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As Pakistan’s Gwadar spreads its wings, it has a lot to thank the Arabs for

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A passport issued to local fishermen Yousuf bin Murad Al-Baloshi in 1900. (AN Photo by Hassam Lashkari)
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Many shopkeepers in Gwadar’s Shahi and other markets told Arab News on Tuesday, April 23, 2019 that they have displayed photos of the ruler of the Sultanate of Oman in their shops as a show of respect. (AN Photo by Hassam Lashkari)
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Famous Gwadari Halwa has been attracting customers from Gwadar and adjacent districts since Omani era, manager Muhammad Ibrahim told Arab News on April 23, 2019. (AN photo by Hassam Lashkari)
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This photo taken on April 23, 2019 provides a view of the Gwadar’s Shahi Bazaar. (AN Photo by Hassam Lashkari)
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This photo taken on April 23, 2019 shows a fort of Oman, which was converted into Museum in 2001 and officially opened by former President Pervez Musharraf on March 20, 2007. (AN Photo by Hassam Lashkari)
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Over a thousand people are associated with profession of boat making who work at the west bay of Gwadar, which has been a center for boat’s manufacturing for centuries, locals told Arab News on April 23, 2019. (AN Photo by Hassam Lashkari)
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East Bay of Gwadar where the port has been constructed. The fishermen have been using this bay for fishing since centuries. They agitated when government started construction of expressway. However, after negotiations government agreed to provide three bridges and a breakwater for the passage of fishermen, locals told Arab News April 23, 2019. (AN Photo by Hassam Lashkari)
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This photo taken on Tuesday April 23, 2019 shows a necklaces of Omani era displayed in Gwadar’s fort museum. (AN Photo by Hassam Lashkari)
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This cannon displayed outside the old municipal office of Gwadar is one the two cannons which would fire explosives to announce the beginning of the religious festival of Eid before Pakistan purchased Gwadar from Oman in 1958, locals told Arab News on Tuesday, April 23, 2019. (AN Photo by Hassam Lashkari)
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This photo taken on Tuesday April 23, 2019 shows an Omani fort in Thana Ward in Gwadar, which has now been converted into museum. (AN Photo by Hassam Lashkari)
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This photo taken on April 23, 2019 shows an old Pan Shop of Omani period at Shahi Bazaar of Gwadar. (AN Photo by Hassam Lashkari)
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Several shops in Pakistan's coastal town of Gwadar are named Oman, which locals told Arab News on Tuesday, April 23, 2019 is a manifestation of the strong bond between the people of Gwadar and their old Arab rulers. (AN Photo by Hassam Lashkari)
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This photo taken on April 23, 2019 provides a view of the city from fort’s top. (AN Photo by Hassam Lashkari)
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This Khuda Bux Halwai in Gwadar’s Shahi Bazaar has been selling special Gwadari Halwa since the Omani period, manager Muhammad Ibrahim told Arab News on April 23, 2019. (AN Photo by Hassam Lashkari)
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This photo taken on April 23, 2019 provides a view of the Gwadar’s Shahi Bazaar (AN Photo by Hassam Lashkari)
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Muhammad Ismail, an old staff at Kareemuk teashop, told Arab News on April 23, 2019 that he has been instructed to not allow anyone touch the Omani era pots and papers. (AN Photo by Hassam Lashkari)
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Arab soldiers of Oman seen in a photo handout by Gwadar resident Nasir Raheem.
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This photo taken on Tuesday April 23, 2019 shows one of three Omani forts in Gwadar, which was part of the Sultanate of Oman until September 1958. (AN Photo by Hassam Lashkari)
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Photos and portraits of Sultan Qaboos Bin Said, the ruler of Oman, can be seen in many shops in Gwadar, a port city which remained a suzerainty of Oman till September 1958, locals told Arab News on April 23, 2019. (AN Photo by Hassam Lashkari)
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Photos and portraits of Sultan Qaboos Bin Said, the ruler of Oman, can be seen in many shops in Gwadar, a port city which remained a suzerainty of Oman till September 1958, locals told Arab News on April 23, 2019. (AN Photo by Hassam Lashkari)
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This photo taken on April 23, 2019 provides a view of the city from fort’s top. (AN Photo by Hassam Lashkari)
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Gwadar under the Omani rule had rich culture. Different dramas, including Akbar Azam, would be staged on weddings. These old recorders at historic Kareemuk teashop shows the love of people for music and arts, locals told Arab News on April 23, 2019. (AN Photo)
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In this photograph taken on April 23, 2019, an Omani fort used for keeping inmates can be seen near Shahi Bazaar in Gwadar city. (AN Photo by Hassam Lashkari)
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Different products of Oman may be found in Gwadar port city of Pakistan, locals told Arab News on April 23, 2019. (AN Photo by Hassam Lashkari)
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There are several shops named after Oman in Pakistan’s Gwadar city, which the locals told Arab News on April 23, 2019 is manifestation of strong bond of people with their previous Arab rulers. (AN Photo by Hassam Lashkari)
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Several shops in Pakistan's coastal town of Gwadar are named Oman, which locals told Arab News on Tuesday, April 23, 2019 is a manifestation of the strong bond between the people of Gwadar and their old Arab rulers. (AN Photo by Hassam Lashkari)
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Dad Kareem, a fisherman who has kept the old Omani passport of his father, told Arab News on Tuesday, April 23, 2019 that the people of Gwadar have a special love for Arabs. (AN Photo by Hassam Lashkari)
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This photo taken on April 23, 2019 shows a basket of Omani era in Gwadar’s fort museum. (AN Photo by Hassam Lashkari)
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Dad Kareem, a fisherman who has kept the old Omani passport of his father, told Arab News on Tuesday, April 23, 2019 that the people of Gwadar have a special love for Arabs. (AN Photo by Hassam Lashkari)
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Muhammad Ismail, an old staff at Kareemuk teashop, told Arab News on April 23, 2019 that he has been instructed to not allow anyone touch the Omani era pots and papers. (AN Photo by Hassam Lashkari)
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Almost every second fishermen from Gwadar has kept his passports and identity cards safe, fisherman Dad Karim told Arab News on April 2019. (AN Photo by Hassam Lashkari)
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This photo taken on April 23, 2019 shows historic Kareemuk Hotel, formerly a bakery owned by an Arab businessman who gifted it to a local who has since converted it into a tea shop. (AN Photo Hassam Lashkari)
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This well inside the Omani fort turned museum would be used to punish the hardened criminals, locals and district officials told Arab News on April 23, 2019. (AN Photo by Hassam Lashkari)
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On April 23, 2019, Sakeena Bibi, 80, recalled "the golden days" of Gwadar before Pakistan purchased the town from the rulers of Oman in 1958. (AN Photo by Hassam Lashkari)
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This photo taken on April 23, 2019 shows a grinding stone of Omani era in Gwadar’s fort museum. (AN Photo by Hassam Lashkari)
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Muhammad Akbar, 78, sharing his childhood memories of Omani area with Arab News on April 23, 2019. (AN Photo by Hassam Lashkari)
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Gwadar has always been facing the issue of water scarcity. This man, called Aappi, would pitch water from a well in Koh-e-Batil and sell in to the city, Nasir Raheem, a social activist told Arab News on April 23, 2019. (Photo courtesy: Nasir Raheem)
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Top of the Omani fort, which has been designed to defend the attack on city, although local told Arab News on April 23, 2019 that the Omani era had been the most peaceful one. (AN Photo by Hassam Lashkari)
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This photo taken on April 23, 2019 shows a pair of Sandals in Gwadar’s fort museum. (AN Photo by Hassam Lashkari)
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In this letter wrote by Haji Muhammad Iqbal Baloch, former father of Karachi and a leading figure from Pasni, now part of Gwadar district, on April 23, 1950 has reasoned as why Gwadar should be part of Pakistan. Several locals, who formed Anjuman-e-Islah Balochan, have been rigorously campaigning for Gwadar’s accession with Pakistan. (Photo courtesy: Muhammad Iqbal Baloch)
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In this letter wrote by Haji Muhammad Iqbal Baloch, former father of Karachi and a leading figure from Pasni, now part of Gwadar district, on April 23, 1950 has reasoned as why Gwadar should be part of Pakistan. Several locals, who formed Anjuman-e-Islah Balochan, have been rigorously campaigning for Gwadar’s accession with Pakistan. (Photo courtesy: Muhammad Iqbal Baloch)
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In this letter wrote by Haji Muhammad Iqbal Baloch, former father of Karachi and a leading figure from Pasni, now part of Gwadar district, on April 23, 1950 has reasoned as why Gwadar should be part of Pakistan. Several locals, who formed Anjuman-e-Islah Balochan, have been rigorously campaigning for Gwadar’s accession with Pakistan. (Photo courtesy: Muhammad Iqbal Baloch)
Updated 30 April 2019
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As Pakistan’s Gwadar spreads its wings, it has a lot to thank the Arabs for

Updated 30 April 2019
Naimat Khan

GWADAR: The transformation is for all to see.
What started as a tiny fishing town has seen Pakistan’s Gwadar metamorphosize into a major port hub – one which lies at the center of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project of China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
While China has poured in the money for the development in Gwadar, which is located on the Arabian Sea coast of Balochistan, a province in south-west Pakistan, the contributions made by Saudi Arabia deserve a nod too.
In February this year, Saudi Arabia announced plans to invest in a $10 billion refinery and petrochemicals complex in the coastal town, thereby paving the way to further cement its ties with Pakistan.
However, it isn’t the only Middle Eastern country to be the wind beneath Pakistan’s wings.
In 1783, Mir Noori Naseer Khan Baloch, the Khan of Kalat granted suzerainty over Gwadar to Taimur Sultan, the defeated ruler of Muscat in Oman. He continued to rule over the territory through an administrator even after reclaiming Muscat.
From 1863 to 1879, Gwadar was the fortnightly port of call for the British India Steamship Navigation Company’s steamers and included a combined post and telegraph office.
Sultan remained Gwadar’s sovereign until negotiations were held with Pakistan in the 1950s.
Locals, who recalled memories of life under Omani rule, said that they continue to follow several customs and traditions which were practiced by Omanis at the time – an ode to the lasting legacy of an Arab-Pakistan alliance.

A glimpse of it can be found in the Photos

To read details report Click here 

Topics: Pakistan Gwadar Arabs

Pakistan invites Chinese companies to invest in renewable energy to cut reliance on fuel imports

Updated 4 sec ago
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Pakistan invites Chinese companies to invest in renewable energy to cut reliance on fuel imports

  • Pakistan’s envoy to China says country has natural advantage for renewable energy resources with over 1,000 km coastline
  • Pakistan has suffered from an energy crisis stemming largely from gap in country’s energy supplies and electricity demand
Updated 4 sec ago
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s ambassador to China has invited Chinese companies to invest in the country’s renewable energy and offshore wind sectors, state-run media reported on Monday, as Islamabad seeks to cut its reliance on expensive fuel imports amid its prolonged energy crisis. 
Pakistan has suffered from an energy crisis that stems largely from a gap in the country’s energy supplies and electricity demand, with the South Asian country’s reliance on expensive energy imports drains its resources and triggers inflation. 
According to National Electric Power Regulatory Authority’s (NEPRA) 2022 yearly report, Pakistan’s total installed power generation capacity is 43,775 MW, of which 59 percent of energy comes from thermal (fossil fuels), 25 percent from hydro, 7 percent from renewable (wind, solar and biomass) and 9 percent from nuclear energy resources. 
“Pakistan’s Ambassador to China, Khalil Hashmi has said that Pakistan has a natural advantage for renewable resources of energy with its long coastline of over one thousand kilometers,” Radio Pakistan reported. “He invited Chinese investors to explore the opportunities available in Pakistani offshore wind industry.”
The Pakistani envoy was speaking at a seminar titled “High-Quality Development of Offshore Wind Power Supply Chain” at the Chinese city of Fuzhou, Radio Pakistan said. 
He appreciated China’s rapid advancements in the offshore wind industry sector, underlining the need for enhanced bilateral cooperation by strengthening technology exchanges, infrastructure development and regulatory support, the state broadcaster said. 
Pakistan’s power minister last month met his counterpart from Iran and Chinese energy officials to discuss enhanced cooperation in cross-border energy on the sidelines of the Third Belt & Road Ministerial Conference held in Qingdao, China in October.
The Pakistani minister also held separate meetings with Yao Huan, vice president of Power China and Ni Zhen, the general manager of Energy China, in Qingdao. During the meeting, Leghari conveyed Pakistan’s desire to modernize power dispatch and transmission systems, aimed at cutting lines and other losses, the power ministry had said.

Topics: Pakistan China Ties

Pakistan Cricket Board says Gillespie to remain head coach for South Africa series

Updated 25 min 16 sec ago
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Pakistan Cricket Board says Gillespie to remain head coach for South Africa series

  • PCB rejects media reports of ex-cricketer Aaqib Javed replacing Gillespie
  • Pakistan will play all-format away series against South Africa in December/January
Updated 25 min 16 sec ago
Shahjahan Khurram

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Sunday strongly refuted speculation it was about to replace the national squad’s Head Coach Jason Gillespie with former world cup winner Aaqib Javed, saying Gillespie will continue in the role for Pakistan’s Test series against South Africa in December/January 2025.
Multiple media outlets reported last week that the PCB was set to appoint Javed, who is currently the convener of Pakistan’s national selection committee, as head coach of the men’s team across all formats. Gillespie is Pakistan’s Test coach and currently the interim coach of the white-ball side.
The former Australian pacer was appointed as interim white-ball coach after his predecessor, Gary Kirsten, resigned from the post in October. According to local media outlets, Kirsten resigned following disagreements with the cricket board over its decision to strip him of selection powers.
“As announced previously, Jason Gillespie will continue to coach the Pakistan side for the two red-ball matches against South Africa,” the PCB wrote on social media platform X.
Pakistan are scheduled to play three T20Is, three ODIs and two Test matches in an away series against South Africa in December/January 2025. The PCB have not confirmed if Gillespie will be the head coach for any series beyond those two Tests against South Africa, though he does have a contract with the board till 2026. Pakistan have a two-Test home series against West Indies immediately following the Tests in South Africa.
Citing a PCB official in its report on Sunday, ESPNcricinfo said the board decided to replace Gillespie on account of him not spending enough time in Pakistan.
“ESPNcricinfo understands Gillespie’s view is that he has spent every day his contract demanded he be in Pakistan within the country, in addition to which he also did the Shaheens tour of Darwin without pay as a gesture of goodwill,” the website reported. 
Pakistan have a busy cricket schedule ahead, with the green shirts set to play a three-match ODI series against Zimbabwe starting Sunday after which they play the all-format series in South Africa. Their next home series is a two-match Test series against the West Indies at the end of January, and their only white-ball games before the Champions Trophy come in a short tri-series against South Africa and New Zealand in February.
The PCB has come under increasing criticism for the high rate of turnover at the board. In November 2023, then team director Mickey Arthur was told by then PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf he would not be going with the team for the Test series in Australia in January 2024. Former Pakistan cricketer Mohammad Hafeez was appointed team director for that tour. 
Arthur and Grant Bradburn, then head coach, parted ways with the PCB soon after. Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi assumed the PCB chair weeks later, beginning the hunt for Pakistan’s white and red-ball coaches, with the posts ultimately going to Gillespie and Kirsten.

Topics: Pakistan cricket

Indian Sikh pilgrims to visit Kartarpur today to mark birth anniversary of religion’s founder

Updated 18 November 2024
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Indian Sikh pilgrims to visit Kartarpur today to mark birth anniversary of religion’s founder

  • Sikh pilgrims from India cross over into Pakistan every year via visa-free Kartarpur Corridor
  • Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, Narowal, is Sikhism founder’s final resting place
Updated 18 November 2024
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Indian Sikh pilgrims will visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in the eastern Kartarpur town today, Monday, to mark the 555th birth anniversary of their religion’s founder Baba Guru Nanak Dev Ji, state media reported. 
Every year Indian Sikh pilgrims cross over from India to Pakistan via a visa-free border crossing known as the Kartarpur Corridor. The corridor connects Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, near Narowal in Pakistan’s Punjab, to Gurudwara Dera Baba Nanak in Indian Punjab’s Gurdaspur district. 
Inaugurated in 2019, the corridor is seen as a rare example of cooperation and diplomacy between the two South Asian neighbors.
“Sikh pilgrims will visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur on Monday to celebrate the 555th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak Dev Ji,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported.
It said that the pilgrims would visit Gurdwara Rohri Sahib in Eminabad on Wednesday before concluding their journey in Pakistan’s eastern city of Lahore.
Much of Sikh heritage is located in Pakistan. When Pakistan was carved out of India at the end of British rule in 1947, Kartarpur ended up on the Pakistani side of the border, while most of the region’s Sikhs remained on the other side.
For over seven decades, the Sikh community had lobbied for easier access to their holiest temple.
Pakistan’s initiative to open the corridor earned widespread appreciation from the international community, including the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, who had described it as a “Corridor of Hope.”

Topics: Sikh pilgrims Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur Baba Guru Nanak

Fly Jinnah celebrates inaugural Lahore-Dammam flight amid Saudi expansion

Updated 18 November 2024
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Fly Jinnah celebrates inaugural Lahore-Dammam flight amid Saudi expansion

  • Pakistan’s low-cost airline began domestic operations in 2022 and is now focusing on the Middle East
  • Fly Jinnah has also been connecting Pakistani cities to Sharjah, Riyadh and Jeddah, as PIA struggles
Updated 18 November 2024
NAIMAT KHAN

KARACHI: Fly Jinnah, Pakistan’s low-cost airline, celebrated its inaugural flight from Lahore to Dammam on Sunday, further enhancing air connectivity between the South Asian nation and Saudi Arabia amid growing demand for international travel.
Established in 2021 as a joint venture between Pakistan’s Lakson Group and the United Arab Emirates’ Air Arabia Group, Fly Jinnah began domestic operations in October 2022, connecting major Pakistani cities such as Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar and Quetta.
In February 2024, the airline launched its first international route, connecting Islamabad to Sharjah, before expanding to Saudi Arabia— home to an estimated 2.7 million Pakistanis— with flights to Riyadh and Jeddah.
“We are happy to celebrate our inaugural flight from Lahore to Dammam, further enhancing connectivity between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia for our passengers,” the airline said in a social media post.


The first flight to Dammam in the kingdom’s Eastern Province was operated a day earlier. A substantial number of Pakistani families reside in and around the Saudi city, drawn by job opportunities in the oil-rich region.
The addition of Dammam to its network highlights Fly Jinnah’s aim to capture the lucrative Middle Eastern travel market as Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), the struggling national carrier, faces financial challenges.
The Pakistani government has been exploring privatization options for PIA, leaving a gap that private airlines such as Fly Jinnah aim to fill.
Saudi Arabia is a key destination for Pakistani travelers, driven by religious pilgrimage to Makkah and Madinah and by a thriving expatriate workforce.
Fly Jinnah’s direct connections offer affordable travel options, positioning the airline as a viable competitor in this high-demand sector.

Topics: Fly Jinnah Dammam Airport Co. (DACO) Pakistani flight attendant

Pakistan dispatches 19th relief consignment to Syria amid conflicts in Middle East

Updated 17 November 2024
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Pakistan dispatches 19th relief consignment to Syria amid conflicts in Middle East

  • Pakistan says it will continue to support people affected by Israel’s military campaign in the region
  • Since the beginning of the war in Gaza, Pakistan has called for a ceasefire at the UN, other forums
Updated 17 November 2024
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) dispatched its 19th relief consignment on Sunday to help war-affected people in Syria and refugees from Lebanon, according to an official statement, reaffirming the country’s commitment to supporting those impacted by ongoing conflicts in the Middle East.
The aid shipment, sent in collaboration with the Pakistani charity Al-Khidmat Foundation, consisted of 17 tons of humanitarian supplies, including buckets, powdered milk, tinned food, family packs, sleeping bags and medical kits.
The consignment departed via a chartered flight from Jinnah International Airport in Karachi to Damascus in Syria.
“This 19th consignment has been dispatched for the people of Syria and refugees from Lebanon,” the NDMA said in its statement. “Prior to this, the Government of Pakistan has sent 12 aid consignments to Palestine and six shipments to Lebanon, with a total volume of 1,722 tons.”
The statement reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to supporting the people of Palestine and Lebanon who are in distress due to Israel’s military campaigns in the region.
It also emphasized the importance of collaboration by welfare organizations and the Pakistani public in strengthening the government’s efforts to assist those in need.
Pakistan has already established a special fund titled the “Prime Minister’s Relief Fund for Gaza and Lebanon,” inviting public donations.
Since the beginning of the war in October last year, Pakistan has called for a ceasefire in Gaza and has raised the issue at the United Nations, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and other international forums, urging an end to Israeli military actions and a resolution to the humanitarian crisis.

Topics: Pakistan Syria Ties Pakistan Middle East ties National Disaster Management Authority Gaza aid

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