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Friday, 24 July, 2026 | 9 Safar, 1448
Rs 20.00 | Vol XVII No 119 | 8 Pages | Islamabad Edition
PAKISTAN AND SAUDI ARABIA PLEDGE CLOSE COORDINATION AFTER RED SEA TANKER ATTACKS g g
PM CONDEMNS HOUTHI ATTACKS, REAFFIRMS PAKISTAN'S FULL SUPPORT FOR SAUDI ARABIA
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PREMIER CALLS POPULATION GROWTH PAKISTAN'S BIGGEST NATIONAL CHALLENGE
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SHEHBAZ, MBS DISCUSS REGIONAL SECURITY, MARITIME STABILITY
GOVT TARGETS HALVING POPULATION GROWTH RATE BY YEAR 2035
pM Shehbaz welcomes Chinese investment to modernize pakistan's grain storage ISLAMABAD
STAFF CORRESPONDENT
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ISLAMABAD MIAN ABRAR
RIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday strongly condemned the recent Houthi attacks on Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea during a telephone conversation with Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, reaffirming Pakistan's unwavering support for the Kingdom's security and sovereignty. During what was described as a cordial conversation, the prime minister termed the attacks "totally unacceptable", saying they violated international law, threatened freedom of navigation and commercial shipping, and undermined regional peace, security and stability. He expressed Pakistan's complete
solidarity with Saudi Arabia, stating that he, along with Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir and the people of Pakistan, stood firmly with the Saudi leadership during this critical period. Prime Minister Shehbaz reiterated Pakistan's unwavering commitment to safeguarding the Kingdom's security, sovereignty, territorial integrity and prosperity, assuring the Saudi crown prince that Islamabad would continue working closely with Riyadh and the international community to ensure peace, stability and the uninterrupted flow of lawful maritime trade through the Red Sea, the Strait of Hormuz and the wider region. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman appreciated Pakistan's steadfast support and praised the longstanding fraternal ties between the two countries.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif welcomed a Chinese investment initiative to modernize Pakistan's grain storage infrastructure and said that stronger business-to-business partnerships between Pakistan and China would further deepen the two countries' longstanding strategic relationship. The prime minister was speaking during a meeting with a delegation led by Jack Chen, Chief Executive Officer of Chinese agribusiness company FAMSUN, here at the Prime Minister's Office, a news release said. PM Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan and China enjoy exemplary ties, with economic cooperation and bilateral relations continuing to strengthen over time. He welcomed FAMSUN's plan to transform grain storage facilities in Pakistan into state-of-the-art centres. He described the project as an impor-
The prime minister also conveyed his warm regards and best wishes to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. Separately, Prime Minister Shehbaz chaired a high-level meeting on population welfare, stressing the need to align population planning with national development, economic stability and human
tant step towards introducing modern agricultural technology and promoting commercial activity. The prime minister directed that skills development and training for Pakistan's workforce should be incorporated into the proposed projects to ensure local capacity building. Jack Chen thanked the prime minister and the Government of Pakistan for their warm hospitality and recalled his meeting with Shehbaz Sharif during the latter's recent visit to China, which led to the company's visit to Pakistan to discuss practical initiatives in the field of food security. According to the briefing, FAMSUN is interested in supporting Pakistan through improved grain storage facilities, technology transfer and training. The company will establish a demonstration centre for green silos in Pakistan, while existing storage centres will be upgraded into modern green silo facilities.
resource development. Describing rapid population growth as one of Pakistan's greatest challenges, he said population control and welfare should be treated as a national responsibility and directed authorities to convene a meeting of the National Population Council at the earliest.
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dar raises Kashmir, water dispute, terrorism at aSean Security Forum MANILA
Pakistan says EU report on GSP+ compliance does not fully reflect reforms ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
Pakistan on Thursday said it was dissatisfied with the European Union’s latest assessment of its compliance under the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus, with the Foreign Office arguing that the report did not fairly capture the scope of reforms undertaken by the country. The European Commission issued the report last week as part of its global review of the GSP framework for the 2023-2025 period. According to the assessment, Pakistan had regressed in several areas and had seen only limited positive change. Responding to a question during the weekly media briefing, Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said Pakistan appreciated the report’s acknowledgement of legislative progress and its continued compliance with 27 international conventions linked to the GSP+ arrangement. He added, however, that Islamabad took issue with the broader framing of the document. Andrabi said: Nevertheless, I would be remiss if I do not express disappointment with the assessment, with the report’s overall narrative which does not present sufficiently balanced pictures of Pakistan’s performance, He further said the EU review understated the extent of reforms carried out by Pakistan. The GSP+ mechanism is tied to compliance with a set of international conventions, and the EU report formed part of the bloc’s latest monitoring of beneficiary countries.
STAFF CORRESPONDENT
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Thursday urged the international community to address longstanding regional disputes and emerging security challenges, highlighting the Kashmir issue, India's suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), terrorism, the Gaza crisis and climate change during the 33rd ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Ministerial Meeting in Manila. Addressing ministers and delegates from the 27-member forum, Dar outlined eight major challenges confronting regional and global peace, warning that failure to address them would undermine international efforts to achieve stability and prosperity. Describing the unresolved
Jammu and Kashmir dispute as "the heart of regional instability" in South Asia, he reiterated Pakistan's support for a peaceful settlement in accordance with United Nations resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people. The deputy prime minister also criticised India's unilateral decision to place the Indus Waters Treaty in
abeyance following last year's hostilities, describing the move as a serious provocation that required urgent international attention. "We simply cannot afford to let this serious provocative development remain unaddressed," Dar said, urging the global community to support efforts for a peaceful resolution.
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Pakistan rejects India’s UNSC remarks on Indus Waters Treaty as ‘distortion of facts’ ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
Pakistan on Thursday pushed back against India’s remarks at a United Nations Security Council debate on natural resource governance, accusing New Delhi of misrepresenting the position surrounding the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) and insisting that India’s move to place the pact in abeyance has no legal basis. At the debate, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, said natural resources should advance sustainable development and prosperity rather than become tools of coercion, conflict or exploitation. He said weak governance, illicit extraction, outside interference, violations of international law and the UN Charter, and unequal sharing of benefits continued to drive instability, conflict and humanitarian crises in many settings. Referring to Africa, Ahmad said Pakistan had long supported African countries in their efforts to exercise sovereign control over their natural wealth. He said lasting peace could not be achieved where major natural wealth existed alongside entrenched poverty and underdevelopment, and added that governance of natural resources must remain rooted in the UN Charter and international law. Ahmad also cited General Assembly Resolution 1803, saying the right of peoples to permanent sovereignty over natural wealth and resources remained fundamental. He said international cooperation should build national capacity while respecting national ownership, priorities and policy space. Pakistan raises India’s IWT move at UN debate During his remarks, Ahmad highlighted India’s unilateral decision to hold the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance and said Pakistan rejected the step as unlawful. He warned that the action threatened the livelihoods and well-being of more than 240 million people in Pakistan and said the treaty remained valid and binding under the August 2025 award of the Court of Arbitration. He told the council that no state should be allowed to use shared water resources as a means of coercion or political pressure, particularly in violation of treaty obligations. Ahmad added that the matter carried wider security implications because it was unfolding against the backdrop of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, which he described as a longstanding flashpoint in South Asia. According to Ahmad, the Security Council had an important responsibility when the exploitation or weaponisation of natural resources threatened international peace and security, whether through illicit extraction of minerals that fuelled conflict or unilateral moves involving shared resources in disregard of international law and treaty obligations. He said such situations required continued vigilance and that the council should use available tools, including preventive diplomacy, peaceful dispute resolution, sanctions regimes and monitoring mechanisms. Pakistan replies to Indian envoy’s allegations After Ahmad’s intervention, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni, accused Pakistan of state-sponsored cross-border terrorism and said this had undermined the basis for bilateral cooperation under the treaty. He also reiterated New Delhi’s position on occupied Kashmir. In response, Pakistan’s First Secretary Ansar Shah said India’s statement was misleading and represented an attempt to distort facts and mischaracterise the situation.
Sessions judge, guard shot dead in attack on way to Mastung QUETTA
STAFF REPORT
District and Sessions Judge Abdul Hakeem Kakar and his security guard were killed when gunmen attacked their vehicles at Wali Khan crossing while they were travelling from Quetta to Mastung on Thursday, according to Balochistan Home Department aide Babar Yousafzai. Yousafzai said Additional Sessions Judge Tariq Lashari was also among two people injured in the attack. He said the assailants were unidentified and that the wounded were shifted to a hospital in Mastung
for treatment. The officials were on their way to Mastung when the firing took place. Judge Kakar and his guard died at the scene, while Lashari and another injured person survived the assault. The attack came a day after three people were killed and five others injured in a gun attack on a Karachi-bound passenger bus in Mastung’s Khud Kocha area, where a bridge on the national highway was also blown up. Following that incident, authorities imposed an indefinite curfew in Khud Kocha sub-tehsil from 9pm on Wednesday.
Field Marshal asim Munir reaffirms resolve to eliminate terrorism, ensure lasting peace in Balochistan RAWALPINDI
STAFF CORRESPONDENT
Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), on Wednesday reaffirmed Pakistan's unwavering commitment to eliminating terrorism, stating that operations against militant groups would continue with full resolve until the menace and its facilitators were eradicated from the country. The Field Marshal made these remarks while interacting with participants of the 20th National Workshop Balochistan at the General Headquarters (GHQ), Rawalpindi, according to the Inter-Services Pub-
lic Relations (ISPR). Addressing the participants, he said the consistent efforts of the security forces and law enforcement agencies, backed by the steadfast support of the people, would bring lasting peace and stability to Balochistan. He reiterated that targeted operations against the groups referred to by the state as Fitna al Khawarij and Fitna al Hindustan would continue unabated, reaffirming Pakistan's determination to dismantle terrorist infrastructure wherever it posed a threat to the country's security and its citizens. The army chief said foreignsponsored proxy groups had persistently sought to foment violence,
undermine stability and disrupt peace in Balochistan, but their designs would be defeated through the decisive response of the armed forces, supported by the resilience and unity of the Pakistani nation. Describing Balochistan as the pride of Pakistan, the Field Marshal said the province was endowed with immense natural resources and inhabited by resilient, patriotic people who constituted its greatest asset. He highlighted ongoing development initiatives being undertaken by the federal and provincial governments to transform Balochistan's socio-economic landscape through an inclusive and people-centric approach.
The COAS also acknowledged the constructive role of civil society, academia, the media and youth in promoting national integration and contributing to the province's long-
term peace and prosperity. Emphasising the importance of national unity and perseverance, he called for collective efforts to secure a stable and prosperous future for the country.
The session concluded with an interactive discussion, during which participants reaffirmed their commitment to Pakistan's stability, progress and sovereignty.