ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry announced on Thursday that Islamabad and Saudi Arabia have signed three major investment deals for China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects.
He told the media: “Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have inked three agreements for grants. The first delegation from Saudi Arabia, comprising the chief of its investment and petroleum ministers, will be arriving in Pakistan on Sunday.”
Earlier, Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki, Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan, said that Islamabad and Riyadh have shared grief and joy together, and that the bonds of bilateral ties will be further strengthened through CPEC.
Al-Malki made his remarks as a chief guest at a ceremony organized by the International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI) to celebrate Saudi Arabia’s 88th National Day on Monday.
He thanked the management of IIUI for arranging the ceremony and hoped the university would soon get positive news from Saudi Arabia.
“The leaderships of both the countries agreed on bilateral minister-level talks for cooperation and soon the KSA delegation will meet the relevant government officials,” he said.
Saudi Arabia, Pakistan sign three deals on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor
Saudi Arabia, Pakistan sign three deals on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor
- The agreements will bring major investments to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects
- First delegation from KSA to arrive in Pakistan on Sunday
Over 4.8m captagon pills found hidden in Jeddah charcoal shipment
- Captagon is an addictive, amphetamine-type stimulant that is mass-produced in illicit factories
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority foiled an attempt to smuggle more than 4.8 million captagon pills through Jeddah’s port, hidden inside a shipment of charcoal.
The authority’s spokesperson Hamoud Al-Harbi said that a shipment arrived at the port, which, after being assessed by customs authorities, was found to contain a large amount of the illicit drug, hidden inside charcoal bags, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
After the pills were seized, the authority coordinated with the General Directorate of Narcotics Control to ensure that the intended recipients were arrested.
Al-Harbi added that ZATCA is working to tighten customs control on Saudi imports and exports and stands ready to combat smuggling.
He called on members of the public to contribute to the fight against smuggling.
ZATCA may be contacted for security reports by phone from inside the Kingdom at 1910, outside the Kingdom at +9661910, or by email at [email protected].
The authority receives reports related to smuggling crimes and violations of the customs system in complete confidentiality and offers financial rewards to any reports that are accurate.
Captagon is an addictive, amphetamine-type stimulant that is mass-produced in illicit factories.
It is simple to produce compared to other narcotics, and drug smugglers have found a market for the substance in the Gulf states.
Syria under Bashar Assad was one of the largest producers of captagon in the region.
When his government was overthrown in December 2024, one of the first steps taken by the new President Ahmed Al-Sharaa was to crack down on the production of captagon in Syria.
