PESHAWAR: Jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s party on Sunday held a rally in Pakistan’s northwest to protest alleged killings of a dozen of its supporters during last month’s protest in Islamabad, but made no announcement regarding a civil disobedience movement Khan had hinted at this month.
Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party on Nov. 24 led thousands of supporters to Islamabad, seeking to pressure the government to release the ex-premier from jail and order an audit of Feb. 8 national election results. The protests resulted in clashes that Pakistan’s government says killed four law enforcers and injured hundreds of others.
The PTI says at least 12 of its supporters were killed and another 37 sustained gunshot injuries due to firing by law enforcers near Islamabad’s Jinnah Avenue on Nov. 26, while 139 of its supporters were still “missing.” Pakistani authorities have denied the deaths, saying security personnel had not been carrying live ammunition during the protest.
On Sunday, the party held a ‘martyrs’ day’ gathering in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar, at which the attendees offered prayers for the ones who allegedly died during the Islamabad protest.
“The reason [to hold the gathering] was to offer prayers for those who were killed on [Islamabad’s] D-Chowk on November 26,” Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Excise and Taxation Minister Khaliq-ur-Rehman told Arab News.
“We had a peaceful protest.”
Speaking to international media journalists on Sunday afternoon, KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur said they were demanding the release of Khan and challenging the results of Feb. 8 polls, criticizing authorities for allegedly shooting unarmed protesters in Islamabad.
“Is this the state’s job to fire at unarmed people,” he questioned. “Is this the state’s job that it won’t allow a party hold a protest?“
Last week, the PTI filed a petition in an Islamabad court against Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and other officials over “firing” on its supporters during the Islamabad protest. The government has accused the PTI of waging a “propaganda” regarding the Islamabad protest, following statements by several PTI members that gave varied accounts of casualties.
The PTI has staged several protests this year to demand the release of Khan and to challenge results of the Feb. 8 national election, which it says were manipulated to favor its opponents. The Pakistani government and election authorities deny this.
Last month’s protests were by far the largest to grip the capital since the poll, while Khan, who remains a popular figure in Pakistan despite being in prison and facing several court cases, on Dec. 6 threatened to launch a civil disobedience movement.
Asked about the movement, Ali Muhammad Khan, a PTI lawmaker, said Khan had formed a committee to hold talks with authorities on their demands for the release all political prisoners and for setting up judicial commissions to investigate the Nov. 24 protest and violence on May 9, 2023, which killed eight people.
“If anything comes out of the negotiations, well and good, otherwise, Khan will announce the next move,” Ali told Arab News at the Peshawar public gathering. “Whatever Khan orders, we will follow.”
Shandana Gulzar, another PTI lawmaker, said they were awaiting detailed instructions from the party founder about the movement.
“Whatever order Khan gives from the prison... we are ready,” she added.
Thousands gather in Peshawar to protest alleged killings at last month’s pro-Imran Khan protests
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Thousands gather in Peshawar to protest alleged killings at last month’s pro-Imran Khan protests
- The party remains short of announcing the start of a civil disobedience movement as was anticipated by many
- A Khan aide says they are awaiting outcome of talks with authorities and will follow whatever the ex-PM says
Afghanistan welcomes upgraded diplomatic ties with Pakistan
- Move signals easing tensions between neighbors amid surging militancy in Pakistan
- Kabul’s FM Amir Khan Muttaqi to visit Pakistan “in coming days,” confirms Afghan official
KABUL: Afghanistan has welcomed the decision to upgrade diplomatic relations with Pakistan, where the Taliban government’s foreign minister is due to travel in the coming days, his office said on Saturday.
The move signals easing tensions between the neighboring countries, as relations between the Taliban authorities and Pakistan — already rocky — have cooled in recent months, fueled by security concerns and a campaign by Islamabad to expel tens of thousands of Afghans.
Pakistan’s top diplomat on Friday said the charge d’affaires stationed in Kabul would be elevated to the rank of ambassador, with Kabul later announcing its representative in Islamabad would also be upgraded.
“This elevation in diplomatic representation between Afghanistan & Pakistan paves the way for enhanced bilateral cooperation in multiple domains,” the Aghan foreign ministry said on X.
Kabul’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi is due to visit Pakistan “in the coming days,” ministry spokesman Zia Ahmad Takal told AFP.
Muttaqi met with Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar in May in Beijing as part of a trilateral meeting with their Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.
Wang afterwards announced Kabul and Islamabad’s intention to exchange ambassadors and expressed Beijing’s willingness “to continue to assist with improving Afghanistan-Pakistan ties.”
Dar hailed the “positive trajectory” of Pakistan-Afghanistan relations on Friday, saying the upgrading of their representatives would “promote further exchanges between two fraternal countries.”
Only a handful of countries — including China — have agreed to host Taliban government ambassadors since their return to power in 2021, with no country yet formally recognizing the administration.
Russia last month said it would also accredit a Taliban government ambassador, days after removing the group’s “terrorist” designation.
Pakistani delegation to meet UN, OIC leaders from June 2-3 following India standoff
- Ex-foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to lead Pakistani delegation in meetings with UN leaders, OIC envoys in New York
- Delegation to meet UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, UN General Assembly president and Security Council members
ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani delegation led by former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is scheduled to meet leaders representing the United Nations and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in New York from June 2-3, state-run media reported on Sunday, in Islamabad’s latest diplomatic push following its conflict with India last month.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced in May that a Pakistani delegation would present Islamabad’s position and advocate for the country in world capitals following its recent military conflict with India.
Tensions between nuclear-armed neighbors Pakistan and India are high after they agreed to a ceasefire on May 10 following the most intense military confrontation in decades. Both countries accuse the other of supporting militancy on each other’s soil — a charge both capitals deny.
The nine-member parliamentary delegation led by Bhutto Zardari will present Pakistan’s perspective on the recent military clash with India and “counter New Delhi’s disinformation campaign about the conflict,” the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) said.
“During their stay in New York, the delegation members will have several meetings, including with the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, President of the UN General Assembly, as well as the Ambassadors of Permanent & non-permanent members of the UN Security Council,” APP said.
“Besides these meetings, the delegation will also brief OIC members at the United Nations.”
The latest military escalation, in which the two countries traded missiles, drone attacks and artillery fire, was sparked after India accused Pakistan of supporting militants who attacked dozens of tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22, killing 26. Islamabad denies involvement.
Tensions persist between India and Pakistan as after the April tourist attack, Delhi “put in abeyance” its participation in the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960. The treaty governs the usage of the Indus river system. The accord has not been revived despite the rivals agreeing on a ceasefire last week following the conflict.
Islamabad said after India suspended the treaty that it considered “any attempt to stop or divert the flow of water belonging to Pakistan” to be an ‘act of war.’
About 80 percent of Pakistani farms depend on the Indus system, as do nearly all hydropower projects serving the country of some 250 million.
In a media interaction last month, Bhutto Zardari said his team had received a briefing from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the recent standoff with India and ceasefire brokered by the US, as well as on contention issues like the Kashmir dispute, terrorism, and India’s unilateral move to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty.
Pakistan hikes petrol price by Rs1 per liter till next fortnight
- Pakistan says increased price of petrol as per recommendations of regulatory authority, relevant ministries
- Prices of petroleum products are reviewed and adjusted on a fortnightly basis to reflect import costs
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s government has decided to increase the price of petrol by Rs1 per liter till the next fortnight as per the recommendations of the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) and relevant ministries, the Finance Division announced recently.
Petrol is primarily used in Pakistan for private transportation, including small vehicles, rickshaws and two-wheelers. Diesel, on the other hand, powers heavy vehicles used for transporting goods across the country.
“The government has decided the following prices of petroleum products for the fortnight starting tomorrow, based on the recommendations of OGRA and the relevant ministries,” the Finance Division said in a statement on Saturday.
After the latest revision in prices, a liter of petrol will cost Rs253.63 while the government has kept the rate of diesel unchanged at Rs254.64 per liter.
Fuel prices in Pakistan are reviewed and adjusted on a fortnightly basis. This mechanism ensures that changes in import costs are reflected in consumer prices, helping to sustain the country’s fuel supply chain.
The Finance Division kept the price of petrol unchanged and slashed the rate of high-speed diesel by Rs2 per liter during its last review on May 16.
The new price of petrol has already taken effect.
Heavy taxes, inconsistent policies forcing multinationals to leave Pakistan, trade representative says
- PM Sharif’s government has been charging businesses as much as 10% super tax, 18% sales tax and 29% corporate tax this fiscal year
- OICCI expects the government to announce in the upcoming budget major cuts in taxes on corporate incomes to align with regional markets
KARACHI: Many multinational corporations (MNCs) have “packed up” and left Pakistan in recent years because of the country’s “inconsistent policies and a complicated tax regime,” Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce & Industry (OICCI) CEO Abdul Aleem said this week.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government has imposed as much as 29 percent taxes on corporate incomes to increase the cash-strapped country’s revenues with the help of International Monetary Fund (IMF) that wanted Islamabad to tax incomes from agriculture, real estate and retail sectors in the fiscal year 2025-26 budget that Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb is expected to present on June 10.
“Basically the issue with our members and which generally the foreign investors are facing is that the consistency of policy is not there,” Aleem told Arab News in an interview on Friday.
Pakistan’s existing tax regime is “very complicated” and leads to a lot of litigations while abrupt changes in the government’s corporate policies have seen global giants like Shell plc., TotalEnergies SE and some pharmaceutical firms divest their shares in the country, the world’s fifth most populous nation and thus a big consumer market.
The OICCI is the biggest taxpayer in Pakistan that has been paying Rs15 billion ($53.2 million) daily in taxes, which is about one-third of the total taxes the nation collects in a year, according to its CEO. Its members include Pepsi-Cola International (Private) Limited, Pakistan Kuwait Investment Company, Citibank N.A., Toyota’s Pakistan unit Indus Motor Company Ltd. and Maersk Pakistan (Pvt.) Ltd.
“Many of the companies packed up a few years back,” Aleem said.
TotalEnergies SE sold 50 percent of its shareholding in Total PARCO Pakistan Ltd. to Gunvor Group last year, while Shell plc sold a majority stake in its Pakistan business to Wafi Energy LLC of Saudi Arabia in November 2023.
Higher taxes on the incomes of corporate and salaried persons is another area of concern for foreign investors who directly or indirectly employ around one million Pakistanis.
Sharif’s government has been charging businesses as much as 10 percent as super tax, 18 percent sales tax, and 29 percent as corporate tax this fiscal year, which ends on June 30.
“In comparison to the region, it is higher,” Aleem said about the corporate tax, which he said should be slashed to 25 percent through a one percent annual reduction. The 18 percent sales tax too should be reduced on the same pattern to 15 percent that will align the levy to what is being paid in the region, according to the OICCI CEO.
The 10 percent super tax should be abolished in the next three years so that the MNCs operating in Pakistan could be more competitive. The government should provide relief to the heavily-taxed salaried persons in FY26 budget to stop the so-called brain drain from the country.
Record number of skilled individuals and professionals deserted Pakistan for other countries and inflicted a huge loss on the South Asian nation in the form of human capital and resources, Bloomberg News reported in October.
The Pakistani government, which is charging salaried persons as much as 35 percent tax on incomes, has said it wants to provide some relief to them in the new budget, which will take effect from July.
“The salary taxes in Pakistan are very high. It should be reduced immediately because it is having an impact,” the OICCI chief said.
“It is very necessary that we get good quality people to remain in the country and work for the industry as well. And there should be an element of fairness in taxation.”
In recent years, PM Sharif’s government has been trying to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) into the country and has established a Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), a civil-military forum, to rid foreigners of bureaucratic hurdles. However, the investment inflows have been dismal and could not increase beyond $3 billion a year.
“The government has to facilitate the existing foreign investors by not only streamlining the tax rates but also streamlining the systems, tax system, compliance system so that more and more foreign investment is attracted,” Aleem said.
The OICCI, he said, was the largest foreign investor in Pakistan and had brought about $20 billion fresh FDI besides reinvesting more than $23 billion in Pakistan over the last one decade.
“We are the largest taxpayers and I think there is need to rationalize the tax regime,” Aleem said, adding that the government could increase Pakistan’s 10.6 percent tax-to-GDP ratio to 14 percent by taxing services, agriculture and trades.
The OICCI chief said the government should decrease its expenses by “offloading” loss-making, state-owned enterprises, including the Pakistan International Airlines, as well as plug leakages in its revenue from tobacco industry.
The two MNCs, Pakistan Tobacco Company Ltd. of British American Tobacco Group and Phillip Morris International, were paying 99 percent taxes while their market share stays at 53 percent.
“That tells you that the other 47 percent or half of the industry is not paying its tax which is Rs300 billion,” he said. “There is need for more robust action from the authorities.”
Arab News contacted Qamar Sarwar Abbasi, spokesperson for the finance ministry, regarding the concerns raised by the OICCI official, but he did not offer any comment.
Roadside blast kills two tribal leaders, injures seven in southwestern Pakistan
- The incident took place some 35 kilometers from Balochistan’s provincial capital
- The IED attack took place the day Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was visiting Quetta
QUETTA: A blast triggered by an improvised explosive device (IED) killed two tribal leaders and injured seven others on Saturday in a remote mountainous town in Quetta district, located in Pakistan’s restive southwestern Balochistan province, a senior police official said.
The roadside blast took place in Mangla, an area of the Hanna Urrak valley located some 35 kilometers from the provincial capital of Quetta, when a convoy of tribal leaders was passing through the area.
“Sardar Abdul Salam Bazai and Sardar Nafay Bazai, accompanied by their companions, were heading toward a mining site when a powerful explosion hit their vehicle,” Naveed Khan, Station House Officer (SHO) in the area, told Arab News.
“Both the tribal elders were killed on the spot,” he continued. “Police have commenced an investigation into the IED blast, while the injured have been shifted to Quetta city.”
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. However, Balochistan has witnessed a surge in separatist violence in recent months, including attacks on a passenger train and a school bus carrying children.
The latest attack took place on the day Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif was in Quetta and addressed a grand jirga of influential Baloch leaders alongside senior military officials.
Pakistan has blamed the recent surge in militant violence in Balochistan on “Indian proxies,” calling groups like the Baloch Liberation Army “Fitna Al-Hind.”
New Delhi denies any involvement in backing Baloch ethnic separatist groups in Pakistan’s southwestern province, which shares borders with Iran and Afghanistan and has witnessed an insurgency for decades.
Speaking to Arab News, Dr. Arbab Kamran Kasi, head of the Trauma Center in Quetta, confirmed that those injured in Saturday’s attack were brought to the medical facility.
“Seven injured were brought to the center and are now in a stable condition,” he said.
