Latest news with #Punjab
Arab News
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Punjab, Beijing review protection of Chinese nationals in eastern Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: Dr. Ahmad Javed Qazi, the home secretary of Pakistan's Punjab, met Chinese Consul General Zhao Shiren on Wednesday to discuss security arrangements for Chinese nationals in the eastern province, the home department said in a statement. The move follows Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's announcement last week to enhance security measures for Chinese nationals across Pakistan, aiming to boost bilateral engagement under the second phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Beijing has been frustrated by a string of attacks on Chinese nationals in Pakistan since last year. These attacks have mostly been carried out by separatist Baloch militant groups, who accuse Pakistan and China of depriving locals in Balochistan of a share in the province's mineral resources. Beijing has invested in the province with a key port and has mining interests there as well. Both Islamabad and Pakistan deny the allegations. 'The meeting focused on the law and order situation in Punjab and the security arrangements for Chinese nationals,' the provincial home department said in a statement issued after the Shiren-Qazi meeting. One of the attacks included a bombing at the Karachi airport last October that killed two Chinese engineers returning to work at a power plant. Beijing has called on Islamabad to bolster security for its nationals in Pakistan in recent months. Qazi assured Shiren that ensuring the safety of Chinese tourists and officials working on CPEC projects was a top priority, the home department said. 'We are committed to the security and facilitation of all Chinese nationals residing in Punjab,' he added. 'The capacity of the Special Protection Unit is being enhanced to further strengthen security for Chinese citizens.' Pakistan announced forming the special police unit last year to protect foreigners, particularly Chinese nationals, living in the country amid increasing attacks on Chinese citizens. Qazi highlighted that foolproof security arrangements were in place across all industrial zones across the province. He said the federal government's guidelines regarding the movement of Chinese nationals should be followed strictly. 'Our offices are always open to Chinese citizens and government representatives,' Qazi said. Beijing has been pressing Pakistan in recent months to allow Chinese security personnel to protect the thousands of its citizens working there amid frustration over the attacks. Thousands of Chinese officials live and work in Pakistan, where Beijing has invested in the multi-billion-dollar CPEC project. The CPEC is a network of roads, railways, and energy projects designed to link China's Xinjiang province with Pakistan's Gwadar port on the Arabian Sea.
Arab News
4 hours ago
- Climate
- Arab News
Pakistan warns of fresh monsoon spell from Aug. 5 as rain death toll surges to 288
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Meteorological Department (PMD) warned on Wednesday that a fresh monsoon spell from August 5 onwards is likely to trigger heavy rains and flash floods in several parts of the country, as the death toll from rain-related incidents since June 26 surged to 288. Torrential rains have continued to wreak havoc across Pakistan since late June, killing 288 people in total as per data shared by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). The rains have killed 136 children in total and injured 691 people. The Met Department also warned of flash floods in the northern regions' local streams. These areas include Dir, Swat, Shangla, Mansehra, Kohistan, Abbottabad, Kohat, Karak, Hangu, Tank, Dera Ghazi Khan, Murree, Galliyat and Azad Kashmir. 'A fresh monsoon activity with isolated heavy falls is expected to start from Aug 5,' the PMD said in its daily weather report. It warned that river flows are likely to increase up to the medium level under the influence of the upcoming monsoon spell. Authorities in Punjab issued a flood alert on Wednesday, warning of rising water levels in the Chenab, Jhelum and Sutlej rivers, with possible urban flooding in Rawalpindi, Gujranwala and Lahore over the next 48 hours. The provincial disaster management authority (PDMA) urged residents in low-lying or riverbank settlements to follow precautionary guidelines and cooperate with local officials during evacuations. Pakistan, which ranks among the world's most climate-vulnerable nations, has witnessed increasingly erratic weather events in recent years. In May, at least 32 people were killed in severe storms, while a third of the country was submerged by devastating floods in 2022 that killed more than 1,700 people, affected over 30 million and caused an estimated $35 billion in damages. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has repeatedly directed authorities to intensify rescue operations in flood-affected areas of the country.
Japan Times
a day ago
- Business
- Japan Times
Delayed pricing policy for cleaner ethanol keeps India burning food for fuel
India's push for ethanol, mixing crop-based biofuel with petrol to run vehicles, is being stalled by slow progress in making an environmentally cleaner version of the fuel, producers and experts say. Standing in the way is the government's failure to pay more for cleaner ethanol, which is made from waste but costs more to produce, they say. Second-generation (2G) ethanol, which uses crop waste instead of valuable food crops, offers a way to cut planet-heating emissions, reduce oil imports and avoid making fuel from food needed for human consumption. But producers say the government must pay a separate, appropriate price for the more costly 2G ethanol. "Without a separate pricing policy for 2G ethanol, the economics do not work," said Monish Ahuja, managing director of Punjab Renewable Energy Systems (PRESPL), which supplies farm waste to 2G plants. Investors will not join in unless they see returns that reflect the higher cost of making the biofuel, Ahuja said. "That's the bottleneck," he said. The Indian government wants all petrol sold in the country to contain 20% ethanol by October 2025, and has ramped up ethanol production by diverting food crops like sugarcane, maize and surplus rice to make fuel known as first-generation (1G) ethanol. The 1G production reduces the availability of grains for people and cattle and shifts land away from food production. India allocated a record 5.2 million metric tons of rice for 1G ethanol, nearly 9% of global rice shipments, in the course of a year spanning 2024 and 2025. The 2G ethanol can be made by breaking down tough plant waste like straw or husk into fermentable sugars using newer technology. It also could help curb stubble burning, a key cause of air pollution in India, in which crop remnants are set ablaze post-harvest. So far, 2G ethanol makes up very little — some say less than 1% — of India's annual biofuel production, which the government said topped 7 billion liters in October 2024. The lack of 2G ethanol production is mostly due to a lack of differentiated procurement pricing by the government and higher production costs, experts say. The Indian government does not make specific figures available on its 2G ethanol production. The government has considered a separate rate for 2G ethanol, according to minutes of a high-level committee meeting from July 2023. The price was expected in April 2025, according to reports in Indian media, but no announcement has been made. To promote the newer fuel, the Indian government launched a national program in 2019, with a budget of 1.97 billion Indian rupees ($227.76 million) to provide financial assistance for setting up commercial and demonstration-scale 2G ethanol plants. However, of the 12 plants it set out to establish across India, only one demonstration plant is operational. The Indian ministry responsible for biofuel production did not respond to requests for comment. Among the challenges in scaling up 2G ethanol production are the costly enzymes, pre-treatment of waste and logistics required by the process, said Y.B. Ramakrishna, senior vice-president of the Indian Federation of Green Energy (IFGE). India generates hundreds of millions of metric tons of agricultural waste annually, which could fuel hundreds of 2G biofuel plants, experts say. But the waste needs to be collected, dried, stored and transported from small farms scattered across wide areas, said Ramya Natarajan, a research scientist at the Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP). The costs can add up, making financial support and pricing clarity for 2G ethanol critical, experts said. "At least for the initial three to four years, a higher price is essential," Ramakrishna said. Without a separate price for 2G and a target for its procurement, even financially ready firms are unable to raise funds from banks or commit to long-term plans, Ahuja said. Unlike 1G ethanol, which has a guaranteed market through oil marketing companies' procurement, the lack of a separate 2G ethanol blending target leaves the greener alternative to compete for customers with the cheaper 1G ethanol. Contained in India's ethanol blending policy of 20% ethanol in petrol by the end of 2025, there is no subtarget for 2G ethanol blending to help guarantee production.
Arab News
a day ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Pakistan election regulator disqualifies three lawmakers from Imran Khan's party after convictions
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's election regulator this week disqualified three lawmakers of former prime minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party following their anti-terror convictions earlier this month in the May 9 case. A Pakistani court in the eastern city of Sargodha last Tuesday convicted prominent members of the opposition PTI. These included Ahmed Khan Bachar, the opposition leader in the Punjab Assembly, along with federal lawmakers Ahmed Chattha and Bilal Ejaz, who were handed 10-year imprisonment sentences. PTI's Senator Ejaz Chaudhary was also slapped with a 10-year jail sentence following his conviction. The case pertains to nationwide unrest and violent protests on May 9, 2023, when Khan, Pakistan's most popular opposition figure, was arrested by paramilitary forces in Islamabad that day on corruption allegations. The arrest triggered nationwide demonstrations, some of which turned violent, including attacks on military installations and public property. In response, the government launched a sweeping crackdown, arresting thousands of PTI members and supporters. Dozens were charged under anti-terrorism laws, and some cases were referred to military courts. 'The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday disqualified three Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers after their conviction in the May 9 cases by the court,' the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported. 'Those disqualified include Punjab Assembly Opposition Leader Malik Ahmed Khan Bachar, Member of National Assembly Mohammad Ahmed Chattha, and Senator Ejaz Chaudhry,' it added. Chattha was a member of the National Assembly from NA-66 constituency in Wazirabad while Bachar was a member of the Punjab Assembly from its PP-87 constituency in Mianwali. The PTI had rejected the ruling last week, calling it politically motivated and part of a broader campaign to dismantle the party through legal and administrative pressure. The government denied these allegations, with Minister of State for Law and Justice Aqeel Malik saying the proceedings followed all constitutional procedures. The sentencing took place amid heightened tensions in Pakistan's largest province, Punjab, where PTI-aligned lawmakers have clashed repeatedly with the ruling coalition. The party earlier this month launched a nationwide 90-day anti-government protest, which Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur said would reach its 'peak' on August 5. The date marks two years since Khan was arrested on corruption allegations and has remained in jail since then.
Times of Oman
2 days ago
- Climate
- Times of Oman
Pakistan braces for more monsoon rains as flood death toll nears 300
Islamabad: Pakistani rescue and disaster agencies were finalizing plans today to evacuate thousands of people amid warnings for more monsoon rains as the death toll from weeks of flooding rose to nearly 300, officials said. At least 279 people, nearly half of them children, have died in incidents related to heavy rains and flooding since late last month, the national disaster agency said. A fresh spell of rains was expected to hit the country that would trigger more flash floods and inundation in the cities, the country's meteorological department warned. The rescue department in the central province of Punjab was finalizing a contingency plan to evacuate people from river banks in case of flooding. The disaster agency had advised other regional governments to keep monitoring the evolving situation around the clock. Pakistan is among the countries most vulnerable to the impact of climate change, according to the United Nations.
