We can’t save the planet if US, China don’t work together on climate — Pakistani FM

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Updated 28 September 2022
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We can’t save the planet if US, China don’t work together on climate — Pakistani FM

  • The United States and China are the world’s biggest carbon emitters
  • US President Biden warned at UN last week: “We don’t have much time”

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari called on the United States and China to work together to tackle climate change impacts, saying all political conflicts between the two global powers could wait.

The minister’s comments come days after Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif addressed the UN General Assembly and held bilateral meetings with multiple heads of states, telling the world about recent catastrophic floods that scientists say were exacerbated by climate change and which have left more than 1,600 people dead and over 33 million people at risk.

During the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations last week, climate change was on top of the agenda. Low-lying island nation Vanuatu stepped up a fight to get the world to focus on combating global warming by calling for a fossil fuel nonproliferation treaty. Leaders from Pakistan — where devastating floods have engulfed large swaths of the country, causing damage estimated at $30 billion — told the world their story and asked for debt-relief and aid.

“We will not overcome climate change, we will not save our planet if China and the United States do not work together on climate,” Bhutto Zardari said at a roundtable arranged by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

“Everything else can wait, every other conflict, every other dispute. We’ll all fight among ourselves if there’s a planet left to fight over. Up until then, there needs to be an awakening.”

Around the world last week, young activists rallied for climate action, staging protests from New Zealand and Japan to Germany and the streets of New York to demand rich countries pay for global warming damage to the poor.

The protests took place six weeks before this year’s UN climate summit, known as COP27, where vulnerable countries plan to push for compensation for climate-related destruction to homes, infrastructure and livelihoods.

UN chief Antonio Guterres last Friday warned the world is “not even close” to making enough progress on climate change, telling a meeting of Pacific Island leaders: “Those who did nothing to create this crisis are paying the highest price.”

Guterres has also urged rich countries to tax windfall profits of fossil fuel companies and to use that money to help countries harmed by the climate crisis and people who are struggling with rising food and energy prices.

The United States and China are the world’s biggest carbon emitters.

On the fight against global warming, US President Joe Biden warned at the United Nations last week: “We don’t have much time.”


Trump says brokered India-Pakistan ceasefire on trade warning, threat of nuclear war

Updated 6 sec ago
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Trump says brokered India-Pakistan ceasefire on trade warning, threat of nuclear war

  • India and Pakistan reached US-brokered ceasefire on May 10 to end hostilities that had spiraled alarmingly, threatening regional peace
  • Between May 7-10, two sides used fighter jets, drones, missiles, artillery to attack each other in worst fighting between them in decades 

ISLAMABAD: President Donald Trump said this week he had brokered a ceasefire between India and Pakistan last month through a trade warning and because of the threat of the conflict spiraling into a nuclear war. 

Nuclear-armed neighbors India and Pakistan reached an understanding to stop all military actions on land, in the air and at the sea on May 10 in a US-brokered ceasefire to end escalating hostilities that had spiraled alarmingly, threatening regional peace.

The two sides used fighter jets, drones, missiles and artillery to attack each other in the worst fighting between them in decades, leaving around 70 people dead on both sides of the border.

Speaking at the White House where he was hosting German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Trump said on Thursday he was “proud” that he has been able to broker the truce. 
“I spoke to some very talented people on both sides ... and I said, you know, we’re dealing with you on trade, Pakistan and India right now. I said we’re not going to deal with you on trade if you’re going to go shooting each other and whipping out nuclear weapons that maybe even affect us,” Trump said. 

“Because you know that nuclear dust blows across oceans very quickly, it affects us.

“And I said if you’re going to do that, we’re not going to do any trade deals, and you know what, I got that war stopped.”

He credited the “good and strong” leadership of both countries for backing off from the military confrontation.

Since the ceasefire, Pakistan has repeatedly thanked Trump for his mediation during the crisis while India rejects it acted due to US pressure. 

Pakistan and India have a history of bitter relations and both countries have fought three wars, two of them over the disputed region of Kashmir. The latest military conflict between them was also triggered by a gun attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 tourists on April 22.

India struck multiple Pakistani cities on May 7, blaming the April 22 attack on Pakistan. Islamabad denied any complicity in the assault and reciprocated with similar strikes against Indian military targets. A ceasefire was brokered on May 10 after both countries struck each other’s air bases, airfields and other military facilities.


Under new World Bank threshold, over 44% Pakistanis now live below poverty line

Updated 06 June 2025
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Under new World Bank threshold, over 44% Pakistanis now live below poverty line

  • Over 107 million Pakistanis live below poverty line, earning less than Rs1,200 a day
  • Over 39 million included in extreme poverty category, as per new poverty threshold

ISLAMABAD: Around 44.7% of Pakistan’s population is now considered to be living below the poverty line, according to the World Bank’s newly updated global poverty threshold set at $4.20 per person per day and released this week. 

Christina Wieser, senior economist at the World Bank and Tobias Haque, lead country economist for World Bank Pakistan, told media on Thursday the Bank was updating its global poverty lines to reflect changes in the cost of living and consumption habits of people around the world based on newly available data.

As price levels and the cost of basic needs across the world and within income groups evolve, global poverty lines are periodically updated to allow for global comparisons, Wieser said.

The new poverty lines are $3 per person per day for low-income countries (LIC), $4.20 for lower-middle-income countries (LMIC) and $8.30 for upper-middle-income countries (UMIC.)

Pakistan, with a population of over 240 million, is considered a lower-middle-income nation. 

“The revisions help position Pakistan’s poverty levels in a global context and underscore the importance of continued efforts to reduce vulnerability and improve resilience,” World Bank Country Director for Pakistan Najy Benhassine told media. 

“The new figures reflect updated international thresholds and improved data from other countries, not a deterioration in living standards.”

As a lower-middle-income country, Pakistan’s new poverty statistics reveal that the extreme poverty line, now at $3 per person per day, applies to 16.5% of its population, a substantial increase from 4.9% under the previous $2.15 benchmark. 

The upper-middle-income poverty line, established at $8.30 per person per day, applies to 88.4% of the country’s population.

As per the new poverty threshold, more than 107.95 million people in Pakistan are living below the poverty line, earning less than Rs1,200 a day, while more than 39.8 million people are included in the extreme poverty category.

The updated figures are part of the World Bank’s Global Poverty June Update 2025, an initiative aimed at enhancing the precision and relevance of global poverty assessments.


Pakistani PM to meet Saudi Crown Prince today to bolster bilateral ties, discuss regional security

Updated 06 June 2025
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Pakistani PM to meet Saudi Crown Prince today to bolster bilateral ties, discuss regional security

  • During his stay on June 5 and 6, Sharif will celebrate Eid Al-Adha, hold bilateral meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
  • Discussions are expected to focus on enhancing cooperation in trade, investment and regional security, welfare of Muslim Ummah

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is on a two-day visit to Saudi Arabia this week where he will meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman today, Friday, and discuss trade and investment as well as regional security matters. 

The Pakistani prime minister will celebrate Eid Al-Adha in the Kingdom and hold a bilateral meeting with the Saudi Crown Prince that is expected to focus on enhancing cooperation in trade, investment and regional security.

Sharif reached Jeddah on Thursday evening and departed for Makkah to perform Umrah, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said.

“The two leaders will discuss ways to further strengthen bilateral cooperation in various fields, including trade and investment, welfare of the Muslim Ummah, and regional peace and security,” PMO said about Sharif’s meeting with the Saudi Crown Prince later today, Friday. 

Sharif is also expected to express gratitude to the Saudi leadership for their role in de-escalating recent tensions between Pakistan and India. 

Last month, following the worst military confrontation between India and Pakistan in decades, Saudi Arabia, along with other Gulf nations, played a key role in mediating between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, helping to avert a potential war. 

The visit also comes amid deepening economic ties between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. In recent months, the two countries have signed multiple agreements aimed at boosting bilateral trade and investment. Notably, Saudi Arabia has committed to a $5 billion investment package to support Pakistan’s economy, which has been grappling with a balance of payments crisis.

Last year, Saudi and Pakistani businessmen signed 34 memorandums of understanding worth $2.8 billion, covering sectors such as industry, technology, and agriculture. Additionally, Saudi Arabia’s Manara Minerals is in talks to acquire a 10-20 percent stake in Pakistan’s $9 billion Reko Diq copper and gold mining project, one of the largest of its kind globally.

Defense cooperation is also a key component of the bilateral relationship. The two nations have a history of military collaboration, with Saudi Arabia providing support to Pakistan during times of regional tension and Pakistan training Saudi forces. 

Pakistan has a 2.7 million-strong diaspora in Saudi Arabia, which accounts for the highest remittance inflow, a crucial lifeline for the country’s economy.


Pakistan says India’s use of nuclear-capable missiles boosts risk in future conflict

Updated 06 June 2025
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Pakistan says India’s use of nuclear-capable missiles boosts risk in future conflict

  • Bilawal Bhutto Zardari says India used supersonic missile with nuclear capabilities during latest confrontation 
  • India has not officially declared its BrahMos missile to be nuclear capable, has stated no-first-use nuclear policy

ISLAMABAD: The head of a delegation visiting Washington DC to present Islamabad’s position following a recent military standoff with New Delhi said on Thursday India’s use of a nuclear-capable missile during the conflict had made the situation more precarious.

India and Pakistan have dispatched delegations to world capitals to defend their positions following last month’s four-day conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbors. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, a former foreign minister, is leading a Pakistani team of lawmakers and former diplomats to the US and will go onwards to London and Brussels. A separate Indian team led by Indian opposition lawmaker Shashi Tharoor is also in the US for official meetings.

The latest escalation between May 7-10 saw the two countries’ militaries trade missile, drones and artillery fire before a ceasefire was brokered by the US and other allies.

 “Our concern for next time, heaven forbid, for next time round is that the threshold is low for a military conflict,” Bhutto Zardari said in an interview with Bloomberg News in Washington.

He said India’s use during the conflict of a supersonic missile with nuclear capabilities presented a new danger in future clashes. 

“Now we then have about 30 seconds time to decide, off a grainy little image, this nuclear-capable missile — is it armed with a nuclear weapon? And how do we respond?”

In any future conflict, Bhutto Zardari added, both countries were likely to climb the “escalation ladder” too quickly for President Donald Trump or other leaders to intervene.

India has not officially declared its BrahMos missile to be nuclear capable and has a stated no-first-use nuclear policy. On Saturday, a top Indian military official said the conflict with Pakistan in May never came close to the point of nuclear war.

The latest conflict was sparked by an April attack by gunmen that killed 26 civilians — mostly Indian tourists — in Indian-administered Kashmir. India accused Pakistan of being behind the attack, which Islamabad denies.

After the conflict concluded with a ceasefire, which Trump said was brokered by the US, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India wouldn’t hesitate to use force against “terror camps” in Pakistan again, calling the response a “new normal” in relations. 

India has denied the May 10 ceasefire was the result of US intervention.

“The new sort of normal, or we call it an abnormal, that the Modi government is trying to impose on the region is that if there’s a terrorist attack anywhere in India, mainland India and Indian-occupied Kashmir, you don’t have to provide a shred of evidence.” Bhutto Zardari said. 

“You just need an accusation, and you launch into full-blown war with Pakistan. Therefore, from our perspective, it’s of the utmost importance that Pakistan and India engage in a comprehensive dialogue.”

India insists it attacked militant hideouts inside Pakistan during the latest conflict, marking the deepest breach into Pakistani territory since their 1971 war. Pakistan retaliated and shot down six Indian warplanes, using Chinese-made J-10C fighters to take down three French-made Rafales flown by India, said Bhutto Zardari.

India’s military has confirmed that it lost an unspecified number of fighter jets but said it was “absolutely incorrect” that Pakistan shot down six of its warplanes.

Pakistan has welcomed the US’s involvement in the dispute and called for an international investigation into its cause. India has historically rejected any third-party mediation with Pakistan.

“India will deal with Pakistan purely bilaterally,” India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar told his German counterpart on May 23. “There should be no confusion in any quarter in that regard.”


Pakistan’s Sindh, Punjab provinces announce prison sentence remissions ahead of Eid

Updated 06 June 2025
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Pakistan’s Sindh, Punjab provinces announce prison sentence remissions ahead of Eid

  • Punjab grants 90-day sentence remission to 450 prisoners ahead of Eid Al-Adha
  • Sindh chief minister approves special remission of 120 days for convicted prisoners

KARACHI: The provincial governments in Pakistan’s Sindh and Punjab provinces have announced remission in sentences for prisoners as a special concession on account of the upcoming Eid Al-Adha festival, official notifications released this week said. 

Pakistani leaders traditionally announce sentence remissions for prisoners on religious festivals and other special occasions like the two Eid festivals and Independence Day. The remissions are intended as goodwill gestures to promote rehabilitation and allow selected inmates to reunite with their families during important national and religious holidays.

“Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, on the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha-1446 (2025), has approved a special remission of 120 days for convicted prisoners confined in various prisons and correctional facilities across Sindh Province,” the CM’s office said in a statement. 

The special remission applies to all convicted prisoners “except for condemned prisoners and those convicted of serious offenses including murder, espionage, subversion, anti-state and terrorist activities, rape, kidnapping, robbery, dacoity, offenses, and financial embezzlement causing loss to the national exchequer.”

In Punjab, a special 90-day sentence remission was announced for 450 inmates.

The statement said 270 of the 450 prisoners would be released from Punjab’s jails and celebrate Eid with their families. 

However, prisoners convicted of militancy, sectarianism, espionage, treason, anti-state activities, murder, rape, drug trafficking, robbery, kidnapping, financial embezzlement or causing loss to the national treasury, as well as those punished for violating jail rules within the past year, would not be eligible for the sentence remission.

Eid Al-Adha will be celebrated in Pakistan on Saturday, June 7.