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PM hopes for repatriation of Pakistani prisoners after treaty with Saudi Arabia

Saudi Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif (left) calls on Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan in Islamabad, Pakistan, on February 7, 2022. (Prime Minister Office/Twitter)
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Updated 07 February 2022
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PM hopes for repatriation of Pakistani prisoners after treaty with Saudi Arabia

  • In May 2021, both countries signed an agreement to repatriate over 2,000 Pakistanis jailed in the kingdom
  • Saudi interior minister met with top Pakistani officials on his day-long visit to Islamabad on Monday
Updated 07 February 2022
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday expressed hope for the repatriation of Pakistani inmates from Saudi Arabia after the two countries finalized a prisoner transfer treaty, PM Khan’s office said. 
The statement came after PM Khan’s meeting with Saudi Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif, who arrived in Islamabad on a day-long visit on Monday. 
The treaty to repatriate over 2,000 Pakistanis jailed in the kingdom was signed during PM Khan’s visit to the kingdom in May 2021. Saudi Arabia’s cabinet approved the agreement during a session, chaired by King Salman, on January 25, according to the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA). 
The agreement allows Pakistani individuals convicted in Saudi Arabia, especially for minor offenses, to complete their terms at home. It also benefits prisoners languishing in Saudi jails for not being able to pay fines. 
“Noting the conclusion of the Agreement on Transfer of Offenders between the two countries, the prime minister expressed the hope that a large number of Pakistani prisoners in KSA would be repatriated to Pakistan through this framework,” PM Khan’s office said in a statement. 
“The prime minister particularly thanked the kingdom for its steadfast support to Pakistan, especially in challenging times. He thanked the Saudi leadership for the recent financial budgetary support extended to Pakistan.” 




Saudi Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif (left) and Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan pose for a picture in Islamabad, Pakistan, on February 7, 2022. (@AbdulazizSNA/Twitter)

The Saudi interior minister conveyed greetings of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the prime minister and reaffirmed close fraternal relations between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, according to the statement. 
Prince Abdulaziz acknowledged the positive contribution of Pakistanis in the development of the kingdom and reiterated the resolve to work closely with the Pakistani side on all matters relating to his ministry. 
He also held a meeting with Pakistani President Dr. Arif Alvi. “Saudi Minister for Interior informed that steps were being taken to help address the issue of Pakistani prisoners by the technical teams of the two countries,” President Alvi’s office said in a statement. 
The president expressed gratitude to the Saudi leadership for launching the “Road to Makkah” pilot project for Hajj pilgrims, stating the Pakistani government was looking forward to its expansion to other cities of the country. 




Saudi Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif (third left) calls on President of Pakistan, Dr. Arif Alvi, in Islamabad, Pakistan, on February 7, 2022. (President of Pakistan/Twitter)

The Saudi interior minister hinted at including two more cities in the “Road to Makkah” project, Pakistani Religious Affairs Minister Noor ul Haq Qadri said. 
“Both countries discussed further easing the visa and immigration process for Umrah and Hajj pilgrims from Pakistan but vowed to strictly implement COVID-19 guidelines,” Qadri was quoted as saying in a statement. 
Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi, Pakistani PM’s aide on the Middle East, told Arab News both countries agreed to implement the prisoner release treaty. 
“The Saudi interior minister has assured of the implementation of all agreements, including the prisoners release treaty, signed between the two countries,” Ashrafi said. 
“The interior ministries of both countries will work together for speedy implementation of the prisoner release agreement.” 




Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi (right), Pakistani PM’s aide on the Middle East, presents souvenir to Saudi Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif (left) in Islamabad, Pakistan, on February 7, 2022. (PID)

The Saudi interior minister also held a meeting with his Pakistani counterpart, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, in Islamabad. 
The two officials agreed to further strengthen bilateral cooperation and increase connectivity between the ministries of interior, the Pakistani ministry said. 
“Better liaison between the interior ministries of both countries was necessary to address different issues, including security challenges,” it said.




Pakistan's interior minister, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed (left), meets his Saudi Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif in Islamabad, Pakistan, on February 7, 2022. (PTV/Twitter)

On the occasion, Prince Abdulaziz said relations between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia were based on mutual trust and Islamic brotherhood, according to the statement. 
Ahmed told his Saudi counterpart that Pakistan attached great importance to its historic and brotherly relations with Saudi Arabia. 
He said more than two million Pakistanis working in Saudi Arabia were their asset. “We are grateful to the Saudi government for the excellent care of Pakistani workers,” Ahmed added. 

In his meeting with Pakistani Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, the visiting dignitary appreciated Pakistan's role in Afghanistan and efforts for border management and regional stability, the Pakistani military said.
Prince Abdulaziz pledged to play his part for further improvement in diplomatic cooperation with Pakistan at all levels, it added.
On the conclusion of the visit, Ahmed bid farewell to the Saudi interior minister at the Noor Khan Air Base in Rawalpindi. 
He also presented a commemorative photo album to his Saudi counterpart on his visit. 

 

Topics: Pakistan Saudi Ties Saudi Arabia prisoners

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Fire erupts at Karachi garment factory, no loss of live reported

Updated 8 sec ago
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Fire erupts at Karachi garment factory, no loss of live reported

  • The biggest Pakistani city, known for poor fire safety protocols, witnesses hundreds of such incidents annually
  • In November last year, a blaze at a shopping mall in Karachi killed around a dozen people and injured several others
Updated 8 sec ago
NAIMAT KHAN

KARACHI: A broke out at a garment factory in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi on Saturday, rescue officials said.

The blaze erupted on the ground floor of the garment factory in Zarina Colony in the New Karachi area, according to Rescue 1122 service.

“One fire truck is actively participating in the operation,” a Rescue 1122 spokesperson said, adding that another fire tender has been called to the site.

No loss of life has been reported in the wake of the fire.

Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city and the main commercial hub, is home to hundreds of thousands of industrial units and some of the tallest buildings in the South Asian country. 

The megapolis, known for its fragile firefighting system and poor safety controls, witnesses hundreds of such incidents annually.

In Nov., a blaze at a shopping mall killed around a dozen people and injured several others. In April last year, four firefighters died and nearly a dozen others were injured after a fire broke out at a garment factory, while 10 people were killed in a massive fire at a chemical factory in the city in August 2021. 

In the deadliest such incident, 260 people were killed in 2012 after being trapped inside a garment factory when a fire broke out.

Topics: fire Karachi fire fighters

Canada arrests three Indians over killing of Sikh activist

Updated 04 May 2024
AFP
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Canada arrests three Indians over killing of Sikh activist

  • The murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar plunged Canada, India into a serious diplomatic crisis last fall
  • Nijjar, who immigrated to Canada in 1997, advocated for a separate Sikh state, known as Khalistan
Updated 04 May 2024
AFP

VANCOUVER: Canadian police on Friday arrested three men over the killing last year in Vancouver of a Sikh separatist, whose death has been linked to the Indian government.

The murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar plunged Canada and India into a serious diplomatic crisis last fall after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suggested Indian government involvement in the homicide.

India dismissed the allegations as “absurd” and responded furiously, briefly curbing visas for Canadians and forcing Ottawa to withdraw diplomats.

Three Indian nationals, two aged 22 and one aged 28, were arrested Friday and charged with first degree murder and conspiracy charges. They are accused of being the shooter, driver and lookout on the day Nijjar was killed.

They were arrested by police in Edmonton, in the neighboring province of Alberta, where they reside, and are being held pending further proceedings.

All had been in Canada for between three and five years, police said at a news conference.

“This investigation does not end here. We are aware that others may have played a role in this homicide,” said Mandeep Mooker of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s homicide investigations team.

Nijjar — who immigrated to Canada in 1997 and became a citizen in 2015 — advocated for a separate Sikh state, known as Khalistan, carved out of India.

He was wanted by Indian authorities for alleged terrorism and conspiracy to commit murder.

On June 18, 2023, he was shot dead by masked assailants in the parking lot of the Sikh temple he led in suburban Vancouver.

Trudeau announced several months later that Canada had “credible allegations” linking Indian intelligence to the killing and expelled an Indian official, spurring the diplomatic tit-for-tat with New Delhi.

Mooker said Canadian police are still investigating the ties of the suspects, “if any, to the Indian government.”

“It is a bit of a sigh of relief that the investigation is moving forward,” Moninder Singh, a close friend of Nijjar, told AFP.

“It is ultimately India who is responsible and hiring individuals to assassinate Sikh leaders in foreign countries,” said Singh, spokesperson for the British Columbia Council of Gurdwaras.

In November, the US Justice Department charged an Indian citizen living in the Czech Republic with allegedly plotting a similar assassination attempt on American soil.

Prosecutors said in unsealed court documents that an Indian government official was also involved in the planning.

The shock allegations came after US President Joe Biden hosted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a rare state visit, as Washington seeks closer ties with India against China’s growing influence.

US intelligence agencies have assessed that the plot on American soil was approved by India’s top spy official at the time, Samant Goel, The Washington Post reported this week.

Canada is home to some 770,000 Sikhs, who make up about two percent of the country’s population, with a vocal minority calling for an independent state of Khalistan.

Topics: Hardeep Singh Nijjar Sikh activist

Saleem Haider Khan, Faisal Kundi named governors of Pakistan’s Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces

Updated 04 May 2024
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Saleem Haider Khan, Faisal Kundi named governors of Pakistan’s Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces

  • Nominations come as part of power-sharing deal between PM Sharif’s party and ex-FM Bhutto-Zardari-led faction
  • According to the deal, the PPP backed Sharif for the prime minister’s office in return for constitutional positions
Updated 04 May 2024
Aamir Saeed

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), a coalition partner in Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government, has nominated Saleem Haider Khan and Faisal Karim Kundi as governors of Pakistan’s eastern Punjab and northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, the PPP chairman announced on Friday.

The PPP forged an alliance with PM Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party after Pakistan’s national election on February 8 failed to present a clear winner.

According to the power-sharing deal, the PPP backed Sharif for the prime minister’s office in return for the presidency, chairman of Senate and other important constitutional positions.

In a post on X, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari congratulated Khan and Kundi, and extended his good wishes to them

“I am confident they [Khan and Kundi] will perform their duties with the dignity their new office demands,” he said on X.

In Pakistan, a governor is a representative of the state to a province, who is appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister.

Such positions may seem ceremonial and symbolic, but they do hold significant constitutional importance.

At present, PML-N’s Balighur Rehman has been serving as the Punjab governor, while JUI-F’s Hajji Ghulam Ali holds the post in KP.

Bhutto-Zardari also called on PM Sharif in Islamabad, following the nominations, Pakistani state media reported.

“During the meeting, views were exchanged on overall political situation in the country and matters of national interest,” the Radio Pakistan broadcaster said.

Pakistan Cricket Board confirms details of national side’s South Africa tour

Updated 04 May 2024
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Pakistan Cricket Board confirms details of national side’s South Africa tour

  • The side will depart for Durban on December 2 after returning from Australia in Nov.
  • The ODIs will be played from December 17-22 in Paarl, Cape Town, and Johannesburg
Updated 04 May 2024
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Friday announced details of the Pakistan men’s cricket team’s tour of South Africa for three Twenty20, three one-day international and two Test matches in the second half of 2024.

Durban, Centurion, and Johannesburg will host the T20Is from December 10-14, according to the PCB. The ODIs will be played from December 17-22 in Paarl, Cape Town, and Johannesburg, while the two ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 matches will be held at Centurion (December 26-30) and Cape Town (January 3-7).

The side will depart for Durban on December 2 after returning from Australia on November 19, having featured in a series of three ODIs and three T20Is from November 4-18. After completing their African safari on January 8, Pakistan will take on New Zealand and South Africa in a three-nation ODI tournament on home turf, which will be followed by the eight-team ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Pakistan.

“Prior to the tours of Australia and South Africa, Pakistan will host Bangladesh and England for two and three Tests, respectively,” the PCB said in a statement. “This means they will play seven Tests, minimum of 10 ODIs, and six T20Is in the six-month period from August 2024 to January 2025.”

This will be Pakistan’s seventh Test tour of South Africa since 1994-95. Their two Test wins were in the 1997-98 and 2006-2007 series.

In the Durban Test in 1997-98, Pakistan won by 29 runs at the back of centuries from Azhar Mahmood (132) and Saeed Anwar (118), match figures of nine for 149 by Mushtaq Ahmed and a first innings five-fer by Shoaib Akhtar. In the 2006-2007 Port Elizabeth Test, Pakistan won by five wickets with Inzamam-ul-Haq being named as Player of the Match for his 92 in the first innings.

In ODIs, Pakistan has won two of the last three series in 2013-2014 and 2020-21, while South Africa triumphed in 2002-2003 (4-1), 2006-2007 (3-1), 2012-2013 (3-2), and 2018-2019 (3-2).

In 12 T20Is to date, Pakistan leads 6-5 in head-to-head encounters, with one match ending in no-result.

Tour schedule:

10 Dec – 1st T20I, Durban

13 Dec – 2nd T20I, Centurion

14 Dec – 3rd T20I, Johannesburg

17 Dec – 1st ODI, Paarl

19 Dec – 2nd ODI, Cape Town

22 Dec – 3rd ODI, Johannesburg

26-30 Dec – 1st Test, Centurion

3-7 Jan – 2nd Test, Cape Town

Topics: Pakistan Cricket Board

Pakistani brothers inspire new volunteers after rescuing over 200 in UAE floods

Updated 04 May 2024
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Pakistani brothers inspire new volunteers after rescuing over 200 in UAE floods

  • Affan and Suleiman Tanvir pulled families to safety during the cloudburst and provided them with food
  • Their team has been rescuing tourists, adventure-seekers stranded in the desert over the past four years
Updated 04 May 2024
Aamir Saeed

ISLAMABAD: Since their move to the United Arab Emirates in 2008, Pakistani brothers Affan and Suleiman Tanvir have passionately devoted themselves to rescuing stranded travelers in different parts of the desert. But last month, their mission took an unexpected turn when the region experienced its heaviest rainfall in 75 years.
The brothers were suddenly thrust into a critical role, rescuing hundreds from waterlogged roads and submerged vehicles, as unprecedented floods transformed the streets into rivers. Alongside their team, they not only provided food and water but also pulled numerous cars to safety, navigating the chaotic aftermath of the storm in Dubai.
“We are proud of our work and glad to be recognized by the people for our rescue mission,” Affan told Arab News on Friday from Dubai over the phone. “We are honored and delighted to help people stranded on the roads during the torrential rains.”
Affan and his team rescued over 200 people and pulled out some 80 vehicles, including cars and minivans, during the rescue operation in Dubai and Sharjah that started in the morning on April 16 and continued for about two days.
Besides his brother Suleiman, the three other members of his rescue team included Alay Zaidi, Shahid Ibrahim Gul and Muhammad Owais.
Currently settled in Al-Hoshi in Sharjah, Affan brothers were born in Saudi Arabia while their parents belong to Karachi, Pakistan. In the UAE, they have set up a company for import and export of steel and transport.
The two brothers and their team were mentioned by several media houses for their heroic work, and the Pakistani consulate in Dubai acknowledged them by awarding certificates of appreciation.
“This rescue mission was not a new thing for us as we have been helping people stranded in the deserts for the last four years,” Affan said while narrating their extensive experience of saving people stuck in the desert terrain.
Affan said that they would receive frequent calls from adventure-seekers stuck in Ras Al-Khaimah desert for the rescue and relief as this was some 50-minute drive from their residence.
“We have a purpose-built vehicle along with all the accessories to pull out stuck cars, change their tires or toe them to main roads,” he said, adding that they had linked themselves to a local app, Rescue UAE, for people in need to get in touch with them.
“We use walkie-talkie to speak with the stranded people as there are no mobile phone signals in the desert,” he said, adding that they sometimes receive two or three rescue requests in a day from people stuck in the desert, especially during the winter season.
Talking about his team, he said that he started the rescue and relief work in 2020 along with his brother, but gradually his team started to grow with more people joining them.
“We are a 15-member team now and more people are joining us after getting inspired by our recent rescue work during the rains,” he added.
His team member Alay Zaidi told that two of their team members got shards in their feet during the rescue work, but they continued their mission to alleviate the sufferings of the families stuck on the roads along with children and women.
“It is a passion for us to help people in need, and we will continue doing our work with the same zeal and zest,” he continued. “We have received appreciation from the UAE people and officials for our work, and this is nothing less than a medal for us.”

Topics: UAE rains

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