Islamabad: On Thursday, Interim Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani briefed his Afghan counterpart Amir Khan Muttaqi on the threats to regional peace Pakistan is facing in the wake of an increase in terrorist activities that also included Afghan citizens. All illegal immigrants, including Afghan refugees, have been given a 28-day ultimatum (November 1) to depart the country or risk being forcibly deported. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that Jilani “underscored that challenges confronting regional peace & stability be addressed in collaborative spirit thru collective strategies”. According to the ministry, “The FM reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to further strengthen bilateral ties with Afghanistan.” Their meeting was held in Tibet, China, where the foreign minister is visiting China to participate in the Third Trans-Himalaya Forum for...
Masood Khan, the ambassador of Pakistan to the United States, met with 16 US foreign service officers chosen for positions at American embassies in Pakistan on Wednesday and urged them to foster strong economic ties and people-to-people connections between the two nations. According to a press statement from the Pakistani embassy here, he addressed the officers chosen to work at the US Embassy in Islamabad and US Consulates in other places. “The two countries have stood side by side with each other in their decades-long relationship,” he said. At the Foreign Service Institute (FSI), where these officers are enrolled in a 32-week Urdu language course and Culture Training, the Pakistani envoy remarked, “Your efforts would bring the two countries, especially the people of Pakistan and the United States, closer to each other.” Ambassador Masood Khan advised them in Urdu to use public diplomacy as a way to allay mistrust and misunderstandings amongst them. He claimed that the two nations were working to fortify their economic links and bolster their already-existing partnership in non-security-related fields. The Ambassador emphasised the country’s assets in his remarks, paying particular attention to its unrealized potential, natural resources, geographic location, and rich cultural legacy. He asserted that an essential component of the bilateral partnership that enables Pakistani young to contribute to socioeconomic advancement is educational collaboration. In this context, he emphasised the crucial function being performed by a solid network of 39,000 alumni who benefited from various educational institutions and places of learning in the United States.
Pakistan has urged the international community to work together to tackle transnational organised crime, which continues to undermine the rule of law, economic growth, and the realisation of the sustainable development goals. The Third Committee of the General Assembly, which deals with social, humanitarian, and cultural issues, heard remarks from Ambassador Aamir Khan, the deputy permanent representative of Pakistan to the UN, that in order to effectively combat organised crime, a holistic approach must be used that addresses the causes at their source, encourages social inclusion, and ensures equal access to justice for all. In a discussion on crime prevention and criminal justice, he said that the devastating effects of climate change give organised crime groups new opportunities to infiltrate weak legal systems. He also spoke against the use of information and communications technologies for criminal purposes. The Pakistani ambassador noted that other types of transnational organised crime, especially money-laundering, cybercrime, corruption, human smuggling, and trafficking, continue to provide difficult problems for the nations. In addition, Aamir Khan expressed concern about the rise in hate crimes, Islamophobia, and other provocative acts that promote hatred and violence on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, or belief. We place a strong emphasis on the value of respecting one another’s religious and cultural views. The use of ICTs (information and communications technology) for criminal activity promotes and encourages a variety of other crimes, such as corruption and illegal financial flows, which poses a serious threat to international security, according to him.
The caretaker government has given illegal immigrants living in the nation until November 1 as a deadline, warning that action will be done against them after that date. This move is intended to tighten the noose around illegal “foreigners” Sarfraz Bugti, the interim interior minister, stated during a news conference that the top committee meeting on the National Action Plan (NAP) on Tuesday set November 1 as the deadline for the unlawful “aliens” to voluntarily depart the country. Top civil and military officials gathered in Islamabad for a high-level meeting, which was presided over by caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar. Speaking at the event, the interim interior minister disclosed that 14 of the nation’s 24 suicide attacks this year were carried out by Afghan citizens. He issued a threat that they will be forcibly expelled from Pakistan if they didn’t leave by November 1. Additionally, Bugti stated that beginning November 1st, all state law enforcement authorities would be mobilised to take action against illegal foreign nationals. Additionally, he stated that beyond the deadline’s expiration, all properties and enterprises owned or operated by these illegal aliens will also be seized.
The World Bank (WB) urged Pakistan implement the much-needed fiscal changes on Tuesday, describing them as “critical” for economic stability and long-term economic growth. These reforms include reducing tax exemptions and expanding the tax base. When introducing “Pakistan Development Update (PDU): Restoring Fiscal Sustainability,” WB Country Director for Pakistan Najy Benhassine stated that “careful economic management and deep structural reforms will be required to ensure macroeconomic stability and growth.” He stated that “it is imperative that critical reforms are undertaken to build the fiscal space and public means to invest into inclusive, sustainable, and climate-resilient development” in light of the record-high inflation rate, rising electricity prices, severe climate shocks, and lack of public resources to finance human development investments and climate adaptation. “In Pakistan, growth is forecast at 1.9% in FY2024, slightly below the April projection, assuming continued implementation of reforms and supportive macroeconomic policies, recovery from flood-induced supply shocks, and improving external conditions,” the report concluded. The country’s estimated growth rate for FY2023 was reduced by the report from 0.6% to 0.3% (from a forecast in April). The updated prediction, according to the research, anticipates a minor uptick in demand, with private consumption and investment increasing by roughly 3% and 5%, respectively. Demand will be hampered by tighter fiscal and monetary policy as well as by double-digit inflation. However, the implementation of the economic adjustment programme and the likelihood of a smooth general election should increase confidence, and the relaxation of import restrictions should encourage investment while budgetary restraints limit consumer spending.
UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan has urged the U.N. to push for a peaceful resolution of the ongoing Kashmir dispute in accordance with the Security Council resolutions and the wishes of the Kashmiri people, calling India’s occupation of Jammu and Kashmir the “worst manifestation of modern-day colonialism.” Ambassador Munir Akram noted that 80 former colonies have achieved independence since 1946 but added that there are still peoples who are denied the right to self-determination, “most prominently the people of occupied Jammu & Kashmir and Palestine.” The Pakistani representative claimed that UNSC resolution 47 and several subsequent resolutions explicitly recognised the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination and stated that the people of Jammu & Kashmir should decide the state’s ultimate fate through a free and fair plebiscite held under UN supervision. He added that under Article 25 of the UN Charter, both parties are required to carry out these decisions because they were adopted by both India and Pakistan. In his remarks, Ambassador Akram also stated that the two-state solution and the creation of a viable, independent, and contiguous State of Palestine, with the pre-1967 borders and Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital, are the only ways to bring about a lasting peace in the Middle East.
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