GILGIT: Last week, Pakistani businessman Hajji Abdul Hameed, 61, assumed charge as the minister for local government after winning a seat in a November election in Pakistan’s northern Gilgit-Baltistan region.
But Hameed’s journey to GB’s legislative assembly has not been a straight, or an easy, one.
Hameed, who comes from a poor family in the Ghanche district of Gilgit-Baltistan, did not have the means to attend school beyond the fifth grade. After working for a firewood supply company for a few years, he went to Kuwait in 1987 in search of a better life. For two years, he worked day and night at low-paid odd jobs, and then as a helper in the office of an oil company, before his employer moved him to Saudi Arabia.
In 1994, Hameed moved to Dubai, where he remained employed as an office helper and a laborer for more than a decade. In that time, he said he was able to save enough money to open a small cafe called Ahl-Al-Sham, serving Saudi and Lebanese food. The cafe marked a turning point in his life.
“After the café, I was able to expand my business in the UAE,” Hameed said, adding that he subsequently took on a partner and with his financial help went on to launch a real estate business and a cleaning company. He rented flats out to people on short-term leases and also began supplying staff to renowned hotels, including the Dubai Ladies Club of Sheikh Muhammed.
“I have provided UAE work visas to around 200 Pakistanis, mostly hailing from Gilgit-Baltistan region,” Hameed said. “Over a dozen of them have also launched their businesses in the UAE.”
Last year, Hameed handed over his UAE businesses to his sons and decided to retire and spend his remaining days at home in Pakistan.
“I was not interested in politics,” he said, when asked if he returned to Pakistan to become a politician. But well-wishers in his constituency, Hameed said, convinced him to contest elections for the Gilgit-Baltistan legislative assembly, held on November 15, in which he fought as an independent contender and won against a candidate from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, which rules in the center. He has since joined the PTI.
Gilgit-Baltistan forms part of the disputed Kashmir region claimed by both India and Pakistan. The local assembly in which Hameed won a seat has few powers. Pakistan’s National Assembly and Senate have no representation from Gilgit-Baltistan, and the region receives only a fraction of the national budget.
But Prime Minister Imran Khan has said recently his government will grant provisional provincial status to the region, giving it greater political representation.
Candidates for the legislative assembly polls also campaigned on a platform of development, promising to uplift the long-neglected region.
“GB is an underprivileged area and lots of issues are being faced by the people,” Hameed said. “I requested the authorities to give me the local government ministry, so that I could work on the local government level. Improvement in health and education in the region is my top priority.”
UAE-based office boy-turned-businessman makes it to Pakistani legislative assembly
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UAE-based office boy-turned-businessman makes it to Pakistani legislative assembly
- Haji Abdul Hameed assumed charge as minister for local government after winning a seat in a November election in the northern Gilgit-Baltistan election
- His journey to the assembly has seen him work for years as an office helper and laborer in Gulf countries before becoming a business owner
Islamabad says Pakistan Saudi Arabia Economic Cooperation Framework initiatives ‘being materialized’
Islamabad says Pakistan Saudi Arabia Economic Cooperation Framework initiatives ‘being materialized’
- Pakistan, Saudi Arabia agreed to launch framework in October to expand trade, investment ties in priority sectors
- Pakistan views Saudi Arabia as a vital regional ally that has helped it avert macroeconomic crises over the years
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson said on Thursday that certain initiatives related to the Pakistan Saudi Arabia Economic Cooperation Framework “are being materialized,” describing the economic partnership between the two countries as “solid, firmly rooted.”
Islamabad and Riyadh agreed to launch an Economic Cooperation Framework in October, as per the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), to expand bilateral trade and investment ties. This decision was taken during a meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh.
Sharif’s office had said the framework will see the two countries focus on priority sectors including energy, industry, mining, information technology, tourism, agriculture and food security.
“Pakistan-Saudi economic partnership is solid, firmly rooted,” Tahir Andrabi, the foreign office spokesperson, said during a weekly news briefing. “There were certain initiatives taken during the visit of our prime minister to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and are being materialized.”
Andrabi said Pakistan’s Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) and the Board of Investment are working on “individual investments” between the two countries but did not provide any further details.
Pakistan’s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb departed for Riyadh on Wednesday to attend the three-day Global Development Finance Conference, where he is expected to present Islamabad’s perspective on climate adaptation and financing.
“During the conference, Finance Minister Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb will participate in a high-level session on climate adaptation and resilience, where he will join global leaders in discussing how developing countries can secure the capital needed to address climate vulnerabilities,” the Finance Division said in a statement on Wednesday.
Aurangzeb is also scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with senior Saudi officials, including leadership of the National Development Fund and the Ministry of Finance, to discuss development financing, investment opportunities and broader economic cooperation.
The finance chief will additionally meet Pakistan’s diplomatic mission in Riyadh to review ongoing economic diplomacy initiatives.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have long enjoyed close ties but have sought to broaden cooperation in recent months.
In September, the two countries signed a security agreement pledging that aggression against one would be treated as an attack on both. The move was widely viewed as formalizing longstanding military cooperation into a binding commitment aimed at bolstering joint deterrence.
The Kingdom also hosts more than 2.5 million Pakistani expatriates and serves as the largest source of remittances for Pakistan’s $407 billion economy.
