ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to enhance trade and connectivity during a visit to Kabul by top officials from Islamabad, the foreign office said on Friday, amid a push by the two neighbors to reset soured relations.
Pakistan-Afghanistan relations have been strained by a spike in militancy in Pakistan’s western regions that border Afghanistan, following the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul in 2021. Islamabad says anti-Pakistan militants carry out cross-border attacks using safe havens in Afghanistan, a charge Kabul denies.
Another source of tension has been Pakistan’s decision to expel undocumented Afghans and those who had temporary permission to stay, saying it can no longer cope. Since November 2023 when Islamabad first launched the deportation drive against illegal foreigners, over 900,000 Afghans have left the country. The Afghan government has condemned the “unilateral measures” to forcibly deport tens of thousands of Afghans. Afghans have also reported weeks of arbitrary arrests, extortion and harassment by authorities as Islamabad has accelerated the deportation drive since April, a charge officials deny.
Amid these tensions, Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and special envoy to Kabul, Ambassador Mohammad Sadiq, went to Afghanistan on a one-day visit last week widely seen as an attempt to resolve outstanding issues of contention.
“During the visit, the deputy prime minister [and] foreign minister held meetings with the acting Afghan prime minister, acting Afghan deputy prime minister and acting Afghan foreign minister,” Shafqat Ali Khan, a Pakistani foreign office spokesperson, told reporters at a weekly news briefing in Islamabad.
“Both sides held extensive discussions on a range of issues including peace and security, people-to-people contacts and agreed to enhance bilateral trade and economic cooperation to the mutual benefit of people of both countries.”
Pakistan remains at loggerheads with two of its main neighbors, India and Afghanistan, while Islamabad’s relations with Iran have also seen friction in recent weeks over the killing of eight Pakistani laborers in Iran’s Sistan-Baluchestan province. Both Pakistan and Iran last year exchanged strikes against what they called militant hideouts, but quickly moved to de-escalate tensions.
This week, an attack on tourists in India’s Himalayan territory of Kashmir has sparked a new crisis between nuclear armed neighbors India and Pakistan, with New Delhi blaming militants with “cross-border linkages” for the killings, which Islamabad denies. Both nations have announced tit-for-tat measures to downgrade ties in the aftermath of the violence.
The tensions have come as Pakistan navigates a tricky path to economic recovery, seeking to boost trade by enhancing connectivity with regional countries and attract foreign investment from allies in the region and beyond.
In this regard, Dar on Thursday held a telephonic conversation with Uzbekistan Foreign Minister Seyedov Bakhtiar Odilovic and apprised him of his discussions with Afghan officials about a tri-nation railway line project involving Uzbekistan, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
“The deputy prime minister shared his discussions in Kabul regarding Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan railway line project and hoped that the three countries would soon sign the framework agreement for this important regional connectivity project,” the foreign office spokesman said at the briefing.
The project is part of Pakistan’s efforts to position itself as a key trade and transit hub, connecting the landlocked Central Asian states to the global market.
Pakistan, Afghanistan agree to enhance trade and connectivity in push to reset ties
https://arab.news/c744f
Pakistan, Afghanistan agree to enhance trade and connectivity in push to reset ties
- Ties with Kabul have been strained over a spike in militancy and a deportation drive against Afghan nations
- Pakistani deputy PM and special envoy to Kabul visited Islamabad last week in an attempt to resolve issues
Pakistan’s solar surge lifts it into rarefied 25% club
- Pakistan has boosted solar power generation by over three times global average so far this year, solar capacity imports up more than fivefold since 2022
- Solar power made up 25% of utility-supplied electricity in 2025, making Pakistan among 20 nations sourcing quarter or more monthly electricity supplies from solar
LITTLETON, Colorado: Pakistan is rapidly emerging as a key leader in solar power deployment, and not just within emerging economies.
The South Asian country has boosted solar electricity generation by over three times the global average so far this year, fueled by a more than fivefold rise in solar capacity imports since 2022, according to data from Ember.
That combination of rapidly rising capacity and generation has propelled solar power from Pakistan’s fifth-largest electricity source in 2023 to its largest in 2025.
What’s more, so far in 2025 solar power has accounted for 25% of Pakistan’s utility-supplied electricity, which makes it one of fewer than 20 nations globally that have sourced a quarter or more of monthly electricity supplies from solar farms.
EXCLUSIVE CLUB
Over the first four months of 2025, solar farms generated an average of 25.3% of Pakistan’s utility electricity supplies, Ember data shows.
That average compares with a solar share of 8% globally, around 11% in China, 8% in the United States, and 7% in Europe.
And while the average solar shares in the Northern Hemisphere will climb steadily through the summer months, very few countries will even come close to securing a quarter of all utility electricity supplies from solar farms any time soon.
Indeed, only 17 countries have ever registered a 25% or more share of monthly utility electricity supplies from solar farms, according to Ember.
Those nations are: Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Chile, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Portugal and Spain. That list is heavily skewed toward Europe, where the power sector shock from Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 sparked urgent and widespread power-sector reform and the rapid roll-out of renewable generation capacity.
Indeed, Australia and Chile are the only nations aside from Pakistan that are outside Europe, and all included nations boast a far higher gross domestic product (GDP) per capita than Pakistan.
IMPORT DRIVE
The chief driver of Pakistan’s solar surge has been an accelerating import binge of solar capacity modules from China.
Between 2022 and 2024, Pakistan’s imports of China-made solar components jumped fivefold from around 3,500 megawatts (MW) to a record 16,600 MW, according to Ember.
Pakistan’s share of China’s total solar module exports also rose sharply, from 2 percent in 2022 to nearly 7 percent in 2024.
And that import binge has continued into 2025.
Over the first four months of the year, Pakistan imported just over 10,000 MW of solar components from China, compared with around 8,500 MW during the same period in 2024.
That rise of nearly 18% in imported capacity has lifted Pakistan’s share of China’s solar exports to new highs too, with Pakistan accounting for around 12% of all of China’s solar exports so far this year.
SOLAR-CENTRIC
The frantic deployment of imported solar modules across Pakistan in recent years has upended the country’s electricity generation mix.
So far in 2025, solar is by far the single largest source of electricity, followed by natural gas, nuclear reactors, coal plants and hydro dams.
As solar farms were the fifth-largest supply source for electricity just two years ago, solar’s pre-eminence so far this marks a sharp swing toward renewables within the country’s utility network.
In addition, the country is committed to much more growth in renewable energy generation capacity through the rest of this decade.
Pakistan is targeting 60% of electricity supplies to come from renewable sources by 2030, according to the International Trade Administration.
Through the first four months of 2025, renewable energy sources generated 28% of the country’s electricity, so energy planners are aiming for a more than doubling in that share by the end of the decade.
With solar modules representing the quickest and cheapest means to meet those goals, further rapid build-out of the country’s solar farm system looks likely, which will cement Pakistan’s status as a global solar superpower.
Pakistan, US agree to finalize trade deal ‘at the earliest’ after Trump’s reciprocal tariffs
- Finance Minister Aurangzeb holds a virtual meeting with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick
- Both sides agree to hold technical-level talks in the coming days under a mutually agreed roadmap
KARACHI: Pakistan and the United States have agreed to move forward with negotiations aimed at finalizing a trade deal “at the earliest,” as Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick held a virtual meeting to discuss recently imposed American “reciprocal tariffs,” Pakistan’s finance ministry said on Tuesday.
Last month, Islamabad announced it had formally launched talks with the US following the imposition of steep tariffs by President Donald Trump’s administration on several countries, including Pakistan.
The duties, which Washington says are meant to correct trade imbalances and ensure fair treatment of American goods, have been widely criticized as a blow to global economic recovery efforts in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pakistan has been hit with a 29 percent tariff on its exports to the US at a time when the country is trying to drive economic growth through increased exports.
“Further to Pak-US negotiations on US reciprocal tariffs, a virtual meeting took place between Mr. Muhammad Aurangzeb, Pakistan’s Finance Minister, and Howard Lutnick, United States’ Commerce Secretary on 16th June, 2025,” the finance ministry said in its statement.
“Both sides resolved to carry forward their negotiations through a constructive engagement to finalize the trade deal at the earliest,” it added.
The ministry informed the discussion focused on strengthening trade and investment and deepening economic ties between the two countries.
Both sides agreed to hold further technical-level discussions in the coming days, based on a mutually agreed roadmap.
The United States is Pakistan’s largest export market, and analysts warn that the new tariffs could undermine Islamabad’s fragile economic recovery.
According to Pakistan’s central bank, the country exported $5.44 billion worth of goods to the US in 2024. From July 2024 to February 2025, exports stood at $4 billion, up 10 percent compared to the same period last year.
Nearly 90 percent of Pakistan’s exports to the US are textiles, a sector likely to bear the brunt of the tariff impact.
Trade experts have also cautioned that the duties could erode Pakistan’s competitiveness, especially if regional players such as China, Bangladesh and Vietnam shift focus to European markets, intensifying competition in alternative destinations.
Pakistan urges global action on rising ‘Islamophobia’ at UN hate speech event
- The event was organized by Morocco and the UN Office on Genocide Prevention
- Pakistan expresses commitment to inclusion, calls diversity a collective strength
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s top diplomat at the United Nations on Monday called for a collective international response to rising “Islamophobia,” warning that unchecked hate speech and extremist narratives were fracturing societies and threatening global peace and stability.
Speaking at a high-level event to mark the International Day for Countering Hate, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said growing intolerance, fueled by politicized media and digital platforms, was targeting not only Muslims but also people of various races, genders and nationalities.
The International Day for Countering Hate is observed each year on June 18, following its institutionalization by the UN in 2023 in response to the global rise in hate-driven violence, incitement and disinformation.
Monday’s event at the UN was hosted by Morocco and the Office on Genocide Prevention.
“The surge in Islamophobia through discriminatory laws, defamation of religious symbols and orchestrated vilification are particularly alarming trends,” Ahmad said. “Media platforms, especially those aligned with dominant political forces, have enabled this hate.”
“Similar tactics now target other marginalized communities,” he continued. “We also observe rising racism and xenophobia fueling division and exclusion. These trends demand urgent collective response.”
Ahmad welcomed the recent appointment of the UN Special Envoy on Combating Islamophobia, an institutional step initiated through a resolution presented by Pakistan on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in March last year.
Muslim countries, in recent years, have collectively raised their voice against acts of desecration such as the public burning of the Qur’an in several European countries.
Many of these incidents have coincided with the political rise of far-right parties, which have capitalized on anti-immigrant sentiment and targeted Islam and Muslim communities.
Muslim states have called for an end to such practices and have advocated for legal measures to prevent the desecration of religious symbols, arguing that such acts have no connection to free speech and must be addressed under international frameworks protecting religious and cultural dignity.
The Pakistani envoy said the appointment came at a critical time and urged full implementation of the UN Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech.
He also condemned digital platforms and algorithmic systems, saying they reward sensationalism and amplify identity-based hate, warning that truth was being sacrificed in politicized media environments.
Ahmad reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to promoting respect, inclusion and peaceful coexistence, saying that diversity must be seen as a collective strength.
Pakistan, 19 other nations call for nuclear-free Middle East as Israel-Iran war escalates
- The statement stresses the need to refrain from targeting IAEA-monitored nuclear facilities
- It calls for ceasefire, seeks maritime security, freedom of navigation under international law
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and 19 other countries on Tuesday issued a joint statement condemning Israel’s military attacks on Iran as a violation of international law, while calling for a nuclear-free Middle East and a return to diplomacy following a comprehensive ceasefire and de-escalation.
The statement came after Israel launched surprise airstrikes on Iranian nuclear and military facilities on Friday, in the middle of Tehran’s ongoing nuclear negotiations with Washington.
Israel and Iran traded missile fire for a fifth consecutive day on Tuesday, as US President Donald Trump warned Tehran residents to “immediately evacuate” and cut short his participation at a G7 summit in Canada.
The US Defense Department confirmed the redeployment of “additional capabilities” to the region, with the USS Nimitz leaving Southeast Asia amid reports of its new Middle East mission. The Chinese embassy in Tel Aviv also urged its citizens to evacuate Israel immediately.
Amid these developments, 20 countries, including Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Türkiye, Qatar and Oman, voiced a “categorical rejection” of Israel’s military action and warned of its destabilizing implications.
“[There is an] imperative need to halt Israeli hostilities against Iran, which come during a time of increasing tension in the Middle East, and to work toward de-escalation, to achieve a comprehensive ceasefire and restoration of calm,” the statement said.
It called for “the urgent necessity of establishing a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction, which shall apply to all States in the region without exception in line with relevant international resolutions, as well as the urgent need for all countries of the Middle East to join the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).”
The statement further stressed the importance of refraining from targeting nuclear facilities safeguarded by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), warning that such actions violate international humanitarian law and the 1949 Geneva Conventions.
The signatories also emphasized that negotiations remain the only viable path toward a sustainable resolution of the Iranian nuclear issue and called for a swift return to diplomatic engagement.
All the countries stressed the importance of protecting freedom of navigation and maritime security in accordance with international law, fearing that tensions could spill over into shipping lanes vital to global trade.
“Diplomacy, dialogue, and adherence to the principles of good neighborliness, in accordance with international law and the UN Charter, remain the only viable path to resolving crises in the region,” it continued. “Military means cannot bring about a lasting resolution to the ongoing crisis.”
Pakistan vows more facilities for elderly pilgrims in ‘even better’ Hajj 2026
- Will try to ensure aged pilgrims are not allocated rooms above first floor, says official
- Pakistan sent over 115,000 pilgrims under both government, private Hajj schemes this year
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Director General Hajj Abdul Wahab Soomro this week vowed that the government would try to ensure next year’s pilgrimage is “even better” for pilgrims, promising more facilities for the elderly ones.
This year’s Hajj took place from June 4 to June 9, drawing millions of pilgrims to the holy cities in Saudi Arabia. Pakistan sent over 115,000 pilgrims under both the government and private schemes.
Speaking at a ceremony held to acknowledge the services of the Pakistani welfare staff during Hajj in Makkah, Soomro said the government introduces new measures every Hajj for its pilgrims and would continue to do so.
“In the next Hajj, we will try to make it even better,” Soomro said on Monday. “We will try to ensure that aged pilgrims, for example, are not allocated a room above the first floor.”
The Pakistani official said the government would also try to ensure that elderly pilgrims are provided accommodations close to the Mashair, or holy sites in Makkah, for their convenience.
“So, these small things that we are adding every year are enriching the overall experience of the pilgrim,” Soomro said.
Dr. Syed Ata ur Rehman, Pakistan’s secretary of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, also spoke at the event. He reminded authorities that the post-Hajj flight operation will continue until the last Pakistani pilgrim and welfare staff return to the country.
“Therefore, the remaining part of the operation should be carried out with the same diligence, attention and caution so that the glory of this success does not diminish,” Rehman told participants.
Pakistan began its post-Hajj flight operation with the arrival of the Pakistan International Airline flight PK-732 in Islamabad on June 11, carrying 307 pilgrims. The country is expected to conclude the operation on July 10.
Over 11,400 pilgrims, including around 3,000 from Madinah, have returned to Pakistan so far, as per figures provided by Pakistan’s religious affairs minister.
The government has announced it has begun preparations for Hajj 2026 as it has received the Saudi Hajj policy and timeline for next year’s pilgrimage.
