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Saudi deputy defense minister meets Pakistani PM, army chief

The Saudi Deputy Minister of Defense, Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, called on Prime Minister Imran Khan at Islamabad on 2nd March, 2020. (PID Photo)
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Updated 03 March 2020
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Saudi deputy defense minister meets Pakistani PM, army chief

  • The Saudi official appreciated Pakistan’s role played for regional peace and stability including in the Middle East
  • PM Khan appreciated unflinching Saudi support and highlighted worsening situation in Kashmir
Updated 03 March 2020
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The Saudi Deputy Minister of Defense, Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, called on Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday to discuss bilateral and regional affairs, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). 

During the meeting, “Prime Minister Imran Khan appreciated the growing economic ties between the two countries and the Saudi commitment for investment in diverse sectors,” the handout read.

The premier also recalled the “historic visit of Prince Mohammad bin Salman to Pakistan in 2019, and Saudi Arabia’s strong economic support for Pakistan particularly at the time of economic challenges.”

The Prime Minister highlighted the human rights violations and worsening situation in Indian-administered Kashmir. “He stressed the importance of the international community, including the Muslim world, playing its role in preventing the ongoing atrocities and promoting a peaceful solution of the Jammu & Kashmir dispute. In this regard, Saudi Arabia’s role as an important OIC member was also discussed,” the statement read.

He further said that “the Indian Government was engaged in systematic efforts to discriminate against, marginalize and disenfranchise minorities, particularly Muslims” while highlighting India’s controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the recent killings of Muslims in New.

The Saudi Deputy Minister of Defense, for his part, “conveyed cordial greetings of the Saudi leadership to Prime Minister Imran Khan and their deep appreciation for the role being played by Pakistan for regional peace and stability including in the Middle East. “He reaffirmed that Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, as long-standing partners, would always stand by each other.”

Later in the day, the visiting official called on Pakistan army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, at the General Head Quarters was presented Guard of Honour.

He was accompanied by a high-level delegation including General Fayiadh bin Hamed bin Raged Al-rowaily, Chief of General Staff (CGS), KSA and Major General (Engineer), Talal Abdullah Alotaibi, Military Adviser to HRH Minister of Defense KSA, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.

According to a statement issued by the military’s media wing, “Views were exchanged on issues of mutual interest including defense and security cooperation, measures to further enhance bilateral defense collaboration including Training Exchange Program and overall regional security situation including the situation in IOJ& K [Indian occupied Jammu & Kashmir].”

The visiting dignitary “acknowledged the professionalism of the Pakistan Army and thanked for the assistance provided, especially toward the training of Royal Saudi Armed Forces” through bilateral training cooperation.

“HRH, Prince Khalid Bin Salman vowed to extend full support to Pakistan’s efforts for peace in the region,” the ISPR said.

Topics: Pakistan Saudi Arabia

Egypt’s Zakaria beats Pakistan’s Iqbal to clinch international squash competition in Karachi

Updated 13 May 2024
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Egypt’s Zakaria beats Pakistan’s Iqbal to clinch international squash competition in Karachi

  • Mohamed Zakaria beat Nasir Iqbal 11-13, 11-4, 11-5 and 11-7 to clinch the international squash competition 
  • Five local players and 19 international ones participated in the CNS International Squash Competition in Karachi 
Updated 13 May 2024
Shahjahan Khurram

ISLAMABAD: Egypt’s Mohamed Zakaria defeated Pakistan’s Nasir Iqbal on Sunday to clinch the 16th Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) International Squash Championship 2024 in Karachi. 

Held in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi, five domestic and 19 international squash players participated in the championship. Competitors from Egypt, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Czech Republic, Japan, Germany, Great Britain and the Netherlands took part in the competition, Pakistan Army’s media wing said in a statement on Sunday. 

Zakaria beat Iqbal 11-13, 11-4, 11-5, and 11-7 to clinch the trophy and walk away with the lucrative prize money of $20,000. 

“Mohammed Zakaria of Egypt declared the winner of the 16th Chief of the Naval Staff International Squash Championship 2024,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the army’s media wing, said. 

The closing ceremony of the tournament was held at the Pakistan Navy Roshan Khan Jahangir Khan Squash Complex in Karachi. Pakistan Navy Chief Admiral Naveed Ashraf was the chief guest at the ceremony. 

“The naval chief distributed prizes to the winners and runners-up players of the championship,” the ISPR said, adding that the closing ceremony was attended by a large number of civil and military dignitaries, sponsors, national players and fans. 

Pakistan has always been counted among the world’s top squash-playing nations, introducing legendary players of the sport such as Jahangir Khan, Jansher Khan, Azam Khan, and Qamar Zaman to the world. Between themselves, Jansher Khan and Jahangir Khan won the World Squash Open title 14 times for Pakistan during the ‘80s and the ‘90s.

Topics: Egypt Pakistan

Pakistan’s deputy PM arrives in Beijing to bolster ties, enhance economic cooperation

Updated 37 min 7 sec ago
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Pakistan’s deputy PM arrives in Beijing to bolster ties, enhance economic cooperation

  • Ishaq Dar will co-chair strategic dialogue with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on four-day visit
  • Dar to meet Chinese leaders, senior ministers and corporate executive on sidelines of conference
Updated 37 min 7 sec ago
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar arrived in Beijing on Monday to take part in a strategic dialogue with Chinese FM Wang Yi, Pakistan’s foreign office said in a statement, with his four-day visit aimed at bolstering bilateral ties, enhancing economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.

Beijing has been one of Islamabad’s most reliable foreign partners in recent years, readily providing financial assistance to bail out its often-struggling neighbor. In July last year, China granted Pakistan a two-year rollover on a $2.4 billion loan, giving the debt-saddled nation much-needed breathing space as it tackled a balance-of-payments crisis.

Dar is on his first official trip to China since assuming the post of foreign minister and deputy prime minister. He will co-chair the fifth round of the Pakistan-China Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue with Yi, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said. 

“The Deputy Prime Minister will also hold meetings with Chinese leaders and senior officials and with prominent business enterprises,” MoFA said. 

The foreign office said in an earlier statement that Dar’s visit was part of regular high-level exchanges between both countries. 

“It reflects the importance attached by the two countries to further deepening the ‘All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership’; reaffirming mutual support on issues of core interest; enhancing economic and trade cooperation including CPEC; and reinforcing joint commitment to regional peace and development,” MoFA said on Saturday.

China has invested over $65 billion in energy and infrastructure projects as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The project is part of President Xi Jinping’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative. CPEC is designed to provide China with a shorter and safer trading route to the Middle East and beyond through Pakistan. 

Since its initiation in 2013, CPEC has seen tens of billions of dollars funneled into massive transport, energy and infrastructure projects. But the undertaking has also been hit by Pakistan struggling to keep up its financial obligations as well as attacks on Chinese targets by militants.

Dar’s visit to China takes place in the backdrop of Pakistan’s moves to seek foreign investment from its allies as it tries to navigate an economic crisis that has seen its reserves dip to low levels and its currency weaken against the dollar. 

Islamabad has seen visits by diplomatic and business delegations from Saudi Arabia, Japan and Uzbekistan in recent weeks. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has vowed to ensure an enabling business environment in Pakistan for foreign investors and traders.

Topics: Pakistan China Ties Ishaq Dar

PM summons meeting as Azad Kashmir protesters to resume march to capital over price hikes

Updated 1 min 57 sec ago
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PM summons meeting as Azad Kashmir protesters to resume march to capital over price hikes

  • One policeman has died in days-long protests over prices of wheat flour, electricity 
  • Both India and Pakistan rule part of Kashmir but claim the disputed valley in full 
Updated 1 min 57 sec ago
Shahjahan Khurram

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will chair a special meeting today, Monday, to discuss ongoing protests in Azad Kashmir, the portion of the disputed Himalayan valley administered by Pakistan, state media reported, with demonstrators expected to resume their march to the federal capital of Islamabad over the prices of wheat and power. 

The Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) is leading the protests and demanding subsidized wheat flour and that electricity prices be set as per the hydropower generation cost in Azad Kashmir. 

On Saturday, a policeman was killed in clashes between police and demonstrators as authorities blocked a rally from moving toward Azad Kashmir’s capital, Muzaffarabad, from the region’s Poonch and Kotli districts. Weekend talks between the JAAC core committee and AJK Chief Secretary Dawood Bareach in Rawalakot ended in a stalemate and a planned march by protesters to the capital is set to resume today. 

The Himalayan territory of Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since their independence from Britain in 1947, with both countries ruling part of the territory, but claiming it in full. The western portion of the larger Kashmir region is administered by Pakistan as a nominally self-governing entity while India rules the southern portion of the larger Kashmir region as a union territory. 

While the Indian portion has been an ongoing insurgency and multiple armed attempts by the state to quell it, the Pakistani side has remained relatively calm through the decades, though it is also highly militarized.

“Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has convened a high-level meeting on Monday, which will discuss the ongoing situation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir,” state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) said in a report.
 
In a separate post on social media platform X, Sharif warned protesters against taking the law into their own hands and damaging government buildings, calling on “all parties to resort to peaceful course of action for resolution of their demands.”

President Asif Ali Zardari has also urged restraint and called on stakeholders to resolve the price hike issue in Azad Kashmir through “dialogue and mutual consultation,” Pakistani state media said, reporting on a meeting between the president and a delegation of members of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly who called on him in Islamabad.

“The President said political parties, state institutions and the people of AJK should act responsibly so that hostile elements could not exploit the situation to their benefit,” the Radio Pakistan broadcaster reported.

“The President highlighted that the demands of the people of AJK should be addressed as per law. He said that he would take up the grievances of the people of AJK with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to find a way out of the current situation.”

Topics: Pakistan azad kashmir President Asif Ali Zardari Asif Ali Zardari Arab News Pakistan

Pakistan defeat Ireland to level T20 series

Updated 12 May 2024
AFP
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Pakistan defeat Ireland to level T20 series

  • Ireland made a dynamic start after being put into bat as the hosts blasted 29 runs in the first three overs
  • But Shaheen Shah Afridi put the brakes on Ireland’s assault, dismissing the opening pair in the fourth over
Updated 12 May 2024
AFP

LONDON: Pakistan beat Ireland by seven wickets in the second Twenty20 international in Dublin on Sunday to set up a deciding showdown in the three-match series.
Ireland made a dynamic start after being put into bat as the hosts blasted 29 runs in the first three overs.
But Shaheen Shah Afridi put the brakes on Ireland’s assault, dismissing opening pair Paul Stirling and Andrew Balbirnie in the fourth over.
Lorcan Tucker and Harry Tector (32) put on 62 for the third wicket, with the former scoring 51 in 34 deliveries.
Curtis Campher (22) and George Dockrell (15) boosted the score before Gareth Delany’s 28 off 10 balls helped the hosts post 193 for seven.
Pakistan spluttered at the start of their chase as Saim Ayub was caught in the first over and skipper Babar Azam nicked Graham Hume behind to depart for a duck in the second.
But Ireland’s hopes of sealing a famous series win with a game to spare were dashed as Mohammad Rizwan (75 not out) and Fakhar Zaman (78) put on a stunning 140-run partnership.
Azam Khan added 30 from 10 balls to take Pakistan home with 3.1 overs unused.
Ireland had claimed their first ever T20 victory against Pakistan in the series opener on Friday, winning by five wickets with one ball to spare.
Pakistan will also face Ireland in the group stage of next month’s T20 World Cup in the United States and the West Indies.

Topics: Pakistan vs Ireland

Former Pakistan finance minister announces forming new party ending months of speculation

Updated 12 May 2024
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Former Pakistan finance minister announces forming new party ending months of speculation

  • Miftah Ismail, who took tough decisions for resumption of Pakistan’s stalled $6 billion IMF bailout, was forced to step down in 2022
  • Former minister says they are forming a party based on ‘ideas and not personalities,’ with women and young people as part of leadership
Updated 12 May 2024
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Former Pakistan finance minister, Miftah Ismail, on Sunday announced forming a new political party that would be “internally democratic” and would speak for the “aspirations of all Pakistanis.”
Ismail, who took tough decisions for the resumption of the country’s stalled $6 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout, was forced to step down in September 2022 by the former coalition government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and with Ishaq Dar.
The former minister, along with other dissident politicians belonging to the then ruling coalition, kicked off a nationwide debate called “Reimagining Pakistan” in 2023, taking up a wide range of issues for discussion while expressing regret they were not adequately addressed earlier.
For the last several months, speculation had been rife that the former finance minister was planning to launch a new political group, which could be joined by former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and ex-senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokar.
On Sunday, Ismail said they were forming a party based on “ideas and not personalities,” with women and young people as part of the leadership team.
“We are forming a different kind of party... a party that has professionals of integrity, competence and intellectual honesty, a party that belongs not to a province or a city but to the whole nation, a party that will constitutionally mandate term limits for its leaders, be internally democratic, and would never consider any individual or family to be indispensable,” he said on X.
“Most importantly, a party that speaks for the hopes and aspirations of all Pakistanis.”
In an op-ed written for the English-language daily The News on Saturday, Ismail said for the first time ever, they were not just apprehensive but frightened about the future of Pakistan.
“Daily survival is getting harder and harder for our people, our already ineffective governance is getting even worse, and our nation is drifting backward as the rest of the world is marching forward,” he wrote.
“We are fast reaching the point of no return – and it is imperative we take a hard look at our ineffective governance that has failed our people. We need to radically restructure our governance so that we can finally give hope and opportunity to all our people.”
Pakistan has for months been faced with low foreign exchange reserves, currency devaluation and high inflation. The South Asian country last month completed a short-term $3 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) program, which helped stave off a sovereign default, but the incumbent government of PM Shehbaz Sharif has stressed the need for a fresh, longer-term program.
Pakistan and the IMF are expected to begin formal talks next week, with Islamabad saying it expects a staff-level agreement by July. Though both Pakistani and IMF officials have refrained from commenting on the size of the program, the South Asian nation is expected to seek around $7 billion bailout from the global lender.

Topics: Miftah Ismail

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