PESHAWAR: Sher Bahadur seems to be in a pensive mood while waiting with his pushcart for customers amid the crowded Karkhano bazaar, the city market made famous by the ready availability of smuggled supplies.
Karkhano is a word of the Pashto language and translates as “industries” in English.
It was established in 1986 and comprises about 35 sections, each of which is like a separate market boasting more than 100 shops.
Bahadur, who hails from a suburban area of Peshawar, is one of the laborers who roam the bazaar offering to carry goods for customers and shopkeepers in order to earn a living.
Earlier, he used to walk a difficult, hilly terrain while carrying smuggled goods on his shoulders from Afghanistan to Pakistan.
“It was too difficult a job and I decided to abandon it when I saw one of the laborers fall from the mountain while carrying goods and die,” Bahadur told Arab News.
“I used to earn Rs600 ($5.46) per one visit, scaling the hill in Landikotal Tehsil (in the Khyber Agency) and returning back to the Pakistani side with goods. But that one visit takes four hours.”
He said he now earns Rs500 to Rs600 a day helping customers and shopkeepers.
Close to Bahadur, Abdur Rehman sits on his pushcart, doing the same job in the market.
“I used to work in the mountains too, bringing different goods from Afghanistan to Pakistan, but I no longer do that,” he told Arab News.
The Karkhano bazaar is an Aladdin’s cave of goods, but some traders say it is no longer “the smugglers’ market” as the proliferation of such items has dropped significantly because of restrictions on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
Still one can find everything at the marketplace, from hardware to electronics, dried fruit to clothing and much more.
One trader, Mukhtyar, told Arab News that his dried fruit comes from various countries, including Afghanistan, China and India.
“The tax on dry fruit has increased. Cashews used to be sold for Rs1,500 per kilogram, but it has jumped to Rs2,000 or even above now,” said Mukhtyar, adding that “a small quantity” of his produce still comes through the hilly routes from Afghanistan.
Jespal Singh, hailing from a Sikh community in the Khyber Agency, is also doing business in the market, selling artificial jewelry and cosmetics from Punjab.
Fellow trader Ayub Khan believes the deportation of Afghan nationals and restrictions on the border had caused a loss to local trade.
“Many wealthy Afghans have shifted their resources and bank balances out of Pakistan and this has also caused a decline in local business,” he said.
He added there was a time when finding a shop to rent in Karkhano was next to impossible, but now it is far easier.
Janatullah, a shopkeeper dealing in the sale of hardware, said that previously they used to receive US-made smuggled goods intended for NATO forces in Afghanistan, but not any longer.
Close to one of the godowns of smuggled goods, Khan Wali, a “commission kaar” — the term used for dealers responsible for ensuring the delivery of smuggled goods — told Arab News he had been in the “commission business” in the area for the last 20 years.
“If you pay me for an order of goods to be transported to any part of Pakistan, I can ensure that the goods will reach you,” said Wali.
Noorullah, 32, who runs “Hollywood Cosmetics”, said they have products from China, India, Indonesia and other countries.
He added that, a decade ago, traders from Punjab and other cities of Pakistan used to come to Karkhano for merchandise, but now fewer people from those areas visit the market.
Former smugglers’ paradise remains a trading hub
Former smugglers’ paradise remains a trading hub
Russia offers agricultural technology to Pakistan, agrees to modernize fertilizer plants
- Russian deputy minister of industry says his country can train local farmers to boost productivity
- Pakistan and Russia are scheduled to hold 5th Joint Working Group meeting on 26th September
ISLAMABAD: Russia has offered the latest agricultural technology to Pakistan, agreed to share expertise to modernize fertilizer plants and provide training to local farmers to boost productivity, as the government in Islamabad has identified agriculture as a priority sector to strengthen the national economy, according to the state media.
Agriculture has long been the backbone of Pakistan’s economy, but farmers have faced increasing difficulties in recent years due to climate change, which has caused unpredictable weather patterns.
Earlier this year, Pakistan, struggling to boost export revenues, sought China’s help to modernize its agricultural sector during Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s five-day visit to that country.
With Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk currently visiting Pakistan, officials from both countries are exploring collaboration in this critical sector.
“Russia will provide modern agricultural machinery to Pakistan in order to boost crop yields and enhance agricultural productivity,” reported Radio Pakistan as Russian Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Aleksei Gruzdev met Federal Minister for Industries, Production and National Food Security Rana Tanveer Hussain in the federal capital.
Gruzdev also interacted with Pakistan’s Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan separately, saying that his country was “keen to offer expertise in modernizing Pakistan’s fertilizer plants and provide training programs for Pakistani farmers.”
The two sides focused on strengthening economic cooperation and exploring new bilateral trade opportunities.
The Russian deputy minister also highlighted his government’s interest in expanding exports or railway machinery and metal products.
The two Pakistani ministers highlighted the significant but untapped potential of trade between both countries.
Pakistan and Russia are scheduled to hold the 5th Joint Working Group meeting, which is scheduled for the 26th of this month.
Pakistan reports 18th polio case of the year, as government calls surge ‘devastating’
- PM’s focal person for polio eradication calls the disease preventable as the new case emerges from Quetta
- She calls the development an ‘outcome of missed vaccination opportunities in parts of Balochistan’ province
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan reported another polio case from the southwestern city of Quetta on Wednesday, raising the total number of affected children to 18 this year, as a senior government official called the development “devastating” and stressed the urgent need to ensure nationwide vaccination coverage.
Pakistan is one of only two countries, alongside Afghanistan, where polio remains endemic. Despite years of anti-polio campaigns, Pakistani authorities continue to face challenges such as parental refusal and security concerns due to militant violence that have hindered its eradication efforts.
Earlier this month, the federal capital, Islamabad, reported its first polio case in 16 years, highlighting the disease’s alarming resurgence and the ongoing risk it poses to children across the country.
“It is devastating to see another child affected by a disease that can be completely prevented through vaccination,” Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication Ayesha Raza Farooq said in an official statement. “This new case from Quetta highlights the risk and the need to rapidly increase population immunity to further curtail the spread of virus.”
“What we are seeing is the outcome of missed vaccination opportunities in parts of Balochistan which have allowed the virus to thrive and survive over time,” she added.
Farooq said the government was doubling down on its efforts to strengthen surveillance and vaccination outreach in all affected districts, particularly in Balochistan province where the latest case has been reported.
The coordinator of the National Emergency Operations Center for Polio Eradication, Anwarul Haq, also highlighted the need to reach children in every corner of the country.
“Vaccination campaigns, like the one we implemented last week, are critical in our fight to end polio, and we cannot afford to miss any child,” he said.
“Every house must be reached and every child vaccinated,” he added.
Haq appealed to parents, community leaders and influencers to join hands with the government in the national mission to protect children against the disease.
Pakistan warns UN of ‘terrorist’ threat from unstable Afghanistan under Taliban rule
- Munir Akram says Afghanistan is nowhere near normalization three years after the Taliban assumed power
- He maintains Pakistan wants to expand trade ties with Afghanistan and continue efforts for regional connectivity
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s top diplomat at the United Nations has warned the world of the “terrorist” threat from Afghanistan, according to an official statement released on Thursday, noting that the situation in that country continues to remain unstable three years after the Taliban administration assumed power.
Pakistan has faced a sharp rise in militant violence in recent years and attributed this surge to armed factions allegedly based in Afghanistan. Officials in Islamabad have particularly raised concern over the presence of the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a group responsible for carrying out deadly suicide attacks targeting civilians, security forces and Chinese nationals involved in large-scale energy and infrastructure projects.
Last year, Pakistan accused the Afghan government of “facilitating” the TTP, which led to a deportation drive against Afghan immigrants, resulting in the expulsion of over 700,000 of them from the country.
The Afghan authorities deny any involvement in Pakistan’s security problems and have objected to Pakistan’s decision to expel its citizens.
“Given its long association with Al Qaeda, it will not be long before the TTP becomes the spearhead for Al Qaeda’s planned regional and global terrorist goals,” Ambassador Munir Akram told a UN Security Council meeting on the current situation in Afghanistan.
“Thus, while some of our friends may believe that they are only threatened by ISIL-K [Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant-Khorasan] i.e. Daesh, they should also be concerned by the threat they could confront from a strengthened TTP in the not too distant future,” he added.
The Pakistani envoy noted the 34th report of the UN monitoring team has highlighted the “disturbing dimension of terrorism emanating from Afghanistan.”
Indicating the TTP’s potential of causing regional destabilization, he said it was fast emerging as an umbrella organization that was now coordinating with Baloch secessionist groups targeting Pakistan’s southwestern province.
“It is clear that Afghanistan is nowhere near normalization three years after the Taliban assumed power,” he added. “There will be no normalization until the fundamental issues that trouble Afghanistan are addressed: terrorism, human rights, political inclusion, illegal Afghan migration and the problem of Afghan refugees.”
Ambassador Akram reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to supporting a peaceful and stable Afghanistan, as he pointed out the necessity of greater political inclusion which he described as vital for enhancing the prospects of stability and normalization within that country.
He also expressed concern the human rights situation in the country, particularly in relation to women and girls.
“Instead of easing earlier restrictions, the Afghan Interim Government has doubled down on misogyny with new edicts to literally stifle the voices of women and girls,” he said. “We are especially appalled that these abhorrent measures are being justified by reference to Islam.”
“These backward and obscurantist measures violate the principles of our enlightened religion which was the first to uphold equal rights for men and women,” he added.
The Pakistani envoy said his country was committed to expanding trade and commercial relations with Afghanistan and remained a key partner in implementing regional infrastructure and connectivity projects to enhance economic stability and growth in the region.
Biden highlights US-Pakistan ties as key to regional security, praises counterterrorism collaboration
- The US president welcomes the new Pakistani ambassador to his country at a ceremony in Blair House
- He says US will stand with Pakistan to ‘tackle the pressing global and regional challenges of our time’
ISLAMABAD: United States President Joe Biden has said his country’s relations with Pakistan are important for regional security and stability, according to an official statement released by Pakistan’s embassy in Washington on Thursday, expressing his appreciation for the counterterrorism cooperation between the two states.
The US and Pakistan have shared a complex history of bilateral relations, dating back to the Cold War when they first established ties. Over the decades, the relationship has seen fluctuations, marked by periods of both cooperation and tension.
The two countries joined forces during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in the late 1970s, but their relations were later tested by the US-led war in Afghanistan following the September 11, 2001, attacks. Despite these challenges, the two nations have continued collaborating on regional security and counterterrorism since the withdrawal of US-led international forces in Afghanistan in August 2021.
The US president issued the statement about the relations between both countries as Pakistan’s new envoy to Washington, Ambassador Rizwan Saeed Sheikh, presented his Letter of Credence to him at Blair House.
“Our countries stand united in the face of significant challenges posed by climate change, regional security threats, and global health security,” Biden was quoted as saying by the statement shared by the Pakistani diplomatic mission. “We should continue highlighting common interests in security, trade and investment, economic growth, the US-Pakistan ‘Green Alliance’ framework, and prosperity.”
“The relationship between our two countries remains important for regional stability and security,” he continued. “We appreciate US-Pakistan cooperation on countering terrorist threats. We share a desire to build upon our bilateral relationship and strengthen US-Pakistan ties moving forward.”
He also described the arrival of the new Pakistani ambassador to his country significant on many levels.
“It signifies more than 75 years of friendship between our nations and our enduring commitment to economic engagement, security cooperation, people-to-people ties, and cultural exchange,” he maintained, adding the partnership between the two nations was critical to ensuring the security of their people and people around the world.
“The United States will continue to stand with Pakistan to tackle the most pressing global and regional challenges of our time,” he added.
Earlier, Ambassador Sheikh conveyed greetings to Biden from the Pakistani leadership and recalled US assistance to his country, especially during the nascent phase of Pakistan’s statehood.
“Pakistan-US economic partnership is the core of our engagement, and the United States continues to be the largest destination for Pakistani exports,” he said.
Highlighting the significant trade potential between the two countries, he noted that Pakistan was ready to enhance its trade with the US and absorb American investments in alternative energy, green technology, industry, digital platforms, higher education and other areas of mutual benefit.
Ambassador Sheikh emphasized the important role being played by Pakistan’s large and dynamic diaspora community in the US, describing them as a bridge between the two countries.
He also highlighted the need for structured, broad-based, and result-oriented periodic dialogues in both security and non-security realms to give fresh impetus to the relationship and promote mutual interests.
The new Pakistani envoy replace Ambassador Sardar Masood Khan who was appointed by his country in 2022.
Pakistan Navy ship partakes in bilateral exercise with UK frigate in Gulf of Oman
- PNS Shamsheer takes part in bilateral exercise with UK Royal Navy Ship Lancaster
- Exercise aimed at improving coordination between the two navies, says state media
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Navy’s PNS Shamsheer this week took part in a bilateral exercise in the Gulf of Oman with British Royal Navy Ship Lancaster in a bid to bolster regional maritime security and enhance cooperation, state media reported.
“The purpose of these exercises was to improve coordination between the two navies and to demonstrate their ability to conduct joint operations in the region,” Radio Pakistan said about the exercise which took place on Wednesday.
Pakistan Navy is also active in anti-piracy and counter-narcotics operations in the Indian Ocean under the Combined Maritime Forces, Radio Pakistan said.
It said that PNS Shamsheer is currently deployed on a regional maritime security patrol in the Gulf of Oman.
“Pakistan Navy is maintaining presence in the Indian Ocean to keep the national and international sea lines of communications under surveillance,” the navy said in a statement.
It added that the Pakistan Navy actively collaborates with regional and international partners deployed in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) to foster a collective effort to counter piracy and promote anti-narcotics operations.
