ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is battling a locust invasion on a ‘national level’ with the assistance of 9,000 army troops, technical staff and a host of machinery to protect its agricultural land, federal minister for national food security and research, Syed Fakhar Imam, told Arab News on Friday.
Massive swarms of the destructive desert locust entered Pakistan in June last year for the first time after 1993 and settled in different parts of the country due to torrential rains in February and March. The crop-eating grasshopper has now spread to 61 districts in all four provinces in the country.
“This is a national issue, a national threat, and we should fight it as a unifying force at the national level,” Imam said.
“Around 8,000 to 9,000 army troops are also taking part [in the operation against locusts] throughout Pakistan,” the minister said. “They [the soldiers] are on call as per the need … and deployed in different numbers where needed.”
The government has deployed 1,113 teams with four army helicopters besides four other special aircrafts and sprayers to eliminate the pest.
Some losses have been reported already as the desert locust, one of the world’s most voracious insects, threatens agricultural production and food security.
“The losses to cotton, fodder and vegetables are reported, but overall situation isn’t bleak,” the minister said, adding that provincial governments had been directed to carry out assessment surveys to ascertain the scale of the damage.
The worst is yet to come, Imam continued, as mega swarms of the locusts are predicted to hit Pakistan in June and July from neighboring Iran and Oman.
“Currently, we don’t have big swarms... one mega swarm can destroy around 500,000 acres and this can be dangerous [for Pakistan],” he said.
Recently, Pakistan received 375,000 liters of insecticide as a gift from China and is procuring more to continue operations.
“I think the best possible efforts are made in the past four to five weeks to get rid of the locust,” the minister said, and rejected the possibility of a looming food security crisis in the coming months.
The locust swarms can be of millions, fly up to 150 km per day, and may travel nearly 2,000 km in their lifetime to find a favorable environment for breeding. They rapidly reproduce and eggs usually hatch after about two weeks.
Currently, 38 percent Pakistan’s area (60 percent in Balochistan, 25 percent in Sindh and 15 percent in Punjab) are breeding grounds for the locust, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the UN.
“The entire Pakistan is under the threat of invasion if the locust is not contained in the breeding regions,” Keith Cressman, Senior Locust Forecasting Officer at FAO, told Arab News.
The FAO estimates that Pakistan’s potential agricultural losses due to the locust invasion could be Rs353 billion for winter crops, and about Rs464 billion for summer crops at an estimated 25 percent damage level.
Aisha Khan, CEO of the Civil Society Coalition for Climate Change, said Pakistan should eliminate the locust breeding grounds as early as possible to keep agricultural and economic losses to a minimum.
“The locust invasion can pose a serious economic strain and food security challenge if Pakistan fails to get rid of it in the next four to five months,” she told Arab News.
Pakistan deploys thousands of army troops, machinery to fight locust invasion
https://arab.news/m67gf
Pakistan deploys thousands of army troops, machinery to fight locust invasion
- Worst yet to come as mega swarms from Iran, Oman hit Pakistan in coming months: food security minister
- UN says Pakistan at serious threat of food losses if insects not eliminated from breeding grounds
Pakistan plans 3,000 EV charging stations as green mobility push gathers pace
- Roadmap unveiled by energy efficiency regulator and a private conglomerate amid early-stage EV rollout
- New EV Policy and related plans aim to install 3,000 EV stations by 2030, including 240 stations in current fiscal year
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s energy efficiency regulator and a private conglomerate have unveiled an approved roadmap to establish 3,000 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations across the country, state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported on Tuesday.
The announcement comes as Pakistan looks to build out basic EV charging infrastructure, which remains limited and unevenly distributed, largely concentrated in major cities. Despite policy commitments to promote electric mobility as part of climate and energy-efficiency goals, the absence of a nationwide charging network has slowed broader EV adoption.
Pakistan’s EV ecosystem is still at a formative stage, with progress constrained by regulatory approvals, grid connectivity issues and coordination challenges among utilities, regulators and fuel retailers. Expanding charging infrastructure is widely seen as a prerequisite for scaling electric transport for both private and commercial use.
According to APP, the roadmap was presented during a meeting between Malik Group Chief Executive Officer Malik Khuda Baksh and National Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority Managing Director and Additional Secretary Humayon Khan.
“Baksh ... in a meeting with Khan, unveiled the approved roadmap for establishing 3,000 electric vehicle charging stations across Pakistan,” APP reported. “Khan reaffirmed the authority’s full institutional backing and pledged to expand the initiative to 6,000 EV charging stations nationwide.”
The discussion reviewed hurdles delaying the rollout, including EV charger imports, customs duties, regulatory documentation and inter-agency coordination.
APP said Khan welcomed the proposal and sought recommendations for “internationally compliant EV charger brands,” while asking for a detailed “issue-and-solutions report within three days” to facilitate timely implementation of the national green mobility initiative.
Despite the issuance of 13 licenses by NEECA and the arrival of five EV charging units at designated sites, progress has been slowed by procedural bottlenecks, officials said. These include delays in electricity connections, prolonged installation of separate meters and pending no-objection certificates from power distribution companies and oil marketing firms, which continue to stall operational readiness.
Pakistan’s electric vehicle ecosystem is still in its early stages, with charging infrastructure far behind levels seen in more advanced markets. The government’s New Energy Vehicle Policy and related plans aim to install 3,000 EV charging stations by 2030, including 240 stations planned in the current fiscal year, but actual deployment remains limited and uneven, mostly clustered in major cities and along key urban corridors.
Despite regulatory backing, including the 2024 Electric Vehicles Charging Infrastructure and Battery Swapping Stations framework, progress has been slow. Many proposed stations have yet to become operational due to delays in grid connections and approvals, and public maps of nationwide charging coverage are not yet available.
Private players are beginning to install more chargers, and there are over 20 public EV charging points reported in urban centers, offering both slower AC chargers and faster DC options. However, such infrastructure is still sparse compared with the growing number of electric vehicles and the government’s long-term targets.
