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PM Sharif to visit Qatar today amid trade, investment push by Islamabad

PM Sharif to visit Qatar today amid trade, investment push by Islamabad
In this file photo, taken on August 24, 2022, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif received by Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani at Dewan-e-Ameeri in Doha, Qatar. (PID/File)
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Updated 15 min 23 sec ago
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PM Sharif to visit Qatar today amid trade, investment push by Islamabad

PM Sharif to visit Qatar today amid trade, investment push by Islamabad
  • In 2022, Qatar Investment Authority said it aimed to invest $3 billion in Pakistan, lending support to its cash-strapped economy
  • During a visit to Qatar in 2022, Sharif invited Qatar’s $450 billion sovereign wealth fund to invest in energy and aviation sectors
Updated 15 min 23 sec ago
Arab News Pakistan
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ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will undertake an official visit to Qatar from Oct. 30-31 to discuss bilateral ties with a special focus on trade and investment, the Pakistani foreign office said on Wednesday. 
In 2022, the Qatar Investment Authority said it aimed to invest $3 billion in Pakistan, lending support to the South Asian nation’s cash-strapped economy. Doha has also shown interest in airport management partnership and the Roosevelt Hotel in New York’s Manhattan owned by the Pakistan International Airlines.
During a visit to Qatar in 2022, Sharif, then in his first term as PM, invited QIA, Qatar’s $450 billion sovereign wealth fund, to invest in Pakistan’s energy and aviation sectors. He had previously mentioned renewable energy, food security, industrial and infrastructure development, tourism and hospitality, among sectors of interest.
“In Doha, the Prime Minister will hold bilateral meetings with the His Highness, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Amir of the State of Qatar and H.E. Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani, Prime Minister / Minister for Foreign Affairs,” the foreign office said in a statement.
“In these meetings, the two sides will review the entire gamut of bilateral relations and explore new of cooperation especially in trade and investment.”
Delegations from the Qatar Investment Authority and Qatar Businessmen Association will also call on Sharif to explore investment opportunities in Pakistan, the foreign office added.
Sharif will also inaugurate the cultural exhibition, “Manzar: Art and Architecture in Pakistan from 1940 to Present,” on October 31.
“The exhibition will showcase Pakistan’s rich cultural and architectural heritage and underline deep people-to-people linkages between Pakistan and Qatar,” the foreign office said.

Topics: Pakistan Qatar ties

Pakistan dispatches firefighters to combat Koh-e-Sulaiman forest blaze in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Pakistan dispatches firefighters to combat Koh-e-Sulaiman forest blaze in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Updated 30 October 2024
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Pakistan dispatches firefighters to combat Koh-e-Sulaiman forest blaze in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Pakistan dispatches firefighters to combat Koh-e-Sulaiman forest blaze in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
  • Two years ago, a significant fire broke out in the same mountain range in Balochistan that lasted for two weeks
  • The fire that burnt over 100,000 pine nut trees damaged people’s livelihood and was extinguished with Iranian help
Updated 30 October 2024
REHMAT MEHSUD

DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Pakistan dispatched a 16-member team of firefighters to respond to a blaze in the pine nut forests of the Koh-e-Sulaiman range in the Darazinda subdivision on Wednesday, according to a statement circulated by Rescue 1122, the country’s premier emergency response service.
This is not the first such incident in the region’s pine nut forests. A significant fire broke out in the Sherani district, part of the same range that straddles Pakistan’s western provinces of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, in May 2022.
The blaze lasted over two weeks, destroying a large portion of the ancient pine nut trees, with reports suggesting over 100,000 trees were burned, causing significant damage to the local ecosystem.
Rescue 1122 said in a statement it constituted the firefighting team and immediately dispatched it to the area upon receiving information about the latest fire.
“The rescue team has been equipped with all necessary firefighting gear, including fire extinguishers, personal protective equipment and other essential items required for working in mountainous areas,” the statement said.
“In such emergencies, methods like smoldering and starvation are employed to extinguish the fire, which involves cutting off the fire’s access to oxygen and fuel,” it added.

Firefighters try to extinguish a fire that erupted in the pine nut forests of the Koh-e-Sulaiman range in the Darazinda subdivision, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on October 30, 2024. (Photo courtesy: Rescue 1122)

The rescue service explained such firefighting approach is used in areas where it is impossible to reach with fire trucks or tenders due to the high mountains, requiring firefighters to travel long distances on foot to implement the strategy based on the site’s conditions.
The 2022 fire in the Sherani district in Balochistan prompted Pakistan to seek assistance from Iran, which sent an air tanker to help extinguish the flames.

Firefighters try to extinguish a fire that erupted in the pine nut forests of the Koh-e-Sulaiman range in the Darazinda subdivision, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on October 30, 2024. (Photo courtesy: Rescue 1122)

Such recurrent fires highlight the vulnerability of the region, where pine nut forests are not only ecologically valuable but also provide a livelihood for many locals.
Rescue 1122 noted that its Dera Ismail Khan team previously helped extinguish the fire in the Koh-e-Sulaiman mountain range within the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region before assisting in firefighting efforts in Balochistan.
The team participated in the operation for several days alongside Rescue 1122 emergency response groups from Tank, Lakki Marwat and Bannu the statement added.

Topics: forest fires

Road accidents kill 12 in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province

Road accidents kill 12 in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province
Updated 30 October 2024
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Road accidents kill 12 in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province

Road accidents kill 12 in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province
  • Three accidents were reported in Balochistan’s Sibi, Washuk, and Chaghi districts, injuring several people
  • Fatal road accidents are common in Pakistan due to dilapidated infrastructure and reckless driving
Updated 30 October 2024
SAADULLAH AKHTER

QUETTA: At least 12 people were killed and several others injured in three deadly road accidents in Pakistan’s impoverished southwestern Balochistan province on Tuesday, according to government officials.
Fatal accidents are common in Pakistan, where traffic rules are rarely followed and roads, particularly in rural and mountainous areas, are in poor condition. Such incidents are frequent in Balochistan, where single-carriage roads connect various cities, and even some highways lack modern safety features.
Speaking to Arab News about the first incident, Assistant Commissioner of Sibi Mansoor Ali Shah confirmed that a Jacobabad-bound passenger van from Quetta collided with a truck, resulting in fatalities and injuries among the travelers.
“At least six people from various districts of Balochistan were killed and 13 injured in the incident,” Shah said over the phone. “The injured were shifted to nearby hospitals.”
He added that the crash occurred due to speeding, as the van driver was attempting to overtake another vehicle on the single-carriage Quetta-Sukkur highway.
Another incident occurred in the evening when two vehicles, locally known as Zambad, had a head-on collision while traveling in the mountainous Washuk district, resulting in the deaths of four people.
“One Zambad vehicle was carrying smuggled Iranian oil, while the other had only the driver when they collided near a mountainous area close to the Washuk-Panjgur district,” Assistant Commissioner Shahzad Zehri told Arab News.
“Fire broke out in both vehicles due to the smuggled Iranian oil, and the people onboard were burnt to death,” he continued, adding that the bodies had been shifted to a local hospital for medico-legal procedures and identification.
Blue-colored right-hand-drive Iranian Zamyads, locally known as Zambads, are frequently used for smuggling Iranian goods that enter Pakistan through various points along the 904-kilometer border between the two countries.
In the third accident, two people, including a woman, were killed after attending a wedding party. They were traveling in a vehicle that overturned due to speeding in Dak, an area in Chaghi district.
Assistant Commissioner of the region, Basit Buzdar, said seven people were on board the vehicle, which was coming from Nushki.
“Two people, including a woman, were killed, and five others were injured in the accident,” he told Arab News.
Buzdar added that the injured were shifted to Prince Fahad Hospital Dalbandin.
“The speeding vehicle overturned after the driver lost control on a muddy track along the Quetta-Taftan highway,” he said, sharing details of the accident.

Topics: bus accident

Real estate developer says cleared to bid for Pakistan’s flag carrier

Real estate developer says cleared to bid for Pakistan’s flag carrier
Updated 30 October 2024
Reuters
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Real estate developer says cleared to bid for Pakistan’s flag carrier

Real estate developer says cleared to bid for Pakistan’s flag carrier
  • Government said earlier this month six companies have been shortlisted as potential PIA bidders
  • Top Blue World City official says the group is also planning to acquire Islamabad airport operations
Updated 30 October 2024
Reuters

KARACHI: A Pakistani real estate development company said on Wednesday it had completed requirements to enter the bidding process for a stake in the country’s flag carrier, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), scheduled for later this week.
The cash-strapped government, which is looking to privatize the loss-making airline, said earlier this month six companies had been shortlisted as potential bidders.
But only one company met a Tuesday deadline to submit “earnest money” prior to final bidding, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday citing a privatization commission official.
The chairman of Blue World City, Saad Nazir, confirmed to Reuters in a text message that his company is the only one to enter the final bidding process, declining to disclose the earnest money it had submitted.
The privatization ministry did not immediately reply to request for comment outside business hours.
Islamabad has previously said it was putting on the block a stake of between 51 percent and 100 percent in the debt-ridden airline as part of reforms urged by the International Monetary Fund.
Blue World City, a real estate developer, has a consortium that includes Blue World Aviation and IRIS Communication Limited.
Nazir said the group is also looking into acquiring operations of the Islamabad International Airport which the government is looking to outsource.
The group is in talks with global aircraft manufacturers and airport operators, including Chinese and Turkish companies, he said.

Topics: PIA privatization

Pakistan PM urges global action over Israel’s ban on UN agency serving Palestinians

Pakistan PM urges global action over Israel’s ban on UN agency serving Palestinians
Updated 30 October 2024
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Pakistan PM urges global action over Israel’s ban on UN agency serving Palestinians

Pakistan PM urges global action over Israel’s ban on UN agency serving Palestinians
  • UNRWA was established in 1949 to help Palestinians and has long been a target of Israeli criticism
  • PM Sharif condemns Israel’s decision to obstruct the UN agency’s work in the occupied territories
Updated 30 October 2024
Muhammad Ibrahim

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday condemned Israel’s decision to ban the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) from operating in the occupied Palestinian territories, urging the international community to hold the administration in Tel Aviv accountable for violating international law and the United Nations Charter.
UNRWA was established in 1949 to provide education, health care and other services to Palestinian refugees and has long been a target of Israeli criticism. Since October 2023, Israel has accused it of facilitating Hamas activities, leading to its ban earlier this week on Monday.
The decision coincides with the deaths of nearly 180 UNRWA staff members in the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip, part of a broader toll of over 220 humanitarian workers killed. The situation has drawn global condemnation, with UN officials highlighting the unprecedented loss of life among aid workers.
“Strongly condemn Israel’s actions aimed at obstructing UNRWA’s operations inside the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” Sharif wrote on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
“By preventing critical relief assistance from reaching millions of helpless Palestinians, Israel is committing yet another blatant violation of international humanitarian law and the @UN Charter for which it must be held accountable by the international community,” he added.

A day earlier, Pakistan’s top diplomat at the UN also raised the issue at the world body, calling the UN agency “irreplaceable” due to its vital role in serving millions of Palestinians.
“The passage of the bills by Israeli parliament concerning UNRWA is further evidence that Israel is doubling down on its genocidal war against Palestinians by cutting off the lifeline for the Palestinians provided by UNRWA and other UN entities,” Ambassador Munir Akram said, according to an official statement released by Pakistan’s diplomatic mission.

Palestinians walk outside a health center run by United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Deir Al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip on October 29, 2024. (REUTERS)

Nearly two million people in Gaza rely on the agency for aid, with about one million using its shelters for food and health care in the enclave. The agency has provided Palestinians with everything from food and health care to education and psychological support for decades.
“Any effort to diminish its role will have severe humanitarian and regional consequences,” Akram added.

An injured man reacts while sitting on the rubble of a building hit by an Israeli strike in Beit Lahia, in the northern Gaza Strip, on October 29, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)

 

Topics: War on Gaza Munir Akram Pakistan Palestine UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA)

Pakistan PM calls for immediate ceasefire in Gaza at Riyadh investment forum

Pakistan PM calls for immediate ceasefire in Gaza at Riyadh investment forum
Updated 30 October 2024
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Pakistan PM calls for immediate ceasefire in Gaza at Riyadh investment forum

Pakistan PM calls for immediate ceasefire in Gaza at Riyadh investment forum
  • Shehbaz Sharif calls for global partnerships in AI, robotics, education, energy, space, finance, health care 
  • Says this dream can not be fulfilled and the world would not progress unless peace was restored in Gaza
Updated 30 October 2024
KASHIF IMRAN

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza as he attended the Future Investment Initiative (FII) forum in the Saudi capital of Riyadh, saying the world could not prosper without peace in Gaza.
Sharif is in Riyadh to attend the FII summit, for which global business, technology and financial leaders have converged in the Saudi capital, looking for opportunities to forge relations with some of Saudi Arabia’s biggest companies and its $925 billion sovereign wealth fund.
Speaking at the summit, Sharif said nations and global companies needed to come together to harness the power of artificial intelligence and forge partnerships in AI, robotics, education, energy, space, finance, health care and sustainability.
“This dream will never be fulfilled, come to its certainty and transform into action unless peace is restored in Gaza and bloodshed is immediately stopped over there,” Sharif told the summit amid a round of applause by attendees. “Without that, world will not progress and will not prosper.” 

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif speaks at the Future Investment Initiative (FII) forum in Riyadh on October 29, 2024. (Photo courtesy: PMO)

The war in Gaza broke out after Hamas militants attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of nearly 1,200 people, according to official Israeli figures. Israel launched a blistering military campaign in Gaza that has since killed over 41,000 people, the Palestinian health ministry says.
Pakistan does not recognize nor have diplomatic relations with Israel and calls for an independent Palestinian state based on “internationally agreed parameters.”
Since the beginning of Israel’s war on Gaza, Pakistan has repeatedly raised the issue at the United Nations, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and other multilateral platforms and demanded international powers and bodies stop Israeli military actions in Gaza.
The South Asian country has also dispatched several aid consignments for Palestinians.
On Tuesday, Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) dispatched the 17th relief consignment for the war-affected people of Gaza and Lebanon, vowing to continue relief supplies amid Israel’s ongoing military campaigns in the Middle East.
Pakistan has also set up a special account titled, “Prime Minister’s Relief Fund for Gaza and Lebanon,” under PM Sharif’s directions, for donations for the people of Gaza and Lebanon.

Topics: the future summit Future Investment Initiative (FII) Pakistan Saudi Arabia ties War on Gaza Prime Minsiter Shehbaz Sharif

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