KARACHI: Pakistan Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Ahmad Farooq on Wednesday identified textiles, agriculture and red meat as key sectors for Pakistani businesses to focus on in order to increase the country’s exports to the Kingdom.

Farooq identified the key sectors during his visit to the Karachi Chambers of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) on Wednesday, where he met with leading Pakistani businesspersons and industrialists, according to the KCCI.

The ambassador highlighted that Pakistan’s exports to the Kingdom had registered a 40 percent increase during 2023-24, with the information technology (IT) sector witnessing an impressive 50 percent growth.

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia last year signed 34 agreements worth nearly $3 billion, of which, memorandums of understanding (MoUs) worth $700 million have already entered the implementation stage, according to Farooq.

“We want large businesses to connect with local distributors in Saudi Arabia to facilitate exports,” he was quoted as saying by the KCCI. “A list of key exporters in these sectors should be shared with the [Pakistani] embassy so we can work together to strengthen trade relations.”

Farooq said Pakistani textile, agriculture and meat (beef and mutton) products had already seen a “remarkable growth” in the Saudi market, adding that the Kingdom offers vast opportunities for Pakistani businesses.

“The purpose of my visit is to discuss business opportunities with the Karachi business community and update them on how Pakistan’s embassy can support them in accessing the Saudi market,” he added.

Speaking about the rising demand for skilled manpower, the Pakistani envoy said more than 3 million Pakistanis were currently living in the Kingdom, however, 97 percent of them were “blue-collar workers.”

Saudi Arabia is currently developing its public service sectors such as health, education, infrastructure, recreation and tourism as part of a strategic framework, Vision 2030, which aims to diversify the Kingdom’s economy beyond oil. The

Kingdom’s ambitious plan coincides with Pakistan’s efforts to boost trade and foreign investment to revive its fragile economy.

“Saudi authorities have advised us to improve vocational training for Pakistani workers to meet the standards required for upcoming projects,” Ambassador Farooq said, stressing the need to enhance training programs to equip these workers with modern technical skills.

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are close regional partners, and the Kingdom remains the largest source of remittances to the South Asian country, contributing $7.5 billion in the last fiscal year (July 2023-June 2024), according to KCCI President Jawed Bilwani.

Saudi Arabia has also regularly provided Pakistan oil on deferred payments and offered direct financial support to help shore up Pakistan’s forex reserves.

KCCI Senior Vice President Zia-ul-Arfeen stressed the need to enhance joint ventures between the two countries, urging Islamabad to further improve the ease of doing business for foreign investors.

“Saudi investors should consider Pakistan for investments, particularly in the food sector,” he added.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday voiced “profound concern” over the presence of advance United States (US) weapons in Afghanistan, which Washington has sought to be returned by Kabul’s Afghan Taliban rulers.

The weapons and equipment, coopted by the Afghan Taliban, were reportedly left behind in the aftermath of a chaotic withdrawal of US and allied forces from Afghanistan in August 2021. The previous administration of Joe Biden maintained that US forces had not left behind any equipment during the withdrawal that could be used by militants to target Pakistan.

However, President Donald Trump on Jan. 20 accused the Biden administration of giving “our military equipment, a big chunk of it, to the enemy,” conditioning Afghan aid to the return of these weapons. Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities on Wednesday called for the humanitarian aid not to be politicized.

“The presence of US advance weapons in Afghanistan, left behind in the aftermath of the withdrawal of its troops in August 2021, has been an issue of profound concern for the safety and security of Pakistan and its citizens,” the Pakistani foreign office said in a statement.

“These weapons have been used by terrorist organizations, including the TTP [Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan], to carry out terrorist attacks in Pakistan.”

The statement came months after Pakistani security sources said custom authorities had seized a large cache of US-made weapons and ammunition worth approximately Rs35 million ($125,000) at a border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The weapons seized at the Torkham border crossing in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province included M4 rifles and magazines, security sources said in Oct. last year.

Pakistan has struggled to contain surging militancy in KP since a fragile truce between the Pakistani Taliban, or the TTP, and the state broke down in November 2022.

The TTP and other militant groups have frequently targeted security forces convoys and check-posts, besides targeted killings and kidnappings of law enforcers and government officials in recent months.

In 2024 alone, the Pakistani military reported that 383 soldiers and 925 militants were killed in various clashes.

“We have been repeatedly calling upon the de facto authorities in Kabul to take all necessary measures to ensure that these weapons do not fall into the wrong hands,” the foreign office added.

The development comes at a time of strained ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan, and Islamabad has frequently blamed the surge in militancy on Afghanistan, accusing it of sheltering and supporting militant groups that launch cross-border attacks. Afghan officials deny involvement and insist that Pakistan’s security issues are an internal matter of Islamabad.