ISLAMABAD: Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan will visit Pakistan today, Thursday, to boost economic ties and investment cooperation between the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan, the foreign office said.
The UAE is Pakistan’s third-largest trading partner after China and the United States, and a major source of foreign investment valued at over $10 billion in the last 20 years, according to the Gulf country’s foreign ministry.
Sheikh Al Nayhan will arrive on his first official visit to Pakistan with a high-level delegation comprising ministers, senior officials and business leaders at Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s invitation, the foreign office’s statement said.
“This visit underscores the deep-rooted fraternal ties between Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and reflects the shared commitment to further strengthen bilateral economic partnership,” the statement said.
The foreign office said the crown prince will engage in wide-ranging interactions with the Pakistani leadership to “exchange views on matters of mutual interest, reinforce historical bonds and promote economic as well as investment cooperation.”
“Several agreements and Memorandums of Understandings will be signed during the visit to bolster existing robust framework for long-term collaboration in multifaceted sectors,” it added.
The agreements are expected to open new opportunities for joint ventures and projects aimed at furthering economic cooperation between both countries, the statement said.
Pakistan and UAE have stepped up efforts in recent years to strengthen their economic relations. In Jan. 2024, Pakistan and the UAE signed multiple agreements worth more than $3 billion for cooperation in railways, economic zones and infrastructure.
The crown prince’s visit comes as Pakistan pursues economic diplomacy with several Central Asian and Gulf nations while treading a tricky path to economic recovery since avoiding a sovereign default in June 2023.
Policymakers in Pakistan consider the UAE an optimal export destination due to its geographical proximity, which minimizes transportation and freight costs while facilitating commercial transactions.
It is also home to more than a million Pakistani expatriates, making it the second-largest Pakistani expatriate community worldwide and a major source of foreign workers’ remittances for Pakistan.
Several agreements expected to be signed as Abu Dhabi crown prince visits Pakistan today
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Several agreements expected to be signed as Abu Dhabi crown prince visits Pakistan today
- Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to arrive with delegation comprising officials, businessmen
- Both sides to sign several memorandums of understanding for long-term collaboration in multifaceted sectors
Captain Agha reiterates Pakistan’s refusal to play India at the T20 World Cup
- India vs. Pakistan is usually the showpiece match in world tournaments, with the eyeballs on it rising into the hundreds of millions
- The boycott has caused an uproar and the International Cricket Council is trying to resolve the issue with the Pakistan Cricket Board
COLOMBO: Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha has reiterated that his team will abide by his government’s ruling not to play India in the much-anticipated Twenty20 World Cup fixture next week.
India vs. Pakistan is usually the showpiece match in world tournaments — the eyeballs on it rise into the hundreds of millions. The boycott has caused an uproar and the International Cricket Council is trying to resolve the problem with the Pakistan Cricket Board.
At a captains’ media conference on Thursday, Agha repeated the team will follow its government’s advice.
“The India game is not in our control,” Agha said. “The government has decided and we respect that. Whatever they are saying we’ll do.
“We are playing three other (group) games and we are excited about that.”
Pakistan’s World Cup opener is against the Netherlands on Saturday in Colombo. It will play all of its games in co-host Sri Lanka. Namibia and the United States are also in the group. The India game is scheduled for Feb. 15 in Colombo.
In Mumbai, India captain Suryakumar Yadav said they were going to Colombo whether the match was on or not.
“(Our) mindset is pretty clear,” Yadav said. “We did not refuse to play them. The refusal came from them. ICC organized the fixture. BCCI and (Indian) government decided to play in neutral venue in coordination with ICC. Our flight to Colombo is booked. So we are going. We’ll see what happens later.”
The Pakistan government decision came after Bangladesh was kicked out of the World Cup by the ICC. Bangladesh refused to play in India for security reasons and wanted its games moved to Sri Lanka but the ICC dismissed those concerns.
Agha said he was saddened that Bangladesh wasn’t playing in the World Cup for the first time and asked Bangladeshi fans to back his team.
Pakistan has accused the ICC of double standards and not accommodating security concerns. India and Pakistan do not play in each other’s territory and meet in ICC tournaments only at neutral venues.
Their countries are embroiled in military and diplomatic tensions which have spilled into sports for more than a decade. Last year at the men’s Asian Cup and Women’s World Cup, the teams did not shake hands when they met.
