DUBAI: The principal curator of Pakistan Pavilion at Dubai Expo described the facility as a “game changer” for the country shortly before the much-awaited global trade show opened with a 90-minute glittering ceremony on Thursday.
Rulers of the United Arab Emirates along with a large number of foreign dignitaries from across the world were present at the star-studded event that featured leading Grammy and Golden Globe Award winners.
Over 910 cast members, representing 64 nations, participated in the ceremony.
The highly publicized global trade show has brought together representatives of 190 nations who will display their cultures, human resource and investment opportunities for the next six months to enhance their country’s trade and commerce with the rest of the world.
Pakistan, too, is set to shine on the global stage to attract greater number of tourists along with more international investment.
“The Pakistan Pavilion at Expo 2020 will be a game changer for the country,” said Noorjehan Bilgrami, the principal curator of the 3,521 square meters of stall who also conceptualized its internal structure. “People have a certain image of Pakistan, but they will not be able to resist the temptation of visiting the country after simply walking through the pavilion.”
Bilgrami, who spoke to Arab News exclusively, said it was important to raise the comfort level of foreign nationals, adding that the Pakistan Pavilion was designed to highlight the country’s natural beauty along with the hospitality of its people.
“This will bring tourism which also be followed by trade and investment,” she said.
Under the theme of “Pakistan: The Hidden Treasure,” the pavilion has been conceived in a way that it informs, inspires and ignite conversations which are likely to leave a lasting impact.
Bilgrami, a Pakistan-based visual artist, textile designer, researcher and educationist, said the pavilion’s façade had been designed by world famous Pakistani artist Rashid Rana.
Asked about the internal structure of the facility, she said the building was divided in eight parts and was a combination of narrow passages and open spaces.
“I had to create a seamless experience and decided to use multimedia to describe different places and happenings in Pakistan,” she said.
Visitors will start their journey by learning about the country’s history through a display of ancient civilizations going back to about 7,000 years. Artisans from Pakistan have replicated pottery from the premodern period, and the organizers have prominently displayed these pieces at the pavilion.
“People will keep walking through the facility without missing the lovely timeline that shows Pakistan’s history until it evolves into a modern-day state,” she continued.
Bilgrami informed that a separate area had also been dedicated to promote different Pakistani cuisines.
According to a statement issued by the country’s commerce ministry on Thursday, the pavilion, which has been constructed at an estimated cost of $21.4 million, will also promote the government’s campaign to attract greater foreign investment in Pakistan.
“Multiple business events will be held in which government entities, private entrepreneurs and SMEs [small and media enterprises] will be projecting their opportunities,” the statement added. “This initiative is highly prioritized throughout the agenda and will be highlighted through further panel sessions, seminars and lectures.”
Organizers call Pakistan Pavilion ‘game changer’ as Dubai Expo opens with star-studded launch
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Organizers call Pakistan Pavilion ‘game changer’ as Dubai Expo opens with star-studded launch
- The principal curator of the facility says the pavilion has been designed to highlight the natural beauty of the country and hospitality of its people
- Pakistan’s commerce ministry says the event will help promote the government’s campaign to attract foreign investment in the country
Fathers of Noor Mukadam, Sara Inam call for expedited justice in daughters’ murder cases
- The demand for quicker trials by fathers of the two high-profile murder victims highlights a stagnant justice system
- The murders of Mukadam and Inam led to public outrage, calling into question the safety and rights of women in Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: The fathers of Noor Mukadam and Sara Inam, victims of two high-profile murders in Pakistan, held a news conference in the federal capital on Sunday, calling for expedited legal proceedings speedy justice in their daughters’ cases.
The media interaction was arranged exactly a year after Inam, a 37-year-old economist, was killed by her husband, Shahnawaz Amir, in suburban Islamabad.
The fathers of the two women not only pressed the judiciary for timely justice but also reignited the focus on the safety and rights of women in Pakistan which came under question after the two murders.
“It has been a year,” lamented Engineer Inam Rahim, Sara's father. “We were hoping this would take about six months since these were open-and-shut cases.”
He also asked the media not to forget about the murders and discuss them in newspapers and on television channels.
“We request you to continue to highlight these cases since that will raise our hopes of getting justice,” he continued, adding that his daughter was trapped by a husband whose main goal was her wealth and who eventually subjected her to brutal murder.
Shaukat Ali Mukadam, the father of Noor Mukadam who was murdered in July 2021, also called for a speedy trial.
“The courts will lose their credibility if such cases continue to remain pending in them,” he said.
His statement came as Zahir Jaffer, who was sentenced to death in his daughter’s murder case, filed an appeal with the Supreme Court of Pakistan in April 2023. The case has remained pending since then.
Pakistan recalls injectable medicine amid eye infection reports, initiates probe
- The interim health minister assures the public of transparent inquiry, vows to prosecute those responsible
- The government had received complaints related to loss of sight among diabetic patients using Avastin in Punjab
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s interim health minister Nadeem Jan said on Sunday the government had recalled an injectable medicine from the market after receiving reports it had caused eye infections and loss of sight among patients in the Kasur, Multan, Lahore, and Sadiqabad districts located in the eastern Punjab province.
According to media reports, the caretaker administration in Punjab formed a five-member committee to investigate the issue, following complaints related to a locally manufactured injection called Avastin which was used by diabetic patients in the province.
The federal health minister invited his provincial counterpart to Islamabad to discuss the issue in the wake of this development. He said authorities had launched an investigation and would soon assign responsibility for the matter.
“Investigations are ongoing,” Jan said in a televised statement. “A committee has been formed, comprising five of our most senior experts, who will analyze the issue from all angles and provide us with a comprehensive report within the next three days.”
“As of now, the batch of medicine in question has been recalled,” he continued. “It is now in our possession, and its sales are prohibited.”
The minister explained the investigation team was tasked with determining whether the problem was caused by the medicine itself, issues in its supply chain, the skill level of the administering doctors, or the sterilization process.
He added the government had filed a police report against two individuals representing the supply company and had initiated legal action against them.
Jan assured the public of a transparent inquiry, adding the authorities would share their findings and prosecute those responsible for causing harm to patients.
Asian Games: Sri Lanka beat Pakistan to set up India cricket final
- Pakistan manage below-par 75-9 in 20 overs against Sri Lanka
- Pakistan and Bangladesh will face off for bronze on Monday
HANGZHOU, China: In-form Sri Lanka, fresh from a stunning Twenty20 series victory in England, beat Pakistan by six wickets on Sunday to reach the women’s cricket final at the Asian Games and set up a clash with India.
Pakistan never got going on a difficult batting surface affected by days of rain at the Zhejiang University of Technology ground in Hangzhou, and could only muster a below-par 75-9 in their 20 overs.
Left-arm medium pace bowler Udeshika Prabodhani led the Sri Lankan attack with three wickets and Kavisha Dilhari took two with her offspin.
Sri Lanka sauntered to their target with 21 balls to spare to spark wild celebrations as their players ran on to the field to high-five and hug each other.
Earlier, the Indians routed Bangladesh for 51 on the same ground with all-rounder Pooja Vastrakar, only drafted into the squad as a last-minute replacement, taking four wickets.
They wasted no time in racing to an eight-wicket victory with more than 11 overs remaining as Jemimah Rodrigues top-scored with an unbeaten 20.
Rodrigues is yet to be dismissed in the Asian Games, scoring 47 not out in the quarter-final against Malaysia, which was later abandoned because of rain.
It was the second time in just over a week that Sri Lankan cricketers had proven party-poopers by preventing a Pakistan-India major cricket final.
The country’s men’s team beat Pakistan in the semifinal of the 50-over Asia Cup in Colombo to prevent a final showdown against their fierce rivals India.
Earlier this month, Sri Lanka’s women secured a historic first-ever white-ball series triumph over England, winning 2-1.
Pakistan and Bangladesh will face off for bronze on Monday before India take on Sri Lanka in the gold-medal match.
Train crash in eastern Pakistan injures at least 30
- Lahore-bound passenger train collides with another in Shaikhupura district
- Railway authorities suspend driver, assistant, two members of ground staff
LAHORE: A passenger train collided with another already parked and carrying goods in eastern Pakistan on Sunday, injuring at least 30 passengers, five of them seriously, officials said.
Railway authorities suspended the driver of the Lahore-bound passenger train, his assistant and two of the ground staff for negligence as an investigation has been opened, said top railways official Shahid Aziz.
Aziz said the incident happened in Shaikhupura district near Qila Sattar Shah station early morning as the passenger train which left Mianwali for Lahore was directed to the track where the goods train was already parked.
He said most of the injured were treated at the train station, but those with serious injuries were moved to hospital and the tracks were quickly cleared.
Such accidents are common in Pakistan where railways suffer from decades-old signal systems and tracks.
Ex-PM Khan’s party welcomes anti-terror court’s decision to grant bail to women supporters
- Former lawmaker Rubina Jamil, social media activist among nine granted bail by anti-terror court in Lahore
- Khan’s supporters were arrested for attacking the residence of Lahore Corps Commander on May 9
ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party leaders on Sunday welcomed an Anti-Terrorism Court’s (ATC) decision to grant bail to nine PTI supporters, among them five women, in a case relating to the attack on a senior military officer’s residence months ago.
An ATC in Lahore granted post-arrest bail to former PTI MNA Rubina Jamil and eight others on Saturday who were arrested on charges of attacking the official residence of the Lahore Corps Commander on May 9.
Angry PTI supporters took to the streets following Khan’s brief arrest on May 9 on graft allegations, torching government buildings and attacking military installations in many parts of the country. Scores of people were arrested for attacking the senior military officer’s Lahore residence, among them former lawmakers Alia Hamza and Rubina Jamil, and prominent fashion designer Khadijah Shah.
Following the protests, police registered cases against the suspects under Section 121 (waging or attempting to wage war or abetting waging of war against Pakistan), Section 131 (abetting mutiny, or attempting to seduce a soldier, sailor or airman from his duty) and Section 146 (rioting) under the Pakistan Penal Code.
While the ATC granted bail to Jamil, social media activist Sanam Javed, Afshan Tariq, Shahbano, Ashima Shuja, Mubeen Qadri, Syed Faisal Akhtar, Ali Hassan, and Mohammad Qasim, the same was denied to 39 others including Hamza and Shah.
“A welcome first step,” PTI leader and former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa finance minister Taimur Khan Jhagra wrote on social media platform X.
“The 9 given bail must be released. It is the reputation of the state that suffers when justice is seen not to be served, as is the case here.”
Jhagra said that “not a shred” of evidence of arson or destruction of public property linking PTI’s supporters to the acts of May 9 has been found.
Former PTI MNA Ali Muhammad Khan agreed with Jhagra, saying that the women who were granted bail should be released too.
“No doubt our sisters have endured alot and now when given bail by ATC they must be released & allowed to re-join their families and kids,” he wrote on X.
While Khan insists he did not instigate supporters to attack law enforcers on May 9, Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar said on Sept. 3 that the protests were aimed at starting a mutiny or civil war in the country.
“I think its target as a nucleus was the serving army chief and the team around him. All of them,” Kakar had said during an interview with a private news channel.
While Khan’s party alleges it is being victimized, Kakar has said the law would take its course and PTI supporters would not be targeted unfairly by military courts.
