ISLAMABAD: Dubai and Pakistan share many things: a Muslim majority, hot climate and a love of Pakistani fashion designers. However, when it comes to style, both countries have radically different approaches. Arab News spoke to prominent Pakistanis in the world of fashion to ask them what set Dubai style apart from Pakistan.
Jahanara Amin Mir, Lawyer, living in Dubai
"If we break it down, when I wake up in Pakistan my biggest struggle is how much skin can I show? Here in Dubai that hurdle does not exist. The first thing I think when I wake up is ‘ok, how do I want to express myself today?’
I love that I can go in a café and see someone in an abaya and underneath she has on high waisted pants and a crop top. I love that you can see someone in a bikini and then right next to that person is someone in a burkini swimming harmoniously in the same open water. As long as there is a modicum of respect of cultures, Dubai is very tolerant with respect to what people wear.
If you want to see true style you go out on the town in Dubai on Thursday Night and see how local women dress up and how much thought they put in their bags and shoes, because that is the only way they can express themselves if they are going to wear an abaya. The way they do their hair and nails they pay attention to details that you don’t really pay attention to in other countries.
Dubai gets a bad rep in terms of style, people assume you have to dress head to toe in designer labels and that is not the case at all. It’s not superficial what struck me, was when I moved here is I work with people from Africa, Australia, and Europe and their aesthetics are drawn from their home countries and that is what is beautiful and diverse and amazing about their style here. It is not uniform, it is not one flavour.
In Pakistan we don’t necessarily have that diversity on the streets. What I love about style in Pakistan is people do not take themselves that seriously, they are just naturally beautiful, so they rock shalwar kameez, throw on some kajol and light jewellery and that’s their form of expression. When I go to Pakistan I focus on the simplicity. The playfulness of Dubai is what I love about it. I can be simple if I want. I can be understated the top and wear a gown if I want to and no one will really bat and eye because it’s Dubai and that is freeing and colourful about style here.”
Zahra Raza, Founder Luxury Boulevard and Popsicle Pop Up Concept, living in Dubai
“Living in Dubai, is having best of both worlds. It’s as eastern or as western you want it to be be it food, culture or entertainment. It’s very different from Pakistan in terms of safety, quality of life and the most importantly, the law is the same for all expats.
Fashion in Dubai is incredible because you see all kinds of people, wearing Abaya or no Abaya, everyone is accepted. People are aware of new trends and are very fashion conscious, one has access to international luxury brands and high street brands. For me who was working their full time, was easy to purchase suits for work meeting, or casual clothes just for a coffee with friends. You work hard but you have access to the top restaurants, fashion stores, lifestyle products, high quality cinemas, malls and most of all safety.”
Sabah Malik, College Graduate living in the UAE
"Being in Dubai I have found that you have to keep up with trends or else you will stick out for the wrong reasons. Dubai style is very ‘this outfit needs to be instagram worthy.’ I feel like that is a lot of peoples’ first priority when it comes to style, sure everyone has their own personal fashion preferences and their own unique taste but I feel like it is all still the ‘same’ if that makes sense. From what I’ve seen in Pakistan and on social media from stylish Pakistani accounts it is more mixed and less of just one “style.” Pakistan has a more of a ‘I want to wear this so I will’ mentality which I personally prefer, it doesn’t seem like everyone’s trying to compete or follow the latest trends and evidently dress the same as each other.”
Meeral Khan, Marketing Manager, living in Dubai
“Fashion in Dubai has a massive range of eastern and western wear. Even if you look at the abaya, you have traditional abayas and then people who will add an element of style into their abayas, whether this is through different sleeves or patterns and designs on the abaya itself. In Pakistan, generally speaking, a vast majority of people tend to wear regionally inspired outfits, there is less western wear culture than in Dubai.
I believe women in both countries take their aesthetic and expression seriously and place huge importance on style, through designer fashion, hair & makeup both.
Style even down to home decor differs. There are two styles in Dubair, opulent classic, with a love of gold and being a new city, the ultra modern look. People also tend to update very rapidly. Whereas in Pakistan, it’s generally more subtle, and you have more of a mix of modern and classic. Dubai being a place of experimentation, pushes boundaries in terms of architecture and design more.”
Three Dubai-based fashionistas explain style differences between Pakistan and the UAE
Three Dubai-based fashionistas explain style differences between Pakistan and the UAE
- The two countries share a Muslim majority, hot climate and a love of Pakistani fashion designers
- But when it comes to style, both countries have radically different approaches
IMF expected to conclude final review today of Pakistan’s $3 billion loan program
- IMF delegation arrived in Pakistan last week to carry out second and final review of its loan program
- Pakistan, IMF to discuss letter of intent, staff-level agreement today, says finance ministry official
ISLAMABAD: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) will conclude its review of Pakistan’s $3 billion short-term bailout program today, Tuesday, which was due to be completed on Monday, a Pakistani finance ministry official said amid Islamabad’s efforts to avoid a macroeconomic crisis and stabilize its fragile $350 billion economy.
The finance ministry official, who spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the media, said the visiting IMF delegation had decided to extend the deadline by a day on Monday as the review agenda couldn’t be completed in the scheduled period.
The IMF team arrived in Pakistan last week to carry out the second and final review under the short-term loan program secured by Islamabad last summer. Pakistan has said it has met all the structural benchmarks and targets set by the lender, hoping that a successful completion of the evaluation will be followed by the release of a remaining tranche of around $1.1 billion.
“The review agenda couldn’t be completed in the scheduled period, therefore the mission has extended it for a day for now,” the official told Arab News on Monday. “The letter of intent and staff-level agreement will be discussed tomorrow [Tuesday] now.”
Islamabad has expressed its interest in securing a new loan under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) program as it continues to carry out reforms to strengthen its debt-ridden economy.
On Monday, Pakistani financial authorities briefed the IMF mission on the country’s annual taxation targets, ways to abolish subsidies in different sectors, digitization of the tax system and expansion in the tax net, the official said.
“At the moment, Pakistan has been lagging on two fronts that are digitization of the taxation and bringing over 3 million retailers in the tax net,” he said. “The FBR has signed a memorandum this week for the digitization while the work on bringing the retailers into the tax net is underway.”
The global lender wants Pakistan to continue the economic stabilization and reforms agenda “till negotiation of the new loan program,” the official added.
Citing officials, Pakistani state media last week reported that Islamabad’s talks with the global lender for the second review of the ongoing program were “progressing positively.”
Pakistan secured the $3 billion IMF program in last June after it narrowly escaped a sovereign default. Its economy has been under extreme stress with low reserves, a balance of payment crisis, inflation at 23 percent, policy interest rates at 22 percent and record local currency depreciation.
Washington urges Pakistan to ‘exercise restraint’ following Afghanistan airstrikes
- White House official Karine Jean-Pierre urges Taliban to ensure “terrorist attacks” are not launched from Afghan soil
- Pakistan conducted airstrikes in Afghanistan’s Khost and Paktika provinces on Monday against alleged militant targets
ISLAMABAD: The White House this week urged Pakistan to exercise restraint and the Afghan Taliban to rein in militants from launching cross-border attacks, as tensions escalated between Islamabad and Kabul following Pakistan’s airstrikes in neighboring Afghanistan on Monday.
Pakistan conducted airstrikes in Afghanistan’s Khost and Paktika provinces early Monday against what it said were militant targets. The move infuriated the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan, which said the strikes killed five women and three children, prompting their forces to fire at Pakistani forces along the border.
The incursions occurred at a time when relations between the two neighbors have been soured by an increase in militant attacks in Pakistan that Islamabad has blamed on militant groups operating from Afghanistan. Kabul denies the use of its soil against any country.
In a press briefing to reporters, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Washington deeply regrets the loss of lives and injuries sustained during Saturday’s attack on Pakistani security forces, which saw seven soldiers killed in the country’s northwest. She also regretted the loss of civilian lives during the strikes in Afghanistan.
“We urge the Taliban to ensure that terrorist attacks are not launched from Afghan soil,” Jean-Pierre told reporters on Monday. “We urge Pakistan to exercise restraint and ensure civilians are not harmed in their counterterrorism efforts.”
The White House official urged both sides to resolve their differences through dialogue.
“We remain committed to ensuring that Afghanistan never again becomes a safe haven for terrorists who wish to harm United States or our other partners or allies,” she said.
Pakistan has witnessed a surge in militant attacks, particularly in its western provinces of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa bordering Afghanistan, after the Pakistani Taliban called off a fragile truce with Islamabad in Nov. 2022.
In a separate development, US Ambassador to Pakistan Donald Blome extended his condolences over the loss of lives of Pakistani soldiers in Saturday’s attack in the North Waziristan district. The remarks came after his meeting with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari.
“The Ambassador conveyed his condolences for the loss of Pakistani soldiers in the recent terrorist attack in Waziristan and assured the President the United States stands with Pakistan in its fight against terrorism,” the US embassy said in a statement.
The two figures discussed a broad range of issues, including US support for continued economic reforms, human rights, and regional security, as well as the two countries’ shared interests and goals, it added.
Bangladesh, Pakistan and India bottom in air quality rankings in 2023 — data
- Pakistan remained one of the world’s three smoggiest countries in 2023
- Concentrations of PM2.5 reached 73.7, WHO recommends 5 micrograms
SINGAPORE: Pakistan remained one of the world’s three smoggiest countries in 2023, as Bangladesh and India replaced Chad and Iran, with particulate matter about 15 times the level recommended by the World Health Organization, data published on Tuesday showed.
Average concentrations of PM2.5 — small airborne particles that damage the lungs — reached 79.9 micrograms per cubic meter in Bangladesh in 2023, and 73.7 micrograms in Pakistan. The WHO recommends no more than 5 micrograms.
“Because of the climate conditions and the geography (in South Asia), you get this streak of PM2.5 concentrations that just skyrocket because the pollution has nowhere to go,” said Christi Chester Schroeder, air quality science manager at IQAir, a Swiss air-monitoring organization.
“On top of that are factors such as agricultural practices, industry and population density,” she added. “Unfortunately, it really does look like it will get worse before it gets better.”
In 2022, Bangladesh was ranked as having the fifth-worst air quality, and India was eighth.
About 20 percent of premature deaths in Bangladesh are attributed to air pollution, and related health care costs amount to 4 percent-5 percent of the country’s GDP, said Md Firoz Khan, an air pollution expert at Dhaka’s North South University.
Indian pollution also increased last year, with PM2.5 levels about 11 times higher than the WHO standard. India’s New Delhi was the worst-performing capital city, at 92.7 micrograms.
China also saw PM2.5 rise 6.3 percent to 32.5 micrograms last year, after five consecutive annual declines.
Only Australia, Estonia, Finland, Grenada, Iceland, Mauritius and New Zealand met WHO standards in 2023.
The IQAir report was based on data from more than 30,000 monitoring stations in 134 countries and regions.
Chad, the world’s most polluted country in 2022, was excluded from the 2023 listings because of data issues. Iran and Sudan were also taken off the 2023 list.
Christa Hasenkopf, director of the Air Quality Life Index at the University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute, said 39 percent of countries have no public air quality monitoring.
“Considering the large potential benefits and relatively low cost, it’s stunning that we don’t have an organized global effort to deploy resources to close these data gaps, especially in places where the health burden of air pollution has been largest,” she said.
Islamabad United beat Multan Sultans in last-ball thriller to clinch third PSL title
IMF extends review of Pakistan’s $3 billion bailout program by a day
- An IMF team arrived in Pakistan last week to carry out the second and final review of last year’s $3 billion bailout program
- Official says Pakistan currently lagging on two fronts that are digitization of taxation, bringing over 3 million retailers in tax net
ISLAMABAD: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has extended by a day its review of Pakistan’s $3 billion bailout program that was due to conclude on Monday, a Pakistani finance ministry official told Arab News, amid Islamabad’s efforts to avoid a macroeconomic crisis and stabilize the fragile $350 billion economy.
An IMF team arrived in Pakistan last week to carry out the second and final review under the short-term loan program secured by Islamabad last summer. Pakistan has said it has met all the structural benchmarks and targets set by the lender, hoping that a successful completion of the evaluation will be followed by the release of a remaining tranche of around $1.1 billion.
The South Asian country has also expressed its interest in getting a new loan under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) program as it continues to carry out reforms to strengthen its debt-ridden economy.
However, an official of the Pakistani finance ministry, who requested anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to media, said on Monday night the two sides could not complete the review agenda in the stipulated timeframe.
“The review agenda couldn’t be completed in the scheduled period, therefore the mission has extended it for a day for now,” the official said. “The letter of intent and staff-level agreement will be discussed tomorrow now.”
On Monday, Pakistani financial authorities briefed the IMF mission on the country’s annual taxation targets, ways to abolish subsidies in different sectors, digitization of the tax system and expansion in the tax net, according to the official.
“At the moment, Pakistan has been lagging on two fronts that are digitization of the taxation and bringing over 3 million retailers in the tax net,” he said. “The FBR has signed a memorandum this week for the digitization while the work on bringing the retailers into the tax net is underway.”
The global lender wants Pakistan to continue the economic stabilization and reforms agenda “till negotiation of the new loan program,” the official added.
Citing officials, Pakistani state media last week reported that Islamabad’s talks with the global lender for the second review of the ongoing program were “progressing positively.”
“Pakistan will move forward on the path of development and witness growth,” Information Minister Attaullah Tarar was quoted as saying by the state-run Radio Pakistan broadcaster. “Decisions of this government will yield positive results.”
Pakistan secured the $3 billion IMF program in last June after it narrowly escaped a sovereign default. Its debt-ridden economy has been under extreme stress with low reserves, a balance of payment crisis, inflation at 23 percent, policy interest rates at 22 percent and record local currency depreciation.