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KARACHI: With the digitization and improved efficiency of its marine departments, Pakistan is confident of boosting its exports, particularly of seafood, to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), a top official at Pakistan Single Window (PSW) facility said on Thursday.
The PSW is the lead Pakistani agency that allows parties involved in trade and transport to lodge standardized information and documents at a single-entry point to fulfill all import, export and transit-related requirements. The facility helps reduce the time and cost of doing business in Pakistan and makes trade-related business processes more efficient, transparent and consistent.
Saudi Arabia and other GCC countries are major recipients of Pakistani fish and fish products and the digitization would further boost exports to these countries, according to Naveed Abbas Memon, the PSW chief domain officer.
“We are very much confident that with digitized trade, the exports are bound to increase because those (Gulf) countries will be getting the documents from Pakistan which will be verifiable online,” Memon told Arab News.
“They will feel more confident about the Pakistani fish and fish products going to them so they can check that these goods have been properly inspected by the concerned department.”
In the first phase, Memon said, they had digitized four departments, including Department of Plant Protection, Mercantile Marine Department, Federal Seed Certification Department and Pakistan Quality Control Authority.
“In the second phase [completed in July], we digitized four more departments, which also includes Marine Fisheries Department that actually regulates exports of fish and fish products from Pakistan to other countries,” he said.
The digital QR code-enabled certificates are being issued after digitization for the importing countries so that they have more accurate and verifiable data, according to the official.
Pakistan’s fish and fish product exports increased by 15.2 percent to a record high of $496.3 million during the outgoing fiscal year ending on June 30 as compared to $430.8 million worth of seafood exports in the previous year, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).
Pakistani fish and seafood exporters attributed the record exports to higher rates they fetched from the international market.
“This year, the fish landing was far better and the exporters were also able to fetch good prices,” Muhammad Zafar Iqbal, the Pakistan Fisheries Exporters Association (PFEA) chairman, told Arab News.
Some European and other countries had banned imports from Pakistan, otherwise the number would have gone far above the current level, Iqbal said.
He said the digitalization process had not only reduced the processing time, but it had also ensured paperless trade.
“The way digitization is facilitating exporters, they feel more encouraged, they feel less hassle and they are not required to physically go to the government departments,” Memon said.
“The processes which involved five to ten days, now those processes have been reduced to one to two days. So, in a way, the exports are being facilitated.”
Following the digitization of government bodies, importers would also now feel confident about placing orders with Pakistan, the PSW official hoped.
The drive would help integrate the PSW with other countries, including those in the Middle East, he added.
ISLAMABAD: Prominent Pakistani human rights activist and lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir was released from jail on Saturday after an anti-terrorism court granted her bail, following a three-day remand into police custody due to her alleged involvement in a terror-related case
Mazari-Hazir, alongside Ali Wazir, co-founder of the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM), an ethnic rights movement, was apprehended on Aug. 20 for criticizing the country’s powerful military in a public rally. Their case drew attention to what rights groups perceive as an escalating crackdown on politicians and human rights activists in Pakistan. Both individuals faced charges of sedition, obstructing government officials from performing their duties, and causing damage to public property.
On Aug. 28, Mazari-Hazir and Wazir secured bail in the sedition case, only to be rearrested by Islamabad police shortly thereafter on new terrorism-related charges. A day later, the court remanded her into police custody for three days in connection with the latest case.
“Alhumdullilah [praise be to God], bail has been granted to [Imaan Mazari-Hazir] in the 3rd FIR [first information report] registered against her by the [counterterrorism department],” her lawyer, Barrister Ahsan J. Pirzada, announced on the X platform on Saturday.
Alhumdullilah, Bail has been granted to @ImaanZHazir in the 3rd FIR, registered against her by the CTD. Thank you for all the support, kind messages & especially for all the prayers. We all shall remain indebted.
Local media reported that following the acquisition of bail, she was released from jail and reached home.
Mazari-Hazir and Wazir were initially apprehended following the widespread circulation of videos on social media, featuring Mazari-Hazir addressing a PTM rally and voicing criticism against the Pakistani military regarding enforced abductions. The military, however, denies these allegations.
ISLAMABAD: After a challenging start, India set a 267-run target for arch-rivals Pakistan in a 50-over Asia Cup match in Kandy, Sri Lanka.
Opting to bat amid intermittent rain after winning the toss, India faced setbacks as skipper Rohit Sharma (11) and Virat Kohli (4) fell early to Shaheen Shah Afridi’s deceptive deliveries.
As the fall of wickets continued, Haris Rauf claimed Shreyas Iyer’s wicket and shattered the stumps of Shubman Gill in the 15th over.
At 66 for 4, Ishan Kishan (82 off 81) and Hardik Pandya (87 off 90) stabilized India’s innings. Their dynamic batting display enthralled the crowd, propelling India to 204 runs before Kishan’s dismissal by Babar Azam off Rauf’s delivery.
Pandya followed suit, leaving India at 239 for 6 in the 43rd over.
Despite the efforts of other players, India’s batting performance faltered, resulting in a total collapse by the 49th over. Shaheen Shah Afridi of Pakistan claimed four dismissals, while Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah secured three wickets each.
While Pakistan have yet to begin their innings against India, they have already secured a victory in their opening match against Asia Cup debutants Nepal, winning by a formidable margin of 238 runs.
India-Pakistan matches are special and often referred to as “cricket’s greatest rivalry” due to the fervor and passion they generate.
The cricket contests between the two sides transcend sports, becoming a reflection of the complex relationship between two neighboring nations and a platform for people to demonstrate their emotions, allegiances, and aspirations.
Political tensions between India and Pakistan have led the two nations only to play each other at international tournaments in well over a decade. The last time the Indian cricket team visited Pakistan was in 2008 for the 50-over Asia Cup tournament.
ISLAMABAD: Eight militants were killed in two separate intelligence-based operations carried out in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, said the provincial counterterrorism department (CTD) on Saturday, adding that a person abducted by militants last month was safely recovered during one of the operations.
According to a CTD statement, the initial operation was carried out in Quetta during which three Daesh militants were killed, while the second operation led to the death of five other militants in Washuk district’s Wasima Town.
“An exchange of fire took place during both operations as a result of which eight terrorists were killed,” the statement said.
“A person named Abu Bakr, who was abducted from Quetta a month ago, was also safely recovered from the hideout of the terrorists during the operation.”
An investigation has been launched following the recovery of substantial quantities of arms and ammunition from the hideouts of the dead militants.
Earlier this week, the CTD reported the killing of four militants associated with the proscribed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in an operation in Balochistan’s Pishin district. Among them, the CTD added, was a skilled sharpshooter, Shakar Din, who was also known as Umar Khalid.
Balochistan shares a porous border with Iran and Afghanistan and has witnessed a prolonged low-level insurgency led by Baloch separatists who blame Pakistan’s federal government for exploiting the province’s mineral resources without giving back much in return.
Their claim has been refuted by the Pakistani state.
KARACHI: Pakistani shopkeepers shuttered their businesses in multiple cities on Saturday in response to calls from trader associations and the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) religious party to protest exorbitant hikes in electricity and petroleum prices, which have fueled inflation in the South Asian country.
Shops and markets remained closed in Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar and other cities amid mounting protests that began following a hike in petroleum prices in Karachi on August 17, but spread nationwide due to an increase in power tariff. On Friday, Pakistan once again hiked petrol and diesel prices, breaching the Rs300 mark for the first time in its history and leading to widespread anger among the masses.
The developments come months after Islamabad signed a badly-needed $3 billion deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to avert a default due to decades of mismanagement and instability. However, the global lender demanded that popular subsidies cushioning living costs be slashed and imposition of Rs50 petroleum levy on every liter.
Other conditions included generating additional revenues, raising energy prices and adopting a market-based currency exchange rate, all of which have fueled inflation in the South Asian country that persisted at 27.4 percent in August. It peaked to an all-time high of 38 percent in May.
But Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar chose to dismiss the public concerns in a meeting with journalists on Friday, saying the matter of energy price hikes was being used by political parties for electioneering. His statement, widely reported by the local media, met with strong criticism from the masses.
“The entire country is closed on our call, sending a strong message to Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, who called inflated electricity bills a non-issue,” Kashif Chaudhry, president of a central body representing traders, told Arab News over the phone from Islamabad.
“All big and small cities have overwhelmingly endorsed our demand to reject the electricity hike,” he said, urging the government to eliminate 13 different taxes on electricity bills.
Chaudhry denied the allegation that trader associations and political activists had forced shopkeepers in Karachi and Peshawar to close their businesses, noting that businesses remained suspended in Islamabad, and Punjab and Balochistan provinces as well.
“Attempting to force over 10 million shops to close is simply unfeasible,” he added.
In Peshawar, people carrying JI party flags were observed encouraging traders to close shops, but the party maintained that shopkeepers had voluntarily shut their businesses to protest the government’s policies.
“Shops are closed in every small and large city in the province,” Abdul Wasey, the JI provincial general secretary, told Arab News. “You don’t need to push the oppressed masses to protest. This is the most significant and successful strike because people have no choice but to protest the price hike, which has compelled them to struggle to afford a two-time meal.”
Pakistan’s commercial hub of Karachi witnessed market closures for the second consecutive day on Saturday, while clashes erupted between people protesting prices hikes and the police as the latter attempted to clear the national highway in the Quaidabad area.
Zahid Askari, a JI spokesperson, maintained the protesters remained peaceful and did not engage in any violence. “This is the most peaceful protest,” Askari told Arab News.
Atiq Mir, president of the Karachi Traders Alliance, said markets in the city largely remained closed, adding the “exorbitant electricity bills have made today’s strike a success.”
In a statement, Justice (retired) Maqbool Baqar, caretaker chief minister of Sindh province which Karachi is the provincial capital of, said the interim government was aware of the challenges faced by the public. He, however, emphasized that protests should not cause inconvenience to others.
“We acknowledge that people are distressed by the rising prices, a sentiment we feel. Both the federal and provincial governments are actively working together to implement measures that will alleviate the burden on the public,” he said.
“While we respect the right to protest, we urge everyone to ensure that their demonstrations remain peaceful.”
Baqar directed authorities to take all necessary actions to keep the protests peaceful.
KANDY: India skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to bat against Pakistan with the threat of rain looming over the blockbuster Asia Cup match on Saturday.
Intermittent rain all through the morning has kept ground staff on their feet in Pallekele, where a thin crowd is watching the hotly anticipated 50-over match in a preamble to next month’s ODI World Cup.
The sun peeked through the clouds during the toss and Rohit said India, who play their opening match of the tournament, were ready to “embrace the challenge.”
Fit-again Jasprit Bumrah returns to the ODI team alongside Shreyas Iyer, who is also back from injury. India will play with three seamers and two spinners.
Babar Azam’s Pakistan crushed Asia Cup debutants Nepal in the tournament opener early this week and named an unchanged team on Friday for the key group contest against their arch-rivals.
Azam said he would have also batted first had he won the toss.
The match is the first of potentially three tournament clashes between the two giants of Asian cricket.
Teams
Pakistan: Babar Azam (cap), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Rizwan, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi.
India: Rohit Sharma (capt), Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan (wk), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah.