ISLAMABAD — An anti-graft crusade promoted by Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has led to swathes of arrests of politicians, but critics say the economy is suffering as vital projects are put on hold by officials fearful of being caught up in the dragnet.
Khan won power last year vowing to root out corruption among what he cast as a venal political elite and views the probes into veteran politicians — including jailed former premier Nawaz Sharif and ex-President Asif Ali Zardari — as long overdue.
While few dispute the need to clean up Pakistani politics, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) campaign has become a topic of fierce political debate.
Some in the business community say they worry the drive is hurting an ailing economy, which has just received a $6 billion International Monetary Fund bailout.
And the focus of the NAB so far on the new government’s political foes has prompted accusations it is a one-sided purge backed by Pakistan’s powerful military, which is seen to favor Khan. The government denies targeting political opponents.
NAB did not respond to a request for comment. The military also did not respond, but in the past it has denied interfering in politics or influencing NAB, an independent body within Pakistan’s legal system with its own investigators and courts.
The crackdown has also ensnared civil servants, who say they have become collateral damage in the accountability drive.
Six high-ranking officials who spoke to Reuters painted a picture of a civil service in disarray and decision-making at a standstill, with senior officials avoiding signing off projects or making decisions that could open them to bribery accusations.
“If a project works out, I don’t get a gold medal,” said one senior federal official. “But if it doesn’t work out, I might go to jail.” A second official spoke of an administrative “go-slow” amid a climate of fear in the bureaucracy.
POLITICAL CASES?
The government rejects accusations that NAB is impacting the economy, calling such allegations opposition propaganda, and says graft is to blame for Pakistan’s current economic woes.
Khan last month launched a commission to investigate projects and agreements that helped increase overall debt between 2008-2018, staffing it with members of NAB and military intelligence agencies.
Science Minister Fawad Chaudhry said government officials make up a small number of NAB cases, but their concerns had reached Khan and a special cell had been created within NAB to deal with bureaucrats’ issues.
“The rise of Imran Khan is basically a middle class revolution against corruption,” Chaudhry added. “You can’t expect from us that we will take the issue of corruption lightly.”
NAB last month arrested former President Zardari and his sister over alleged false bank accounts and money laundering. They both deny wrongdoing and call the arrests politically motivated.
Since Khan assumed power last August, NAB has continued investigating jailed former Prime Minister Sharif, who has alleged the military’s hidden hand is behind many of the anti-corruption cases against his family.
Fresh probes have also been opened involving Sharif’s brother and many of his closest allies, including at least eight ministers from the previous government. They all deny wrongdoing and say they are victims of persecution.
“Everybody who is against this government has a NAB case,” said one opposition politician who was a minister in the previous government.
Inquiries have also been launched against some prominent businessmen.
“KILLS CONFIDENCE”
Pakistan’s new liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure, erected at breakneck speed by the previous administration, has emerged as a major anti-corruption battlefield.
LNG terminals built in 2016 and 2017 were vital to ending a decade of electricity shortages and turned Pakistan into one the world’s hottest LNG markets, with Qatar and Italy’s Eni signing long-term gas deals worth billions.
But Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party has for years alleged corruption. In April, on NAB’s instructions, the government barred former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, ex-Finance Minister Miftah Ismail, and six bureaucrats involved in the Qatar deal for the first terminal from leaving the country. They all deny wrongdoing. No allegations of wrongdoing have been made against the Qatari side.
Abbasi, who as petroleum minister masterminded Pakistan’s embrace of LNG, said he had to take a lead role because many officials were afraid of multi-billion dollar projects.
“Nobody wanted to do anything as they were scared of NAB,” said Abbasi, who said bureaucrats were now paying a price despite helping end electricity shortages. “We had good people who stuck their neck out and they’re all suffering today.”
A third LNG terminal and a new gas pipeline needed to keep up with rising energy demand have been on the “backburner” for more than a year as no decision making is taking place across ministries, according to an energy official.
“Bureaucrats being barred from leaving the country kills confidence,” he said. “We are going to have a (energy) crisis in a year or two.”
The result, say the officials who spoke to Reuters, is that senior colleagues nearing retirement are refusing to sign off on projects due to fears of being dragged out of retirement to answer NAB inquiries for years.
“If I have to make a decision about a $10 billion refinery... I’ll sit on this file for six months, and get the next guy to make that decision,” said the first senior federal official.
A senior civil servant in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province said he hasn’t approved any major project since late 2018.
“All bureaucrats know that once you are tagged with NAB, no matter if you’re innocent or you really did some corruption, you have no future,” he said. “You’re finished.”
’Government go-slow’, as Pakistan’s anti-corruption drive bites
’Government go-slow’, as Pakistan’s anti-corruption drive bites
- Anti-graft crusade promoted by PM Khan has led to swathes of arrests of politicians
- Focus so far on government’s political foes has prompted accusations of a one-sided purge
Islamabad airport becomes Pakistan’s first to introduce measures for passengers with mental disability
- Sunflower ribbons issued to eligible passengers will ensure preferential treatment at all counters
- HRW estimates number of people living with disabilities in Pakistan varies from 3.3 million to 27 million
ISLAMABAD: Islamabad Airport has introduced a special facility for passengers with “mental disorders,” the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said this week, making it the first airport in the country to offer such services.
This move aligns with international trends in making air travel more inclusive and reflects growing awareness in Pakistan about mental health needs, particularly in high-stress environments like airports.
“Islamabad International Airport is honored to provide special facilities to passengers with mental disorders,” the CAA said in a statement.
A special sunflower ribbon will be issued to people with “invisible disabilities,” the CAA said, so that they were eligible for “preferential facilities at every counter.”
“Children with autism and other mental disorders are benefiting from the facility,” the statement added.
According to Human Rights Watch, estimates of the number of people living with disabilities in Pakistan wildly vary from 3.3 million to 27 million.
Pakistan has enacted a Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act to protect and promote the rights of people with disabilities.
The Pakistani government has implemented policies and programs, including the National Policy for Persons with Disabilities (2002) and the National Plan of Action for Persons with Disabilities (2006), aimed at addressing the needs of people with disabilities.
Several organizations, including the National Council for the Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons (NCRDP), provincial councils, and disability-focused NGOs, are working to improve the lives of people with disabilities in Pakistan.
‘Incredible event’: Pakistan’s minerals summit attracts global investors
- Pakistan Minerals Summit held this week to attract foreign investment in country’s vast natural reserves estimated to be worth $6 trillion
- Event saw participation from major international companies and government officials from US, China, Saudi Arabia and other nations
ISLAMABAD: Major international companies from the US, Australia, South Africa and other nations have praised a global minerals summit hosted by Pakistan this week for opening up opportunities for investment in the country’s vast natural reserves, estimated to be worth $6 trillion.
The Pakistan Minerals Summit, aimed at attracting foreign investment in the country’s mining sector, saw participation from major international companies including Canada-based Barrick Gold and government officials from the United States, Saudi Arabia, China, Turkiye, the United Kingdom, Azerbaijan and other nations.
Pakistan is home to one of the world’s largest porphyry copper-gold mineral zones, while the Reko Diq mine in southwestern Balochistan province has an estimated 5.9 billion tons of ore. Barrick Gold, which owns a 50 percent stake in the Reko Diq mines, considers them one of the world’s largest underdeveloped copper-gold areas, and their development is expected to have a significant impact on Pakistan’s struggling economy.
But despite rich reserves of salt, copper, gold and coal, Pakistan’s mineral sector contributes only 3.2 percent to GDP and 0.1 percent to global exports. The country is now aiming to tap into this underutilized potential.
“This is really a great event so far for me. I’m meeting some great people, learning about the culture and the event is probably one of the best events we’ve been to recently,” Dave Williams, the CEO of Mudex, an Australian drilling fluids company, said in an interview to Radio Pakistan.
Mudex is based in Perth, specializing in the production and supply of environmentally friendly drilling fluids for industries such as mining, civil construction, water wells and horizontal directional drilling. Founded in 2014, Mudex offers a wide range of drilling fluid products including viscosifiers, lubricants, foaming agents and lost circulation materials.
“The networking and all has been really good … Being able to understand the immensity of the work that is happening in Pakistan at the moment,” the Mudex CEO said about the minerals summit.
Sohail Kiani, president of Canada’s SARF, said he was pleased to see Pakistani “finally recognizing its potential” in the minerals sector.
“Pakistan is a copper country and in the coming years, copper is going to become very important,” he said.
Pakistan’s copper reserves are estimated to be around 6.5 billion tons.
“The geology of this country is very conducive to taking out minerals which the world needs but obviously they’ve been in the ground for millions of years so we need to have a robust policy,” Kiani added.
Leah Boyer Saifullah, Senior Policy Adviser for the Critical Minerals Forum in Washington DC, described the minerals summit as “incredible.”
“I’m so glad to see Pakistan coming to the table, being part of this discussion,” she said. “I think this is going to be incredible for the country and for Pak-US relations.”
Tabassum Qadir, the CEO of Uprise Commodities Africa, said she was attending the mineral summit to explore opportunities at the Thar coal mines, located in southern Pakistan. They represent a significant source of lignite coal reserves in the country and are being developed for power generation.
“There is a gasification feasibility done in South Africa, which I want to implement in Pakistan,” Qadir said.
The businesswoman’s investment signals a renewed effort to harness Pakistan’s Thar coal reserves through gasification technology, which converts coal into synthetic gas for industrial use.
The initiative can reduce energy costs, alleviate the country’s growing fuel import bill and provide a domestic alternative to costly liquefied natural gas.
Pakistan, Turkiye sign offshore bidding pact for joint oil and gas exploration
- Pakistan’s offshore consists of two distinct basins, Makran and Indus, which together cover area greater than 282,623 sq km
- Pakistan announced offshore block bid round in February, offering 40 blocks in Makran and Indus basins for exploration licenses
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Turkiye this week signed a joint agreement to participate in an offshore oil and gas exploration bid round in Pakistan, the press information department said in a statement.
The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum 2025 by Pakistani Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik and Turkiye’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar.
Under the agreement, leading Pakistani exploration and production (E&P) companies — Mari Energies Limited, Oil & Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL), and Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL) — will partner with Turkish state-owned enterprise Türkiye Petrolleri Anonim Ortaklığı (TPAO) to jointly bid for offshore blocks.
“This bid round is a significant opportunity for attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) in the country’s upstream energy sector,” the press information department statement said.
“We believe that this strategic collaboration [with Turkiye] will bring much-needed FDI to Pakistan and pave the way for the sharing and deployment of international technologies, expertise, and skillsets to explore and exploit the untapped potential of Pakistan’s offshore region.”
Pakistan’s offshore consists of two distinct geological basins, Makran and Indus, which together cover an area greater than 282,623 sq km.
In a major policy shift aimed at revitalizing Pakistan’s energy sector, the government in February announced the auction of 71 oil and gas exploration blocks, 40 offshore and 31 onshore, while also unveiling plans to deregulate fuel prices. These measures are expected to enhance domestic energy production, attract foreign investment, and introduce competitive pricing in the petroleum market.
Then Federal Minister for Petroleum Musadik Malik made the announcement at the Annual Oil and Gas Conference in Islamabad in February, highlighting the urgent need to expand exploration efforts. He said Pakistan had drilled only 18 offshore wells in the past 60 years, far behind regional peers such as India and Bangladesh, which have made significant discoveries in offshore fields.
To bridge this gap, the government was now offering 40 offshore blocks for bidding, providing investors with an opportunity to tap into the country’s largely unexplored maritime energy reserves. Additionally, 31 onshore blocks had been made available to expand domestic oil and gas production.
Pakistan calls for end to Israeli airstrikes in Syria damaging civilian infrastructure, killing non-combatants
- Israel capitalized on Bashar Assad’s long-standing regime’s fall last year to strengthen its military presence in Syria
- Israel has recently stepped up airstrikes on Syria, which it describes as a warning to the newly formed government
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has urged the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to act “decisively” against Israeli airstrikes in Syria which were damaging civilian infrastructure and urban centers and causing civilian deaths, the country’s permanent mission to the UN said on Friday.
Israel took advantage of the fall of former Syrian president Bashar Assad’s long-standing regime in December to expand its military presence in Syria. It now controls a 400-square-km demilitarized buffer zone, supports the Druze minority and opposes the current Syrian leadership.
Israel has recently stepped up airstrikes on Syria, which it described as a warning to the newly formed government in Damascus. Israel says it is targeting military headquarters and sites containing weapons and ammunition.
“Pakistan is deeply alarmed by Israel’s ongoing and escalating attacks on
sovereign Syrian territory,” Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, told the 15-member UNSC during a briefing session on Syria.
“The recent airstrikes targeting multiple locations in Syria, including civilian infrastructure and urban centers, have caused civilian casualties and pose a grave threat to regional and international peace and security.”
He said the world was witnessing a “deeply troubling pattern” of continued, unprovoked Israeli military aggression, repeated violations of the Disengagement Agreement, an illegal military presence in the Area of Separation, and open declarations of indefinite occupation.
“This blatant disregard for Syria’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity must be unequivocally condemned,” Ahmad said. “The [UN] Council must demand Israel’s complete withdrawal from the occupied Golan Heights.”
The Agreement on Disengagement between Israel and Syria, signed on May 31, 1974, maintained the existing ceasefire and called for the separation of opposing parties by a UN Peacekeeping Force.
After Assad’s fall, Ahmed Al-Sharaa, who led anti-regime forces, was declared president for a transitional period in late January.
Israel said it will not tolerate an Islamist militant presence in southern Syria and has deployed troops into Syria’s border zone. However, Syria’s leadership has indicated it does not intend to open a front against Israel.
Ahmad said Israeli actions were undermining Syria’s efforts for “political stabilization” and “national reconciliation,” setting dangerous precedents in the region.
Warning that continued Israeli escalations could ignite a wider conflict, Ahmad said diplomacy, de-escalation and reconstruction should be the world’s top priorities.
He also demanded the UNSC condemn Israel’s blatant disregard for Syrian sovereignty and reiterated Pakistan’s support for a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political process.
Sikh devotees from India arrive in Pakistan for spring harvest festival
- Pakistan has issued more than 6,500 visas to Indian Sikh pilgrims for the Baisakhi festival from April 10-19
- Several Sikh holy sites ended up being in Pakistan after end of British rule, partition of Indian Subcontinent in 1947
ISLAMABAD: Sikh pilgrims from India began arriving in Pakistan this week via the Wagah border crossing to participate in celebrations of the Baisakhi spring festival which marks the beginning of the Sikh New Year and symbolizes spiritual rejuvenation.
Pakistan has issued more than 6,500 visas to Indian Sikh pilgrims for the Baisakhi festival from April 10-19, with celebrations centered around Gurdwara Panja Sahib in Hasan Abdal, some 45 kilometers northwest of Islamabad. Pilgrims will also visit Gurdwara Nankana Sahib and Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib.
Sikhs are a small minority based in the Punjab region that is divided between Muslim-majority Pakistan and Hindu-majority India, but several Sikh holy sites ended up being in Pakistan after the partition of the Indian Subcontinent in 1947. Many Sikhs see Pakistan as the place where their religion began. Its founder, Guru Nanak, was born in 1469 in a small village in Nankana Sahib near the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore.
“ETPB has ensured comprehensive arrangements for accommodation, medical facilities, transport, and other necessary services for the Sikh pilgrims,” said Farid Iqbal, Secretary Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB), a key government department which administers evacuee properties, including educational, charitable or religious trusts left behind by Hindus and Sikhs who migrated to India after partition in 1947.
“Gurdwara Janam Asthan (Nankana Sahib), Gurdwara Panja Sahib, Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur, and other holy sites have been beautifully decorated to enrich the spiritual experience of the pilgrims.”
The central ceremony of the Baisakhi Festival will be held on April 14 at Gurdwara Janam Asthan, Nankana Sahib.
The shrine in Hasan Abdal is one of Sikhism’s holiest sites and it is believed that the handprint of the founder of the religion, Guru Nanak, is imprinted on a boulder there.
Baisakhi is also meant to mark the day when Gobind Singh, the 10th and final guru of Sikhism, established the discipline of Khalsa, through which the faithful can aspire to the ultimate state of purity.
Every year, hundreds of pilgrims from India visit Pakistan to observe various religious festivals under the framework of the Pakistan-India Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines of 1974.
