ISLAMABAD: Over 3,300 Pakistani companies joined the Dubai Chamber of Commerce (DCC) in the first quarter of 2023, confirmed the country’s top diplomat in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Friday, adding the development reflected the dynamism of Pakistani businesses and the increasing attractiveness of the UAE as an investment destination.
A total of 30,146 new companies joined the DCC during the first quarter, the chamber said in a statement issued this week. India topped the list with 6,717 new companies, followed by the UAE which registered 4,445 firms. Pakistan ranked third with 3,395 new business entities securing the DCC membership, showing a 59 percent increase from the first quarter of the last year. Overall, the number of Pakistani companies with the DCC has reached 40,315.
A statement quoted Mohammad Ali Rashed Lootah, the DCC president and CEO, as saying that the diversity of nationalities represented among the new companies highlighted the vibrancy of Dubai’s dynamic business environment.
“It is indeed a positive development that underscores the resilience and entrepreneurial potential of the Pakistani business community and diaspora,” Ambassador Faisal Niaz Tirmizi told Arab News over the phone from Abu Dhabi.
He said the development also underscored the strong economic fundamentals of UAE’s economy.
“UAE, under its able leadership, is focused on diversifying its economy through global economic partnerships and will present profitable business opportunities in different sectors in the medium term,” the envoy continued, adding that Dubai was an ideal place from where Pakistan could do business with other Gulf states and the rest of the Middle East.
“During the last year, the number of Pakistani expatriates increased from around 1.6 million to 1.8 million in the Emirates,” he informed while pointing out that Pakistanis were participating in every sector of UAE’s economy.
Tirmizi mentioned that many of those who had arrived in the Gulf country were entrepreneurs, doctors, engineers, bankers, and laborers.
Pakistan’s diplomatic mission facilitated the country’s businesses by maintaining an active liaison with the DCC and sharing new opportunities with the chambers in back home along with members of the Pakistani diaspora.
“In recent years, our trade linkages with the UAE have further expanded, which has encouraged entrepreneurs and businesses based in Pakistan to establish local offices and also register themselves with local chambers,” the ambassador said.
He noted the mission had played its due role in facilitating trade by addressing issues such as the non-tariff barriers.
The embassy also brought several Pakistani firms, belonging to healthcare, food, information technology, tourism and other sectors, to attend trade fairs.
“These events provide entrepreneurs with much needed exposure to markets in the UAE, and many businesses have subsequently established their presence in Dubai,” he added.
Tirmizi said the Pakistani mission had also played its role in fast-tracking a bilateral economic partnership agreement with the UAE which would be signed by the end of September.
“This agreement presents potential opportunities in both goods and services sectors,” he informed. “Businesses, it seems, are positioning themselves to take full advantage of this partnership.”
Speaking to Arab News, Fakhruddin Diwan, chairman of the Pakistan-UAE business council at the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), agreed the inclusion of more Pakistani companies in the DCC was a huge achievement.
“With this opening of the UAE market for Pakistani products, we will automatically be able to strengthen our foreign reserves due to an increase in exports,” he told Arab News.
He maintained that Dubai was a hub of international activities and tourism, adding it would also increase the exposure of Pakistani companies to a much wider consumer base across the globe.
Pakistan records over 3,300 company registrations in Dubai Chamber of Commerce in 2023
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Pakistan records over 3,300 company registrations in Dubai Chamber of Commerce in 2023
- Business community says the development has opened the entire Middle Eastern market to Pakistani products
- Pakistan registered the third highest number of companies with the DCC after India and the United Arab Emirates
Gunmen kill journalist in southwestern Pakistan
- Latif Baloch, who worked for a national news channel and a local newspaper, was killed in Awaran district
- According to Freedom Network Pakistan, 53 journalists were killed in the country between 2012 and 2022
QUETTA: Unknown armed men stormed a house in Balochistan’s Awaran district in the early hours of Saturday and killed a journalist working for a mainstream news channel and a local newspaper, a Levies official said.
The killing took place in Mashkay, a remote town in the mountainous Awaran district, regarded as a stronghold of Baloch separatist groups, particularly the Baloch Liberation Front (BLF).
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest but least developed province, is home to a separatist insurgency led by ethnic Baloch groups, which Islamabad accuses of being backed by India.
New Delhi denies the allegation.
Earlier this month, Pakistan blamed India for a deadly attack on a school van in Khuzdar district that killed eight people, including six schoolchildren.
Zulqarnain Baloch, a Levies official in Mashkay, told Arab News that unidentified gunmen entered journalist Latif Baloch’s house at 3 a.m. and shot him dead while he was asleep with his family.
“The attackers only targeted him,” he said, adding: “Motives behind the murder are being investigated.”
According to the Press Freedom Network, an advocacy organization for media rights in Pakistan, 53 journalists were killed in the country between 2012 and 2022.
Hameedullah Sherani, the network’s provincial coordinator in Balochistan, said journalists in the province face serious threats while carrying out their work.
“Journalists in Balochistan have been working under threats by the state and non-state actors,” he said. “More than 40 journalists in Balochistan have lost their lives in the line of duty over the last two decades.”
The Balochistan Union of Journalists (BUJ) strongly condemned the killing and called for a high-level investigation.
“The provincial government must arrest the attackers behind the killing of Latif Baloch,” said Khalil Ahmed, BUJ president. “Journalists are already facing severe threats in the sensitive region of Balochistan. The government has to take immediate action for the safety of working journalists.”
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, remains one of Pakistan’s most dangerous regions for journalists.
Pakistan’s Punjab reports eight deaths, 45 injuries in rain and storm-related incidents
- Deaths were primarily caused by collapsing dilapidated structures during extreme downpour in different cities
- A fresh advisory warns of potential damage to weak infrastructure as hail and heavy rain remain in forecast
KARACHI: Pakistan’s most populous Punjab province on Saturday released a preliminary report on damages caused by heavy rain and stormy weather, saying eight people were killed and 45 others injured in different cities as strong winds, lightning and hail battered parts of the country.
The report followed a weather alert issued a day earlier by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), warning of thunderstorms, gusty winds, dust storms and rain in parts of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Islamabad.
As the day progressed, heavy rain and hailstorms struck the federal capital and parts of KP after dark clouds gathered overhead. In Swat, torrential rain lashed the region with reports of hail in some areas and surging waters in local rivers and streams.
In Punjab’s major cities, including Rawalpindi, Sialkot, Jhelum and Lahore, the storm brought strong winds and poor visibility, prompting authorities to temporarily shut down sections of the motorway for safety.
“Eight citizens lost their lives and 45 others were injured due to storm and rain-related incidents,” the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) of Punjab said in a statement. “Fatalities occurred in Rawalpindi (1), Jhelum (3), Sheikhupura (1), Nankana Sahib (1), Sialkot (1) and Mianwali (1).”
The PDMA said deaths were primarily caused by collapsing dilapidated structures or being in unsafe locations during the storm. Heavy downpour damaged several mud and old brick houses in many of these places, while in Lahore, incidents of fallen trees and damaged solar panels were also reported.
According to PDMA Director General Irfan Ali Kathia, all district emergency operations centers have been activated, while the provincial control room is monitoring the situation round-the-clock.
“Citizens are advised to avoid unnecessary travel during severe weather and stay away from electric poles and hanging wires,” he warned.
“People should remain indoors during lightning storms and ensure children stay away from weak or damaged buildings,” he added.
Kathia said financial assistance would be provided to affected families in accordance with the provincial administration’s policy.
A fresh advisory issued Saturday evening by the National Weather Forecasting Center in Islamabad warned of potential damage to weak infrastructure, including electricity poles, trees, vehicles and solar panels, due to thunderstorms, hail and heavy rain expected overnight and into Sunday.
Pakistan has increasingly faced extreme weather events, including droughts, heatwaves and floods, linked to climate change. In 2022, it witnessed unprecedented monsoon rains that submerged much of the country, killing about 1,700 people and causing infrastructure losses exceeding $35 billion.
WWF-Pakistan hails community-led efforts to protect markhor on international awareness day
- Markhors are large wild goats native to the mountainous regions of South and Central Asia
- They are Pakistan’s national animal and are currently listed as ‘Near Threatened’ by IUCN
KARACHI: A leading conservation group in Pakistan on Saturday praised local communities for helping protect the endangered markhor species, saying people’s efforts had reversed population decline and expanded habitat ranges, as the country marked the International Day of the Markhor.
Markhors are large wild goats native to the mountainous regions of South and Central Asia, including Pakistan, Afghanistan, India and parts of the Himalayan range. They are Pakistan’s national animal and are currently listed as “Near Threatened” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the world’s oldest and largest global environmental network, due to habitat loss, poaching and human disturbance.
The World Wide Fund for Nature’s Pakistan office (WWF-Pakistan) credited close coordination between communities, conservationists and government departments in regions such as Gilgit-Baltistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan for positive conservation outcomes.
“Through capacity-building programs and engagement of local communities in conservation initiatives, a positive population trend has been observed in the markhor species,” it said in a statement.
Observed annually on May 24, the International Day of the Markhor was designated by the United Nations General Assembly in 2024 to raise awareness of the species’ ecological importance and the need for its protection.
“Conservation is not just about saving a species, but it is about preserving our shared future in harmony with nature,” said Hammad Naqi Khan, Director General of WWF-Pakistan.
The organization noted the International Day of the Markhor was an opportunity to recognize the ecological value of mountain landscapes, raise awareness of conservation challenges and honor the communities that helped pull the species back from the brink of extinction.
Pakistan tells UN India politicizing river flows by halting Indus treaty
- Ambassador Usman Jadoon calls access to clean water a fundamental human right
- He says India announced treaty suspension to cut off the lifeline of 240 million people
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan told a United Nations forum this week India was using river waters as a political weapon by suspending the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), warning that Islamabad would not allow New Delhi to cut off the lifeline of 240 million people or turn water into a tool of coercion.
The remarks came during an Arria-formula meeting of the UN Security Council, an informal session allowing open discussion on pressing international issues. The forum was held as tensions escalated following India’s decision to suspend the 1960 IWT.
While New Delhi has cited a recent militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir to justify the move, Islamabad has denied any involvement and warned that blocking Pakistan’s access to river waters threatens regional stability and violates international law.
Addressing the forum on Friday, Ambassador Usman Jadoon, Pakistan’s deputy permanent representative to the UN, emphasized that access to clean water was a fundamental human right. He condemned India’s actions, pointing out the suspension of the IWT constitutes a grave violation of international law.
“India’s decision to illegally and unilaterally suspend the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, aiming to impede the flow of water guaranteed to Pakistan under the Treaty, is a grave violation of international law, including human rights law, the treaty law and customary international law,” Jadoon said.
He further criticized statements from Indian leadership suggesting intentions to “starve the people of Pakistan,” describing such rhetoric as dangerous and perverse.
Jadoon called upon India to adhere to its legal obligations and refrain from actions that could disrupt the flow of rivers vital to Pakistan’s population.
“We strongly condemn India’s unlawful announcement to hold the Treaty in abeyance and call upon India to strictly abide by its legal obligations and refrain from stopping, diverting or restricting rivers that are a lifeline for 240 million people of Pakistan,” he continued. “We will never accept any such moves.”
The IWT, brokered by the World Bank in 1960, has been a cornerstone of water-sharing between the two nations. Its suspension marks a significant escalation in India-Pakistan relations, with potential implications for regional stability and humanitarian concerns.
Pakistan to cancel passports, register cases against deported citizens
- Move follows Middle East complaints over Pakistani nationals involved in begging
- A committee has also been tasked with strengthening passport rules and regulations
KARACHI: Pakistan’s federal government on Saturday decided to take stringent measures against its citizens deported from other countries for illegal activities by canceling their passports and registering criminal charges, in a bid to curb a growing issue that officials say is tarnishing the country’s international image.
The move follows mounting complaints, particularly from Middle Eastern countries, about public begging and undocumented migration involving Pakistani nationals.
The decision was made at a high-level meeting chaired by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi in Islamabad.
“It was decided during the meeting that FIRs [First Information Reports] would be registered against deported individuals and their passports would also be canceled,” an official statement released after the meeting said. “The deportees would be placed on the Passport Control List for five years.”
Earlier this year, Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) said approximately 4,000 beggars had been deported by Saudi Arabia from 2022 until the end of 2024.
“Deportees are causing embarrassment for Pakistan at international level,” Naqvi said. “Thus, no leniency will be shown to them in the future.”
To further tighten passport regulations, the interior ministry also formed a committee led by the interior secretary.
According to the statement, the committee has been tasked with proposing reforms to strengthen the passport issuance process and enforce stricter scrutiny.
Last month, over 100 Pakistanis deported from various European countries arrived in Islamabad, with officials indicating that many had been involved in fraudulent or undocumented migration.
The latest measures build on earlier actions by the interior ministry aimed at discouraging illegal migration and curbing human trafficking.
Naqvi had previously announced plans to block the issuance of new travel documents to deportees and crack down on travel agents implicated in human smuggling.
