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Saudi Arabia, Pakistan sign agreement to establish Saudi-Pakistani Supreme Coordination Council

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan (L) with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (R) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia May 8, 2021. (Photo courtesy: SPA)
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Updated 09 May 2021
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Saudi Arabia, Pakistan sign agreement to establish Saudi-Pakistani Supreme Coordination Council

  • According to a joint statement, the two countries decided to intensify contacts and cooperation between their government officials and private sector
  • Prime Minister Imran Khan also extended an invitation to the crown prince to visit Pakistan at his earliest
Updated 09 May 2021
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman signed the agreement on the establishment of the Saudi-Pakistan Supreme Coordination Council in Jeddah, the foreign office said on Saturday. 

Ahead of the visit, Pakistan’s Cabinet on Tuesday approved the establishment of the council — a body created for streamlining bilateral cooperation between the two countries — to ‘remove hurdles’ to investment deals signed during the crown prince’s visit to Pakistan in February 2019. 

Khan arrived in the Kingdom on Friday evening for a three-day visit on the invitation of the crown prince, who was present at Jeddah airport to receive him and the first lady. He is accompanied by a high-level delegation, including the foreign minister and other members of the Cabinet. 

Khan and the crown prince held wide-ranging talks on bilateral, regional and international issues in Jeddah, the FO statement said. 

“The two leaders reaffirmed the strong and historic bonds between the two countries rooted firmly in shared beliefs, common values, mutual trust and longstanding tradition of mutual support,” the statement said, and added that the two parties agreed to “further strengthen, deepen and diversify the existing bilateral political, economic, trade, defense and security ties.” 

“Special emphasis was laid on increasing Saudi investments in Pakistan, collaboration in the field of energy, and increased job opportunities for Pakistanis in Saudi Arabia,” the statement said. 




Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan (L) and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (R) during the signing of the agreement on the establishment of the Saudi-Pakistan Supreme Coordination Council in Jeddah on May 8, 2021. (Courtesy: SPA)

Saudi Arabia is home to more than two million Pakistanis who remit billions of dollars back home every year. 

On regional issues, Khan outlined his vision of a ‘peaceful neighborhood.’ He lauded the crown prince for efforts and initiatives aimed at reinforcing and promoting regional peace. 

Khan highlighted the situation in Indian-administered Kashmir and stressed the importance of a peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute. He also said Pakistan had made consistent efforts to support peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan, the statement reported. 

The Afghan question is important in the region against the backdrop of foreign troops pulling out of Pakistan’s neighboring country after a war that has lasted two decades, and that ends with the Taliban controlling huge swathes of the country. 

During talks, issues related to the environment and climate change were discussed and the PM appreciated the crown prince’s ‘Green Saudi Arabia’ initiative. 

Khan has also invited the crown prince to visit Pakistan at his earliest convenience, the foreign office said. 

A host of bilateral agreements were signed during delegation level talks, ranging from crime to narcotics and from transport to energy generation. 

According to a joint statement circulated by the PM House in Islamabad on Saturday evening, the two countries agreed to intensify contacts and cooperation between their government officials and private sector to further strengthen bilateral relations. 

They discussed ways to enhance economic and trade relations by exploring areas of investment and opportunities available in light of the Kingdom's 2030 vision and Pakistan’s development priorities emanating from a shift from geo-politics to geo-economics. 

“Both sides expressed satisfaction at existing cooperation in bilateral military and security relations and agreed to further augment collaboration and cooperation to achieve mutually agreed goals,” the joint statement continued. 

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia also reaffirmed their full support for all the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, and condemned the attacks of terrorist groups and militias, including the Houthis in Yemen, by ballistic missiles and drones on the Saudi territory. 

“They expressed serious concern at the threats posed to the security of oil exports and the stability of energy supplies, which was vital for the progress and development of the region and its peoples,” the statement added. 

Other than that, the two countries also agreed to continue supporting each other at multilateral fora. 

Khan and his Cabinet members visited the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah on Saturday evening. They are also expected to visit Makkah and perform their umrah.

On Friday, Pakistani army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, whose official visit preluded Khan’s, held talks with the Saudi crown prince and reviewed bilateral ties. 

He also discussed defense cooperation with the Saudi military chief of staff.

Topics: IK Saudi Arabia visit 2021 Pakistan Saudi Ties Pakistan Saudi Arabia Saudi-Pakistan Supreme Coordination Council

Pakistan’s largest independent power producer expands into lithium mining, battery manufacturing

Updated 6 sec ago
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Pakistan’s largest independent power producer expands into lithium mining, battery manufacturing

  • Hub Power Company’s subsidiary signed a collaboration agreement with Chinese EV giant BYD this year
  • Its lithium exploration is expected to further boost the manufacturing potential of Pakistan’s auto industry
Updated 6 sec ago
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s largest independent power producer is set to enter lithium mining, battery manufacturing and electric vehicle (EV) production under Pakistan’s Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), according to state media on Saturday.
Established in 1991, Hub Power Company (Hubco) has an installed generation capacity exceeding 3,500 megawatts and plans to diversify in other areas.
The planned initiatives, facilitated by the SIFC, a hybrid civil-military body established last year to assist foreign investors, aim to meet the country’s growing demand for batteries and electric vehicles.
A lithium exploration and battery production project is expected to reach completion in 12 to 18 months, meeting the rising demand for rechargeable batteries used in mobile phones, laptops and automobiles.
“Hub Power Company Limited’s exploration of lithium in Pakistan will further increase the manufacturing potential in the country’s auto industry,” Radio Pakistan reported.
“Work on establishing a manufacturing plant to produce electric vehicles in Pakistan is already underway, which will manufacture fifty thousand electric vehicles annually,” it added.
Earlier this year in June, Hubco’s subsidiary Mega Motor Company signed a collaboration agreement with Chinese EV giant BYD Auto Industry to assemble EVs in Pakistan.
Plans for the EV plant, with a projected annual production of 50,000 vehicles, include 30 to 40 percent allocated for export to markets in Australia and Africa.
HUBCO operates a diverse portfolio of power plants, including oil-fired, coal-based and hydropower facilities, and is also involved in coal mining.
Its new initiatives are expected to strengthen its market position, create employment opportunities and boost domestic capacity for battery production for electronic devices.

Pakistan’s northwestern province offers over Rs10 billion to keep national airline under state control

Updated 30 min 41 sec ago
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Pakistan’s northwestern province offers over Rs10 billion to keep national airline under state control

  • Khyber Pakhtunkhwa says PIA is a critical state asset that should remain ‘within the national fold’
  • Offer comes after PIA’s privatization process led to a low bid that fell far short of the minimum price
Updated 30 min 41 sec ago
NAIMAT KHAN

KARACHI: Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province has formally offered to exceed the highest bid in the sale of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), saying the national flag carrier should remain under government control to preserve its status, according to a letter from provincial authorities to federal officials that emerged on Saturday.
KP made the offer just a day after the government held the privatization process, receiving the sole bid of Rs10 billion ($36 million) from Blue World City, a real estate development firm, which fell far short of the minimum price of Rs85 billion ($305 million).
Critics, including PIA union representatives and independent analysts, called the low bid an “embarrassment” for the government, with airline employees suggesting Pakistani authorities should expand PIA’s fleet to restore its operational viability.
“On behalf of the Chief Minister ... and the people of KP, we would like to express our earnest interest in participating in the bidding process for the sale of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA),” read the letter from the provincial Board of Investment and Trade. “This letter serves as our formal intent to position the Government of KP as a competitive bidder in this strategic acquisition.”
The letter, which was addressed to Pakistan’s Privatization Minister Abdul Aleem Khan on Friday, emphasized PIA’s importance as “a critical asset that symbolizes our national identity and pride,” adding that the province wished to keep it “within the national fold.”
“The Chief Minister [Ali Amin Gandapur] has directed us to actively pursue this acquisition to ensure the airline remains under the control of the Government of Pakistan rather than transferring to any private or foreign-backed entity,” it continued.
“In line with this commitment, we are prepared to offer a bid that will surpass the current highest offer of PKR 10 Billion by Blue World Consortium, ensuring a strong and competitive position within this process,” it added.
Pakistan decided to move ahead with PIA’s privatization under terms agreed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a 37-month, $7 billion bailout approved in September, aiming to divest over 51 percent of its stake in the financially struggling national carrier.
The KP administration requested a prompt meeting with federal officials to present its detailed proposal and outline its vision for PIA, affirming its readiness to proceed quickly to secure the acquisition.
Despite KP’s proposed plan, provincial ownership of PIA may not align with the privatization’s intended purpose under the IMF agreement, which is to reduce financial burdens associated with state-owned enterprises.

Topics: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) PIA privatization

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‘He never found peace’: Former Guantanamo detainee from Pakistan dies after years of suffering

Updated 12 min 22 sec ago
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‘He never found peace’: Former Guantanamo detainee from Pakistan dies after years of suffering

  • Abdul Rahim Ghulam Rabban died after prolonged illness due to a lack of proper medical care
  • Arrested in Karachi in 2002, he spent about two decades at the US prison without ever being charged
Updated 12 min 22 sec ago
NAIMAT KHAN

KARACHI: A former Guantanamo Bay prisoner from Karachi, who spent about two decades at the detention center without being charged before his return home in February last year, died in his native city on Friday, his brother and a fellow former detainee confirmed on Saturday.
Abdul Rahim Ghulam Rabbani’s death was attributed by his brother, Muhammad Ahmed Ghulam Rabbani, to inadequate medical care during a prolonged illness, which he said extended their suffering even after their transfer to Pakistan.
According to Reprieve, a global legal action non-profit, the brothers endured 545 days of torture in CIA custody following their arrest in Karachi on September 10, 2002, before being transferred to Guantanamo in 2004.
“We spent over twenty arduous years together in Guantanamo,” said the late former Guantanamo detainee’s brother. “On Friday at 2 AM, he passed away in my arms.”
Guantanamo Bay, a US military detention facility established in Cuba to detain suspects in the “War on Terror” after the September 11, 2001, attacks, became notorious for holding prisoners without trials, drawing widespread condemnation.
International human rights groups criticized the facility for violating detainees’ rights to due process, with allegations of extreme interrogation techniques amounting to torture, including waterboarding and prolonged isolation.
Rabbani recalled that both brothers briefly felt relief when they learned they would be handed over to Pakistani authorities, believing their ordeal would end.
“But our suffering continued,” he said. “Over 19 months, we still lack identity cards. My brother had been ill for a long time, but we couldn’t access proper medical care without an ID.”
He added that his brother fell “seriously ill” more than 20 times, attributing it to injections administered upon their arrival at Guantanamo and the extensive torture they endured.
“He suffered such violence that his hand was broken, his leg was broken and his private parts were damaged, ruining his family life,” Rabbani said. “When he passed away, we even faced difficulties in burying him because an ID card was required.”
Overwhelmed by their circumstances, he questioned why they were returned to Pakistan when their own government was unwilling to issue identity documents.
“My dearest brother has left me behind,” he added. “He did not have peace for even a single day after the arrest. What was our crime? What is our crime?”
In the early 2000s, Pakistan apprehended and transferred hundreds of individuals to US custody, claiming they were linked to Al Qaeda. In his 2006 memoir, In the Line of Fire, then-President Pervez Musharraf said his government had received substantial CIA payments for these handovers.
Subsequent analyzes revealed that many of these detainees, mistakenly identified as militants, were likely innocent.
Lahore-based analyst Majid Nizami called the Rabbani brothers’ arrest “a case of illegal abduction by state agencies of Pakistan,” later justified as “mistaken identity.”
“It’s unclear whether this was intentional by Pakistani agencies or a severe negligence,” he told Arab News. “It has not yet been determined who was responsible, and no one seems interested in addressing the issue.”
According to some estimates, Pakistani authorities handed over nearly 370 people to the US after 9/11. The two brothers were among those transferred to American custody for $5,000 each.

Topics: Guantanamo Bay Pakistani prisoner US war on terror war on terror CIA US military

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Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to establish power transmission line costing $28 million

Updated 02 November 2024
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Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to establish power transmission line costing $28 million

  • Official says this will be the first time ever that a province will lay a transmission line on its own
  • In the first phase, a 40-kilometer section of the line will be built from Matiltan to Madyan in Swat
Updated 02 November 2024
Muhammad Ibrahim

ISLAMABAD: The government in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has signed an agreement with a private firm to establish a power transmission line in the province, an official said on Saturday.
The power transmission line will be established in one and a half year with a cost of Rs8 billion ($28.8 million), according to Muhammad Ali Saif, KP chief minister’s adviser on information.
In the first phase, a 40-kilometer section of the line will be built from Matiltan to Madyan in Swat to supply power to local industries and national grid.
“Industries will be provided very cheap electricity through the transmission line,” Saif said in a statement. “The completion of its first phase generate Rs7 billion for the province.”
Pakistan has enough installed capacity to meet its demand for electricity, but the South Asian country lacks adequate resources and cannot afford to invest in new infrastructure and power lines, which often result in transmission losses. 
In January 2023, the country suffered a nationwide blackout due to a frequency failure in the national grid, which happened because of a major mismatch between demand and supply. It was the second nationwide shutdown in three months. 
In November last year, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved $250 million loan for Pakistan to help the South Asian country deliver reliable electricity by expanding and improving its power transmission network in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab provinces.
 

Topics: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Pakistan electricity KPK power transmission National Grid

Hindus, Muslims gather in unity to celebrate Diwali at historic Karachi temple

Updated 02 November 2024
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Hindus, Muslims gather in unity to celebrate Diwali at historic Karachi temple

  • Diwali honors the victorious return of Lord Rama, one of Hinduism’s most revered figures, from exile
  • Devotees light up homes and workplaces, distribute sweetmeats and wear colorful clothes to mark festival
Updated 02 November 2024
BURAQ SHABBIR

KARACHI: Thousands of men, women and children, both Hindus and Muslims, gathered on Friday at the 234-year-old Shri Swaminarayan temple in the southern Pakistani port city of Karachi to celebrate one of the biggest Hindu festivals, Diwali.

Diwali honors the victorious return of Lord Rama, one of Hinduism’s most revered figures, from exile and was celebrated in various parts of the world either on Thursday or Friday.

It is also known as the festival of lights to symbolize the triumph of light over darkness, or good over evil, explaining why fireworks are so central to the Diwali celebrations.

The Swaminarayan temple, situated in the Serai Quarters area, is not only frequented by Hindus living in the neighborhood, but members of the community from elsewhere in the bustling megapolis too.

“Diwali is a festival of happiness, a festival of lights. Our lord Rama returned to Ayodhya after 14 years in exile. His wife Sita and his [younger] brother Laxman were also with him, who stood by him,” Hansa Rani, an academic, told Arab News, lighting up small oil lamps, called ‘diyas,’ to welcome their Lord.

“We celebrate their return with happiness [on Diwali], wear new clothes, distribute sweets and make rangoli [in which] we decorate our floor with colors.”

A Hindu woman and a young girl hold clay-lamps during a ceremony to celebrate Diwali, the festival of lights, at Somi Narin temple, in Karachi on November 1, 2024. (AP)


One of the most prominent Hindu festivals, Diwali is celebrated across the globe wherever the community resides. Devotees light up their homes and workplaces to signify light over darkness.

The festivities span over the course of five days, starting with ‘Dhanteras,’ that marks the first day of Diwali, followed by ‘Naraka Chaturdashi’ [Choti Diwali], Diwali, ‘Govardhan Puja’ and Bhai Dooj. Each day has different rituals and significance.

Pakistani Hindu women celebrate 'Diwali', the festival of lights, at the Krishna Temple in Lahore on November 1, 2024. (AFP)

“We are here to celebrate Diwali. As you can see, how happy these people are. There is one festival in the entire year during which we have mithai (sweetmeats), worship, light diyas, and meet our relatives,” Gauri Dara, who was at the temple with her family, told Arab News, on the sidelines of the celebrations.

“On this day, our cousins from other cities come to meet us too. We celebrate Diwali together.”

Children light firecrackers during 'Diwali' festival celebrations in Karachi on November 1, 2024. (AFP)

Muslims, who attended the celebrations at the Swaminarayan temple, said they had come to stand in solidarity with their Hindu brothers and sisters and share their happiness on the joyous occasion.

“[Despite] being a Muslim, I come here every year since the past 10 years in fact. I love the fact that we get to celebrate Diwali with our Hindu community every year because I have a lot of Hindu friends in Pakistan,” Qasim Shafique, a senior television news producer, told Arab News.

“Our flag also represents [minorities]. The white part in the [Pakistani] flag is for minorities. So, I come to celebrate that every year. I’ll meet all my Hindu friends here and we will enjoy the festivities together.”

Topics: hindus in Pakistan Hindus Hindus Pakistan Pakistani Hindus Diwali Diwali festival

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