ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly of Pakistan passed a resolution on Sunday condemning recent mob lynching incidents in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) provinces, while urging relevant authorities to ensure the safety of all citizens, including religious minorities, and bring perpetrators of such violence to justice.
The development follows the recent torture and killing of a local tourist in the picturesque Swat valley of KP, accused of desecrating the Holy Qur’an, whose body was then set alight by a furious mob.
During Saturday’s parliamentary debate, Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal emphasized this was not an isolated incident, but part of a troubling series of violent acts committed in the name of religion.
Earlier today, Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif echoed the concern, urging the National Assembly to adopt a clear stance on the issue.
“The House believes that right to life is the most cherished right as enshrined in the Constitution of Pakistan,” the resolution presented by Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said. “Every person is to be dealt with in accordance with the law and not otherwise.”
“This House takes serious notice of the recent mob lynchings of our citizens accused of offenses in Swat and Sargodha,” it continued. “It is noted with grave concern that such incidents have recently increased in different parts of the country. The House strongly condemns these horrific and tragic incidents which cannot be tolerated in any civilized society.”
The resolution urged the federal and provincial governments to ensure “the safety and security of all our citizens, including religious minorities and other vulnerable segments of society.”
Referring to another incident where a Christian man was targeted by his enraged neighbors in Punjab’s Sargodha district over blasphemy allegation, the resolution asked Punjab and KP administrations to “take all necessary measures to ensure that persons involved in these incidents are identified, investigated and prosecuted under the relevant laws.”
“The House also expects that the courts shall ensure immediate and speedy justice in these cases,” it added.
The KP police have formed a joint investigation team to investigate the Swat incident and arrest all involved individuals using CCTV footage.
Mob lynchings are not uncommon in Pakistan where even a mere accusation of blasphemy can lead to violence.
In case of Swat, mob members killed the tourist after storming the police station where he was detained, pulling him out and taking him away.
National Assembly passes resolution against mob lynchings in Pakistan, demands citizen safety
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National Assembly passes resolution against mob lynchings in Pakistan, demands citizen safety
- The development follows the killing of a local tourist in Swat on the accusation of desecrating the Holy Qur’an
- Pakistani lawmakers say violent acts committed in the name of religion have become a norm in the country
OIC’s COMSTECH eyes enhanced academic collaboration between Pakistan, Bangladesh
- COMSTECH to organize visit by Bangladeshi delegation of universities to Pakistan from June 16-21
- Visit to explore partnerships in higher education, science and technology, says COMSTECH
ISLAMABAD: The OIC Ministerial Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH) is organizing an upcoming visit by a high-level delegation of Bangladeshi universities to Pakistan next week, the global body said this week, as it aims to enhance academic collaboration between the two countries.
The 10-member delegation will comprise vice-chancellors and senior officials from leading public and private sector universities of Bangladesh, COMSTECH said in a statement on Friday. The delegation is set to visit Pakistan from June 16 to 21.
The visit is being organized at COMSTECH’s invitation and is being facilitated by the Bangladesh High Commission in Islamabad, it said.
“The primary objective of the visit is to explore and enhance avenues of academic collaboration and institutional partnerships in the fields of higher education, science, and technology,” COMSTECH said in a press release.
“The delegation will participate in a series of high-level meetings, discussions, and interactive sessions with top Pakistani universities in Lahore and Islamabad.”
It said that these Pakistani institutions are members of COMSTECH’s Consortium of Excellence (CCoE), a collaborative network of premier universities dedicated to advancing scientific cooperation and educational excellence among OIC member states.
“This initiative reflects COMSTECH’s continued commitment to fostering inter-university cooperation and strengthening academic ties across the Muslim world, particularly between Bangladesh and Pakistan,” the statement concluded.
Ties between Pakistan and Bangladesh have improved recently. Once one nation, Bangladesh split from Pakistan after a brutal 1971 war with Dhaka drawing closer to Islamabad’s arch-rival New Delhi over the years.
However, long-time Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted in August 2024 after her government was overthrown by a student-led protest. She fled via helicopter to India, with Dhaka attempting to extradite her.
Relations between India and Bangladesh’s interim government have been frosty since then, allowing Islamabad and Dhaka to rebuild ties slowly.
Pakistan, EU discuss global security in fifth round of disarmament talks
- Discussions focus on disarmament, non-proliferation of biological and chemical weapons, says Pakistani foreign office
- Pakistan, European Union agree to hold sixth round of disarmament, non-proliferation talks in Brussels next year
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the European Union this week held the fifth round of non-proliferation and disarmament talks in Islamabad this week, where the two sides discussed enhanced cooperation and implications of emerging technologies on global and regional security, Pakistan’s foreign office said.
The talks between the two sides were held on June 12. The Pakistani delegation was led by Ambassador Tahir Andrabi, the additional foreign secretary for arms control, disarmament and international security. The EU delegation was headed by Ambassador Stephan Klement, the bloc’s special envoy for disarmament and non-proliferation.
The annual dialogue between both sides seeks to ensure global peace and regional stability through non-proliferation of weapons.
“Both sides engaged in a comprehensive exchange of views on issues related to international and regional peace, security, and strategic stability,” a statement from Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said.
“Pakistan side briefed their EU interlocutors on developments in the wake of recent Pakistan-India conflict.”
India and Pakistan both engaged in the worst fighting between the nuclear-armed neighbors in decades last month before Washington brokered a truce on May 10. India accused Pakistan of deploying its nuclear-capable missile against it, a charge Islamabad denied.
The discussions also focused on various dimensions of disarmament and non-proliferation, with particular reference to the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) and the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), the statement said.
“In addition, the Dialogue reviewed recent trends in Multilateral Export Control Regimes (MECRs) and assessed the implications of Emerging Technologies on global security,” MoFA said. “The avenues for enhanced cooperation in the domain of Science Diplomacy were explored as well.”
The two sides agreed to hold the sixth round of the dialogue in Brussels in 2026.
The Pakistan–EU Dialogue on Non-Proliferation and Disarmament is a key part of the broader strategic engagement between Pakistan and the European Union, which has been institutionalized since 2012.
Pakistan says it attaches high importance to the dialogue, recognizing it as a vital platform for engagement on global and regional security, as well as on disarmament and non-proliferation issues.
IMF-backed tariff reforms raise concerns for Pakistan’s auto industry despite rising car sales
- Government aims to cut overall tariffs by 4% over five years to promote export-led growth
- Industry stakeholders warn removing regulatory duties could hurt local manufacturers
KARACHI: While Pakistan’s automobile manufacturers are still parsing the government’s new financial plan, industry experts on Friday said proposed International Monetary Fund (IMF)-mandated reforms, such as the rationalization of trade tariffs, could erode long-standing protections for local industry.
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said the government plans to reduce the overall tariff regime by more than four percent over the next five years to steer the country toward an export-led growth model in line with the IMF program.
Under the National Tariff Policy 2025-30, the government aims to abolish additional customs duties (ACDs), regulatory duties (RDs) and provisions under the Fifth Schedule of the Customs Act, 1969. The goal is to simplify Pakistan’s tariff structure by reducing it to four duty slabs ranging from 0 to 15%.
The IMF-backed reforms are expected to lower Pakistan’s weighted average tariff by 3.2% points to 7.4%, said Shafiq Ahmed Shaikh, an automobile industry expert and former general manager of Pak Suzuki Motor Company Ltd.
“These tariff cuts will reduce protection to the auto industry along with reduction of the cost of vehicles,” he said. “It is a very sensitive point for industry… [and] must be discussed with the stakeholders for good, long-term and acceptable solutions.”
PARA-TARIFFS
Abdul Waheed Khan, spokesperson for the Pakistan Automotive Manufacturers Association (PAMA), said regulatory duties are designed to protect local industry and discourage unnecessary imports.
“The ACD too should gradually be abolished because such para-tariffs are not good,” he told Arab News.
Para-tariffs are taxes and duties levied in addition to standard customs tariffs, such as ACDs and RDs. While often introduced to curb imports or raise revenues, they are controversial because they can create complexity, raise costs and distort trade policy.
Pakistan’s federal budget also proposes raising the sales tax on 850cc small vehicles to 18% to bring parity between petrol or diesel-powered cars and hybrids.
“This would increase the cost of vehicles for middle income groups,” said Khan of PAMA, which represents the local operations of Honda, Suzuki, Toyota and 16 other manufacturers.
“This is not good for our Made-in-Pakistan policy as small vehicles will go costlier at a time when people’s disposable incomes are already not so good,” he continued, declining further comment on the budget.
CARBON LEVY
Pakistan’s automobile market, long dominated by Japanese firms like Honda, Toyota and Suzuki, has recently seen new entrants, particularly Chinese and Korean electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers like BYD, SAIC and Kia, operating through joint ventures.
“The existing industry will face good competition from EV and as we know, the future is of Electric Vehicles specially from China,” Shaikh, the automobile industry expert, told Arab News.
As one of the countries most affected by climate change, Pakistan also plans to introduce a carbon levy of up to Rs10 ($0.04) per liter on petrol, diesel and furnace oil over the next two years.
The move is intended “to discourage excessive use of fossil fuels and provide financial resources for climate change and green energy programs,” Finance Minister Aurangzeb said in his budget speech earlier this week.
Shaikh dismissed suggestions that the levy would raise car prices, arguing that consumers would instead begin shifting to EVs.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also announced plans to impose differential taxes on the sale and import of vehicles based on engine size to promote the adoption of two- and three-wheeled EVs and reduce oil imports and pollution.
Syed Asif Ahmed, general manager of marketing at MG Motors, said the “industry is seeking clarity on recent budget.”
He noted that while the finance bill was silent on hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), social media was abuzz with reports that the government may raise the sales tax from eight % to 18 % next year.
“If true, this will jeopardize the huge investment done by almost all automakers on HEV,” Ahmed said.
The MG Motors executive also warned against reduced regulatory duties on used cars and commercial imports under schemes meant for returning expatriates.
“[The] used cars importers are abusing the gift, baggage and transfer of residence scheme for commercial trading,” Ahmed said.
CAR SALES
While stakeholders have voiced concerns over policy shifts, vehicle sales continue to show signs of recovery.
Passenger car sales rose 31% in May to 11,119 units, while cumulative sales from July to May in the outgoing fiscal year increased 32% year-on-year to 94,388 units, according to PAMA data.
“[The] growth is supported by a more stable macroeconomic environment, lower interest rates, easing inflation and improving consumer sentiment,” said Myesha Sohail, an analyst at Topline Securities Ltd., in a recent research note.
Sohail expects this momentum to continue into the next fiscal year, driven by lower interest rates and a pipeline of new models across combustion, hybrid and plug-in hybrid categories.
Pakistan condemns Israel’s ‘blatant aggression’ against Iran, calls for dialogue to resolve crisis
- Pakistan’s UN ambassador urges Security Council to deny Israel “free hand” in conflict with Iran
- Middle East tensions soared on Friday after Iran fired dozens of missiles at Israel in retaliation
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s United Nations Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad this week criticized Israel for its “blatant aggression” against Iran at a UN Security Council meeting, calling on the international community to use dialogue and diplomatic engagement to resolve tensions in the Middle East.
Ahmad’s statement came on Friday as tensions in the Middle East soared after Iran fired dozens of missiles at Israel late Friday night, lighting up the skies above Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. The strikes were in response to a large-scale Israeli attack on Tehran’s nuclear facilities and military leadership early Friday. Iran said 78 people were killed and over 320 injured in the Israeli strikes.
At a UN Security Council briefing meeting on the Iran-Israel tensions on Friday, Ahmed said Tel Aviv’s “blatant provocations” posed a serious threat to the region and beyond, reiterating Iran’s right to self-defense. He said Israel’s recent military operations in Gaza and repeated cross-border strikes in Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen demonstrate a consistent disregard for international norms.
“Such blatant aggression and contempt for international law has already had devastating consequences,” Ahmad said, pointing out that tens of thousands of people have been killed in Gaza due to Israel’s military operations since October 2023.
Israeli leaders say the Friday attack was necessary to head off an imminent threat that Iran would build nuclear bombs, though it remains unclear how close the country is to achieving that.
Iran maintains its nuclear program is for civilian purposes only.
Ahmad said Israel’s actions risk eroding the trust of the negotiation process related to Iran’s nuclear program, which he said was crucial for the peaceful settlement of these issues.
“We call on all parties to fulfill their respective obligations and responsibilities and avoid escalation,” the Pakistani envoy said. “Even in these testing times, diplomatic engagement and dialogue must be prioritized.”
Ahmad reiterated that the UN Security Council bears the responsibility to maintain international peace and security, calling it to “hold the aggressor accountable for its actions.”
“This Council must deny Israel the free hand, and the impunity with which it continues to operate in defiance of international law and international opinion,” he said.
Israel has long been determined to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, a concern laid bare on Thursday when the Board of Governors at the International Atomic Energy Agency for the first time in 20 years censured Iran over its refusal to work with its inspectors. Iran immediately announced it would establish a third enrichment site and install more advanced centrifuges.
Even so, there are multiple assessments on how many nuclear weapons Iran could conceivably build, should it choose to do so. Iran would need months to assemble, test and field any weapon, which it so far has said it has no desire to do. US intelligence agencies also assess Iran does not have a weapons program at this time.
Pakistan’s deputy PM speaks with Iranian official as Tehran launches retaliatory strikes on Israel
- Ishaq Dar expresses Pakistan’s support to Iran ‘for achieving peace and stability in the region’
- Air raid sirens sounded across Israel Friday night as dozens of Iranian missiles struck the country
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar spoke with his Iranian counterpart on Friday as Tehran launched a retaliatory missile strike on Israel following deadly Israeli attacks on nuclear facilities and senior military commanders.
Air raid sirens sounded across Israel on Friday night as dozens of Iranian missiles struck the country in a dramatic escalation of tensions. Explosions were heard throughout Jerusalem and plumes of smoke were seen rising in Tel Aviv after apparent strikes. While no casualties were immediately reported, the Israeli military ordered residents nationwide into bomb shelters.
The latest attacks came after Israel carried out a wave of airstrikes across Iran, reportedly killing at least three top Iranian military officers and targeting nuclear facilities and ballistic missile sites. Israeli military officials said 200 fighter jets were involved in the operation, which struck more than 100 locations in what analysts described as the most significant assault Iran has faced since its war with Iraq in the 1980s.
The Pakistani deputy PM held a phone call with Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi, as the war escalated between the two Middle Eastern rivals.
“Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar @MIshaqDar50, today spoke with the Foreign Minister of Iran, Seyed Abbas Araghchi @Araghchi,” the Pakistani foreign office said in a statement.
“Condemning the blatant Israeli aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran in total disregard of the UN Charter and international law, DPM/FM reiterated strong support of Pakistan to the Government and brotherly people of Iran for achieving peace and stability in the region,” it added.
Dar also conveyed “deepest sympathies on the loss of many precious lives during Israeli attacks,” according to the statement.
Earlier in the day, the Pakistani foreign office said Israel had violated Iran’s sovereignty and that the attacks were “contrary to the UN Charter and fundamental principles of international law.”
It warned the escalation posed “a serious threat to regional peace and security,” adding that Iran had the right to self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter.
Dar, writing on X, described the Israeli strikes as a “brazen violation” of Iranian sovereignty and said they “gravely undermine regional stability and international security.”
“Pakistan stands in solidarity with the government and the people of Iran,” he wrote.
He also said the foreign ministry had established a 24/7 Crisis Management Unit to ensure the safety and security of Pakistani nationals and pilgrims in Iran.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif echoed the condemnation and called on the international community and the United Nations to “take urgent steps to prevent any further escalation that could imperil regional and global peace.”
Israeli military spokesperson Defrin said all air defense systems had been activated in response to Iran’s retaliation and the country expected “difficult hours ahead.”
In Washington, the US administration said it had not been involved in the Israeli operation.
“Israel took unilateral action against Iran,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement released by the White House. “Our top priority is protecting American forces in the region.”
Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry also condemned the Israeli strikes.
“The Kingdom condemns these heinous attacks and affirms that the international community and the Security Council bear a great responsibility to immediately halt this aggression,” the Saudi statement said.
Airlines cleared out of the airspace over Israel, Iran, Iraq and Jordan on Friday following the strikes, according to Flightradar24 data, as carriers scrambled to divert or cancel flights to ensure passenger and crew safety.
Iran closed its airspace and Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport was shut down until further notice.
Israeli military Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir said tens of thousands of soldiers had been called up and deployed across all borders.
“We are amidst a historic campaign unlike any other. This is a critical operation to prevent an existential threat, by an enemy who is intent on destroying us,” he said.
With inputs from AP and Reuters
