Pakistan, Poland seek to expand $1 billion trade, sign MoUs to deepen cooperation

Pakistan, Poland seek to expand $1 billion trade, sign MoUs to deepen cooperation
The handout photograph released on October 23, 2025, shows the visiting delegation of Poland meeting Pakistani foreign ministry officials, including Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar (fourth left), in Islamabad, Pakistan. (MOFA) 
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Updated 8 min 17 sec ago

Pakistan, Poland seek to expand $1 billion trade, sign MoUs to deepen cooperation

Pakistan, Poland seek to expand $1 billion trade, sign MoUs to deepen cooperation
  • Polish foreign minister says Warsaw remains open to legal migration and student exchanges with Pakistan
  • Two MoUs signed between foreign ministries and research institutes to strengthen bilateral coordination

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Poland on Thursday agreed to expand their $1 billion bilateral trade while signing two memorandums of understanding (MoU) to enhance cooperation between their foreign ministries and research institutes.

The agreements were signed during the visit of Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski, who is in Islamabad for talks focused on broadening collaboration in trade, energy, defense and education.

One MoU was inked between the foreign ministries of both countries, and another between Pakistan’s Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad and Poland’s Polish Institute of International Affairs.

“We have over a billion dollars in bilateral trade and both sides agreed that there remains immense untapped potential to further expand trade and economic cooperation,” Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said at a joint news conference. “We agreed to expand bilateral cooperation in trade, energy, infrastructure, defense, counterterrorism, science, technology and education.”

Addressing the gathering, Sikorski said Warsaw sought to deepen ties in public finance, fintech, mining, water management and energy, noting that a Polish state-owned company was already investing in Pakistan’s gas exploration sector.

“We also discussed further cooperation in mining and the energy sector, building on the success of such engagements as the Polish oil and gas company exploring natural gas in Pakistan. This, I believe, has huge potential for the future,” he said.

The Polish minister highlighted educational and people-to-people exchanges, saying some 2,000 Pakistanis now live in Poland, including hundreds of students.

“Poland remains open to legal migration and real studies for real students,” he added, while reiterating Warsaw’s zero tolerance for illegal migration.

Both sides also discussed regional and global developments.

Dar raised Pakistan’s concerns over Indian actions in Kashmir and cross-border attacks from Afghan soil, while Sikorski underlined Poland’s support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and a two-state solution in the Middle East.


Lahore chokes from pollution as air quality becomes ‘very unhealthy’ 

Lahore chokes from pollution as air quality becomes ‘very unhealthy’ 
Updated 23 October 2025

Lahore chokes from pollution as air quality becomes ‘very unhealthy’ 

Lahore chokes from pollution as air quality becomes ‘very unhealthy’ 
  • Air Quality Index reached high of 255 on Wednesday, which is in “very unhealthy” category
  • Lahore yearly deals with smoggy conditions and poor air quality in the winter months

LAHORE: A toxic haze shrouded Pakistan’s eastern city of Lahore on Thursday, with the air quality reading largely in the “very unhealthy” category for the first half of the day.

According to data from the Swiss monitoring group, IQAir, the city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) reached a high of 255 at around midnight local time (1900 GMT, October 22), which is in the “very unhealthy” category. 

The AQI reading improved slightly at around noon local time (0700 GMT), when it moved into the “unhealthy” category at 190.

Lahore deals with smoggy conditions and poor air quality in the winter months, a phenomenon that is also common in other parts of South Asia. During this time, cold, heavy air traps pollutants, including vehicle emissions, industrial smoke and dust.

The seasonal crisis is often exacerbated by agricultural burning and, this week, by firecrackers set off during Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights mostly celebrated in India, on Monday (October 21). 


Pakistan detains suspected militants of sectarian Zainabiyoun Brigade 

Pakistan detains suspected militants of sectarian Zainabiyoun Brigade 
Updated 53 min 17 sec ago

Pakistan detains suspected militants of sectarian Zainabiyoun Brigade 

Pakistan detains suspected militants of sectarian Zainabiyoun Brigade 
  • Group was designated a ‘terrorist organization’ by Pakistan in March 2024 
  • CTD says arrested suspects trained abroad, one recently visited a ‘neighboring country’

KARACHI: Pakistan’s counterterrorism police said on Thursday they had arrested two suspected militants linked to the Zainabiyoun Brigade, a group Islamabad banned last year for alleged involvement in sectarian and other activities “prejudicial to national security.”

Pakistan banned the Zainabiyoun Brigade in March 2024, designating it a ‘terrorist’ outfit after intelligence assessments found it posed a threat to national security. Islamabad says the group, composed mainly of Pakistani Shia fighters, is backed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). 

According to the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA), the group became the 79th entity on Pakistan’s list of proscribed organizations. The US Treasury Department sanctioned the Zainabiyoun Brigade in January 2019, citing its role in “recruiting and deploying Pakistani fighters to Syria” under IRGC direction.

Ghulam Azfar Mahesar, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), said the two arrested suspects, identified as Israr Hussain Gilgiti and Masoom Raza, also known as Amirullah and Imran Mota, were detained during an intelligence-based operation in Karachi. 

“Two terrorists have been arrested and primarily they belong to the Zainabiyoun Brigade, and they are involved in the sectarian killing of members of a religious party,” Mahesar told Arab News after a press conference in Karachi.

When asked if the militants had received training abroad, the CTD official confirmed they had been trained in a “neighboring country,” without naming the nation.

“They are active members of that organization, and we have proof that they have been trained and have been visiting a neighboring country,” he said, adding that the main shooter, Masoom, traveled there about 20 days ago.

“This is a network which was being run by the neighboring country.”

Mahesar said two 9mm pistols and two hand grenades were recovered from the suspects, who are currently under interrogation.

“We have identified their facilitators and other gang members who are present in Karachi,” he added, noting that the department had conducted 32 intelligence-based operations in recent weeks, with more arrests expected.

The DIG said the Zainabiyoun network continued to operate in Karachi but was being systematically dismantled.

“We now have their names and addresses. Raids are under way in coordination with other agencies to arrest remaining members,” he said, confirming that Pakistan would also raise the matter through official diplomatic and security channels.

“Whenever we have some network which is operated across [the border], there is a standard procedure that we put across our demands and wanted list. That will be done,” he said.

Security agencies have previously arrested several militants associated with the outfit, particularly in Karachi, Parachinar, Quetta, and Gilgit-Baltistan, regions identified as key recruitment hubs for the group.

In January 2024, Sindh CTD officials apprehended Syed Muhammad Mehdi, another suspected Zainabiyoun member allegedly involved in the 2019 assassination attempt on top cleric Mufti Taqi Usmani.

Earlier, in July 2022, then-interior minister Rana Sanaullah Khan told the Senate that Zainabiyoun members were “actively involved in terrorist activities” between 2019 and 2021.


Pakistan unveils electricity subsidy for industry, farmers amid IMF-backed energy overhaul

Pakistan unveils electricity subsidy for industry, farmers amid IMF-backed energy overhaul
Updated 23 October 2025

Pakistan unveils electricity subsidy for industry, farmers amid IMF-backed energy overhaul

Pakistan unveils electricity subsidy for industry, farmers amid IMF-backed energy overhaul
  • New ‘Roshan Maeeshat’ initiative to provide electricity at Rs22.98 ($0.08) per unit till 2028
  • PM says reduced tariffs aim to spur exports and job creation without burdening households

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday unveiled a three-year electricity subsidy for its industrial and agricultural sectors, offering power at Rs22.98 ($0.08) per unit under a new “Roshan Maeeshat Bijli Package,” the prime minister’s office said. 

The plan aims to boost exports, create jobs, and revive economic growth, even as Islamabad pursues IMF-mandated energy reforms to reduce losses and phase out untargeted subsidies.

Under the package, industries and farmers will receive additional electricity at reduced rates from November 2025 to October 2028. Existing tariffs of Rs34 ($0.12) per unit for industry and Rs38 ($0.14) for agriculture will be lowered to Rs22.98 ($0.08) to make Pakistani products more competitive in regional markets.

“The electricity supplied under the Roshan Maeeshat Bijli Package will not place any burden on households or other sectors,” Sharif was quoted as saying in a statement released by his office, adding that economic revival and job creation required relief for productive industries and farmers.

He called the initiative “a timely measure to strengthen Pakistan’s economy and ensure growth in exports and employment,” saying industrial and agricultural growth was key to reducing the country’s debt dependency.

During last winter’s pilot phase of the package, industries and farmers consumed an additional 410 gigawatt-hours of power, helping boost production and exports while creating new employment opportunities, according to official data.

“By supporting our farmers and industries with affordable energy, we will accelerate growth and move toward self-reliance,” Sharif said, adding that with continued efforts from the government’s economic team and the business community, Pakistan would achieve “full economic sovereignty in the near future.”

Pakistan’s energy sector remains one of its biggest economic challenges, marked by high generation costs, heavy subsidies and a mounting “circular debt” that stood at about Rs2.396 trillion ($8.6 billion) by end-March 2025.

Under the 37-month, $7 billion IMF Extended Fund Facility approved in September 2024, Islamabad committed to restoring cost recovery in the power sector, cutting line losses, and phasing out untargeted energy subsidies. The Fund has repeatedly urged Pakistan to align tariffs with actual supply costs and limit fiscal support to targeted, time-bound relief programs.

To ease financial pressures on state-run power distributors, the government secured a Rs1.275 trillion ($4.6 billion) syndicated financing deal with local banks in June 2025 to offset part of the debt.

With industrial growth constrained by repeated tariff hikes and erratic power supply, business groups have long warned that high energy costs make Pakistani goods uncompetitive in global markets.
 


Polish deputy PM arrives in Pakistan to bolster bilateral ties

Polish deputy PM arrives in Pakistan to bolster bilateral ties
Updated 23 October 2025

Polish deputy PM arrives in Pakistan to bolster bilateral ties

Polish deputy PM arrives in Pakistan to bolster bilateral ties
  • Radoslaw Sikorski to hold one-on-one, delegation-level meetings with Deputy PM Ishaq Dar
  • This will be the Polish official’s first visit to Pakistan in 14 years as he last visited country in 2011

ISLAMABAD: Polish Deputy Prime Minister Radoslaw Sikorski arrived in Pakistan on Thursday for a two-day official visit to discuss bilateral relations, Pakistan’s foreign office said.

According to an official statement released a day earlier, Sikorski is undertaking the visit at the invitation of his Pakistani counterpart, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar.

It said this would be the Polish official’s second visit to the country, who first visited Pakistan in 2011. 

“Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister of Poland H.E. Radosław Sikorski @sikorskiradek arrived in Islamabad today for a two-day official visit,” the foreign office said in a brief announcement.

He is scheduled to hold a one-on-one meeting with Dar and delegation-level talks with Pakistani officials.

The visit reflects an attempt by both countries to enhance their diplomatic ties, which date back to 1962.

Bilateral trade between Pakistan and Poland reached $922 million in 2023, with the former’s exports recorded at $794 million and imports at $128 million. 

Polish Oil and Gas Company (PGNiG) has also been engaged in petroleum exploration and production in Pakistan since 1997.


Pakistan condemns Israel’s West Bank annexation move, urges global action

Pakistan condemns Israel’s West Bank annexation move, urges global action
Updated 23 October 2025

Pakistan condemns Israel’s West Bank annexation move, urges global action

Pakistan condemns Israel’s West Bank annexation move, urges global action
  • Pakistan urges international community to act after Israel advances bills to annex parts of the West Bank
  • US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned annexation, settler violence could undermine Gaza peace deal

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday condemned Israel’s move to annex the occupied West Bank, calling it a “flagrant violation” of international law, barely a week after US President Donald Trump pushed through a deal aimed at ending a two-year Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip.

Israeli lawmakers voted on Wednesday to advance two bills to extend Israeli sovereignty over parts of the occupied territory, prompting a wave of international criticism, including from Washington, a longtime ally of Israel.

Pakistan’s foreign office urged the global community to play its role in halting the “illegal actions” by the Israeli administration.

“Pakistan strongly condemns Israel’s attempt to extend its so-called ‘sovereignty’ over parts of the Occupied West Bank, including illegal Israeli settlements, through a draft law introduced in the legislature of the occupying power,” the foreign office said in a statement. “These actions constitute a flagrant violation of international law, relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions, and the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people.”

The statement said such provocative measures could undermine ongoing efforts to achieve peace and stability in the region.

It called on the international community to take “urgent and decisive action” to stop these steps and hold Israeli forces accountable for “continued violations of international law.”

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also warned Israel against pursuing annexation, saying moves by its parliament and rising settler violence in the West Bank threatened the fragile Gaza peace deal.

“I think the president [Trump] has made clear that’s not something we can be supportive of right now,” he told reporters before departing for Israel.

“Annexation moves are threatening for the peace deal.”

The US remains Israel’s primary military and diplomatic backer, but Washington’s efforts to rally Arab and Muslim partners to fund and staff a Gaza stabilization force have faced pushback amid growing regional anger over annexation efforts.

With input from AFP