ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will be hosting a two-day International Conference on Agriculture in the southern port city of Karachi on Oct. 29-30 aiming to improve production through modern technology, Pakistani state media reported on Monday.
The conference is being organized under the Green Pakistan Initiative of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), a civil-military hybrid forum established in 2023 to boost foreign investment.
The Green Pakistan Initiative focuses on water conservation, sustainable farming, and agricultural research and development in the South Asian country through modern technology and innovative approaches.
“Experts from Pakistan’s sustainable agriculture ecosystem will discuss organic farming and development of sustainable agriculture [at the conference],” the state-run Radio Pakistan broadcaster reported.
Agriculture is the backbone of Pakistan’s economy and constitutes its largest sector. According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), agriculture contributes about 24 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and accounts for half of the employed labor force in the country.
Provincial agriculture departments will also highlight their achievements in the field of agriculture at their respective pavilions at the conference.
The conference comes at a time when Pakistan is seeking to boost production to increase its agricultural exports to overcome a prolonged economic crisis.
In June, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said his country was looking forward to benefit from China’s agricultural prowess and modernization as he visited the Chinese city of Xi’an.
Sharif toured the Yangling Institute of Modern Agriculture and said his government was keen to explore new avenues of cooperation in agriculture to enhance Pakistan’s food productivity and quality.
Pakistan to open two-day International Conference on Agriculture in Karachi today
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Pakistan to open two-day International Conference on Agriculture in Karachi today
- The conference is being organized under the Green Pakistan Initiative that focuses on improving agricultural production
- Agriculture contributes about 24 percent of Pakistan’s GDP and accounts for half of the employed labor force in the country
Pakistan says mosque data collection in Indian-administered Kashmir violates religious freedom
- Indian police distributed forms to collect details of mosques, including finances of institutions and personal details of imams
- The exercise has triggered widespread concern in the territory, with a local leader calling it ‘infringement of the religious freedom’
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Saturday condemned reported profiling of mosques and their management committees in Indian-administered Kashmir, calling it “blatant intrusion into religious affairs.”
Police distributed forms to local officials to collect details of mosques, seminaries in Indian-administered Kashmir, including finances of the institutions, personal details of imams and members of management committees, Hindustan Times reported this week, citing residents.
The police referred to the busting of a “white collar terror module” last year, which included an imam, as the reason for the exercise that has triggered widespread concern in the territory, with National Conference leader Aga Ruhullah Mehdi calling it “infringement of the religious freedom.”
Pakistan’s foreign office said the forcible collection of personal details, photographs and sectarian affiliations of religious functionaries amounts to systematic harassment, aimed at “instilling fear among worshippers and obstructing the free exercise of their faith.”
“This blatant intrusion into religious affairs constitutes a grave violation of the fundamental right to freedom of religion and belief, and reflects yet another coercive attempt to intimidate and marginalize the Muslim population of the occupied territory,” the Pakistani foreign office said.
There was no immediate response from New Delhi to the statement.
Kashmir has been divided between Pakistan and India since their independence from Britain in 1947. Both countries have fought two of their four wars over the disputed region, which is ruled in part but claimed in its entirety by both India and Pakistan.
The Pakistani foreign office said the people of Indian-administered Kashmir possess an inalienable right to practice their religion “without fear, coercion or discrimination.”
“Pakistan will continue to stand in solidarity with them and will persist in raising its voice against all forms of religious persecution and intolerance targeting Kashmiris,” it added.
