PM slams Houthi attacks on Saudi tankers

ISLAMABAD:

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday held a telephone conversation with Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, wherein he expressed Pakistan's condemnation, in the strongest possible terms, of the dastardly attacks carried out by the Houthi militia against Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea.

During their "most cordial" conversation, the prime minister said that such actions were "totally unacceptable", constituted a clear violation of international law and threatened freedom of navigation and commercial shipping, besides undermining regional peace, security, and stability.

He reaffirmed Pakistan's complete solidarity with the brotherly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and said that he, along with Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, and the entire Pakistani nation, stood firmly and resolutely with the Saudi leadership and brotherly people of the Kingdom at this critical time.

He reiterated Pakistan's unwavering support for the Kingdom's security, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and prosperity.

Prime Minister Shehbaz assured Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that Pakistan would continue to work very closely with the kingdom, as well as with the international community, in support of peace, security, stability, and the uninterrupted flow of lawful maritime commerce in the Red Sea, Strait of Hormuz and the wider region.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman appreciated Pakistan's steadfast support and the close fraternal ties between the two countries.

Prime Minister Shehbaz conveyed his warm regards and best wishes to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

 

Population planning

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday emphasized the urgent need to align population planning with national development, economic stability, and human resource improvement, calling for enhanced provincial coordination and effective public awareness campaigns to control population growth.

The prime minister, chairing a high-level meeting regarding population welfare in the country, said that rapidly growing population was the country's biggest challenge and measures for population control and welfare must be treated as a national duty.

Calling the balance in population a sole guarantor for sustainable national development, he directed authorities to convene a meeting of the National Population Council at the earliest.

During the meeting, the relevant officials briefed the prime minister on the country's demographic trends, population welfare initiatives, and preparations for the National Population Council meeting.

It was informed that the council's meeting would be convened soon, bringing together the chief ministers of all provinces, Gilgit-Baltistan, the prime minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and representatives of all relevant institutions and stakeholders to formulate a comprehensive national strategy.

It was told that the operating procedures for the National Population Council Secretariat have been finalized, and the National Stabilization Plan 2026–2035 was currently being prepared, which would present a unified national framework to curb the rate of population growth, setting a target to reduce the current growth rate from 2.55% down to 1.25% by the year 2035.

Under the new population stabilization framework, priority will be given to healthcare, education, youth development, increasing female labor force participation, vocational training, and social safety nets. Moreover, work has commenced on linking several federal social protection initiatives directly to population welfare goals.

Federal ministers Ahsan Iqbal, Ahad Khan Cheema, Syed Mustafa Kamal, and Attaullah Tarar, along with senior government officials attended the meeting.

 

IT exports

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reviewed the progress on Pakistan's strategic roadmap for the information technology sector, and reaffirmed that expanding the digital economy and increasing IT exports remain among the government's top priorities.

Chairing a high-level meeting, the prime minister welcomed the country's annual IT exports reaching $4.6 billion, reflecting a 21 per cent increase, and commended Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja and her team for the achievement.

The meeting was briefed on the performance of the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication. The officials said mobile spectrum availability had increased from 274 MHz in June 2025 to 880 MHz in June 2026, a development expected to significantly improve internet speed and connectivity. The prime minister was also informed about preparations for the launch of the Connect Pakistan Vision 2030 initiative.

The official further briefed that the Software Technology Park in Bagh, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, has been completed, while smartphone penetration has increased from 62 per cent in 2024 to 72 per cent by June 2026. Fixed broadband and fibre connections have reached 5.1 million households, it added.

The officials said freelancers contributed $1.164 billion to IT exports during the last fiscal year, while 130 government services have been digitised under the Digital Nation Pakistan initiative. During the same period, 942,646 training certificates were awarded, including 5,053 high-end training programmes and 2,700 leadership and soft skills training sessions.

The meeting was also informed that the Women Innovation and Startup Empowerment Lab would be inaugurated soon. Under a memorandum of understanding with Alibaba, artificial intelligence projects and training programmes are being implemented across several federal ministries and institutions, including the State Bank of Pakistan, Federal Board of Revenue, Pakistan Railways, Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan, Higher Education Commission and other government organisations.

 

Chinese investment

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday welcomed a Chinese investment initiative to modernize Pakistan's grain storage infrastructure, and said that stronger business-to-business partnerships between Pakistan and China would further deepen the two countries' longstanding strategic relationship.

The prime minister was speaking during a meeting with a delegation led by Jack Chen, Chief Executive Officer of Chinese agribusiness company FAMSUN, here at the Prime Minister's Office, a news release said.

PM Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan and China enjoy exemplary ties, with economic cooperation and bilateral relations continuing to strengthen over time. He welcomed FAMSUN's plan to transform grain storage facilities in Pakistan into state-of-the-art centres. He described the project as an important step towards introducing modern agricultural technology and promoting commercial activity.

The prime minister directed that skills development and training for Pakistan's workforce should be incorporated into the proposed projects to ensure local capacity building.

Jack Chen thanked the prime minister and the Government of Pakistan for their warm hospitality and recalled his meeting with Shehbaz Sharif during the latter's recent visit to China, which led to the company's visit to Pakistan to discuss practical initiatives in the field of food security.

According to the briefing, FAMSUN is interested in supporting Pakistan through improved grain storage facilities, technology transfer and training. The company will establish a demonstration centre for green silos in Pakistan, while existing storage centres will be upgraded into modern green silo facilities.

Officials also informed the meeting that a memorandum of understanding has already been signed between FAMSUN and the Green Pakistan Initiative.