PM Sharif orders early Hajj planning, calls for private scheme reform
PM Sharif orders early Hajj planning, calls for private scheme reform/node/2605294/pakistan
PM Sharif orders early Hajj planning, calls for private scheme reform
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (right) meets Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Muhammad Yousaf and Secretary Religious Affairs Syed Atta-ur-Rehman (left) at the Prime Minister’s Office in Islamabad on June 19, 2025. (PID/File)
KARACHI: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday directed the religious affairs ministry to begin preparations for the 2026 Hajj immediately, while calling for urgent reforms to the country’s private Hajj scheme following a situation that left thousands of pilgrimage slots unused this year.
Pakistan received a quota of 179,210 pilgrims from Ƶ for Hajj 2025, which was evenly divided between the government and private Hajj operators.
While the government filled its full allocation of over 88,000 pilgrims, a major portion of the private quota remained unutilized due to delays by companies in meeting payment and registration deadlines.
Private operators, however, blamed the situation on technical glitches such as payment issues and communication breakdowns.
“Preparations for next year’s Hajj operation must begin immediately,” the prime minister said, according to a statement released by his office.
“The operational plan should be developed in accordance with the Hajj policy issued by Ƶ,” he continued. “No negligence in serving pilgrims next year will be tolerated.”
Sharif also emphasized the need to “regularize” the private Hajj scheme.
Previously, Pakistan’s religious affairs minister, Sardar Muhammad Yousaf, had confirmed that over 67,000 private-sector slots went unused, despite a last-minute effort to reclaim some of the allocation.
The shortfall prompted criticism and concerns over regulation and the capacity of private Hajj companies.
The prime minister has also asked the religious affairs ministry to submit a detailed Hajj action plan with clear deadlines and start preparing for next year’s Islamic pilgrimage.
PESHAWAR: Two police officers were shot and killed when unidentified assailants opened fire on their mobile patrol van in Swabi, a district in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday directing authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice.
The attack took place around 10:00 p.m. Friday night near a roadside kiosk within the jurisdiction of the Gadoon police station, according to Abdul Majid, a senior police officer in Swabi.
The officers had briefly stopped to get water when they were ambushed by gunmen on a motorbike.
“Terrorists riding a motorbike opened fire on the police party,” Majid told Arab News over the phone. “Two officers were martyred on the spot.”
Militant attacks in KP, particularly by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), have increased in recent years, with security forces, government officials and civilians often targeted.
The Pakistani military and law enforcement agencies have launched intelligence-based operations to curb the violence, but attacks have persisted.
Following the shooting, a large police contingent was deployed to the area to secure the scene, collect forensic evidence and launch a search operation.
No arrests have been made so far, and the investigation is ongoing. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the Swabi attack and expressed deep sorrow over the deaths of the police officers.
“We pay tribute to the martyrs and pray for patience for their families,” he said in a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office.
Sharif directed authorities to investigate the incident and ensure those responsible are brought to justice.
“The war against terrorism will continue until this scourge is eradicated from the country,” he said, praising the efforts of police officers fighting on the front lines.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said this week it was “very normal” for Islamabad to share battlefield intelligence with close ally China in the aftermath of last month’s brief but intense military confrontation with India, though he downplayed suggestions Beijing played a direct operational role or provided decisive satellite support during the aerial fight.
The May 7–10 conflict — the heaviest fighting in decades — has drawn significant interest from Western militaries, security observers and diplomats, who see it as a rare opportunity for China to study the performance of Indian pilots, fighter jets, air defense systems and air-to-air missiles in real combat conditions.
With Beijing locked in its own longstanding border disputes and strategic rivalry with New Delhi, analysts believe any Pakistani data trove could sharpen China’s military readiness.
China is already Pakistan’s principal supplier of military hardware, providing fighter jets, missiles, submarines and surveillance technology. The two neighbors share a strategic alliance driven in part by their disputes with India, which has fought wars with both nations. Close economic and security ties, anchored by the multi-billion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), has further strengthened the relationship.
“It is very normal if we are sharing any information which we have which can threaten us or the Chinese because the Chinese also have problems with India,” Asif told Arab News in an interview this week when questioned if Pakistan was sharing intelligence with Beijing on Indian use of air defenses and launches of cruise and ballistic missiles, as well as command and control information.
“I think it’s very natural if we share intelligence which is gathered through satellites or gathered through other means.”
In the military confrontation that began on May 7, Indian fighter jets bombed what New Delhi called “terrorist infrastructure” in Pakistan in response to an April 22 attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 people, mostly tourists.
Islamabad denied involvement in the Kashmir assault but retaliated to the Indian airstrikes with tit-for-tat military action that involved fighter jets, drones, missiles and artillery. A ceasefire was brokered by the US and announced on May 10.
Pakistan said its Chinese jets shot down at least six Indian military planes, including three French-made Rafales, during the four days of clashes. General Anil Chauhan, India’s chief of defense staff, has admitted that an unspecified number of its jets were lost.
‘MADE IN PAKISTAN’ VICTORY
The London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) says China now operates at least 115 satellites dedicated to intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, and 81 for monitoring military electronic and signals data, a network second only to the United States and far ahead of India’s capabilities.
According to two Islamabad-based Western diplomats involved in the May ceasefire negotiations and one Pakistani security official, all of whom requested anonymity, 44 of these satellites were at Pakistan’s disposal during the conflict with India. The Western officials suggest the Chinese satellite and signals intelligence may have assisted Pakistan in monitoring Indian troop and missile movements during the air war, possibly giving Pakistan a real-time edge.
The Pakistani defense minister rejected the claims.
“You are underestimating the ability of our armed forces,” Asif said, cautioning against downplaying Pakistan’s own capabilities in electronic warfare and precision targeting.
Asked directly about the use of Chinese satellite capabilities for any kind of support during the fighting, the defense chief said:
“I don’t know and I don’t think so … We are very advanced as far as this warfare is concerned … China’s help is always, always very valuable … but this fight was Pakistani, the victory is ‘Made in Pakistan’.”
He also denied that Chinese personnel were able to monitor the fighting in real time or access Pakistan Air Force monitoring systems during the May 7–10 period.
“No, I don’t think so they had any access. They were watching the situation very closely, as a neighbor, as a friend,” Asif said. “But I’ll again assert that this war was fought by our boys and girls.”
While Asif noted that Pakistan sourced most of its military hardware — including submarines, aircraft and weapons — from China, as well as some from Turkiye, the United States and European countries, he maintained that the actual fighting remained fully under Pakistani command.
“So, in that backdrop [of China being a major defense supplier], you can always speculate that China was very helpful to us in this conflict,” he said. “But physical participation or participation through satellites or through other means, I don’t think so.”
China has been Pakistan’s closest defense partner since the 1960s and the Pakistan Air Force operates a fleet of Chinese JF-10C multirole fighters, and JF-17 Thunder planes, jointly developed and assembled in Pakistan to reduce dependence on Western defense equipment.
After the India standoff, Beijing is also widely reported to be fast-tracking the sale of fifth-generation J-35 stealth jets to Islamabad, potentially giving Pakistan deep-strike capabilities into Indian airspace.
Asked if the J-35 jets would be delivered in 2026 as suggested in recent media reports, Asif responded:
“I think it’s only in the media, you know. It’s only in the media and it’s good for sales, Chinese defense sales.”
NUCLEAR ALERT POSTURE?
A full-scale war between India and Pakistan — both nuclear powers — remains one of the most dangerous strategic flashpoints in the world. Experts have long warned that even limited, high-intensity skirmishes run the risk of unintended escalation toward nuclear war.
Asked if last month’s clash had triggered any consideration of moving to a nuclear alert posture, Asif was categorical:
“No… Absolutely, with certainty I can say that.”
He also dismissed the idea that Pakistan had considered launching a broader conventional offensive across the border, saying modern warfare was no longer dependent on crossing territorial lines:
“Now you don’t have to cross the border. You don’t have to capture the territory. Capturing territory or crossing over... that is something which is obsolete. War is being fought now... cyber.”
The defense minister also said there had been no back-channel diplomacy between Islamabad and New Delhi following the May 10 ceasefire, although military operations heads in both countries had been in contact via a hotline.
And while the Pakistan-India clash may have faded from global headlines amid the ongoing crisis between Israel and Iran in the Middle East, Asif said India remained Pakistan’s most pressing security concern.
“We have been on alert so we have not lowered guards, that I can confirm,” the defense minister said, particularly due to concerns Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi could resort to fresh military action as he was under pressure from a public questioning how Pakistani forces struck military facilities deep inside the country and downed Indian jets.
Modi also has domestic political pressures to manage ahead of elections in Bihar, a pivotal swing state that is crucial for both national and state-level power equations.
“Modi has internal compulsions to avenge [the May conflict] … There are elections around the corner… and his popularity has plummeted, his political opponents can smell blood, politically,” Asif said.
“That can drive him to some desperate measures, otherwise, I don’t think so there is a possibility of some replay of what happened a month back.”
India says it will never restore Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan
India put into ‘abeyance’ its participation in the 1960 treaty, which governs usage of the Indus river system
The treaty had guaranteed water access for 80 percent of Pakistan’s farms through three rivers originating in India
Updated 21 June 2025
Reuters
NEW DELHI: India will never restore the Indus Waters Treaty with Islamabad and the water flowing to Pakistan will be diverted for internal use, Home Minister Amit Shah said in an interview with Times of India on Saturday.
India put into “abeyance” its participation in the 1960 treaty, which governs the usage of the Indus river system, after 26 civilians in Indian-administered Kashmir were killed in what Delhi described as an act of terror. The treaty had guaranteed water access for 80 percent of Pakistan’s farms through three rivers originating in India.
Pakistan has denied involvement in the incident, but the accord remains dormant despite a ceasefire agreed upon by the two nuclear-armed neighbors last month following their worst fighting in decades.
“No, it will never be restored,” Shah told the daily.
“We will take water that was flowing to Pakistan to Rajasthan by constructing a canal. Pakistan will be starved of water that it has been getting unjustifiably,” Shah said, referring to the northwestern Indian state.
The latest comments from Shah, the most powerful cabinet minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet, have dimmed Islamabad’s hopes for negotiations on the treaty in the near term.
Last month, Reuters reported that India plans to dramatically increase the water it draws from a major river that feeds Pakistani farms downstream, as part of retaliatory action.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comments.
But it has said in the past that the treaty has no provision for one side to unilaterally pull back and that any blocking of river water flowing to Pakistan will be considered “an act of war.”
Islamabad is also exploring a legal challenge to India’s decision to hold the treaty in abeyance under international law.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will face New Zealand today, Saturday, in the final of the Fédération Internationale de Hockey (FIH) Nations Cup in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Spirited Pakistan defeated France 3-2 on penalty shootouts to qualify for the Nations Cup final at the National Hockey Stadium on Friday.
Goalkeeper Muneeb-ur-Rehman blocked three French chances, while Rana Waheed Ashraf, Hannan Shahid and Afraz struck for Pakistan to clinch a highly-rewarding victory.
“Heartiest congratulations to our Green Shirts on reaching the Nations Cup final,” Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on X.
“The team turned the match around with courage, skill and determination — a proud moment for the entire nation.”
Hockey is Pakistan’s national sport. The national team boasts a proud legacy with three Olympic gold medals in 1960, 1968 and 1984, along with four World Cup titles in 1971, 1978, 1982 and 1994.
But the sport has faced a sharp decline in Pakistan in recent decades due to administrative challenges, underinvestment and inadequate infrastructure. Renewed efforts are underway to revive the game with increased
government support, youth development initiatives and greater international engagement aimed at restoring Pakistan’s former glory in the sport.
The winner of Saturday’s final will earn promotion to the elite FIH Hockey Pro League 2025–26 season.
QUETTA: The ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran has crippled border trade between Pakistan and Iran, transporters and traders said this week, with markets closed and dozens of trucks stranded on the Pakistani side of the border.
Pakistan shares a 959-kilometer border with Iran in its southwest and the trade volume between the two countries stood at $2.8 billion in the last fiscal year that ended in June 2024, according to Pakistani state media.
In Feb., the two neighbors signed an agreement to take the bilateral trade volume to $10 billion, but tensions between Iran and Israel prompted Pakistan to suspend operations at the Taftan border crossing in Balochistan on June 15, mirroring the Iranian side’s restrictions following Israeli airstrikes.
“We’ve been stuck here in Taftan for four to five days, with six to seven vehicles,” Syed Khalil Ahmed, a local transporter, told Reuters on Friday. “We’re waiting for it to reopen so we can load our goods. The market is closed, and there’s a shortage of food and drinks.”
Israel began attacking Iran on June 13, saying its longtime enemy was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons. Iran, which says its nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes, retaliated with missile and drone strikes on Israel.
The Taftan border, a vital trade artery which typically handles daily exchanges in fuel, food and household goods, is now left paralyzed. Local traders said 90 percent of goods in Taftan typically come from Iran.
“With the border closed, no goods are arriving [from Iran] ... Local traders with Pakistani passports can’t enter Iran, and Iranian passport holders can only reach the border and return,” said Hajji Shaukat Ali, an importer of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).
“This is hurting local businesses and traders. For us, as major LPG gas traders, some of our vehicles are stuck en route and won’t be able to reach us now.”
Ahmed said they were losing approximately Rs20,000 ($70) per truck daily while facing critical shortages of essential supplies.
“We’re managing with what we have, but it’s tough,” he added.
