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Saudi oil giant Aramco launches first branded gas station in Pakistan

People visit Saudi Aramco's first branded gas station during the innaugration ceremony in Lahore on October 29, 2024. (Photo courtesy: X/@ranjha001)
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Updated 30 October 2024
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Saudi oil giant Aramco launches first branded gas station in Pakistan

  • The development follows Aramco’s acquisition of a 40 percent stake in Gas & Oil Pakistan Ltd. petroleum company in April
  • Together with GO, Aramco plans to expand its retail network and establish a presence in the fast-growing Pakistani economy
Updated 30 October 2024
NAIMAT KHAN & Aamir Saeed

KARACHI/ISLAMABAD: Saudi oil giant, Aramco, on Tuesday unveiled its first branded retail gas station in Pakistan in the eastern city of Lahore, months after its acquisition of a 40 percent stake in Gas & Oil Pakistan Ltd. (GO) petroleum company.
Aramco is a global integrated energy and chemicals company that produces approximately one in every eight barrels of the world’s oil supply. GO, one of Pakistan’s largest retail and storage companies, is involved in the procurement, storage, sale and marketing of petroleum products and lubricants.
The Aramco-branded stations in Pakistan will offer branded premium fuel, high-quality lubricants, professional automotive services and modern convenience stores to provide a seamless customer experience, according to a statement shared by Corporate and Marketing Communications (CMC), which handles Go and Aramco’s public relations in Pakistan.
“This is another milestone in Aramco’s downstream growth story, as we launch the first Aramco station in Pakistan — a market with significant growth potential,” Yasser M. Mufti, Aramco executive vice president of products and customers, was quoted as saying by the CMC.
“Our values of excellence, innovation and community partnerships sit at the heart of what we do, and will act as our guide as we leverage our extensive global refinery systems to ensure reliable supplies to customers while introducing our complementary world class retail offerings.”




Officials inaugurate Saudi Aramco's first branded gas station in Lahore on October 29, 2024. (Photo courtesy: Saudi Aramco)

Together with GO, which has a network of over 1,200 fuel retail stations in Pakistan, Aramco plans to expand its retail network and establish a presence in the fast-growing Pakistani economy.
“We are confident that this partnership will deliver exceptional value to customers,” Mufti said.
Khalid Riaz, the GO chief executive officer, echoed the sentiment, saying the first Aramco-branded gas station in Lahore was a testament to their commitment to excellence and innovation.
“Together with Aramco, we aim to elevate the retail fuel landscape in Pakistan, setting new benchmarks for quality, service, and customer satisfaction,” he said.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoy strong trade, defense and cultural ties. The Kingdom is home to over 2.7 million Pakistani expatriates and serves as the top source of remittances to the cash-strapped South Asian nation.
In February 2019, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia inked investment deals totaling $21 billion during a visit by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Islamabad. The agreements included about $10 billion for an Aramco oil refinery and $1 billion for a petrochemical complex at the strategic Gwadar Port in Pakistan’s Balochistan province.
Both countries have been working in recent months to increase bilateral trade and investment, and the Kingdom this year reaffirmed its commitment to expedite an investment package worth $5 billion for Pakistan.

Topics: Saudi Aramco Pakistan Saudi Arabia ties

Pakistan warns of Internet disruptions due to fault in submarine cable near Qatar

Updated 02 January 2025
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Pakistan warns of Internet disruptions due to fault in submarine cable near Qatar

  • AAe-1 cable is one of seven ones handling Pakistan’s international Internet traffic, says PTA
  • Internet disruptions over past few months have affected millions of Pakistani users nationwide
Updated 02 January 2025
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) warned on Thursday that Internet users may face disruptions nationwide due to a fault reported in an undersea cable near Qatar.
In a press release, the PTA said the fault was reported in the AAe-1 submarine cable located near Qatar, which is one of the seven cables handling Pakistan’s international Internet traffic.
“Due to this Internet and broadband users may face problems,” the PTA said.
The PTA said that its teams were working on fixing the problem.
“PTA is monitoring the situation and will keep telecom users informed from time to time,” the statement added.
Pakistan has reported faults in undersea Internet cables in the past as well. Internet disruptions over the past few months have affected millions of Pakistani users, adversely affected businesses and drawn nationwide complaints
Pakistan has 110 million Internet users, and up to 40 percent slower Internet speeds have affected nearly half the country’s 241 million population.
Digital rights experts, however, have cast doubts on the government’s statement about Internet disruptions in the past. Instead, they say that the government’s move to install a firewall to monitor and regulate content and social media platforms has caused the Internet to slow down.

Topics: Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Pakistan internet

Pakistan government, Imran Khan’s party to resume talks next week to break political deadlock

Updated 02 January 2025
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Pakistan government, Imran Khan’s party to resume talks next week to break political deadlock

  • Imran Khan’s party to present charter of demands in written form next week, says joint statement
  • Khan’s ouster in a parliamentary no-confidence vote in April 2022 has plunged Pakistan into a political crisis
Updated 02 January 2025
NAIMAT KHAN

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party and the ruling coalition government will hold their third round of talks to break the prevalent political deadlock in the country next week, a joint statement from both sides said on Thursday.
The government and PTI held their second round of formal negotiations on Thursday. The first round of formal negotiations between the two sides took place on Dec. 23, with the PTI asked to present its demands in writing on Jan. 2.
Khan’s party has put forward two demands: the release of political prisoners and the establishment of judicial commissions to investigate protests on May 9, 2023, and Nov. 26, 2024, which the government says involved his party supporters, accusing them of attacking military installations and government buildings.
“The PTI committee informed that to present their Charter of Demands they be presented an opportunity to meet and consult Imran Khan and seek his guidance,” the joint statement said.
“They said that Imran Khan has allowed this negotiation process to begin so it is important to seek his instructions on taking it forward in a positive manner,” it added.
The committee said after meeting and holding discussions with Khan, it will be able to present its demands in the next meeting between the two sides.
The statement said Dar responded by saying that the government expected the PTI to present its demands in writing today, Thursday, so that the negotiation could move forward.
“It was decided that the third meeting of both the committees would be held next week after the PTI committee met with Imran Khan,” the statement said.
The government’s team was led by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Rana Sanaullah, Irfan Siddiqui, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Syed Naveed Qamar, Farooq Sattar, Ijaz-ul-Haq, and Khalid Hussain Magsi.
The opposition committee included Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, Salman Akram Raja, Sahibzada Hamid Raza, Asad Qaisar, Omar Ayub, and Raja Nasir Abbas.
Khan’s ouster in a parliamentary no-trust vote in 2022 has plunged Pakistan into a political crisis, particularly since the PTI founder was jailed in August last year on corruption and other charges and remains behind bars. His party and supporters have regularly held protests calling for his release, with many of the demonstrations turning violent.
The talks between the two sides opened days after Khan threatened a civil disobedience movement, and amid growing concerns he may face trial by a military court for allegedly inciting attacks on sensitive security installations during the May 9, 2023, protests.

Topics: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party Imran Khan

Pakistan Navy flotilla arrives in Iran, holds bilateral passage exercise

Updated 02 January 2025
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Pakistan Navy flotilla arrives in Iran, holds bilateral passage exercise

  • Pakistan, Iran navy commanders discuss matters of mutual interest, cooperation in maritime security
  • Exercise aimed to promote shared learning through coordinated activities between both navies
Updated 02 January 2025
Shahjahan Khurram

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Navy said on Thursday its flotilla visited Iran’s Port Bandar Abbas where officials of the two navies held talks before a passage exercise was held.
According to the navy’s media release, Pakistan Navy ships Rasadgar and Azmat, along with Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) ship Dasht, visited Port Bandar Abbas during their overseas deployment.
The flotilla was led by Commander 14th Destroyer Squadron, Commodore Muhammad Umair.
“The Mission Commander, along with the Commanding Officers, held meetings with naval leadership of Iran,” the statement said. “During these interactions, matters of mutual interest, Navy-to-Navy engagements, and cooperation in maritime security were discussed.”
Both the PN and PMSA ships later conducted a Passage Exercise with an Iranian Navy ship, the statement said. 
It added that the exercise aimed to enhance interoperability between the two navies and promote shared learning through coordinated activities.
“The visit of the PN flotilla to Iran is expected to further strengthen existing diplomatic ties and cordial relations between the two nations,” Pakistan Navy said.
A passage exercise is a routine drill involving the navies of friendly foreign countries that occurs while visiting each other’s ports or during a rendezvous at sea.
Pakistan Navy regularly partakes in bilateral exercises with regional countries to stem the spread of illegal maritime activities such as human smuggling, piracy and drug trafficking.

Topics: Pakistan Navy

Turkish group bids below minimum fee for Islamabad Airport operations

Updated 02 January 2025
Reuters
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Turkish group bids below minimum fee for Islamabad Airport operations

  • Cash-strapped Pakistan wants to generate revenue to speed up privatization push
  • Consortium bids to pay government 47% of revenue from operations as concession fee
Updated 02 January 2025
Reuters

KARACHI: A Turkish consortium, the sole bidder to take over the operations of Pakistan’s Islamabad airport, has offered a concession fee below the minimum threshold, the chairman of the bid evaluation committee said on Thursday.
The cash-strapped South Asian country is looking to generate revenue by speeding up a privatization push, including outsourcing the running of three major airports.
The consortium, comprising Terminal Yapi, ERG Insaat and ERG UK, bid to pay the government 47% of its revenue from operations in the form of a concession fee, short of the 56% minimum set by the government, the aviation and airports authority said.
The matter will now be referred to the International Finance Corporation (IFC) — a member of the World Bank Group, which is advising Islamabad on the outsourcing — before Pakistan takes a decision on whether the bid can go through.
“The details of the financial proposal will ... be presented and forwarded to the IFC for further evaluation and submission of final reports,” said Sadiq ur Rehman, the chairman of the bid evaluation committee and deputy director general of Pakistan Airports Authority.
Pakistan is also looking to offload a 60% stake in debt-ridden airline PIA to raise funds and reform state-owned enterprises as envisaged under a $7 billion International Monetary Fund program.
A failed attempt to privatize the national flag carrier in October also received a single offer, well below the asking price.

Topics: Islamabad airport

India’s network of extrajudicial killings and kidnappings has spread globally, says Pakistan

Updated 02 January 2025
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India’s network of extrajudicial killings and kidnappings has spread globally, says Pakistan

  • The Washington Post published report on India’s “methodical assassination program” to kill Pakistani nationals in Pakistan
  • There are other countries too that have supported our position and have seen India’s foreign activities, says foreign office
Updated 02 January 2025
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson reacted to a report this week by The Washington Post about India carrying out assassinations in neighboring Pakistan, saying that New Delhi’s network of extrajudicial killings has spread globally. 
The Washington Post published a report on Dec. 31 on a “methodical assassination program” employed by India’s Research and Intelligence Wing (RAW) intelligence agency since 2021 to kill at least a half dozen people deep within Pakistan. 
The report examined six cases in Pakistan through interviews with Pakistani and Indian officials, the militants’ allies and family members, and a review of police documents and other evidence collected by Pakistani investigators. 
“We have seen that India’s network of extrajudicial killings and kidnappings has spread globally now,” Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, the foreign office spokesperson, said in response to a question during a news briefing. “There are other countries too that have supported our position and have seen India’s foreign activities. They are concerned about these activities, especially the killings of foreign nationals on foreign soil.”
The report and Pakistan’s reaction to it comes amid tense relations between India and Canada hitting new lows in 2023 after the Canadian government said it was investigating a link between Indian government agents and the killing of a Sikh separatist leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, on Canadian soil. 
New Delhi denies involvement in Nijjar’s killing, and “strongly” rejected Canada’s allegations. 
Pakistan has repeatedly blamed India for sponsoring “terrorism” on its soil, blaming the country for arming and aiding militants in southwestern Pakistan, where it alleges New Delhi is targeting its economic partnership with China. 
“Pakistan has raised expressed serious reservations over extrajudicial killings carried out by India’s intelligence agencies within Pakistan,” the spokesperson said. 
Nuclear-armed India and Pakistan have fought two of three wars after independence from British rule in 1947 over the disputed former princely state of Kashmir. The first war was fought in 1947, the second in 1965, and a third, largely over what became Bangladesh, in 1971.

Topics: Pakistan India

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