ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday issued a strong condemnation of the drone attack on two Saudi oil processing facilities, Buqayq and the Khurais oil field, which had caused fire and damage.
Yemen’s Houthi group claimed responsibility for the attacks on the two facilities in the kingdom’s Eastern province on Saturday, the group’s military spokesman said on Al-Masirah TV.
“Such acts to sabotage and disrupt commercial activities causing fear and terror cannot be condoned,” a statement issued by Pakistan’s Foreign Office said.
“Pakistan reiterates its full support and solidarity with the brotherly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia against any threat to its security and territorial integrity,” it further stated.
PML-N Chairman Raja Zafarul Haq, who is leader of the opposition in the Senate, told Arab News that Pakistan was “ready” to safeguard Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty.
“Saudi Arabia has the right to act in self defense,” Haq said.
“Pakistan is ready to take any step for the safety and security of Saudi Arabia,” he said and added that countries who “claim to be friends of Saudi Arabia should stand by it to stop such attacks on the sovereignty...of the country.”
Latif Khosa, Former Governor of Punjab province and a central leader of Pakistan Peoples Party, told Arab News that it was increasingly dangerous that militant groups like Houthis had got their hands on drones.
“World powers should support Saudis against such militant groups,” Khosa said.
He added that Pakistanis had “special respect for Saudis” and that the kingdom could bank on Pakistan.
The broadcaster, Al-Masirah TV, said the Houthis had deployed 10 drones against the sites in Abqaiq and Khurais, and the group pledged to widen the range of its attacks on Saudi Arabia, which leads a coalition fighting them in Yemen.
Dr. Abdul Ghaffar Aziz, Director International Affairs of Pakistan's religious-politico party, Jamat-i-Islami, said the attacks must be condemned across the table.
“All the countries of the region, whether they are friends of Saudi Arabia or have differences with them, should condemn this militant attack which cannot be justified in any case,” he told Arab News.
Khalid Rehman, Director General of the Institute of Policy Studies Islamabad, said it was unfortunate that the Houthis were spreading unrest in Yemen and attacking sovereign countries.
“The whole Muslim world should join hands with Saudi Arabia to stop such evil forces and to bring peace in Yemen as well as the region,” Rehman said.
Pakistan strongly condemns Houthi drone attack on Saudi Aramco facilities
Pakistan strongly condemns Houthi drone attack on Saudi Aramco facilities
- Foreign office says such acts of sabotage cannot be condoned
- Pakistan’s political leaders say the country is ready “to take any step” for the safety and security of Saudi Arabia
KSrelief concludes medical camps in Sindh, aiding Pakistan’s fight against blindness, eye diseases
- The Saudi humanitarian organization periodically sets up such camps in Pakistan, providing free medical services to people
- It successfully completed more than 23,356 medical examinations and over 1,656 surgeries throughout the program duration
ISLAMABAD: King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) on Tuesday announced the successful conclusion of its sponsorship of four medical camps in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province, saying the initiative was part of its efforts to combat blindness and eye diseases in the South Asian country.
The camps, organized in collaboration with the Al-Basar International Foundation and Al-Ibrahim Eye Hospital Karachi, aimed to provide advanced eye care facilities to individuals who lack access to specialized treatment or face financial constraints.
KSrelief periodically sets up medical camps to provide free medical services in remote and underprivileged areas of Pakistan, offering treatments and surgeries to those in need.
The Saudi humanitarian organization has also contributed to the country’s health care sector by donating medicines, medical equipment and ambulances, and by supporting health projects that aim to improve the overall health conditions of the local population.
“The primary objective of this outreach program was to detect and address eye-related issues at an early stage, thereby combating blindness and improving the quality of life for thousands of individuals,” KSrelief said in a statement.
“Throughout the duration of the program, more than 23,356 medical examinations and over 1,656 surgeries were successfully completed,” it continues. “Additionally, 3,788 pairs of glasses for vision correction were distributed, alongside the medications prescribed by doctors.”
The initiative ensured that individuals not only received essential treatment but also had access to the necessary eyewear to enhance their visual capabilities.
The camps were held in the cities of Karachi, Matli, Kundairo and Shikarpur, allowing residents from these areas to benefit from specialized eye care services and regain their vision.
KSrelief said the campaign reflected the kingdom’s steadfast commitment to humanitarian causes and dedication to improving the lives of individuals affected by blindness.
It added that its teams had made a significant difference in the lives of thousands of patients through these medical camps, restoring their sight and providing hope for a brighter future.
Fighting halted on Afghanistan-Pakistan border after skirmishes – Taliban government
- Afghan defense ministry says its border forces retaliated after Pakistani airstrikes by targeting military posts with ‘heavy weapons’
- A Pakistani official says three security posts and five houses of civilians suffered partial damage, with nine individuals wounded
KABUL: Fighting has stopped on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border after Pakistani airstrikes sparked skirmishes, a Taliban government spokesman said Tuesday.
“The situation is calm, the fighting has stopped,” Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told AFP.
Pakistan carried out strikes in the border areas in Khost and Paktika provinces in Afghanistan early on Monday.
Islamabad said it had targeted militants it said were responsible for a recent attack on its soil, but Taliban authorities said eight civilians, all women and children, were killed in the bombardment.
Afghanistan’s defense ministry said its border forces retaliated by targeting Pakistani military posts along the border with “heavy weapons,” with cross-border skirmishes reported by both sides.
A senior police officer in the Pakistani border district of Kurram told AFP that Afghan security forces struck the area with mortar shells.
“As a result, three security posts and five houses of civilians suffered partial damage, with nine individuals, including four security personnel wounded,” the officer told AFP, asking not to be named.
“Silence prevails on the border today, and security forces have reinforced their positions.”
Border tensions between the two countries have steadily escalated since the Taliban government seized power in 2021.
Islamabad has accused Kabul’s Taliban government of harboring militant fighters, allowing them to strike on Pakistani soil with impunity.
Kabul has denied the allegations.
Gun battles also regularly erupt over the construction of checkpoints along the disputed border and trade crossings are closed over immigration disagreements.
PCB chief vows to put in full efforts to ensure Pakistan hosts Champions Trophy 2025
- India’s refusal to tour Pakistan for the tournament could see some of its matches shifted to neutral venues
- Political tensions between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan mean both haven’t played a bilateral series since 2013
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) would put in its full efforts to ensure the country hosts the Champions Trophy 2025 cricket tournament next year, the board’s chairman Moshin Naqvi said this week, amid fears that some matches of the tournament would be shifted to neutral venues to accommodate the Indian cricket team, which has refused to travel to Pakistan in the past.
Pakistan, which won the last edition of the tournament played in 2017, has the hosting rights for the 50-over cricket tournament. The teams confirmed for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy are Pakistan, India, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Afghanistan, England, Bangladesh.
However, Pakistan’s efforts to ensure the tournament is played in its entirety on its soil may be hampered by the Indian team’s refusal to tour the country due to political tensions. Last year, India’s refusal to travel to Pakistan to play their Asia Cup fixtures there forced the PCB to settle for a “hybrid model.” As per the model, Pakistan hosted only four matches of the Asia Cup while the other nine were played in Sri Lanka.
Naqvi, who is also the country’s interior minister, embarked on a daylong trip to Dubai last week to attend an International Cricket Council (ICC) meeting where he met Jay Shah, the secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
“Some things are sensitive which I don’t want to get into myself before something happens,” Naqvi told reporters during a press conference in Karachi on Monday. “[We are putting in] full efforts but the rest is up to Allah. But we will not leave behind anything in our efforts to hold the Champions Trophy in Pakistan.”
The PCB chairman said the stadiums in Pakistan’s Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi cities would be upgraded before the mega tournament kicks off.
“We are targeting these three stadiums. Once work on them is completed then I will go toward other stadiums,” he said.
India’s refusal to tour Pakistan disappoints millions of cricket fans on both sides of the border. An India-Pakistan cricket match is always a big-ticket clash, raking in millions of eyeballs across the world and drawing in renowned broadcasters.
Despite India’s refusal to travel to Pakistan for the Asia Cup, the Pakistan cricket team traveled to the neighboring country in September 2023 to participate in the 50-over World Cup there.
It was the first time in seven years that the South Asian country sent its cricket team to India. The last time Pakistan’s men’s cricket team set foot on Indian soil was in 2016 to take part in that year’s T20 World Cup.
The two teams will once again lock horns in this year’s T20 World Cup on June 9. The match is scheduled to take place in New York.
Speakers at Pakistan-hosted UN event demand rights for women in Palestine, Kashmir
- UN’s diplomatic community, women’s rights organizations and academia attend Pakistan-hosted event at UN headquarters
- Panelists demand greater global efforts to end situations of foreign occupation, conflicts facing women around the world
IMF expected to conclude final review today of Pakistan’s $3 billion loan program
- IMF delegation arrived in Pakistan last week to carry out second and final review of its loan program
- Pakistan, IMF to discuss letter of intent, staff-level agreement today, says finance ministry official
ISLAMABAD: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) will conclude its review of Pakistan’s $3 billion short-term bailout program today, Tuesday, which was due to be completed on Monday, a Pakistani finance ministry official said amid Islamabad’s efforts to avoid a macroeconomic crisis and stabilize its fragile $350 billion economy.
The finance ministry official, who spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the media, said the visiting IMF delegation had decided to extend the deadline by a day on Monday as the review agenda couldn’t be completed in the scheduled period.
The IMF team arrived in Pakistan last week to carry out the second and final review under the short-term loan program secured by Islamabad last summer. Pakistan has said it has met all the structural benchmarks and targets set by the lender, hoping that a successful completion of the evaluation will be followed by the release of a remaining tranche of around $1.1 billion.
“The review agenda couldn’t be completed in the scheduled period, therefore the mission has extended it for a day for now,” the official told Arab News on Monday. “The letter of intent and staff-level agreement will be discussed tomorrow [Tuesday] now.”
Islamabad has expressed its interest in securing a new loan under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) program as it continues to carry out reforms to strengthen its debt-ridden economy.
On Monday, Pakistani financial authorities briefed the IMF mission on the country’s annual taxation targets, ways to abolish subsidies in different sectors, digitization of the tax system and expansion in the tax net, the official said.
“At the moment, Pakistan has been lagging on two fronts that are digitization of the taxation and bringing over 3 million retailers in the tax net,” he said. “The FBR has signed a memorandum this week for the digitization while the work on bringing the retailers into the tax net is underway.”
The global lender wants Pakistan to continue the economic stabilization and reforms agenda “till negotiation of the new loan program,” the official added.
Citing officials, Pakistani state media last week reported that Islamabad’s talks with the global lender for the second review of the ongoing program were “progressing positively.”
Pakistan secured the $3 billion IMF program in last June after it narrowly escaped a sovereign default. Its economy has been under extreme stress with low reserves, a balance of payment crisis, inflation at 23 percent, policy interest rates at 22 percent and record local currency depreciation.