Jinnah Antarctic Research Station, operational since 1991, emerges as likely site of inaugural salah in Antarctica amid Pakistan’s polar scientific missions.
The Jinnah Antarctic Station, Pakistan’s permanent research facility established in 1991, is recognized as the first confirmed location where Islamic prayers (salah) were performed on the Antarctic continent.
Situated in the East Antarctic region, the station has served as a scientific and logistical base for decades.

Operated by Pakistan’s National Institute of Oceanography, the station conducts year-round studies in glaciology, marine biology, and climate science.
Since its inauguration, Muslim members of winter-over teams have maintained prayer routines within designated spaces at the base, despite extreme cold, months-long darkness, and isolation.
While informal worship likely occurred earlier during transient expeditions, documented communal prayers began with the station’s continuous operation.

A small musallah (prayer area) was established inside the main living module, oriented toward Mecca using calculated qibla directions specific to the Antarctic region.
Antarctic Treaty protocols respect all forms of religious observance across research stations. The Government of Pakistan confirmed the station remains active today, with ongoing research and religious accommodation for personnel.
The station is named for Muhammad Ali Jinnah, founder of Pakistan.
Representatives of the banking and financial sector of Uzbekistan upgraded their qualifications by participating in the “Islamic Banking Window” training and practical program, organized by the Association of Shariah Advisors in Islamic Finance Malaysia (ASAS), reports Dunyo IA.
Ambassador of Uzbekistan Karomiddin Gadoev, noted that on the initiative of the Head of State, large-scale reforms to introduce Islamic finance have been launched in the country, and the adoption of the relevant law this year marked a turning point in the development of this sector. He highlighted three key advantages of the Malaysian experience: the parallel functioning of conventional and Islamic banking systems under a single regulator, centralized Shariah oversight through a single board under the Central Bank and the “Islamic window” model, which allows for the launch of Islamic financial services without establishing separate banks.
Dr. Muhd Ramadhan Fitri, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of “Maybank Islamic Berhad”, noted Uzbekistan's steps in this sector and expressed readiness to provide practical and technical support in establishing “Islamic windows” and financial infrastructure.
Head of ASAS, Makhtar Abdullah, remarked that the seminar participants had acquired advanced knowledge in the areas of Islamic finance instruments, Shariah governance and the organization of “Islamic windows” in commercial banks. Such programs, as noted in the publication, serve as a foundation for elevating Uzbek-Malaysian financial cooperation to a new stage.