ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi urged the international community on Saturday to benefit from the emerging “hope for peace” in Afghanistan during a meeting with a top official from Kabul.
Amir Khan Muttaqi, the acting foreign minister of Afghanistan, arrived in Pakistan earlier in the day to attend the 17th Extraordinary Session of the Organization of Islamic Corporation’s Council of Foreign Ministers.
The session will also be attended by high-profile dignitaries from other Islamic countries along with major international stakeholders and focus on the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan.
“The hope for peace in Afghanistan, which has arrived after 40 years, is quite significant and this opportunity should not be wasted,” Qureshi was quoted as saying by the foreign office of Pakistan.
“We are giving this message to the international community through this [OIC] conference that it should learn from its past mistakes and facilitate peace and stability in Afghanistan,” he added.
He maintained Pakistan had been trying to bring the world’s attention to the grave humanitarian and economic situation in the war-battered country since August, as it tried to supply food and medicines to Kabul on its own to help the people of the neighboring state.
Earlier, the foreign minister told a group of journalists he was sure the OIC members would reach a consensus on how to deal with the situation in Afghanistan during the summit.
The acting foreign minister of Afghanistan thanked Qureshi for supporting the war-battered country and convening the extraordinary session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers.
Pakistan wants international community to benefit from emerging ‘hope for peace’ in Afghanistan
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Pakistan wants international community to benefit from emerging ‘hope for peace’ in Afghanistan
- FM Qureshi held a meeting with Afghanistan’s acting foreign minister ahead of the OIC meeting on Sunday
- Says international community should learn from its past mistakes and facilitate peace and stability in Afghanistan
Pakistan forms committee to negotiate financial advisory services for Islamabad airport privatization
- Committee to engage Asian Development Bank to negotiate terms of financial advisory services agreement, says privatization ministry
- Inaugurated in 2018, Islamabad airport has faced criticism over construction delays, poor facilities and operational inefficiencies
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Privatization Ministry announced on Wednesday that it has formed a committee to engage the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to negotiate a potential financial advisory services agreement for the privatization of Islamabad International Airport.
The Islamabad International Airport, inaugurated in 2018 at a cost of over $1 billion, has faced criticism over construction delays, poor facilities, and operational inefficiencies.
The Negotiation Committee formed by the Privatization Commission will engage with the ADB to negotiate the terms of a potential Financial Advisory Services Agreement (FASA) for the airport’s privatization, the ministry said.
“The Negotiation Committee has been mandated to undertake negotiations and submit its recommendations to the Board for consideration and approval, in line with the applicable regulatory framework,” the Privatization Ministry said in a statement.
The ministry said Islamabad airport operations will be outsourced under a concession model through an open and competitive process to enhance its operational efficiency and improve service delivery standards.
Pakistan has recently sought to privatize or outsource management of several state-run enterprises under conditions agreed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as part of a $7 billion bailout approved in September last year.
Islamabad hopes outsourcing airport operations will bring operational expertise, enhance passenger experience and restore confidence in the aviation sector.
In December 2025, Pakistan’s government successfully privatized its national flag carrier Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), selling 75 percent of its stakes to a consortium led by the Arif Habib Group.
The group secured a 75 percent stake in the PIA for Rs135 billion ($482 million) after several rounds of bidding, valuing the airline at Rs180 billion ($643 million).
Pakistan’s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said this week the government has handed over 26 state-owned enterprises to the Privatization Commission.
