ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif witnessed the signing of over $2 billion in agreements and memorandums of understanding (MoUs) between Saudi and Pakistani businesses on Thursday, calling the ceremony a precursor to many future partnerships.
The event took place as Sharif welcomed Saudi Investment Minister Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al-Falih at the PM House, describing his visit as an “important milestone” in the economic relations between the two countries.
The Saudi minister brought a large delegation of businessmen representing various economic sectors, including energy, mining, agriculture, tourism and industry, a day earlier, with the aim of finalizing 27 business-to-business deals and MoUs.
The visit took place at a time when Pakistan is seeking to strengthen trade and investment ties with friendly nations, particularly the kingdom, whose leadership reaffirmed its commitment this year to expedite a $5 billion investment package for the South Asian country.
“Today’s ceremony will lead to many more such events in times to come if we are sincere to the cause,” Sharif told the gathering, referring to Pakistan’s commitment to implementing these agreements and turning the MoUs into lucrative business deals.
He assured the Saudi delegation of his government’s full cooperation, saying he would not allow any impediments to thwart the business cooperation between the two countries.
The prime minister said Pakistan’s relations with the kingdom were firmly rooted in history and that both countries had stood by each other through thick and thin.
“Saudi Arabia has always supported Pakistan, whether after floods or earthquakes,” he continued. “This is not only friendship. This is true brotherhood, which we must transform into a relationship of economic development, cooperation and promoting our investments.”
Earlier, the prime minister told the Saudi minister that his visit was “an important milestone in strengthening investment ties between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, setting the stage for greater collaboration in sectors of mutual interest.”
The prime minister pointed out that Al-Falih’s trip to Pakistan was the third high-level Saudi delegation to visit the country in the last six months, calling it a testament to the growing momentum in the bilateral relationship.
He also reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, expressing readiness to strengthen defense ties, including support for the kingdom’s Vision 2030, which seeks to develop indigenous defense and security capabilities.
According to the PM Office, the Saudi minister reiterated the kingdom’s commitment to increasing its investment portfolio in Pakistan, particularly in mining, agriculture, food security and infrastructure development.
He further said the signing of 27 agreements and MoUs was just the beginning of the journey.
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia ink multiple agreements valuing $2 billion
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Pakistan, Saudi Arabia ink multiple agreements valuing $2 billion
- Saudi investment minister is heading a large business delegation on three-day visit to Islamabad
- Saudi visit comes as Pakistan seeks foreign investments to navigate tricky path to economic recovery
ICC Champions Trophy promo confirms Pakistan as host
- The video comes days after the ICC informed Pakistan that India had declined to play in the country
- Pakistan has said it is not interested in a hybrid hosting model adopted during last year’s Asia Cup
ISLAMABAD: The International Cricket Council’s promotional video for the Champions Trophy 2025 has portrayed Pakistan as the tournament host, with the global governing body for cricket promising a “thrilling competition” in a statement released on Wednesday.
The video comes just days after the ICC informed Pakistan that India had declined to play tournament matches in the country, prompting Pakistani authorities to rule out the hybrid hosting model adopted last year for the Asia Cup, where India played all its matches in Sri Lanka.
Political tensions between the two countries have led the Indian team to avoid traveling to Pakistan since 2008, with both sides only competing in multination tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
The ICC has not directly commented on the situation, though the promotional video clearly showed visuals communicating that the tournament will be arranged in Pakistan.
It promo displayed an unconventional logo, which the ICC said was designed to be “bold, loud, confident, and fun,” saying the visual identity was digital-first while calling it a dynamic, typographic logo.
“The two weeks of thrilling competition the event is renowned for is reflected in the bold and loud edge to the brand,” ICC Chief Commercial Officer Anurag Dahiya said in a statement. “The new elements are accompanied by the distinctive white jackets which nod to the history of the Champions Trophy and its unique, global appeal.”
The men’s Champions Trophy is set to return in 2025 after about eight years, with Pakistan clinching the title in the 2017 final against India.
The tournament was last held in England.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi that are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games scheduled to be held between February 19 and March 9.
Explosion in house kills 2 children in former stronghold of Pakistani Taliban
- Police investigating what caused the blast including whether someone was handling explosives to make bombs
- Blast happened in Mir Ali where Pakistani Taliban often target security forces with suicide bombings
PESHAWAR, Pakistan: A powerful explosion ripped through a house in a former stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban on Thursday, killing at least two children and wounding some others, police said.
Police were still investigating what caused the blast including whether someone was handling explosives to make bombs, local police chief Irfan Khan said.
The blast happened in Mir Ali, a city in the northwest province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which borders Afghanistan and where Pakistani Taliban and other insurgents often target security forces with suicide bombings and other violence.
Elsewhere in the province Thursday, a suicide bomber riding a motorcycle set off an explosive device prematurely on a deserted road in Charsadda district, killing himself but harming no one else, police said.
Local police official Masood Khan said the intended target was unclear and bomb disposal experts and police were still investigating whether the man was wearing the explosives or they were attached to his motorcycle.
The Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, are separate from the Afghan Taliban but have been emboldened by the group’s takeover of Afghanistan in 2021.
‘Media speculation,’ foreign office says on Beijing wanting own security staff in Pakistan
- Reuters reported this week Beijing and Islamabad in talks to set up a joint security management system
- Beijing has been angered by recent attacks on Chinese nationals, has publicly raised security concerns
ISLAMABAD: The foreign office on Thursday rejected as “media speculation” reports by a foreign news agency that Beijing is pushing Pakistan to allow its own security staff to provide protection to thousands of Chinese citizens working in the South Asian nation.
Reuters, citing five Pakistani security and government sources speaking on condition of anonymity, reported this week that a string of recent attacks on Chinese nationals had angered Beijing and pushed Pakistan to begin formal negotiations for a joint security management system.
Last month’s airport bombing in the southern port city that killed two Chinese engineers returning to work on a project after a holiday in Thailand was the latest attack on Beijing’s interests in Pakistan.
“Let’s not get carried away with speculation,” Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said at a weekly news briefing in Islamabad when questioned about the Reuters report.
“I would not like to respond to media speculations that are based on unreliable sources and motivated by an agenda to create confusion about the nature of Pakistan-China relationship.”
She added that Pakistan had raised a security force to protect Chinese nationals and projects, particularly those operating under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) umbrella, and “this security apparatus continues to provide security to Chinese CPEC projects inside Pakistan.”
Longtime Pakistan ally China has thousands of nationals working on projects grouped under the CPEC, a $65-billion investment in President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative, which seeks to expand China’s global reach by road, rail and sea.
The Reuters report said there was now a consensus on setting up a joint security management system, and that Pakistan was amenable to Chinese officials sitting in on security meetings and coordination but there was no agreement as yet on their participating in security arrangements on the ground.
One official said Pakistan had asked China for help in improving its intelligence and surveillance capabilities instead of direct involvement.
“We advise the media to ascertain the motivation of individuals who are feeding them this story,” Baloch said.
“Pakistan and China have a robust dialogue and cooperation on a range of issues including counterterrorism and security of Chinese nationals in Pakistan … We will continue to work with our Chinese brothers for the safety and security of Chinese nationals, projects and institutions in Pakistan.”
Baloch said as close allies, Pakistan and China had the resolve and capability to foil “any attempts to harm Pakistan-China relations, including by spreading stories about the nature of this relationship.”
Pakistani deputy PM to attend UAE’s Sir Bani Yas Forum from Nov. 15-17
- Three-day summit will host top decision-makers, experts for debates on regional issues
- Ongoing war in Gaza is expected to feature prominently in discussions at Sir Bani Yas Forum
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar will attend the 15th Sir Bani Yas Forum in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from November 15-17, the foreign office in Islamabad said on Thursday, with the ongoing war in Gaza expected to be at the center of discussions.
The three-day annual retreat will bring together top decision-makers and experts to debate pressing Middle Eastern issues such as regional peace and security and economic transformation.
“At the invitation of His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar will participate in the 15th Sir Bani Yas Forum being held from Nov. 15-17 in the UAE,” foreign office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said at a weekly news briefing in Islamabad.
“At the forum, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister will engage in high-level dialogue with global leaders and experts addressing critical issues of regional security, economic cooperation and sustainable development.”
Dar will highlight Pakistan’s “strategic perspective on fostering diplomatic solutions to complex regional challenges and advancing collective prosperity,” Baloch added.
The war in the Gaza Strip is expected to feature prominently in discussions at the Sir Bani Yas Forum.
Israel invaded the enclave last year after Hamas-led gunmen attacked communities in southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people, according to Israeli authorities, and abducting more than 250 as hostages. Since then, the Israeli campaign has killed more than 43,500 people, according to Gaza health authorities, and destroyed much of the enclave’s infrastructure, forcing most of the 2.3 million population to move several times.
The issue was also at the center of the agenda at the recently concluded Joint Arab-Islamic Summit hosted by Saudi Arabia, with Baloch welcoming the resolution adopted by the summit, which, among other issues, called on the UN Security Council to impose an arms embargo on Israel and asked it to set up an independent investigation committee to investigate Israeli crimes including genocide, forced disappearances, torture and ethnic cleansing.
Commenting on recently signed investment agreements and memorandums of understanding (MoUs) worth over $2.8 billion between Pakistani and Saudi companies, the spokesperson said the deals were crucial for “sustaining economic and investment collaboration” between the two close allies.
“They [MoUs] are a reflection of the enhanced cooperation between our two countries in the economic domain,” Baloch added.
In response to a question about reports that the UAE had implemented a visa ban for Pakistanis, the spokesperson said:
“First, I would like to reiterate that according visa to any individual is the sovereign right and decision of the country concerned and secondly, we do not subscribe to this impression that there is a ban on visa for Pakistani nationals.”
The spokesperson’s comments follow widespread media reports of a decline in visas for Pakistanis by the UAE and a decrease in overall overseas employment for nationals of Pakistan, allegedly due to their lack of respect for local laws and customs and for participating in political activities and sloganeering while abroad.
“If there are any issues that arise with respect to issuance of visas and stay of Pakistani nationals in the UAE,” Baloch said, “that are important agenda items between Pakistan and the UAE and we continue to discuss them.”
Lahore most polluted city on earth, Agra’s toxic smog hides Taj Mahal
- Smog obscured India’s famed monument to love, the Taj Mahal, and Sikhism’s holiest shrine, Golden Temple in Amritsar
- Delhi flights faced delays, with tracking website Flightradar24 showing 88 percent departures and 54% of arrivals were delayed
NEW DELHI: Toxic smog obscured India’s famed monument to love, the Taj Mahal, as well as Sikhism’s holiest shrine, the Golden Temple in Amritsar, and delayed flights on Thursday, becoming too thick to see through in several places.
The city of Lahore in neighboring Pakistan ranked as the world’s most polluted in winter’s annual scourge across the region, worsened by dust, emissions, and smoke from fires burnt illegally in India’s farming states of Punjab and Haryana.
In the city of Agra, the Taj Mahal was barely visible from the gardens in front of the 17th-century monument, while dense fog wreathed worshippers at the Golden Temple in Punjab, television images showed.
Delhi flights faced delays, with tracking website Flightradar24 showing 88 percent of departures and 54 percent of arrivals were delayed.
Officials blamed high pollution, combined with humidity, becalmed winds and a drop in temperature for the smog, which cut visibility to 300 m (980 ft) at the city’s international airport, which diverted flights in zero visibility on Wednesday.
More patients flocked to hospitals, particularly children.
“There has been a sudden increase in children with allergies, cough and cold ... and a rise in acute asthma attacks,” Sahab Ram, a paediatrician in Punjab’s Fazilka region, told news agency ANI.
Delhi’s minimum temperature fell to 16.1 degrees Celsius (61°F) on Thursday from 17 degrees C (63 degrees F) the previous day, weather officials said.
Its pollution ranked in the ‘severe’ category for the second consecutive day, with a score of 430 on an index of air quality maintained by the top pollution panel that rates a score of zero to 50 as ‘good’.
Pollution in New Delhi is likely to stay in the ‘severe’ category on Friday, the earth sciences ministry said, before improving to ‘very poor’, or an index score of 300 to 400.
The number of farm fires to clear fields in northern India has risen steadily this week to almost 2,300 on Wednesday from 1,200 on Monday, the ministry’s website showed.
Lahore, the capital of Pakistan’s eastern province of Punjab, was rated the world’s most polluted city on Thursday, in live rankings kept by Swiss group IQAir. Authorities there have also battled hazardous air this month.
