Pakistan’s diplomatic mission in Saudi Arabia observes Kashmir Solidarity Day

Pakistani diplomats marking commemorating Kashmir Solidarity Day at the Pakistan Consulate in Jeddah on Feb. 5. 2021. (Photo courtesy: Pakistan Consulate General Jeddah)
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Updated 05 February 2021
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Pakistan’s diplomatic mission in Saudi Arabia observes Kashmir Solidarity Day

  • Ambassador Raja Ali Ejaz told a virtual conference that Kashmir was an internationally recognized disputed territory
  • The country’s diplomats maintained there could be no last peace in the region without a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir dispute

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Embassy in Riyadh and Consulate General in Jeddah observed Kashmir Solidarity Day on Friday, said the official handout issued by the country’s diplomatic mission in Saudi Arabia. 

The embassy held a virtual conference to show solidarity with the people of Kashmir in which the participants highlighted various aspects of the protracted dispute.

The event was attended by a large number of Pakistani and Kashmiri diaspora and paid tribute to the sacrifices of Kashmiris struggling for their right to self-determination. 

The speakers urged the international community to play its role to put an end to “state repression” in Indian-administered Kashmir, announced the official statement.

Speaking on the occasion, Pakistan’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Raja Ali Ejaz, emphasized that Kashmir was an internationally recognized disputed territory, adding this was also established by a number of United Nations Security Council resolutions.

He added that the people of Indian-administered Kashmir were under a prolonged military siege since August 5, 2019, when the administration in New Delhi tried to unilaterally annex the Muslim-majority state with the rest of the Indian union. 

Meanwhile, the event in Jeddah was attended by prominent members of the Pakistani and Kashmiri community as well as Arab journalists.  

The participants of the gathering noted that Kashmir was the oldest dispute on the UN agenda that still remained unresolved. 

They also emphasized there could be no lasting peace in South Asia without a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue. 

They pointed out that Pakistan would not compromise on its principled stance on Kashmir and continue to extend all moral, political, and diplomatic support to its people.


Pakistani stocks breach 176,000 points barrier as investors expect further rate cuts

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Pakistani stocks breach 176,000 points barrier as investors expect further rate cuts

  • Pakistani financial analyst attributes surge to falling inflation, investors expecting further policy rate cuts
  • Pakistan’s finance ministry said Thursday that inflation had slowed to 5.6 percent year-on-year in December 

KARACHI: Pakistani stocks continued their bullish run on Thursday, breaching the 176,000 points barrier for the first time after trading ended, with analysts attributing the surge to investors expecting further cuts in the policy rate. 

The KSE-100 benchmark gained 2,301.17 points at close of business on Thursday, marking an increase of 1.32 percent to settle at 176,355.49 points. 

Pakistan’s central bank cut its key policy rate by 50 basis points to 10.5 percent last ‌month, breaking a four-meeting ‌hold in a move ‌that ⁠surprised ​markets. Pakistan’s consumer price inflation slowed to 5.6 percent year-on-year in December, while prices fell on a monthly basis as per data from the finance ministry. 

“Upbeat data for consumer price index (CPI) inflation at 5.6pc in December 2025 [with] investors expecting a further State Bank of Pakistan rate cuts on falling inflation data,” Ahsan Mehanti, CEO of Arif Habib Commodities Ltd., told Arab News. 

The stock market witnessed a trading volume of 1,402.650 million shares, with a traded value of Rs48.424 billion ($173 million), compared with 957.239 million shares valued at Rs44.231 billion ($158 million) during the previous session.

Topline Securities, a leading brokerage firm in Pakistan, credited the surge to strong buying at the first session.

“This positivity can be accredited to buying by local institutions on the start of the new calendar year,” it said. 

https://x.com/toplinesec/status/2006690862483624136

Pakistan’s Finance Adviser Khurram Schehzad highlighted that the bullish trend at the stock market reflected “strong investor confidence.”

“With lower inflation, affordable fuel, stronger reserves, rising digitization and a buoyant capital market, Pakistan’s economic outlook is clearly improving--supporting greater confidence, better investment sentiment and more positive momentum for 2026,” he said on social media platform X.