ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani Foreign Office, on Thursday, released a statement lauding Saudi Arabia’s announcement to initiate indictment proceedings against those responsible for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
According to the statement, “Pakistan notes with appreciation the announcement by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to initiate the process of indictment of those responsible for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.”
The Saudi government on Thursday called for the death penalty against five people accused of murdering the journalist inside the Kingdom’s Istanbul consulate on October 2. The journalist, who was a Washington Post contributor, was killed by lethal injection after a struggle, and his body was dismembered and taken out of the building, Shalaan Al-Shalaan, deputy public prosecutor and spokesman, told reporters in Riyadh on Thursday.
Khashoggi’s body parts were then handed over to a local Turkish agent outside the consulate grounds, the spokesman said as he outlined the public prosecutor’s findings in the investigation.
He added that a sketch of the agent has been prepared and will be handed over to the Turkish authorities.
Islamabad lauded the efforts being made by Riyadh, as have been mutually reaffirmed by both Saudi Arabia and Turkey. “Commencement of this process demonstrates the resolve and commitment of the Saudi authorities to hold the culprits and their associates to account,” said the FO statement.
Islamabad lauds Riyadh’s resolve to initiate proceedings against Khashoggi murder culprits
Islamabad lauds Riyadh’s resolve to initiate proceedings against Khashoggi murder culprits
- Saudi government called for the death penalty against five people accused of murdering the journalist
- Announcement has been mutually reaffirmed by both Saudi Arabia and Turkey
Bangladesh approves new rice imports from Pakistan amid price pressures
- The deal follows Bangladesh’s resumption of direct rice trade with Pakistan earlier this year for the first time since independence in 1971
- Diplomatic ties between the two nations have improved since the ouster of prime minister Sheikh Hasina after mass protests last year
DHAKA: Bangladesh has approved the import of 50,000 metric tons of white rice from Pakistan under a government-to-government deal as part of efforts to stabilize domestic prices, officials said on Tuesday.
The Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase cleared the deal at $395 per ton, reinforcing Dhaka’s renewed trade engagement with Islamabad.
Rice prices in Bangladesh have jumped by between 15 percent and 20 percent over the past year, with medium-quality rice selling at about 80 taka ($0.66) per kilogram. Despite increased imports and the removal of duties to ease supply constraints, prices for the staple grain remain stubbornly high.
The deal follows Bangladesh’s resumption of direct rice trade with Pakistan earlier this year for the first time since independence in 1971. In February, it imported 50,000 tons of rice from Pakistan at $499 per ton under a similar agreement.
Diplomatic ties between the two South Asian nations have improved since an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus took office after mass protests forced then prime minister Sheikh Hasina to flee to neighboring India last year.
Formerly East Pakistan, Bangladesh gained independence after a nine-month war in 1971, and relations with Pakistan have remained fraught in the decades since the conflict.
Separately, the government approved another 50,000 tons of parboiled rice through an international tender, part of a series of recent purchases aimed at cooling local prices. India’s Pattabhi Agro Foods secured the contract with the lowest bid of $355.77 per ton.
