KARACHI: The Chief Justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar said Wednesday that Aasia Bibi should not be given asylum as sending her abroad would imply Pakistan had failed in its duty to protect the life and property of its citizens.
According to a report on news website Geo TV, Nisar advocated “maximum protection” for Bibi in Pakistan while he was interacting with a group of Pakistani parliamentarians in London. Nisar said the government must assert its sovereignty in such matters, warning there would otherwise be no end to such cases.
He said the justice system needed to be fixed so that ordinary citizens could get speedy and fair trials. He also added there was no evidence against Bibi, yet the judiciary took about eight years to exonerate her of blasphemy charges.
Prior to the chief justice’s remarks, the country’s foreign ministry spokesperson said Bibi was safe and secure in her homeland and Pakistan would continue to respect her legal rights.
Dr. Muhammad Faisal’s comments were a response to Missio, a church association which held a joint press conference with Bibi’s lawyer in Frankfurt and asked Germany to grant the 51-year-old woman asylum.
“Aasia Bibi is our citizen and Pakistan fully respects her legal rights,” Faisal said. Bibi, a Christian woman, was acquitted in a high-profile blasphemy case by Pakistan’s top court last month.
During the press conference Saiful Mulook, church officials and German MPs urged Germany to process the visas for Bibi and her family so that they could live in Europe.
“The MPs of the ruling party will meet the German foreign minister to request him to direct the ambassador in Islamabad to initiate the process to grant the visa to Aasia and her family,” Mulook told Arab News from Frankfurt. “Subsequently, she along with her entire family should be given German citizenship.”
“She has been acquitted by the apex court. [Anyone] filing a review petition doesn’t forbid her from flying abroad,” he argued, adding the judges had not yet suspended the verdict declaring her a free woman.
Faisal explained that a review petition had been filed, which would go through the due legal process. Mulook said that while Pakistan was taking care of her security, Bibi “needs to go abroad in order to live a free life.”
Speaking to reporters earlier, Mulook had said that Bibi would accept being granted asylum in any western country. “Talks are underway with several western countries,” he said.
“The judgment is fully in line with the law and constitution of the country, but the clerics and extreme factions caused such extreme violence that it brought the country to a standstill,” he added.
On October 31, the Supreme Court said it found Bibi not guilty, citing a lack of evidence in her case.
The decision prompted countrywide protests by the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan, a far-right Islamist group. The protests, which turned violent in some areas, compelled the government to strike a deal with the protesters.
State must protect Aasia Bibi, says chief justice
State must protect Aasia Bibi, says chief justice
- Bibi should not get asylum since that will imply ‘Pakistan has failed’
- Judicial reforms imperative to protect rights of ordinary people
Pakistan in talks with Saudi Arabia, China, banks for $2 billion refinery expansion— official
- Islamabad seeks to expand Pakistan Refinery Limited’s crude oil processing capacity from 50,000 bpsd to 100,000 bpsd, says official
- Official says three-year project would need $2 billion investment, with 60-70 percent to be raised through debt financing
KARACHI: Pakistan’s government and the state-owned Pakistan Refinery Limited (PRL) are in talks with Saudi Arabia, China, global commercial banks and financial institutions to secure funding for a $2 billion refinery expansion project, an official said on Tuesday.
The PRL is an energy company located in Pakistan’s commercial hub Karachi. With a processing capacity of 50,000 barrels of crude oil per day, it supplies refined petroleum products countrywide. It is a subsidiary of the state-owned Pakistan State Oil (PSO), which owns 63.56 percent of its shares.
Pakistan is seeking partners that can finance PRL’s Refinery Expansion and Upgrade Project (REUP). The official confirmed that REUP is part of Pakistan’s Brownfield Refinery Policy, which aims to upgrade the nation’s five existing oil refineries to deep conversion refineries, with a combined crude processing capacity of about 350,000 barrels per stream day (bpsd). The total project cost to upgrade these five refineries has been estimated at $5-6 billion.
“We are in contact with Saudis, Chinese, Export Credit Agencies and Development Finance Institutions and others to obtain the financing and firms have shown interest,” an official with direct knowledge of the development told Arab News on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to media.
The official said that the government was in talks with investors in Saudi Arabia while the PRL was in contact with the Chinese government and ECAs, DFIs and global commercial banks.
The PRL aims to double the crude processing capacity of its Karachi hydro-skimming plant to 100,000 bpsd, produce Euro V-compliant motor spirit and diesel, meet evolving environmental standards and decrease Pakistan’s reliance on imported fuels.
The move would help Pakistan reduce its reliance on costly fuel imports. The South Asian country imported petroleum products worth $16 billion in fiscal year 2025, more than 27 percent of its total imports.
“The project is estimated at $2 billion and is to be implemented in 36 months with debt ranging between 60-70 percent,” the official said.
He added that potential investors may secure an equity stake in the project.
Pakistan’s Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik visited Saudi Arabia earlier this month to lead a high-level delegation at the Future Minerals Summit. There, he reportedly met investors and briefed them on REUP.
Malik and the petroleum ministry spokesperson Zafar Abbas did not respond to Arab News’ request for comments on the matter.
The official said Saudi authorities have asked Pakistan to brief them on the project. He said the government has planned an official visit “in the near future” to the Kingdom, where Saudi investors would be given the required briefing.
The official said once the required financing is available, PRL would aim to achieve REUP’s financial close by December and begin work on the project in January 2027.
“All our potential financers are expected to undertake due diligence of the project in the coming months,” the official said.
Sheikh Imran ul Haque, project director of the PRL, said the company was making steady and measurable progress on REUP, a strategically significant initiative designed to enhance refining capabilities and product quality.
“PRL has successfully completed detailed technical and commercial evaluations with EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) bidders,” he told Arab News.
Haque said the company’s next target is signing the EPC contract in the first quarter of 2026.
He said this would be followed by the financial close at the end of the year, marking the formal transition of REUP from its development phase to the execution one.
Pakistan has desperately tried to reform its economy by looking for cheaper sources of fuel. Its refining sector has long struggled with aging infrastructure, limited upgrading and thin margins.
Industry officials argue that over-reliance on imports increases exposure to global price volatility, shipping disruptions and foreign exchange pressure.
