ISLAMABAD: Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, newly elected speaker of Pakistan’s National Assembly, on Friday urged for closer ties with Saudi Arabia, describing the kingdom as a “selfless friend” that had stood by Pakistan in times of need.
The National Assembly, the lower house of Pakistani parliament, last week elected former prime minister Ashraf as its new speaker.
The House has been without a speaker since Asad Qaiser resigned from the post, minutes before a no-confidence vote against former prime minister Imran Khan on April 10, which he had lost.
Ashraf’s statement came after his meeting with Saudi Ambassador Nawaf Bin Said Al-Malki at Parliament House Islamabad on Friday.
“Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoy brotherly relations and the same transcends to the legislatures of the both the countries and have supported each other on international and regional forums,” Speaker Ashraf said.
“Pakistan attaches immense importance to its time-tested and all-weather friendship with Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”
Paying gratitude to the Saudi leadership, the speaker called for enhancing cooperation between the two countries in diverse sectors.
Ambassador Al-Malki agreed with the speaker, saying that undoubtedly the hearts of people of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan beat together.
He said that his “government and people hold Pakistani[s] close to their heart[s],” according to the statement issued by Speaker Ashraf’s office.
“Saudi Arabia had and would always stand by Pakistan whenever needed,” the ambassador was quoted as saying. He also agreed on enhancing parliamentary interaction between legislative bodies of both countries.
Pakistan has deep-rooted ties with Saudi Arabia and nearly 2.5 million Pakistani expats live in the kingdom.
Last week Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke to Shehbaz Sharif over the phone and congratulated him on becoming the new prime minister of Pakistan and extended an invitation to Sharif to visit the kingdom at an early date.
Sharif, 70, the younger brother of former premier Nawaz Sharif, was elected as prime minister on April 11, following a week-long constitutional crisis after parliament ousted Imran Khan in a no-confidence vote.
Sharif is expected to travel to Saudi Arabia next week.
New parliament speaker calls for closer ties with Saudi Arabia, Pakistan’s ‘selfless friend’
https://arab.news/jjspe
New parliament speaker calls for closer ties with Saudi Arabia, Pakistan’s ‘selfless friend’
- Statement came after Raja Pervaiz Ashraf’s meeting with Saudi Ambassador Nawaf Bin Said Al-Malki
- Pakistan attaches immense importance to its time-tested and all-weather friendship, the speaker says
Pakistan transporters call off five-day strike after successful talks with Punjab government
- Transporters went on strike against heavy fines, penalties imposed by Punjab over traffic violations
- Punjab government sets up committee to resolve transporters issues, confirms provincial minister
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani goods transporters called off their five-day-long nationwide strike on Friday after successful talks with the Punjab government, officials and transporters confirmed, as the business community warned of an impending economic crisis if the dispute stayed unresolved.
Transporters went on a nationwide strike on Dec. 8 against stringent traffic rules and heavy fines imposed by the Punjab government over traffic violations. These penalties were included in the Motor Vehicle Ordinance 2025 last month.
The ordinance details hefty fines ranging from Rs2000 [$7] to Rs50,000 [$178] and mentions prison sentences going up to six months for various offenses committed by drivers, such as driving on the wrong side of the road or driving in vehicles with tinted windows.
“Yes, the strike has been called off after our meeting with Senior Minister of Punjab Marriyum Aurangzeb,” Nabeel Tariq, president of the All Pakistan Goods Transport Association (APGTA), told Arab News.
Tariq said fines ranging from Rs1000 ($3.6) to Rs1500 ($5.4) for traffic violations have been increased to around Rs20,000 ($71.3) as per the new rules.
He said the APGTA has agreed to accept a 100 percent or even 200 percent hike in fines. However, he said an increase of 2000 percent was not “logical.”
“Our urgent demands have been accepted and a committee has been formed to review the ordinance and come up with recommendations,” Tariq said.
Speaking to Arab News, Aurangzeb confirmed the strike had been called off after talks with the Punjab government and that a committee has been formed to resolve the transporters’ issues.
The committee will be headed by Aurangzeb and will include representatives of goods transporters, a statement issued by her office said.
“The government wants to protect human lives and make things better for all citizens,” the statement said. “We will resolve the issues (with transporters) amicably.”
‘UNPRECEDENTED CRISIS’
Pakistan’s business and industrial community, meanwhile, warned of an impending crisis if the disputed was not resolved.
The All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) and the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) have both appealed for immediate government intervention.
Imdad Hussain Naqvi, president of the Grand Transport Alliance Pakistan (GTAP), told Arab News that over 400,000 goods carriers had been stranded across Pakistan due to the strike, affecting supplies to millions of consumers.
Earlier, in a letter to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, APTMA Chairman Kamran Arshad said the strike has “critically impacted import and export operations which are backbone of the country’s economy.”
He said hundreds of cargo vehicles remain stranded across Punjab, creating “abnormal delays” in goods movement and triggering heavy demurrage, detention charges, missed vessels and production shutdowns due to the non-availability of raw materials.
Arshad warned the disruption poses “a serious risk of order cancelation of export orders by international buyers, which would have far-reaching consequences for Pakistan’s foreign exchange earnings.”
Meanwhile in Pakistan’s commercial hub Karachi, KCCI President Rehan Hanif issued an even stronger warning, saying the nationwide strike threatens to paralyze Pakistan’s economic lifeline.
“The complete suspension of cargo movement is pushing Pakistan toward an unprecedented trade and industrial crisis,” Hanif said in a statement.
He added that import and export consignments are now stranded at the city’s ports, highways and industrial zones.
