ISLAMABAD: A special Pakistan Air Force plane carrying 500,000 doses of the Chinese SinoVac COVID-19 vaccine landed at the Nur Khan Airbase in Islamabad, said foreign office spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri in a Twitter post on Thursday.
According to a brief statement issued by the National Command and Operation Center, the vaccine was not donated by the authorities in Beijing but was procured by the Pakistani government.
Pakistan began its vaccination drive earlier this year by prioritizing its frontline health workers and elderly citizens after receiving the first batch of China's Sinopharm vaccine as a gift from its longtime ally in the beginning of February.
The country mostly utilized the same vaccine to run its immunization campaign, though the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) also authorized the emergency use of China's Convidecia, United Kingdom's AstraZeneca and Russia's Sputnik V vaccines.
DRAP also approved the SinoVac vaccine earlier this month, even as it was said to have a low efficacy rate.
Pakistan is currently experiencing the third wave of the pandemic which has been described by the authorities as more dangerous than the ones before.
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday met with his planning minister Asad Umar and advisor on health Dr. Faisal Sultan to discuss the coronavirus situation in the country.
According to the local media, Khan called a meeting on Friday to coordinate the government's strategy to fight COVID-19 which will also be attended by provincial chief ministers and secretaries.
The country's planning minister already maintained in a news conference on Wednesday that the COVID-19 positivity rate had reached alarming proportions in all major urban centers, adding that the government could impose strict restrictions to curb the spread of the disease.
Umar also said that any decision on possible lockdowns could be announced on Friday.
Pakistan receives 500,000 SinoVac COVID-19 vaccination doses from China
https://arab.news/26kkq
Pakistan receives 500,000 SinoVac COVID-19 vaccination doses from China
- The country's drug regulatory authority gave authorization for emergency use of the vaccine despite its relatively low efficacy
- Local media says PM Khan has called a meeting on Friday to discuss the government's strategy to fight COVID-19
Pakistan president meets UAE counterpart, explores trade, investment opportunities
- Asif Ali Zardari is in UAE on four-day visit to strengthen bilateral ties, review bilateral cooperation
- Both sides discuss regional, international developments, reaffirm commitment to promote peace
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari met his UAE counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday during which both sides explored new opportunities in trade, investment, energy and other sectors, Zardari's office said.
Zardari arrived in Abu Dhabi on Monday evening with a high-level delegation on a four-day official visit to the UAE to review trade, economic and security cooperation.
"The leaders discussed ways to further deepen the longstanding and brotherly relations between Pakistan and the UAE," a statement from Zardari's office said about his meeting with the UAE president.
"They reviewed the full spectrum of bilateral cooperation and explored new opportunities in trade, investment, energy, infrastructure, technology, and people-to-people exchanges, highlighting the significant potential for expanding economic and strategic partnership.
Zardari highlighted the significance of Al-Nayhan's visit to Pakistan last month, the statement said, expressing appreciation for the UAE's continued support for strengthening bilateral ties.
It said both sides also exchanged views on a range of regional and international developments, reaffirming their commitment to promoting peace, stability and sustainable development.
The meeting was also attended by Pakistan's First Lady Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari, the Pakistani president's son Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, who is also the chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Pakistan's ambassador to the UAE.
ZARDARI MEETS AD PORTS CEO
Zardari earlier met AD Ports Group CEO Captain Mohamed Juma Al-Shamisi to discuss the group's investment initiatives in Karachi.
"Both sides agreed that the expansion and modernization of port infrastructure would strengthen trade flows and support Pakistan’s broader economic development and country’s seaborne trade," the President's Secretariat said in a statement.
It added that Zardari described the AD Ports Group's long-term investment and expanding role in Pakistan's maritime and logistics sector as a key pillar of Pakistan–UAE economic cooperation.
Pakistan and the UAE maintain close political and economic relations, with Abu Dhabi playing a pivotal role in supporting Islamabad during periods of financial stress through deposits, oil facilities and investment commitments.
The UAE is Pakistan's third-largest trading partner, after China and the United States, and a key destination for Pakistani exports, particularly food, textiles and construction services.
The Gulf state is also home to more than 1.5 million Pakistani expatriates, one of the largest overseas Pakistani communities in the world, who contribute billions of dollars annually in remittances, a crucial source of foreign exchange for Pakistan’s economy.
Beyond trade and labor ties, Pakistan and the UAE have steadily expanded defense and security cooperation over the years, including military training, joint exercises and collaboration in counter-terrorism and regional security matters.
