Pakistani PM announces old faces as key ministers in his new cabinet

Pakistani PM announces old faces as key ministers in his new cabinet
(L-R) The collage of image created on March 12, 2024, shows Pakistan's new federal ministers Khawaja Asif, Ishaq Dar, Ahsan Iqbal and Azam Nazeer Tarar. (National Assembly and AFP)
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Updated 12 March 2024
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Pakistani PM announces old faces as key ministers in his new cabinet

Pakistani PM announces old faces as key ministers in his new cabinet
  • PM Sharif appoints four-time former finance minister Ishaq Dar his foreign minister 
  • Reappoints Khawaja Asif to defense, Ahsan Iqbal to planning, Azam Nazeer Tarar to law

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani Prime Minister’s Office on Tuesday notified the list of new federal ministers, bringing in few new faces as premier Shehbaz Sharif seeks continuity in pushing through economic reforms under the watchful eye of international lenders.

Sharif appointed four-time former finance minister Ishaq Dar his foreign minister and reappointed Khawaja Asif to defense, Ahsan Iqbal to planning and Azam Nazeer Tarar to law. The only woman in the cabinet is Shaza Fatima Khawaja, who has been appointed minister for IT and telecommunications. 

Sharif, who was elected to his second term as prime minister last week, was at the helm when Pakistan and the IMF produced an $3 billion bailout loan accord in July. Now, he has appointed Muhammad Aurangzeb, the CEO of Pakistan’s largest bank, HBL, to look after the finance ministry, as the government’s first order of business will be negotiating a new IMF deal when the current one expires this month. 

“In terms of rule 3(4) of the Rules of Business, 1973, the Prime Minister has been pleased to allocate the portfolio / business of the Government to the Federal Ministers, as follows,” the prime minister’s office said in a notification, releasing the names of 18 new ministers. 

Dar, who will now take care of the foreign ministry, told Reuters he wanted to ramped up the role for economics in the nation’s diplomacy as the country tries to secure another International Monetary Fund (IMF) deal and shore up external financing from foreign capitals.

“Economic diplomacy is the need of the hour,” he said.

Dar will be assisted by Syed Tariq Fatemi, a Sharif family loyalist and former ambassador who served as Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs to Sharif in his last government and will take over the portfolio again. He was also an adviser on foreign affairs during the last government of Nawaz Sharif, the elder brother of the current PM. 

Fatemi has previously served as Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States and the European Union. He was also federal secretary, the highest rank in the country’s civil service.

“NO WASTE OF TIME”

Growing economic challenges will dominate the new government’s agenda. 

Aurangzeb, the new finance minister who has never held public office before, told Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper his primary focus would be to implement much-needed economic reforms and get a new IMF deal.

“No debates, no waste of time — just a steadfast commitment to implementation,” he said soon after taking oath. 

Inflation touched a high of 38 percent with record depreciation of the rupee currency under Sharif’s last government from April 2022 to August 2023, mainly due to structural reforms necessitated by the IMF bailout deal in 2023. Pakistan continues to be enmeshed in economic crisis with inflation remaining high, hovering around 28.8 percent, and economic growth slowing to around 2 percent.

Sharif’s first order of business, as he admitted on Monday in his first cabinet meeting, was taking tough decisions to steer the country out of financial crisis, including bagging a new bailout deal from the IMF. 

A new program will mean committing to steps needed to stay on a narrow path to recovery, but which will limit policy options to provide relief to a deeply frustrated population and cater to industries that are looking for government support to spur growth.

Ahsan Iqbal, a senior member of Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) who returns to the planning ministry, said “job creation through entrepreneurial ecosystem with the support of new and modern infrastructure” would be his priority as a federal minister. 

An “economic turnaround” was vital through increased exports since Pakistan mostly relied on loans while preparing its budgets, he added. 

The information ministry went to an emerging PML-N leader, Attaullah Tarar, who said he would promote “positive and constructive journalism,” state-run APP reported. 

Other Sharif loyalist and senior PML-N members appointed federal ministers include Dr. Musadik Masood Malik, Rana Tanveer Hussain, Amir Muqam, Riaz Hussain Pirzada and Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh. 

The interior ministry has gone to media mogul Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi, a former chief minister of Punjab and chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board. Prior to being appointed CM from Jan 2023 to Feb 2024, he had no political experience but is widely believed to be close to Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Army Chief Gen. Asim Munir. 

During Naqvi’s term as CM, opposition parties such as the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf of jailed ex-PM Imran Khan complained of a state-backed crackdown against the party in Punjab, which the administration denies. His appointment as interior minister has raised widespread fears that the crackdown against political rivals may continue under the new government.

Pakistan’s general elections last month resulted in a split mandate, prompting Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and President Asif Ali Zardari’s Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) to form a coalition government. The PPP has, however, declined to join the federal cabinet.


Cop among two killed in separate IED blasts in northwestern Pakistan

Cop among two killed in separate IED blasts in northwestern Pakistan
Updated 18 sec ago
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Cop among two killed in separate IED blasts in northwestern Pakistan

Cop among two killed in separate IED blasts in northwestern Pakistan
  • No group has so far claimed responsibility for blasts which took place in Bajaur tribal district
  • Seventy-five police personnel have been killed, 113 injured in militant attacks in KP this year

PESHAWAR: A police constable and a civilian were killed in separate Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blasts in northwestern Pakistan on Saturday, police said, as Islamabad struggles to contain surging militancy in its Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province.
The IED blasts took place in the northwestern Bajaur tribal district on Saturday morning, killing one cop and a civilian.
As per official data, 75 police personnel have been killed and 113 injured in militant attacks and targeted assassinations in KP province this year.
“Both blasts were reported in the premises of Loi Mamund police station earlier today,” Bajaur Police spokesperson Muhammad Israr told Arab News.
No group has claimed responsibility for the blasts so far.
“An IED was placed in front of the policeman’s house which detonated when he was leaving home for duty at around 9:30 am in Mena village of Loi Mamund,” Israr added.
He said the other blast took place around 8:00 am in Irab village, also located within the vicinity of Loi Mamund police station, in which one person was killed.
Israr said police have started investigating both incidents.
Pakistan blames the surge in militancy in KP province, which borders Afghanistan, on the Pakistani Taliban militants that it alleges have found safe havens in Afghanistan.
Kabul denies the allegations and urges Pakistan to resolve its security challenges on its own. Relations between the two countries have deteriorated since November 2022 when a fragile truce between the Pakistani state and the Pakistani Taliban broke down.


Mourners in Pakistan’s Kurram district demand inquiry after sectarian clashes kill 41

Mourners in Pakistan’s Kurram district demand inquiry after sectarian clashes kill 41
Updated 31 min 57 sec ago
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Mourners in Pakistan’s Kurram district demand inquiry after sectarian clashes kill 41

Mourners in Pakistan’s Kurram district demand inquiry after sectarian clashes kill 41
  • Gunmen opened fire on vehicles carrying 41 members of Shiite community in Kurram district on Thursday
  • Authorities impose curfew, suspend mobile phone services in district long plagued by sectarian clashes

ISLAMABAD: Mourners in northwestern Pakistan’s Kurram district on Saturday demanded the government hold a transparent inquiry into sectarian clashes that killed 41 people this week, as fear grips the restive area days after the attack. 
Authorities imposed a curfew and suspended mobile phone services in Kurram district after 41 people were killed on Thursday when gunmen opened fire on vehicles carrying members of the minority Shiite community. 
The assault, one of the deadliest such attacks in recent years in the area, took place in the district where sectarian clashes have killed dozens of people in recent months. 
“A transparent inquiry of this incident should be carried out,” Hayat Abbas Najafi, one of the mourners, told Reuters at one of the district’s main towns Parachinar during a funeral ceremony. 
“We call on the government as well as security institutions that Parchinar, which is a great part of Pakistan, should be saved from sectarianism and should be provided safety and security.”
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which came a week after authorities reopened a key highway in the region that had been closed for weeks following deadly clashes.
Previous clashes in July and September killed dozens of people and ended only after a tribal council called for a ceasefire.
Sajjad Hussain, another mourner, said among those killed were infants as young as six months old and women.
“They were innocent passengers. What was their fault,” he asked. 
Shop owners in Parachinar announced a three-day strike on Friday to protest the attack while locals described an atmosphere of fear across the district following the incident. 
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi called the shootings a “terrorist attack.” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the attack, and Sharif said those behind the killing of innocent civilians will not go unpunished.
Shiite Muslims make up about 15 percent of the 240 million population of Sunni-majority Pakistan.
With inputs from Reuters


UAE promotes Arab culture and cuisine at three-day festival in Karachi 

UAE promotes Arab culture and cuisine at three-day festival in Karachi 
Updated 23 November 2024
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UAE promotes Arab culture and cuisine at three-day festival in Karachi 

UAE promotes Arab culture and cuisine at three-day festival in Karachi 
  • UAE consulate in Karachi kicks off celebrations ahead of nation’s National Day 
  • UAE is one of Pakistan’s largest trading partners and major source of remittances

KARACHI: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Consul General in Karachi this week paid a visit to promote several stalls selling Arab cuisine and highlighting Arab culture at a three-day festival in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi, ahead of the Gulf nation’s National Day. 
Sindh’s Culture Minister Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah inaugurated the three-day Sindh Craft Festival on Friday which showcases traditional shawls, quilts, handlooms, and caps made by artists from all over Sindh at Karachi’s famous Port Grand entertainment hub. 
UAE Consul General Dr. Bakheet Ateeq Al Rumaithi visited the festival on Friday to highlight Arab cuisine and review stalls promoting Arab culture at the festival. The UAE consulate is gearing up for celebrations to mark the nation’s 53rd National Day on Dec. 2.
“Various stalls have been set up at Port Grand keeping in mind Arab culture,” the UAE Consulate in Karachi said in a statement on Friday. 

Sindh’s Culture Minister Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah (2L) inaugurates three-day Sindh Craft Festival during an event to mark the UAE’s 53rd National Day in Karachi on November 22, 2024. (Photo courtesy: UAE Consulate Karachi)

Al Rumaithi noted that women, children and the elderly were all taking part in the three-day cultural festival. 
“We have a centuries-old relationship with Pakistan which is strengthening,” he observed. 

UAE Consul General Dr. Bakheet Ateeq Al Rumaithi (5R) cuts the cake to celebrate the UAE’s 53rd National Day in Karachi on November 22, 2024. (Photo courtesy: UAE Consulate Karachi)

The UAE is one of Pakistan’s largest trading partners and a major source of foreign investment, valued at over $10 billion in the last 20 years, according to the UAE ministry of foreign affairs. The UAE-Pakistan trade volume rose to $7.9 billion in 2023, up 12 percent from 2022. 
In May this year, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the Emirates had committed $10 billion to invest in promising economic sectors in Pakistan. The Pakistan Business Council (PBC), set up this September at the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, also aims to increase Pakistan’s bilateral trade volume with the UAE to $40 billion in three years.
The UAE is also home to more than a million Pakistani expatriates and the second-largest source of remittances to Pakistan after Saudi Arabia.


T20 Blind Cricket World Cup kicks off in Pakistan today sans India’s participation

T20 Blind Cricket World Cup kicks off in Pakistan today sans India’s participation
Updated 23 November 2024
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T20 Blind Cricket World Cup kicks off in Pakistan today sans India’s participation

T20 Blind Cricket World Cup kicks off in Pakistan today sans India’s participation
  • Pakistan’s blind cricket team to take on South Africa in Lahore today
  • India failed to secure clearance from government to travel to Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The fourth T20 Blind Cricket World Cup will kick off today, Saturday, with Pakistan set to face South Africa in the eastern city of Lahore, state-run media reported days after India pulled out of the tournament.
The T20 Blind Cricket World Cup is scheduled to be held in Pakistan from Nov. 23-Dec. 3. As per Radio Pakistan, the tournament will feature blind cricket teams from Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, South Africa, Nepal and Afghanistan.  
“In the Fourth edition of the Blind Cricket T20 World Cup, the opening match will be played between South Africa and Pakistan in Lahore today,” Radio Pakistan said. 
India was also scheduled to take part in the tournament but the Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI) announced on Wednesday that its blind cricket team was withdrawing from the event, citing its failure to secure clearance from New Delhi to travel to Pakistan. 
Political tensions between nuclear-armed neighbors India and Pakistan have restricted cultural exchanges and bilateral sports events between the two nations.
Both countries have fought three wars, two of them over the Muslim-majority Himalayan region of Kashmir, which they both claim in full but rule in part.
India withdrew its blind cricket team from the tournament with a little over three months left before the start of the 2025 Champions Trophy, which is also set to be held in Pakistan in February/March next year. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) informed the International Cricket Council (ICC) this month that India will not travel to Pakistan for the tournament.
The ICC informed the PCB of the BCCI’s decision, following which Pakistan demanded an explanation from the cricket governing body. Pakistan has repeatedly insisted it will not agree for the tournament to be shifted to another country and has insisted India travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy.
Pakistan hosted last year’s Asia Cup but all of India’s games were played in Sri Lanka under a “hybrid” hosting model for the tournament. Several months later, Pakistan traveled to India for the 50-over World Cup.


Pakistani authorities block roads and motorways ahead of opposition’s Islamabad protest

Pakistani authorities block roads and motorways ahead of opposition’s Islamabad protest
Updated 23 November 2024
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Pakistani authorities block roads and motorways ahead of opposition’s Islamabad protest

Pakistani authorities block roads and motorways ahead of opposition’s Islamabad protest
  • Jailed Imran Khan’s party has called for a “long march” to Islamabad on Nov. 24 to demand his release
  • Motorway police say as per intelligence reports, protesters will be armed with sticks and slingshots

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Highways and Motorway Police (NHMP) has said that motorways across the country have been sealed from various areas to protect people’s lives ahead of a planned protest by former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party to Islamabad on Sunday.
Pakistani authorities sealed off major arteries and roads with shipping containers leading to Islamabad from the surrounding Rawalpindi city and other areas on Friday ahead of the PTI’s “long march” scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 24.
In a notification released on Friday, the NHMP cited intelligence reports that protesters were planning to disrupt law and order in the capital, adding that they would be armed with sticks and slingshots.
“To prevent any untoward situation and to protect the lives of the people, motorways have been closed from various locations,” the NHMP said.
“The lives and property of the people will be guaranteed at all costs. Those who take the law into their hands will be dealt with strictly.”
Hours earlier, the NHMP had shared a notification on its social media platform X in which it had said that certain sections of the motorway were closed due to maintenance work. These sections were: M-1 Islamabad to Peshawar, M-2 Islamabad to Lahore, M-3 Lahore to Abdul Hakeem, M-4 Pindi Bhattian to Multan, M-14 Hakla to Yarik and M-11 Lahore to Sialkot.
As per local media reports, the Metro Bus service between the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi will be suspended on Nov. 24 while a ban on public gatherings has been imposed in Punjab from Nov. 23-25 ahead of the PTI’s march.
The PTI’s protest is primarily aimed at pressurizing the government to end Khan’s imprisonment which has lasted for over a year on what his party contends are politically motivated charges. The party also aims to raise its voice against alleged rigging in the Feb. 8 general elections while calling for measures to ensure judicial independence, which it says has been undermined by the 26th constitutional amendment. The government denies this. 
Earlier this week, Pakistan’s interior ministry had authorized the deployment of paramilitary Punjab Rangers and Frontier Corps troops in Islamabad to maintain law and order.
Pakistan’s parliament also passed a law earlier this year to regulate public gatherings in Islamabad, specifying timings for rallies and designating specific areas. The law prescribes three-year jail terms for participants in illegal assemblies and 10-year imprisonment for repeat offenders.