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Pakistan stresses on ‘early conclusion’ of free trade negotiations with GCC

Pakistan's Foreign Minister, Jalil Abbas Jilani (left), shakes hands with Jassem Mohamed Albudaiwi, Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) on the sidelines of 78th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, USA on September 23, 2023. (Photo courtesy: Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
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Updated 24 September 2023
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Pakistan stresses on ‘early conclusion’ of free trade negotiations with GCC

  • Pakistan’s FM meets GCC general-secretary at sidelines of UNGA in New York 
  • Pakistan, six-member GCC resumed free trade agreement talks in 2021
Updated 24 September 2023
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani met the Gulf Cooperation Council’s (GCC) Secretary-General Jassem Mohamed Albudaiwi on Saturday to discuss free trade agreement negotiations between the two sides, calling for its “early conclusion,” Pakistan’s foreign office said. 

Pakistan and the six-member GCC bloc signed a framework agreement to discuss the free trade agreement in August 2004 but only a few rounds of negotiations took place in subsequent years. However, the GCC and Pakistan resumed the conversation in 2021 after a significantly long period.

Last year, both sides held technical-level talks to examine the possibility of signing the free trade agreement that could help Pakistan boost its exports to the six-country bloc, which includes Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, and Kuwait. 

In March this year, a delegation of senior Pakistani diplomats met top GCC officials in Riyadh to discuss the agreement’s modalities. 

“The Foreign Minister expressed satisfaction on the progress made in the negotiations on Pakistan-GCC Free Trade Agreement and reiterated the need for its early conclusion,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said, adding that the two representatives met at the sideline of the 78th UN General Assembly in New York.

MoFA said Albudaiwi agreed to “cooperate closely” to conclude the Pakistan-GCC free trade agreement at the earliest.

The statement added that Jilani expressed Pakistan’s desire to strengthen institutional linkages with the GCC and its member states 

“He underscored that Pakistan would be ready to host a GCC Foreign Ministers’ Conference in Islamabad as proposed during the 1st meeting of the Political Dialogue held in March this year,” MoFA added. 

Jilani said Pakistan viewed the GCC as an important player in the region that could play a vital role in expanding the South Asian country’s political and economic ties with the Gulf states. 

“Both agreed to further strengthening cooperation to forge a comprehensive partnership, with renewed focus on promotion of bilateral trade and business relations,” the statement added. 

Pakistan has been facing a severe economic crisis that has seen its foreign exchange reserves fall to critically low levels while its national currency has weakened considerably against the US dollar over the past one year. 

While the country secured a last-gasp $3 billion deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in June, Pakistan still needs to increase its exports as it grapples with an acute balance of payments crisis. 

Currently, Pakistan has free trade agreements with China, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka, though it also wants to export more to other trade destinations.

Topics: GCC Pakistan Foreign Minister Pakistan GCC trade

Former Gilgit-Baltistan chief minister sentenced to 34 years for speech against state institutions

Updated 6 sec ago
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Former Gilgit-Baltistan chief minister sentenced to 34 years for speech against state institutions

  • Muhammad Khalid Khurshid belongs to PTI and has been fined Rs600,000 by the court hearing his case
  • A PTI lawmaker slams the verdict, G-B spokesperson says ‘no one is above the law and the constitution’
Updated 6 sec ago
Nisar Ali

KHAPLU, Gilgit-Baltistan: An Anti-Terrorism Court in Pakistan’s northern Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) on Tuesday sentenced former Chief Minister Muhammad Khalid Khurshid to 34 years in prison and fined him Rs600,000 ($2,154) for delivering provocative speeches against state institutions and inciting public unrest, according to the court judgment.
Khurshid, a prominent member of former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which has alleged a sweeping crackdown following Khan’s ouster and imprisonment, was removed as G-B’s chief minister in 2023 over a fake degree scandal.
On July 26, 2024, he was accused of threatening security institutions, including the chief secretary and the election commissioner, during a public rally in Gilgit. He had been evading court hearings since then, leading to his absence during the trial.
The court instructed the region’s police chief to ensure Khurshid’s immediate arrest and transfer to prison. It also ordered the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) to block his identity card.
“This is purely a judicial matter,” Faizullah Faraq, G-B’s spokesperson, told Arab News while confirming the verdict. “We won’t comment on it.”
Meanwhile, Col (r) Obaidullah Baig, a PTI member in G-B’s legislative assembly, said his party respected judicial processes but noted that the verdict did not “fully reflect the true circumstances and principles of justice.”
“We are currently evaluating all legal options and discussing the possibility of an appeal to ensure that the rights of the accused are upheld and that a fair trial is conducted,” he told Arab News. “As a matter of fact, the constitution remains suspended in Pakistan and after the controversial 26th amendment, the independence of judiciary in G-B and Pakistan is questionable.”
Baig maintained that the former chief minister had always been an advocate for democratic values, free speech, and peaceful discourse.
“The allegations that his speeches incited violence or undermined state institutions are completely baseless,” he said, adding that Khurshid had only asked the security establishment and intelligence agencies about “their meddling into the region’s political matters” in the context of his government’s downfall.
He maintained that the sentence would only serve to strengthen the ex-chief minister’s resolve and further energize his supporters across G-B and Pakistan.
“It is likely to galvanize his political career, as it highlights the ongoing political struggles and the misuse of state power to target opposition figures,” the PTI lawmaker added.
G-B spokesperson, Faraq, however, emphasized it was important to uphold the rule of law.
“I just want to say that we should respect our state institutions,” he added. “Everyone should follow the law. No one ... is above the law and the constitution.”

Topics: Khalid Khurshid

Pakistan-origin Sadiq Khan receives knighthood in King’s New Year honors

Updated 31 December 2024
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Pakistan-origin Sadiq Khan receives knighthood in King’s New Year honors

  • Khan grew up in south London as one of eight siblings in a working-class family
  • He calls it ‘the honor of my life to serve the city I love’ in a social media message
Updated 31 December 2024
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: London Mayor Sadiq Khan, the son of Pakistani immigrants, has been awarded a knighthood in King Charles’s New Year honors list, recognizing his contributions to public service and leadership in one of the world’s most dynamic cities, according to his social media post on Tuesday.
Khan, who grew up on a council estate in south London as one of eight siblings in a working-class family, faced numerous challenges on his path to becoming the capital’s mayor. His father worked as a bus driver and his mother was a seamstress, instilling in him a strong work ethic and a commitment to social mobility.
A trained lawyer, Khan entered politics as a Labour Party member and has been re-elected as London’s mayor three times, overcoming criticism over crime rates and housing issues in the city.
“Truly humbled to have received a knighthood in the King’s New Year’s Honours,” Khan wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “I couldn’t have dreamed when growing up on a council estate in south London that I’d one day be Mayor of London. It’s the honor of my life to serve the city I love.”
The King’s New Year honors list includes more than 1,200 individuals from various fields, including politics, sports, arts and community service.
Other notable recipients include Gareth Southgate, former England soccer manager, and Keely Hodgkinson, Paris Olympics gold medalist, who were also awarded knighthoods.
The honors, which date back to 1890, aim to celebrate contributions to national life, both from prominent figures and unsung heroes.

With inputs from Reuters

Topics: Mayor of London Sadiq Khan Mayor Sadiq Khan

Pakistan unveils National Economic Plan with $10 billion annual investment target

Updated 31 December 2024
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Pakistan unveils National Economic Plan with $10 billion annual investment target

  • PM Sharif emphasizes to adopt mechanisms driving the country to export-led growth
  • Pakistan has grappled with economic crises that brought it close to default last year
Updated 31 December 2024
Hasaan Ali Khan

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday launched Pakistan’s five-year homegrown National Economic Plan, targeting an annual investment goal of $10 billion as the country seeks to recover from a prolonged macroeconomic crisis.
Pakistan has faced a series of economic challenges in recent years, including a balance-of-payments crisis, dwindling foreign exchange reserves and a depreciating national currency. The new plan, titled “Uraan Pakistan,” or “Fly Pakistan,” aims to transition the country from its current macroeconomic stability to sustainable growth.
In July, Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal announced the plan would be based on the 5Es framework — exports, energy, economic growth, education and equality — to foster stability and lay the groundwork for Pakistan’s future growth.
Speaking at the launch ceremony in Islamabad, Sharif emphasized that the government’s role was to promote business opportunities in the private sector and serve as a catalyst for economic progress.
“I want to tell you that our goal of investment will be $10 billion yearly,” Sharif said, urging the country’s affluent classes to also chip in and make sacrifices for the country.
Emphasizing the need to develop a strategy for an industrial and agricultural framework, he said the government must create a mechanism that drives people toward export-led growth.
“What we need is export-led growth,” he noted. “You have to create an environment for exports and also give incentives.”
The prime minister said the dollars needed to repay the country’s debt could only be earned through increased exports, urging people to withdraw money from banks amid declining interest rates to invest in the industrial and agricultural framework to boost exports and create productive employment.
He highlighted that Pakistan’s exports had grown by 11 percent, remittances by 24 percent and IT exports by 34 percent in the past five months.
Terming export-led growth as the pivot of “Uraan Pakistan,” he said tax reduction in the IT sector had helped the country strengthen digital economy.
Earlier, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb told the gathering that the economic plan stood on a handful of pillars.
“Firstly, our growth will be driven by exports to avoid the boom-bust cycles we have experienced in recent years,” he maintained. “Secondly, the private sector must take the lead in driving the country’s progress.”
Pakistan agreed to a 37-month, $7 billion bailout program from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) this year, promising the lender economic reforms in exchange. These reforms include increasing the tax base, regulating the energy sector and privatizing loss-making state-owned enterprises.
Aurangzeb hoped the five-year plan would put Pakistan on an upward economic trajectory in the next two to three years to ensure that this becomes the last IMF program the country would ever have to resorts to.
Pakistan is working actively to collaborate with regional allies in trade, defense, agriculture and other key sectors of the economy to attract foreign investment and brighten its economic prospects.
It has also enhanced bilateral trade and investment ties with close allies like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Russia, Central Asian states and other Gulf countries.
Last year, the country was on the verge of a sovereign debt default before Islamabad managed to clinch a last-gasp $3 billion IMF bailout to helped its economy stay afloat.
Pakistan’s finance minister has repeatedly said the country needs to undertake stringent economic reforms and develop itself as an export-led economy to achieve sustainable growth.

Topics: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Pakistan economy

Karachi police crack down on religio-political party’s days-long protest

Updated 30 min 25 sec ago
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Karachi police crack down on religio-political party’s days-long protest

  • Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen is holding sit-in protests in solidarity with people of violence-hit Kurram district
  • The Karachi police chief warned demonstrators of action a day earlier if they continued to disrupt public life
Updated 30 min 25 sec ago
NAIMAT KHAN

KARACHI: Police on Tuesday launched a crackdown on the main protest organized by the religio-political party Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM), leaving several, including cleric Allama Hasan Zafar Naqvi, injured, according to a spokesperson for the group.
The MWM has been staging sit-ins at over 10 locations in Karachi since last week to protest against sectarian violence in the northwestern Kurram district. Home to around 600,000 people, Kurram is located in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and has long been a hotspot for tribal and sectarian conflicts, with authorities struggling to maintain control.
The area’s volatile situation has necessitated travel in convoys escorted by security personnel, but this measure failed to prevent a deadly ambush on November 21, when gunmen attacked a convoy, killing 52 people, mostly Shias.
At least 136 people have so far lost their lives in the violence that followed, as a grand jirga, or traditional council of political and tribal elders, continues efforts to mediate between rival factions, though the unrest has now spilled beyond Kurram.
Police in Karachi moved against the central MWM protest camp at Numaish Chowrangi on Tuesday afternoon after days of complaints that life in the city had been brought to a near standstill, triggering clashes during the crackdown.
“Alama Hasan Zafar Naqvi is among many wounded in police attack,” Ahmer Naqvi, spokesperson of MWM told Arab News.
Prior to that, police and paramilitary Rangers used tear gas to disperse protesters and cleared Abul Hasan Isfahani Road near Abbas Town and Kamran Chowrangi in Gulistan-e-Jauhar.
Addressing a press conference, Allama Hasan Zafar Naqvi condemned the action and vowed that the group would not only continue its sit-in but also expand it to other parts of the city.
Meanwhile, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah took notice of protesters setting vehicles on fire, his office said in a statement.
“No permission will be given to cause damage to public or private property in any form,” Shah was quoted as saying. “Everyone has the right to protest, but damaging city property in this manner is incitement to violence.”
The CM said legal action would be taken against those who set vehicles on fire. Shah also directed the police to improve the situation in Karachi.
“The chief minister has instructed the additional inspector general of police to eliminate disorder in the city and submit an immediate report,” the statement said.
The Karachi police chief on Monday warned demonstrators of action if the protests continued to disrupt public life.
The Ahle-Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ), the MWM’s rival religious group, also threatened to hold counter-protests at 60 locations in Karachi if the MWM sit-in was not brought to an end.

Topics: karachi protest

Pakistan’s northwestern province announces $360,000 in scholarships for minority students

Updated 31 December 2024
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Pakistan’s northwestern province announces $360,000 in scholarships for minority students

  • Pakistan’s religious minorities have long complained of discrimination, economic hardships
  • Khyber Pakhtunkhwa says protection of minority rights remains an integral part of its agenda
Updated 31 December 2024
REHMAT MEHSUD

PESHAWAR: The government of Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province on Tuesday announced scholarships worth Rs100 million ($360,000) for minority students, aiming to bolster their educational opportunities, according to an official statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office.
Pakistan’s religious minorities have long complained of discrimination and economic hardships, which often leave them unable to afford quality education for their children. In KP, a province that has faced a persistent security deficit in recent decades, minorities have been particularly vulnerable, with militants and other violent individuals targeting churches and killing members of the Sikh community, adding to their challenges.
“Special training will be provided to children of minority communities at the Provincial Government Service Training Institute, helping them prepare for competitive exams,” Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur said, adding: “Minority students will receive scholarships worth 100 million rupees.”
The statement followed a meeting between Gandapur and Shoaib Suddle, chairman of the One-Man Commission on Minority Rights, during which issues concerning religious minorities were discussed.
In addition to the scholarships, Gandapur announced measures to install solar systems in places of worship for religious minorities and instructed the police to form a special force to ensure the security of their leaders.
He also directed the authorities to enforce the five percent employment quota and two percent education quota reserved for minorities in government institutions.
“The protection of minority rights and their welfare remain an integral part of the provincial government’s agenda,” Gandapur said, emphasizing the pivotal role minorities play in KP’s development and interfaith harmony.

Topics: Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur Minorities in Pakistan

Latest updates

Former Gilgit-Baltistan chief minister sentenced to 34 years for speech against state institutions
Syria’s foreign minister receives phone call from Egyptian counterpart
Thousands march in Bangladesh calling for Sheikh Hasina’s prosecution
Pakistan-origin Sadiq Khan receives knighthood in King’s New Year honors
Pakistan unveils National Economic Plan with $10 billion annual investment target

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