ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Foreign Office said on Thursday Islamabad would share its concerns regarding terror groups that threatened its security with Washington as the two countries hold counterterrorism talks in the United States this week.
The three-day talks, which commenced on Wednesday and will conclude on May 10, are part of the Pakistan-US Counterterrorism Dialogue. The Pakistani delegation is led by the Additional Secretary United Nations division at the foreign ministry, Syed Haider Shah.
The initial round took place last year in Islamabad, where discussions centered on the counterterrorism landscape in Pakistan and the wider region.
“The counterterrorism talks between Pakistan and the United States are ongoing and the two sides will discuss issues related to security and countering violent extremism and combating terrorism financing,” foreign office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch told reporters in a weekly briefing in Islamabad, saying terrorism posed a collective threat to the international community.
“It is important for Islamabad to share its concerns about terrorist groups that threaten its security with its interlocutors during these dialogues and this is a priority for Pakistan when we engage in these talks,” she added.
The FO statement comes two days after Pakistan’s military said a suicide bomb attack that killed five Chinese engineers was planned in neighboring Afghanistan, and that the bomber was also an Afghan national.
Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have soured in recent months as Islamabad says Kabul is not doing enough to tackle militant groups targeting Pakistan from across the border. Kabul says rising violence in Pakistan is a domestic issue for Islamabad and has denied allowing the use of its territory to militants.
Gaza
At Thursday’s press briefing, the Pakistan foreign office also condemned Israel’s attack on a Jordanian aid corps for humanitarian assistance to occupied Gaza.
“It is not just a flagrant violation of the obligations of the occupying power but a dangerous provocation that may lead to further escalation of tensions in the region,” Baloch said, condemning the invasion and seizure of the Rafah border crossing in southern Gaza by Israeli forces in what Islamabad said was defiance of international warnings and acceptable international behavior.
“With its latest actions, Israeli occupation authorities have once again demonstrated their contempt for international humanitarian law as they continue to pursue an abhorrent policy of genocide and extermination in Gaza,” Baloch added.
Pakistan-Saudi Arabia relations
Amid a flurry of visits between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, including by the Saudi foreign minister and a high-powered business delegation to Islamabad and two visits by the Pakistani prime minister to Riyadh, the foreign office spokesperson said Pakistan and Saudi Arabia were engaged in a “robust dialogue” on cooperation in diverse domains, including in the energy sector.
“The two sides are also engaged in discussions for increased Saudi investments in Pakistan,” she added.
Baloch highlighted Pakistan’s emphasis on increased engagement, particularly with the Middle East, to attract foreign investment, saying the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) set up last year to oversee foreign financing was implementing measures to offer incentives to foreign investors in support of this effort.
Pak-Iran Gas pipeline
Baloch said the Iran-Pakistan (IP) gas pipeline was a “priority” for the country and reiterated that the South Asian nation would decide on the issue based on its own interest.
“Pakistan will take decisions based on its own national interest, and the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline is a priority for Pakistan,” she added.
The two countries signed an agreement to construct the pipeline from Iran’s South Fars gas field to Pakistan’s Balochistan and Sindh provinces in 2010, but work on Pakistan’s portion has been held up due to fears of US sanctions.
In March, Islamabad said it would seek a US sanctions waiver for the pipeline. Washington, however, has said it does not support the project and cautioned about the risk of sanctions in doing business with Tehran.
Pakistan says will share concerns about terror groups threatening its security in ongoing US talks
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Pakistan says will share concerns about terror groups threatening its security in ongoing US talks
- Pakistan and United States are holding Pakistan-US Counterterrorism Dialogue in Washington
- Pakistan has said suicide attack that killed five Chinese workers in March was planned in Afghanistan
Pakistan launches digital fisheries traceability system to curb illegal fishing, boost exports
- New “Mahi Dost” app aims to meet EU and US seafood traceability standards, ministry says
- Fishing Technology Museum positioned as policy and research hub under blue economy push
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has launched a digital fisheries traceability system alongside its first Fishing Technology Museum as part of efforts to curb illegal fishing, improve regulatory compliance and strengthen access to international seafood markets, the maritime affairs ministry said this week.
Pakistan’s fisheries sector has long struggled with illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, weak monitoring systems and limited traceability, factors that have constrained exports despite the country’s extensive coastline and exclusive economic zone in the Arabian Sea. Compliance with international regulations, particularly those of the European Union and the United States, has increasingly become a prerequisite for market access.
On Monday, Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry inaugurated the fishing museum in Karachi and soft-launched the “Mahi Dost” app, a digital catch-to-consumer tracking system designed to help Pakistani seafood exporters meet stringent international certification requirements.
Addressing fishermen, academics and members of the business community, Chaudhry said the two new initiatives together would strengthen monitoring, control and surveillance in the fisheries sector and help curb regional losses from illegal fishing, estimated at around $1 billion. He said they were aligned with Pakistan’s Blue Economy Policy and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 14, which focuses on protecting marine ecosystems.
“The government is committed to aligning with global best practices by combining heritage and innovation to secure a sustainable maritime future,” Chaudhry said.
The minister said the new museum was intended to serve as more than a cultural exhibition space.
“The museum was not merely an exhibition space but a strategic asset for the country’s blue economy,” he said.
“By bringing together indigenous knowledge and modern innovations such as AI-enabled sonar and environmentally friendly nets, the initiative would support informed policymaking to counter overfishing and climate-related risks.”
The newly launched Mahi Dost app introduces digital tracking of seafood from catch to consumer using blockchain, GPS and QR-code technology. Fishermen can log catch data in real time, enabling verification of origin, fishing methods and supply chains, which are requirements increasingly enforced by importing countries.
According to the ministry, the system is designed to comply with international frameworks including EU Catch Certification rules, regulations targeting IUU fishing, the US Marine Mammal Protection Act and standards set by the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission.
Chaudhry described the app as a tool to safeguard legal fishing practices and strengthen exports.
“The app would verify dolphin-safe fishing and transparent supply chains, directly strengthening Pakistan’s seafood exports,” he said, noting exports were currently valued at around $500 million annually.
Chaudhry added that early pilot projects had already reduced approval times for European markets and enabled small-scale fishermen to access higher-value international buyers.
