As Arab News turns 45, find out how its Pakistan edition was launched

Journalists working in the Arab News Pakistan Edition newsroom in Islamabad Feb 2, 2020 (AN photo)
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Updated 20 April 2020
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As Arab News turns 45, find out how its Pakistan edition was launched

  • Our online edition launched on Feb. 8, 2018
  • It has been hailed as an example of fair and balanced journalism

ISLAMABAD: Arab News launched its online Pakistan edition on Feb. 8, 2018. Two years later, it has become the Riyadh-based newspaper’s most successful digital expansion project.

It has been hailed by leading officials in Islamabad, academics and journalists as a shining example of fair and balanced journalism. As its parent title in Saudi Arabia celebrates the 45th anniversary of its launch, messages of congratulation have been pouring in from Pakistan.

“Arab News, I feel, will set new trends, with new commitment and new priorities in the region linked with the national interest of Pakistan,” said Firdous Ashiq Awan, a special assistant to the prime minister for information and broadcasting.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said: “We have 4 million Pakistanis living in the Middle East and in the Gulf states, so connecting with them through Arab News (is) very useful.”

Sen. Faisal Javed Khan, who is a member of Pakistan’s ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf party and oversees its social media operation, said: “Arab News is doing a lot of credible work. We share your website (links) on our Twitter handles.”

The promotion of quality over quantity, fact debunking fiction, and attracting readers without sensationalizing stories are the bedrocks on which Arab News was built. It was the Kingdom’s first English-language daily, and the Pakistan edition carries on this tradition through the practice of ethical journalism, while diligently navigating the country’s complexities and its vibrant media landscape.

“The difference between Arab News and other media is that it doesn’t believe in sensationalism,” said Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry, who inaugurated the Arab News Pakistan bureau last year. “It is focusing on serious issues. This is what we expect from a serious media group like Arab News.”

Arab News arrived on the Pakistani media landscape as part of the newspaper’s ongoing global and digital expansion. With the aim of reporting news from across Asia, it hired a team of skilled journalists and assembled a network of freelance contributors.

During its short life so far it has delivered several scoops, published important investigative reports, brought intriguing and public-interest stories to the fore, and helped bridge the information gap between the Middle East and Pakistan. All of this while highlighting the rich, diverse cultures of both regions for a growing readership, and maintaining an impeccable, untainted track record of credibility.

Arab News Asia Bureau Chief Baker Atyani said: “Stories about the Middle East and Arabs have always appeared in Pakistan’s media. But what’s new here is we are trying to present it through our own eyes and not through the eyes of the international media.”

He also highlighted the technical innovations that the Pakistan edition is implementing.

“The second thing we are trying to introduce in the market is to digitalize the news story in a new (video) format (and present it) in less than 90 seconds,” he said.

The instant success of Arab News Pakistan, spearheaded by its bureau chief, encouraged bosses in Saudi Arabia to launch a second international edition. This went live in Japan in October last year, in both English and Japanese editions.

“The way that officials, and even the prime minister’s office, have (embraced) our content says a lot about the veracity of our news,” said Arab News Pakistan Managing Editor Javeriah Abbasi.

The backbone of Arab News Pakistan’s success is its talented team of reporters, editors and social media producers who sort through the news, checking facts and covering developments as they happen. It resists the temptation to publish news stories based on existing media reports from other outlets, instead striving to carve out a niche of its own in a challenging media landscape.

“I think there is a lot of information out there. There is a lot of clutter,” said senior online editor Wajahat Ali. “What Arab News is trying to do is bring clarity out of that clutter. We are trying to find information gaps and provide information to our readers that is as authentic as possible.”

Muhammad Ishtiaq, also a senior online editor, added: “Arab News always looks toward a story with an objective eye.”

Reporter Aamir Saeed said: “Arab News has allowed reporters to explore fresh angles that the local media usually ignores.”

Social media producer Sehrish Ghaffar, a core member of the publishing team, said that Arab News Pakistan “is encouraging women to participate in the field of social media, which is the front line of any news network in this digital world.”

Her colleague, Farheen Fatima, said that it has empowered women by expanding the media spotlight.

 


China’s ADM Group announces $250 investment to set up EV manufacturing plant in Pakistan

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China’s ADM Group announces $250 investment to set up EV manufacturing plant in Pakistan

  • ADM Group last year announced an investment of $350 million in Pakistan’s electric vehicle sector
  • Group will set up manufacturing plant, over 3,000 electric vehicle charging stations across Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: China’s ADM Group will invest $250 to set up an electric vehicle manufacturing plant in Pakistan, state media reported on Wednesday, as Islamabad seeks for Beijing to collaborate in setting up industrial zones to manufacture electronic cars.

The government of Pakistan approved an ambitious National Electric Vehicles Policy (NEVP) in 2019 with the goal of electric vehicles comprising 30 percent of all passenger vehicle and heavy-duty truck sales by 2030, and an even more ambitious target of 90 percent by 2040. For two- and three-wheelers, as well as buses, the policy set a goal of achieving 50 percent of new sales by 2030 and 90 percent by 2040.

“Chinese Company ADM Group has announced an investment of two hundred and fifty million dollars to set up an EV manufacturing plant in Pakistan.,” Radio Pakistan reported, saying the initiative was part of efforts by the Special Investment Facilitation Council set up last year to attract foreign investment. 

“Transition to EVs is expected to cut fuel import costs, saving billions of dollars.”

Last year, ADM Group announced an investment of $350 million in Pakistan’s EV sector, saying it would establish more than 3,000 electric vehicle charging stations across the South Asian country.

Earlier this month, Pakistan said it would cut the power tariff for operators of electric vehicle charging stations by 45 percent as part of the ongoing reform of the energy sector designed to boost demand. The government is also planning to introduce financing schemes for e-bikes and the conversion of two- and three-wheeled petrol vehicles.

The cabinet on Jan. 15 approved a reduced tariff of 39.70 rupees ($0.14) per unit, down from 71.10 rupees previously, which will be in place within a month. The government expects an internal rate of return of more than 20 percent for investors in the sector.

According to a report submitted to the government by power ministry adviser Ammar Habib Khan and reported by Reuters, there are currently more than 30 million two- and three-wheeled vehicles in Pakistan, which consume more than $5 billion worth of petroleum annually.

The ministry plans to convert 1 million two-wheelers to electric bikes in a first phase, at an estimated net cost of 40,000 rupees per bike, according to the report, saving around $165 million in fuel import costs annually.

BYD Pakistan, a partnership between China’s BYD and Pakistani car group Mega Motors, told Reuters in September that up to 50 percent of all vehicles bought in Pakistan by 2030 will be electrified in some form in line with global targets.


President of Azad Kashmir invites China to explore investments in disputed region

Updated 22 January 2025
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President of Azad Kashmir invites China to explore investments in disputed region

  • Move is likely to draw the ire of archrival India which like Pakistan claims the Kashmir region in full 
  • Since 1947, Pakistan and India have fought three wars over Kashmir, engaged in regular border skirmishes 

ISLAMABAD: Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) President Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry has invited Chinese businesses and companies to invest in different sectors of the Pakistan-controlled disputed region, state media reported on Wednesday, in a move that is likely to draw the ire of archrival India. 

The Muslim-majority Kashmir region has long been a source of tensions between nuclear-armed neighbors India and Pakistan, leading them to fight three wars since winning independence from the British Empire in 1947. The scenic mountain region is divided between India, which rules the populous Kashmir Valley and the Hindu-dominated region around Jammu city, Pakistan, which controls a wedge of territory in the west called AJK, and China, which holds a thinly populated high-altitude area in the north. Besides Pakistan, India also has an ongoing conflict with China over their disputed frontier.

Since both India and Pakistan tested nuclear weapons in 1998, Kashmir has become one of the world’s most dangerous flashpoints. Islamabad says a UN-mandated referendum should take place to settle the dispute over the region, expecting that the majority of Kashmiris would opt to join Pakistan.

On Tuesday, the president of AJK, which is administered by Pakistan as a nominally self-governing entity, met Li Ping, the director of China’s Yunnan Sunny Road and Bridge Company, and briefed him about “massive investment opportunities” in the region, APP reported. 

“Seeking Chinese companies investment in different economic sectors of the State including mining and tourism, he said that the AJK government was ready to offer all kinds of facilities and support to investors,” state media said, as Sultan briefed the visiting Chinese business leader about the tourism potential of the region as well as its abundance of natural resources and precious stones, especially rubies and other minerals.

Director of China’s Yunnan Sunny Road and Bridge Company, Li Ping (right) calls on Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) President Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry in Muzaffarabad on January 21, 2025. (Radio Pakistan) 

Li gave a detailed briefing to Sultan about the aims, objectives and business activities of his company, which specializes in tunnels, highways and other construction sectors.

“He also expressed his company’s desire to start its projects in Azad Kashmir,” APP said. “The President expressed satisfaction over Yunnan Sunny Company’s desire and said that the AJK government would welcome foreign investment.”

Beijing has already pledged investments in AJK under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor scheme, including the Karot and Kohala hydropower projects, the construction of M-4 motorway, and a Special Economic Zone at Mirpur.

After the partition of the subcontinent in 1947, Kashmir was expected to go to Pakistan, as other Muslim majority regions did. Its Hindu ruler wanted to stay independent but, faced with an invasion by Muslim tribesmen from Pakistan, hastily acceded to India in October 1947 in return for help against the invaders.

The dispute over the former princely state sparked the first two of three wars between India and Pakistan after independence. They fought a second in 1965, and a third, largely over what became Bangladesh, in 1971.

A UN-monitored ceasefire line agreed in 1972, called the Line of Control (LOC), splits Kashmir into two areas — one administered by India, one by Pakistan. Their armies have for decades faced off over the LOC. In 1999, the two were involved in a battle along the LOC that some analysts called an undeclared war. Their forces exchanged regular gunfire over the LOC until a truce in late 2003, which has largely held since.

India accuses Pakistan of backing a separatist insurgency in its portion of Kashmir that began in 1989, in particular by arming and training fighters. Pakistan denies this, saying it only offers political support to the Kashmiri people.


Pakistan issues drought alert for multiple regions due to scarce rainfall

Updated 22 January 2025
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Pakistan issues drought alert for multiple regions due to scarce rainfall

  • Rainfall was 40 percent lower than normal across Pakistan from Sept. 1, 2024, to Jan. 15, 2025
  • In Sindh, rainfall was 52 percent lower than normal, Balochistan 45 percent, Punjab 42 percent

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has issued a drought alert for several parts of the country, warning of worsening conditions due to below-normal rainfall and rising temperatures, state-run APP reported on Wednesday. 

Pakistan has the fourth-highest rate of water consumption in the world. The country’s agriculture sector uses the most amount of fresh water than any other sector. Rainfall has steadily declined over the past few decades and experts have been warning for years the country will approach “absolute scarcity” of water by 2025.

According to the PMD advisory, which followed one issued on Dec. 9, rainfall from Sept. 1, 2024, to Jan. 15, 2025, was 40 percent below normal across Pakistan, with Sindh, Balochistan, and Punjab being the most affected provinces where rainfall deficits of 52 percent, 45 percent, and 42 percent respectively have been recorded. 

“The drought is particularly affecting rain-fed areas,” APP said. “Drought conditions are likely to aggravate in the coming months due to limited rainfall and above-normal temperatures, which may lead to moderate drought in some regions. Flash droughts are also anticipated.”

The advisory said in Punjab province, mild drought conditions had been observed in Attock, Chakwal, Rawalpindi/Islamabad, Bhakkar, Layyah, Multan, Rajanpur, Bahawalnagar, Bahawalpur, Faisalabad, Sargodha, Khushab, Mianwali, and Dera Ghazi Khan. 

Sindh province was experiencing similar conditions in Ghotki, Jacobabad, Larkana, Sukkur, Karachi, Hyderabad, and Tharparkar, while in Balochistan, affected areas included Ormara, Kharan, Turbat, Panjgur, Lasbela, Dalbandin, and adjacent regions.

The results of the latest census in 2023 counted 241.49 million people across Pakistan with a growth rate of 2.55 percent. Linked to that, per capita water availability has been on a downward trend for decades. 

In 1947, when Pakistan was created, the figure stood at about 5,000 cubic meters per person, according to the World Bank. Today it is 1,000 cubic meters. It will decline further with the population expected to double in the next 50 years, climate change experts say, pointing out that Pakistan needs intervention on a range of water-related issues: from the impact of climate change to hydropower, from transboundary water-sharing to irrigated and rain-fed agriculture, and from drinking water to sanitation.
 


Pakistan finmin, Saudi National Bank chairman discuss financial cooperation, banking sector partnerships

Updated 22 January 2025
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Pakistan finmin, Saudi National Bank chairman discuss financial cooperation, banking sector partnerships

  • Muhammad Aurangzeb meets SNB chairman at sidelines of World Economic Forum summit in Davos 
  • Pakistan’s finmin meets Egypt’s planning minister, discusses ongoing projects between two countries 

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb met Saudi National Bank Chairman Saeed bin Mohammed Al-Ghamdi on Tuesday to discuss financial cooperation and strengthening banking sector partnerships between the two countries, Pakistan’s finance ministry said. 

The meeting between the two officials took place during the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) summit in Davos, which will be held till Jan. 24 under the theme: ‘Collaboration for the Intelligent Age’.

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are close regional partners and economic allies, with both countries signing 34 agreements worth $2.8 billion in October 2024. 

“The two leaders discussed potential financial cooperation between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, particularly focusing on strengthening partnerships in the banking sector,” the finance ministry said in a statement. 

Aurangzeb briefed Ghamdi about Pakistan’s economic progress and the improvements made by the South Asian nation in its international financial rankings.

“Both sides expressed their commitment to further deepen economic ties for mutual benefit,” the ministry said. 

Meanwhile, the Saudi Export-Import Bank and Pakistan’s Bank Alfalah also signed a $15 million financing agreement, strengthening access to Pakistani markets and boosting trade and economic ties. 

Separately, Aurangzeb also met Egyptian Minister of Planning, Dr. Rania Al-Mashat at the sidelines of the summit. The two ministers discussed ongoing programs and projects between Pakistan and Egypt, the finance ministry said. 

“The two ministers agreed to continue discussions on economy and finance and learn from each other’s experiences,” the statement said. 


Saudi EXIM Bank signs $15m deal with Pakistan’s Bank Alfalah to boost trade

Updated 21 January 2025
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Saudi EXIM Bank signs $15m deal with Pakistan’s Bank Alfalah to boost trade

  • Agreement designed to enhance Kingdom’s exporters access to Pakistani markets
  • In October, businesses from both countries signed agreements worth $2.8 billion

RIYADH: The Saudi Export-Import Bank and Pakistan’s Bank Alfalah have inked a $15 million financing agreement, designed to enhance Kingdom’s exporters access to Pakistani markets and foster stronger trade and economic ties.

The new credit line deal seeks to increase the flow and competitiveness of the Kingdom’s non-oil exports as well as unveil new trade horizons between the two countries, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

This falls in line with Pakistan’s efforts to strengthen trade and investment ties with the Kingdom, with the Saudi government reaffirming its commitment in September to fast-track a $5 billion investment package for the Asian country.

This also aligns with Saudi EXIM’s goal of diversifying the Kingdom’s economy by offering financing and insurance products for non-oil exports in support of Vision 2030.

“The agreement comes within the bank’s efforts to strengthen strategic relations with international banks and financial institutions to provide financing solutions that contribute to the development of Saudi non-oil exports and enhance their competitiveness in Pakistani markets, by encouraging importers from Pakistan to import Saudi products and services, which opens up broad prospects for the development of trade and investment between the two countries, and creates more promising trade and investment opportunities,” said General Director of the Finance Department at Saudi EXIM Bank Abdul Latif bin Saud Al-Ghaith.

The Group Head of Corporate, Investment Banking, and International Business at Bank Alfalah, Farooq Ahmed Khan, said: “The agreement between Saudi EXIM Bank and Bank Alfalah Ltd. is a milestone in strengthening trade relations between the Kingdom and Pakistan.”

He added: “The financing line will enable Pakistani companies to access high-quality products in the Kingdom and will also enhance the volume of trade exchange between the two countries. 

“We at Bank Alfalah are proud to play a pivotal role in promoting trade and investment opportunities that are in line with the shared vision to strengthen and grow the economies of both countries.”

In October, Saudi businessmen expressed hope for successful collaborations in Pakistan, saying the country’s economic stability and improved regulatory framework had made it an attractive investment destination, following the signing of over two dozen deals between companies from both nations.