ISLAMABAD: Azerbaijan Minister of the Economy Mikayil Jabbarov will visit Pakistan next week to finalize key investment agreements between the two countries, the Pakistan prime minister’s office said on Sunday.
The statement came after Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif’s telephonic conversation with Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of Eid Al-Fitr, in which he conveyed his greetings and warm wishes to the brotherly people of Azerbaijan.
The two leaders reaffirmed their resolve to further strengthen the deep-rooted fraternal ties between the two countries and build upon the Sharif’s visit to Baku last month, according to the Pakistan premier’s office.
“The two leaders agreed that the Minister of Economy of Azerbaijan would visit Islamabad in the first week of April to hold discussions with the Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister and also pay a courtesy call on the Prime Minister,” Sharif’s office said.
“This visit would ensure finalization of the key investment agreements between both sides thus setting the stage for President Ilham Aliyev’s expected visit to Islamabad in the month of April.”
During his visit to Baku in Feb., Sharif had announced the two nations would sign deals in April to boost bilateral investments to $2 billion. Multiple agreements for cooperation in the trade, energy, tourism, education and other sectors were also signed during the visit.
The developments come as cash-strapped Pakistan navigates a tricky path to economic recovery under a $7 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) program. The South Asian country has been making efforts to generate revenue through increased trade and investment deals with friendly nations and regional and international allies, focusing on export-led growth.
In September last year, Azerbaijan bought JF-17 Block III fighter jets from Pakistan, reportedly in a $1.6bn deal.
During President Aliyev’s visit to Pakistan last year, a joint committee was set up to materialize projects in trade, commerce, information technology, tourism, telecommunication, mineral resources and other sectors. Sharif said at the time the current trade volume of $100 million did not reflect the “true” trade potential between the two countries.

ISLAMABAD: The chief minister of Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on Sunday promised an investigation into the alleged deaths of civilians in a drone attack that took place this week, killing 11 people as per reports. 

The KP administration on Saturday confirmed an “anti-terror operation” had been conducted on Friday after an international wire agency reported that drone strikes killed at least 11 people, including women and children. 

The strikes targeted what officials described as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) hideouts in the Katling area of Mardan district. The action had been taken following a TTP attack on Friday that killed seven soldiers during an army operation elsewhere in the province.

KP government spokesperson Muhammad Ali Saif told Arab News on Saturday that as per information received later, “unarmed people” including women and children had been killed in the attack. The army has not yet commented on the development. 

“The sad incident of the martyrdom of civilians during this operation will be investigated from all aspects so that the facts come out,” KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur was quoted as saying by his office. 

Gandapur, whose Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is the main opposition party in the country that is in power in KP, noted that high-profile “terrorists” had been killed in the same area during previous operations against militants. He said as per official information, 12 “terrorists” had been killed in the area.

“After the inquiry report surfaces, the provincial government will give its clear stance regarding the incident,” he added.

Omar Ayub Khan, the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, demanded an impartial inquiry into the incident. 

“The inquiry result must be made public immediately and not swept under the carpet as has been done in the past,” Khan wrote on social media platform X. 

Local residents placed the bodies of the victims on the road in protest after the attack, a senior police officer told AFP on Saturday. He said the dead were being described by locals as “innocent civilians.”

Shortly after reports of the casualties emerged, the TTP released a statement announcing a three-day ceasefire on the occasion of Eid Al-Fitr.

It added that TTP fighters would refrain from operations on the last day of Ramadan, Eid day, and the day after Eid, but reserved the right to respond in self-defense if attacked.

The TTP, which announced a “spring offensive” earlier this month, has claimed responsibility for around 100 attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in recent weeks.

Pakistan has seen a surge in militant attacks in KP since November 2022, when its fragile truce with the TTP broke down. 

According to an AFP tally, over 190 people — mostly security personnel — have been killed in militant violence in KP and Balochistan since the start of the year.

Last year was the deadliest in nearly a decade, with more than 1,600 fatalities nationwide, nearly half of them security forces, according to the Center for Research and Security Studies.

Islamabad blames the surge in attacks on militants using Afghan territory as a base, particularly the TTP, which Pakistan says enjoys sanctuaries across the border.

The Afghan Taliban-led government in Kabul denies this, and accuses Pakistan in return of harboring Daesh militants.

-With input from AFP