ISLAMABAD: This year, aside from the swag of official events to mark 72 years of Pakistan’s inception, the country also got one of the 21st century’s ultimate anniversary markers: a customized homepage on the Google search engine.
Pakistan celebrates its independence day on August 14 each year to mark when Britain divided its Indian empire into Muslim Pakistan and mainly Hindu India in 1947.
The August 14 doodle shows the historic Khyber Pass of Peshawar, a tortuous mountain road that was once a glory of the British empire and remains a legend of high adventure.
This is not the first time that Google has featured a doodle for a Pakistani event or milestone. In the recent past, doodles have been dedicated to the birthdays of legendary musician Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi, the king of the ghazal form Mehdi Hassan, and Pakistan’s most prominent and prolific artist, Syed Sadequain Ahmed Naqvi.
“Google doodle” joins ranks of Pakistan Independence Day celebrations
“Google doodle” joins ranks of Pakistan Independence Day celebrations
- August 14 doodle shows historic Khyber Pass of Peshawar, a mountain road once a glory of the British empire
- Google has in the past dedicated doodles to legendary musician Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, philanthropist Edhi and others
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.
