ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Monday civil war in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of all US troops from the war-torn country later this year would disconnect Pakistan’s Gwadar port from land-locked Central Asian states.
The South Asian nation is promoting the strategic Gwadar port on the shore of the Arabian Sea as a trade and economic hub for the country, and an economic corridor for Central Asian states. The deep sea port is being developed as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a $62 billion energy and infrastructure project under construction in Pakistan since 2013.
A vast majority of US troops have left Afghanistan, ahead of the timetable set by President Joe Biden, who had promised they would be home by Sept. 11, the 20th anniversary of the attack that brought them to Afghanistan. The US forces leave as Afghanistan is on the verge of a civil war, a cause of concern for Pakistan, which shares a long, porous border with Afghanistan, hosts millions of Afghan refugees, and faces threats from Pakistani militants — the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) group — that have found safe havens in Afghanistan.
“We are talking to [Afghan] Taliban and neighboring countries for a political settlement in Afghanistan,” the prime minister said during a daylong visit to Gwadar. “In case the political settlement is not reached, besides the refugees’ influx, our trading links with the Central Asian states will be disconnected.”
The prime minister inaugurated the North Gwadar Free Zone, Gwadar Expo Center and Henan Agricultural Industrial Park, among other projects, during the visit. He also inaugurated three factories and witnessed the signing of agreements for solarization and desalination plants to resolve Gwadar’s water and electricity shortage problems.
Ambassadors from friendly countries, including Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Egypt and Qatar, also participated in events in Gwadar, along with federal ministers and top government functionaries. Some Chinese businessmen addressed the ceremony through video-link, promising to invest in the Gwadar industrial zone.
Khan said Pakistan had started a one window operation to facilitate Chinese and other foreign investors set up export-led industries in the Gwadar free zone.
“Gwadar is becoming a focal point for the whole Pakistan,” the prime minister said. “We are organizing ourselves to provide better service to Chinese investors like Vietnam, Bangladesh and Cambodia did.”
Civil war in Afghanistan will disconnect Gwadar port from Central Asia — Pakistani PM
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Civil war in Afghanistan will disconnect Gwadar port from Central Asia — Pakistani PM
- Pakistan is promoting Gwadar port on Arabian Sea as a trade hub for the country and economic corridor for Central Asia
- On daylong visit to Gwadar, PM inaugurates several projects including North Gwadar Free Zone, Gwadar Expo Center, Henan Agricultural Park
Pakistan army says ‘high value’ militant among two killed in northwest operation
- Army conducts frequent operations against militants it claims launch attacks from safe havens in Afghanistan
- Militants have intensified attacks on army and its bases since breaking ceasefire with government in late 2022
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Army said on Friday a “high-value target” was among two militants killed in an intelligence-based operation in the Lower Dir district of the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
In recent months, the military has launched frequent operations in the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan. The army’s target in the area are militants it says launch attacks inside Pakistan and against the army using safe havens in Afghanistan, a charge Kabul denies.
Groups like the Pakistani Taliban, commonly known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), have been waging a war against the Pakistani state for nearly two decades in a bid to overthrow the government and replace it with what they consider an Islamic system of governance.
“During the conduct of operation, own troops surrounded and effectively engaged the khwarij (terrorist) location and after an intense fire exchange, two khwarij including high value target Kharji Hafeezullah alias Kochwan were sent to hell,” the military said of the latest operation.
The army said Hafeezullah was involved in numerous militant activities targeting security forces and civilians and was wanted by law enforcement agencies, with a $35,714 (Rs10 million) bounty placed on his head by the government.
Earlier this week, the army said it had killed another “highly wanted” militant among nine others also in an intelligence-based operation in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Militants have intensified their attacks since revoking a ceasefire with the government in late 2022, with recent months witnessing significant strikes targeting the military and its bases.
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.
