ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Foreign Office has said that the participation of foreign nationals in any political activity in Pakistan is “unacceptable,” days after authorities said they had arrested dozens of Afghan nationals during violent protests in Islamabad this week.
Clashes broke out between law enforcers and supporters of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party this week after they set out for Islamabad in caravans from different parts of the country to demand the release of Khan, who has been in jail since August 2023.
The government accused the PTI of deploying Afghan nationals to take part in the anti-government protests and said authorities had arrested over 1,100 Khan supporters, including 60 Afghan nationals living illegally in the country, who had stormed the Pakistani capital earlier this week.
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Wednesday announced that Afghan nationals would not be allowed to stay in the federal capital of Islamabad without proper authorization after December 31, 2024.
Asked about the impact of seeking permission to stay in Islamabad for even the 3 million legal Afghan refugees, Pakistani Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said the Pakistani interior ministry would soon issue details of the policy.
“We expect all foreigners in Pakistan to respect Pakistani laws and customs,” she said at a weekly press briefing in Islamabad on Friday. “Details of the policy with regards to continued stay of Afghan nationals in Islamabad will also be released by the Ministry of Interior.”
The move comes as the latest blow to Afghans living in Pakistan, with nearly 800,000 that Islamabad says were residing in the country ‘illegally’ expelled since November last year when the government launched a deportation drive that has drawn widespread criticism from international governments and rights organizations.
Pakistan began expelling illegal foreigners from Nov. 1, 2023, following a spike in bombings which the government said were carried out by Afghan nationals or by militants who crossed over into Pakistan from neighboring Afghanistan.
Islamabad has also blamed illegal Afghan immigrants and refugees for involvement in smuggling and other crimes. The Taliban government in Kabul says Pakistan’s security and other challenges are a domestic issue and cannot be blamed on the neighbor.
“I am not aware of any communication that has taken place,” Baloch said, when asked if the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) had contacted Pakistan about the deadline announced for Afghan refugees living in Islamabad.
“The Ministry of Interior will share with the media the details of these Afghan nationals and their status in Pakistan.”
Participation of foreign nationals in political activities in Pakistan ‘unacceptable,’ FO says
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Participation of foreign nationals in political activities in Pakistan ‘unacceptable,’ FO says
- Statement comes after government accuses ex-PM Khan’s party of deploying Afghan nationals in this week’s protests in Islamabad
- Pakistan has said that Afghan nationals won’t be allowed to stay in Islamabad without proper authorization after December 31
ADB, Pakistan sign over $300 million agreements to undertake climate resilience initiatives
- Pakistan ranks among nations most vulnerable to climate change and has seen erratic changes in weather patterns
- The projects in Sindh and Punjab will restore nature-based coastal defenses and enhance agricultural productivity
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani government and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have signed more than $300 million agreements to undertake two major climate resilience initiatives, Pakistan’s Press Information Department (PID) said on Tuesday.
The projects include the Sindh Coastal Resilience Sector Project (SCRP), valued at Rs50.5 billion ($180.5 million), and the Punjab Climate-Resilient and Low-Carbon Agriculture Mechanization Project (PCRLCAMP), totaling Rs34.7 billion ($124 million).
Pakistan ranks among nations most vulnerable to climate change and has seen erratic changes in its weather patterns. In 2022, monsoon floods killed over 1,700 people, displaced another 33 million and caused over $30 billion losses, while another 1,037 people were killed in floods this year.
The South Asian country is ramping up climate resilience efforts, with support from the ADB and World Bank, and investing in climate-resilient infrastructure, particularly in vulnerable areas.
“Both sides expressed their commitment to effectively utilize the financing for successful and timely completion of the two initiatives,” the PID said in a statement.
The Sindh Coastal Resilience Project (SCRP) will promote integrated water resources and flood risk management, restore nature-based coastal defenses, and strengthen institutional and community capacity for strategic action planning, directly benefiting over 3.8 million people in Thatta, Sujawal, and Badin districts, according to ADB.
The Punjab project will enhance agricultural productivity and climate resilience across 30 districts, improving small farmers’ access to climate-smart machinery, introducing circular agriculture practices to reduce residue burning, establishing testing and training facilities, and empowering 15,000 women through skills development and livelihood diversification.
Earlier this month, the ADB also approved $381 million in financing for Pakistan’s Punjab province to modernize agriculture and strengthen education and health services, including concessional loans and grants for farm mechanization, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education, and nursing sector reforms.
