ISLAMABAD: US Special Envoy for Afghan Reconciliation, Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, on Monday appreciated Pakistan’s “sincere and unconditional support” in facilitating ongoing intra-Afghan peace talks, the Pakistan army said in a statement.
Khalilzad arrived in Pakistan on Monday and met Pakistani army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, two days after the Taliban insurgent group and the Afghan government started key negotiations to end a 19-year-old war in Afghanistan.
“The visiting dignitary greatly appreciated Pakistan’s role in the ongoing peace process and said that it could not have succeeded without Pakistan’s sincere and unconditional support,” the army’s media wing said, adding:
“COAS [chief of army staff] said that Prime Minister Imran Khan has given clear vision regarding peace and connectivity in the region and all elements of national power are united toward making that vision a reality to ensure long awaited peace, progress and prosperity in the region.”
The American embassy in Islamabad said Khalilzad had thanked Pakistan for its role in advancing the Afghanistan peace process.
“Ambassador Khalilzad expressed appreciation on behalf of the United States, especially the important role that Prime Minister Imran Khan and General Bajwa played in facilitating the start of the Afghanistan Peace Negotiations in Doha on September 12, and stressed the need for ongoing regional and international support for this historic opportunity for peace,” the embassy’s statement said.
Historic peace talks kicked off in Qatar’s capital, Doha, on Saturday after months of delays in US-led efforts to end a conflict that the United Nations estimates has killed and wounded more than 100,000 civilians.
Achieving a significant reduction in violence and getting to a permanent cease-fire are among the top issues the sides are discussing.
Just hours after peace talks started, Taliban and Afghan government forces clashed across Afghanistan, officials told Reuters, underscoring the uphill challenge of ending the long civil war. The most intense of those clashes on Saturday were in Kunduz, where Taliban again jostled with security forces for control of key highways, and the Afghan military deployed air and artillery strikes.
The Taliban’s muscular action comes just as the United States rapidly draws down its troops in Afghanistan, in line with President Donald Trump’s promises to end America’s longest war. A February pact between Washington and the Taliban set May 2021 as the date for the final pullout, subject to certain security guarantees.
US troop numbers are expected to fall to 4,500 by November from over 100,000 in 2011.
Afghan peace talks couldn’t have happened without Pakistan’s ‘unconditional’ support — Zalmay Khalilzad
https://arab.news/guey6
Afghan peace talks couldn’t have happened without Pakistan’s ‘unconditional’ support — Zalmay Khalilzad
- US special envoy arrived in Pakistan on Monday and met Pakistani army chief General Bajwa
- US embassy in Islamabad says Khalilzad thanked Pakistan for ‘important’ role in advancing peace
Pakistan Army’s logistics firm to run national shipping corporation, confirm officials
- Government to transfer 30 percent shares in Pakistan National Shipping Corporation, management control to NLC firm, say officials
- Officials say the move will increase PNSC’s shipping fleet from 10 to 54, save $6 billion Islamabad pays in foreign freight annually
KARACHI: The government has decided to transfer the state-run Pakistan National Shipping Corporation’s (PNSC) management to the military-run National Logistics Corporation (NLC), officials confirmed on Thursday, saying the move is expected to save $6 billion that Islamabad currently pays in foreign freight annually.
A week earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government sold 75 percent of its shareholding in the national flag carrier Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) to a business consortium led by Arif Habib Group for Rs135 billion ($482 million).
The government’s current drive to privatize state-owned enterprises (SOEs) is a key requirement of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) $7 billion loan program. The global lender wants Islamabad to privatize its loss-making state assets to save valuable revenue.
PNSC reported a 34 percent decline in its profit, which reduced to Rs3.71 billion ($13.2 million) in the July-September quarter this year. Its revenues from shipping business fell by 2 percent to Rs9.32 billion ($33 million) in the same period, according to the company’s filing to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) seen by Arab News. The PNSC’s profits remained almost stagnant at Rs20 billion ($73 million) in FY25 while its shipping income shrank 18 percent to Rs33.7 billion ($120.3 million).
“We received a letter about one month ago in which the government asked us to sort out things before Dec. 30,” a PNSC official told Arab News on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to media. “The management control will go to the NLC.”
An NLC official confirmed the same.
“Yes, this is happening,” an NLC official told Arab News on condition of anonymity. He said details will be shared in due course.
Muhammad Arshad, a spokesman at Pakistan’s Maritime Affairs Ministry, and PNSC Spokesperson Muhammad Farooq Nizami both declined to comment on the matter.
“We can’t say anything about this development until we get an official notification,” Nizami told Arab News.
Officials said that as per the PNSC Revitalization and Improvement Plan, the government would sell about 30 percent of its PNSC shareholding to NLC, which would then have a controlling share in the corporation’s management.
As of Jun. 30, the government holds 87.56 percent shares in PNSC, whose 198.1 million shares are listed on the PSX with a market capital of Rs109 billion ($389 million).
The NLC will be required to increase the PNSC’s shipping fleet, which currently comprises only 10 ships, to 54 over the next five years, the shipping company’s official said.
This would help Pakistan’s government save about $6 billion in freight costs as the PNSC’s current 10 ships are only able to handle 11 percent of the country’s commercial cargo, he added.
“As a result, Pakistan has to pay approximately $6 billion annually in foreign exchange to foreign shipping companies as freight charges,” he said.
Among other objectives, the military-led company is also expected to rid PNSC of its aging fleet, as many vessels are nearing the end of their operational life and won’t be able to sail profitably beyond 2030.
“This initiative will ensure 100 percent replacement of all old PNSC vessels along with the induction of new ships,” the PNSC official said.
News reports of the transfer of management have led to a rise in the PNSC’s shares at the PSX, which gained by around 21 percent in the last two trading sessions. The stocks traded at Rs548.89 ($1.9) per share on Thursday morning, taking its year-to-date gains to 17 percent.
Pakistan’s government has been cautious in spending its $16 billion foreign exchange reserves as it aims to keep its current account balance in check.
Pakistan’s current account reported a $812 million deficit in the July-November period from a $503 million surplus last year, according to data shared by the central bank.
The PNSC official said the increase in the company’s shipping fleet will enhance its share in global maritime freight from $162 million to $1.79 billion.
“Despite significant growth potential in the shipping industry, the absence of private operators is hindering market dynamism and efficiency,” he said.
“World-class financial and legal advisers will be appointed for institutional restructuring, transforming PNSC into a modern, agile, and professionally managed organization.”
