UAE arm of International Red Cross launches Ramadan project in Pakistan

The screengrab from a video shared by the UAE consulate in Karachi on March 2, 2025, shows people eating iftar boxes donated by Emirates Red Crescent in Pakistan. (UAE consulate in Karachi/Screengrab)
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Updated 03 March 2025
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UAE arm of International Red Cross launches Ramadan project in Pakistan

  • Emirates Red Crescent distributes iftar boxes in rural areas of Sindh, Punjab and Balochistan
  • Pakistan marked beginning of Ramadan on Sunday, in which Muslims fast from dawn to dusk

KARACHI: The Emirates Red Crescent is distributing thousands of iftar boxes in the rural areas of Pakistan’s Sindh, Punjab and Balochistan provinces, the UAE consulate said recently, reiterating its commitment to spreading joy among impoverished Pakistanis without discrimination. 

Every year the Emirates Red Crescent distributes iftar boxes in Pakistan during the holy month of Ramadan, during which Muslims fast from dawn to dusk and increasingly engage in the remembrance of the Almighty. 

The Emirates Red Crescent distributed thousands of iftar boxes among poor Pakistanis in Ramadan last year as well. 

“Thousands of people fasting are receiving the blessings of iftar every day through the iftar dastarkhwan [project] by the Red Crescent,” a statement by the UAE consulate in Karachi said on Sunday. “This is being carried out in the rural and backward areas of Sindh, Balochistan and Punjab.”

The consulate said that the Red Crescent’s first priority is distributing iftar boxes prepared in accordance with the highest standards of hygiene to people. 

Emirates Red Crescent Director Hamad Bakheet Ateeq Al Remeithi said spreading happiness and smiles on the faces of one’s own brings heartfelt satisfaction. 

“The series of love that begins with the month of Ramadan will double the joy of Eid Al-Fitr,” Remeithi said. 

Ramadan is observed by Muslims worldwide through fasting from dawn to sunset, with most practicing Muslims considering it a time of spiritual reflection, self-discipline and devotion. Fasting serves as a means of strengthening faith and developing empathy for the less fortunate.

Pakistan welcomed the start of the holy month on Sunday, a day after the ninth month of the Islamic Hijri calendar began in Saudi Arabia.


Pakistan PM invites UAE investment across tech and resource sectors at National Day event

Updated 08 December 2025
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Pakistan PM invites UAE investment across tech and resource sectors at National Day event

  • Shehbaz Sharif says the UAE remains a key economic partner and continues to lend ‘critical support’ to Pakistan
  • UAE envoy says both nations have potential for cooperation in renewable energy, AI and economic diversification

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is ready to welcome investment from the United Arab Emirates across emerging technologies and resource sectors, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Monday, as both countries marked the 54th National Day of the Gulf country in Islamabad.

Speaking at the ceremony attended by senior ministers, diplomats and business leaders, Sharif said the UAE remained a key economic partner for Pakistan and continued to lend “critical support” to the country’s stabilizing economy.

“Pakistan takes great pride in its strategic partnership with the UAE, which continues to deepen across every domain of life,” he said. “With Pakistan’s economy stabilizing, we stand ready to welcome Emirati investment in renewable energy, AI, fintech, agriculture and minerals.”

Sharif praised the UAE’s leadership and recalled his earliest memories of the Gulf nation as “a land that believed in possibilities long before they became realities,” saying the country’s progress under President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan commanded “profound admiration.”

UAE Ambassador Salem Al Bawab Al Zaabi said the Emirates was committed to strengthening ties with Pakistan in areas including the economy, energy and artificial intelligence.

He said the two countries shared a “deep-rooted friendship built on mutual respect, shared values and a common vision for regional peace and development.”

“We see tremendous potential for collaboration in renewable energy, artificial intelligence, sustainability and economic diversification,” the ambassador said, adding that the UAE aimed to broaden the scope of its economic relations with Pakistan.

The UAE hosts around 1.8 million Pakistani expatriates, one of the country’s largest overseas communities, who Sharif said contributed “tirelessly” to the Gulf state’s development.

Sharif and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar also joined the UAE ambassador in a cake-cutting ceremony to mark the occasion.