ISLAMABAD: Islamabad and Beijing will discuss important trade and economic matters, and advance “high-quality development” of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) during Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang’s visit to the country next week, Pakistan’s foreign office said on Sunday.
CPEC is a flagship project of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). It involves the development of a massive transport, energy and infrastructure network in Pakistan to link its deep-sea ports to Chinese cities. China has funneled tens of billions of dollars into the project since its inception in 2013.
The Chinese premier is scheduled to visit Pakistan with a high-level delegation from Oct. 14-17 during which he will hold talks with the Pakistani government on various issues of mutual interest between the two nations.
“It will be an occasion for the two sides to reaffirm mutual support on issues of core interest; advance high-quality development of CPEC; and reinforce regular exchanges on important regional and global developments,” Pakistan’s foreign office said in a statement.
The statement said Li would be accompanied by ministers and senior officials from China’s ministries of foreign affairs and commerce, the National Development and Reform Commission and the China International Development Cooperation Agency.
“Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and Premier Li Qiang will lead their respective delegations to comprehensively discuss all aspects of Pakistan-China relations including economic and trade ties and cooperation under CPEC,” the foreign office said.
“The two sides will also discuss regional and global developments.”
The Chinese prime minister will meet Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari and the country’s senior civil and military leadership. He will also attend the Meeting of the Council of the Heads of Government of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization scheduled to be held in Islamabad from Oct. 15-16.
While CPEC is a reflection of the cordial ties that both countries enjoy, the multi-billion-dollar project has been hit hard as Pakistan struggles to keep up its financial obligations, as well as attacks on Chinese targets by militants.
The most recent incident involving an attack on Chinese citizens took place last Sunday when three people, including two Chinese nationals, were killed in a suicide blast near Karachi airport. The attack targeted Chinese staffers of the Port Qasim Electric Power Company.
The attack was claimed by the separatist Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) group which targets Chinese interests in Pakistan. The BLA blames Pakistan’s government and China for exploiting the gas-and-mineral-rich Balochistan province, a charge the state vehemently denies.
Pakistan, China to advance ‘high-quality’ CPEC development during Chinese PM’s visit — FO
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Pakistan, China to advance ‘high-quality’ CPEC development during Chinese PM’s visit — FO
- Prime Minister Li Qiang is scheduled to visit Pakistan from Oct. 14-17, says foreign office
- China has funneled tens of billions of dollars into CPEC projects since its inception in 2013
Bowlers’ graveyards: Pakistan’s placid pitches under fresh fire
- England piled up 823-7 last week in Multan on wicket described as a “road” by ex-cricketer Michael Vaughan
- Pakistani pitches have become more docile in past 2 years, each Test wicket now costing an average of 42.13 runs
MULTAN: Australia pace legend Dennis Lillee denounced a pitch in Pakistan as a “graveyard for bowlers” in 1980, but more than 40 years later little has changed.
Lillee vented his anger after toiling for 21 wicketless overs in Faisalabad in a turgid draw.
All 11 Australian players, even wicketkeeper Rod Marsh, had a turn bowling in Pakistan’s second innings of 382-2 in reply to Australia’s 617 all out as the game petered out into near farce.
Last week, on a wicket described as “a road” by former captain Michael Vaughan, England rewrote the record books as they piled up 823-7 declared in reply to Pakistan’s 556 in the first Test in Multan.
The total was the fourth highest single innings in Test history.
Harry Brook plundered 317 at almost a run a ball and Joe Root became England’s highest Test run scorer during his career-best 262.
Their stand of 454 for the fourth wicket was an England record, the fourth highest in history and the most by any pair playing overseas.
Despite the lifeless pitch, England’s bowlers pulled off an innings and 47 run victory after Pakistan crumbled to 220 all out in their second innings.
It gave Pakistan an unwanted record — the first team to score 500 or more and lose a Test by an innings.
England batting great Kevin Pietersen said on X that the lack of help for bowlers in Multan, where the second Test begins on Tuesday, was “helping destroy Test cricket.”
It is a “perennial problem,” former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram told AFP. “For years it has been the same old story. Very rarely we used to get green and lively pitches in the 1990s and had to bowl long spell for wickets.”
Rashid Latif, a former Pakistan captain who has studied pitch preparation, said there was no need for the pitches to be curated so overwhelmingly in the batsmen’s favor.
“We can prepare good pitches but our mindset is negative,” Latif told AFP.
“There was good grass on the Multan pitch but it was shaved off, I don’t know on whose wishes.”
Former spinner and ex-selector Tauseef Ahmed, a member of Pakistan team who played in the infamous 1980 Faisalabad Test, said: “Our batters want a flat pitch to score runs.
“Even in domestic matches we have such pitches so that players score big and get prominence.”
The last two years has seen Pakistan pitches get even more docile. Each Test wicket there now costs an average of 42.13 runs, the highest anywhere in the world.
Pitch preparation is a science, with experts saying the ideal soil mix is around 60 percent clay with less sand, such as that found in Australia.
It produces firm and bouncy tracks which begin to take more spin over five days, providing a balance between ball and bat.
One local groundsman said pitches were a big problem in Pakistan.
“There are multiple factors from weather to interference from the team management who want it to suit them,” said the curator, who did not want to be named.
“That makes the process complex. A good pitch needs sun to bake it but in some weather we do not get that,” he said.
“A Test pitch needed to be cared for six months or a year but our pitches are over-used so they become flat.”
Latif said serious work was needed to lift the standard of pitches.
“There should be a research department under a good geologist to ascertain how a good pitch can be prepared,” said Latif.
He also wanted to see Australian Kookaburra balls used in Pakistan ditched for those with a more prominent seam to help bowlers.
“We need to have Grays, Duke or SG balls for our type of clay, which are hand-stitched,” said Latif.
Two years ago, Pakistan and Australia scored 1,187 runs with just 14 wickets taken in a soporific draw in Rawalpindi.
The then Pakistan cricket chief Ramiz Raja blasted the playing surface: “We live in the dark ages of pitches in Pakistan. This is not a good advert for Test cricket.”
With the second Test starting in Multan Tuesday and the third in Rawalpindi next week, it seems unlikely the bowlers will get any respite soon.
Celebrated art curator champions vision of climate action, public engagement at Lahore Biennale
- John Tain’s career has spanned several countries where he digitally archived art before arriving in Pakistan
- He shunned ‘museums and elite spaces’ and used public places for art installations to attract wider audience
LAHORE: A widely acclaimed art curator has transformed the third edition of the Lahore Biennale into an artistic engagement with ecology and the environment, selecting historic public spaces across Lahore for art installations to attract a wider audience and spark conversations about sustainable living.
Originally from Hong Kong, John Tain’s career has spanned several countries, including the United States, Taiwan, and India, where he digitally archived art before taking over curatorial duties in Pakistan.
The Lahore Biennale Foundation has been working since 2014 to preserve the city’s rich legacy of arts and culture, a heritage that stretches back thousands of years. This year’s theme, “Of Mountains and Seas,” reflects the pressing concern of how the Global South is disproportionately affected by the climate crisis.
Pakistan itself has witnessed a series of catastrophic floods, heatwaves and droughts that have claimed countless lives, caused massive financial damage and raised concerns about food security.
This is despite the fact that the country contributes less than one percent of global carbon emissions, yet remains one of the most severely affected by the impacts of climate change.
“[This year’s event] looks at the themes of ecologies and sustainable futures, but not from the perspective of the problems that we’re all facing, but really from thinking about what are the possible solutions,” Tain said while speaking to Arab News on Friday.
“Specifically, what are the solutions that we can find in a place like Lahore, Pakistan, and thinking about what resources are available locally and in the indigenous culture,” he added.
The event, which kicked off on October 5, will culminate in a Climate Congress next month, featuring international scholars, academics and artists, coinciding with the notorious smog season in the city.
Tain maintained that Lahore was the ideal location to carry out the biennale since it had been significantly impacted by the worsening climate.
“Working with 61 artists who come from over 30 countries, it’s really not about importing answers and knowledge from elsewhere,” he said. “It’s really about looking together for resources and what we can do together to find solutions for sustainability.”
Pointing to the paintings lining the walls of the Shalimar Garden, built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in 1641, he highlighted works on melting glaciers and fossil fuels by artists like Hamra Abbas and Niamat Nigar.
“Lahore Biennale as a project is not located in art museums or elite spaces,” he said. “We’re really in the city. So, here we are at Shalimar Gardens, where families are playing football and taking strolls.”
Tain mentioned that art installations had also been placed at other public locations, such as the Orange Line metro system, which people use daily.
“So, it’s really meant to bring art to the people, rather than make people come to the art,” he added.
Asked about the Climate Congress at the end of the biennale, he said a lot of research on the environment had been done by experts and researchers, though it had not been properly communicated to the general public.
“The biennale is trying to think about how art and exhibitions can be vehicles for communicating these kinds of messages,” he continued, suggesting that the Climate Congress would be a continuation of the same effort.
While it has only been a week since the biennale installations were opened to the public, Tain said he was happy with the response.
“I think there was a good attendance on both of the opening days [of the inauguration],” he said, encouraging people to attend the event, which is open until November 8.
Pakistan Army bags gold in Exercise Cambrian Patrol 2024 competition
- Around 128 teams from 42 countries took part in the exercise this year, says Pakistan Army
- Patrols had to cover 60 kilometers in 48 hours across inhospitable terrain completing tasks
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s army has bagged the gold medal in Exercise Cambrian Patrol 2024 organized by the British Army, the army’s media wing said on Sunday, in which 128 teams from 42 countries around the world participated.
The Exercise Cambrian Patrol has been running for over 60 years and is the British Army’s principal All Arms Patrol Exercise. It is open to all three Services (regular and reserve) while international participants are encouraged to take part. This year the exercise was held from Oct. 4-13.
The scenario-based exercise is not a competition although patrol performance is assessed throughout based on Battlecraft Syllabus (BCS) and Individual Training Requirement (ITR), in addition to robustness and leadership, the exercise says on its official website.
“This year, 128 teams from 42 countries participated in the Exercise and out of all these teams, Pakistan Army’s team showed exceptional performance in the exercise and has been awarded with the gold medal,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.
The military’s media wing said that patrols from around the world had to move tactically across inhospitable terrain to cover a distance of 60 kilometers within 48 hours, completing specialist tasks in a “contested environment.”
“It is indeed a proud moment for the whole nation and the Pakistan Army, which is known for its professionalism and highest standards of training,” the ISPR said.
First batch of 27 Palestinian medical students leave for Pakistan to continue studies
- Batch is part of 192 Palestinian students who will continue fully funded studies in Pakistani universities
- Israel’s bombardment of Gaza since October 2023 has dealt significant damage to its educational institutions
ISLAMABAD: The first batch of 27 Palestinian medical students left for Pakistan from Cairo on Sunday to continue their medical studies in the South Asian country, the Pakistani embassy in Egypt said in a statement.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry announced in July that Islamabad will provide scholarships to over 100 Palestinian students so that they are able to continue their medical studies in Pakistan as Israel’s war wreaks havoc in the Middle East.
Since Oct. 7, 2023, Israel has killed over 42,000 people in Gaza through relentless bombardment despite ceasefire calls and angry protests in several countries around the world.
“Officials of Embassy of Pakistan in Cairo and representatives of Al-Khidmat Foundation facilitated the departure of the first batch of 27 Palestinian students from Cairo International Airport to Lahore today,” Pakistan’s Embassy in Cairo said.
“This batch is part of 192 Palestinian medical students from Gaza who will continue their medical and dental studies in various medical institutes in Pakistan.”
The embassy said the Palestinian students would be facilitated to continue their studies in Pakistani medical universities on fully funded programs.
“The initiative is being undertaken in collaboration with Global Relief Trust, Doctors of Rahman, and Al-Khidmat Foundation,” it concluded.
Several international media outlets have reported significant destruction of hospitals and universities in Gaza since October last year.
The World Health Organization and other sources have documented severe damage to the area’s health care facilities, including the largest hospital Al-Shifa, which has been rendered non-functional due to extensive damage in the ongoing conflict.
There have also been widespread reports of substantial damage to educational institutions along with reports of deliberate targeting of Palestinian academics.
Ruling coalition ally proposes ‘equal role’ of Pakistan parliament, judiciary in judges’ appointment
Ruling coalition ally proposes ‘equal role’ of Pakistan parliament, judiciary in judges’ appointment
- Pakistan Peoples Party proposes merging parliamentary, judicial committees to appoint Pakistani judges
- Says party is engaged in meaningful consultations with political parties, lawyers for “broader consensus”
ISLAMABAD: A key ally of the ruling coalition government this week proposed granting an “equal role” to the country’s parliament, judiciary and legal fraternity in appointing judges, as political parties continue consultations on a controversial constitutional amendments package that has earned the opposition of both the opposition and the legal fraternity.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s ruling coalition government has been trying to pass a set of constitutional amendments since last month that the country’s opposition and prominent lawyers say is aimed at granting more power to the executive in making judicial appointments. The government denies the allegations and says the amendments aim to provide speedy justice to thousands of litigants and ensure the parliament’s supremacy remains intact.
The proposed amendments are expected to establish a federal constitutional court, raise the retirement age of superior judges by three years, and modify the process for the appointment of chief justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
Sharif’s key coalition ally, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has been spearheading negotiations with political parties and the legal fraternity after the government failed to muster the required two-thirds majority in parliament last month to get the amendments passed. Sharing a draft of the proposed amendments on Saturday, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said the party wanted to end the process of appointment of the judges by and for the judges.
“Instead, by merging the judicial and parliamentary committees we give an equal role to Parliament, Judiciary and legal fraternity,” the PPP chairman wrote on social media platform X.
Bhutto-Zardari said his party also proposed the creation of a Federal Constitutional Court which would have equal representation of all federating units.
“The court would address all issues pertaining to fundamental rights, constitutional interpretation and federal/inter-provincial disputes,” the PPP chairman said.
Pakistani lawyers last month threatened they would take to the streets if the government passed the amendments, saying that they would oppose any move to establish a “parallel” judicial system in the country.
The PPP leader invited “legitimate meaningful feedback” from the public on the PPP’s proposed amendments.
“The PPP has already been reaching out separately to political parties, Bar associations and civil society as part of our broader countrywide engagement on this important amendment,” he wrote.
He said the PPP was engaged in consultations with the opposition Jamiat Ulama-e-Pakistan Fazl (JUI-F) party in hopes that political parties would build a “broader consensus.”
