You are here

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

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

Beijing, Islamabad pledge to promote exchanges, learning of Chinese and Islamic civilizations
In this handout photo, taken and released by the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan on October 25, 2024, China’s Ambassador to Pakistan Jiang Zaidong speaks during a meeting with a group of Pakistani journalists at the Chinese Embassy in Islamabad. (Photo courtesy: Chinese embassy/File)
Short Url

https://arab.news/5d32f

Updated 1 min 15 sec ago
Follow

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 1 min 15 sec ago
Arab News Pakistan
Follow

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 13 sec ago
Follow

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 13 sec ago
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 57 min 40 sec ago
Follow

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 57 min 40 sec ago
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

In glasses adorned with dried fruits, Peshawar shop serves ‘most unique’ shakes in town

In glasses adorned with dried fruits, Peshawar shop serves ‘most unique’ shakes in town
Updated 18 min 37 sec ago
Follow

In glasses adorned with dried fruits, Peshawar shop serves ‘most unique’ shakes in town

In glasses adorned with dried fruits, Peshawar shop serves ‘most unique’ shakes in town
  • Amir Sab’s Special Dry Fruits Juice shop serves fresh shakes in glasses entirely covered with gooey, sweet paste and whole dried fruits
  • Shakes retail for between $2-6, steep for Peshawar but which many people are still willing to pay due to drinks' unique look and taste
Updated 18 min 37 sec ago
WASIM SAJJAD

PESHAWAR: Muhammad Ibrahim stood at his shop, Ameer Sahib Juice Shop, earlier this month and stuck whole pistachios, cashew nuts, almonds, walnuts and raisins to a large milkshake glass covered in a gooey paste. 

He was preparing the glass for what many in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar describe as the “most unique,” and “most beautifully presented” shakes in town. Ibrahim and his brother, Ismail, co-owners of the shop they set up in 2005, grind dates, honey and chocolate to prepare a soft and sticky paste that they carefully apply on the outside of each glass, on which the dried fruits are then glued. The end product is a glass that looks like it is entirely made of dried fruit.

Into the glass are poured thick shakes made from a variety of seasonal fruits, with more edible decorations added on top to finish the offering. The drinks have become as much of a social media hit as they are loved by customers who throng the shop in Ramadan and throughout the rest of the year. 

"At takes at least 15-20 minutes to prepare the glass," Ibrahim told Arab News at Peshawar’s famed Namak Mandi where his store is located. "We make it in the morning and serve it at iftar time.”

Muhammad Ibrahim (second from right) serves customers in his shop in Peshawar, Pakistan on March 21, 2025. (An Photo) 

Different sizes of the shakes retail for between $2-6, steep for a city like Peshawar, but which many people are still willing to pay due to the uniqueness of the drinks' presentation and taste. 

"People from different parts of the country come for this dried fruit juice,” Ibrahim said, saying he regularly served customers from cities across the KP province, of which Peshawar is the capital, as well as from the Punjab province and the federal capital, Islamabad. 

Ayub Sher, a resident of KP's Bajaur district who works in Peshawar, visited Ibrahim's shop last week and was all praise for the shakes.

“We came here to try this juice and to see if it has taste or not. When we tried it, we found it that it is fantastic,” he told Arab News as he scooped some thick shake out of the glass with a long spoon. 

“Forget about the taste, we haven’t seen any juice presented to us this beautifully.”
 

Topics: Pakistan Ramadan Peshawar

Related

New Arab-inspired food market lights up Ramadan nights in Pakistan’s twin cities video
Saudi Arabia
New Arab-inspired food market lights up Ramadan nights in Pakistan’s twin cities
Special Peshawar’s Mahabat Khan Mosque, a Mughal gem, draws worshippers in droves during Ramadan video
Pakistan
Peshawar’s Mahabat Khan Mosque, a Mughal gem, draws worshippers in droves during Ramadan

Azerbaijan president calls for joint ventures with Pakistan to expand strategic partnership

Azerbaijan president calls for joint ventures with Pakistan to expand strategic partnership
Updated 24 March 2025
Shahjahan Khurram 
Follow

Azerbaijan president calls for joint ventures with Pakistan to expand strategic partnership

Azerbaijan president calls for joint ventures with Pakistan to expand strategic partnership
  • PM Sharif visited Baku in February and announced the two nations would sign deals for $2 billion investment in April
  • Multiple agreements for cooperation in trade, energy, tourism, education, other sectors were signed during Sharif’s visit
Updated 24 March 2025
Shahjahan Khurram 

ISLAMABAD: Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev has called for joint ventures with Pakistan in the defense, energy, economy, logistics and transport sectors to expand Baku’s strategic partnership with Islamabad, state media reported on Sunday. 

Aliyev wrote a letter to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday on the occasion of Pakistan’s 85th Republic Day. 

The letter comes weeks after Sharif visited Baku and announced that the two nations would sign deals in April to boost bilateral investments to $2 billion. Multiple agreements for cooperation in the trade, energy, tourism, education and other sectors were signed during the visit. 

In September last year, Azerbaijan bought JF-17 Block III fighter jets from Pakistan, reportedly in a $1.6bn deal.

During Aliyev’s Pakistan visit last year, a joint committee was set up to materialize projects in trade, commerce, information technology, tourism, telecommunication, mineral resources and other sectors. Sharif said at the time the current trade volume of $100 million did not reflect the “true” trade potential between the two countries.

“In a letter to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, he [Aliyev] expressed his determination to further expand the strategic partnership and mutual cooperation between Pakistan and Azerbaijan,” Radio Pakistan reported. 

“Aliyev emphasized that successful joint efforts in areas such as the economy, transport, logistics, energy, investment, and the defense industry are crucial for strengthening bilateral relations.”

Cash-strapped Pakistan is currently under a $7 billion International Monetary Fund bailout program and navigating a tricky path to recovery. Pakistan is looking to generate revenue through investment deals with friendly nations and regional and international allies, and to focus on export-led growth. 

In 2023, Pakistan set up the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), a civil-military hybrid body, to fast-track foreign investment deals. 

The country has teetered on the brink of economic crisis for several years and economists and international financial institutions have called for major economic reforms.

Topics: Azerbaijan Pak Azerbaijan trade ties Republic Day

Related

Pakistan, Azerbaijan sign agreements on trade, energy, tourism  video
Pakistan
Pakistan, Azerbaijan sign agreements on trade, energy, tourism 
Pakistan PM seeks plan to lift trade with Baku to $2 billion before Azerbaijan president’s visit
Pakistan
Pakistan PM seeks plan to lift trade with Baku to $2 billion before Azerbaijan president’s visit

Pakistani security forces kill 16 militants attempting to cross border from Afghanistan

Pakistani security forces kill 16 militants attempting to cross border from Afghanistan
Updated 24 March 2025
AP
Follow

Pakistani security forces kill 16 militants attempting to cross border from Afghanistan

Pakistani security forces kill 16 militants attempting to cross border from Afghanistan
  • Military says Pakistani Taliban militants attempted to enter Pakistan from Ghulam Khan, border town in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province
  • Pakistan often accuses Taliban government in Afghanistan of harboring militants who launch cross-border attacks, Kabul denies the charge
Updated 24 March 2025
AP

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's security forces said 16 militants were killed on Sunday in a remote northwestern border area as they tried to cross the border with neighboring Afghanistan.
A military statement said the “Khwarij,” a phrase the government uses for Pakistani Taliban, attempted to enter Pakistan from Ghulam Khan, a border town in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
It said Pakistan has long urged Afghanistan to ensure effective border management. Pakistan often accuses the Taliban government in Afghanistan of turning a blind eye to militants operating near the frontier. Kabul denies the charge.
The statement said the Afghan government “is expected to fulfil its obligations and deny the use of Afghan soil” by militants “for perpetuating acts of terrorism against Pakistan.”
Pakistan has witnessed a surge in militant attacks, most claimed by Pakistani Taliban who are known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP, and are allies of the Afghan Taliban.
TTP is a separate group and has been emboldened since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021. Many TTP leaders and fighters have found sanctuary in Afghanistan since then

Topics: Pakistan Afghanistan border Militancy

Latest updates

EU top diplomat: Israel strikes on Syria, Lebanon ‘risk further escalation’
EU top diplomat: Israel strikes on Syria, Lebanon ‘risk further escalation’
UN seeks nearly $1 billion in aid for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh
UN seeks nearly $1 billion in aid for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh
Istituto Marangoni to shape Saudi Arabia’s fashion future
Istituto Marangoni to shape Saudi Arabia’s fashion future
China holds key position in Aramco’s investment strategy, CEO tells Beijing forum
China holds key position in Aramco’s investment strategy, CEO tells Beijing forum
Israel shooting attack kills one, gunman ‘neutralized’
Israel shooting attack kills one, gunman ‘neutralized’

Search form

Print Edition
Read pdf version Subscribe now
© 2025 SAUDI RESEARCH & PUBLISHING COMPANY, All Rights Reserved And subject to Terms of Use Agreement.