ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar is scheduled to address the 16th Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Summit in Tashkent on Thursday and attend a reception arranged in the honor of the leaders of participating countries, confirmed his office in Islamabad.
The ECO, an intergovernmental organization, was established by Pakistan, Iran and Turkiye in 1985 and has since expanded its membership to include Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and other Central Asian countries.
Kakar arrived in Uzbekistan on Wednesday to discuss issues related to enhanced trade and regional connectivity.
“The Prime Minister will meet the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev,” said the PM Office while sharing his schedule for the day. “Bilateral relations of Azerbaijan and Pakistan, regional and global issues will be discussed in the said meeting.”
“The Prime Minister is also expected to visit the historical city of Samarkand, Uzbekistan, where he will go to the shrine of Hazrat Imam Bukhari,” the statement added.
The Pakistani premier has already held meetings with Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and ECO Secretary-General Khusrav Noziri since his arrival in the Central Asian country.
The meetings reviewed the recent developments under the purview of ECO, especially in the domain of trade, connectivity and economic cooperation.
The Pakistan PM also expressed satisfaction at the growing level of bilateral cooperation during his meeting with the Uzbekistan president while emphasizing the importance of sustaining the momentum.
The regional forum aims to utilize the economic potential of its member states that collectively form a mammoth market of over 500 million people by creating increased trade and investment opportunities.
Pakistan PM to address 16th ECO Summit in Tashkent, discuss regional connectivity
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Pakistan PM to address 16th ECO Summit in Tashkent, discuss regional connectivity
- PM Kakar has met the Uzbekistan president and will hold a meeting Azerbaijan’s leader Ilham Aliyev
- The prime minister is expected to visit Samarkand today where he will go to Imam Bukhari’s shrine
Pakistan opposition rallies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to demand release of Imran Khan
- PTI-led gathering calls the former PM a national hero and demands the release of all political prisoners
- Government says the opposition failed to draw a large crowd and accuses PTI of damaging its own politics
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s opposition led by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party demanded the release of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan at a rally in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Sunday, describing him as a national hero who continues to command public support.
The gathering came days after a rare and strongly worded briefing by the military’s media chief, Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, who dismissed Khan as “narcissistic” and “mentally ill” on Friday while responding to the former premier’s allegations that Pakistan’s chief of defense forces was responsible for undermining the constitution and rule of law.
He said that Khan was promoting an anti-state narrative which had become a national security threat.
The participants of the rally called for “civilian supremacy” and said elected representatives should be treated with respect.
“We, the people of Pakistan, regard Imran Khan as a national hero and the country’s genuinely elected prime minister, chosen by the public in the February 8, 2024 vote,” said a resolution presented at the rally in Peshawar. “We categorically reject and strongly condemn the notion that he or his colleagues pose any kind of threat to national security.”
“We demand immediate justice for Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi and all political prisoners, and call for their prompt release,” it added, referring to Khan’s wife who is also in prison. “No restrictions should be placed on Imran Khan’s meetings with his family, lawyers or political associates.”
Addressing the gathering, Sohail Afridi, the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, denied his administration was not serious about security issues amid increased militant activity. However, he maintained the people of his province had endured the worst of Pakistan’s conflict with militancy and urged a rethinking of long-running security policies.
The resolution asked the federal government to restore bilateral trade and diplomatic channels with Afghanistan, saying improved cross-border ties were essential for the economic stability of the region.
The trade between the two neighbors has suffered as Pakistan accuses the Taliban administration in Kabul of sheltering and facilitating armed groups that it says launch cross-border attacks to target its civilians and security forces. Afghan officials deny the claim.
The two countries have also had deadly border clashes in recent months that have killed dozens of people on both sides.
Some participants of the rally emphasized the restoration of democratic freedoms, judicial independence and space for political reconciliation, calling them necessary to stabilize the country after years of political confrontation.
Reacting to the opposition rally, Information Minister Attaullah Tarrar said the PTI and its allies could not gather enough people.
“In trying to build an anti-army narrative, they have ruined their own politics,” he said, adding that the rally’s reaction to the military’s media chief’s statement reflected “how deeply it had stung.”
“There was neither any argument nor any real response,” he added, referring to what was said by the participants of the rally.
