ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Tuesday Islamabad wanted to “re-engage” with Egypt as it was an important nation in the Muslim Ummah.
Qureshi’s remarks came as he left on a two-day visit to Egypt on the invitation of his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Hassan Shoukry.
Egypt is an “important” country in the Muslim Ummah and also often called the gateway to Africa, Qureshi said in a recorded video message before he departed for Cairo.
“The [Egyptian] foreign minister has invited me and on that invitation I am going to Egypt so we can re-engage with this important country,” the foreign minister said. “It is our administration’s policy to strengthen our relations with the African continent since we believe we have not fully explored its markets yet. It is extremely important for our economic diplomacy to engage with markets in Africa.”
“There are plenty of opportunities for both countries,” Qureshi added. “We can get into defense cooperation with each other. Pakistan can also expand its economic base by constructively engaging with Egypt.”
While in Egypt, the foreign minister will meet Egyptian media and the business community and also visit Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt’s oldest degree-granting university and renowned as one of the most prestigious universities for Islamic learning.
Qureshi’s visit comes less than two weeks after Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan reaffirmed Islamabad’s commitment to expand Pakistan-Egypt ties, particularly in the areas of trade, education and culture, in a meeting with the ambassador of Egypt to Pakistan, Tarek Dahroug.
Khan has also met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi twice since he became PM: first, on the sidelines of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Makkah Summit in 2019, and then on the sidelines of the 74th UN General Assembly in New York in 2019.
Last year, Khan also spoke with the Egyptian president over the phone regarding the PM’s ‘Global Initiative on Debt Relief’ for developing countries during the coronavirus pandemic, which was supported by Egypt.
Islamabad wants to ‘re-engage’ Egypt to enhance economic diplomacy — Pakistani foreign minister
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Islamabad wants to ‘re-engage’ Egypt to enhance economic diplomacy — Pakistani foreign minister
- Shah Mahmood Qureshi leaves for Egypt on two-day visit, will meet top leaders, media, business community
- Says important to enhance ties with African continent, find opportunities to enhance defense and trade relations
Pakistan bank enables Shariah-compliant digital payment facility for passengers at Islamabad airport
Pakistan bank enables Shariah-compliant digital payment facility for passengers at Islamabad airport
- Pakistan is a cash-dominated market where a significant portion of transactions in the informal sector are made without any taxes, officials say
- The move comes amid Pakistan’s efforts to introduce a cashless model at airports under which only digital service providers can provide services
KARACHI: Aik, Pakistan’s first Islamic digital bank, has enabled fully digital payments at Islamabad International Airport to offer travelers and passengers secure, Shariah compliant digital transaction facility.
The development comes amid Pakistan’s efforts to introduce a cashless model at airports across the country, under which only digital service providers can provide services to customers.
Aik, a subsidiary of Bank Islami, said it has onboarded merchants across the Islamabad airport and integrated QR code deployments at key touchpoints to allow passengers and visitors to make secure, seamless, and Shariah-compliant digital transactions at all counters, retail outlets, and service points.
It said the implementation complies with the regulations and framework set by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and is a working model for a large-scale adoption of cashless systems in public infrastructure.
“This deployment reflects our commitment to building practical digital infrastructure that improves everyday transactions,” Aik Chief Officer Ashfaque Ahmed said in a statement.
“By enabling a fully cashless environment at a major national gateway, we are supporting efficiency, transparency, and financial inclusion at scale. This is not only a project; it is a foundation for Pakistan’s cashless future.”
Pakistan is a cash-dominated market where a significant portion of transactions, particularly in the informal sector, are conducted in cash. Officials say many of these transactions are aimed at avoiding taxes.
In recent years, the SBP has taken steps to ensure a transition toward a more cashless economy so that transactions are more traceable, reducing chances of tax evasion and corruption.
By digitizing Islamabad airport, aik said it continues to invest in secure and accessible financial solutions that “expand digital participation and support national economic modernization.”
