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Tuesday, 30 June, 2026 | 14 Muharram, 1448
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NATIONAL AGRICULTURE POLICY TO BE FINALISED WITH PROVINCIAL CONSULTATION PM ORDERS WIDER FARM FINANCING, AI TOOLS AND RESEARCH-DRIVEN INNOVATION
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MONTHLY AGRICULTURE APEX FORUM TO MONITOR REFORM IMPLEMENTATION
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NEW SEED, BIOTECHNOLOGY AND OLIVE POLICIES ADVANCE SECTOR MODERNISATION
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ISLAMABAD
Shehbaz offers condolences over Saudi helicopter crash that killed 14
MIAN ABRAR
RIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday directed the early formulation of a comprehensive National Agriculture Policy in consultation with the provinces and ordered the establishment of an Agriculture Apex Forum to oversee the implementation of reforms aimed at transforming the country's agriculture sector. Chairing a high-level meeting on the restructuring of the Ministry of National Food Security and Research and agricultural reforms, the prime minister said the proposed forum would meet every month to monitor progress on the agriculture innovation and growth plan. The meeting was attended by Ministers Ahsan Iqbal, Muhammad Aurangzeb, Attaullah Tarar and Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Minister of State for Finance Bilal Azhar Kayani, Special Assistant Haroon Akhtar, the Prime Minister's Coordinator on Agriculture Ahmad Umair and senior government officials. To improve farmers' access to affordable credit, the prime minister directed authorities to launch a nationwide awareness campaign for the "Zarkhez-e Agricultural Loan Programme." Highlighting the importance of research and innovation, he instructed that the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) be developed into a leading centre for agricultural research and technological advancement.
Rs 50.00 | Vol XVII No 95 | 44 Pages | Islamabad Edition
ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan's agriculture sector had the potential to become a key driver of sustainable economic growth, adding that betterquality seeds, modern farming technologies and the timely availability of water and fertilisers could significantly increase per-acre crop yields. He also stressed the need to promote value addition in agricultural products, improve warehousing facilities and develop modern storage infrastructure to reduce post-harvest losses. During the meeting, officials presented a series of reform proposals and informed the prime minister that the National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC) was producing multi-grain flour on a pilot basis.
Pakistan secures €20 million italian financing to upgrade agricultural workforce PROFIT
STAFF REPORT
Pakistan has secured €20 million (approximately Rs6.3 billion) in concessional financing from Italy to launch a nationwide programme aimed at strengthening agricultural skills, modernising vocational training and improving productivity across key farming value chains. The funding will support a 42-month initiative under Pakistan's Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) National Reform Programme, which seeks to align agricultural training with the evolving needs of the sector through enhanced technical certification, professional capacity building and innovation. As part of the programme, 720 training courses will be conducted for an estimated 18,398 beneficiaries, including farmers, extension workers, trainers, women and youth. Authorities also plan to develop 11 standardised curricula to create a more uniform and industry-oriented agricultural training system. The initiative places particular emphasis on high-value agriculture, with training covering horticulture production, post-harvest processing and marketing. Priority crops include olives, pistachios, dates, mushrooms, cherries, grapes, peaches and almonds, with the programme drawing on Italy's expertise in modern agronomic practices. To strengthen on-ground capacity, the project will establish 12 model orchards and nurseries, eight ecovillages equipped with climate-resilient technologies, five agro-food processing units, and two National Centres of Excellence specialising in citrus and date production in Sargodha, Punjab, and Turbat, Balochistan. The Pakistan Oilseed Department will implement the project in partnership with provincial agriculture departments.
The meeting was also briefed on the development of an artificial intelligencebased application that will help farmers identify and manage crop pests and diseases more effectively. Officials further informed the prime minister that the National Credit Guarantee Company Limited would provide financial support to improve farmers' access to agricultural financing. The meeting was told that the National Seed Policy and the National Agriculture Biotechnology Policy had recently been approved, while consultations on the Pakistan National Olive Value Chain Policy had been completed and the policy would soon be submitted for approval. Officials added that consultations were
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday expressed grief over a helicopter crash in Saudi Arabia's Ras Tanura that killed 14 Saudi nationals, and conveyed condolences to the kingdom's leadership, the bereaved families and the Saudi people. In a post on X, the prime minister said he was deeply affected by the incident and extended sympathies on behalf of Pakistan. He also reiterated Pakistan's support for Saudi Arabia during the period of mourning. "Deeply saddened by the tragic helicopter crash.
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also underway on a National Wheat Policy and several livestock-related policies as part of the government's broader strategy to modernise the agriculture sector.
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SJC dismisses complaint against iHC judge over son’s hit-and-run case ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
The Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) has dismissed a complaint against Islamabad High Court (IHC) judge Muhammad Asif, ending proceedings over allegations that he used his office to affect the handling of a hit-and-run case involving his underage son. The matter relates to an incident on December 2 last year, when a black sports utility vehicle travelling at high speed, allegedly driven by Justice Asif’s son, hit two girls riding a scooter near the Pakistan National Council of Arts in Islamabad. Both girls died in the collision. After the incident, the judge’s son was placed in police custody on remand. A judicial magistrate later ordered his release on December 6, 2025, after the victims’ families pardoned him in court under the qisas and diyat provisions of the Pakistan Penal Code. The SJC, the constitutional forum authorised to examine the conduct of superior court judges and recommend removal to the president if misconduct is established, considered the complaint at its meeting on May 14 and later informed the complainant, retired Colonel Inamur Rahim, of its decision. The council did not make public the detailed reasons for rejecting the complaint. With the complaint thrown out, proceedings against Justice Asif have concluded and he remains part of the IHC bench. Complaint allegations In his complaint, filed on December 29, Rahim alleged that Justice Asif had misused his office to shape the investigation and the subsequent legal process in the case. “The respondent (Justice Asif), by abusing the influence of his office, allegedly employed state machinery to exert pressure upon the legal heirs of the victims for his personal advantage,” the complaint stated. “Consequently, bail was granted to his son by the
Area … Magistrate on [Dec 6] in a secretive manner, whereby statements of compromise were recorded after court hours through in-camera proceedings, with the apparent objective of portraying the case as compoundable,” it further alleged. The SJC’s decision means those allegations will not proceed further before the council. Reference to another hit-and-run case A similar case had also drawn attention in 2022, when an SUV allegedly driven by the daughter of a then-Lahore High Court judge ran over two people near Sohan bridge on the Islamabad Expressway. The investigation in that matter remained stalled for a long period. In July 2024, Islamabad Inspector General of Police Ali Nasir Rizvi informed the IHC that the vehicle involved in that hit-and-run case had been driven by a woman and was being used by Supreme Court Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmed. In February 2025, a local court in Islamabad acquitted Shanzay Malik, the Supreme Court judge’s daughter. Judicial Magistrate Adnan Yousuf announced the verdict after accepting the acquittal plea filed by her legal team.
govt orders crackdown on afghan nationals living without visas ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
The interior ministry has ordered law enforcement agencies nationwide to arrest Afghan citizens without visas from July 10 as part of an intensifying deportation drive. In a letter dated July 28 — addressed to all four provinces, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan and Islamabad administrations — the ministry directed law enforcement agencies to "expedite the repatriation/deportation" of Afghan nationals living illegally in the country. The ministry said that "with effect from 10 July, 2026, any Afghan national found residing in Pakistan without a valid visa shall be arrested immediately." It further requested that a daily report — indicating the number of Afghan nationals found without valid visas, the action taken against them, and their present status — be furnished to the ministry, commencing July, 11. The directive is dated Sunday, the day after a deadly attack on Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) camp in Karachi left three Rangers personnel martyred and four others injured. According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the assailants detonated a blast at the main gate of the camp before attempting to breach the perimeter security. The attack was decisively foiled by the vigilant response of Rangers troops, who eliminated three militants and captured one in an injured condition, the military's media wing said. Later, the injured terrorist identified himself as Usman Ali, a member of the India-backed terrorist group, Jamaat ul Ahrar. According to the terrorist, he hails from Jalalabad city in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, saying three other terrorists, including Abdul Hadi, Janan, and Umar Farooq, were also involved in the attack. He revealed that all members had received training in Afghanistan, including the preparation of suicide jackets and other militant training under an instructor named Umar Qari. Earlier, the Foreign Office (FO) said that it summoned the Afghan Charge d' Affaires and issued a strong demarche over the terrorist attack. In a statement issued on X, FO spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said the Afghan envoy was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs last night, and a strong demarche was issued regarding the attack. A similar demarche was simultaneously conveyed by Pakistan's Ambassador Ubaid-ur-Rehman Nizamani to the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kabul.
Pakistan summons afghan envoy over karachi rangers camp attack ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
Pakistan on Monday summoned Afghanistan’s chargé d’affaires to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and delivered what Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi described as a strong demarche over the recent attack on a Pakistan Rangers facility in Karachi. The move followed Saturday night’s assault on the local headquarters of Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) in Karachi’s Gulistan-i-Jauhar area. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations, three security personnel were martyred and four others were injured in the attack. ISPR said the assault was carried out by terrorists belonging to Indian proxy Jamaatul Ahrar. It added that three attackers were killed in the retaliatory action, while another suspect was arrested. The military’s media wing identified the arrested man as an Afghan national. In a statement issued in response to media queries regarding Pakistan’s demarche to the Afghan Taliban administration, Andrabi also said a similar demarche had been conveyed by Pakistan’s Ambassador Ubaidur Rehman Nizamani to the relevant Afghan authorities in Kabul.
pakistan says indus Waters treaty dispute is a wider test of water rights and justice ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
Climate Change and Environmental Coordination Minister Musadik Malik said on Monday that Pakistan was seeking to present the Indus Waters Treaty issue as more than a bilateral dispute, describing it as a matter tied to justice, basic rights and the protection of downstream countries’ access to water. Speaking at a joint press conference in Islamabad alongside Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Malik said Pakistan’s position had received backing at the United Nations and in international arbitration forums. He said discussions on floods and droughts often focus only on climate change, but maintained that another factor also affected whether farmers received water or faced shortages. Referring to India, Malik said river flows affecting Pakistan should not depend on decisions taken across the border. He said a large share of Pakistan’s population relied on agriculture for jobs, that the sector made
up a significant portion of the national economy, and that the country’s food security was wholly connected to water availability. He warned that allowing an upstream country to stop or alter cross-border river flows would have implications far beyond South Asia, raising broader concerns for other states dependent on transboundary rivers. Addressing the issue in direct terms, Malik said "There is a tap whose handle is in the hands of the prime minister of our neighbouring country, who says not a single drop of water will be allowed to flow into Pakistan". He added that the planned seminar on the treaty would not be limited to the PakistanIndia water arrangement alone, but would also address principles of justice and fundamental rights. Malik said the event would examine whether people and children living downstream around the world had a right to water. Concerns over river flows and hydropower projects Malik said Pakistan had for some time been concerned that a series of run-of-the-river
hydropower schemes could allow India to temporarily hold back enough water during sensitive agricultural periods to harm crops downstream. According to him, international rulings had already accepted Pakistan’s position that any storage linked to such projects was subject to technical engineering limits and could not be undertaken without restriction. He said recent developments showed that although water could not be blocked indefinitely, even brief interruptions had reinforced Pakistan’s earlier concerns about the timing of flows required for farming. He also said Pakistan had its own responsibility to strengthen water management through greater storage capacity and better regulation of seasonal flows. Explaining that point, Malik said "The purpose of dams is not merely storage. Their purpose is to regulate water so that farmers receive it when crops actually need it". Tarar says treaty cannot be suspended unilaterally At the same press conference, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the Indus
Waters Treaty could not be suspended by one side alone and added that the agreement had been formally recognised by both countries. He said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir had consistently stated that water was linked to Pakistan’s survival.
Tarar said experts on water from different parts of the world would attend the seminar being held in Pakistan, which he described as the first international seminar of its kind. He also said the international community had acknowledged Pakistan’s stance on the treaty.