ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday pledged to lower taxes on farm inputs and boost investment in agricultural technology as part of a sweeping effort to modernize Pakistan’s struggling farm sector and strengthen rural incomes.
Agriculture accounts for about 23% of Pakistan’s gross domestic product and employs nearly 38% of the labor force, according to official data. But the sector has long been held back by water scarcity, outdated methods, poor storage and market access, and rising costs for fertilizer, seed and pesticides.
The reforms come as the government is finalizing its annual federal budget for FY26, with a renewed focus on boosting rural growth, agri-tech innovation, and food security amid stagnant productivity and mounting farmer debt.
“Agriculture is the backbone of Pakistan’s economy, and sustainable reforms in the sector will further boost growth,” Sharif said during a high-level meeting on agricultural reforms, according to a statement from his office.
He directed officials to reduce duties on farm machinery, avoid new taxes on fertilizer and pesticides, and accelerate development schemes that improve storage capacity and modernize irrigation and harvesting practices.
Officials briefed the prime minister on the proposed National Agriculture Innovation and Growth Action Plan, which aims to increase yields, improve access to credit for smallholders, and support value-added exports to boost farmers’ incomes.
Sharif also emphasized the need to support Pakistanis studying agriculture abroad, particularly in China.
Participants were told that 129 agri-tech startups have been launched under the government-backed Ignite National Technology Fund, focused on smart farming, irrigation efficiency and digital market tools.
KARACHI: Pakistani police on Wednesday said they had arrested four local fishermen suspected of spying for India’s main intelligence agency RAW, accusing them of sending sensitive images of military installations to Indian handlers and receiving payments, liquor, and weapons in return.
Accusations of spying have long fueled tensions between nuclear-armed neighbors Pakistan and India, especially in coastal regions like Sindh, where fishing communities often unknowingly drift across poorly demarcated maritime borders.
Police said the latest arrests were made during a joint operation with intelligence services, according to a press conference by Shoaib Mehmood Memon, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) with Karachi’s Special Investigation Unit (SIU).
Memon said the suspects, identified as local fishermen by profession, had carried out surveillance of “sensitive installations” in the city’s Malir district and provided visual material to Indian agents.
“Indian intelligence agency RAW is recruiting vulnerable individuals through cross-border channels, including fishing routes,” said Memon. “The suspects used to call Colonel Ranjit their boss. He was in regular contact with them.”
The men allegedly crossed the international border into India on multiple occasions, where they were given Indian alcohol, cigarettes, and cash, police said.
Memon added that the suspects received around RS100,000-150,000 (up to $525) per visit and were tasked with collecting sensitive video footage and checking routes leading to key military sites.
Authorities said hand grenades, firearms, and a vehicle were recovered during the operation, and that mobile data from the suspects had been fully extracted. Cases had been registered against the suspects under Pakistan’s counterterrorism laws.
Pakistan has frequently alleged that Indian intelligence services, particularly the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), have supported espionage and subversion inside its territory. India, in turn, has denied such claims and accused Pakistan of harboring militant groups, which it rejects.
In 2016, the arrest of Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav, whom Islamabad described as a RAW officer, deepened bilateral strains. Jadhav was sentenced to death for alleged spying and sabotage but denied the charges, saying he was a former naval officer abducted from Iran.
ISLAMABAD: Heavy monsoon rains lashed Pakistan’s twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad early Wednesday, triggering urban flooding alerts as authorities issued warnings for continued thunderstorms across Punjab and parts of the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said the current weather system is expected to persist in Islamabad-Rawalpindi and surrounding areas, warning in a statement that “urban flooding may occur… during the forecast period.”
The public has been advised to take precautionary measures.
By 6:30am Wednesday, over 80 millimeters of rain had already been recorded across the two cities, according to Rawalpindi’s Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA). Specific rainfall totals included 52 mm in Saidpur, 66 mm in Bokra, 53 mm in Pir Wadhai, and 55 mm in Shamsabad, WASA Managing Director Muhammad Saleem Ashraf said.
Ashraf saaid a rain emergency had been declared, with WASA teams deployed alongside heavy machinery in low-lying areas.
“All city drains including Nullah Lai are being monitored… at present, the water flow remains within normal levels,” he said, noting the depth of the stream at key points stood at 9 feet at Katarian and 5 feet at Gawalmandi Bridge.
The PMD said the system producing the rain-thundershowers is active over Kashmir, Haripur, Abbottabad, and northeastern Punjab, and is likely to spread further across the province within the next 1–3 hours.
The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) for Punjab, Pakistan’s largest province, also confirmed the onset of the monsoon season, saying the first spell is expected to continue until July 1.
A statement quoted PDMA Director General Irfan Ali Kathia as saying:
“This year’s monsoon rains are forecast to be 25 percent above normal. All district administrations have been alerted.”
Storms are forecast in Murree, Rawalpindi, Attock, Chakwal, Gujranwala, Lahore, and other parts of Punjab, with a warning of possible landslides in hilly areas like Murree and Galiyat.
Kathia urged citizens to “stay indoors during storms, avoid unnecessary travel, and follow safety protocols.”
The PDMA said all emergency departments, including Rescue 1122, WASA, irrigation and livestock authorities, had been placed on high alert. In case of emergency, the public has been advised to contact the PDMA helpline at 1129.
LAHORE: When Mehak Rashid looks back on a restless, emotionally fragile phase of her life earlier this year, an unlikely confidant comes to mind.
“When nobody else was listening to you and everybody else thought you were crazy, ChatGPT was there,” Rashid, a metallurgy and materials engineer from Lahore, told Arab News.
“I just wanted to be heard… It will not give you a judgment and that’s so beautiful.”
Rashid began using the chatbot after noticing her children experimenting with it for schoolwork. Now, she often turns to it for “answers” and “different perspectives.”
“It helps me in every way,” she said.
Mehak Rashid, an engineer, is using ChatGPT on her mobile in Lahore, Pakistan, on May 26, 2025. (AN photo)
Since its launch in November 2022, ChatGPT has attracted hundreds of millions of users and, by mid-2025, logged nearly 800 million weekly active users. Many in Pakistan, among the top 20 countries for ChatGPT traffic, use it daily for emotional support, venting feelings, or late-night reassurance when friends aren’t available.
Globally, an estimated 40 percent of ChatGPT conversations relate to mental well-being, and a Sentio University survey found nearly half of users with ongoing mental health issues rely on it for support: 73 percent for anxiety, 63 percent for advice, and 60 percent for help with depression.
While this instant comfort helps some cope, psychologists warn that heavy reliance on AI can weaken real human connections and deepen social isolation in a country already short on mental health resources.
A March 2025 study by OpenAI and MIT found frequent users reported increased dependence and loneliness, suggesting that AI companionship can erode human bonds and intensify feelings of isolation rather than resolve them.
Mehak Rashid, an engineer, is using mobile in Lahore, Pakistan, on May 26, 2025. (AN photo)
For Lahore-based designer Khizer Iftikhar, ChatGPT began as a professional aid but gradually crept into his personal life and started affecting his relationships, especially with his wife.
“I have a very avoidant attachment style,” he said. “Instead of confronting someone, I can just talk about the good part with people and let the chatbots handle the negative part.”
Iftikhar described ChatGPT as “a multiple personality tool” that lacked the balance of real human interaction.
Many experts say using AI models can weaken bonds overtime, reduce empathy, and make people more emotionally self-contained, preferring the predictable reassurance of a machine over the give-and-take of genuine human connection.
“With humans, relationships are about give and take. With chatbots, it’s not like that,” Iftikhar said.
Lahore-based designer Khizer Iftikhar talks to Arab News Pakistan in Lahore, Pakistan, on on May 26, 2025. (AN photo)
Despite once trying therapy, he now uses ChatGPT to process emotions and trusts people only for practical advice.
“I would trust a chatbot more when it comes to the feelings part,” Iftikhar said. “But when it comes to the work part, I will trust humans more.”
In Islamabad, 26-year-old Tehreem Ahmed initially used ChatGPT for office transcriptions and calorie tracking but it eventually became an emotional lifeline.
One night, overwhelmed by troubling news and unable to reach friends, she turned to the chatbot.
“It was around 3am and none of my friends were awake,” she said. “So, I went on ChatGPT and I typed in all that I got.”
Tehreem Ahmed is seen using ChatGPT at a cafe in Islamabad, Pakistan, on May 16, 2025. (AN photo)
The chatbot encouraged her to pause and reflect before reacting.
“I feel like it responded well because I gave it a smarter prompt… Had I just said, ‘Hey, this has happened. What should I do?’ I guess it would have just given me all the options… I could have self-sabotaged.”
While Ahmed doesn’t fully trust the bot, she said she preferred it to people who might dismiss her feelings.
“If I know my friend is not going to validate me, I’d rather go to the bot first.”
Tehreem Ahmed is seen using ChatGPT at a cafe in Islamabad, Pakistan, on May 16, 2025. (AN photo)
“DETERIORATING HUMAN CONNECTIONS”
For one anonymous Lahore-based tech professional, ChatGPT quickly shifted from a practical helper to an emotional crutch during a difficult relationship and the ongoing war in Gaza.
She first used it in late 2023 to navigate a job change, edit CVs, and prepare for assessments. But emotional upheaval deepened her reliance on the bot.
“That [romantic] relationship didn’t progress,” she said. “And the platform helped me a lot emotionally in navigating it.”
Her sessions became so layered and spiritual that some ended in “prostration from spiritual overwhelm.”
Still, she was careful not to project too much onto the tool:
“It’s a mirror of my flawed self… I try not to let the tool simply reflect my ego.”
Psychologists caution that without the challenges and messiness of real interactions, people using chatbots may lose vital social skills and drift further into isolation.
Mahnoor Khan, who runs MSK Clinics in Islamabad, agreed, saying the search for emotional safety in AI was becoming increasingly common as people feared judgment from others.
“Over a period of time, human connections have deteriorated,” the psychologist said. “When people share something vulnerable with a friend, they often feel judged or lectured.”
Clinical psychologist Mahnoor Khan, who runs MSK Clinics in Islamabad, is talking to one of her clients in Islamabad, Pakistan, on May 26, 2025. (AN photo)
To avoid that, many turn to chatbots. But Khan warned that AI’s constant affirmation could have unintended consequences.
“It will tell you what you want to listen to… If you’re happy, it’s your companion; if you’re sad, it instantly talks to you. The downside is that you are getting away from socialization.”
The trend is especially troubling in a country where mental health care remains deeply under-resourced: Pakistan has fewer than 500 psychiatrists for a population of over 240 million, according to WHO estimates.
No wonder then that even people with clinical mental health issues were turning to AI.
Khan recalled the case of a young woman who used ChatGPT so often that it replaced nearly all her social interaction.
“She had a lot of suicidal ideations,” Khan said. “She kept feeding ChatGPT: ‘I feel very depressed today… you tell me what I should do?’ ChatGPT kept telling her to avoid friends like that.”
Eventually, she cut everyone off.
One day, she asked the chatbot what would happen if she overdosed on phenyl.
“ChatGPT said, ‘There are no consequences. In case you overdose yourself, you might get paralyzed,’” Khan recalled.
The girl only read the first half and attempted suicide.
KARACHI: Pakistan’s pioneering blockchain entrepreneur, Abdul Rafay Gadit, has launched what his team says is the world’s first Shariah-compliant Layer 1 blockchain, aiming to capitalize on a record surge in tokenized real-world assets (RWAs) and meet rising demand for Islamic-compliant digital finance tools.
ZIGChain, which launched its mainnet beta on Tuesday, is built as a base-level blockchain called a “Layer 1” that lets developers create apps to trade and manage real-world assets like property, commodities or traditional securities on a blockchain.
Putting RWAs on blockchains, known as tokenization, has become one of the fastest-growing areas in crypto and traditional finance. The market is estimated to have surged 260 percent to $50 billion this year as more institutions use blockchain to make trading these assets easier and more transparent. Analysts say the trend reflects how financial institutions are moving real-world assets onto blockchains to improve liquidity and transparency.
ZIGChain says it stands out as the first chain purpose-built to meet Islamic finance principles, a set of rules that, among other things, prohibit interest (riba) and excessive uncertainty (gharar), by offering native compliance tools and audit mechanisms for developers and institutions.
“Accessing reliable and transparent investment infrastructure has historically been difficult, not just for retail users, but even for experienced managers,” Gadit, ZIGChain’s co-founder, said in a statement marking the mainnet beta launch.
“With ZIGChain, we’re taking a meaningful step toward changing that by focusing deeply on real-world assets as the foundation for long-term, scalable wealth generation.”
The launch comes at a pivotal moment for Pakistan’s crypto industry. Islamabad in March set up an official Crypto Council to regulate the sector for the first time and named Binance co-founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ) as its strategic adviser. Pakistan is estimated to have around 40 million crypto users.
Unlike general-purpose blockchains, ZIGChain inherits a ready base of more than 600,000 users and 150 professional fund managers through its link to Zignaly, a licensed social investing platform. This solves what experts often call the “cold-start problem” for new chains that struggle to attract developers and liquidity in early stages.
ZIGChain’s ecosystem includes Zamanat, described by its backers as the world’s first Shariah-compliant RWA platform, as well as a $100 million fund supported by DWF Labs and other partners to spur development.
The project launches with native applications already lined up, including an AI-powered decentralized exchange, a staking service, a lending protocol accepting RWAs as collateral, and a Shariah-compliant DeFi aggregator.
“This mainnet beta launch represents a shift from vision to foundation,” said Bart Bordallo, co-founder and CEO of ZIGChain. “We’ve built a high-performance, interoperable architecture that can handle the complex requirements of DeFi, RWA tokenization, and automated investment protocols at scale.”
By positioning itself at the intersection of real-world assets, Islamic finance and blockchain technology, ZIGChain aims to serve the massive $4 trillion global Islamic finance market, where a young, digitally savvy Muslim demographic is driving demand for new products.
With its launch now underway, ZIGChain will gradually roll out key features like its validator network, token bridges and staking tools, which its founders say will keep the system stable and compliant as more users join.
England’s 371-run chase at Headingley joins elite list of historic Test wins
Record fourth-innings pursuits span from Bradman’s brilliance to debutant heroics
Updated 25 June 2025
AFP
LEEDS, United Kingdom: England completed the tenth highest fourth-innings run chase in Test history with a pursuit of 371 that sealed a five-wicket over India at Headingley on Tuesday.
Below AFP Sport looks at the largest targets chased down in 148 years of Test cricket:
After both teams made 240 in their first innings, Australia made 417 in their second innings and would have expected an attack featuring fast bowlers Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie and Brett Lee to finish the job. But hundreds from Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul changed the game before an unbroken partnership of 46 between Omari Banks and Vasbert Drakes sealed a three-wicket win.
Australia appeared to have put the game beyond South Africa’s reach but Proteas captain Graeme Smith’s hundred and a century from AB de Villiers helped guide the visitors to a dominant six-wicket success.
Still one of the most famous Tests of them all, England captain Norman Yardley did not declare his side’s second innings until the fifth morning. But Australia still scored 400 runs in under a day’s play, with opener Arthur Morris making 182 and Don Bradman, widely regarded as cricket’s greatest batsman, an unbeaten 173 that sealed a seven-wicket triumph.
Alvin Kallicharran’s hundred built an imposing West Indian lead, but centuries from Sunil Gavaskar and Gundappa Viswanath took India to an eventual total of 406-4. The match proved a turning point as his spinners’ failure persuaded West Indies captain Clive Lloyd to break with convention by building an attack around four fast bowlers — a policy that helped his side dominate Test cricket for the next 15 years.
West Indies batsman Kyle Mayers enjoyed an astounding start to his Test career with an extraordinary 210 not out, putting on 216 with fellow debutant Nkrumah Bonner (86) to see the visitors to a three-wicket win.
Asela Gunaratne made a match-winning 80 not out, putting on 121 with Niroshan Dickwella (80) in the home team’s total of 391-6.
Two hundreds from Andrew Strauss put England on top, but Virender Sehwag made a quickfire 83 before batting great Sachin Tendulkar (103 not out) and Yuvraj Singh (85 not out) took India to a four-wicket win.
Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow hit hundreds as England romped home by seven wickets in a series finale postponed from 2021 because of coronavirus concerns within the India camp.
Pakistan were in dire straits at 13-2 early in their chase but hundreds from Shan Masood and Younis Khan turned the tide before Misbah-ul-Haq’s match-winning 59 saw them to 382-3.
India made 471 after being sent in to bat by England captain Ben Stokes but the hosts were only six runs adrift on first innings. England then dismissed India for 364 and opener Ben Duckett’s superb 149 the cornerstone of a chase completed by Root and Jamie Smith. This was only the third Test with more than 350 runs in all four innings, after Ashes clashes at Adelaide in 1921 and Headingley in 1948.
