ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign office on Saturday condemned Israeli military strikes on Iran, describing them as a violation of the United Nations (UN) charter and the international law.
Israel carried out strikes against Iran early Saturday, saying it was responding to missile attacks conducted by Tehran earlier in the month.
Air defense systems in Tehran could be seen shooting down projectiles over the east of the city, prompting authorities to shut down Iranian air space.
Pakistan’s foreign office said the strikes undermined the path to regional peace and stability, and constituted a “dangerous escalation” in an already volatile region.
“Israel bears full responsibility for the current cycle of escalation and expansion of the conflict,” it said in a statement.
“We call on the UN Security Council to play its role for the maintenance of international peace and security, and to take immediate steps to bring an end to Israeli recklessness in the region and its criminal behavior.”
Iranians walk next to an anti-Israel billboard on a street after several explosions were heard, in Tehran on October 26, 2024. (REUTERS)
Since the deadliest attack in its history on October 7, 2023, Israel has been fighting Hamas in Gaza, and since late last month, it has been at war with Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Both Hezbollah and Hamas are allies of Iran. Pakistan, a major ally of the United States, shares a long border with Iran.
Israel’s strikes on Iran did not include attacking Iranian nuclear facilities or oil fields, and focused on military targets, NBC News and ABC News reported, citing an Israeli official.
The Iranians confirmed that military sites in the provinces of Ilam, Khuzestan and Tehran had been struck. Iran’s state TV later said that operations at Tehran’s airports including Imam Khomeini International airport were “normal.”
In its statement, the Pakistani foreign office called on the international community to play its role for restoring peace and security in the region.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has granted licenses to 57 manufacturers of electric vehicles (EVs), state media reported on Tuesday, as the government moves to transition to green transport solutions and beat climate change.
The government of Pakistan approved an ambitious National Electric Vehicles Policy (NEVP) in 2019 with the goal of electric vehicles comprising 30 percent of all passenger vehicle and heavy-duty truck sales by 2030, and an even more ambitious target of 90 percent by 2040. For two- and three-wheelers, as well as buses, the policy set a goal of achieving 50 percent of new sales by 2030 and 90 percent by 2040.
“The government is focusing on expanding local EV production, with licenses issued to fifty five manufacturers for two and three-wheelers, and two for the assembly of four-wheelers,” Radio Pakistan said in a report. “A plan is under consideration for establishing charging stations, including fast chargers and battery swapping stations.”
The report said under a new EV policy, free registration and exemption from annual token fees and toll taxes would also be offered to consumers.
“There is a plan to create at least one electric vehicle zone in each province, including Islamabad,” Radio Pakistan added.
A Senate Standing Committee last week criticized a lag in the production of EVs in Pakistan, saying only 60,000 had been produced by this year against a target of 600,000.
Last month, Pakistan said it would cut the power tariff for operators of EV charging stations by 45 percent as part of the ongoing reform of the energy sector designed to boost demand. The government is also planning to introduce financing schemes for e-bikes and the conversion of two- and three-wheeled petrol vehicles.
The cabinet on Jan. 15 approved a reduced tariff of 39.70 rupees ($0.14) per unit, down from 71.10 rupees previously, which will be in place within a month. The government expects an internal rate of return of more than 20 percent for investors in the sector.
According to a report submitted to the government by power ministry adviser Ammar Habib Khan and reported by Reuters on Jan. 15, there are currently more than 30 million two- and three-wheeled vehicles in Pakistan, which consume more than $5 billion worth of petroleum annually.
The energy ministry plans to convert 1 million two-wheelers to electric bikes in a first phase, at an estimated net cost of 40,000 rupees per bike, according to the report, saving around $165 million in fuel import costs annually.
BYD Pakistan, a partnership between China’s BYD and Pakistani car group Mega Motors, told Reuters in September up to 50 percent of all vehicles bought in Pakistan by 2030 would be electrified in some form in line with global targets.
ISLAMABAD: Representatives from a number of prominent travel and tourism companies from Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe are participating in the fourth edition of the Pakistan Travel Mart (PTM) 2025 being held in Islamabad, state media reported on Tuesday.
PTM is Pakistan’s pioneering and largest travel and tourism event, connecting regional and global stakeholders with a focus on inbound, outbound and domestic tourism. Since its inception in 2017, PTM has grown to become a key event for tourism professionals, government representatives and international stakeholders, serving as a platform for networking, knowledge-sharing, and fostering partnerships. Through its trade exhibitions, business matchmaking and conferences, PTM connects local and international businesses, facilitates investments and promotes tourism destinations.
This year, around 250 companies from 18 countries are participating in the three-day event.
This photo shows generic view of a Saudi Pavilion on the first day of annual Pakistan Travel Mart 2025 in Karachi on January 31, 2025. (AN Photo)
“PTM 2025 officially began in Islamabad, showcasing a vibrant blend of cultural performances and interactive sessions. The event, which brought together leading Airlines, Hotels, And Tourism Stakeholders from around the globe, offers a platform to promote both National and International Tourism in Pakistan,” state television, PTV, said in a report on Tuesday.
“Representatives from a variety of Travel And Tourism Companies from Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe participated in the conference.”
Visitors attend the first day of annual Pakistan Travel Mart 2025 in Karachi on January 31, 2025. (AN Photo)
This year’s edition of PTM is being co-hosted by the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan in collaboration with the Pakistan Tourism Development Authority And provincial tourism authorities, focusing on the “theme of bridging cultures and empowering local governments through travel.”
“The event aims to foster economic growth and enhance tourism opportunities globally,” PTV said.
This photo shows generic view of a Saudi airline Flyadeal stall on the second day of annual Pakistan Travel Mart 2025 in Karachi on February 1, 2025. (AN Photo)
The PTM 2025 exhibition also opened in Karachi on Friday, with a strong presence from Saudi Arabia, which put up a dedicated pavilion highlighting the Kingdom’s diverse tourism offerings beyond the traditional Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages.
Pakistan was last a prominent tourist destination in the 1970s when the “hippie trail” brought Western travelers through the apricot and walnut orchards of the Swat Valley and Kashmir on their way to India and Nepal.
However, the tourism industry was devastated by a surge in militant attacks after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States. Since then, deteriorating security has chipped away at the number of visitors. But as security improved in recent years, the government has moved to attract more tourists, including by loosening travel restrictions and in 2019 announcing visas on arrival to visitors from 50 countries and electronic visas to 175 nationalities.
ISLAMABAD: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has given the go-ahead to waive 18% general sales tax (GST) imposed by the Pakistan government on the induction of new planes if Pakistan International Airlines is privatized, the chairman of the privatization commission told a parliamentary committee this week.
Cash-strapped Pakistan is looking to offload a 51-100% stake in debt-ridden PIA to raise funds and reform state-owned enterprises as envisaged under a $7 billion International Monetary Fund program. A final bidding process for the airline’s privatization in October attracted just one bid of $36 million for a 60% stake in the national flag carrier. The government had pre-qualified six groups in June, but only real-estate development company Blue World City participated in the bidding process, placing a bid that is below the government-set minimum price of 85 billion Pakistani rupees.
Among concerns raised by potential bidders for the PIA stake include policy continuity, honoring contracts, inconsistent government communication, unattractive terms and taxes on the sector, and the flag carrier’s legacy issues and reputation.
Officials say PIA’s cumulative losses alone are close to $3 billion, with the total asset valuation of the airline standing at approximately $572 million.
“In the previous round, bidders recommended waiving the 18% GST imposed by the government on the induction of new planes and fleet expansion,” the privatization commission chairman told the National Assembly Standing Committee on Privatization on Monday, according to a press release.
“They believed that removing this tax would facilitate new aircraft acquisitions and support the growth of the aviation industry.”
The government presented these concerns to the IMF, which agreed that if PIA was privatized, the 18% GST could be removed to encourage private sector investment in new aircraft, the press release said.
PIA’s liabilities currently stand at Rs45 billion ($162 million), and the government says it is developing a strategy to address these financial burdens and ensure they do not deter potential buyers.
“A mechanism would be devised to address outstanding liabilities, ensuring that financial burdens do not become a hindrance for potential investors,” the statement added.
The development comes weeks after PIA resumed operations in Europe, after a 2020 ban by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) over concerns about the ability of Pakistani authorities and its Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) to ensure compliance with international aviation standards. EASA and UK authorities both suspended permission for PIA to operate in the region after Pakistan began investigating the validity of pilots’ licenses following a deadly plane crash that killed 97 people.
Pakistan hopes new European routes and flying approval to the UK will boost PIA’s selling potential.
KAKUL, Pakistan: When Pakistan’s Major Komal Masood was posted with the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in the Central African Republic (CAR) last year, she never expected that her service would lead her to becoming the first peacekeeper from the mission to receive the 2023 Certificate of Recognition for gender advocacy.
Today, after returning from the UN mission, Masood, 33, is serving as a platoon commander at the Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) in the northwestern town of Kakul, where she leads 17 women cadets, shaping the country’s next generation of women army officers.
Every morning, Masood supervises the young cadets as they perform rigorous drills on field. She also instructs them on the use of military weapons and equipment and imparts lessons on military strategy in the classroom.
“I have 17 lady cadets under my command, including two from Bangladesh, and my job over here is to train them, to lead them, to be a better version of themselves,” Masood, who joined the Pakistan Army’s Corps of Signals in 2014, told Arab News on a crisp January morning before a training drill on the lush grounds of the military academy.
“What I have learned from the [UN] mission … I want to inculcate that change in my cadets from the very outset of their career … We are here to foster that change in them and to inculcate leadership qualities, decision-making qualities.”
Pakistan’s Major Komal Masood (third right) poses for a picture with army officers from other countries at the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in the Central African Republic in Kaga-Bandoro in September 2023. (Major Komal Masood)
During her year-long UN mission in the CAR as a gender and protection adviser, Masood was responsible for promoting gender advocacy and integrating a gendered perspective into all aspects of the UN mission’s operations.
“My role was to integrate a gender perspective into all aspects of the mission, whether it was patrolling, intelligence, or operational planning,” she said.
“I was the sole member of the center sector headquarters over there, and I was overseeing child protection, sexual exploitation and abuse, protection of civilians and I had made many policies that were then approved by the UN headquarters in New York and then they were deployed across all the missions in the world.”
Masood also investigated multiple cases of sexual exploitation and abuse, leading to the repatriation of several individuals from the forces back to their home countries.
She said there was no policy or checklist guiding women peacekeepers in their tasks, preparations, or patrol procedures, leaving them to operate alongside male counterparts without clear directives.
“I made a consolidated checklist for women peacekeepers working, which was sent to the UN headquarters, and it got approved from there, and then it was deployed across all the missions across the world,” Masood said.
The UN recognition for her work was a “morale boost,” Masood added, because she had made a “lasting impact” by creating policy guidelines and checklists to support women peacekeepers in patrolling and engaging with affected communities even after the end of her time with the peacekeeping force.
For the officer, the journey has been anything but easy, balancing the demands of military service with motherhood as she left for the UN mission while one of her two children, who were both under six, was still an infant.
“Initially I thought that I won’t be able to leave my kids for one complete year, but if my country, my superiors, they have given me a task, I have to do it by hook or by crook so why not to do it by seeing the positivity,” said Masood.
In the end, it all worked out for the best as her family was proud of her achievements and the impact she had made.
“They feel very proud of me and my daughter always says, ‘Mama, I want to wear this uniform as well’.”
And Masood’s message to other women is clear: never stop striving.
“You are less than no one. Once you achieve something, whether as a stay-at-home woman or a professional, don’t stop there,” she said as she walked away to begin a drill with her students.
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan government’s recent amendment to the country’s cybercrimes act had “seriously threatened” Internet freedom and free expression, Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday, calling on the nation’s parliament to repeal or revise the Pakistan Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Act, 2025.
The new law, enacted on January 29, includes provisions making the dissemination of “fake or false” information a criminal offense punishable by up to three years in prison without clearly defining “fake or false” news. Stakeholders like journalists unions and digital rights experts say they were excluded from consultations on the bill, which prevented genuine public scrutiny of the new law.
“Pakistan’s amended Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act neither protects the public from legitimate online security threats nor respects fundamental human rights,” said Patricia Gossman, associate Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “The government should uphold the right to free expression and overhaul the new law by removing its abusive provisions.”
The amendments to the Electronic Crimes Act create four new government bodies to regulate online content and broaden the definition of online harm. The government bodies are authorized to block and remove content based on ambiguous criteria that do not meet the standards of proportionality and necessity required under international human rights law, HRW said.
One of the bodies, the Social Media Protection Tribunal, comprises government-appointed members rather than independent members of the judiciary.
Another new body, the Social Media Protection and Regulation Authority, is authorized to order any social media company to remove or block content deemed to be “against the ideology of Pakistan,” be known to be “fake or false,” or to cast aspersions on various public officials. The authority can also require any social media company to register with it and impose any conditions it deems “appropriate” upon registration.
Parliament adopted the amendments in the context of an escalating crackdown on digital speech in Pakistan including frequently shutting down the Internet and throttling Internet networks. The social media platform X has already been banned since days after February general elections last year as allegations of rigging emerged online. There are regular reports of VPN restrictions, and the government is also moving to implement a national firewall.
“Pakistani authorities have denied or limited access to the Internet as a default policing tactic to shut down protests and prevent criticism of the government under the guise of maintaining law and order and curbing misinformation,” HRW said.
The nongovernmental Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has expressed concern the new law is “likely to become yet another means of targeting political workers, human rights defenders, journalists and dissidents by effectively penalizing criticism of state institutions.” The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists has announced nationwide protests against the amendment.
“The new Electronic Crimes Act will further entrench violations of free expression and Internet freedoms in Pakistan,” Gossman said. “Digital policing of citizens will not protect them from ‘fake news,’ but will give the authorities a weapon to punish people whose speech they don’t like.”
