ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s upcoming four-day visit to China next week will prioritize meetings with top companies and investors, Pakistan’s foreign office said on Friday, highlighting the focus on strengthening economic ties between the two nations.

Earlier today, the PM asked Pakistani officials to carve out a “comprehensive plan” for business-to-business (B2B) engagements during his visit to China on June 4-8 as the South Asian country seeks to woo Chinese investors.

Sharif’s visit comes at a time when Pakistan is looking to boost foreign investment to support its fragile economy after averting a default last year, thanks to a $3 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout.

“An important aspect of the PM’s visit will be meetings with corporate executives of leading Chinese companies dealing in oil and gas, energy, ICT [information and communication technology], and emerging technologies,” foreign office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said.

She informed during her weekly media briefing Sharif would visit Beijing, Xi’an and Shenzhen, adding he would hold delegation-level talks with President Xi Jinping, Prime Minister Li Qiang, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress Zhao Leji and heads of key government departments.

She said the PM would also address the Pakistan-China Business Forum attended by leading businesspeople, entrepreneurs and investors from both countries. He would also visit the economic and agricultural zones in China.

Baloch noted the cooperation between the two states during the visit would set the future trajectory of the Pakistan-China strategic partnership.

COUNTERTERRORISM

Asked if Islamabad had officially urged Beijing to talk to Kabul about the terror threat Pakistan faced, she said both countries had several channels of communication where everything including terrorism was discussed.

“So, these talks continue,” she said. “I am not in a position to share internal deliberations and privileged diplomatic conversations. Pakistan and China have been discussing issues relating to terrorism, relating to security of Chinese nationals in the country.”

The spokesperson informed the two countries had agreed to further strengthen cooperation in counterterrorism and security through a comprehensive approach.

“We have made a clear public statement about how we will work together to combat terrorism,” she added. “No attempt to undermine our cooperation and friendship will ever succeed.”

Earlier today, Pakistan’s interior secretary Muhammad Khurram Agha held a meeting with Afghanistan’s interim deputy interior minister Muhammad Nabi Omari in Kabul and shared with him findings of a March 26 suicide attack in northwest Pakistan that killed the five Chinese nationals and their Pakistani driver.

The Chinese workers were killed when a suicide bomber rammed his car into their vehicle while they were on their way to the Dasu hydropower project in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Islamabad blamed the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) for the attack, with Pakistan’s interior minister saying last week the bombing was coordinated by TTP members from Afghanistan, asking Kabul to arrest and hand over the suspects involved in the crime.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s religious affairs ministry said on Friday it was implementing a comprehensive transportation plan to ensure the smooth and comfortable travel of pilgrims within the holy city of Makkah by hiring 300 luxury buses.

Pilgrims from across the world are accommodated in various neighborhoods around Makkah during the Hajj season, with governments and private tour operators arranging their accommodations and providing transportation services to facilitate easier commuting to and from the Grand Mosque.

This arrangement is especially important given the huge influx of people in the city and the logistical challenges it presents.

Additionally, other forms of public transportation like taxis can become more expensive in Makkah due to the increased demand in the Hajj season. The provision of buses and other dedicated transport services can help mitigate these costs for pilgrims, making their overall experience more manageable financially and logistically.

“The government has hired 300 luxury buses to transport pilgrims from their residences directly to the Haram [Grand Mosque] in Makkah, Saudi Arabia,” the ministry informed in a statement. “The bus service is available around the clock in order to provide pilgrims with the flexibility to travel at their convenience.”

The ministry said bus stops had been constructed at four entry points surrounding the mosque to ensure efficient and organized transportation.

The pick-and-drop locations, it continued, were designated to ensure a smooth flow of traffic and minimize any congestion in the area.

“The government has assigned guides to assist pilgrims throughout their journey to further enhance the travel experience,” the statement added. “These guides help pilgrims travel through their designated routes, ensuring that they reach their destination without any difficulties.”

The ministry maintained it wanted a hassle-free transportation plan to ensure the pilgrims focused on their worship while carrying out their spiritual journey.

Over 42,000 Pakistani pilgrims have so far arrived in Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj.

The country has a Hajj quota of 179,210 pilgrims, of which around 70,000 people will perform the pilgrimage under the government scheme, while the rest will benefit from private tour operators.

The annual pilgrimage this year is expected to run from June 14 till June 19.