Pakistan and Egypt agree to strengthen ties in politics, defense and trade at OIC meeting

QUETTA: Unidentified gunmen in southwestern Pakistan shot dead three barbers who hailed from Sindh on Sunday, a soldier of the paramilitary Levies force confirmed, amid a surge in ethnic attacks in the restive Balochistan province. 

Attacks by ethnic Baloch separatist militants against Punjab-based laborers, barbers and commuters are common in the southwestern province. Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province by landmass and rich in mineral resources, has long faced a low-level insurgency led by separatist groups like the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), who accuse Islamabad of exploiting the province’s natural resources for the development of Punjab while neglecting the local population. Pakistan’s government denies these allegations, saying it has prioritized Balochistan’s development through investments in health, education, and infrastructure projects.

The latest attack took place in Gwargo, an area located around five kilometers away from Balochistan’s Panjgur district, Levies soldier Shakeel Baloch said. He added that unidentified armed men shot the barbers while they were sitting outside a hotel on Sunday evening. 

“Three barbers who belonged to Mirpurkhas and Jacobabad districts of Sindh province were killed on the spot,” Baloch told Arab News. 

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but suspicion is likely to fall on the BLA, which has carried out attacks against Punjabi laborers and barbers in the past. 

Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind strongly condemned the attack, describing the development as a “barbaric” move by the militants. 

“Terrorists have been attempting to create divisions and hate among provinces by targeting laborers who are working in Balochistan,” Rind said. 

He said security forces had started tracking the “terrorists” involved in the attack. 

Balochistan has seen a surge in ethnic attacks over the past few months as the province’s security situation deteriorates. Seven Punjab-based passengers were forcibly removed from a bus heading to the eastern city of Faisalabad from Quetta and killed by a group of gunmen in Balochistan last month. 

In August 2024, nearly two dozen passengers traveling in Punjab-bound buses were killed after BLA militants forcibly removed ethnic Punjabi commuters from buses after checking their identity cards.

In May 2024, gunmen shot dead seven Punjab-based barbers who lived and worked together near the port city of Gwadar in Balochistan.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Food Security Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain on Sunday asked authorities to ensure timely sale of stored wheat to avoid financial losses to the country and to benefit farmers and consumers, ahead of the arrival of new crop.
Hussain issued the directives while presiding over a meeting to review wheat reserves, management strategies, and the selling process to avoid any future crises.
In Pakistan, wheat crop is planted in mid-December and the harvest usually begins in March, with the majority of the crop harvested between April and early June.
Last year, farmers in Pakistan held several protests over lower wheat prices due to the import of excess amounts of the commodity that flooded local markets.
“There would be zero tolerance for any delays in the wheat sale process as prolonged storage could impact the quality of wheat and lead to financial losses for the national treasury,” Hussain was quoted as saying by the government’s Press Information Department (PID).
Agriculture is the backbone of Pakistan’s economy and constitutes its largest sector. According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), agriculture contributes about 24 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and accounts for half of the employed labor force in the country.
However, the prices of wheat last year dropped significantly in Pakistan and were much below the government’s support price of Rs3,900 ($14) per 40-kilogram bag.
During Sunday’s meeting, Pakistan Agricultural Storage & Services Corporation (PASSCO) officials informed the minister they had strengthened coordination with different agencies and provincial authorities to accelerate the sale of wheat.
“Various measures have been implemented to ensure transparency in the wheat sale process, benefiting both farmers and consumers,” they were quoted as saying.
Hussain instructed PASSCO officials to devise effective policies to address administrative and financial challenges, ensuring smooth operations in the future, according to the PID. He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to agricultural development, food security, and farmers’ welfare.