Pakistan launches 4,500 scholarships for Afghan students amid ongoing security tensions

In this handout photograph, shared by Pakistan’s Special Representative in Afghanistan Asif Durrani, Officials and students sing national anthem during the launch of the third phase of Allama Iqbal scholarships for Afghan students at the National University of Technology in Islamabad on June 10, 2024. (Photo courtesy: X/@AsifDurrani20)
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Updated 11 July 2024
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Pakistan launches 4,500 scholarships for Afghan students amid ongoing security tensions

  • The scholarships will allow Afghan nationals to study social and natural sciences in Pakistan for the next five years
  • Pakistani officials say relations with Afghanistan remain a high priority, with deputy PM planning a visit to Kabul

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday launched 4,500 scholarships for Afghan students aspiring to study social and natural sciences at local universities, amid ongoing security issues between the two countries that prompted Islamabad to launch a deportation drive targeting unregistered Afghans last year.
Pakistan introduced the Allama Iqbal Scholarship program for Afghan nationals in 2009 to strengthen bilateral ties between the two neighboring states.
The program covers tuition fees, accommodation and a monthly stipend for undergraduate, graduate and doctoral studies at Pakistani universities.
The third phase of these scholarships was launched on the same day the federal cabinet approved the extension of registration cards for 1.5 million Afghan refugees for another year.
“Glad to launch the third phase of Allama Iqbal scholarships for Afghan students,” Asif Durrani, Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, said in a social media post.
“In the coming five years, 4500 Afghan students will pursue studies in social and natural sciences in various universities of Pakistan,” he added.

 
Pakistan has witnessed a surge in militant attacks in its western provinces bordering Afghanistan since November 2022, following the breakdown of its fragile truce with the proscribed armed network, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Officials in Islamabad have blamed the Afghan government for sheltering TTP militants and providing them sanctuaries to launch attacks in Pakistan, a charge Kabul denies.
Pakistan’s also launched the deportation drive against Afghan nationals last year in November, blaming them for involvement in militant attacks and other crimes in different parts of the country.
More recently, however, representatives of the two countries held meetings in Doha to discuss bilateral issues and resolve their differences.
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar also told the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs earlier this week that relations with Afghanistan remain a high priority for his country, adding he would soon visit Kabul to meet with interim Afghan administration officials.


Pakistan PM launches ‘Digital Youth Hub’ to enhance employment, educational opportunities

Updated 27 March 2025
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Pakistan PM launches ‘Digital Youth Hub’ to enhance employment, educational opportunities

  • Digital Youth Hub platform connects young people to jobs, educational and skills development programs
  • Estimates suggest approximately 64 percent of Pakistan’s population is under the age of 30 years

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif launched the “Digital Youth Hub” portal in Islamabad on Thursday, saying it would connect young people to jobs, education and enhance skills development in the country, state-run media reported. 

Estimates suggest approximately 64 percent of Pakistan’s population is under the age of 30, offering a significant opportunity to drive economic growth through a young workforce contributing to entrepreneurship, innovation and diversification.

A joint initiative of the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme (PMYP) and UNICEF, the PMYP’s website describes the Digital Youth Hub as a “comprehensive platform” to connect the younger generation with employment opportunities, educational scholarships, entrepreneurship programs and technical skills. 

Speaking at the launching ceremony in Islamabad, Sharif stressed harnessing the true potential of the youth by imparting them with training in modern technologies such as information technology, artificial intelligence and vocational training.

“The Prime Minister said modern technology is the prerequisite in the current global world and the Digital Youth Hub is the beginning of a bright future of the youth of Pakistan,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan said in a report. 
He said the youth’s productive employment through this portal is this government’s top priority.
The Pakistani premier said he was committed to fighting for the rights of the youth, providing them educational opportunities and modern training in collaboration with the country’s provinces, Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan regions. 
“Shehbaz Sharif said the youth of Pakistan are a great challenge and opportunity, and there is a need to polish this challenge and opportunity through the latest technology,” Radio Pakistan said.
“He said productive employment of youth is the main target of the government through this portal.”
Despite Pakistan’s massive young population, the youth bulge also poses challenges, including high unemployment rates, limited access to quality education and vocational training and the risk of social unrest due to underutilized potential.
More than 800,000 Pakistanis left the country of 220 million to take up jobs in 2022, according to regulatory and monitoring body the Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment, up from a pre-pandemic total of 625,876 in 2019, and 382,439 the year before that. 


Pakistan says keen to buy more oil from Russia, build new steel mill

Updated 27 March 2025
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Pakistan says keen to buy more oil from Russia, build new steel mill

  • Pakistan’s finance minister meets Russian Deputy PM Alexei Overchuk on sidelines of BFA conference in China
  • Pakistan and Russia, once Cold War rivals, have strengthened ties in recent years through increased trade

KARACHI: Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Thursday expressed Islamabad’s interest in importing more crude oil from Russia to fulfill its energy requirements and seeking Moscow’s collaboration to build a new steel mill in Pakistan, the finance ministry said. 

Aurangzeb met Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk on the sidelines of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Conference 2025, currently underway in China, to discuss bilateral ties, trade and investment between the two countries. 

“The bilateral talks focused on strengthening energy cooperation, with Pakistan expressing interest in expanding the procurement of crude oil and investments in oil and gas exploration,” the finance ministry said. 

Pakistan and Russia, once Cold War rivals, have strengthened ties in recent years through increased dialogue and trade. In 2023, Islamabad began purchasing discounted Russian crude oil banned from European markets due to Russia’s war in Ukraine and also received its first shipment of liquefied petroleum gas from Moscow.

In December last year, Russia and Pakistan held intergovernmental meetings in Moscow and discussed cooperation on oil and gas offshore exploration and refining, according to a Reuters news agency report.

Cash-strapped Pakistan has long planned to import crude oil from Moscow at discounted rates. Its first shipment of Russian crude oil in June 2023 consisted of 45,000 tons of oil. Russia welcomed Pakistan’s decision to buy oil from it as it increased the search for new buyers in the wake of European sanctions. 

Islamabad is trying to secure discounted oil from Russia in hopes it will cut down its sizable import bill, which comprises expensive energy imports. 

Pakistan is also trying to strengthen its debt-ridden economy with the help of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) financial bailout packages. The lender wants Islamabad to increase its depleting foreign exchange reserves to a level that could finance three months of imports.

Pakistan currently holds $10.6 billion in foreign exchange reserves that cover about two months of imports.

Separately, the finance minister also discussed collaborating with Russia on building a new steel mill in Pakistan. 

“Pakistan’s keen interest in establishing a new steel mill with Russian collaboration was also highlighted,” the finance ministry said. “The minister stressed the importance of feasibility studies and cost assessments to move the project forward.”

A team of technical experts from Russia arrived in Pakistan in January to assess Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM), one of several firms Islamabad wants to sell to revive loss-making entities, as it strives to deliver reforms under a $7 billion International Monetary Fund bailout.

Russian Ambassador to Pakistan Albert P. Khorev this year announced cooperation with Pakistan in the energy and industrial sectors, including the modernization of a state-owned steel mill.

Aurangzeb reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to strengthening its economic and trade relations with Russia, saying he was excited about expanding bilateral cooperation in key areas of mutual interest, the ministry said. 


Punjab says received 38 percent less rainfall in last four months, warns of drought 

Updated 27 March 2025
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Punjab says received 38 percent less rainfall in last four months, warns of drought 

  • Punjab, Pakistan’s most populous province, plays leading role in country’s agricultural production
  • Pakistan’s Met Department this week warned of possible drought in Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s eastern and most populated Punjab province on Thursday warned that it may face a drought in the near future as it has received 38 percent less rainfall in the last four months compared to the usual amount, a statement from the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said. 

Earlier this week, Pakistan’s Meteorological Department (PMD) warned that the existing drought situation in Sindh, Punjab and Balochistan provinces may “exacerbate and intensify” in the coming months due to below-normal rainfall, rising temperatures and acute shortage of stored water in the country’s dams.

The situation is particularly alarming for Punjab, which plays a leading role in Pakistan’s agricultural production. The province contributes about 68 percent to the annual food grain production in Pakistan and has 51 million acres of cultivated land, as per official figures. 

“In the last four months, Punjab has received 38 percent less rainfall which is threatening a possible drought,” the PDMA said in a statement. 

A meeting was held under the chairmanship of DG PDMA Punjab Irfan Ali Kathia to deal with the possible drought in Cholistan in southern Punjab. 

“Additional funds will be provided to the relevant districts to deal with the possible drought,” the PDMA said. 

Participants of the meeting were informed in the briefing that due to a lack of rain last winter, the country’s reservoirs are facing a water shortage. 

“Water supply is being ensured in all areas. Water is being provided to remote areas through pipelines and water bowsers,” it said. 

The PDMA urged all relevant departments to be on alert, with Kathia instructing all departments to make provision of basic medicines to deal with possible drought. 

“Possible steps are being taken to deal with heat wave and possible drought,” the statement said.

Pakistan has the fourth-highest rate of water consumption in the world. The country’s agriculture sector uses the most amount of freshwater than any other sector. Rainfall has steadily declined over the past few decades and experts have been warning for years the country will approach “absolute scarcity” of water by 2025.

The results of the latest census in 2023 counted 241.49 million people across Pakistan with a growth rate of 2.55 percent. Linked to that, per capita water availability has been on a downward trend for decades.


Three killed in attack on police van in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province 

Updated 27 March 2025
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Three killed in attack on police van in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province 

  • Police van was targeted near a crowded market in Quetta, injuring 17 people including policemen 
  • No group claimed responsibility for attack in Balochistan, site of a decades-long separatists insurgency 

QUETTA: Three civilians were killed and 21 injured on Thursday after a police van was targeted with a powerful improvised explosive device (IED) blast at a busy street in the southwestern Pakistan city of Quetta, a police official said. 

Footage seen by Arab News showed a damaged police mobile van standing on a crowned double road in Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan province, as residents attempted to remove a burning motorbike parked close to the vehicle. The blast happened near a crowded market where people were busy with shopping ahead of the religious festival of Eid Al-Fitr, which begins next week. 

“An improvised explosive device (IED) fitted inside a motorbike exploded when a police van was passing through the double road area in Quetta,” Muhammad Baloch, senior superintendent of police (SSP) operations in Quetta, told Arab News. 

“Three civilians were killed in the latest attack on the police force and 21, including three policemen, were injured,” he added. 

Baloch said as per initial investigations, the explosion was caused by a remotely controlled IED fitted inside a motorcycle. 

He said that the bomb disposal squad is assessing the quantity of the explosive material used in the attack.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the latest attack in Balochistan, but suspicion is likely to fall on the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), the largest and strongest of several ethnic Baloch insurgent groups which have been fighting for decades to win independence for the mineral-rich province, home to major China-led projects including a port and gold and copper mines.

The attack on the police van comes a day after gunmen killed at least six people in “coordinated” attacks in Balochistan that largely targeted bus passengers based on their ethnicity, police said on Thursday.

“We have received two dead bodies of civilians and 22 injured, including four policemen,” Waseem Baig, the spokesman for the Civil Hospital in Quetta, told Arab News. “Five injured are in critical condition and being treated at the trauma center of the hospital.”

Earlier this month, ethnic Baloch separatists attacked a train with 450 passengers on board, sparking a two-day siege during which dozens of people were killed. 

Days later, at least five paramilitaries were killed in a vehicle-borne suicide attack. Both assaults were claimed by the separatist BLA.

The group also launched coordinated attacks last year that included taking control of a major highway and shooting dead travelers from other ethnic groups, stunning the country.

The militants have additionally targeted energy projects with foreign financing, most notably from China, accusing outsiders of exploiting the resource-rich region while excluding residents in the poorest part of Pakistan.

Last year was the deadliest year in a decade in Pakistan, following a trend of rising militancy since the Taliban took control in Afghanistan in 2021.

With inputs from AFP


Pakistan says will hold counter-terrorism dialogue with US in June

Updated 27 March 2025
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Pakistan says will hold counter-terrorism dialogue with US in June

  • Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Acting US Ambassador Natalie Baker discuss bilateral ties, counter-terror cooperation 
  • Meeting takes place amid surge in militant attacks in recent weeks in Pakistan’s western provinces of KP and Balochistan 

ISLAMABAD: Islamabad and Washington will hold a counter-terrorism dialogue in June this year, a statement from Pakistan’s interior ministry said on Thursday amid efforts by both countries to forge closer ties and cooperation to battle militancy. 
Pakistan and the US have a history of cooperation in counterterrorism efforts, particularly during the “War on Terror” following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Despite periods of strained relations, Pakistan has captured and handed over several Taliban and Al-Qaeda members to US authorities.
Acting US Ambassador Natalie Baker called on Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi in Islamabad, the interior ministry said. Both sides discussed Pakistan-US relations, matters of mutual interest and bilateral cooperation, it said. 
“Both sides also discussed to enhance mutual cooperation in the field of counterterrorism efforts,” the ministry said. “It was agreed to hold a counter-terrorism dialogue in June this year.” 
Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump acknowledged Pakistan for helping America arrest a senior Daesh operative implicated in the 2021 Kabul airport bombing that killed 13 US service members. 
 Baker strongly condemned the recent “terrorist attack” involving the Jaffar Express train, in which 31 people were killed this month after militants stormed it in southwestern Balochistan province earlier this month. 
Hundreds of passengers were held hostage before the military rescued them after a day-long standoff. 
Naqvi urged the global community to work together to combat “terrorism,” describing it as an international issue, the ministry said.
“He further said that the Government of Pakistan is taking strong action against terrorists and a comprehensive policy is being formulated related to counter-terrorism,” the statement said. 
Thanking Trump for acknowledging Pakistan’s help in battling “terrorism,” Naqvi said Islamabad would extend “full cooperation” in the repatriation of illegal Pakistani immigrants residing in the United States. 
The meeting between the two sides took place amid a surge in militant attacks in Pakistan’s western provinces bordering Afghanistan, especially Balochistan, where ethnic Baloch militants have long carried out attacks targeting law enforcers.