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In Pakistan’s southwest, Eid shoppers go out to buy the perfect snack: nimco

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Updated 30 March 2025
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In Pakistan’s southwest, Eid shoppers go out to buy the perfect snack: nimco

In Pakistan’s southwest, Eid shoppers go out to buy the perfect snack: nimco
  • Nimco, popular on Eid, is typically a mix of fried ingredients like lentils, chickpeas, potatoes, nuts and spices
  • While many Pakistanis celebrate Eid with sweets like vermicelli and rice puddings, nimco is the go-to snack in Quetta
Updated 30 March 2025
SAADULLAH AKHTER
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QUETTA: Wearing hair nets and face masks, shopkeepers carefully packed fried lentils, chickpeas, potato chips and other nimco snacks into plastic bags for hoards of eager Eid Al-Fitr shoppers earlier this week. 
The scene is from a shop on Quetta’s famous Masjid Road, where hundreds of customers have been arriving daily ahead of the Eid holiday to buy nimco, a popular traditional Pakistani snack, typically a mix of fried ingredients like lentils, chickpeas, potatoes, nuts, and spices. Nimco is characterized by its crispy texture and spicy flavor, making it a popular snack for social gatherings and special occasions. 
While many Pakistanis celebrate the Eid festival with sweets like vermicelli, rice puddings and jalebi funnel cakes, in Quetta, nimco is the go-to snack.
“This bazaar is called Masjid Road and its specialty is that it is known as the Nimco Bazaar,” said Waled Sabir, a customer. “All the nimco varieties available in Pakistan can be found here.”




Man shops nimco snacks for Eid Al-Fitr in Quetta, Pakistan on March 26, 2025. (AN Photo) 

Safiullah Khan, the owner of a 35-year-old nimco store on Masjid Road, said he was at his shop all day long in the days before Eid to cater to holiday revelers. 
“Fried potato chips, lentils and mixed nimco are the basic and most in-demand items on Eid,” he said. 




Customers gather to buy nimco snacks for Eid Al-Fitr in Quetta, Pakistan on March 26, 2025. (AN Photo) 

Apart from the appeal of its salty and crunchy flavor, nimco was also popular because of its affordability, Khan said. 
“Nimco is an important and affordable item for many Pakistanis during Eid and not as expensive as other dried fruits,” he said.
Syed Akram Shah, 52, agreed that nimco was a popular alternative to expensive dried fruits. 
“Dry fruits are not accessible to poor masses but nimco is an affordable refreshment for us on Eid,” he said as he shopped earlier this month on Masjid Road for fried lentils, his favorite type of nimco. 




Customers gather to buy nimco snacks for Eid Al-Fitr in Quetta, Pakistan on March 26, 2025. (AN Photo) 

“There is no Eid without nimco because we serve these crunchy snacks to our relatives and friends with a cup of tea when they come over for Eid,” Shah, who had traveled from Mastung city located around 50 kilometers from Quetta, said. “It is a tradition in Balochistan.” 
Waleed Sabir, who lives in Quetta, said he had come to Masjid Road because he knew he would find all kinds of nimco there to buy for the Eid holiday.




A shop set for nimco snacks sale in Quetta, Pakistan on March 26, 2025. (AN Photo) 

“People of Balochistan are very hospitable and every dining table in every house will be decorated with refreshment items and nimco during the three days of Eid.”
Though Balochistan has seen rise in militant attacks in recent months, which have dampened Eid shopping, many shoppers and sellers said nimco was still a hot favorite. 
“Compared to the past [Eids], activities [in markets] have declined a bit due to the law and order and the prevailing situation,” said Khan the nimco seller, “but overall things are still fine.”

Topics: Eid 2025 Quetta Nimco

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Pakistan says exports to Europe grew by 9.4% during FY25

Pakistan says exports to Europe grew by 9.4% during FY25
Updated 12 April 2025
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Pakistan says exports to Europe grew by 9.4% during FY25

Pakistan says exports to Europe grew by 9.4% during FY25
  • Growth driven largely due to GSP Plus status, rising demand for Pakistani textiles and garments, says state media
  • European Union is Pakistan’s second-most important trading partner, accounting for over 14 percent of its total trade
Updated 12 April 2025
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s exports to Europe grew by 9.41 percent during the first eight months of the current fiscal year, state-run media reported on Saturday, attributing the surge to rising demand for the country’s textile, garments and its GSP Plus status. 

The European Union (EU) is Pakistan’s second most important trading partner, accounting for over 14 percent of the country’s total trade and absorbing 28 percent of Pakistan’s total exports as per official data. Pakistani exports to the EU are dominated mostly by textiles and clothes. 

Pakistan avails the Generalized Scheme of Preferences (GSP)+ status, a special trade arrangement offered by the EU to developing economies in return for their commitment to implement 27 international conventions on human rights, environmental protection and governance.

“The demand for Pakistani products in Europe has seen a significant rise, leading to a 9.4 percent increase in exports due to the efforts of the Special Investment Facilitation Council,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan said in a report. 

It was referring to the SIFC, a hybrid civil-military government body formed in 2023 to fast-track decisions related to international investment in Pakistan’s vital economic sectors. 

The SIFC aims to attract investment from Gulf countries, Central Asian states and regional allies in tourism, agriculture, mining and minerals, livestock and other priority sectors. 

The state media said Pakistan’s exports to Western Europe grew by 11.6 percent and while those to Northern Europe saw a “remarkable” 17.7 percent increase during the first eight months of the current fiscal year. 

“The primary reasons behind this growth are Pakistan’s GSP+ Status and the rising demand for Pakistani textiles and garments,” it added. 

The current GSP framework came to an end in December 2023 but Members of EU Parliament (MEPs) voted in October to extend the current rules on the scheme for another four years for developing countries, including Pakistan. 

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has repeatedly stressed the importance of shifting Pakistan’s economy from an import-dependent one toward an export-led one, saying that without it sustainable economic growth is difficult to achieve.

In recent months, Pakistan has vigorously pursued economic and investment deals with Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and bilateral trade cooperation with Central Asian states, Russia and others. 

Topics: Pakistan EU Ties Pakistan trade Pakistan exports

Chasing goals: Women in Karachi take the reins alongside men in polo

Chasing goals: Women in Karachi take the reins alongside men in polo
Updated 12 April 2025
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Chasing goals: Women in Karachi take the reins alongside men in polo

Chasing goals: Women in Karachi take the reins alongside men in polo
  • Traditionally considered a men’s sport, polo was seen as a proving ground for valor and strategy
  • Female players say skill and mental sharpness often outweigh brute strength while playing polo
Updated 12 April 2025
NAIMAT KHAN

KARACHI: With the Arabian Sea breeze sweeping across the field and the clip-clop of hooves pounding on turf, Naziha Hassan leans low off her saddle, eyes fixed on the white ball, her hammer slicing through the air. In one motion, she sends the ball flying between the goalposts of Karachi’s Clifton Polo Ground, a makeshift arena bordered by high-rises on one side and the beach on the other.
In a city known more for its craze for traditional sports like cricket and football, this unlikely seaside field is home to a rare sight: women competing alongside men in polo.
Once a royal pastime in South and Central Asia, polo was seen as a proving ground for valor and strategy. Traditionally considered a men’s sport, it served not only as recreation but also as a means of training cavalry, developing horsemanship and preparing warriors and noblemen for combat.
“I haven’t felt that they’re going easy on me,” Hassan said of being treated differently by male players.
“I don’t think I was ever treated like a girl in the game... if they have to hit me, ride off, to make me fall, they will make me fall and that is perfectly fine,” she told Arab News.
A doctor by profession, Hassan became passionate about polo when she would go to school in Islamabad and stop by the polo club on her way back home, looking at horses.
After relocating to Karachi, she joined the Gallop Club five years ago to take riding lessons before making her way into polo, a high-speed sport where riders clash mid-play, horses collide and players often fall.
For Hassan and her fellow female players, polo’s appeal goes beyond gender. It’s about the skills, the connection with horses and the strategy. Skill and mental sharpness, they say, often outweigh brute strength.
“I don’t think gender makes a difference in the sport, to be fair,” she said. “Yes, there are some things [like] the physical strength and stuff that sometimes is important, but at the same time, like, polo is a bit different because in polo it depends on the horse a lot also. It also depends on your strategy as well.”
That view is shared by a long-time male player at the club who identified himself as Siavash.
“We absolutely don’t care for them [as female players] here,” he said.
“When you’re playing the game, you only see the other person as a player. And if you start thinking that she’s a female, then basically, they won’t let you play,” he said with a smile.
On the field, players engage fiercely and focus purely on the game. Any suggestion of treating female players differently is brushed aside.
“In polo, we say 70 percent of the game is the horse,” Siavash added. “If a girl plays well and rides a good horse, then she’s a proper player. Some girls even play better than men. It’s about your riding, your swing and your strategy, not just strength.”
Alishba Ahsan, another regular on the field, admits it’s a tough space for women, but she embraces the challenge.
“There are barely three or four girls playing here, including me,” she said. “It’s tough, but it’s also a very good experience. You don’t get any leverage for being a girl. You ride and play just like the boys.”
Ahsan, a law student, said she had fallen five or six times, but instead of backing out, she became more determined.
Off the field, the sport is also inspiring a new generation.
Ayesha Naveed, a stay-at-home mother of a first-grade student, said her journey onto the polo field began with her daughter’s interest in horse riding. She initially accompanied her to practice, but later decided to join in herself.
“I want her to become a good polo player someday,” she said of her daughter. “It makes me really happy to see that this is a sport where everyone plays together … There is no segregation like ‘this is the women’s team’ or ‘this is the men’s team.’ And the women are actually doing even better than the men.”
Her daughter, Alaya Naveed, takes riding lessons twice a week after school. She has already mastered the basics — walk, trot and even how to fall properly.
“I only come here on Tuesdays and Thursdays,” Alaya said, her eyes gleaming. “I would like to play polo because I see the other girls and it looks fun.”
“I think it’ll take me ten more months to be a polo player,” she said after a brief pause, with childlike innocence.

Topics: female polo players Polo in Pakistan Women in Sport

Minerals to be ‘real game changer’ for Pakistan’s economy— finance minister

Minerals to be ‘real game changer’ for Pakistan’s economy— finance minister
Updated 12 April 2025
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Minerals to be ‘real game changer’ for Pakistan’s economy— finance minister

Minerals to be ‘real game changer’ for Pakistan’s economy— finance minister
  • Pakistan hosted minerals investment forum on Apr.8-9 to attract international investment in the sector 
  • Muhammad Aurangzeb urges all economic sectors to export to earn Pakistan valuable foreign exchange
Updated 12 April 2025
Usama Iqbal Khawaja

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said on Saturday that the country’s minerals sector would prove to be the “real game changer” for the national economy in the years to come, reiterating the government’s ambitions to ensure export-led growth.

His comments came following the Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum 2025 hosted by the government in Islamabad in collaboration with its partners from Apr. 8-9. The summit was aimed at attracting foreign investment in the country’s mining sector and saw participation from major international companies including Canada-based Barrick Gold and government officials from the United States, Saudi Arabia, China, Turkiye, the United Kingdom, Azerbaijan and others.

Pakistan is home to one of the world’s largest porphyry copper-gold mineral zones, while the Reko Diq mine in southwestern Balochistan province has an estimated 5.9 billion tons of ore. Barrick Gold, which owns a 50 percent stake in the Reko Diq mines, considers them one of the world’s largest underdeveloped copper-gold areas, and their development is expected to have a significant impact on Pakistan’s struggling economy.

But despite rich reserves of salt, copper, gold and coal, Pakistan’s mineral sector contributes only 3.2 percent to GDP and 0.1 percent to global exports. The country is now aiming to tap into this underutilized potential.

“So, 2028 onwards when we talk about whether we have an exportable surplus or not, from traditional sectors textile is going to remain absolutely critical for us as we go forward,” Aurangzeb said while speaking to members of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce. 

“IT services [also] as we go forward and minerals, as we go forward,” he added. “This [minerals sector] is going to be the game changer, the real game changer.”

Aurangzeb said the minerals summit hosted by Pakistan was reflective of the country’s economy heading in the right direction. 

He said around 300-400 delegates from several countries attended the conference with a keen interest in investing in Pakistan’s minerals. 

“These are all manifestations that we have to take this forward,” the minister said. 

Reiterating the government’s resolve to ensure export-led growth in the economy, Aurangzeb called upon all economic sectors to export their products to earn Pakistan valuable foreign exchange. 

“Every single sector has to export,” he said. “No one has taken the responsibility that only textile has to export or any other has to.”

The finance minister noted that Pakistan’s auto manufacturers have started exporting their products, saying there were markets for Pakistani exporters in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and African countries.

Topics: Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum 2025 Pakistan economy

Pakistan skipper Rizwan says ‘not ashamed’ he can’t speak English fluently

Pakistan skipper Rizwan says ‘not ashamed’ he can’t speak English fluently
Updated 12 April 2025
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Pakistan skipper Rizwan says ‘not ashamed’ he can’t speak English fluently

Pakistan skipper Rizwan says ‘not ashamed’ he can’t speak English fluently
  • Fans frequently poke fun at Mohammad Rizwan for his inability to speak English fluently during post-match conferences
  • Pakistani captain says nation demands cricketing achievements from him rather than ability to speak English fluently
Updated 12 April 2025
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s ODI skipper Mohammad Rizwan said this week that he was “not ashamed” of his inability to speak English fluently, adding that only his ability to perform as a cricketer mattered at the end of the day. 

Rizwan, like several other Pakistani professional cricketers, had to choose the sport over education to pursue it as a full-time career. Fans have poked fun in the past at iconic Pakistani cricketers such as Javed Miandad, Inzamam ul Haq, Saeed Ajmal and others for their inability to speak English fluently. 

Since being appointed captain last year, Rizwan’s interactions with the media have increased. This has put his inability to speak English fluently with reporters from around the world in the spotlight. Cricket fans have poked fun at Rizwan with memes on the Internet while others have criticized him for not opting for a translator when speaking to the press in English. 

“I am proud that whatever I say, I say it from the heart and I tell the truth,” Rizwan said while speaking to reporters at a press conference in Karachi on Friday.

“But I am not even one percent ashamed that I am a Pakistani and I can’t speak English,” he added. 

The Pakistan captain said he regretted not completing his education, admitting that he could not express himself properly due to it. Rizwan said he advises young cricketers to pursue education so that they can express themselves properly unlike him. 

“My Pakistan at this time is demanding cricket from me,” Rizwan said. “It is not demanding English. If it wants English, I will leave cricket to become a professor, learn it and then return. But I don’t have time for that.”

Rizwan, who leads the Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Multan Sultans, will be seen in action on Saturday against the Karachi Kings. 

The third match of the PSL 2025 is scheduled to kick off at 8:00 p.m. in the southern port city of Karachi. 

Defending champions Islamabad United cruised to an eight-wicket win over Lahore Qalandars in Rawalpindi in the PSL opener on Friday night.

Topics: Mohammad Rizwan Pakistan cricket Multan Sultan Pakistan Super League (PSL)

Pakistan says Zainebiyoun Brigade militant arrested in Karachi for involvement in sectarian attacks

Pakistan says Zainebiyoun Brigade militant arrested in Karachi for involvement in sectarian attacks
Updated 12 April 2025
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Pakistan says Zainebiyoun Brigade militant arrested in Karachi for involvement in sectarian attacks

Pakistan says Zainebiyoun Brigade militant arrested in Karachi for involvement in sectarian attacks
  • CTD says suspect was directly and indirectly involved in sectarian activities funded by Zainebiyoun Brigade
  • Pakistan’s interior ministry designated Zainebiyoun Brigade as a “terrorist” organization in March 2024
Updated 12 April 2025
NAIMAT KHAN

KARACHI: The Counterterrorism Department (CTD) in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province said on Saturday it had arrested a key member of the Iran-backed Zainebiyoun Brigade outfit in Karachi, accusing him of being involved in sectarian attacks in the city. 

Pakistani authorities have arrested several militants affiliated with the Zainebiyoun Brigade in recent years, notably in the country’s commercial hub of Karachi. The city has been a significant recruitment hub for the militant outfit, along with three other regions – Parachinar, Quetta and Gilgit Baltistan.

Pakistan’s interior ministry designated Zainebiyoun Brigade as a “terrorist” organization in March 2024, saying it had reasons to believe the outfit was engaged in certain activities “prejudicial to the peace and security of the country.”

The CTD said in its press release that Syed Muhammad Musa Rizvi, alias Kamran, was arrested from the city’s Soldier Bazaar area, adding that the accused had been in hiding for fear of being arrested.

“The suspect is an important member of the Zainebiyoun Brigade and has been directly and indirectly involved in various sectarian activities that have been regularly funded by the organization,” the CTD said. 

It said Rizvi had confessed to carrying out a sectarian attack in Karachi’s Taimuria area on Sept. 5, 2023, which had resulted in the killing of a person named Qari Khurram and injuries to two others. 

The CTD said Rizvi also confessed to killing a person named Sher Khan on Sep. 20, 2023, in Karachi’s Mobina Town with his accomplices and another named Jannat Gul on Nov. 26, 2023, in the city’s Sachal area. 

It said that Rizvi confessed that on Nov. 13, 2024, that he played the role of a facilitator in the killing of a person named Syed Abu Hashim in Karachi’s Samanabad area.

It said that the suspect was being investigated for terror financing and other cases based on which he had been arrested. 

“The investigation of the accused is going on and more revelations are expected,” the CTD said. 

In January 2024, Sindh CTD said it had apprehended Syed Muhammad Mehdi, a suspected militant associated with the Zainebiyoun Brigade who had been involved in an assassination attempt on Mufti Taqi Usmani, a top Pakistani cleric, in Karachi in 2019. The attack had killed two of Mufti Usmani’s guards.

In July 2022, then Pakistan interior minister Rana Sanaullah Khan told the Senate that Zainebiyoun Brigade members were among the militants “found actively involved in terrorist activities” in the country in 2019-2021.

Topics: Zainebiyoun Brigade Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) CTD

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