Pakistani PM says Israel threatening to drag entire Middle East into war

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif speaks during the 79th UN General Assembly meeting in New York on September 27, 2024. (Photo courtesy: PMO)
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Updated 27 September 2024
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Pakistani PM says Israel threatening to drag entire Middle East into war

  • Sharif was addressing UN General Assembly, where he spoke about Gaza, Kashmir, Pakistan’s fight against terror
  • Sharif also lamented that UN Security Council Resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir had not been implemented

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Friday a failure to implement United Nations resolutions concerning Palestine had emboldened Israel and it was threatening to drag the entire Middle East into war.

Sharif was addressing the UN General Assembly, where he spoke about the war in Gaza, India’s ‘occupation’ of Kashmir, Pakistan’s fight against militancy and its struggle to shore up its economy, among other issues.

Gaza health authorities list more than 41,000 Palestinians confirmed killed in Israel’s air and ground assault, launched after Hamas fighters attacked Israeli towns on Oct. 7 last year, killing 1,200 people and capturing around 250 hostages. Israel’s airstrikes in recent days in Lebanon have killed hundreds of people and heightened fears of a regional war.

“In a span of a few days, Israel’s unrelenting bombing of Lebanon, has killed over 500 people, including women, and even small children,” Sharif told the UNGA.

“The failure to implement UN resolutions has emboldened Israel. It threatens to drag the entire Middle East into a war, whose consequences could be grave and beyond imagination.”

Sharif called for “durable peace” through a two-state solution.

“We must seek a viable, secure, contiguous and sovereign State of Palestine, based on the pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its eternal capital. And to advance these goals, Palestine must also be immediately admitted as a full member of the United Nations,” Sharif said.




Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif speaks during the 79th UN General Assembly meeting in New York on September 27, 2024. (UN/Screengrab)

Sharif also lamented that UN Security Council Resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir had not been implemented. The Council has adopted several resolutions in 1948 and in the 1950s on the dispute between India and Pakistan over the region, including one which says a plebiscite should be held to determine the future of the mostly Muslim Kashmir.

Another resolution also calls upon both sides to “refrain from making any statements and from doing or causing to be done or permitting any acts which might aggravate the situation.”

UN peacekeepers have been deployed since 1949 to observe a ceasefire between India and Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir.

“Instead of moving toward peace, India has resiled from commitments to implement the Security Council resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir. These resolutions mandate a plebiscite to enable the people of Jammu and Kashmir to exercise their fundamental right to self- determination,” Sharif said.

The Himalayan region has long been a flashpoint in ties between the nuclear-armed neighbors India and Pakistan, who both claim it in full and rule it in part.

In August 2019, India stripped the part of Kashmir it administers of its special status, blocked the right of the state to frame its own laws and allowed non-residents to buy property there. Telephone lines, Internet and television networks were blocked and there were heavy restrictions on movement and assembly.

“Day in and day out, nine hundred thousand Indian troops terrorize the people of occupied Jammu and Kashmir, with draconian measures, including prolonged curfews, extra-judicial killings and the abduction of thousands of young Kashmiris,” Sharif said.




Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif speaks during the 79th UN General Assembly meeting in New York on September 27, 2024. (UN/Screengrab)

“At the same time, in a classic settler-colonial project, India is seizing Kashmiri lands and properties, and settling outsiders into occupied Jammu and Kashmir, to transform the Muslim- majority into a minority. This hackneyed tactic is employed by all occupying powers, but it has always failed. In Jammu and Kashmir too, it shall fail.”

Sharif said it was also “worrying” that India was engaged in a “massive expansion” of its military capabilities, which were essentially deployed against Pakistan:

“Its war doctrines, envisage a surprise attack and a ‘limited war under the nuclear overhang’. Thoughtlessly, India has spurned Pakistan’s proposals for a mutual “Strategic Restraint Regime”. Its leadership has often threatened to cross the Line of Control and “take-over” Azad Kashmir. Let me state in no uncertain terms that Pakistan will respond most decisively to any Indian aggression.”


Karachi Shipyard to build Pakistan’s first major commercial ship in 40 years

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Karachi Shipyard to build Pakistan’s first major commercial ship in 40 years

  • Pakistan’s premier investment body SIFC revives 1100 TEU Container Ship Project, says state broadcaster
  • Project to feature collaboration among navy, Karachi shipyard and Pakistan National Shipping Corporation

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s premier investment body has revived a shipbuilding project through which the Karachi Shipyard will build the country’s first major commercial ship in four decades, state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported on Saturday.

The 1100 TEU Container Ship Project, which had been on hold for nine months, has been revived by the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), a hybrid civil-military government body formed in 2023 to facilitate foreign investment in Pakistan’s key economic sectors. 

The cargo shipbuilding project will feature collaboration between the Pakistan Navy, Karachi shipyard, and Pakistan National Shipping Corporation, the state media said. 

“Under this project, Karachi Shipyard will locally construct its first major commercial cargo ship after forty years,” Radio Pakistan said. 

It said the 24.75-million-dollar contract provides an opportunity for Pakistan to build ships at a cost lower than international market rates. 

“This is a key step toward reducing dependence on foreign shipping companies and promoting Pakistan’s economic self-sufficiency,” the state media said. 

Pakistan has sought to reduce its dependency on bailout programs and aid from allies in recent years. The South Asian country has said it aims for export-oriented growth and wants to reduce its imports to save valuable foreign exchange amid a macroeconomic crisis. 


After Wasim, Pakistan cricketer Amir retires from international cricket 

Updated 14 December 2024
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After Wasim, Pakistan cricketer Amir retires from international cricket 

  • Amir came out of retirement in April after nearly four years to participate in T20 World Cup 2024
  • Amir, 32, has played 36 Tests, 61 ODIs and 62 T20Is for Pakistan since his international debut in 2009

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani fast bowler Mohammad Amir has announced his retirement from international cricket, a day after all-rounder Imad Wasim did the same, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Thursday. 

Left-arm pacer Amir, 32, returned to international cricket after nearly four years in April this year for the T20 World Cup. He has featured in 36 Tests, 61 ODIs and 62 T20Is for Pakistan since making his international debut in June 2009. 

Amir has also taken 271 international wickets and scored 1,179 runs across the three formats. His retirement announcement follows a day after Wasim publicly said he was retiring from international cricket after putting much thought and reflection into the matter. 

“All-rounder Imad Wasim and left-arm fast bowler Mohammad Amir have announced their retirements from international cricket,” the PCB said. “Both players last featured for Pakistan in this year’s ICC T20 World Cup held in the USA and West Indies.”

The PCB said Amir and Wasim have both been “key members of the Pakistan men’s cricket team” over the years and also represented the Pakistan U-19 team. 

Amir was also part of the 2009 ICC T20 World Cup winning squad, and with Wasim, both were an integral part of the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy winning squad. 

“It has been a great honor to play for Pakistan across all three formats,” Amir said. “I know this is a difficult decision, but I feel this is the right time for the next generation to take the baton and elevate Pakistan cricket to new heights.”

The Pakistani pacer thanked the PCB for extending “much-needed support” over the years and the Pakistani fans. 

After rising as one of the most promising talents in international cricket in 2009, Amir was one of three Pakistan players banned from cricket for five years for spot-fixing during a Test match in England after being caught in a newspaper sting. 

He was later jailed in the UK for six months.

He returned to the squad years later and proved instrumental in helping Pakistan win the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 in England. 


Pakistan launches scholarships for 300 Bangladeshi students amid push to forge closer ties

Updated 14 December 2024
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Pakistan launches scholarships for 300 Bangladeshi students amid push to forge closer ties

  • Pakistan, Bangladesh have sought to improve bilateral ties since former PM Hasina’s ouster
  • Fully funded scholarship program supported by NUST, Comsats and LUMS, says state media 

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s government this week launched a new program through which it will provide fully funded scholarships to 300 Bangladeshi students, state-run media reported, as Islamabad establishes closer ties with Dhaka under a new Bangladeshi administration. 

The scholarship program is backed by Pakistan’s education ministry and supported by leading universities such as NUST, Comsats, and Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), the Pakistan Television News reported. 

“During a recent meeting, officials urged universities to promote the program in Bangladesh through events and an online portal,” PTV News said on Friday. 

“The scholarships seek to enhance educational exchanges and cultural connections between the two countries.”

Established together as one independent nation in 1947, Bangladesh won liberation from then-West Pakistan in 1971. Relations between the two countries continued to deteriorate during former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s administration, which prosecuted several members of the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) party for war crimes relating to the 1971 conflict.

However, relations between Pakistan and Bangladesh have improved since Hasina was ousted in a bloody student-led protest in August. Islamabad’s ties with Dhaka have also improved as Bangladesh’s relations with India, where Hasina has sought refuge, have deteriorated.

Pakistan’s foreign office said in September that Islamabad sought “robust, multifaceted, friendly relations” with Bangladesh to ensure peace and stability in the region.

Sharif met Dr. Yunus in New York in September at a ceremony hosted by the Bangladeshi leader to mark the completion of 50 years of Bangladesh’s membership in the United Nations.

Both sides agreed to forge stronger ties and enhance bilateral cooperation in various fields during their meeting. 


Pakistan PM calls for shutting down outdated power plants with higher fuel consumption

Updated 14 December 2024
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Pakistan PM calls for shutting down outdated power plants with higher fuel consumption

  • Pakistan produces expensive electricity due to outdated infrastructure, reliance on imported fuel, and substantial transmission losses
  • PM Shehbaz Sharif calls for expediting implementation of ongoing reforms and modernization of the country’s power transmission system

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday called for shutting down inefficient and outdated power plants that produced less power with higher fuel consumption, Pakistani state media reported.
Pakistan produces expensive electricity due to a combination of factors, including outdated infrastructure and inadequate power plants, reliance on imported fossil fuels, inefficient energy mix, substantial transmission and distribution losses, and chronic issues like circular debt and regulatory inefficiencies.
Additionally, fluctuations in foreign exchange rates and complex tariff structures contribute to higher electricity prices, while underutilization of domestic resources such as hydropower and coal add to the problem. High power cost is one of the key factors that leads to inflation in the South Asian country.
On Friday, Sharif presided over a meeting in Islamabad to evaluate and discuss future plans for power generation in the country and said only low-cost power projects should be prioritized in the future, the Radio Pakistan broadcaster reported.
“The closure of such [outdated] power plants will not only save valuable foreign exchange spent on fuel imports, but also reduce the cost of electricity for consumers,” he was quoted as saying.
The prime minister called for expediting implementation of ongoing reforms and instructed officials to modernize the power transmission system as per international standards, according to the report.
In October, Sharif said his government was terminating purchase agreements with five independent power producers (IPPs) to rein in electricity tariffs as households and businesses buckled under soaring energy costs.
The need to revisit power deals was part of reforms for a critical staff-level pact in July with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a $7-billion bailout. The program was approved in September.
Pakistan has also begun talks to reprofile power sector debt owed to China and structural reforms, but progress has been slow. It has also promised to stop power sector subsidies.
 


Pakistan’s Sindh invites Qatari, Thai envoys to explore investment opportunities in province

Updated 14 December 2024
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Pakistan’s Sindh invites Qatari, Thai envoys to explore investment opportunities in province

  • Sindh chief minister meets consul generals of Thailand, Qatar separately to discuss bilateral investment 
  • Pakistan seeks closer financial ties and improve bilateral relations with regional allies amid economic crisis

ISLAMABAD: The chief minister of Pakistan’s Sindh this week invited the envoys of Qatar and Thailand to explore investment opportunities in the province, as Islamabad attempts to attract increased foreign investment to remedy its economic woes. 

Pakistan has forged closer trade, investment, and economic ties with regional allies as it seeks to escape an economic crisis that has drained its resources and weakened its currency significantly over the past two years. 

Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah met the consul generals of Thailand and Qatar on Friday in separate meetings in the provincial capital of Karachi, ensuring them of the Sindh government’s full support to them in matters related to investment. 

“Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has invited the investors of Thailand and Qatar to take advantage of the several investment opportunities in the province,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported on Friday. 

Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah (right) meets with Consul Generals of Thailand, Surashete Boontinand, at CM House in Karachi, Pakistan, on December 13, 2024. (@SindhCMHouse/X)

During his meeting with Qatar Consul General Naif Shaheen Al-Sulaiti, Shah discussed various investment opportunities present in Sindh and invited the Qatar Investment Authority to invest in Sindh, the state broadcaster said. 

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited Qatar in October as he sought to bolster economic cooperation amid the country’s efforts to boost foreign investment and stabilize its frail $350 billion economy.

In November, Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori met Qatari’s Ambassador to Pakistan Ali Mubarak Ali Essa Al-Khater to discuss ways to enhance investment and improve bilateral ties between the two countries.