US says committed to promoting climate-smart agriculture, private sector-led growth in Pakistan

In this picture taken on September 1, 2022 a boy picks cotton in a field at Sammu Khan Bhanbro village in Sukkur, Pakistan's Sindh province. (AFP/File_
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Updated 22 November 2022
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US says committed to promoting climate-smart agriculture, private sector-led growth in Pakistan

  • Envoy Blome on visit to Karachi on November 17 and 18 to strengthen economic, health ties
  • Says committed to boosting bilateral trade, investment through US-Pakistan Green Alliance framework

KARACHI: United States Ambassador to Pakistan Donald Blome has vowed to boost bilateral trade and investment between Pakistan and Washington through a new ‘green alliance’ framework, a statement from the US embassy said on Tuesday.

Blome was on a visit to Karachi on November 17 and 18 to strengthen economic partnership and public health cooperation.

During his visit, Blome met with representatives of the American Business Council and the Agha Khan University Hospital, and visited a KFC-funded school for the deaf.

“I am committed to boosting bilateral trade and investment, especially through a new framework called the US-Pakistan Green Alliance that seeks to promote climate-smart agriculture and private sector-led growth in Pakistan,” Bloom was quoted as saying in the statement.




US Ambassador to Pakistan Donald Blome (center) pictured during his visit to Aga Khan University Hospital in Karachi on November 17, 2022. (Photo courtesy: US Consulate)

About his meeting with officials at Aga Khan University Hospital, the ambassador said the US remained committed to expanding health care cooperation with Pakistan.

“Ambassador Blome visited a KFC-funded school for the Deaf community and ate lunch at one of the KFC establishments that hires differently abled workers,” the statement said.

“He was impressed to see that KFC not only donated to the flood-relief efforts, but that it is taking corporate responsibility to heart by creating meaningful job opportunities for the hard-of-hearing and leading the way on inclusivity.”

The United States is Pakistan’s largest bilateral trade partner and one of its largest sources of foreign direct investment, with US investment in Pakistan increasing more than 50 percent in the past year.

The United States government has contributed $97 million to flood-relief efforts to date, while the US private sector and citizens have separately donated more than $32 million.

“The US government is dedicated to expanding the full range of the US-Pakistan relationship including education, people-to-people ties, clean energy, and health-related cooperation,” the embassy said.

“Together we can promote a more stable, secure, and prosperous future for both our nations.”


After UN gender award, Pakistani officer shapes next generation of women soldiers

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After UN gender award, Pakistani officer shapes next generation of women soldiers

  • Major Komal Masood awarded UN Certificate of Recognition for gender advocacy last year for peacekeeping work in Central African Republic
  • Masood, 33, now serves as platoon commander at Pakistan Military Academy in Kakul where she leads 17 women cadets

KAKUL, Pakistan: When Pakistan’s Major Komal Masood was posted with the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in the Central African Republic (CAR) last year, she never expected that her service would lead her to becoming the first peacekeeper from the mission to receive the 2023 Certificate of Recognition for gender advocacy.

Today, after returning from the UN mission, Masood, 33, is serving as a platoon commander at the Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) in the northwestern town of Kakul, where she leads 17 women cadets, shaping the country’s next generation of women army officers.

Every morning, Masood supervises the young cadets as they perform rigorous drills on field. She also instructs them on the use of military weapons and equipment and imparts lessons on military strategy in the classroom.

“I have 17 lady cadets under my command, including two from Bangladesh, and my job over here is to train them, to lead them, to be a better version of themselves,” Masood, who joined the Pakistan Army’s Corps of Signals in 2014, told Arab News on a crisp January morning before a training drill on the lush grounds of the military academy.

“What I have learned from the [UN] mission … I want to inculcate that change in my cadets from the very outset of their career … We are here to foster that change in them and to inculcate leadership qualities, decision-making qualities.”

During her year-long UN mission in the CAR as a gender and protection adviser, Masood was responsible for promoting gender advocacy and integrating a gendered perspective into all aspects of the UN mission’s operations.

“My role was to integrate a gender perspective into all aspects of the mission, whether it was patrolling, intelligence, or operational planning,” she said.

“I was the sole member of the center sector headquarters over there, and I was overseeing child protection, sexual exploitation and abuse, protection of civilians and I had made many policies that were then approved by the UN headquarters in New York and then they were deployed across all the missions in the world.”

Masood also investigated multiple cases of sexual exploitation and abuse, leading to the repatriation of several individuals from the forces back to their home countries.

She said there was no policy or checklist guiding women peacekeepers in their tasks, preparations, or patrol procedures, leaving them to operate alongside male counterparts without clear directives.

“I made a consolidated checklist for women peacekeepers working, which was sent to the UN headquarters, and it got approved from there, and then it was deployed across all the missions across the world,” Masood said.

The UN recognition for her work was a “morale boost,” Masood added, because she had made a “lasting impact” by creating policy guidelines and checklists to support women peacekeepers in patrolling and engaging with affected communities even after the end of her time with the peacekeeping force.

For the officer, the journey has been anything but easy, balancing the demands of military service with motherhood as she left for the UN mission while one of her two children, who were both under six, was still an infant.

“Initially I thought that I won’t be able to leave my kids for one complete year, but if my country, my superiors, they have given me a task, I have to do it by hook or by crook so why not to do it by seeing the positivity,” said Masood.

In the end, it all worked out for the best as her family was proud of her achievements and the impact she had made.

“They feel very proud of me and my daughter always says, ‘Mama, I want to wear this uniform as well’.”

And Masood’s message to other women is clear: never stop striving.

“You are less than no one. Once you achieve something, whether as a stay-at-home woman or a professional, don’t stop there,” she said as she walked away to begin a drill with her students.

“Always strive for excellence.”


Human Rights Watch calls on Pakistan to repeal amendment to ‘draconian’ cybercrime law

Updated 8 min 1 sec ago
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Human Rights Watch calls on Pakistan to repeal amendment to ‘draconian’ cybercrime law

  • Bill creates four new government bodies to regulate online content and broadens the definition of online harm
  • Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists announces nationwide protests, calling new law infringement of people’s rights

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan government’s recent amendment to the country’s cybercrimes act had “seriously threatened” Internet freedom and free expression, Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday, calling on the nation’s parliament to repeal or revise the Pakistan Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Act, 2025.

The new law, enacted on January 29, includes provisions making the dissemination of “fake or false” information a criminal offense punishable by up to three years in prison without clearly defining “fake or false” news. Stakeholders like journalists unions and digital rights experts say they were excluded from consultations on the bill, which prevented genuine public scrutiny of the new law.

“Pakistan’s amended Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act neither protects the public from legitimate online security threats nor respects fundamental human rights,” said Patricia Gossman, associate Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “The government should uphold the right to free expression and overhaul the new law by removing its abusive provisions.”

The amendments to the Electronic Crimes Act create four new government bodies to regulate online content and broaden the definition of online harm. The government bodies are authorized to block and remove content based on ambiguous criteria that do not meet the standards of proportionality and necessity required under international human rights law, HRW said. 

One of the bodies, the Social Media Protection Tribunal, comprises government-appointed members rather than independent members of the judiciary.

Another new body, the Social Media Protection and Regulation Authority, is authorized to order any social media company to remove or block content deemed to be “against the ideology of Pakistan,” be known to be “fake or false,” or to cast aspersions on various public officials. The authority can also require any social media company to register with it and impose any conditions it deems “appropriate” upon registration.

Parliament adopted the amendments in the context of an escalating crackdown on digital speech in Pakistan including frequently shutting down the Internet and throttling Internet networks. The social media platform X has already been banned since days after February general elections last year as allegations of rigging emerged online. There are regular reports of VPN restrictions, and the government is also moving to implement a national firewall. 

“Pakistani authorities have denied or limited access to the Internet as a default policing tactic to shut down protests and prevent criticism of the government under the guise of maintaining law and order and curbing misinformation,” HRW said. 

The nongovernmental Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has expressed concern the new law is “likely to become yet another means of targeting political workers, human rights defenders, journalists and dissidents by effectively penalizing criticism of state institutions.” The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists has announced nationwide protests against the amendment.

“The new Electronic Crimes Act will further entrench violations of free expression and Internet freedoms in Pakistan,” Gossman said. “Digital policing of citizens will not protect them from ‘fake news,’ but will give the authorities a weapon to punish people whose speech they don’t like.”


Pakistan threatens to deport Afghans in resettlement programs if cases not swiftly processed

Updated 54 min 29 sec ago
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Pakistan threatens to deport Afghans in resettlement programs if cases not swiftly processed

  • Tens of thousands of Afghans fled to neighboring Pakistan after Taliban took over in 2021 and were approved for resettlement in the US
  • However, after President Donald Trump paused US refugee programslast month, around 20,000 Afghans are now in limbo in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan threatened to deport Afghan refugees awaiting relocation unless their cases are swiftly processed by host governments, officials said Monday.

Tens of thousands of Afghans fled to neighboring Pakistan after the Taliban took over in 2021 and were approved for resettlement in the US through a program that helps people at risk because of their work with the American government, media, aid agencies and rights groups. However, after President Donald Trump paused US refugee programs last month, around 20,000 Afghans are now in limbo in Pakistan. 

The Trump administration also announced the US Refugee Admissions Program would be suspended from Jan. 27 for at least three months, fueling concerns amid Pakistani authorities.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif decided last week that the refugees would be deported back to Afghanistan unless their cases were processed quickly, according to two security officials. They spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to talk to the media on the record.

The two also said March 31 has been set as a deadline to expel Afghan refugees from the capital, Islamabad, and the nearby city of Rawalpindi in preparation for their deportation if they are not relocated to their host countries.
There was no immediate response from Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

News about forced deportations has panicked many Afghan nationals who fear for their lives if sent back home.

“We appeal to Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif not to be deported like this,” said Khalid Khan who has been waiting for relocation to the United States since 2023. 

Khan said some Afghans prepared to leave Islamabad and move to other cities to avoid arrest. He also urged the host countries to expedite their cases.

Another Afghan refugee who lives in Islamabad with his family, and who refused to be identified because he is worried about the Taliban reprisals and arrest by Pakistan, urged Trump to revive the refugee program “in the name of humanity.” 

Besides those living in Pakistan and the thousands awaiting travel to host countries, there are around 1.45 million Afghan nationals registered with UNHCR as refugees. Their stay has been extended until June.

Pakistan started a crackdown on foreigners who are in the country without proper documentation in November 2023. An estimated 800,000 Afghans have either gone back voluntarily or been deported since despite criticism from UN agencies, rights groups and the Taliban. 

The two officials said the crackdown will continue in the coming months.

Last month, Amnesty International expressed its concern over “reports of arbitrary detention and harassment of Afghan refugees and asylum seekers by law enforcement agencies in Islamabad.”


Pakistan president begins state visit to Beijing amid tensions over security of Chinese interests

Updated 22 min 33 sec ago
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Pakistan president begins state visit to Beijing amid tensions over security of Chinese interests

  • Recent attacks on Chinese nationals and projects in Pakistan have strained ties between the longtime allies
  • China has publicly criticized Pakistan over attacks, with media widely reporting it wants own secuirty on the ground

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari will leave today, Tuesday, for Beijing on a five-day state visit to China, amid friction between the two allies over security of Chinese interests in Pakistan.
China is a major ally and investor in Pakistan that has pledged over $65 billion in investment in road, infrastructure and development projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a part of the Belt and Road Initiative that is a massive China-led infrastructure project that aims to stretch around the globe.
The visit comes at a time when Pakistan’s security challenges have put a strain on Islamabad’s ties with China, with separatist and religiously motivated militants attacking Chinese interests and nationals in Pakistan in recent years. In October, a suicide blast killed two Chinese nationals in Karachi, while five Chinese workers were killed in a suicide bombing in northwest Pakistan in March.
Zardari is undertaking the visit from Feb. 4 till Feb. 8 on the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping and will hold meetings with his Chinese counterpart, Premier Li Qiang and other senior Chinese officials in Beijing, according to the Pakistani foreign office.
“The discussions will encompass the full spectrum of Pakistan-China relations, with a particular focus on economic and trade cooperation; counter-terrorism and security collaboration, China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and future connectivity initiatives,” it said on Sunday.
The suicide bombing near the Karachi airport in Oct. was claimed by the separatist Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), which has targeted Chinese interests and primarily operates in Balochistan where China is building a deep-sea port and last month opened an airport.
The BLA accuses China of plundering the province’s mineral resources with Pakistan’s help. Pakistani and Chinese authorities deny the allegation and say they are working for the uplift of the region.
In recent months, China has publicly criticized Pakistan over the attacks on its nationals and projects, while media reports have suggested that Beijing wants its own forces on the ground to protect its interests, a demand Islamabad has long resisted. Pakistan has assured China it will protect its nationals in the country from militant threats and has tightened security protocols for Chinese investors and nationals.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office said President Zardari’s visit reflects “deep commitment” of the two countries to strengthening their all-weather strategic cooperative partnership, while the two sides would also exchange views on the unfolding global and regional geopolitical landscape, and bilateral cooperation at multilateral fora.
“It reaffirms mutual support on the issues of core interests, advance economic and trade cooperation including CPEC, and to highlight their joint commitment to regional peace, development and stability,” it added


Pakistan arrests main suspect behind 2023 Greek boat tragedy that killed over 250 nationals

Updated 03 February 2025
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Pakistan arrests main suspect behind 2023 Greek boat tragedy that killed over 250 nationals

  • Around 262 Pakistanis drowned when overcrowded vessel sank off Greece coastal town of Pylos
  • Illegal transactions amounting to $287,356 have been traced in Mohammad Iqbal’s bank account

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Monday arrested the main suspect behind a 2023 boat capsize off Greece, which claimed lives of over 250 Pakistanis, the agency said.
Hundreds of migrants, including 262 Pakistanis, drowned, when an overcrowded vessel traveling from Libya capsized and sank in international waters off the southwestern Greek coastal town of Pylos in June 2023. This disaster became one of the deadliest boat tragedies ever recorded in the Mediterranean Sea.
It highlighted the perilous journeys many migrants undertake, often driven by economic hardship, as young individuals seek better financial opportunities by attempting dangerous crossings to Europe, prompting the Pakistani government to order “intensified” measures against human traffickers.
The FIA said the suspect, Mohammad Iqbal, who had been living in Libya since 2013, was arrested by FIA immigration officials upon arrival at the Lahore airport.
“The suspect was running a human trafficking network from Libya,” the FIA said in a statement. “The suspect illegally sent several Pakistani citizens to Europe from Libya via boats.”
The FIA said it had traced illegal transactions amounting to Rs80 million ($287,356) from Iqbal’s bank account, adding that he was booked in multiple cases registered with the FIA Lahore zone.
FIA Lahore Director Sarfraz Virk said a crackdown on human trafficking networks was ongoing, vowing to bring human traffickers to justice.
“Strict punishment will be meted out to human traffickers responsible for boat incidents,” he was quoted as saying by the FIA. “FIA teams are in constant contact with the affected families.”
Last month, the FIA issued red notices for 20 foreign-based human traffickers involved in the 2023 Greek boat tragedy. A red notice is a request from a member country of the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) to other member states to locate and arrest a person to extradite them to face criminal charges.
Several Pakistanis, in a bid to escape economic hardships at home, often undertake these illegal and dangerous journeys to enter Europe.
Last year, five Pakistani nationals died in a shipwreck off the southern Greek island of Gavdos on Dec. 14. More recently, a boat capsized near Morocco’s coast on Jan. 15 while carrying 86 migrants, including 66 Pakistanis, according to migrant rights group Walking Borders. Pakistan’s Foreign Office has confirmed 22 survivors of the incident.