Pakistan calls for data-driven disaster management as extreme weather risks grow

KARACHI: Pakistan said on Tuesday it would launch a crackdown on the smuggling of seeds from archrival India while emphasizing better regulation of the domestic seed market and promotion of local agricultural innovation.
The move comes amid renewed tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors after last month’s deadly attack on Indian tourists in Pahalgam, which New Delhi blamed on Pakistan, though Islamabad denied the charge.
Both countries have since taken tit-for-tat measures against each other, downgrading bilateral trade and diplomatic ties. India has also suspended the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), a decades-old pact governing cross-border river flows, raising food security concerns for lower riparian Pakistan in the longer run.
Pakistan’s Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research, Rana Tanveer Hussain, chaired a high-level meeting focusing on the issue, pointing out that Indian seeds were being smuggled into Pakistan and openly advertised on social media platforms.
“The Ministry is working closely with law enforcement agencies to take strict action against those involved in this illegal activity,” he said.
He also warned that the country, once ahead of India in agricultural innovation, was now falling behind.
“It is unfortunate that we now cite India’s example in seed quality and yield performance,” he added.
Hussain also raised the issue of the widespread sale of non-certified and substandard seeds in local markets, saying the authorities had banned 392 companies found guilty of distributing fake seeds.
The participants of the meeting said more than 50,000 metric tons of cotton seeds were available for the upcoming season, nearly meeting the total requirement of 53,796 metric tons and easing concerns about shortages.
According to a statement circulated after the meeting, the minister addressed the problem of price volatility in the seed market, saying the National Seed Development Authority had been established to monitor seed quality, prevent the sale of fake seeds and enforce stringent regulations.
He also reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to protecting farmers’ rights, ensuring food security, and transforming the agriculture sector through transparency, regulation and innovation.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar agreed to strengthen bilateral relationship with Bangladesh and maintain high-level contacts with its leadership, state-run media reported on Tuesday, as Islamabad looks to forge closer ties with the Muhammad Yunus-led government. 

Pakistan and Bangladesh, once one nation, split after a brutal 1971 war with Dhaka drawing closer to Islamabad’s arch-rival New Delhi. However, long-time Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted after her government was overthrown in August 2024. She fled via helicopter to India as Dhaka attempts to extradite her. 

Relations between India and Bangladesh’s interim government have been frosty since then, allowing Islamabad and Dhaka to rebuild ties slowly. Dar spoke to Touhid Hossain, Bangladesh’s foreign affairs adviser, over the telephone on Monday, Pakistani state broadcaster said. 

“Pakistan and Bangladesh have reaffirmed their mutual commitment to further strengthen bilateral relations and maintain regular high-level engagements,” Radio Pakistan reported. 

Direct private trade between the countries restarted in November 2024, when a container ship sailed from Pakistan’s Karachi to Bangladesh’s Chittagong. It was the first cargo ship in decades to sail directly between the countries.

Dar discussed Pakistan’s increased regional tensions with India during his conversation with Hossain, in light of New Delhi’s “unfounded” allegations it was involved in an attack last month in Indian-administered Kashmir. 

Gunmen killed 26 tourists in Pahalgam tourist resort on April 22, straining ties between the two nations as India blamed Pakistan for backing the attack. Islamabad denied involvement and has asked New Delhi to share proof to substantiate its claims, something it hasn’t done yet. 

“The Bangladeshi Foreign Affairs Adviser expressed concern over the current situation and emphasized the need for de-escalation and exercising restraint by all parties,” Radio Pakistan said. 

India and Pakistan — carved out of the subcontinent at the chaotic end of British colonial rule in 1947— have fought multiple wars and remain bitter foes. The two countries claim the disputed Himalayan territory of Kashmir in full but govern only parts of it separated by a Line of Control (LoC) de facto border.