ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and ex-finance minister Miftah Ismail formally launched a new political party on Saturday, calling for individuals with “ability and influence” to join their ranks to bring about change in the country amid a deeply polarized environment.
Both politicians were senior members of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party but recently decided to part ways due to growing differences with its leadership.
Ismail, who took over as finance minister two years ago during a critical period for Pakistan’s economy, advocated for strict structural reforms recommended by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which led to significant economic hardships for the population. His decisions were later criticized by party colleagues for being detrimental to PML-N’s political standing, leading to his sidelining by the current deputy prime minister, Ishaq Dar, who is closely aligned with the Sharif family.
Abbasi criticized the broader approach of PML-N politics, arguing that despite multiple opportunities to govern, the party had failed to effect meaningful change for the people.
Together, the two politicians have decided to mobilize the public to “change the system” to create promising economic opportunities for everyone.
“To be in Awaam Pakistan, you need ability and influence,” Abbasi said while launching the new political faction. “If you have neither, you cannot be a part of this party.”
He said there was a long list of the political parties which had been created by the establishment, a euphemism for the country’s powerful military that has directly ruled the country for nearly three decades since independence in 1947.
“People ask us directly or indirectly, is the establishment with you? Have you got their permission? This is the biggest argument that highlights the failure of Pakistan’s politics,” he continued.
“Today, a common man in this country realizes and thinks there is no politics without the establishment,” he said, adding that all state institutions should have a constitutional relationship.
Addressing the gathering, Ismail said that Pakistan had become a “predatory” state where the rulers and the state were like a hunter and the public had been reduced to a prey.
“This budget is a reflection of the rulers’ priorities,” he said, referring to the finance bill approved last month while lamenting that taxes had been doubled for the salaried class.
“You all have to join politics,” he continued. “Politics can’t be left to politicians only, common people have to join it as well.”
The former finance minister informed all positions in the newly launched party had a term limit.
“No one will have a position for more than two terms,” he added. “Merit must be promoted on every level.”
Former PM Abbasi, ex-finance minister Ismail launch new political party amid polarized environment
https://arab.news/r9znv
Former PM Abbasi, ex-finance minister Ismail launch new political party amid polarized environment
- The former PML-N leaders emphasize meritocracy, say all office bearers will serve for two terms
- Miftah Ismail calls Pakistan ‘predatory’ state, laments more taxes on the salaried class in the budget
Pakistan seeks Chinese investment in push to shift minerals sector toward value addition
- Islamabad says mineral exports could reach $6–8 billion annually with processing and refining
- Pakistan aims to move beyond raw extraction toward processing, refining, export-oriented industrial clusters
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday said it was seeking Chinese investment to develop its vast but underexploited mineral resources, pitching a strategy focused on value addition, processing and export-oriented industrial clusters as it looks to turn mining into a pillar of long-term economic growth.
At the Pakistan–China Mineral Cooperation Forum in Islamabad, senior ministers said the government’s priority was to move beyond the export of raw minerals by developing processing plants, smelters and mineral-based industrial clusters linked to Special Economic Zones (SEZs), according to reports in state-run Radio Pakistan and the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP).
Pakistan holds significant reserves of copper, gold, coal and other critical minerals, but its mining sector has historically been constrained by limited infrastructure, regulatory complexity and a lack of downstream processing capacity. The government has identified mining as a potential source of foreign exchange and industrial development as it seeks international investment amid broader economic reforms.
The flagship of that strategy is the Reko Diq copper-and-gold project in Balochistan, one of the world’s largest undeveloped copper deposits, which officials see as a test case for attracting large-scale foreign capital and integrating Pakistan into global mineral supply chains.
Speaking at the forum, Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal said Pakistan’s mineral exports could rise substantially if value was added domestically rather than through raw material exports, stressing the importance of Chinese partnership in achieving that shift.
“Pakistan’s mineral exports have the potential to reach $6-8 billion dollars annually within this decade through value addition,” Ahsan Iqbal said, according to a Radio Pakistan report.
He said Pakistan’s objective was to develop mineral processing plants, smelters and refining facilities, adding that “transformation of Pakistan’s mineral economy cannot happen without strategic partners and China’s role is central in this regard.”
Ahsan Iqbal also linked the minerals push to the second phase of the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), saying it aimed to translate infrastructure connectivity into productivity, exports and jobs, while reaffirming that the security of Chinese nationals and investments remained a top national priority.
Separately, Board of Investment Minister Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh said at the forum Pakistan and China were expanding cooperation in the minerals sector alongside broader economic engagement, citing growing business-to-business activity, according to an APP report.
He said more than 300 Pakistani companies visited China in September 2025 alone and that 167 memorandums of understanding were signed at a Pakistan–China business-to-business conference, with the Board of Investment working on their implementation.
Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik invited Chinese firms to participate in the Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum 2026, scheduled for April 8–9, describing it as a platform for structured engagement with policymakers, regulators and project sponsors, according to APP.
He said China’s experience in rare earth elements, copper smelting and refining offered lessons for Pakistan as global demand accelerates for critical minerals linked to the energy transition, adding that Pakistan, with China’s support, was positioning itself as a long-term partner in global mineral supply chains.
