Pakistan’s deputy PM to attend Security Council meeting on multilateralism next week

Pakistan’s deputy PM to attend Security Council meeting on multilateralism next week
Pakistan’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister, Senator Ishaq Dar, chairs an inter-ministerial meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad on February 2, 2025. (MOFA/File)
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Updated 15 February 2025
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Pakistan’s deputy PM to attend Security Council meeting on multilateralism next week

Pakistan’s deputy PM to attend Security Council meeting on multilateralism next week
  • Ishaq Dar will travel to New York to participate in the gathering convened by China
  • Dar will hold meetings with foreign ministers from other states as well as UN officials

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar will travel to New York to attend a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting on global governance and multilateralism next week, the foreign office announced on Friday.
The meeting will be chaired by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, as China holds the council’s rotating presidency for the month. The deliberations come at a time of growing concerns about multilateralism, particularly after United States President Donald Trump’s return to the White House.
During his previous term, Trump withdrew the US from key international agreements, challenged traditional alliances and took a more unilateral approach to foreign policy. His new administration’s stance on global governance and international institutions remains under close watch by world leaders.
“The Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, will travel to New York to participate in the high-level meeting of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on ‘Practicing Multilateralism: Reforming and Improving Global Governance,’ scheduled to be held from 18th February 2025,” foreign office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said on Friday.
“The meeting has been convened by China under its rotating presidency of the Security Council for the month of February 2025. It will be chaired by H.E. Wang Yi, the Foreign Minister of China,” he added.
Dar is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with foreign ministers from other states as well as senior UN officials on the sidelines of the event.
While it is customary for Pakistan’s top leadership, particularly its prime ministers, to attend the UN General Assembly session in New York every September, visits to participate in other meetings at the world body are relatively rare.
Pakistan was elected as a non-permanent member of the UNSC for the 2025-2026 term in June 2024 with 182 out of 193 votes.
It officially began its two-year tenure on January 1, 2025.


Pakistan finance minister leaves for Saudi Arabia to attend AlUla conference on emerging economies

Pakistan finance minister leaves for Saudi Arabia to attend AlUla conference on emerging economies
Updated 21 sec ago
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Pakistan finance minister leaves for Saudi Arabia to attend AlUla conference on emerging economies

Pakistan finance minister leaves for Saudi Arabia to attend AlUla conference on emerging economies
  • The conference will provide a unique platform for world leaders to discuss and analyze domestic, regional and global economic developments
  • Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb’s participation comes in context of policy measures that have led to stability in the Pakistani economy

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has left for Saudi Arabia to attend the AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies, the Pakistani finance ministry said on Saturday.
The AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies is an annual economic policy conference, organized by Saudi Arabia’s finance ministry and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) regional office in Riyadh.
The conference will convene a select group of emerging markets’ ministers of finance, central bank governors, and policymakers, as well as public and private sector leaders, international institutions, and academia.
Aurangzeb is attending the two-day conference, starting on Sunday, on the invitation of his Saudi counterpart Mohammed Al-Jadaan, in context of policy measures that have led to the stability and positive changes in the Pakistani economy despite the uncertain regional and global environment.
“Muhammad Aurangzeb will participate in a high-level panel discussion on the topic of ‘The Path to Emergent Markets’ during the conference,” the Pakistani finance ministry said. “IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva will host the panel discussion.”
Pakistan is currently navigating a tricky path to economic recovery under a $7 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan program it secured in September last year. The South Asian country has undertaken several reforms and policy measures since averting an imminent default on its external debt in 2023.
The conference will have a total of 9 sessions in which 200 participants and 36 speakers will participate, according to the Pakistani finance ministry.
The forum will discuss ways to build resilience in a changing world, and appropriate economic and financial policies needed for emerging markets and developing economies to address economic challenges.
It comes at a time when the world is grappling with deep and persistent economic shocks, trade tensions between major world powers, geopolitics, and tight financial conditions.
“The conference will provide a unique platform for world leaders to discuss and analyze domestic, regional, and global economic conditions and developments, and to exchange ideas on solutions to global challenges,” the Pakistani finance ministry added.


Road crash kills five pilgrims en route to shrine in southern Pakistan

Road crash kills five pilgrims en route to shrine in southern Pakistan
Updated 36 min 19 sec ago
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Road crash kills five pilgrims en route to shrine in southern Pakistan

Road crash kills five pilgrims en route to shrine in southern Pakistan
  • A bus carrying around 40 people was en route to Sufi saint Lal Shahbaz Qalandar’s shrine
  • The speeding vehicle overturned near Ranipur on its way to Sehwan Sharif, authorities say

ISLAMABAD: A road accident killed at least five pilgrims and injured more than 30 others in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province on Saturday, a rescue official said.
A bus carrying around 40 people was en route to Sehwan Sharif when it overturned near Ranipur, according to a Rescue 1122 spokesperson.
The passengers were going to attend annual Urs of 13th-century Sufi saint, Lal Shahbaz Qalandar.
“The injured men, women and children were shifted to Gambat and Ranipur hospitals by ambulance,” the Rescue 1122 spokesperson said in a statement.
The incident occurred because of speeding, according to the Sindh chief minister’s office. CM Murad Ali Shah has asked authorities to provide best treatment to the injured and assured all possible assistance to families of the deceased.
“Public should follow driving rules and avoid speeding,” he was quoted as urging the masses.
Fatal road accidents are common in Pakistan where traffic rules are rarely followed and roads as well as a majority of vehicles are in poor condition.
On Friday, at least five people, including renowned Manqabat Khawans Khawaja Ali Kazim and Syed Jan Rizvi, were killed in a road accident near Sindh’s Jamshoro, according to authorities.
On Dec. 30, at least 18 passengers were killed in two separate road accidents in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab and southern Sindh provinces, authorities said.


US President Trump’s South Asia envoy pick signals ‘renewed challenges’ for Pakistan — analysts

US President Trump’s South Asia envoy pick signals ‘renewed challenges’ for Pakistan — analysts
Updated 15 February 2025
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US President Trump’s South Asia envoy pick signals ‘renewed challenges’ for Pakistan — analysts

US President Trump’s South Asia envoy pick signals ‘renewed challenges’ for Pakistan — analysts
  • Paul Kapur, Trump nominee for assistant secretary of state for South Asia, has been a vocal critic of Pakistan’s policies
  • While Islamabad has not commented on the nomination, member of jailed ex-PM Imran Khan’s party calls it ‘welcome change’

KARACHI: President Donald Trump’s nomination of an Indian-origin security expert, Paul Kapur, as the United States (US) assistant secretary of state for South Asian affairs could bring “renewed challenges” for Pakistan, but there would be no significant shift in the already restrained US policy toward Islamabad, analysts said on Saturday.
Pakistan and the US collaborated during the Cold War and in the fight against Al-Qaeda after 9/11, yet their relationship was also tested by divergent priorities on various issues. In recent years, Washington and Islamabad’s ties deteriorated as the former suspected the latter of supporting the Taliban in their 2021 takeover of Kabul, allegations which Islamabad rejected. Tensions rose further in 2022 when former Pakistan premier Imran Khan accused the Joe Biden administration of orchestrating his ouster via a parliamentary vote, a charge the US denied.
Kapur, who will succeed Donald Lu upon Senate confirmation, has long advocated for a closer US-India partnership and has been critical of Pakistan’s security policies. His appointment reflects a broader bipartisan consensus in Washington on prioritizing India as a key strategic partner, particularly in the Indo-Pacific.
Political analysts and foreign policy experts believe that while Kapur’s nomination underscores continuity in Washington’s South Asia approach, its policy positions suggest a “tougher stance toward Pakistan.”
“There is a growing bipartisan consensus in Washington on strengthening the US-India strategic partnership. Several Trump appointees, including Kapur, are advocates of a deeper relationship between both countries,” said Syed Hassan Akbar, a senior foreign policy specialist.
“How this reflects in policy will shape US-Pakistan relations going forward. But given the realities of our region we should not expect any significant departure in US policy toward Islamabad, which has been restrained ever since the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.”
Kapur is President Trump’s third top pick among Indian-origin Americans after Tulsi Gabbard and Kash Patel, who both have already been cleared by the US Senate as director of National Intelligence and head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Akbar pointed out that Kapur has previously argued against US security assistance to Pakistan, saying that it would be perceived negatively in New Delhi and instead calling for a continued dialogue and limited economic engagement between Washington and Islamabad.
Abdul Basit, a former Pakistani high commissioner to India, echoed the concerns and said that Kapur’s appointment would likely increase pressure on Pakistan at an operational level even as the broader strategic dynamics remain unchanged.
“This is a strategic decision by the United States, and both Democrats and Republicans are committed to strengthening their partnership with India,” Basit said.
“But operationally, we will feel the impact.”
Pakistan’s diplomatic position remains weak due to a lack of economic leverage and a struggling diaspora engagement, according to Basit.
“Pakistan is not viewed as strategically significant, except in negative contexts such as terrorism, nuclear proliferation, and Afghanistan,” he said.
“Our embassy faces limitations and unless we mobilize Pakistani-Americans effectively, improving our diplomatic presence will be difficult.”
He stressed the importance of political stability in Pakistan, arguing that “unpredictability weakens foreign policy.”
“Political stability is crucial, predictability and consistency are key. Without it, the country will not be strong internally, and foreign policy will suffer as all these factors are interconnected,” the former diplomat said.
While Islamabad has exercised caution in commenting on Trump’s seemingly anti-Pakistan appointments, Syed Zulfikar Abbas Bukhari, a key figure in the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) opposition party, called Kapur’s nomination an “internal” US bureaucratic matter.
He, however, welcomed the departure of Donald Lu, whom PTI founder and former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan had accused of orchestrating his removal from power via a parliamentary no-trust vote in 2022.
“This is the US’s internal matter of bureaucratic changes. It’s a welcome change as whatever Mr. Donald Lu touched, he destroyed. A lot of the unrest in the subcontinent is due to him,” Bukhari added.
Christopher Clary, an associate professor of political science at the US University at Albany, highlighted Kapur’s longstanding academic focus on Pakistan, noting that Trump’s South Asia envoy pick had portrayed Pakistan as a “uniquely dangerous state” due to its strategic choices.
“Kapur likely will be more skeptical of Pakistan than any previous incumbent of that office,” Clary wrote on X. “He has been involved for many years in exploring opportunities for US-India cooperation, but his academic work has had a greater Pakistan emphasis.”
With Kapur in the key position, analysts expect the US to continue its policy of limited engagement with Pakistan, while focusing on strategic alignment with India.
Akbar suggested Pakistan to prioritize its economic growth and regional stability to navigate the evolving geopolitical landscape.
“Pakistan’s focus should be on improving its economy and addressing challenges in our immediate neighborhood while ensuring that, at a minimum, crisis management mechanisms continue to operate with Washington,” he said.
Basit, meanwhile, said Pakistan must make proactive efforts to strengthen its diplomatic position.
“Unless we take serious steps to bring political stability at home and mobilize our diaspora in the US, we will have to face challenges in ties with America,” he said.


Kabul continues to support Pakistani Taliban, recent UN report says

Kabul continues to support Pakistani Taliban, recent UN report says
Updated 15 February 2025
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Kabul continues to support Pakistani Taliban, recent UN report says

Kabul continues to support Pakistani Taliban, recent UN report says
  • The development comes as Pakistan struggles to contain a surge in militancy since a fragile truce between the TTP and Islamabad broke down in 2022
  • The ambition and scale of the TTP’s attacks on Pakistan had ‘significantly increased,’ with over 600 attacks from Jul. till Dec. 2024, report says

KARACHI: The Pakistani Taliban, or the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which have recently stepped up their attacks in Pakistan, continue to get financial and logistical support from Kabul, a United Nations (UN) report said this month, amid Islamabad’s repeated calls for Afghanistan to rein in the group.
The disclosure was made in the 35th report of the UN’s Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, dated Feb. 6, which was submitted to the UN Security Council.
The panel of experts established by the UN Security Council to support sanctions implementation against individuals and entities linked with militant groups submits biannual reports assessing the threat landscape to devise global policy and security strategies.
The report, which covered the period from Jul. 1, 2024 till Dec. 13, 2024, said the “status and strength of TTP in Afghanistan had not changed.” Pakistani officials have in the past said the TTP had around 10,000 fighters in its ranks.
“The ambition and scale of its attacks on Pakistan, though, had significantly increased, with over 600 attacks during the reporting period, including from Afghan territory,” it said.
“The Taliban continued to provide TTP with logistical and operational space and financial support, with one Member State noting that the family of [TTP chief] Noor Wali Masoud received a monthly payment of 3 million Afghanis (roughly $43,000).”
The development comes as Pakistan struggles to contain a surge in militancy in its western regions since a fragile truce between the TTP and Islamabad broke down in November 2022.
The TTP and other militant groups have frequently targeted security forces convoys and check-posts, besides targeted killings and kidnappings of law enforcers and government officials in recent months. Last year, the Pakistani military reported, 383 soldiers and 925 militants were killed in various clashes.
The TTP is a separate group from the Afghan Taliban, but Pakistani officials believe the two to be allies. The Pakistani government says the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021 has emboldened TTP fighters.
“There was increased collaboration between TTP, the Afghan Taliban and Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent, conducting attacks under the banner of Tehrik-e Jihad Pakistan,” the UN report said.
“Greater facilitation among these groups and TTP in terms of the provision of suicide bombers and fighters and ideological guidance might transform the latter into an extra-regional threat and an umbrella organization for other terrorist groups operating in the region.”
Islamabad has frequently blamed the surge in militant activities on Afghanistan, accusing it of sheltering and supporting militant groups that launch cross-border attacks. Afghan officials deny involvement and insist that Pakistan’s security issues are an internal matter of Islamabad.


Pakistani expats hold networking event in Riyadh to boost Pakistan’s IT exports to Kingdom

Pakistani expats hold networking event in Riyadh to boost Pakistan’s IT exports to Kingdom
Updated 15 February 2025
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Pakistani expats hold networking event in Riyadh to boost Pakistan’s IT exports to Kingdom

Pakistani expats hold networking event in Riyadh to boost Pakistan’s IT exports to Kingdom
  • The event hosted Pakistani IT firms, professionals who participated in recently concluded LEAP 2025 tech conference in Riyadh
  • Saudi-based Pakistani investors, businessmen and professionals vowed to collaborate with new IT companies entering the Kingdom

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani expatriates living in Saudi Arabia have hosted a networking event in Riyadh for Pakistani tech companies, which participated in the recently concluded LEAP 2025 tech conference, in a bid to enhance Pakistan’s IT exports to the Kingdom, the organizers said on Friday.
The fourth edition of LEAP, recognized as Saudi Arabia’s award-winning global technology event, opened on Feb. 9 and will continued till Feb. 12, for which entrepreneurs, investors and startups converged in Riyadh from around the world to present their innovative products and tech solutions.
This year, Pakistan had one of the largest delegations ever at LEAP, with over 100 tech companies and more than 1,000 delegates participating in the four-day event, which offered Pakistani firms a platform to collaborate with stakeholders, explore business opportunities and showcase Pakistan’s diverse IT exports, including software development, artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, fintech, gaming and robotics.
On Friday, Majlise Pakistan, a professional forum of Pakistanis based in Saudi Arabia, said it had hosted the networking event to help these Pakistani IT firms and professionals with business development, talent requirement, collaboration and join-ventures in the Kingdom.
“Saudi-based Pakistani investors, businessmen and professionals vowed to collaborate with new IT companies entering the emerging market of the KSA [Kingdom of Saudi Arabia],” Majlise Pakistan Patron-in-Chief Saqib Zubair said in a statement.
“Pakistani entrepreneurs are also willing to invest in Pakistani companies and startups along with their Saudi partners to enhance the footprint of Pakistani companies in the KSA.”
Pakistan recorded the highest-ever monthly IT exports of $348 million in Dec. 2024, up by 15 percent year-on-year and 12 percent month-on-month, according to official data.
Tufail Ahmed Khan, president of the Pakistan Freelancers Association (PAFLA), said Pakistani IT entrepreneurs and companies could provide practical insights to Pakistani investors coming to the Saudi market due to their experiences and networking.
“Expatriate Pakistanis are well aware of the policies and authorities of the host country, which are very important for new entrants to adopt for settling and growth,” he added.
Pakistanis are the second-largest expatriate community in the Kingdom, with over 2.5 million living and working in Saudi Arabia, according to Pakistani authorities. These Pakistani workers serve as top source of remittances to the South Asian country.
Saad Shah, CEO of the Hexalyze IT consultancy firm, said Pakistan’s professional community could provide a strategic partnership to Pakistani IT and tech companies for setting up operations and development of business in Saudi Arabia.
“Pakistani IT companies could hire IT professionals residing in Saudi Arabia as consultants and employees to scale up their businesses in the host country rather than continuing with the costly option of relocating staff from Pakistan,” he suggested.