In a first, night tourism event spotlights Peshawar’s rich history and culture

A view of people entering the Peshawar Museum during a night tourism event in Peshawar, Pakistan on March 30, 2024. (AN Photo)
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Updated 31 March 2024
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In a first, night tourism event spotlights Peshawar’s rich history and culture

  • Tourists explored Peshawar Museum, Qissa Khawani bazaar and Sethi Mohallah neighborhood to witness city’s rich heritage
  • Peshawar is capital of northwestern Pakistan, where tourism has taken a hit due to surging militancy, especially since November 2022

PESHAWAR: A night tourism event in Pakistan’s ancient northwestern city of Peshawar this week allowed tourists to explore its rich history, culture and heritage in an area otherwise affected by militant violence and extremism. 
Peshawar, the capital of Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, is one of the oldest cities of the South Asian region that lies west of the River Indus. Home to various forts and traditional cuisines, Pakistan’s restive northwest has reeled from militant violence, especially since November 2022 after a fragile truce between the state and the Pakistani Taliban broke down. 
To revive tourism in the ancient city, a local organization by the name of “Tour Da Pekhawar” organized the city’s first night tourism event on Saturday evening. The company, set up in 2017, says it aims to promote the city’s soft image. 
The event was launched in collaboration with the Directorate of Archaeology and Museums in KP, with the Pakistan Army’s support. At least 40 individuals, including families from Peshawar and other cities in Pakistan, attended the event. 
“So, it [night tourism] is [meant to] promote culture, to promote our heritage,” Saqib Raza, a spokesperson for the Directorate of Archaeology and Museums, told Arab News. Raza said the city lacked recreational spots hence the event aimed to ensure tourists felt “good vibes” while visiting some of the city’s historical spots.
The event kicked off with a visit to the Peshawar Museum, one of the oldest museums in the region established in 1907. Tourists were briefed about the city’s history, especially about the era when it was an integral part of the Gandhara Civilization. 
Participants were treated to the famous Pashto folk song “Lar Sha Pekhawar Ta,” which translates into “Go to Peshawar,” as they were driven through the city in a traditional Bradford Bus adorned with the iconic Pakistani truck art.
The bus entered the city through the famous Lahori Gate and took tourists to several spots in Peshawar, including an excavation spot at Gor Khatri. They were then taken to the Goraknath Temple, which was built in 1851 and was constructed in devotion to Hindu saint Guru Gorakhnath. 
The tourists then enjoyed the city’s signature aromatic kehwa or green tea before embarking on a trip to Sethi House, a 19th-century archaeological site built in 1886 by the Sethis, an influential family of businessmen who traced their origins from Central Asian countries. 
The Sethi House’s architecture is inspired from Central Asian countries, especially Uzbekistan.
The tourists then visited the Cunningham Clock Tower or Ghanta Ghar area in Peshawar before they took in the sights of the famous Qissa Khawani or “storytellers bazaar.” The bazaar used to be a bustling place centuries ago, when it was a hub on the famous Silk Road where travelers and locals congregated to hear stories of far-off places. 
The tourists enjoyed the sights they had taken in throughout the tour. 
“I never got a chance to explore the civilization and the history of this city,” Nauman Alizai, who shifted to Peshawar from Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi in 2014, told Arab News. 
“For the first time, I saw a poster and advertisement of Tour Da Pekhawar, and then I joined it today.”
University student Emaan Khan said she wasn’t aware of Peshawar’s rich history despite living in the city since her childhood. 
“I did not have enough knowledge about the history of Peshawar nor have I roamed in these places before,” Khan told Arab News. “This is the first time I am roaming in these places.”
Shahid Ali Khan, the chief executive officer of Tour Da Pekhawar, said it was his idea to start a night tourism event in the city. 
“We discussed this idea before Ramadan, it is happening and now today, it is happening,” he said. “We will [be] regularly organizing this in the future, we are also starting a heritage tour of [tribal district] Khyber.”
Raza said the provincial government was aiming to attract more tourists from different regions of the country and even those from abroad.
“Our region has seen so much hard time for peace,” Raza said. “So this is a very good opportunity for the visitors to come, to join us and to see our culture, our heritage because we own it and this is what we are really.”


Saudi business delegation to arrive in Pakistan today to explore investment opportunities 

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Saudi business delegation to arrive in Pakistan today to explore investment opportunities 

  • Saudi deputy investment minister, representatives of 30-35 Saudi companies part of delegation, says Pakistani minister
  • Saudi Arabia recently reaffirmed its commitment to expedite investment package for Pakistan worth $5 billion

ISLAMABAD: A high-level Saudi business delegation led by the Kingdom’s deputy investment minister will arrive in Pakistan today, Sunday, to explore investment opportunities in various economic sectors, Federal Minister for Petroleum Musadik Malik confirmed a day earlier. 

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, who enjoy fraternal ties rooted deep in shared culture, religion and economic cooperation, have witnessed a flurry of official visits in recent weeks. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan traveled to Islamabad earlier in April before Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s two-day visit to the Kingdom to attend a World Economic Forum meeting where he met Saudi officials. 

“The Saudi Deputy Investment Minister is visiting Pakistan tomorrow,” Malik, who is also the focal person for Saudi-Pak bilateral collaboration, told reporters at a news conference in Lahore on Saturday. 

“He is bringing representatives from 30 to 35 companies whose CEOs are coming here.”

The Pakistani minister maintained his country had always cherished cordial ties with the Kingdom, though it had not managed to turn this “relationship of friendship into a relationship of stability and progress.”

He said Pakistan mostly discussed its financial concerns with the Saudi authorities and requested their support. However, the present government wanted to change that by focusing its bilateral conversations on mutually beneficial progress and development, not aid and assistance.

The minister said the two sides discussed a new refinery project during the recent engagements that would be used for export purposes to earn foreign revenue. Additionally, food security was also discussed to further strengthen Pakistan’s agricultural sector.

He informed that Prime Minister Sharif wanted the country’s “private sector to take the lead on this path to progress.”

“That is why Saudi investors have been invited to come here,” he continued. “They will sit with Pakistani companies and figure out ways to connect the Pakistani talent with the capital and investment needed at the international level for the IT revolution.”

Malik said the bilateral collaboration would primarily benefit small businesses, particularly the technology companies established by young students who were likely to get a significant amount of investment from Saudi entrepreneurs.

He expressed optimism that chemical, energy and agricultural companies would also gain an advantage from the ongoing bilateral collaboration between the two sides.

Apart from Pakistan and Saudi Arabia’s fraternal ties, the Kingdom is particularly important to Islamabad as it is home to over 2.7 million Pakistani expatriates and serves as the top source of remittances to the cash-strapped South Asian country.

Both Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have been closely working to increase bilateral trade and investment deals, and the Kingdom recently reaffirmed its commitment to expedite an investment package worth $5 billion.


Pakistan urges Hajj pilgrims to get vaccinated five days before departure to Saudi Arabia

Updated 11 min 31 sec ago
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Pakistan urges Hajj pilgrims to get vaccinated five days before departure to Saudi Arabia

  • Pakistani pilgrims require to vaccinate themselves against meningitis, seasonal influenza and polio
  • The vaccinations are done at Hajji camps during the day in all major cities around the country

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s religious affairs ministry on Saturday asked Hajj pilgrims to get themselves vaccinated at least five days before departure to Saudi Arabia to avoid inconvenience.
Hajj pilgrims must comply with strict vaccination requirements set by the Saudi Ministry of Health to ensure public safety during one of the world’s largest annual gatherings.
Mandatory vaccines include the meningitis shot, with additional recommendations for the seasonal influenza vaccine, while travelers from regions prone to yellow fever and polio must also provide corresponding immunization certificates.
These precautions are vital to prevent the spread of infectious diseases among millions of pilgrims converging in the kingdom from across the globe.
“The intending pilgrims are advised to visit their respective Hajji camps five days (from 9 am to 5 pm) before their flight to receive vaccination against meningitis, seasonal influenza and polio, besides obtaining a yellow card,” the state-owned Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) news agency quoted a statement issued by the ministry.
“This is a mandatory requirement,” it added.
Hajj is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, which include the core beliefs and practices every Muslim is expected to follow.
The pilgrimage is required to be performed at least once in a lifetime by all adult Muslims who meet the necessary conditions of health and financial stability to travel to and perform the rituals in Makkah.
Pakistan plans to launch the special Hajj flight operation from May 9 that will continue until June 10.


Security forces kill six militants in northwest Pakistan

Updated 04 May 2024
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Security forces kill six militants in northwest Pakistan

  • The intelligence-based operation was carried out in North Waziristan that led to an intense exchange of fire
  • The targeted militants were involved in violent attacks against security forces and civilians in the volatile area

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces carried out an intelligence-based operation in North Waziristan tribal district in the early hours of Saturday, killing six militants after a heavy exchange of fire.
Located in the tribal belt along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, North Waziristan has historically been known as a volatile region with significant militant activity.
The Pakistani military carried out several major operations in the area to dismantle militant networks and had success in reducing violence.
However, there have been reports of renewed militant activities in the region, prompting the Pakistani security forces to once again increase its focus on these challenges.
“On night 3/4 May 2024, security forces conducted an intelligence based operation in North Waziristan District, on reported presence of terrorists,” the military’s media wing, ISPR, said in a statement.
“During the conduct of operation, intense fire exchange took place between own troops and the terrorists,” it continued, adding that six militants were killed as a result.
The statement informed that the security forces also destroyed militant hideout during the operation and launched a “sanitization operation” in the area while trying to locate any remnants of the militant group.
“The killed terrorists remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities against security forces as well as target killings of innocent civilians in the area,” the ISPR added.


Pakistan telecom authority seeks review of tax agency directive to block SIMs of non-filers

Updated 04 May 2024
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Pakistan telecom authority seeks review of tax agency directive to block SIMs of non-filers

  • Federal Board of Revenue issued a list of over half a million people who did not file tax returns in 2023
  • Reports indicate that telecom companies showed reluctance to block the SIMs of so many subscribers

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Saturday showed reluctance to implement the instructions of the country’s tax collection body to block the SIMs of non-filers, while asking the authority to review its decision.
The development came after the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) issued a list of over half a million people who did not file income tax returns for 2023, instructing the PTA to block their cellphone SIMs as a penalty.
However, media reports indicated that telecom companies were reluctant to carry out the directives affecting so many subscribers, prompting an official meeting on Friday in which the government decided to act against anyone opposing FBR’s orders.
Still, the PTA circulated a brief notification on Saturday, seeking a review of the FBR’s decision.
“On the issue of blocking of mobile phone SIMs under section 114-B of Income Tax Ordinance, 2001, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has communicated to FBR that the Income Tax General Order (ITGO) in the manner as referred to the Authority needs review before its execution by the concerned entity/entities,” the notification said.
“In the meanwhile, PTA has also initiated consultation with stakeholders on the subject issue,” it added.
Pakistan has traditionally faced the challenge of convincing people to file their tax returns.
However, the government has decided now to implement stringent measures to address the problem, particularly in the context of negotiations for a new International Monetary Fund (IMF) program.
The IMF has frequently urged Pakistan to enhance its revenue collection from non-filers as part of broader economic reforms to support social and development initiatives.
In response, the FBR is taking steps like blocking the SIM cards of non-filers and considering other punitive measures to enforce tax compliance and widen the tax net.


Pakistan’s deputy PM, Saudi foreign minister discuss Muslim world issues at OIC summit

Updated 04 May 2024
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Pakistan’s deputy PM, Saudi foreign minister discuss Muslim world issues at OIC summit

  • Ishaq Dar stresses the significance of ceasefire in Gaza during his meetings with the Kuwaiti, Qatari and Egyptian FMs
  • He also calls for more investment for his country and greater employment opportunities for Pakistanis in the Middle East

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s newly appointed Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar met with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and other Arab officials on the sidelines of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit in Gambia on Saturday, emphasizing collective action to address the problems confronting the Muslim world.
The OIC summit is being held against a backdrop of widespread anger over Israel’s military actions in Gaza, which have resulted in the death of nearly 35,000 Palestinians along with a massive destruction of hospitals, schools and residential neighborhoods in the area.
There has been a clear uptick in Islamophobic sentiments and incidents in different parts of the world, particularly since the outset of the conflict last year in October.
The Pakistani deputy prime minister arrived in Gambia on Wednesday to present his country’s perspective on a wide range of issue, including the war in Gaza and the rights situation in the Indian-administered Kashmir.
“Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar @MIshaqDar50 today met Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia H.R.H. Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud @FaisalbinFarhan in Banjul, The Gambia,” the foreign office said in a social media post.
“They discussed strengthening strategic and economic relations between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia and enhancing economic cooperation and investment,” it continued. “They called for a ceasefire in Gaza and emphasized the importance of OIC’s role in addressing challenges concerning the Muslim Ummah including Islamophobia and the situations in Palestine and Kashmir.”

Dar also held separate meetings with the foreign ministers of Kuwait, Egypt and Qatar.
During his conversation with Abdullah Ali Al Yahya of Kuwait, he discussed the possibility of further strengthening bilateral cooperation.
He noted the government wanted to transform the “traditionally fraternal ties with Kuwait into a mutually beneficial economic partnership.”
Dar also discussed further consolidation in trade and investment with Qatar’s Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani while seeking more employment opportunities for young Pakistanis.
He emphasized on an immediate ceasefire in Gaza during his interactions for all Arab officials, commending Egypt’s role in supporting international humanitarian assistance for Palestine in his meeting the Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Hassan Shoukry.