ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in Beijing on the second day of his five-day visit to China on Wednesday, he is scheduled to meet the top Chinese leadership including President Xi Jinping and oversee the signing of trade and investment agreements in various fields, amid Islamabad push for enhanced economic cooperation with its ally.
Sharif was received by Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong upon his arrival at the Beijing airport. The premier is accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and other members of the cabinet and senior officials, a statement from Sharif’s office said.
“The Prime Minister has an extensive program in Beijing reflecting depth and breadth of Pakistan-China ties,” the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said.
“He will meet the President, the Premier and the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress.”
Sharif will also attend a Pakistan-China Friendship and Business event, and hold meetings with the chief executive officers of leading Chinese companies working on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects.
“A number of MoUs between the two countries on cooperation in various fields are likely to be signed,” the statement said.
’FULL SUPPORT’ FOR CHINESE INVESTORS
Earlier, the prime minister said his administration would provide “full support” to Chinese investors entering Pakistan’s market, as the South Asian nation seeks to woo foreign investors amid efforts to stabilize its $350 billion economy.
The premier was speaking at a joint business forum in Shenzhen, a major global technology hub, where he arrived on Tuesday for the first leg of his visit to China from June 4-8. At the top of the agenda are business-to-business meetings and efforts to seek an upgrade for CPEC, a flagship of President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative, through which Beijing has pledged over $60 billion in energy and infrastructure Pakistan since 2015.
Islamabad now hopes CPEC collaborations will enter the industrial, IT and agricultural sectors and is encouraging the involvement of the private sector and business-to-business (B2B) engagements.
Around 79 Pakistani companies are in China to attend the business forum in Shenzhen.
“Today is the opportunity, today is the time,” Sharif said in his address to Pakistani and Chinese executives. “Today is the moment for you to capture, sit down with our Chinese friends and brothers and have serious discussions.
“I want to assure you as not only as the prime minister of Pakistan but as the chief executive officer of Pakistan that I will give you full support like never before to promote your efforts to stitch these deals so that Pakistan and Chinese businessmen they benefit jointly have mutual benefits.”
In his address at the forum, Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Muhammad Aurangzeb laid out the government’s broader roadmap, emphasizing export-led growth and the crucial role of special economic zones. He said Pakistan was seeking foreign direct investment through government-to-government and business-to-business arrangements and aimed to access international capital markets and tap into Panda Bonds, Renminbi (RMB)-denominated bonds from a non-Chinese issuer, which are sold in mainland China.
Aurangzeb acknowledged “temporary hiccups” in payments and repatriations for Chinese companies but assured that such issues would soon be resolved.
Pakistan has frequently sent high-level official delegations to China, its closest regional ally, in the past. However, most of these visits have been to Beijing and revolved around state-level interactions between the top officials of the two countries.
Sharif’s latest visit comes at a time when his administration is actively trying to put Pakistan’s economy back on track amid prolonged financial troubles that have compelled the country to repeatedly urge friendly nations and international lenders for loans.
In recent months, Pakistani authorities have said they are no longer striving to borrow money from allies but asking them to make “mutually beneficial” investments and explore the possibility of collaborating with local businesses.
Chinese investment and financial support since 2013 have been key for the South Asian nation’s struggling economy, including the rolling over of loans so that Islamabad can meet its external financing needs at a time when its foreign reserves are critically low.
B2B MEETINGS
Earlier, the prime minister met with Zhu Zhaojiang, the founder and chairman of Transsion Holdings, a Chinese multinational company specializing in manufacturing mobile phones.
Zhu expressed interest in expanding investment in Pakistan, particularly in mobile manufacturing units and exploring opportunities in electric bikes, modern agriculture and fintech sectors, according to a statement from Sharif’s office.
The prime minister directed federal ministers and Pakistan’s ambassador to China to swiftly develop a plan of action for Transsion and encouraged the company to produce locally and increase exports from Pakistan whose greatest strength was its young workforce.
During the meeting, Zhu informed Sharif about his company’s existing operations in Pakistan, its global exports and plans for further investments, including an already established unit that employs over 5,000 Pakistan nationals.
On Wednesday afternoon, Sharif also visited the Nanshan One-Stop Service Center and Shenzhen Exhibition Museum and directed his ministers to “immediately coordinate with the Center to replicate a similar modern system in Pakistan,” state-run APP reported.
“He was briefed about the digital system established at the Center to register companies and carry out other processes under one roof. He lauded the modern systems developed at the Nanshan One-Stop Services for the registration of companies and businesses,” APP said.
“He also directed the relevant authorities to take necessary measures to establish a similar system in the country with Chinese cooperation.”
The prime minister also visited the Shenzhen Exhibition Museum where he was briefed about the development journey of Shenzhen city, as well as
the headquarters of Huawei in Shenzhen where he was received by the company’s chairman Liang Hua.
“Chairman Huawei informed the Prime Minister about the operations of Huawei around the world, especially in Pakistan, and expressed deep interest in investing in various sectors of Pakistan,” PMO said.
“The Prime Minister appreciated the innovation of Huawei’s operations and encouraged Huawei to expand its investment in Pakistan.”
After a briefing on e-governance, digital banking, telecommunication and artificial intelligence, Sharif invited Huawei to establish Safe City projects on a priority basis in Pakistan, especially in cities where work on CPEC projects was ongoing.
“The government is taking steps to digitize government offices on a priority basis,” Sharif said. “There are vast investment opportunities in Pakistan for a big company like Huawei in the fields of tax system, e-governance and artificial intelligence.”
Sharif also invited the chairman of Huawei to invest in modern technology in the agricultural sector in Pakistan and attended the signing ceremony of a framework agreement between Huawei and the Pakistani science ministry.
Under the framework agreement, Huawei will provide free training to 200,000 Pakistanis in the field of information technology including artificial intelligence and provide full support in the establishment of Safe Cities, e-governance and digitization of the economy in Pakistan.
During the China visit, the Pakistani prime minister will also meet President Xi Jinping and other senior officials in Beijing before concluding the five-day trip on June 8.
Pakistan seeks to woo Chinese investors at business forum, B2B meetings
https://arab.news/ry6gm
Pakistan seeks to woo Chinese investors at business forum, B2B meetings
- Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is on five-day visit to China from June 4-8
- Sharif to meet Chinese leadership, including President Jinping, in Beijing
Trump targets Pakistan with 29% tariff as part of new trade policy
- US is a key market for Pakistani exports, with bilateral trade estimated at $7.3 billion in 2024
- US has also slapped a 26 percent reciprocal tariff on India, dashing New Delhi’s hopes of tariff relief
ISLAMABAD: United States President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday the imposition of reciprocal tariffs on several countries, including a 29 percent tariff on Pakistani products, a move widely seen as a jolt to the global economy still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The decision came after Trump defended the measures as necessary to address long-standing trade imbalances and what he described as unfair treatment of American goods abroad.
The US leader has called for realigning trade with both allies and competitors since taking office, arguing that high tariffs imposed by partner countries have effectively subsidized their economies at America’s expense.
According to a list of tariffs shared by Reuters, Trump has imposed a 29 percent tariff on Pakistan.
“Pakistan has been charging us a 58 percent tariff on our goods,” he was quoted as saying by Geo TV. “Hence, we are imposing a 29 percent tariff on their products.”
The US remains one of Pakistan’s largest trading partners.
According to the Office of the United States Trade Representative, total goods trade between the US and Pakistan was estimated at $7.3 billion in 2024. US exports to Pakistan reached $2.1 billion, marking a 4.4 percent increase from the previous year, while imports from Pakistan totaled $5.1 billion, up 4.9 percent compared to 2023.
Alongside Pakistan, the US has also slapped a 26 percent reciprocal tariff on India, in a blow to New Delhi’s expectations of tariff relief.
“In many cases, the friend is worse than the foe in terms of trade,” Reuters quoted Trump as saying during the announcement. “We subsidize a lot of countries and keep them going and keep them in business. Why are we doing this? I mean, at what point do we say you got to work for yourselves.”
“We are finally putting America first,” he added, calling trade deficits “a national emergency.”
Trump held up boards displaying the new tariff rates, ranging from 10 percent to 49 percent for most countries. He said that in most cases, the US was imposing about half the tariff rates that other countries charge, though in some instances the rates were matched exactly.
With input from Reuters
Over 51,000 tourists visited northwestern Pakistan during first two days of Eid
- Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s picturesque Naran valley sees highest number of tourists, 28,112, says tourism authority
- Northwestern Pakistan is home to many picturesque locations, scenic spots dotted with mountains, valleys and lakes
PESHAWAR: Over 51,000 tourists flocked to various picturesque destinations across Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province during the first two days of the Eid Al-Fitr holidays, the provincial tourism authority spokesperson said this week.
The northwestern province is home to many picturesque locations and scenic spots dotted with mountains, valleys and lakes. Some of the popular tourist spots in the province can be found in Swat Valley, Malam Jabba, Abbottabad, Kaghan, Naran and Shogran which Pakistanis from all over the country visit during Eid holidays.
Pakistan marked the three-day Eid Al-Fitr holiday, which is celebrated by Muslims across the world when the fasting month of Ramadan ends, from Mar. 31-Apr. 2.
“Tourists flocked to various tourist destinations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Eid-Al-Fitr,” Muhammad Saad, the spokesperson for the KP Tourism Authority, said in a statement on Wednesday.
“More than 51,000 tourists were recorded in the first two days.”
He said the highest number of tourists came to KP’s scenic Naran valley, 28,112, during the first two days and the Galiyat region saw 17,000 visitors during the same time period.
At least 3,100 tourists visited Kumrat valley, he added.
“Tourism police personnel are performing their duty at various tourist destinations,” the official said.
Tourism saw a massive surge in KP during last year’s Eid holidays, registering an increase of over 360 percent compared to 2023. As per data released by the provincial tourism authority last year, at least 580,000 tourists visited northwestern Pakistan during the five-day holidays in April 2024.
While Pakistan’s inflation has declined considerably since last year, militant attacks, particularly in KP, have peaked recently.
Militant attacks in Pakistan surpassed 100 in March for the first time in over nine years, marking it to be the deadliest month since 2015, leading security think tank Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) said on Tuesday.
The think tank said KP and Balochistan were the hardest hit provinces last month, though Punjab and Sindh also experienced an uptick in militant activity.
Islamabad has repeatedly blamed Afghanistan for providing shelter to militant groups targeting civilians and security forces in cross-border attacks in KP, an allegation denied by the authorities in Kabul.
Inside National Library’s digitization project to preserve Pakistan’s literary heritage
- Library has digitized over 5.4 million pages, scanning about 15,000 pages daily between 2018 to 2021
- Top official says greater number of scanners, more funds can further enhance digitization capacity
ISLAMABAD: For staff at Pakistan’s leading reference and research library, the biggest challenge is handling an overwhelming volume of data and lack of funds, the facility’s director general said this week, detailing a digitization campaign launched nearly eight years ago to preserve the country’s literary and journalistic heritage.
Established in 1951 in the federal capital of Islamabad, the National Library is the country’s largest repository of printed material and serves as the official legal depository for a variety of publications.
According to Director General Rana Javed Iqbal, the library’s main objective is to comply with the Copyright Ordinance of 1968, which mandates the preservation of “the best copy” of all publications in Pakistan, including newspapers and periodicals.
The ordinance is a legal framework designed to protect the rights of creators and authors over their original works. One of its sections mandates that a copy of every published work produced in the country, such as books and newspapers, be deposited with the library for preservation.
“In 2018, a decision was made to digitize 16 major newspapers covering the period from 1968 to 2015,” Iqbal told Arab News. “We have digitized over 5.4 million pages in Urdu and English, scanning approximately 15,000 pages daily from 2018 to 2021.”
One of the biggest challenges in the endeavor was “handling the sheer volume of data,” with the library receiving around 300-350 newspapers daily in various languages, a problem exacerbated by financial constraints.
The library is now developing Optical Character Recognition (OCR) capabilities in both English and Urdu, a technology that converts scanned text into machine-readable format, enabling efficient keyword and title searches for easier access to digitized records.
The primary objective of the digitization exercise is to make access to information more convenient for students and scholars, eliminating the need for manual searches and enabling users to retrieve information within minutes on their desktops.
The National Library also actively collaborates with government departments to prevent duplication of digitization efforts, ensuring a more streamlined and efficient approach to preserving Pakistan’s printed heritage.
“Our goal is to digitize all magazines and newspapers under copyright,” Iqbal said. “Increasing the number of scanners would further enhance our capacity.
“Digitizing is an ongoing process,” he added. “We continue to receive a large volume of newspapers, and we are working on digitizing publications from 2016 onward.”
The library initially outsourced the digitization process, but later decided to bring it in-house to reduce costs and maintain efficiency by acquiring its own equipment and leveraging skilled staff.
Iqbal said 11,000 rare books and manuscripts had also been digitized, though access was only available on various campuses, with plans to upload them online.
“Our next major initiative involves digitizing 1,500 different magazines,” he said. “We have also undertaken the digitization of the Gazette of Pakistan from 1949 onward.”
Speaking to Arab News, Rana Asad Ullah Khan, a serving additional attorney general who was visiting the facility this week, praised the library management for preserving valuable written material to promote art, education and culture.
“I found a treasure of newspapers in this library which I couldn’t in Lahore,” said Khan, who is researching the history of the Lahore High Court Bar Association, which was founded in 1861.
Pakistani actor Fawad Khan’s Bollywood comeback film to release on May 9
- “Abir Gulaal” features prominent Indian actress Vaani Kapoor who plays lead role and Khan’s love interest
- Khan was last seen in a Bollywood flick in 2016 before unofficial ban on Pakistani artists by Indian producers
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani actor Fawad Khan will mark his Bollywood comeback with the upcoming film “Abir Gulaal” on May 9, as per a teaser of the flick released this week.
The movie features Indian actress Vaani Kapoor in the lead role alongside Khan. Abir Gulaal has been directed by filmmaker Aarti S. Bagdi and produced by “Indian Stories” and “A Richer Lens” in association with Aarjay Pictures.
Producers of the flick include Vivek B. Agrawal, who has been involved with stellar Indian hits such as “Queen,” “Udta Punjab,” “Sacred Games,” and Avantika Hari and Rakesh Sippy.
“The wait is over!” Kapoor wrote in an Instagram post alongside the teaser on April 1. “Bringing love back to the big screen with Abir Gulaal and Fawad Khan. See you in cinemas on 9th May!“
(please embed Vaani Kapoor Instagram post here)
The teaser of the movie features Khan sitting behind the steering wheel of a car, crooning an iconic Bollywood song with Kapoor in the passenger seat beside him while it rains outside.
“This heartwarming tale unfolds in the picturesque streets of London, weaving a love story filled with unexpected turns, tender moments, and pure magic,” the film’s synopsis states.
“Audiences can expect a delightful blend of laughter, tender moments, and the undeniable chemistry between Fawad Khan and Vaani Kapoor.”
Khan enjoys heartthrob status in both Pakistan and India. He has played the lead in Bollywood hits “Khoobsurat” (2014) and “Kapoor & Sons” (2016). He also starred in “Ms. Marvel” (2022) and “The Legend of Maula Jatt” (2022), Pakistan’s biggest hit of all time.
Khan’s impressive run in Bollywood came to a halt due to an unofficial ban on Pakistani artists by Indian producers in 2016 as tensions between both neighboring countries escalated. Pakistan has also banned the screening of Indian movies after ties with New Delhi reached a new low in 2019 over the disputed Kashmir region.
However, in 2023, the Bombay High Court dismissed a petition seeking to officially ban Pakistani artists from working in India.
“Arts, music, sports, culture, dance, and so on are the activities which rise above nationalities, cultures, and nations and truly bring about peace, tranquility, unity, and harmony in nation and between nations,” the court had said in its ruling.
The movie, however, has already earned the ire of India’s conservative politician Raj Thackeray.
A few hours after the teaser released, Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) party opposed the film’s release in Maharashtra.
“We only learned about this film’s release today when the makers announced it,” MNS spokesperson Ameya Khopkar told Dainik Bhaskar, a Hindi-language newspaper, on Tuesday.
“But we are making it clear that we will not allow this film to release in Maharashtra because it features a Pakistani actor. Under no circumstances will we permit such films to be released in the state,” he added.
Previously, the Indian release of Khan’s Maula Jatt film was paused after a right-wing fringe group objected to it.
Amroti ‘Water’ Mosque: Century-old symbol of faith and resistance in southern Pakistan
- Mosque was built around 1890 under guidance of Syed Taj Mahmood Shah Amroti, first translator of Qur’an into Sindhi language
- Mosque’s location became problem when British wanted to built Sukkur Barrage but resistance by Amroti and followers forced retreat
SHIKARPUR, Sindh: Standing on seven pillars in the middle of the Kirthar Canal, a unique mosque in Pakistan’s southern Shikarpur district is more than just a place of worship — it is a symbol of defiance and resistance against British colonial rule.
With its whitewashed walls rising above the flowing waters, the Amroti Mosque’s architecture is as unique as its story.
The mosque was first constructed from mud, wood and palm tree trunks on a mound around 1890 under the guidance of scholar and educationalist Syed Taj Mahmood Shah Amroti, who was the first to translate the Holy Qur’an into the Sindhi landguage and provide detailed explanations of its teachings. For years, the mosque served as a place of workshop for the residents of Junejo village in Shikarpur until its location became an issue when the British colonial rulers of India decided to build the Sukkur Barrage and its canals, ordering the demolition of the masjid.
Historical accounts say Amroti sent over 20 letters to authorities asking to change the canal’s route but received no response and the British eventually issued a warrant for his arrest.
“In 1922, the British government started the Kirthar Canal project to irrigate uncultivated lands of Sindh and Balochistan [provinces],” Sayed Rushdullah Shah Amroti, the administrator of Amroti Mosque and the great grandson of Amroti, told Arab News.
“When Hazrat Amroti came to know that the British government wanted to demolish the mosque, he decided to camp here and offered stiff resistance to British authorities.”
When British officials arrived with machines to demolish the mosque, local villagers joined Amroti in a massive protest. In the end, the British agreed not to destroy the mosque and instead promised to strengthen its structure so that both the mosque and the canal could remain.
“The impact of the resistance was that the British government was forced to kneel down,” Sayed said. “They left the mosque as it was and made the canal around its four sides.”
The mosque in its present shape was subsequently built, serving as a reminder of the importance of both faith and rebellion as it stood amid the waters of the Kirthar Canal, which originates from the Indus River at Sukkur Barrage and became operational in 1932 as a vital watercourse for Balochistan, particularly districts like Jafarabad and Naseerabad.
“STRANGE SPIRITUAL STATE”
In the past, residents would use boats to reach Amroti Mosque for prayers but after independence from British rule in 1947 and the creation of the two separate nations of Pakistan and India, the government rebuilt a proper structure for the mosque, constructed a bridge for easier access and ensured that water continued to flow beneath it.
Though the small mosque only allows 10-12 people to pray at a time, it holds great cultural and spiritual value for the people of the area.
“We are very proud of the religious and Islamic achievements of our ancestors, and wherever we go in the world, the respect we receive because of our connection to Amroti Sharif is largely due to the role of this mosque,” Rushdullah said.
Nasim Bukhari, a local writer, described the mosque as a “great symbol of resistance in history.”
“And this has been the history of Sindh, that we have never accepted defeat. Even if we had to face defeat, we would die with our names still alive. We never ran away,” he said.
Amroti’s struggle was part of a larger resistance movement in Sindh, according to Bukhari.
“Syed Taj Mahmood Amroti fought against the British in his time and became a symbol of resistance. The people of that time, unarmed, fought with perseverance,” the author said, highlighting Amroti as an inspiration for others. One of his disciples, Syed Salah Aajiz Memon, later became the first Sindhi and Muslim figure against whom the British filed a case for rebellion.
“The name and deeds of our leader, Syed Taj Mahmood Amroti, have had their impact, but the resistance movement led by his followers and disciples also carries a remarkable legacy,” Bukhari said.
To date, the mosque continues to serve as a place of deep spirituality and worshippers describe a “profound sense of peace” at the place, especially when the water runs high and the mosque appears to be floating in the canal.
“While praying here, a strange spiritual state occurs,” Maulana Shahnawaz Baloch, the prayer leader at the mosque, told Arab News.
“At this time, the water level is low, yet there is still a spiritual atmosphere. When the water level is higher due to the season, a completely different spiritual experience takes place.”
