ISLAMABAD: The US special envoy for Afghanistan reconciliation met with Pakistan army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, at the army’s headquarters in Rawalpindi on Friday and discussed the “overall regional security situation including Afghan reconciliation process,” the military said in a statement.
Gen. Bajwa “reiterated that our support toward peace process is a manifestation of our goodwill toward the cause,” said the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing, in its official handout.
“The visiting dignitary appreciated Pakistan’s continuous efforts for peace and stability in the region,” the statement added.
Khalilzad, who secured a peace deal for the United States with the Taliban in February to withdraw all American and NATO forces, arrived in Pakistan after he held talks with the Taliban in Qatar on Wednesday and visited India on Thursday.
The envoy said that in his lengthy meeting with Mullah Ghani Baradar, the head of the Taliban political office, and his team in Doha, he “sought progress on a range of topics” including reduction in violence and “humanitarian cease-fire as demanded by the international community” to allow for better cooperation on managing COVID-19 pandemic in Afghanistan, according to his Twitter post on Thursday.
Khalilzad also said he called for acceleration of prisoner releases by the Taliban and the Afghan government, actions necessary to secure the freedom of US citizen Mark Frerichs, regional and international support for the peace process, and movement to intra-Afghan negotiations as soon as possible.
The US envoy said he will meet the Taliban again after his trip to India and Pakistan. He visited India on Thursday as part of his peace efforts.
US media earlier reported that American contractor Frerichs of Lombard, from Illinois, was kidnapped in late January in Afghanistan’s eastern Khost province that borders Pakistan’s North Waziristan tribal district.
No group has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of Frerichs and the US for the first time has spoken about him.
The US envoy arrived in Pakistan at a time when there is an apparent stalemate in the peace process over the release of prisoners as Taliban want release of their 5000 prisoners.
The Taliban-US agreement says up to 5,000 prisoners of the Taliban and up to 1,000 prisoners of the Afghan government will be released by March 10, the first day of the intra-Afghan dialogue. The talks could not start as the Taliban have refused to join the process that is key to decide a future political roadmap.
Spokesperson for Afghanistan’s Office of the National Security Council, Javid Faisal, said on Thursday that a total of 933 Taliban prisoners have been released so far. Faisal told the media in Kabul that 1,500 Taliban prisoners will be released in the coming days pursuant to President Ashraf Ghani’s decree based on their age, health and length of remaining sentence as part of the government’s efforts toward peace and battling COVID-19.
Taliban have freed 207 government’s prisoners until Friday Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told Arab News.
It is Khalilzad’s second visit to Pakistan in less than a month.
He last visited Pakistan on April 14 accompanied by Resolute Support Mission Commander General Scott Miller and had a meeting with General Bajwa.
Meanwhile, Pakistan said on Thursday that the US-Taliban peace agreement is a historic opportunity for the Afghan leadership to seize and resolve their mutual issues through an Afghan-owned and Afghan-led peace process.
“We hope it helps bring sustainable peace and stability to Afghanistan, which can be secured through successful Intra-Afghan negotiations. We hope that the Afghan parties would seize this historic opportunity and workout a comprehensive and inclusive political settlement for durable peace and stability in Afghanistan and the region,” Foreign Office spokesperson Aisha Farooqui said at the weekly briefing.
She said that Pakistan has facilitated Afghan peace process throughout U.S-Taliban negotiations and that the country has always maintained that there is no military solution to the Afghan conflict.
Khalilzad discusses Afghan peace with officials in Pakistan
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Khalilzad discusses Afghan peace with officials in Pakistan
- Khalilzad met with Taliban leaders in Qatar on Wednesday and sought progress on a range of issues
- The visit comes at a time when there is an apparent stalemate in the peace process over the release of prisoners
Pakistan’s forex reserves triple since early 2023 as central bank targets $14 billion
- Central bank governor says Pakistan’s reserves have seen both qualitative and quantitative improvement
- Governor Jamil Ahmed was briefing executives of global financial and investment institutions in the US
KARACHI: Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves have more than tripled since early 2023, driven by a surplus in the external current account rather than fresh borrowing, the top central bank official said, according to a statement on Saturday, as the country targets $14 billion in reserves by June.
Pakistan’s forex reserves had touched critically low levels two years ago, giving it an import cover of less than a month. Faced with the threat of a sovereign debt default, the country secured a $3 billion short-term International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout, tightened fiscal and monetary policies, restricted imports and allowed greater exchange rate flexibility.
Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan, Jameel Ahmad, told senior executives from global financial and investment institutions on the sidelines of the IMF-World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington the country’s external buffers had seen a “substantial qualitative as well as quantitative improvement” since then, as he briefed them about the current economic situation.
“Unlike previous episodes of reserve build-up, the ongoing rise in external buffers is not due to any further accumulation of external debt,” he said. “In fact, Pakistan’s public sector external debt, both in absolute terms and as a percent of GDP, has declined since June 2022.”
Ahmad added that the central bank had been able to strengthen reserves through foreign exchange purchases in the open market, supported by a current account surplus.
“The SBP is targeting to increase [forex] reserves to $14 billion by June 2025,” he said.
Ahmad said Pakistan had made tangible progress in stabilizing its economy, crediting a prudent monetary policy and sustained fiscal consolidation efforts for the improvement.
He informed that headline inflation had declined sharply over the past two years, reaching a multi-decade low of 0.7 percent in March 2025, while core inflation had also dropped from above 22 percent to a single digit and was expected to moderate further in the coming months.
Pakistan’s IT exports seen reaching $4 billion in FY25 as industry seeks tax relief
- Country’s software association calls IT industry the only sector with 75% trade surplus
- Government has set an ambitious target of reaching $10 billion in IT exports by 2029
KARACHI: Pakistan’s information technology (IT) sector expects exports to reach $4 billion in the current fiscal year and seeks regulatory reforms and a 10-year tax holiday to sustain growth momentum, said the country’s top software association on Saturday.
The IT sector is one of Pakistan’s priority industries as the country looks to boost export revenues and stabilize its external accounts.
Under the government’s “Uraan Pakistan” initiative, launched last year in December, Islamabad aims to raise IT exports to $10 billion by 2029.
Industry leaders say IT remains one of the few sectors capable of exponential growth despite the broader economic challenges.
“Muhammad Umair Nizam, Senior Vice Chairman of Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA), has apprised that information technology has become the fastest growing export industry of Pakistan – and, the country is set to achieve $4 billion in its IT exports for the FY25,” the software association said in a statement, adding that Pakistan’s IT exports stood at $3.2 billion in the last fiscal year with the prospect for a 25% year-on-year growth.
However, P@SHA warned regulatory bottlenecks and inconsistent tax policies were hampering the sector’s expansion at a time when new tech sub-sectors were emerging.
The association said it had also submitted detailed budget proposals to the government, seeking a facilitative framework that includes streamlined foreign exchange regulations, banking sector support, removal of sales tax anomalies and accelerated development of special technology zones and IT parks.
Pakistan’s IT industry is the only sector with a trade surplus of around 75%, the statement said, underlining its potential to create jobs, develop skilled human capital and reduce the trade deficit on a sustainable basis.
The software association also raised concerns over income tax disparities between salaried employees and freelancers, saying the current structure discourages formal employment and needs urgent correction in the upcoming federal budget.
Top Pakistani filmmaker says actors should seek government permission before signing Indian projects
Top Pakistani filmmaker says actors should seek government permission before signing Indian projects
- The statement comes after Indian cinema federation banned release of Pakistani actor Fawad Khan’s ‘Abir Gulaal’ following the Pahalgam militant attack
- Nabeel Qureshi says India has a huge film industry and many Pakistani artists want to work there, but they should not compromise on their self-respect
KARACHI: Pakistani filmmaker Nabeel Qureshi has urged the government to ask Pakistani actors to seek a no-objection certificate (NoC) prior to signing any Indian projects, following the imposition of a ban by the Indian cinema federation on Pakistani actor Fawad Khan’s Bollywood movie ‘Abir Gulaal.’
The romantic comedy marks Khan’s highly anticipated return to the Indian film industry after almost nine years. The movie starring Khan, who is widely famous in India, alongside Indian actor Vaani Kapoor is scheduled to release on May 9.
However, Indian media reported on Friday that the movie will not be released in India after the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) asked authorities to ban it, following a militant attack in India-administered Kashmir that killed 26 tourists on April 22.
New Delhi has blamed the attack on Pakistan, an allegation denied by Islamabad. Both India and Pakistan have since unleashed a raft of measures against each other as tensions remain heightened between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.
“It’s a matter of the country’s dignity,” Qureshi told Arab News. “In future, the way India is imposing a blanket ban on Pakistan, our government should also ask actors to seek NoC before signing up for any project there.”
India has a huge film industry and many Pakistani artists want to work there, according to Qureshi. But they should not compromise on their self-respect.
“Our actors should have some integrity not just as artists but also as Pakistanis. [It’s] a country that doesn’t welcome you at all, irrespective of the recent Pahalgam terror attack,” he said.
“There were speculations around the film’s release already, now it’s impossible for the film to release in India.”
India barred Pakistani artists from working in the country after a militant attack in Uri town in Indian-administered Kashmir, which killed 19 Indian soldiers in 2016. Prior to that, Khan starred in Bollywood films ‘Khoobsurat,’ ‘Kapoor & Sons’ and ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil.’
The promotion of his movie Abir Gulaal began in Dubai, with the music launch. But two songs from the film, ‘Khudaya Ishq’ and ‘Angreji Rangrasiya,’ have been removed from YouTube India following the Pahalgam attack.
“It was not like this was unexpected. If it had not been the recent tragedy in Pahalgam, it would have been any other reason, big, small, legit or otherwise,” Kamran Jawaid, a Pakistani film critic and journalist, told Arab News.
“Cinema-goers [in Pakistan] will give the film a warm welcome. However, given FWICE’s hard anti-Pakistan stance, the decision to release the film here would only land them in hotter waters in India. Nobody wants to do that.”
Nadeem Mandviwalla, a leading film importer and distributor in Pakistan who also owns a cinema in Karachi, said India’s ban on the movie’s release is “understandable” under the current circumstances.
“Allegedly, Pakistan has also refused to grant permission to the movie,” he said. “Actors will always play a part in projecting peace and love. Given a chance, it’s commendable for both parties to make this attempt.”
Jawaid, on the other hand, said Pakistani actors should have an “active role” in building up the quality of Pakistani productions, given the wafer-thin, prickly relationship between Pakistan and India.
“They should not run after Bollywood collaborations because the audience-base is bigger or that the pay is better,” he said. “The ‘arts transcend borders’ and ‘arts can make a difference’ mantra can only be beneficial if there is unilateral reciprocation in both industries.”
Pakistan’s commercial capital shuts down on religious party’s call for strike over Gaza
- The strike was widely supported by organizations representing traders, lawyers and people from different walks of life
- Pakistan has consistently demanded Israel’s accountability and called for uninterrupted flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza
KARACHI: Markets and businesses remained shut in Pakistan’s commercial capital of Karachi on Saturday in response to a nationwide strike called by Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) religious party to express solidarity with the people of Gaza, amid renewed Israeli military strikes in the Palestinian enclave.
The strike was widely supported by various organizations representing traders, lawyers and people from different walks of life, and there was no major commercial activity in the southern Pakistani port city.
It followed massive Gaza solidarity marches in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad this month, which were attended by tens of thousands of Pakistanis who demanded the world stop Israeli military actions.
“Today, there is a strike throughout Karachi,” JI Karachi chief Monem Zafar Khan said, noting the strike was not only supported by Karachi’s business community but also by professionals and civil society groups.
“It is a shutter-down strike, and the entire business community of Karachi, the lawyers of Karachi, the students of Karachi, the scholars of Karachi, the civil society of Karachi — all of them are supporting this.”
The strike was largely observed in Karachi and it could only partially take hold elsewhere in Pakistan.
Pakistan, which does not have diplomatic ties with Israel, has consistently condemned Israeli military actions and called for the uninterrupted flow of humanitarian aid into the Palestinian territory.
The South Asian country has stressed the urgent need to revive negotiations aimed at a two-state solution to the Palestine Issue, with East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state.
Muhammad Aslam Khan, general-secretary of the Cooperative Market Association, condemned Israel’s war on Gaza, which has killed over 50,000 Palestinians since Oct. 2023, and demanded stronger international action over it.
“It is now 12 o’clock and the city is completely silent and shut down,” Aslam told Arab News, surrounded by closed shops in the Saddar business district.
“We are sending them [Palestinians] a clear message that the hearts of the people are beating for the Palestinian Muslims, and we are deeply pained by the genocide happening to them, the oppression they are facing, and the fact that their basic needs like food and water have been completely cut off.”
Usman Sharif, a representative of the All-Pakistan Cottage Industry Association in Karachi, said the Pakistani trader fraternity wanted to contribute to the Palestinian cause.
“Every trader says that they want to contribute in some way, whether it be through prayers, funds, participating in the strike, joining a rally, or through a boycott,” he said.
“The strike is happening across Pakistan, and here in Karachi as well, people have participated in the strike.”
Pakistan asks intending pilgrims to get vaccinated against meningitis, flu before leaving for Hajj
- Pakistan will launch its Hajj flight operations from April 29
- Over 113,000 Pakistanis are expected to perform Hajj this year
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s religious affairs ministry on Saturday asked intending pilgrims to get vaccinated against meningitis, flu and polio before leaving for Saudi Arabia to perform the annual Hajj pilgrimage.
The annual pilgrimage is expected to take place in June. Nearly 90,000 Pakistanis are expected to travel to Saudi Arabia under the government scheme, while 23,620 Pakistanis will perform Hajj through private tour operators this year.
The South Asian country started vaccinating intending Hajj pilgrims against meningitis, flu and polio this week, with arrangement for the vaccination of pilgrims at 11 Hajj camps across the country.
The religious affairs ministry said it was mandatory to get the vaccinations, which are free of charge, warning that all pilgrims have to get jabbed and receive a proof of vaccination before leaving for the Kingdom.
“Without this, entry into Saudi Arabia will not be possible,” it said in a statement.
“Pilgrims over 65 years of age must carry their old coronavirus vaccine card. In case of absence of the card, only pilgrims over 65 years of age should get the coronavirus vaccine from the nearest Hajj camp.”
Pakistan will launch Hajj flight operations from Apr. 29, with the first flight departing from the eastern city of Lahore.
While a precise number of pilgrims for Hajj 2025 is difficult to be determined in advance, projections suggest it will be a record-breaking year, with over 2.5 million pilgrims expected.
