a clear justification, insisting that South Africa had restricted travel for Pakistani nationals on newly issued visas.

Raising questions over the move, the passenger stated that once South Africa had issued a visa after charging the required fee in dollars, matters related to deportation should fall under South African authorities rather than Pakistani immigration officials.

In a separate incident, a businessman identified as Abrar, who reportedly engaged in the metals trade, alleged that he too was denied boarding at Lahore airport. He claimed that immigration staff objected after spotting a social media video from a travel agent on his mobile phone screen.

According to Abrar, he repeatedly offered the immigration officials access to his phone to verify any possible contact or communication with agents involved in illegal immigration, but alleged that his explanation was not considered.

Abrar stated that after travelling to Islamabad and getting his travel documents verified from an FIA office, he made another attempt to travel abroad from Islamabad airport; however, he was again restricted from doing so.

Abrar accused the FIA immigration official of tearing up his boarding card, despite his repeated requests for its return to enable him to seek a refund for his airline ticket.

--IANS

scor/sd/

New Delhi, May 24 (IANS) US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday that India and the US are strategically aligned on several key global issues, including critical minerals, supply chains and terrorism. He called India "one of the most important strategic partners" for the US in the world.

While addressing a joint press briefing with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday, Rubio said that India and the US have suffered due to global terrorism networks. He noted that India and the US as democracies understand the importance of public scrutiny, accountability.

Rubio said, "I have to go back and justify to the American people every decision we make and the president has to do the same on why it's good for our country and our counterparts here in India have to do the exact same thing. You have to respond to the people of India about why your partnership with the United States or your stance on any issue for that matter is to the benefit of your country. I imagine this is true in every country in the world to some degree, but it is particularly true for democracies."

"Democracies respond directly to the people and you have to respond constantly and democracies, you have opposition parties, have a free and open media. By the you have a lot of media. We have media in our government, you guys have a lot of media, that means a lot of scrutiny and lot of attention. But that begins to align our interests immediately because we both recognize and have mutual respect and understanding that every decision we make, every announcement we make, everything we work together on, we ultimately have to go back and justify it to our voters, to our people, the people who put us in these positions to begin with," he added.

Marco Rubio stated that the strategic partnership between India and the US goes beyond regional cooperation. He stressed that both nations are strategic allies on the idea that access to critical minerals and supply chains are essential issue in the 21st century.

He said, "The second point I would make is that our partnership from a strategic standpoint is not limited to a regional one. Now, clearly there are regional issues in the Indo-Pacific that are important to both of our countries. But, the ability increasingly as we have conversations, we are talking about strategic interests that align beyond simply the region. Whether it's your visit last weekend to the Western Hemisphere, we have a lot of alignment. Whether it's our mutual interests of what's happening currently now in the Strait of Hormuz and beyond and then on the topics as well.

"If you talk about the topics that we have a mutual interest on, both countries are strategic allies on the idea that access to critical minerals and supply chains are an essential issue in the 21st century. The over-concentration of reliance on a single source for anything, particularly things that are vital for our economies, is one of the great challenges of the 21st century and we are strategically aligned on that topic," he added.

Highlighting strong counter-terrorism alignment between India and the US, he said, "On the issue of terrorism, both of our countries have suffered, both directly and indirectly, because of global terrorist networks. There is a strong counter-terrorism alignment as a result of that. On innovation and ensuring that all of the promises of new technologies and new advances in the 21st century, all of them come with risks and rewards. Every technological advancement that's made individuals and societies more productive have always come with risks associated with them. Managing those risks and maximizing those benefits is one of the great challenges of the 21st century and there's a tremendous strategic alliance between our countries in agreement on that point."

He described his visit to India "phenomenal" and termed India an "important strategic partner" of the US.

He said, "It's been a phenomenal visit already and it's only been a day and we have so much more work to do and it's an honour to be here with all of you in this important visit to one of our most important strategic partners in the world and I want to highlight that point for a minute. We obviously have relations and we work with countries all over the world and we need to just as India does and we have all kinds of alliances and partnerships with countries that we work on sometimes on discrete and individualized issues, other times on broader issues that involve one region of the world or another.

"A strategic partnership is something very different. It's something much broader than that. A strategic partnership is when your interests as two nations are aligned and you work together strategically to solve those problems and the list of issues that we work together with India on, the breadth and scope of them, is what highlights the fact that India is an important strategic partner of the United States, one of our most important strategic partners in the world. It begins with the fact of our shared values. We are the two largest democracies in the world. And so obviously that in and of itself begins to align our interests simply because our leaders respond directly to voters and people on a regular basis," he added.

--IANS

akl/mr

Quetta, May 24 (IANS) At least 24 people were killed and 82 others injured in a blast targeting a shuttle of the Jaffar Express in the country's southwest Balochistan province on Sunday, police sources said.

The shuttle, carrying law enforcement personnel heading home for Eid holidays, had departed from Quetta Cantonment when the explosion occurred around 8:05 a.m. local time, sources told Xinhua news agency on the condition of anonymity.

Multiple bogies derailed and two caught fire following the blast, which also damaged nearby vehicles. Women and children were among the dead and injured, the sources added.

Fifty-seven of the injured were shifted to a military hospital and 25 to the Civil Hospital in Quetta.

Preliminary investigations suggested the attack was carried out using a suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive device packed with more than 70 kg of explosives, according to the sources.

According to local media outlet ARY News, Balochistan's Special Assistant for Home Affairs reported that officials are currently collecting information regarding the incident, promising that more details will be released as they become available.

Authorities have put all relevant agencies on high alert following the explosion. Babar Yousafzai also advised residents to steer clear of the area while emergency operations are ongoing.

Police indicated that the explosion caused damage to nearby buildings, shattering windows and glass panes due to the force of the blast. Law enforcement teams have secured the area, and rescue operations have commenced.

Earlier this week, Section 144 was imposed in Pakistan's Balochistan province, which the authorities have said is a precautionary measure against potential terrorist threats, local media reported.

The notification issued by the Home Department stated that the restrictions will remain in force for 30 days, including a ban on the display of weapons, double riding on motorcycles and gatherings of five or more individuals, Pakistan's daily, The Express Tribune, reported.

--IANS

sd/

New Delhi, May 24 (IANS) Amid the Ebola outbreak in Africa, India on Thursday dispatched the first tranche of urgent medical supplies and protective kits to Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

In a post on X, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar expressed India's commitment to supporting Africa in responding to the emerging Ebola public health emergency.

"India dispatched the first tranche of urgent medical supplies and protective kits to Africa CDC today. Committed to support Africa in responding to the emerging Ebola public health emergency," EAM Jaishankar posted on X.

Ebola disease (EBOD) is a rare but severe illness in humans and is often fatal.

Meanwhile, the Indian government on Sunday advised Indian citizens, currently residing in or travelling to Congo, Uganda and South Sudan, to strictly follow public health guidance issued by local authorities and maintain heightened precautions, in light of the reported outbreak of Ebola disease in these countries.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the situation to be a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).

“In view of the evolving situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and other affected countries, and in line with WHO’s recommendations, Government of India advises all Indian citizens to avoid non-essential travel to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and South Sudan until further notice,” Health Ministry said in an advisory.

India has not reported any case of Ebola Disease caused by the Bundibugyo virus strain, the ministry added.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has officially declared the ongoing outbreak of Bundibugyo strain Ebola Virus Disease affecting the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda as a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security.

Further, the WHO IHR Emergency Committee on May 22 issued temporary recommendations to strengthen disease surveillance at Points of Entry to “detect, assess, report and manage travellers with unexplained febrile illness arriving from areas with documented Bundibugyo virus detection” while also “discouraging travel to areas with documented Bundibugyo virus detection”.

Countries bordering the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, including South Sudan, are assessed to be at high risk of disease transmission, according to the statement.

--IANS

akl/mr