Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif admits economy's poor health; pitches for investment
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Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif has admitted that the country's economy is in a bad shape and has sought foreign investments instead of doles to improve the health of the economy.Sharif said the world does not expect the country to come with a "begging bowl", as he urged Pakistan to focus on trade, investment and development rather than aid.Meanwhile, India has rejected Pakistan's accusation that it has violated the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), saying cross-border terrorism is adversely impacting the agreement. At the UN conference on glaciers in Tajikistan, minister Kirti Vardhan Singh criticised Pakistan for using the international platform to raise unrelated political issues.
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Economic Times
37 minutes ago
- Economic Times
150 trucks from Afghanistan offer a clue on why India is talking to the Taliban
Live Events You Might Also Like: Pakistan takes over chair of UNSC Taliban sanctions committee amid China-backed push in Afghanistan You Might Also Like: India holds talks with Talibans, discusses return of Indians You Might Also Like: Taliban's Chabahar bet signals shift from Islamabad to New Delhi (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this column are that of the writer. The facts and opinions expressed here do not reflect the views of (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel The sole checkpoint between India and Pakistan opened again late last week — for one particular, highly symbolic convoy. More than 150 trucks from Afghanistan, carrying dried fruit and nuts, were allowed into Delhi had a point it wanted to make. The border was closed after the April 22 terrorist attack on tourists in Kashmir, as anger against Pakistan's military rulers built in India, concluding in days-long clashes between the two countries last month. But India's leaders wanted to make it clear that this anger did not extend to the army's former allies, the trucks' cargo is a hint that this gesture had more than economic logic behind it. Afghanistan has great cultural resonance in India: One of our most memorable short stories is about a trader in nuts and raisins from Kabul who strikes up a friendship with a family in 19th-century those days, the British ruled both Kabul and Calcutta (as it then was), and trade and traders could move freely across the subcontinent. Since then, borders have been erected across the subcontinent, but Afghan populations have remained a big part of the lives of many Indian cities is particularly true of New Delhi, which became a haven for Afghans when the Taliban seized control of their country in the 1990s. Many from the Kabul and provincial elite were educated in India, and helped staff and support various elected governments in Afghanistan over the past two the Indian government closed its embassy in Kabul once the Taliban stormed back to power in 2021, and visas were no longer available. The connection to Delhi was cut just when it had become most week, however, came news that visas would once again be handed out to Afghan nationals. This reflects a broader policy shift in India: Relations with the Taliban administration are gradually being normalized. There has been a flurry of high-level discussion between India and Afghanistan over the past months. India's chief diplomat met the acting Afghan foreign minister in January, and the foreign minister spoke to his Taliban counterpart last up to the Taliban isn't easy for New Delhi. India was a big backer of the democratic Afghan state the militants overthrew. People here still resent the West for withdrawing its military support to Kabul in 2021, as well as for having looked away while the Pakistani military kept the Taliban alive for its decades in the wilderness. The Taliban conducted multiple attacks on the Indian embassy in Kabul in that the reality of geography always prevails. Pakistan and Afghanistan will always have a testy relationship as long as their border is porous and undefined. The Pakistani army might have supported the Taliban when it was out of power, but once the militants became the Kabul establishment, bilateral ties soon settled into a familiar, antagonistic pattern. In December, 46 Afghans were killed when the Pakistani air force struck across its western border. Relations are particularly tense because Islamabad has already deported tens of thousands of Afghans, and has threatened to expel millions patrons in Beijing have tried to intervene, hosting officials from both sides at talks in China. Pushed by the Chinese, Islamabad last week finally appointed an ambassador in these efforts are unlikely to succeed, as long as the Pakistani state views Afghanistan as its own backyard. Military planners there long assumed that their smaller western neighbor would, willingly or otherwise, provide the Pakistani army with 'strategic depth' in a war. Obviously no Afghan government could ever agree to that. But the Pakistanis also tend to worry, during confrontations with India like the one last month, that whoever is in power in Kabul will permit a second front to open on their reintegration of the Taliban into regional politics — another of its old enemies, Iran, is reaching out as well — was inevitable once it settled into power. But the West should welcome closer relations between India and Afghanistan in particular. It might be the only thing keeping China from taking over the management of the was certainly associated in most Afghans' minds with their deposed state. Most here don't want to dilute India's identification with democracy by embracing the Taliban wholeheartedly. New Delhi's engagement with Afghanistan focused on people-to-people relations, and institution building, not security. This served to preserve and reinvigorate cultural ties dating back to the time when Afghan traders selling dried fruit and preserves were a familiar sight in Indian neighborhoods. Realpolitik matters, but people matter more.
Time of India
39 minutes ago
- Time of India
150 trucks from Afghanistan offer a clue on why India is talking to the Taliban
Live Events You Might Also Like: Pakistan takes over chair of UNSC Taliban sanctions committee amid China-backed push in Afghanistan You Might Also Like: India holds talks with Talibans, discusses return of Indians You Might Also Like: Taliban's Chabahar bet signals shift from Islamabad to New Delhi (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this column are that of the writer. The facts and opinions expressed here do not reflect the views of (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel The sole checkpoint between India and Pakistan opened again late last week — for one particular, highly symbolic convoy. More than 150 trucks from Afghanistan, carrying dried fruit and nuts, were allowed into Delhi had a point it wanted to make. The border was closed after the April 22 terrorist attack on tourists in Kashmir, as anger against Pakistan's military rulers built in India, concluding in days-long clashes between the two countries last month. But India's leaders wanted to make it clear that this anger did not extend to the army's former allies, the trucks' cargo is a hint that this gesture had more than economic logic behind it. Afghanistan has great cultural resonance in India: One of our most memorable short stories is about a trader in nuts and raisins from Kabul who strikes up a friendship with a family in 19th-century those days, the British ruled both Kabul and Calcutta (as it then was), and trade and traders could move freely across the subcontinent. Since then, borders have been erected across the subcontinent, but Afghan populations have remained a big part of the lives of many Indian cities is particularly true of New Delhi, which became a haven for Afghans when the Taliban seized control of their country in the 1990s. Many from the Kabul and provincial elite were educated in India, and helped staff and support various elected governments in Afghanistan over the past two the Indian government closed its embassy in Kabul once the Taliban stormed back to power in 2021, and visas were no longer available. The connection to Delhi was cut just when it had become most week, however, came news that visas would once again be handed out to Afghan nationals. This reflects a broader policy shift in India: Relations with the Taliban administration are gradually being normalized. There has been a flurry of high-level discussion between India and Afghanistan over the past months. India's chief diplomat met the acting Afghan foreign minister in January, and the foreign minister spoke to his Taliban counterpart last up to the Taliban isn't easy for New Delhi. India was a big backer of the democratic Afghan state the militants overthrew. People here still resent the West for withdrawing its military support to Kabul in 2021, as well as for having looked away while the Pakistani military kept the Taliban alive for its decades in the wilderness. The Taliban conducted multiple attacks on the Indian embassy in Kabul in that the reality of geography always prevails. Pakistan and Afghanistan will always have a testy relationship as long as their border is porous and undefined. The Pakistani army might have supported the Taliban when it was out of power, but once the militants became the Kabul establishment, bilateral ties soon settled into a familiar, antagonistic pattern. In December, 46 Afghans were killed when the Pakistani air force struck across its western border. Relations are particularly tense because Islamabad has already deported tens of thousands of Afghans, and has threatened to expel millions patrons in Beijing have tried to intervene, hosting officials from both sides at talks in China. Pushed by the Chinese, Islamabad last week finally appointed an ambassador in these efforts are unlikely to succeed, as long as the Pakistani state views Afghanistan as its own backyard. Military planners there long assumed that their smaller western neighbor would, willingly or otherwise, provide the Pakistani army with 'strategic depth' in a war. Obviously no Afghan government could ever agree to that. But the Pakistanis also tend to worry, during confrontations with India like the one last month, that whoever is in power in Kabul will permit a second front to open on their reintegration of the Taliban into regional politics — another of its old enemies, Iran, is reaching out as well — was inevitable once it settled into power. But the West should welcome closer relations between India and Afghanistan in particular. It might be the only thing keeping China from taking over the management of the was certainly associated in most Afghans' minds with their deposed state. Most here don't want to dilute India's identification with democracy by embracing the Taliban wholeheartedly. New Delhi's engagement with Afghanistan focused on people-to-people relations, and institution building, not security. This served to preserve and reinvigorate cultural ties dating back to the time when Afghan traders selling dried fruit and preserves were a familiar sight in Indian neighborhoods. Realpolitik matters, but people matter more.
The Print
an hour ago
- The Print
‘Sad story of our own foreign policy collapse': Congress after Pak set to chair UNSC committee
Congress' media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said the IMF gave USD 1 billion to Pakistan on May 9 during Operation Sindoor. Pakistan will chair the Taliban Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council for 2025 and will be vice-chair of the Counter-Terrorism Committee of the 15-nation UN body. New Delhi, Jun 5 (PTI) With Pakistan set to chair a key committee of the UN Security Council and be the vice-chair of another panel of the world body, the Congress on Thursday described the development as the sad story of 'our own foreign policy collapse' but questioned how the global community can continue to legitimise Pakistan's sponsorship of terrorism. 'World Bank decides to give USD 40 billion to Pakistan soon after Operation Sindoor. ADB gave USD 800 million to Pakistan on June 3, soon after Operation Sindoor,' he said on X. And on June 4, Pakistan gets elected as Chairman of the UNSC Taliban Sanctions Committee and Vice Chairman of the UNSC Counter Terrorism Committee, he pointed out. 'Of course, this is the sad story of our own foreign policy collapse, but how can the global community allow this continuous legitimisation of sponsorship of terrorism by Pakistan?' Khera said. Pakistan will chair the 1988 Taliban Sanctions Committee that imposes an assets freeze, a travel ban and an arms embargo on individuals, groups, undertakings and entities associated with the Taliban in constituting a threat to the peace, stability and security of Afghanistan. Guyana and Russia will be vice-chairs of the Taliban sanctions committee. Pakistan will also be co-chair of the Informal Working Groups on Documentation and Other Procedural Questions and on the General UNSC Sanctions Issues. Pakistan is a non-permanent member of the 15-nation Security Council for the 2025-26 term. The sanctions committees of the Council comprise all 15 members of the Security Council and make their decisions by consensus. India was Chair of the UNSC Counter-terrorism Committee for 2022 during its 2021-22 tenure in the Council as a non-permanent member. India has consistently reminded the international community that Pakistan is host to the world's largest number of UN-proscribed terrorists and entities. Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was hiding in Pakistan's Abbottabad for years and was killed in an operation by the US Navy Seals in May 2011. China, France, Russia, the UK and the US are the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, while Algeria, Denmark, Greece, Guyana, Pakistan, Panama, South Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, and Somalia are currently in the Council as non-permanent members. PTI ASK RHL This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
