Foreign bloggers better placed to promote Pakistan - Tourism Minister

A poster for the Pakistan Tourism Summit shows pictures of foreign bloggers participating in the event, held in Islamabad on April 3-4 (courtesy: Ministry of Tourism photo)
Updated 08 April 2019
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Foreign bloggers better placed to promote Pakistan - Tourism Minister

  • Minister of Tourism says foreign social media personalities better placed to promote Pakistan internationally as exclusion of locals sparks debate about colonial hangover
  • Minister Atif Khan says Pakistani influencers Umar Khan and Mooro invited to summit, both deny receiving invitation

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan prioritised inviting international social media influencers to a major tourism summit this week because they had more followers and were better placed to promote the country internationally, the minister of tourism said on Saturday evening, in a decision that has sparked debate about a colonial hangover and the government’s need to seek validation from foreigners.

The Ministry of Tourism organised the Pakistan Tourism Summit on April 3 and 4, in the backdrop of Prime Minister Imran Khan announcing a new visa policy to boost tourism by allowing citizens of 175 countries to apply for online visas and offering visas on arrival to visitors from 50 countries.

Speakers at the summit in Islamabad included international travel bloggers Trevor James, Mark Wiens, Eva zu Beck, Alex Reynolds and others. A poster calling for the public to register to attend the summit had pictures of six international social media influencers and no Pakistanis. Media showed footage of Prime Minister Khan meeting with the foreign social media personalities at his office. No Pakistani bloggers were present.

Atif Khan, minister of tourism for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province which organised the summit, told Arab News that the aim behind inviting foreign social media influencers and content creators was to tap into their huge following and promote Pakistan outside the country.

He said two popular Pakistani social media personalities, Umar Khan and Taimoor Salahuddin aka Mooro, had been invited to the summit but could not attend.

Umar Khan and Mooro both told Arab News they never received an invitation to the summit.

“Obviously our first priority is to change the perception of Pakistan across the world and for that obviously, the foreigner bloggers who have more followers” are in a better position to promote Pakistan internationally, Khan said.

“For example Mark Wiens, he has already 4 million followers, Trevor James has 2.7 million followers,” Khan said. “I was looking at the numbers of likes or the number of views on Eva’s videos, I think the number of likes was 1.15 million in just one day, so obviously it matters.”

“International  bloggers have more followers, have more international followers, obviously they are in a better position,” he added.

However, Khan said that he was in touch with several Pakistani social media influencers and would be collaborating with them on “future projects.”

Many Pakistani bloggers said the government had made a deliberate decision to exclude them from the summit.

Bilal Hasan, who catalogues his travels around the country on Instagram, said his excitement over the summit soured once he realised no local bloggers had been invited.

“Hosting a tourism summit where future travel/tourism policy for the country is being discussed without the input and presence of local content creators/influencers ... is quite problematic,” Hasan wrote on Instagram.

He said the government’s decision was the result of a hangover of colonialism in a region that was ruled by the British for almost a century and exposed the Pakistan government’s “gora complex,” a term mainly used in South Asia to refer to a tendency to give preferential treatment to white people.

“Millions of Pakistanis vehemently even to this day hold on to the view that whatever the white man/woman says holds more validation,” Hasan said. “These ideals are nailed deep into our subconsciousness. This traveler summit just further reiterates that point.”

“Out of 200 million plus population, [the summit’s] organisers weren't able to find even one Pakistani influencer?” another video blogger Danish Khan told Arab News. “Sorry to say but we Pakistanis seek validation from foreigners.”

Alex Reynolds, one of the foreign bloggers invited to the summit, also wrote on Instagram that “there is no one better suited to create content that communicates the wonders of Pakistan than its own photographers, vloggers, bloggers.”

Pakistan was last a prominent tourist destination in the 1970s but deteriorating security has since chipped away at the number of visitors. Law and order has improved dramatically in recent years, with militant attacks down sharply in the mainly Muslim country of 208 million people.

Culture and sports writer Ahmer Naqvi said the government’s approach stemmed from the fact that it was less interested in actually bolstering Pakistan’s potential as a true tourist destination and more in showing the world that the country was now safe to visit after years of militant attacks.

The government is “not looking at it as tourism first but as a way of showcasing that we have won the war against terror and that we’ve made the country safe,” Naqvi said.

However, he also said a three-year ban, now lifted, on accessing YouTube in Pakistan over an anti-Islam film meant the country’s video blogging scene was several years behind the rest of the world and it thus made some sense that the government reached out to international influences who had “much bigger audiences globally, perhaps even locally.”


Pakistan forms task force against Islamabad protesters as Imran Khan’s party seeks action against ministers

Updated 29 November 2024
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Pakistan forms task force against Islamabad protesters as Imran Khan’s party seeks action against ministers

  • Task force will be headed by the interior minister and will identify those who ‘spread violence’ in the capital
  • PTI’s information secretary shares 12 names, saying the party has evidence they were killed in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday formed a task force to identify and prosecute individuals involved in last week’s protest in Islamabad, as the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) claimed 12 supporters were killed in clashes and demanded police cases against top government ministers.
The PTI protest began on November 24 as the party supporters demanded the release of jailed leader, former premier Imran Khan, who has been incarcerated for over a year.
The government had warned against demonstrations in the federal capital, but protesters gathered in defiance, resulting in a crackdown against them. While PTI accuses the government of using live ammunition to kill and seriously injure demonstrators, officials claim PTI activists fired on security forces, killing five personnel.
The task force, headed by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, was announced as Sharif chaired a high-level security meeting, with Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir in attendance, in Islamabad.
“The task force will ensure those responsible for spreading chaos and violence on November 24 are identified and brought to justice in accordance with the law,” the PM Office said in the statement.
Meanwhile, PTI’s Secretary Information Sheikh Waqas Akram, speaking at a news conference in Peshawar, alleged that the government had indiscriminately targeted protesters, sharing names of 12 individuals the party said were killed.
He said videos and evidence from the protest site near the parliament building in Islamabad corroborated the party claims, adding that the actual death toll could be higher as many were missing or critically injured.
“We strongly demand police complaints be lodged against the prime minister, the interior minister and information minister,” he said. “Without this, public unrest will continue to grow.”
“We urge the judiciary to step forward and ensure these killers are brought to justice,” he added.
The government has also announced plans to create a federal riot control force, saying it would be equipped with international-standard resources and skills to prevent such protests in the future.


Pakistan, China hold joint military drill amid Beijing’s concerns over attacks on nationals

Updated 29 November 2024
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Pakistan, China hold joint military drill amid Beijing’s concerns over attacks on nationals

  • Warrior VIII, which began on November 19, aims to bolster counterterrorism capabilities
  • Pakistan’s army chief interacted with the participants of the exercise and praised their morale

ISLAMABAD: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir on Friday visited the National Counter Terrorism Center (NCTC) in Pabbi, located in the Gujrat division of Punjab province, to observe a joint counterterrorism exercise between the Pakistan Army and the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China, said an official statement.
The three-week “Warrior VIII” exercise, which began on November 19, is the eighth iteration of bilateral training aimed at bolstering counterterrorism capabilities and enhancing military cooperation.
The exercise comes as China’s security concerns in Pakistan have grown following a spate of attacks targeting Chinese nationals working on dozens of lucrative projects in the country.
“The COAS was briefed on the scope and conduct of the exercise,” the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said. “He also interacted with the participants of the exercise.”
Thousands of Chinese nationals have been working on the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) for nearly a decade, with several of them being targeted by different militant groups operating in Pakistan.
Earlier this year, in March, a suicide bomber attacked a convoy near Besham in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, killing five Chinese engineers. A few months later, in October, a bombing near Karachi airport targeted Chinese workers ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Islamabad.
Beijing has voiced concerns over the safety of its citizens working in Pakistan and has reportedly proposed a joint security mechanism.
However, the foreign office said this month the two countries have a “robust dialogue and cooperation” on a range of issues, including counterterrorism and the security of Chinese nationals in the country.
It also expressed the government’s resolve to work with Chinese authorities to ensure the safety and security of their nationals, as well as their projects and investments.
According to Voice of America, Warrior VIII is the first joint counterterrorism exercise between the two countries in five years.
The ISPR said General Munir also praised the professionalism and high morale of the officers and soldiers participating in the joint military exercise.


European aviation safety agency lifts Pakistan airline ban — minister

Updated 29 November 2024
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European aviation safety agency lifts Pakistan airline ban — minister

  • The development will revive PIA’s flights to Europe, strengthen the government’s privatization drive
  • Pakistan’s Airblue has secured Third Country Operator authorization to fly to European destinations

KARACHI: The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has lifted a ban on Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flights after a span of four years, Defense and Aviation Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif announced Friday, commending all the relevant officials who made the breakthrough possible.
The ban on PIA flights was imposed in 2020 after a crash in Karachi killed 97 people, followed by a former Pakistani aviation minister’s statement claiming that nearly 40 percent of local pilots held “dubious” licenses.
This statement raised global concerns about safety oversight, leading to the grounding of PIA’s European operations.
The suspension added to PIA’s financial troubles, as the debt-ridden national carrier continued to incur losses amid its struggle to recover from a tarnished reputation. The government also faced difficulties privatizing the airline, a condition set by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) during recent loan negotiations, due to its precarious financial situation.
“It is a momentous day to announce that the European Commission and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has lifted the suspension on PIA flights to Europe,” the aviation minister wrote in a social media post.

He also announced that the decision granted Third Country Operator (TCO) authorization to another Pakistani airline, Airblue, marking a significant development for the aviation sector.
TCO authorization granted by EASA allows non-European airlines to operate commercial flights into, within or out of European Union airspace.
Airblue, Pakistan’s second-largest airline, operates domestic and regional routes and is expected to explore European operations following the TCO authorization.
Responding to the development, PIA lauded the lifting of the ban as a testament to its adherence to international safety standards.
“This milestone ensures that the entire nation can once again travel directly to European destinations with their national airline,” the airline said in a statement, adding it had worked tirelessly over the past four years to meet EASA’s safety requirements.

“The PIA administration will remain fully compliant with EASA and its rules and regulations,” it added.
Asif credited the lifting of the suspension to reforms in Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA), which he said were aimed at aligning the regulator with international standards.
“I am grateful to the European Commission and EASA for conducting a transparent process and our commitment to ensuring aviation safety in Pakistan,” he said in the social media message.
The development is expected to help revive PIA’s European operations and strengthen the government’s privatization efforts by improving the airline’s appeal to potential investors.


Pakistan receives 38,000 Hajj applications in 10 days

Updated 29 November 2024
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Pakistan receives 38,000 Hajj applications in 10 days

  • Total number of applications received so far is 11,000 more than during the corresponding period last year
  • Pakistan has a Hajj quota of 179,210, evenly split between the government and private tour operators

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Ministry of Religious Affairs said on Friday that 38,000 Hajj applications had been received in the first 10 days of the submission period, 11,000 more than during the same period last year.
The surge comes as Pakistan prepares to send 179,210 pilgrims for the annual Islamic pilgrimage in 2025, under a quota evenly divided between government and private Hajj schemes.
“By the tenth day, 38,000 Hajj applications have been received,” a ministry said in a statement, adding that designated banks would continue accepting applications over the weekend. The final deadline for submissions is Dec. 3.
Pilgrims under the regular Hajj scheme can secure their booking with an initial payment of Rs200,000 ($719), according to the statement.
Pakistan has steadily improved facilities for pilgrims in recent years.
One key initiative is the Makkah Route Initiative, which streamlines immigration processes by enabling pilgrims to complete formalities at their departure airports.
Initially tested in Islamabad in 2019, the program was later expanded to Karachi, benefitting tens of thousands of travelers.
Efforts have also included the launch of a mobile application, Pak Hajj 2025, to provide pilgrims with essential updates, flight details and navigation assistance in Saudi Arabia.
Hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam, attracts millions of Muslims annually to Makkah, with Pakistan consistently being among the largest contributors of pilgrims.


ICC talks continue on fate of Pakistan Champions Trophy

Updated 29 November 2024
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ICC talks continue on fate of Pakistan Champions Trophy

  • Event’s fate has been hanging in the balance since India declined to visit Pakistan
  • ICC meeting adjourned without a decision but will reconvene ‘in the next few days’

KARACHI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) said talks were continuing to settle uncertainty around next year’s Champions Trophy, sources told AFP, after India refused to travel to host nation Pakistan.
The event’s fate has been hanging in the balance since earlier this month, when the ICC said India had declined to visit Pakistan for the eight-team tournament.
The nuclear-armed neighbors have fought three wars since being carved out of the subcontinent’s partition in 1947 and that rivalry is often reflected on the cricket field.
A meeting by the Dubai-headquartered ICC was held briefly on Friday but adjourned without a decision, according to several sources with knowledge of the talks who were not authorized to speak to media.
“All parties continue to work toward a positive resolution,” said one source, adding that “it is expected that the board will reconvene in the next few days.”
The Pakistan Cricket Board has previously ruled out proposals allowing India to play in a neutral third country, insisting the full schedule from February 19 to March 9 must be staged on their turf.
Another source said the “Pakistani stance remains the same” following Friday’s brief meeting.