PESHAWAR/ DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Thousands of people gathered in the Khyber tribal district in Pakistan’s northwest on Friday to attend a three-day grand council organized by the recently banned Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) to address issues in the volatile region, though proceedings were delayed due to insufficient arrangements.
The provincial administration of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) allowed PTM to hold the Pashtun National Jirga after extensive deliberations involving representatives of different political parties a day earlier.
The dialogue over the issue was arranged by KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and took place after federal authorities in Pakistan banned PTM on charges of supporting the Pakistani Taliban militants and promoting anti-state narratives and activities.
The PTM leadership, which has consistently denied these allegations and claims it only advocates for Pashtun rights, said it would proceed with the jirga to discuss security challenges in the province. The group lost three of its supporters in a clash with police on Wednesday while preparing for the ethnic gathering.
“The arrangements were delayed as we had an issue [with the police] some two days ago and faced a crackdown that impeded the preparations,” Zakim Wazir, a member of PTM’s central committee, told Arab News.
“Around 80 camps had to be set up for the jirga, and we were only allowed to do that by the provincial authorities the night before,” he added.
PTM founder Manzoor Ahmad Pashteen also highlighted these challenges while speaking to those attending the gathering.
“The proceedings of the first day will be held tomorrow [Saturday] along with the second day’s proceedings,” he said.
Earlier, the KP administration released a statement saying it had imposed several conditions on PTM before allowing the gathering.
“There will be no anti-state or anti-military slogans during the three-day tribal council meeting,” Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif, the KP administration’s spokesperson, said. “No one will also be allowed to raise the flag of any other country.”
Founded in 2014, PTM has long advocated against extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances of Pashtuns and other ethnic minorities, for which the state is sometimes blamed, though it has always denied the charge.
The KP spokesperson emphasized that the protection of public life and property, along with the restoration of peace and security in the province, were the top priorities of the provincial administration.
Thousands gather in northwest Pakistan as grand council of banned Pashtun groups is delayed
https://arab.news/93t5d
Thousands gather in northwest Pakistan as grand council of banned Pashtun groups is delayed
- PTM leaders say the ‘crackdown’ against them impeded the preparations for the Pashtun gathering
- KP government says it allowed the gathering on condition that no anti-state slogans will be raised
Pakistan terms climate change, demographic pressures as ‘pressing existential risks’
- Pakistan has suffered frequent climate change-induced disasters, including floods this year that killed over 1,000
- Pakistan finmin highlights stabilization measures at Doha Forum, discusses economic cooperation with Qatar
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Saturday described climate change and demographic pressures as “pressing existential risks” facing the country, calling for urgent climate financing.
The finance minister was speaking as a member of a high-level panel at the 23rd edition of the Doha Forum, which is being held from Dec. 6–7 in the Qatari capital. Aurangzeb was invited as a speaker on the discussion titled: ‘Global Trade Tensions: Economic Impact and Policy Responses in MENA.’
“He reaffirmed that while Pakistan remained vigilant in the face of geopolitical uncertainty, the more pressing existential risks were climate change and demographic pressures,” the Finance Division said.
Pakistan has suffered repeated climate disasters in recent years, most notably the 2022 super-floods that submerged one-third of the country, displaced millions and caused an estimated $30 billion in losses.
This year’s floods killed over 1,000 people and caused at least $2.9 billion in damages to agriculture and infrastructure. Scientists say Pakistan remains among the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations despite contributing less than 1 percent of global greenhouse-gas emissions.
Aurangzeb has previously said climate change and Pakistan’s fast-rising population are the only two factors that can hinder the South Asian country’s efforts to become a $3 trillion economy in the future.
The finance minister noted that this year’s floods in Pakistan had shaved at least 0.5 percent off GDP growth, calling for urgent climate financing and investment in resilient infrastructure.
When asked about Pakistan’s fiscal resilience and capability to absorb external shocks, Aurangzeb said Islamabad had rebuilt fiscal buffers. He pointed out that both the primary fiscal balance and current account had returned to surplus, supported significantly by strong remittance inflows of $18–20 billion annually from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) regions.
Separately, Aurangzeb met his Qatari counterpart Ali Bin Ahmed Al Kuwari to discuss bilateral cooperation.
“Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening economic ties, particularly by maximizing opportunities created through the newly concluded GCC–Pakistan Free Trade Agreement, expanding trade flows, and deepening energy cooperation, including long-term LNG collaboration,” the finance ministry said.
The two also discussed collaboration on digital infrastructure, skills development and regulatory reform. They agreed to establish structured mechanisms to continue joint work in trade diversification, technology, climate resilience, and investment facilitation, the finance ministry said.
