Thousands demand rights at rally as protests continue to roil Pakistan’s Gwadar 

Thousands of demonstrators gather at Marine Drive in Gwadar, Pakistan, on December 10, 2021, to protest illegal trawling, token system at the Pak-Iran border and security checkpoints in their city. (AN Photo)
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Updated 31 December 2022
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Thousands demand rights at rally as protests continue to roil Pakistan’s Gwadar 

  • Locals of port city have long complained Chinese presence and investment there has done little to improve residents' lives
  • Protests against the lack of basic facilities have gone since November under the banner of “Give Gwadar its Rights” 

GWADAR: Thousands of male protesters occupied a major thoroughfare along the coastline in Pakistan’s Gwadar port city on Friday while hundreds of women arranged a sit-in a few kilometers away as part of a protest movement for rights that started last month.

Gwadar is in Pakistan’s impoverished southwestern province of Balochistan, a sparsely populated, mountainous, desert region bordering Afghanistan and Iran. China is involved in the development of the Gwadar port on the Arabian Sea as part of a $60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which is itself part of China's Belt and Road infrastructure project.
But locals of the city have long complained that Chinese presence and investment in the area has done little to improve their lives, particularly with regards to water scarcity and jobs. Protests against the lack of basic facilities have gone since November under the banner of “Give Gwadar its Rights,” with thousands of women and children also joining the demonstrations in an unprecedented development. 




A large number of women at a protest rally in Gwadar, Pakistan, on December 10, 2021 (AN Photo)

The protesters main demands include the provision of basic health and educational facilities, action against illegal trawling, the abolishment of a token system at the Pakistan-Iran border, removal of security check posts in the city and an end to narcotics smuggling.  

“We are living in a big jail where we are humiliated in the name of security checking,” protest leader Maulana Hidayat-ur-Rehman, Balochistan's general secretary for the Jamaat-i-Islami political party, told Arab News after addressing a rally at Gwadar Marine Drive. 

“We don’t need anything from CPEC. All we want from our government is to stop snatching our sources of livelihood which is being done by allowing illegal trawling and strict border management.”

He said police tried to arrest him on Thursday night after a case was lodged against him and Yousuf Masti Khan, a Baloch leader from Karachi, who was taken into custody from a local hotel but released on Friday after getting bail from a local court.

“The provincial administration of Balochistan will not be able to control the situation if I am arrested,” Rehman said, adding that the protest would continue even if he was detained. “The government is not honoring its commitments. Illegal trawling is still going on while the border situation has not improved either.”

 



Participants of a protest rally at Marine Drive in Gwadar, Pakistan, on December 10, 2021. (AN Photo)

Earlier this week, Balochistan planning minster Zahoor Ahmed Buledi told Arab News authorities had agreed to meet most of the demands presented by the demonstrators.

“They presented twelve demands, four of them were major while others were minor,” he said. “There has been progress on almost all the twelve demands: Trawling has decreased in the sea to a great extent, the border trade management system has improved and the issue of check posts has been largely addressed.”

Rehman, however, said the sit-in would continue: “We, as Pakistan’s citizens, have rights which we are not going to leave.”

Speaking to Arab News, Abid Qamar, a youth resident of Gwadar who brings petrol from the Pakistan-Iran border areas to sell in other districts of the region, said his family’s survival had become difficult because of a token system on the frontier that only benefited "influentials."




This photo shows Fatima Raza, a young demonstrator, at a protest rally in Gwadar, Pakistan, on December 10, 2021. (AN Photo)

“We have been in this line of work for at least three generations,” he said. “Now I spend 20 to 25 days in the mountains without much food. Even then there is no guarantee that I will get the token to benefit from border trade since these tokens are only given to influential people.”

Qamar said he had joined the rally because of the deteriorating financial condition of his family.

Asked about the participation of women at the sit-in, Fatima Raza, a student, said Gwadar’s female residents understood the importance of fighting for their basic rights.

“My father and brother are marching on the road and I have taken their place over here,” she told Arab News. “We have the right to earn our livelihood, but it is increasing becoming difficult to do that because of the illegal trawling.”




A female protestor wears a headband with the inscription, “Right or Martyrdom,” during a rally in Gwadar, Pakistan, on December 10, 2021. (AN Photo)

Teenager Mahnoor Baloch added: “This protest matters to everyone since it is about our rights.”

Last month China said it was willing to work with Pakistan to ensure its projects delivered benefits for Gwadar locals.

Speaking at a weekly press briefing on November 29, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said CPEC had long focused on “people’s livelihood and well-being and [on] benefiting the local people.”




Protest leader Maulana Hidayat-ur-Rehman addresses a protest rally in Gwadar, Pakistan, on December 10, 2021. (AN Photo)

“China is ready to work with Pakistan to advance the high-quality development of CPEC so as to deliver more benefits to the local people,” he said. “The Gwadar Port, a leading project of CPEC, focuses on development and people’s livelihood.”

Wang said the China-Pakistan Gwadar Faqeer Middle School, a vocational training institute in Gwadar and the China-Pakistan Fraternity Emergency Care Center in Gwadar, which had been completed, had “played important roles in and made China’s contributions to creating education opportunities, improving employment skills and responding to COVID-19 for the benefit of the local people.”

He reiterated that China was ready to work with Pakistan to “jointly advance high-quality development of CPEC, build and operate all CPEC projects including the Gwadar Port well, play a more positive part in improving people’s livelihood in both countries, and build an even closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era.”


Pakistani high court to hear Imran Khan’s appeal in Al-Qadir land bribe case on June 5

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Pakistani high court to hear Imran Khan’s appeal in Al-Qadir land bribe case on June 5

  • Khan and his wife Bushra were sentenced four months ago, call the case politically motivated
  • Authorities say they used Al-Qadir trust to receive land as a bribe from a real estate developer

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) will take up the Al-Qadir Trust case involving former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife on June 5, marking the first hearing since the couple was sentenced over four months ago, the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party said Thursday.

A Pakistani court sentenced Khan to 14 years and his wife, Bushra Bibi, to seven years in prison last January. The centers on allegations that they received land as a bribe from real estate tycoon Malik Riaz Hussain through their charitable foundation, the Al-Qadir Trust.

The trust, founded in 2018 while Khan was still in office, is accused by authorities of being used as a front for illegal benefits.

The PTI has long maintained the case lacks merit and repeatedly requested the high court to hear their petition to suspend the convictions. This is the first time the IHC has scheduled proceedings since the lower court verdict in January, which was delayed at least three times before being delivered.

“Al-Qadir Trust case is scheduled for hearing on June 5,” the PTI said in a statement during the day.

The hearing will be conducted by a two-member IHC bench led by acting Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Asif, according to the court’s cause list.

PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan, speaking to reporters outside the Supreme Court earlier this week, said the party had met with the chief justice to press for the case to be listed.

“Release [of Khan and his wife] will take place once the case is heard,” Gohar told reporters. “We still hope the case will be heard on June 5.”

The Al-Qadir case stems from £190 million that the UK repatriated to Pakistan in 2019 after the Pakistani real estate tycoon settled a British investigation into suspected criminal assets.

Authorities allege that instead of depositing the funds in Pakistan’s national treasury, Khan’s government used the money to help Hussain pay court-imposed fines in a separate case related to land acquired illegally in Karachi at below-market rates.

Khan, who has been in jail since August 2023 and is facing a slew of legal cases, says all charges against him are politically motivated.

He accuses Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the country’s powerful military of orchestrating the crackdown to sideline him, a claim both Sharif and military officials deny.


Army chief calls water Pakistan’s ‘red line,’ rejects any deal on Kashmir

Updated 16 min 25 sec ago
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Army chief calls water Pakistan’s ‘red line,’ rejects any deal on Kashmir

  • Field Marshal Asim Munir addresses university academics at the inaugural Hilal Talks forum
  • He urges them to pass on Pakistan’s story and help shape the character of future generations

KARACHI: Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, on Thursday called water his country’s “red line” and ruled out any deal on Kashmir during an address to university academics at the military’s inaugural Hilal Talks forum.

The forum is designed to engage Pakistan’s academic community on national and regional issues, where the army chief spoke just days after a military standoff with nuclear-armed India in which both sides resorted to missile, drone and artillery strikes.

Munir’s statement followed India’s unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, a World Bank-brokered agreement that has governed water-sharing between the two countries since 1960. Kashmir, a Himalayan region claimed by both India and Pakistan but ruled in parts, also remains a major flashpoint between both states.

“No deal on Kashmir is possible,” the army chief was quoted as saying by the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), while addressing the forum. “We can never forget Kashmir.”

“Water is Pakistan’s red line,” he continued, “and we will never compromise on the basic right of 240 million Pakistanis.”

Munir said Pakistan would never accept India’s dominance, adding New Delhi had tried to suppress the Kashmir issue for decades but that was no longer possible.

The army chief spoke at the Army Auditorium in Rawalpindi where he was joined virtually by over 1,800 participants, including vice chancellors, senior faculty and students from across Pakistan.

Hilal Talks is a newly launched initiative aimed at fostering sustained dialogue between Pakistan’s military and its academic institutions, with a focus on national harmony.

Munir urged educators to serve as custodians of Pakistan’s story and builders of future generations.

“Teachers are Pakistan’s greatest asset,” he said. “Whatever I am today, it is because of my parents and my teachers.”

This combination of photos shows Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir speaking to university academics during a “Hilal Talks” forum at the Army Auditorium in Rawalpindi on May 29, 2025. (Handout/ISPR)

“You are the ones who must pass on Pakistan’s story to the next generation,” he added. “It is your responsibility to shape [students’] character.”

The army chief reiterated India was stoking unrest in Pakistan’s southwestern province of Balochistan, saying, “The terrorist insurgents in Balochistan are a foreign-backed menace and have nothing to do with the local population.”

He said it was important for Pakistan to become a strong state where all institutions operate within their constitutional limits and without political, financial or personal interference.

“We must reject any narrative that seeks to weaken the state,” he added.


Pakistan eyes carbon market partnership with ADB to advance climate goals

Updated 29 May 2025
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Pakistan eyes carbon market partnership with ADB to advance climate goals

  • Carbon markets reduce emissions by letting countries buy and sell tradable ‘carbon credits’
  • Pakistan introduced its first carbon market policy last year to drive a low-carbon transition

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Climate Change Minister Dr. Musadik Malik on Thursday met with a high-level Asian Development Bank (ADB) delegation to explore potential collaboration on carbon markets as part of the country’s evolving climate strategy, said in an official statement.

The visiting team was led by Toru Kubo, ADB’s Senior Director for Climate Change and Sustainable Development. The discussions focused on leveraging carbon markets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and attract new streams of climate finance for sustainable development.

Carbon markets are trading systems that allow countries, companies or organizations to buy and sell carbon credits or permits representing the right to emit a specific amount of carbon dioxide. These markets create financial incentives for reducing emissions and investing in greener alternatives.

“Both sides agreed to formulate a comprehensive, mutually aligned climate change strategy, with a specific focus on carbon credit mobilization, climate innovation and outcomes-based project implementation,” the climate change ministry said in a statement.

The two sides also explored ways for Pakistan to strategically align its carbon finance agenda with the Sustainable Development Goals, aiming to turn climate action into a driver of economic growth, it added.

On the occasion, Malik assured the ADB of full support in the strategy formulation, emphasizing that it should remain “impact-driven, transparent and results-oriented.”

Kubo highlighted ADB’s support for developing member countries, including Pakistan, by enhancing their carbon finance capabilities through mobilizing investments in low-carbon technologies, enabling them to access and benefit from global carbon markets.

The ministry said the meeting showed that climate action is now seen as a way to boost the economy, not just an environmental measure, with more countries paying attention to carbon markets.

Pakistan unveiled the country’s first National Carbon Market Policy in November 2024, saying that the government wanted to attract investments in green initiatives and transition toward a low-carbon economy.

According to the Global Climate Risk Index, Pakistan is ranked as the fifth most vulnerable country to climate change.

In 2022, devastating floods claimed about 1,700 lives and affected more than 33 million people, causing economic losses exceeding $30 billion.

Although international donors pledged over $9 billion to support Pakistan’s flood recovery, officials report that only a small portion of the promised funds were received by the country.


Pakistan secures Hajj facilities upgrade through deal with Saudi Al-Rajhi company

Updated 29 May 2025
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Pakistan secures Hajj facilities upgrade through deal with Saudi Al-Rajhi company

  • Nearly 114,700 Pakistanis will perform Hajj, including 89,000 under the government scheme and 25,700 privately
  • Tents have been equipped with ACs, fans, partitioned sofa-beds, sliding doors and luggage racks for added comfort

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has finalized arrangements for its Hajj pilgrims in coordination with Saudi Arabia’s Al-Rajhi company, upgrading tents and amenities at key pilgrimage sites under a new agreement aimed at improving services for those traveling under the Government Hajj Scheme, an official confirmed Thursday.

The deal with Al-Rajhi, a licensed Tawafa company responsible for assisting foreign pilgrims in Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah, marks a significant step in elevating standards traditionally reserved for private tour groups.

The move comes as Pakistan seeks to improve the experience for nearly 89,000 pilgrims performing Hajj this year under the state-run scheme.

In total, 114,698 Pakistanis are expected to perform Hajj beginning June 4, including 25,698 under private operators. As of Thursday, 84,638 government-sponsored pilgrims had arrived in Saudi Arabia on 329 flights, while 17,959 private pilgrims had also reached the kingdom.

Pre-Hajj flight operations are scheduled to conclude on May 31.

“An agreement was signed with the Tawafa company Al-Rajhi for Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah, and all arrangements and facilities at the sacred sites are being finalized for this year’s Hajj,” Muhammad Umer Butt, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Religious Affairs, told Arab News from Makkah over the phone.

Officials from Pakistani Hajj Mission brief Pakistan’s Religious Affairs Minister Sardar Yousaf about this year’s Hajj arrangement at the Pakistani camps in Mina, Saudi Arabia on May 29, 2025. (Handout/MORA)

He said pilgrims under the Government Hajj Scheme will now benefit from upgraded camp infrastructure.

“Air conditioners and extra fans have been added to the tents along with air coolers,” he informed, adding that modern sofa-cum-beds with partitions on both sides have been introduced to prevent the spread of infections caused by breathing or sweating.

Additional improvements include luggage racks, sliding doors in place of traditional tarpaulin sheets, gypsum board tent walls, artificial grass carpeting in corridors, protective sunshades, fans along walkways and designated shoe racks.

For the first time, Pakistani medical teams will be stationed at each camp to provide support in addition to Saudi medical services.

“A first aid team will be added to every camp, where doctors and medical staff will be available at all times,” Butt said.

He said Pakistan’s Hajj mission had also worked closely with Saudi authorities and the Maktab system to implement a transport strategy across the sacred sites, or Mashair, to ensure smooth movement of pilgrims.

“Saudi authorities have issued special instructions to protect pilgrims from the extreme weather conditions, and our mission ensures that these instructions are communicated clearly and understandably to all Pakistani pilgrims,” he added.

A dedicated complaint management cell has been set up to address pilgrims’ concerns in real time.

“A total of 2,241 complaints were received regarding lost luggage, out of which 2,209 were resolved with the luggage delivered to the concerned pilgrims,” Butt said.

“In Madinah, 636 bags were misplaced during handling, of which 630 were recovered and returned,” he continued.

He said that around two dozen pilgrims who had gone missing from their groups in Makkah and Madinah were also successfully located and reunited.

More than 39,000 Pakistani pilgrims completed their visit to Riyad al-Jannah — the sacred area in Masjid al-Nabawi believed to be a garden from Paradise — mostly using the official Nusuk app in Madinah.

For those unfamiliar with the digital system, special permits were arranged for 14,000 individuals.

Butt praised Saudi Arabia’s digital Hajj infrastructure and logistical planning, which he said had greatly eased the pilgrimage experience for visitors from around the world.


Pakistan projects 3-4% inflation next month ahead of June 10 budget

Updated 29 May 2025
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Pakistan projects 3-4% inflation next month ahead of June 10 budget

  • Monthly economic report says consumer price inflation is likely to ease by 1.5 percent to 2 percent year-on-year in May
  • It warns that inflationary pressures may resurface slightly in June due to seasonal trends and base effects

KARACHI: Pakistan expects inflation to pick up to between 3 percent and 4 percent in June, the Finance Ministry said in its monthly economic report released Thursday, as the country prepares to announce its federal budget for the fiscal year 2025-26 on June 10, a date that falls during the Eid Al-Adha holidays.

The ministry said consumer price inflation was projected to ease between 1.5 percent and 2 percent year-on-year in May, following months of steady decline driven by monetary tightening and a drop in food and energy prices.

However, it noted that inflationary pressures could resurface slightly next month due to seasonal factors and base effects.

“Improved weather conditions, better crop yields and a stable exchange rate have helped reduce inflation to a historical low,” the report said, adding that “inflation is projected to remain between 1.5-2.0 percent in May, with a possible rise to 3.0-4.0 percent by June 2025.”

The State Bank of Pakistan, in its half-yearly report last month, forecast average inflation for the fiscal year ending June 2025 to remain within 5.5 percent to 7.5 percent, reflecting easing cost pressures across key commodities.

Finance Adviser Khurram Schehzad on Thursday confirmed the official timeline for the country’s fiscal announcements in a social media post aimed at dispelling speculation about possible delays due to the Eid Al-Adha holidays.

“The dates are firm,” he said on platform X. “As communicated earlier, the upcoming Federal Budget FY26 is on schedule to be announced on June 10, 2025. Similarly, the upcoming Pakistan Economic Survey FY25 is scheduled to be announced on June 9, 2025.”

Pakistan’s macroeconomic outlook has improved in recent months, supported by a stronger current account balance, improved remittances and falling inflation.

However, authorities remain cautious as they seek to build on recent economic stabilization, steer the country toward gradual growth and reaffirm their commitment to ongoing economic reforms.

With input from Reuters