ISLAMABAD: As Pakistan intensifies its campaign to expel thousands of Afghan migrants, opinions in Islamabad remain divided, according to interviews with residents.
Earlier this year, Pakistan’s interior ministry asked all “illegal foreigners” and holders of Afghan Citizen Cards — a document launched in 2017 to grant temporary legal status to Afghan refugees — to leave the country before Mar. 31, warning that they would otherwise be deported from April 1. The move is part of a larger repatriation drive of foreign citizens that began in November 2023, with over 900,000 Afghans expelled from Pakistan since.
While 19-year-old student Rubab Iffat called the deportations “not right,” others like teacher Pervaiz Akhtar supported the government’s decision, saying Afghans were against Pakistan and were behind terror attacks in the country. The government in Kabul denies Afghanistan is to blame for Pakistan’s security problems.
“Even on social media, they [Afghans] are against Pakistan ... They make their living here, but they are against us,” Akhtar said.
“If you look overall, even locally, if you ask someone what Afghans say about us, they are against our country. Terrorism is also being carried out from there [Afghanistan] so it is justified that they leave. And they should go by all means, their country is Afghanistan.”
But Iffat said the government was not “doing the right thing” by expelling Afghans:
“Because they have been living here [Pakistan] for a long time and their home is here now, their children are studying here, so this is their country too. They should be given the same rights as us.”
Meanwhile, Afghanistan-bound trucks have been piling up outside Pakistan migrant camps as pressure to leave mounts.
In a migrant camp in the southwestern border town of Chaman, Afghan migrant Ismail prepared to return to his home country, leaving behind an “unfinished” life after a decade in Pakistan.
“I had a stable job, I had found stability,” he said, standing in front of rows of loaded trucks bound for Afghanistan. “Then the government told us we had to leave.”
Ghulam Hazrat said he had to leave behind his house and business and in the days leading up to leaving Karachi where he has lived for years, he had faced harassment from police.
“We were harassed every day. They didn’t even spare us on the streets and threw us straight into jail,” Hazrat added.
“Because of all this, we became very desperate and decided to leave Karachi [for Afghanistan].”
Pakistanis divided as Afghan migrants face expulsion under new policy
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Pakistanis divided as Afghan migrants face expulsion under new policy
- Pakistan has asked all “illegal foreigners” and Afghan Citizen Card holders to leave or face deportation from April 1
- Move is part of larger deportation drive that began in November 2023 and has seen over 900,000 Afghans expelled
Pakistan, UK agree to increase cooperation at multilateral fora
- Pakistan foreign minister speaks to British Foreign Secretary David Lammy over the phone
- Both agree to meet on sidelines of high-level UN events later this month, says state media
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and his British counterpart David Lammy on Sunday agreed to enhance cooperation in multilateral fora, particularly the UN Security Council, state-run media reported.
Pakistan and the UK enjoy cordial relations. These ties have translated into the two nations harboring cooperation in military, economic, and educational sectors, with the latter hosting a large Pakistani diaspora.
The conversation between the two diplomats follows Lammy’s first official visit to Pakistan last month, where he met the country’s top officials following Pakistan’s dangerous military standoff with nuclear-armed rival India.
“They exchanged views on further enhancing bilateral cooperation in multilateral fora, particularly at the UN Security Council,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported.
The state media said both leaders agreed to maintain contact. They also agreed to meet on the sidelines of the high-level events scheduled to be held later this month at the United Nations, New York, the state broadcaster said.
The UK is one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council along with China, US, Russia and France.
The Security Council seeks to maintain international peace and security in accordance with the principles of the UN and investigates any dispute or situation which might lead to international friction.
The UK was one of several countries actively engaged in restoring calm between India and Pakistan after the two neighbors were engaged in conflict for four days last month.
India blamed Pakistan for being involved in an April 22 attack on a tourist resort in the part of Kashmir administered by Delhi. Islamabad denied involvement and called for an international probe into the incident.
After India struck multiple Pakistani sites on May 6 with missiles, describing them as “terrorist camps,” the two sides traded missiles, artillery and drone strikes for four days before Washington brokered a ceasefire between the two on May 10.
Tensions between both nations continue to persist, with Pakistan warning it would respond to any further violations of its sovereignty by India.
Afghanistan welcomes upgraded diplomatic ties with Pakistan
- Move signals easing tensions between neighbors amid surging militancy in Pakistan
- Kabul’s FM Amir Khan Muttaqi to visit Pakistan “in coming days,” confirms Afghan official
KABUL: Afghanistan has welcomed the decision to upgrade diplomatic relations with Pakistan, where the Taliban government’s foreign minister is due to travel in the coming days, his office said on Saturday.
The move signals easing tensions between the neighboring countries, as relations between the Taliban authorities and Pakistan — already rocky — have cooled in recent months, fueled by security concerns and a campaign by Islamabad to expel tens of thousands of Afghans.
Pakistan’s top diplomat on Friday said the charge d’affaires stationed in Kabul would be elevated to the rank of ambassador, with Kabul later announcing its representative in Islamabad would also be upgraded.
“This elevation in diplomatic representation between Afghanistan & Pakistan paves the way for enhanced bilateral cooperation in multiple domains,” the Aghan foreign ministry said on X.
Kabul’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi is due to visit Pakistan “in the coming days,” ministry spokesman Zia Ahmad Takal told AFP.
Muttaqi met with Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar in May in Beijing as part of a trilateral meeting with their Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.
Wang afterwards announced Kabul and Islamabad’s intention to exchange ambassadors and expressed Beijing’s willingness “to continue to assist with improving Afghanistan-Pakistan ties.”
Dar hailed the “positive trajectory” of Pakistan-Afghanistan relations on Friday, saying the upgrading of their representatives would “promote further exchanges between two fraternal countries.”
Only a handful of countries — including China — have agreed to host Taliban government ambassadors since their return to power in 2021, with no country yet formally recognizing the administration.
Russia last month said it would also accredit a Taliban government ambassador, days after removing the group’s “terrorist” designation.
Pakistani delegation to meet UN, OIC leaders from June 2-3 following India standoff
- Ex-foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to lead Pakistani delegation in meetings with UN leaders, OIC envoys in New York
- Delegation to meet UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, UN General Assembly president and Security Council members
ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani delegation led by former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is scheduled to meet leaders representing the United Nations and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in New York from June 2-3, state-run media reported on Sunday, in Islamabad’s latest diplomatic push following its conflict with India last month.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced in May that a Pakistani delegation would present Islamabad’s position and advocate for the country in world capitals following its recent military conflict with India.
Tensions between nuclear-armed neighbors Pakistan and India are high after they agreed to a ceasefire on May 10 following the most intense military confrontation in decades. Both countries accuse the other of supporting militancy on each other’s soil — a charge both capitals deny.
The nine-member parliamentary delegation led by Bhutto Zardari will present Pakistan’s perspective on the recent military clash with India and “counter New Delhi’s disinformation campaign about the conflict,” the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) said.
“During their stay in New York, the delegation members will have several meetings, including with the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, President of the UN General Assembly, as well as the Ambassadors of Permanent & non-permanent members of the UN Security Council,” APP said.
“Besides these meetings, the delegation will also brief OIC members at the United Nations.”
The latest military escalation, in which the two countries traded missiles, drone attacks and artillery fire, was sparked after India accused Pakistan of supporting militants who attacked dozens of tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22, killing 26. Islamabad denies involvement.
Tensions persist between India and Pakistan as after the April tourist attack, Delhi “put in abeyance” its participation in the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960. The treaty governs the usage of the Indus river system. The accord has not been revived despite the rivals agreeing on a ceasefire last week following the conflict.
Islamabad said after India suspended the treaty that it considered “any attempt to stop or divert the flow of water belonging to Pakistan” to be an ‘act of war.’
About 80 percent of Pakistani farms depend on the Indus system, as do nearly all hydropower projects serving the country of some 250 million.
In a media interaction last month, Bhutto Zardari said his team had received a briefing from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the recent standoff with India and ceasefire brokered by the US, as well as on contention issues like the Kashmir dispute, terrorism, and India’s unilateral move to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty.
Pakistan hikes petrol price by Rs1 per liter till next fortnight
- Pakistan says increased price of petrol as per recommendations of regulatory authority, relevant ministries
- Prices of petroleum products are reviewed and adjusted on a fortnightly basis to reflect import costs
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s government has decided to increase the price of petrol by Rs1 per liter till the next fortnight as per the recommendations of the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) and relevant ministries, the Finance Division announced recently.
Petrol is primarily used in Pakistan for private transportation, including small vehicles, rickshaws and two-wheelers. Diesel, on the other hand, powers heavy vehicles used for transporting goods across the country.
“The government has decided the following prices of petroleum products for the fortnight starting tomorrow, based on the recommendations of OGRA and the relevant ministries,” the Finance Division said in a statement on Saturday.
After the latest revision in prices, a liter of petrol will cost Rs253.63 while the government has kept the rate of diesel unchanged at Rs254.64 per liter.
Fuel prices in Pakistan are reviewed and adjusted on a fortnightly basis. This mechanism ensures that changes in import costs are reflected in consumer prices, helping to sustain the country’s fuel supply chain.
The Finance Division kept the price of petrol unchanged and slashed the rate of high-speed diesel by Rs2 per liter during its last review on May 16.
The new price of petrol has already taken effect.
Heavy taxes, inconsistent policies forcing multinationals to leave Pakistan, trade representative says
- PM Sharif’s government has been charging businesses as much as 10% super tax, 18% sales tax and 29% corporate tax this fiscal year
- OICCI expects the government to announce in the upcoming budget major cuts in taxes on corporate incomes to align with regional markets
KARACHI: Many multinational corporations (MNCs) have “packed up” and left Pakistan in recent years because of the country’s “inconsistent policies and a complicated tax regime,” Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce & Industry (OICCI) CEO Abdul Aleem said this week.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government has imposed as much as 29 percent taxes on corporate incomes to increase the cash-strapped country’s revenues with the help of International Monetary Fund (IMF) that wanted Islamabad to tax incomes from agriculture, real estate and retail sectors in the fiscal year 2025-26 budget that Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb is expected to present on June 10.
“Basically the issue with our members and which generally the foreign investors are facing is that the consistency of policy is not there,” Aleem told Arab News in an interview on Friday.
Pakistan’s existing tax regime is “very complicated” and leads to a lot of litigations while abrupt changes in the government’s corporate policies have seen global giants like Shell plc., TotalEnergies SE and some pharmaceutical firms divest their shares in the country, the world’s fifth most populous nation and thus a big consumer market.
The OICCI is the biggest taxpayer in Pakistan that has been paying Rs15 billion ($53.2 million) daily in taxes, which is about one-third of the total taxes the nation collects in a year, according to its CEO. Its members include Pepsi-Cola International (Private) Limited, Pakistan Kuwait Investment Company, Citibank N.A., Toyota’s Pakistan unit Indus Motor Company Ltd. and Maersk Pakistan (Pvt.) Ltd.
“Many of the companies packed up a few years back,” Aleem said.
TotalEnergies SE sold 50 percent of its shareholding in Total PARCO Pakistan Ltd. to Gunvor Group last year, while Shell plc sold a majority stake in its Pakistan business to Wafi Energy LLC of Saudi Arabia in November 2023.
Higher taxes on the incomes of corporate and salaried persons is another area of concern for foreign investors who directly or indirectly employ around one million Pakistanis.
Sharif’s government has been charging businesses as much as 10 percent as super tax, 18 percent sales tax, and 29 percent as corporate tax this fiscal year, which ends on June 30.
“In comparison to the region, it is higher,” Aleem said about the corporate tax, which he said should be slashed to 25 percent through a one percent annual reduction. The 18 percent sales tax too should be reduced on the same pattern to 15 percent that will align the levy to what is being paid in the region, according to the OICCI CEO.
The 10 percent super tax should be abolished in the next three years so that the MNCs operating in Pakistan could be more competitive. The government should provide relief to the heavily-taxed salaried persons in FY26 budget to stop the so-called brain drain from the country.
Record number of skilled individuals and professionals deserted Pakistan for other countries and inflicted a huge loss on the South Asian nation in the form of human capital and resources, Bloomberg News reported in October.
The Pakistani government, which is charging salaried persons as much as 35 percent tax on incomes, has said it wants to provide some relief to them in the new budget, which will take effect from July.
“The salary taxes in Pakistan are very high. It should be reduced immediately because it is having an impact,” the OICCI chief said.
“It is very necessary that we get good quality people to remain in the country and work for the industry as well. And there should be an element of fairness in taxation.”
In recent years, PM Sharif’s government has been trying to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) into the country and has established a Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), a civil-military forum, to rid foreigners of bureaucratic hurdles. However, the investment inflows have been dismal and could not increase beyond $3 billion a year.
“The government has to facilitate the existing foreign investors by not only streamlining the tax rates but also streamlining the systems, tax system, compliance system so that more and more foreign investment is attracted,” Aleem said.
The OICCI, he said, was the largest foreign investor in Pakistan and had brought about $20 billion fresh FDI besides reinvesting more than $23 billion in Pakistan over the last one decade.
“We are the largest taxpayers and I think there is need to rationalize the tax regime,” Aleem said, adding that the government could increase Pakistan’s 10.6 percent tax-to-GDP ratio to 14 percent by taxing services, agriculture and trades.
The OICCI chief said the government should decrease its expenses by “offloading” loss-making, state-owned enterprises, including the Pakistan International Airlines, as well as plug leakages in its revenue from tobacco industry.
The two MNCs, Pakistan Tobacco Company Ltd. of British American Tobacco Group and Phillip Morris International, were paying 99 percent taxes while their market share stays at 53 percent.
“That tells you that the other 47 percent or half of the industry is not paying its tax which is Rs300 billion,” he said. “There is need for more robust action from the authorities.”
Arab News contacted Qamar Sarwar Abbasi, spokesperson for the finance ministry, regarding the concerns raised by the OICCI official, but he did not offer any comment.
