
Pakistan, Japan sign $3.5mn agreement for installation of smart water meters
In a press release, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said that the installation of around 8,000 smart water meters in Faisalabad will not only enhance the efficiency of water usage and distribution, 'but also contribute to better demand management, conservation of precious water resources and financial sustainability of Water and Sanitation Agency Faisalabad'.
Pakistan-Japan Human Resources Stakeholders meeting held
The statement said that this grant aligns with the government's vision for improved urban governance and environmental sustainability, and 'we are confident that it will serve as a model for replication in other cities as well'.
The exchange of notes were signed and exchanged by Secretary, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Dr Kazim Niaz, and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Pakistan, Akamatsu Shuichi, on behalf of their respective governments.
Dr Kazim Niaz, appreciated Japan for their valuable support with the assurance of extending all necessary facilitation to ensure the successful implementation of the project and for more meaningful cooperation between the two sides.
Moreover, Shuichi assured the commitment of his government to work closely with Pakistan to further strengthen the friendly ties and bilateral cooperation.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Express Tribune
2 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Pakistan, Afghanistan, China hold first trilateral talks
DPM Ishaq Dar addressing international conference on 'Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution' at UN on Monday. Photo : Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar landed in Kabul today for the first formal trilateral meeting between China, Pakistan and Afghanistan in two years. Dar was accompanied by Pakistan's former ambassador in Afghanistan Mohammad Sadiq. The three countries made commitments to combat terrorism and deepen collaboration in areas of health, education, culture, drug trafficking, and also offering Afghanistan an extension to CPEC, according to Foreign Office. In a statement released by the Afghan Foreign Ministry 'Pakistan was urged to uphold the rights of Afghan refugees residing in the country and Ishaq Dar expressed determination to further expand trade with Afghanistan.' There was an emphasis on combating terrorism by Dar, 'he highlighted a recent surge in terrorist attacks inside Pakistan perpetrated by groups operating from Afghan soil, urging the Afghan authorities to take concrete and verifiable measures against entities such as the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA)/Majeed Brigade,' according to a statement released by the Foreign Office. The Afghan delegation reiterated their commitment to ensuring that Afghan territory is not used by any terrorist group against any other nation. Afghanistan and China had held bilateral talks earlier that day where they discussed economic cooperation. According to a tweet by the Afghan Foreign Ministry, 'Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi presented his practical proposals regarding the expansion of economic cooperation between Afghanistan and China, particularly in the areas of transportation cooperation, banking relations and balancing trade.' Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, currently doing a South Asian tour, is scheduled to arrive in Islamabad to co-chair the 6th Pakistan-China foreign ministers strategic dialogue on 21st August. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is also set to visit Beijing later this month for the Shanghai organisation summit and hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping.


Business Recorder
9 hours ago
- Business Recorder
‘Strong and growing' interest among American firms in Pakistan's energy sector, says US diplomat
US Charge d'Affaires to Pakistan, Natalie A. Baker, highlighted strong American interest in Pakistan's energy sector. The US official gave her remarks during a high-level meeting with Federal Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik on Wednesday. The meeting focused on strengthening bilateral cooperation between the United States and Pakistan in the energy sector, with particular emphasis on the oil, gas, and minerals sectors, read a statement. Last month, the US administration imposed a 19% reciprocal tariff on a wide range of Pakistani goods, significantly lower than the initially proposed 29%, under an executive order signed by US President Donald Trump. Pakistan, US vow to advance new trade agreement, boost trade & investment Pakistan's revised tariff rate of 19% is lower than that of several regional economies, including India (50%), Bangladesh (20%), Vietnam (20%), and Sri Lanka (20%). During Wednesday's meeting, Baker highlighted significant opportunities for American investment in Pakistan's energy landscape. 'There is a strong and growing interest from US companies in Pakistan's oil, gas, and minerals sector, in line with the vision of President Trump,' she said. 'The US is committed to working with Pakistan. The US Embassy will actively facilitate direct linkages between American companies and their Pakistani counterparts in the Exploration & Production (E&P) sector,' she said. Meanwhile, Federal Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik welcomed the keen interest from US investors and detailed the upcoming opportunities. 'The government is undertaking a bidding round for offshore and onshore oil and gas exploration blocks, which presents a tremendous opportunity for international partners,' Malik said. 'Pakistan possesses huge untapped potential, especially shale oil & gas, and converting these indigenous resources into tangible reserves is a target of our government. We are already engaged in a positive information exchange with US companies,' he added. Charge d'Affaires Baker reinforced that the US-Pakistan had the counter terrorism dialogue, 'now we would like to drive this partnership forward in the economic realm'. The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to deepen the energy partnership, leveraging US technology and investment to support mutual economic and energy growth.


Express Tribune
14 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Kabul hosts Pakistan, China FMs for dialogue
Foreign ministers from Afghanistan, China and Pakistan will meet in Kabul on Wednesday as part of a trilateral mechanism aimed at discussing issues related to strengthening political, economic and regional cooperation among the three countries. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is currently on a visit to New Delhi, will travel to Kabul for the first formal trilateral meeting in two years. Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will represent Pakistan at the meeting to be hosted by Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi. This will be the first visit by the Chinese foreign minister to Afghanistan since the Taliban regained power four years ago while the third by Dar to the Afghan capital since April. At an informal trilateral meeting, held in Beijing in May, Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed to upgrade their diplomatic relationship at the ambassadors' level. The deal was brokered by China, which wanted to seek rapprochement between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Among other issues, the security situation, particularly the presence of terrorist outfits inside Afghanistan, would be one of the major topics of discussions. Pakistan has remained concerned that the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other groups are still operating from Afghan soil. China, too, is worried but wants to remain engaged with Kabul to address those issues. According to Afghanistan's Deputy Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hafiz Zia Ahmad Takal, the conference will include detailed discussions on various aspects such as strengthening political ties, creating new opportunities for economic cooperation, and taking joint measures on regional security. It is expected that the conference will propose practical steps that will not only make trilateral cooperation more effective but also contribute towards overall development and stability of the region. Sources say that during his visit to Kabul, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will also hold separate meetings with several senior leaders of the Taliban government. Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will hold talks with Afghan officials on various aspects of bilateral cooperation and present Pakistan's policy for strengthening trilateral engagement. For Afghanistan, this conference is being seen as a major diplomatic success, as it provides the country an opportunity to remain engaged with key regional players. Meanwhile, the Foreign Office on Tuesday confirmed that on the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Foreign Minister Wang Yi is visiting Islamabad for co-chairing the 6th Pakistan-China Foreign Ministers' Strategic Dialogue on August 21. "The visit is part of the regular high-level exchanges between Pakistan and China to further deepen their "All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership", reaffirm support on the issues of respective core interests, enhance economic and trade cooperation, and reaffirm their joint commitment to regional peace, development and stability, read the statement. His visit comes ahead of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's trip to China later this month. The prime minister will attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit and hold bilateral meetings with Chinese leadership including President Xi Jingping. This will be Shehbaz's first visit to China since the Pakistan-India four-day war. During the visit of the Chinese foreign minister, both sides will finalise the agenda of the prime minister's upcoming trip to China.