ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has established a Land Information and Management System, Center of Excellence ((LIMS-CoE) to enhance modern agro-farming by utilizing over 9 million hectares of uncultivated state land, a senior official said on Thursday, adding that Saudi Arabia provided an initial $500 million investment to set up the facility.
Pakistan, an agriculture-based economy contributing 23 percent to the GDP and employing 37.4 percent of the labor force, faces recurrent economic hardships. Currently, the productivity remains below par, with a decreasing cultivation area, a population-production gap, and agricultural imports amounting to $10 billion.
According to the World Food Program, around 36.9 percent of Pakistanis are food insecure, with 18.3 percent experiencing severe food crises. The country faces a shortfall of 4 million metric tons in wheat production against a total demand of 30.8 million metric tons, while cotton production has fallen by 40 percent to around 5 million bales in the last decade.
“As far as the high efficiency irrigation system is concerned, Saudi Arabia has already given us [Pakistan] $500 million,” Maj. Gen. Shahid Nazeer, who heads the LIMS-CoE, told reporters at a briefing on Thursday.
“Aimed at enhancing modern agro-farming utilizing over 9 million hectares of uncultivated waste state land, LISM-CoE has been established under the Director General Strategic Projects of Pakistan Army.”
The state-of-the-art system will revolutionize means to steer agricultural development through real-time information about land, crops, weather, water resource and pest-handling under one roof, according to the official.
The center will work in collaboration with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and China on various agri projects to enhance Pakistan’s exports.
“In the next 3-4 days, a very high-powered Saudi delegation is coming to Pakistan to explore this kind of investment in four major sectors including agriculture, mines and minerals, information technology (IT) and defense production,” he said, adding this would be done under the umbrella of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) that was recently established to revive the Pakistani economy.
Nazeer said the LIMS-CoE was aimed at ensuring food security and optimizing agricultural production in Pakistan through innovative technologies and precise, sustainable agricultural practices based on agro-ecological potential of the land, while ensuring the well-being of rural communities and environment preservation.
“The main objectives of the center included consolidation and reclamation of uncultivated waste land, optimal decision; what and where to grow, development of a master plan for modern farming, implementation of state-of-the-art agriculture management practices, practicing agro-intelligence for digital and precision agriculture, better utilization of technology to enhance yield and effective decision support system,” he explained.
The LIMS-CoE recently initiated modern agri-farming projects in Punjab, according to the official. Efforts were being made to use certified hybrid seeds with concurrent development involving joint ventures with multi-national companies, which could pay rich dividends. In agriculture and gardening, a hybrid seed is produced by deliberately cross-pollinating plants that are genetically diverse.
“Hybrid seed gives 30-50 percent more yield, world is using 80 percent hybrid seed, while Pakistan currently uses only 8 percent of hybrid seed,” he added.
Pakistan sets up center to boost agricultural growth with $500 million Saudi assistance
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Pakistan sets up center to boost agricultural growth with $500 million Saudi assistance
- The center will work in collaboration with Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and China on various projects
- It aims to enhance modern agro-farming in Pakistan by utilizing over 9 million hectares of uncultivated state land
Pakistan warns of more rains next week as monsoon death toll reaches nearly 300
- “Weak” monsoon currents likely to intensify from Aug. 4, westerly wave likely to strengthen from Aug. 5, says Met Department
- Monsoon rains have killed 299 in Pakistan since June 26, with Punjab reporting highest number of deaths with 162 casualties
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Meteorological Department warned on Sunday that currently “weak” monsoon currents penetrating the country are likely to intensify from next week, triggering more rains and flash floods, as the death toll from rain-related incidents since late June climbed to 299.
As per the Met Department’s latest press release, weak monsoon currents are continuously penetrating the country’s upper and central parts. It said these currents are likely to “intensify” from Aug. 4 and that a westerly wave is likely to strengthen from Aug. 5.
“Heavy rains may generate flash floods in local nullahs/streams of Chitral, Dir, Swat, Shangla, Mansehra, Kohistan, Abbottabad, Buner, Charsadda, Nowshera, Swabi, Mardan, Murree, Galliyat, Islamabad/Rawalpindi, northeast Punjab and Kashmir from Aug. 5-7,” the PMD said.
Monsoon rains have killed 299 people in Pakistan since June 26, with Punjab reporting the highest number of deaths with 162 casualties, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) with 69, Sindh with 28, Balochistan with 20, Gilgit-Baltistan with 10, Islamabad with 8 and Azad Kashmir with 2.
As per the National Disaster Management Authority’s (NDMA) latest situation report, 715 people have been injured in total in rain-related incidents since June 26, with 239 of them children, 272 males and 204 females.
The PMD warned that heavy rains may trigger urban floods in the low-lying areas of Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Lahore and Sialkot cities of Punjab from Aug. 5-7.
“Landslides/mudslides may cause roads’ closure in the vulnerable hilly areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, Murree, Galliyat and Kashmir during the forecast period,” it added.
The PMD warned the public, travelers and tourists against traveling unnecessarily to vulnerable areas to avoid any untoward situation, and to keep updated with the latest weather conditions.
Pakistan, which ranks among the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations, has witnessed increasingly erratic weather events in recent years.
In May, at least 32 people were killed in severe storms, while a third of the country was submerged by devastating floods in 2022 that killed more than 1,700 people, affected over 30 million and caused an estimated $35 billion in damages.
Filmmakers try to cash in on India-Pakistan battle
- India, Pakistan engaged in worst fighting in decades in May that killed over 70 on both sides
- Film studios register titles such as “Mission Sindoor,” “Sindoor: The Revenge” and others
MUMBAI: Indian filmmakers are locking up the rights to movie titles that can profit from the patriotism fanned by a four-day conflict with Pakistan, which killed more than 70 people.
The nuclear-armed rivals exchanged artillery, drone and air strikes in May, after India blamed Pakistan for an armed attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir.
The fighting came to an end when US President Donald Trump announced a surprise ceasefire.
Now, some Bollywood filmmakers see an opportunity to cash in on the battle.
India tagged its military action against Pakistan “Operation Sindoor,” the Hindi word for vermilion, which married Hindu women wear on their foreheads.
The name was seen as a symbol of Delhi’s determination to avenge those widowed in the April 22 attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which sparked the hostilities.
Film studios have registered a slew of titles evoking the operation, including: “Mission Sindoor,” “Sindoor: The Revenge,” “The Pahalgam Terror,” and “Sindoor Operation.”
“It’s a story which needs to be told,” said director Vivek Agnihotri.
“If it was Hollywood, they would have made 10 films on this subject. People want to know what happened behind the scenes,” he told AFP.
Agnihotri struck box office success with his 2022 release, “The Kashmir Files,” based on the mass flight of Hindus from Kashmir in the 1990s.
The ruling right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party gave that film a glowing endorsement, despite accusations that it aimed to stir up hatred against India’s minority Muslims.
Since Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi took office in 2014, some critics say Bollywood is increasingly promoting his government’s ideology.
Raja Sen, a film critic and screenwriter, said filmmakers felt emboldened by an amenable government.
“We tried to wage a war and then we quietened down when Mr.Trump asked us to. So what is the valor here?” Sen told AFP of the Pakistan clashes.
Anil Sharma, known for directing rabble-rousing movies, criticized the apparent rush to make films related to the Pahalgam attack.
“This is herd mentality... these are seasonal filmmakers, they have their constraints,” he said.
“I don’t wait for an incident to happen and then make a film based on that. A subject should evoke feelings and only then cinema happens,” said Sharma.
Sharma’s historical action flick “Gadar: Ek Prem Katha” (2001) and its sequel “Gadar 2” (2023), both featuring Sunny Deol in lead roles, were big hits.
In Bollywood, filmmakers often seek to time releases for national holidays like Independence Day, which are associated with heightened patriotic fervor.
“Fighter,” featuring big stars Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone, was released on the eve of India’s Republic Day on January 25 last year.
Though not a factual retelling, it drew heavily from India’s 2019 airstrike on Pakistan’s Balakot.
The film received mixed-to-positive reviews but raked in $28 million in India, making it the fourth highest-grossing Hindi film of that year.
This year, “Chhaava,” a drama based on the life of SambHajji Maharaj, a ruler of the Maratha Empire, became the highest-grossing film so far this year.
It also generated significant criticism for fueling anti-Muslim bias.
“This is at a time when cinema is aggressively painting Muslim kings and leaders in violent light,” said Sen.
“This is where those who are telling the stories need to be responsible about which stories they choose to tell.”
Sen said filmmakers were reluctant to choose topics that are “against the establishment.”
“If the public is flooded with dozens of films that are all trying to serve an agenda, without the other side allowed to make itself heard, then that propaganda and misinformation enters the public psyche,” he said.
Acclaimed director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra said true patriotism is promoting peace and harmony through the medium of cinema.
Mehra’s socio-political drama “Rang De Basanti” (2006) won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film and was chosen as India’s official entry for the Golden Globe Awards and the Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category.
“How we can arrive at peace and build a better society? How we can learn to love our neighbors?” he asked.
“For me that is patriotism.”
Pakistan arrests eight in nationwide crackdown on illegal currency trade
- FIA raids followed a July 22 meeting between Pakistan’s ISI and currency exchange representatives in Islamabad
- Crackdown came amid growing concern over the Pakistani rupee’s slide to a 22-month low against the US dollar
KARACHI: Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has arrested at least eight suspects in nationwide raids since last week, it said on Saturday, in a crackdown on illegal foreign exchange businesses in the country’s southern and southwestern regions bordering Iran and Afghanistan.
The arrests followed a July 22 meeting in Islamabad between a senior official of the military-run Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and representatives of the Exchange Companies Association of Pakistan (ECAP). The interaction took place amid growing concern over the rupee’s decline, which last week fell to a 22-month low of Rs284.97 against the US dollar.
Following the meeting, the FIA began operations targeting illegal currency dealers, including operators of hundi and hawala, informal money transfer systems that operate outside official banking channels. While commonly used for remittances, these systems are also prone to abuse for money laundering and terror financing.
Raids were conducted in Karachi, Quetta, Gwadar and Chaman.
“The FIA, acting on credible source reports, conducted raids targeting illegal foreign exchange traders and hundi-hawala operators,” the agency said in response to written questions from Arab News.
It denied that these operations were “prompted by specific directives” from the ISI.
According to State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) data, the rupee appreciated following the crackdown and closed at Rs282.72 in the interbank market on August 1. In the open market, the currency traded between Rs284.62 and Rs285.30, according to ECAP.
The South Asian nation’s currency had been under consistent pressure in recent months, declining over 2 percent against the dollar since January despite a stabilizing economy, including a $2.1 billion current account surplus during the last fiscal year.
With import bills exceeding $58 billion, the rupee remains vulnerable to global currency shocks and illegal financial outflows.
The FIA said it has conducted “hundreds of intelligence-based operations across the country from January to July,” arresting at least 290 suspects and recovering over Rs800 million ($2.83 million) in local and foreign currencies, including US dollars and Saudi riyals.
Authorities have also filed 213 police reports related to black market activities.
“These operations aim to curb unlawful financial practices and ensure compliance with relevant laws,” the agency said. “Upon identifying violations, the FIA initiates legal proceedings against those involved in accordance with applicable laws.”
Pakistan operates a multi-tiered currency market, with the official interbank rate often diverging from the open market and the unregulated “grey market,” where many hawala operators function.
Under a $7 billion bailout agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Pakistan is required to keep the difference between official and parallel market rates below 1.25 percent.
“This initiative [of launching crackdowns] has also helped to close the gap between the official and black market exchange rates, which is a crucial requirement of Pakistan’s agreement with the IMF,” said Qazi Owais-ul-Haq, a currency trader at Arif Habib Ltd., a Karachi-based brokerage.
Haq added the clampdown has helped reduce market speculation and illegal foreign currency outflows, boosting the rupee’s standing.
“The pressure on the currency market has eased, and many exporters are now beginning to repatriate their earnings, which is further supporting the rupee’s position,” he said, citing ECAP officials.
Financial data firm Tresmark reported the rupee remained “relatively stable” between Rs282 and Rs283 this week, despite earlier market expectations it could strengthen to Rs278-280.
“We expect currency rates to remain range-bound this month,” the firm said, though it projected the rupee could weaken again to Rs284 in the next three months.
Still, analysts say the long-term outlook remains uncertain and dependent on broader structural reforms.
“The real challenge for authorities will be to implement sustainable economic policies that lessen the need for such interventions and ensure the currency’s long-term stability,” Haq added.
Pakistan calls China’s development model ‘source of inspiration’ amid talks on next CPEC phase
- CPEC’s next phase to focus on industrialization, business cooperation and technology transfer
- Ahsan Iqbal thanks Chinese officials in Beijing for backing Pakistan during the standoff with India
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal on Saturday described Beijing’s development model as a “source of inspiration” for his country while discussing the next phase of the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) during a meeting with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong.
CPEC is a flagship initiative of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), launched in 2013 to develop infrastructure and connectivity between Gwadar Port in Pakistan and China’s Xinjiang region.
The first phase focused on power generation and road networks, while the upcoming second phase aims to center on industrialization, business-to-business cooperation and technological development.
Iqbal is currently in Beijing to push for deeper economic integration and bilateral collaboration between the two countries.
“China’s development model remains a source of inspiration for Pakistan,” he said during the meeting, according to the Associated Press of Pakistan.
“Learning from China’s experience, Pakistan is moving toward building an export-oriented and technology-driven economy.”
Iqbal recalled how CPEC was transformed from “a paper plan into a multibillion-dollar reality.”
He also lauded China’s support for Pakistan during the recent military standoff with India, saying the Pakistani people “take pride in the everlasting friendship” with Beijing.
“Pakistan-China friendship continues to grow stronger with every passing day and changing circumstances,” he added.
The minister emphasized that the next phase of CPEC would prioritize industrial and technological collaboration between the two countries.
He pointed to Pakistan’s URAAN initiative, a government program aimed at advancing economic, social, and institutional stability through people-centered reforms.
He noted that under the initiative, the government plans to develop a skilled and capable workforce aligned with the needs of CPEC Phase II.
Iqbal said enhanced business-to-business cooperation between the two countries would help further expand the scope of the corridor and stimulate industrial growth in Pakistan.
Vice Foreign Minister Sun reaffirmed China’s commitment to strengthening cooperation with Pakistan in various sectors and expressed support for Islamabad’s development goals.
He described Pakistan’s economic reform efforts as a promising path toward stability and self-reliance.
Pakistan to probe train derailment that injured 27 near Lahore this week
- Three-day inquiry begins next week, with officials promising transparency
- Pakistan aims to modernize aging railway network through track overhaul
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will conduct an inquiry into the derailment of the Islamabad Express in the coming week, an official statement said on Saturday, after three cars of the passenger train went off the tracks a day earlier near the eastern city of Lahore, injuring at least 27 people.
The derailment took place in the town of Kala Shah Kaku as the train was en route to Lahore. While no fatalities were reported, women and children were among the injured, all of whom were later listed in stable condition, according to railways officials.
“Federal Government Inspector of Railways, Mr. Aamir Nisar Chaudhry, will conduct an inquiry into the derailment of the ... Islamabad Express that occurred on the evening of August 1, 2025,” said a statement issued by the Railways Headquarters in Lahore. “The inquiry will take place from August 4 to August 6, 2025.”
It said the inspector will be available to meet anyone with relevant information during the inquiry period.
The statement also invited individuals to submit written reports by post to the official conducting the inquiry, assuring the identity of informants would be kept confidential.
It said all possible factors contributing to the incident will be examined, and the investigation will be conducted transparently and without external influence.
The final report is expected to be submitted to the Ministry of Railways within seven days.
Pakistan Railways has been attempting to modernize its aging network with new trains and an overhaul of the 1,687-kilometer Karachi-Peshawar Main Line (ML-1), aimed at doubling tracks, upgrading signals and raising train speeds to 140 km/h.
Train accidents are relatively common in Pakistan, where the railway system has suffered from decades of underinvestment, outdated tracks, and aging signal infrastructure.
In 2023, at least 30 people were killed when a passenger train derailed in the southern city of Nawabshah in Sindh province.
With input from AP
