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Ex-PM Sharif, allies agree to form coalition government

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Updated 14 February 2024
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Ex-PM Sharif, allies agree to form coalition government

  • Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz nominates Shehbaz Sharif as candidate for PM, Maryam Nawaz for Punjab CM posts
  • IPP, PML-Q, MQM-P and BAP parties affirm support for PML-N-led government, vow to unite to tackle Pakistan’s crises
Updated 14 February 2024
Aamir Saeed

ISLAMABAD: Six Pakistani political parties, including the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) announced on Tuesday that they have agreed to form a coalition government at the center, seeking to end a political stalemate after last week’s inconclusive elections.

Political parties have been scrambling since last week to forge alliances for a coalition government at the center. Thursday’s general elections saw independent candidates backed by ex-PM Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) win 93 seats, while PML-N obtained 75 seats, and the PPP won 54.

Khan’s PTI ruled out the possibility of a coalition government with the PPP or the PML-N, saying that it would instead forge alliances with religious parties Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) and the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) to form coalition governments in the center, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

“Friends, we have decided that we will sit together to form a government and pull Pakistan out of its problems,” PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari told reporters at a news conference held at the residence of Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, the leader of the Pakistan Muslim League (Q) party. 

The press conference took place after Zardari, PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif, Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) leader Aleem Khan, Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) representative Sadiq Sanjrani, Muttahida Quami Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) leader Dr. Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui and Hussain held a detailed meeting. 

Zardari called for reconciliation, inviting the PTI to hold talks with other parties on tackling the host of crises that Pakistan faces.

“We welcome them [PTI] to join us in this process, and all political forces are invited to engage in discussions about reconciliation,” the PPP co-chairman said. 

In a surprise development, PML-N information secretary Marriyum Aurangzeb announced on social media platform X that the party’s chief, Nawaz Sharif, had nominated his younger brother, Shehbaz Sharif, as its candidate for the prime minister’s post. 

She said he had also nominated his daughter, Maryam Nawaz Sharif, for the post of Punjab chief minister. 

Speaking at the press conference, Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan’s economic crisis was the most important challenge facing the country at the moment. 

“Only those nations move forward whose leadership unites and decides to end their differences to ensure their people’s progress,” he said. He pointed out that the new government would have to “fight a war” against unemployment and inflation. 

MQM-P leader Siddiqui vowed to support a PML-N-led government at the center. 

“With mutual cooperation, we will strengthen democracy and support Mian Shehbaz Sharif,” he told reporters. “We have supported him before and will do so in future.”

Political parties need to boost their seat count to the required 169 in the National Assembly. Along with the 266 directly elected seats, there are also 70 reserved seats — 60 for women and 10 for non-Muslims— allocated based on each party’s strength in the National Assembly, to determine their final standing.

A prime ministerial candidate needs to demonstrate a simple majority of 169 seats in the National Assembly, which consists of 336 seats.’

While the PPP, PML-N and MQM-P have a combined strength of 146 seats, the IPP has two seats, the PML-Q has three seats and the BAP has one. 

Bhutto Zardari says PPP not to be part of government 

Earlier on Tuesday, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had announced his party would support the PML-N’s candidate for the prime minister’s post. However, he said the PPP would not be part of the government and that he would pull out of the race for the premiership. 
 
“We are not in a position to join the federal government ourselves, we are not interested in taking ministries, but we also don’t want to see political chaos and perpetual chaos in the country,” Bhutto Zardari told reporters at a news conference at Zardari House in Islamabad. 

“We will be willing to support [the PML-N] on an issue-to-issue basis, in case of important votes, candidate for prime minister of Pakistan and to ensure the government is formed, and political stability is restored,” he added. 

The Bhutto scion said he was pulling out of the race for Pakistan’s prime minister. 

“The reality is that the Pakistan Peoples Party does not have a mandate to form the federal government and because of that, I will not be putting myself forward for the candidacy of prime minister of Pakistan,” he announced. 

He said the PPP had formed a committee to engage with other parties to form the government. He said the committee would deliberate on the PPP’s vote on important issues such as the national budget, the prime minister’s election, and important legislation. Bhutto Zardari said the party would also field its candidates for the National Assembly speaker, chairman of the Senate, and president.
 

Topics: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) elections 2024

US discusses tariffs, critical minerals, immigration with Pakistan

Updated 3 sec ago
Reuters
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US discusses tariffs, critical minerals, immigration with Pakistan

  • US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar over telephone
  • Both discussed making progress toward a “fair and balanced” trade relationship, says State Department
Updated 3 sec ago
Reuters

WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Monday about tariffs, trade relations, immigration and prospects for engagement on critical minerals, the State Department and Pakistan’s foreign ministry said in separate statements.

President Donald Trump said last week that he would impose a 10 percent baseline tariff on all imports to the US and higher duties on dozens of other countries, including some of Washington’s biggest trading partners, rattling global markets and bewildering US allies. The Trump administration imposed a 29 percent tariff on Pakistan.

“They (Rubio and Dar) discussed US reciprocal tariffs on Pakistan and how to make progress toward a fair and balanced trade relationship,” the State Department said.

The US goods trade deficit with Pakistan was $3 billion in 2024, a 5.2  percent increase over 2023, according to the Office of the US Trade Representative.

“The Secretary raised prospects for engagement on critical minerals and expressed interest in expanding commercial opportunities for US companies.”

Pakistan’s foreign ministry said Rubio “reciprocated the desire to collaborate with Pakistan in trade and investment in various sectors, especially critical minerals.”

The Trump administration has also used prospects of engagement over critical minerals with other countries.

For example, it is attempting to strike an agreement over critical minerals with Ukraine as part of talks related to the Russia-Ukraine war. Washington has also said it is open to exploring critical minerals partnerships with Congo and help end a conflict raging in the African country’s east.

In the call with Dar, Rubio emphasized the importance of Pakistan’s cooperation with the US on law enforcement and addressing illegal immigration, the State Department said.

Last month, Pakistan highlighted its cooperation with Washington on countering extremism after the arrest of Mohammad Sharifullah, whom the US blames for a 2021 attack on its troops at Kabul airport, in a military operation along the border with Afghanistan.

The Pakistan foreign ministry said Rubio and Dar discussed the situation in Afghanistan.

Topics: Pak US relations Marco Rubio Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar

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Pakistan’s national airline says passenger arrested for attacking staff on Paris-bound flight

Updated 7 min 50 sec ago
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Pakistan’s national airline says passenger arrested for attacking staff on Paris-bound flight

  • Passenger punched woman flight attendant after she told him not to smoke mid-flight, says PIA 
  • PIA says police report filed against passenger who has been blacklisted by the national airline 
Updated 7 min 50 sec ago
NAIMAT KHAN

KARACHI: A passenger was arrested by French police this week for attacking members of a cabin crew after he was told not to smoke on a Paris-bound Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight, the national airline’s spokesperson said. 

The incident took place on the Islamabad-Paris PIA flight PK-749 on Sunday after a woman flight attendant told a passenger to stop smoking, the airline said. The passenger refused and behaved rudely, prompting the crew and the captain to intervene. 

The PIA said the passenger injured the flight attendant’s arm by grabbing and twisting it and punching her on the back. He also attacked the flight steward and the captain, but they managed to snatch the cigarette from the passenger. 

“The captain informed French authorities during the flight as per the rules, and police arrested the passenger upon the plane’s arrival in Paris,” the PIA spokesperson said in a statement on Monday. 

“A police report has been filed after recording the statements of the flight attendants and having them medically examined.” 

The spokesperson said that French laws are very strict in this matter, hoping that the passenger will not be granted any concession. 

“The passenger has been blacklisted by the PIA and he will not be able to travel on the national airline again,” the spokesperson said. 

He commended the PIA’s staff for tackling the matter professionally, adding that the law would now take its due course. 

The PIA began operating flights to Paris for the first time in four years from January this year. Its authorization to operate flights to the European Union had been suspended by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in June 2020 over concerns about the ability of Pakistani aviation authorities to ensure compliance with international standards.

The national airline operates two weekly flights to Paris. 

Topics: PIA Paris

Pakistan eyes investments from Saudi Arabia, China, US as minerals summit kicks off

Updated 27 sec ago
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Pakistan eyes investments from Saudi Arabia, China, US as minerals summit kicks off

  • Ministers, heads of private mining companies from various countries expected to attend two-day forum in Islamabad
  • Pakistan’s petroleum minister says key agreements, memoranda of understanding will be signed at investment forum
Updated 27 sec ago
Shahjahan Khurram

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is hosting ministers and officials of private mining companies from Saudi Arabia, China, the United States and a host of other countries for a two-day minerals summit in the capital today, Tuesday, as it eyes international investment in its natural reserves estimated to be worth $6 trillion.

Grappling with a prolonged macroeconomic crisis, Pakistan hopes to tap into its vast reserves of minerals and natural resources to turn its fortunes around. The country is home to one of the world’s largest porphyry copper-gold mineral zones, while the Reko Diq mine in southwestern Balochistan 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. 

The Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL), Pakistan’s leading exploration and production (E&P) company, in collaboration with the government of Pakistan and strategic partners are organizing the summit. Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik said this week that the government expects around 2,000 people to attend the Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum from Apr. 8-9 in Islamabad, which would include a “significant” number of foreign dignitaries. 

“At the government level, ministers are also participating, heads of big private mining companies are also coming and those countries who would also be part of the discussions include participation from Turkiye,” Malik told reporters during a news conference on Monday. 

“Apart from this, we are expecting senior-level participation from China, from Azerbaijan, Saudi Arabia, China and the United States,” he said. 

He said the government will formally unveil Pakistan’s newly developed, investor-friendly National Minerals Harmonization Framework 2025, which aims to attract investment in the country’s mineral sector, at the forum. 

The minister said the summit would also feature key agreements and memoranda of understanding (MoUs) signed between Pakistan and other countries. 

“It is the prime minister’s wish that we do not restrict this event to just words, so we will confirm some MoUs in front of you,” Malik said. “Along with this, not just MoUs but a few agreements will also be executed after which we will take these matters toward implementation.”

Pakistan has designated mining and minerals as a priority sector for national economic development, aiming to reduce its reliance on imports and enhance exports. The country is undertaking efforts to utilize its natural resources through foreign investment and collaboration to stabilize its $350 billion economy, which has suffered a prolonged economic crisis over the past few years. 

Islamabad has aggressively pursued trade and investment with its regional allies, Central Asian states and Gulf countries in recent months to ward off a macroeconomic crisis that has drained its reserves, weakened its currency and triggered a balance of payment crisis. 

Pakistan formed the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), a hybrid civil-military government body, in 2023 to attract international investment in its key priority sectors, mining and minerals among them. 

Topics: Mining Mineral Exploration OGDCL

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Pakistan to launch today second phase of Hajj training for pilgrims

Updated 08 April 2025
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Pakistan to launch today second phase of Hajj training for pilgrims

  • The second phase of training program will include 142 workshops in 72 cities nationwide
  • Overseas Pakistanis will receive training at the relevant Hajj camps after returning home
Updated 08 April 2025
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is set to launch today, Tuesday, the second phase of mandatory training for Hajj pilgrims, the Pakistani religion ministry said, with 142 workshops scheduled to be held in 72 cities nationwide.
Pakistan conducted its first phase of training for Hajj pilgrims in Jan. that continued across the country until late Feb., with intending pilgrims trained via audio-visual devices and other materials.
Pakistani religious affairs minister Sardar Muhammad Yousaf has said that around 90,000 pilgrims are expected to perform Hajj under the government’s scheme this year, promising to ensure the best possible facilities for them.
As part of the second phase, Hajj workshops will be held in Islamabad, Mirpur Khas, Mirpur Mathilo, Qila Saifullah, Chakwal and Pishin districts on Tuesday, while training sessions will be held in Hyderabad, Mirpur Mirs, Zhob, Qila Abdullah, Chaman, Daki, Ziarat, Mianwali and Nowshera districts on Wednesday.
“The second phase of Hajj pilgrim training will continue until April 24,” the Pakistani religion ministry said. “Overseas Pakistanis will receive training at the relevant Hajj camps after returning home.”
Training programs will be held in Tando Adam, Nowshehro Feroze, Loralai, Haripur, Khushab and Kohat districts on April 10, while workshops in Benazirabad, Dadu, Mardan and Dera Ismail Khan districts will be held on April 11, the religion ministry said.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed in Jan. the Hajj 2025 agreement, under which 179,210 Pakistani pilgrims were supposed to perform the annual pilgrimage under the government and private schemes.
However, the South Asian country failed to fulfill its private Hajj quota of pilgrims, prompting Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif last week to constitute a three-member inquiry committee to probe why Pakistani authorities had failed to comply with the Kingdom’s Hajj 2025 policy and consequently lost the quota.
Pakistan will begin its Hajj operations on Apr. 29, when the first flight carrying Hajj pilgrims will depart from the eastern city of Lahore to Saudi Arabia.

Topics: Hajj 2025 Pakistan Hajj training

Pakistan issues over 6,500 visas to Indian Sikh pilgrims for Baisakhi festival

Updated 07 April 2025
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Pakistan issues over 6,500 visas to Indian Sikh pilgrims for Baisakhi festival

  • Baisakhi, the spring harvest festival, marks the beginning of the Sikh New Year and symbolizes spiritual rejuvenation
  • Indian pilgrims will be visiting Gurdwara Panja Sahib, Gurdwara Nankana Sahib and Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan
Updated 07 April 2025
KASHIF IMRAN

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has issued more than 6,500 visas to Indian Sikh pilgrims for the Baisakhi festival this month, the Pakistani high commission in New Delhi said on Monday.
Baisakhi, the spring harvest festival primarily celebrated in Punjab and northern India, marks the beginning of the Sikh New Year and symbolizes spiritual rejuvenation, with celebrations centered around Gurdwara Panja Sahib in Hasan Abdal, some 45 kilometers northwest of Islamabad.
Sikhs are a small minority based in the Punjab region that is divided between Muslim-majority Pakistan and Hindu-majority India, but several Sikh holy sites ended up being in Pakistan after the partition of the Subcontinent in 1947.
The annual festival is scheduled to be held in Pakistan on April 10-19, with pilgrims expected to visit Gurdwara Panja Sahib, Gurdwara Nankana Sahib and Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib.
“The large number of visas issued by the Government of Pakistan is a manifestation of our policy to foster harmony and promote understanding between peoples, cultures and religions,” Pakistan’s chargé d’affaires was quoted as saying by the country’s high commission in New Delhi.
“Pakistan would continue to facilitate such visits to sacred and holy sites.”
The shrine in Hasan Abdal is one of Sikhism’s holiest sites and it is believed that the handprint of the founder of the religion, Guru Nanak, is imprinted on a boulder there.
Baisakhi is also meant to mark the day when Gobind Singh, the 10th and final guru of Sikhism, established the discipline of Khalsa, through which the faithful can aspire to the ultimate state of purity.
Every year, a large number of Yatrees from India visit Pakistan to observe various religious festivals under the framework of the Pakistan-India Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines of 1974.

Topics: Pakistan India Ties Sikh pilgrims Baisakhi festival

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Pakistan to launch today second phase of Hajj training for pilgrims

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