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Malaysian PM to arrive in Pakistan on Wednesday with trade, connectivity on agenda

Malaysian PM to arrive in Pakistan on Wednesday with trade, connectivity on agenda
An undated file photo of Malaysian Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim. (REUTERS/FILE)
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Updated 34 min 57 sec ago
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Malaysian PM to arrive in Pakistan on Wednesday with trade, connectivity on agenda

Malaysian PM to arrive in Pakistan on Wednesday with trade, connectivity on agenda
  • Pakistan, Malaysia enjoy a strong bilateral relationship, rooted in shared Islamic values and historical ties
  • Islamabad says the visit provides an important opportunity to further strengthen Pakistan-Malaysia relations
Updated 34 min 57 sec ago
Hasaan Ali Khan
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ISLAMABAD: Malaysian Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim will arrive in Pakistan on Wednesday on a three-day visit to strengthen ties in trade, connectivity, energy and other sectors, the Pakistani foreign office said on Monday.

Pakistan and Malaysia enjoy a strong bilateral relationship, rooted in shared Islamic values and historical ties. Since 1957, they’ve fostered economic cooperation, defense collaborations, and cultural exchange. The Pakistan-Malaysia Free Trade Agreement of 2008 boosted trade and investment, while regular high-level visits have solidified their partnership, underpinned by mutual respect and trust.

The Malaysian prime minister will be undertaking the visit from October 2-4 on the invitation of his Pakistani counterpart Shehbaz Sharif, according to the Pakistan foreign office. He will be accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising Malaysian ministers, deputy ministers and senior officials.

“Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim will hold meetings with Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif,” the Pakistani foreign office said in a statement.

“The two sides will discuss a wide-ranging agenda to further strengthen Pakistan-Malaysia ties in diverse fields including trade, connectivity, energy, agriculture, halal industry, tourism, cultural exchanges and people-to-people contacts.”

During the visit, the Pakistani foreign office said, both sides will also discuss regional and global developments. “This visit provides an important opportunity to further strengthen Pakistan-Malaysia relations,” it added.

Bilateral trade between both countries was recorded at $1.5 billion in 2023-24. The major exports of Pakistan to Malaysia include rice, condensate oil, onions, potatoes, home textiles, corn, seafood, and meat, palm oil and its products, petroleum, LNG, computers and laptops, nonwoven wadding, and fiberboard, according to the High Commission of Pakistan in Malaysia.

Tourism between both countries has gained momentum over the past few years and Malaysia currently ranks among the top tourist source countries to Pakistan. Around 160,000 Pakistani nationals were residing in Malaysia and over 3,800 students from Pakistan were also enrolled in Malaysian higher education institutes, making the country the third largest source of international students in Malaysia.

Pakistan is also one of the major workforce source countries for Malaysia in various key sectors including plantation, construction, manufacturing, agriculture and services, it added.

Topics: Malaysian Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim Pakistan Malaysia ties

Pakistan says bidding process for PIA auction delayed by 30 days

Pakistan says bidding process for PIA auction delayed by 30 days
Updated 30 September 2024
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Pakistan says bidding process for PIA auction delayed by 30 days

Pakistan says bidding process for PIA auction delayed by 30 days
  • The Pakistani government last week delayed the auction of the national flag carrier for the third time
  • Successive governments have steered away from the PIA’s disposal as it is likely to be highly unpopular
Updated 30 September 2024
KASHIF IMRAN

ISLAMABAD: The bidding process for auction of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has been delayed by 30 days, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said on Monday, as potential bidders seek more time and information to assess the airline.
The Pakistani government last week delayed the auction of the national flag carrier for the third time. Successive governments have steered away from the PIA’s disposal as it is likely to be highly unpopular, but progress on privatization is a precondition for cash-strapped Pakistan for an International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout approved last week.
Pakistan plans to sell more than 51 percent of its stake in the loss-making airline as part of the economic reforms suggested by the IMF which approved a long-awaited, 37-month $7 billion bailout deal on Wednesday that will require “sound policies and reforms” to strengthen macroeconomic stability and address structural challenges alongside “continued strong financial support from Pakistan’s development and bilateral partners.”
Speaking on ARY News show ‘Khabar,’ Dar said all the bidders, who showed interest in buying the airline, had requested the government for more time through a transaction adviser handling the PIA’s auction.
“He [transaction adviser] approached the government last week, that was the last day to sign off the preconditions, so that bid bond could be submitted the next day... so he said all, barring one, are saying that ‘we need more time’,” said Dar, who also heads the cabinet committee on privatization.
“God willing,” the deputy PM replied, when the anchor specifically asked if these were the final 30 days.
The Pakistani government announced in June it had selected six companies qualified to bid for PIA out of a pool of eight after receiving expressions of interest. The initial plan was to finalize the deal to sell PIA on the country’s Independence Day, Aug. 14, but the plan was delayed following requests from bidders who were waiting for the airline’s latest audited accounts, aircraft lease agreements and clarity on flights to Europe, which are currently banned.
This was followed by September and October dates for the auction, but those have also not materialized.
Dr. Ahsan Ishaq, a spokesperson for privatization ministry, last week told Arab News that the PIA’s cumulative losses alone had surpassed Rs800 billion ($2.86 billion), with the total asset valuation of the airline standing at approximately Rs160 billion ($572 million).
In August, the country’s central bank refused to grant a waiver or exemption to prospective buyers regarding PIA’s commercial bank loans of Rs268 billion ($971.1 million) and other financial guarantees in dollar terms, a development viewed as a setback to the privatization bid.
With a fleet of 34 aircraft comprising 17 Airbus A320s, 12 Boeing B777s and 5 ATRs, the airline loses traffic to Middle Eastern carriers, who have a market share of 60 percent, because of an absence of direct flights to destinations. The carrier has air service pacts with 87 countries, and landing slots at key destinations such as London Heathrow.
The re-organization plan of the business will separate the aviation-related aspects from non-core components, so freeing the operating subsidiary of a large portion of legacy debt.

Topics: Pakistan International Airlines

Key Pakistan coalition partner doubles down on judicial reform, constitutional court despite opposition

Key Pakistan coalition partner doubles down on judicial reform, constitutional court despite opposition
Updated 30 September 2024
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Key Pakistan coalition partner doubles down on judicial reform, constitutional court despite opposition

Key Pakistan coalition partner doubles down on judicial reform, constitutional court despite opposition
  • Pakistan’s government is widely believed to establish a federal constitutional court by amending the constitution
  • The matter has raised widespread concerns among independent lawyers, opposition parties and constitutional experts
Updated 30 September 2024
KASHIF IMRAN

ISLAMABAD: Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, chairman of a key party in Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s coalition, has stressed the need for judicial reforms and the establishment of a constitutional court to ensure swift and impartial justice in the country, his Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) said on Monday, despite criticism from lawyers and opposition parties.
The statement came weeks after Pakistan’s government sought to get a package of 52 history-making constitutional amendments passed in parliament, but did not present it after failing to secure the required two-thirds majority needed for them to pass. The proposed amendments are expected to establish a federal constitutional court, raise the retirement age of superior judges by three years and modify the process for the appointment of chief justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
The matter has raised widespread concerns among lawyers, opposition parties and independent experts who say the moves are aimed at increasing the government’s power in making key judicial appointments and dealing with the defection of lawmakers during house votes. But Bhutto-Zardari said the country’s judicial system had failed to deliver justice to the victims of terrorism, with judges unable to secure convictions in 50 percent of the cases, highlighting the dire need for judicial reforms.
Speaking to lawyers affiliated with his party in Quetta, the PPP chairman recalled that his late mother, former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, had promised in 2006 to introduce judicial reforms and establish constitutional courts to ensure swift justice for the people, but the reforms remained pending despite other achievements.
“The current political environment presents an opportunity to realize this component,” he said, presenting his party’s proposed draft for constitutional reforms, which included the establishment of constitutional courts at the provincial level.
“While the PPP does not have the majority in the National Assembly to pass constitutional amendments on its own, the party will work toward a consensus-based draft that aligns with its manifesto.”
The statement came a day after hundreds of Pakistani lawyers urged judges to distance themselves from the proposed federal constitutional court in the country.
“An assault on our Constitutional compact is being cloaked in the thin garb of arguments grounded in the supremacy of law. These are arguments that do not withstand the slightest intellectual scrutiny, given any serious consideration,” a group of over 300 senior lawyers said in an open letter addressed to the judges of high courts and the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
“We urge you — the judges of our constitutional courts — not to recognize this proposed court if such a bill is passed. We urge those of you who may be hand-picked to serve on it not to do so. Complicity will be no defense of the Constitution: it will be its defacement.”
Last week, Aqeel Malik, a government spokesman on legal affairs, said Pakistan’s ruling coalition would table the constitutional amendments package in parliament in the first week of October.
The opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party has alleged that the amendments are an attempt to grant an extension to incumbent Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa, who is widely viewed to be aligned with the ruling coalition and in opposition to its chief rival, the PTI.
Bhutto-Zardari, however, called for the reform of the judicial appointment process, stating that the 18th Amendment of the Constitution of Pakistan introduced a procedure whereby the judiciary would make recommendations, but the final decision would be made by a parliamentary committee with equal representation from the government and the opposition.
He expressed hope that there would be consensus on these reforms and announced plans to engage with bar associations across the country.

Topics: Bilawal Bhutto Zardari judicial reforms

Pakistan’s Irfan Asghar wins 6th Asian Master Squash Championship 2024

Pakistan’s Irfan Asghar wins 6th Asian Master Squash Championship 2024
Updated 30 September 2024
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Pakistan’s Irfan Asghar wins 6th Asian Master Squash Championship 2024

Pakistan’s Irfan Asghar wins 6th Asian Master Squash Championship 2024
  • Irfan outplayed Ryun Hoe Koo, secured 3-0 win
  • The final scores were 11-6, 11-4 and 14-12
Updated 30 September 2024
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani squash veteran, Group Captain (retired) Irfan Asghar, has won the 6th Asian Master Squash Championship 2024 held in Macau, China, Pakistani state media reported, citing the Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF).
Irfan outplayed his opponent, Ryun Hoe Koo, and secured an impressive 3-0 win, clinching the title for Pakistan.
The final scores were 11-6, 11-4 and 14-12, the state-run APP news agency reported.
“His victory reinforces his status as a leading figure in Pakistan’s squash scene,” the report read.
The win marked Irfan’s second triumph in the Asian Master Squash Championship, having previously won the title in 2010.
Currently serving as the PSF director for academies, Irfan has continued to inspire the next generation of players.

Topics: squash Irfan Asghar 6th Asian Master Squash Championship 2024

Pakistan’s Sindh asks authorities to restrict travel of cops, clerics accused of blasphemy murder

Pakistan’s Sindh asks authorities to restrict travel of cops, clerics accused of blasphemy murder
Updated 30 September 2024
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Pakistan’s Sindh asks authorities to restrict travel of cops, clerics accused of blasphemy murder

Pakistan’s Sindh asks authorities to restrict travel of cops, clerics accused of blasphemy murder
  • Provincial home minister says police killed Dr. Shahnawaz Kanbhar in ‘fake encounter’ shortly after arrest on Sept 19
  • The murder sparked rare protests in Sindh this month, prompting provincial authorities to suspend multiple officials 
Updated 30 September 2024
NAIMAT KHAN

KARACHI: The government in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province on Monday requested the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to restrict 24 individuals, including 21 police officers and three clerics, from leaving the country, in a rare move in connection with the blasphemy murder of a doctor this month.

Dr. Shahnawaz Kanbhar, accused of sharing blasphemous content online, was arrested in Sindh’s Umerkot district, but he was shot dead in a purported shootout hours later on Sept. 19. Police said Dr. Kanbhar was killed when they asked two motorcyclists to stop, but one of the bikers opened fire on them. The law enforcers said it was only after the shooting that they learned the slain man was the doctor being sought by them for alleged blasphemy.

Dr. Kanbhar’s family disputed the police account, claiming he was murdered in custody. Hours after Dr. Kanbhar was fatally shot and his body was handed over to his relatives, a mob snatched it from Kanbhar’s father and burned it. The incident sparked rare protests in Sindh, at which people asked for justice for the slain doctor accused of blasphemy, which has rarely happened in Muslim-majority Pakistan. The widespread protests prompted the Sindh government to suspend a number of police and local administration officials.

Last week, the provincial government said the police had “orchestrated” the killing, marking the first time the government accused the law enforcers of doing what the doctor’s family and rights groups have described as an “extrajudicial killing.” Sindh Home Minister Zia-ul-Hassan Lanjar said a government probe concluded that Dr. Kanbhar was killed shortly after he gave himself up to authorities in what was a “fake encounter” by the police.

“I am directed to refer to the captioned subject and to request the intervention of FIA Sindh to prevent the accused nominated in subject FIR [first information report on Dr. Kanbhar’s murder] from leaving Pakistan,” a section officer of the Sindh home department said in a letter to the FIA, requesting the federal agency to put the individuals accused of the murder on the Exit Control List (ECL).

“In the light of above, I am directed to request that immediate measures may be taken to prevent the departure or fleeing of accused persons from the airport and other point of exit from the country.”

The official highlighted that the accused persons, including the Deputy Inspector General of the Police Javed Soonharo Jiskani, were facing “serious charges” pending an investigation.

Accusations of blasphemy — sometimes even just rumors — can spark riots and mob violence in Pakistan. Although killings of blasphemy suspects by mobs are common, extra-judicial killings by police are rare.

Dr. Kanbhar’s killing marks the second such incident this month. On Sept. 12, a police officer in the southwestern Balochistan province killed a blasphemy suspect in custody, highlighting the grave dangers faced by persons accused of blasphemy in Pakistan.

Human rights groups and civil society organizations have urged the Pakistani government to repeal the country’s blasphemy laws, which they argue contribute to discrimination and violence. They have also called for a comprehensive review of law enforcers’ response to blasphemy accusations.

Topics: blasphemy allegation blasphemy Pakistan blasphemy Shahnawaz Kanbhar

Taliban blame Pakistan after ‘capture of key Daesh fighters’

Taliban blame Pakistan after ‘capture of key Daesh fighters’
Updated 30 September 2024
AFP
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Taliban blame Pakistan after ‘capture of key Daesh fighters’

Taliban blame Pakistan after ‘capture of key Daesh fighters’
  • Security has generally improved since the Taliban surged back to power after winning their insurgency in 2021
  • However, a regional chapter of the Daesh group has emerged as the main challenge to their rule in Afghanistan
Updated 30 September 2024
AFP

KABUL: Taliban authorities captured “key members” of the Daesh (Islamic State) group responsible for recent deadly attacks across Afghanistan, a spokesman said on Monday, blaming neighboring Pakistan for harboring the organization.
Security has generally improved since the Taliban surged back to power after winning their insurgency in 2021, however the regional chapter of the group, known as Daesh Khorasan, has emerged as the main challenge to their rule.
A sweeping security crackdown broadly quashed the number of domestic attacks but there was a string of shootings and bombings by Daesh Khorasan this summer.
Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said “special forces” apprehended “key members of the insurgent group” which claimed a Kabul suicide bombing that killed six people this month.
He said the suicide attacker “infiltrated Afghanistan” from a training camp in Pakistan, while others arrested in a series of raids had also “recently returned” from there.
Mujahid said the crackdown has evicted the militant group from Afghanistan but they “have established new operational bases and training camps” in Pakistan.
“From these new bases, they continue to orchestrate attacks, both within Afghanistan and in other countries,” he said.
The comments are likely to further fray relations between Kabul and Islamabad, which have suffered since the Afghan Taliban’s return.
Islamabad blames Afghanistan for rising attacks on its territory, claiming that the Taliban government is failing to put down insurgents from the Pakistani Taliban based there.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry did not respond immediately to a request for comment on Mujahid’s statement.
Pakistan, China, Iran and Russia issued a statement last week on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly which “expressed deep concern over the terrorism-related security situation in Afghanistan.”
It named several groups, including Daesh, which it said were “based in Afghanistan” and “continue to pose a serious threat to regional and global security.”
Daesh Khorasan was founded in 2015 and came to prominence with a bombing during America’s chaotic evacuation from Kabul airport in August 2021 that killed some 170 Afghans and 13 US troops.
Analysts say the group is pivoting to more international attacks, including the killing of more than 140 people at a Moscow concert hall and more than 90 in twin bombings in Iran.
Recruitment among Central Asian nations on Afghanistan’s northern border is also said to be spiking. Mujahid said a Tajik national was among those arrested in the raids.
Daesh Khorasan also claimed an attack in central Bamiyan in May that killed three Spanish tourists and three Afghans, and two attacks this month that killed a total of 20 people.

Topics: Taliban

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