ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal on Wednesday expressed optimism the next phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) would bring advanced manufacturing technologies to the country that would help strengthen its industrial base and create more employment opportunities.
CPEC, a collection of multibillion-dollar infrastructure projects in Pakistan funded by China, is a major part of Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative, aimed at increasing trade and stimulating economic growth across Asia and beyond.
The first phase of the corridor project primarily concentrated on addressing Pakistan’s energy shortage and included the construction of roads and railways to improve connectivity.
The second phase, often referred to as CPEC 2.0, aims to develop special economic zones, improve transportation networks and the promote industrial cooperation between China and Pakistan to foster economic development.
“CPEC 2.0 represents a broader and more ambitious scope,” Iqbal said while addressing an event in Islamabad. “This new phase will bring advanced manufacturing technologies to Pakistan, enhance our industrial base and create numerous job opportunities for our youth.”
Iqbal said the focus in the next CPEC stage was going to shift beyond infrastructure development to industrial relocation, agricultural modernization, cooperation in science and technology, job creation and enhancing the socioeconomic well-being of people.
He maintained Pakistan wanted to improve food security and uplift farmers’ livelihood through CPEC 2.0, adding it would ensure a sustainable and prosperous future for the agriculture sector by adopting modern production techniques and technologies.
He also noted that China-Pakistan cooperation in the fields of science and technology would drive innovation, fostering a knowledge-based economy in the latter country that would be able to compete globally.
“With the help of China, we will have 200,000 youth trained annually in information technology-related skills that will provide Pakistan the human resource that is necessary to leverage the full potential of our youth to make Pakistan an information powerhouse,” he added.
The minister hoped that CPEC 2.0 would help attract foreign direct investment in export-oriented industries, making Pakistan a reliable destination for exports.
“Our future lies in how fast we go from $30 billion to $100 billion export and creating a sound macroeconomic platform,” he added.
Iqbal explained the trust of international investors depended on four prerequisites that every successful economy had to achieve.
“These are establishing peace, ensuring political stability, safeguarding the continuity of economic policies and demonstrating continuous commitment to reform,” he added.
The minister said the development of Gwadar Port and Free Trade Zone under CPEC 2.0 could further promote regional connectivity and economic integration.
He reiterated the next CPEC stage would herald a shift from a government-to-government model to a business-to-business framework, inviting greater private sector participation and involvement.
Pakistan eyes advanced manufacturing technologies in next stage of corridor project with China
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Pakistan eyes advanced manufacturing technologies in next stage of corridor project with China
- Pakistan’s planning minister says China will help train 200,000 Pakistani youth annually in IT skills
- Ahsan Iqbal says Pakistan’s future depends on increasing exports from $30 billion to $100 billion
Punjab requests deployment of army, paramilitary troops for security of PSL 10th edition
- Top teams shunned the South Asian country after the 2009 attack on a bus carrying Sri Lankan cricketers in Lahore, forcing them to relocate home matches
- It took the PCB years to convince foreign counterparts that Pakistan was safe to visit and foreign teams began returning after it staged its own T20 league
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Punjab province has requested the Pakistani federal authorities to deploy army along with paramilitary Rangers troops for the security of Pakistan Super League (PSL) 10th edition matches in Lahore, Multan and Rawalpindi, it emerged on Monday.
Top teams shunned Pakistan after the 2009 attack on a bus carrying Sri Lankan cricketers in Lahore, forcing them to relocate home matches, mostly to the United Arab Emirates. It took the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) years to convince foreign counterparts that it was safe to visit.
The PSL 10th edition is scheduled to commence from April 11 at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium and will conclude on May 18, with the final taking place at the Qaddafi Stadium in Lahore. The six-team tournament will feature 34 matches across four venues, including Karachi, Lahore, Multan and Rawalpindi.
“This will be a high-profile event with the participation of international cricketers, match officials, foreign dignitaries,” the Punjab home department said in a letter to the interior ministry, dated April 5.
“Troops of Pakistan Army, Pakistan Rangers (Punjab) and Army aviation/assets may be requisitioned for protection and security of teams during their stay, travel and movement in Lahore, Multan and Rawalpindi from April 6 to May 19.”
Touring sides began returning to Pakistan after the PCB successfully staged its own T20 league in the form of PSL on home soil in 2017.
Since then, PSL, which features city-based franchise teams, has become a major event in Pakistan’s cricket calendar and grown substantially in value and popularity.
Over 13,500 Afghans deported as Pakistan ramps up expulsion drive against ‘illegal foreigners’
- Islamabad last month set the deadline for some 800,000 Afghans carrying citizen cards to leave the South Asian country
- The move is part of a larger repatriation drive that began in 2023, with over 800,000 Afghans expelled from Pakistan since
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has repatriated more than 13,500 Afghan nationals since the expiry of a March 31 deadline set by Islamabad, Pakistani officials said on Monday, amid intensifying efforts to return all illegal foreigners and Afghan Citizen Card-holders to their home countries.
Pakistan last month set the deadline for some 800,000 Afghans carrying ACCs to leave the country, another phase in Islamabad’s campaign in recent years to return foreigners, mostly Afghans, living in Pakistan. The move is part of a larger repatriation drive of foreign citizens that began in 2023, with over 800,000 Afghans expelled from Pakistan since. The government initially said it was first focusing on expelling foreigners with no legal documentation and other categories like ACC holders would be included later.
According to the United Nations (UN) data, Pakistan has hosted more than 2.8 million Afghan nationals who crossed the border in a desperate attempt to escape decades of war and instability in their home country. Around 1.3 million of them are formally registered as refugees and hold Proof of Registration (PoR) cards, which grant them legal protection. Another 800,000 Afghans possess ACC, a separate identity document issued by the Pakistani government, that recognizes them as Afghan nationals without offering refugee status.
“As per the government’s decision, the operation against illegal foreigners and ACC-holder Afghans is continued with full intensity since April 1,” Qadir Yar Tiwana, a senior official at the Pakistani interior ministry, told Arab News.
“All those who are confirmed after checking are being sent to the holding centers for further processing to be repatriated.”
Although Pakistani federal authorities have not released details of recent detentions, provincial governments in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan, which border Afghanistan, have confirmed repatriating 11,134 individuals through the Torkham border crossing and over 2,500 via the Chaman border crossing, respectively.
“After the expiry of the deadline from April 1 till today, more than 2,500 individuals have been deported, which includes illegal and ACC card-holder Afghans,” Habib Ahmed, the Chaman deputy commissioner, told Arab News.
“In the latest deportation drive, a total of 11,134 illegal immigrants have been deported via KP, including 1,573 from Islamabad, 3,905 from Punjab, 38 from Azad Kashmir, one from Gilgit-Baltistan and 44 from Sindh,” the KP home and tribal affairs department said, adding that this included around 3,053 ACC-holders.
“Only on Monday, a total of 1,437 illegal Afghan nationals were deported through Pak-Afghan Torkham border.”
Anwer Shehzad, a KP government focal person for repatriation centers, said both holding centers in Peshawar and Landi Kotal were working hard to “ease the repatriation process.”
“We are sending them back to Afghanistan after completing all the processes at the Landi Kotal holding centers, including the finger-print scanning for the record,” he told Arab New.
“There is no extensive operation going on in KP but we are receiving individuals from other parts of the country.”
Shehzad clarified the KP government had initially focused on encouraging voluntary repatriation, but they were now launching search operations in the province.
A spokesperson of the Punjab police said the government’s campaign for the deportation of illegal immigrants continues “without interruption” in the province.
“So far, 4,111 individuals have been deported from the province with the assistance of relevant agencies during the ongoing deportation campaign,” a police spokesperson said, adding a total of 46 holding centers had been established across Punjab.
“Over 5,950 illegal foreign residents have been sent to holding centers during the campaign and currently, 1,839 illegal foreign residents are present at the holding points.”
In Pakistan’s southern province of Sindh, a total of 307 illegal foreigners and ACC-holders have been repatriated since April 1, according to Sohail Ahmed Jokhio, a spokesperson for the Sindh home minister.
“Of these, 187 were undocumented illegal foreigners, while 120 were Afghan nationals holding ACCs,” he told Arab News.
Jokhio said the Sindh government has established two holding centers: one in Karachi and the other in Jacobabad.
Shahid Rind, a spokesperson of the Balochistan government, said the provincial administration has started arresting illegal foreigners and Afghan ACC-holders as per the federal government’s direction.
“Police and other agencies are acting on the information to arrest the individuals falling in the category defined by the federal government and they are sent to the holding centers for further processing,” he told Arab News.
Rind said provincial law enforcement agencies and the administration were facilitating the repatriation of these individuals.
Afghan refugee ministry spokesman Abdul Mutalib Haqqani has said that “more than a million Afghans might return” to their home country under the repatriation drive, urging Islamabad to ensure their dignified return.
“We are urging Pakistan authorities not to deport them (Afghans) forcefully — there should be a proper mechanism with an agreement between both countries, and they must be returned with dignity,” he was quoted as saying by AFP news agency.
Speaking to Arab News, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Pakistan spokesperson Qaiser Khan Afridi expressed concerns over the deportation drive and reports of arrests of ACC holders.
“We believe that among the Afghan Citizen Cardholders, there may be individuals requiring international protection. In that light, we are urging the Government to see their situation through a humanitarian lens,” he said.
“We also call for engagement between Pakistan and Afghanistan to so that returns can be dignified and voluntary. It is imperative that returns is voluntary and dignified so that reintegration in Afghanistan is sustainable.”
Ties between the neighboring countries have frayed since the Taliban takeover, with Pakistan accusing Kabul’s rulers of failing to root out militants sheltering on Afghan soil, a charge the Taliban government denies.
“The government and people of Pakistan have a commendable, decades-long history of hosting Afghans who fled conflict and violence in the past,” Afridi said.
“UNHCR reiterates its call and urges Pakistan to continue to protect those seeking safety, as it has done for many decades, recognizing the ongoing human rights situation in Afghanistan and noting that there are people whose lives might be at risk if they return, regardless of their status.”
Binance founder Zhao appointed adviser to Pakistan Crypto Council
- Pakistan Crypto Council formed this year to set regulatory guidelines for adoption, lure foreign investment
- Cryptocurrencies including bitcoin are not officially regulated in Pakistan but are not illegal or banned
KARACHI: One of the world’s most powerful people in crypto, co-founder and former CEO of Binance Changpeng Zhao, has been appointed as a strategic adviser to the Pakistan Crypto Council (PCC), the finance ministry said on Monday.
The announcement came after Zhao met key members of the PCC on Monday, including Federal Minister for Finance Muhammad Aurangzeb, who is the chairman of the council, and Bilal Bin Saqib, its CEO. Zhao also separately met the Pakistani prime minister and deputy PM in Islamabad.
The PCC, established by the government last month, aims to create a legal framework for cryptocurrency trading in a bid to lure international investment. Cryptocurrencies including bitcoin are not officially regulated in Pakistan but are also not illegal or banned. As of Jan. 16, 2021, the State Bank of Pakistan has not authorized any individuals or organizations to carry out the sale, purchase, exchange, and investment of virtual currencies, coins, and tokens.
“This is a landmark moment for Pakistan, we are sending a clear message to the world: Pakistan is open for innovation,” Aurangzeb said in a statement.
“With CZ onboard, we are accelerating our vision to make Pakistan a regional powerhouse for Web3, digital finance, and blockchain-driven growth.”
As strategic adviser to the council, Zhao will provide guidance on regulation, infrastructure, education, and adoption and work closely with the government of Pakistan and the private sector to create a “compliant, inclusive, and globally competitive crypto ecosystem,” the finance ministry said.
“Pakistan is a country of 240 million people, over 60 percent of whom are under the age of 30. The potential here is limitless,” Zhao was quoted as saying in the statement.
Zhao in 2023 stepped down as Binance CEO and pleaded guilty to breaking US anti-money laundering laws as part of a $4.3 billion settlement resolving a years-long probe into the world’s largest crypto exchange, prosecutors said. The deal with the Justice Department, part of a large settlement between Binance and other US agencies, resolved criminal charges for conducting an unlicensed money transmitter business, conspiracy and breaching sanctions regulations.
According to Forbes, Zhao, who is a Chinese-born Canadian businessman, was ranked the 24th-richest person in the world, and second-richest Canadian overall, with a net worth estimated at $66.6 billion as of January 2025.
In 2013, Zhao was a member of the team that developed Blockchain.info. He has also served as Chief Technology Officer of OKCoin. In 2022, Zhao invested $500 million through Binance to finance the acquisition of Twitter by Elon Musk.
After its launch in July 2017, the Binance cryptocurrency exchange was able to raise $15 million in an initial coin offering, and trading began on the exchange eleven days later. In less than eight months, Zhao grew Binance into the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, as of April 2018.
Pakistan journalist arrested over disinformation released
- Farhan Mallick was charged after changes to a disinformation law in January saw punishments of up to three years in prison introduced
- He was arrested over two weeks ago for ‘generating, disseminating anti-state publications and videos, with aim of inciting public violence’
KARACHI: The founder of a Pakistani online news channel who was arrested for allegedly spreading disinformation was released on bail on Monday, his lawyer said.
Farhan Mallick, who runs Raftar, was charged after changes to a disinformation law in January saw punishments of up to three years in prison introduced.
Critics say the law is being used to quash dissenting views and control online media.
Mallick’s lawyer Abdul Moiz Jaferii told AFP he was released after offering 100,000 rupees ($354) for each of the two cases he was charged with.
He was arrested more than two weeks ago for “generating and disseminating anti-state publications and videos, with the aim of spreading disinformation and inciting public violence.”
He was accused in a second case of credit card fraud.
Another journalist, Muhammed Waheed Murad, was also accused days later of “online disinformation,” before being granted bail.
Both journalists had reported on the alleged role of the powerful military that has ruled the country for several decades, an institution that many mainstream media are careful to avoid criticizing.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) have sounded the alarm about two brothers of exiled journalist Ahmad Noorani, who police say were “kidnapped” in Islamabad last month.
Journalists have long complained of increasing state pressure on traditional media in Pakistan, ranked 152nd out of 180 countries on RSF’s press freedom index.
Social media platform X is officially banned, but accessible using VPNs, while YouTube and TikTok have faced bans in the past.
PM directs speedy container clearance, attractive tariffs at Pakistan ports as part of maritime reforms
- Pakistan has formed a maritime taskforce to streamline its blue economy by optimizing operations at various ports
- Shehbaz Sharif asks officials to accelerate pace of installation of scanners to reduce time for container clearance
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has instructed officials to speed up the process of container clearance and ensure attractive trade tariffs at Pakistani ports, his office said on Monday, as the South Asian country undertakes maritime reforms to boost its economy.
Pakistan, which averted a default in 2023, is currently navigating an economic recovery path under a $7 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) program and has undertaken several reforms in various sectors.
A taskforce is working on sustainable reforms in the maritime sector to end the long-standing stagnation in Pakistan’s maritime economy, according to the prime minister.
“Pakistan has been bestowed with a long coastline, sea and other unlimited resources,” Sharif was quoted as saying at a meeting of the maritime taskforce he presided over in Islamabad.
“A plan should be made to minimize the duration of the presence of containers at the ports,” he said, asking authorities to auction containers available at the ports as soon as possible to better utilize the port space.
During the meeting, officials informed the prime minister that a National Dredging Plan (NDP) has been formulated keeping in mind the country’s needs for the next ten years. It will help set up a National Dredging Company for dredging of all the ports, according to Sharif’s office.
A plan of action has also been prepared for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC) through public-private partnership for the next 25 years. Similarly, a plant is being established in Gadani, Balochistan to dispose of chemical waste and other hazardous materials, while the Pakistan Maritime Port Act is in the final stages, which will implement uniform rules and regulations at all ports.
On the occasion, Sharif said the development of economy is linked to marine resources and access to them.
“The pace of installing the latest scanners at all ports should be accelerated,” he said. “Trade tariffs should be reviewed to bring the country’s ports to a competitive standard.”
