Day: July 25, 2026

Islamabad: Prime Minister, Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Friday suggested renaming the long-delayed Kachhi Canal project the “Pakistan Canal, ” and announced its swift completion along with other water storage projects across the country as the federal government had allocated Rs 368 billion this fiscal year for water storage projects including the Canal scheme.

The proposal came in response to a participant’s request to speed up work on the canal during the question and hour session after the prime minister’s address to the National Workshop Balochistan (NWB) participants, in which he told the delegates that no province could be considered developed unless all four advanced together, and pledged continued federal funding for Balochistan.

Addressing the workshop participants here at the Prime Minister’s House, PM Shehbaz welcomed the delegates from Balochistan, and said that the federal capital belonged equally to all provinces and that none of them were strangers there since they represented Pakistan as a whole. He noted that Balochistan was Pakistan’s largest province by area, though its smallest by population, and recalled that several Baloch states had voluntarily acceded to Pakistan in 1947, with other tribal leaders in the region accepting the leadership of Muhammad Ali Jinnah the following year.

The prime minister said Balochistan’s scattered population and vast distances between towns meant the province required proportionately greater resources than more densely populated provinces to deliver comparable education, health and development outcomes. He cited the 2010 National Finance Commission (NFC) Award, under which Balochistan’s share of federal resources was doubled, a move was backed voluntarily by the other provinces, Punjab in particular. He said Punjab alone had contributed roughly Rsb11 billion a year toward this arrangement since 2010, describing it not as a favor but as the natural obligation of provinces bound together like members of one family.

PM Shehbaz Sharif also referenced a solar-power initiative that shifted around 27, 000 agricultural tube-wells in Balochistan onto solar energy, at a cost of about Rsb75 billion, of which the federal government contributed roughly Rs 50 billion.

On the Karachi-Chaman highway (N-25), known locally as the bloody road because of frequent fatal accidents, he said the government had decided to fund its conversion into a dual carriageway using savings from last year’s reduction in petroleum prices. He put the cost of the roughly Rs 300 billion project at completion within the next one to two years, saying it would then be regarded as a road of peace rather than a hazard.

The prime minister paid tribute to Abdul Hakeem, a sessions judge in Mastung, and an accompanying security official, who were recently killed, and prayed for their families. He said around 90, 000 Pakistanis from the armed forces, law enforcement and civilians across all provinces had been martyred in the fight against terrorism, which, he said, had been largely defeated by 2017-18 before resurfacing through what he described as an organised conspiracy.

He again alleged Indian involvement in funding and facilitating militancy in Balochistan, and said Pakistan had repeatedly urged Afghanistan’s interim government to deny its territory to armed groups operating against Pakistan, without success so far.

He also referred to Pakistan’s recent military confrontation with India, saying India had suffered a swift setback within days, and credited Pakistan’s diplomacy with helping stabilize the region.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan’s progress required sustained, disciplined effort from all provinces and the country’s roughly 240 million people, invoking the Allama Iqbal verse on collective strength that an individual counts for little alone, and draws strength only as part of a larger whole. He said the country’s recent economic and diplomatic gains needed to be consolidated through hard work rather than complacency.

The prime minister concluded that the federal government’s objective was for ordinary residents of Balochistan whether in Quetta, Kalat or Chaman to feel the same level of state attention to their development, education and healthcare as citizens of Punjab, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Following his address, the prime minister took questions from workshop participants. Abid Saleem, from Quetta, asked whether the transparency reforms visible in federal government departments were being extended to the provincial level. PM Shehbaz cited the Federal Board of Revenue as an example, saying collusion and corruption had historically kept large sums out of the national treasury, and that in the past financial year, roughly Rs 800 billion in previously evaded indirect taxes, including sales tax, had been recovered.

He described this as a drop in the ocean given the scale of the task ahead, but said countries such as Japan and Germany had rebuilt themselves after wartime devastation through sustained hard work rather than shortcuts, and that the same transparent-governance model was being extended to the provinces.

Masood, from Balochistan, asked the prime minister to accelerate work on the Kachhi Canal project. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Rs 368 billion had been allocated this year for water storage projects nationally, including Kachhi Canal, and suggested the canal be renamed as the Pakistan Canal.

Khalida Yousuf, from Chagai district, thanked the prime minister for the government’s laptop scheme and asked that would it continue, noting that many female students in Balochistan face financial constraints. PM Shehbaz Sharif said the scheme, first launched when he was chief minister of Punjab under Nawaz Sharif’s federal government, distributed laptops nationally on merit including roughly 1, 00, 000 last year and that Balochistan’s quota was set 10 percent higher than other provinces. He also pointed to the Danish Schools programme being extended to Balochistan on the Punjab model as nine schools were underway, offering free residential education, sports facilities and classrooms to children from low-income families, saying earlier graduates of the programme had gone on to become doctors, engineers and civil servants.

Islamabad: Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority (PNRA) presented two major regulatory approvals at a ceremony held at its headquarters, strengthening Pakistan’s indigenous capabilities in nuclear engineering and the local supply of radioactive medicines.

PNRA awarded a Design License to the Directorate General of Nuclear Power Engineering (DGNPE), Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), for the design of safety-related systems and equipment used in nuclear installations. The license allows DGNPE to carry out this design work locally, reducing Pakistan’s reliance on foreign suppliers and supporting the long-term sustainability of the country’s nuclear power programme.

PNRA also granted a Design Approval Certificate to Heavy Mechanical Complex-3 (HMC-3), PAEC, for a locally developed Type B(U) transport package, a container built and certified to safely carry radioactive medicines (radiopharmaceuticals).

The certificate paves the way for local manufacturing of these packages, helping ensure a steady and reliable supply of radiopharmaceuticals to hospitals across Pakistan.

Both approvals were granted after DGNPE and HMC-3 went through detailed technical reviews, site inspections, and licensing assessments carried out in line with national regulations and international safety standards.

Speaking at the ceremony, PNRA Chairman Mr. Zia Hussain Shah said ‘The approvals reflect Pakistan’s growing technical capabilities and show that the licensees comply with the national regulatory framework which ensures safety and security in line with the international safety and security standards for peaceful uses of nuclear energy. He added that PNRA remains committed to enabling the safe and peaceful use of nuclear technology for national development while ensuring protection of workers, public and environment’.

The Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority is the national body responsible for controlling, regulating and supervising all matters related to nuclear safety and radiation protection in the country.

Islamabad: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar and Foreign Minister of Iran, Seyyed Abbas Araghchi on Friday agreed to maintain close coordination and regular consultations on issues of mutual interest and reaffirmed their commitment to working together for regional peace, stability, and shared prosperity.

The two foreign ministers met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) meeting in Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyz Republic, according to a press statement.

During the meeting, the two sides reaffirmed the close and longstanding ties between Pakistan and Iran and reviewed the evolving regional situation.

The DPM/FM expressed deep concern over recent regional tensions and underscored the importance of dialogue, restraint, de-escalation by all sides, and sustained diplomatic engagement to achieve lasting peace and stability. He emphasized the need to build on the understandings reached under the Islamabad MoU of June 2026.

Foreign Minister Araghchi appreciated Pakistan’s continued diplomatic support and constructive efforts in promoting regional peace and security.

He also thanked Pakistan for facilitating the safe return of Iranian fishermen and crew members, including those from vessels interdicted by the U.S., and for its close coordination with the Iranian, U.S., and other relevant authorities to ensure their safe transit through Pakistan and return to Iran.

Islamabad: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday restrained the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) from interfering with the official duties of its Phase-III officers in Grades 16 to 18 and maintained its interim order barring disciplinary action against the employees, while warning of possible contempt proceedings for failure to submit a reply.

Justice Muhammad Azam Khan heard the petition filed by the affected officers.

Supreme Court Bar Association President Haroon Rashid and Advocate Manzoor Ahmad Jajja appeared on behalf of the petitioners.

During the hearing, the NCCIA failed to submit its reply, prompting the court to direct the agency to file its response within four days.

Justice Azam Khan observed that if the reply was not submitted by the next hearing, the court could not only decide the petition but also initiate contempt of court proceedings against the respondents.

The judge remarked that preventing highly educated and experienced officers from performing their official duties was unjustified.

Maintaining its interim order restraining the NCCIA from taking any disciplinary action against the petitioners and from obstructing them in the discharge of their official responsibilities, the court adjourned the hearing until July 30.

Islamabad: President Asif Ali Zardari on Friday strongly condemned the terrorist attack on government officials in Kohat and prayed for the elevation of the ranks of the personnel martyred in the attack and for patience and strength for their bereaved families.

President Asif Ali Zardari also prayed for the speedy recovery of the personnel injured in the terrorist incident.

In a statement, the president said the resolve of the entire nation against terrorism remained unwavering. He said that the terrorists must be brought to justice and made an example of.

Islamabad: Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja on Friday said the inauguration of the Sky 47 data centre marked the beginning of a new economic era, where artificial intelligence (AI), high-performance computing, and digital infrastructure would enable Pakistan to fully utilise its natural resources, human capital, and technological potential.

Addressing the inauguration ceremony of Pakistan’s largest purpose-built Sky 47 Data Centre, the minister said the future of the global AI race would not be determined merely by data but by the ability to efficiently, securely, and affordably transform data into intelligence, decisions, and actions.

She said the Sky 47 Data Centre facility represented a strategically important investment that offered Pakistan much more than servers and storage, describing it as the foundation of an “AI factory” capable of producing token intelligence – the most valuable economic unit in the AI-driven economy.

Shaza Fatima said access to high-performance computing would become essential across every major sector, including healthcare, agriculture, financial services, education, public administration, and national security, adding that the country’s future economic opportunities would increasingly depend on advanced computing infrastructure.

Referring to global industry projections, she said McKinsey estimated worldwide demand for data centres would triple by 2030, while Goldman Sachs projected electricity requirements for such facilities to increase by 160 per cent during the same period.

She said these trends presented Pakistan with an extraordinary opportunity because of its young population, talented workforce, and growing pool of engineers, developers, researchers, and entrepreneurs, who possessed both intelligence and ambition but had long lacked the necessary digital infrastructure.

The minister said facilities such as the Sky 47 data centre would provide access to storage, computing power, Graphics Processing Units (GPUs), and High-Performance Computing (HPC), creating the foundation for developing Large Language Models (LLMs), General Language Models (GLMs), and Small Language Models (SLMs).

She said the infrastructure would also support application development and enable innovators to deliver AI-powered solutions while allowing cloud platforms to offer GPU-as-a-Service, Compute-as-a-Service, Security-as-a-Service, and AI Capability-as-a-Service.

Shaza Fatima said the facility would help fulfil Pakistan’s national AI and digital infrastructure requirements while safeguarding the country’s digital sovereignty.

She said the government, under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s Digital Nation Pakistan vision, had undertaken several key initiatives over the past two years to build the country’s digital ecosystem.

These included conducting the world’s largest 5G spectrum auction, developing digital public infrastructure, introducing right-of-way reforms to expand broadband access, doubling undersea fibre connectivity, launching AI skills programmes, and supporting AI startups through the National Incubation Centres across the country.

She said these initiatives were aimed at creating a strong digital ecosystem capable of supporting innovation, economic growth, and Pakistan’s long-term competitiveness in the global AI economy.