NIAS Area Studies
PAKISTAN READER
In Focus
PM Shehbaz in Bahrain: Discussion on USD one billion trade expansion, receives top honour in Bahrain
On 26 November, Dawn reported that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is on a two-day official visit to the Kingdom of Bahrain to deepen the strong and historic partnership between the two countries based on shared faith and mutual respect. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa in Manama and discussed expanding trade and investment, noting the potential to raise bilateral trade from over USD 550 million to USD 1 billion. He thanked the King for his support in the establishment of King Hamad University for Nursing and Allied Medical Sciences in Islamabad in September 2025. He also congratulated Bahrain on securing a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2026-27 term.
During the visit, PM Shehbaz Sharif was honoured by the Order of Bahrain (First Class), which is the highest award given by Bahrain to the heads of states and governments. In meeting, the PM also reaffirmed that with the GCC Free Trade Agreement in its advanced stage of finalization, economic ties between Pakistan and Bahrain are set to grow rapidly. He invited Bahrain investors to utilize the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), especially in food security, information technology, construction, tourism, and healthcare. Last month, the two countries held their first meeting of the Pakistan-Bahrain Parliamentary Friendship Group with the aim of strengthening bilateral cooperation. With more than 150,000 Pakistanis living there in Bahrain, the PM also appreciated Bahrain's support and thanked the king for pardoning Pakistani prisoners.
PM Shehbaz Sharif also met Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa at the Al-Qudaibiya Palace, where he was welcomed with a guard of honour upon arrival at the palace. During the meeting, Pakistan reaffirmed the importance of the longstanding defence partnership and agreed to continue strengthening cooperation in training, logistics, manpower, and defence production. (“Pakistan, Bahrain pledge to deepen economic, defence ties,” Dawn, 26 November 2025; Shehbaz eyes $1bn trade with Bahrain in three years,” The News International, 26 November 2025)
Iran willing to mediate between Pakistan and Afghanistan
Iran’s Secretary of National Security Ali Larijani said that his country is ready to help reduce tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, stating that the issue is a matter of concern for Tehran. He claimed that Iran had fulfilled its responsibilities relating to the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline agreement, and that if tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan hadn’t risen, Iranian gas would be in use in Pakistani homes by now. Commenting on border security issues, he said that terrorist groups pose a common threat to both countries and blamed the West for fueling the rise of Daesh and other groups, emphasising the need for joint and decisive action against the issue. He also commented on the Gaza peace plan, calling the US-brokered peace deal temporary and ineffective and clarifying that lasting peace for Palestine can only be achieved through an open, free and transparent political process led by the Palestinian people. (“Iran ready to play role to reduce Pak-Afghan tension,” The News International, 27 November 2025)
JUDICIARY
Supreme Court judge warns against living relationships and rising social vices
On 27 November, Dawn and The News International reported that Justice Ali Baqar Najafi linked the Noor Mukadam murder to what he called a rising practice of unmarried cohabitation in his additional Supreme Court note from May 2025. The judge ruled that living together outside marriage constitutes a sinful practice because it breaks both national laws and Islamic teachings and produces dangerous results, as demonstrated by the Noor Mukadam case.
Justice Najafi stated that youth protection requires government and social change advocates to join forces to warn young people about dangerous activities that include living together and drug use, and their potential dangers. The judge detailed his judgment in a seven-page document, which showed medical tests did not reveal any psychiatric disorder or drug-induced loss of control in the defendant.
(“Judge terms ‘live-in relationships’ a societal vice,” Dawn, 27 November 2025; “Justice Najafi frames Noor killing as moral warning,” The News International, 27 November 2025)
SECURITY
Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) arrests 14 for trying to cross into Iran illegally
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) arrested 14 people for attempting to cross into Iran illegally. Among the 14, four came from Gujranwala, two from Faisalabad, five from Lower Dir, and three from Swabi, Mardan, and Malakand, respectively. The operation, conducted by the FIA Composite Circle Gwadar in Jiwani, revealed that the 14 people were looking to travel to other countries from Iran illegally, and a case has been registered against them. (“14 held for trying to cross into Iran illegally: FIA,” Dawn, 27 November 2025)
ECONOMY
Iron and steel scrap imports hit a new high as construction activity sees a small revival
Iron and steel scrap imports rose to a record 381,991 tonnes in October, higher than the previous month’s record of 366,610 tonnes, indicating a revival in construction activity across the country. The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) reported that imports of iron and steel scrap rose to 1.299 million tonnes in the first four months of this financial year, up from 819,650 tonnes imported during the same period last year. During the last year, the average per-tonne price has fallen from USD 810 to USD 523. The secretary of the Pakistan Association of Large Steel Producers (PALSP), Syed Wajid, said that the increase in imports shows that construction activity is improving. He believed that this improvement cannot just be attributed to the drop in per-tonne prices, but also shows that the government is taking more initiatives to revive economic activity, through programmes like the Apna Ghar Apna Ashiana scheme. He also noted that the fall in iron and steel scrap prices has also led to a decline in debars’ prices, with the price of steel bars falling from around PKR 242,000 per tonne to PKR 220,000 per tonne. Meanwhile, local cement dispatches rose by 18 per cent to 13.849 million tonnes during the first four months of the financial year, as compared to 11.728 million tonnes during the same time last year. (“Iron, steel scrap imports hit record in October,” Dawn, 27 November 2025)
PIA bidding to take place by mid-December
The Secretary of the Privatization Division told the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Wednesday that the final bidding for Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will take place in mid-December, with four pre-qualified bids in late-stage negotiations over commercial terms. The four bidders include Fauji Fertilizer Company Ltd., Air Blue Pvt Ltd., a consortium of Lucky Cement, Hub Power Holdings, Kohat Cement, and Metro Ventures, and a consortium led by Arif Habib Corporation with Fatima Fertilizer, City Schools, Lake City Holdings, and AKD Group Holdings Pvt Ltd. The meeting was chaired by MNP Farooq Sattar, who sought assurance from the government over protecting the jobs of airline employees and ensuring a transparent sale process. The committee recommended at least five years of job protection and full safeguards for pensioners. The Additional Secretary of the Power Division disclosed to lawmakers for the first time that the government is considering the transfer of DISCOs instead of full privatization, much like the Turkish model. These agreements would entrust management responsibilities to private entities for at least 25 years. The government plans to privatise the Islamabad, Gujranwala and Faisalabad electric supply companies in the first phase, but the Request for Proposals (RFPs) have been delayed. Sattar also asked questions about the 33-year delay in the privatization of Pakistan Engineering Company (PECO), to which officials said the prime minister had placed PECO under the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC). (“PIA bidding by mid-Dec; Discos concession model planned,” The News International, 27 November 2025)
SOCIETY
More than 90 Indian women married to Pakistani men apply for Pakistani citizenship
Over 90 Indian women in Punjab, who are married to Pakistani men, have applied for Pakistani citizenship. Several have also applied for an extension of their visas. Under Pakistani law, an Indian woman married to a Pakistani man can put in a citizenship request after residing in the country for at least five years. They can apply for citizenship by submitting Form “F”, along with the marriage certificate, copies of the husband’s national identity documents, and verifiable proof of residence in Pakistan. Women married to Pakistanis can submit their request for citizenship through the Interior Ministry Headquarters in Islamabad, provincial Home Departments or through regional passport offices in Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar and Quetta. Officials in Punjab’s Home Department confirmed that the visas of these Indian women were being extended while their citizenship requests were being processed. The women had initially entered Pakistan through the spousal reunification route after marrying Pakistani citizens. Their cases are currently at various stages of processing. (“Over 90 Indian women married to Pakistani men in Punjab apply for Pakistani citizenship,” The News International, 27 November 2025)
EDITORIALS/OPINIONS
On Unemployment: Review of a new Labour Force survey
Editorial, "Labour trends," Dawn, 27 November 2025
"The concerns are not only about the possibility of unemployment being understated. There are also other troubling trends for policymakers to take note of. The jump in unemployment from 6.3pc to a 21-year high of 7.1pc in four years shows significant labour market deterioration. The 31pc surge in the absolute number of unemployed people to 5.9m should set off alarm bells for policymakers. It suggests that the problem goes far beyond ratios as the economy is not creating enough jobs to absorb the 3.5m people entering the workforce every year as growth stagnates to an annual average of less than 2pc. The rise in unemployment cuts across all age groups and gender, but it has particularly hit young people in the 15-29 age group and women. Nearly a million degree holders cannot find work — a sure recipe for disillusionment and unrest."
https://www.dawn.com/news/1957652/labour-trends
Editorial, "Unemployment curse," The Express Tribune, 27 November 2025
The outcome of the report that K-P has the highest unemployed population followed by Punjab, the most populous province, deserves some astute introspection. With K-P being a theatre of terrorism and revulsion, this unemployment curse is a threat to national security as well. So is with Punjab where simmering unrest can fracture national cohesion. It is irksome, nonetheless, to note that of the 180 million working-age population, 118 million are "unpaid" employees engaged in minor jobs. If stringent IMF conditionalities are responsible for this, the government and policymakers are to be blamed equally."
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2579271/unemployment-curse
Innovation in Pakistan
Waqar Wadho, "Age of creative destruction," Dawn, 27 November 2025
"Our debates on growth often circle around the same themes: energy shortages, fiscal deficits, or exchange rate management. These are real issues, but they are symptoms, not causes. The deeper problem lies in how our economy generates — and fails to generate — new ideas, new products, and new ways of doing business. What constrains us is the absence of strong innovation capabilities, limited knowledge diffusion across firms, and weak institutional incentives for technological upgrading. Without addressing these structural constraints, macro-fixes will remain temporary, and the economy will continue to operate far below its productive and creative potential...Why do our firms innovate so little? And why not radical innovations? The answer lies in the missing foundations that the Nobel laureates have highlighted in their research over the decades. They include competition, openness and the accumulation of knowledge."
https://www.dawn.com/news/1957656/age-of-creative-destruction
On the IMF Report on Corruption in Pakistan
Atta-ur-Rahman, "Invest in R&D," The NEws, 27 November 2025
The IMF’s latest country report on Pakistan delivers one of the most unambiguous warnings the nation has received in years. It highlights that Pakistan’s governance architecture is deeply compromised by systemic corruption, opaque decision-making, and entrenched elite influence...Pakistan faces a second, equally crippling challenge: the near total absence of private sector research and development. High-quality R&D is essential for economic advancement. It transforms new knowledge into innovative products, services and processes that drive growth. While universities and research institutions generate basic knowledge, it is the private sector that possesses the motivation and capacity to commercialise innovation on a large scale. Yet in Pakistan, private sector R&D spending is among the lowest in the world."
https://www.thenews.pk/print/1382797-invest-in-r-d
Muhammad Raiyd Qazi, "Pakistan's elite capture," The Express Tribune, 27 November 2025
"The latest IMF's 2025 Governance and Corruption Diagnostic Assessment (GCDA) report offers a detailed examination of how institutional fragmentation, regulatory discretion and entrenched privilege continue to obstruct development. It states that unless Pakistan dismantles the structures of elite capture embedded across the state, no stabilisation effort will produce durable or inclusive growth. Behind this diagnosis lies a deeper political-economic contradiction. The GCDA adopts a neoliberal framework: discipline the state, rationalise institutions and liberalise markets. But Pakistan's history shows that neoliberalism rarely challenges elite domination. Instead, it often reinforces it by strengthening the very networks capable of absorbing, redirecting or diluting reform."
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2579274/pakistans-elite-capture
Pakistan-Afghanistan Tensions
Touqir Hussain, "Afghanistan dilemma," Dawn, 27 November 2025
"Islamabad needs to convince them that their survival depends on good relations with Pakistan. If military action becomes necessary to convey this message it should carefully reflect Pakistan’s capacity, not the intent, to destabilise the Taliban. A threatened Taliban will cling to the TTP. And a destabilised Afghanistan would be an unmanageable challenge. Basically, we are stuck with the Taliban, having to ‘protect’ them and ‘protect’ ourselves from them. Pakistan needs patience and negotiations mixed with varying degrees of pressure relating to border control, refugees, and trade. There is no military solution to Pak-Afghan problems unless we’re prepared for a blowback."
https://www.dawn.com/news/1957653/afghanistan-dilemma
Editorial, "Hardening rhetoric," Dawn, 27 November 2025
There can be little argument with the official demand that the Taliban stop TTP and other terrorists based in Afghanistan from attacking Pakistan; the state must remain vigilant to prevent violent actors from carrying out attacks in the country. But combative rhetoric and exchanges of fire between the two countries is hardly in anyone’s interest; if matters deteriorate further, it would result in a permanently hostile state on Pakistan’s western border at a time when the situation on the eastern frontier, too, is unsettled
https://www.dawn.com/news/1957651/hardening-rhetoric
Editorial, "A dangerous crossroads," The News, 27 November 2025
"The reality is that the Taliban consider the TTP allies and assets, a position that leaves Pakistan with diminishing diplomatic space and rising security costs. And let’s be clear here: this is not simply a bilateral grievance. Regional partners including Qatar, Turkiye and China have repeatedly tried to reason with the Taliban regime. Yet Kabul’s responses have consisted of evasion, denial and, crucially, a refusal to provide the written assurances sought by Pakistan. The stalemate has only deepened Islamabad’s frustration – hence the defence minister’s stark admission that Pakistan is now “writing them off”. Harsh words, but they reflect a harsh truth: the Taliban regime has chosen duplicity over cooperation, and ideological loyalty over regional stability."
https://www.thenews.pk/print/1383036-a-dangerous-crossroads