ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is scheduled to meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during his official visit to Saudi Arabia starting tomorrow, the foreign office in Islamabad said on Tuesday, to discuss ways to further enhance bilateral trade and strengthen collaboration in key economic sectors.
The two countries have enjoyed close defense, diplomatic, political and cultural relations, though they have consolidated their ties further in recent years as Islamabad grappled with a prolonged economic crisis and sought the kingdom’s help.
Pakistan has tried to strengthen business-to-business (B2B) ties with the Kingdom, with both sides announcing during Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to Riyadh last October they had signed 34 memorandums of understanding and agreements worth $2.8 billion to enhance private sector collaboration and commercial partnerships.
“Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif will undertake an official visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from 19-22 March 2025,” the foreign office said. “The visit aims to strengthen bilateral ties, enhance economic cooperation and promote investment between the two countries.”
“During the visit, the Prime Minister is scheduled to meet Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman,” it added. “The leaders will discuss and deliberate upon ways to boost trade, enhance partnership in key sectors and facilitate greater economic collaboration.”
Sharif will be accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar, along with key federal ministers and senior officials. The delegation is expected to engage with Saudi counterparts to explore new avenues of investment and economic cooperation.
According to the foreign office statement, discussions will also cover regional and global developments, including the Gaza situation, evolving Middle East dynamics and broader issues concerning the Muslim Ummah.
Saudi Arabia presents a key export opportunity for Pakistani businesses, given its strong consumer demand and ambitious Vision 2030 economic reforms that emphasize diversification and foreign investments.
Pakistan has a 2.7 million-strong diaspora in Saudi Arabia, which accounts for the highest remittance inflow, a crucial lifeline for the country’s economy.
Last month, Pakistan’s commerce minister, Jam Kamal Khan, inaugurated the country’s first-ever solo “Made in Pakistan” exhibition in Jeddah, informing participants that over 1.7 million Pakistani workers had migrated to the Kingdom in the past five years, making it the top destination for Pakistani emigrants.
Pakistani PM in Saudi Arabia from Mar. 19-22 to discuss economic cooperation, investments
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Pakistani PM in Saudi Arabia from Mar. 19-22 to discuss economic cooperation, investments
- Pakistani foreign office says Sharif scheduled to meet Saudi crown prince
- Discussions will also cover global developments including Gaza war
Pakistan says will take ‘all appropriate steps’ to safeguard its share under Indus Waters Treaty
- India last week suspended the World Bank-mediated treaty that ensures water for 80 percent of Pakistani farms, threatening its food security
- Islamabad deplores the Indian attempt to ‘weaponize’ water and says it will continue to advocate for the full implementation of the treaty
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will take “all appropriate steps” to safeguard its due share of water under the Indus Waters Treaty that splits Indus River and its tributaries between Pakistan and India, the Pakistani foreign ministry said on Monday, amid heightened tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors.
India suspended on April 23 the World Bank-mediated Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 that ensures water for 80 percent of Pakistani farms, saying it would last until “Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism.”
The development came a day after an attack killed 26 tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir’s Pahalgam tourist town. India said two of the three militants who attacked tourists were from Pakistan. Islamabad denied the allegation and said any attempt to stop or divert the flow of Pakistan’s water will be considered as an “act of war.”
Pakistan’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, on Monday presided over a high-level meeting on New Delhi’s move to hold the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance, which was attended by law and water resources ministers, Pakistan’s attorney-general, senior officials and technical experts.
“DPM/ FM emphasized that Pakistan will take all appropriate steps to safeguard its due share of water, guaranteed by the Indus Waters Treaty,” the Pakistani foreign ministry said.
“He reiterated that Pakistan will continue to advocate for the full implementation of the Treaty to ensure the protection of its water rights and the well-being of its people.”
India’s unilateral and illegal move to hold the treaty in abeyance contravened the established norms of inter-state relations, international law, and the treaty’s own provisions, according to the Pakistani foreign ministry. The agreement is critical to regional stability and its sanctity must be preserved.
“Noting that the waters of the Indus River System remain a lifeline for Pakistan’s 240 million people, he (Dar) deplored the Indian attempts to weaponize water,” the ministry added.
The development comes as tensions continue to rise between the two nuclear-armed nations and reports suggested the two border forces exchanged fire along their de factor border in the disputed Kashmir region for a fourth consecutive day on Sunday. There have been widespread fears that India may carry out limited airstrikes or special forces raids near the border with Pakistan.
Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif summoned a meeting of the Council of Common Interests in Islamabad, with chief ministers of all the provinces, while Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said a military incursion by neighboring India was “imminent.”
“We have reinforced our forces because it is something which is imminent now. So in that situation some strategic decisions have to be taken, so those decisions have been taken,” Asif told Reuters.
Asif said Pakistan was on high alert and that it would only use its arsenal of nuclear weapons if “there is a direct threat to our existence.”
Pakistan and India have fought multiple wars, including two of them over the disputed region of Kashmir, since their independence from British rule in 1947. Both rule the region in part but claim it in full.
China has called for measures to lower heightened tensions between both nations, while several other countries, including Saudi Arabia and Iran, have offered Islamabad assistance in resolving the crisis.
Pakistan stocks slide on surging tensions with neighboring India
- The stock market shed 1,405.44 points, or 1.22 percent, to close at 115,469.34 points
- The below-expectation corporate results also disappointed investors, an analyst says
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Stock Exchange plunged and lost more than 1,400 points in intraday trading, traders and analysts said on Monday, as rising tensions with India triggered geopolitical jitters and fueled a wave of investor selling at the market.
The benchmark KSE-100 index shed 1,405.44 points, or 1.22 percent, to close at 115,469.34 points after touching an intraday high of 116,658.94 points on Monday, according to stock traders.
The development came amid heightened tensions between Pakistan and India over the killing of 26 tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22. New Delhi has blamed the attack on Pakistan, Islamabad denies any complicity.
"The prevailing negative sentiment was largely driven by escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, which heightened investor concerns and weighed heavily on overall market confidence," Karachi-based Topline Securities brokerage firm said.
It said companies like SYS, LUCK, MEBL and HBL contributed 489 points to the index, while ENGRO, UBL, MARI, EFERT and PSO shaved off 907 points from the benchmark.
"Despite the risk-averse sentiment, overall participation remained firm with volumes clocking in at 421 million shares and a turnover of Rs26.43 billion," the firm said in its review.
The market saw an overall trade of 533 million shares, valued at Rs33.7 billion.
Muhammad Rizwan, a director at Chase Securities, said below-expectation corporate results also disappointed investors.
"NRL, PAEL and Engro Holding disappointed investors, impacting stocks in a range of 5.4 percent to 9.7 percent," Rizwan said.
First six Hajj flights from Pakistan depart for Saudi Arabia tomorrow
- 114,000 Pakistanis are expected to perform Hajj pilgrimage in 2025
- Record-breaking 2.5 million Muslims expected to perform Hajj this year
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s 33-day-long Hajj flights operation will be launched tomorrow, Tuesday, with six flights set to depart for Saudi Arabia, state media reported on Monday.
This year’s annual pilgrimage will take place in June, with nearly 89,000 Pakistanis expected to travel to Saudi Arabia under the government scheme and 23,620 Pakistanis performing Hajj through private tour operators.
“The Hajj flight operation to airlift intending pilgrims to Saudi Arabia is commencing from tomorrow [Tuesday],” Radio Pakistan said in its report.
“On the first day of the Hajj flight operation, six flights will be operated: two from Lahore and one each from Islamabad, Karachi, Quetta and Multan.”
Around 89,000 pilgrims traveling under the government scheme will travel to Makkah and Madinah through 342 flights. The last Hajj flight will depart on May 31.
Around 50,500 Pakistani pilgrims will travel to Saudi Arabia under Saudi Arabia’s Makkah Route Initiative, which aims to streamline the immigration process for pilgrims to Makkah. The initiative was launched in 2019 by the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah and has been implemented in five countries: Pakistan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Morocco, and Bangladesh.
Under the initiative, pilgrims are able to complete their immigration requirements at their home country’s airports before they depart for Saudi Arabia. This saves pilgrims several hours upon arrival in the Kingdom, as they can simply enter the country without having to go through immigration again.
Under the Makkah Route Initiative, 28,000 pilgrims will depart for the Kingdom from Islamabad while the remaining 22,500 will fly from the southern port city of Karachi.
While a precise number of worldwide pilgrims for Hajj 2025 is difficult to determine in advance, projections suggest it will be a record-breaking year, with over 2.5 million Muslims performing the pilgrimage.
China urges restraint, Riyadh and Tehran offer help as Pakistan-India tensions surge over Kashmir
- The development comes amid fears India may carry out limited airstrikes or raids near the border with Pakistan over attack in Pahalgam
- The two neighbors have exchanged gunfire, diplomatic barbs, expelled each other’s citizens after the attack that killed 26 tourists
ISLAMABAD: China has called for measures to lower heightened tensions between Pakistan and India over a recent attack in India-administered Kashmir, while several other countries, including Saudi Arabia and Iran, have offered Islamabad assistance in resolving the crisis.
New Delhi has accused Pakistan of backing the deadliest attack in Indian-administered Kashmir since 2000 that killed 26 tourists on April 22. Islamabad denies the claim and has offered to participate in a credible international probe.
The two nuclear-armed neighbors have since exchanged gunfire, diplomatic barbs, expelled each other’s citizens and shut border in a series of punitive measures against each other.
Top Pakistani leaders have reached out to senior officials in China, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Egypt and other countries amid fears that India’s possible actions over the attack may lead to a wider conflict in the region.
“China welcomes all measures that will help cool down the current situation and supports carrying out fair and just investigations at an early date,” Guo Jiakun, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, said at a press briefing on Monday, hoping Pakistan and India would uphold regional peace.
“As the neighbor of both India and Pakistan, China hopes that India and Pakistan will exercise restraint, work in the same direction, handle relevant differences properly through dialogue and consultation, and jointly uphold peace and stability in the region.”
The statement came as New Delhi said India had signed a contract to purchase 26 Rafale fighter jets from France, amid fears that India may carry out limited airstrikes or special forces raids near the border with Pakistan.
The last time India conducted such strikes against Pakistan was in 2019, when it retaliated for a suicide bombing in Pulwama in Indian-administered Kashmir in which at least 40 Indian paramilitary police were killed. Pakistan had denied complicity in that assault and the Indian strikes were followed by Pakistan’s downing of an Indian fighter jet and capturing of an Indian pilot, bring the two neighbors to the brink of an all-out war.
On Monday, India said it had responded to ‘unprovoked’ small arms firing from Pakistan along the de facto border in Kashmir for the fourth consecutive night. There was no immediate comment from the Pakistani side.
Several regional countries have urged bilateral consultation and dialogue between the two countries to prevent tensions from escalating any further.
Late last week, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, who also serves as foreign minister, briefed his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, on Islamabad’s response to India’s retaliatory moves, saying his country would respond firmly to any external aggression.
“Both leaders agreed to continue consultations and coordination on the evolving regional situation,” the Pakistani foreign ministry said.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Friday offered to mediate the crisis between the two South Asian nations.
“India and Pakistan are brotherly neighbors of Iran, enjoying relations rooted in centuries-old cultural and civilizational ties. Like other neighbors, we consider them our foremost priority,” he said on X.
“Tehran stands ready to use its good offices in Islamabad and New Delhi to forge greater understanding at this difficult time.”
Pakistan and India have fought multiple wars, including two of them over the disputed region of Kashmir, since their independence from British rule in 1947. Both rule the region in part but claim it in full.
New Delhi routinely accuses Pakistan of supporting armed separatist militants in Kashmir. Islamabad denies the allegations and says it supports the Kashmiri people diplomatically and politically.
Indian-administered Kashmir crackdown sparks anger as Pakistan tensions escalate
- New Delhi has accused Pakistan of supporting ‘cross-border terrorism’ after gunmen killed 26 people in Kashmir on Apr. 22
- Islamabad has denied any role and called attempts to link Pakistan to the attack ‘frivolous,’ vowing to respond to Indian action
SRINAGAR: Anger in Indian-administered Kashmir escalated on Monday over sweeping detentions in the hunt for the gunmen who carried out a deadly attack last week that New Delhi blames on arch-rival Pakistan.
New Delhi has accused Pakistan of supporting “cross-border terrorism” after gunmen killed 26 people on April 22, the worst attack on civilians in contested Muslim-majority Kashmir for a quarter of a century.
Islamabad has denied any role, calling attempts to link Pakistan to the attack “frivolous” and vowing to respond to Indian action.
Relations between the nuclear-armed rivals have plunged to their lowest level in years, sparking worries by analysts of possible military action.
The attack also sparked a huge manhunt for the gunmen in Kashmir, with Indian security forces blowing up nine homes of suspected rebels, as well as detaining nearly 2,000 people for questioning, a senior police official told AFP.
“Punish the guilty, show them no mercy, but don’t let innocent people become collateral damage,” Jammu and Kashmir’s Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said in a statement.
Aga Ruhullah, a federal lawmaker from Kashmir, said: “Kashmir and Kashmiris are being given a collective punishment.”
Security operations in the search for the gunmen come as India and Pakistani forces have exchanged fire across the de facto border in the rugged and remote high-altitude Himalayan outposts.
India’s army said on Monday its troops and Pakistani forces had fired at each other for a fourth night in a row.
There were no reported casualties. Islamabad did not immediately confirm the gunfire from Pakistan.
“During the night of April 27-28... Pakistan Army posts initiated unprovoked small arms fire across the Line of Control,” the Indian army said in a statement, referring to the de facto border in contested Kashmir.
“Indian troops responded swiftly and effectively,” it said.
Muslim-majority Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since their independence from British rule in 1947.
Both claim the territory in full.
Rebels in the Indian-run area have waged an insurgency since 1989, seeking independence or a merger with Pakistan.
Indian police have issued wanted posters for three men — two Pakistanis and an Indian — who they say are members of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba group, a UN-designated terrorist organization.
They have announced a two million rupee ($23,500) bounty for information leading to each man’s arrest.
India is also hunting several of its own citizens in connection to the killings, sweeping up those they suspect may have information on the attackers.
“It’s a revolving door in police stations as part of the ongoing investigation,” said a senior police official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.
“Some have already been let go, and more are being summoned to police stations,” the officer said.
The homes of men suspected of having links to the attackers have also been blown up at night.
Yasmeena, the sister of fugitive accused Ashif Sheikh, said her family was being punished, with their home demolished even though they had not seen her brother for three years.
“If my brother is involved, how is it the family’s sin?” she said.
“This house doesn’t belong to him alone.”
New Delhi has downgraded diplomatic ties since the attack, withdrawn visas for Pakistanis, suspended a water-sharing treaty, and announced the closure of the main land border crossing with Pakistan.
In response, Islamabad ordered the expulsion of Indian diplomats and military advisers, canceled visas for Indian nationals and barred its airspace to Indian airplanes.
India’s Defense Minister Rajnath Singh met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday after warning last week that those responsible for the attack in Kashmir would see a response “loud and clear.”
The United Nations has urged the arch-rivals to show “maximum restraint” so that issues can be “resolved peacefully through meaningful mutual engagement.”
China, which shares a border with both India and Pakistan, urged both sides on Monday to “exercise restraint, meet each other halfway” and “properly handle relevant differences through dialogue,” foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said.
Iran has already offered to mediate, and Saudi Arabia has said Riyadh was trying to “prevent an escalation.”
