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HomeGo To PakistanPakistan wants to geotag Himalayan pink salt & Karachi Zoo’s ‘half-fox, half-woman’...

Pakistan wants to geotag Himalayan pink salt & Karachi Zoo’s ‘half-fox, half-woman’ star

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New Delhi: Pakistan is all set to register pink salt as an indigenous product with a Geographical Indications (GI) tag in order to curb its “unauthorised use” by other countries.

According to a Gulf News report, the issue of geotagging pink salt came to the fore following a social media campaign in 2019. The product will be registered under the country’s Geographical Indications Act, 2020. Another report in the Daily Pioneer said the decision was taken at a meeting with the Intellectual Property Organisation (IPO) of Pakistan.

Pakistan today contains one of the world’s largest salt deposits and the second-largest mine — the Khewra Salt Mine — in Jhelum district of the country’s Punjab province. Although it is often marketed as coming from the Himalayas, the pink salt is mainly mined in the hills of Pakistan’s Punjab province, which is also known as the Salt Range. The Khewra Salt Mine is located in this range.

It has been reported that the pink salt comes from remnants of ancient seabeds that were crystallised over 600 million years ago.

Pakistan is already fighting a case in the European Union against India’s move to get Basmati rice registered as its product. And the registration of pink salt may further accentuate the conflict between the two neighbouring countries as well as with the Union.

So far, products like Hunza apricots, Charsadda (Peshawari) chappal, Multani halwa, Hala’s Ajrak, Sargodha’s kinnow, Kasuri methi and Pashmina shawls have been registered under the GI law by Pakistan.


Also read: Peshawar’s own Charlie Chaplin & Pakistan’s missing mountaineer could have been a ‘porter’


‘Woman with body of fox’ in Karachi Zoo

For several years now, performer Murad Ali has been predicting the fortunes of people from inside a cage in Pakistan’s Karachi Zoo. He dresses as a fox with the head of a woman and goes by the name of ‘Mumtaz Begum’.

With his face caked in a layer of makeup, Ali performs an act that involves popping his head through a hole inside the cage, making it look like he is attached to the body of a lounging fox. This act is said to have been derived from the mythical creature Kitsune that can predict fortunes.

According to Samaa, 33-year-old Ali inherited the role from his father. In a video shot a few years ago, Ali is heard saying, “People who come here leave happy. And knowing that makes me happy too. There is a bond of love between them and me. Life is very short: it should be used with a smile.”

Several Twitter users have remarked on the unusual and bizarre nature of Ali’s job.

“Ok, this planet is actually cool,” wrote Twitter user QTFM.

Another user, who goes by the name Kaustav Guha, penned a poem: “Meet Mumtaz the fox; May spook you out of your socks; Karachi zoo’s curiosity; She foretells future, nice publicity; A generation keeping alive this flummox.”

After Karachi, stray dogs poisoned to death in Rawalpindi

After Karachi, authorities in Rawalpindi have poisoned scores of stray canines to death in a dog-culling drive. According to a report in The Express Tribune, dogs in several areas of the city were fed poisoned meat.

The Express Tribune report also said the drive was initiated following an incident on 7 February in which a stray dog had attacked four people near Rawalpindi Railway Station.

Pakistan’s policy on culling populations of stray animals using poison came into focus for the first time in 2016 when over 700 dogs were killed in areas of Karachi. The mass cullings had sparked outrage at the time after several animal rights activists, as well as citizens, condemned the practice. Experts had also said that the practice has undone efforts to address the situation by vaccinating and neutering dogs.

Dog bites are a major concern in the country. About 150 patients visit hospitals in Karachi with dog bites every day. Between 1 January and 30 September last year, 1,50,000 dog bite cases had been reported.

Even though experts have repeatedly highlighted that other practices should be used to curb the problem, a recent report in the Dawn revealed how mass culling continues in Karachi due to lack of uniform local government bylaws. It also noted that there have been reports of municipal staff firing multiple shots to kill one dog in the city.

Last year, authorities in Sindh were also ordered to “speed up” the culling of dogs, a move that had triggered criticism from students, journalists, professionals, lawyers and non-resident Pakistanis.


Also read: 70 years since failed Rawalpindi Conspiracy — Pakistan’s history dotted with successful coups


 

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2 COMMENTS

  1. Pakistan must stop all exports of raw salt to India till the issue is resolved . Even though if its under an agreement, a dad India violated so many agreements with Pakistan after partition ,why we are bound to follow.
    Or reduce the supply to a level to fulfill there local consumption only. Agreement is based on local consumption. Same with other countries and must provide in finished consumer good to world.

  2. Mr. Angana along with many Indians lacks the level of acceptance. I have never seen such a disaster in combination you made in this article. I duly request you people to grow up. Your neighbors do accept your Geographical uniqueness, why cant you do the same…?

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