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Pakistan’s rice exports surged to $4 billion in FY24 compared to $2.15 billion last year

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Men check quality of rice at a grocery shop in Karachi on September 26, 2024. (AFP/ File)
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A photograph taken on June 7, 2023 shows large bags of rice displayed for sale in Sonali Supermarket in the 'Balti Triangle' area of Birmingham, central England. (AFP/File)
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Updated 14 October 2024
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Pakistan’s rice exports surged to $4 billion in FY24 compared to $2.15 billion last year

  • State media says favorable weather, “abundant” resources helped Pakistan export six million tons of rice 
  • Pakistan’s commerce minister said country aims to increase revenue from rice exports to $7 billion this year
Updated 14 October 2024
Hasaan Ali Khan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan generated $4 billion in revenue during financial year 2024 by exporting six million tons of different types of rice, state media reported on Monday, citing favorable weather conditions and “abundant” agricultural resources as the main reasons for the surge in exports. 

Pakistan exported rice worth $4 billion this year compared to $2.15 billion last year, benefiting largely from India’s more-than-a-year-long ban on rice exports to fulfill its domestic needs. India announced in September it was lifting the ban, prompting Pakistan to lift the minimum export price for all rice varieties in the country. 

India and Pakistan are the only two countries that produce basmati rice which is famous for its unique flavor and aroma. India has been the largest exporter of rice worldwide, followed by Pakistan, Thailand and Vietnam.

“With the support of the Special Investment Facilitation Council, Pakistan has earned revenue of four billion dollars from rice exports,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported, referring to Pakistan’s top hybrid civil-military body formed last year to attract foreign investment in the country’s vital economic sectors. 

“During the fiscal year 2024, Pakistan exported more than 6 million tons of different varieties of rice due to favorable weather conditions and abundant availability of agricultural resources.”

Shahjahan Malik, former chairman of the Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan, said exporters have set a fresh target of $5 billion for rice exports for the next financial year. He added that a comprehensive strategy based on “modern seed research and quality agricultural practices” would be developed to enhance exports further. 

Earlier this month, Pakistan’s Commerce Minister Jam Kamal had said the country aimed to boost its rice exports to as much as $7 billion to support its dwindling economy. 

Topics: Pakistan Rice Export

Seven Pakistani fishermen reunite with families after release from Indian jails

Updated 9 min 38 sec ago
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Seven Pakistani fishermen reunite with families after release from Indian jails

  • Pakistani charity Edhi Foundation facilitated travel of these fishermen from Lahore to Karachi, where they were reunited with their families
  • The fishermen urged Pakistan, India to refrain from detaining impoverished fisherfolk, who are routinely detained by both maritime agencies
Updated 9 min 38 sec ago
NAIMAT KHAN

KARACHI: Seven Pakistani fishermen reunited with their families in the southern port city of Karachi on Monday after languishing for years in Indian prisons, a Pakistani charity said.

The charity organization, Edhi Foundation, was handed over these fishermen by Pakistani authorities last Friday to facilitate their return to Karachi, according to Muhammad Ameen, an official at the Edhi Foundation.

The charity covered transportation costs for the fishermen from Lahore, where they had arrived from India, and gave each one of them Rs10,000 ($36) for household expenses upon arrival in Karachi.

Indian and Pakistani fishermen are routinely detained by both maritime agencies on charges of illegally entering each other's territorial waters. The nuclear-armed nations’ borders are not clearly defined in the Arabian Sea and many fishing boats lack the technology to steer clear of any intrusion. 

“Whether it’s Indian or Pakistani fishermen, they are all poor,” said 26-year-old Allah Bachayo, who spent nearly four years away from his family after his boat drifted into Indian waters due to a malfunction in 2020.

“If both sides can come together to release Pakistani fishermen in India and Indian fishermen here, it would be a great kindness.”

Another fisherman, Ghulam Mustafa Shah, 19, was reunited with his mother, Shehrbano Bibi, and two younger siblings after having spent nearly three years in an Indian prison.

“I begged for alms to feed my children,” Bibi told Arab News at the Edhi Foundation office in Karachi, adding that Shah was her eldest son and the family’s main breadwinner, whose imprisonment forced her to ask others for support.

“I am very happy. It is a greater occasion than Eid for me,” she said, warmly embracing her son.

Shah, who had accidentally crossed into the Indian waters along with nine other fishermen in Jan. 2022, described his prison time as "painful," recalling that his requests to speak with his family were denied multiple times.

“I missed my mother a lot,” he said. “I would cry the whole day, but no one would listen to me. I banged my head [against the walls], but no one accepted my request.”

Ameen, the Edhi Foundation official, said that another 79 Pakistani fishermen were incarcerated in India, urging authorities to make efforts for their release too.

 

Topics: Pakistani fishermen

Pakistan name spin trio for second England Test

Updated 47 min 6 sec ago
AFP
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Pakistan name spin trio for second England Test

  • The hosts made four changes from the side beaten by an innings in the first Test, including bringing in Kamran Ghulam
  • The 29-year-old has performed well in domestic cricket, having set a national record of 1,249 runs in the 2020-21 season
Updated 47 min 6 sec ago
AFP

MULTAN: Pakistan named three spinners in their team for the second Test against England starting on Tuesday as they chase a series-levelling win on a re-used Multan stadium pitch.
The hosts made four changes from the side beaten by an innings in the first Test, including bringing in batsman Kamran Ghulam for his debut.
The 29-year-old has performed well in domestic cricket, having set a national record of 1,249 runs in the 2020-21 season.
The spin bowling will be handled by left-armer Noman Ali, leg-break bowler Zahid Mahmood and off-spinner Sajid Khan, all brought into the side.
Pakistan left out ace batsman Babar Azam from the first Test along with the pace duo of Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah, and spinner Abrar Ahmed. He is still unwell.
England thumped the home team by an innings and 47 runs on Friday after the tourists compiled a mammoth 823-7 declared in reply to Pakistan’s first-innings 556.
Squad: Shan Masood (captain), Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Agha, Aamer Jamal, Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, Zahid Mahmood

Topics: Kamran Ghulam Pakistan-England Test series

Three Pakistani policemen killed in attack at police headquarters

Updated 14 October 2024
AP
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Three Pakistani policemen killed in attack at police headquarters

  • Militants storm police headquarters in district Bannu, say police 
  • Militant group Tehreek-e-Taliban claims responsibility for attack
Updated 14 October 2024
AP

PESHAWAR: At least three policemen were killed in northwest Pakistan when militants stormed a district police headquarters in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Monday, a police source told Reuters.

The attack on the complex, which houses both the district police headquarters and a residential complex, was ongoing, the high-ranking police source said, adding that the assailants, who included suicide bombers, had been “pinned down” in the area.

Three assailants were killed by police, he added.

The source, requesting anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said three policemen were killed while resisting the assault on the Police Lines of District Bannu, which borders the restive North Waziristan tribal district on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

Militant group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the attack, a spokesperson for the group said.

The roads around the complex have been closed to traffic as security forces moved to neutralize the remaining attackers, the police source added.

Bannu is about 350 kilometers from Pakistan’s capital Islamabad, which is under strict security lockdown due to the arrival of Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Monday ahead of a regional leaders’ meeting this week. 
 

Topics: Pakistan police Bannu Attack on police station Arab News Pakistan

Second batch of 61 Palestinian medical students leave for Pakistan to continue studies

Updated 14 October 2024
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Second batch of 61 Palestinian medical students leave for Pakistan to continue studies

  • A total of 192 Palestinian medical students from war-torn Gaza will continue fully funded studies in Pakistani institutions
  • Initiative launched through collaboration between Doctors of Rehman, Global Relief Trust and Al-Khidmat Foundation
Updated 14 October 2024
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: A second batch of 61 Palestinian medical students from Gaza out of 192 left Cairo on Monday to travel to Pakistan where they plan to continue their studies, the Pakistani embassy in Egypt said. 

The second batch of Palestinian students left for Islamabad hours after the first batch arrived in Pakistan’s eastern city of Lahore from Cairo. The embassy said the Palestinian students will continue their studies in Pakistani medical universities on fully funded programs under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s directions. 

Pakistan’s foreign ministry announced in July that the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) will provide scholarships to over 100 Palestinian students so that they are able to continue their medical studies in Pakistan as Israel’s war wreaks havoc in the Middle East. The initiative is a collaboration between Doctors of Rehman, Global Relief Trust and leading Pakistani non-governmental organization, the Al-Khidmat Foundation. 

“Under the directions of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, and special efforts of Global Relief Trust, Doctors of Rahman, and Al-Khidmat Foundation, the second batch of 61 Palestinian students from Gaza left Cairo for Islamabad today,” Pakistan’s Embassy in Cairo said. 

It said Pakistan embassy officials and the Al-Khidmat Foundation representatives facilitated the Palestinian students’ departure at the Cairo International Airport.

Since Oct. 7, 2023, Israel has killed over 42,000 people in Gaza through relentless bombardment despite ceasefire calls and angry protests in several countries around the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that cases of meningitis, jaundice, impetigo, chickenpox and other upper respiratory tract infections have been recorded in Gaza. Almost 600,000 cases of acute watery diarrhea have been recorded due to lack of clean water and other causes, as well as other waste-borne diseases. 

Several international media outlets have reported significant destruction of hospitals and universities in Gaza since October last year.

The WHO and other sources have documented severe damage to the area’s health care facilities, including the largest hospital Al-Shifa, which has been rendered non-functional due to extensive damage in the ongoing conflict.

There have also been widespread reports of substantial damage to educational institutions along with reports of deliberate targeting of Palestinian academics.

Topics: Pakistan Palestine Palestinian medical students

Pakistan steps up security ahead of regional leaders’ meeting

Updated 14 October 2024
Reuters
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Pakistan steps up security ahead of regional leaders’ meeting

  • Pakistan announces three-day holiday in Islamabad with schools, businesses shut 
  • Threat alert in country has been high especially after suicide attack targeting Chinese nationals 
Updated 14 October 2024
Reuters

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s capital was under strict security lockdown starting Monday ahead of the arrival of Chinese Premier Li Qiang for a four-day bilateral visit and a heads-of-government gathering of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) this week.

The government has announced a three-day public holiday in Islamabad, with schools and businesses shut, and large contingents of police and paramilitary forces deployed.

Pakistan army troops will be responsible for the security of the capital’s Red Zone, which will house most of the meetings and is also home to parliament and a diplomatic enclave, according to interior ministry.

The threat alert has been high in the South Asian nation ahead of the SCO summit meeting, especially after the killing of two Chinese engineers and shooting to death of 21 miners.

Tensions have mounted after jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan called for a protest on Oct. 15 to press for his release and agitate against the coalition government, following violent clashes between his party loyalists and security forces.

Islamabad has sought to curb all movement of Chinese nationals in the city, citing fears of violence from separatist militants.

The SCO’s 23rd meeting, which comprises nine full members including China, India, Iran and Russia, is scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday in Islamabad.

Prime Minister Li is undertaking a bilateral visit to Pakistan from Monday to Thursday, accompanied by senior officials, Pakistan’s foreign office said.

Li and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will lead their respective delegations to discuss economic and trade ties and cooperation under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a $65 billion investment in the South Asian country under Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative.

Li is also likely to inaugurate the CPEC funded Gwadar International Airport in restive southwestern Balochistan province, which borders Afghanistan and Iran.

The SCO participants will be represented by the prime ministers of China, Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan as well as the first vice president of Iran and external affairs minister of India, the foreign office said. 

Topics: Pakistan SCO summit 2024 SCO India China Russia Arab News Pakistan Islamabad

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