ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Thursday Pakistan had pitched an “epic menu” of investment projects worth $30 billion to Saudi Arabia during a visit this week by the Kingdom’s foreign chief, adding that Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi would visit Islamabad from April 22-25.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud was in Islamabad earlier this week where he said Riyadh would be “moving ahead significantly” to invest in projects in the South Asian nation. His visit followed a meeting in Makkah between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in which the Kingdom had pledged to expedite $5 billion in investments.
Speaking to journalists at an informal meet-and-greet on Thursday afternoon, Dar said Pakistan had pitched projects worth $30 billion to the Saudi delegation, which would “take time” to materialize.
“It’s a process, it doesn’t happen overnight,” the foreign minister said. “We have given them a big epic menu to select [from]. After that their expression of interest has been indicated. On that, we will get details on [April] 28, so it takes time. But all vibes are very positive.”
Dar said PM Sharif had invited the Saudi crown prince to visit Pakistan during their meeting in Makkah earlier this month:
“He has very kindly accepted the invitation. The timing of the visit will obviously be sorted out between diplomatic channels of the two countries.”
Responding to a question about a planned visit by Iran’s Raisi to Pakistan, Dar said it had been in the works for “weeks and months.”
“He is coming. The visit is on the cards on 22, 23, 24 [April] and we are preparing fully for this.”
Dar also said Afghan Interim Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi had invited him to visit Afghan when the two leaders spoke on the telephone last month.
No country has recognized Taliban rule since they seized power in August 2021, after the Western-backed government collapsed as the last US-led international troops departed following two decades of war.
When asked if he would accept Muttaqi’s invitation to visit Kabul, Dar responded:
“By not interacting we will achieve nothing … so my own fundamental thinking is this, but obviously it [visit] is subject to clearance by the prime minister and MOFA [ministry of foreign affairs] advice that at the appropriate time we will definitely visit.”
Dar also spoke about tensions in the Middle East as the Israeli military has pledged a response to Iran’s retaliatory strikes last week for a suspected Israeli airstrike on its embassy compound in Damascus on April 1.
Israel and its allies mostly shot down all missiles and drones and there were no deaths, but Israel says it must retaliate to preserve the credibility of its deterrents. Iran says it views the matter as closed but will retaliate again if Israel does.
“Our policy guidelines are about peace, we don’t want any confrontation, we want a peaceful resolution, we want a Gaza solution as soon as possible,” Dar said when asked about the possibility of escalation.
“We want a ceasefire in Gaza, we want a Palestinian permanent state.”
Pakistan has pitched ‘epic menu’ of $30 billion investment projects to Riyadh — foreign minister
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Pakistan has pitched ‘epic menu’ of $30 billion investment projects to Riyadh — foreign minister
- Ishaq Dar says Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi will visit Pakistan for three days from April 22-25
- Says Saudi crown prince has accepted PM’s invitation to visit Pakistan, timing being discussed
President Zardari directs Sindh to launch ‘large-scale operation’ against criminals in Karachi
- President Zardari chairs high-level meeting attended by interior minister, provincial ministers in Karachi
- Zardari asks chief ministers to provide security to foreign nationals in Sindh, curb street crimes in Karachi
KARACHI: President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday directed Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah to launch a “large-scale operation” against criminals in Karachi and Sindh, amid a surge in street crimes and incidences of kidnapping in Pakistan’s southern province.
The president issued these directions while he chaired a meeting on the deteriorating law-and-order situation in Sindh. The meeting was also attended by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Minister of Science and Technology Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui. Provincial ministers Sharjeel Inam Memon, Nasir Shah and Ziaul Hasan Linjar, Inspector General Police Sindh Ghulam Nabi Memon and others also participated in the huddle.
Karachi, a metropolis of 20 million that hosts the stock exchange and central bank, has for decades been beset by armed violence. While an armed campaign by the military, with help from police, paramilitary Rangers and intelligence agencies, against armed gangs and suspected militants in the city brought down murder rates after 2013, street crimes have been on the rise again since last year, with shooting deaths in muggings and robberies once again becoming a daily headline.
Street crimes saw an increase during the first four months of 2024, particularly during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, driving fear into the hearts of the city’s citizens.
“President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari presiding over a special law & order meeting at CM House directed the Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah to launch a large-scale operation against street criminals in Karachi,” the Chief Minister’s House said.
It added that the president ordered strict action be taken against dacoits in Sindh and drug traffickers throughout the province in close coordination with other provinces.
Zardari urged the chief minister to provide a posting tenure to police officers, monitor their performance, and remove them when they fail to deliver, the statement added. The president asked Shah to ensure foreign nationals living and working in Sindh were guaranteed security.
“He emphasized the need to particularly look after the Chinese nationals working on CPEC-related projects,” the CM House said.
Memon briefed the president that in total 5,357 crimes were reported in Sindh during the first four months of the year, corresponding with 5,259 incidents in the corresponding period last year.
Zardari was told that in January, 252.32 street crime cases were reported in Karachi while in February the number decreased to 251.96.
“The trend of street crime decreased in March and April when 243.35 and 166.2 cases were reported respectively,” the statement said.
The Sindh IG disclosed that 49 people were killed in 48 street crimes in Karachi this year, adding that in these cases. 43 accused have been arrested while 13 were killed in encounters.
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President Zardari directed the chief minister to control street crimes in the province by launching a result-oriented special operation.
“The operation must deliver results so that confidence of the citizens could be developed,” Zardari was quoted as saying by the CM House.
President Zardari lamented that stolen/snatched vehicles and mobile phones were sold in the city’s market in parts, adding that this was known to police and others.
“Why the police were not taking operations against the markets and people involved in the business of stolen/snatched vehicles and mobile sets,” he asked.
The president directed Shah to ensure the Karachi Safe City Project, an initiative to install surveillance cameras in key parts of the city to monitor crime, was completed on a “war footing.”
Pakistan’s Babar Azam closes in on India’s Yadav for top T20I batter spot
- Babar Azam climbs one place to secure number four spot on T20I Batter Rankings
- Azam scored 125 runs from four innings in recent home series against New Zealand
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan captain Babar Azam has improved one spot on the ICC Men’s T20I Batter Rankings, closing in on India’s top-ranked batter Suryakumar Yadav, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Wednesday.
Azam was Pakistan’s leading run-scorer during the recently concluded home series against New Zealand. The right-handed batter scored a half-century to lead his team to victory in the fifth and final T20I of the series. He scored 125 runs from four innings at the top of his side’s batting order.
“Good signs for the Pakistan captain just weeks out from the start of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup as he closes in on the No.1 T20I batter ranking,” a post by the ICC on its website read.
Azam’s performance helped him improve one spot to number four on the updated list of T20I rankings for batters. It boosted his rating by a total of 10 points, helping him reach 763 points with Yadav now just 98 rating points ahead of the Pakistan skipper.
Azam is one number behind teammate Muhammad Rizwan, who occupies the number three spot in the rankings with 784 points behind England’s Phil Salt, who has 802 points.
Pakistani pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi also jumped three places to equal 14th spot following his eight wickets across four matches against the Kiwis.
Pakistan will next head to Ireland and England to play three T20Is against the former from May 10-14 and four T20Is against the latter from May 22-30.
The 2009 World Cup champions will then head to the USA and West Indies to take part in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 scheduled to be held in June.
Barrick Gold in talks with IFC, other agencies to raise $2 billion for Pakistan’s Reko Diq
- Reko Diq in southwestern Pakistan is one of world’s biggest under-developed copper mines
- Barrick Gold CEO says mining company needs $2 billion for first phase of Reko Diq project
TORONTO: Barrick Gold is not interested in bidding for Anglo American, which last week received a $39 billion takeover offer from BHP, and is building its own copper portfolio, the Canadian miner’s CEO Mark Bristow said on Wednesday.
If BHP’s proposed acquisition of Anglo is successful, it would create one of the world’s biggest copper miners.
Analysts and investors expect rival bids to emerge after BHP’s offer was rejected last week by Anglo, which said it was opportunistic, significantly undervaluing the company and its future prospects.
“We are not interested in bidding for Anglo American, as we are building (copper assets) of our own,” Bristow told Reuters.
Bristow is betting on developing the Reko Diq copper project in Pakistan in which it holds a 50 percent stake, the first phase of which is expected to cost $5.5 billion.
Barrick is in talks with the International Finance Corporation and other agencies to raise at least $2 billion for the first phase of the project, Bristow added.
Reko Diq, one of the biggest yet-to-be-developed copper mines in the world, is also 50 percent owned by the government of Pakistan. Saudi Arabia is in talks to buy part of the stake from the Pakistan government.
In Mali, where Barrick has a gold mine, the military-led government was last year in talks with miners over a change to its mining law that could see it boost state and private Malian interests in new projects to 35 percent from up to 20 percent previously.
However, Bristow said that the company has received written assurances from the junta that there was no threat of its assets being nationalized.
Pakistan strongly condemns ‘heinous’ Afghanistan mosque attack that killed six
- Gunman stormed mosque in Afghanistan’s Herat province on Monday, killing six and injuring one
- Pakistan says it condemns “terrorism” in all its forms, including attacks on places of worship
Islamabad: Pakistan’s foreign office on Wednesday strongly condemned a “heinous terrorist attack” that left six people dead in Afghanistan’s Herat province this week, reiterating Islamabad’s stance that it condemns violence in all its forms.
A gunman stormed a mosque in Herat province’s Guzara district on Monday, killing six worshippers and injuring one. Locals said the attackers had targeted the minority Shia community in the country.
Militant group Daesh claimed responsibility for the attack in a post on social media platform Telegram. Its regional chapter is the largest security threat in Afghanistan and has frequently targeted Shia Muslims.
“Pakistan condemns in the strongest terms yesterday’s heinous terrorist attack at a mosque in Herat, Afghanistan, resulting in loss of life and injuries,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said in a press release.
The foreign office said the people and government of Pakistan stand with the people of Afghanistan and express their heartfelt condolences over the loss of lives in the incident.
“Pakistan condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including despicable attacks on places of worship,” it added.
Relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan have deteriorated after militant attacks in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces bordering Afghanistan surged. The attacks increased after a fragile truce between Islamabad and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a banned outfit that pledges allegiance to the Afghan Taliban but is a separate group from it, broke down in Nov. 2022.
Islamabad says the attacks are launched mostly by TTP members who operate from safe havens in Afghanistan. Kabul denies this and blames Islamabad for not being able to handle its security challenges.
Tensions escalated in March when Pakistan conducted two airstrikes in Afghanistan against what it said were militant targets. Afghan officials said the airstrikes killed eight civilians, including five women and three children.
US official leads delegation to Pakistan, reiterates support for economic stability
- Jon Bass, US under secretary for political affairs, discusses regional and bilateral issues with Pakistani officials
- Bass reiterates Washington’s commitment to a stable, secure and prosperous future for Pakistan and US
KARACHI: State Department official Jon Bass led a delegation to Pakistan this week to discuss bilateral and regional matters, including Washington’s support for Pakistan’s economic stability, the US embassy said on Wednesday.
The US State Department had confirmed this week that Bass, who is the US acting under secretary for political affairs, would meet senior Pakistani government officials to discuss a range of regional and bilateral issues on Apr. 30.
“He met with senior Pakistani government officials to discuss a range of regional and bilateral issues, including US support for Pakistan’s economic stability and bilateral priorities for regional prosperity and security,” US Mission Spokesperson Thomas Montgomery said in a statement.
Montgomery said Bass underscored Washington’s commitment to a stable, secure, and prosperous future for both nations.
Pakistan’s relationship with Washington has experienced fluctuations over the decades, characterized by periods of close partnership and notable estrangement.
Despite Islamabad’s recent initiatives to enhance and deepen its ties with Washington, until recently, President Joe Biden’s administration had remained reluctant to engage with Pakistan’s top leadership.
Ties between the two countries have improved since former prime minister Imran Khan’s government was ousted via a parliamentary vote on Apr. 2022. Khan had accused Washington of colluding with his political rivals to oust him from power via a “foreign conspiracy.” Washington has consistently denied the allegations.
Cash-strapped Pakistan has been grappling with an economic crisis that reached its peak last year when inflation climbed to a staggering 38 percent and the country’s foreign exchange reserves plummeted to alarmingly low levels.
Pakistan views the US as a key ally that can help alleviate its economic crisis considering its huge influence within the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The IMF’s executive board this week completed the second review of a Stand-by Arrangement (SBA) it reached with Islamabad last year. The last-gasp deal helped Pakistan avoid a sovereign default.
