ISLAMABAD: Saudi Arabia has offered a 15 percent investment in the Reko Diq copper and gold mine project in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, according to Pakistani state-owned media on Saturday.
Reko Diq is considered one of the world’s largest undeveloped copper and gold resources, primarily operated by Canada’s Barrick Gold, which holds a 50 percent stake in it.
The remaining stake is owned by three federal state-owned enterprises and the Balochistan provincial government, though Pakistan has also invited Saudi Arabia to invest in the project.
“Saudi Arabia has offered fifteen percent investment in Reko Diq Mining project,” the Radio Pakistan said in one of its reports. “The Kingdom has also offered grants to build road infrastructure around the Reko Diq project.”
“Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) has approved the structure of the offer but the final decision has been left to the Cabinet Committee on Intergovernmental Transactions,” it added.
Pakistan set up the SIFC, a civil-military hybrid body, last year in June with the sole purpose of reviving the frail national economy, dented by low foreign exchange reserves, currency depreciation and record inflation.
Barrick Gold’s top official, Mark Bristow, has also acknowledged the Saudi interest in the project, saying his company would not dilute its equity.
However, he added that Barrick Gold would not oppose any decision by the Pakistan government to sell part of its stake to Saudia Arabia.
Radio Pakistan said the government in Islamabad expects up to $5 billion investment in the mining and agriculture sector by June next year.
Saudi Arabia offers 15% investment in Pakistan’s Reko Diq mining venture
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Saudi Arabia offers 15% investment in Pakistan’s Reko Diq mining venture
- Reko Diq in Pakistan’s southwest is considered one of the world’s largest undeveloped copper and gold resources
- State-owned media says Pakistan expects up to $5 billion of Saudi investment in mining, agriculture by June 2025
Pakistan’s Quaid-e-Azam University breaks into top 500 global institutions
- Located in Islamabad, the university is placed in the 401-500 band by Times Higher Education Rankings
- Other Pakistani educational institutions on the list include LUMS, NUST, COMSATS and Air University
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Quaid-e-Azam University has secured a spot among the top 500 universities in the world, according to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2025, with the institution placed in the 401-500 band.
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings are released annually and consider several benchmarks that include teaching, research, employability, and sustainability. Securing a position in these rankings not only enhances a university’s reputation but also reflects its academic excellence and global impact.
Quaid-e-Azam University is the only educational institution in Pakistan to fall in the 401-500 ranking band followed by seven other local universities falling within the 601-800 band.
“This year’s ranking analyzed more than 134 million citations across 16.5 million research publications and included survey responses from 68,402 scholars globally,” the Times Higher Education website said. “Overall, we collected 411,789 data points from more than 2,673 institutions that submitted data.”
“Trusted worldwide by students, teachers, governments and industry experts, the 2024 league table reveals how the global higher education landscape is shifting,” it added.
The Pakistani universities in the 601-800 band include Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Air University, Capital University of Science and Technology, COMSATS University Islamabad, University of Engineering and Technology Taxila, Government College University Faisalabad and National University of Sciences and Technology.
Eleven Pakistani universities attained a spot in the 801-1000 ranking band including Bahria University, Hazara University Mansehra, International Islamic University Islamabad, Islamia College Peshawar, University of Lahore, Lahore University of Management Sciences, University of Malakand, University of Management and Technology, University of the Punjab, Institute of Space Technology and University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore.
The 1001-1200 ranking band included 13 Pakistani universities while the 1201-1500 ranking band included four local universities and the rest fall in the 1500+ category.
Quaid-e-Azam University is located in Pakistan’s capital city of Islamabad. Its inclusion in top 500 global institutions underscores its emerging prominence on the world stage, highlighting its commitment to delivering quality education and research.
Pakistan’s Punjab forms committee to probe alleged rape of Lahore student
- Hundreds of students protested this week over alleged rape of Lahore college student by security guard
- Seven-member committee headed by Punjab chief secretary to probe incident college says is “false”
ISLAMABAD: The chief minister of Pakistan’s most populous Punjab province on Tuesday formed a committee to investigate the alleged rape of a college student in the eastern city of Lahore, following clashes between police and students over the reported incident.
Hundreds of students on Monday staged protests over the reported rape of a student of a private college in Lahore, forcing the closure of one of the campuses while police and provincial government officials denied the incident took place.
The incident was first reported on social media over the weekend, with varying accounts stating the rape took place on Thursday or Friday evening in the basement of the Punjab College for Women campus in Lahore. Police on Monday said no victim had come forward to file a complaint and the college dismissed the allegations as “false.”
“Apropos the subject, the chief minister has constituted a high-powered committee to investigate the reported incident of rape crime at the Punjab College for Women,” a government notification shared by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), the ruling party in Punjab province, said.
The seven-member committee is headed by the chief secretary with the advocate general of Punjab, home secretary, higher education secretary, special education department secretary and specialized health care and medical education department secretary as members. The seventh member would be any other member co-opted by the committee, the notification said.
Police on Monday took into custody a security guard who was identified as the culprit by students online. The notification said that one of the terms of reference of the committee would be to gather facts, collect evidence and record any statements related to the alleged incident.
It would also ascertain the appropriateness of the responses to the incident by the college and the Punjab Police when the incident came to light.
“The committee shall submit the report along with the findings to the chief minister within 48 hours,” the notification said.
In a video statement shared on social media, the father of the alleged rape victim regretted that his daughter’s name was being associated with the incident. Standing beside Additional Superintendent of Police Shehrbano Naqvi, the father said his daughter was admitted to a hospital after she slipped and suffered an injury to her backbone.
“We have handed her medical reports and everything to the police,” he said. “Those who have daughters, only then can understand the pain we are going through [because of the rumors.]“
Pakistan 79-2 at lunch in second England Test after Jack Leach strikes
- Pakistan lost two early wickets of Abdullah Shafique and Shan Masood before lunch
- England lead three-match series 1-0 after winning first Test by an innings and 47 runs
MULTAN, Pakistan: Saim Ayub and Kamran Ghulam lifted Pakistan to 79-2 at lunch Tuesday on the first day of the second Test, after England’s Jack Leach took two early wickets on a used pitch offering help to the spinners.
Ayub was unbeaten on 40 and debutant Ghulam 29 not out as the pair steadied Pakistan from 19-2 after the home team won the toss and opted to bat in Multan.
Returning England captain Ben Stokes turned to his spinners after just five overs on the same pitch used for the first Test last week and Leach soon struck.
Abdullah Shafique was bowled by Leach for seven in the eighth over of the morning with the score on 15.
In his next over, the left-arm spinner had captain Shan Masood caught low at short midwicket by Zak Crawley for three.
At lunch, Leach had 2-35 from 10 overs.
England lead the three-match series 1-0 after they won the first Test at the same venue by an innings and 47 runs on Friday.
Pakistan’s defeat — their sixth in as many Tests — prompted the selectors to make four changes.
Out went batsman and former captain Babar Azam, pace bowlers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah, plus spinner Abrar Ahmed who was taken ill in the first match.
They were replaced by Ghulam and the spin trio of Sajid Khan, Zahid Mahmood and Noman Ali, leaving Pakistan with only one fast bowler in Aamer Jamal.
Stokes was back from a hamstring injury for England, replacing Chris Woakes, while fast bowler Matthew Potts came in for Gus Atkinson.
Pakistan reports fresh polio case, taking 2024 tally to 33
- Pakistan reports latest polio case from southwestern Quetta district in Balochistan province
- Pakistan faces challenges in fight against polio, most prominent among them militancy
KARACHI: Pakistan’s polio program said this week another case of the poliovirus has been reported from the country’s southwestern Quetta district, taking the total number of cases this year to 33.
Pakistan, along with neighboring Afghanistan, remains the last polio-endemic country in the world. Starting from late 2018, Pakistan saw a resurgence of cases and increased spread of polio, highlighting the fragility of gains achieved in the preceding three years.
“Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health Islamabad has confirmed the detection of wild poliovirus type-1 case from Quetta District of Balochistan,” the Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme said on Monday.
The total number of poliovirus cases this year from Balochistan has increased to 17 while the number of cases reported from Sindh are 10. The northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has reported four while one case each has been reported from Punjab and Islamabad.
The polio program said that environmental samples from Quetta district and Quetta city have been consistently positive for poliovirus this year, indicating continued circulation of the virus and risk to children. It added that this year, 37 positive environmental samples and three cases have been reported from Quetta, while Quetta district has reported 65 positive environmental samples and 11 cases.
The program said implementing polio campaigns across Pakistan was a “challenge” last year.
“Campaigns were staggered or postponed due to localized protests, boycotts and insecurity, leading to a cohort of missed children who can sustain poliovirus transmission,” the statement said. “This outbreak is indicative of the harm children suffer due to missed vaccination opportunities.”
Pakistan’s polio eradication program began in 1994 and the number of cases has declined dramatically since then but the country continues to face challenges in its fight against polio, including militancy, with polio workers targeted by attacks, particularly in the KP province.
The polio program has adapted to respond to climate disasters such as floods but continues to face disruptions. There are also gaps in supplementary immunization activities, especially in areas where the virus is still present.
Second batch of 64 Palestinian students arrive in Pakistan's capital to continue medical studies
- Islamabad says a total of 192 Palestinian students from Gaza will continue fully funded studies in Pakistani institutions
- Second batch of Palestinian students are from the fourth and fifth year of medical and dental curriculum, says NGO
ISLAMABAD: A second batch of 64 Palestinian medical and dental students from Gaza arrived in Islamabad on Tuesday morning to continue their education in Pakistani educational institutions, a leading non-governmental organization involved in the initiative confirmed.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry announced in July that the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) will provide scholarships to over 100 Palestinian students so that they can continue their studies in Pakistan as Israel’s war wreaks havoc in the Middle East. The initiative is a collaboration between Doctors of Rehman, Global Relief Trust and the leading Pakistani non-governmental organization, Al-Khidmat Foundation.
The second batch of a total of 192 Palestinian students departed Cairo for Islamabad on Monday. The development took place hours after the first batch of 27 Palestinian students from Gaza arrived in Pakistan’s eastern city of Lahore.
“Praise be to god, the second batch of 64 Palestinian students arrived at Islamabad airport this morning,” Al-Khidmat Foundation said in a statement. “The students are from fourth and fifth year of medical and dental curriculum.”
The foundation said that its delegation received the “excited” students at the airport. In pictures shared with the statement, Al-Khidmat Foundation members can be seen posing with Palestinian students and handing out roses to them.
Since Oct. 7, 2023, Israel has killed over 42,000 people in Gaza through relentless bombardment despite ceasefire calls and angry protests in several countries around the world. The Jewish state has bombed thousands of buildings, included medical institutions in the territory, as it carries out airstrikes and ground offensives in Gaza.
There have also been widespread reports of substantial damage to educational institutions along with reports of deliberate targeting of Palestinian academics.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and other sources have documented severe damage to Gaza’s health care facilities, including the largest hospital Al-Shifa, which has been rendered non-functional due to extensive damage in the ongoing conflict.
The WHO has also warned of the outbreak of diseases in Gaza, reporting that cases of meningitis, jaundice, impetigo, chickenpox and other upper respiratory tract infections have been recorded in the area.
