Pakistani counterterrorism police say they have arrested two insurgents attempting to blow up the main gas pipeline in the central city of Bahawalpur.
Police spokeswoman Nabila Ghazanfar said Saturday the two men, who were not identified, belong to the separatist group Baluchistan Liberation Army. She said they confessed to successfully conducting similar sabotage of gas pipelines in the adjacent district of Rahim Yar Khan.
Ghazanfar said police seized 2 kilograms (4.5 pounds) of explosives, a timing device, detonators and connecting cords from the men Friday night.
There was no immediate statement from the BLA and the men were not immediately available for comment.
Rebels have long been waged a low-level insurgency in southwestern Baluchistan province. But it's a new phenomenon to stage an attack outside their provincial boundaries to hit vital installations to press their demands.
Baluch insurgents want greater autonomy.
Pakistani police arrest 2 men trying to blow up gas line
Pakistani police arrest 2 men trying to blow up gas line
- Police spokeswoman said the two men belong to the separatist group BLA
- Counter terrorism police also seized 2 kilograms of explosives
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.
