ISLAMABAD: The central Pakistani city of Lahore, once an intellectual center of the Indian subcontinent and now considered the cultural heart of Pakistan, has been included in a list of ‘52 places to love in 2021’ by the international newspaper, The New York Times.
The Times asked readers to “tell us about spots that have delighted, inspired and comforted them in a dark year.”
Out of 2,000 suggestions, NYT picked 52, including Lahore, to “remind us that the world still awaits.”
The ancient city of Lahore, Pakistan’s second largest after Karachi, is home to numerous tombs and mosques, palaces and fortresses, museums and gardens.
“Especially in winter, this city nourishes you. It opens its arms to you, then feeds you and wraps you in a hug,” Haneen Iqbal, a 29-year-old freelance writer in Toronto, Canada, wrote. “Pakistan has a bad reputation, and is often overlooked by travelers who come to South Asia. But Lahoris are some of the kindest, most hospitable people. They love to take care of you and feed you. Lahore’s hot summers can feel oppressive, but in winter, in the cool dusk, lights twinkle in the fog.”
“Androon Lahore, the city’s historic core, is studded with monuments from the Mughal era. I love to watch the Punjab locals feasting on terraces of restaurants overlooking the grand Badshahi Mosque — they are just regular people living their regular lives, and they are so alive in the present, while always connected to their past,” Iqbal wrote.
Other places on the list include South Wales, Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands, Kaliya Dhrow in India, Isfahan in Iran and Cordoba in Spain.
Pakistani city of Lahore listed on NYT’s ‘52 places to love in 2021’ list
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Pakistani city of Lahore listed on NYT’s ‘52 places to love in 2021’ list
- The Times asked readers to pick spots that had “delighted, inspired and comforted” them in 2020, picked 52 out of 2,000 suggestions
- The ancient city of Lahore is home to numerous tombs and mosques, palaces and fortresses, museums and gardens
Indonesian president to visit Pakistan next week to strengthen defense, investment ties
- President Prabovo Subianto to arrive with high-level delegation of ministers in Pakistan on Dec. 8-9
- Several agreements to be signed during President Subianto’s visit, says Pakistan’s foreign ministry
ISLAMABAD: Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto will visit Pakistan on Dec. 8-9 to explore avenues to enhance bilateral cooperation with Islamabad in trade, defense, investment, health, education and other sectors, Pakistan’s foreign ministry said on Sunday.
Pakistan enjoys cordial ties with Indonesia, with diplomatic relations between the two countries established in 1950. The volume of bilateral trade between Pakistan and Indonesia surged to $2.6 billion in 2020, as per official data.
Subianto, who will be accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising key ministers and senior officials, will mark his maiden visit to Pakistan. The last Indonesian president to visit Pakistan was in 2018 when Joko Widodo arrived in the country.
“The two sides will discuss a wide-ranging agenda aimed at further strengthening Pakistan-Indonesia relations and exploring new avenues of cooperation, including trade, investment, defense, health, IT, climate, education and culture, as well as enhancing collaboration at regional and global levels,” the Pakistani foreign ministry said.
“Several Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) are expected to be signed during the visit.”
During his visit, Subianto will hold delegation-level talks with Pakistan’s prime minister and meet the country’s president and chief of defense forces.
“The visit of President Prabowo will provide an important opportunity to deepen bilateral ties and expand mutually beneficial cooperation, contributing to the continued growth and diversification of the partnership between the two countries,” the foreign ministry said.
Indonesia is also home to a few hundred Pakistani expatriates, many of whom are engaged in businesses such as restaurants, hand-knotted carpets, precious stones, textile items, and herbal medicines.
