ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday asked to improve services at airports across Pakistan to facilitate passengers, tourists, and overseas Pakistanis, Sharif’s office said, amid the country’s efforts to boost tourism.
The prime minister gave the directives while presiding over a meeting with regard to the introduction of reforms in the country’s aviation sector, according to a statement issued by Sharif’s office.
In order to promote tourism, Sharif directed authorities to ensure the provision of best facilities for passengers at the Skardu International airport, days after the South Asian country relaxed its visa policy.
“The prime minister ordered to operate more counters in order to save passengers of international flights from waiting for long,” Sharif’s office said. “He further instructed to devise a comprehensive framework related to the extension of Skardu International and Gilgit airports.”
The two airports are located in Pakistan’s northern Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) region, which is home to scenic valleys and five of the world’s 14 mountains above 8,000 meters, including K2. More than 8,900 foreigners visited the remote Gilgit-Baltistan region in 2023, according to official figures from the government, where the summer climbing season runs from early June to late August.
The South Asian country has other major tourist attractions in several other cities and towns across its length and breadth.
During the meeting, officials briefed Sharif that the airport management authority and the civil aviation authority had been separated to ensure “efficient performance” of duties of operator and regulator under the aviation act.
The number of counters had been increased at the Lahore airport and an existing waiting room had also been expanded for the convenience of passengers, according to officials. Work on feasibility report for the expansion of Skardu airport was due to start soon.
The prime minister expressed his satisfaction over the measures and said additional facilities would also be available to passengers.
Pakistan this month increased the number of countries exempt from visa fees to 126, while it announced on-arrival visas from businessmen from the Gulf nations, including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Information Minister Ataullah Tarar said on August 13 that people visiting from any of the 126 countries will merely have to fill out a one-page form consisting of 30 questions within a ten-minute process. Visa would be issued directly on the phone through which the form was filled and would be valid for three months apart from also being renewable, he added.
The new visa policy also included religious tourism due to which Sikh pilgrims could easily visit the South Asian country for their religious festivals, according to the minister.
Pakistan PM calls for enhanced airport services amid push to boost tourism
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Pakistan PM calls for enhanced airport services amid push to boost tourism

- Pakistan is home to several tourist destinations across its length and breadth as well as five of the world’s 14 tallest mountain peaks
- Islamabad recently increased the number of countries exempt from visa fees to 126, announced on-arrival visas for the Gulf residents
Pakistan’s top judicial body sets up committee to examine enforced disappearances

- The National Judicial (Policy Making) Committee discusses issues to ensure ‘citizen-centric justice delivery’
- The forum also looks into the ethical and policy implications of using generative AI in judicial functions
KARACHI: Pakistan’s top judicial policy-making forum has set up a body to examine the issue of enforced disappearances, an official statement said on Friday, in a move to address one of the country’s most persistent human rights challenges.
The decision came during the 53rd meeting of the National Judicial (Policy Making) Committee (NJPMC), chaired by Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi and attended by top judges of all high courts and the additional attorney general in Islamabad.
Enforced disappearances have long been a contentious issue in Pakistan, particularly in regions like Balochistan, where families of missing persons and human rights groups accuse state institutions of arbitrary detentions and extrajudicial killings.
Pakistani authorities have frequently rejected these claims as “baseless allegations.”
“The NJPMC took serious notice of the enforced disappearances and unanimously resolved that the judiciary would not compromise on its constitutional duty to safeguard fundamental rights,” said the statement circulated by the Supreme Court after the meeting.
“A dedicated committee was constituted to formulate an institutional response, after taking into consideration concerns of the Executive, to be communicated through the Attorney General for Pakistan,” it added.
The statement said the forum deliberated on “key policy issues and adopted several significant measures to improve judicial performance, technology integration in judicial processes and citizen-centric justice delivery.”
Successive Pakistani governments have promised to look into the issue of enforced disappearances in the country and even set up a commission in 2011 to trace missing persons and fix responsibility for any wrongdoing.
However, rights groups and activists say the issue continues to persist.
The top judicial forum also acknowledged the growing presence of artificial intelligence in legal systems during the meeting and initiated work on a framework for its responsible use.
“The ethical and policy implications of using generative AI in judicial functions were discussed,” the statement said, adding the National Judicial Automation Committee (NJAC) had been tasked to “finalize a comprehensive charter on ethical use of AI in this regard.”
While several judicial systems around the world — including in the United States and the European Union — have begun exploring AI for research and case management, concerns persist over transparency, bias, and the potential erosion of human judgment in legal decision-making.
Pakistan rejects Indian NSA’s claim of ‘zero damage’ in military standoff

- The two nuclear-armed neighbors exchanged missile, drone and artillery strikes in May 2025
- Pakistan says Ajit Doval’s statement is a ‘distortion and misrepresentation’ of actual facts
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday dismissed Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Kumar Doval’s remarks claiming “zero damage” to military targets inside his country during the four-day military standoff between the two South Asian nuclear states, calling it a “distortion and misrepresentation” that violated established norms of statecraft.
The remarks follow Doval’s comments at a university convocation in India, where he highlighted the precision and success of the Indian military operation against Pakistan, saying New Delhi did not suffer any collateral damage during Pakistan’s retaliation.
In May 2025, the most intense India–Pakistan military confrontation in decades erupted, with both states exchanging missile, drone and artillery strikes following an April 22 attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 people.
India blamed Pakistan without providing evidence as the administration in Islamabad denied the charge and called for an impartial international probe.
“The remarks of the Indian NSA are replete with distortions and misrepresentations,” foreign office spokesperson, Ambassador Shafqat Ali Khan, said during his weekly news briefing. “They not only reflect a deliberate attempt to mislead the public, but also violate the norms of responsible statecraft.”
“Boasting of military aggression against a sovereign nation is a grave breach of the United Nations Charter and established principles of international law,” he continued.
Khan urged India to acknowledge the downing of six fighter jets including three Rafales, as well as the damage inflicted on Indian military targets instead of peddling “fictitious narratives.”
He said that glorification of a conflict did not benefit anyone, highlighting that the path to a lasting peace was in “dialogue, mutual respect and adherence to international law.”
Doval said New Delhi’s initial operation against Pakistan had lasted for “23 minutes.”
“We hit nine terrorist targets deep inside Pakistan — not near the border, but across its crisscrossed terrain with pinpoint accuracy,” he told the students. “We missed none and we hit nothing else.”
He also criticized the international media for highlighting Pakistan’s strikes inside his country, saying there was no evidence that “even a glass pane was broken.”
After four days of intense conflict between India and Pakistan, a US-mediated ceasefire was agreed on May 10, halting the confrontation amid global alarm over the risk of escalation.
Pakistan aims to finish digital currency pilot within this fiscal year — central bank

- The development follows establishment of Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority that will regulate the country’s virtual economy
- Analysts expect the regularization of digital currencies will help expand the country’s tax net by an estimated $25 billion in virtual assets
KARACHI: Pakistan’s central bank plans to complete a pilot project for a digital currency within the current fiscal year ending June 2026, its spokesperson said on Friday, as the country cautiously moves toward adopting blockchain-based payments and strengthening oversight of its virtual asset economy.
The pilot announcement follows the establishment of the Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA) through a presidential ordinance earlier this week.
The law empowers the authority to regulate the country’s growing crypto market, crack down on money laundering and terror financing, and promote responsible innovation — a move analysts say could bring an estimated $25 billion in virtual assets into the tax net.
“We hope to complete the pilot within the current fiscal year,” Noor Ahmed of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) told Arab News when asked about the rollout timeline. “Tech partner and other details will be announced in due course.”
Shankar Talreja, head of research at Topline Securities, said it was too early to say who would use the digital currency, since a pilot was still being launched, though he said it could benefit most bank account holders.
“Since this would be backed up [by the] central bank, so existing digital payment users can use this for payments,” he said. “The challenge would be if merchants accept this initially.”
The South Asian nation had long remained under scrutiny for weak financial controls and was only removed from the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) “grey list” in 2022. The creation of PVARA is seen as part of Islamabad’s broader effort to cautiously formalize the virtual asset space.
“The legality of digital assets has been a grey area in Pakistan in the recent past from a practical standpoint,” said Nayab Babar, the chief investment officer at the Prime Minister’s Pakistan Startup Fund.
“Creation of the crypto council is an extremely important development which gives confidence to consumers and corporates alike, that there is a way forward to legally participate in this booming asset class without fear of losing money,” he added.
Farrukh H. Khan, the chief financial officer at Jazz, Pakistan’s largest digital operator and a unit of global telecom giant VEON, also welcomed the new regulatory measures.
“It is the right approach that we pilot it and cautiously move forward,” he said while pointing out the government’s decision would help document Pakistan’s “very large” base of crypto investors.
“According to Binance, which is one of the largest [digital] trading platforms, about 15 million Pakistanis are registered on their platform,” he said.
To integrate digital assets into the economy, the government earlier launched the Pakistan Crypto Council (PCC) in March and later appointed Binance founder Changpeng Zhao as a strategic adviser.
The move has been welcomed by retail traders like Muhammad Huzaifa, who said the lack of legal cover had previously left crypto investors vulnerable.
“Sometimes few government institutions like the FIA [Federal Investigation Agency] freeze the bank accounts of traders,” said the 33-year-old.
“These laws will lend more freedom and space for traders as they can buy, sell and invest in crypto easily without any fear,” he added.
Asked about his digital holdings, he said he was managing multiple accounts “between $50,000 to $100,000.”
Farhan Hassan, the chief digital officer at easypaisa Digital Bank (eDB) with over 50 million users, praised the creation of PVARA as a key step toward safer adoption.
“Pakistan has long been poised for broader crypto and blockchain adoption, but it lacked the regulatory clarity to unlock its full potential,” he said.
“This landmark development sets the foundation for a secure, transparent and regulated framework to guide the growth of virtual assets in Pakistan.”
Hassan added that eDB was “uniquely positioned” to collaborate with regulators in piloting, testing, and scaling financial solutions aligned with both global standards and local needs.
CHALLENGES
Still, analysts caution that implementation could be challenging due to the government’s institutional capacity.
“The regulators may lack technical capacity and real-time monitoring tools to fully oversee crypto markets,” said Muhammad Waqas Ghani, head of research at Karachi-based JS Global Capital.
He maintained that Pakistan’s stock market was a more regulated and secure investment option, offering greater protection against fraud and manipulation compared to the still-evolving crypto space.
Pakistan may also require the International Monetary Fund’s approval if it plans to subsidize electricity for future crypto mining and AI data centers.
“[The IMF] staff reiterated the importance of maintaining a level playing field for all private sector participants and will continue to engage with the authorities on this as appropriate as plans develop further,” Mahir Binici, the IMF’s resident representative in Pakistan, said this week.
Talal Ahmad, an official from the office of State Minister on Blockchain and Crypto Bilal Bin Saqib, did not provide any details in response to Arab News queries.
“A lot of these questions don’t have answers at the moment. Could you wait until we pass the regulation law [from parliament]?” he said.
Asked who would be the first users of Pakistan’s digital currency, SBP’s Ahmed said the central bank would share such details at a later stage.
Pakistan’s push follows the example of countries like India, which launched a pilot e-rupee in 2022.
The Reserve Bank of India initially allowed selected banks to use it for settling secondary-market transactions in government securities before extending it to the retail sector.
Pakistan launches vehicle emissions testing in Islamabad to combat air pollution

- Smoke-emitting vehicles entering the federal capital to face fines or be impounded
- Pakistan aims for 30 percent of new vehicle sales to be electric by 2030 under EV policy
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has launched emissions testing for vehicles entering the federal capital, Islamabad, in a bid to reduce air pollution and improve air quality, State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry said on Friday.
The move follows the launch of the emission testing system in the country’s most populous Punjab province in May, the first initiative of its kind ever taken in the country.
Emissions testing for vehicles is a process that measures the pollutants released from a vehicle’s exhaust to ensure compliance with environmental standards. It evaluates the levels of harmful gases such as carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides.
“The greatest damage caused to the environment is through vehicle emissions,” Chaudhry said while speaking to the media.
“Such testing has never been conducted before in Islamabad, but it has been initiated now,” he continued, adding that every car would be checked according to international standards before being certified.
Chaudhry announced the government would first inspect official vehicles before expanding the initiative to private vehicles.
“No smoke emitting vehicle will be allowed to enter Islamabad,” he added. “If it enters, there will be a fine, cars will be impounded and it will be dealt according to law.”
Earlier this year in June, Pakistan unveiled its Electric Vehicle Policy 2025–2030, setting a target for 30 percent of all new vehicle sales to be electric by the end of the decade.
The policy, which covers cars, buses, motorcycles and rickshaws, aims to accelerate Pakistan’s transition to sustainable transport, reduce reliance on fossil fuels and curb climate-warming emissions.
Pakistan imports the majority of its energy, and its urban centers rank among the most polluted in the world, primarily due to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) emissions.
This severe air pollution poses a serious threat to public health, undermines economic productivity and diminishes the quality of life for millions of residents.
Google expands creative AI tools in Pakistan with Veo 3 and Flow

- Users can now transform their favorite photos into vivid eight-second video clips with sound
- The photo-to-video feature on Veo 3 requires users to upload images and describe the scene
KARACHI: Google has expanded access to its advanced video generation model, Veo 3, allowing users in Pakistan and over 150 other countries to create eight-second videos from photos with sound, the company said in a statement released Friday.
The move comes amid a global surge in interest in creative AI tools, with content creators using different platforms to generate video stories and bring still images to life. With Pakistan’s growing pool of digital creators, the rollout is expected to spur local innovation in short-form content.
“This new capability allows users to transform their favorite photos into vivid eight-second video clips with sound through a powerful photo-to-video feature built on Veo 3,” Google said.
To use the feature, users select “Videos” from the tool menu, upload a photo, and describe the scene and audio. The system then generates a video that can be downloaded or shared.
The tool is accessible through Gemini, Google’s AI-powered assistant that combines search, image generation and content creation features into a single interface.
These capabilities are also integrated into Flow, Google’s AI tool for filmmakers, which now supports speech, background audio, and sound effects.
Google also underscored its commitment to responsible AI development.
“All videos generated with Gemini include a visible watermark and an invisible SynthID digital marker to indicate they are AI-created,” it said.