ISLAMABAD: Former unified light-welterweight world champion Amir Khan on Wednesday thanked Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman for giving him the opportunity to fight in Saudi Arabia, and praised his endeavors to promote sports activities in the Kingdom.
The boxer is currently in Pakistan. In July, he won the World Boxing Council international welterweight title by knocking out Australia’s Billy Dib at the inaugural Fight Night in Jeddah.
That fight, part of a series of events at Jeddah’s Season Festival, was only the second mega boxing event of it’s kind in Saudi Arabia, following last year’s fight in which British boxers Callum Smith and George Groves competed for the Muhammad Ali Trophy in Jeddah.
Khan has been vocal about his hopes that the Keddah event would catapult boxing to the center stage in the Middle East and make him the face of the sport in the region.
“I think [Crown Prince] Muhammad Bin Salman is an amazing person who has supported me in my fight in Saudi Arabia,” Khan told Arab News in an interview on Wednesday. “I am very happy that he helped me. He has given me the opportunity.”
Khan said he had played in many parts of the world but had always dreamt of playing in the Middle East and Asia.
“I always wanted to fight in the Middle East and Asia. I got this chance as KSA [Kingdom of Saudi Arabia] made this happen,” he said. “I want to thank the Saudi government for making this happen. I know it was Muhammad Bin Salman behind all this, for having me fight in Saudi Arabia. We have a great performance there, it was great entertainment.”
The internationally acclaimed British boxer said he was looking forward to a big match between unified world heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr and Anthony Joshua to be held on December 7, 2019, at a custom-built venue in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia.
“Everyone is very happy,” Khan said. “We can’t wait to go there (Saudi Arabia) at the end of the year.”
Boxer Amir Khan thanks crown prince for opportunity to play in Saudi Arabia
Boxer Amir Khan thanks crown prince for opportunity to play in Saudi Arabia
- Praises Crown Prince Salman’s endeavors to promote sports activities in the Kingdom
- Won World Boxing Council welterweight title against Australia’s Billy Dib in Jeddah this July
Pakistan PM orders accelerated privatization of power sector to tackle losses
- Tenders to be issued for privatization of three major electricity distribution firms, PMO says
- Sharif says Pakistan to develop battery energy storage through public-private partnerships
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s prime minister on Monday directed the government to speed up privatization of state-owned power companies and improve electricity infrastructure nationwide, as authorities try to address deep-rooted losses and inefficiencies in the energy sector that have weighed on the economy and public finances.
Pakistan’s electricity system has long struggled with financial distress caused by a combination of factors including theft of power, inefficient collection of bills, high costs of generating electricity and a large burden of unpaid obligations known as “circular debt.” In the first quarter of the current financial year, government-owned distribution companies recorded losses of about Rs171 billion ($611 million) due to poor bill recovery and operational inefficiencies, official documents show. Circular debt in the broader power sector stood at around Rs1.66 trillion ($5.9 billion) in mid-2025, a sharp decline from past peaks but still a major fiscal drain.
Efforts to contain these losses have been a focus of Pakistan’s economic reform program with the International Monetary Fund, which has urged structural changes in the energy sector as part of financing conditions. Previous government initiatives have included signing a $4.5 billion financing facility with local banks to ease power sector debt and reducing retail electricity tariffs to support economic recovery.
“Electricity sector privatization and market-based competition is the sustainable solution to the country’s energy problems,” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said at a meeting reviewing the roadmap for power sector reforms, according to a statement from the prime minister’s office.
The meeting reviewed progress on privatization and infrastructure projects. Officials said tenders for modernizing one of Pakistan’s oldest operational hubs, Rohri Railway Station, will be issued soon and that the Ghazi Barotha to Faisalabad transmission line, designed to improve long-distance transmission of electricity, is in the initial approval stages. While not all power-sector decisions were detailed publicly, the government emphasized expanding private sector participation and completing priority projects to strengthen the electricity grid.
In another key development, the prime minister endorsed plans to begin work on a battery energy storage system with participation from private investors to help manage fluctuations in supply and demand, particularly as renewable energy sources such as solar and wind take a growing role in generation. Officials said the concept clearance for the storage system has been approved and feasibility studies are underway.
Government briefing documents also outlined steps toward shifting some electricity plants from imported coal to locally mined Thar coal, where a railway line expansion is underway to support transport of fuel, potentially lowering costs and import dependence in the long term.
State authorities also pledged to address safety by converting unmanned railway crossings to staffed ones and to strengthen food safety inspections at stations, underscoring broader infrastructure and service improvements connected to energy and transport priorities.
