ISLAMABAD: The ongoing first-ever Al Hamba Festival in the Qatari capital of Doha is celebrating the “richness” of Pakistani mangoes with the hope of attracting Qatari importers to place orders for mangoes and other agricultural produce from the South Asian country, state media reported on Sunday.
Pakistan is the world’s fourth-largest mango producer and agriculture accounts for almost a quarter of its GDP. But Pakistani mangoes have faced export challenges in recent years due to concerns over adverse weather and pests and fruit flies that can threaten the agricultural standards of importing countries.
To attract Qatari importers, several popular varieties of mangoes such as Sidhri, Chaunsa, Safeed Chaunsa, Anwar Ratol and Duseri have been put up on display at the Al Hamba Festival being held at Souq Waqif.
The event, which kicked off on Thursday and will go on until July 6, has been organized by the embassy of Pakistan in Doha in collaboration with the Celebrations Organizing Committee of the Private Engineering Office and features over 43 companies and 100 outlets.
“First-ever Al Hamba Festival is an opportunity to savor a variety of the finest Pakistani mangoes besides promoting cultural exchange between the two nations through the universal language of food,” the state-run APP news agency quoted Pakistan’s Ambassador to Qatar, Muhammad Aejaz, as saying.
“The Al Hamba Festival promises to be a memorable event for families and food enthusiasts, offering a rich tapestry of flavors and cultural experiences.”
The envoy expressed confidence that the event would “attract importers in Qatar to place orders not only for mangoes, but for other agricultural produce including rice, food products and other fruit.”
The festival is hosting a variety of exhibitors, including importers, retailers, and exporters showcasing processed foods and dry mangoes. Notable participants include Zuhair Impex, Akin Foods, Kashan Trader’s, Friday Fresh Pvt Ltd, Naurus Pvt Ltd, Pak Khyber Traders, Aaj Enterprises, Al Hamad Agro Chemicals and Swat International Trading Company. Major retail stores participating include Al Baladi Hypermarket, Marza Hypermarket, Sunder Mart and Al Hemaliya Trading.
In addition to mangoes, the festival also features seasonal fruits like falsa, jamun, and peaches. Various Pakistani cuisine are another highlight of the festival with many local restaurants and cafés offering a diverse menu to showcase the culinary heritage of Pakistan.
Pakistani companies attend first-ever Al Hamba Festival to attract mango imports from Qatar
https://arab.news/54qu6
Pakistani companies attend first-ever Al Hamba Festival to attract mango imports from Qatar
- Event kicked off on Thursday and will go on until July 6, has been organized by embassy of Pakistan in Doha
- Pakistan is world’s fourth-largest mango producer and agriculture accounts for almost a quarter of its GDP
‘Terrified’ Sydney man misidentified as Bondi shooter turns to Pakistan consulate for help
- The man says he received death threats after his images were spread widely on social media
- He sought consular help after relatives in home country began receiving alarmed phone calls
SYDNEY: A Sydney man said he had received death threats and was “terrified” to leave his home Monday after his photo was widely shared online as the gunman responsible for the Bondi Beach shooting.
A father and son duo opened fire on a Jewish festival at Australia’s best-known beach on Sunday evening, killing 15 people, including a child, and wounding 42 more.
Authorities have condemned the attack as an act of terrorism, though they have not named the two shooters — one killed at the scene, and the other now in hospital.
However, Australian public broadcaster ABC said the alleged assailant was Naveed Akram from the western Sydney suburb of Bonnyrigg, quoting an anonymous official, and other local media reported that police had raided his home.
Photos of a beaming man in a green Pakistan cricket jersey pinged across social media.
Some of the posts were shared thousands of times, drawing vitriolic comments.
But the photo was taken from the Facebook profile of a different Naveed Akram, who pleaded Monday for people to stop the misinformation in a video published by the Pakistan Consulate of Sydney.
“Per media reports, one of the shooters’ name is Naveed Akram and my name is Naveed Akram as well,” he said in the video.
“That is not me. I have nothing to do with the incident or that person,” he said, condemning the “terrible” Bondi Beach shooting.
“I just want everyone’s help to help me stop this propaganda,” he said, asking for users to report accounts that misused his photo, which he had shared in a 2019 post.
’ LIFE-THREATENING’
The 30-year-old, who lives in a northwestern suburb of Sydney, told AFP he first heard around 9:30 p.m. on Sunday that he had been falsely identified as the shooter.
“I could not even sleep last night,” Akram told AFP by phone, adding he deleted all the “terrible” messages he got.
“I’m terrified. I could not go outside, like it’s a life-threatening issue, so I don’t want to risk anything... my family is worried as well, so it’s quite a hard time for me.”
He asked the Pakistan Consulate to put out the video because relatives in the country’s Punjab province were getting phone calls as well.
“It was destroying my image, my family’s image,” he said.
“People started to call them. They were worried, and they have told the police over there.”
The Pakistan native moved to Australia in 2018 to attend Central Queensland University and later did a masters at Sydney’s Holmes Institute.
Today he runs a car rental business, and he said Australia is “the perfect country.”
“I love this country. I have never had any safety issues here, like everyone is so nice, the people are so nice here,” Akram said.
“It’s only this incident that has caused me this trauma.”
