ISLAMABAD: United Arab Emirates’ Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan said on Monday that his country’s ties with Pakistan are growing at a “good pace,” hoping the two sides would further strengthen cooperation in priority sectors. 

The UAE deputy premier arrived in Islamabad on Sunday for a two-day official visit aimed at strengthening cooperation in energy, trade and security, Pakistan’s foreign ministry said in an earlier statement.

Pakistan and the UAE have deepened their economic partnership in recent years. The UAE is Pakistan’s third-largest trading partner after China and the United States, and a major source of foreign investment, with over $10 billion invested in the last two decades.

“I must say that our relationship has been growing on a good pace,” Al Nayhan said during a joint media interaction with his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

“I think both our leaders, the people of Pakistan and the UAE do want to see more development in the relationship,” he added. 

The UAE deputy prime minister said relations between the two countries, over the past few years, have been “moving faster than they have for a while.”

“And I really look forward that the good spirit that has been moving the relationship in the last few months would continue on so many different cycles, if it’s trade, investment, aviation,” Al Nayhan said. 

The UAE royal is also scheduled to meet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during his visit.

His stay in Pakistan is expected to further strengthen the longstanding ties between the two countries and contribute to deepening bilateral engagements in diverse fields, benefiting the peoples of both countries, according to the foreign office.

The UAE is home to over a million Pakistani expatriates, the second-largest overseas Pakistani community globally, and a major source of remittance inflows to Pakistan.

Policymakers in Islamabad view the UAE as an ideal export destination due to its geographic proximity, which lowers freight costs and facilitates smoother trade.

In recent years, the two countries have signed a series of agreements to boost economic ties.

In February, during the Abu Dhabi crown prince’s visit to Pakistan, the two sides signed accords in mining, railways, banking and infrastructure.

Last year in January, Pakistan and the UAE signed deals worth more than $3 billion covering railways, economic zones and infrastructure development.

The UAE has become an even more crucial partner for Pakistan amid Islamabad’s efforts to achieve sustainable economic growth after suffering from a prolonged macroeconomic crisis.

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) recently rejected claims by former head coach Jason Gillespie that he had not been paid his dues, clarifying that the ex-Australian cricketer breached the terms of his contract and left his position “abruptly.” 

Former fast bowler Gillespie took up the coaching assignment in April 2024 but stepped down in December due to disagreements with the PCB. Since resigning from the role, Gillespie has been an outspoken critic of the PCB, criticizing the board for what he described was its short-sightedness and accusing current interim white-ball coach Aqib Javed of interfering in his job. 

When asked during a recent interview with a local sports platform about his relationship with the PCB, Gillespie wished the board well but said he was still waiting for it to pay him his dues for the coaching job. 

“The Pakistan Cricket Board refutes claims made by a former head coach on the non-payment of his dues,” the PCB said in a statement on Sunday. “The PCB spokesman states that the former head coach abruptly left his position without giving a four month notice period, which was a clear breach of the contractual terms.”

The board said Gillespie’s coaching contract “explicitly mentioned” a notice period applicable to both parties, adding that the former coach was “fully aware of it.”

Earlier this month, Gillespie’s comments during an interview made headlines when he revealed that his time with the PCB had a negative impact on his passion for coaching cricket. 

“The Pakistan experience has soured my love for coaching, I’ll be honest,” Gillespie said. “I’ll get it back, I’m sure I will, but that was really a blow.”

The former fast bowler said he had been disappointed with how his coaching stint with Pakistan ended. 

“It’s had me question whether I want to coach full time again,” he said.

Pakistan cricket analysts and critics have slammed the PCB for appointing a plethora of coaches, selectors and captains over the past few years, blaming the increasing instability within the board as the main reason for the national cricket team’s recent dismal performances.