Pakistan lauds UAE Mars mission as 'pride' for Muslim community

A general view of an event to mark Hope Probe's entering the orbit of Mars, with Burj Khalifa in the background, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, February 9, 2021. (REUTERS)
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Updated 10 February 2021
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Pakistan lauds UAE Mars mission as 'pride' for Muslim community

  • UAE is the first Arab and Muslim nation to successfully send a spacecraft to Mars
  • The Hope probe is also the first attempt to collect data on the Martian atmosphere

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday lauded the United Arab Emirates mission to Mars as a pride for the Muslim community.

On Tuesday evening, the UAE became the first Arab and Muslim nation to send a spacecraft to Mars, as its robotic probe named Hope (Al-Amal), began orbiting the red planet after a six-month-long voyage into outer space.

"Congratulations to the leadership and people of the UAE on the outstanding success of Emirates' Mars Mission #HopeProbe — a testament to the vision of the UAE leadership, and a pride for its people, as well as Muslim Ummah," Pakistan's foreign office spokesman, Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri, said in a tweet.

The UAE, which created its space agency only in 2014, becomes the fifth nation to successfully send a mission to Mars, after the United States, the Soviet Union, Europe, and India.

The probe is also the first attempt to collect data on the Martian atmosphere to provide scientists with information on climate dynamics and weather on Mars. 
 


Pakistan says repaid over $13.06 billion domestic debt early in last 14 months

Updated 29 January 2026
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Pakistan says repaid over $13.06 billion domestic debt early in last 14 months

  • Finance adviser says repayment shows “decisive shift” toward fiscal discipline, responsible economic management
  • Says Pakistan’s total public debt has declined from over $286.6 billion in June 2025 to $284.7 billion in November 2025

KARACHI: Pakistan has repaid Rs3,650 billion [$13.06 billion] in domestic debt before time during the last 14 months, Adviser to the Finance Minister Khurram Schehzad said on Thursday, adding that the achievement reflected a shift in the country’s approach toward fiscal discipline. 

Schehzad said Pakistan has been repaying its debt before maturity, owed to the market as well as the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), since December 2024. He said the government had repaid the central bank Rs300 billion [$1.08 billion] in its latest repayment on Thursday. 

“This landmark achievement reflects a decisive shift toward fiscal discipline, credibility, and responsible economic management,” Schehzad wrote on social media platform X. 

Giving a breakdown of what he said was Pakistan’s “early debt retirement journey,” the finance official said Pakistan retired Rs1,000 billion [$3.576 billion] in December 2024, Rs500 billion [$1.78 billion] in June 2025, Rs1,160 billion [$4.150 billion] in August 2025, Rs200 billion [$715 million] in October 2025, Rs494 billion [$1.76 billion] in December 2025 and $1.08 billion in January 2026. 

He said with the latest debt repaid today, the July to January period of fiscal year 2026 alone recorded Rs2,150 billion [$7.69 billion] in early retirement, which was 44 percent higher than the debt retired in FY25.

He said of the total early repayments, the government has repaid 65 percent of the central bank’s debt, 30 percent of the treasury bills debt and five percent of the Pakistan Investment Bonds (PIBs) debt. 

The official said Pakistan’s total public debt has declined from over Rs 80.5 trillion [$286.6 billion] in June 2025 to Rs80 trillion [$284.7 billion] in November 2025. 

“Crucially, Pakistan’s debt-to-GDP ratio, around 74 percent in FY22, has declined to around 70 percent, reflecting a broader strengthening of fiscal fundamentals alongside disciplined debt management,” Schehzad wrote. 

Pakistan’s government has said the country’s fragile economy is on an upward trajectory. The South Asian country has been trying to navigate a tricky path to economic recovery under a $7 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund.