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Pakistan’s Riyadh envoy hails UN resolution to declare March 15 day to combat Islamophobia

Ameer Khurram Rathore, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, talking to Arab News about recent developments in bilateral relations between both countries. (AN photo)
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Updated 23 March 2022
Zaid Khashogji
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Pakistan’s Riyadh envoy hails UN resolution to declare March 15 day to combat Islamophobia

  • Saudi Arabia and Pakistan together persuaded the United Nations to condemn Islamophobia
  • The resolution was introduced by Pakistan’s representative Munir Akram, on behalf of the OIC
Updated 23 March 2022
Zaid Khashogji

RIYADH: Pakistan’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia has hailed a UN resolution to declare March 15 a day to combat Islamophobia globally.

Ameer Khurram Rathore said the international organization’s move would help to break down bigoted stereotypes surrounding Muslims and terrorism.

Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are leading members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and together persuaded the UN to condemn Islamophobia.

“We have had full support in the multilateral fora, between Pakistan and the OIC countries, after which we were able to achieve this, and this is a big success.

“After 9/11 (the terror attacks against the US), Islam was associated with terrorism and an effort was made to carve out a stereotype for Muslims. This initiative of bringing the focus on Islamophobia is a long-term thing, it will break down that stereotype that some people tried to build between Muslims and terrorism,” Rathore added.

The resolution was introduced by Pakistan’s permanent representative to the UN, Munir Akram, on behalf of the OIC. It marked three years to the day since a gunman entered two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, killing 51 worshippers and wounding 40 others.

The 48th session of the OIC’s Council of Foreign Ministers was on Tuesday due to take place in Islamabad. The two-day conference will coincide with Pakistan Day celebrations on Wednesday and selected guests will be invited to attend a parade.

“The mere fact that this is being held on March 23, which is Pakistan Day, tells us how strong the relationship between Pakistan and OIC countries is and how important it is for every Muslim country to stand together in these trying times,” the envoy said.

The summit will be the second OIC meeting to have recently been held in the Pakistani capital. Representatives of 56 OIC member states are expected to take part in the conference, titled “Partnering for Unity, Justice, and Development,” at which Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan will deliver a keynote speech at the opening session.

As well as addressing issues such as Palestine, and Jammu and Kashmir, conference discussions will also focus on key priorities such as countering Islamophobia, recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, peace and security, economic development, cultural and scientific cooperation, and revitalizing the role of the OIC.

“We are very thankful to the Saudi leadership for supporting us in this endeavor and we look forward to further deepening our relationship in this sphere,” Rathore added.

More than 2 million Pakistanis live and work in Saudi Arabia.

The ambassador said: “It is my greatest pleasure to live in Saudi, the Saudi-Pakistani relationship is in the hearts of people. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia’s relationship is a special relationship, it is very deep, it is historical, it is rooted in our history, in our culture, in our religious beliefs.

“Whenever there is a need of Pakistan for Saudi Arabia, we always find Saudi Arabia on our side, and vice versa. It has always been like that.

“It also shows how considerate the Saudi government is toward the Pakistanis who are living and working here. And they are not only contributing toward the development of Saudi society, but they are also helping Pakistan, in the form of remittances,” he added.

Rathore noted that the bonds between the two nations had helped to forge joint visions and shared perspectives on various issues.

He said: “Earlier, it was the political and cultural aspect which had driven the relationship. But these days, there is keenness on the part of the leadership of Pakistan, as well as the Saudi Arabian leadership, that the strength of our relationship should also be reflected in the economic domain. So, both countries are trying to build and deepen our business relationship.

“Economic relations are always a two-way street. We are working on the enhancement of exports to Saudi Arabia. We are working on investments and joint ventures between Saudi and Pakistani businesses.

“There are areas we are paying more attention to these days, and these are IT, the agricultural sector, petrochemicals, and a host of things we see a lot of potential for, and God-willing, we will see the fruits of these efforts coming in soon.”

In 2019, during Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to Pakistan, the Council of Saudi Chambers organized the Saudi-Pakistani Business Forum in cooperation with the Saudi Ministry of Commerce and Investment and its Pakistani counterpart.

Saudi Minister of Commerce Dr. Majid bin Abdullah Al-Qasabi lauded the developments in Saudi-Pakistani relations and pointed out the need to further strengthen strategic business partnerships.

“We are very excited about the new projects, and we are praying for the success and early completion of mega projects like NEOM, which I think would be a game changer, not only for Saudi Arabia, but for the whole region, and we are looking forward to contribute in that development.”

Both countries have frequently exchanged high-level delegations and developed plans to expand bilateral cooperation. “The nature of our relationship is such that high-level bilateral visits are normal,” the envoy said.

The crown prince received a red-carpet welcome to Pakistan from Khan and his Cabinet members, the country’s army chief, and other senior officials during his two-day official visit in February 2019 when seven memorandums of understanding and agreements worth $20 billion were signed between the two countries. And Khan visited the Kingdom in October.

“We not only coordinate our positions in the multilateral fora. In the bilateral sphere, there is a constant consultation, there are many mechanisms whereby we consult each other very regularly.”

Both nations often exchange gifts, usually dates, and Pakistan considers its relationship with Saudi Arabia as its most “important and bilateral partnership” in current foreign policy.

The people of Muslim-majority Pakistan make regular religious pilgrimages to the holy sites of Makkah and Madinah, and more than 200,000 Pakistanis took part in the 2019 Hajj season.

Last year, around 70 delegations from OIC member states, non-members, and regional and international organizations attended the 17th extraordinary session of the OIC’s Council of Foreign Ministers, hosted by Islamabad, to discuss the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.

At the summit’s conclusion, OIC member states agreed to establish a humanitarian trust fund to channel assistance, appoint a special envoy, and work together with the UN in the war-torn country.

Topics: Pakistan Day Saudi Arabia Pakistan Saudi Ties Pakistan Day 2022

Haider tank, Shahpar fighter drone in spotlight as Pakistan’s top defense expo concludes 

Updated 9 sec ago
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Haider tank, Shahpar fighter drone in spotlight as Pakistan’s top defense expo concludes 

  • Exhibition hosted over 550 exhibitors and 350 civil and military officials from 55 countries
  • IDEAS has been held biennially since 2000 and grown into a key event for defense sector
Updated 9 sec ago
Muhammad Ibrahim

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s top defense exhibition IDEAS 2024 will conclude today, Friday, with the locally manufactured third-generation Haider tank and Shahpar fighter drone among the South Asian nation’s main showpieces. 
IDEAS has been held biennially since 2000 and has since grown into a key event for the Pakistani defense sector. This year’s show, running from Nov.19-Nov. 22 in Karachi, hosted over 550 exhibitors, including 340 international defense companies, and more than 350 civil and military officials from 55 countries.
On the first day of the expo, Pakistan launched the Haider tank, locally produced at the Heavy Industry Taxila in collaboration with local and international technology partners. The tank has auto-tracking, a remote-control weapons system and a 470-kilometer cruising range.
The Shahpar-III drone capable of flying at 35,000 feet and carrying heavy weapons such as bombs, cruise missiles and torpedoes, was also launched at the exhibition. 
“I had no prior knowledge about these products, but upon visiting, I was astonished to discover such a top-class range of items being exported abroad,” Muhammad Mohsin, a visitor, told media.

A member of Pakistan armed forces takes a selfie with Global Industrial & Defense Solutions (GIDS) Shahpar, unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) during the International Defense Exhibition and Seminar “IDEAS 2024” in Karachi on November 21, 2024. (REUTERS)

“These products, manufactured in Sialkot, Gujranwala, and Karachi, truly showcase exceptional craftsmanship. It is imperative that these remarkable offerings gain greater recognition in international markets.”
Mohsin said he was unaware that Pakistan was exporting a “top-class range of items” in the defense sector until he attended this year’s IDEAS.
The Shahpar-III is a successor to the Shahpar-II drone, which could fly up to 20 hours at a maximum altitude of 23,000 feet, according to Global Industrial Defense Solutions (GIDS), a state-owned Pakistani defense conglomerate that has developed the drones. The Shahpar-III can fly up to 35,000 feet for 24 hours and carry a payload of up to 500 kilograms.

Members of the Pakistan Navy special force conduct a counter-terrorism demo during the International Defense Exhibition and Seminar “IDEAS 2024” in Karachi on November 21, 2024. (REUTERS)

GIDS, which exports its products to 14 countries including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, introduced Shahpar-II in 2021.
“This [Shahpar-III] has a more strategic value to an armed force in comparison to Shahpar-II,” Asad Kamal, Chief Executive Officer of GIDS, told Arab News, adding that the drone would soon be inducted into the Pakistan Air Force.
“Shahpar-III is a natural step up when you’re making UAVs drones.”

Officials and people take pictures with a JF17 Thunder fighter jet during the International Defense Exhibition and Seminar “IDEAS 2024” in Karachi on November 21, 2024. (REUTERS)

Kamal said the drone could see targets at night and “take out on the enemy” with heavy weapons. 
“That means that from your own borders, you can launch a cruise missile from an unpiloted plane,” he added. “That cruise missile has a range of 250 kilometers. So, it can give any force a lot of firepower value by having this sort of a weapon in its arsenal.”
With inputs from AFP

Members of Pakistan armed forces and their families look at a counter-terrorism demo during the International Defense Exhibition and Seminar “IDEAS 2024” in Karachi on November 21, 2024. (REUTERS)
Members of the Pakistan Navy special force conduct a counter-terrorism demo during the International Defense Exhibition and Seminar “IDEAS 2024” in Karachi on November 21, 2024. (REUTERS)

 

Topics: IDEAS 2024 International Defense Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS) Pakistan defense expo Pakistan defense budget

Fear, grief grip Pakistan’s Kurram district as 41 killed in sectarian attacks

Updated 12 min 17 sec ago
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Fear, grief grip Pakistan’s Kurram district as 41 killed in sectarian attacks

  • Gunmen opened fire on vehicles carrying members of minority Shiite community in KP province on Thursday
  • Clashes in July and September killed dozens of people and ended only after a jirga called a ceasefire
Updated 12 min 17 sec ago
WASIM SAJJAD

PESHAWAR: Fear gripped Pakistan’s northwestern Kurram district on Friday as the death toll from two sectarian attacks rose to 41, with authorities imposing a curfew and suspending mobile phone services in the remote mountainous region.
Gunmen opened fire on vehicles carrying members of the minority Shiite community in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Thursday in one of the region’s deadliest such attacks in recent years. The assault took place in Kurram, a district where sectarian clashes have killed dozens of people in recent months.
“Total 41 people have been killed and 19 others are injured in the attack,” Deputy Commissioner Kurram, Javaid Ullah Mehsud, told Arab News on Friday, saying police were yet to file a police report on the incident. 
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the latest attack, which came a week after authorities reopened a key highway in the region that had been closed for weeks following deadly clashes.
Mehsud told reporters a local jirga, or tribal council, had been convened to help restore peace and order.
Previous clashes in July and September killed dozens of people and ended only after a jirga called a ceasefire.
A senior administration official told the AFP news agency mobile signals across the district had been shut down, describing the situation as “extremely tense” with locals staging a sit-in in Parachinar, the district’s main town.
“A curfew has been imposed on the main road connecting Upper and Lower Kurram, and the bazaar remains completely closed, with all traffic suspended,“ the official said.
Shop owners in Parachinar had announced a strike on Friday to protest the attack.
Locals described an atmosphere of fear across the district. 
“The night was spent in tension,” Irfan ullah Khan, a local youth representative, told Arab News. “People in different villages were guarding their homes … The region is in grief as the situation is tense. Anything can happen.”
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi called the shootings a “terrorist attack.” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the attack, and Sharif said those behind the killing of innocent civilians will not go unpunished.
Baqir Haideri, a local Shiite leader, denounced the assault and accused local authorities of not providing adequate security for the convoy of more than 100 vehicles despite fears of possible attacks by militants.
Shiite Muslims make up about 15 percent of the 240 million population of Sunni-majority Pakistan.
With inputs from AFP

Topics: kurram district Kurram tribal district Kurram police station

Pakistan reports two new polio cases in northwest, raising 2024 tally to 52

Updated 22 November 2024
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Pakistan reports two new polio cases in northwest, raising 2024 tally to 52

  • Cases detected in DI Khan district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province 
  • Pakistan and Afghanistan are last polio-endemic countries in the world
Updated 22 November 2024
REHMAT MEHSUD

PESHAWAR: Pakistan’s polio eradication program said on Friday two new cases of the crippling virus had been detected in the country’s northwest, bringing the nationwide tally for 2024 to 52. 
Pakistan, along with neighboring Afghanistan, remains the last polio-endemic country in the world. The nation’s polio eradication campaign has hit serious problems with a spike in reported cases this year that have prompted officials to review their approach to stopping the crippling disease.
“The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health has confirmed the detection of two more wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) cases in Pakistan, bringing the number of total cases in the country this year to 52,” the National Emergency Operation Center for Polio Eradication said in a statement. 
“On Thursday, November 21, the lab confirmed the cases from DI Khan where a boy and girl child are affected. Genetic sequencing of the samples collected from the children is underway.”
DI Khan, one of the seven polio endemic districts of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, has now reported five polio cases this year.
Of the 52 cases reported in 2024, 24 are from the Balochistan province, 13 from Sindh, 13 from KP and one each from Punjab and Islamabad, the federal capital.
Poliovirus, which can cause crippling paralysis particularly in young children, is incurable and remains a threat to human health as long as it has not been eradicated. Immunization campaigns have succeeded in most countries and have come close in Pakistan, but persistent problems remain.
In the early 1990s, Pakistan reported around 20,000 cases annually but in 2018 the number dropped to eight cases. Six cases were reported in 2023 and only one in 2021. 
Pakistan’s polio program began in 1994 but efforts to eradicate the virus have since been undermined by vaccine misinformation and opposition from some religious hard-liners, who say immunization is a foreign ploy to sterilize Muslim children or a cover for Western spies. Militant groups also frequently attack and kill members of polio vaccine teams. 
In July 2019, a vaccination drive in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was thwarted after mass panic was created by rumors that children were fainting or vomiting after being immunized.
Public health studies in Pakistan have shown that maternal illiteracy and low parental knowledge about vaccines, together with poverty and rural residency, are also factors that commonly influence whether parents vaccinate their children against polio.
Pakistan’s chief health officer this month said an estimated 500,000 children had missed polio vaccinations during a recent countrywide inoculation drive due to vaccine refusals.

Topics: National Institute of Health Research Polio cases in Pakistan

Marathon polo tournament draws huge crowds in Pakistan’s picturesque north

Updated 22 November 2024
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Marathon polo tournament draws huge crowds in Pakistan’s picturesque north

  • Ten-day tournament played among 17 teams of Gilgit-Baltistan as part of independence day celebrations 
  • GB Independence Day celebrated on Nov. 1 every year to mark region’s independence in 1947 from Dogra Raj
Updated 22 November 2024
Nisar Ali

KHAPLU, Gilgit-Baltistan: Large crowds have been gathering daily in the northern mountain town of Gilgit for a 10-day polo tournament being held to mark Gilgit-Baltistan’s Independence Day, the military’s media wing and government officials said on Thursday, the last day of the event. 
GB is administered by Pakistan as an administrative territory and consists of the northern portion of the larger Kashmir region, which has been the subject of a dispute between India and Pakistan since 1947. The impoverished, remote and rugged mountainous territory borders Afghanistan and China and is the gateway of the $65 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) infrastructure plan. 
The Gilgit-Baltistan Independence Day is celebrated on Nov. 1 every year to mark the region’s independence in 1947 from Dogra Raj, the erstwhile rulers of the now disputed Jammu and Kashmir region.
“The big event of Jashan Azadi Polo Tournament was held at Wahab Shaheed Polo Ground in Gilgit, a remote area of the northern region under the management of Pak Army,” the military’s media wing said in a statement, saying Force Command Northern Areas, Maj. Gen. Syed Imtiaz Hussain Gillani, was the chief guest at the closing ceremony of the event in which 17 teams participated.

A Pakistani tribal polo team member chases the ball as the crowd watches the match during a polo game in Skardu, in Pakistan's northeastern Gilgit-Baltistan region on November 21, 2024. (Photo courtesy: ISPR)

“The final match was won by Chilas in civil and NLI teams in departmental categories respectively,” the statement added. 
Gilgit-Baltistan is also known for the annual polo festival at Shandur, an area between the northern Pakistani towns of Gilgit and Chitral, and at over 12,000 feet (3,700 meters) the world’s highest polo ground. 
Polo in GB is played without rules and at a blistering pace, suggesting more of a clash of cavalry than a sport. Locals believe polo was born in their land and Gilgit is home to the famous polo inscription: “Let other people play at other things, the King of Games is still the Game of Kings.”

A Pakistani tribalmen perform traditional dance during a polo game in Skardu, in Pakistan's northeastern Gilgit-Baltistan region on November 21, 2024. (Photo courtesy: ISPR)

Faizullah Faraq, the spokesperson for the G-B government, said thousands had come to watch the matches and celebrate the Gilgit-Baltistan Independence Day.
“Polo is the national game of Gilgit-Baltistan. And thousands of people reached Gilgit’s playground to watch the polo matches daily,” he told Arab News on Thursday. 
“Such kinds of activities unite the youth and they play their role to create harmony in the society. The promotion of polo is a need of time to maintain peace in society.”

Crowd watches the match during a polo game in Skardu, in Pakistan's northeastern Gilgit-Baltistan region on November 21, 2024. (Photo courtesy: ISPR)

Afrad Gul, the team captain of the winning Chilas team, appreciated locals who supported the tournament. 
“I have been playing polo for the last 15 years, my son was also part of my team,” Gul said in a phone interview. “We have left no stone unturned to keep this regional game alive.”

Topics: polo Gilgit-Baltistan

Pakistan government slams Imran Khan’s wife for using Saudi Arabia for ‘political point scoring’

Updated 22 November 2024
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Pakistan government slams Imran Khan’s wife for using Saudi Arabia for ‘political point scoring’

  • Deputy foreign minister urges political forces to desist from compromising Pakistan’s foreign policy for political objectives
  • Khan has been in prison since August last year and facing a slew of legal challenges which he says are politically motivated
Updated 22 November 2024
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan government on Friday rejected comments by Bushra Bibi, the wife of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan, that Saudi Arabia had been opposed to her husband’s government, calling on political forces to desist from compromising the country’s foreign policy for the sake of “petty” political point scoring. 
In a rare public message on Thursday, Bushra assured state institutions Khan had no plans to seek revenge from opponents if he was freed from jail, as she rallied supporters to join a protest planned by Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in Islamabad on Nov. 24. In the message, she also made remarks that were widely seen as implying that the Saudi government had been opposed to Khan. 
“Implicating Saudi Arabia for petty political point scoring is regrettable and indicative of a desperate mindset,” Pakistan’s deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said in a statement after Bushra’s video was released. “We urge all political forces to desist from compromising Pakistan’s foreign policy in pursuance of their political objectives.”
“Pakistan and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are close friends and brothers. This relationship is based on mutual respect,” Dar added. “We have great admiration for Saudi Arabia’s journey of development and prosperity. The Pakistani nation is proud of its close relationship with Saudi Arabia which has always stood by Pakistan through thick and thin.”
After his ouster from the PM’s office in a parliamentary vote of no-confidence in 2022, Khan had also alleged that he was removed by his political rivals and the all-powerful military with the backing of the United States government. All three deny the charge. 
Khan has been in prison since August last year and facing a slew of legal challenges. He denies any wrongdoing, and alleges all the cases registered against him are politically motivated to keep him in jail.

Topics: Imran Khan

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