As climate change threatens Pakistan mango exports, surge in Middle East demand offers some hope

In this photograph taken on May 28, 2024 farmers pluck mangoes from a tree at a field in Tando Allahyar village, in Pakistan’s Sindh province. (AFP)
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Updated 08 July 2024
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As climate change threatens Pakistan mango exports, surge in Middle East demand offers some hope

  • Pakistan is the world’s fourth-largest mango producer and its export generates millions of dollars in revenue, according to exporters
  • Additionally, mangoes serve as a cultural symbol and a diplomatic tool that help the government strengthen international connections

ISLAMABAD: The All Pakistan Fruit and Vegetable Exporters Association (APFVEA) said on Sunday that Pakistan might not meet its target of exporting 100,000 metric tons of mangoes this year due to adverse effects of climate change on its production, with officials pinning their hopes on a surge in demand from the Middle East.
Pakistan is the world’s fourth-largest mango producer and the fruit export generates millions of dollars in revenue annually, according to the APFVEA. Additionally, mangoes serve as a cultural symbol and a diplomatic tool that help the government strengthen international connections.
Pakistan has faced mango export challenges in recent years due to adverse weather, and pest and fruit fly infestation, with production declining for the third consecutive year in 2024.
The country produces around 1,800,000 metric tons of mangoes annually, with 70 percent grown in Punjab, 29 percent in Sindh and one percent grown in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
“We had set a target of exporting 100,000 metric tons of mangoes this season, but it seems unachievable due to the pronounced negative impact of climate change on Pakistan’s mango orchards resulting in less production and a lack of export-quality mangoes,” Muhammad Shehzad Sheikh, the APFVEA chairman, told Arab News.
Due to the weather this year, he said, mango production was down by up to 40 percent in Punjab and 20 percent in Sindh, reducing the overall production by around 600,000 metric tons.
He said the APFVEA reduced this year’s target because it could not achieve the export target of 125,000 metric tons last year and exported only 100,000 metric tons of mangoes in 2023.
“With the export of 100,000 metric tons of mangoes during the current season, if achieved, a valuable foreign exchange of $90 million would be generated,” Sheikh said.
Expressing grave concerns, the APFVEA chairman said the effects of climate change on fruit cultivation, particularly mangoes, as well as on the larger agricultural sector were intensifying with each passing year.
“Extended winters, heavy rains, hailstorms and subsequent severe heatwaves have altered disease patterns throughout the seasons,” he explained, stressing an urgent need for research-based solutions to mitigate these effects and warning that failure to promptly do so could further jeopardize mango production and exports.
Besides climate change, the sector faces challenges like increased withholding tax and higher costs of electricity, gas, transportation, garden maintenance, pesticides and water management, which make it difficult to compete with other exporters, according to Sheikh.
On the contrary, officials said that despite production delays caused by climate change, there had been a surge in demand for Pakistani mangoes, particularly in the Middle East, that would not only make it possible to achieve the export target, but the country was also expected to exceed it.
“While the final figures will be clear by the end of the season in September, we expect around a 20 percent increase compared to last year,” Rashid Gillani, a deputy manager at the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP), told Arab News. “Our target is to exceed $120 million worth of [overall] mango exports.”
Last year, around 50 percent of all Pakistani mango exports went to the Middle Eastern countries, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and Iran, according to the APFVEA.
Gillani said operations were now running smoothly despite production delays and more fruit was ready to be shipped, noting that TDAP had organized several mango festivals in different countries with the assistance of Pakistani missions to increase the export of the fruit.
On Saturday, the Pakistani embassy in the UAE organized a mango festival event at the Pakistan Association Dubai, in collaboration with the Pakistan Business Council. The event was attended by diplomats, foreign dignitaries, community members and government officials.
Speaking to Arab News, Ali Zeb, commercial counselor at the Pakistani embassy, said the demand for Pakistani mangoes had been steadily increasing in the Emirates and it was expected to further enhance this year, following a positive response from visitors at the Dubai festival.
“In 2022, Pakistani mango exports to the UAE totaled 41,000 metric tons, valued at $27 million, marking a 16 percent increase from the previous year,” he said. “In 2023, exports grew to approximately 50,000 metric tons, worth $31 million.”
This upward trend in mango exports to the UAE was likely to continue this year as well, Zeb added.


Pakistani PM, Turkish president discuss Middle East crisis, express ‘unwavering solidarity’ with Palestinians

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Pakistani PM, Turkish president discuss Middle East crisis, express ‘unwavering solidarity’ with Palestinians

  • Turkish President Erdogan meets Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad
  • Development takes place as life limps back to normalcy in war-ravaged Palestine

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan voiced “unwavering solidarity” with the Palestinian people, Sharif’s office said on Thursday, reiterating Palestinians’ right to self-determination under a two-state solution. 

The development takes place as life limps to normalcy in war-ravaged Gaza, where Israel killed at least 48,000 people during the 15-month war triggered by Hamas’ surprise attack on Oct. 7, 2023. Around 1,200 Israelis were killed and 251 were taken as hostages in Hamas’ lightening offensive. 

Israel and Hamas last month reached an uneasy truce that has halted 15 months of war between the two sides. Aid trucks continue to supply food and medicines to the Palestinian people in Gaza as the fragile truce holds. 

The recent interaction between Erdogan and Sharif follows the Turkish president’s bilateral meeting with Sharif. Erdogan arrived in Pakistan late Wednesday for a two-day visit to boost trade and investment ties between the countries. 

“Both leaders also discussed recent developments in the Middle East during the course of which they expressed unwavering solidarity with the Palestinian people,” the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said. 

He reiterated Pakistan’s call for a two-state solution with an independent and sovereign state of Palestine with pre-1967 borders and Al Quds Al Sharif as its capital, Sharif’s office said. 

The statement also comes in the wake of recent controversial remarks by American President Donald Trump to resettle Gaza’s Palestinian residents and redevelop the enclave.

Under Trump’s scheme, Gaza’s about 2.2 million Palestinians would be resettled in Egypt, Jordan and other countries, and the United States would take control and ownership of the coastal territory, redeveloping it into the “Riviera of the Middle East.”

On Wednesday, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan also expressed concern in a phone call about Trump’s proposal to displace Palestinians from Gaza.

Trump’s comments have been rejected by Egypt and Jordan, while Arab countries and Pakistan have strongly criticized it. 
 


Police charge Pakistan couple with murder of child maid

Updated 13 February 2025
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Police charge Pakistan couple with murder of child maid

  • Iqra, 13, was taken to hospital in city of Rawalpindi on Tuesday in a critical condition and later died of severe injuries.
  • Rashid Shafiq and his wife Sana were charged with murder, remanded in custody for four days to allow for investigation

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani couple appeared in court on Thursday accused of murdering a child maid, who police said they beat with a rolling pin for allegedly stealing chocolate.
Thirteen-year-old Iqra, who had only one name, was taken to hospital in the garrison city of Rawalpindi on Tuesday in a critical condition and later died of severe injuries.
A spokesman for Rawalpindi police said Rashid Shafiq and his wife Sana, who also goes by one name, were charged with murder and remanded in custody for four days to allow for an investigation.
“Initially it was ascertained that the lady used a rolling pin for torture,” spokesman Sajjad ul Hassan told AFP.
“The victim had multiple fractures; legs, ankle, arms, head. All this happened due to a missing chocolate,” he said.
Child labor in domestic work remains widespread in Pakistan, according to an International Labour Organization report from 2022, with one in every four households employing a child in domestic work, predominantly girls aged 10-14.
It is illegal to employ individuals under the age of 15 but it remains a common practice, with impoverished parents often sending their young daughters to work.
Iqra’s father Sana Ullah, who lives in a rural Punjab village, told AFP that his daughter had been working with the couple for the past 22 months, during which they paid him 8,000 rupees (around $28) a month.
“The beasts tortured my daughter in a way that no human could ever do,” he told AFP.
“I demand justice for this brutality.”
Domestic workers frequently face exploitation, violence and sexual abuse, with Pakistan’s patriarchal and rigid social-class structure leaving them without a voice.
In the past, parents frequently forgave the accused through out-of-court settlements under Islamic law, which allows the victim’s heirs to either seek retribution or accept compensation in the form of blood money.
Prosecutions for housemaid abuse are rare despite media attention on high-profile cases, with perpetrators facing few or no consequences.
In 2020, a couple in the same city was arrested for allegedly murdering their seven-year-old maid, who was blamed for letting a pet bird escape.


‘Block that noise,’ ex-captain Sarfaraz advises Pakistan to hold nerves during India clash 

Updated 13 February 2025
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‘Block that noise,’ ex-captain Sarfaraz advises Pakistan to hold nerves during India clash 

  • Pakistan face India on Feb. 23 in Dubai for Champions Trophy 2025 Group A clash 
  • Under Sarfaraz Ahmed’s leadership in 2017, Pakistan beat India to win Champions Trophy

ISLAMABAD: Former Pakistan cricket captain Sarfaraz Ahmed advised the green shirts to head into their highly anticipated Champions Trophy clash against India by keeping their nerves in check and avoiding the added pressure, the International Cricket Council (ICC) reported on Thursday. 

India and Pakistan will take the field against each other in Dubai on Feb. 23 for their Champions Trophy Group A clash. One of the fiercest rivalries in sport, cricket matches between the two countries draw thousands to stadiums across the world, and millions to TV sets. 

Pakistan will begin their title defense against New Zealand on Feb. 19 in Karachi. Under Ahmed’s leadership in 2017, Pakistan beat India to lift the Champions Trophy that year in a one-sided clash. 

“Whenever we meet, it is a special occasion and there is so much hype and pressure around it,” Ahmed wrote in a column for the ICC.

“But as players, you need to stay calm, try and block that noise out, and just play with the same intensity as you would play Australia or any other team.”

Ahmed said Pakistan have a strong team and a really good chance of successfully defending the trophy. 

“Some of the boys from 2017 are still there and we’re talking about some of the best – especially Babar Azam,” he said, referring to Pakistan’s most prolific ODI batter. 

Ahmed noted that Azam was more mature and formidable than he was in 2017. 

“His batting will be so important for Pakistan and so will Fakhar Zaman’s,” he said, referring to Pakistan’s left-handed aggressive opening batter. 

He said left-armer Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf are both “brilliant bowlers.”

“The captain, Mohammad Rizwan, is also a wicketkeeper-batter, which worked pretty well for me back in 2017!” he said. 

The green shirts will face New Zealand in the final of an ongoing tri-nation series involving South Africa on Friday in Karachi. 

The tri-nation series is a warm-up before the Champions Trophy kicks off next week. 


Opposition party writes to IMF on ‘electoral rigging’ as mission in Pakistan to assess governance

Updated 13 February 2025
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Opposition party writes to IMF on ‘electoral rigging’ as mission in Pakistan to assess governance

  • PTI’s Omar Ayub highlights the importance of transparency for economic and political stability in the note
  • He expresses hope that rule of law and democratic integrity will be a priority in IMF’s dealings with Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party wrote to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Wednesday, urging it to take note of alleged election rigging and the manipulation of the democratic system in Pakistan.
The letter, penned by Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub, comes as a three-member IMF mission visits Pakistan for a Governance and Corruption Diagnostic Assessment (GCDA) under the country’s $7 billion loan program.
The assessment, running until Feb. 14, aims to evaluate vulnerabilities in six key state functions, including fiscal governance, central bank operations, financial sector oversight, market regulation, rule of law and anti-money laundering efforts.
PTI has consistently complained of widespread irregularities in last year’s national elections, claiming they were used to deprive the party of its mandate. It has also protested a systematic crackdown on its leaders and supporters, arguing that a recent constitutional amendment has weakened the judicial system, leaving them without legal recourse.
“I write to you at a crucial juncture when the IMF mission is assessing Pakistan’s economic and governance framework, with transparency and the rule of law being fundamental concerns,” Ayub said in the letter addressed to IMF country head Mahir Binici.
“In this context, enclosed is a dossier that has been submitted to the Honorable Chief Justice of Pakistan, detailing undeniable evidence of widespread electoral rigging in the 2024 General Elections,” he continued.
Ayub emphasized the importance of transparency for economic and political stability, asserting that his party’s concerns should be brought to the attention of international institutions monitoring governance in Pakistan.
“We trust that upholding the rule of law and democratic integrity will remain a priority in all engagements concerning Pakistan’s future,” he added, offering Binici the opportunity to meet PTI leaders for further details.
Ayub’s letter follows an unprecedented meeting between the IMF team and Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi on Feb. 11, where they discussed judicial reforms, accountability and the recent controversial restructuring of a commission responsible for recommending judges to Pakistan’s superior courts.
This is not the first time PTI has reached out to the IMF with grievances following its removal from power in April 2022 through a no-confidence vote.
Last year, Imran Khan himself wrote to the global lender, urging it to carefully review the election results before approving new financial assistance for Islamabad. Despite PTI’s concerns, Pakistan secured a $7 billion loan from the IMF in September 2024.
In 2022, an audio leak featuring PTI’s former finance minister Shaukat Tarin also surfaced, in which he advised a provincial PTI leader in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to inform the IMF that Pakistan’s government would not be able to fulfill its loan repayment commitments.
The party came under severe criticism, with its rivals accusing it of working against the economic interests of Pakistan.


Pakistan hopeful Champions Trophy will bring more big events

Updated 13 February 2025
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Pakistan hopeful Champions Trophy will bring more big events

  • Top teams shunned Pakistan after 2009 attack on bus carrying Sri Lankan cricket players in Lahore 
  • Pakistan last hosted ICC event in 1996 when that year’s 50-over-World Cup was played in sub continent 

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will host a first major multi-country cricket tournament in nearly three decades next week and its cricket chief is hopeful that a successful Champions Trophy will bring a flood of other such events.
Top teams shunned Pakistan after the 2009 attack on a bus carrying Sri Lankan cricketers in Lahore, forcing them to relocate home matches, mostly to the United Arab Emirates.
It took the Pakistan Cricket Board years to convince foreign counterparts that it was safe to visit. Touring sides began returning after the board successfully staged its own T20 league, with several foreign players, on home soil in 2017.
“The ICC (International Cricket Council) Champions Trophy 2025 is a culmination of those efforts,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told Reuters.
“Our successful hosting of this event will further enhance Pakistan’s credentials, positioning us as a strong contender for more ICC events in the next events cycle.”
Pakistan staged the 1996 World Cup after winning the previous edition of cricket’s marquee event but the country’s fortunes crumbled with the rise of militancy following war in neighboring Afghanistan.

’SECURE AND WELL-MANAGED’
“Security has long ceased to be a concern for visiting teams as we have consistently demonstrated our ability to provide a safe, secure and well-managed environment for international cricket,” said Naqvi, who also doubles as the country’s internal security chief.
“Once we successfully staged home international series and consistently delivered PSL (Pakistan Super League) editions at world-class standards, the ICC accepted and recognized Pakistan’s readiness to host a global event,” he said.
“Since 2019, all major Test-playing nations — except India — have toured Pakistan, some multiple times.”
Naqvi said multiple visits by England and New Zealand and the growing number of international players in the PSL were an endorsement. “As a result, they are already familiar with Pakistan’s world-class playing conditions, operational efficiency and robust security measures.”
But he acknowledged that staging a multi-team event was tougher than hosting a single team.
“The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 has been a monumental task, requiring extensive preparations in a limited timeframe. Our stadiums last underwent significant renovations for the 1996 World Cup, and since then, the global cricketing landscape has evolved tremendously.”
The PCB has upgraded two main grounds in Karachi and Lahore for the event in an 11th-hour facelift.