70 years on, one Pashtun town still safeguards its old Hindu-Muslim brotherhood

Indian filmmaker Shilpi Batra Adwani with a Hindu Pashtun migrant woman. They pose with traditional Pashtun clothes. (Photo Courtesy: Shilpi Shilpi Batra Adwani)
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Updated 01 July 2020
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70 years on, one Pashtun town still safeguards its old Hindu-Muslim brotherhood

  • As token of love, Muslims of Mekhtar have never opened the abandoned properties of town’s migrated Hindu community 
  • Around 400 Pashtun Hindus migrated from Balochistan‘s Pashtun belt and moved to Jaipur

KARACHI: For more than 70 years, locked up mud shops lining a street in Pakistan’s southwest Balochistan province have stood the test of time as monuments to one small town’s extraordinary Hindu-Muslim brotherhood.
The Pashtun community of Mekhtar, where a little over a thousand families reside off a main national highway, was once a tight-knit small town where people of the two faiths lived side by side. 
During the violent partition of the Indian subcontinent in 1947, the Hindu families of Mekhtar were forced to migrate to Jaipur across the border, where they formed a tiny community of 400 Pashtun Hindus with a very distinct culture.




Old mud shops that belonged to Hindu Pashtuns in Mekhtar's Hindu Bazaar before 1947. The properties have remained preserved and unopened for over 70 years as a symbol of interfaith harmony. June 26, 2020 (AN Photo by Shadi Khan Kakar)  

But in all these years, the dozens of shops they left behind have never been opened again-- preserved exactly as they were left by their owners seven decades ago. 
“When our Hindu friends were leaving us [after partition] they handed the keys of their shops to us,” Malik Hajji Paio Khan Kakar, a 95 year old resident of Mekhtar told Arab News. 
The keys were never used, he said, and the properties sit as though lying in wait for their rightful owners to return.
The town’s integrity is an anomaly in the history of the partition, where land grabbings of abandoned property were common in the absence of formal registrars after the two new countries were carved out and millions were forced to hastily flee their homes.




In this undated photo, a Pashtun Hindu woman in Jaipur shows off the blue tattoos distinctive of the Hindu Pashtun community. (Photo Courtesy: Shilpi Shilpi Batra Adwani)

Just before the Hindus of Mekhtar migrated to Jaipur, Kakar said they stayed as guests in the homes of their Muslim friends for several nights before finding safe passage across.
“It was like one’s brother was leaving,” Kakar reminisced.
The meat-eating Hindu Pashtuns are a little known tribe in India even today, with a distinct culture carried forward from Afghanistan and Balochistan which includes blue tattoos on the faces of the women, traditional Pashtun dancing and clothes heavily adorned with coins and embroidery.
“It was lovely to hear that the people of Mekhtar still remember us and have taken care of the shops as a token of love,” Shilpi Batra Adwani, a documentary filmmaker from a Pashtun Hindu family in Jaipur, told Arab News. 
Her grandmother, who she calls Babai, migrated from the town during the partition.




Indian filmmaker Shilpi Batra Adwani with a Hindu Pashtun migrant woman. They pose with traditional Pashtun clothes. (Photo Courtesy: Shilpi Shilpi Batra Adwani)

Shilpi told Arab News that elderly members of Jaipur’s Pashtun Hindu community still sat together and spoke about the ‘golden period’ of harmony and love they had left behind in Mekhtar.
They still speak Pashto, she said, and remained fiercely proud of the culture they had brought with them to Jaipur-- though acceptance had not always come easy.
“Because the women had tattoos, people in India used to be curious looking at them. Some found them exotic and some found them questionable,” Shilpi said.
“They would spend most of their time at their homes, remembering their lovely past times.” 




Malik Haji Paio Khan Kakar, a 95 year old resident of Mekhtar, Balochistan, is interviewed for Arab News. June 26, 2020 (AN Photo by Shadi Khan Kakar)  

Shilpi, who made a documentary about the roots of India’s Hindu Pashtuns last year, interviewed several women in her community about the days of the partition. 
From them she discovered that the Muslims of Mekhtar had come to the railway station to bid them farewell on the day they had left, with ghee and gifts of food for their long journey. 
“Together, they would do embroidery, together eat their meals and together do Attan [Pashtun folk dance]. No one would feel like they belonged to a different faith,” Shilpi said, recounting stories from her grandmother.




Indian filmmaker Shilpi Batra Adwani with a Hindu Pashtun migrant woman. They pose with traditional Pashtun clothes. (Photo Courtesy: Shilpi Shilpi Batra Adwani)

The film-maker told many other stories-- of one Hindu Pashtun who fell in love with a Muslim woman from Mekhtar and stayed behind, and of old trunks of Pashtun clothes lovingly restored and worn tearfully by the last remaining generation of the partition.
Even 73 years on, Shilpi said, Mekhtar still lived on in the memories of those who had left behind their ancestral homes and shops. 




Old mud shops that belonged to Hindu Pashtuns in Mekhtar's Hindu Bazaar before 1947. The properties have remained preserved and unopened for over 70 years as a symbol of interfaith harmony. June 26, 2020 (AN Photo by Shadi Khan Kakar)  

Across the border in Mekhtar, Kakar too reminisced about meeting his old friends one more time.
“My health and finances don’t allow me to travel, but if they could come here... that would be great,” he smiled. 
“Then maybe once more, we could sit here. All together.”


Fertilizer sector fuels Pakistan stock market rally as benchmark index hits record high

Updated 6 sec ago
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Fertilizer sector fuels Pakistan stock market rally as benchmark index hits record high

  • Fauji and Engro fertilizer stocks contribute nearly 600 points to KSE-100 gain
  • Surging investor sentiment, dividend expectations, possible Moody’s upgrade drive momentum

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s main stock index surged to a new record on Thursday, closing above the 138,000 mark for the first time, driven by strong institutional inflows and a sharp rally in fertilizer and blue-chip stocks, according to analysts and market data.

The benchmark KSE-100 index closed at 138,665.49 points, gaining 2,285.53 points or 1.68 percent from the previous close of 136,379.96, a bullish move that traders said reflected investor optimism ahead of earnings season and growing expectations of a credit rating upgrade.

Fertilizer companies led the rally, with Fauji Fertilizer Company Limited (FFC) and Engro Fertilizers Limited (EFERT) together adding 563 points to the index. Other top contributors included United Bank Limited (UBL), Systems Limited (SYS), Engro Holdings (ENGROH), and Hub Power Company Limited (HUBC), which added another 763 points collectively, brokerage firm Topline Securities said in its daily report.

“This rally was driven by heavy institutional flows, with local investors stepping in to scoop up value,” Topline said. “With sentiment back in high gear, today’s bullish close sets an upbeat tone heading into the heart of earnings season.”

Investor activity remained high with 778 million shares traded, while the total value of trades stood at Rs39.95 billion ($140.2 million). Pakistan International Bulk Terminal (PIBTL) led volumes, with 82.6 million shares exchanged during the session.

Ahsan Mehanti, CEO of Arif Habib Commodities, said investor confidence was boosted by anticipated strong corporate earnings, attractive dividend expectations and government engagement with Moody’s over a potential rating upgrade.

“Government affirmation over talks with industrials on budgetary measures, and the finance minister’s presentation to Moody’s of compelling evidence for a ratings improvement played a catalytic role in today’s close,” Mehanti said.
 


Women in Pakistan earn 30 percent less than men, ILO finds in landmark wage gap study

Updated 4 min 36 sec ago
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Women in Pakistan earn 30 percent less than men, ILO finds in landmark wage gap study

  • Women make up just 13.5 percent of wage earners in Pakistan despite rising education levels
  • Pay gap widens in informal sectors, remains largely unexplained by skills or experience

ISLAMABAD: Women in wage employment in Pakistan earn nearly 30 percent less per month than men despite often having higher levels of education and working full time, according to a new report by the International Labour Organization (ILO), one of the most comprehensive studies of the country’s gender pay gap to date.

Published in July 2025, the ‘Gender Pay Gap in Pakistan: An Empirical Analysis’ found that on average, women earn 25 percent less per hour and 30 percent less per month than male counterparts, “even when they have similar qualifications and experience, and are employed in comparable roles.”

“The magnitude of the gender pay gap in Pakistan is among the highest when compared to other lower-middle-income countries,” the ILO said.

The study used data from Pakistan’s Labour Force Surveys from 2013 to 2021, examining hourly, monthly and annual earnings across public and private sectors, including both formal and informal employment. The authors concluded that the wage disparity is only partially explained by observable factors such as age, education, occupation and hours worked.

“The majority of the wage gap between men and women in Pakistan remains unexplained, suggesting that discrimination or other unmeasured factors may be at play,” the report said.

The wage gap is also compounded by extremely low female participation in the labor force. 

According to the report, women account for just 13.5 percent of wage employees, despite making up nearly half the working-age population.

As of 2021, the female employment rate stood at 23 percent, compared to 79 percent for men.

“The overall employment gap — defined as the difference in employment-to-population ratios between men and women — has hovered at 56 percentage points over the last decade,” the report found, adding that women face “multiple challenges when entering, staying in, and progressing in wage employment.”

In many cases, the ILO noted, women with higher levels of education still earned significantly less than men with similar or even lower qualifications, “indicating entrenched biases in hiring and promotion decisions.”

INFORMAL SECTOR

The study found that the gender pay gap is widest in the informal sector, where women earn over 40 percent less per hour than men. In the formal private sector, the gap is slightly narrower, and lowest in the public sector, where wage structures are regulated and pay scales standardized.

“The informal sector, where a significant proportion of women are employed, exhibits the highest gender pay gap, primarily due to the lack of oversight, low unionization, and absence of formal wage-setting mechanisms,” the report said.

The ILO also cited the impact of occupational segregation. Women are underrepresented in higher-paying roles and overrepresented in sectors such as domestic work, education, and agriculture, which are often undervalued.

To address these gaps, the report outlines a number of recommendations, including expanding formal employment opportunities for women, enforcing minimum wage laws and pay transparency measures and developing gender-responsive social protection systems. It also recommends strengthening labor inspection and legal enforcement, particularly in the informal sector, and investing in sex-disaggregated data collection to better monitor wage trends and disparities.

The ILO also urged Pakistan to ratify and implement international conventions on equal pay and non-discrimination, including ILO Convention No. 100 (Equal Remuneration) and No. 111 (Discrimination in Employment and Occupation).

The report underscores that eliminating gender-based wage disparities is not only a matter of justice, but also critical for boosting economic productivity and household welfare.

“Addressing the gender pay gap is essential to achieving inclusive economic growth and meeting Pakistan’s commitments under the Sustainable Development Goals,” the ILO concluded.


Pakistani province completes first forest carbon mapping, targets $4 billion in credit revenue

Updated 43 min 29 sec ago
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Pakistani province completes first forest carbon mapping, targets $4 billion in credit revenue

  • Khyber Pakhtunkhwa identifies 2.2 million hectares of forest land that can absorb 400 million tons of carbon
  • KP chief minister says provincial government expected to earn $100 million annually from selling carbon credits

PESHAWAR: Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government on Thursday announced it had completed its first forest carbon credit mapping, saying that projects on over two million hectares of land can be used to generate $4 billion in revenue and create over 50,000 jobs. 

Carbon credits are permits that allow owners— governments or companies— to emit a certain amount of carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases (GHGs). The United Nations allows polluting companies or countries to buy carbon credits to offset their emissions. These credits can be sold in international carbon markets. 

Forest carbon credit mapping refers to the process of using satellite images, drones, and data to measure the forest land of a particular area. This estimates how much carbon the trees in that given area are absorbing. This data is then used to identify areas where projects can be launched to earn carbon credits.

A ceremony was held at the Chief Minister’s House in Peshawar to mark the launch of KP’s first Forest Carbon Credit Mapping Report, the chief minister’s office said in a statement. The report was launched by Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur. 

“Through this mapping, done with the help of modern technology, ten potential projects covering 2.2 million hectares of forest land in the province have been identified,” the statement said.

“These projects can absorb more than 400 million tons of carbon,” the statement added.

The report further said these projects can earn a revenue of $4 billion and create over 50,000 green jobs. Meanwhile, Gandapur said the mapping will serve as a “comprehensive model” for the province’s environmental, economic, and social development.

“The forest area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa makes up 46 percent of the country’s total forested area,” Gandapur was quoted as saying in the statement. “The forests of the province have the capacity to absorb 50 percent of the country’s carbon.”

The KP chief minister said the provincial government is expected to earn $100 million annually from carbon credits. He said the KP government is undertaking efforts to further increase the forest area of the province.

Pakistan is consistently ranked as one of the world’s worst-affected countries due to climate change. Monsoon rains in the country since June 26 alone have killed around 190 people and injured several others. 

Unusually heavy rains triggered flash floods in June 2022 that killed over 1,700 people and caused damages of over $33 billion, with large swathes of crops and critical infrastructure destroyed by raging currents.


Pakistan to tighten pilgrimage travel to Iraq, Iran and Syria after 40,000 go ‘missing’

Updated 17 July 2025
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Pakistan to tighten pilgrimage travel to Iraq, Iran and Syria after 40,000 go ‘missing’

  • Government scraps unregulated ‘Salar system’ after host nations raise concerns
  • Only licensed tour operators to lead pilgrim groups under new return-tracking policy

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan plans to overhaul its pilgrimage travel policy to Iraq, Iran and Syria after authorities confirmed that around 40,000 Pakistani pilgrims went missing or overstayed in the three countries over the past decade, raising serious diplomatic and security concerns, a senior immigration official said. 

Each year, thousands of Pakistani Shia pilgrims travel to regional religious shrines, but host governments have repeatedly flagged the issue of undocumented or unreturned visitors. The problem resurfaced this week after Religious Affairs Minister Sardar Muhammad Yousaf revealed that 40,000 Pakistani pilgrims had either overstayed or gone missing in these countries without any official record of their whereabouts.

In response, authorities have scrapped the long-standing “Salar system,” in which private group leaders managed travel logistics, and are introducing a new centralized, computerized structure to track and regulate pilgrim movement more effectively.

“Approximately 40,000 of the pilgrims who went on pilgrimage in Iraq, Iran, and Syria never returned during the last almost one decade,” Mustafa Jamal Kazi, Director General of Immigration and Passports, told Arab News.

He said most of the disappearances occurred in Iraq and that Pakistani authorities had formally requested details from the Iraqi government. 

Once confirmed, passports of the missing individuals will be digitally and physically blocked, and they will be placed on the border control list.

“Last year, 50 such individuals were deported from Iraq, and we have taken further action against them,” Kazi said.

He added that the lure of employment in Iraq’s booming construction sector, bonded labor involving women, and the exploitation of religious tourism for begging were among the most common motives for absconding.

To curb the trend, a new Ziyarat Management Policy has been finalized, after Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi discussed the plan during a recent pilgrimage coordination meeting in Iran.

Under the new policy, pilgrims will only be allowed to travel in organized groups, and licensed tour operators will be held directly responsible for ensuring that all group members return to Pakistan before their visas expire.

Any operator found violating the policy or failing to ensure the return of all pilgrims will have their license canceled.

Only tour operators that meet new regulatory standards will be registered as Ziyarat Group Organizers (ZGOs), according to the religious affairs ministry, which said the new system would fully replace the traditional, unregulated Qafila Salar model.

“Due to the lack of proper data regarding the number of pilgrims, travel schedules, and their return after completing the pilgrimage, various concerns have been raised by host countries and relevant institutions,” the religious ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. 

The new registration process, approved by the federal cabinet, will enable more effective monitoring of pilgrimage traffic and prevent individuals from using religious travel as a cover for illegal migration or unauthorized cross-border movement.

The ministry said all pilgrimages would now be conducted under a structured system led by government-registered Ziyarat Group Organizers (ZGOs), which would also “help curb illegal stays in host countries or any attempts to cross into neighboring countries under the guise of religious pilgrimage.”


ADB flags telecom investment crisis as Pakistan loses $1 billion in FDI in a year

Updated 17 July 2025
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ADB flags telecom investment crisis as Pakistan loses $1 billion in FDI in a year

  • Foreign investment in telecom drops by nearly half within a year
  • ADB urges tax overhaul, spectrum reforms to restore investor confidence

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan lost nearly $1 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) in the telecom sector in just one year, with inflows plunging from $1.67 billion in 2021–22 to $750 million in 2022–23, according to a new report by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

The dramatic decline reflects growing unease among investors about Pakistan’s digital infrastructure landscape, which suffers from high taxation, poor spectrum allocation, limited fiber penetration and regulatory unpredictability. While demand for mobile Internet continues to grow, with over 138 million mobile broadband users as of late 2024, the enabling environment for investment has worsened, especially amid Pakistan’s macroeconomic volatility.

Fixed broadband penetration remains at just 1.3 percent, and only 14.8 percent of cell towers are connected to fiber, making it difficult to meet rising data demands or prepare for 5G deployment. The report notes that the telecom sector has contributed over PRs1.28 trillion to the national treasury in the past five years, yet sustained investment in digital infrastructure has failed to materialize.

The bank has warned that without urgent reforms, the sector may fail to deliver on its potential as a key enabler of digital transformation and economic growth.

“The telecom sector in Pakistan has experienced a decline in revenues and foreign investment, which reflects a very challenging business environment,” the ADB wrote in its Pakistan Digital Ecosystem Diagnostic Report, released in July 2025.

The report singles out Pakistan’s spectrum auction model as a major constraint. Starting prices are set in US dollars and often considered unaffordable by private operators, discouraging participation and delaying the deployment of next-generation networks.

“The spectrum auction starting prices and commercial conditions need to be reasonable and attractive for operators,” the ADB said. “This would facilitate the timely and cost-effective launch of 5G technology and enable new applications and innovations in the digital economy.”

Taxes imposed by both federal and provincial authorities are described as among the highest globally for the sector. Right-of-way (RoW) fees, charged annually in Pakistan, further burden service providers, unlike in countries like India where such fees are levied only once and at a nominal rate.

To reverse the downward trend, the ADB has recommended a long-term tax policy guarantee, reform of spectrum pricing mechanisms, and a unified national RoW regime. It also called for deeper engagement with provincial governments to generate “anchor demand” for fiber services through public institutions like schools and hospitals in tier 2 and tier 3 cities.

The report emphasizes that the telecom sector must be viewed not only as a commercial domain but as foundational infrastructure for Pakistan’s future. Without decisive action, it warned, digital inequality will widen and Pakistan’s competitiveness will suffer.

“Pakistan’s digital infrastructure is dragging down its overall digital readiness and economic performance,” the ADB concluded.