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PM SHEHBAZ PITCHES CHINA MODEL TO ACCELERATE PAKISTAN’S GROWTH Tuesday, 20 January, 2026 | 30 Rajabul Murajjab, 1447
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Rs 50.00 | Vol XVI No 196 | 48 Pages | Islamabad Edition
PM HIGHLIGHTS UNTAPPED POTENTIAL g SAYS MODERN TECHNOLOGIES AND WATER MANAGEMENT KEY TO BOOSTING PRODUCTIVITY OF PAKISTAN’S AGRICULTURE SECTOR URGES COLLABORATION WITH CHINA TO ENHANCE EXPERTISE AND VALUE CHAINS
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ISLAMABAD
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CALLS FOR SUSTAINABLE GROWTH COORDINATION ACROSS GOVERNMENT, FARMERS AND SCIENTISTS
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RIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday said that Pakistan, essentially an agrarian economy, held immense and largely untapped potential in agriculture and can transform its agrisector not in years, but in months by adopting modern technologies, improving productivity and strengthening cooperation with China. Addressing the Pakistan–China Agri Investment Conference here, the prime minister noted that nearly 65% of Pakistan’s population still lives and works in rural areas, with agriculture remaining the backbone of the national economy. He stressed the need to enhance per-acre yield through modern techniques, efficient water management and optimal use of limited land resources. The prime minister said sustainable growth in agriculture required coordinated efforts by the federal and provincial governments, the farming community, and scientists and researchers. He underlined the importance of deciding what to grow and export, developing value chains, cold storage, warehousing and value addition to make Pakistani agricultural produce globally competitive. He described Beijing as a friend who had stood by Pakistan through thick and thin and said China had never
hesitated in sharing expertise and advanced technologies. He said the dispatch of 1,000 Pakistani graduates, selected on merit, to leading Chinese agricultural universities and research centres was a landmark initiative of the federal government. He said the trained graduates had returned and would now help farmers improve quality, productivity and value addition. Welcoming remarks by Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong, the prime minister praised China’s achievements in agriculture, IT and AI, efficiency in manufacturing, and export competitiveness. He said Pakistan must aim to gen-
erate a trade surplus in agriculture through higher yields, competitive costs and superior quality, with Chinese experts providing support. Referring to improving economic indicators, he said inflation had fallen to 4.5 per cent, the policy rate to 10.5 per cent, and exports were rising, adding that Pakistan must now shift decisively towards growth. The prime minister also reiterated hope that President Xi Jinping will visit Pakistan soon and said that China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC 2.0) would be a new chapter, focusing on agriculture, IT, AI, mines and minerals, and youth development.
Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong on the occasion said China wanted to increase the bilateral agriculture trade volume up to $1 billion with Pakistan achieving trade surplus. He said, he was delighted to see that under the leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan’s economy grew by over 3 per cent last year and recorded a growth rate of 3.7 per cent in the first quarter of the current year. He noted that many key economic indicators were showing improvement, with inflation easing to around 4 per cent. He said China was deepening coordination under bilateral action plans and was ready to continue cooperation with Pakistan, particularly prioritising technologydriven agricultural development. He added that China aimed to stabilise bilateral trade at around one billion dollars while maintaining Pakistan’s trade surplus with China. Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain said that Pakistan remained fully committed to strengthening its strategic economic partnership with China by providing a conducive and investor-friendly environment, particularly in the agriculture and food security sectors. He said the Ministry of National Food Security and Research stood fully committed to supporting Chinese investors, from facilitating regulatory processes to ensuring seamless coordination with all relevant government bodies.
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Govt approves Hajj Policy 2026, confirms quota of 179,210 pilgrims irfan.farooq@pakistantoday.com.pk
ISLAMABAD
Staff CorreSpondent
The federal government has finalised and approved an “effective and comprehensive” Hajj Policy 2026 in line with guidelines issued by Saudi Arabia, Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Sardar Muhammad Yousaf said on Monday, confirming Pakistan’s Hajj quota at 179,210 pilgrims. Speaking in a podcast interview with Radio Pakistan’s News and Current Affairs Channel, the minister said around 120,000 Pakistani pilgrims would perform Hajj under the government scheme, while approximately 60,000 would go through private Hajj operators. He added that nationwide preparations were already underway, with mandatory training sessions for intending pilgrims being conducted across various districts to ensure better awareness and smoother arrangements during the pilgrimage. Yousaf said nearly 38,000 pilgrims would depart from Islamabad under the “Road to Makkah” project, a facility that streamlines immigration procedures in Pakistan before departure. Currently operational in Islamabad and Karachi, efforts were underway to extend the initiative to Lahore in order to facilitate a larger number of pilgrims. Highlighting broader responsibilities of his ministry, the minister said the Ministry of Religious Affairs was also actively working to promote interfaith harmony and national cohesion by providing an inclusive platform for all religious communities in the country. He stressed that Pakistan’s Constitution guarantees equal rights to minorities and that the government remained committed to safeguarding those rights in both policy and practice. He said the government provided scholarships to children belonging to minority communities, allocated funds for the rehabilitation and protection of their places of worship, and extended financial assistance to deserving individuals.