ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are in “advanced” stages of talks relating to investment in Pakistan’s copper and gold mines, Pakistani Petroleum Minister Musadik Malik said on Tuesday.
Pakistan has taken steps in recent months to attract foreign investment in its mining sector. The South Asian country is home to the Reko Diq copper and gold mine that is located in its southwestern Balochistan province.
Reko Diq, one of the world’s largest underdeveloped copper-gold mine, is jointly owned by Canadian mining firm Barrick Gold Corp. and Pakistan. Last year, Saudi Arabia offered Pakistan a 15 percent investment stake in the project, Pakistani state media reported in September.
Speaking to Arab News on the sidelines of Future Minerals Forum (FMF) in Riyadh, Malik said Pakistan and Saudi Arabia were in advanced stages of conversations about a “very large asset,” and had done all the requisite homework in this regard.
“Both sides have come up with valuation frameworks, the valuation ranges are in place, and both of the teams are empowered now to negotiate, and right now, we are under non-disclosure. So, I can’t give you the details, but suffice to say that we are expecting very big announcements very soon,” he said.
“It depends, I mean in mining, it’s going to be the mining assets, particularly the copper mining assets, copper and gold mining assets. So, we are very hopeful about that.”
Reuters reported that Saudi Arabian mining company Manara Minerals could invest in Pakistan’s Reko Diq mine in the next two quarters, citing the Pakistani petroleum minister.
Manara, a joint venture between Saudi state-controlled miner Ma’aden and the $925-billion Public Investment Fund (PIF), was set up as part of the Kingdom’s efforts to diversify its economy away from oil, including by buying minority stakes in assets overseas.
“I’m very hopeful that in the next quarter or two we will have very big announcements,” Malik was quoted as saying by Reuters.
“So, we’re very hopeful that this year, we will make some big announcements, both in the way of Reko Diq, but hopefully also” in mines around it, he added.
Asked if Manara would be involved, Malik said, “why not, of course.” Reuters said Manara did not immediately respond to its emailed request for comment.
Manara executives visited Pakistan in May last year for talks about buying a stake in the Reko Diq mine. Manara’s then-acting chief executive Robert Wilt, now CEO of Ma’aden, told Reuters that a stake in Reko Diq was among several opportunities the company was evaluating.
Pakistan is also in talks with other Gulf countries about mining opportunities, Malik added.
Pakistan says in ‘advanced’ talks with Saudi Arabia for investment in copper, gold mines
https://arab.news/mgtqj
Pakistan says in ‘advanced’ talks with Saudi Arabia for investment in copper, gold mines
- Saudi Arabia last year offered Pakistan a 15 percent investment stake in the Reko Diq copper and gold mine
- Reko Diq, one of largest copper-gold mine, is jointly owned by Canadian firm Barrick Gold Corp. and Pakistan
At Dubai exhibition, Pakistan’s envoy says art can shape global perception of his country
- Ambassador Faisal Niaz Tirmizi visits Imran Qureshi’s exhibition during Alserkal Art Week in Dubai
- He says art can build cross-cultural understanding, pledges support for future collaborations in UAE
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates Faisal Niaz Tirmizi, said on Sunday art could serve as a powerful tool of soft power for his country, helping project its positive image on the world stage, as he visited an exhibition by a leading Pakistani artist in Dubai on its concluding day.
Titled “Vanishing Points,” the event ran from April 13 to 20 as part of Alserkal Art Week and was held at Concrete, a prominent contemporary art space at Dubai’s Alserkal Avenue.
Curated by Nada Raza, Director of the Alserkal Arts Foundation, the show featured Imran Qureshi’s latest body of work, spanning photography, video, painting and a site-specific installation, offering a vivid meditation on urban life and the visual chaos of South Asian cityscapes.
Known for pioneering a contemporary revival of Indo-Persian miniature painting, Qureshi’s practice blends traditional techniques with modern perspectives.
“Imran Qureshi’s art vividly transforms Pakistan’s day-to-day life into breathtaking visual narratives,” Tirmizi said after touring the exhibition.
“Through his lens, the bustling streets, Sufi shrines and architectural heritage come alive, arising a deep sense of connection,” he continued. “His depiction of a Sufi tomb with Qawwali resonating in the background is particularly mesmerizing and emotionally powerful.”
The ambassador emphasized the importance of art as a form of diplomacy, saying it could promote cross-cultural understanding and enhance Pakistan’s global standing.
He also pledged support for future cultural collaborations in the UAE, particularly with platforms like Alserkal Avenue that promote diverse artistic voices.
A recipient of Pakistan’s Sitara-i-Imtiaz, one of the country’s highest civilian honors, and France’s Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, a prestigious distinction recognizing significant contributions to the arts and literature, Qureshi is among the internationally celebrated artists.
His works are housed in prominent collections, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
Qureshi’s works are also featured in Art Dubai, another major international art fair running in the city.
This year’s Art Dubai edition includes work by 10 Pakistani artists, reflecting the country’s growing presence on the global contemporary art scene.
Peshawar Zalmi reignite media partnership with Arab News Pakistan for PSL 2025
- Zalmi clinched the 2017 title and have remained strong contenders in subsequent seasons
- After a challenging tournament start, they have bounced back with 120-run win against Multan
ISLAMABAD: A popular franchise of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), Peshawar Zalmi, announced on Sunday a renewed media partnership with Arab News Pakistan, continuing a collaboration that began in 2020.
The PSL, launched in 2016, is Pakistan’s premier T20 cricket league featuring six city-based teams.
Peshawar Zalmi, representing the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, clinched the PSL title in 2017 and have consistently been strong contenders in subsequent seasons.
“Proud to go global with @arabnewspk as our International Newspaper Partner for #HBLPSLX,” Zalmi announced on their social media account on X, exclaiming, “Where cricket meets the world.”
Arab News Pakistan was launched in February 2018 and has since provided in-depth coverage of Pakistan, including sports.
Its parent organization, Arab News, was founded in 1975 and is part of the Saudi Research and Media Group (SRMG), one of the largest media conglomerates in the region.
Peshawar Zalmi had a challenging start to this year’s PSL but bounced back with a commanding 120-run victory over Multan Sultans on Saturday, marking their first win of the season.
They are now set to face Karachi Kings in the next match on Monday at the National Stadium in Karachi.
Punjab minister urges clerics to denounce Gaza-linked fast-food chain attacks in Pakistan
- Azma Bokhari says attacks are not helping the oppressed people of Palestine but hurting Pakistan
- The government has arrested over 150 attackers and promised strict action against others involved
ISLAMABAD: A senior minister in Pakistan’s Punjab province on Sunday urged religious scholars to publicly condemn recent attacks on an international fast-food chain, warning that such actions were damaging the country’s image and hurting its own citizens.
Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari’s remarks came a day after the federal government said over 150 people had been arrested for attacking the Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) outlets amid rising anti-American and anti-Israel sentiment in the country over the war in Gaza.
Protesters have vandalized KFC branches in multiple cities, with at least one employee killed during the unrest, asking people to show solidarity with their Muslim brethren in the Palestinian territory who have been killed in great numbers since the beginning of the war in October 2023.
“I believe that all our forums where respected religious scholars are present should come forward more strongly on this issue and speak up,” the provincial minister said at a news conference in Lahore.
“Attacking these food chains is not helping the oppressed people of Gaza,” she continued. “It is hurting Pakistan.”
Bokhari noted that international franchises like KFC provided jobs to thousands of locals in Punjab and other parts of the country.
“Now tell me this: if the 25,000 Pakistanis working here lose their jobs, will that benefit the people of Gaza?” she asked. “Or have these incidents helped the oppressed people of Gaza in any way? No, it’s causing harm — harm to Pakistan’s image.”
She also referenced the killing of a KFC employee in Sheikhupura, questioning what his fault was.
Bokhari accused “an extremist group” of organizing the attacks and said the government would take strict action against those involved.
On Saturday, Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudry said 12 police cases had been registered against the attackers in Punjab alone, with 142 arrests made. Another 15 suspects had been detained in Islamabad, he added.
“It cannot happen that someone brings investment into Pakistan, gives its people employment, pays 100 percent tax, and also spends on welfare, education and health activities, and then someone attacks it,” he said.
He maintained such incidents would be treated with the same seriousness as militant attacks, adding the government and interior ministry were “available 24 hours” to respond.
Pakistan does not maintain diplomatic relations with Israel but has consistently voiced support for the Palestinian cause.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called for an immediate end to Israel’s military campaign, while Pakistan’s permanent mission to the United Nations has repeatedly urged accountability for Israeli “war crimes.”
Pakistani religio-political party relocates pro-Gaza march after Red Zone sealed in Islamabad
- Jamaat-e-Islami shifts Gaza march to Expressway after initially planning to rally outside the US embassy
- JI leaders promise a ‘sea of people’ in Islamabad, urge government not to block roads across the city
ISLAMABAD: A popular Pakistani religio-political party shifted its Gaza Solidarity March from outside the United States embassy to Expressway between Rawalpindi and Islamabad, its spokesperson confirmed Sunday, after authorities sealed all routes to the Red Zone in the federal capital that houses embassies and sensitive government buildings.
Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) announced to organize the march toward the US diplomatic mission in Islamabad during its recent rallies in Karachi, Lahore and other Pakistani cities to protest Washington’s support for Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
The party has also given a call for a nationwide strike against Israel’s war on April 22.
“JI will now hold the Gaza March on Islamabad Expressway near Zero Point, where a stage will be set up at the H-8 overhead bridge, and the party chief, Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman, along with other central leaders, will address the gathering,” Aamir Baloch, the JI spokesperson for foreign media, said in a statement.
He promised “a sea of people” in Islamabad as the march to express solidarity with the oppressed people of Gaza proceeded.
“We urge the government to refrain from underhand tactics and ensure all routes remain open,” he told Arab News in response to a question about road closures across Islamabad.
The Islamabad administration issued a traffic advisory earlier in the day, saying all roads to the Red Zone had been closed except for two entry points.
“Containers are placed at all major Red Zone access points, including D-Chowk,” the administration said in a statement. “Only Margalla Road and Bari Imam gates are open.”
Responding to these developments, the JI general secretary, Amirul Azeem, said in a video message his party’s march would remain peaceful like its recent demonstrations in other parts of the country.
“The government of Pakistan has decided to stop this march,” he said. “I request the people of Pakistan to actively participate in it.”
Pakistan does not maintain diplomatic ties with Israel and has consistently condemned its military actions in Gaza, particularly the killing of thousands of unarmed Palestinian women and children. Islamabad has also urged the resumption of humanitarian aid to the besieged territory and called for renewed negotiations aimed at a two-state solution.
It has long supported the establishment of an independent Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel’s military offensive in Gaza has killed over 51,000 people and injured more than 116,000, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Pakistan PM launches second nationwide polio vaccination drive of 2025
- Pakistan plans to vaccinate 45 million children against poliovirus nationwide from Apr. 21-27
- Shehbaz Sharif urges Pakistani parents to help vaccination teams administer polio drops
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday launched Pakistan’s second nationwide vaccination campaign against poliovirus, scheduled to be held from Apr. 21-27, as Islamabad struggles to eradicate the disease.
Polio is a paralyzing disease with no cure and multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine — along with completing the routine immunization schedule for children under five — are crucial to building immunity against the virus.
Pakistan, which has reported six polio cases so far in 2025, has planned three major vaccination campaigns in the first half of the year, with additional rounds scheduled for April and May. The seven-day campaign is going to be the second anti-polio drive to be held this year, and aims to vaccinate over 45 million children against the disease.
“It is my request to parents all over Pakistan that they help us out in administering polio drops to their children,” Sharif said during a ceremony in Islamabad.
“Help our teams in the field so that this virus can be eliminated for good.”
Sharif said the government has undertaken stringent security measures in sensitive areas for polio volunteers. He called on authorities to mobilize the public so that they become “soldiers” in the fight against poliovirus.
Earlier, the prime minister kicked off the anti-polio campaign by administering polio drops to a few children.
Pakistan’s polio program, launched in 1994, has faced persistent challenges including vaccine misinformation and resistance from some religious hard-liners who claim immunization is a foreign conspiracy to sterilize Muslim children or a guise for Western espionage.
Militant groups have also repeatedly targeted and killed polio vaccination workers.
In 2024, Pakistan reported an alarming 74 polio cases. Along with Afghanistan, it remains one of the only two countries where polio is still endemic.
