ISLAMABAD: The foreign office of Pakistan on Saturday condemned India’s decision to seize commercial goods on a Karachi-bound ship after it docked at the Mumbai port while dismissing reports the cargo contained dual-use, military-grade equipment originating from China.
According to one report published by an Indian media outlet, the seizure was carried out after port officials received specific intelligence about the consignment.
It maintained that that Pakistan was trying to acquire restricted items for military purposes through intermediary companies such as the ones mentioned on the official documents accompanying the cargo.
“These reports are reflective of Indian media’s habitual misrepresentation of facts,” foreign office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said in response to a query about the incident.
“This is a simple case of import of a commercial lathe machine by a Karachi based commercial entity which supplies parts to the automobile industry in Pakistan,” she added. “Specifications of the equipment clearly indicate its purely commercial use.”
Baloch added the international transaction had been conducted through transparent banking channels with all the relevant documentation.
“Pakistan condemns India’s high handedness in seizure of commercial goods,” she continued. “This disruption of free trade underscores the dangers inherent in arbitrary assumption of policing roles by states with dubious credentials.”
She informed the relevant private entities were pursuing the matter after the “unjustified seizure” of cargo.
“Such acts also highlight the growing impunity of certain states in violating international norms and taking arbitrary measures in violation of international law,” Baloch said.
Pakistan tail frustrates England to reach 358-8 at lunch
Brydon Carse had Mohammad Rizwan caught behind for 41 in the third over of the day
England lead the three-match series 1-0 after winning the first test by an innings
Updated 16 October 2024
AFP
MULTAN: Pakistan’s tail frustrated England as the hosts reached 358-8 at lunch on day two of the second Test in Multan on Wednesday after the visitors took three early wickets.
All-rounder Aamer Jamal and Noman Ali were at the crease on 37 and 29 respectively as they foiled England’s attack with an unbroken stand of 49 for the ninth wicket.
Pakistan resumed on 259-5 and England struck early on a reused Multan Stadium pitch that not only offered some spin but also helped the seamers extract reverse swing.
Brydon Carse (2-43) had Mohammad Rizwan caught behind by Jamie Smith for 41 in the third over of the day.
Rizwan hit five boundaries in his shaky knock.
Carse’s fellow seamer Matthew Potts (2-65) forced an edge off Salman Agha on a sharp rising delivery with Smith taking another regulation catch to leave the hosts on 302-7.
Agha’s knock of 31 also had five boundaries.
Spinner Jack Leach took his third wicket of the innings when he dismissed Sajid Khan for two, caught at short cover by Joe Root.
Debutant Kamran Ghulam struck a century to anchor Pakistan’s innings on the first day.
England lead the three-match series 1-0 following their innings victory in the first Test, also in Multan.
ISLAMABAD: Indian External Affairs Minister Subramanyam Jaishankar spoke about a lack of trust and good neighborliness within the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) while addressing the regional summit in Islamabad on Wednesday, saying the issue had been preventing collaboration and integration among member nations.
In the first visit by an Indian minister since Sushma Swaraj in 2015, Jaishankar arrived in Pakistan a day earlier to attend the SCO meeting and had a brief interaction with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Pakistan had extended an invitation to Indian Premier Narendra Modi to attend the event, though New Delhi decided its delegation would be led by its top diplomat.
Jaishankar made his statement to the forum shortly after the Pakistani PM delivered his keynote speech, in which he called for regional connectivity and economic integration, urging member states to rise above their political considerations for the prosperity of the region.
The Indian minister referred to the SCO charter, noting that the regional organization sought greater cooperation, but also highlighted three major challenges of “terrorism, separatism and extremism.”
“It is … essential that we have an honest conversation,” he told the forum. “If trust is lacking or cooperation inadequate, if friendship has fallen short and good neighborliness is missing somewhere, there are surely reasons to introspect and causes to address.”
“Equally, it is only when we reaffirm our commitment most sincerely to the Charter that we can fully realize the benefits of cooperation and integration that it envisages,” he added.
Jaishankar also urged the SCO to take cognizance of rapid global changes, noting that India had been advocating for the representation of developing nations at the United Nations Security Council, “both in the permanent and non-permanent categories.”
“The SCO must be in the lead of advocating such change, not hold back on a matter of such importance,” he added.
The Indian minister emphasized the need for SCO member nations to renew their commitment to achieving the objectives outlined in the organization’s charter.
“That means recognizing the current constraints on our cooperation and focusing on the pathway forward,” he added.
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif formally kicked off the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Islamabad on Wednesday, urging member states to expand regional connectivity and economic integration without viewing such initiatives through a narrow political lens.
The SCO is a key Eurasian political, economic and security alliance founded in 2001 by China, Russia and several Central Asian nations. Over the years, it has expanded to include countries like India and Pakistan, making it a significant regional bloc.
Sharif is currently chairing the meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of Government, with representatives from China, Russia, India, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Belarus in attendance.
He welcomed the delegates, noting that the forum represented the voice of over 40 percent of the global population.
“While supporting all SCO connectivity initiatives, Pakistan underscores the importance of establishing a robust SCO connectivity framework,” he said in his keynote address. “This framework should not simply boost regional trade but should also advance a vision of connected Eurasia.”
“Flagship projects, like the Belt and Road Initiative of President Xi Jinping, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which is in its second phase, and the International North-South Transport Corridor should be expanded, focusing on developing road, rail, and digital infrastructure that enhances integration and cooperation across the region,” he continued. “Let’s not look at such projects through a narrow political prism and invest in our collective connectivity capacities, which are crucial to advancing shared visions of an economically integrated region.”
Sharif pointed out that a stable Afghanistan was crucial for achieving this objective.
“While the international community must extend the needed assistance to help the Afghan Interim Government stave off the humanitarian crisis and prevent an economic meltdown, it must also demand from the Afghan Interim Government to take concrete measures to promote political inclusivity, as well as to ensure that its soil is not used for terrorism against its neighbors by any entity,” he continued.
The Pakistani premier maintained that such initiatives were necessary to ensure poverty alleviation across the neighborhood and the prosperity of its people.
He said regional integration and collaboration could also help address the climate crisis and secure a safer future for upcoming generations.
Sharif maintained there was a growing realization that a gap existed between the SCO’s aspirations and the performance of its member states.
He added it was time SCO countries translated their political will into solid action on the ground.
KARACHI: For commuters in Karachi, a bustling port city and Pakistan’s economic powerhouse, daily travel has turned into a perilous journey as residents have to go through potholes, craters and uncovered manholes every few meters on thousands of major and minor roads across the city.
Years of neglect and a lack of ownership have left the city’s infrastructure in disrepair, a situation further exacerbated by the recent monsoon rains, which has made it difficult for the people to navigate the city sprawling over 3,780 square kilometers.
“The whole city looks like Mohenjo-daro,” said Shakeel Salat, a trader in downtown Saddar, referring to an archaeological site in the Sindh province that was built around 2500 BCE and was once the largest settlement of the ancient Indus Valley Civilization.
“Although this is Karachi, a city that generates revenue, but it is being overlooked.”
Arab News conducted a tour of hundreds of roads in all seven districts of Karachi and found that almost all of them were partially or fully damaged, except for Korangi Creek Road and Shahrah-e-Faisal. Even the busiest thoroughfares like the M.A. Jinnah Road and University Road were in dilapidated conditions.
In Orangi Town, Bakht Afsar Khan, an auto-rickshaw driver, told Arab News derelict roads had caused him to regularly repair his ride.
“The car’s axle breaks, the tire also gets punctured, and the entire vehicle’s material gets damaged,” he told Arab News, adding that he spent Rs10,000 ($36) on his rickshaw’s repairs this past week.
Khan said driving his rickshaw on bumpy roads causes stomach aches and makes it difficult for him to drive for long. “We can’t drive [continuously] for an hour because of the potholes and the condition of the road,” he said.
Naghma Niazi, a public relations officer at a health facility, said traveling to M.A. Jinnah Road from her residence in North Nazimabad and coming back “tests her patience” daily.
“These broken roads are severely affecting traffic, wasting our time, and no one seems to care,” she said, adding that crumbling roads force vehicles to move slowly and in turn increase fuel consumption.
“Just imagine a person setting out in their vehicle only to encounter these dilapidated roads, while dealing with high fuel prices. What a frustrating situation it would be for them?”
Of the thousands of roads in the city, a majority has no one responsible of repairs. The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), which provides municipal services in most of Karachi’s areas, has a list of only 106 roads.
Muhammad Toheed, an urban planner, explained that a lack of data and the complex governance structure hindered civic accountability in the city of over 20 million.
“Karachi might be the only city where it takes days to understand the complexity of its urban governance,” he said, explaining that the city has 19 land-owning agencies.
The KMC owns 106 roads, while 25 other towns and five cantonment boards have their own jurisdiction, according to Toheed.
“People look to the mayor, but the mayor is specifically responsible for only 106 roads,” he said.
Mayor Murtaza Wahab Siddiqui complained he had no jurisdiction over most of the city, but the anger was still directed at him.
“The buck falls on the mayor, the buck falls on the KMC, but when it comes to collecting resources, when it comes to collecting revenue by way of different taxes, there are many different entities that operate in the city,” he said, calling it “the real problem.”
The solution to this issue lies in fixing responsibility and pinpointing which area belonged to which entity, according to the mayor.
“But unfortunately, that is not the case for the city of Karachi,” he said, sharing his plans to renovate the KMC-owned roads.
Siddiqui said the Sindh government had decided to contribute Rs1.5 billion, which, in addition to Rs600 million from the KMC’s account, would be spent on improving the condition of major arteries of the city.
But the mayor said he felt there should be an adequate allocation in the Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) of the federal government for Karachi’s infrastructure.
“All those taxes go to the federal government,” he said, reminding that the country’s two major ports, Karachi Port Trust and Port Qasim, existed in Karachi and the city contributed up to 65 percent to the overall revenue collection in the country.
“Their transport, their carriage goes through our streets, our arteries,” he said. “They use our infrastructure, but they don’t contribute to our local taxes.”
Siddiqui admitted that corruption by way of using low-quality material in the construction of roads was also part of the problem.
He said he took notice when nearly three dozen roads, which were renovated in 2022-2023 with an amount of roughly Rs7 billion, got damaged shortly afterwards.
“Those roads will be reconstructed without any additional funds being given by the government to the existing contractors,” the mayor said.
But the present condition of roads has already cost Usman Ghani, who works in a local factory, a lot for taking his car to work every day.
“No matter where you go in Karachi, the condition of the roads is extremely poor,” he said, as he drove over a bumpy, decrepit patch in the SITE industrial area.
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Wednesday the government is working to increase innovation, sustainability and modernization in the agriculture sector to support farmers, according to an official statement issued to mark World Food Day.
The day, celebrated annually on October 16, marks the establishment of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and promotes global food security by raising awareness of hunger and encouraging action for a sustainable future.
As an agricultural nation, Pakistan faces significant challenges from climate change, with erratic weather patterns, heatwaves and droughts affecting agricultural yields.
In response, Pakistan has sought collaboration with nations like China, focusing on technology and innovation to modernize its agriculture sector and address climate-related issues.
“Our farmers are the backbone of the food system, who with their dedication and hard work, ensure that we have enough to eat,” the prime minister said. “We are committed in supporting them with policies that focus on innovation, sustainability, and modernization in the agricultural sector. Our government is facilitating farmers to equip themselves with the technology they need to thrive in today’s world, including access to modern agricultural machines, improved infrastructure, and better market access.”
He noted that his administration was promoting and facilitating support small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the food processing sector.
“Our focus is the empowering the rural women entrepreneurs, who form a key component of our rural economy, to ensure that they also actively participate in this sector,” he added. “Our vision is to integrate Pakistan into the global food value chain by fostering public-private partnerships, encouraging foreign investment, and promoting export-oriented growth in agriculture and food processing.”
The prime minister expressed confidence that Pakistan would be able to overcome the challenges of hunger, malnutrition and food insecurity by implementing efficient policies in the area.
“Let us work together to build a society where farmers are supported and facilitated to adopt sustainable agricultural practices so that everyone has access to nutritious food, and we are also able to ensure food security for our future generations,” he said.