Islamabad: The basic structure of the Pakistan-Arab Federation — a non-government body aimed at improving Pakistan’s relations with Islamic countries, enhancing people-to-people contact and promoting cooperation in various fields — would be ready within two weeks, the Pakistani prime minister’s special adviser on religious harmony and the Middle East, Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi, said on Thursday.
Last month, Ashrafi said Pakistan had started work on setting up the “autonomous, non-government” Pakistan-Arab Federation in pursuance of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s policy to improve economic and strategic ties with Arab countries. In October last year, the government founded a specialized research center on the Middle East at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad.
“This initiative will be at the non-governmental level to improve ties with Arab Islamic countries at the public level,” Ashrafi told Arab News. “The purpose of this is to strengthen people-to-people contact between Pakistan and Arab countries. We want businessmen, religious scholars and intellectuals to meet with each other at different levels and play their role in improving ties.”
Ashrafi said the Pakistani government had discussed the idea of the federation with Arab diplomats in Pakistan as well as prominent figures in Arab countries: “Their response to this initiative is quite encouraging.”
He added: “Pak-Arab Federation will help strengthen economic, cultural and tourism-related cooperation.”
In an interview last month, Ashrafi said the forum would be an “autonomous non-governmental federation comprising businessmen, chambers of commerce, religious scholars, intellectuals, academicians, journalists and other professional bodies.”
The federation would also serve as an advisory body for the Pakistani government to help it boost Pakistan’s image in Arab countries, Ashrafi had said.
“This federation will also work as a crisis management forum to remove misconception which can hamper bilateral relations of Pakistan with any of the Arab countries,” he said, adding that it would act as a “back-channel diplomacy forum” to help to quickly resolve important issues through people-to-people contact.
The federation will also help Pakistan connect with the more than five million Pakistanis living in Arab countries, Ashrafi said, and “will work to facilitate our Arab brothers to improve their people-to-people contact with Pakistan.”
Basic structure of Pak-Arab Federation to be ready in two weeks — PM aide
https://arab.news/pj346
Basic structure of Pak-Arab Federation to be ready in two weeks — PM aide
- Federation will function as a non-government body comprising representatives of Pakistan and all major Arab nations
- Will promote people-to-people contact, help connect with more than five million Pakistanis living in Arab countries, Tahir Ashrafi says
Senior official injured in crossfire between warring tribes in restive Pakistani district
- Additional Assistant Commissioner Sayed Manan was in the field to ensure a ceasefire as rival tribes attacked each other in Kurram’s Bushara area
- The official was shot in the stomach and was airlifted to the provincial capital of Peshawar in critical condition, police and health authorities say
ISLAMABAD: A senior administration official was injured in a crossfire between warring tribes in the northwestern Pakistani district of Kurram that has been hit by clashes for more than two months, officials said on Friday.
Kurram, a tribal district of around 600,000 where federal and provincial authorities have traditionally exerted limited control, has frequently witnessed violence between its Sunni and Shiite communities over land and power. Travelers to and from the area often ride in convoys escorted by security officials.
Fresh feuding began on Nov. 21 when gunmen ambushed a convoy and killed 52 people, mostly Shiites. The assault triggered road closures and other measures that have disrupted people’s access to medicine, food, fuel, education and work and created a humanitarian crisis in the area, where authorities say at least 150 people have been killed in the two months of feuding.
The latest incident occurred when Additional Assistant Commissioner Sayed Manan was in the field to ensure ceasefire between warring tribes in Bushara area, according to Kurram police spokesman Riaz Khan. Manan was flown to the provincial capital of Peshawar in a helicopter in critical condition after being initially treated at a hospital in Kurram’s Parachinar.
“The additional assistant commissioner underwent surgery at District Headquarter Hospital Parachinar,” Dr. Mir Hassan Jan, the medical superintendent of the hospital, told Arab News. “He was shot in the stomach.”
The additional assistant commissioner was injured in crossfire between the two villages in Bushara area, according to police spokesman Khan. While the gunfire has stopped, authorities are on high alert.
“The situation is completely tense in the area,” he added.
Feuding tribes have been engaged in battles with machine guns and heavy weapons, isolating the remote, mountainous region. The main road connecting Parachinar, the main town in Kurram, to the provincial capital of Peshawar has been blocked since sectarian fighting began in November.
The violence has continued despite a peace agreement signed between the warring tribes on Jan. 1. Under the peace agreement, both sides had agreed on the demolition of bunkers and the handover of heavy weapons to authorities within two weeks, but there has been little to no progress on the terms.
Shiite Muslims dominate parts of Kurram, although they are a minority in the rest of Pakistan, which is majority Sunni. Provincial and federal authorities have been supplying relief goods and evacuating the injured and ailing from Kurram to Peshawar via helicopters since last month.
Muhammad Ali Saif, a KP government spokesman, said on Friday hatred was the root cause of the Kurram issue and lasting peace in the region was not possible without eliminating it.
“All elements challenging the government’s writ will be punished according to the law,” he said, while speaking to a council of tribal and political elders in Kohat that was formed to resolve the Kurram issue.
“The Kohat [peace] agreement will be equally applicable to both parties.”
Ten militants killed in separate operations in Pakistan’s northwest — military
- The operations were conducted in Dera Ismail Khan and North Waziristan districts on the reported presence of militants
- Islamabad blames a surge in militancy on militants operating out of neighboring Afghanistan, Kabul denies the allegation
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces have killed ten militants in multiple operations in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, the Pakistani military said on Friday.
The operations were conducted in KP’s Dera Ismail Khan and North Waziristan districts, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing.
Four militants were killed in Dera Ismail Khan’s Kulachi area, while six others were killed in North Waziristan’s Datta Khel, Hassan Khel, Ghulam Khan and Mir Ali areas.
“Weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the killed khwarij [militants], who remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities in these areas against the security forces as well as killing of innocent civilians,” the ISPR said in a statement.
“Sanitization operations are being conducted to eliminate any other Kharji found in the area.”
Pakistan has witnessed a surge in militancy in KP, which borders Afghanistan, since a fragile truce between the Pakistani Taliban, or the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and the state broke down in November 2022.
The TTP and other militant groups have stepped up their attacks against security forces, besides targeted killings and kidnappings of law enforcers and government officials, in recent months.
The latest casualties in the province come a day after the military said two Pakistani soldiers, including an army captain, and six militants were killed in a gunfight in the North Waziristan district, which borders Afghanistan.
Islamabad has frequently accused neighboring Afghanistan of sheltering anti-Pakistan groups which launch cross-border attacks. Afghan officials deny allowing the use of their soil against any country.
Champions Trophy: Pakistan to inaugurate Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Feb. 7
- The PCB has been renovating stadiums in Lahore and Karachi for the 2025 Champions Trophy scheduled to take place in February
- The tournament’s structure follows a compromised decision after India refused to play in Pakistan, citing ‘security concerns’
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will inaugurate Gaddafi Stadium in the eastern city of Lahore on Feb. 7, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Mohsin Naqvi said on Friday, as the South Asian country gears up for the upcoming Champions Trophy.
The PCB has been renovating stadiums in Lahore and Karachi for the 2025 Champions Trophy scheduled to take place in Feb. across three venues: Lahore, Karachi, and Rawalpindi. This will be the first ICC tournament held in Pakistan since the 1996 World Cup.
Gaddafi Stadium is set to transform into a world-class facility, featuring over 34,000 seats, brand-new scoreboards on both sides and state-of-the-art floodlights, ensuring exceptional visibility for both players and spectators after sunset, according to the PCB.
On Friday, Naqvi visited the stadium and inspected the final renovation work on the ground.
“We are going to inaugurate the stadium in Lahore on Feb. 7, the prime minister will come here and inaugurate the stadium,” he told reporters at the venue.
Pakistani fans have long expressed dissatisfaction with the country’s stadiums, particularly the National Bank Stadium in Karachi, citing a lack of basic facilities and a subpar viewing experience for spectators.
The PCB has also been renovating the Karachi stadium.
“The president of Pakistan will inaugurate the stadium in Karachi on the 11th [of Feb.],” Naqvi said.
The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 will take place from February 19 till March 9, with matches hosted across Pakistan and Dubai in a hybrid model.
The tournament’s structure follows a compromised decision after India refused to play in Pakistan, citing “security concerns.” Exercising its rights as the host nation, Pakistan designated Dubai as the neutral venue for India’s matches, ensuring all teams’ participation.
The PCB has scheduled the Champions Trophy opening ceremony in Lahore on Feb. 16, according to Naqvi.
“We are fully prepared, we will welcome all the teams that are coming,” he told reporters in Lahore. “The entire PCB and the rest of the team are working day and night on their security and other arrangements.”
In Pakistan, Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi will host three group-stage games each. Lahore is also set to host the second semifinal. Dubai will host all three of India’s group matches and the first semifinal, should India qualify.
The tournament opener on Feb. 19 will feature Pakistan taking on New Zealand in Karachi, while India will face Bangladesh in Dubai on Feb. 20.
This will be the ninth edition of the ICC Champions Trophy, after an eight-year hiatus. The last tournament took place in England in 2017. The event will feature top eight teams in world cricket competing for one of the sport’s most prestigious titles.
Imran Khan’s party rejects Pakistani PM’s offer to relaunch reconciliation talks
- Negotiations began last month to ease political tensions in Pakistan with three rounds held so far
- PTI says government failed to meet deadline to form judicial commissions to probe so-called violent protests
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan has turned down Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s invitation on Thursday to resume reconciliatory talks with the government, which broke down last week.
The PTI mainly demands the release of political prisoners and the setting up of two judicial commissions to probe the events that led to his arrest in August 2023, and violent protest rallies, including one on May 9, 2023, when his supporters rampaged through military offices and installations, and a second one to demand Khan’s release from prison on Nov. 26, 2024, in which the government says four troops were killed.
Negotiations started last month and three rounds have been held so far. At the last meeting on Jan. 16, the PTI had given the government seven days to announce the truth commissions, a deadline that expired last Thursday. The PTI subsequently announced it was abandoning the talks process and did not attend the latest round on Jan. 28.
On Thursday, Sharif invited the party to resume talks with the government, also offering to form a parliamentary committee to investigate the results of general elections last year, which the PTI says were rigged.
“This offer by Shehbaz Sharif is totally rejected,” Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, Omar Ayub Khan, a key aide of Imran Khan, said, adding that the party would “actively move forward” with an anti-government movement in collaboration with other opposition parties under the Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) banner.
A Pakistani court earlier this month sentenced Khan to 14 years in prison in a land corruption case, another setback to the nascent talks’ process.
On Friday, speaking during a television interview, Federal Minister Rana Sanaullah said the talks’ offer made by Sharif did not have a deadline.
“The PM made an all-time offer,” Sanaullah said. “If they had come to us by 12 last night or today till 12am or even if they come after that, we are still ready … We will be ready because problems are only solved at the negotiating table, and there is no other way or solution.”
Khan’s ouster in a parliamentary no-trust vote in 2022 has plunged Pakistan into a political crisis, particularly since the PTI founder was jailed in August 2023 on corruption and other charges and remains behind bars. His party and supporters have regularly held protests calling for his release, with many of the demonstrations turning violent.
Khan’s first arrest in May 2023 in the land graft case in which he was sentenced last week sparked countrywide protests that saw his supporters attack and ransack military installations in an unprecedented backlash against Pakistan’s powerful army generals.
Although Khan was released days later, he was rearrested in August 2023 after being convicted in a corruption case. He remains in prison and says all cases against him are politically motivated.
Protests demanding Khan’s release last November also turned violent, with the PTI saying 12 supporters were killed while the state said four troops had died.
Last week, Khan had called on his party members and supporters to mark the one year anniversary of the Feb. 8 general elections as a “”black day” and hold protests across the country.
EU warns Pakistan GSP+ status dependent on ‘list of issues,’ including human rights
- Statement comes after EU envoy’s visit to Pakistan following bloc criticizing sentencing of civilians by military courts
- GSP+ status in spotlight again this week as Pakistan passed controversial cybercrime law to regulate social media platforms
ISLAMABAD: The European Union’s mission in Islamabad on Friday reminded Pakistan that trade benefits it received under the GSP+ scheme depended on progress the country made on addressing a list of issues, including human rights, saying “tangible” efforts remained essential.
The statement came after a week-long visit to Pakistan by Ambassador Olof Skoog, EU Special Representative for Human Rights (EUSR), to engage the country on human and labor rights issues and to discuss Pakistan’s plans to address them, including in view of the ongoing assessment under the GSP+ trade scheme.
The GSP+ scheme grants beneficiary countries’ exports duty-free access to the European market in exchange for voluntarily agreeing to implement 27 international core conventions, including on human and civil rights.
Multiple developments on the human rights front have raised concerns over Pakistan’s GSP+ status in recent weeks. The EU last month openly criticized Pakistan for sentencing over 80 civilians in army courts after charging them for anti-government riots in May 2023 in which military installations were attacked, saying it was “inconsistent” with Pakistan’s international obligations. This week, the country’s GSP+ status was once more in the spotlight after parliament passed a controversial cybercrime law that journalists and digital rights activists have widely said aims to crackdown against dissent on social media platforms. The government denies this.
“As we approach the midterm of the current monitoring cycle, we encourage Pakistan to continue on its reform path as it prepares for reapplication under the upcoming new GSP+ regulation,” the EU mission in Islamabad said in a statement.
“The trade benefits under GSP+ depend on the progress made on addressing a list of issues, including on human rights, and tangible reforms remain essential.”
In his meetings with senior Pakistani leaders including the deputy prime minister, information minister, the chief justice and military leaders, Skoog discussed areas of concern such as the application of blasphemy laws, women’s rights, forced marriages and conversions, enforced disappearances, freedoms of expression, religion or belief, independence of the media, impunity for rights violations, due process, the right to a fair trial, civic space, the death penalty, judicial backlog and the integrity and independence of the judiciary.
Pakistan has become the largest beneficiary of GSP+ in recent years, with its businesses increasing their exports to the EU market by 108 percent since the launch of the trade scheme in 2014.
In October 2023, the EU unanimously voted to extend GSP+ status until 2027 for developing countries, including Pakistan.
