ISLAMABAD: Gwadar Gas Port Limited (GGPL) is awaiting approval to get a provisional construction license from the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) to import a ‘virtual’ LNG pipeline to provide gas at half price to the deep sea port, industry and residents of Gwadar City, CGPL has told parliament, Pakistani media reported.
A liquefied natural gas virtual system, or LNG virtual distribution grid, is one of the solutions used to supply gas to populations in places where it is not possible to build regasification terminals. It consists of a small or medium-scale liquefaction plant, a fleet of cryogenic transport tanks, mobile regasification units and satellite regasification stations (SRSs) located in strategic points.
This means the fleet of transport tanks can connect the liquefaction plant with the SRSs, where the LNG is regasified and introduced into the network of distribution pipelines to reach people’s homes and industry.
GGPL is a joint venture comprising the Pakistan GasPort, Al-Qasim Gas and Jamshoro Joint Venture. It plans to invest $94.04 million in a ‘virtual pipeline’ to deliver imported LNG at the doorsteps of industrial and other private sector consumers at competitive prices via cryogenic bowsers.
“We are waiting for the issuance of National Occupational Classification (NOC) from OGRA,” the Business Recorder newspaper quoted GGPL Chairman Iqbal Z Ahmad as saying at a briefing before the Senate Standing Committee on Planning, Development and Special Initiatives during a visit to Gwadar. “We will provide 50 percent low-priced gas as compared to LPG to the consumers. We will provide a liquefied cylinder with a fitted device to convert into gas to the local people at half the price of an LPG cylinder.”
“The GGPL has completed all formalities and is waiting for Ogra to issue a provisional construction license to the GGPL,” Ahmad said. “We will deliver gas at the doorstep of the customers without any subsidy or use of any government-owned gas infrastructure in the country.”
He said despite the development of Gwadar Port, industrial activity in the free zone was held up due to a lack of gas, power, and water supplies. Recently, the people of Gwadar have held large demonstrations, including this week, to demand basic needs.
“Gwadar International Terminal Limited (GITL) and Gwadar Gasport (Private) Limited (GGPL) have agreed to make gas available at Gwadar Port for its development and for power generation and general industry and also to meet demands of the local population,” Ahmad said.
“The project envisages that it shall have a floating storage unit (LNG vessel) to be berthed permanently at Berth 3 of the Port. The LNG will be replenished in the Floating Storage Unit (FSU) using LNG carriers; Qatar Abu Dhabi/Oman being close to Gwadar will be sources of supply. The company targets delivery of LNG at the doorstep of customers, at competitive prices. Around 300 mmcfd or 2.25 million tons per year (MTPA) of LNG will become available.”
Gwadar Port Authority (GPA) chairman Naseer Ahmed Kashani told the Senate Committee he had held a meeting with the prime minister to discuss this matter, adding that the PM had constituted a committee to address issues relating to framework and regulation. He said the Committee would take a final decision on the matter.
Pakistan's Gwadar Gas Port Limited says awaiting approval for import of ‘virtual’ LNG pipeline
https://arab.news/c7hb2
Pakistan's Gwadar Gas Port Limited says awaiting approval for import of ‘virtual’ LNG pipeline
- LNG virtual distribution grid is used to supply gas to places where it is not possible to build regasification terminals
- Recently, people of Gwadar have held large demonstrations, including this week, to demand basic needs such as gas, power, water
At UN General Assembly, Pakistan proposes collective efforts to thwart space weaponization
- Pakistan’s UN ambassador says threats in and from outer space have “escalated sharply” in recent years
- Expresses concern over deployment of missile defense systems, their integration with space technologies
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s ambassador to the United Nations this week proposed collective action against the weaponization of outer space, citing proliferation of destructive weapons in the territory by major powers during a debate at the UN General Assembly.
Munir Akram, Pakistan’s permanent representative to the UN, was speaking at a debate at the General Assembly on Monday over Russia’s decision last month to veto a draft US-Japan resolution that called on countries to prevent an arms race in outer space. The Security Council rejected the resolution by a vote of 13 in favor to one against, with China abstaining from the vote.
The vote came after Washington accused Moscow of developing an anti-satellite nuclear weapon to put in space. Russia has denied the allegations, with its President Vladimir Putin saying Moscow was against putting nuclear weapons in space.
During his speech at the UN General Assembly, Akram said threats to security in and from outer space have “escalated sharply” in recent years, adding that it was evident from the placement of weapons in space.
“Ambassador Munir Akram called for the issue of weaponization of outer space to be transmitted to the Conference on Disarmament for further consideration and urged collective action to preserve outer space for peaceful purposes,” a press release from Pakistan’s permanent mission to the UN said on Tuesday.
Akram said Pakistan has always maintained a principled position that resolutions on global disarmament should be deliberated and concluded in a transparent manner. He called for doing so at appropriate forums such as the Conference on Disarmament, the UN Disarmament Commission, and the first Committee of the General Assembly.
“In his statement, Ambassador Akram underscored the gravity of the situation, citing the proliferation of weapons in space and the increasing militarization of outer space by major powers,” the statement said. “He expressed concern over the deployment of missile defense systems and their integration with outer space technologies, warning of the destabilizing impact on global and regional security.”
He said if nuclear weapons were deployed in outer space, it would constitute a violation of the Outer Space Treaty. Akram highlighted the need for multilateral cooperation, particularly within the Conference of Disarmament, to address growing threats posed by outer space’s weaponization.
Pakistan is eager to take strides in its own space program. China last Friday launched a Pakistani satellite, ‘ICUBE-Qamar’ or ICUBE-Q into outer space, which is set to enter the lunar orbit on a high-stakes moon mission to reach the lunar side. The launch was part of China’s Chang’e-6 mission, a planned robotic lunar exploration mission, that aims to obtain the first-ever soil and rock samples from the lunar far side and return them to Earth.
The satellite was designed and developed by IST (Pakistan’s Institute of Space Technology) with China’s Shanghai University and Pakistan’s national space agency SUPARCO, state media had reported.
A senior ICT official who was co-lead on the project said last week that this is Pakistan’s first deep space mission, describing it as a “historic moment.”
Pakistan eye third victory in Azlan Shah hockey tournament against Japan today
- Pakistan beat hosts Malaysia and South Korea 5-4, 4-0 respectively last week
- 30th edition of Sultan Azlan Shah Cup is being played in Malaysia from May 4-11
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan men’s field hockey team will face Japan today, Tuesday, in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup clash in Ipoh, state-run media reported, as the green shirts eye a third victory in the tournament.
Pakistan have already won the two matches they have played in the tournament so far against hosts Malaysia, and South Korea. Pakistan beat a strong Malaysian side 5-4 on Saturday to win their opening contest of the cup before thrashing South Korea 4-0 on Sunday.
“In the 30th Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey Cup, Pakistan in their third match will play against Japan at Ipoh in Malaysia today,” state-run Radio Pakistan reported, adding that the match is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m.
Pakistani players Abdul Hanan Shahid, Arshad Liaqat, Ghazanfar Ali and Sufiyan Khan scored goals against South Korea to ensure the national team dominated the match on Sunday. Pakistan’s defense did an impressive job to contain the Korean hockey team, thwarting their efforts to score a single goal.
The 30th edition of the prestigious field hockey tournament is being played in Ipoh, Malaysia from 4-11 May. The cup will be contested between six teams, namely Canada, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan and Korea.
The Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 2024 will see a round-robin stage at first where all six participating teams will play against each other once, followed by positional playoffs.
The teams finishing in the bottom two places of the league stage will contest in a fifth-place classification match. Teams finishing in third and fourth place in the pool stage will compete for bronze, while the top two teams will play in the final for the title.
All participating teams, except Japan, will be heading to Gniezno in Poland shortly after the tournament to participate in the FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup. There the title and an opportunity to be promoted to the FIH Hockey Pro League will be at stake.
Pakistan Cricket Board launches national team’s kit for T20 World Cup 2024
- Pakistan will take part in T20 World Cup 2024 scheduled to kick off in United States on June 2
- Green shirts will play separate T20I series against Ireland, England this month to prepare for mega event
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) this week launched the national team’s kit for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024, scheduled to kick off next month in the United States and West Indies.
Cricket boards launch their national team’s kit before mega tournaments such as the World Cup. At a ceremony held in Pakistan’s eastern city of Lahore on Monday night, PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi launched the Pakistan team’s “Matrix Jersey” at the Qaddafi Stadium.
“Unveiled the new kit of Pakistan Cricket team!” Naqvi wrote on social media platform X. “Team Pakistan’s Green Matrix jersey is more than just a uniform; it’s a symbol of unity, representing every culture, and individual that makes up the rich fabric of our nation.”
The PCB chairman uploaded a video with his post in which star cricketers Babar Azam, Muhammad Rizwan, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah can be seen with the PCB chairman checking out the new jerseys.
Skipper Azam and his squad have left for Dubai from where they will travel to Ireland and England to play two separate T20I series. Pakistan will play three T20Is against Ireland in Dublin from May 12-14 before they take on 2022 World Champions England from May 22-30 in a four-match series.
The series will be an important one for Pakistan as the team prepares for the T20 World Cup scheduled to kick off from June 2 in the US and West Indies.
Pakistan have a strong bowling line-up in the form of fast bowler Mohammad Amir, who played in two T20s against New Zealand after ending his retirement, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and Abbas Afridi.
Under Babar, Pakistan has done well in the last two T20 World Cups, reaching the semifinals in 2021 at the United Arab Emirates and losing to England in the final at the 2022 tournament in Australia.
Naqvi has promised a cash award of $100,000 to every player if the team wins the tournament.
Saudi, Pakistani businesses to continue investment talks on second day of Islamabad conference
- High-level Saudi business delegation led by Kingdom’s assistant minister for investment arrived in Pakistan on Sunday
- 30 Saudi firms from IT, telecos, energy, aviation, building, mining, agriculture are visiting, will meet 125 Pakistani companies
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani and Saudi Arabia will hold business-to-business talks today, Tuesday, as part of a Pakistan-Saudi Arabia investment conference being held in Islamabad amid a push by the South Asian nation to secure foreign financing.
A 50-member delegation led by the Kingdom’s Assistant Minister of Investment Ibrahim Al-Mubarak arrived in Pakistan on Sunday to attend a two-day investment conference, with representatives of some 30 Saudi firms from the fields of IT, telecom, energy, aviation, construction, mining, agriculture and human resource development, among others.
The conference comes as Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have been working closely to increase bilateral trade and investment deals after Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman last month and the two leaders reaffirmed a commitment to expedite a previously discussed investment package of $5 billion.
Since then there have been a flurry of meetings and high-level visits, including of the Saudi foreign minister to Pakistan and of Sharif for a second time to Riyadh followed by the Saudi business delegation’s ongoing visit to Islamabad.
“B2B [business to business] interactions have been most productive,” Sharif said in his address at a dinner hosted for the Saudi delegates on Monday evening.
“I want to make it very clear that it is not the business of the government to do business. Our job is to offer policy frameworks. Our job is to act as a catalyst to make things happen and remove hurdles in the way for speedy achievement of our targets.”
At a press conference in Islamabad on Monday, Petroleum Minister Dr. Musadik Malik said 125 Pakistani companies would be meeting and negotiating with the Saudi companies who were visiting Islamabad.
“First, there were government-to-government agreements during the visit of the Saudi foreign minister [last month] and now there will be business-to-business agreements,” he said. “To facilitate the visiting Saudi companies, the Pakistani commerce ministry has affiliated one focal person with each Saudi company.”
INVESTMENT PUSH
The Saudi business delegation’s visit comes on the heels of one by Sharif to Riyadh from Apr. 27-30 to attend a special two-day meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF).
On the sidelines of the WEF conference, the Pakistani PM met and discussed bilateral investment and economic partnerships with the crown prince and the Saudi ministers of finance, industries, investment, energy, climate, and economy and planning, the adviser of the Saudi-Pakistan Supreme Coordination Council and the presidents of the Saudi central bank and Islamic Development Bank.
This was Sharif’s second meeting with the crown prince in a month. Before that, he also met him when he traveled to the Kingdom on April 6-8. The Saudi foreign minister was also in Pakistan last month, a trip during which Pakistan pitched projects worth at least $20 billion to Riyadh, according to the Pakistani foreign ministry.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoy strong trade, defense, and cultural ties. The Kingdom is home to over 2.7 million Pakistani expatriates and serves as a top source of remittances to the cash-strapped South Asian country.
Cash-strapped Pakistan desperately requires foreign investment as it tries to navigate an economic crisis that has resulted in a chronic balance of payments crisis.
The South Asian country is also in talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a new bailout deal, for which it needs to signal that it can continue to meet requirements for foreign financing which has been a key demand in previous loan packages.
Pakistan’s technical expertise, Saudi markets could combine for ‘valuable’ investments — IT minister
Pakistan’s technical expertise, Saudi markets could combine for ‘valuable’ investments — IT minister
- In 2023, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed MoU to bolster bilateral cooperation in information technology
- Saudi Arabia has said it will set up dedicated desk to streamline registration of Pakistani IT companies in the Kingdom
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s State Minister for Information Technology (IT) Shaza Fatima Khawaja said on Monday Pakistan’s technical expertise and Saudi Arabia’s market needs could combine for “valuable” investments in the IT and telecoms sector.
Khawaja said this at a meeting with Saudi tech companies who are part of a large delegation of Saudi investors and companies that arrived in Islamabad on Sunday for a two-day investment conference.
“We are dedicated to offering a stable and supportive framework … We encourage all Saudi companies to explore opportunities for partnerships and joint ventures,” Pakistani news agency APP reported, quoting Khawaja who urged the Saudi delegation to “capitalize on the synergies between Pakistani technical proficiency and the access to the Saudi market, accompanied by the potential for valuable investments.”
In 2023, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in Riyadh to bolster bilateral cooperation in information technology with a focus on accelerating digital transformation, fostering innovation and advancing digital infrastructure. Pakistan’s IT ministry at the time said Saudi Arabia would also create a dedicated desk to streamline the registration of Pakistani IT companies seeking to establish themselves in the Kingdom.
The LEAP 2023 conference in Saudi Arabia generated $9 billion in IT business and Pakistani companies developed leads worth upwards of $100 million on the sidelines in business-to-business matchmaking, according to the Pakistan Software Houses Association.
Pakistan’s market for computer software has seen steady growth for the past several years, with the total size of the software sector at approximately $3.2 billion.
The US is Pakistan’s largest market for IT, accounting for 54.5 percent in the 2023 financial year, according to the International Trade Administration.
Pakistan’s IT sector consists primarily of software development and IT-enabled services for data centers, technical service/call centers, and telecom services, with 60 percent of ITeS serving international customers. Much of the growth is driven by the work of freelancers and tech start-ups.
