Pakistan vows political, diplomatic support for Kashmiris on Kashmir Martyrs’ Day

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday offered facilitation to Japanese banks and investors, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif telling the Director General of Mining and Metal Finance at the Japan Bank for International Cooperation that his government would extend “all possible support” to boost investment in key sectors.

The offer comes as Pakistan steps up economic diplomacy to expand trade ties and attract foreign capital after emerging from a prolonged financial crisis that nearly pushed it into default in mid-2023.

Islamabad has since set up the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), a civil-military body designed to cut red tape and provide a one-window operation for businesses.

“Pakistan and Japan have a long history of cooperation in industry and trade, and both countries are determined to renew their economic partnership,” the prime minister said during a meeting with the visiting Japanese official, Taro Kato, according to a statement from his office.

“Pakistan will provide every possible facilitation to Japanese investors and banks investing in the country,” he continued. “In agriculture, IT, textiles and other sectors, Pakistan can benefit considerably from Japanese innovation and professional expertise.”

Sharif added that global financial institutions and international investors were showing strong interest in Pakistan’s major economic and development projects, pointing to the country’s cost-effective labor market and his government’s commitment to making Pakistan a safe destination for investment.

Kato thanked the Pakistani government for its hospitality and conveyed Japanese investors’ growing interest in economic projects in Pakistan, expressing hope to further expand cooperation.

Pakistan and Japan established diplomatic and economic relations in 1952.

Since then, Japan has been a major development partner, financing infrastructure such as roads, power plants and water systems, while extending technical assistance and yen loans.

Earlier this month, in a meeting in Tokyo, the two sides agreed to deepen industrial cooperation, particularly in the automotive and IT sectors, with Japan emphasizing the need for regulatory clarity and incentives to encourage new investments.

TEHRAN: Iranian forces have killed 13 militants in a raid in the restive southeast, state media reported Wednesday, adding they were members of a group suspected of a recent deadly attack on police.

“So far, 13 terrorists have been killed and a number of others arrested” in Sistan-Baluchistan province, the Revolutionary Guards said in a statement carried by state television.

It said operations were carried out in the cities of Iranshahr, Khash and Saravan.

The broadcaster said that some of those killed were suspected of being behind an ambush reported on Friday that killed five policemen in Iranshahr.

Sistan-Baluchistan, which borders Pakistan and Afghanistan, has long been a flashpoint for clashes between security forces and armed groups, including drug traffickers and separatists.

Home to a large Sunni Muslim Baluch community, the province is one of the poorest regions of Shiite-majority Iran.

Militant group Jaish Al-Adl (Army of Justice) claimed responsibility for last week’s ambush in a post on the Telegram messaging app.

Iran regularly reports deadly attacks in the province targeting police or Revolutionary Guards, the ideological arm of Iran’s military.

Authorities blame militant groups, including Jaish Al-Adl, for such attacks.

On Saturday, Iranian forces killed six militants in another raid in the province, saying they were members of a group linked to arch enemy Israel.