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Pakistan PM seeks stronger trade, connectivity with Uzbekistan in talks with envoy

Pakistan PM seeks stronger trade, connectivity with Uzbekistan in talks with envoy
Ambassador of Uzbakistan, Alisher Tukhtaev (left) calls on Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad on March 13, 2025. (PID)
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Updated 13 min 58 sec ago
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Pakistan PM seeks stronger trade, connectivity with Uzbekistan in talks with envoy

Pakistan PM seeks stronger trade, connectivity with Uzbekistan in talks with envoy
  • Shehbaz Sharif discusses the Trans-Afghan Railway Project that holds strategic significance for Islamabad
  • The envoy tells Sharif the Uzbek president will visit Pakistan later this year to discuss trade, other issues
Updated 13 min 58 sec ago
SAIMA SHABBIR
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ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed his administration’s interest in bolstering bilateral trade and physical connectivity with Uzbekistan during a conversation with the envoy of the Central Asian state on Thursday, his office said in a statement.
Sharif met with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Tashkent last month during a trip to the region, where both leaders set an ambitious target to increase bilateral trade from $404 million to $2 billion in the foreseeable future.
They also discussed the proposed railway project spanning approximately 573 kilometers from Termez in Uzbekistan to Mazar-i-Sharif and Kabul in Afghanistan, before extending to Peshawar in Pakistan.
The project holds strategic significance for Islamabad, as it could provide direct access to Central Asian markets, boosting trade and economic integration while positioning the country as a key regional trade hub.
The issue was also raised during a meeting between Sharif and Uzbek Ambassador Alisher Tukhtaev at the Prime Minister House in Islamabad.
“The Prime Minister expressed his complete satisfaction at the excellent progress made between the two countries during his visit, which included the formation of a High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council, as well as the signing of a number of important agreements and MOUs [memorandums of understanding] in various fields,” said a statement released by the PM Office.
“The Prime Minister said that, upon his return from Tashkent, he had tasked the concerned Ministers of relevant areas to ensure prompt follow-up on the decisions taken by the two leaders,” it added. “He particularly highlighted Pakistan’s interest in enhancing cooperation with Uzbekistan in mining & minerals, railways (including the Trans-Afghan Railway project), special economic zones, banking, tourism, culture and renewable energy.”
Sharif conveyed his warm greetings to President Mirziyoyev, expressing gratitude for the hospitality extended to him and his delegation during their visit to Tashkent.
He also underscored the need to devise a roadmap to enhance bilateral trade to $2 billion, in line with the agreement reached between the two leaders.
The Uzbek envoy reaffirmed his country’s commitment to strengthening ties with Pakistan and transforming their political relations into mutually beneficial economic cooperation.
He also informed Sharif that President Mirziyoyev would visit Pakistan later this year, with the dates to be determined through mutual coordination between the two sides.

Topics: Pakistan Uzbekistan Ties

Pakistan PM to visit Balochistan after military rescues train hostages, kills 33 militants

Pakistan PM to visit Balochistan after military rescues train hostages, kills 33 militants
Updated 17 sec ago
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Pakistan PM to visit Balochistan after military rescues train hostages, kills 33 militants

Pakistan PM to visit Balochistan after military rescues train hostages, kills 33 militants
  • Shehbaz Sharif praises security forces for carrying out the operation with ‘extraordinary skill’
  • The military says the hostage crisis created by separatist BLA ‘changes the rules of the game’
Updated 17 sec ago
SAADULLAH AKHTER

QUETTA: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is scheduled to visit Balochistan today, Thursday, to express solidarity with the people of the province, a day after the military announced it had conducted a successful operation against separatists who hijacked a passenger train, rescuing hostages and killing 33 militants.
The Pakistan military spokesperson, Lt. Gen. Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry, told a private news channel on Wednesday night that security forces had killed militant suicide bombers sitting among the hostages before swiftly executing the rescue operation and securing the Quetta-Peshawar-bound Jaffar Express.
The separatist Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) had bombed part of a railway track and stormed the train on Tuesday afternoon in Mushkaaf, a rugged area in the mountainous Bolan range of Balochistan.
The province, Pakistan’s biggest in terms of the landmass, has long been the site of a low-level insurgency, with separatist groups accusing the government of exploiting the province’s natural resources while leaving its people in poverty. Government officials deny the allegation and say they are developing the province through multibillion-dollar projects, including those backed by China.
Sharif praised the security forces for their swift action and reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to eliminating militancy from the country in an official statement.
“Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will visit Balochistan tomorrow to express solidarity with the people of the province and assess the security situation,” a handout circulated by his office said on Wednesday night.
“The prime minister will also chair a meeting to review the law and order situation,” it added.
On Tuesday night, hours after attacking the train, the BLA said it was holding 214 people hostage, including military, police and intelligence personnel who were traveling home on holiday to meet their families.
The military reported that militants killed 21 hostages soon after seizing control of the train, but there were no further casualties among the passengers during the rescue operation.
Sharif commended the security forces for their handling of the crisis, saying their professionalism ensured the operation was completed without major losses.
“The operation was executed with extraordinary skill,” he said. “We are committed to defeating those who attack innocent civilians on every front.”
According to Lt. Gen. Chaudhry, security forces launched their response shortly after the attack began on Tuesday afternoon. He disclosed that the army, air force, paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC) and Special Services Group (SSG) personnel participated in the operation.
Four FC soldiers were killed during the mission, while no army personnel sustained casualties, he added.
Chaudhry noted that passengers who had fled to surrounding areas during the operation were being accounted for.
He also reiterated the militants were in contact with their “handlers” in Afghanistan, a claim frequently made by Pakistani officials who attribute a recent rise in militancy to cross-border influences. The Taliban rulers in Kabul have repeatedly denied providing insurgents a base to plan or execute attacks in Pakistan.
“This changes the rules of the game,” Chaudhry said during his interview while referring to the hostage crisis, without elaborating on his statement.

Topics: Balochistan train attack PM Shehbaz Sharif Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA)

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Special A paramilitary soldier stands guard at the railway station in Mushkaaf, Bolan, Balochistan, Pakistan, Mar. 12, 2025. (AFP) video
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Pakistan army takes control of main southwest railway station after train hijacking

Parents of murdered UK-Pakistani girl appeal life terms

Parents of murdered UK-Pakistani girl appeal life terms
Updated 39 min 59 sec ago
AFP
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Parents of murdered UK-Pakistani girl appeal life terms

Parents of murdered UK-Pakistani girl appeal life terms
  • 10-year-old Sara Sharif was found in her bed in August 2023 covered in bites and bruises
  • Her father was sentenced to 40 years while her stepmother was given 33 years in prison
Updated 39 min 59 sec ago
AFP

LONDON: A UK court on Thursday will hear the appeals of the father and stepmother of a murdered British-Pakistani girl, who were jailed for life after killing the child following years of torture.

The trial of Urfan Sharif and his wife Beinash Batool caused waves of revulsion in the UK as the horrific abuse suffered by the 10-year-old girl was revealed in a London court.

There was anger too at how the bright, bubbly youngster had been failed by all the authorities supposed to be in charge of her care.

London’s Old Bailey court heard that her body was found in her bed in August 2023, covered in bites and bruises with broken bones and burns inflicted by an electric iron and boiling water.

Passing sentence in December after the trial, judge John Cavanagh said Sara had been subjected to “acts of extreme cruelty” but that Sharif and Batool had not shown “a shred of remorse.”

They had treated Sara as “worthless” and as “a skivvy” because she was a girl. And because she was not Batool’s natural child, the stepmother had failed to protect her, he said.

“This poor child was battered with great force again and again.”

Sara’s father, 43, was sentenced to 40 years in prison while her stepmother, 30, was ordered to remain in jail for at least 33 years.

Both are now appealing their terms at the Royal Courts of Justice, along with Sara’s uncle, Faisal Malik, 29, who lived with the family and was sentenced to 16 years after being found guilty of causing or allowing her death.

The Solicitor General, Lucy Rigby, is also appealing the sentence imposed on Urfan Sharif, maintaining it was “unduly lenient.”

A post-mortem examination of Sara’s body revealed she had 71 fresh injuries and at least 25 broken bones.

She had been beaten with a metal pole and cricket bat and “trussed up” with a “grotesque combination of parcel tape, a rope and a plastic bag” over her head.

A hole was cut in the bag so she could breathe and she was left to soil herself in nappies as she was prevented from using the bathroom.

Police called the case “one of the most difficult and distressing” that they had ever had to deal with.

The day after Sara died, the three adults fled their home in Woking, southwest of London, and flew to Pakistan with five other children.

Her father, a taxi-driver, left behind a handwritten note saying he had not meant to kill his daughter.

After a month on the run, the three returned to the UK and were arrested after landing. The five other children remain in Pakistan.

There has been anger in the UK that Sara’s brutal treatment was missed by social services after her father withdrew her from school four months before she died.

Sharif and his first wife, Olga, were well-known to social services.

In 2019, a judge decided to award the care of Sara and an older brother to Sharif, despite his history of abuse.

The school had three times raised the alarm about Sara’s case, notably after she arrived in class wearing a hijab, which she used to try to cover marks on her body which she refused to explain.

Since December, the government has moved to tighten up the rules on home-schooling.

Sara’s body was repatriated to Poland, where her mother is from, and where a funeral was organized.

Topics: Urfan Sharif Beinash Batool Sara Sharif

Islamabad, Copenhagen discuss $2 billion investment to modernize Pakistan’s maritime sector

Islamabad, Copenhagen discuss $2 billion investment to modernize Pakistan’s maritime sector
Updated 50 min 52 sec ago
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Islamabad, Copenhagen discuss $2 billion investment to modernize Pakistan’s maritime sector

Islamabad, Copenhagen discuss $2 billion investment to modernize Pakistan’s maritime sector
  • Pakistan, Denmark signed MoU in October 2024, paving the way for Maersk to invest $2 billion in Pakistan’s maritime sector
  • Maritime affairs minister says Danish expertise can contribute to Pakistan’s economic growth, trade competitiveness
Updated 50 min 52 sec ago
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABD: Pakistani and Danish officials this week discussed Denmark’s $2 billion investment to modernize the South Asian country’s maritime affairs infrastructure, Pakistan’s maritime affairs ministry said, as the two sides explored further avenues for bilateral collaboration.

Pakistan and Denmark last October signed a $2 billion memorandum of understanding (MoU) according to which Danish global shipping giant AP Moller–Maersk (Maersk) will invest the amount to modernize Pakistan’s maritime infrastructure and enhance its ports’ efficiency.

Pakistani Maritime Affairs Minister Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry and Danish Ambassador Jacob Linulf met on Wednesday to review the progress of the $2 billion investment, the maritime affairs ministry said. 

“The minister emphasized the strategic importance of this partnership, highlighting how Danish expertise in maritime technology can contribute to Pakistan’s economic growth and global trade competitiveness,” the statement said. 

The ministry said that their discussion also covered potential future investments in green shipping, renewable energy solutions for ports and capacity-building initiatives to strengthen Pakistan’s maritime workforce. 

“Both dignitaries reaffirmed their commitment to fostering a long-term, mutually beneficial relationship between the two countries,” the statement added. 

The meeting also focused on strengthening cultural ties and promoting tourism between Pakistan and Denmark, with both sides reaffirming their desire to enhance people-to-people exchanges. 

Linulf expressed Denmark’s interest in expanding its footprint in Pakistan’s maritime sector, the ministry said, reiterating his government’s commitment to supporting sustainable and innovative solutions. 

“The meeting concluded on a positive note, with both sides agreeing to accelerate the implementation of the MoU and explore further opportunities for collaboration in trade, investment, and cultural exchange,” the ministry said. 

Topics: Pakistan Pakistan Denmark ties

Pakistan army says operation against militants who hijacked train has ended, 21 hostages killed

Pakistan army says operation against militants who hijacked train has ended, 21 hostages killed
Updated 12 March 2025
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Pakistan army says operation against militants who hijacked train has ended, 21 hostages killed

Pakistan army says operation against militants who hijacked train has ended, 21 hostages killed
  • Separatist Balochistan Liberation Army outfit stormed train in southwest Pakistan on Tuesday, held over 400 passengers hostage 
  • Pakistan military spokesperson says security forces killed 33 militants, no passengers harmed during final clearance operation
Updated 12 March 2025
SAADULLAH AKHTER

QUETTA: A military operation against militants who hijacked a train in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan a day earlier ended on Wednesday, army spokesperson General Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry said, with 21 hostages killed. 

The separatist Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) bombed part of a railway track and stormed the Quetta-Peshawar-bound Jaffar Express on Tuesday afternoon in Mushkaaf, an area in the mountainous Bolan range of Balochistan. The group said on Tuesday night it was holding 214 people as hostages, including military, police and intelligence officials, while a security official said 190 passengers had been rescued by Wednesday afternoon.

Balochistan province has been the site of a low-level separatist insurgency for decades, with separatist groups accusing the government of stripping the province’s natural resources and leaving its people mired in poverty. They say security forces routinely abduct, torture, and execute ethnic Baloch, allegations echoed by human rights campaigners. Government officials and security forces strongly deny violating human rights and say they are uplifting the province through development projects, including multi-billion-dollar schemes funded by China.

Ambulances are parked outside a railway station where rescued and injured passengers of a train attacked by separatist militants are brought, in Mach, Balochistan, Pakistan, March 12, 2025. (REUTERS)

“Firstly, our forces’ marksmen sent the suicide bombers to hell and in phases cleared all the bogies there to send all terrorists to hell,” Chaudhry told Dunya News, a private TV channel, adding that 33 militants had been killed in the operation, and no passengers were harmed during the final clearance operation by security forces. 

“However, before this operation commenced, these heathen terrorists had already taken 21 lives,” the military spokesperson said.

He said a rescue operation had been launched immediately after the train was attacked on Tuesday, disclosing that the army, air force, paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC) force and Special Services Group (SSG) personnel took part in the mission.

Four paramilitary FC soldiers had been killed in the operation, while no army men had been harmed, Chaudhry added.

Passengers who were held hostage and had fled to surrounding areas during the operation were also being accounted for, the military spokesman said. 

Passengers rescued by security forces from a passenger train attacked by insurgents comfort each other upon their arrival at a railway station in Quetta, Pakistan on Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP)

ARMY TAKES CONTROL OF RAILWAY STATION 

Earlier on Wednesday afternoon, an Arab News eyewitness described seeing dozens of empty coffins being brought to the Quetta Railway Station in the provincial capital. He said the station was overrun with army personnel while dozens of family members of hostages had arrived in search of their loved ones. These included the family of Amjad Yasin, the 50-year-old driver of the Jaffar Express, who officials said on Tuesday had been killed in the assault. 

“We have been contacting railway officials since yesterday, but no one is telling the truth,” Amir Yasin, the driver’s younger brother, told Arab News. 

“There are multiple reports coming about my brother’s death but how can we believe it until we see his body?” 

Muhammad Abid, a railway employee who was on the train and arrived at Mach Station, described the attack as the most “horrific day” of his life.

“We were sitting in one of the compartments of Jaffar Express when a powerful explosion targeted the train and intense firing started,” he told Arab News over the phone. 

“We hid in the washrooms with other passengers, but then armed men came in and off boarded us from the train,” he added. “After checking our identity cards, they asked us to run on the track. My life flashed before my eyes when I saw dozens of armed men standing on the railway track.”

Muhammad Ashraf, a 68-year-old passenger traveling to Hafizabad in Punjab to meet his daughter, said that when the train departed from Paneer Railway Station, he heard an explosion about seven to eight kilometers into the journey, followed by intense gunfire, saying many people had been killed and injured.

“Armed men boarded the train and asked everyone to leave the train or prepare to die,” he told Arab News, adding that the militants made the passengers walk on the tracks for three and a half hours on foot.
Ashraf said the militants had detained over 200 passengers, in his rough estimate.

Topics: train hijack Jaffar Express BLA

Pakistan cotton imports set to surge as climate change hits production 

Pakistan cotton imports set to surge as climate change hits production 
Updated 12 March 2025
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Pakistan cotton imports set to surge as climate change hits production 

Pakistan cotton imports set to surge as climate change hits production 
  • Cotton production in Pakistan’s Punjab declined by over 36 percent this year, as per official data 
  • Amid production drop, analyst expects Pakistan’s cotton import bill to surge to $5 billion
Updated 12 March 2025
Ismail Dilawar

KARACHI: Cash-strapped Pakistan’s cotton imports are set to surge this year as irregular weather patterns brought about by climate change effects have significantly lowered production, financial analysts and cotton experts said on Wednesday. 

According to the Pakistan Central Cotton Committee, factories in Pakistan have received 5.51 million bales of cotton as of January this year, a significant decline of 34 percent compared to last year.

Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province, which produces the most cotton out of all provinces in the country, grew 2.7 million bales, showing a decline of more than 36 percent compared to last year.

“The biggest reason for this fall [in cotton production] is climate change,” Khalid Abdullah, Pakistan’s former cotton commissioner, told Arab News. 

Pakistan is recognized as one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to climate change, where over 1,700 people were killed in 2022 after torrential rains triggered flash floods. Islamabad is negotiating for additional financing of $1 billion to $1.5 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to strengthen climate resilience. 

Abdullah said the early cotton sowing method had proved very successful in terms of production in 2023. However, he said when farmers planted cotton after Feb. 15 this year, some of the plants died as the temperature suddenly dropped and it rained in some areas.

“The farmers had to replant cotton which resulted in extra costs on account of seeds and sowing charges,” Abdullah explained

He said re-sowing cotton also resulted in delays which decreased the time window during which cotton remains free from viruses, further impacting its yield. 

Abdullah said another reason for a dismal crop yield this season was the price disruptions caused in the local market, adding that they restricted farmers from investing in cotton, with the government not offering any support price. 

Market uncertainties dampened farmers’ confidence further, who spent less on fertilizer and plant protection measures, he said. 

Financial analysts pointed out that a drop in cotton production would mean the country would spend more on cotton imports this year to support its huge textile industry. 

Textile is a massive earner for Pakistan. During fiscal year 2024, Pakistan exported a whopping $16.7 billion worth of textile goods, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. 

To attain these export figures, the country had to import $448 million of raw cotton. This figure was 73 percent lower than $1.68 billion that Pakistan spent on raw cotton imports in FY23.

“Naturally imports are going to be higher due to lower local output of cotton,” Muhammad Waqas Ghani, head of research at Karachi-based investment banking firm JS Global Capital Ltd., told Arab News. 

Naseem Usman, a cotton analyst and chairman at the Karachi Cotton Brokers Forum, said in a report that Pakistan’s cotton import bill could surge to as high as $5 billion this year. 

“This serious drop in cotton production is forcing textile spinners to increase their dependence on imported cotton,” Usman said. 

Rising imports can cause headaches for cash-strapped Pakistan, which is trying to navigate a tricky path to economic recovery from a prolonged macroeconomic crisis by undertaking financial reforms, cutting back on imports and increasing exports. 

Agriculture has an impressive contribution of about 24 percent to Pakistan’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and accounts for nearly half of the country’s employed labor force. 

Currently, the South Asian country has $11 billion in foreign exchange reserves, enough to finance about two months of imports only. 

The IMF, which is currently reviewing Pakistan’s economic progress as part of the $7 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF) program, wants Islamabad to have an import cover of at least three months. 

Sensing the gravity of the situation, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif formed the Committee on Cotton Crop Production Enhancement, which held its first meeting in Islamabad on Mar. 11.

The food ministry said the committee’s primary focus was to take steps needed to increase cotton production in Pakistan, noting that it had decreased significantly. 

Topics: Cotton production Climate Change in Pakistan

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