KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s mammoth palm oil sector faces a new threat after Indian traders were asked to halt purchases amid a diplomatic row over Kashmir, piling further pressure on the industry as Europe also plans cutbacks.
The Southeast Asian nation is the second-biggest producer after Indonesia of the oil, used in everything from food to cosmetics, in a sector long vilified by environmentalists who blame it for fueling deforestation.
With Western companies reducing use of the commodity as green groups ratchet up pressure, the top two growers have increasingly come to rely on demand from India, the world’s biggest buyer of edible oils, and China.
But a speech by Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad at the United Nations General Assembly last month, in which he said New Delhi had “invaded and occupied” Kashmir, has sparked a backlash in India that could badly hit the sector.
There has been sympathy in mostly Muslim Malaysia for Kashmiris after the Hindu nationalist government in New Delhi revoked the Muslim-majority region’s autonomy in August, and imposed a lockdown to quell unrest.
Kashmir has been split between India and Pakistan since 1947, and has sparked wars and numerous skirmishes between the two countries. An armed rebellion against Indian rule has raged in the valley since 1989.
Mahathir’s comments prompted calls for Indians to shun Malaysian products — with social media users posting angry messages alongside the hashtag #BoycottMalaysia — while rumors swirled New Delhi may hike tariffs on Malaysian palm oil.
Earlier this week, a major Indian vegetable oil trade body called on its 875 members to avoid buying palm oil from Malaysia, noting the government was mulling retaliatory measures.
“In your own interest as well as a mark of solidarity with our nation, we should avoid purchases from Malaysia for the time being,” said Atul Chaturvedi, president of the Solvent Extractors’ Association of India.
It is a blow for Malaysia, as India was the country’s third-biggest market for palm oil and palm oil products in 2018, with a value of 6.84 billion ringgit ($1.63 billion).
Teresa Kok, the minister who oversees the commodity, scrambled to defuse tensions, describing the association’s move as a “major setback” and saying Malaysia was looking at increasing imports of sugar and buffalo meat from India.
The row is a further hit to the sector in Malaysia after the European Union announced plans to phase out palm oil in biofuels by 2030. Malaysia and Indonesia have vowed to fight the move, saying it could damage the livelihoods of millions of small-scale farmers.
Despite attempts by some Malaysian officials to calm the spat, calls are growing in India for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government to curb palm oil imports.
Such a move would signal that “countries gaining economically from India while criticizing the country politically will not have a free run anymore,” Neelam Deo, director of Mumbai-based think-tank Gateway House, told AFP.
Tensions have also risen between India and Turkey after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the UN General Assembly that Indian-administered Kashmir was “besieged.”
Reports have since said that Modi had canceled a planned visit to Turkey as a result, and that India could axe a $2.3 billion order with a Turkish shipyard.
India’s foreign ministry, however, denied that any such visit was planned.
New Delhi has yet to take any formal measures against Malaysia or Turkey but Bloomberg News reported last week that India was considering placing curbs on some imports from both countries, citing people familiar with the matter.
Despite the furor, Mahathir has been unapologetic, reportedly telling journalists last week: “We speak... our minds and we don’t retract and change.”
“Sometimes what we say is liked by some and disliked by others,” added the famously outspoken 94-year-old, known for his acid-tongued attacks on Jews and the West during a first stint in office from 1981 to 2003.
And with nationalistic anger growing in India, the row appears unlikely to end soon.
“It’s not purely a palm oil issue,” James Chin, a Malaysia expert at the University of Tasmania, told AFP. “It ties in with egos... and nationalism.”
Kashmir row sparks Malaysia, India palm oil tensions
Kashmir row sparks Malaysia, India palm oil tensions
- Malaysian PM speech at the UNGA on Kashmir last month, has sparked a backlash in India
- Mahathir's comments prompted calls for Indians to shun Malaysian products -- with hashtag #BoycottMalaysia
12 miners left stranded in southwestern Pakistan as coal mine collapses
- Coal mine in Balochistan’s Sanjdi area collapses due to methane explosion, says official
- Pakistan’s mines are known to have hazardous working conditions, poor safety standards
QUETTA: Twelve miners were left stranded on Thursday after a coal mine in southwestern Pakistan caved in due to a gas explosion, an official confirmed, as rescue teams reached the spot to save their lives.
The mine collapse took place in southwestern Balochistan province’s Sanjdi area, located around 40 kilometers from the provincial capital of Quetta.
Abdul Ghani, chief mine inspector of the provincial mining department, said a private coal mine caved in because of a methane gas explosion that occurred around 6:00 p.m. on Thursday evening.
“12 coal mine workers were stranded inside the mine,” Ghani told Arab News.
He added that rescue teams from Sanjdi and Quetta had reached the site and were attempting to save the stranded miners.
In response to a question, Ghani said he was not aware whether the miners were alive or dead as it was difficult to ascertain that since the mine had collapsed.
Pakistan’s mines are known to have hazardous working conditions and poor safety standards, where deadly incidents are not uncommon.
Twelve miners were killed in a gas explosion at the same mine in June last year.
Pakistan reiterates support for peace and stability in Sudan as war rages on
- Pakistan’s foreign minister discusses bilateral ties, civil war in Sudan with Sudanese counterpart
- A 20-month civil war has killed over 24,000 in Sudan, driven more than 14 million from their homes
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Thursday reiterated Islamabad’s support for peace and stability in Sudan, reiterating the desire for his country to strengthen bilateral ties with the African country.
Sudanese people have suffered due to a 20-month civil war between the army and a paramilitary group that has killed over 24,000 and driven over 14 million from their homes in the country, according to the UN.
Dar received a telephone call from Dr. Ali Youssef Ahmed Al-Sharif, the foreign minister of Sudan, the foreign office said. The two discussed bilateral ties between Pakistan and Sudan, and the war in the African country.
“DPM/FM reiterated Pakistan’s historic and fraternal ties with the people of Sudan,” Pakistan’s foreign office said in a statement.
“Expressed desire to further strengthen bilateral cooperation. Reassured Pakistan’s support for peace and stability in Sudan.”
Due to the prolonged war in the African country, an estimated 3.2 million Sudanese have crossed into neighboring countries, including Chad, Egypt and South Sudan, to escape the horrors of the conflict, as per the UN.
Pakistan’s United Nations Ambassador Munir Akram this week raised alarm at the UN Security Council over the worsening food security situation in Sudan, urging both warring parties to agree to an immediate and unconditional ceasefire.
Akram called on the international community to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Sudan and bridge the 36 percent funding gap for humanitarian appeals relating to Sudan.
“The international community must unite to support a common vision for return to peace and normalcy in Sudan,” he said.
“Foreign interference in the internal conflict of Sudan must stop. The UNSC arms embargo on Sudan must be respected.”
Pakistan eyes enhanced trade with Indonesia ahead of its president’s visit
- Indonesia’s president is expected to visit Pakistan later in January to discuss trade, bilateral issues
- Planning minister calls for cooperation with Indonesia in education, health, information and tourism
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal has directed officials to devise a strategy to boost bilateral trade with Indonesia, state-run media reported on Thursday, as Islamabad gears up to welcome President Prabowo Subianto to the country later this month.
Pakistan and Indonesia have attempted to bolster their economic ties through trade and investment over the years. The two countries signed a Preferential Trade Agreement in 2012 that became operational in September 2013, allowing for concessional market access to 232 goods from Pakistan such as fresh fruits, cotton and fabrics, and 313 from Indonesia, such as edible palm oil products, sugar confectionaries and cocoa products.
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif confirmed that Subianto will be in Pakistan later this month an official visit to the country.
“The minister directed the relevant authorities to formulate concrete proposals to enhance trade relations, emphasizing the need to strategically target the Indonesian market to showcase Pakistani products effectively,” the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) said.
Iqbal was speaking to officials while he chaired a meeting of a committee constituted by Sharif to enhance bilateral cooperation and trade between both countries ahead of Subianto’s visit.
“This landmark visit will open new avenues for trade and cooperation, further strengthening bilateral relations between Pakistan and Indonesia,” APP quoted Iqbal as saying.
“Indonesia has successfully integrated its cultural diversity into a unified identity. We can learn from their model.”
Iqbal stressed collaboration with Indonesia in the education, health, information technology and tourism sectors. He also suggested providing scholarships in IT and health care sectors to students from both countries.
In October last year, Pakistan and Indonesia signed bilateral trade pacts and memorandums of understanding worth $10.7 million during an Indonesian trade expo.
According to the Pakistan Business Council, the trade relationship between Pakistan and Indonesia holds significant potential for growth, with opportunities for increased cooperation in areas like agriculture, textiles, and energy.
Pakistani authorities report 70th polio case of 2024 from Karachi
- Onset of polio case took place in December 2024, say Pakistani health authorities
- Pakistan has reported 20 out of 70 poliovirus cases from southern Sindh province
KARACHI: Pakistani health authorities reported the country’s 70th poliovirus case of 2024 on Thursday, saying that its symptoms started becoming apparent in a child last month in the southern port city of Karachi, the polio eradication program said.
Polio is a paralyzing disease with no cure. Multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine and completion of the routine vaccination schedule for all children under the age of five are essential to provide high immunity against the disease.
As per the program, the onset of this case was on Dec. 21, 2024 and the case was reported in the Karachi East district. With the latest case, the district has now reported two polio cases from 2024.
“The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health has confirmed the detection of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) in a male child from Karachi East,” the program said in a statement.
As per the latest toll, out of the 70 poliovirus cases of 2024, 27 have been reported from Balochistan, 21 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 20 from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.
The Pakistan Polio Program organizes several mass vaccination campaigns annually, delivering the vaccine directly to people’s doorsteps.
On Jan. 6, Pakistan concluded a week-long anti-polio drive in southwestern Balochistan.
The health ministry said the first nationwide polio campaign of this year is scheduled to take place from Feb. 3-9, urging the parents to ensure the safety of their children by welcoming the vaccinators.
Pakistan’s polio program began in 1994 but efforts to eradicate the virus have since been undermined by vaccine misinformation and opposition from some religious hard-liners, who say immunization is a foreign ploy to sterilize Muslim children or a cover for Western spies.
Militant groups also frequently attack and kill members of polio vaccination teams.
In the early 1990s, the country 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 hopes Afghanistan joins other Islamic countries at girls’ education summit
- Pakistan to host global conference on girls education in Islamabad from Jan. 11-12
- No justification for restricting women’s education in Islam, says education minister
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s education minister on Thursday hoped Afghanistan would join representatives from 47 other Islamic countries and attend the upcoming global conference on girls’ education in Muslim countries, scheduled to be held later this week in Islamabad.
Pakistan’s education ministry will host the global conference titled: “Girls’ Education in Muslim Communities: Challenges and Opportunities” from Jan. 11-12 in Islamabad. Pakistan’s foreign office said on Wednesday that 150 representatives from 47 countries, including education experts, religious scholars, diplomats, and politicians are expected to partake in the summit.
Since the Afghan Taliban seized Kabul in August 2021, women and girls have been gradually barred from attending secondary school and university, undertaking most forms of paid employment, and attending public spaces such as public parks or gyms by the government there.
“We have extended an invitation to Afghanistan to participate in this conference and hope that their delegation will attend, as it is a very important neighboring country,” Education Minister Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui told reporters during a media briefing in Islamabad.
Since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, at least 1.4 million Afghan girls have been denied access to secondary education, according to a report by the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) released in August last year.
The minister said everyone respects tribal customs and cultures, but all such practices must align with Islamic values in Muslim countries, adding that nothing holds precedence over them.
“In Islam, there is no justification for restricting women’s education,” Siddiqui said.
He said that while the conference will officially kick off on Saturday, a session of the world’s religious scholars on girls’ education, chaired by the religion minister, will take place on Friday.
Siddiqui said the Muslim World League, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and key Islamic countries are actively participating in this event.
“Malala Yousafzai, a renowned activist for girls’ education, will also participate in this conference,” he said, adding that experts and representatives from diplomatic missions in Islamabad from non-Muslim countries will also attend the event.
Describing the objective of the conference, he said the primary aim of the conference is to stress the implementation of the Islamic message, which clearly states that both men and women have the right to education.
“By promoting girls’ education, we can build better homes, a better society and a stronger nation,” he said.
He said education in Pakistan was currently in an emergency state as millions of children were out of school and needed important steps to deal with this situation.
Siddiqui said that an “Islamabad Declaration” will be announced after the conference on Sunday.
“This declaration will outline decisive steps to transform the trends of girls’ education in Islamic countries by mobilizing all available resources,” he said.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will inaugurate the event and deliver the keynote address at the opening session on Jan. 11.
Pakistan’s foreign office said Sharif will reaffirm the nation’s commitment to promoting girls’ education and gender equality.
