ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, on Friday called for the country’s diplomats to divert from conventional foreign policy to economic diplomacy, amid a push for growth and financial stability in the South Asian country.
Pakistan avoided a sovereign default last year, thanks to a last-gasp $3 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) program that was completed in April this year, and has since recovered slightly from an acute balance-of-payments crisis. The South Asian country last month reached a staff-level agreement with the global lender for a new 37-month, $7 billion loan program.
The loan deal aims to strengthen fiscal and monetary policy as well as reforms to broaden the tax base, improve the management of state-owned enterprises, strengthen competition, secure a level playing field for investment, enhance human capital, and scale up social protection through increased generosity and coverage in a major welfare program, the IMF said.
Addressing foreign policy graduates at a ceremony in Islamabad, Dar said they needed to reorient their diplomatic initiatives to ensure that Pakistan’s development agenda also advanced along with its foreign policy.
“Conventional diplomacy times are over. The basic purpose of foreign policy is not only to safeguard national interests but also to help stimulating economic growth by transforming geo-strategic position into economic position,” he said. “I think we have failed to streamline and benefit from our location.”
Pakistan wants to position itself as a regional trade hub and to leverage its strategic geopolitical position and enhance its role as a pivotal trade and transit hub connecting China and Central Asia with the rest of the world.
In recent months, there has been a flurry of visits, investment talks, and economic activity between Pakistan, China and Central Asian states, including Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.
“The world we are living in is undergoing a profound transformation. The world order is moving toward multi polarity,” Dar said. “In addition to the old and security threats, new and non-traditional security challenges have made global security more vulnerable.”
He said conventional warfare had been replaced with “battle of narratives and disinformation” with the popularity of social media.
“These challenges are directly impacting Pakistan’s global relations and foreign policy,” he said. “Our foreign policy must respond to these challenges to ensure that Pakistan’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence are fully secured.”
Pakistani deputy PM calls for pivot to ‘economic diplomacy’ amid push for growth, stability
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Pakistani deputy PM calls for pivot to ‘economic diplomacy’ amid push for growth, stability
- Pakistan narrowly avoided a sovereign default last year, thanks to a last-gasp, $3 billion IMF program that was completed in April this year
- The country has since recovered slightly and has reached a new $7 billion loan deal with the lender to help achieve further economic stability
Pakistan calls for disaster preparedness, better infrastructure on 19th anniversary of deadly 2005 earthquake
- Over 86,000 people were killed, 69,000 injured on Oct. 8, 2005 in Pakistan after 7.6-magnitude quake
- Pakistan is recognized as one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change effects in the world
KARACHI: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stressed the need for improved disaster preparedness and safer infrastructure in the country to deal with natural disasters, including those that stem from climate change effects, state-run media reported on Tuesday as Pakistan marks the 19th anniversary of the 2005 deadly earthquake that killed thousands across the country.
At least 86,000 people were killed and more than 69,000 injured in northern Pakistan on Oct. 8, 2005, when a 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck the country, razing thousands of buildings to the ground. It is considered the deadliest earthquake in South Asia, surpassing the 1935 Quetta earthquake which killed up to 60,000 people.
Pakistan is regarded as one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change effects. Heavy monsoon rains and melting of glaciers triggered flash floods in June 2022 that killed at least 1,700 people and washed away large swathes of crops. Pakistan says it suffered losses of over $30 billion due to the floods.
“PM Sharif said the government’s policy initiatives should encompass various sectors, including safe infrastructure development, improved disaster preparedness, poverty alleviation, safer spatial land use planning, adherence to building codes, efficient water resource management, sound agricultural practices, and increased afforestation nationwide including coastal areas,” the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) said.
Sharif urged all stakeholders to form synergy by understanding each other’s strengths and limitations, and by achieving interoperability among national, global, public and private sectors, the APP said.
The prime minister stressed the need for “efficient and effective” coordination and the development of contingency plans to protect communities living in Pakistan’s remote areas. He lamented how Pakistan was facing the worst impacts of climate change despite being responsible for only 0.88 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions.
“Frequent recurrence of unpredictable extreme events have given a devastating blow to our struggling economy,” Sharif was quoted as saying by the APP.
Pakistani journalists in Karachi march in solidarity with media workers killed in Gaza
- Israel’s military campaign has killed 175 journalists since Oct. 7, 2023, according to Gaza’s Government Media Office
- Over 100 journalists demand end to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, “fair coverage” of war from Western media
KARACHI: Over a hundred Pakistani journalists took part in a march this week in Karachi to express solidarity with media workers killed in Gaza, demanding an immediate ceasefire and an end to Israel’s military campaigns in the Middle East.
Israel’s war on Gaza has resulted in the killing of 175 journalists, according to Gaza’s Government Media Office, while the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has said that at least 128 journalists and media workers are among over 41,000 killed in the densely populated area since Israel launched its ruthless war on Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023.
A large number of journalists marched from the Karachi Press Club in the city to the Governor House on Monday, holding banners denouncing Israel’s military campaigns in Gaza and expressing support for the Palestinian people. Rallies in various parts of the country on Monday to mark the one-year anniversary of Israel’s war on Gaza.
“This is actually an attempt to raise that voice for the Palestinian journalists, the people of Palestine, those unarmed people, who are being subjected to extreme brutalities, to stand with them and to make them realize that during such times, when you are being subjected to extreme brutalities, you are not alone,” journalist Nayyar Ali told a crowd of journalists at the march.
“The entire Muslim world is with you.”
Reporter Aamir Latif said through extensive coverage, journalists have exposed “Israeli brutalities” in Gaza and Lebanon.
“So, it is not something which we can say [is] the coincidence,” Latif told Arab News. “They are deliberately targeting journalists. Two days before, they have targeted the 175th journalist in Gaza since Oct. 7.”
Latif was referring to Palestinian journalist Hassan Hamad who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza on Oct. 6. Days earlier, the journalist had said he was warned by an Israeli officer to stop filming in Gaza.
Veteran Karachi-based journalist and analyst Mazhar Abbas called on the Western media to provide “fair coverage” to Gaza and the Israeli military campaign in Beirut.
“The policymakers of the Western media should revisit their policy, should give more respect to journalism, should give more respect to the fair coverage,” he said.
Pakistan says seeking long-term partnership with Russia in defense, trade amid investment push
- Russian Ambassador to Pakistan Albert P. Khorev meets Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif
- Russia and Pakistan, once bitter rivals, have held regular trade and business interactions over past couple of years
ISLAMABAD: Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif has said that Pakistan seeks a long-term partnership with Russia in the fields of defense, trade and energy, state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported on Tuesday amid Islamabad’s push for foreign investment.
Pakistan and Russia have held regular business and trade interactions over the past couple of years in an effort to boost ties and enhance regional cooperation. The two countries, once bitter Cold War rivals, have recently warmed up to each other as Pakistan seeks to enhance bilateral trade with landlocked Central Asian countries through Russia.
The two countries last week held an inaugural trade and investment forum in Moscow last week where Pakistan’s privatization minister led a delegation of over 70 businesspersons to discuss bilateral trade and business cooperation with Russian officials and business community.
Russia’s Ambassador to Pakistan Albert P. Khorev called on Asif in Islamabad to discuss matters related to defense and economic cooperation, Radio Pakistan said.
“He said Pakistan intends to forge a long-term multidimensional partnership with Russia, especially in the fields of defense, trade, energy and people-to-people contacts,” the state broadcaster said.
Asif reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to regional peace and security while the Russian envoy assured the minister of his country’s commitment to collaborate with Pakistan in matters of mutual interest, Radio Pakistan added.
Apart from economic and defense cooperation, Pakistan has also turned to Russia for cheaper sources of fuel. Islamabad’s ties with Russia saw significant improvement last year after Pakistan started purchasing Russian crude oil at a discount rate. The development came after geopolitical tensions almost doubled fuel prices in Pakistan last year.
Pakistan also received its first shipment of liquified petroleum gas from Russia in September 2023, marking Islamabad’s second major Russian energy purchase. Meanwhile last month, Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk arrived in Islamabad on a brief visit, seeking to expand trade and investment ties with Pakistan.
Pakistan has increasingly sought cooperation in terms of trade and investment with regional countries and financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in recent months to recover from a macroeconomic crisis that has drained its resources.
The South Asian country narrowly avoided a sovereign default last year when it secured a last-gasp $3 billion financial assistance package from the IMF. Pakistan’s economic crisis has seen its inflation reach double-digit figures, foreign exchange reserves plummet to historic lows and its currency weaken significantly against the US dollar over the past two years.
Pakistani activist says offloaded from US-bound flight to attend ‘Time100 Next’ gala
- Dr. Mahrang Baloch recognized among world’s 100 emerging leaders for “advocating peacefully for Baloch rights”
- Government and army have questioned Baloch’s motives and called rights movement she leads a “terrorist proxy”
ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani doctor and ethnic Baloch rights activist Dr. Mahrang Baloch accused the government of preventing her from attending a Time magazine event this week by illegally offloading her from a New York-bound flight, saying the action reflected the state’s “growing fear and insecurity” toward Baloch voices.
Time magazine last week included Baloch in its prestigious ‘Time100 Next’ list which spotlights 100 personalities that shape the future of business, entertainment, sports, politics, science, health and more. Baloch, 31, was featured in the list for “advocating peacefully for Baloch rights.”
Baloch has been a fierce critic of Pakistan’s powerful military, whom rights activists, politicians and families also blame for enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in the impoverished, southwestern Balochistan province. Pakistan’s state has led a crackdown against a separatist insurgency led by ethnic Baloch militants for the past two decades in the province. The military denies these allegations and says it is involved in several development schemes to uplift Balochistan.
In a post on social media platform X, Baloch said she was offloaded from her flight to New York by a Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) official “without any valid or legal justification,” adding that her passport was also confiscated by the official when the flight took off.
“I was unjustly stopped at Karachi International Airport with no legal or valid given reason, which is a clear violation of my fundamental right to freedom of movement,” Baloch wrote on Monday. “This action reflects the growing fear and insecurity of the state toward Baloch voices.”
Baloch said the purpose of preventing her from traveling to New York was to silence Baloch voices “from being heard internationally” and to control the flow of information about the situation in Balochistan.
“This arbitrary travel ban is part of the increasing crackdown on Baloch human rights defenders and activists,” she said. “I will fight back against this unjust restriction on my rights to movement.”
Baloch, who leads the Baloch Yakjehti Committee civil rights movement, last December led hundreds of women in a long march to the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, demanding justice for their “disappeared” husbands, sons, and brothers. In July, she organized the “Baloch Raji Muchi” gathering in the strategic port city of Gwadar, an event aimed at uniting the Baloch against alleged rights abuses.
Pakistan’s military has rejected the activist’s allegations in the past and questioned her motives.
In August, military spokesperson Lt. Gen. Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry said the purpose of the BYC and the Baloch Raaji Muchi it had convened in the port city of Gwadar, where China is building a deep sea port, was to make development projects and investments “controversial” and incite people against the Pakistan army and other security forces involved in operations against insurgency and crime in Balochistan.
Pakistan says potential cyclone in Arabian Sea may affect coastal areas this month
- The weather system is currently positioned near India’s Lakshadweep Valley and expected to move northwestward
- Early forecasts suggest the possibility of landfall along the Pakistani coast, depending on its trajectory and intensity
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Emergencies Operation Center (NEOC) said on Monday a low-pressure system was developing in the Arabian Sea that could transform into a cyclone and affect coastal areas of the country later this month.
The system is currently positioned near India’s Lakshadweep Valley and is expected to move northwestward, according to an early advisory issued by the NEOC.
Early forecasts suggest the possibility of landfall along the Pakistani coastline in the third week of October, depending on its trajectory and intensity.
“There is a chance that this low-pressure system may evolve into a full-fledged tropical cyclone, with the potential to affect the coastal areas of Pakistan,” the NEOC said in a statement.
“Citizens and stakeholders, particularly those residing in coastal regions, are advised to stay informed of official updates and adviseries as the situation evolves.”
The NEOC said the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), in collaboration with relevant departments, was continuously monitoring the situation to provide timely updates and issue further adviseries.
In August, a cyclonic storm, ASNA, in the Arabian Sea caused heavy rains in coastal areas in Pakistan’s southern Sindh and southwestern Balochistan provinces.
Pakistan has seen erratic changes in its weather patterns which have led to frequent heat waves, untimely rains, cyclones and droughts in recent years. Scientists have blamed the events on human-driven climate change.
