ISLAMABAD: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance launched a program this week to distribute ten tons of premium dates to Pakistan, the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported.
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques’ Gift Program was launched by the ministry at the Saudi Embassy in Pakistan on Saturday, APP said. The Kingdom’s ambassador to Pakistan, Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki, attended the launching event in Islamabad.
Al-Maliki said the initiative is part of the Kingdom’s program which was being held in several countries, including Pakistan, during the holy month of Ramadan.
“This program distributes 10 tons of luxury dates, amounting to 30,000 individual gifts,” Malki was quoted as saying by the APP on Saturday.
“These gifts symbolize the bonds of brotherhood and goodwill between the people of Saudi Arabia, its government, and its wise leadership, and the people of Pakistan.”
Fasting during Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam, wherein Muslims abstain from food and drink from sunrise till sunset for a month. Muslims in many parts of the world, including Pakistan, traditionally break their fast by eating dates.
Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia gifted Pakistan 100 tons of dates before Ramadan began. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoy strong trade, defense and brotherly relations. The Kingdom is home to over 2.7 million Pakistani expatriates, serving as the top destination for remittances for the cash-strapped South Asian country.
Saudi Arabia launches program to distribute premium dates to Pakistan
https://arab.news/6gfuv
Saudi Arabia launches program to distribute premium dates to Pakistan
- As per the program, Saudi Arabia will distribute ten tons of premium dates to Pakistan
- Muslims in Pakistan and other parts of the world traditionally break fasts with dates
IMF hails Pakistan privatization drive, calls PIA sale a ‘milestone’
- Fund backs sale of national airline as key step in divesting loss-making state firms
- IMF has long urged Islamabad to reduce fiscal burden posed by state-owned entities
KARACHI: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Saturday welcomed Pakistan’s privatization efforts, describing the sale of the country’s national airline to a private consortium last month as a milestone that could help advance the divestment of loss-making state-owned enterprises (SOEs).
The comments follow the government’s sale of a 75 percent stake in Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) to a consortium led by the Arif Habib Group for Rs 135 billion ($486 million) after several rounds of bidding in a competitive process, marking Islamabad’s second attempt to privatize the carrier after a failed effort a year earlier.
Between the two privatization attempts, PIA resumed flight operations to several international destinations after aviation authorities in the European Union and Britain lifted restrictions nearly five years after the airline was grounded following a deadly Airbus A320 crash in Karachi in 2020 that killed 97 people.
“We welcome the authorities’ privatization efforts and the completion of the PIA privatization process, which was a commitment under the EFF,” Mahir Binici, the IMF’s resident representative in Pakistan, said in response to an Arab News query, referring to the $7 billion Extended Fund Facility.
“This privatization represents a milestone within the authorities’ reform agenda, aimed at decreasing governmental involvement in commercial sectors and attracting investments to promote economic growth in Pakistan,” he added.
The IMF has long urged Islamabad to reduce the fiscal burden posed by loss-making state firms, which have weighed public finances for years and required repeated government bailouts. Beyond PIA, the government has signaled plans to restructure or sell stakes in additional SOEs as part of broader reforms under the IMF program.
Privatization also remains politically sensitive in Pakistan, with critics warning of job losses and concerns over national assets, while supporters argue private sector management could improve efficiency and service delivery in chronically underperforming entities.
Pakistan’s Cabinet Committee on State-Owned Enterprises said on Friday that SOEs recorded a net loss of Rs 122.9 billion ($442 million) in the 2024–25 fiscal year, compared with a net loss of Rs 30.6 billion ($110 million) in the previous year.
