ISLAMABAD, Oct 8 (DNA): First Lady of Pakistan, Bibi Aseefa Bhutto Zardari, received the Ambassador of Ethiopia, Dr Jemal Beker Abdula, at the Aiwan-e-Sadr on his farewell call today.
Bibi Aseefa Bhutto Zardari appreciated the Ambassador’s contributions toward promoting friendship between Pakistan and Ethiopia. She recalled that Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was the first Prime Minister of Pakistan to visit Ethiopia, and said it is now time to further strengthen these historic ties built on mutual respect and solidarity since the time of King Nejashi.
The First Lady noted that Pakistan was among the top ten environmentally stressed countries and shared that large-scale reconstruction and plantation activities were underway in her constituency for flood-affected communities. She said Pakistan and Ethiopia could work together on climate-smart agriculture, renewable energy, and early warning systems under the Green Pakistan Initiative and Ethiopia’s successful reforestation model.
Congratulating Ethiopia on becoming a full member of BRICS, Bibi Aseefa Bhutto Zardari reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to expanding cooperation in trade, investment, agriculture, and climate action. She also appreciated the growing economic linkages between the two nations, including the conclusion of the Bilateral Trade Agreement, the Single Country Exhibition in Addis Ababa taking place later this year, and the resumption of direct flights between Karachi and Addis Ababa which is contributing to greater connectivity and people-to-people contacts.
The Ambassador appreciated the First Lady’s role in projecting a positive image of Pakistan and strengthening bilateral relations during his tenure as Ethiopia’s first Ambassador to Pakistan. He said his focus had been on building lasting connections between the two nations, describing Pakistan as a strong partner in the evolving global landscape.
Dr Jemal Beker Abdula highlighted Ethiopia’s progress as an emerging market and shared that the African region offers significant trade and investment opportunities for Pakistan. He also briefed the First Lady on Ethiopia’s massive reforestation drive, which saw the plantation of 48 billion seedlings in seven years. The Ambassador invited the First Lady to visit Ethiopia and explore avenues of collaboration with the First Lady of Ethiopia, who has worked extensively for women, children, and environmental causes.
The First Lady wished Dr Jemal Beker Abdula success in his future endeavours and expressed hope that the partnership between the two countries would continue to grow.
Senator Sherry Rehman was also present during the meeting.
![PESHAWAR, JAN 12 /DNA/ - Owing to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's precarious law and order circumstances, the provincial assembly has written a letter to the Peshawar corps commander seeking an in-camera briefing on ongoing operations and the security situation in the province. "The [special] Committee desires to receive a detailed briefing from Headquarters XI Corps, Peshawar, particularly in the context of the ongoing operations being conducted by the federal government and LEAs in the merged districts of KP," reads the letter issued by KP Assembly Deputy Secretary Tariq Noor, while referring to the Special Committee (on Security) constituted by the house. The committee features more than 40 members, including the leader of the house, the leader of the opposition and provincial ministers, along with parliamentary leaders of respective political parties. The letter, dated January 8, also points out that the committee has received detailed briefings from key stakeholders, including the chief secretary, the additional chief secretary, the IGP, and now seeks a briefing as part of the consultative process. Letter written by KP Assemblys deputy secretary to Headquarters XI Corps. — Reporter Letter written by KP Assembly's deputy secretary to Headquarters XI Corps. — Reporter The KP Assembly's request for a briefing from a senior army commander comes as the province, as stated by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director-General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry in a recent media briefing, accounted for nearly 71% of all the terrorist incidents in 2025. The overwhelming share of KP in facing terror incidents, as per the military's spokesperson, was due to a "politically conducive environment and the flourishing political-criminal-terror-nexus" in the province. Noting that the Pakistan-Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government in KP was resisting counterterrorism efforts at every forum — a claim denied by the PTI — Lt Gen Chaudhry highlighted that the law enforcement agencies (LEAs) carried out 75,175 intelligence-based operations (IBOs) across the country in 2025, of which 14,658 IBOs were conducted in KP. Out of the total 5,397 terrorism incidents reported nationwide in the previous year, as many as 3,811 incidents occurred in KP. The issue of terrorism and military operations has been a point of contention between the PTI's KP government and the Centre in recent times, where the former has time and again stressed a political solution and dialogue, whereas the latter has pressed on with taking action against the terrorists. This is also reflected by the KP Assembly's letter to the Headquarters XI Corps, Peshawar, which says that the Special Committee (on Security) "acknowledges the importance of security measures but considers that operation alone without broader political, social and developmental initiatives may not ensure suitable peace and stability and could risk further unrest in the province".](https://islamabadpost.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/security-forces-218x150.jpg "KP Assembly seeks Peshawar corps commander’s in-camera briefing on security situation")
: First Lady of Pakistan, Bibi Aseefa Bhutto Zardari, received the Ambassador of Ethiopia, Dr Jemal Beker Abdula, at){kind=link}