KARACHI: Vijay Kumar, like other members of the community, was in a hurry to finish his day job. He had to prepare for the Hindu festival of Diwali, which has been a permanent feature of life in Karachi since the times when this Pakistani mega city was known as the “city of lights.”
“No matter what the conditions of the city would be, we had been celebrating this festival with the same zeal,” Kumar, who had come out with his family at Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, told Arab News. “However, over the last few years the city has witnessed more harmony and now our Muslim friends also join us in this event of happiness.”
Hinduism is the second biggest religion in Pakistan. The majority of its followers live in Sindh, where they make up 7.5 percent of the province’s population. Karachi, the capital of Sindh, has nearly 30 Hindu temples and Shri Swaminarayan Mandir attracts the largest number.
Diwali symbolizes the spiritual victory of light over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance. “To celebrate this festival we illuminate temples, our homes and shops in our communities,” Pandit Vital Das told Arab News. “Wearing the finest clothes, the followers of Hindus also offer Puja to the Lakshmi, which is followed by fireworks, felicitations and exchanges of sweets and gifts.”
Pakistan PM Imran Khan and leaders of different political parties extended greetings to the Hindu community on the day of their festival. “Chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has held out assurances to non-Muslims living in Pakistan that his party will always stand for their protection and promotion as equal citizens of the state as per the vision of the founding fathers of the country and teachings of our religion
Hindus in Karachi celebrate ‘festival of lights’
Hindus in Karachi celebrate ‘festival of lights’
Pakistan says $50 million meat export deal with Tajikistan nearing finalization
- Islamabad expects to finalize agreement soon after Dushanbe signals demand for 100,000 tons
- Pakistan is seeking to expand agricultural trade beyond rice, citrus and mango exports
ISLAMABAD: Tajikistan has expressed interest in importing 100,000 tons of Pakistani meat worth more than $50 million, with both governments expected to finalize a supply agreement soon, Pakistan’s food security ministry said on Tuesday.
Pakistan is trying to grow agriculture-based exports as it seeks regional markets for livestock and food commodities, while Tajikistan, a landlocked Central Asian state, has been expanding food imports to support domestic demand. Pakistan currently exports rice, citrus and mangoes to Dushanbe, though volumes remain small compared to national production, according to official figures.
The development came during a meeting in Islamabad between Pakistan’s Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain and Ambassador of Tajikistan Yusuf Sharifzoda, where agricultural trade, livestock supply and food-security cooperation were discussed.
“Tajikistan intends to purchase 100,000 tons of meat from Pakistan, an import valued at over USD 50 million,” the ambassador said, according to the ministry’s statement, assuring full facilitation and that Islamabad was prepared to meet the demand.
The statement said the two sides agreed to expand cooperation in meat and livestock, fresh fruit, vegetables, staple crops, agricultural research, pest management and standards compliance. Pakistan also proposed strengthening coordination on phytosanitary rules and establishing pest-free production zones to support long-term exports.
Pakistan and Tajikistan have long maintained political ties but bilateral food trade remains below potential: Pakistan produces 1.8 million tons of mangoes annually but exported just 0.7 metric tons to Tajikistan in 2024, while rice exports amounted to only 240 metric tons in 2022 out of national output of 9.3 million tons. Pakistan imports mainly ginned cotton from Tajikistan.
