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High-level Saudi delegation to visit Pakistan from Oct. 9-11 amid Islamabad’s investment push 

High-level Saudi delegation to visit Pakistan from Oct. 9-11 amid Islamabad’s investment push 
National flags of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan hoisted in Islamabad, Pakistan, on February 16, 2021. (AN photo)
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Updated 07 October 2024
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High-level Saudi delegation to visit Pakistan from Oct. 9-11 amid Islamabad’s investment push 

High-level Saudi delegation to visit Pakistan from Oct. 9-11 amid Islamabad’s investment push 
  • Saudi delegation’s visit aims to enhance bilateral cooperation, “mutually rewarding economic partnership,” says foreign office
  • Condemns Israel’s “war crimes” in Middle East, urges world powers to impose an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza
Updated 07 October 2024
Hasaan Ali Khan
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KARACHI: Saudi Arabia’s Investment Minister Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al-Falih will visit Pakistan with a high-level delegation from Oct. 9-11, Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson said on Monday, stressing that the visit would aim to enhance bilateral cooperation and economic partnership between the two allies. 

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have been closely working in recent months to increase bilateral trade and investment deals, with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reaffirming the Kingdom’s commitment to expedite an investment package of $5 billion to the South Asian country earlier this year. 

Pakistan has increasingly engaged with regional partners, especially Saudi Arabia and its allies in the Middle East, for mutually rewarding economic ties and partnerships. Islamabad sees lucrative foreign trade and investment deals as its key to escape a prolonged economic crisis that has drained its resources, triggered high inflation and weakened its currency. 

“A high-level Saudi delegation led by Minister for Investment Engineer Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al-Falih will visit Pakistan from 9th to 11th of October 2024,” Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson, told reporters at a press briefing. She said Al-Falih’s delegation will comprise people from Saudi Arabia’s government agencies and private sector, which will meet Pakistan’s prime minister and president during the visit. 

“This visit is aimed at lending positive impetus to enhanced bilateral cooperation and mutually rewarding economic partnership,” she added. 

Separately, Baloch paid tribute to the 42,000 people killed by Israeli armed forces since its war on Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023. She said Pakistan remains “deeply concerned” about the people of Gaza and Palestine as they suffer starvation and genocide. 

“The past year has seen Israel’s indiscriminate and horrifying attacks on civilian targets, including hospitals, schools, and shelters,” she noted. 

The foreign office spokesperson called on the United Nations Security Council to act decisively and impose an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, calling for Israel to be held accountable for its “war crimes” in the Middle East. 

Baloch criticized Israel’s foreign minister’s statement banning UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres from entering Israel, saying Islamabad condemns measures that hinder the functioning of the UN and its agencies in occupied Palestine. 

“And in that respect, we urge the international community to take measures to protect that role of the United Nations,” she said. “We also welcome the decision by the UN Security Council condemning the latest measure regarding the UN Secretary-General by the Israeli occupation authorities.”

Topics: pak saudi ties

Pakistan calls for ‘sustained dialogue’ to address issues with Afghanistan amid militancy surge

Pakistan calls for ‘sustained dialogue’ to address issues with Afghanistan amid militancy surge
Updated 31 min 1 sec ago
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Pakistan calls for ‘sustained dialogue’ to address issues with Afghanistan amid militancy surge

Pakistan calls for ‘sustained dialogue’ to address issues with Afghanistan amid militancy surge
  • The statement comes after Pakistan’s envoy briefs foreign minister on his recent visit to Kabul, discussions with the Taliban authorities
  • Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have been fraught over a surge in militancy in Pakistan’s western provinces bordering Afghanistan
Updated 31 min 1 sec ago
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, has called for a “sustained dialogue” between Pakistan and Afghanistan to address a surge in militancy and other issues, the Pakistani foreign ministry said on Monday.
The call for the dialogue followed a recent three-day visit to Afghanistan by Pakistan’s special representative, Ambassador Muhammad Sadiq Khan, to discuss bilateral relations with authorities in Kabul.
Pakistan-Afghanistan relations have soured lately due to security, political and border issues, with Islamabad accusing the Taliban-led Afghan government of sheltering anti-Pakistan militants behind cross-border attacks. Kabul denies these claims.
Tensions escalated this month after a train hijacking by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) group in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, which killed over 60 passengers, security personnel and militants. Pakistan said BLA fighters remained in contact with their handlers in Afghanistan while holding the passengers hostage for a day.
“DPM [Dar] emphasized the importance of sustained dialogue with the interim Afghan government to address Pakistan’s concerns and promote bilateral relations,” the Pakistan foreign ministry said in a statement.
During the meeting, Ambassador Sadiq gave a detailed briefing to Dar regarding his recent visit to Kabul and highlighted his key engagements with Afghan authorities regarding bilateral cooperation.
Pakistan has been battling twin insurgencies — one mounted by religiously motivated groups like the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in the country’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province and the other by ethnic Baloch separatists in Balochistan. Both provinces border Afghanistan.
Islamabad says the takeover of Kabul by the Afghan Taliban in 2021 has emboldened the TTP and other militant groups who have safe havens in Afghanistan. Afghan officials deny the allegation and insist that Pakistan’s security issues are an internal matter of Islamabad.
In Nov. 2023, Pakistan also launched a nationwide deportation campaign targeting undocumented foreigners, mainly Afghans, following deadly suicide bombings blamed on Afghan nationals. The campaign has led to the repatriation of over 800,000 Afghans, many of whom had been in Pakistan since fleeing the Soviet invasion in 1979. Islamabad this month also instructed Afghanistan Citizen Card holders to leave by March 31 or face deportation.

Topics: Pakistan Ishaq Dar Afghanistan

Authorities ban public gatherings in Karachi ahead of protest by Baloch rights group

Authorities ban public gatherings in Karachi ahead of protest by Baloch rights group
Updated 24 March 2025
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Authorities ban public gatherings in Karachi ahead of protest by Baloch rights group

Authorities ban public gatherings in Karachi ahead of protest by Baloch rights group
  • The Baloch Yakjehti Committee announced a demonstration outside the Karachi Press Club against the detention of Dr. Mahrang Baloch
  • A number of BYC supporters tried to reach the venue for the protest at 4pm, but they were intercepted by police, local media says
Updated 24 March 2025
Hasaan Ali Khan

ISLAMABAD: Authorities have banned all public gatherings in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi, the commissioner’s office announced on Monday, ahead of a protest by the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) rights group.

The BYC announced a demonstration outside the Karachi Press Club (KPC) against the detention of its leader, Dr. Mahrang Baloch, and some other members who were arrested last week at a protest camp in Quetta, the capital of Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province.

Dr. Baloch, one of Pakistan’s most prominent human rights advocates, has long campaigned for the ethnic Baloch people, many of whom say they have been targeted by authorities with harassment, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings. Authorities deny these claims.

The Karachi commissioner’s office said senior police officials in Karachi had requested for the ban on public gatherings in the city in view of the “prevailing law and order situation” and to protect lives of general public.

“Syed Hassan Naqvi, Commissioner Karachi Division, hereby impose a complete ban on any type of protests, demonstrations, sit-ins, rallies and assembly of more than five persons with the Karachi Division,” Naqvi’s office said in a notification.

A number of BYC supporters tried to reach the KPC but they were intercepted by police, local media reported on Monday. The BYC protest was scheduled for 4pm in Karachi, while the group had also organized a protest in Quetta, where three protesters had died following a pre-dawn raid by police last week. Both sides blamed each other for the deaths.

Dr. Baloch and other protesters have been charged with terrorism, sedition and murder, according to the police charge sheet. On Sunday, Mary Lawlor, the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights defenders, said she was “very concerned” at Baloch’s arrest.

Pakistan has been battling a separatist insurgency in Balochistan for decades, where militants target state forces and foreign nationals in the mineral-rich southwestern province bordering Afghanistan and Iran.

Earlier this month, the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) separatist group launched a dramatic train siege that officials said ended in around 60 deaths, half of whom were separatists behind the assault.

Topics: Karachi Press Club Dr. Mahrang Baloch Baloch Yakjehti Committee Karachi

Beijing, Islamabad pledge to promote exchanges, learning of Chinese and Islamic civilizations

Beijing, Islamabad pledge to promote exchanges, learning of Chinese and Islamic civilizations
Updated 24 March 2025
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Beijing, Islamabad pledge to promote exchanges, learning of Chinese and Islamic civilizations

Beijing, Islamabad pledge to promote exchanges, learning of Chinese and Islamic civilizations
  • Chinese envoy launches Esthetic Bridges exhibition aimed at artistic collaboration between China and Pakistan
  • Pakistan was first Islamic country to recognize People’s Republic of China, with diplomatic relations established in 1951
Updated 24 March 2025
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan, Jiang Zaidong, on Sunday inaugurated the ‘Esthetic Bridges’ project and said Beijing would work with Islamabad to promote mutual exchanges between, and learning of, Chinese and Islamic civilizations, state media reported on Sunday. 

The Esthetic Bridges exhibition celebrates artistic collaboration between China and Pakistan and aims to foster deeper artistic and cultural dialogue. 

Chinese investment and financial support for longtime ally Pakistan since 2013 under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) of infrastructure and energy projects, among others, has been a boon for the South Asian nation’s struggling economy. The two countries have had close ties underpinned by long-standing wariness of their common neighbor, India, and a desire to hedge against US influence across the region.

“We are ready to work with Pakistan to implement this important initiative, appreciating the beauty of each other and sharing it together, to promote the exchange and mutual learning of Chinese and Islamic civilizations,” Pakistani state news agency APP quoted Jiang as saying as he addressed the inauguration ceremony for the Esthetic Bridges exhibition at the Silk Road Culture Center, a space dedicated to the promotion of art and culture in Pakistan and cultural exchanges with China. 

“President Xi Jinping attaches great importance and actively advocates for exchanges and mutual learning among different civilizations, proposing the Global Civilization Initiative to make the world’s garden of civilizations flourish with color and vitality, reflecting a profound sense of care and responsibility for the whole world,” Jiang added. 

Pakistan was the first Islamic country to recognize the People’s Republic of China, with the two establishing diplomatic relations in 1951. 

“This ironclad friendship has taken root, flourished, and will surely be passed down through generations and remain steady and enduring,” Jiang added.

Topics: Pakistan China Ties Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Jiang Zaidong

Pakistan PM orders third-party audit of Ramadan Relief Package

Pakistan PM orders third-party audit of Ramadan Relief Package
Updated 24 March 2025
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Pakistan PM orders third-party audit of Ramadan Relief Package

Pakistan PM orders third-party audit of Ramadan Relief Package
  • Previously, annual Ramadan package used to be administered by utility stories that sold essential food items at reduced rates
  • Under new system, government has deposited Rs5,000 in digital wallets for four million families to make withdrawals from
Updated 24 March 2025
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday ordered a third-party audit of a Rs20 billion ($71.4 million) Ramadan relief package announced earlier this month to support around four million families across the country during the holy month of fasting. 

Under the package, the government has said it would credit Rs5,000 ($17.87) into digital wallets of low-income families. 

In the past, the annual Ramadan relief package would be implemented through state-run utility stores, from where low-income households could buy essential commodities such as wheat, sugar, oil, and pulses, among other items, at reduced prices. However, each year, consumers complained of long queues at the stores, limited stock availability, substandard food items, and difficulties with the process of identification verification needed to receive the discounted package at utility stores. For these reasons, the government announced this year it would no longer utilize utility stores to administer its Ramadan program but would instead create digital wallets. 

Other than in Ramadan also, utility stores have been plagued by reports of corruption and mismanagement for years, with consumers complaining of substandard merchandise being sold and staff accused of vending subsidized products in the open market.

“Amounts under Ramadan Relief Package are being transferred to the beneficiaries through a highly convenient and transparent digital wallet system and this model should be adopted for other government’s run schemes,” state news agency APP said in a report after the PM chaired a review meeting of the aid program and called for its third-party audit.

The PM was informed that 63 percent beneficiaries of the relief package had received the payments so far, and complete documentary records were available about the distribution of the funds. 

“[PM] asked that the awareness campaign run by telecom companies and banks regarding the package should be made more effective and a comprehensive report be prepared in this regard,” APP reported. 

During Ramadan in Pakistan, there is a significant increase in the demand for essential food items at subsidized prices, which in the past overwhelmed the capacity of utility stores, causing long lines and potential shortages. 

Ensuring equitable distribution of the package across different regions and demographics was also be difficult in a country of 241 million people, sometimes leading to some areas receiving less benefits than others. To prevent abuse, the government implements strict verification processes like CNIC checks, which also leads to delays and inconvenience for customers. 

The allocated stock of subsidized items at utility stores is also often not sufficient to meet the high demand during Ramadan, leading to disappointment for customers who cannot purchase everything they need. 

“This [digital wallets] was a new concept to say goodbye to the utility stores forever due to the massive complaints of worst corruption of public money, which was also an injustice to the common man,” Sharif had said at a meeting last week. “The issue of poor quality and corruption have been done away with through a new modern digital wallet.”

Topics: Shehbaz Sharif Pakistan Ramadan 2025

Islamabad court restores twice weekly visits with jailed ex-PM Khan 

Islamabad court restores twice weekly visits with jailed ex-PM Khan 
Updated 24 March 2025
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Islamabad court restores twice weekly visits with jailed ex-PM Khan 

Islamabad court restores twice weekly visits with jailed ex-PM Khan 
  • Superintendent Adiala Jail where Khan is imprisoned had used discretionary powers to limit visits to Tuesdays only
  • Khan has been in jail since August 2023 and faces a slew of cases, from corruption to reason, that he says are politically motivated
Updated 24 March 2025
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday restored twice weekly visiting rights for incarcerated former Prime Minister Imran Khan, allowing his family, lawyers and political aides to meet him on Tuesdays and Thursdays, local media widely reported. 

A three-member larger bench was hearing 26 petitions related to visitation rights and jail conditions for Khan. Abdul Ghafoor Anjum, the superintendent at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi where Khan has been incarcerated since 2023, had used his discretionary powers to limit the former premier’s meetings to Tuesdays only. 

Khan’s cases have been tried inside prison on security grounds after he was jailed, and he has not been seen in public since. His messages to the public are conveyed by his lawyers and his social media accounts. 

During the hearing of the petitions on Monday, Khan’s counsel Zaheer Abbas said he was scheduled to meet his family and lawyers on Tuesday and his friends on Thursday.

“As per SOPs, our meeting on Thursday is not being held,” Salman Akram Raja, the secretary general of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, was quoted in Dawn as telling the court. 

Nav­eed Malik, representing the jail superintendent, said Khan had been holding meetings in jail twice a week until he was convicted and handed a 14 year sentence in a land corruption case in January.

“The status of the founder of PTI has changed after being convicted in jail,” the lawyer informed the court. 

“According to the jail rules, the superintendent of Adiala Jail has the authority [to schedule the meetings accordingly].”

Malik said PTI leaders had been misusing the privilege of the meetings and making political statements outside Adiala jail. 

“After the meeting, they come outside the jail and make political statements to the media, this is a violation,” he argued. 

The judge heading the bench then ruled that Khan’s family and aides could meet him twice a week but should leave after the meetings and not engage in political activity outside the jail premises. 

“We take an undertaking from them that they will not talk to the media after jail meeting,” he said, adding that only the coordinator of the incarcerated PTI founder, Raja, would name those allowed to meet him.

The jail superintendent’s lawyer said two meetings could be arranged weekly if Khan’s visitors provided assurances “that they will not come out and have political discussions.”

Khan has been in prison since August 2023 and faces a slew of cases, from corruption to treason, that he says are politically motivated. In January, the former premier, 72, was convicted on charges that he and his wife were given land by a real estate developer during his premiership from 2018 to 2022 in exchange for illegal favors. Khan and Bibi had pleaded not guilt.

The verdict was the biggest setback for Khan and his party since a surprisingly good showing in the 2024 general election when PTI’s candidates — who were forced to contest as independents — won the most seats, but fell short of the majority needed to form a government.

Topics: adiala jail Ex-PM Imran Khan

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