ISLAMABAD: A high-level Russian delegation is due to arrive in Pakistan Wednesday, confirmed a senior official in Islamabad, to discuss the possibility of supplying discounted oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the country and attend an inter-governmental meeting on bilateral trade and technical cooperation.
Pakistan has been negotiating with Russia to ensure uninterrupted energy supply and cut down the cost of gas and petroleum products which surpassed $23 billion in the last financial year and constituted 29 percent of the country’s total imports.
According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, Islamabad has already procured $7.7 billion of energy products from the international market during the ongoing economic year.
“A big Russian delegation, led by energy minister Nikolay Shulginov, will arrive in Islamabad on January 18 to attend the eighth session of Pakistan-Russia inter-governmental commission [IGC] on trade, economic, scientific and technical cooperation to be held on 19th and 20th January,” Sumra Abbas, a spokesperson for the government’s economic affairs division, told Arab News on Tuesday.
She informed the Pakistan delegation would be headed by economic affairs minister Sardar Ayaz Sadiq during the IGC talks.
Qazi Imran-ud-Din, deputy secretary at the petroleum division of Pakistan’s energy ministry, said both sides would also discuss technical cooperation in oil and gas fields and the Pakistan Stream Gas Pipeline (PSGP) project.
“The Russian delegation will discuss bilateral cooperation in diverse fields,” he continued. “Our ministry will negotiate with them over the import of oil and gas, PSGP project and cooperation in exploration sectors.”
He added it was “unlikely” that any agreement or deal would be signed between the two countries during the upcoming visit while expressing hope the negotiations would take forward many issues which needed to be addressed for import oil and gas from Russia.
“During the visit, the negotiations will focus on ways and means of dealing with the sanctions regime, shipping cost, insurance cover and mode of payments,” Imran-ud-Din informed while referring to international sanctions faced by Russia in the wake of its war with Ukraine.
Russian delegation to arrive in Islamabad today to discuss oil and gas deal — official
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Russian delegation to arrive in Islamabad today to discuss oil and gas deal — official
- The talks between the two countries will focus on how to deal with international sanctions on Russia for energy imports
- Pakistani and Russian officials will also focus on the possibility of increasing bilateral trade and technical cooperation
‘Fully stand with Bangladesh’: Pakistan PM backs decision to boycott India match
- Pakistan’s government have not allowed the national cricket team to play its World Cup match against India on Feb. 15
- Pakistan has accused India of influencing ICC decisions, criticized global cricket body for replacing Bangladesh in World Cup
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday backed his government’s decision to bar the national men’s cricket team from playing against India in the upcoming T20 World Cup tournament, reaffirming support for Bangladesh.
Pakistan’s government announced on social media platform X last week that it has allowed its national team to travel to Sri Lanka for the World Cup. However, it said the Green Shirts will not take the field against India on their scheduled match on Feb. 15.
Pakistan’s participation in the tournament was thrown into doubt after Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi criticized the International Cricket Council (ICC) for replacing Bangladesh with Scotland. The decision was taken after Bangladesh said it would not let its team travel to India out of security concerns.
During a meeting of the federal cabinet, Sharif highlighted that Pakistan has said that politics should be kept away from sports.
“We have taken this stand after careful consideration and in this regard, we should stand fully with Bangladesh,” Sharif said in televised remarks.
“And I believe this is a very reasonable decision.”
Pakistan has blamed India for influencing the ICC’s decisions. The global cricket governing body is currently led by Jay Shah, the head of the Board of Control for Cricket in India. Shah is the son of Indian Home Minister Amit Shah.
Pakistan’s boycott announcement has triggered media frenzy worldwide, with several Indian cricket experts and analysts criticizing Islamabad for the decision. An India-Pakistan cricket contest is by far the most lucrative and eagerly watched match of any ICC tournament.
The ICC has ensured that the two rivals and Asian cricket giants are always in the same group of any ICC event since 2012 to capitalize on the high-stakes game.
The two teams have played each other at neutral venues over the past several years, as bilateral cricket remains suspended between them since 2013 due to political tensions.
Those tensions have persisted since the two nuclear-armed nations engaged in the worst fighting between them since 1999 in May 2025, after India blamed Pakistan for an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed tourists.
Pakistan denied India’s allegations that it was involved in the attack, calling for a credible probe into the incident.
