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Pakistan’s caretaker ministers come with diverse profiles

Pakistan is set to hold both parliamentary and provincial assembly elections on July 25. (AFP)
Updated 06 June 2018
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Pakistan’s caretaker ministers come with diverse profiles

Updated 06 June 2018
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s caretaker cabinet ministers come with diverse experience and are renowned figures in their own fields.

Abdullah Hussain Haroon, Caretaker Minister for Foreign Affairs, Defense and Defense Production.
Haroon served as Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United Nations from September 2008 to December 2012.

A scion of the Haroon family, he is a renowned businessman, social activist, and former Sindh Assembly speaker, who was a board member of several educational institutes, sports associations, and charity organizations.

Haroon’s career in public service began as the election Coordinator for Pakistan Muslim League in 1970. He was councillor for Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) between 1979 and 1985.

He served as Member of Provincial Assembly (MPA) Sindh (1985–1988), Trustee Karachi Port Trust (KPT) (1980–1982), Speaker of Sindh Assembly (1985–1986) and leader of opposition in the Sindh Assembly (1986–1988).

In 2008, he was elected as Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations, replacing veteran Munir Akram.

Dr. Shamshad Akhtar, Caretaker Minister for Finance, Revenue and Economic Affairs, Statistics, Planning, Development and Reform.
Akhtar has 37 years’ experience of leading multilateral institutions including the United Nations, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. She has also served as Governor of Central Bank of Pakistan.

Her has development experience in Asia, the Middle East and North Africa. Areas of expertise range from macroeconomic policy management to sector specific policies, legal and regulatory frameworks, development and implementation.

She has advised various governments and the private sector in public and private sector governance, poverty, privatization, public-private partnerships, energy, agriculture, and other sectors.

As Pakistan’s Governor of Central Bank, she was nominated Asia’s Best Central Bank Governor by the Emerging Market Groups in 2006 and Bankers Trust in 2007. In 2008 she was nominated in the top ten of Asia’s Women by the Asian Wall Street Journal.

Barrister Syed Ali Zafar, Caretaker Minister for Information and Broadcasting.
Former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan (2015-16), he is currently the President of Pakistan chapter of SAARCLAW (South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation in Law).

Zaffar is a senior partner at his law firm, Mandviwalla & Zafar, one of the largest and leading law firms of Pakistan with offices in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad.

Prof. Mohammed Yusuf Shaikh, Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training.
He will hold the additional portfolios of Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony
Shaikh served as general staff officer and instructor at Pakistan Military Academy at Kakul and principal/project director at Public School Sukkur, Public School Gadap in Karachi, Cadet College Larkana and other educational institutes.

Ms. Roshan Khursheed Bharucha, Ministry of Human Rights, Ministry of Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit Baltistan and Ministry of States and Frontier Regions
She worked as Provincial Minister (2000-2002) in the Government of Balochistan in the departments of Social Welfare, Informal education, Human Rights, Youth, Information, Population, Information Technology. She was a Senator in Senate of Pakistan between 2003 and 2006.

Her social work includes helping foreign prisoners in Balochistan who are retained in the jails after completion of their punishment due to factors such not having an airplane ticket.

She opened small libraries in each of the 22 districts of Balochistan through the help of non-governmental and government agencies.

Mohammed Azam Khan Caretaker Minister for Interior, Capital Administration and Development Division Ministry.
A former bureaucrat, he served as Minister for Finance, Planning and Development in Khyber Pakhtunkhawa (KP) province from 2007 to 2008.

Azam Khan also served as UNDP Adviser to the Lachi Poverty Reduction Project (LPRP) for ten years from 1997, National Project Coordinator UNDP, Lachi Poverty Reduction Project. (LPRP).

He also worked as Chairman of Pakistan Tobacco Board, Ministry of Commerce, Government of Pakistan, Peshawar.

As a bureaucrat, he served as Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources, Secretary Ministry of Religious Affairs, and Chief Secretary, Government of KP from 1990 to 1993.

Topics: latest news in english international news Pakistan

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UK to end Afghan refugee schemes 

Updated 45 min 58 sec ago
Arab News
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UK to end Afghan refugee schemes 

  • Move is part of plan to clear backlog of asylum seekers in temporary accommodation 
  • No timeline yet in place but defense secretary says schemes cannot be ‘endless’
Updated 45 min 58 sec ago
Arab News

LONDON: The UK is to close its resettlement schemes for people fleeing Afghanistan, The Times reported.

Defense Secretary John Healey said the UK’s two programs for Afghans could not be “an endless process” as he laid out plans to move refugees out of temporary accommodation. He added that over 1,000 Afghan families have arrived in the UK in the past 12 months.

Though no time frame has been announced, the government aims to limit the amount of time Afghans can stay in hotels and other temporary housing to nine months.

The two refugee programs — the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme and the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy — were introduced in 2021 after the fall of Kabul to the Taliban following the withdrawal of US-led coalition forces.

Thousands of people were evacuated to the UK during an airlift mission known as Operation Pitting.

UK authorities have struggled to find suitable permanent housing solutions for many Afghan refugees due to the large size of typical Afghan families — more than double that of the average British family.

A total of 30,412 Afghans were eventually taken to the UK under the two schemes. Under ARAP, 2,729 Afghans were placed in temporary Ministry of Defense accommodation and a further 288 in Home Office housing, amid a broader backlog of over 100,000 asylum seekers requiring assistance in the UK — 35,651 of whom were put up in hotels.

Safe Passage International told The Times it is “concerned” by suggestions that the two resettlement schemes are set to close, adding that they have been a “lifeline to safety” for vulnerable Afghans.

The charity said “new safe routes” would need to be opened for Afghan refugees when the two schemes are shuttered.

Its CEO Wanda Wyporska said:  “We’re concerned that the government is thinking about closing the safe pathways for Afghans, given there are no other working safe routes that can bring those fleeing the Taliban to safety here.

“We urgently need more detail on this so Afghans are not left in danger. We know there are many Afghans living in terror and under the threat of increasingly repressive Taliban rules, such as those oppressing women and girls.

“Afghans are already the top nationality crossing the Channel, so we fear without this safe route we will only see more people turning to smugglers to reach protection here.”

Topics: United Kingdom (UK) Afghanistan John Healey Operation Pitting Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP) Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) Safe Passage UK Wanda Wyporska

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Modi to visit Kuwait for the first trip by Indian PM in four decades

Updated 19 December 2024
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Modi to visit Kuwait for the first trip by Indian PM in four decades

  • Indian nationals make up the largest expatriate community in Kuwait
  • Modi’s visit will likely focus on strengthening economic ties, experts say
Updated 19 December 2024
Sanjay Kumar

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Kuwait on Saturday, marking the first trip of an Indian premier to the Gulf state in more than four decades. 

With more than 1 million Indian nationals living and working in Kuwait, they are the largest expatriate community in the country, making up around 21 percent of its 4.3 million population and 30 percent of its workforce.

Modi will be visiting Kuwait for two days at the invitation of the Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. 

“This will be the first visit of an Indian Prime Minister to Kuwait in 43 years,” the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement. 

“During the visit, the Prime Minister will hold discussions with the leadership of Kuwait. Prime Minister will also interact with the Indian community in Kuwait.”

India is among Kuwait’s top trade partners, with bilateral trade valued at around $10.4 billion in 2023-24.

Experts expect the visit to focus on strengthening economic ties between the two countries. 

“Kuwait has a strong Indian expatriate community who have contributed to the economic development of the country,” Muddassir Quamar, associate professor at the Center for West Asian Studies in Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University, told Arab News. 

“In my view, the focus would be on the economy. Politically, it underlines that Kuwait is an important regional country and remains an important partner of India.” 

Quamar said that trade and economic ties will likely get a boost from the visit, as well as cooperation in energy, infrastructure, financial technology, education and culture. 

Modi’s visit reflects how India’s engagement with Arab states has increasingly focused on the economy, said Kabir Taneja, a deputy director with the Strategic Studies program at the Observer Research Foundation. 

“India’s engagement with Arab states is increasingly rooted in a ‘new’ Middle East, that is, it is economy-led,” he told Arab News. 

“This visit is a good opportunity for India to expand beyond its good relations with UAE and Saudi Arabia and explore opportunities with the smaller Arab states which includes Kuwait.”

Topics: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi India Kuwait ties crown prince Kuwait

Modi to visit Kuwait for first trip by Indian PM in four decades

Updated 19 December 2024
Follow

Modi to visit Kuwait for first trip by Indian PM in four decades

  • Indian nationals make up the largest expatriate community in Kuwait 
  • Modi’s visit will likely focus on strengthening economic ties, say experts
Updated 19 December 2024
Sanjay Kumar

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Kuwait on Saturday, marking the first trip to the Gulf state by an Indian premier in more than four decades.

With more than 1 million Indian nationals living and working in Kuwait they are the largest expatriate community in the country, making up around 21 percent of its 4.3 million population and 30 percent of its workforce.

Modi’s two-day visit is at the invitation of the Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

“This will be the first visit of an Indian prime minister to Kuwait in 43 years,” the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

“During the visit, the prime minister will hold discussions with the leadership of Kuwait. (The) prime minister will also interact with the Indian community in Kuwait.”

India is among Kuwait’s top trade partners, with bilateral trade valued at around $10.4 billion in 2023-24.

Experts expect the visit to focus on strengthening economic ties between the two countries.

“Kuwait has a strong Indian expatriate community who have contributed to the economic development of the country,” Muddassir Quamar, associate professor at the Center for West Asian Studies in Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University, told Arab News.

“In my view, the focus would be on the economy. Politically, it underlines that Kuwait is an important regional country and remains an important partner of India.”

Quamar said that trade and economic ties will likely get a boost from the visit, as well as cooperation in energy, infrastructure, financial technology, education and culture.

Modi’s visit reflects how India’s engagement with Arab states has increasingly focused on the economy, said Kabir Taneja, a deputy director with the Strategic Studies program at the Observer Research Foundation.

“India’s engagement with Arab states is increasingly rooted in a ‘new’ Middle East, that is, it is economy-led,” he told Arab News.

“This visit is a good opportunity for India to expand beyond its good relations with UAE and Saudi Arabia and explore opportunities with the smaller Arab states, which includes Kuwait.”

Topics: Narendra Modi India Kuwait

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Putin says fall of Assad not a ‘defeat’ for Russia

Updated 44 min 23 sec ago
AFP
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Putin says fall of Assad not a ‘defeat’ for Russia

  • Bashar Assad fled to Moscow earlier this month after a shock militant advance ended half a century of rule by the Assad family
Updated 44 min 23 sec ago
AFP

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that the fall of ex-Syrian leader Bashar Assad was not a “defeat” for Russia, claiming Moscow had achieved its goals in the country.
Assad fled to Moscow earlier this month after a shock militant advance ended half a century of rule by the Assad family, marked by repression and allegations of vast human rights abuses and civil war.
His departure came more than 13 years after his crackdown on democracy protests precipitated a civil war.
Russia was Assad’s key backer and had swept to his aid in 2015, turning the tide of the conflict.
“You want to present what is happening in Syria as a defeat for Russia,” Putin said at his annual end-of-year press conference.
“I assure you it is not,” he said, responding to a question from an American journalist.
“We came to Syria 10 years ago so that a terrorist enclave would not be created there like in Afghanistan. On the whole, we have achieved our goal,” Putin said.
The Kremlin leader said he had yet to meet with Assad in Moscow, but planned to do so soon.
“I haven’t yet seen president Assad since his arrival in Moscow but I plan to, I will definitely speak with him,” he said.
Putin was addressing the situation in Syria publicly for the first time since Assad’s fall.
Moscow is keen to secure the fate of two military bases in the country.
The Tartus naval base and Hmeimim air base are Russia’s only military outposts outside the former Soviet Union and have been key to the Kremlin’s activities in Africa and the Middle East.
Putin said there was support for Russia keeping hold of the bases.
“We maintain contacts with all those who control the situation there, with all the countries of the region. An overwhelming majority of them say they are interested in our military bases staying there,” Putin said.
He also said Russia had evacuated 4,000 Iranian soldiers from the country at the request from Tehran.

Topics: Fall of Assad Bashar Assad Syria Russia Vladimir Putin

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Saudi tourist swims for 5 hours to help his wife stranded in Pattaya waters

Updated 19 December 2024
Jitsiree Thongnoi
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Saudi tourist swims for 5 hours to help his wife stranded in Pattaya waters

  • Saudi tourists stranded in the dark for hours before rescuers reached them
  • About 188,000 Saudi tourists visited Thailand between January and October this year
Updated 19 December 2024
Jitsiree Thongnoi

BANGKOK: A Saudi tourist swam for more than five hours to reach shore and find help for his wife after their jet ski capsized in Pattaya Bay, Thailand, local authorities said on Thursday.

On Saturday, Abdulrahman Mahdi M. Al-Amri and his wife, Atheer Saeed A. Al-Amri, were reported missing at 6:30 p.m., prompting an immediate search and rescue operation by Pattaya City authorities.

“We received a call at 6:30 p.m. from a jet ski operator that one of their jet skis and the clients were missing. So, we set out on a search operation,” Pattaya City Sea Rescue’s Nattanon Chamnankul, who led the search and rescue mission, told Arab News.

The rescue team had been searching for more than five hours and was navigating the dark seas, strong winds and drizzle to no avail. But as their boat returned to Pattaya’s Jomtien beach, authorities found Abdulrahman swimming toward the shore.

“The husband had swum for five hours to reach the shore and was worried about his wife. He used the lights on the beach as a guide,” Chamnankul said, adding that the 26-year-old man was in a state of extreme fatigue when he was rescued.

The rescue boat then took him on board and continued the search for his wife.

“We found his wife at 2 a.m., six hours after the search began,” Chamnankul said. “At first the sea was dark, but we heard a small voice in the sea and it was her.”

Their jet ski had capsized in the middle of the ocean and its engine was damaged by seawater, according to Nipon, an officer at the Pattaya Tourist Police.

After the jet ski ran out of fuel, Abdulrahman decided to swim to shore to get help.

Although Atheer had a minor injury to her left leg, Nipon said the couple had no serious medical issues and had since returned to their home country after settling a damage cost with the jet ski operator for 50,000 Thai baht ($1,400).

Thailand has become an increasingly popular destination for Saudi travelers since the normalization of ties between the Southeast Asian country and Saudi Arabia in 2022.

The Gulf state is considered a high-potential market by Thai tourism experts, with about 178,000 Saudi tourists visiting in 2023, and another 188,000 between January and October this year, the highest number among visitors from that region.

The latest data shows that the number of Saudi tourists has almost doubled compared with 2022, when the number was about 96,000.

Topics: Thailand

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