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Pakistani scientist among first recipients of Saudi citizenship

Pakistani scientist among first recipients of Saudi citizenship
In this file photo, released by Hospitals Magazine, Pakistani scientist Dr. Mehmoud Khan speaks at the Global Healthspan Summit in Riyadh on November 29, 2023. (Photo courtesy: Hospitals Magazine/File)
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Updated 07 July 2024
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Pakistani scientist among first recipients of Saudi citizenship

Pakistani scientist among first recipients of Saudi citizenship
  • Saudi Arabia has opened its citizenship to highly skilled professionals to attract and retain exceptional global talent
  • People belonging to specialized fields such as science, culture, sports and technology can apply for Saudi citizenship
Updated 07 July 2024
Arab News Pakistan
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ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani scientist who was brought up in England and went to a medical university is among the first recipients of Saudi citizenship, according to a list published by the financial news portal Argaam.
Saudi Arabia opened its citizenship to highly skilled professionals as part of its Vision 2030, aiming to attract and retain exceptional global talent to enhance the kingdom’s economic and social development.
A royal decree to this effect was issued in November 2021, allowing people belonging to specialized fields such as science, medicine, culture, sports and technology to apply for citizenship.
Dr. Mehmood Khan, who earned his medical degree from the University of Liverpool Medical School in England, was also mentioned in the list of all the high achievers who received Saudi citizenship.
Khan’s distinguished career includes a number of senior corporate roles, including Vice Chairman and Chief Scientific Officer of Global Research and Development at PepsiCo. and President of the Global R&D Center at Takeda Pharmaceuticals.
“I grew up in England. I haven’t had the chance to grow up in Pakistan,” he told OPEN Silicon Valley, an international organization of Pakistani entrepreneurs, in an interview wherein he said he was “proud to be Pakistani.”
Khan is now the CEO of Hevolution Foundation, a nonprofit organization in Riyadh that funds research through grants and provides investments in biotechnology to stimulate health sciences.
He has also managed academic programs like the Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Nutrition Trials Unit at the Mayo Clinic.
Other recipients of Saudi citizenship include:
Islam Zween, CEO of Argaam




Mohammed Zween is deemed a pioneer in the Arab world of a media model that emphasizes qualitative and educational content aimed at profitability. (File/Argaam)

Zween holds a Master’s degree from Alexandria University in Egypt, with over 25 years of experience in technology, media, and business management.
Over the past 18 years, Zween has dedicated his efforts to building pioneering digital projects in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Egypt, including “Argaam Financial Portal” and Akhbaar 24.com.
Since 2013, he has implemented a new strategy at Argaam, transforming it into the leading provider of financial media and data journalism in Saudi Arabia and the GCC. He also revamped the company’s business model, contributing to diversifying its revenue streams and achieving profitability.
Through Argaam, Zween has launched numerous initiatives and projects that enriched content related to financial data and investment awareness in the Kingdom. He has led many successful partnerships in the media and financial data fields with local and Gulf entities and made significant contributions to the development of financial media in the Kingdom and the Gulf. Under his leadership, Argaam won the Dubai Media Award for the best economic platform in 2023.
Jackie Y. Ying, Chair, Bioengineering & Nanomedicine Department, King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center
Ying is an American scientist of Singaporean origin, who served as the founding executive director of the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology in Singapore (2003-2018). She currently leads the NanoBio Lab and is a senior research fellow at the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR). She has published extensively on biomedical engineering and nanotechnology topics. Professor Ying was elected a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, a member of the German National Academy of Sciences, and named one of the “100 Engineers of the Modern Era.” Professor Ying was elected a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader and a member of the German National Academy of Sciences, Leopoldina.
Niveen Khashab, founding member of KAUST




Following the completion of her ​​​​​PhD at the University of Florida, Niveen Khashab joined KAUST and became a professor of chemical science. (Supplied)

Khashab is a Lebanese scientist with advanced expertise and contributions in bioengineering and nanomaterials. She is a founding member of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) and has been an associate professor of chemical science and engineering there since 2009. She is one of the laureates of the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Award in 2017 for her contributions to inventing innovative smart hybrid materials aimed at drug delivery and developing new technology to observe antioxidant activity between cells.
Noreddine Ghaffour, Water Desalination and Reuse Center, KAUST
Ghaffour is a French scientist who holds a PhD in membrane separation techniques from the University of Montpellier (1995) and is currently a professor of environmental science and engineering at KAUST. He specializes in water desalination techniques and has published articles and research on environmental science, renewable energy, and membrane separation.
Faraz Khalid, CEO of Noon




Khalid, who holds an MBA from The Wharton School, played an instrumental role in the success of Namshi, which was launched in 2012. (Supplied)

Khalid is an Indian entrepreneur with an MBA in entrepreneurial project management from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He is the CEO of the e-commerce platform Noon and co-founded Namshi, where he served as managing director and was responsible for creating, launching, and expanding the website.
Dr. Moutassem Azzubi, Chief Pediatric Neurosurgery at King Abdullah Specialized Children’s Hospital




Neurosurgeon Dr. Moutassem Azzubi has been recognised for his expertise and success in numerous conjoined twins separation surgeries. (X: @Moutasem7)

Azzubi is a Syrian neurosurgeon who has performed numerous conjoined twin separation surgeries in the Kingdom and abroad. He was recognized for his extension contributions to the Saudi Conjoined Twins Programme and the team of surgeons under Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeeah, adviser to the Royal Court, supervisor general of KSrelief.
Rami Al-Qawasmi, CEO of Mawdoo3.com




Rami Al-Qawasni holds a bachelor`s degree in Economics from Sussex University in the United Kingdom and started his business journey in Jordan. (Supplied)

Al-Qawasmi is known for his passion for artificial intelligence and startup development. He has created and developed over 10 companies before the age of 30. Under his leadership, Mawdoo3.com raised $23.5 million in a funding round.
Ahmed Mirghani, partner at BIM Ventures




Ahmed Mirghani has contributed to bringing many traditional investors into the world of venture capital. (Supplied)

Mirghani is a Sudanese entrepreneur with an MBA in entrepreneurship from Prince Mohammed bin Salman College of Business and Entrepreneurship. He is a co-founder and a leading figure at BIM Ventures and founded the “Angel Investor Mine” network, which has significantly contributed to bringing many traditional investors into the world of venture capital and the entrepreneurship ecosystem.

Topics: Saudi citizenship Dr. Mehmoud Khan Pakistan Saudi Ties

Pakistan flour millers’ strike over withholding tax enters second day, threatening shortages

Pakistan flour millers’ strike over withholding tax enters second day, threatening shortages
Updated 40 sec ago
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Pakistan flour millers’ strike over withholding tax enters second day, threatening shortages

Pakistan flour millers’ strike over withholding tax enters second day, threatening shortages
  • Budget for fiscal year 2024-25 imposed 5.5% withholding tax on sales of flour mills 
  • Around 1,600 flour mills employing some 4,000 workers are shut across Pakistan
Updated 40 sec ago
Aamir Saeed

ISLAMABAD: A strike by Pakistani flour millers due to a dispute with the government over the imposition of new taxes on sales entered its second day on Friday, threatening flour shortages in parts of the South Asian country.
Hundreds of mills across Pakistan went on strike on Thursday on a call by the Pakistan Flour Mills Association (PFMA), which represents over 900 mills, against a new 5.5 percent withholding tax imposed on the sales of flour mills in the federal budget for fiscal year 2024-25, which came into effect on July 1. 
The PFMA says the government has also directed flour mills to collect another 2.5 percent withholding tax on the sale of essential commodities to retailers (non-filers) and 2 percent from wholesalers (non-filers). The association says millers also now have to collect 0.5 percent withholding tax on the sale of flour from retailers (filers) and 0.10 percent tax from wholesalers (filers).
“We are observing a nationwide strike against the government for imposing taxes and making flour millers tax collection agents,” Javed Yusuf, a former PFMA chairperson, told Arab News. 
“Our strike will continue till the government accepts our demand of withdrawal of all taxes levied in the budget.”
Yusuf said around 1,600 flour mills, which directly employed some 4,000 workers, were shut across Pakistan:
“We cannot collect taxes on behalf of the FBR, it’s not our job,” he added.
The strike takes place as Pakistan navigates a tricky path to economic recovery amid double-digit inflation and a deepening macroeconomic crisis. The South Asian country has been scrambling to secure foreign investment from friendly nations and a bailout from the IMF in a bid to keep its fragile $350 billion economy afloat. 
The tax-laden budget with a tax revenue target of Rs13 trillion ($46.66 billion) for the current fiscal year, up about 40 percent from the previous one, has been rejected by almost all major trade bodies and opposition parties. Pakistan’s government has taken the unpopular measures amid negotiations with the IMF, which has made tax reforms and increasing revenue a major precondition for a fresh loan program.
There are 1,725 flour mills in Pakistan and the daily national flour consumption stands at around 45,000 tons, according to the PFMA.
The ongoing strike has already halted flour supply to grocery stores across Punjab, the country’s most populous province, and market stocks are expected to last only one week.

Topics: Pakistan Wheat Scandal

Pakistan says ‘deeply values’ cooperation with Afghanistan as ties sour over deportations, militancy 

Pakistan says ‘deeply values’ cooperation with Afghanistan as ties sour over deportations, militancy 
Updated 39 min 34 sec ago
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Pakistan says ‘deeply values’ cooperation with Afghanistan as ties sour over deportations, militancy 

Pakistan says ‘deeply values’ cooperation with Afghanistan as ties sour over deportations, militancy 
  • Pakistan says Kabul not doing enough to tackle militant groups using Afghan territory to target Pakistan, which it denies
  • Over 600,000 Afghans expelled since November last year when Islamabad launched deportation drive against illegal foreigners 
Updated 39 min 34 sec ago
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Federal Minister for States and Frontier Regions, Amir Muqam, on Friday discussed bilateral ties with Charge d’Affaires of Afghanistan, Sardar Ahmed Khan Shakib, and said Pakistan “deeply valued” its cooperation with the neighbor on addressing the issue of Afghan refugees. 
Relations between Islamabad and Kabul have soured in recent months amid a surge in militant attacks that Pakistan blames on Afghanistan, saying its Taliban rulers were not doing enough to tackle militant groups using its territory to target Pakistan, which they deny. 
The Pakistani Taliban have stepped up attacks against Pakistan security forces in recent months, with daily assaults on army and paramilitary posts and targeted killings of police and government officials.
“Pakistan deeply values its longstanding friendship and cooperation with Afghanistan particularly in addressing issues concerning Afghan refugees,” Radio Pakistan reported Muqam as telling Shakib who called on him in Islamabad. 
The statement said Shakib thanked Pakistan for extending the deadline of UNHCR-issued Proof of Registration (PoR) cards for almost 1.5 million Afghan refugees for one year.
Islamabad launched a deportation drive last year against illegal foreigners residing in the country after a spate of suicide bombings which the Pakistan government, without providing evidence, said were carried out by Afghan nationals. Islamabad has also blamed them for smuggling, militant violence and other crimes. 
A cash-strapped Pakistan navigating record inflation, alongside a tough International Monetary Fund bailout program last year, had also said undocumented migrants had drained its resources for decades.
Until the government initiated the expulsion drive last year, Pakistan was home to over four million Afghan migrants and refugees out of which around 1.7 million were undocumented, as per government figures. 
Afghans make up the largest portion of migrants, many of whom came after the Taliban took over Kabul in 2021, but a large number have been present since the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
Islamabad insists the deportation drive is not aimed specifically at Afghans but at all those living illegally in Pakistan. 
In October 2023, Pakistan announced phase one of the “Illegal Foreigners’ Repatriation Plan” with a 30-day deadline for “undocumented” aliens to leave the country or be subject to deportation, putting 1.4 million Afghan refugees at risk. Over 600,000 Afghans have been expelled under this phase.
In phase two, Afghans holding Pakistan-issued Afghan citizenship cards (ACCs) will be expelled while phase three is expected to target those with UNHCR-issued PoR cards.

Topics: Pakistan Afghanistan Afghan Refugees in pakistan

Major victory for ex-PM Khan as Pakistan top court rules party eligible for reserved seats

Major victory for ex-PM Khan as Pakistan top court rules party eligible for reserved seats
Updated 12 July 2024
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Major victory for ex-PM Khan as Pakistan top court rules party eligible for reserved seats

Major victory for ex-PM Khan as Pakistan top court rules party eligible for reserved seats
  • Khan’s PTI was denied its share of 70 reserved seats which were allotted to parties part of PM Sharif-led ruling coalition
  • Supreme Court says the PTI was and is a political party and eligible for reserved seats for women and minorities
Updated 12 July 2024
Aamir Saeed

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s top court on Friday delivered a landmark verdict saying the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan was eligible for reserved seats in parliament, mounting pressure on the fragile ruling coalition of premier Shehbaz Sharif.
PTI candidates contested the Feb. 8 general elections as independents after the party was barred from the polls and though these independents won the most seats, 93, the election commission ruled they were not entitled to their share of 70 seats reserved for women and minorities since these were meant for political parties only. The seats were then allotted to other parties, mostly from those in Sharif’s ruling coalition.
In Pakistan, parties are allocated 70 reserved seats — 60 for women, 10 for non-Muslims — in proportion to the number of seats won in general elections. This completes the National Assembly’s total 336 seats. A simple majority in Pakistan’s parliament is 169 out of 336 seats.
In March, both the ECP and Peshawar High Court in separate rulings said the independents were not eligible for the reserved seats, dealing a blow to the embattled PTI’s governing prospects and proving to be a major setback for Khan, who has been in jail since last August. The verdicts were subsequently overruled by the Supreme Court, which has since last month been hearing a set of petitions on the issue.
On Friday, the Supreme Court set aside the Peshawar High Court verdict and said the ECP order declaring the PTI ineligible for reserved seats was “ultra vires of the constitution, without lawful authority and of no legal effect.”
“PTI shall be eligible for women and ministries reserved seats in parliament,” Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa said as he read the verdict in one of the petitions filed by the PTI-backed bloc, calling on the ECP to recalculate the number of reserved seats Khan’s party was entitled to.
PTI’s Syed Shibli Faraz, currently serving as the leader of the opposition in the Senate, said this was a “historic” day in Pakistani politics.
“Heartiest congratulations firstly to the Pakistani public and their leader Imran Khan,” Faraz told reporters after the court ruling was announced.
The PTI is currently entitled to around 23 reserved seats, which does not affect the parliamentary majority of the Sharif-led coalition government.
The verdict also bolsters the political position of Khan’s supporters, whose rallying cry has been that the election commission and a pro-military caretaker government that oversaw the polls indulged in electoral fraud to deprive it of a victory. The ECP denies this.
“PTI WAS AND IS A PARTY”
All candidates from Khan’s PTI party were forced to contest the February polls as independents after the party was stripped of its election symbol of the cricket bat by the ECP on the technical grounds that it did not hold intra-party elections, a prerequisite for any party to take part in polls.
After the election, the PTI-backed candidates were forced to join Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) party to claim a share of 70 reserved seats as independents are not eligible for the extra seats.
“It is declared that lack of denial of an election symbol does not in any way affect the right of a political party to participate in an election,” said the court order in one of the PTI petitions, which was supported by eight judges and opposed by five of the 13-member full court bench. “The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, PTI, was and is a party.”
The order said elected members of the PTI could not be declared independents or candidates of the SIC and gave the PTI 15 days to submit its list of candidates entitled for reserved seats to the election commission.
Addressing a press conference, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said the government would wait for the detailed judgment to decide on its course of action, but pointed out that the petitions had been filed by the SIC but “relief” had been given by the court to the PTI, which did not file the pleas.
“A lot of confusion and questions has been born from this judgment,” he told reporters. “A situation has been created in which there is little clarity.”
In a statement sent to media, the PTI said 86 PTI-backed returned candidates in the National Assembly and 107 in the Punjab Assembly, 91 in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly and 9 in the Sindh Assembly “are entitled to be counted for the purpose of election to the reserved seats on the basis of proportional representation.” It is expected that the PTI could get up to 23 reserved seats after Friday’s judgment.
PM Sharif formed a weak coalition with other parties after the Feb. 8 general elections produced a hung parliament.
Sharif’s PML-N party’s 79 and the PPP’s 54 seats together made a simple majority in parliament to form a government at the center and also roped in smaller parties in the coalition.

Topics: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party Imran Khan Sunni Ittehad Council Pakistan elections 2024 Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP)

PM calls for restructuring Pakistan wheat board weeks after import crisis protests

PM calls for restructuring Pakistan wheat board weeks after import crisis protests
Updated 12 July 2024
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PM calls for restructuring Pakistan wheat board weeks after import crisis protests

PM calls for restructuring Pakistan wheat board weeks after import crisis protests
  • Wheat has nine percent share in Pakistan’s agriculture sector and contributes 2.2 percent of GDP 
  • Pakistan saw weeks of protests by farmers demanding government stop wheat imports that had flooded market
Updated 12 July 2024
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called for the restructuring of the country’s wheat board and steps to enhance production of wheat and other crops, his office said on Friday, weeks after farmer protests over wheat imports. 
Pakistan saw weeks of protests this year by farmers in Punjab, the country’s largest province and “bread basket,” who demanded the government stop wheat imports that had flooded the market at a time when they expected bumper crops.
Pakistan’s wheat production during 2023-24 stood at 31.4 million tons as compared to 28.2 million tons last year, posting a growth of 11.6 percent. According to official data, the country had over 36 million tons of wheat stock by June, including carry-forward stock.
Wheat has a 9 percent share in Pakistan’s agriculture and contributes 2.2 percent of the GDP and is harvested in Pakistan from April to June, with peak vegetation development occurring between late March and early February.
Sharif, while presiding over a meeting of officials of the national food security ministry and other bodies, issued directives to include representatives of the Land Information and Management System and the Space & Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) in the wheat board.
“Farmer representatives should be included in the wheat board,” Sharif was quoted as saying in a statement issued by his office.
The prime minister urged authorities to devise an alternate strategy to purchase wheat and consult Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Kashmir and provincial governments in this regard.
During earlier protests, farmers had said the import of wheat in the second half of 2023 and the first three months of this year had resulted in excess amounts of the commodity in the country, leading to reduced prices. 
Official data shows Pakistan spent over $1 billion to import 3.5 million tons of wheat from July 2023 till May 2024.
Agriculture is one of the most significant income sectors in Pakistan, making up nearly 23 percent of the GDP of the country.

Topics: Prime Minsiter Shehbaz Sharif Pakistan Wheat Scandal

‘We can’t wait another year’: disaster-hit nations call for climate aid

‘We can’t wait another year’: disaster-hit nations call for climate aid
Updated 12 July 2024
AFP
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‘We can’t wait another year’: disaster-hit nations call for climate aid

‘We can’t wait another year’: disaster-hit nations call for climate aid
  • This year has witnessed a string of catastrophes on multiple continents, from floods and landslides to heatwaves and wildfires
  • Unprecedented flooding in Pakistan in 2022 killed over 1,7000, caused more than $30 billion in damages and economic losses
Updated 12 July 2024
AFP

PARIS: Countries on the frontlines of climate change have warned they cannot wait another year for long-sought aid to recover from disasters as floods and hurricanes wreak havoc across the globe.

The appeal came during a meeting of the “loss and damage” fund that will conclude Friday amid concerns it is unlikely to be able to approve climate aid until 2025.

“We cannot wait until the end of 2025 for the first funds to get out the door,” Adao Soares Barbosa, a board member from East Timor and a long-standing negotiator for the world’s poorest nations, told AFP.

“Loss and damage isn’t waiting for us.”

Nearly 200 nations agreed at the UN COP28 summit last November to launch a fund responsible for distributing aid to developing countries to rebuild in the wake of climate disasters.

That historic moment has given way to complex negotiations to finalize the fund’s design, which some countries worry will not move at a pace or scale that matches the tempo of extreme-weather disasters afflicting their people.

“The urgency of needs of vulnerable countries and communities cannot be left until we have every hair in place for this fund,” said Barbosa.

Damage bills for climate disasters can run into the billions and there is barely enough cash set aside for loss and damage at present to cover just one such event, experts say.

This year has witnessed a string of catastrophes on multiple continents, from floods and landslides to heatwaves and wildfires.

Delegates met in South Korea for the second meeting of the loss and damage fund this week as Hurricane Beryl left a trail of destruction across the Caribbean and North America.

The “massive” destruction witnessed in recent weeks “puts immense pressure on us to deliver on our work,” Richard Sherman, the South African co-chair of the board steering the negotiations, told the meeting.

The fund said it wanted money approved “as soon as possible, but realistically by mid-2025,” according to an official document seen by AFP.

In an appeal for faster action, Elizabeth Thompson, a board member from Barbados, said Hurricane Beryl alone had caused “apocalyptic” damage worth “multiple billion dollars.”

“In five islands of the Grenadines... 90 percent of the housing is gone... Houses look like packs of cards and strips of wood, roofs are gone, trees are gone, there is no food, there is no water, there is no power,” she said.

“We cannot keep talking while people live and die in a crisis that they do not cause.”

Thompson said the fund needed to reflect “the urgency and the scale required to respond to... the risk, the damage and the devastation faced by people across the world who need this fund.”

Wealthy nations have so far pledged around $661 million to the loss and damage fund. South Korea contributed an additional $7 million at the start of this week’s meeting.

“That would hardly cover the likely losses from one major climate-related disaster,” Camilla More, of the International Institute for Environment and Development, told AFP.

Some estimates suggest developing countries need over $400 billion annually to rebuild after climate-related disasters. One study put the global bill at between $290 billion and $580 billion a year by 2030, and rising after that.

In one example in 2022, unprecedented flooding in Pakistan caused more than $30 billion in damages and economic losses, according to a UN-backed assessment.

Developing nations had been pushing for a specific fund to distribute aid to recover from climate impacts for 30 years, and the agreement struck in November was hailed a major diplomatic breakthrough.

“(But) ee can’t have a fund without money,” said Brandon Wu from ActionAid.

Technical discussions are taking place this year over the details of the loss and damage fund, including with the World Bank which will house the fund on an interim basis.

The Philippines was chosen this week to host the fund’s board.

Contentious discussions remain to decide how the money is allocated and in what form it should be made available to countries.

On Tuesday, more than 350 nongovernmental organizations sent a letter to the fund’s board demanding that a substantial share of the money be made directly available as small grants to local communities and indigenous groups.

Topics: Pakistan Floods loss and damage

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