Muslim World League secretary-general to meet Pakistan’s president today

Dr. Mohammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa (center), the secretary-general of the Muslim World League, attends an iftar dinner hosted by the Saudi embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan on April 8, 2024. (Pakistan religious affairs ministry)
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Updated 15 April 2024
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Muslim World League secretary-general to meet Pakistan’s president today

  • Dr. Al-Issa arrived in Pakistan on Sunday and will lead Eid Al-Fitr prayer at Faisal Mosque
  • He will spend the Eid day with orphans in Pakistan, and meet PM Sharif on Saturday

ISLAMABAD: Dr. Mohammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, the secretary-general of the Muslim World League (MWL), is expected to meet with President Asif Ali Zardari today, Tuesday, as confirmed by an official from Pakistan’s religious affairs ministry.

The MWL is a Makkah-based non-governmental organization that represents followers of Islam around the world.

Dr. Al-Issa arrived in Islamabad late Sunday night on a nine-day trip aimed at fostering interfaith harmony and strengthening Saudi Arabia’s bilateral relations with Pakistan.

“It is his nine-day-long visit during which he will hold high-level meetings with Pakistan’s president, prime minister and minister of religious affairs,” Muhammad Umer Butt, a ministry spokesperson, told Arab News.

“It is expected that the visiting dignitary will meet President Asif Ali Zardari today,” he said, adding that Al-Issa planned to spend Eid at an orphanage run by his organization in Islamabad and lead the Eid prayers in Islamabad’s iconic Faisal Mosque.

“The MWL secretary-general will sign an MOU [memorandum of understanding] with the government of Pakistan for the establishment of a state-of-the-art Seerat-un-Nabi Museum in the federal capital,” he said, adding that Dr. Al-Issa would also perform the groundbreaking ceremony for the museum after signing the MOU on April 15.

The museum will be the first of its kind in Pakistan dedicated to exhibiting relics related to the Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) life.

Butt said the visiting dignitary participated in an iftar-dinner on Monday night at the Saudi embassy where he interacted with Pakistani cabinet members and others high-profile officials.

According to the MWL’s Pakistan office, Dr. Al-Issa will also be the chief guest at a prize distribution ceremony among young “huffaz” who have memorized the Holy Qur’an at the Convention Center in Islamabad on April 13.

He will return to Saudi Arabia on April 15.

Dr. Al-Issa was conferred with the prestigious Hilal-e-Imtiaz award in 2022 by Pakistan’s then president Dr. Arif Alvi for humanitarian efforts and for his role in strengthening Pakistan-Saudi Arabia relations.

The Hilal-e-Imtiaz or Crescent of Excellence is bestowed upon both civilian and military officials and is open to Pakistani nationals and foreign citizens who have made significant contributions to the country’s security or national interests, world peace, cultural or other public endeavors.

Dr. Al-Issa is described by the AWL as a “trailblazer” for forging partnerships among different communities, faiths and nations. He is also a renowned Saudi religious scholar and has had the honor of delivering the Hajj sermon or Khutbah in 2022.

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoy strong trade, defense, and cultural ties. The Kingdom is home to over 2.7 million Pakistani expatriates and serves as the top destination for remittances to the cash-strapped South Asian country.


Pakistan voices concern over rise in Islamophobic incidents in India

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Pakistan voices concern over rise in Islamophobic incidents in India

  • The reports of increasing attacks against Muslims in India emerged after an April 22 attack on Hindu tourists in disputed Kashmir
  • Pakistan’s foreign office urges the Indian government to uphold the rights and safety of all its citizens, regardless of their faith

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan expresses grave concern over a rise in Islamophobic incidents across India, the Pakistani foreign office said on Saturday, following reports of attacks against Muslims.

The reports of increasing attacks against Muslims and Kashmiris in India emerged after an April 22 attack on Hindu tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir’s Pahalgam town that killed 26 people.

New Delhi blamed the assault on Pakistan, a charge denied by Islamabad. The attack triggered a four-day standoff between the neighbors this month that killed 70 people on both sides before a truce was announced on May 10.

At least 184 anti-Muslim hate incidents, including murders, assaults, threats and vandalism, have been recorded countrywide in India, Indian media outlets quoted New Delhi-based Association for Protection of Civil Rights as saying this month.

“Pakistan calls upon the Government of India to uphold the rights and safety of all its citizens, regardless of faith,” Pakistani foreign office spokesman Shafqat Ali Khan said, adding that such incidents violate international human rights obligations and vitiate the prospects for communal harmony and regional stability.

Bitter rivals India and Pakistan have fought three wars, including two over the disputed region of Kashmir, since gaining independence from British rule in 1947. Both claim the Himalayan territory in its entirety but rule it in part.

While a conflict between the neighbors feeding minority hatred on either side is not a new phenomenon, critics and rights bodies say Hindu right-wing groups have become emboldened in recent years due to a “culture of impunity.”

“Prime Minister [Narendra] Modi likes to boast of India’s democratic traditions, but it’s become increasingly hard for him to hide his government’s deepening crackdown on minorities and critics,” Meenakshi Ganguly, the deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said in January this year.

“A decade of discriminatory policies and repression has weakened the rule of law and has restricted the economic and social rights of marginalized communities.”


India lost fighter jets in recent conflict with Pakistan, Indian defense chief confirms

Updated 31 May 2025
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India lost fighter jets in recent conflict with Pakistan, Indian defense chief confirms

  • On May 7, Indian jets bombed what New Delhi called ‘terrorist infrastructure’ sites across the border
  • Pakistan has said it downed six Indian planes, including at least three Rafale fighters, in initial clashes

SINGAPORE: India switched tactics after suffering losses in the air on the first day of conflict with Pakistan earlier this month and established a decisive advantage before the neighbors announced a ceasefire three days later, India’s highest ranking general said on Saturday.

The heaviest fighting in decades between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan was sparked by an April 22 attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 people, most of them tourists. New Delhi blamed the incident on “terrorists” backed by Pakistan, a charge denied by Islamabad.

On May 7, Indian jets bombed what New Delhi called “terrorist infrastructure” sites across the border. Pakistan has said it downed six Indian planes, including at least three Rafale fighters, in the initial clashes.

The ceasefire was announced on May 10 after bitter fighting in which both sides used fighter jets, missiles, drones and artillery.

General Anil Chauhan, India’s chief of defense staff, said in an interview that India suffered initial losses in the air, but declined to give details.

“What was important is, why did these losses occur, and what we’ll do after that,” he told Reuters on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore, referring to the Pakistani claim of downing jets.

“So we rectified tactics and then went back on the 7th, 8th and 10th in large numbers to hit air bases deep inside Pakistan, penetrated all their air defenses with impunity, carried out precision strikes.”

The Indian air force “flew all types of aircraft with all types of ordinances on the 10th,” he said.

India has previously said its missiles and drones struck at least eight Pakistani air bases across the country that day, including one near the capital Islamabad.

The Pakistan military says that India did not fly its fighter jets again in the conflict after suffering losses on May 7.

India’s director general of air operations, Air Marshal A.K. Bharti, had told a press conference earlier in the month that “losses are a part of combat” and that India had downed some Pakistani jets.

Islamabad has denied it suffered any losses of planes but has acknowledged its air bases suffered some hits although losses were minimal.

NO NUCLEAR WORRIES

Some of the attacks were on bases near Pakistan’s nuclear facilities, but they themselves were not targeted, media reports have said.

“Most of the strikes were delivered with pinpoint accuracy, some even to a meter, to whatever was our selected mean point of impact,” Chauhan said.

Chauhan, and Pakistan’s chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, Gen. Sahir Shamshad Mirza, have both said there was no danger at any time during the conflict that nuclear weapons were considered.

“I think there’s a lot of space before that nuclear threshold is crossed, a lot of signalling before that, I think nothing like that happened,” Chauhan said. “There’s a lot of space for conventional operations which has been created, and this will be the new norm.

“It’s my personal view that the most rational people are people in uniform when conflict takes place,” he added. “During this operation, I found both sides displaying a lot of rationality in their thoughts as well as actions. So why should we assume that in the nuclear domain there will be irrationality on someone else’s part?“

Chauhan also said that although Pakistan is closely allied with China, which borders India in the north and east, there was no sign of any actual help from Beijing during the conflict.

“While this was unfolding from (April) 22nd onwards, we didn’t find any unusual activity in the operational or tactical depth of our northern borders, and things were generally all right.”

Asked whether China may have provided any satellite imagery or other real-time intelligence to Pakistan during the conflict, Chauhan said such imagery was commercially available and could have been procured from China as well as other sources.

He added that while hostilities had ceased, the Indian government had made it clear it would “respond precisely and decisively should there be any further terror attacks emanating from Pakistan.”

“So that has its own dynamics as far the armed forces are concerned. It will require us to be prepared 24/7.”


Pakistan national airline resumes direct flights from Dubai to Skardu to boost tourism

Updated 31 May 2025
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Pakistan national airline resumes direct flights from Dubai to Skardu to boost tourism

  • Skardu lies in the heart of Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltistan region, home to five of the world’s 14 tallest peaks and a major tourist destination
  • The development comes days after PIA announced the launch of direct flights from Lahore to Paris, with the first flight taking off on June 18

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has resumed direct flights between Dubai and Pakistan’s mountainous Skardu district, the Pakistani consulate in Dubai said on Friday, in a bid to boost tourism.

The Skardu district lies in Pakistan’s northern Gilgit-Baltistan region, which is home to five of the world’s 14 peaks above 8,000 meters and a major tourist destination. In Jan., CNN declared the scenic region among top 25 destinations in the world that are particularly worth visiting in 2025.

To mark the resumption of PIA’s Dubai-Skardu flights, initially launched in Aug. 2023, a ceremony was held at the airline’s office in Dubai, which was attended by Pakistani Consul General Hussain Muhammad and other officials.

“PIA Regional Manager Mr. Sarmad Aizaz and his team hosted the event, celebrating this significant step toward boosting tourism and strengthening people-to-people ties between the UAE and Pakistan,” the Pakistani consulate said.

“The event also welcomed members of a foreign tourist group traveling on the inaugural flight, underscoring the growing interest in Pakistan’s scenic northern areas.”

The development comes days after PIA announced the launch of direct flights from Lahore to Paris, with the first flight taking off on June 18.

In January, PIA resumed flights to Europe after a four-and-a-half-year ban was lifted by EU regulators, becoming the only carrier to offer a direct route to and from the European Union.


Kabul, Islamabad to appoint envoys in apparent thaw in relations

Updated 31 May 2025
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Kabul, Islamabad to appoint envoys in apparent thaw in relations

  • Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have long been restrained over a surge in militancy in Pakistan’s border regions
  • The decision to appoint envoys comes days after trilateral talks in China where both countries agreed to upgrade relations

ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan’s foreign ministry said on Saturday it would appoint an ambassador to Pakistan after Islamabad announced its decision to upgrade diplomatic relations by appointing an envoy to Kabul, in an apparent warming of ties between the two neighbors.

The development comes amid prolonged tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, with Islamabad repeatedly accusing the Afghan Taliban administration of “facilitating” cross-border attacks by militant groups such as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA).

Kabul has denied the allegations and insisted that Pakistan’s security challenges are its internal issue. Relations further deteriorated after Islamabad launched in late 2023 a nationwide deportation drive targeting undocumented foreigners, the majority of whom are Afghan nationals. Pakistani authorities maintained that some of them were linked to a spate of militant attacks in the country.

Both countries have sought to improve their strained relations in recent months and Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar in April led a delegation to Kabul and later participated in trilateral talks with Chinese and Afghan foreign ministers in Beijing earlier this month.

“This elevation in diplomatic representation between Afghanistan & Pakistan paves the way for enhanced bilateral cooperation in multiple domains,” the Afghan foreign ministry said in a statement.

It came hours after Dar said on X that Pakistan-Afghanistan relations were on a positive trajectory after his “very productive visit” to Kabul last month.

“I am confident this step would further contribute toward enhanced engagement, deepen Pak-Afghan cooperation in economic, security, CT [counterterrorism] & trade areas and promote further exchanges between two fraternal countries,” he said, referring to Pakistan’s appointment of an ambassador to Kabul.

Both Pakistan and Afghanistan have yet to announce names of their respective envoys.

Earlier this month, Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed to the expansion of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), to Afghanistan after the recent trilateral meeting in Beijing, where Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said both Pakistan and Afghanistan had “clearly expressed” a willingness to elevate their diplomatic ties.

The BRI — China’s multi-trillion-dollar infrastructure plan — aims to build land and maritime trade routes linking Asia with Africa and Europe. CPEC, considered the flagship of the initiative, includes over $60 billion in Chinese investments in Pakistan’s energy, transport, and industrial sectors.


Pakistan weekly inflation down by 0.81% as prices of essential items remain largely stable

Updated 31 May 2025
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Pakistan weekly inflation down by 0.81% as prices of essential items remain largely stable

  • Annual inflation rate fell to 0.3% in April, well below the finance ministry’s estimate of 1.5-2%
  • The Pakistan Stock Exchange also recorded a 7.5% gain in May on a month-on-month basis

ISLAMABAD: Short-term inflation, measured by the Sensitive Price Index (SPI), lowered by 0.81% in Pakistan, the country’s statistics bureau said this week, as prices of most essential items remained stable.

The SPI, which comprises 51 essential items collected from 50 markets in 17 cities, is computed on a weekly basis to assess the price movement of essential commodities at a shorter interval of time to review the price situation in the country.

While the SPI for the week ending on May 29 decreased 0.81% on a week-on-week basis, it recorded an increase of 0.41% when compared to the same week last year, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

“During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 14 (27.45%) items increased, 10 (19.61%) items decreased and 27 (52.94%) items remained stable,” the PBS said.

A decrease was observed in the prices of electricity charges for Q1 (10.10%), chicken (8.51%), LPG (2.67%), sugar (0.25%), powdered milk (0.20%), vegetable ghee 2.5Kg (0.17%), wheat flour (0.09%), rice (0.07%), garlic (0.05%) and pulse moong (0.01%).

The items whose prices increased during the week included tomatoes (4.54%), potatoes (2.94%), eggs (2.19%), onions (2.17%), gur (0.77%), bananas (0.73%), mustard oil (0.34%), pulse mash (0.22%), pulse gram (0.17%), pulse masoor (0.14%) and basmati rice (0.12%).

Pakistan’s annual inflation rate fell to 0.3% in April, well below the Ministry of Finance estimate of 1.5% to 2%. The central bank forecasts average inflation to be in the range of 5.5% to 7.5% for the fiscal year ending June.

Also, the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) recorded a 7.5% gain in May on a month-on-month basis, according to the Karachi-based Topline Securities.

“This gain can be attributed to cut in policy rate by 100bps by SBP,” it said in its monthly review, citing improvement in inflation outlook and approval of first review of Pakistan’s $7 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) program as well as the approval of another $1.4 billion under the IMF’s Resilience and Sustainability Facility.

“Average daily traded volume and value during the month stood at 566 million shares and PKR28 billion.”