ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to enhance trade and connectivity during a visit to Kabul by top officials from Islamabad, the foreign office said on Friday, amid a push by the two neighbors to reset soured relations.
Pakistan-Afghanistan relations have been strained by a spike in militancy in Pakistan’s western regions that border Afghanistan, following the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul in 2021. Islamabad says anti-Pakistan militants carry out cross-border attacks using safe havens in Afghanistan, a charge Kabul denies.
Another source of tension has been Pakistan’s decision to expel undocumented Afghans and those who had temporary permission to stay, saying it can no longer cope. Since November 2023 when Islamabad first launched the deportation drive against illegal foreigners, over 900,000 Afghans have left the country. The Afghan government has condemned the “unilateral measures” to forcibly deport tens of thousands of Afghans. Afghans have also reported weeks of arbitrary arrests, extortion and harassment by authorities as Islamabad has accelerated the deportation drive since April, a charge officials deny.
Amid these tensions, Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and special envoy to Kabul, Ambassador Mohammad Sadiq, went to Afghanistan on a one-day visit last week widely seen as an attempt to resolve outstanding issues of contention.
“During the visit, the deputy prime minister [and] foreign minister held meetings with the acting Afghan prime minister, acting Afghan deputy prime minister and acting Afghan foreign minister,” Shafqat Ali Khan, a Pakistani foreign office spokesperson, told reporters at a weekly news briefing in Islamabad.
“Both sides held extensive discussions on a range of issues including peace and security, people-to-people contacts and agreed to enhance bilateral trade and economic cooperation to the mutual benefit of people of both countries.”
Pakistan remains at loggerheads with two of its main neighbors, India and Afghanistan, while Islamabad’s relations with Iran have also seen friction in recent weeks over the killing of eight Pakistani laborers in Iran’s Sistan-Baluchestan province. Both Pakistan and Iran last year exchanged strikes against what they called militant hideouts, but quickly moved to de-escalate tensions.
This week, an attack on tourists in India’s Himalayan territory of Kashmir has sparked a new crisis between nuclear armed neighbors India and Pakistan, with New Delhi blaming militants with “cross-border linkages” for the killings, which Islamabad denies. Both nations have announced tit-for-tat measures to downgrade ties in the aftermath of the violence.
The tensions have come as Pakistan navigates a tricky path to economic recovery, seeking to boost trade by enhancing connectivity with regional countries and attract foreign investment from allies in the region and beyond.
In this regard, Dar on Thursday held a telephonic conversation with Uzbekistan Foreign Minister Seyedov Bakhtiar Odilovic and apprised him of his discussions with Afghan officials about a tri-nation railway line project involving Uzbekistan, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
“The deputy prime minister shared his discussions in Kabul regarding Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan railway line project and hoped that the three countries would soon sign the framework agreement for this important regional connectivity project,” the foreign office spokesman said at the briefing.
The project is part of Pakistan’s efforts to position itself as a key trade and transit hub, connecting the landlocked Central Asian states to the global market.
Pakistan, Afghanistan agree to enhance trade and connectivity in push to reset ties
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Pakistan, Afghanistan agree to enhance trade and connectivity in push to reset ties
- Ties with Kabul have been strained over a spike in militancy and a deportation drive against Afghan nations
- Pakistani deputy PM and special envoy to Kabul visited Islamabad last week in an attempt to resolve issues
Pakistan textiles body says over 900 mills shut due to exports scheme
- Under Export Facilitation Scheme, exporters can import raw materials and inputs at 0 percent sales tax
- However, an 18 percent tax on the same inputs has to be paid if they are produced locally in Pakistan
KARACHI: Pakistan’s textiles body said this week over 900 factories, including ginning and spinning mills, had been shut down due to a government export scheme that had disrupted operations and strained finances.
The Export Facilitation Scheme was launched in 2021, with the aim of simplifying the import of raw materials, machinery and input goods for exporters by offering minimal duties and taxes. Under the scheme, exporters can import raw materials and inputs at 0 percent sales tax. However, an 18 percent tax on the same inputs has to be paid if they are produced locally in Pakistan.
The textile industry is a major player in the country’s economy, contributing significantly to exports and employment. It’s one of the largest manufacturing sectors, employing about 45 percent of the industrial workforce and accounting for a substantial portion of Pakistan’s total exports.
The industry is known for its cotton production, spinning capacity, and exports of various textile products.
“Over 800 ginning factories and 120 spinning mills have shut down and millions of livelihoods lost,” All Pakistan Textile Mills Association Chairman Kamran Arshad said on Monday in a statement, urging the government to amend the Export Facilitation Scheme.
“The crisis has reached the weaving sector, with looms shutting down and workers protesting on the streets.”
He urged the government to remove yarn and fabric from the exports scheme to halt the textile industry’s downfall.
“It’s an irrational, self-destructive policy that punishes domestic production and rewards imports,” the statement said.
Pakistani cotton was taxed at 18 percent while imported cotton enjoyed sales tax exemption through the export scheme, the statement said, adding that sales tax refunds could only be filed after a six to 10 months cycle after the product was manufactured and exported.
“Only partial refunds of 60-70 percent are issued once a month,” it added. “The remaining amount is deferred for manual processing where there is already a backlog of over $392 million and no progress on clearing it over the last four to five years.”
As the eighth largest exporter of textile commodities in Asia, the textile industry contributes 8.5 percent to Pakistan’s gross domestic product.
Chinese weapons get rare battle test in India-Pakistan fighting
- Pakistan accounts for around 63 percent of China’s arms exports, according to SIPRI
- In recent fighting, Pakistan used J10-C Vigorous Dragon, JF-17 Thunder planes, armed with air-to-air missiles
SHANGHAI: Just over a week after a ceasefire with India was struck, Pakistan’s foreign minister is visiting his country’s largest arms supplier, China, with the performance of the weapons they supplied a matter of burning interest for analysts and governments alike.
The most striking claim from four days of fighting earlier this month was Islamabad’s contention its Chinese-supplied jets had shot down six Indian aircraft — including three French-made Rafale fighters — with some observers seeing this as a symbol of Beijing’s rising military might.
Experts who spoke to AFP cautioned that a lack of confirmed information and the limited scope of fighting made it difficult to draw solid conclusions about the Chinese equipment’s prowess.
Still, “this was a rare opportunity for the international community to gauge Chinese military hardware on the battlefield against Western (Indian) hardware,” said Lyle Morris from the Asia Society Policy Institute.
While China pours hundreds of billions of dollars into defense spending each year, it lags far behind the United States as an arms exporter.
China’s drones are used in counter-terrorism operations, and its weapons have been deployed by Saudi Arabia in Yemen and against rebel forces in African countries, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) senior researcher Siemon Wezeman told AFP.
“But this is the first time since the 1980s that a state has used large numbers of Chinese weapons of many types in action against another state,” said Wezeman, referencing the Iran-Iraq war when they were used on both sides.
Pakistan accounts for around 63 percent of China’s arms exports, according to SIPRI.
In the recent fighting, Pakistan used the J10-C Vigorous Dragon and JF-17 Thunder planes, armed with air-to-air missiles.
It was the first time the J10-C has been used in active combat, said the Stimson Center’s Yun Sun.
Islamabad’s air defenses also used Chinese kit — including the HQ-9P long-range surface-to-air missile system — and deployed Chinese radar as well as armed and reconnaissance drones.
“This was the first sustained fight where the bulk of Pakistan’s forces used Chinese weapons and, basically, relied on them as their primary option,” said Bilal Khan, founder of the Toronto-based Quwa Defense News & Analysis Group.
India has not officially confirmed any of its aircraft were lost, although a senior security source told AFP three jets had crashed on home soil without giving the make or cause.
Rafale maker Dassault has also not commented.
The Rafale is considered one of Europe’s most high-tech jets, while the J10-C “is not even China’s most advanced,” said James Char from Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University.
But if Pakistan’s claims are true, “this should not be surprising... considering that the Rafale is a multirole fighter, whereas the J-10C was built for aerial combat and is also equipped with a stronger radar,” Char said.
The Chinese air-defense systems, however, “do not appear to have been as effective as the Pakistan Air Force would have hoped,” said Quwa’s Khan, after India said it had neutralized one near the eastern border city of Lahore.
If true, said SIPRI’s Wezeman, that “would be a bigger success and more than balance the loss of some aircraft in the process.”
In the days after the dogfight reports, J10-C maker Chengdu Aircraft Company’s stock soared over forty percent.
“We most likely will see more orders going to Chinese contractors,” said the Stimson Center’s Sun.
However, “it will take time and significant reorientation by Chinese arms manufacturers for the country to be a big arms exporter,” said Jennifer Kavanagh from the US think tank Defense Priorities.
She noted that China “cannot mass-produce certain key inputs, including aircraft engines.”
Wezeman said he thought the stock markets “overreacted,” as “we still have to see how well all the weapons used worked and if it really means much.”
Even if more data emerges, the conflict still does not reveal much about the Chinese military’s own capabilities, the analysts said.
China’s own systems and weapons are much more advanced than what it exports.
And while having high-tech hardware is important, “much more important is how those weapons are used,” said Kavanagh.
Brian Hart of CSIS said he would caution against “reading too much” into recent developments.
“I don’t think you can make direct comparisons to how these Chinese-made systems would fare in different environments against more advanced adversaries like the United States,” he explained.
“Since the number of data points is small and since we don’t know much about the proficiency and training of the personnel on either side, it is hard to draw definitive conclusions.”
Pakistan rejects Indian allegations it tried to launch attack on Golden Temple
- Major General Kartik C Seshadri, General Officer Commanding of 15 Infantry Division, said Golden Temple directly targeted in recent wave of attacks
- Foreign office spokesman says Pakistan holds places of worship in “highest esteem and cannot think of targeting a holy site like the Golden Temple”
ISLAMABAD: The ministry of foreign affairs on Tuesday “categorically” rejected allegations by a senior Indian army officer that Pakistan had attempted to target the Golden Temple in the Indian city of Amritsar using drones and missiles earlier this month.
During a media briefing in Amritsar on Monday, Major General Kartik C Seshadri, General Officer Commanding of the 15 Infantry Division, said the Golden Temple was directly targeted in the recent wave of attacks as India and Pakistan engaged in their worst fighting in decades between May 7-10, which ultimately ended with a US-brokered a ceasefire. He said the Indian army’s air defense gunners shot down all drones and missiles Pakistan had launched at the Golden Temple.
The Pakistani foreign office spokesperson called Seshadri’s comments “baseless and incorrect.”
“We categorically reject the allegations that Pakistan attempted to target the Golden Temple, the most revered place in the Sikh faith. We hold all places of worship in the highest esteem and cannot think of targeting a holy site like the Golden Temple,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
He said Pakistan was the “proud custodian” of numerous sacred sites belonging to the Sikh faith and annually hosted thousands of Sikh pilgrims from around the world, providing visa-free access to the historic Gurdwara Sahib Kartarpur through the Kartarpur Corridor.
“In that backdrop, any claim concerning Pakistan’s attempt to target the Golden Temple is absolutely baseless and incorrect,” the spokesperson added.
At least 60 people died in fighting earlier this month triggered by an April 22 attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir that New Delhi accused Islamabad of backing, a charge Pakistan denies.
Muslim-majority Kashmir is claimed in full by both countries, which have fought multiple wars over the Himalayan territory since their 1947 independence from Britain.
Committed to upholding ceasefire with India, Pakistan tells UN envoys from Arab nations
- Four-day-long military confrontation earlier this month was ended with US-brokered ceasefire
- Nuclear-armed neighbors pounded each other with drones, missiles and artillery during the conflict
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s top diplomat at the United Nations, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, briefed his counterparts from Arab nations about a recent military standoff with India and said Islamabad was committed to upholding a ceasefire and taking “all necessary steps” toward de-escalation, his office said on Tuesday.
Tensions surged between India and Pakistan after New Delhi accused Pakistan of supporting an Apr. 22 militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that left 26 dead. Islamabad has denied any involvement.
The tensions blew up into a full-on military conflict after India said it had hit “terrorist infrastructure” in Pakistan on May 7. What followed was four days of the two nuclear-armed neighbors pounding each other with drones, missiles and artillery, until the United States brokered a ceasefire on May 10.
“Ambassador Ahmad expressed Pakistan’s commitment to upholding the ceasefire and taking all necessary steps toward de-escalation and regional stability,” the Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the UN said in a post on X following a meeting with Gulf nation counterparts.
“He informed the Arab Group that Pakistan’s response to the blatant act of aggression by India was measured and proportionate, in exercise of its right to self-defense under the Charter.”
Pakistan and India have a history of bitter relations and frequently accuse each other of fomenting militancy in the other’s territory.
Kashmir, divided between the two countries since their independence from Britain in 1947, has been a flashpoint for decades, with the neighbors having fought two of their three wars over the region.
They both acquired nuclear weapons in 1998.
Pakistani delegation to visit US, Europe in diplomatic push following India standoff — minister
- PM announced last week he was setting up diplomatic team headed by Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari
- Team’s mandate is to highlight in world capitals “India’s disinformation campaign and attempts to destabilize regional peace”
ISLAMABAD: A high-level delegation set up by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to present Pakistan’s position and advocate for the country in world capitals following a recent military conflict with India will start with visits to the United States and Europe, a federal minister who is a member of the team said on Tuesday.
Sharif announced last week he was setting up the diplomatic team, which is headed by Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who is a former foreign minister.
“Our team … will visit Europe and US to represent our stance,” Climate Minister Dr. Musadik Malik, who is a member of the delegation, told a local Pakistani news channel, saying it would visit Washington, London, France and Brussels first and also Moscow at a later date.
“We are trying that with a small team, we visit the big areas of the world who are influencers in creating an opinion for the world and also forming policies. This team’s focus will be the US and Europe.”
Last week, state media reported that the team had been set up “to highlight India’s disinformation campaign and its attempts to destabilize regional peace” as well as put the spotlight on “Pakistan’s sincere efforts for peace and stability in the region.”
The United States played a major role in de-escalating the worst fighting in decades between the two nuclear-armed South Asian rivals, who fired missiles and drones onto each other’s territory and fought with gunfire on their de facto border following weeks of tensions after a deadly April 22 attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir that New Delhi blamed on Islamabad.
Pakistan denies involvement.
