ISLAMABAD: Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah has accepted President Arif Alvi’s invitation to visit Pakistan, Alvi’s office said in a statement on Monday, with the details of the trip yet to be finalized.
The Pakistani president said the emir of Kuwait had written a letter, expressing “satisfaction over the strong ties between Pakistan and Kuwait and reiterated his commitment to further expand relations in all fields for the mutual interest.”
Sheikh Nawaf’s letter follows Kuwait’s decision to lift a travel ban on Pakistanis in May this year.
Kuwait had suspended visas for nationals of Iran, Iraq, Syria, Pakistan and Afghanistan in 2011 over what it said was difficult security conditions in the five countries.
Pakistan began visa resumption talks with Kuwait in 2020, following which hundreds of nurses, doctors and medical technicians were able to travel to the Gulf state.
In May, after a meeting with Kuwait’s Prime Minister Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah, Pakistan’s Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said business and family visas for Pakistani nationals would be resumed “immediately”.
Last month, during a meeting with his Kuwaiti counterpart, Sheikh Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah, on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi welcomed Kuwait’s relaxation of the travel restrictions.
Pakistan enjoys a long-standing fraternal relationship with Kuwait, an important Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) country.
Kuwaiti emir accepts President Alvi’s invitation to visit Pakistan
https://arab.news/ppcr6
Kuwaiti emir accepts President Alvi’s invitation to visit Pakistan
- Sheikh Nawaf reiterates commitment to ‘expand relations’ between the two countries
- Kuwait lifted a decade-old travel ban on Pakistanis in May this year
Pakistan pitches digital finance reforms to foreign fintech investors
- Khurram Schehzad highlights progress on digital banking and plans for regulating blockchain and virtual assets
- Visiting delegation welcomes policy clarity, sees scope for long-term investment and partnerships in Pakistan
KARACHI: Pakistan on Saturday pitched its digital finance and fintech reforms to foreign investors as part of a broader effort to attract capital after macroeconomic stabilization, with a senior official highlighting progress on digital banking, payments infrastructure and regulatory overhaul.
The outreach came as Islamabad seeks to sustain reform momentum following a period of economic stress, positioning technology-led financial inclusion as a pillar of its recovery and growth strategy while courting international investors.
Khurram Schehzad, adviser to the finance minister, briefed a delegation of international fintech investors on Pakistan’s reform agenda and digital growth plans at a meeting in federal capital, according to a statement from the finance ministry.
“Consistent policy implementation and structural reforms have strengthened macroeconomic fundamentals and improved Pakistan’s investment outlook,” he said, highlighting the “renewed global confidence” in the economy.
Officials said the discussions focused on the government’s Digital Pakistan Vision, including efforts to expand digital payments, build public digital infrastructure and digitize government transactions to widen financial inclusion and formalize the economy.
Schehzad cited the role of Raast, Pakistan’s instant payment system, which enables real-time, low-cost and interoperable digital payments nationwide, as well as regulatory reforms introduced by the State Bank of Pakistan to modernize retail digital banking.
Under the new framework, easypaisa Digital Bank has been operational for nearly a year, while Mashreq Digital Bank has also begun operations, with several other digital banks moving toward launch, the statement said.
The adviser also outlined Pakistan’s plans to develop a regulatory framework for blockchain, Web3.0 and virtual assets, saying authorities were engaging with global platforms to support innovation while ensuring compliance and investor protection.
The investor delegation was led by John Sfakianakis, chairman of Fintech Solutions Holding, alongside the company’s chief executive Kirill Smolin, and was facilitated by local technology firm Tech Avenue.
The investors welcomed the “clarity of reforms and policy direction,” saying Pakistan’s combination of macroeconomic stabilization, digital infrastructure and emerging technologies offered opportunities for long-term investment and strategic partnerships, the finance ministry said.
