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.
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.”
Participants of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit pose for a group picture in Islamabad, Pakistan on October 16, 2024. (@DrSJaishankar/X)
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.
The picture shows Karachi Map. (Commissioner Karachi/website)
“Although this is Karachi, a city that generates revenue, but it is being overlooked.”
The picture shared on September 23, 2024, shows commuters passing through the Liaquatabad flyover in Karachi, Pakistan. (AN photo)
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 Qur’angi 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.
The picture shared on September 23, 2024, shows a pothole in the middle of Selani Road in Karachi, Pakistan. (AN photo)
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?”
The picture shared on September 23, 2024, shows a pothole in the middle of Muhammad Ali Jinnah Road in Karachi, Pakistan. (AN photo)
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.
ISLAMABAD: China and Pakistan have decided to accelerate development on the Gwadar Port in southwestern Balochistan, aiming to operationalize it as a hub for regional connectivity, according to a joint statement issued on Tuesday, with Beijing seeking “targeted security measures” to ensure a safer environment for bilateral cooperation.
The joint statement was released during Chinese Premier Li Qiang’s visit to Pakistan for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit.
The two countries have enjoyed a longstanding relationship, marked by strategic cooperation in trade, defense and infrastructure development. They have been collaborating on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a multibillion-dollar infrastructure and regional connectivity initiative, with plans to expand it by focusing on industrialization and socio-economic development.
However, China has stressed the need for heightened security for its workers in Pakistan following recent deadly suicide bombings against them.
“Recognizing the significance of the Gwadar Port as a key hub for cross-regional connectivity, the two sides reaffirmed their readiness to speed up the development of the auxiliary infrastructure of the Gwadar Port, to steadily attract more cargo shipments to the port, to find a solution to inadequate water and power supply at an early date, to accelerate the development of the port’s industrial zone, and to solidly enhance connectivity between the port and other parts of Pakistan,” the statement proclaimed.
Pakistan has offered the landlocked Central Asian states access to its ports in Gwadar and Karachi, enabling them to trade with the rest of the world via sea routes.
The Chinese premier also inaugurated the Chinese-funded airport in Gwadar virtually during his ongoing visit to Pakistan.
The joint statement also mentioned the recent conversations between China and Pakistan over the security issues, highlighting the concerns raised by Beijing.
“Acknowledging the efforts made by the Pakistani side to ensure the safety and security of Chinese personnel, projects and institutions in Pakistan, the Chinese side underscored the need and urgency to take targeted security measures in Pakistan, to jointly create a safe environment for cooperation between the two countries,” it said.
Militant groups targeting Pakistani civilians and security forces have also launched deadly attacks on Chinese workers in the past, killing a significant number of them in high-profile attacks.
Earlier this month, two Chinese engineers were killed in a massive explosion in Karachi only a few days before the arrival of China’s PM. This was the attack on Chinese workers in Pakistan since the beginning of the year.
The two countries also agreed to increase high-level official visit to discuss the progress on CPEC.
The Chinese side also reiterated its support for Chinese companies to invest in Pakistan’s Special Economic Zones.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is hosting the main session of a two-day summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Islamabad today, Wednesday, wherein leaders from SCO member states are expected to discuss trade, security and other issues of mutual interest.
The prime ministers of China, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan as well as Iran’s first vice president and the Indian external affairs minister are in Islamabad to attend the regional summit.
The Pakistani government has declared a three-day holiday in the federal capital of Islamabad since Monday, with schools and businesses closed to ensure security of foreign leaders attending the high-profile regional summit.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif hosted a dinner in honor of the visiting foreign dignitaries, wherein he was seen greeting and shaking hands with the attendees, including Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (right) shakes hand with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar as he arrives at the Jinnah Convention Center to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Islamabad, Pakistan, on October 16, 2024. (Government of Pakistan)
“On October 16, Prime Minister Sharif will chair the meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of SCO member states and deliver the opening remarks, followed by statements from the leaders of participating countries,” the Pakistani foreign office said in a statement.
The documents reflecting outcomes of the meeting will also be signed during the session that will conclude with Sharif’s closing remarks, according to the statement.
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and SCO Secretary General Zhang Ming will share a communiqué after the concluding session.
Pakistani authorities have locked down the capital to ensure security of foreign leaders attending the SCO summit. The government has deployed troops and blocked key roads, announcing alternate routes for the residents.
Sharif met with Central Asian leaders and discussed trade, investment and regional connectivity as part of his engagements on the first day of the summit on Tuesday,
Pakistan, faced with tough economic conditions, wants to position itself as a regional trade hub and to leverage its strategic geopolitical position and enhance its role as a pivotal trade and transit hub connecting China and Central Asia with the rest of the world.
Pakistani authorities have locked down the capital to ensure security of foreign leaders attending the SCO summit, while the government has deployed troops and blocked key roads, announcing alternate routes for the residents.
