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Iranian president visits Lahore, Karachi on three-day Pakistan visit

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Updated 23 April 2024
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Iranian president visits Lahore, Karachi on three-day Pakistan visit

  • President Ebrahim Raisi met provincial chief executives, other officials and dignitaries during the visits
  • Raisi arrived in Islamabad on Monday on an official visit as two Muslim neighbors sought to mend ties
Updated 23 April 2024
NAIMAT KHAN

KARACHI: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Tuesday held meetings with top officials in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province as he arrived in the seaside metropolis of Karachi, following his visit to the eastern city of Lahore during three-day official tour of Pakistan.

Raisi arrived in Islamabad on Monday on a three-day official visit to Pakistan as the two Muslim neighbors sought to mend ties after unprecedented tit-for-tat military strikes earlier this year. The visit also comes as tensions are high in the Middle East after Iran launched airstrikes on Israel a week ago and Israel retaliated with its own attack on Friday.

Upon arrival at the Karachi airport, the Iranian president received a warm welcome from Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori and Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah. He was subsequently escorted to the mausoleum of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, where he paid homage to the founder of Pakistan. Stringent security measures were in place, with main thoroughfare closed and a public holiday declared in the port city.




Commuters ride past a welcoming billboard displaying an image of the Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi along a street in Karachi on April 22, 2024. (AFP)

Later, a reception was hosted in Raisi’s honor at the Sindh Chief Minister’s House, where Governor Tessori conferred upon him an honorary Doctorate in Philosophy (PhD) degree in recognition of his contributions to “strengthening bilateral ties between the two nations.”

“It’s a privilege for the University of Karachi to bestow this honorary degree upon the Iranian president,” Tessori was quoted as saying in a press statement.

He emphasized the importance of fostering strong relations among Muslim nations, according to the statement. The governor also invited the Iranian business community to invest in Pakistan, highlighting “the favorable and business-friendly environment within the country.”

Emphasizing the importance of enhancing relations between the two countries, CM Murad Ali Shah assured President Raisi of Sindh’s commitment to strengthening educational, cultural, social and economic ties with Iran.

“Murad Shah concluded by inviting Iranian brothers and sisters to explore investment opportunities in Sindh, emphasizing the region’s safe and attractive investment environment,” read a statement issued by Shah’s office.

Later, a dinner was hosted for President Raisi by the Pakistani business community.

Earlier in the day, Raisi visited the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore and began his trip by visiting the mausoleum of Allama Muhammad Iqbal, Pakistan’s national poet, whose literary works in the Persian language have garnered him widespread recognition in Iran.




Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi visits Iqbal's Mausoleum in Lahore and lays a wreath in honor of the renowned poet and philosopher of Pakistan on April 23, 2024. (Government of Pakistan)

He later met top provincial officials, including Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and Governor Baligh-ur-Rehman. In his meeting with CM Nawaz, the two figures reaffirmed commitment to enhancing cultural exchanges and fostering people-to-people contacts, according to a statement issued from the Punjab CM’s office.

“The Chief Minister explained the measures taken in the province for socio-economic development and expressed a desire for close engagement with Iranian cities and provinces for mutual benefit and prosperity,” it read.

“President Raisi appreciated the rich cultural history of the city of Lahore and expressed admiration for the poet of the East, Dr. Muhammad Iqbal, who is revered in Iran as ‘Iqbal-e-Lahori’.”

The Iranian official’s visit is the first by any head of state to Pakistan after the South Asian nation’s February general elections and the formation of a new government headed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

On Monday, Raisi held delegation-level meetings in the Pakistani capital as well as one-on-one discussions with the prime minister, president, army chief, chairman senate and speaker national assembly.

He also witnessed the signing of eight MoUs and agreements covering different fields including trade, science technology, agriculture, health, culture, and judicial matters. These include an MoU on the establishment of the Rimdan-Gabd Joint Free/Special Zone; on cooperation between the Ministry of Cooperative Labour and Social Welfare of Iran and the Ministry of Overseas Pakistani and Human Resources Development of Pakistan; on judicial assistance and legal cooperation at the ministry levels; on cooperation for animal hygiene and health; on mutual recognition in the field of quarantine and phytosanitary; and on the promotion of culture and films.

“The economic and trade volume between Iran and Pakistan is not acceptable at all and we have decided at the first step to increase the trade volume between our two countries to $10 billion,” Raisi said at a joint press conference with Sharif.

The interior ministers of Pakistan and Iran also met on Monday and discussed border management to prevent smuggling and drugs trafficking, and “decided in principle to ban terrorist organizations in their respective countries,” state news wire APP said.




Governor Punjab Muhammad Balighur Rehman (right) shakes hands with the Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Lahore, Pakistan on April 23, 2024. (Government of Pakistan)

“The two sides agreed on a joint plan of action to deal with the menace of terrorism being a common problem, with further improving mutual support and exchange of intelligence information.”

A security agreement regarding this decision would be signed “at the earliest,” APP added.

Pakistan and Iran have had a history of rocky relations despite a number of commercial pacts, with Islamabad being historically closer to Saudi Arabia and the United States.

Their highest profile agreement is a stalled gas supply deal signed in 2010 to build a pipeline from Iran’s South Fars gas field to Pakistan’s southern provinces of Balochistan and Sindh.

Pakistan and Iran are also often at odds over instability on their shared porous border, with both countries routinely trading blame for not rooting out militancy.

Tensions surged in January when Pakistan and Iran exchanged airstrikes, both claiming to target alleged militant hideouts in each other’s countries. Both sides have since then undertaken peace overtures and restored bilateral ties.

Topics: Pakistan Iran Ties

Six Indian gray wolf puppies rescued in southwest Pakistan

Updated 02 May 2025
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Six Indian gray wolf puppies rescued in southwest Pakistan

  • The puppies were moved to a wildlife rescue center in Balochistan
  • These wolves inhabit dry grasslands of India, Pakistan and Nepal
Updated 02 May 2025
NAIMAT KHAN

KARACHI: Six Indian gray wolf puppies, found in the care of local residents in Pakistan’s southwestern Zhob district, were relocated to a rescue center in Balochistan province, the Wildlife Department said on Friday.
The Indian gray wolf, also known as canis lupus pallipes, is a small, slender subspecies of the gray wolf found in India, Pakistan and Nepal, particularly in dry grasslands and scrublands. It has a pale brown or reddish-gray coat with short fur suited to hot climates.

The rescue followed a video that went viral on social media, showing locals playing with the puppies in the Kakar Khorasan area of Zhob. Wildlife officials then sought assistance from the police and Levies to take the animals into their custody, which they did.

“We have transferred all six to the rescue center in Zhob where they are being cared for,” Chief Wildlife Conservator Sharifuddin Baloch told Arab News over the phone. “Once they reach an appropriate age, they will be released into the wild.”
He said initial reports suggested that one wolf puppy had died, but wildlife officials later found all the puppies alive.
Compared to other wolves, Indian gray wolves form smaller packs, are more elusive and less vocal. They prey on livestock, small mammals and occasionally wild ungulates.
Genetically distinct and among the oldest wolf lineages, the Indian gray wolf is listed as endangered in India due to habitat loss, human-wildlife conflict and persecution.

Topics: wildlife Indian gray wolf

Pakistan’s UN envoy says India’s suspension of water treaty ‘illegal,’ poses ‘existential threat’

Updated 02 May 2025
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Pakistan’s UN envoy says India’s suspension of water treaty ‘illegal,’ poses ‘existential threat’

  • Ambassador Ahmad warns India’s action could set a dangerous precedent undermining rights of lower riparian states
  • He says Pakistan rejects any attempt to associate it to the April 22 attack, which it condemned alongside other nations
Updated 02 May 2025
Muhammad Ibrahim

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s top diplomat at the United Nations on Friday raised alarm over India’s decision to suspend a decades-old river water sharing mechanism between the two nations after a gun attack killed 26 people in the disputed Kashmir region on April 22.
New Delhi blamed Islamabad for the assault in Pahalgam, a tourist hotspot in Indian-administered Kashmir, despite Pakistani denial of involvement and calls for an independent investigation. India also expelled Pakistani diplomats, shut a major border crossing and suspended the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in the wake of the attack.
Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, told a media briefing at the UN his country “categorically rejects any attempt to associate it with the 22 April terrorist incident” and had condemned it alongside other Security Council members.
He described India’s conduct as “incendiary,” saying it disregarded international law and could have “far-reaching consequences for global peace and stability.”
“Of grave and particular concern is India’s irresponsible decision to hold in abeyance the historic Indus Waters Treaty of 1960, a landmark, legally binding agreement brokered and guaranteed by the World Bank,” he said.
“Holding of IWT in abeyance is unilateral and illegal,” he continued. “There are no such provisions in the Treaty. India’s unilateral and unlawful actions are bound to undermine regional peace and stability with catastrophic implications.”
The Pakistani envoy warned that the suspension of the IWT posed “an existential threat to the people of Pakistan” and amounted to the usurpation of the rights of lower riparian states.
“If left unchecked by the international community, such actions risk setting a dangerous precedent that could undermine the legal rights for lower riparian states, potentially triggering new global conflicts over shared water resources,” he said.
Ahmad also expressed concern over escalating rights violations in Indian-administered Kashmir, the only Muslim-majority region under New Delhi’s control, since the Pahalgam attack.
He cited reports of arbitrary detentions, home demolitions and “collective punishment” imposed on civilians by the Indian authorities.
He reiterated Pakistan’s longstanding position that the root cause of instability in South Asia was the unresolved Jammu and Kashmir dispute, and warned of the risk of wider conflict in the nuclear-armed region.
“Escalation in South Asia, home to nearly two billion people, favors none,” Ahmad said. “It is time for sanity to prevail and allow dialogue and diplomacy to prevent the situation from spiraling out of control.”

Topics: Pakistan at UN Pakistan India Ties

Pakistan sees tax-to-GDP ratio hitting 10.6% by June as reform efforts continue

Updated 02 May 2025
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Pakistan sees tax-to-GDP ratio hitting 10.6% by June as reform efforts continue

  • The country’s tax-to-GDP ratio was among the lowest in the region and stood at 8.8% in FY2023-24
  • Pakistan’s finance chief projects foreign exchange reserves to reach $14 billion by the end of June
Updated 02 May 2025
Ismail Dilawar

KARACHI: Pakistan’s finance chief said on Friday the country’s tax-to-GDP ratio was expected to reach 10.6% by the end of the current fiscal year, according to an official statement, as the government works to build on economic progress made under recent International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan programs.
Pakistan’s tax-to-GDP ratio, one of the lowest in the region, stood at around 8.8% in fiscal year 2023-24. Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has repeatedly warned that such low levels of revenue mobilization are unsustainable and pose long-term risks to fiscal stability.
Aurangzeb shared the projection while briefing representatives of Standard & Poor’s Global Ratings as part of Pakistan’s ongoing sovereign ratings review.
“The Finance Minister presented a detailed overview of the government’s macroeconomic reform agenda and reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to achieving sustainable and inclusive economic growth by enhancing productivity and promoting exports,” the finance ministry said in a statement after the meeting.
He said Pakistan’s external portfolio was well-managed, with foreign exchange reserves projected to reach $14 billion by the end of June.
“He further stated that the tax-to-GDP ratio was expected to reach 10.6 percent by the end of June, which would mark progress toward the government’s target of raising it to 13 percent by the conclusion of the 37-month Extended Fund Facility (EFF) with the International Monetary Fund (IMF),” the statement said.
Pakistan has taken several steps to improve revenue collection, including the automation of processes at the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), the operationalization of the National Tax Council and the imposition of agricultural income tax.
It has also separated the Tax Policy Office from the FBR to better align tax policymaking with broader economic goals.
Aurangzeb also highlighted recent surpluses in both the primary balance and the current account, along with falling inflation and current account deficit figures, which he said were contributing to improved economic fundamentals.
During last month’s IMF-World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington, the Pakistani finance chief held over 70 engagements with rating agencies, development finance institutions, investors and think tanks.
The government also maintains the international community broadly supports Pakistan’s reform agenda, as it tries to maintain its overall economic momentum.

Topics: Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb Pakistan economy

India asks IMF to review loans to Pakistan, Indian government source says

Updated 02 May 2025
Reuters
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India asks IMF to review loans to Pakistan, Indian government source says

  • The adviser to Pakistan’s finance minister says the IMF program is ‘well on track’
  • The soaring tensions between the two states has drawn calls for cooling tempers
Updated 02 May 2025
Reuters

NEW DELHI/KARACHI: India has asked the International Monetary Fund to review loans disbursed to Pakistan, an Indian government source told Reuters on Friday, as tensions between the South Asian neighbors escalated following a deadly attack in Kashmir.
India and Pakistan have announced a raft of measures after an attack on Hindu tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir last week killed 26 men and there is a fear that the latest crisis between the nuclear-armed rivals could spiral into a military conflict.
New Delhi has identified the three attackers, including two it says are Pakistani nationals, as “terrorists.” Islamabad has denied any role and called for a neutral investigation.
India suspended a critical river water sharing treaty and the two countries have closed their airspace to each other’s airlines.
Pakistan secured a $7 billion bailout program from the IMF last year and was granted a new $1.3 billion climate resilience loan in March.
The program is critical to the $350 billion economy and Pakistan said it has stabilized under the bailout that helped it stave off a default threat.
India raised concerns with the IMF on its loans to Pakistan, asking for a review, a government source told Reuters without elaborating.
The IMF and India’s finance ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The adviser to Pakistan’s finance minister said the IMF program is “well on track.”
“The latest review has been done well and we are completely on track,” adviser Khurram Schehzad told Reuters, adding that Pakistan had very productive spring meetings with financial institutions in Washington.
“We did about 70 meetings ... interest has been very high for investing and supporting Pakistan as the economy turns around,” Schehzad said.
The soaring tensions between the two countries has drawn global attention and calls for cooling tempers.
Muslim-majority Kashmir is claimed in full by both Hindu-majority India and Islamic Pakistan, but each rules it in parts.
While New Delhi accuses Pakistan of backing an uprising in Indian Kashmir since 1989, Pakistan says it only offers diplomatic and moral support to a Kashmiri demand for self-determination.

Topics: IMF Pakistan India Pakistan Ties

Pakistani generals link Kashmir attack to India’s ‘governance failures,’ vow to defend sovereignty

Updated 02 May 2025
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Pakistani generals link Kashmir attack to India’s ‘governance failures,’ vow to defend sovereignty

  • Army says India uses such incidents for political gains like suspending Indus Waters Treaty
  • The generals says the Pahalgam attack was to help ‘Indian terror proxies’ targeting Pakistan
Updated 02 May 2025
NAIMAT KHAN

KARACHI: Pakistan’s top generals on Friday blamed last month’s tourist shootings in Indian-administered Kashmir on New Delhi’s “governance failures” and its strategy of using such incidents for political gain, while warning Pakistani security forces were ready to respond to any attack on the country’s sovereignty, according to an official statement.
India blamed Pakistan for the April 22 attack in the scenic town of Pahalgam, in Kashmir’s Anantnag district, where gunmen killed 26 people in one of the deadliest assaults on civilians in nearly two decades.
Pakistan denied involvement, though tensions escalated as India expelled Pakistani diplomats and nationals, closed a key border crossing and suspended the decades-old Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), which has governed the distribution of river waters between the two countries since 1960.
Pakistan’s top general gathered at the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi earlier today to review the geo-strategic environment, with particular focus on the Pakistan-India standoff and the broader regional security situation, the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said.
“The Forum noted, with serious concern, India’s consistent pattern of exploitation of crises to achieve political and military objectives,” the ISPR said. “They have been following a predictable template — whereby internal governance failures are externalized.”
“These incidents have often coincided with unilateral moves by India to alter the status quo, as seen in 2019 when India similarly exploited the Pulwama incident to unilaterally alter the status quo of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir, through revocation of Article 370,” it added.
The 2019 Pulwama attack killed 40 Indian paramilitary personnel and was also blamed on Pakistan before New Delhi revoked the region’s special constitutional status to integrate it in the Indian union, a move repeatedly condemned by Islamabad.
The generals expressed concern that India was now using the Pahalgam shootings to undermine the IWT and “usurp Pakistan’s legitimate and inalienable water rights.”
The statement called the move a dangerous attempt to “weaponize water,” threatening the livelihoods of more than 240 million Pakistanis and increasing strategic instability in South Asia.
The commanders also voiced alarm over what they described as credible evidence of Indian military and intelligence involvement in orchestrating militant violence inside Pakistan.
They accused New Delhi of using the Kashmir attack to divert attention from its own domestic challenges and to provide “operational breathing space” to what they called “Indian terror proxies” targeting Pakistan.
While reaffirming Pakistan’s commitment to regional peace and stability, the generals warned that any attempt to impose conflict would be met with a “sure and decisive” response.
Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir praised the operational readiness and morale of Pakistan’s armed forces and emphasized the need for vigilance and proactive readiness across all fronts.
“Deliberate destabilization efforts by the Indian government will be confronted and defeated with resolve and clarity,” the ISPR said.

Topics: Army Chief General Asim Munir Pakistan Army

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