KARACHI: The United Nations and the US have joined hands with Pakistan to improve soil fertility in the Balochistan province where scarcity of rains has created a drought like situation over the past couple of years, officials said on Tuesday.
Balochistan is Pakistan’s largest province, spread across 347,190 square kilometers, constituting 39.36 percent of the country’s land area.
Mina’ Dowlatchahi, an official at the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Islamabad, said that the project — which is aimed at educating the farmers on how to identify soil fertility levels — is an initiative of the Ministry of National Food Security and Research, the Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the US Agency for International Development (USAID), and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).
“Information provided will not only benefit the private sector but also facilitate public institutions in order to help farmers increase their yields in a sustainable manner,” Dowlatchahi told Arab News.
Dr. Waqar Ahmed, an official from PARC, said that the project will cover the entire Balochistan province, with farmers from the area expected to benefit from the initiative. The Soil Fertility Atlas for Balochistan was launched at a ceremony in Islamabad on Monday, Dowlatchahi said
“The US’ 50-year commitment to collaborate with Pakistan to strengthen its agricultural sector and rural communities continue to benefit the farming community of Pakistan,” a statement released after the ceremony, and shared with Arab News, read.
The atlas is part of an ongoing effort to manage soil fertility and promote sustainable agricultural intensification, in addition to providing a comprehensive account of soil types and their current fertility status, native best management practices, and fertilizer use trends to help Pakistan’s farmers and fertilizer producers implement best practices for increased crop productivity, Dowlatchahi added.
In her welcome address at the event, Dowlatchahi, the FAO representative in Pakistan said: “The atlas is an important addition to the series of soil fertility atlases which will be instrumental in addressing the lack of data in managing soil fertility in Pakistan. Soil maps based on agro-ecological zones have been made part of the Balochistan atlas. There is a need for raising awareness and increasing knowledge of farmers in addition to engaging with the public and private sector to ensure sustainable agriculture development in Pakistan.”
UN, US to help Pakistan improve soil quality in Balochistan
UN, US to help Pakistan improve soil quality in Balochistan
- To share expertise and technology in order to improve economic opportunities for farmers
- Province covers 39.36% of the country’s land area but very little of it is fertile
Pakistan, Iraq agree on tighter coordination over pilgrims under new regulated travel system
- New system requires all Iraq-Iran pilgrimages to be organized by licensed groups under state oversight
- Long-running “Salar” model relied on informal caravan leaders, leading to overstays and missing pilgrims
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Iraq this week agreed to closely coordinate on the management and security of Pakistani pilgrims, as Islamabad rolls out a new, tightly regulated travel system aimed at preventing overstays, undocumented migration and security breaches during religious visits to Iraq and Iran.
The understanding was reached during a meeting between Pakistan’s Interior and Narcotics Control Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Iraq’s Interior Minister General Abdul Amir Al-Shammari on Thursday evening, where both sides discussed measures to facilitate pilgrims while strengthening oversight, Pakistan’s interior ministry said.
The agreement comes as Pakistan dismantles its decades-old pilgrim travel model and replaces it with a centralized, licensed system after authorities confirmed that tens of thousands of Pakistani pilgrims had overstayed or gone missing abroad over the past decade, triggering concerns from host governments.
“You have, for the first time during your tenure, taken effective measures to organize pilgrim groups, which are commendable,” Al-Shammari told Naqvi, according to Pakistan’s interior ministry.
“All pilgrims included in the list provided by Pakistan’s Ministry of Interior will be allowed to enter Iraq,” he added, making clear that only travelers cleared under the new system would be permitted.
Naqvi said Pakistan would strictly enforce return timelines under the revised framework.
“Pilgrims traveling to Iraq will not be allowed to stay beyond the designated period,” he said, adding that relevant authorities in both countries would remain in close coordination.
Both interior ministers also agreed to strengthen information-sharing and joint mechanisms on security cooperation, counterterrorism and the prevention of human smuggling, officials said.
“The safety, dignity, and facilitation of Pakistani pilgrims is the top priority of the Government of Pakistan,” Naqvi said.
Al-Shammari said he would visit Pakistan soon to finalize a joint roadmap to further improve pilgrim facilitation, security coordination and broader bilateral cooperation, according to the interior ministry.
Pakistan’s government has overhauled its pilgrim travel regime this year, abolishing the long-running “Salar” system under which informal caravan leaders managed pilgrimages. The move followed official confirmation that around 40,000 Pakistani pilgrims had overstayed or disappeared in Iran, Iraq and Syria over the past ten years.
Under the new Ziyarat Management Policy, only licensed Ziyarat Group Organizers (ZGOs) are allowed to arrange pilgrimages, with companies held directly responsible for ensuring pilgrims return on time. Authorities have completed security clearance for 585 companies seeking registration, while scrutiny of applications remains ongoing.
Islamabad has also barred overland travel for major pilgrimages, including Arbaeen, citing security risks in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, meaning all travel to Iraq and Iran is now restricted to regulated air routes.
Tens of thousands of Pakistani pilgrims travel each year to Iraq and Iran to visit some of the most revered shrines in Shia Islam, including the mausoleums of Imam Ali in Najaf and Imam Hussain in Karbala in Iraq, and major religious sites in Mashhad and Qom in Iran. Pilgrimages peak during religious occasions such as Arbaeen, when millions of worshippers converge on Karbala from across the region. The scale of travel, often involving long stays and cross-border movements, has long posed logistical, security and migration-management challenges for Pakistani authorities and host governments alike.
