ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan government has announced the formation of a committee to identify companies financially supporting Israel’s war in Gaza and recommend banning their products, according to a close aide to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday.
Rana Sanaullah, the PM’s political adviser, shared the decision after negotiating an end to a sit-in by the religious group Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), which was demanding an official ban on such products and increased food and medical assistance to Palestinians.
The TLP, which also asked the government to declare Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “a terrorist,” called off its week-long sit-in after reaching an agreement with the government, as shared by the information ministry.
“Israel has emerged as a terrorist state and Netanyahu has committed war crimes,” Sanaullah said in a news conference in Islamabad after the TLP agreement. “Pakistan’s prime minister has condemned this in strong words during the Shanghai conference and Pakistan government will continue to condemn this on every forum, using all the possible steps to help Palestinian Muslims.”
“We have also agreed on and will follow it with details that not just Israel, but all the products related to them or those companies who, in any way, directly or indirectly, are involved in this cruelty or assisting that country [Israel] and its forces in any form, will be boycotted and use of their products will be banned,” he continued. “We have formed a committee in this regard, and we will go in detail to find out the companies that might be linked to Israel and if we may be using their products and because of that these forces who are involved in this cruelty are being helped financially.”
Many people in Pakistan have called for a boycott of foreign companies suspected of supporting Israel since the beginning of the war in Gaza.
Social media campaigns and public figures have also voiced support for such a boycott, urging consumers to choose alternative products.
Israel’s has so far claimed at least 39,000 lives, many of them women and children. The casualties have sparked anger and protests worldwide, including in Pakistan, where the country’s civil society and political factions have consistently led pro-Palestine rallies.
The TLP set up its protest camp last Saturday at a busy traffic juncture, the Faizabad Interchange, connecting Rawalpindi and Islamabad.
Known for its hard-line stance on blasphemy laws, the party also staged similar sit-ins at the same spot in the past, significantly disrupting the flow of traffic between the two cities.
Pakistan forms committee to identify businesses supporting Israel as religious party calls off sit-in
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Pakistan forms committee to identify businesses supporting Israel as religious party calls off sit-in
- TLP supporters staged a pro-Palestine sit-in at Faizabad Interchange connecting Rawalpindi and Islamabad last Saturday
- They asked the government to declare Israeli PM ‘a terrorist’ and send more food and medical supplies to Gaza Strip
Pakistan president meets UAE counterpart, explores trade, investment opportunities
- Asif Ali Zardari is in UAE on four-day visit to strengthen bilateral ties, review bilateral cooperation
- Both sides discuss regional, international developments, reaffirm commitment to promote peace
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari met his UAE counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday during which both sides explored new opportunities in trade, investment, energy and other sectors, Zardari's office said.
Zardari arrived in Abu Dhabi on Monday evening with a high-level delegation on a four-day official visit to the UAE to review trade, economic and security cooperation.
"The leaders discussed ways to further deepen the longstanding and brotherly relations between Pakistan and the UAE," a statement from Zardari's office said about his meeting with the UAE president.
"They reviewed the full spectrum of bilateral cooperation and explored new opportunities in trade, investment, energy, infrastructure, technology, and people-to-people exchanges, highlighting the significant potential for expanding economic and strategic partnership.
Zardari highlighted the significance of Al-Nayhan's visit to Pakistan last month, the statement said, expressing appreciation for the UAE's continued support for strengthening bilateral ties.
It said both sides also exchanged views on a range of regional and international developments, reaffirming their commitment to promoting peace, stability and sustainable development.
The meeting was also attended by Pakistan's First Lady Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari, the Pakistani president's son Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, who is also the chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Pakistan's ambassador to the UAE.
ZARDARI MEETS AD PORTS CEO
Zardari earlier met AD Ports Group CEO Captain Mohamed Juma Al-Shamisi to discuss the group's investment initiatives in Karachi.
"Both sides agreed that the expansion and modernization of port infrastructure would strengthen trade flows and support Pakistan’s broader economic development and country’s seaborne trade," the President's Secretariat said in a statement.
It added that Zardari described the AD Ports Group's long-term investment and expanding role in Pakistan's maritime and logistics sector as a key pillar of Pakistan–UAE economic cooperation.
Pakistan and the UAE maintain close political and economic relations, with Abu Dhabi playing a pivotal role in supporting Islamabad during periods of financial stress through deposits, oil facilities and investment commitments.
The UAE is Pakistan's third-largest trading partner, after China and the United States, and a key destination for Pakistani exports, particularly food, textiles and construction services.
The Gulf state is also home to more than 1.5 million Pakistani expatriates, one of the largest overseas Pakistani communities in the world, who contribute billions of dollars annually in remittances, a crucial source of foreign exchange for Pakistan’s economy.
Beyond trade and labor ties, Pakistan and the UAE have steadily expanded defense and security cooperation over the years, including military training, joint exercises and collaboration in counter-terrorism and regional security matters.
