ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Caretaker Commerce Minister Dr. Gohar Ejaz on Wednesday discussed enhancing bilateral trade and investment with Saudi Arabia in various sectors such as construction, infrastructure and digital economy, the commerce ministry said.
Ejaz met Saudi Arabia’s commerce minister, Majid bin Abdullah Al-Qasabi, as he led a delegation of prominent Pakistani businesspersons in the kingdom on Wednesday. Members of the delegation included notable Pakistani businessperson Arif Habib and the president of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry, (FPCCI) Atif Ikram.
“Pakistan and Saudi Arabia agreed on enhancing bilateral trade,” Pakistan’s commerce ministry said. “The two sides agreed to enhance investment in the fields of construction, digital economy and infrastructure.”
In a message on social media platform X, Al-Qasabi said he and Ejaz discussed developing bilateral trade relations and “investing in promising opportunities” in the two countries.
Last year a delegation of 15 top Pakistani IT companies led by IT Minister Dr. Umar Saif visited Saudi Arabia and signed deals to accelerate digital transformation, foster innovation and advance digital infrastructure.
The agreements will also boost the ecosystems for small and medium-sized enterprises and startups and encourage the transfer of businesses and the exchange of information on accelerators and incubators.
Both countries have also decided to establish a special task force to promote Saudi-Pakistan digital cooperation.
Pakistan enjoys strong economic and trade relations with Saudi Arabia. The kingdom is home to over 2.7 million Pakistani expatriates, serving as the top source of remittances for the cash-strapped South Asian country.
Saudi Arabia has also frequently bailed Pakistan out of its economic crisis over the years, serving as an important strategic partner for the South Asian country.
Pakistani, Saudi commerce ministers agree to enhance bilateral trade, investment
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Pakistani, Saudi commerce ministers agree to enhance bilateral trade, investment
- Commerce Minister Dr. Gohar Ejaz is leading a delegation of prominent Pakistani businesspersons in Saudi Arabia
- Both sides agreed to increase investment in construction, digital economy sectors, says Pakistani commerce ministry
Pakistan advocates global collaboration in Vienna against transnational organized crime
- Pakistan raised the issue at the Conference of Parties to UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime
- Top FIA official highlights Pakistan’s efforts to tackle human trafficking, migrant smuggling at the forum in Austria
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has emphasized the need for international cooperation to strengthen the capacity of developing countries in combating organized crimes such as money laundering, human trafficking and cybercrime, the country’s top investigation agency said on Tuesday, at a forum in Vienna.
The 12th Session of the Conference of Parties (COP) to the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) is currently being held in Austria. Pakistan was represented by Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Chief Ahmad Ishaque Jehangir, Director General of the Anti-Money Laundering Authority Ehsan Sadiq and Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Munir Akram.
The COP to the UNTOC, held every two years, serves as a vital platform for member states to discuss and develop strategies for enhancing cooperation in combating organized crime. The UNTOC remains the primary international instrument in the fight against transnational organized crime.
“[The top FIA official] called for international cooperation grounded in mutual respect and shared responsibility, stressing the importance of strengthening the capacities of developing countries in combating organized crimes such as money laundering, human trafficking, and cybercrime,” said an official statement released on Tuesday.
Addressing the session, the FIA chief called for a “holistic approach” to address the root causes associated with the challenges posed by transnational organized crime.
Reiterating Pakistan’s commitment to tackling these issues, he highlighted how economic disparities and lack of opportunities created “fertile grounds” for criminal enterprises and termed it pivotal to promote “inclusive and sustainable development.”
The FIA chief underscored Pakistan’s ongoing efforts to tackle human trafficking and migrant smuggling, emphasizing the need to expand legal migration pathways to address “irregular” migration.
He also spoke about corruption and illicit financial flows, highlighting the legislative reforms undertaken by Pakistan to combat money laundering and “terrorist financing.”
Jehangir urged the global community to expedite the return of stolen assets to developing countries so that the “ill-gotten resources” were utilized for socio-economic development.
He also emphasized that a “united global effort” was essential for achieving UNTOC objectives for ensuring a safer and more just world for everyone.
Pakistani, Russian armies kick off ‘Druzhba-VII’ joint counter-terror exercise
- Exercise aims to harness military-to-military ties between Pakistan and Russia, says army’s media wing
- Two-week-long exercise kicked off in Pakistan’s northwestern town of Pabbi, says Inter-Services Public Relations
ISLAMABAD: The armies of Pakistan and Russia have kicked off a bilateral joint counter-terrorism exercise, “Druzhba VII” this week to refine their militaries joint training and enhance military-to-military relations, the army’s media wing said on Tuesday.
The two-week-long exercise commenced on Oct. 13 at the National Counter Terrorism Center in the northwestern town of Pabbi, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the army’s media wing, said. Pakistan army’s light commando troops and the Russian military contingent are taking part in Druzhba VII
“The Exercise is aimed at refining professional skills through joint training besides harnessing the historic military-to-military relations among the friendly countries,” the ISPR said. “Participating troops are looking forward to benefit from mutual expertise/ experience.”
Pakistan and Russia have been deepening their military cooperation over the past few years. In 2014, Russia lifted a longstanding arms embargo imposed on Pakistan while in August 2015, it agreed to sell four Mi-35M attack helicopters to Pakistan.
The two countries have also warmed up to each other in recent years, with Islamabad and Moscow bolstering efforts to enhance bilateral trade and investment. Earlier this month, Pakistan’s commerce minister led a delegation of 70 businesspersons to an inaugural trade and investment forum between the two countries in Moscow.
In order to escape a prolonged economic crisis, Islamabad seeks to enhance its role as a transit hub for landlocked economies in Central Asia. For this, it has expressed interest in connecting with Russia through Central Asian states for bilateral trade.
Islamabad’s ties with Russia also saw significant improvement last year after Pakistan started purchasing Russian crude oil at a discount rate. The development came after geopolitical tensions almost doubled the fuel prices in Pakistan last year, forcing the South Asian country to opt for cheaper sources of fuel.
Pakistan also received its first shipment of liquified petroleum gas from Russia in September 2023, marking Islamabad’s second major Russian energy purchase. Last month, Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk arrived in Islamabad on a brief visit, seeking to expand trade and investment ties with Pakistan.
Pakistan’s Quaid-e-Azam University breaks into top 500 global institutions
- Located in Islamabad, the university is placed in the 401-500 band by Times Higher Education Rankings
- Other Pakistani educational institutions on the list include LUMS, NUST, COMSATS and Air University
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Quaid-e-Azam University has secured a spot among the top 500 universities in the world, according to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2025, with the institution placed in the 401-500 band.
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings are released annually and consider several benchmarks that include teaching, research, employability, and sustainability. Securing a position in these rankings not only enhances a university’s reputation but also reflects its academic excellence and global impact.
Quaid-e-Azam University is the only educational institution in Pakistan to fall in the 401-500 ranking band followed by seven other local universities falling within the 601-800 band.
“This year’s ranking analyzed more than 134 million citations across 16.5 million research publications and included survey responses from 68,402 scholars globally,” the Times Higher Education website said. “Overall, we collected 411,789 data points from more than 2,673 institutions that submitted data.”
“Trusted worldwide by students, teachers, governments and industry experts, the 2024 league table reveals how the global higher education landscape is shifting,” it added.
The Pakistani universities in the 601-800 band include Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Air University, Capital University of Science and Technology, COMSATS University Islamabad, University of Engineering and Technology Taxila, Government College University Faisalabad and National University of Sciences and Technology.
Eleven Pakistani universities attained a spot in the 801-1000 ranking band including Bahria University, Hazara University Mansehra, International Islamic University Islamabad, Islamia College Peshawar, University of Lahore, Lahore University of Management Sciences, University of Malakand, University of Management and Technology, University of the Punjab, Institute of Space Technology and University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore.
The 1001-1200 ranking band included 13 Pakistani universities while the 1201-1500 ranking band included four local universities and the rest fall in the 1500+ category.
Quaid-e-Azam University is located in Pakistan’s capital city of Islamabad. Its inclusion in top 500 global institutions underscores its emerging prominence on the world stage, highlighting its commitment to delivering quality education and research.
Pakistan’s Punjab forms committee to probe alleged rape of Lahore student
- Hundreds of students protested this week over alleged rape of Lahore college student by security guard
- Seven-member committee headed by Punjab chief secretary to probe incident college says is “false”
ISLAMABAD: The chief minister of Pakistan’s most populous Punjab province on Tuesday formed a committee to investigate the alleged rape of a college student in the eastern city of Lahore, following clashes between police and students over the reported incident.
Hundreds of students on Monday staged protests over the reported rape of a student of a private college in Lahore, forcing the closure of one of the campuses while police and provincial government officials denied the incident took place.
The incident was first reported on social media over the weekend, with varying accounts stating the rape took place on Thursday or Friday evening in the basement of the Punjab College for Women campus in Lahore. Police on Monday said no victim had come forward to file a complaint and the college dismissed the allegations as “false.”
“Apropos the subject, the chief minister has constituted a high-powered committee to investigate the reported incident of rape crime at the Punjab College for Women,” a government notification shared by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), the ruling party in Punjab province, said.
The seven-member committee is headed by the chief secretary with the advocate general of Punjab, home secretary, higher education secretary, special education department secretary and specialized health care and medical education department secretary as members. The seventh member would be any other member co-opted by the committee, the notification said.
Police on Monday took into custody a security guard who was identified as the culprit by students online. The notification said that one of the terms of reference of the committee would be to gather facts, collect evidence and record any statements related to the alleged incident.
It would also ascertain the appropriateness of the responses to the incident by the college and the Punjab Police when the incident came to light.
“The committee shall submit the report along with the findings to the chief minister within 48 hours,” the notification said.
In a video statement shared on social media, the father of the alleged rape victim regretted that his daughter’s name was being associated with the incident. Standing beside Additional Superintendent of Police Shehrbano Naqvi, the father said his daughter was admitted to a hospital after she slipped and suffered an injury to her backbone.
“We have handed her medical reports and everything to the police,” he said. “Those who have daughters, only then can understand the pain we are going through [because of the rumors.]“
Pakistan 79-2 at lunch in second England Test after Jack Leach strikes
- Pakistan lost two early wickets of Abdullah Shafique and Shan Masood before lunch
- England lead three-match series 1-0 after winning first Test by an innings and 47 runs
MULTAN, Pakistan: Saim Ayub and Kamran Ghulam lifted Pakistan to 79-2 at lunch Tuesday on the first day of the second Test, after England’s Jack Leach took two early wickets on a used pitch offering help to the spinners.
Ayub was unbeaten on 40 and debutant Ghulam 29 not out as the pair steadied Pakistan from 19-2 after the home team won the toss and opted to bat in Multan.
Returning England captain Ben Stokes turned to his spinners after just five overs on the same pitch used for the first Test last week and Leach soon struck.
Abdullah Shafique was bowled by Leach for seven in the eighth over of the morning with the score on 15.
In his next over, the left-arm spinner had captain Shan Masood caught low at short midwicket by Zak Crawley for three.
At lunch, Leach had 2-35 from 10 overs.
England lead the three-match series 1-0 after they won the first Test at the same venue by an innings and 47 runs on Friday.
Pakistan’s defeat — their sixth in as many Tests — prompted the selectors to make four changes.
Out went batsman and former captain Babar Azam, pace bowlers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah, plus spinner Abrar Ahmed who was taken ill in the first match.
They were replaced by Ghulam and the spin trio of Sajid Khan, Zahid Mahmood and Noman Ali, leaving Pakistan with only one fast bowler in Aamer Jamal.
Stokes was back from a hamstring injury for England, replacing Chris Woakes, while fast bowler Matthew Potts came in for Gus Atkinson.
