Saudi Arabia’s KSrelief performs over 4,484 successful eye surgeries in Pakistan

The undated photo shows a beneficiary of KSrelief's project to combat blindness in Pakistan after getting an eye surgery in a hospital in Pakistan. (Photo courtesy: KSrelief)
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Updated 20 June 2025
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Saudi Arabia’s KSrelief performs over 4,484 successful eye surgeries in Pakistan

  • KSrelief holds free eye treatment camps in Sindh, Balochistan, Punjab and Azad Kashmir regions
  • Teams examined 43,294 patients, distributed 11,050 eyeglasses free of charge, says state media

ISLAMABAD: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) performed over 4,484 successful eye surgeries across Pakistan under a voluntary program to provide free medical services to the underprivileged, state-run media reported this week. 

The state-run Pakistan Television (PTV) reported on Thursday that KSrelief successfully concluded 11 comprehensive eye treatment camps in Pakistan under the “Noor Saudi Volunteer Program 2025.” These camps, PTV said, were organized in collaboration with the Al-Basar International Foundation and Ibrahim Eye Hospital Karachi.

The camps were held to provide free medical services to underprivileged individuals suffering from blindness or other eye-related ailments, it added. These camps were organized in both the urban and rural areas of Pakistan’s Sindh, Balochistan, Punjab, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir regions where access to quality eye care services remains limited, PTV said. 

“During the campaign, medical teams examined a total of 43,294 patients and performed over 4,484 successful surgeries,” the state television said. “Additionally, 11,050 eyeglasses were distributed free of charge, along with the provision of prescribed medications to deserving patients.”

It said these camps were conducted in various Pakistani cities such as Karachi, Matli, Kandhkot, Shikarpur, Hyderabad, Naseerabad, Kharan, Khuzdar, Jhelum and Rawalakot. The camps enabled thousands of patients to benefit from specialized eye treatments due to which many were able to regain their vision.

“This initiative reflects the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s strong humanitarian commitment and its dedication to enhancing the lives of people affected by visual impairments,” PTV said. 

KSrelief has implemented hundreds of projects in Pakistan worth millions of dollars to improve the lives of vulnerable communities. Efforts include emergency relief for natural disasters, and long-term projects addressing food security, health care, education, and shelter. 

The Saudi charity organization has one of the largest humanitarian budgets available to any aid agency across the world, which has allowed its officials to undertake a wide variety of projects in more than 80 countries. Pakistan is the fifth largest beneficiary of its aid and humanitarian activities and has greatly benefited from its assistance since the 2022 monsoon floods.


Pakistan says Panda bond launch to diversify funding, avoid overreliance on dollar

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Pakistan says Panda bond launch to diversify funding, avoid overreliance on dollar

  • Pakistan has said it plans to issue its first-ever yuan-denominated Panda bond in January 2026
  • Pakistan minister identifies agriculture, minerals, AI as key areas to attract Chinese investment

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said on Tuesday that launching its first-ever Panda bond would allow Islamabad to diversify its external financing sources away from overreliance on the US dollar, the Finance Division said. 

Pakistan has said it aims to launch the Panda bond— a yuan-denominated bond issued in China’s domestic market— by January next year. This highlights Pakistan’s efforts to find alternatives to dollar-denominated borrowing as global financial conditions tighten and Islamabad looks to escape a prolonged macroeconomic crisis. 

Panda bonds are renminbi-denominated instruments sold to Chinese investors by foreign governments or companies, offering issuers access to China’s deep domestic capital markets while reducing exposure to foreign-exchange volatility.

“He said the [Panda bond] issuance would allow Pakistan to tap into the second-largest and second-deepest capital market in the world, helping diversify funding sources away from overreliance on the US dollar by complementing existing access to euro and sukuk markets,” the Finance Division said. 

Aurangzeb was speaking to the state-owned China Global Television Network (CGTN), the Finance Division said. 

The finance minister acknowledged Pakistan had “previously underutilized” the opportunity to take advantage of the Panda bond, expressing optimism about investor interest in the Chinese market.

He said Pakistan remains hopeful of launching the bond ahead of the Chinese New Year, calling it a “landmark development” in the country’s external financing strategy. 

In response to a question about Pakistan’s economic priorities, Aurangzeb identified agriculture, minerals and mining, artificial intelligence and digital economy as key areas where Islamabad could attract Chinese investment. 

“He emphasized that beyond capital flows, this phase of cooperation places strong emphasis on knowledge transfer and technical support,” the Finance Division said.