����ֱ��

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Turkiye on Tuesday concluded their two-day Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC) talks in Islamabad, the Pakistani economic affairs ministry said, with both sides aiming to take their bilateral volume to $5 billion.

The session was preceded by extensive inter-ministerial consultations and coordination between both sides, including through the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSCC), Joint Standing Committees (JSCs), and diplomatic missions. A comprehensive draft protocol was reviewed in advance, with the final technical session successfully resolving key areas of cooperation, according to the Pakistani ministry.

The JMC is a cornerstone institutional mechanism for bilateral economic cooperation established in 1975. The discussions at the session, co-chaired by Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan and Turkish National Defense Minister Yaşar Güler, encompassed 24 key sectors, including Trade and Investment, Energy, Information and Communication Technology, Banking and Finance, Industrial Cooperation, Education, Tourism and Climate Change.

“A major highlight was the mutual commitment to enhance bilateral trade to USD 5 billion, with the first in-person round of negotiations for the Trade in Goods Agreement scheduled for October 2025,” the Pakistani economic affairs ministry said in a statement. “Both sides agreed to deepen business-to-business linkages, facilitate digital trade, and streamline customs cooperation.”

Bilateral trade volume between Turkiye and Pakistan rose by nearly 30 percent year-on-year in 2024 to reach $1.4 billion, according to Turkish state media.

Pakistan and Turkiye have moved closer since Ankara’s public support for Islamabad during its four-day skirmish with India in May. The military forces of the two Muslim-majority countries have since then resolved to forge stronger ties in defense and trade amid regional tensions.

At the ministerial talks in Islamabad, both sides reiterated their commitment to regional connectivity by agreeing to expedite the operationalization of the Islamabad–Tehran–Istanbul (ITI) Railway Corridor and advance work on the proposed TURPAK Transport Corridor. Cooperation will also expand in the maritime sector, including ship recycling and port development, according to the statement.

In the energy sector, both countries agreed to establish Sub-Working Groups to explore collaboration in renewables, hydrocarbons, hydrogen, mining, LNG, and electric vehicle infrastructure. Further cooperation was pledged in electricity distribution, transmission modernization, and hydropower development. Pakistan and Turkiye will also organize an IT Business Forum, while in the agriculture field, the two sides agreed to collaborate in livestock health, irrigation, fisheries, and the development of digital crop surveillance systems.

“The Ministry of Economic Affairs welcomes the renewed momentum in Pakistan–Türkiye economic relations and looks forward to the timely implementation of the key decisions and projects outlined during this session,” the statement read. “The outcomes reaffirm the shared vision of both nations to build a deeper, broader, and more strategic economic partnership.”

Separately, the Turkish defense minister called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad, with both sides reaffirming their support for each other’s national interests and agreeing to continue working closely to elevate their partnership.

“Highlighting Pakistan’s investor-friendly policies, the Prime Minister also invited Turkish companies to expand their investment footprint in Pakistan,” Sharif’s office said.

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday telephoned Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and assured him of Islamabad’s support, Sharif’s office said, after Israeli airstrikes targeted Hamas leaders in Doha.

Qatar, which has been a key mediator in efforts to broker a truce in Gaza, said Israeli strikes targeted homes of several members of Hamas’s political bureau residing in the Gulf country, where the militant group’s senior leadership is based.

A Hamas official in Gaza told AFP the group’s negotiators had been “targeted” in Doha, though it was not immediately clear whether the attack had caused any casualties.

During his conversation with Qatar’s emir, Sharif condemned the “unlawful and heinous” airstrikes by Israeli forces and expressed his solidarity with the people of Qatar, according to the Sharif’s office.

“He called the Israeli aggression a brazen violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Qatar, that posed a most dangerous provocation and could imperil regional peace and stability,” Sharif’s office said.

“The Prime Minister assured His Highness that Pakistan stood like a rock with the State of Qatar, against Israel’s aggression and called for unity within the ranks of the Ummah at this critical time.”

The Qatari emir thanked the prime minister for the call and for the sincere expression of solidarity with the Qatari people at this “challenging moment,” according to Sharif’s office.

“Both leaders agreed to remain in contact in the interest of regional peace and security,” it added.

Tuesday’s strikes, Israel’s first attack on the Gulf state, come less than two weeks after Israel’s armed forces chief vowed to target the group’s leaders based abroad.

“Most of Hamas’s leadership is abroad, and we will reach them as well,” Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said on August 31.

Qatar, along with the United States and Egypt, has led multiple attempts to end Israel’s war against Hamas, which was killed more than 64,000 Palestinians in Gaza since October 7, 2023. Despite sealing two temporary truces, the successive rounds of talks have failed to bring a lasting end to the war.

Qatar condemned Tuesday’s attack, saying it had targeted residential buildings housing Hamas political bureau members.

“The State of Qatar strongly condemns the cowardly Israeli attack that targeted residential buildings housing several members of the political bureau of Hamas in the Qatari capital, Doha,” foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said in a post on X.

Separately, Pakistan’s foreign office condemned the Israeli “aggression” against Qatar.

“This reckless action by Israel is yet another manifestation of its continued disregard for international peace and security, and its policy of destabilizing the region,” it said.

“We reaffirm our principled position in support of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Qatar, and call upon the international community to hold Israel accountable.”