Pakistan Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir formally met Chinese President Xi Jinping, as part of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s delegation, on Tuesday.
Pakistan Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir. (Reuters file)
The meeting comes a day after a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), at which India’s PM Narendra Modi was among the attendees, concluded with a joint declaration condemning the Pahalgam attack in particular, and terrorism in general.
Pakistan was not expressly mentioned but PM Modi spoke of “some nations” using terror as policy. And the declaration was a big step forward from India’s perspective for Pahalgam to be mentioned directly, as the Modi government has blamed Pakistan for the attack in April. Indian forces carried out retaliatory strikes on terror bases as part of Operation Sindoor in May.
Munir, who is considered the most powerful man in Pakistan, was promoted from General to Field Marshal soon after the operation as he claimed a successfully pushback.
He was part of the Pakistan team that participated in the SCO summit in Tianjin and will attend a grand parade of the Chinese army to on Wednesday to mark the 80th anniversary of the Chinese win against the Japanese in World War 2.
This is his second visit to China as army boss. In his first visit to China in July after taking over as Field Marshal, Munir met Vice President Han Zheng but not President Xi, unlike his predecessor General Qamar Javed Bajwa.
Before that, Munir was hosted for lunch by US President Donald Trump, a rare gesture by an American leader which raised eyebrows in India as well as in China, considering Pak-China all-weather ties.
While Xi met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a host of other leaders, who attended the SCO summit in Tianjin, Sharif was allocated the slot on Tuesday to meet the Chinese President in Beijing. Munir was expected to join Sharif to watch the parade in which the Chinese military plans to display its most modern weapons.
The weapons systems were of big interest to the Pakistan military as over 80 per cent of its weapons acquisitions are from China — a fact flagged by India after Op Sindoor.
But there has been a realigment of relations by India with China, which were frosty for the past five years after the Galwan border clash, after Trump levied massive trade tariffs on India.
Munir-Sharif and Xi held wide-ranging talks on bilateral & regional cooperation, said Pakistan’s deputy PM and foreign minister Ishaq Dar, who was also part of the team. Xi said the two sides should accelerate building an even closer China-Pakistan community and set up a model for the broader neighbourhood, according to Dar.
China’s state-run Xinhua news agency quoted President Xi Jinping as saying that China stands ready to work with Pakistan to build upgraded versions of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and the China-Pakistan Free Trade Agreement. China hopes Pakistan will take effective measures to ensure the safety of Chinese personnel, projects and institutions in Pakistan, Xi further said, as per a PTI report.
On his part, Sharif hailed the Global Governance Initiative (GGI), proposed by Xi at the SCO summit to improve global governance, saying it is of great significance for world peace, development and stability, and Pakistan will give it full support and work actively to implement it, added the report.
Pakistan, Tajikistan pledge stronger bilateral cooperation – Daily Times
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ISLAMABAD, Sep 02 (APP):Speakers at an international workshop jointly organized by COMSTECH and the Institute of Botany, Azerbaijan, stressed the need to integrate traditional knowledge with modern science to unlock new opportunities in drug discovery, nutraceuticals, and cosmetic industries.
The COMSTECH–Azerbaijan International Workshop on Nature-Based Medicinal and Cosmetic Products, held at the COMSTECH Secretariat in Islamabad, brought together leading scientists, researchers, and young scholars from both countries to promote collaborative research and capacity building in natural product sciences.
Prof. Dr. Muhammad Iqbal Choudhary, Coordinator General COMSTECH, said natural medicine was emerging as a powerful tool for innovation, adding that the initiative would strengthen Pakistan–Azerbaijan collaboration and deepen historic ties within the OIC framework.
Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to Pakistan, Mr. Khazar Nadir Farhadov, highlighted his country’s centuries-old traditions of natural medicine and reaffirmed Azerbaijan’s strong interest in expanding cooperation with Pakistan and COMSTECH.
He noted that bilateral relations between the two countries were highly developed both bilaterally and through the OIC.
Prof. Dr. Sayyara Ibadullayeva, Director General of the Institute of Botany, Azerbaijan, also addressed the inaugural session and delivered presentations on the challenges of studying useful plants in Azerbaijan’s flora.
The workshop featured technical sessions where experts from Pakistan and Azerbaijan presented research on diverse themes including phytochemistry, drug delivery systems, therapeutic potential of natural products, fungi studies, and evidence-based approaches to traditional medicine.
The event concluded with an interactive Question and Answer session and distribution of certificates.
The participants lauded COMSTECH and the Institute of Botany, Azerbaijan, for fostering scientific cooperation and reaffirmed the resolve of both countries to advance bioeconomy, natural product sciences, and OIC-wide collaboration.
BEIJING: Pakistan’s army chief field marshal Asim Munir had his first meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, along with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, on Tuesday during which the two sides held wide-ranging talks on bilateral and regional cooperation.Munir is part of Sharif’s delegation, which participated in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin and will attend a grand parade of the Chinese army to be held here on Wednesday to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.During his first visit to China in July after taking over as field marshal, Munir met vice president Han Zheng but not President Xi, unlike his predecessor general Qamar Javed Bajwa.His visit followed after he was hosted for lunch by US President Donald Trump, a rare gesture by an American leader which raised eyebrows in China, considering Pak-China all-weather ties. While Xi met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a host of other leaders, who attended the SCO summit in Tianjin, Sharif was allocated the slot on Tuesday to meet the Chinese President in Beijing.Munir was expected to join Sharif to watch the parade in which the Chinese military plans to display its most modern weapons of all varieties, including aerial, ground, electronic and missile systems.The weapons systems were of big interest to the Pakistan military as over 80 per cent of its weapons acquisitions are from China. During the meeting, the two sides held wide-ranging talks on bilateral & regional cooperation, said deputy prime minister and foreign minister Ishaq Dar, who was also part of the team.Xi said that as global changes unseen in a century are unfolding at a quicker pace, a strong China-Pakistan relationship is conducive to safeguarding regional peace and development.The two sides should accelerate building an even closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era, to bring more benefits to the two peoples and set up a model for the broader neighbourhood, he said.China stands ready to work with Pakistan to build upgraded versions of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and the China-Pakistan Free Trade Agreement, and hopes Pakistan will take effective measures to ensure the safety of Chinese personnel, projects and institutions in Pakistan, Xi was quoted as saying by the state-run Xinhua news agency.On his part, Sharif hailed the Global Governance Initiative (GGI), proposed by Xi at the SCO summit to improve global governance, saying it is of great significance for world peace, development and stability, and Pakistan will give it full support and work actively to implement it.Pakistan firmly sticks to the one-China principle, and looks forward to further strengthening friendship between the two countries and advancing cooperation in all fields, said Sharif, promising to spare no effort in ensuring the safety of all Chinese personnel, projects and institutions in Pakistan.
This year, Sindh’s two main barrages — Guddu and Sukkur — have already experienced medium and high floods in July and August. Now, authorities are bracing for another peak flood.
Subhan Ali, a young fisherman, couldn’t catch a single fish from the Indus river on Monday. For hours, he waited at the riverbank that touches the Hussainabad neighbourhood in Latifabad — a town situated in the suburbs of Hyderabad — but his makeshift fishing rod came out empty after every attempt.
“We call it chambi,” he explained to Dawn.com, referring to the makeshift fishing rod — a wooden frame glued together from multiple pieces of wood and a net tied at one end — as we caught up with him at the downstream Hyderabad-Kotri railway bridge on the left bank of the Indus. Ali had tied a piece of foam around his waist with a rope. “This [foam] helps me float in the river as long as I am in there,” he remarked.
A group of young fishermen holding one end of the net while their colleagues venture into the Indus river.
Most days, he swims in the river on both sides as well as in the rivercourse, wherefrom the main current of the Indus flows. While entering the river, Ali holds the chambi tight. “As soon as a fish hits it [the net], my hand feels its impact,” he said. “These days we hope to catch the palla fish, a unique species,” he added.
On better days, his catch comprises around five to six small fish, each of which sells for Rs200. Of late, Ali and many other fishermen like him spend long hours inside the river, which has swelled courtesy the improved flows downstream of Kotri.
Palla fish after having been caught by fishermen.
A lifeline
For people of Sindh, the Indus river holds a special place in their hearts. It is celebrated. It is their lifeline. And this is exactly why, until April this year, a massive anti-canal movement, led by lawyers and political forces, converged in the province. It ended only with the announcement by the prime minister-led Council of Common Interests (CCI) that no new canals would be built over the river until a mutual understanding could be reached among the provinces.
“Floods in Sindh are taken as a positive sign because the province is located at the tail end of the Indus Basin Irrigation System (IBIS)”, explained Sindh Chamber of Agriculture (SCA) vice president Nabi Bux Sathio, a progressive farmer.
“I think the Indus river flows aplenty these days. This is certainly going to benefit the entire area wherefrom the water flows will travel between the three barrages,” he said.
Two elderly staff members of civic agency sit near at the water facility set up near bank of Indus river for lifting of drinking water for Latifabad.
According to Sathio, groundwater in Sindh is generally brackish compared to upper riparian Punjab. “So, these flows will recharge the groundwater to some extent. Likewise, lands in four districts — Tando Mohammad Khan, Sujawal, Thatta and Badin — have lost soil fertility wherever they were located close to the drainage system,” he continued, adding that the flows within the two dykes of the Indus river will help reclaim fertility in all those areas that are located within its reach.
The riverine area of the Indus is inundated whenever such flows start passing the barrages, and they are beneficial for it. At the same time, forests benefit too. According to the forest department’s website, out of Sindh’s total land mass of 14.099 million hectares or 34.84m acres, an area of 1.384mha or 3.426m acres is under the forest department’s control, making up 9.83pc of the total land of the province. Of this area, riverine forests and irrigated plantations cover only 2.29pc, clearly indicating that Sindh is deficient in forestry resources.
A herd of buffaloes bathing in river water in unit-10 Latifabad.
These riverine areas also contribute substantially to crop production, with increased flows naturally benefiting the area’s soil. “If water flows increase and are termed high flood, the riverine area, which is considered part of the river, gets inundated.
“It’s absolutely normal, in fact, a lifeline for the river. This helps maintain the ecosystem, biodiversity, forests and aquifer,” explained Mahmood Nawaz Shah, president of the Sindh Abagdar Board (SAB), a community of agriculturalists.
“Therefore, it’s normal that some crops get impacted, which are essentially in the riverine area. The quantum of water is huge, but not abnormal for the river at this time,” he added.
Under threat
On the flip side, the riverine floods trigger relocation and displacement of katcha dwellers. Katcha, a term frequently used in the revenue department’s records, refers to areas located inside the Indus river’s dykes on both sides. Millions of people have lived in these areas for centuries, right from the Guddu to the Kotri barrages.
A woman of the nomad family kneading wheat flour.
Recently, the Sindh chief minister announced an evacuation strategy for the population living in the katcha area, considering the variations in river flows passing the three barrages. “It is in our mind to protect lives and livestock under any circumstances,“ CM Murad Ali Shah told a press conference earlier. “Whether the waters are 800,000 [cusecs] and 900,000 or God forbid more than that, our entire katcha area will drown, so we will need to evacuate people from there,” he said.
Shama Bagri, a member of a nomadic community, resides with her family in Palari village, located in the Hussainabad area. A small hut covered with a patchwork of discoloured rags serves as her shelter on the left bank of the Indus river. “We settled here from Tando Mohammad Khan to eke out a living by selling fruits or doing daily wage labour,” said Bagri, whose hut sits atop a small mound a few feet away from the river.
A temporary settlement of nomads in unit-4 Latifabad inside riverine area.
Around 35 Bagri families have settled in this reach of the riverine area. Premo Bagri is another one of them. For now, he is convinced that the river will not cause any harm to him or other families in his community. “When the water flow peaked last year, the river reached a certain height,“ he said, pointing at stones dumped near a water pumping facility, run by a municipal body that lifts supplies of potable water to the city.
For him, the facility serves as a benchmark for when the water level crosses a certain threshold and necessitates temporary shifting to higher ground. “When the water level starts rising, we notice it. I look at the Indus from here and make my own assessment … I am not worried as of today,” he added.
A guessing game
For the past few days, the arrival of floodwaters — downstream Punjab through eastern rivers — has become a guessing game for authorities. Irrigation authorities are making assessments after examining discharges in the eastern rivers of the country. The Chenab river reached a peak of around 1.75m cusecs last week, prompting the Sindh government to prepare for a ‘very high’ or ‘super flood’.
Kotri is the last barrage on the mighty Indus in Sindh. After the river passes the barrage, it enters the Arabian Sea in the coastal district of Thatta through various creeks. Since July, the Indus river has remained in a flood-like state.
Several wooden boats with fishermen on boat busy in fishing in Indus river downstream Kotri barrage.
This year, Sindh’s two main barrages — Guddu and Sukkur — have already experienced medium and high floods in July and August. Now, authorities are bracing for another flood, with the Sindh chief minister highlighting in his presser on Sunday that while Guddu has already recorded a peak of 550,000 cusecs on Aug 24 in the Indus, the government is preparing for the worst-case scenario.
“Weather patterns can go anywhere. Nobody knows how hill torrents will behave, as was seen in Koh-e-Suleman range when floodwaters were entering Sindh back in 2010,” he told the media in Sukkur. According to him, the Sindh government is preparing itself for a super flood having a quantum of 900,000 cusecs or above under a comprehensive strategy.
Fisherman Subhan Ali trying his luck to catch palla near Kotri-Hyderabad railway bridge in Indus river in Hussainabad with his small net.
Meanwhile, per the irrigation department’s figures, the Guddu barrage in Sindh has a designed discharge capacity of 1.2m cusecs, followed by the Sukkur barrage’s 900,000 cusecs and Kotri’s 875,000 cusecs. The Sukkur barrage, at the time of construction, had a designed discharge capacity of 1.5m cusecs, but due to silt accumulation upstream, 10 of its gates had to be closed, thus reducing its capacity to 900,000 cusecs.
The last time the Guddu and Sukkur barrages passed a super flood was 15 years ago. On August 8, 2010, Guddu had passed a flow of 1,148,200 cusecs downstream after receiving a flow of 1,148,738 cusecs upstream; Sukkur passed 1,108,795 cusecs downstream after having 1,130,995 cusecs upstream the same day. Meanwhile, Kotri barrage passed 939,442 cusecs downstream on Aug 27, 2010, following 964,897 cusecs upstream.
This was not, however, without spelling disaster. The Aug 7, 2010, infamous breach at Tori dyke on the right bank of the Indus upstream Guddu barrage had wreaked havoc for districts on the right bank of the river. Twenty days on, another breach at Kot Almo downstream Kotri barrage had caused further destruction.
A customer engaging with fisherman for buying palla from fisherman in Sehrish Nagar area downstream Kotri barrage.
Provincial authorities are currently observing flow patterns at the Trimmu barrage and the upstream Panjnad barrage, both located in Punjab. According to Pakistan’s river system mapping, Panjnad barrage is the location where the water from all rivers — Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi and Sutlej — gather and then head for Sindh via the Guddu barrage. At this stage, the flows of the Chenab River are likely to precede the flows of Ravi and Sutlej insofar as arrival at Guddu is concerned.
According to the Flood Forecasting Division’s river flows chart, Trimmu, which was showing a rising trend until last night, is now falling constantly. It has a designed discharge capacity of 875,000 cusecs. It is currently receiving floodwaters generated in Chenab, invariably 10,77,951 cusecs that passed through Khanki and Qadirabad last week. The travel distance for water between Trimmu and Panjnad — the final destination in Punjab before the eastern river flows would enter in the Indus — is around 48 hours. It would then take another 24 hours to reach Mithan Kot, from where they hit the Guddu barrage.
Fishermen on board their wooden boats busy in fishing in Indus river downstream Kotri barrage.
At 4pm on Monday, the discharge downstream Trimmu was recorded at 550,965 cusecs, according to the FFC river flow situation’s chart. But by noon today, the downstream discharge fell to 445,712 cusecs after reaching 516,313 cusecs at 8am. With this flow, Trimmu is perhaps recording a falling trend only to lessen pressure on Guddu ultimately for the authorities.
On the other hand, the Panjnad downstream outflow was recorded at 101,664 cusecs on Tuesday noon, while the Guddu barrage started showing a rising trend at the same time with an inflow of 360,777 cusecs upstream and 345,373 cusecs downstream. A flow that passes downstream at any barrage is considered a flood, considering different categories defined based on river flows.
The storage at Tarbela dam, which remains the principal source of water for Sindh, is being maintained at 1,500 — its optimum level, according to the FFC. Not only this, but the Chashma barrage over the Indus is also holding water to some extent, and its level has risen over the last few days from 647ft to 648ft to help Sindh manage floodwaters from the eastern rivers.
While the flood waters may have reignited hope for farmers and other fishermen in the regions, katcha dwellers wait with bated breath, bracing themselves for yet another year of destruction and displacement.
Header image: Several boats line the bank of the Indus River at a time when water had not inundated that part of the riverbed downstream Kotri barrage. — All photos by Umair Rajput
Flash floods in Pakistan have destroyed thousands of acres of crops in Punjab, the country’s largest producer.
About 60% of the province’s rice crops and 30% of its sugarcane have been lost, while cotton production is expected to decline by 35% compared to its production target for the year, according to preliminary assessments by the Pakistan Business Forum.
Amid reports that Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was sidelined at the SCO Summit, Pakistani army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir flew to Tianjin in an unprecedented development. He is also expected to attend the Victory Day parade later this week.
Amid
reports of Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif being sidelined at the SCO Summit, army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir flew to Tianjin on Monday.
This was the first time that an army chief flew in to join the SCO Summit, which is a gathering of civilian heads of governments. However, Munir’s attendance yet again showed to the world who holds true power in Pakistan — just like his
meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House.
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As per reports, Munir’s agenda involves meetings with visiting heads of states and senior Chinese officials.
The SCO Summit in Tianjin has been the largest so far and has been overshadowed by visuals of Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Russian leader Vladimir Putin, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi engaging warmly one-on-one as well as in a group of three. Observers in the West have seen such visuals as a sign of India’s snub to the United States in the wake of Trump’s tariff war on the country — Trump has slapped 50 per cent tariffs on India for buying Russian oil.
What is Munir’s agenda in China?
Munir arrived in China separately on Monday in line with the protocol that mandates that the prime minister and the army chief do not travel together, according to The Print.
Munir held closed-door discussions with senior Chinese officials and prepared for a possible meeting with Putin, the report said.
If any meeting between Munir and Putin took place, it has not been formally acknowledged so far.
The report further said that Munir is likely to attend China’s military parade on Wednesday. He will join the likes of Putin and North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-Un at the parade.
Separately, CNN-News 18 reported that Munir joined Shehbaz in the meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the SCO Summit.
“Munir will be part of Sharif’s bilateral meetings with Chinese officials…Major security meetings are happening in China. Munir is likely to hold meetings with other key states members in China,” sources told CNN-News 18.
