ISLAMABAD: Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif left Islamabad Friday evening after a two-day visit in which Pakistan said it was ready to work with all sides to help lower mounting tensions between the Islamic Republic and the United States, though experts believe Islamabad can offer Tehran little more than moral support.
Zarif arrived in Islamabad on Thursday night, ahead of next week’s emergency Arab League meeting summoned by Saudi Arabia over escalating tensions in the Arabian Gulf region.
“Foreign Minister Qureshi conveyed that Pakistan stood ready to work with all sides to help lower tensions and preserve peace and stability in the region,” the Pakistani foreign office said in a statement on Thursday night. “He also emphasized that Pakistan did not favor a conflict and believed that all sides should exercise maximum restraint and work in a spirit of easing the tensions.”
The United States pulled out of an agreement between Iran and world powers a year ago that limited Iran’s nuclear program in return for lifting economic sanctions. This month tensions have risen sharply following US President Donald Trump’s decision to try to cut Iran’s oil exports to zero and beef up US military presence in the Gulf in response to what he says are Iranian threats.
“Any miscalculation or accident could escalate the tensions to a dangerous level,” the foreign office statement said, quoting Qureshi.
Britain, France and Germany, which signed the 2015 nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, along with the United States, China and Russia, are determined to show they can compensate for last year’s US withdrawal from the deal, protect trade and still dissuade Tehran from quitting an accord designed to prevent it developing a nuclear bomb.
But Iran’s decision earlier this month to backtrack from some commitments in response to US measures to cripple its economy threatens to unravel the deal, under which Tehran agreed to curbs on its uranium enrichment program in exchange for the removal of most international sanctions.
Speaking about the nuclear deal, the Pakistan foreign minister said Pakistan supported the plan and “noted the efforts of the other parties to the Agreement to salvage the deal.”
“Faithful implementation of obligations by all parties was vitally important,” he said in a veiled reference to the US pulling out of the deal and Iran backtracking on some commitments.
Zarif also met with Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday and discussed issues of “bilateral interest,” according to a statement from the PM Office. In a statement released after Zarif called on army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, the military leader was quoted as saying, “war is not in anyone’s interest and all sides need to make efforts to keep conflict away from the region.”
Shamshad Ahmad, a former foreign secretary, said the Iranian foreign minister’s visit to Islamabad was part of a “consultative process” between the two neighboring countries to chalk out ways to tackle the unraveling situation in the Arabian Gulf.
“We are geo-politically linked with Iran, and if something bad happens to Iran, Pakistan will automatically feel its consequences,” Ahmad told Arab News. “Javad Zarif is here to explain Iran’s position and take the Pakistani leadership into confidence over the recent regional tensions.”
Ahmad said the timing of Zarif’s visit was “very important” just days before Prime Minister Khan is due to visit Saudi Arabia on May 31 to participate in a summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) body.
“The situation emerging in the Gulf is very serious not only for Iran, but also for the whole region,” he said, “But Pakistan can only extend moral support to Iran in the current scenario. We have our own limitations and international obligations to abide by … [we] cannot risk falling into the trap of US sanctions.”
This month, Pakistan said it had informed Iran in writing that it could not execute a $7 billion Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project as long as Tehran was under a United States sanctions regime, driving the final nail in the coffin of a project that was conceived in the 1990s to connect Iran’s giant South Pars gas field to India via Pakistan.
Tehran formally issued a notice to Islamabad in February this year, saying it was moving an arbitration court against Pakistan for failing to lay down the pipeline in Pakistani territory in the timeframe stipulated in the bilateral agreement. Pakistan has until August this year to legally respond to Iran’s notice and settle the issue through negotiations.
Relations between Iran and Pakistan have been strained in recent months, with both sides accusing each other of not doing enough to stamp out militants allegedly sheltering across the border.
During Friday’s meeting between the Pakistani and Iranian foreign ministers, they spoke about ways to improve ties, including discussions on how to increase bilateral trade, facilitate people to people contact, open new border markets and crossing points, and enhance security in their frontier regions.
Iranian FM leaves Pakistan with little more than promise of moral support
Iranian FM leaves Pakistan with little more than promise of moral support
- Mounting tensions between Tehran and Washington are threatening to blow up into an all-out conflict
- Pakistani foreign minister assures Iran ready to work with all sides to lower regional tensions
Pakistan warns Israel’s UN refugee agency ban risks cutting Palestinian lifeline in Gaza
- Israel has notified the UN of its termination of ties with UNRWA amid escalating fears of famine in Gaza
- Pakistan urges member states to reaffirm commitment to the UN agency through financial, political support
ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani diplomat at the United Nations said on Thursday Israel’s decision to sever ties with the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, could cut off the only lifeline available to the people of the war-ravaged Gaza Strip, urging the international community to prevent such an outcome.
Established in 1949 to provide education, health care and other services to Palestinians in their homeland, UNRWA has long faced Israeli criticism. Since October 2023, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has accused the agency of facilitating Hamas activities, leading to two controversial bills in Israeli parliament that banned the agency from operating in the region.
Israel’s recent decision to notify the UN of its termination of ties with the UN agency comes amid escalating fears of famine in Gaza. The decision also coincides with the deaths of nearly 180 UNRWA staff members in the ongoing conflict, drawing global condemnation, as UN officials highlight the unprecedented loss of life among their workers.
“Today, millions of Palestinians fear that the public services upon which their lives depend will soon disappear,” First Secretary Ansar Shah at Pakistan’s UN mission said while participating at a debate about the issue at the world body. “They fear that their children will be deprived of education, that illnesses will go untreated, and that social support will stop.”
“We have to answer the call of the Palestinian people,” he continued. “We must take concrete actions, uphold the UN Charter and international legality, or risk a collapse of a world order built on the foundations of UN Charter.”
The Pakistani diplomat emphasized that UNRWA was essential for delivering vital services to Palestinians.
He warned that without intervention from member states, the UN agency could collapse, plunging millions of Palestinians into chaos.
Shah also reiterated Pakistan’s stance by calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and an end to Israel’s “wanton violence in the West Bank.”
“The demonization and delegitimization of UNRWA must be halted,” he said, urging UN member to reaffirm their commitment to the agency through financial and political support.
Pakistan deploys mobile air monitoring stations in Lahore amid toxic smog
- Each station costs over $322,000, equipped for real-time air quality data
- Smog has enveloped Lahore, Pakistan’s cultural capital, since last month
ISLAMABAD: Authorities in Pakistan’s populous Punjab province have deployed five mobile air quality monitoring stations in Pakistan’s eastern Lahore city, each costing over Rs90 million ($322,000), amid worsening smog conditions, state-run media reported on Thursday.
Lahore, consistently ranked as the world’s most polluted city in live IQAir rankings in recent weeks, is facing hazardous air quality due to cold atmospheric conditions trapping dust, vehicle emissions and smoke from illegally burned fires.
The toxic smog, which has spread to 17 other districts in Punjab, has caused over 40,000 cases of respiratory illnesses this month, according to health officials, prompting authorities to close schools until November 17.
“The Punjab government has established five mobile air quality monitoring stations in Lahore to track the city’s air quality index,” Radio Pakistan reported.
It quoted the Punjab Environment Protection Department official Farooq Alam as saying the mobile stations had been placed in highly polluted areas, such as the Defense Housing Authority, Model Town, Gulberg, Bhatta Chowk and near Shimla Pahari.
Alam told Radio Pakistan that “each mobile monitoring station costs over ninety million rupees,” adding that they are equipped with advanced technology to collect real-time air quality data.
The Punjab administration official, however, did not mention any sustainable solution to the worsening smog condition, which has become a regular feature during the winter season.
Meanwhile, Punjab’s Provincial Disaster Management Authority has urged people to wear face masks as a precautionary measure against smog and to avoid venturing out unnecessarily.
The United Nations children’s agency has warned that the health of 11 million children in Punjab is at risk due to air pollution.
According to a study by the University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute last year, pollution could reduce life expectancy in the region by more than five years.
Pakistan deploys mobile air monitoring stations in Lahore amid toxic smog
- Each station costs over $322,000, equipped for real-time air quality data
- Smog has enveloped Lahore, Pakistan’s cultural capital, since last month
ISLAMABAD: Authorities in Pakistan’s populous Punjab province have deployed five mobile air quality monitoring stations in Pakistan’s eastern Lahore city, each costing over Rs90 million ($322,000), amid worsening smog conditions, state-run media reported on Thursday.
Lahore, consistently ranked as the world’s most polluted city in live IQAir rankings in recent weeks, is facing hazardous air quality due to cold atmospheric conditions trapping dust, vehicle emissions and smoke from illegally burned fires.
The toxic smog, which has spread to 17 other districts in Punjab, has caused over 40,000 cases of respiratory illnesses this month, according to health officials, prompting authorities to close schools until November 17.
“The Punjab government has established five mobile air quality monitoring stations in Lahore to track the city’s air quality index,” Radio Pakistan reported.
It quoted the Punjab Environment Protection Department official Farooq Alam as saying the mobile stations had been placed in highly polluted areas, such as the Defense Housing Authority, Model Town, Gulberg, Bhatta Chowk and near Shimla Pahari.
Alam told Radio Pakistan that “each mobile monitoring station costs over ninety million rupees,” adding that they are equipped with advanced technology to collect real-time air quality data.
The Punjab administration official, however, did not mention any sustainable solution to the worsening smog condition, which has become a regular feature during the winter season.
Meanwhile, Punjab’s Provincial Disaster Management Authority has urged people to wear face masks as a precautionary measure against smog and to avoid venturing out unnecessarily.
The United Nations children’s agency has warned that the health of 11 million children in Punjab is at risk due to air pollution.
According to a study by the University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute last year, pollution could reduce life expectancy in the region by more than five years.
New polio case reported in Pakistan, taking 2024 tally to 49
- In early 1990s, Pakistan reported around 20,000 cases annually but in 2018 the number dropped to eight cases
- This year, 24 cases reported in Balochistan, 13 in Sindh, 10 in KP and one each in Punjab and Islamabad
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s anti-polio program said on Friday the country had reported a new case of the polio virus in the southwestern Balochistan province, taking the nationwide tally to 49 this year.
A new case was reported from Jaffarabad in Balochistan, according to updated figures on the website of the Pakistan Polio Eradication Program.
Pakistan, along with neighboring Afghanistan, remains the last polio-endemic country in the world. Starting from late 2018, Pakistan saw a resurgence of cases and increased spread of polio, highlighting the fragility of gains achieved in the preceding three years.
“Genetic sequencing of the samples collected from the child is under process,” the polio program said in a statement.
This year, 24 cases have been reported in Balochistan, 13 in Sindh, 10 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and one each in Punjab and the federal capital of Islamabad. In the early 1990s, Pakistan reported around 20,000 cases annually but in 2018 the number dropped to eight cases. Six cases were reported in 2023 and only one in 2021.
Pakistan’s polio eradication program began in 1994, and the number of cases has declined dramatically since then.
But Pakistan continues to face challenges in its fight against polio, including militancy, with polio workers regularly targeted by attacks, particularly in the northwestern KP province.
The polio program has adapted to respond to climate disasters such as floods, but continues to face disruptions. There are also gaps in supplementary immunization activities, especially in areas where the virus is still present.
Pakistan calls for renewed international support for UN agency for Palestinian refugees
- Israel’s parliament voted last month to ban UNRWA from operating within Israel and occupied East Jerusalem
- Almost all of Gaza’s population of more than two million people are dependent on aid and services from UNRWA
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday urged the international community to renew its support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), following the Israeli parliament passing a law last month that will ban the body from operating in the country when it takes effect in late January.
Israel’s parliament voted last month to ban the UNRWA from operating within Israel and occupied East Jerusalem, crippling its ability to work in Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Almost all of Gaza’s population of more than two million people are dependent on aid and services from the agency.
The move has faced widespread condemnation, with UNRWA warning the new law could see aid supply chains “fall apart” in the coming weeks. Israel has defended the move, repeating its allegation that a number of the agency’s staff were involved in Hamas’s Oct. 7 attacks last year, which killed 1,200 people.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has told Israel that replacing UNRWA in Gaza and the West Bank would be Israel’s responsibility as the occupying power.
In a statement delivered at the UN Fourth Committee meeting, First Secretary at the Pakistani Mission to the UN, Ansar Shah, underlined the importance of “concrete measures to ensure that UNRWA remains operational and continues its critical humanitarian work for Palestinian refugees.”
“He called on all UN member states to provide political, financial, and operational support to UNRWA and stressed that sustaining and expanding the agency’s operations is essential to mitigating the harmful effects of Israel’s actions in the region,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan said.
“Pakistan strongly condemns the Israeli attempts to dismantle UNRWA’s operations, which is a blatant violation of the UN Charter, international law, and the provisional measures set by the International Court of Justice (ICJ).”
Shah said the international community must step in to prevent the collapse of UNRWA, which would leave millions of Palestinians without access to essential services like education, health care, and social support.
Founded in 1949, UNRWA works in Gaza, the West Bank, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan, initially caring for the 700,000 Palestinians who were forced from or fled their homes after the creation of the state of Israel. Over the decades, the agency has grown to become the biggest UN agency operating in Gaza.
Since the war in Gaza began in October last year, the agency says it has distributed food parcels to almost 1.9 million people and also offered nearly six million medical consultations across the enclave over the course of the conflict.
More than 200 UNRWA staff have been killed in Israeli attacks since October 2023 in the course of those duties, according to the agency.
