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Pakistani PM, Iranian president jointly inaugurate border market, electricity transmission line

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi speak during a Joint Inauguration of the Polan-Gabd Electricity Transmission Line, at Mand-Pishin border crossing point, in Pishin, Pakistan May 18, 2023. (REUTERS)
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Updated 18 May 2023
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Pakistani PM, Iranian president jointly inaugurate border market, electricity transmission line

  • Pakistan and Iran plan to build six border markets to facilitate people on both sides by providing them livelihood opportunities
  • The electricity transmission line will bring an addition 100MW from Iran to meet the energy needs of households and businesses
Updated 18 May 2023
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Iranian President Seyed Ebrahim Raisi jointly inaugurated a border market and an electricity transmission line on Thursday at a border crossing between the two neighboring countries.

Pakistan and Iran share a 959-kilometer frontier that begins at the Koh-i-Malik Salih mountain and ends at Gwadar Bay in the Gulf of Oman. The trade volume between the two countries currently stands at approximately $2 billion, and Iran exports around 100 megawatts (MW) of electricity to the areas of Pakistan that border it.

“The Mand-Pishin border sustenance marketplace will provide a thriving platform for increasing cross-border trade, fostering economic growth, and opening up new avenues of opportunity for local businesses,” said the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) while reporting the development.

“This is one of the six border markets which will be constructed along the Pak-Iran common border,” it added.




Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, greets Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi during a Joint Inauguration of the Polan-Gabd Electricity Transmission Line, at Mand-Pishin border crossing point, in Pishin, Pakistan on May 18, 2023. (REUTERS)

The two leaders planted a sapling as a gesture of friendship and vowed to further strengthen bilateral relationship between their countries.

Pakistan’s foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, energy minister Khurram Dastagir Khan, information minister Marriyum Aurangzeb and senior officials belonging to the two countries were also present at the occasion.

The PM Office said on Wednesday Sharif and Raisi were also going to inaugurate Polan-Gabd Electricity Transmission Line to bring in an additional 100MW from Iran and help meet the energy needs of households and businesses in the border region.

According to Pakistan’s foreign office, the prime minister discussed “all aspects of bilateral relations and explore new areas of cooperation” during his meeting with the Iranian president.

“The border markets are envisaged along the Pakistan-Iran border to facilitate the people on both sides of the border with enhanced cross-border trade, fostering economic growth and opening up of new avenues of opportunity for local businesses,” it said in a statement on Thursday.




Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (left) meets Iranian President Seyed Ebrahim Raisi at a border crossing between the two neighboring countries on May 18, 2023. (Government of Pakistan)

The foreign office informed the electricity transmission line had been developed under an agreement signed between the two countries last year in July.

Earlier this month, Vahid Jalalzadeh, chairman of the Commission of National Security and Foreign Policy of Iran, met Pakistani Commerce Minister Syed Naveed Qamar and discussed the opening of border markets.

Jalalzadeh had said the current trade volume of $2 billion with Pakistan was “insufficient” and called for solid steps to increase it to a multibillion-dollar level.

“Federal Minister for Commerce echoed this sentiment and emphasized the importance of opening new border markets and implementing a barter trade system to facilitate greater commercial exchange,” the commerce ministry said in a statement after the meeting. “These measures, he believed, would contribute to a significant surge in trade volume between Iran and Pakistan.”

Topics: Pakistan Iran Ties Pakistan Iran border

‘We don’t care’: weddings go on in Pakistan’s Kashmir border 

Updated 6 sec ago
AFP
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‘We don’t care’: weddings go on in Pakistan’s Kashmir border 

  • Tensions between India, Pakistan soared after New Delhi accused Islamabad of backing Apr. 22 attack in Kashmir
  • Ordinary Kashmiris living on both sides of divided region are often the first victims caught in the conflict’s crossfire
Updated 6 sec ago
AFP

Neelum Valley, Pakistan: Rabia Bibi, a glittering red dupatta pulled over her eyes, wasn’t about to let the threat of war with India stop her wedding in a remote valley in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

“In our childhood the situation was also like this but we are not afraid. Nor will we be,” the 18-year-old told AFP after being carried in a flower-garlanded “doli” carriage.

“We want peace, so our life does not get affected,” said the bride, radiant in gold bangles, bejeweled bridal headpiece and richly embroidered scarlet robe.

Relatives carry the bride, Rabia Bibi, in a Doli, a traditional hand cart used to carry brides at weddings, as they leave for the groom's house in Ashkot village on the Line of Control (LoC) in Neelum Valley, district of Pakistan's Kashmir, on May 3, 2025, following the ongoing border tensions between India and Pakistan after the Kashmir tourist attack. (Photo by Farooq NAEEM / AFP)

At the ceremony — preceded by the sacrifice of a chicken — groom Chaudhry Junaid, no less resplendent in his elaborate sherwani coat and red-and-gold turban, was also defiant.

“People are anxious and worried, but even so, we haven’t canceled any traditional ceremonies,” the 23-year-old chef said.

The Neelum River and settlements along the Line of Control (LoC) between India (L) and Pakistan are pictured on May 3, 2025, from the Neelum Valley, a district in Pakistan's Kashmir. (AFP)

Tensions between the nuclear-armed arch-rivals have soared since India accused Pakistan of backing a shooting that killed 26 civilians on the Indian side of disputed Kashmir on April 22.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given his military “full operational freedom” to respond to the attack.

The two sides have traded gunfire for more than a week on the heavily militarised border and Pakistan on Saturday conducted a “training launch” of a missile to prove its “operational readiness.”

The Neelum River and settlements along the Line of Control (LoC) between India (L) and Pakistan are pictured on May 3, 2025, from the Neelum Valley, a district in Pakistan's Kashmir. (AFP)

Islamabad last week warned they had “credible intelligence” that India was planning imminent strikes.

International pressure has been piled on both New Delhi and Islamabad to de-escalate.

On the Pakistani side, emergency drills have been carried out in playing fields, residents have been told to stock up on food and medicine, and religious schools have shut.

A motorist rides past deserted tourist hotels and eateries in Keran village on the Line of Control (LoC) in Neelum Valley, a district of Pakistan's Kashmir, on May 3, 2025. (AFP)

In Indian-run Kashmir, a vast manhunt seeking the gunmen continues across the territory, while those living along the frontier are moving further away — or cleaning out bunkers fearing conflict.

India and Pakistan, which both claim Kashmir in full, have fought several wars over the Himalayan territory since the end of British rule in 1947.

Ordinary Kashmiris living on both sides of the divided Muslim-majority region are often the first victims caught in the crossfire.

In a checkpoint-free corner of the picturesque Neelum Valley, a tourist epicenter that was shut down last week, Indian territory is the other side of the river that winds through the mountainous region.

Residents told AFP they had been urged by the Pakistani authorities to remain vigilant because of the threat of a possible military confrontation.

In another village, mechanical engineer Shoaib Akhtar was also getting married.

“This is the happiest occasion of our lives, and we won’t let anything ruin it,” said Akhtar, the 25-year-old groom surrounded by family.

“Right now, I’m getting married and that’s what matters most. If war comes, we’ll deal with it when it happens,” he added.

Relatives carry the bride, Rabia Bibi, in a Doli, a traditional hand cart used to carry brides at weddings, as they leave for the groom's house in Ashkot village on the Line of Control (LoC) in Neelum Valley, district of Pakistan's Kashmir, on May 3, 2025. (AFP)

“We are happy, and if India has some issues, we don’t care,” Bibi said.

“We stand firm and will fight for our interests and our nation.”

Topics: Pakistan India Ties Neelum Valley Kashmir

Pakistan says IT systems, Hajj app ensuring ‘complete automation’ of pilgrimage operations

Updated 04 May 2025
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Pakistan says IT systems, Hajj app ensuring ‘complete automation’ of pilgrimage operations

  • ’Pak Hajj 2025’ app guides pilgrims about training schedules, vaccinations, flight details
  • Launched in November last year, the mobile app is available for Android and iPhone users
Updated 04 May 2025
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s religion ministry said on Sunday that modern information technology (IT) systems and the government’s official Hajj mobile application are facilitating pilgrims and ensuring “complete automation” of the country’s pilgrimage operations. 

Pakistan’s religious affairs ministry launched the “Pak Hajj 2025” mobile application in November to guide and facilitate pilgrims about the 2025 pilgrimage. 

Pakistani pilgrims used the app, which is available for both Android and iPhone, last year as well to secure important updates and information about the Hajj pilgrimage. 

Speaking to state broadcaster Radio Pakistan, Jamil ur Rehman, assistant director of the religion ministry’s IT cell, spoke about key features of the app. 

“He said complete automation has been ensured from application submission to post-Hajj feedback, using modern IT systems and the Pak Hajj App,” the state broadcaster said. 

Rehman said the app provides pilgrims with real-time access to their Hajj application status, group details, training schedules and vaccination appointments. 

Once training is completed, he said, intending pilgrims’ attendance is marked in the app and their flight details appear as soon as seats are allocated.

Rehman said the app’s feedback feature allows pilgrims to regularly share their experiences and suggestions. He also spoke about a real-time complaint management system available in the app. 

“Pilgrims can report any issues, which are immediately assigned to the officer concerned,” Rehman said.

“The app displays the complaint’s status, the responsible officer, and updates until the issue is resolved.”

The religion ministry official hoped baggage mishandling would be significantly reduced through the introduction of QR-coded tags, which are linked to each pilgrim’s profile, including their photograph. 

“This allows quick identification and tracking of luggage,” he said. 

Pilgrims from across the world are converging in Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj, which begins on the 8th of Dhu Al-Hijjah, the final month of the Islamic calendar.

The first groups of Pakistani pilgrims are scheduled to depart for Makkah on May 7 after completing their eight-day stay in Madinah. Departures will follow the sequence of their arrival in the city, according to the religious affairs ministry.

Topics: Hajj 2025

Singles meet-up in Pakistan’s capital offers modern matchmaking with traditional touch

Updated 04 May 2025
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Singles meet-up in Pakistan’s capital offers modern matchmaking with traditional touch

  • The event, organized by the world’s largest Muslim marriage app, brought together nearly 190 people
  • A chaperone was mandatory for participants, reflecting cultural sensitivities and ensuring seriousness
Updated 04 May 2025
Fatimah Amjad

ISLAMABAD: In a country where conservative social norms often discourage casual dating, nearly 190 Pakistanis gathered in Islamabad on Saturday for a rare singles meet-up offering a more open, yet culturally respectful, route to finding a life partner.

Organized by Muzz, the world’s largest Muslim marriage app with over 15 million members, the event launched a series of matchmaking gatherings across Pakistan under the banner “Baat Pakki,” an Urdu phrase used when families agree to a marriage match. Muzz told Arab News it has over 2 million users in Pakistan. 

A chaperone was mandatory for every participant, reflecting cultural sensitivities and ensuring seriousness.

“The goal of the event today was to help people of mixed ages to be able to meet each other,” Shahzad Younas, CEO of Muzz, told Arab News.

“The job of the team here … is to help people mingle and make sure that hopefully by the end of the event, everyone has talked to everyone who’s potentially compatible with them,” he added.

Singles talk to each other at the Muzz “Baat Pakki” event in Islamabad, Pakistan, on May 3, 2025. (AN photo)

Attendees were divided into three age groups — 22 to 30, 30 to 40 and 40-plus — with an adjoining lounge for family members. Icebreaker questions and Muzz staff helped start conversations at each table.

Singles first met within their age group before being introduced to others, aiming for broad interaction during the four-hour gathering.

The event was unique in a country where marriages are traditionally arranged by families or through professional matchmakers known as “Rishta Aunties,” who connect prospective families but rarely allow singles to meet independently before a match is proposed.

“Involving parents makes the process more transparent,” said Nazleen Javed, 65, who attended with her daughter. “Matchmakers are fake. See if you are coming with mother, your lie gets caught. A mother cannot lie, and the blessings of parents are different.”

Mothers talk to each other at the Muzz “Baat Pakki” event in Islamabad, Pakistan, on May 3, 2025. (AN photo)

Others valued the chance to break away from rigid traditions.

“This way is better because you can see, talk and get a feel of the person,” said Noreen Khan, who came with her son. “Children have to spend their lives together. They should have some freedom to meet and speak to each other.”

Maheen, 27, said she had long been uncomfortable with conventional arranged marriage practices.

“I am not fond of the traditional way [of matchmaking] wherein the boy’s family visits your house and you, holding the tray, enter the room and they are looking at you, picking out faults,” she said.

“You [should be able to] talk to each other one-on-one, face-to-face, without the fear of rejection,” she continued. “That’s why I am here.”

A mothers talks to Muzz team at the “Baat Pakki” event in Islamabad, Pakistan, on May 3, 2025. (AN photo)

Fariha Khan, 36, who works in the NGO sector in Peshawar, appreciated the diversity of participants.

“People from different cities and castes met here. That hesitation around differences was reduced today.”

Saad Waheed, 28, a mechanical engineer, admitted feeling uneasy at first after arriving at the event.

“I was a little bit hesitant … because I needed a chaperone and it felt very strange to me,” he said. “But in the long run, it makes sense. It means that everyone that’s here is serious about what they have signed up for.”

Singles and parents are pictured at the at the Muzz “Baat Pakki” event in Islamabad, Pakistan, on May 3, 2025. (AN photo)

Waheed also maintained matrimonial apps often felt impersonal to him.

“Single events like these offer a chance to make friends, which is a more natural way of meeting a partner.”

Nayab Nazir, Muzz’s marketing lead for Pakistan, said participants can later review the profiles of those they met through the app.

“I go back home, and if I have liked, let’s say, five people at the event, I can actually go and look at all those five profiles and connect directly instead of having a third person in between.”

Founded in 2015, Muzz has increasingly adapted its approach for Pakistan’s cultural context.

“We actually found that by inviting the mums it just helped make sure everyone was more serious,” Younas, the company’s CEO, said.

“It helps reduce the taboo of going to a singles event effectively,” he added. “A lot of mums can meet each other. They can see lots of people in one place in just a few hours.”

Topics: Muzz Pakistan Baat Pakki

Pakistan interior minister arrives in Oman to discuss standoff with India 

Updated 30 min 8 sec ago
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Pakistan interior minister arrives in Oman to discuss standoff with India 

  • Mohsin Naqvi will meet Omani officials in Muscat to discuss regional situation during day-long visit 
  • New Delhi has accused Islamabad of backing perpetrators of Apr. 22 attack in Indian-administered Kashmir
Updated 30 min 8 sec ago
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi arrived in Muscat on a day-long visit on Sunday, the interior ministry said, to meet high-level Omani officials and discuss the regional situation amid Islamabad’s spike in tensions with New Delhi. 

In an earlier statement, the interior ministry said Naqvi would depart for a visit to Gulf countries today in light of the regional situation. However, it did not mention which Gulf countries other than Oman he would visit. 

Naqvi’s visit takes place as fears of a military confrontation between India and Pakistan loom large after New Delhi accused Islamabad of backing the perpetrators of an Apr. 22 attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 tourists. Pakistan denies involvement and has called for an international probe into the incident. 

“Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has arrived in Muscat on a one-day official visit to Oman,” the interior ministry said in a statement. 

It said Naqvi was received at the airport by Oman’s Interior Secretary Sayyid Khalid bin Hilal bin Saud Al Busaidi and Pakistan’s Ambassador to Oman Syed Naveed Safdar Bokhari and other dignitaries. 

“We want to enhance cooperation with Oman in combating drug trafficking and human smuggling,” Naqvi was quoted as saying by his ministry. 

The statement said Naqvi will meet senior Omani officials to present Pakistan’s stance on the evolving regional situation following Islamabad’s surging tensions with New Delhi. 

Pakistan has increasingly engaged countries such as the US, China, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, South Korea and other nations in recent days to present its point of view regarding its tensions with India. 

The border forces of both countries have traded fire for 10 consecutive days along the Line of Control frontier in Kashmir, which acts as a de facto border between India and Pakistan, international media reports say. 

Both countries have also traded diplomatic barbs, expelled each other’s nationals and closed a key lander border route.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi this week gave the Indian military “operational freedom” to respond to the Kashmir attack. Pakistan has since then conducted war exercises and vowed that any military action from India would invite a “strong” response. 

Both nuclear-armed nations have fought two out of three wars since 1947 over the disputed Kashmir territory. India and Pakistan claim the entire region but administer only parts of it

Topics: Gulf Pakistan Pakistan India Ties

Lahore chamber of commerce sets up ‘War Fund’ amid Pakistan-India standoff

Updated 04 May 2025
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Lahore chamber of commerce sets up ‘War Fund’ amid Pakistan-India standoff

  • Fund initially set up with Rs10 million [$35,683] with a target of Rs1 billion [$3,571,429], says state media 
  • Fears of a military confrontation between India and Pakistan loom large since Apr. 22 attack in Kashmir 
Updated 04 May 2025
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has established a War Fund to express solidarity with Pakistan’s armed forces, state-run media reported on Sunday, as Islamabad’s tensions with New Delhi continue to surge. 

The LCCI is one of the most prominent Pakistani chambers of commerce in the country. It represents the interests of the business community, both locally and nationally, with responsibilities including advocacy, trade policy representation and economic regulation.

The LCCI made the announcement as Pakistan’s tensions with India continue to surge following the Apr. 22 attack at a popular tourist resort in Indian-administered Kashmir, which killed 26 tourists. New Delhi blames Islamabad for backing perpetrators of the attack, an allegation Pakistan vehemently denies. 

“Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has announced to establish a “War Fund” to express national solidarity with armed forces during wartime conditions,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported. 

LCCI President Mian Abuzar Shad was quoted by Radio Pakistan as saying that the fund has been initially established with Rs10 million [$35,683], adding that they intended to collect Rs1 billion [$3,571,429] which would be achieved “very soon.”

Fears of a military confrontation between the nuclear-armed nations, who both rule the disputed Kashmir territory in part but claim it in entirety, have surged after Apr. 22. 

Both nations’ forces have traded fire over the Line of Control frontier in Kashmir while diplomats have exchanged barbs and both countries have expelled citizens and ordered their land border shut.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given the Indian military the “operational freedom” to respond to the Apr. 22 attack. Pakistan has since then conducted war exercises and vowed that military action from India would result in a “strong” response. 

Several countries such as the US, China, UK, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and other Middle Eastern nations have called on both India and Pakistan to exercise restraint and avoid an armed confrontation. 

Topics: Pakistan Lahore Chambers oof Commerce War Fund

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