ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s landmark move to mainstream madrassas (religious seminaries), meeting a highly pressing demand arising post 9/11 attacks, is being viewed as the “step in the right direction” by all sides.
Pakistan government announced last week to bring 30,000 religious schools under the ministry of education with modernized curriculums after reaching a formal agreement with the leaders of major madrassa systems.
The mainstreaming of thousands of madrassas (religious seminaries) has for years been a delicate subject in the Muslim majority country of 208 million people, where religious schools have often been blamed for the radicalization of youngsters. Repeated attempts to modernize seminaries in the past were stayed due to fears of a religious backlash.
“This agreement is just a step, but a step in the right direction,” said Arshad Mirza, federal secretary at the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training, who was closely involved in negotiating the agreement.
“We are introducing technical education for madrassa students including modern IT-based skills and other technology courses,” Mirza told Arab News.
Pakistan’s government has been facing increased global pressure to act against militant groups, with the Paris-based terror financing watchdog, the Financial Action Task Force, scrutinizing the country’s compliance with an internationally agreed action plan, and a timeline until October to improve its counter-terror financing operations or risk being sanctioned.
With some seminaries considered as breeding grounds for militancy, and as pretexts for militant financing, the government revealed in April this year that it planned to bring 30,000 seminaries under the Ministry of Information.
These reforms were on the cards for a long time. In the aftermath of the Al-Qaeda led Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in the US, where almost 3,000 people died in three American cities, the 9/11 Commission Report linked madrassas to militancy. Under US pressure, the then government of President Pervez Musharraf attempted to modernize seminaries but did not have much success against a strong religious lobby.
Now, Mirza said, the government would introduce a single curriculum that applied to seminary classrooms as well, the National Common Curriculum.
“We will introduce common curriculum for the students of class one to five in March 2020 and then take it to the highest level subsequently,” he said.
Eventually, the government wants madrassa students to study under the common curriculum up to class eight.
“These students will study the same syllabus as other children, whether he is a son of a bureaucrat, a businessman or a minister. It is a big challenge but it is a step toward the right direction to unify the nation,” he said.
Professor Sajid Mir, President Wafaq-ul-Madaris Salfia, who is also a signatory in the madrassa agreement with the government, told Arab News that he was optimistic about the move and happy to deal directly with the country’s education ministry.
“It was our long-standing demand that the ministry of education should deal with madrassas (seminaries) as previously, either they put us under Interior Ministry, or others, who had no direct link with us.”
Mir said seminaries had never opposed madrassa reforms and registration, but simply demanded a more convenient process to register themselves.
“We always asked for an easy process, as institutions (involved in registration) demanded a lot of documents and the process was very complicated. I hope now, things will move forward smoothly,” he said.
Pakistan manages to harness madrassas 18 years after 9/11 attacks
Pakistan manages to harness madrassas 18 years after 9/11 attacks
- In 2001, the 9/11 commission report had linked madrassas to militancy and pressured Pakistan to crack down against seminaries
- Seminaries never opposed reforms, only asked for easy registration, says Sajid Mir
Pakistan says Afghans can’t live in capital without government certificate after Dec. 31
- Interior minister says Afghans who want to reside in capital after Dec. 31 need no-objection certificate from deputy commissioner
- Nearly 800,000 Afghan nationals that Islamabad says were residing in the country ‘illegally’ expelled since November last year
ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said on Wednesday no Afghan citizens would be allowed to live in Pakistan’s federal capital of Islamabad after Dec. 31 unless they were issued a special certificate by the district administration.
The move is the latest blow to Afghans living in Pakistan, with nearly 800,000 that Islamabad says were residing in the country ‘illegally’ expelled since November last year when the government launched a deportation drive that has drawn widespread criticism from international governments and rights organizations.
Authorities began expelling illegal foreigners from Nov. 1, 2023, following a spike in bombings which the Pakistan government says were carried out by Afghan nationals or by militants who cross over into Pakistan from neighboring Afghanistan. Islamabad has also blamed illegal Afghan immigrants and refugees for involvement in smuggling and other crimes. The Taliban government in Kabul says Pakistan’s security and other challenges are a domestic issue and cannot be blamed on the neighbor.
Now, Pakistan is also accusing Afghan nationals of taking part in anti-government protests led by the party of jailed former premier Imran Khan. The Islamabad police chief said in a press conference on Wednesday that at least 19 Afghans were among over 900 rioters arrested during the latest protests in Islamabad that ended on Tuesday evening.
“If they [Afghans] want to live here, they need a NOC [no-objection certificate] from the deputy commissioner’s office,” Interior Ministry Mohsin Naqvi told reporters, “but after Dec. 31, no Afghan citizen can live in Islamabad without an NOC.”
Until the government initiated the expulsion drive last year, Pakistan was home to over four million Afghan migrants and refugees out of which around 1.7 million were undocumented.
Afghans make up the largest portion of migrants, many of whom came after the Taliban took over Kabul in 2021, but a large number have been present since the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
Islamabad insists the deportation drive is not aimed at any particular nationality but all ‘illegal aliens’ but the drive has disproportionately hit Afghans.
Karachi business leaders plan new airline amid rise of private operations in Pakistan
- Air Karachi, inspired by Sialkot’s Air Sial, aims to raise Rs5 billion from 100 shareholders
- The move follows PIA’s financial struggles amid government’s privatization efforts
ISLAMABAD: Business leaders in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi will soon launch a new airline inspired by the success of Air Sial, which was established by their counterparts in Sialkot, a Pakistani city renowned for its cottage industries, according to a former leader of the Association of Builders and Developers of Pakistan on Wednesday.
The development comes as Pakistan witnesses the rise of private airlines amid the financial and administrative troubles faced by its national carrier, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), which the government is working to privatize.
Hanif Gohar, who until recently was the association’s chairman, said the idea resonated with Karachi’s business community when he shared it following the launch of Air Sial.
“When I discussed the idea of an airline with Air Vice Marshal Imran Qadir, the recently retired Southern Commander of the Pakistan Air Force, he offered his expertise,” he told Arab News. “Subsequently, I presented it to the business community, which also supported it.”
Air Sial was launched with contributions of Rs10 million ($35,900) each from 300 businessmen, raising a total of Rs3 billion ($10.8 million) before its inauguration and the launch of its first domestic flight in December 2020. The airline began international operations in March 2023 with a flight to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The proposed carrier, Air Karachi, plans to pool Rs50 million ($179,502) from each of its 100 shareholders, totaling Rs5 billion ($18 million).
“The response was so enthusiastic that some business families proposed multiple shareholders,” Gohar said.
He added that the process of launching the airline has already begun.
“We have registered Air Karachi with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan and completed other formalities,” he said. “Once the government issues the license, which is expected soon, we will acquire three aircraft to launch domestic flights.”
Gohar further said that after the mandatory one year of domestic operations, the airline will expand its fleet to seven and begin international flights to the Middle East.a
He informed that Air Vice Marshal Qadir had been appointed the chief operating officer of Air Karachi, while a team of retired Air Force officials with extensive aviation experience has been assembled to support the initiative.
Notable shareholders in the venture include Pakistani business tycoons Aqeel Karim Dhedhi, Arif Habib, S.M. Tanveer, Bashir Jan Muhammad, Khalid Tawab, Zubair Tufail and Hamza Tabani.
The idea of a Karachi-based airline gained attention earlier this month after former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif advised his daughter and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to acquire PIA and rename it Air Punjab.
Following offers from the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments to purchase PIA, Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori revealed that Karachi’s traders were also interested in acquiring the national airline.
“Karachi’s businesspersons are constantly contacting me to talk about the airline’s matters,” Tessori wrote on the social media platform X on Monday. “Karachi’s businesspersons want the PIA to be given to them for a year, and they are also interested in starting a new airline.”
Pakistan, China ink MoUs worth $250 million in animal fodder, fruits and vegetables processing
- MoUs signed at Pakistan-China B2B Conference held in Beijing with participation of over 200 representative from both nations
- This is third B2B meeting this year, one held in Qingdao with focus on fishery companies, second in Guangzhou for footwear
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan have signed 13 memorandums of understanding worth $250 with China to export fruits and vegetables, seafood and animal feed and establish joint ventures in Pakistan, state media reported on Wednesday.
The agreements were signed at the Pakistan-China B2B Conference held in Beijing with the participation of over 200 representatives from business groups in both nations. Pakistani officials used the forum to provide insights into the investment potential of the animal feed and fruit and vegetable processing industries. Several incentives for foreign investors were highlighted, including 100 percent foreign ownership, unrestricted profit and dividend repatriation, and zero import tariffs on factory equipment and machinery.
This is the third sector-wise Pakistan-China B2B meeting this year, with the first held in Qingdao with a focus on fishery companies, the second in Guangzhou for footwear, and the fourth slated to take place in Suzhou in December.
“Pakistan and China have signed thirteen MoUs on fostering joint ventures in animal fodder, fruits and vegetables processing sectors,” Radio Pakistan said. “The MoUs valued at 250 million US dollars were signed between Pakistani and Chinese companies in Beijing.”
Ghulam Qadir, Commercial Counsellor at the Embassy of Pakistan, told APP state news agency Pakistan’s competitive advantages in tariffs, labor costs, and raw materials could increase profit margins for businesses by up to 4.6 percent in fruit and vegetable processing. In the animal feed sector, particularly in the production of additives and supplements, profit margins could rise by as much as 3.6 percent.
“The Pakistani government is committed to creating a more business-friendly environment and has already addressed issues such as remittance challenges faced by Chinese companies,” Qadir said.
Mian Saeed Ahmed Fareed from Legend International Pvt. Ltd., a Karachi-based seafood exporter to China, said he had signed an agreement with an importer in Tianjin to export aquatic products to China.
“After COVID-19, our volume of export to China has been going up to about 700-800 metric tons of seafood annually including cuttlefish, squid, ribbon fish, croaker, etc. In recent several years, the demand for seafood in this vast market has increasingly diversified, ” he said.
A representative from a fodder company based in Weifang, an agricultural hub of China, appreciated the potential in bilateral markets, technology transfer, and raw material trade.
“The low labor and machinery cost in Pakistan provides us with opportunities for cooperation,” he told APP.
Tang Yaping, Director of the Tea Industry International Department, said she would lead a delegation of Chinese tea companies to visit Pakistan for the establishment of joint processing plants and warehouses.
Zhu Qianqiu, President of the Cross-Border Trade Development Committee in China, said the body was pushing for the establishment of a zero-tariff zone in Pakistan for trade in bilateral commodities.
Ceasefire fails in Pakistan’s northwest as sectarian clashes in Kurram kill 63
- The tribal district bordering Afghanistan has a long history of tribal and sectarian conflicts
- KP administration said it brokered a ceasefire after clashes followed the death of 41 people
PESHAWAR: At least 63 people have been killed and over 150 injured in the past three days in the northwestern Pakistani district of Kurram, as the seven-day ceasefire announced by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government failed to hold, and clashes between warring tribes continued.
Kurram, a former semi-autonomous tribal area bordering Afghanistan, has a long history of violent conflicts that have claimed hundreds of lives over the years. A major conflict in the district, triggered in 2007, lasted for years before being resolved by a jirga, or a council of tribal elders, in 2011.
The recent violence in the restive district erupted earlier this month when gunmen attacked a convoy carrying members of the minority Shiite community in the Uchat area of Lower Kurram, killing 41 people.
According to medical officials in the region, 63 bodies have been brought to two different medical facilities since the KP authorities said they had brokered the seven-day ceasefire.
“A total of 47 dead bodies and 132 injured people were brought to the hospital in the past three days,” a medical officer at the District Headquarters Hospital, who requested anonymity since he is not authorized to speak to the media, told Arab News on Wednesday.
Aziz-ur-Rehman, another doctor at BHU Mandori, also shared casualty figures over the phone.
“Sixteen dead bodies and 44 wounded individuals were brought to BHU Mandori during the recent clashes,” he said.
The KP administration announced the ceasefire on November 24, but Kurram continued to witness sporadic clashes.
According to Irfan Khan, a resident of the area, the situation remains “tense” in the district.
“The attacks intensify at night and relax during the day,” he told Arab News. “There is fear and tension all around as anything can happen at any time.”
Pakistani stocks rebound over 3,000 points after political clashes in Islamabad ease
- KSE-100 index recorded its largest-ever single-day decline on Tuesday, plummeting 3,506 points
- Analysts say the market has been performing well due to improved macroeconomic indicators
KARACHI: The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) rebounded significantly on Wednesday, rising over 3,000 points at the start of trade, following a steep drop a day earlier during major political clashes in the capital.
The benchmark KSE-100 index recorded its largest-ever single-day decline on Tuesday, plummeting 3,506 points, or 3.57 percent, amid political uncertainty triggered by a protest march on Islamabad led by supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, demanding his release from jail.
Khan’s followers retreated overnight after security forces conducted a large-scale operation in Islamabad, clearing the main thoroughfare near parliament and key government buildings.
Subsequently, the PSX surged by 3,260.99 points in the morning, trading at 97,835.15 as of 11:10 AM.
According to Shehryar Butt, portfolio manager at Dawson Securities, the stock market has been performing well lately due to improved macroeconomic indicators.
“The stock exchange came under pressure yesterday due to the political noise in the country,” he told Arab News. “The market stood on 99,700 points before it came down. Today, it is back on track since the political protest is over.”
Pakistan’s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said on Sunday that political protests had inflicted daily economic losses of Rs190 billion ($684 million), compounding the challenges faced by the nation’s struggling $350 billion economy.
Amid the unrest, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is leading a 68-member delegation in Pakistan to discuss enhanced economic cooperation.
Both nations on Tuesday signed 15 memoranda of understanding aimed at boosting trade and investment ties, which the government hopes will help stabilize Pakistan’s economy.
The government has also accused Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party of attempting to sabotage Lukashenko’s visit and impede the country’s path to economic recovery.
PTI lawmakers have said, however, they planned the protest before information about the Belarusian delegation’s visit was made public, dismissing the government’s allegation.
