KARACHI: The Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) on Thursday held a networking event in Pakistan’s commercial capital of Karachi and showcased luxury tourist destinations in the Kingdom, which expects more than 2.8 million Pakistani visitors this year.
The development comes amid Riyadh’s efforts to boost public service sectors in the Kingdom such as health, education, infrastructure, recreation and tourism as part of the Vision 2030 framework, which aims to cut the Kingdom’s reliance on oil.
The STA showcased diverse tourism offerings, including luxury hotels, at the networking event held at Karachi’s Avari Tower hotel, which was attended by travel enthusiasts, members of the civil society and celebrities from Pakistan’s film and drama industry.
STA officials gave presentations to Pakistani audiences at the event, with two giant screens at the poolside showing tourist destinations like Maraya in AlUla, Al-Bujairi heritage tourist park in Diriyah, the Red Sea, King Abdullah Economic City, the skyline in Riyadh, and the historical old city of Jeddah.
“These world-class resorts promise an unparalleled seaside experience, blending sustainability with high-end hospitality,” the STA said in a statement at the end of the event.
Saudi Arabia is home to the two holiest cities of Islam, Makkah and Madinah, which are visited by millions of Muslims from across the world for Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages each year.
In recent years, Riyadh has intensified its efforts to diversify its economy away from oil to other sectors, particularly leisure travel. Last year, the Kingdom also won a bid to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup.
“They want to promote their tourism like we want to promote tourism in up north in Pakistan,” Pakistani actor Sanam Saeed told Arab News on the event’s sidelines, adding that Saudi Arabia was a fast-developing nation that is wasopening its culture and architecture to international tourists.
Pakistan, a predominantly Muslim country that has the world’s fifth largest population of over 240 million, stands as one of the priority nations for Saudi Arabia, and the STA said it expected more than 2.8 million Pakistani travelers to visit the Kingdom this year, compared to over 2.7 million who visited last year.
Saeed is one such Pakistani who wishes to travel to the Kingdom soon.
“Saudi is full of new adventures. We can promote it, encourage it and avail all these amazing things that Saudi has to offer,” she said.
“It’s exciting and I wish to visit soon.”
Pakistani talent and travelers are making a significant impact on Saudi Arabia’s thriving tourism and entertainment industries. Last year, Pakistani players dominated the Esports World Cup (EWC) in Riyadh, showcasing their prowess on the global gaming stage, according to the STA.
The recently concluded LEAP tech conference in Riyadh recorded the highest-ever participation of Pakistani exhibitors, highlighting Pakistan’s growing influence in the tech industry, while the Kingdom’s Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) sector has also seen remarkable growth, with 37 Pakistani tourism groups actively engaging in Saudi Arabia’s dynamic event landscape.
Offering seamless travel experiences, the Kingdom’s latest initiatives include group inclusive tours and exclusive Ramadan deals, allowing visitors to experience the spiritual essence of the holy month in an immersive setting. The introduction of e-visa for Umrah pilgrims has further simplified religious travel, granting unrestricted entry to Saudi airports.
Saudi Arabia is also enhancing its accessibility and diverse experiences beyond religious tourism as well as is enhancing travel for various segments, including solo female travelers, destination weddings and cultural exploration, according to the STA.
The Kingdom’s tourism sector accounted for up to 3 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) last year, which Riyadh aims to increase to 10 percent over the next five years by making investments in the tourism sector.
Saeed hailed the cooperation between Pakistani and Saudi stakeholders in the field of tourism, saying it would benefit travelers.
“So, it’s always worth when such a cross-country collaboration takes place and two countries jointly try to do their promotion,” she said. “It is good for travelers.”
Saudi luxury tourist destinations unveiled at Karachi event
https://arab.news/yva54
Saudi luxury tourist destinations unveiled at Karachi event
- The development comes amid Riyadh’s efforts to boost public service sectors to cut the Kingdom’s reliance on oil
- Pakistan, which has the world’s fifth largest population, stands as one of the priority nations for Saudi Arabia
Meals in motion: Delivery rider races against time in Ramadan
- Hajji Khan navigates Islamabad’s busy streets on an empty stomach in Ramadan, ensuring he delivers suhoor, iftar meals on time
- Khan works for online food and grocery delivery platform Foodpanda, making $178.61 in Ramadan delivering around 25 orders a day
ISLAMABADL: Wearing his signature pink Foodpanda uniform, Hajji Khan stood waiting outside the white gate of a house in the Pakistani capital an hour before sunset would usher in the iftar meal in the holy month of Ramadan earlier this week.
Minutes later, the gate opened, and a customer received his order and paid Khan, who hurriedly hopped back onto his bike and sped off to complete the next delivery for Foodpanda, a prominent online food and grocery delivery platform in Pakistan.
The going gets a bit tough for Khan and other Foodpanda riders during the holy month of Ramadan, when Muslims fast from dawn to dusk and often order food through restaurants or home chefs for the iftar and pre-dawn suhoor meals. Because the timing of the fasting meals are set, there is no room to be late, and riders like Khan, 25, often have to break their fast on the go with water and a fried snack bought from a nearby food stall, or by sitting down for a quick, free meal at a roadside charity ‘dastarkhwan.’
“We do our best to ensure timely deliveries before iftar so that customers can break their fast peacefully,” Khan said this week as Arab News accompanied him on pre-sunset delivery runs.
“We usually break our fast at free iftar dastarkhwans set up along the roadside. However, if I have many orders, then I break my fast while on the way to a delivery.”
The youngest of five brothers who left his home in the eastern Pakistani city of Sargodha four years ago to find work in Islamabad, Khan says he works in Ramadan from 2pm till the end of the suhoor meal at around 5am, making around Rs50,000 [$178.61] during the holy month, a modest income that barely covers basic expenses.
GoNSave, a data company that serves leading gig platforms, said in a survey this month riders who worked during Ramadan and Eid cited personal financial needs, higher earnings from increased demand and incentives, and more job flexibility. At least 26.66 percent choose only to work during Ramadan.
’SMALL ACTS OF KINDNESS’
While there are few orders during the morning and afternoon, Ramadan rush hour begins at around 4pm, around two hours before iftar. Then, it is no doubt a challenge to navigate the city’s busy and traffic-snarled roads on an empty stomach, the aroma of food wafting from the delivery box.
“Normally the day passes smoothly while fasting, but it becomes very challenging in the afternoon, when we start delivering food orders and the smell of food intensifies our hunger,” Khan said.
“This is our peak time, and fasting feels particularly difficult but we push ourselves to take as many orders as possible and deliver them before iftar.”
Khan, who delivers around 25 orders per day, says generous customers sometimes invite him in to break his fast if it is close to iftar time.
These “small acts of kindness,” as Khan described them, made “all the difference” and pushed him to keep performing his duties despite the challenges.
“Sometimes, a kind customer invites me to break my fast with them or they hand me an iftar parcel,” he said, as he stopped at a mosque for Asr, the third of five obligatory prayers in Islam.
“But if there’s nothing, I stop at a roadside dastarkhwan and share a meal with strangers who for a moment feel like family.”
Pakistani journalist Farhan Mallick arrested by Federal Investigation Agency— family
- Mallick is the founder and chief executive officer of Pakistani online news media platform “Raftar“
- FIA official says Mallick ran programs against Pakistan’s “security establishment,” says local media report
Islamabad: Pakistani journalist Farhan Mallick, the founder and chief executive officer of prominent online news media platform “Raftar,” was arrested by Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) officials on Thursday without providing any justification, his son wrote on social media platform X.
The former news director of Pakistani TV channel Samaa, Mallick heads Raftar which describes itself as a “dynamic platform dedicated to driving social change through the power of storytelling” on its social media platforms. Raftar, which has over 749,000 subscribers on YouTube, has released documentaries and videos critical of the Pakistani government and powerful military’s policies.
A message posted from Mallick’s account on social media platform X by his son said FIA officials “barged” into his office on Wednesday night. The statement said the FIA officials verbally summoned him to their office on Thursday.
“Like any law-abiding citizen, he went— only to be made to wait for hours without cause,” the statement said. “Then, at 6 PM, they arrested him. No explanation. No justification. Nothing.”
Pakistani English language newspaper Dawn quoted FIA Cyber Crime Reporting Center Additional Director Shahzad Haider as saying that an inquiry was initiated against Mallick around three months ago.
According to Dawn, the official said Mallick had run “several programs against the security establishment,” adding the Raftar founder was arrested on Thursday after the inquiry against him was formally completed.
In a statement, Raftar confirmed Mallick had been arrested but said they were not informed why. The platform said it was deeply concerned about the “blatant intimidation of independent journalism” in Pakistan.
“We demand immediate clarity on Mr. Mallick’s arrest and call for the protection of journalists and media professionals from unjust harassment,” it said.
Successive governments in Pakistan have enacted different laws and introduced amendments in existing laws to enhance their control over social media content and discourage dissent by filing cases against journalists and activists for violating the laws. The government says it has enacted these laws to ensure data protection, privacy and to ensure people’s safety on social media.
In recent years, journalists in Pakistan have complained of increasing government and military censorship, intimidation and harassment as well as digital abuse. Authorities deny they persecute journalists. Last year was a dangerous one for the press in Pakistan, with at least six journalists killed in direct or suspected relation to their work, the CPJ said in October 2024.
A recent report by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) ranked Pakistan as the 12th-worst country for press freedom in South Asia. According to the CPJ, 103 journalists and media workers have been killed in Pakistan between 1992 and 2024.
Pakistan and UK discuss security cooperation, adopting joint strategy against ‘terrorism’
- Pakistan PM’s adviser Rana Sanaullah meets British High Commissioner Jane Marriott, says state media
- Both discuss reinforcing intelligence sharing and operational cooperation in counter terrorism efforts
ISLAMABAD: Rana Sanaullah, adviser to the prime minister on political affairs, met British High Commissioner Jane Marriott on Thursday to discuss enhancing security cooperation between the two countries and adopting a joint strategy against “terrorism,” state-run media reported.
Pakistan and the United Kingdom (UK) share a long-standing relationship built on strong diplomatic, economic and security ties. Over the years, the militaries of both countries have maintained robust cooperation, particularly in the fields of counterterrorism and professional training.
The meeting between the two officials took place amid Pakistan’s struggle to contain surging militancy, particularly in its southwestern Balochistan province, where separatist militants last week hijacked a train and held hundreds hostage before the army launched a rescue operation. The military said it killed all 33 militants while 31 Pakistani soldiers, staff and civilians were killed.
“The discussion also focused on adopting a joint strategy against terrorism, increasing security cooperation, and taking collaborative measures to ensure regional peace and stability,” state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported about the meeting between Sanaullah and Marriott.
“Both dignitaries agreed on reinforcing intelligence sharing and operational cooperation in counter terrorism efforts.”
The APP said both also spoke about strengthening economic partnerships, enhancing trade relations and exploring new avenues of mutual cooperation between Pakistan and the UK.
“Additionally, cultural exchanges and the promotion of people-to-people ties were discussed to further strengthen relations between the two nations,” the statement said.
Pakistan and the UK have a long and multifaceted relationship, with the latter hosting a large Pakistani diaspora community. Pakistan is also a member of the Commonwealth, a voluntary association of 56 countries out of which the vast majority are former British territories.
Former Pakistan coach Bradburn fined after discriminatory conduct during Glamorgan stint
- Bradburn was sacked by Glamorgan in December following internal investigation into his behavior
- Bradburn allegedly asked players from Asian background what their “real age” was, implying they lied
LONDON: Former Glamorgan coach Grant Bradburn has been fined and warned about his future conduct after admitting to discriminatory conduct during his spell with the Welsh county cricket side.
Bradburn was sacked by Glamorgan in December following an internal investigation into the New Zealander’s behavior.
A Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) found the former Scotland and Pakistan coach twice made comments with “racist connotations” and also made a remark with “sexist connotations.”
The 58-year-old has been ordered to attend an educational course and fined £500 ($648), in addition to the reprimand.
In its written reasons for the sanction, the CDC said it was alleged Bradburn asked players from an Asian background what their “real age” was, implying they do not tell the truth about their age.
It was also alleged he said during a pre-season team meeting that when making cricket selection decisions in Pakistan, players would pick their friends or cousins or pick names out of a hat.
Bradburn allegedly used the phrase “this isn’t Western Storm” (a former women’s team) during a fielding practice session when he considered that male players were demonstrating a lack of intensity, “throwing like girls.”
Bradburn, a former New Zealand off-spinner, coached Scotland from 2014 to 2018.
He worked as Pakistan’s fielding coach, subsequently taking over as head coach in 2023 — a role he left after less than a year, prior to joining Glamorgan in January 2024.
At least 1,141 Pakistanis killed and injured due to ‘terrorism’ from Jan. 1 to Mar.16— minister
- Tallal Chaudry says three law enforcement personnel, two civilians are killed daily across Pakistan due to “terrorism”
- Minister of state for interior urges opposition to support government in its war against surging militancy in country
ISLAMABAD: At least 1,141 Pakistanis have been killed and injured from Jan. 1 to Mar. 16 in “terrorism” incidents, Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudry said on Thursday, urging provinces to support the central government in its battle against militants.
Pakistan has seen a surge in militant attacks in its western provinces bordering Afghanistan and Iran in recent days, especially Balochistan, where separatist militants last Tuesday stormed a train and held hundreds of passengers hostage before the army launched a rescue operation. The army killed all 33 militants while a final count showed 23 soldiers, three railway employees and five passengers had died in the attack.
Days later on Sunday, five people including three paramilitary soldiers were killed in a blast in Balochistan’s Nushki district. A top parliamentary panel met on Tuesday to discuss the prevalent security situation in the country, calling for national consensus and political unity to battle militancy.
“From the previous [month], Jan. 1 to Mar. 16, the figures say that 1,141 casualties of terrorism have taken place. This includes both the martyred and the injured,” Chaudry said during a news conference. “Out of this, 1,127 alone are from KP and Balochistan.”
He said on a daily basis, three law enforcement agencies’ personnel are killed and seven are injured while two civilians are killed and four injured across Pakistan.
The opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, which is in power in KP province, boycotted the parliamentary panel on national security’s meeting this week and said it would not support any fresh military operation in the country.
Chaudry criticized the PTI, saying that it would not be possible to eliminate “terrorism” from the country if both KP and Balochistan provinces did not join the state in battling militants. The minister blamed the PTI for creating controversies to undermine Pakistan’s war against militancy.
“We are not starting a new operation neither has there been talk of a new operation,” Chaudry clarified. “But whether it is Azm-e-Istehkam or the National Action Plan, they will be implemented, and it will be ensured that they are implemented,” he said, referring to Pakistan’s previous initiatives against militancy.
Pakistan ranks as the second-most affected country by terrorism, according to The Global Terrorism Index 2025. Militancy-related deaths surged by 45 percent, rising from 748 in 2023 to 1,081 in 2024, marking one of the steepest global increases.
Pakistan’s security forces are battling the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) or Pakistani Taliban militants in KP province. Islamabad accuses Kabul of sheltering TTP militants, an allegation the Afghan Taliban deny strongly.
In Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province by land but its poorest by almost all social and economic indicators, separatist militants have been fighting security forces for decades for a greater share in the natural resources of the province. Pakistan’s federal government and military point to various education and health initiatives undertaken in Balochistan, reiterating their resolve to bring about progress in the province.
