ISLAMABAD: Pakistan objected to India’s hydroelectric projects on Chenab and other western rivers during the India-Pakistan Permanent Indus Commission meeting that concluded in Islamabad on Thursday, said the foreign office in a statement.
The annual meeting between the two countries alternatively takes place in Pakistan and India under the relevant provisions of the Indus Water Treaty (IWT).
India has embarked on ambitious irrigation plans and construction of many upstream dams in recent years, though it says its use of water is strictly in line with the treaty signed between the two countries in 1960.
Pakistan has opposed some of these projects since it maintains they violate the World Bank-mediated agreement on the sharing of Indus waters, noting that 80 percent of Pakistani agriculture depends on it.
“The entire gamut of water-related issues between Pakistan and India were discussed in the meeting,” the foreign office said after the conclusion of the three-day meeting. “Pakistan reiterated its observations on the Kiru Hydroelectric project (HEP) located upstream river Chenab and India’s new run-of-the-river small HEPs on Western rivers.”
The statement added the Indian side was also urged to communicate advance flood-flow information as per the provisions of the treaty since the practice had remained in vogue between the two countries between 1989 and 2018.
Under the IWT, India has been given the right to generate hydroelectricity through run-of-the-river projects on the western rivers, though it subject to specific criteria related to design and operation.
The pact has also given the right to Pakistan to raise objections to the designs of Indian hydroelectric projects on the western rivers which has been done by Islamabad in recent years.
The two neighboring countries witnessed soaring tensions over water rights of the rivers flowing between them soon after their independence in August 1947.
Since the ratification of the treaty after nine years of negotiations, both neighbors decided to stay away from water wars despite full-scale military conflicts between them.
“Both sides reiterated their commitment to implement the Indus Waters Treaty in its true spirit and expressed the hope that the next meeting of the Commission would be held at an early date in India,” the foreign office added.
Pakistan objects to Indian hydroelectric projects at annual Indus Commission meeting
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Pakistan objects to Indian hydroelectric projects at annual Indus Commission meeting
- Islamabad urged the Indian delegation to communicate advance flood-flow information as per the provisions of the Indus Water Treaty
- Both sides hoped the next meeting of the commission would be held at an early date in India
Pakistan rejects Afghanistan’s allegations it hosts Daesh militant camps
- Foreign Office says Afghanistan is a source of “support and logistics” for militant operations against Pakistan
- Ties between neighbors are strained over surge in militant attacks in Pakistan it blames on Afghanistan
ISLAMABAD: Foreign Office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan on Thursday rejected Afghanistan’s allegations Pakistan was hosting and facilitating Daesh militant camps, calling it “weird propaganda.”
The remarks come in response to allegations by Afghan officials that Pakistan was operating training camps for Daesh fighters and facilitating their movement through the Islamabad and Karachi airports for training in its southwestern Balochistan and northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces with the aim of carrying out militant activities in Afghanistan.
Islamabad also frequently accuses neighboring Afghanistan of sheltering and supporting militant groups that launch cross-border attacks amid a surge in militancy in its KP and Balochistan provinces. The Taliban government in Kabul says it does not allow Afghan soil to be used by militants, insisting Pakistan’s security issues are an internal matter for Islamabad.
“Frankly, we completely reject these allegations. They are not grounded in reality,” Khan said during a weekly press briefing when asked about the Afghan allegations on Daesh camps. “It’s just some kind of weird propaganda.”
He reiterated Pakistan’s concern over sanctuaries of the Pakistani Taliban or Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) in Afghanistan, accusing the country of being a source of “support and logistics” for TTP militant operations against Pakistan.
“It couldn’t do without the sanctuaries it’s enjoying in Afghanistan,” Khan added. “And we continue to impress upon the Afghan authorities to address this genuine and serious concern so that our bilateral relations can achieve full potential as good neighbors.”
Islamabad says it has consistently taken up the issue of cross-border attacks with the Taliban administration. The issue has also led to clashes between the border forces of the two countries on multiple occasions in recent months.
In December, the Afghan Taliban said bombardment by Pakistani military aircraft in Afghanistan’s eastern Paktika province had killed at least 46 people, most of whom were children and women. Just days later, the Afghan defense ministry said Taliban forces targeted “several points” in neighboring Pakistan, further straining tense ties.
Relations between the two countries have also soured since Pakistan launched a deportation drive in November 2023 against illegal aliens residing in the country. Though Pakistan insists the campaign does not only target Afghans but all those residing in Pakistan unlawfully, it has disproportionately hit Afghans, with at least 800,000 repatriated so far.
Pakistan says Hong Kong conglomerate discussing $1 billion investment in maritime sector
- Pakistan maritime affairs minister holds meeting with Hutchison Ports officials
- Proposal includes upfront $200 million in foreign direct investment for Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: A Hong Kong-based multinational conglomerate has expressed interest in investing $1 billion in Pakistan’s maritime sector to improve the South Asian nation’s port infrastructure, the maritime ministry said on Thursday.
Hutchison Ports, a subsidiary of CK Hutchison Holdings, is a leading global port operator and logistics company, operating in 52 ports across 26 countries in Asia, Europe, the Americas, and Australia. It provides container terminal operations, cargo handling, logistics, port management, transportation, and distribution services.
Pakistan’s seaports in Karachi, located along the Arabian Sea, are essential for global trade and provide job opportunities for thousands of citizens. The country has been actively working on restructuring and enhancing its port infrastructure.
On Thursday, Maritime Affairs Minister Qaiser Ahmed Shaikh held a meeting with a high-level delegation from Hutchison Ports, led by the company’s Managing Director for the Middle East and Africa, Andy Tsoi, to discuss the $1 billion investment plan, the maritime affairs ministry said.
“This groundbreaking proposal includes an upfront $200 million Foreign Direct Investment,” the ministry said, adding that the investment would focus on modernizing the Karachi International Container Terminal and South Asia Pakistan Terminals Limited “with advanced automation technologies, enhancing operational efficiency and adopting eco-friendly solutions.”
The plan includes introducing “electrified and remote-control equipment” to reduce carbon emissions and establishing a state-of-the-art warehousing depot for Pakistan’s growing trade sector as well as funding to improve roads around the south wharf to ensure “smooth container traffic flow and boost supply chain efficiency.”
The development comes amid Pakistan’s efforts to boost trade and seek international partnerships to expand maritime activities.
In August 2024, state media reported that Danish shipping firm Maersk was in discussions with local authorities to invest $2 billion in Pakistan’s port and transport infrastructure over the next two years.
In October last year, the maritime minister signed an agreement with Denmark’s Minister Morten Bodskov to restructure Pakistan’s maritime sector and provide technical training at its ports.
Paris court sentences Pakistani who targeted Charlie Hebdo to 30 years jail
- When he carried out attack, 29-year-old Zaheer Mahmood wrongly believed satirical newspaper was still based in the building
- Newspaper had moved in the wake of an earlier attack, which killed 12 people including eight of the paper’s editorial staff
PARIS: A Paris court on Thursday sentenced a Pakistani man to 30 years in jail for attempting to murder two people outside the former offices of Charlie Hebdo in 2020 with a meat cleaver.
When he carried out the attack, 29-year-old Zaheer Mahmood wrongly believed the satirical newspaper was still based in the building, which was targeted by Islamists a decade ago for publishing cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.
The newspaper had in fact moved in the wake of the attack, which killed 12 people including eight of the paper’s editorial staff.
The killings in 2015 shocked France and triggered a fierce debate about freedom of expression and religion.
Originally from rural Pakistan, Mahmood arrived in France illegally in the summer of 2019.
The court had earlier heard how Mahmood was influenced by radical Pakistani preacher Khadim Hussain Rizvi, who had called for the beheading of blasphemers to “avenge the Prophet.”
Mahmood was convicted of attempted murder and terrorist conspiracy, and handed a ban from ever setting foot on French soil again.
Pakistan says three militants killed trying to infiltrating its border with Afghanistan
- Islamabad frequently accuses Afghanistan of sheltering, supporting militant groups that launch cross-border attacks
- Afghan officials deny state complicity, insisting Pakistan’s security issues are an internal matter of Islamabad
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces have killed six militants attempting to enter the country through its border with Afghanistan in the southwestern Balochistan province, the Pakistan military said on Thursday.
Islamabad frequently accuses neighboring Afghanistan of sheltering and supporting militant groups that launch cross-border attacks. The Taliban government in Kabul says it does not allow Afghan soil to be used by militants, insisting that Pakistan’s security issues are an internal matter of Islamabad.
In the latest incident, the Pakistan army said security forces had picked up on the movement of a group of militants who were attempting to infiltrate the Pakistan-Afghanistan border on the night between Jan 22. and 23 in Balochistan’s Zhob District. Six militants were killed, it said, and a large quantity of weapons, ammunition and explosives was recovered.
“Pakistan has consistently been asking Interim Afghan Government to ensure effective border management on their side of the border,” the army said. “Interim Afghan Government is expected to fulfill its obligations and deny the use of Afghan soil by Khwarij for perpetuating acts of terrorism against Pakistan.”
The Pakistani Taliban, or the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), have frequently targeted Pakistani forces in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The group also has some presence in Balochistan, the site of a low-level insurgency for decades by separatists fighting for the province’s independence.
On Jan. 19, Pakistani security forces killed five militants as they tried to infiltrate Pakistan’s border in Zhob district.
No talks with India on resumption of trade, Pakistan foreign office says
- In 2019, Indian PM Modi withdrew Indian-administered Kashmir’s autonomy to tighten grip over the territory
- Move provoked outrage in Pakistan and the downgrading of diplomatic ties and suspension of bilateral trade
KARACHI: The Pakistani Foreign Office said on Thursday Islamabad and New Delhi were not holding talks to resume trade, suspended in 2019 when India revoked the special status of the part of Kashmir that it controls and split the region into two federally administered territories.
The disputed Himalayan region is claimed in full, though ruled in part by both India and Pakistan since their independence from Britain in 1947, with the nuclear-armed neighbors having fought two of their three wars over the territory.
In 2019, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi withdrew Indian-administered Kashmir’s autonomy in order to tighten his grip over the territory, provoking outrage in Pakistan and the downgrading of diplomatic ties and suspension of bilateral trade.
Speaking to reporters at the Indian embassy in Washington this week, Indian Foreign Minister Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said no talks on trade resumption had been held between his country and Pakistan.
“Pakistan decided to suspend bilateral trade in response to India’s illegal and unilateral actions of 5 August 2019 relating to ... Kashmir,” Shafqat Ali Khan, the spokesperson for Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told Arab News when asked to respond to the Indian minister’s comments.
“High level engagement between Pakistan and India remains suspended at the moment. In that backdrop, both sides are not holding talks on resumption of trade.”
Khan said the volume of bilateral trade between Pakistan and India stood at $1.907 billion in the financial year 2018-19. He said India had in 2019 withdrawn the Most-Favored Nation status granted to Pakistan and imposed 200 percent duty on all Pakistani items, “posing a serious setback to Pakistan’s exports.”
Speaking on Wednesday, Jaishankar said it was Pakistan that had suspended trade.
“Their [Pakistan] government took a decision in 2019 not to conduct trade with India, that was from their side,” Jaishankar said.
“Our concern regarding this issue from the beginning was that we should get MFN status. We used to give MFN status to Pakistan, they didn’t give [it] to us.”
For decades, the armies of India and Pakistan have faced off over the the Line of Control (LoC), a UN-monitored ceasefire line agreed in 1972, that divides the areas each administers.
The foes fought a 1999 battle along the LoC that some analysts described as an undeclared war. Their forces exchanged regular gunfire over the LoC until a truce in late 2003, which has largely held since.
