ISLAMABAD: US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Alice G. Wells will arrive in Islamabad today on a four-day state visit, according to a media note issued by the US Department of State.
The American diplomat has been in the region since January 13 and has already been to Sri Lanka and India before traveling to Pakistan.
Wells’s visit to Islamabad comes immediately after Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi concluded his trip to the US where he interacted with senior United Nations and American officials in New York and Washington.
While Qureshi traveled to the US as part of his country’s Middle East diplomacy, he informed a news conference in Washington that the Pakistani administration was eager to receive American support on issues of strategic significance.
According to media reports, Pakistan asked the US to help get it off the Financial Action Task Force’s grey list. It also urged the American authorities to revisit their travel advisory to Pakistan since that could help the South Asian nation enhance tourism and earn significant revenue.
During her stay in Pakistan, Wells is expected to meet with senior civilian and military leadership of the country. Her meetings with Pakistani government functionaries are likely to focus on US-Pakistan bilateral relations, conflict in Afghanistan, situation in Indian-administered Kashmir, and the overall security situation of the region.
US diplomat Alice Wells to arrive in Pakistan today
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US diplomat Alice Wells to arrive in Pakistan today
- The American deputy secretary of state for South and Central Asia has already visited Sri Lanka and India
- Pakistan wants to enlist the support of the administration in Washington over strategic issues
‘Ghar Se Ghar Tak’: Pakistan Hajj pilgrims to be facilitated through designated administrators
- Pilgrims around the world travel to “Mashair,” sacred sites in Makkah, from 8 to 13 Dhul Hijjah to perform religious rituals
- “Nazims” will travel with Pakistani pilgrims from Mina to Arafat, Muzdalifah to Jamarah and back to Makkah, says state media
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s government has introduced an ambitious plan for the first time through which a designated “nazim” or administrator will assist a group of 188 Pakistani Hajj pilgrims during the peak days of the pilgrimage as they travel from Mina to Muzdalifah and back to Makkah, state-run media reported on Monday.
“Mashair days” is a term used to refer to the dates from 8 to 13 Dhul Hijjah, the last month of the Islamic lunar calendar. These are the peak Hajj days when pilgrims from all parts of the world move between Mina, Arafat, Muzdalifah, and then return to Mina, performing religious rituals at sacred sites in Makkah.
Pakistan’s Coordinator Facilitation Makkah Sajjad Haider Yaldram said that as per the government’s ‘Ghar Se Ghar Tak’ (Home to Home) plan, each nazim or Hajj administrator will assist a group of 188 Pakistani Hajj pilgrims throughout the Mashair days this year.
“The nazim will accompany the group from Mina to Arafat, Muzdalifah to Jamarah and back to Makkah,” Yaldram was quoted as saying by the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan.
Each nazim will be assisted by two assistants, along with three personnel from the Saudi Tawafa company Al-Rajhi during these days.
He said the Punjab Information Technology Board has also developed an online mobile application, “Pak Moavin,” which enables real-time monitoring of all Hajj support staff personnel from their place of deployment.
Speaking about the “Pak Hajj 2025” app, he said it provides essential information, including the personal details of pilgrims, group information, building locations and other services.
“We have received great feedback from pilgrims about the app,” Yaldram said. “It’s a source of satisfaction and motivation for us. All the information is centralized, notifications are integrated, and maps help locate missing pilgrims.”
This year, Hajj rituals will commence on June 4, with the Day of Arafah on June 5, and Eid Al-Adha to be observed on June 6 in Saudi Arabia.
Pakistan inflation inches up 3.5% year-on-year in May 2025
- Inflation has cooled significantly, easing from 37.97% in May 2023
- Federal budget for fiscal year 2025-26 will be released on June 10
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s annual inflation rate rose to 3.5% in May, higher than the April 2025 reading of 0.3%, data from the statistics bureau showed on Monday.
On a month-on-month basis, inflation decreased by 0.2% in May 2025, as compared to a decrease of 0.8% in the previous month and a decrease of 3.2% in May 2024. The CPI inflation average during 11MFY25 stood at 4.61 percent, compared to 24.52% in 11MFY24.
Inflation has cooled significantly, easing from 37.97% in May 2023.
The CPI reading is higher than the government’s expectations. In its monthly economic report released last week, the finance ministry expected inflation to ease to between 1.5% and 2% year-on-year in May, before picking up to 3%-4% in June.
“Improved weather conditions, better crop yields and a stable exchange rate have helped reduce inflation to a historical low,” the finance ministry report had said, adding that “inflation is projected to remain between 1.5-2.0% in May, with a possible rise to 3.0-4.0 percent by June 2025.”
The latest CPI reading was also higher than projections made by several brokerage houses.
JS Global projected Pakistan’s headline inflation to inch up to 2.7% in May.
“Pakistan’s CPI is expected to clock in at 2.7 percent for May. The base effect is now fading, signaling a return to normalized price trends. This is likely to take 11MFY25 average inflation to 4.7%, down from 11MFY24 average of 24.9%,” JS Global had said in a report.
Last month, the State Bank of Pakistan cut the key interest rate by 100 basis points (bps) to 11%, the lowest policy rate since March 2022 (9.75%). The central bank has cut the rate by 1,100 bps since June from an all-time high of 22%.
CASA-1000 power line project with Pakistan to be completed next year — Tajikistan minister
- $1.2 billion project aimed to allow export of Central Asian electricity to Afghanistan, Pakistan by 2020
- Project was launched in 2016 but has been stalled for years by turmoil and violence in Afghanistan
ISLAMABAD: Tajikistan’s Deputy Minister for Energy Jamshed Shoimzoda has said a $1.2 billion Western-backed project to build a power line between Central Asia and South Asia would be completed by December next year, state news agency APP reported on Monday.
The CASA-1000 project, launched in 2016, aims to allow Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, former Soviet republics with an extensive network of hydroelectric power plants, to sell excess energy to Pakistan and Afghanistan in the summer months. The project, initially meant to allow the export of electricity to Afghanistan and Pakistan by 2020, has been stalled for years by turmoil in Afghanistan.
Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan generate most of their energy from hydropower plants built on the rivers that flow into Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan limit water release during summer due to lower power demand, angering their neighbors who need water for irrigation. The five countries have failed to reach an agreement after decades of negotiations.
The new power line could smooth flows as power demand in Pakistan peaks during the summer months.
“Major energy project, CASA-1000 between Pakistan and Tajikistan, will be completed by December 2026, which will start providing 1000 MW of electricity to Pakistan,” Shoimzoda said in an interview to APP.
“This grand project will take time to be operational by January 2027, after which bilateral cooperation in the energy sector between the two countries will be further promoted and there will be a new beginning of clean and green energy projects in both countries.”
Tajikistan aims to completely switch to green energy and zero emission by 2027.
“The transmission capacity of the CASA-1000 energy project will be 1,300 megawatts, which will be an energy link between Tajikistan, Pakistan, and Afghanistan to provide clean energy not only to regional countries but also fill the need of Pakistan’s industrial sector,” Shoimzoda said.
“Massive infrastructural projects will be beneficial for all of its stakeholders by fulfilling energy needs and strengthening regional connectivity.”
Shoimzoda said Tajikistan has the capacity to export 10 billion kilowatt of energy annually, which would benefit all countries in the region, including Pakistan. Tajikistan also currently has the capacity to generate 500 billion KW of electricity, the highest among regional countries in hydel power.
The minister said Tajikistan was already providing electricity to other regional countries, including Afghanistan, and in the future would create a regional energy hub, to “usher in a new era of sustainable energy production and economic prosperity in the region.”
The United States was initially involved in financing the 1,200-km-long line as part of its New Silk Road initiative to integrate Afghanistan with Central Asia. Other project sponsors have included the World Bank, Islamic Development Bank, the UK Department for International Development, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
Pakistan reports first-ever polio case in northern Gilgit-Baltistan, bringing 2025 tally to 11
- Pakistan concluded a nationwide polio vaccination campaign on June 1
- Pakistan, Afghanistan are only countries where polio remains endemic
KARACHI: Pakistan has detected the first-ever polio virus case in the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region, bringing this year’s tally to 11 cases, the polio eradication program said on Monday.
Polio is a paralyzing disease that has no cure. Multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine and completion of the routine vaccination schedule for all children under the age of 5 are essential to provide children high immunity against the disease.
Pakistan and Afghanistan are the last two countries in the world where polio remains endemic. The country reported 74 polio cases in 2024.
“The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health has confirmed a new case of wild poliovirus in District Diamer, Gilgit-Baltistan,” the polio eradication program said in a statement.
“This is the first case of wild poliovirus reported from Gilgit-Baltistan and the eleventh confirmed case in Pakistan this year.”
Pakistan concluded a nationwide polio vaccination campaign on June 1. The drive had aimed to inoculate 45 million children under the age of five across 159 districts of the country.
In the early 1990s, Pakistan reported around 20,000 polio cases annually. By 2018, that number had dropped to just eight. In 2021, only one case was reported, and six cases were recorded in 2023.
Pakistan’s polio eradication program began in 1994, but efforts have been repeatedly undermined by misinformation and resistance from some religious hard-liners. These groups claim that immunization is a foreign plot to sterilize Muslim children or a cover for Western espionage.
Militant groups have also frequently attacked polio vaccination teams and the security personnel assigned to protect them.
Last week, a Pakistani police officer was killed when gunmen opened fire on a team of health workers conducting a door-to-door polio vaccination campaign in the southwestern Balochistan province.
New virtual assets regulator tops agenda as Pakistan crypto council meets today
- Pakistan set up Pakistan Crypto Council to formulate legal framework for cryptocurrency trading and lure international investment
- Government also planning to launch Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority to oversee blockchain-based financial infrastructure
KARACHI: Pakistan plans to establish a regulatory body to oversee digital assets, with the proposal set to be at the top of the agenda of a meeting today, Monday, of the Pakistan Crypto Council (PCC), the finance ministry said.
Pakistan set up the PCC in March to create a legal framework for cryptocurrency trading in a bid to lure international investment. In April, Pakistan introduced its first-ever policy framework, created by a special government group under the Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Counter Terrorism Financing (CTF) authority, to set rules for how digital money like cryptocurrencies and the companies that deal in it should operate in Pakistan. The policy has been formulated to align with compliance and financial integrity guidelines of the global Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
Last month, the government also approved setting up the Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA), a specialized regulatory body to oversee blockchain-based financial infrastructure.
“The Pakistan Crypto Council will convene a high-level meeting on Monday, 2nd June 2025, to be chaired by Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb, Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue,” the ministry said in a statement.
Aurangzeb is also the chairperson of the PCC.
“Key items on the agenda include the development of a robust regulatory framework to govern digital and virtual assets in Pakistan, in alignment with global standards and technological advancements,” the statement added.
“A focal point of discussion will be the groundwork for the establishment of the Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA) — a proposed autonomous body to oversee the digital finance and crypto ecosystem in the country.”
Earlier this month, Pakistan announced the allocation of 2,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity in the first phase of a national initiative to power bitcoin mining and artificial intelligence data centers. The allocation is the first phase of a broader, multi-stage digital infrastructure roll-out.
Last week, Bilal Bin Saqib, the CEO of the Pakistan Crypto Council, unveiled the country’s first government-led strategic bitcoin reserve at the Bitcoin 2025 conference in Las Vegas.
The central bank said last week it had not declared virtual assets illegal but had in 2018 advised regulated entities to avoid dealing in virtual assets “due to the absence of any legal and regulatory framework.”
“This was done to protect its regulated entities and their customers from the risks emanating due to the absence of legal and regulatory framework for VAs in the country,” the central bank said in a statement.
“The SBP and Finance Division are currently engaged with the Pakistan Crypto Council established by the Federal Government for, among others, developing an appropriate legal and regulatory framework for VAs in Pakistan. We understand that the legal and regulatory framework would provide the requisite clarity and legal coverage about the VAs ensuring consumer and investor protection.”
