You are here

  • Home
  • Pakistani companies to participate in road shows in China starting next week

Pakistani companies to participate in road shows in China starting next week

Pakistani companies to participate in road shows in China starting next week
The general view showing buildings of the central business district in Beijing on July 17, 2023. (AFP/File)
Short Url

https://arab.news/zbu7n

Updated 1 min 12 sec ago
Follow

Pakistani companies to participate in road shows in China starting next week

Pakistani companies to participate in road shows in China starting next week
  • Road shows to be held on Oct. 29 and Nov. 5 in Qingdao and Guangzhou cities, respectively
  • Seventeen Pakistani fisheries and 10 leather companies to participate in the road shows 
Updated 1 min 12 sec ago
Aamir Saeed
Follow

ISLAMABAD: Around 27 Pakistani leather and fisheries companies will participate in “major” road shows in different cities of China on Oct. 29 and Nov.5, the privatization ministry said this week as Islamabad eyes enhancing business-to-business activities with key economic ally Beijing. 

Pakistan has been eyeing foreign investment and business collaboration with various regional states, including China, to ward off a prolonged economic crisis. China’s prime minister visited Pakistan with a high-level delegation this month, during which the two countries signed various agreements to boost trade, business and investment cooperation. 

The first of the road shows will be held on Oct. 29 in China’s Qingdao city while the second has been scheduled for Nov. 5 in Guangzhou. The privatization ministry said 30 representatives from 17 Pakistani fisheries companies and 16 from ten leather companies will be participating in the road shows. 

“Business-to-business activities between China and Pakistan are ongoing and in this regard, major roadshows for Leather and Fisheries are being organized in different cities of China,” the ministry said. 

The statement came after Privatization Minister Abdul Aleem Khan chaired a meeting on Wednesday to review progress on Pakistan-China business-to-business activities.

Khan said seven major sectors. including leather, textiles, medical and surgical equipment, fruits, vegetables, plastics, fisheries and animal foods could prove to be a “breakthrough” for the country’s economy.

He said organizations in both countries were engaged in cooperation to boost business ties with one another. 

“A total of 168 companies from China and 78 companies from Pakistan are working under cooperation and Pakistan should take maximum share in the transfer of industries from China,” the statement said. 

“Executives of leading Pakistani organizations participated in the high-level meeting and assured full participation in both the Road Shows in China,” the statement said. 

Chinese investment and financial support for Pakistan since 2013 have been a boon for the South Asian country’s struggling economy, including the rolling over of loans so that Islamabad can meet external financing needs at a time when foreign reserves are low. 

Beijing has over $65 billion in investments in road, infrastructure and development projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which is a part of the Belt and Road scheme.

Topics: Qingdao city China

Pakistani venture Sarmayacar says Green Climate Fund pledges $15 million

Pakistani venture Sarmayacar says Green Climate Fund pledges $15 million
Updated 13 sec ago
Reuters
Follow

Pakistani venture Sarmayacar says Green Climate Fund pledges $15 million

Pakistani venture Sarmayacar says Green Climate Fund pledges $15 million
  • GCF pledges $15 million to help startups tackle impacts of climate change in Pakistan 
  • Pakistan’s macroeconomic crisis means cash to address climate change is in short supply
Updated 13 sec ago
Reuters

KARACHI: The Green Climate Fund (GCF) has committed $15 million to Pakistani venture capital firm Sarmayacar, the venture fund said on Wednesday, so it can help startups tackle the impact of climate change in the country that has been at the forefront of extreme weather.

Flooding in Pakistan, which scientists said was aggravated by global warming, affected at least 33 million people and killed more than 1,700 from the beginning of the monsoon season in mid-June 2022 until mid-November that year.

At the same time, the country’s challenging macroeconomic and political situation means cash to address the problem is in short supply.

In particular, venture capital funding fell to $16 million during the first nine months of 2024, a 57 percent year-on-year drop from the $37 million recorded in the same period the previous year, according to data compiled by Data Darbar.

Set up more than a decade ago, the GCF is part of UN efforts to help the world’s poorer countries adapt to climate change.

The deployment of the $15 million hinges on Sarmayacar raising an extra $10 million, CEO and Founder Rabeel Warraich said, adding he expected the fund will be able to begin funding action by the first quarter of next year.

He said the GCF funding would have “an anchoring role” in the new fund that Sarmayacar has set up, which he said could have a maximum of $40 million in funding.

Its capital is earmarked for startups in areas including energy, electric mobility, water treatment, recycling, sustainable agriculture, and carbon accounting, Warraich said, and is investigating startups to invest in.

The GCF’s website said it had allocated $282.7 million in total to Pakistan across 10 projects.
The GCF was not immediately available for comment on the latest pledge.

The International Monetary Fund, which last month agreed a bailout for Pakistan, has also agreed to hold talks with the country on financing under the Fund’s Resilience and Sustainability Trust (RST) to generate financing for projects related to climate change. 

Topics: Sarmayacar Green Climate Fund

Pakistan says next two weeks ‘critical’ for dengue infections amid surge in cases

Pakistan says next two weeks ‘critical’ for dengue infections amid surge in cases
Updated 23 October 2024
Follow

Pakistan says next two weeks ‘critical’ for dengue infections amid surge in cases

Pakistan says next two weeks ‘critical’ for dengue infections amid surge in cases
  • Official data shows twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi reported nearly 6,000 dengue virus cases this year
  • Met Office says prevailing atmospheric conditions provide conducive conditions for dengue virus diseases
Updated 23 October 2024
Aamir Saeed

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Wednesday warned that the next two weeks will be “critical” amid a surge in dengue infections in the country, as Pakistan grapples with the disease’s outbreak while health institutions report hundreds of cases daily.
Dengue is a viral infection transmitted to humans through the bite of infected mosquitoes, with an estimated 100–400 million infections occurring each year worldwide, as per the World Health Organization (WHO). 
Mosquitoes carrying dengue virus are mostly found in tropical and sub-tropical climates worldwide.
While many dengue infections are asymptomatic or produce only mild illness, the virus can occasionally cause more severe cases and even death.
Over 4,500 dengue cases have been reported in Pakistan’s most populous Punjab province, around 1,600 in Sindh, 2,276 in Islamabad and 3,220 cases of the infection in the adjoining city of Rawalpindi this year, according to official data.
“The next two weeks are still critical as prevailing atmospheric factors are favoring the conducive environment for dengue,” Dr. Zaheer Ahmed Babar, a director at the PMD, told Arab News. 
Public and private hospitals have been receiving hundreds of patients daily suffering from cold, fever and body aches who are later diagnosed with dengue virus. Governments have designated special wards in hospitals and clinics for dengue patients.
Dr. Babar advised authorities to take pre-emptive measures to address the prevailing dengue outbreak in the country.
Separately, the PMD issued an advisory in which it said the next two weeks were critical but said dengue virus cases were expected to see a decline in November due to the current meteorological conditions and atmospheric trends in the country. 
Sajid Hussain Shah, a spokesperson for the federal health ministry, said the government is “fully vigilant” in its attempts to curb dengue cases through awareness campaigns and measures such as fumigation in affected areas. 
“The dengue cases are rising indeed but the disease is no more fatal as it was in the past,” he said.
The Pakistan Medical Association has expressed concerns over the rising number of dengue cases across the country, suggesting the government initiate preventive measures to curb it.
“Dengue is a preventable disease but unfortunately it has been spreading across Pakistan rapidly due to negligence of the authorities,” Abdul Ghafoor Shoro, PMA secretary-general, told Arab News. 
“Local authorities should focus on fumigation and sanitation of their respective areas to curb growth of the larva.”
He said early identification of the disease and efficient clinical management of dengue patients could reduce fatalities to less than one percent. 
“It is unfortunate to say that Pakistan shares the highest burden of major vector-borne diseases, including dengue, that could be reduced to a significant extent by focusing on primary health care and awareness,” Shoro said.

Topics: Dengue Outbreak

Pakistan expresses solidarity with Turkiye as attack on Ankara aviation site kills 4

Pakistan expresses solidarity with Turkiye as attack on Ankara aviation site kills 4
Updated 23 October 2024
Follow

Pakistan expresses solidarity with Turkiye as attack on Ankara aviation site kills 4

Pakistan expresses solidarity with Turkiye as attack on Ankara aviation site kills 4
  • Unidentified attackers target country’s aerospace and defense company TUSAS in Ankara
  • Pakistani PM condemns “dastardly attack,” prays for speedy recovery of 14 people injured
Updated 23 October 2024
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed solidarity with Turkiye after four people were killed and 14 wounded in an attack on the country’s state-run aerospace and defense company TUSAS in Ankara on Wednesday. 
Turkiye’s Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said two attackers were killed in what he called a “terrorist attack” at the Turkish Aerospace Industries’ headquarters. The minister added that three of the injured were in critical condition. 
TV broadcasters earlier showed footage of armed assailants entering the TUSAS building while witnesses said they heard gunfire and a loud explosion at the site. 
“Deeply shocked and saddened by the terrorist attack in Ankara,” Sharif wrote on social media platform X. 
“Pakistan stands in complete solidarity with our Turkish brothers. I strongly condemn this dastardly act & pray for the families of the victims as well as speedy recovery of the injured,” he added.
TUSAS is Turkiye’s largest aerospace manufacturer, currently producing a training craft, combat and civilian helicopters, as well as developing the country’s first indigenous fighter jet, KAAN. Owned by the Turkish Armed Forces Foundation and government, it employs more than 10,000 people. 
The cause and perpetrators of the attack remained unclear as no group claimed responsibility. Prosecutors have launched an investigation, Turkiye’s state-run Anadolu Agency reported.
Turkiye has previously suffered attacks by militant outfits Daesh and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

Topics: Ankara blast

Pakistan’s KP province to recruit over 1350 new cops to tackle surging militancy

Pakistan’s KP province to recruit over 1350 new cops to tackle surging militancy
Updated 23 October 2024
Follow

Pakistan’s KP province to recruit over 1350 new cops to tackle surging militancy

Pakistan’s KP province to recruit over 1350 new cops to tackle surging militancy
  • Militants have killed over 82 policemen through various attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa this year
  • Security analyst appreciates move but says province in dire need of urgent remedy to security woes
Updated 23 October 2024
REHMAT MEHSUD

PESHAWAR: Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has decided to bolster security in the northwestern province bordering Afghanistan by creating an additional 1,356 police positions, the chief minister’s office said on Wednesday, amid a surge in militant attacks targeting police and law enforcers in recent months. 
Over 82 policemen have been killed in attacks, ambushes and targeted killings in KP province so far this year, according to official data. Pakistan has seen a surge in militant attacks in the province ever since its fragile truce with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or the Pakistani Taliban broke down in November 2022.
Unidentified gunmen on Tuesday shot dead constable Mansoor Khan in his hometown Lakki Marwat district, police said. Meanwhile, attacks targeting police sparked protests in the province’s Lakki Marwat and Bannu districts last month.
“In view of the current law and order situation, 1356 new police posts of various ranks have been created for southern districts [of KP],” the CM Office said after Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur chaired a meeting related to the province’s police matters. 
“Of these, 1200 the recruitment process of constables is in its final stages and appointment letters will be issued soon.”
Apart from constables, the new hirings would include sub-inspectors, assistant sub-inspectors and head constables, the statement said. It added that the quota for the recruitment of slain police officers’ children had been increased from 5 percent to 12.5 percent. 
Gandapur told senior police officials at the meeting that strengthening the police force and stabilizing the law and order situation in the province was his government’s topmost priority.
“All resources will be provided on a priority basis to enable the police force to deal with the current situation,” the chief minister was quoted as saying.
‘SERIOUS SECURITY DYNAMICS’
Syed Akhtar Ali Shah, a security analyst and former inspector-general of police, described the move as a “commendable” one for the long run but said the province required an immediate solution to its security woes. 
“The new recruitment of police officers is a long-drawn process while the province is in urgent need to combat militant attacks,” Shah told Arab News. 
“Trained police officers should be deputed on the newly created posts which will help fill the vacuum,” he added. 
Shah said the northwestern province was facing “different and serious security dynamics” which were completely different from organized crimes.
He called on provincial authorities to mobilize other forces, such as the paramilitary Frontier Constabulary (FC) and Frontier Reserve Police (FRP) forces, saying they would enable police to operate from an offensive position rather than a defensive one. 
“Similarly, along with new recruitments, different departments need close liaison and seamless coordination with the backing of strong intelligence,” Shah said. “This way, we will be able to control the situation.”

Topics: Peshawar

International textile exhibition kicks off in Karachi with buyers from 52 countries participating

International textile exhibition kicks off in Karachi with buyers from 52 countries participating
Updated 23 October 2024
Follow

International textile exhibition kicks off in Karachi with buyers from 52 countries participating

International textile exhibition kicks off in Karachi with buyers from 52 countries participating
  • Local textile, leather businesses showcase products at fifth edition of international exhibition
  • Commerce minister says Pakistan’s textile and leather goods account for 60 percent of national exports
Updated 23 October 2024
Hasaan Ali Khan

ISLAMABAD: The fifth International Textile and Leather Exhibition (TEXPO) kicked off in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi on Wednesday, aiming to connect local businesses with international buyers from 52 countries to promote Pakistan’s products globally, the commerce ministry said.
The textile and clothing sector earns the country direly needed foreign exchange and employs around 40 percent of the country’s 20 million-strong industrial workforce.
The event has been organized by the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan from Oct. 23-25 at the Expo Center in Karachi to showcase the best products from Pakistan’s textile and leather industry.
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and Commerce Minister Jam Kamal inaugurated the exhibition, where Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi also participated along with other government officials. 
“Pakistani products are of world-class quality and they showcase modern products at TEXPO,” Khan was quoted as saying by the commerce ministry. “Textile and leather products account for 60 percent of Pakistan’s national exports.”
He emphasized increasing exports of high-value products in Pakistan’s textile and leather industry, saying that Pakistani exporters were already meeting global standards of environmental friendliness and transparency. 
The commerce minister said the establishment of a National Compliance Center would help meet global export standards as he stressed the importance of “clean energy and saving water” for the industry. 
Terming the industry’s future as “bright and sustainable,” Kamal assured that the government was working to bring more “innovation and diversification” to the textile and leather industry.

Latest updates

Wawrinka outlasts Mannarino at Swiss Indoors and Rublev advances
Wawrinka outlasts Mannarino at Swiss Indoors and Rublev advances
Los Angeles Times editor resigns after newspaper withholds presidential endorsement
Los Angeles Times editor resigns after newspaper withholds presidential endorsement
Syria says Israeli strikes kill one soldier, wound seven
Syria says Israeli strikes kill one soldier, wound seven
Israel accuses 6 Al Jazeera journalists in Gaza of being Palestinian militants
Israel accuses 6 Al Jazeera journalists in Gaza of being Palestinian militants
Harris says Trump ‘is a fascist’ after John Kelly says he wanted generals like Hitler’s
Harris says Trump ‘is a fascist’ after John Kelly says he wanted generals like Hitler’s

Search form

Print Edition
Read pdf version Subscribe now
© 2024 SAUDI RESEARCH & PUBLISHING COMPANY, All Rights Reserved And subject to Terms of Use Agreement.