ISLAMABAD: The United States has pledged ongoing support for Pakistan’s fight against cross-border infiltration and militancy in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, with a $250,000 program to boost Frontier Corps’ nighttime capabilities and $350,000 in safety equipment for counterterrorism efforts, a US diplomatic mission statement confirmed on Wednesday.
Pakistan has seen a surge in militancy, particularly in the KP region bordering Afghanistan, after the Afghan Taliban got back into power in August 2021. The violence further escalated after a fragile truce between the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an ally of the Afghan Taliban, and Islamabad collapsed in November last year.
Officials in Islamabad have consistently expressed concern over the militant network using Afghan soil to launch attacks in their country, citing safe havens in the neighboring state. The administration in Kabul, however, denies these claims.
“US Deputy Chief of Mission, Andrew Schofer, visited Peshawar on September 25-26 to reaffirm US commitment to border security and continued support for Pakistan in its fight against cross-border infiltration and militancy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” the statement said.
“During the visit, Schofer visited the Inspector General of Frontier Corps at the historic Fort Balahisar where he announced a new $250,000 program to enhance the Frontier Corps’ nighttime operational capabilities.”
The statement added that the US diplomat also held a meeting with Peshawar’s Inspector General of Police, Akhtar Hayat, and delivered $350,000 worth of safety and security equipment to enhance the safety and effectiveness of police forces conducting perilous counter-terrorism operations.
Earlier this year, the US said it was ready to “assist” Pakistan broadly against terrorism challenges while also acknowledging that the country had taken some important steps to counter militant groups in line with the completion of its Financial Action Task Force action plans.
At the same time, however, the US reiterated the importance of Pakistan continuing to take steps to permanently disband all militant groups, including Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, and their various front organizations, assuring that it would raise this issue regularly with Pakistani officials and work together to counter mutual terrorist threats.
US commits $250,000 worth of aid, additional equipment for counterterrorism efforts in Pakistan’s northwest
https://arab.news/8eerq
US commits $250,000 worth of aid, additional equipment for counterterrorism efforts in Pakistan’s northwest
- US announces new $250,000 program to enhance Frontier Corps’ nighttime operational capabilities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
- It also provided $350,000 in security equipment for safer and more effective counter-terrorism operations in province
Islamabad, Tehran to extend electricity supply agreement for Pakistan’s southwest
- Tariffs to remain between 7.7–11.45 cents/kWh as Islamabad seeks stability for energy-short border regions
- Iran currently powers Gwadar and other border towns where Pakistan’s national grid remains limited
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Iran have agreed to extend their cross-border electricity supply pact for the southwestern province of Balochistan, maintaining tariffs between 7.7 and 11.45 cents per kilowatt-hour, Pakistan’s energy ministry said on Tuesday.
The deal, first signed in 2002, underpins energy security for parts of southwestern Pakistan where the national grid remains underdeveloped and erratic supply has hampered both industry and residential consumption. Coastal towns like Gwadar and nearby Mand Town in Balochistan have for years relied on imported Iranian power as connectivity with Pakistan’s main transmission network is incomplete and local generation insufficient.
Iran currently exports 100 megawatts of electricity to Gwadar under a March 2023 agreement and could scale up deliveries once additional infrastructure is operational. In May 2023, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi jointly inaugurated the Polan–Gabd transmission line to enable another 100 MW of supply.
Energy ministry spokesperson Zafar Yab Khan confirmed the extension of the deal, saying it had been moved forward between the two governments.
“Yes, it is correct,” he told Arab News, adding that the revised agreement was expected to be placed before Pakistan’s Economic Coordination Committee (ECC).
However, the ECC, Pakistan’s top economic decision-making forum, did not take up the extension in its meeting on Tuesday.
Power trade between Iran and Pakistan has expanded gradually over two decades, with tariffs negotiated periodically to reflect fuel costs and cross-border infrastructure upgrades. In August 2023, the ECC approved amendments to a separate contract extending a 104-MW supply from Iran’s Jakigur district into Pakistan’s Mand town through December 2024.
Gwadar, a key node in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), is expected to remain dependent on imported electricity until new domestic lines are completed, making continued Iranian supply critical for industries, port operations and basic household demand.
