Pakistan confirms killing of eight nationals in Iran, urges regional counterterrorism strategy

ISLAMABAD: Iraq’s Consul General Maher Mjhid Jejan has proposed a sea link between Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi and Basra in a bid to improve logistics and strengthen trade routes, the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) said on Wednesday.
Relations between Pakistan and Iraq have received a boost with a number of ministerial-level exchanges in recent years. The two countries have held discussions on enhancing defense and law enforcement cooperation, focusing on counterterrorism, counternarcotics and intelligence-sharing. Pakistan has attempted to strengthen trade, investment and cooperation in priority sectors with regional allies in recent months as it attempts to attract international investment to achieve sustainable economic growth.
Jejan visited the KCCI’s office on Wednesday during which he met the organization’s leadership. Talks between the two sides focused on strengthening business relations between and encouraging investment.
“He also proposed that a sea link between Basra and Karachi could play a key role in bringing the business communities of both countries closer together,” the KCCI said in a statement. “This connection could improve logistics and strengthen trade routes.”
Jejan said Iraq has introduced new investment laws designed to attract foreign investors, adding that these laws will be shared with the KCCI to help Pakistani businesses understand the opportunities available.
“He recognized the high quality of Pakistani products and expressed hope that Pakistani exporters and investors will explore the Iraqi market more actively,” the statement said.
The Iraqi consul general said his country is witnessing rapid development and offers immense potential for trade and investment. He encouraged Pakistani businessmen to visit Iraq and see first-hand the “peaceful and stable environment” in the country.
KCCI Senior Vice President Zia ul Arfeen told Jejan that Pakistan’s exports to Iraq stood at $54.29 million in FY24 while its imports from Iraq amounted to $145.46 million. 
“He said that this trade volume is far below the actual potential and emphasized the need for both countries to simplify customs procedures, promote ease of doing business, and expand the range of tradable goods and services,” the KCCI said. 
Arfeen said establishing an oil pipeline between Basra and Pakistan’s southwestern coastal city of Gwadar could create an important trade corridor for Iraq to access other Asian markets.

ISLAMABAD: Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir recently vowed to defeat separatist militants in southwestern Pakistan for good, warning them that they would never succeed in their mission to gain independence for the country’s southwestern Balochistan province. 
Balochistan has long grappled with a separatist insurgency led by groups like the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), which was designated a terrorist organization by the United States in 2019. These groups frequently attack Pakistani law enforcers and Chinese interests in the southwestern province. 
Separatist militants accuse Islamabad and Pakistan’s powerful military of exploiting Balochistan and denying its locals a share in its natural resources. The army and government vehemently reject these accusations and say they are undertaking various projects in the province for its development and progress. 
Speaking at an Overseas Pakistanis Convention on Tuesday, Munir addressed the recent surge in militancy in Balochistan. He pointed out that India, with its 1.3-million-strong armed forces could not “intimidate or coerce” Pakistan hence it was not possible for a small group of militants to do the same. 
“Balochistan is Pakistan’s destiny,” Munir said during a passionate speech. “You 1,500 people are saying that you will take it away? Even your next ten generations cannot take it.”
The army chief praised the Pakistani fathers and mothers who readily sacrifice their sons for the sake of the country, reiterating that “Pakistan will not fall” to loud cheers and applause from the audience. 
He vowed that Pakistan’s military would overcome militants in the country “very soon.”
“God willing, you will see that we will beat the hell out of these terrorists very soon,” he said. 
His address comes amid a surge in attacks in Balochistan in recent months, the most prominent of which was the March train hijacking. Armed fighters of the separatist BLA stormed the Jaffar Express train in the mountainous Balochistan region last month, holding hundreds of passengers hostage. 
The military launched a rescue operation in which 354 passengers were freed and 33 militants were killed. The army said that the hijacking killed 31 soldiers, staff and civilians. 
Violence has persisted in the province since then, with three officials of the Balochistan Constabulary police force killed in an IED blast on Tuesday in its Mastung district.