PESHAWAR: Pakistani security forces killed 10 militants, including four insurgent commanders, in a shootout in a former Taliban stronghold in the country’s northwest Tuesday, the military said.
According to a military statement, troops also seized a cache of weapons during the operation in the district of South Waziristan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on the border with Afghanistan.
The military did not identify the militant group to which the fighters belonged.
It said the slain fighters were linked to past attacks on civilians and security forces and that the insurgents were planning to carry out more attacks. The military provided no further details.
South Waziristan served as a base for the Pakistani Taliban and other militants until a few years ago, when the army said it cleared the region of insurgents. But occasional attacks have continued.
The Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, are a separate insurgent group from the Afghan Taliban, although Pakistan’s militant groups are often interlinked with those across the border in Afghanistan.
Pakistani security forces kill 10 militants in shootout in northwest
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Pakistani security forces kill 10 militants in shootout in northwest
- Military said the slain fighters were linked to past attacks on civilians and security forces
- Said the insurgents were planning to carry out more attacks, did not identify group
Pakistani business federation says EU envoy pledges support for training industrial workforce
- Support aims to boost competitiveness as Pakistan expands skilled labor for exports and remittances
- FPCCI says the country’s economic future hinges on preparing its workforce for modern technologies
ISLAMABAD: The European Union’s top diplomat in Pakistan has pledged support for the country’s push to train its industrial workforce, exporters and small businesses through the national technical and vocational education system, Pakistan’s top business federation said in a statement on Tuesday, calling the assistance critical for boosting competitiveness.
The commitment came during the first annual conference on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), jointly organized by the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) and the TVET Sector Support Program, where the EU envoy addressed business leaders and government officials.
“Pakistani industries, exporters, trade bodies and SMEs will be facilitated and supported in their training, and exporters should draw maximum benefit from the GSP+ program,” said EU Ambassador Raymonds Kroblis, according to the FPCCI statement, referring to the EU trade scheme that grants Pakistan preferential, duty-free access for most exports in return for implementing international conventions.
He added that Pakistan’s economic future depended on preparing its workforce for modern technologies.
FPCCI President Atif Ikram Sheikh said Pakistan could “change its economic trajectory” through large-scale skills development and called for a sustained public–private partnership to modernize vocational training.
He said the federation would train 1,000 officials from chambers and trade bodies to strengthen workforce readiness.
Sheikh said Pakistan’s youth had “immense potential” and required structured opportunities to advance, both for domestic industry and for overseas employment.
Pakistan has been working to expand its pool of skilled workers to tap opportunities in Gulf economies, where higher-skilled migration could help lift remittances, a major stabilizing force for Pakistan’s economy.
Speakers at the conference said aligning Pakistan’s workforce with international standards was key to improving productivity, securing export growth and preparing workers for global labor markets.
