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  • Pakistan’s National Foods establishes first overseas manufacturing facility in Sharjah 


Pakistan’s National Foods establishes first overseas manufacturing facility in Sharjah 

An undated file photo of National Foods' manufacturing facility in Karachi, Pakistan. (Photo courtesy: National Foods/website)
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Updated 22 January 2024
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Pakistan’s National Foods establishes first overseas manufacturing facility in Sharjah 

  • Company’s export sales increased from Rs. 2.2 billion to over Rs2.4 billion, mainly to UAE, in current fiscal year
  • Demand for Pakistani products on the rise largely due to growing Pakistani diaspora, analysts say
Updated 22 January 2024
KHURSHID AHMED   

KARACHI: Pakistan’s National Foods has established its first overseas manufacturing facility in Sharjah, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), to increase its global footprint and boost exports of edibles goods, a company official and analysts said on Monday. 

National Foods (NF) is principally engaged in the manufacturing and sale of a wide range of food products including pickles, ketchups and desserts. The UAE remains the primary overseas geographical market for the company’s product. 

“As part of strategy on international business, the company’s wholly owned subsidiary i.e., National Foods DMCC based in Dubai, has established a further subsidiary namely National Foods (FZE), in Sharjah, UAE,” the company said in a stock filing.

National Foods DMCC, the Dubai-based subsidiary, was formed in 2012 for the Middle East market and has helped expand the company’s global footprint, Abrar Hasan, CEO of National Foods, said.

The company had applied for a manufacturing license in the UAE, which had been granted, he added. 

“Now we will start manufacturing with the purpose of better access to the market particularly, the Middle Eastern markets,. This will be the first overseas manufacturing facility,” Hasan told Arab News, adding that the facility would also help in the localization of products. 

He said the company planned to expand beyond just Gulf countries, and already had presence in Canada, UK and the US.

The company’s export sales increased from Rs. 2.2 billion to over Rs2.4 billion, mainly to the UAE, during the last fiscal year, while exports increased by Rs638 million during the first three months of the current fiscal year, according to a financial statement of the company posted on Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX).

Share of exports is about 20 percent of National Food’s total turnover, Hasan said. Local sales remained around Rs40 billion during the fiscal year 2023 as compared to Rs36.6 billion in the previous year, according to the financial statement.

Pakistani analysts based in the UAE said the demand for Pakistani products was on the rise mainly due to the growing Pakistani diaspora. 

“Pakistani diaspora is growing in large numbers in Gulf countries and at the same time the demand for the Pakistani products is also rising,” Danish Kazi, a financial and political analyst based in UAE, said.

National Food’s share prices closed at Rs159.12 after trading on Monday. 

Topics: National Foods Pakistan UAE trade

Pakistan PM to attend SCO summits in Astana, meet Kazakhstan president today

Updated 04 July 2024
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Pakistan PM to attend SCO summits in Astana, meet Kazakhstan president today

  • Shehbaz Sharif will present Pakistan’s perspective on global and regional issues at the Council of Heads of State
  • He will also participate in the SCO Plus Summit that will include observer nations and other invited guests
Updated 04 July 2024
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit today, Thursday, in Kazakhstan and will hold a meeting with the President of the Central Asian state, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, according to a statement released by his office in Islamabad.
Sharif arrived in Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana, to attend the SCO meetings along with leaders and diplomats from China, India, Turkiye, Iran, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan and other countries to review economic and security cooperation.
His visit comes at a time when Pakistan seeks to promote itself as a trade and transit hub connecting the landlocked Central Asian Republics to the rest of the world via the Arabian Sea.
Troubled by a macroeconomic crisis, Islamabad has increasingly sought to enhance trade with regional countries in recent years.
“Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif will participate in the Council of Heads of State meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization,” the PM Office announced while sharing details of Sharif’s engagements on Thursday. “At the meeting, the Prime Minister will present Pakistan’s perspective on important regional and global issues.”
“The Prime Minister will also participate in the SCO Plus Summit and will deliver a national statement,” it added.
The “SCO Plus” meeting refers to a format that includes not only the SCO member states but also observer nations and other invited guests.
The expanded format aims to broaden the dialogue and cooperation beyond the core member countries, engaging a wider range of nations in discussions on security, economic and cultural issues.
The prime minister also met Russian President Vladimir Putin after his arrival in Astana to discuss enhanced bilateral trade and diplomatic relations and assure him that the bilateral relations between the two states would not be impacted by geopolitical contingencies or relations with other countries.
The PM Office also said Sharif will meet the Kazakhstan president during the day.

Topics: SCO Summit

Army says ‘high-profile terrorist’ killed during operation in northwest Pakistan

Updated 04 July 2024
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Army says ‘high-profile terrorist’ killed during operation in northwest Pakistan

  • Commander Irfan Ullah Adnan was involved in attacks on security forces, civilians, says army’s media wing
  • Development takes place hours after bomb blast in northwestern district killed five including former senator
Updated 04 July 2024
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s security forces this week killed a “high-profile terrorist” in the country’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province who was involved in attacks on security forces and civilians, the army’s media wing said. 
Security forces conducted an intelligence-based operation in the country’s restive Bajaur tribal district on Wednesday after receiving reports of the militant’s presence in the area, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement. 
The army said Commander Irfan Ullah Adnan was killed after a heavy exchange of fire between security forces and militants in Bajaur. 
“He was actively involved in numerous terrorist activities against security forces as well as extortion & target killings of innocent civilians, and was highly wanted by the law enforcement agencies,” the ISPR said. 
BLAST KILLS EX-SENATOR
The ISPR’s press release was issued hours after a blast in Bajaur killed five people, among them a former senator who was taking part in a campaign for an upcoming by-election in the district.
Hidayat Ullah Khan and four others were killed when his vehicle was targeted in a blast in Bajaur. Khan, who was an independent senator from 2018 to 2024, was the son of former National Assembly lawmaker Hajji Bismillah Khan and the younger brother of ex-KP governor Shaukat Ullah Khan.

People carry the coffin of former senator Hidayatullah Khan to an ambulance after he was killed in a bomb explosion at Bajaur district of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on July 3, 2024. (AFP)

Pakistan’s tribal areas bordering Afghanistan have seen a surge in militant attacks since Nov. 2022 when a fragile truce between the Pakistani Taliban or the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) broke down.
Pakistan blames the TTP for the surge in violence, accusing it of targeting Pakistani security forces, politicians and civilians from Afghanistan in a bid to enforce its strict version of Islamic law in the country.
The TTP, however, did not take responsibility for the blast. In a statement released to the media, the banned outfit accused the Pakistan Army of killing the former senator to malign it.
“We would like to reiterate once again that we consider only the security forces and their personnel our targets,” the TTP said.

Topics: Bajaur Bajaur blast Pakistan Army ISPR

Pakistan PM stresses promoting trilateral economic cooperation with Azerbaijan, Turkiye

Updated 03 July 2024
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Pakistan PM stresses promoting trilateral economic cooperation with Azerbaijan, Turkiye

  • PM Sharif holds trilateral summit with presidents of Turkiye, Azerbaijan at sidelines of SCO moot
  • Calls for greater cooperation in energy, tourism, culture, education and technology sectors 
Updated 03 July 2024
Shahjahan Khurram

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday stressed the need to promote trilateral economic cooperation between Pakistan, Azerbaijan and Turkiye, during a meeting of the leaders of the three countries on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Astana. 

Sharif is in Kazakhstan’s capital to attend the SCO summit where leaders and diplomats from China, India, Turkiye, Iran, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and other countries are present to review economic and security cooperation. 

His visit takes place as Pakistan seeks to promote itself as a trade and transit hub that connects the landlocked Central Asian states to the rest of the world via the Arabian Sea. Troubled by a macroeconomic crisis, Islamabad has increasingly sought to attract investment and trade with regional allies in recent months. 

The Pakistani prime minister attended the inaugural session of the Pakistan-Turkiye-Azerbaijan Trilateral Summit with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Azerbaijan President Ilham Heydar Aliyev in Astana. 

“Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday proposed to establish tripartite institutional mechanisms, particularly in economic and investment areas to further strengthen Pakistan-Turkiye-Azerbaijan trilateral economic and commercial cooperation,” the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) said. 

Sharif said Pakistan “deeply valued” its fraternal ties with Azerbaijan and Turkiye, saying that they were deep-rooted in cultural, historical and religious bonds. 

He affirmed Pakistan’s commitment to working together with Turkiye and Azerbaijan to elevate the tripartite cooperation into a “strong multifaceted partnership” across the sectors of economy, energy, tourism, culture, education and technology, APP said. 

SHEHBAZ MEETS PUTIN

Before taking part in the trilateral summit, Sharif met Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss enhancing bilateral trade and diplomatic relations between the two countries. 

“Your excellency, our relations stand on our own strength,” Sharif told Putin in a one-on-one meeting. 

 “Neither our relations are driven by any geopolitical contingency nor these are impacted by our relations with other countries.”

Sharif recalled that Pakistan and Russia used to engage in barter trade in the 1950s and 1960s, saying that more can be done to enhance bilateral trade between the two nations which currently stands at about $1 billion. 

“I think today is the time we can overcome financial and other banking issues by renewing our trade and expanding our trade under barter that will be very beneficial for Pakistan and overcome many problems,” he said. 

Topics: Pakistan SCO

Authorities evacuate residents from dangerously tilted Karachi building

Updated 03 July 2024
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Authorities evacuate residents from dangerously tilted Karachi building

  • Residents evacuated from two-year-old building, nearby structures in Baldia Town evacuated, confirms official
  • Building collapses due to shoddy construction, lack of safety regulations are common in Pakistan’s Karachi city
Updated 03 July 2024
NAIMAT KHAN

KARACHI: Authorities in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi on Wednesday evacuated a two-year-old building after it tilted dangerously to one side, a spokesperson of the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) confirmed, putting the spotlight on the lack of implementation of construction safety regulations in the city. 

A four-story building in the city’s Baldia Town neighborhood was evacuated by authorities after it started dangerously tilting to one side due to structural damage. 

The SCBA has declared 722 buildings in Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city where over 20 million people live, as dangerous and unfit for living. The SBCA is the official authority in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province responsible for approving and regulating the construction of buildings.

Numerous building collapses in the city in recent years have led to accusations that the SBCA is negligent in ensuring builders adhere to construction safety standards. 

“This four-story building tiled to a side after one of its pillars were damaged,” an SBCA spokesperson told Arab News on condition of anonymity. 

“We immediately evacuated the nearby buildings as the collapse is likely to damage them,” he said, adding that action would be taken against those involved in the faulty construction.

The spokesperson said the authority is vigilantly working to identify dangerous buildings in the city. Building collapses in Karachi have, however, led to significant casualties and injuries in recent years.

Last month a three-story building collapsed in Karachi’s Liaquatabad neighborhood of the city. However, no casualties were reported in the incident as residents had already been evacuated from the building. 

On April 22, 2024, a three-story building in the North Nazimabad area collapsed, killing one man and injuring four others. On March 31, 2024, an old building in the city’s Ranchore Line area collapsed, injuring four men and one woman. 

On October 11, 2023, a building collapsed in Shah Faisal Colony, resulting in five deaths and two injuries. A two-story building in the Machar Colony area collapsed on December 18, 2023, killing three and injuring 17.

On June 10, 2020, a five-story residential building collapsed in Lyari, killing at least 25.

Topics: Karachi

Pakistani envoy visits University of Sharjah to seek collaboration with local varsities 

Updated 03 July 2024
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Pakistani envoy visits University of Sharjah to seek collaboration with local varsities 

  • Pakistan’s UAE envoy thanks University of Sharjah for giving opportunities to Pakistani students, teachers
  • Praises University of Sharjah for “rapid growth” toward quality education, reiterates need for collaboration
Updated 03 July 2024
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates Faisal Niaz Tirmizi visited the University of Sharjah on Wednesday where he took part in discussions with the university’s management on collaborating with local universities, the Pakistan embassy in Abu Dhabi said. 

The UAE has seen a significant increase in foreign student enrollments since the launch of the UAE National Strategy for Higher Education 2030 more than six years ago. 

UAE authorities reported in April that international enrollments since the 2022-23 academic year include a seven percent increase among Pakistani students. Educational professionals believe UAE, especially Dubai, is increasingly competing with traditional education destinations such as the United States, United Kingdom and Australia.

Tirmizi visited the University of Sharjah on Wednesday where he met its chancellor, Dr. Humaid Majoul Al Nuaimi, the Pakistani embassy said. 

“The meeting aimed at exploring avenues for cooperation and collaboration between Pakistani universities and the University of Sharjah,” it said. 

“Both sides reiterated the need for further collaboration among the faculty and students of the University of Sharjah with centers of excellence and higher learning in Pakistan.”

The Pakistani envoy lauded the University of Sharjah’s “rapid growth” toward quality education, where around 18,000 students from various nationalities are currently enrolled.

“He deeply appreciated the university’s management for giving opportunities to many Pakistani students and faculty members,” the embassy said. 

The meeting was also attended by senior officials from Pakistan’s diplomatic mission in UAE and the university management, the statement concluded.

Topics: Pakistan UAE ties

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