Pakistan seeks Arab investment for Dubai-like desert safari in Thar

An aerial view taken from a Pakistan army helicopter shows villagers near their homes in the Thar desert area of Mehrano Taluka Deeplo, some 300 kilometres from Karachi, on March 16, 2014. (AFP)
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Updated 04 November 2020
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Pakistan seeks Arab investment for Dubai-like desert safari in Thar

  • The Pakistani part of Thar desert in Sindh province is the 17th largest in the world
  • In January, the government announced it was exploring tourism investment projects with Saudi Arabia

KARACHI: Pakistan’s southern Sindh province is looking to the Middle East for investors to help set up a desert safari on the model of Dubai’s popular desert tour, the provincial tourism minister said on Sunday.

Sindh is home to the Pakistani part of the Thar desert, also known as the Great Indian Desert, which is the 17th largest in the world.

In January this year, the government announced it was exploring options for tourism investment projects with Saudi Arabia. 




The Umerkot Fort in Sindh, Pakistan, on October 18, 2020. (AN photo by Khurshid Ahmed) 

“I invite Arab investors to invest in Sindh as we share common sites like deserts where car rallies, camel riding and also desert safari can be done,” Syed Sardar Ali Shah, Sindh’s Minister for Culture and Tourism, told Arab News in an interview last week. “We would provide them support and facilitate them.”

 

 

The dusty Sindh province, which borders India to the east, boasts a number of important cultural, religious and historical sites that draw tourists.




The Bhodisar Mosque in Sindh, Pakistan, on October 18, 2020. (AN photo by Khurshid Ahmed) 

“Sindh has vast domestic tourism opportunities right from Karachi to the desert region of Tharparkar,” Mujahid Shah, an academic, said. “Every sort of tourism destination, from religious sites, shrines of sufi saints, to mountains and lakes exist and offer major attractions to visitors.”




The archaeological Museum Umerkot in Sindh, Pakistan, on October 18, 2020. (AN photo by Khurshid Ahmed)   

But the most convincing case for the development of tourism in the province lies in the foothills of Tharparkar district’s Karoonjhar Mountains.




Tharparkar district’s Karoonjhar Mountains in Sindh, Pakistan, photographed on October 18, 2020. (AN photo by Khurshid Ahmed) 

Spread over an area of 30 km, the mountains are well known for their enormous deposits of high-quality granite. The government already plans to declare part of the mountainous area a heritage site.

Roughly 35,000 ‘vehicles’ enter the area every monsoon season, Shah said, as temperatures fall in the otherwise arid, hot region. Tourism season peaks between November and March.

The town of Nagarparkar, most famous for its Jain temples, the historic Churrio Jabal Durga Mata Hindu temple, and the Bhodisar Mosque, draws thousands of tourists each year to the base of the Karoonjhar Mountains.




A Jain Temple on the foot of the Karoonjhar Mountains in Sindh, Pakistan, on October 18, 2020.  (AN photo by Khurshid Ahmed)  

The Sindh tourism minister said in recent years the provincial government had launched several initiatives to boost cultural and religious tourism in the area, including restoring historical sites and building facilities like accommodations and public toilets.

“In the last four years we have established 14 new resorts ... and are now going for extension work for increasing accommodation,” Shah said. 

But locals said the tourism department’s resorts were much too expensive for the common man.

Abdul Ghani Bajir, a local journalist, told Arab News: “The rent for a room at Rooplo Kohli Resort in Nagarparkar is Rs. 8000 ($50) for a single night.”
 
 


Islamabad says Indian PM’s remarks about Pakistan violate norms of ‘responsible statecraft’

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Islamabad says Indian PM’s remarks about Pakistan violate norms of ‘responsible statecraft’

  • Narendra Modi said Pakistan’s army, economy will have to ‘pay a heavy price for every terrorist attack,’ upping the rhetoric in a standoff over water access
  • Islamabad maintains the Indus Waters Treaty, which guarantees water for 80 percent of Pakistan’s farms, is legally binding and no party can unilaterally suspend it

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani foreign office on Friday criticized Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his remarks in which he warned of economic and military consequences for Pakistan, saying his statement violated “the norms of responsible statecraft.”

Modi said Pakistan will not get water from rivers over which India has rights, and that Pakistan’s army and economy will have to “pay a heavy price for every terrorist attack,” upping the rhetoric in a standoff over water access.

India last month said it was suspending the Indus Waters Treaty in a slew of measures after the killing of 26 people in an April 22 attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that New Delhi blamed on Islamabad, a charge Pakistan dismisses.

In its response to Modi’s comments at an event in Rajasthan, the Pakistani foreign office said such statements not only reflect a “deliberate attempt to mislead the public but also violate the norms of responsible statecraft.”

“Resorting to threats and boasting about military action against a sovereign nation is a grave breach of the United Nations Charter and established principles of international law,” it said.

“This dangerous approach undermines regional peace and stability.”

Any move to stop Pakistan accessing the water would have a devastating impact. The Indus treaty, brokered by the World Bank in 1960, guarantees water for 80 percent of Pakistan’s farms from three rivers that flow from India. The nuclear-armed neighbors have already clashed in their worst military fighting in nearly three decades before agreeing to a ceasefire on May 10.

Islamabad maintains the treaty is legally binding and no party can unilaterally suspend it, with its Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan saying that Pakistan is willing to talk about or to address any concerns India may have.

The foreign office said Pakistan remains a consistent and proactive partner in the global fight against militancy and any insinuation seeking to associate Pakistan with “acts of terrorism is factually incorrect and patently misleading.”

“It is a tactic often employed to divert attention from India’s own internal challenges, particularly its repressive policies [in Kashmir],” it said on Friday.

India and Pakistan share a troubled relationship since they got independence from British rule in 1947, and have fought three wars, two of them over the Himalayan region of Kashmir, which they both claim in full but rule in part.

India accuses Pakistan of backing armed separatists in Kashmir. Pakistan denies this and says it only offers diplomatic and political support to Kashmiris.

Pakistan’s prime minister and military have also accused “Indian terror proxies” of involvement in a suicide bomb blast on an army school bus in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province that killed five people, including three children, on Wednesday. India rejected the allegation.

Both nations have retaliated since the April attack by halting trade, closing borders and suspending most visas.

The Pakistani foreign office urged the Indian leadership to exercise restraint, saying such escalatory statements only exacerbate tensions.

“India should demonstrate maturity by resolving outstanding disputes through peaceful dialogue and diplomacy,” it said.

“Pakistan remains firmly committed to peaceful coexistence, regional stability, and constructive engagement. However, our desire for peace should not be misconstrued as weakness... Any misadventure or aggression will be met with a resolute and proportionate response. Pakistan has demonstrated its resolve in the past and will do so again, if required.”


Pakistani politicians see field marshal rank as affirmation of army chief’s influence, not a power shift

Updated 39 min 12 sec ago
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Pakistani politicians see field marshal rank as affirmation of army chief’s influence, not a power shift

  • The government elevated Army Chief Asim Munir to field marshal on Tuesday, making him only the second officer to attain the title in the country
  • The promotion came over a week after Pakistan declared victory in a four-day military conflict with India, killing around 70 people on both sides

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani politicians and analysts have said that the country’s top military commander Asim Munir’s promotion to the field marshal rank, which followed Pakistan’s recent standoff with India, would not further affect the political landscape as he already held “great influence.”

The Pakistani government elevated Army Chief Munir to the rank of field marshal on Tuesday, making him only the second military officer after Ayub Khan to attain the title in the history of the South Asian country.

The promotion came more than a week after Pakistan declared victory in a four-day military conflict with India, which saw the archfoes trade missile, drone and artillery strikes, killing around 70 people on both sides.

The office of the army chief is widely seen as the most powerful position in Pakistan, a country where the military has directly ruled for nearly half its history and wields considerable influence in matters of national significance even during civilian rule.

“It will, God willing, have no [further] impact on political space or Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI),” Sayed Zulfikar Bukhari, a spokesperson of jailed ex-prime minister Imran Khan-led PTI party, told Arab News this week.

“He already held all the influence.”

 Khan’s PTI has been at loggerheads with the military since the downfall of its administration in 2022 and on May 9, 2023, hundreds of people carrying its flags had attacked government and military installations over the ex-premier’s arrest in a graft case. The attacks followed hundreds of arrests and dozens of Khan supporters were even tried in military courts.

The PTI denies it instigated its followers to violence and accuses the military and its political rivals of a nationwide crackdown on its supporters. The Pakistani government and the military deny the accusation.

Bukhari called Munir’s promotion an “internal matter” of the army.

“It’s generally an internal matter for the army as a result of a victory against India,” he said, adding that the entire nation celebrated that victory and ceasefire.

“We hope that with this promotion, an internal ceasefire is also reached.”

For National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, who is also the vice president of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party, the promotion was not only a recognition of an individual’s capability, but also an acknowledgment of the sacrifices and professional competence of the Pakistani armed forces.

“Field Marshal Munir thwarted the enemy’s nefarious designs with great courage and strategy,” he said, adding the decision of his elevation would further boost the morale of the military and promote national unity.

On Thursday, Pakistan’s top political leadership conferred the baton of field marshal on Army Chief Munir at a ceremony in Islamabad. PM Shehbaz Sharif praised him for his “unflinching courage” and the army for responding with speed and precision to Indian military strikes.

The strikes were triggered by an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that New Delhi blamed on Pakistan, an allegation denied by Islamabad.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, a senior leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), maintained the promotion of the army chief was a “merit-based decision” by the government as he fully deserved it.

“This move has no political angle, neither has been done to harm anyone. So, all should appreciate it,” he told Arab News.

Liaqat Baloch, a senior member of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, said it was the government’s prerogative to make such promotions.

“I think now Field Marshal Munir should work for the supremacy of the constitution,” he said, adding it would further elevate his status among people.

Baloch said the move would not have much impact on political parties, including the PTI or any other opposition group.

Political analysts believed the promotion will further strengthen army chief’s commanding position in the power structure of the country.

“Field Marshal Munir now holds a central and commanding position within the power structure, especially in light of the current weakness and disunity among civilian political leaders,” Mushahid Hussain Syed, a seasoned politician and political commentator, told Arab News.

Even before the standoff with India, he said, all major political forces were already convinced of the establishment’s central role in Pakistan’s power dynamics.

“All the mainstream political forces are convinced that the path to Islamabad passes through Rawalpindi [home to army headquarters],” he added.

But Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, president of the Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT), said the top military commander’s promotion would not “further shrink political space for the opposition,” including Khan’s party.

“I do not think this promotion would lead to greater influence in the government affairs than he [Asim Munir] already has,” he added.

Defense analyst and author, Ayesha Siddiqa, called the promotion a “political decision” by the ruling PML-N party to “appease” the most powerful individuals within the country.

“It is a political decision because the basis on which this title is given [the standoff with India] was not even an all-out war,” she told Arab News.

“This is possibly a move by the PML-N to ensure that the army chief stays happy and does not consider too seriously any major [rapprochement] vis-a-vis [the jailed former premier] Khan.”


Pakistan says will present evidence of Indian involvement in Balochistan school bus bombing at UN

Updated 23 May 2025
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Pakistan says will present evidence of Indian involvement in Balochistan school bus bombing at UN

  • India has denied any involvement in the attack that killed six people, including four school children
  • Pakistan’s UN envoy says many countries have expressed concern over India’s suspension of IWT

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will raise the recent militant attack on a school bus in the southwestern Balochistan province at the United Nations (UN) and present evidence of Indian involvement to the international community, said the country’s top diplomat at the UN on Thursday.

At least six people, including four children, were killed on Wednesday when a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device targeted a school bus en route to an army-run school in the Khuzdar district.

Balochistan has witnessed a separatist insurgency for decades, though it has intensified more recently, with groups like the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) carrying out high-casualty attacks on civilians and security forces.

Pakistan says such militant outfits are backed by India, though New Delhi denies the claim. The Indian administration also distanced itself from the Khuzdar school bus bombing, attributing such acts of violence to Pakistan’s “internal failures.”

“This was a heinous terrorist act directed against children, against students, [which is] totally unacceptable and condemnable,” Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, told Arab News in an interview.

“Pakistan is going to share the evidence [of Indian involvement] with the members of the international community, including in the UN,” he continued.

Ahmad said Pakistan had also provided evidence of India’s involvement in “terrorist activities” in the past, adding it was going to do it again.

He maintained New Delhi had been committing “terrorism” in Pakistan both directly and through its proxies.

He informed Pakistan would present a dossier to the UN and its member states to highlight a clear pattern of Indian involvement in militant violence aimed at destabilizing Pakistan, particularly Balochistan.

“The dossier will contain information about who is involved [and] what are the linkages,” he added.

The envoy said Pakistan had, in the past, proposed the listing of Indian nationals involved in orchestrating violent activities in Pakistan.

“Some of the members of the Security Council … did not act responsibly and in fact they block such listings,” he informed, adding it was the collective responsibility of all UN members to assess the situation objectively and not protect India unnecessarily.

Asked about India’s unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), the ambassador said Pakistan had already raised the issue at the Security Council, as the move was highly escalatory and posed an existential threat to the country.

“We discussed this … during the meeting of the Security Council that was held on 5th of May, where a number of members of the Security Council expressed concern because it is clearly viewed by the international community as a violation of international law,” he said.


Pakistan defends nuclear safety after former US national security adviser warns of risks

Updated 23 May 2025
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Pakistan defends nuclear safety after former US national security adviser warns of risks

  • John Bolton tells an Indian media outlet Pakistan’s nuclear weapons could fall into the wrong hands
  • Pakistan says the world should be more concerned about India’s ‘extremists’ controlling nuclear arms

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said on Thursday it was fully confident in the safety and security of its nuclear weapons after former US National Security Adviser John Bolton expressed concern they could fall “into the hands of terrorists or irresponsible commanders” in an interview with an Indian media outlet.

Bolton’s remarks came days after Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh called for Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal to be placed under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency, citing concerns about their safety.

Responding to a media query, foreign office spokesperson Ambassador Shafqat Ali Khan said Pakistan had a robust nuclear command and control system and a comprehensive security regime in place.

“It is ironic that John Bolton’s remarks were prompted by a statement from Rajnath Singh, a leader affiliated with a Hindu extremist organization, known for repeatedly issuing threats of aggression against Pakistan,” he said.

“In reality, the international community should be more concerned about India’s nuclear arsenal being controlled by individuals like Rajnath Singh, who harbor well-documented hostility toward Pakistan and Muslims, and exhibit dangerous delusions of grandeur,” he added.

Khan further warned of broader risks stemming from India’s domestic political trends.

“The escalating radicalization of India’s political landscape, media and segments of its society raises legitimate nuclear security concerns,” he said.

“These concerns are further exacerbated by the persistence of a nuclear black market in India, highlighting serious deficiencies in its nuclear security framework, as evidenced by recurring incidents of theft and illicit trafficking of sensitive nuclear materials.”

The renewed war of words between the two countries follows a sharp military escalation earlier this month.

The two nuclear-armed neighbors agreed to a US-brokered ceasefire on May 10, but diplomatic tensions have remained high, with both sides continuing to trade barbs over militant violence, water sharing and nuclear security.


Pakistan says open to water talks with India but insists Indus treaty remains binding

Updated 22 May 2025
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Pakistan says open to water talks with India but insists Indus treaty remains binding

  • Pakistan’s attorney general says India recently wrote to propose changes to the Indus Waters Treaty
  • He says Islamabad considers the treaty fully operational as Modi threatens to block water flows

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is willing to discuss water-sharing concerns with India, the country’s top legal official said on Thursday, though he maintained the decades-old Indus Waters Treaty remained legally binding on both countries and could not be unilaterally suspended.

Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan shared his country’s perspective with Reuters over the issue in an exclusive interview after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reiterated his threat to block water flows to Pakistan.

India has said it would suspend the treaty as part of a series of measures following a deadly militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22, which New Delhi blamed on Islamabad. Pakistan denies the allegation and says any attempt to disrupt water access would be a breach of international obligations with severe consequences.

“Pakistan is willing to talk about or to address anything, any concerns they [the Indians] may have,” Awan said during the interview.

He said India had written to Pakistan in recent weeks, citing population growth and clean energy needs as reasons to modify the treaty. But he said any discussions would have to take part under the terms of the treaty.

Islamabad maintains the treaty is legally binding and no party can unilaterally suspend it, Awan said.

“As far as Pakistan is concerned, the treaty is very much operational, functional, and anything which India does, it does at its own cost and peril as far as the building of any hydroelectric power projects are concerned,” he added.

Modi on Thursday ramped up pressure during a public event in Rajasthan, a state bordering Pakistan, saying: “Pakistan will not get water from rivers over which India has rights.”

“Pakistan will have to pay a heavy price for every terrorist attack … Pakistan’s army will pay it. Pakistan’s economy will pay it,” he added, referencing the April 22 attack that left 26 people dead.

The 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, brokered by the World Bank, allocates water from six rivers shared by the two countries. It guarantees Pakistan access to waters that irrigate nearly 80 percent of its farmland.

Awan said Pakistan would oppose any attempts to alter the treaty outside of its legal framework.

The nuclear-armed neighbors had earlier engaged in their most intense military confrontation in decades before agreeing to a US-brokered ceasefire on May 10.

India and Pakistan have fought three wars since gaining independence in 1947, two of them over Kashmir, which both claim in full but administer in part. India accuses Pakistan of supporting Kashmiri separatists in the disputed region, a charge Pakistan denies.

Tensions further escalated on Wednesday between the two countries when a suicide bombing targeted a school bus in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, killing six people, including four children.

Pakistan’s government and military accused “Indian terror proxies” of orchestrating the attack, an allegation India rejected.

In the fallout from the April attack, both countries have halted trade, closed borders and suspended most visa processing, deepening diplomatic and economic strains.