KARACHI: Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates are in talks to resolve a fourteen year deadlock with Emirati telecommunications company Etisalat involving a pending $800 million bill from the privatization of Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL), a senior Pakistani official said on Friday.
An Etisalat consortium bought a 26-percent stake in PTCL for $2.6 billion in 2005 that gave Etisalat majority voting rights. The UAE firm paid an initial $1.80 billion as per the deal terms, which also included transferring ownership of the properties to PTCL from the government. It was due to pay the remaining $800 million in six twice-yearly instalments of $133 million.
The UAE operator owned 90 percent of the acquiring consortium, giving it a 23.4 percent stake in PTCL.
But the Abu Dhabi-listed operator has since withheld $800 million because the government did not transfer title of some properties to PTCL as per the deal terms.
“Talks are going on with Etisalat management,” Federal Secretary of Information Technology and Telecom Shoaib Ahmad Siddiqui told Arab News. “Efforts and deliberations are in process to amicably resolve this issue. We will further engage the company for a sustainable solution to the issue,”
Federal Minister for Information Technology Dr. Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said on Wednesday that the government was willing to fulfill all legal requirements for the recovery of the dues.
“Both countries have brotherly relations,” he said, “but Pakistan will fight for its rights.”
Of the 3,500 properties destined for PTCL, all but 34 have now been handed over to the former telecom monopoly, according to Pakistan’s Ministry of Privatization. Pakistan’s official position is that the remaining 34 cannot be signed over due to ownership complications and so the value of these properties will be deducted from the amount Etisalat owes.
Earlier this year, former secretary of Pakistan’s privatization commission, Rizwan Malik, informed the Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology that PTCL’s asset management wing had mistakenly mentioned 3,384 properties in the privatization agreement that was finalized in 2006, though it only had 3,248 properties.
Pakistani officials maintain they have provided a list of all properties to Etisalat with details of why the remaining 33 properties could not be transferred to PTCL.
Last year, Pakistan’s privatization ministry even hinted it would take the issue to the international court of arbitration to recover the dues from Etisalat.
Pakistan, Etisalat in talks to resolve $800 million PTCL payment row
Pakistan, Etisalat in talks to resolve $800 million PTCL payment row
- Engaging Gulf telecommunication operator to find a “sustainable solution,” IT and Telecoms secretary says
- Etisalat owes money as part of investment in Pakistan telco but has withheld payment due to a property dispute
Pakistan rover to join China’s Chang’E 8 mission to explore lunar surface in 2028
- Chang’E 8 mission is a robotic exploration of the lunar south pole, known for its challenging terrain, by China in 2028
- Pakistan’s rover will conduct scientific experiments such as lunar soil study and conduct tests for human presence
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s national space agency announced this week its rover will join China’s Chang’E 8 mission to explore the moon’s surface in 2028, describing the development as a “significant milestone” for the South Asian country.
The Chang’E 8 mission is a robotic exploration of the lunar south pole by China, expected to launch in 2028. The Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO), the country’s space program, said its rover will land on the lunar south pole in 2028 as part of the Chang’ E 8 mission. The south pole of the moon is known for its challenging terrain and potential scientific discoveries.
In May, Pakistan launched its first lunar satellite aboard China’s Chang’e-6 probe, which was tasked with landing on the far side of the moon that perpetually faces away from the Earth. China was the first country to make such an ambitious attempt.
“SUPARCO’s rover, with an approximate weight of 35 kilograms, will join China’s Chang’E 8 mission, which is part of the larger International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) project,” SUPARCO said in a statement on Wednesday.
“This collaboration marks a significant milestone for Pakistan’s space program, as SUPARCO’s indigenous rover will be part of the mission to explore the lunar surface.”
SUPARCO said the mission would involve scientific experiments such as lunar soil study, lunar surface mapping and testing new technologies for human presence on the moon. It highlighted that the rover, equipped with state-of-the-art scientific instruments, would play a pivotal role in collecting data.
“This collaboration with China highlights the strong bilateral relations between the two countries and their shared vision for space exploration,” it concluded.
After ODI series win, Rizwan to lead Pakistan in first T20I against Australia today
- Pakistan to play three-match series against Australia on Nov. 14, 16 and 18 in Brisbane, Sydney and Hobart
- Rizwan’s side defeated Australia 2-1 in three-match series last week to win first series in Australia since 2002
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan skipper Mohammad Rizwan will lead his side for the first time against Australia in a T20I format at Brisbane today, Thursday, after steering the green shirts to their first ever ODI series victory against the 2023 world champions since 2022.
Rizwan will become the 12th person to assume Pakistan’s T20 captaincy when he takes the field in Brisbane for the first T20I. Pakistan’s cricket team, encouraged by stellar performances from fast bowlers Haris Rauf, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah, beat Australia 2-1 in the three-match series that concluded last week.
After Thursday’s match, Pakistan will play against Australia in Sydney and Hobart on Nov. 16 and 18 respectively. Pakistani cricketers Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Omair Bin Yousuf, Sahibzada Farhan, Sufiyan Moqim and Usman Khan joined the T20I squad in Brisbane on Nov. 11 after undergoing a five-day training camp in the southern port city of Karachi.
“We are confident after beating Australia in the ODI series but international cricket is always challenging so we aim to do things as better as we can going into this T20I series against Australia,” Rizwan said a day before the match.
“We have determined the roles of various players in the team and look forward to executing our best plans not just in this series but also in the upcoming white-ball fixtures against Zimbabwe and South Africa.”
The Pakistan captain said he wanted to keep all the players involved in the series motivated.
“Of course, the conditions have helped the bowlers on this tour so far but we also want to prove our mettle as a batting unit and I look forward to an exciting contest in the three matches,” he said.
Pakistan last faced Australia in a T20 contest in March 2022 when the two teams played a one-off T20I in Lahore, which Australia won. In Pakistan’s last T20I series in Australia in November 2019, the hosts won 2-0 after the opening match ended in a no result.
Josh Inglis will lead Australia in the T20I series while Tim David and Nathan Ellis have joined Australia’s T20I squad. Josh Philippe, meanwhile, has replaced the injured Cooper Connolly.
Pakistan: Mohammad Rizwan (captain – wicket-keeper), Salman Ali Agha (vice-captain), Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah, Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Omair Bin Yousuf, Sahibzada Farhan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufyan Moqim, Usman Khan
PM launches prevention program as over 33 million Pakistanis found to have diabetes
- Additional 11 million adults in Pakistan have impaired glucose tolerance
- Pakistan is on the list of countries with the largest diabetic populations
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Thursday, National Diabetes Day, his government was launching a new program for the control and prevention of diabetes in a country where over 33 million people had the chronic disease.
According to a new analysis in The Lancet journal released this week, the percentage of adults suffering from diabetes across the world has doubled over the past three decades, with the biggest rises coming in developing countries.
The serious health condition affected around 14 percent of all adults worldwide in 2022, compared to seven percent in 1990, the Lancet study said. Taking into account the growing global population, the team of researchers estimated that more than 800 million people are now diabetic, compared to less than 200 million in 1990.
“At the Federal level, we will be launching the ‘Prime Minister’s Program for Prevention and Control of Diabetes Mellitus’ under the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations & Coordination,” Sharif said in a statement.
“Objective of this program is controlling the disease in federal areas and improving capacities in all provinces for providing universal health coverage, diagnosis, and treatment for diabetic patients, along with raising awareness and behavioral change.”
With 33 million of its citizens having diabetes, Pakistan is on the list of countries with the largest diabetic populations. An additional 11 million adults in Pakistan have impaired glucose tolerance, while approximately 8 to 9 million with diabetes remain undiagnosed.
“The major risk factors leading to diabetes in Pakistan are environmental and geographical reasons in addition to genetic variants, dietary, as well as inactive lifestyle,” Sharif said.
“The Government of Pakistan is fully committed in controlling this escalation and delivering wellbeing to diabetic population.”
Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs either when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces. Insulin is a hormone that regulates blood glucose.
Type 1 diabetes affects patients from a young age and is more difficult to treat because it is caused by an insulin deficiency. Type 2 mainly affects middle-aged or older people who lose their sensitivity to insulin.
Army says suicide bomber recruiter among four militants killed in southwest Pakistan
- High value target recruited suicide bombers for separatist outfit BLA in district Kech, says army
- Last week’s bomb blast claimed by BLA at railway station in southwestern Pakistan killed at least 24
ISLAMABAD: Security forces shot dead four militants, among them a recruiter for suicide bombers for the separatist outfit Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) in an intelligence-based operation in southwest Pakistan, the military’s media wing said on Wednesday.
The operation was conducted in Balgatar area of southwestern Balochistan province’s Kech district, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the army’s media wing, said.
Pakistan launched an armed operation in Balochistan earlier this month against separatist militants behind multiple attacks in August in which over 50 people, including civilians and security officials were killed. The BLA also claimed responsibility for a bomb blast last week that killed at least 24 people and left 50 injured at a railway station in Quetta.
“During the conduct of the operation, after an intense fire exchange between own troops and the terrorists, four terrorists including a high-value target, terrorist ringleader Sana (alias) Baru were killed,” the ISPR said.
“He was a focal recruitment agent, especially suicide bombers, for the so-called Majeed Brigade in District Kech and was highly wanted by the law enforcement agencies.”
Weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the slain “terrorists,” the army’s media wing said. It added that security forces had launched a sanitization operation to eliminate any other “terrorists” found in the area.
Pakistan’s Balochistan province, which shares porous borders with Afghanistan and Iran, has been the scene of a low-lying insurgency for decades. Ethnic Baloch nationalists have long accused the central government and Punjab of monopolizing profits from Balochistan’s natural resources.
The state denies these allegations and says it is working on several projects to usher in development in the gas-and-oil rich province.
Father of British-Pakistani girl admits killing her but denies intent
- Sara Sharif, 10, was found dead in her bed in southwest London in August last year with serious injuries
- Her father, Urfan Sharif, had fled to Pakistan a day before her body was found with his wife and Sara’s uncle
LONDON: The father of a 10-year-old British-Pakistani girl on Wednesday admitted that he killed his daughter but maintained he had not meant to harm her, even as he beat her when she lay dying.
Sara Sharif was found dead in her bed in Woking, southwest of London, on August 10, 2023, with extensive injuries including broken bones, burns and bite marks.
Her father, Urfan Sharif, 42, had fled to Pakistan a day before her body was found, with his wife Beinash Batool, 30, and the girl’s uncle, Faisal Malik, 29.
All three adults deny murder and a separate charge of allowing the death of a child.
Giving evidence at the Old Bailey court in central London, Urfan Sharif had previously blamed Batool, Sara’s stepmother, and said she had forced him to confess to killing her.
But under questioning from his wife’s lawyer on Wednesday the taxi driver said he took “full responsibility” for what had happened, but that he had not intended to hurt Sara.
Asked if he killed Sara by beating, he replied: “Yes, she died because of me.”
He also admitted causing multiple fractures in the weeks before Sara’s death, using a cricket bat on her as she was bound with packaging tape, throttling her with his bare hands and breaking the hyoid bone in her neck.
“I can take full responsibility. I accept every single thing,” he said, also accepting that he badly beat Sara on August 8 when she had collapsed and was dying.
He maintained however that he was not guilty of the murder charge. “I did not want to hurt her. I didn’t want to harm her,” he told the jury.
Sara’s body was discovered in her bed on August 10. Her father phoned British police after arriving in Islamabad and said he had beaten his daughter “too much.”
A written confession was found beside her. A post-mortem examination found she had suffered multiple injuries, including at least 25 broken bones.
She also had burns and human bite marks on her body but Urfan Sharif denied making them.
The defendants were arrested on September 13 when they flew back to the UK.
