Thousands attend funeral of senior Pakistani cleric slain in northwest

KARACHI: Hutchison Ports, a subsidiary of Hong Kong conglomerate CK Hutchison Holdings Limited, plans to invest $1 billion in Pakistan to improve its port infrastructure, the Pakistani finance ministry said on Thursday.
The statement came after a delegation of Hutchison Ports, led by its Middle East & Africa Managing Director Andy Tsoi, met Pakistan Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and briefed him about the firm’s 25-year presence in Pakistan.
Hutchison Ports has been operating two terminals, HPKICT and HPSAPT, in Pakistan and has contributed more than Rs225 billion ($804 million) in government revenues and provided employment to a workforce of 5,000 individuals, according to the port operator.
During the meeting with Aurangzeb, Hutchison Ports delegates presented their upcoming investment plan, aimed at upgrading their existing terminals to enhance operational efficiency, logistics connectivity, and automation.
“The investment includes infrastructure development, road improvements to facilitate efficient cargo movement, modernization of HPKICT into a cutting-edge automated terminal, and the development of a 52-hectare logistics park to enhance trade connectivity,” the Pakistani finance ministry said.
“The delegation highlighted that their investment is expected to generate at least USD 4 billion in revenue over the next 25 years through royalty, rent, and tax contributions.”
The automation upgrades will include remote quay cranes, electric trucks and digitalized gate operations, alongside training programs for maritime professionals in port operations, management and artificial intelligence (AI) applications, according to the statement.
Finance Minister Aurangzeb appreciated Hutchison Ports’ commitment to Pakistan’s maritime sector and acknowledged their significant role in boosting trade and economic activity.
“He reaffirmed the government’s support for strategic investments that contribute to Pakistan’s economic growth and infrastructure development,” the finance ministry said.
The development comes amid Pakistan’s efforts to boost trade and seek international partnerships to expand its maritime activities.
On January 22, South Korean shipping company, HMM, launched the India North Europe Express (INX) weekly shipping service in Pakistan, providing the South Asian country direct access to Europe.
The service, launched in collaboration with Ocean Network Express (ONE) container liner and Pakistan’s United Marine Agencies (UMA), will ensure timely and efficient delivery of Pakistani goods to the destined European ports and beyond, according to HMM.
Prior to that, Dubai-based logistics giant DP World, in collaboration with Pakistan’s National Logistics Corporation, launched in Jan. a feeder service to transport shipping containers from Dubai to Karachi, Pakistani state media reported. Pakistani officials and DP World have also finalized terms for a freight corridor project from Karachi Port to the Pipri Marshalling yard in southern Pakistan.
Pakistan is currently on a tricky path to economic recovery since avoiding a default in June 2023. The South Asian country last year secured a new $7 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and has been actively pursuing trade and investment opportunities to put the economy back on track.

KARACHI: Health authorities have confirmed another case of polio virus in Pakistan, the country’s polio program said on Saturday, taking this year’s nationwide tally to six.
Polio is a paralyzing disease that has no cure. Multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine and completion of the routine vaccination schedule for all children under the age of 5 is essential to provide children high immunity against the disease.
The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health in Islamabad confirmed the polio virus in a child in Thatta district of the southern Sindh province, according to the Pakistan polio program.
“This is the fourth polio case from Sindh and the sixth case from Pakistan at large this year,” it said in a statement.
“The polio program urges all parents to get their children vaccinated against polio at every opportunity to keep them protected from this devastating disease.”
Pakistan witnessed an intense resurgence of polio virus last year, with a total of 74 cases reported nationwide. Of these, 27 were from Balochistan, 22 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 23 from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.
The South Asian country last month concluded its first nationwide anti-polio campaign of 2025, with 99 percent of the targets achieved, according to the polio program. The campaign, conducted on Feb. 3-9, vaccinated more than 45 million children.
Pakistan and Afghanistan are the last two countries in the world where polio remains an endemic.
Immunization campaigns have succeeded in most countries and have come close in Pakistan, but persistent problems remain. In the early 1990s, Pakistan reported around 20,000 cases annually but in 2018 the number dropped to eight cases. Six cases were reported in 2023 and only one in 2021.
Pakistan’s polio program began in 1994 but efforts to eradicate the virus have since been undermined by vaccine misinformation and opposition from some religious hard-liners who say immunization is a foreign ploy to sterilize Muslim children or a cover for Western spies. Militant groups also frequently attack and kill members of polio vaccine teams.