ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Raja Ali Ejaz has said Pakistan can expect some “good news” regarding the release of Pakistani prisoners from Saudi jails in the month of Ramadan, the Pakistani Consulate General in Jeddah said on Thursday.
Pakistan’s information ministry had announced in February that Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had ordered the release of about 2,100 Pakistani prisoners from the kingdom’s jails during a high-profile visit to Islamabad. The announcement came after a request by Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan.
“Saudi Crown Prince’s announcement on release of Pakistani in Saudi jails is under process,” the Consulate General in Jeddahsaid in a statement emailed to Arab News. “In holy month of Ramadan, we expect some good news regarding this announcement.”
The release of thousands of Pakistani workers locked up in jails across the Middle East is at the top of the new government's agenda.
Huge numbers of Pakistanis travel to the Middle East every year, with many working on construction sites or as domestic helpers. The remittances they send back are vital for Pakistan’s dollar-starved economy.
The crown prince’s visit marked a deepening of ties between allies whose relationship has in the past centered on oil-rich Saudi Arabia backing Pakistan’s economy during difficult periods, and in return Pakistan’s powerful army lending support to Saudi Arabia and its royal family and military.
Saudi Arabia has in recent months helped keep Pakistan’s economy afloat by propping up rapidly dwindling foreign reserves with a $6 billion loan, giving it breathing room as it negotiates a bailout with the International Monetary Fund.
Pakistan showed appreciation by treating Crown Prince Mohammed’s trip as the biggest state visit since one by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2015, soon after Beijing announced plans to invest tens of billions of dollars on infrastructure in Pakistan as part of China’s Belt and Road initiative.
At a welcome dinner in his honour held at a local hotel in Jeddah, Ambassador Ejaz described the crown prince’s Pakistan's visit as a “major success” that had “started a new era of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan relations.”
He said a number of agreements were signed during that visit, including one on the transfer of prisoners.
“Discussion on the Transfer of prisoner agreement is in process and once the agreement is signed, the prisoners will be able to complete the sentences in their respective countries,” the high commission’s statement quoted the ambassador as saying.
‘Good news’ soon on Pakistani prisoners’ release — envoy to Saudi Arabia
‘Good news’ soon on Pakistani prisoners’ release — envoy to Saudi Arabia
- Ambassador Raja Ali Ejaz says more prisoners expected to be released in Ramadan
- In February Crown Prince Mohammed ordered the immediate release of 2,107 Pakistani prisoners in Saudi jails
IMF hails Pakistan privatization drive, calls PIA sale a ‘milestone’
- Fund backs sale of national airline as key step in divesting loss-making state firms
- IMF has long urged Islamabad to reduce fiscal burden posed by state-owned entities
KARACHI: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Saturday welcomed Pakistan’s privatization efforts, describing the sale of the country’s national airline to a private consortium last month as a milestone that could help advance the divestment of loss-making state-owned enterprises (SOEs).
The comments follow the government’s sale of a 75 percent stake in Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) to a consortium led by the Arif Habib Group for Rs 135 billion ($486 million) after several rounds of bidding in a competitive process, marking Islamabad’s second attempt to privatize the carrier after a failed effort a year earlier.
Between the two privatization attempts, PIA resumed flight operations to several international destinations after aviation authorities in the European Union and Britain lifted restrictions nearly five years after the airline was grounded following a deadly Airbus A320 crash in Karachi in 2020 that killed 97 people.
“We welcome the authorities’ privatization efforts and the completion of the PIA privatization process, which was a commitment under the EFF,” Mahir Binici, the IMF’s resident representative in Pakistan, said in response to an Arab News query, referring to the $7 billion Extended Fund Facility.
“This privatization represents a milestone within the authorities’ reform agenda, aimed at decreasing governmental involvement in commercial sectors and attracting investments to promote economic growth in Pakistan,” he added.
The IMF has long urged Islamabad to reduce the fiscal burden posed by loss-making state firms, which have weighed public finances for years and required repeated government bailouts. Beyond PIA, the government has signaled plans to restructure or sell stakes in additional SOEs as part of broader reforms under the IMF program.
Privatization also remains politically sensitive in Pakistan, with critics warning of job losses and concerns over national assets, while supporters argue private sector management could improve efficiency and service delivery in chronically underperforming entities.
Pakistan’s Cabinet Committee on State-Owned Enterprises said on Friday that SOEs recorded a net loss of Rs 122.9 billion ($442 million) in the 2024–25 fiscal year, compared with a net loss of Rs 30.6 billion ($110 million) in the previous year.
