KARACHI: Naeemul Haque, a close aide and friend of Prime Minister Imran Khan and one of the founding members of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party passed away in Karachi on Saturday at the age of 70.
Khurram Sherzaman, the party’s leader in southern Sindh province confirmed the PTI leader had died, and told Arab News that his funeral would take place at Masjid Aisha after Zuhr prayers on Sunday.
In a statement on Twitter, PM Khan said he was devastated by the news.
“Am devastated by one of my oldest friend Naeem’s passing. He was one of the 10 founding mbrs of PTI & by far the most loyal. In 23 yrs of PTI’s trials & tribulations, he stood by me. He was always there for support whenever we were at our lowest ebb,” Khan tweeted.
In a separate tweet, Khan said he had seen Haque courageously battle cancer with optimism.
“Till the very end he was involved in Party affairs and attended cabinet meetings as long as he was able. His passing has left an irreplaceable void,” he said.
Haque was born to Indian immigrant parents in Karachi on July 11, 1949. He completed his MA in English literature from Karachi University in 1970 and had a law degree from the Sindh Muslim law college.
In 1996, he became one of the five founding members of PTI alongside close friend Imran Khan.
PM Khan's aide Naeemul Haq passes away in Karachi
https://arab.news/4dcjg
PM Khan's aide Naeemul Haq passes away in Karachi
- ‘His passing has left irreplaceable void,’ says PM
- Haque was one of the founding members of the ruling PTI
Islamic Development Bank, Pakistan sign $603 million loan deals to fund development projects
- The projects concern Sukkur-Hyderabad motorway, poverty graduation of flood-affectees and out-of-school children
- The poverty graduation project will be implemented in 25 districts, including five districts most affected by floods
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) have signed three loan agreements worth about $603 million to finance multiple development projects, the Pakistani information ministry said on Tuesday.
The agreements relating to M-6 Sukkur-Hyderabad Motorway Project, Poverty Graduation of Extremely Poor and Flood Affected Households Project (PGEP), and the Out-of-School Children project in Azad Jammu and Kashmir were formalized in Islamabad, following talks between Pakistan’s Economic Affairs Minister Ahad Cheema and an IsDB delegation, led by Vice President Dr. Rami Ahmad.
Under the agreements, IsDB will provide financing of $475 million for the M-6 Sukkur–Hyderabad Motorway, a key link to the proposed Peshawar-Karachi Motorway. Pakistan signed the second agreement with IsDB to launch the Poverty Graduation of Extremely Poor and Flood
Affected Households (PGEP) project, aimed at transitioning ultra-poor households from dependency on cash assistance to sustainable livelihoods, resilience and economic self-reliance.
“PGEP has a total outlay of $134.2 million, of which IsDB will contribute USD 118.4 million. The Project will be implemented in 25 districts (20 districts selected based on Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI 2024) and 5 most flood-affected districts of the 2022 and 2025 floods,” the information ministry said.
“The project aims to reach 160,866 households and create 100,000 employment opportunities through integrated asset transfers, interest-free loans, skills development, rainwater harvesting, climate-smart agriculture, and business service providers’ interventions. The PGEP reflects the Government’s commitment to shifting from consumption-based safety nets to graduation-focused, resilience-driven development, aligned with national priorities and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).”
IsDB will provide another $10 million for the Out-of-School Children project in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, which would help bring about 60,000 children back into classrooms and support training for 4,000 teachers.
“The minister for economic affairs acknowledged and appreciated the continued IsDB support for Pakistan,” the information ministry said. “The IsDB vice president expressed that IsDB was keen on further expanding cooperation with Pakistan in the areas of mutual interest.”
In May last year, IsDB announced funding a Pakistani project to reactivate out-of-work women doctors, while the bank announced a $100 million loan to support Pakistan’s polio eradication efforts in Dec. 2023.
