KARACHI: The Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) on Thursday held a networking event in Pakistan’s commercial capital of Karachi and showcased luxury tourist destinations in the Kingdom, which expects more than 2.8 million Pakistani visitors this year.
The development comes amid Riyadh’s efforts to boost public service sectors in the Kingdom such as health, education, infrastructure, recreation and tourism as part of the Vision 2030 framework, which aims to cut the Kingdom’s reliance on oil.
The STA showcased diverse tourism offerings, including luxury hotels, at the networking event held at Karachi’s Avari Tower hotel, which was attended by travel enthusiasts, members of the civil society and celebrities from Pakistan’s film and drama industry.
STA officials gave presentations to Pakistani audiences at the event, with two giant screens at the poolside showing tourist destinations like Maraya in AlUla, Al-Bujairi heritage tourist park in Diriyah, the Red Sea, King Abdullah Economic City, the skyline in Riyadh, and the historical old city of Jeddah.
“These world-class resorts promise an unparalleled seaside experience, blending sustainability with high-end hospitality,” the STA said in a statement at the end of the event.
Saudi Arabia is home to the two holiest cities of Islam, Makkah and Madinah, which are visited by millions of Muslims from across the world for Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages each year.
In recent years, Riyadh has intensified its efforts to diversify its economy away from oil to other sectors, particularly leisure travel. Last year, the Kingdom also won a bid to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup.
“They want to promote their tourism like we want to promote tourism in up north in Pakistan,” Pakistani actor Sanam Saeed told Arab News on the event’s sidelines, adding that Saudi Arabia was a fast-developing nation that is wasopening its culture and architecture to international tourists.
Pakistan, a predominantly Muslim country that has the world’s fifth largest population of over 240 million, stands as one of the priority nations for Saudi Arabia, and the STA said it expected more than 2.8 million Pakistani travelers to visit the Kingdom this year, compared to over 2.7 million who visited last year.
Saeed is one such Pakistani who wishes to travel to the Kingdom soon.
“Saudi is full of new adventures. We can promote it, encourage it and avail all these amazing things that Saudi has to offer,” she said.
“It’s exciting and I wish to visit soon.”
Pakistani talent and travelers are making a significant impact on Saudi Arabia’s thriving tourism and entertainment industries. Last year, Pakistani players dominated the Esports World Cup (EWC) in Riyadh, showcasing their prowess on the global gaming stage, according to the STA.
The recently concluded LEAP tech conference in Riyadh recorded the highest-ever participation of Pakistani exhibitors, highlighting Pakistan’s growing influence in the tech industry, while the Kingdom’s Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) sector has also seen remarkable growth, with 37 Pakistani tourism groups actively engaging in Saudi Arabia’s dynamic event landscape.
Offering seamless travel experiences, the Kingdom’s latest initiatives include group inclusive tours and exclusive Ramadan deals, allowing visitors to experience the spiritual essence of the holy month in an immersive setting. The introduction of e-visa for Umrah pilgrims has further simplified religious travel, granting unrestricted entry to Saudi airports.
Saudi Arabia is also enhancing its accessibility and diverse experiences beyond religious tourism as well as is enhancing travel for various segments, including solo female travelers, destination weddings and cultural exploration, according to the STA.
The Kingdom’s tourism sector accounted for up to 3 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) last year, which Riyadh aims to increase to 10 percent over the next five years by making investments in the tourism sector.
Saeed hailed the cooperation between Pakistani and Saudi stakeholders in the field of tourism, saying it would benefit travelers.
“So, it’s always worth when such a cross-country collaboration takes place and two countries jointly try to do their promotion,” she said. “It is good for travelers.”
Saudi luxury tourist destinations unveiled at Karachi event
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Saudi luxury tourist destinations unveiled at Karachi event
- The development comes amid Riyadh’s efforts to boost public service sectors to cut the Kingdom’s reliance on oil
- Pakistan, which has the world’s fifth largest population, stands as one of the priority nations for Saudi Arabia
Karachi mob kills member of Ahmadi community
- Police say the mob was dispersed and 15 people in the building rescued
- The man killed was identified as a 47-year-old owner of a car workshop
KARACHI: A mob attacked a place of worship of Pakistan’s Ahmadi minority community in Karachi on Friday, killing one man, police and a community spokesperson said.
Ahmadi community spokesperson Amir Mahmood said the mob of 100-200 people beat a 47-year-old owner of a car workshop to death with bricks and sticks.
Mohammad Safdar, superintendent of police for Karachi’s Saddar area, confirmed the death.
Safdar told Reuters that the mob was later dispersed, allowing 15 people trapped inside the building to be rescued. Mahmood said 30 people had been trapped.
Ahmadis are a minority group considered heretical by some orthodox Muslims. Pakistani law forbids them from calling themselves Muslims or using Islamic symbols, and they face violence, discrimination and impediments blocking them from voting in general elections.
Pakistan’s deputy PM to raise security concerns during daylong visit to Afghanistan on Saturday
- Ishaq Dar’s visit comes at a time when Pakistan has blamed Afghan officials for ‘facilitating’ cross-border militancy
- The two countries have tried to resume diplomatic engagements in recent days, with high-level official exchanges
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is set to visit Kabul on Saturday for high-level talks, with security issues topping the agenda amid ongoing tensions between the two neighbors.
The visit comes against the backdrop of a surge in militant attacks in Pakistan, which Islamabad attributes to armed groups operating from Afghan territory.
Pakistan has frequently accused the Taliban-led government in Kabul of providing safe havens to these militants and “facilitating” cross-border attacks, a claim Afghanistan denies.
“At the invitation of interim Afghan Foreign Minister, Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, will lead a high-level delegation to Kabul tomorrow,” the foreign office announced in a statement.
“The talks will cover entire gamut of Pak-Afghan relationship, focusing on ways and means to deepen cooperation in all areas of mutual interests, including security, trade, connectivity and people-to-people ties,” it added.
The foreign office said Dar will meet Afghan Acting Prime Minister Mullah Muhammad Hassan Akhund, Acting Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and hold delegation-level talks with Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.
Earlier in the day, Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan emphasized the importance of the visit.
“The key concern remains centered on security,” he said during his weekly media briefing. “The question of sanctuaries and terrorism has been raised multiple times [with Afghanistan], and we will keep raising it.”
“We want to find an amicable solution to this challenge,” he added.
Since late 2023, Pakistan has initiated the deportation of undocumented immigrants, predominantly Afghan nationals, citing security concerns. The move has strained relations further, with Afghan authorities raising concerns over the expulsions.
Despite these tensions, both countries have resumed diplomatic efforts to improve ties. A Pakistani delegation recently visited Kabul for a Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) meeting, while an Afghan delegation traveled to Islamabad to discuss trade and connectivity initiatives.
Dar’s visit is seen as a continuation of these efforts, aiming to address mutual concerns and explore avenues for cooperation between the two neighboring countries.
Pakistan PM launches tax authority’s performance system amid IMF reform push
- The international lender wants digitization of FBR along with tax base expansion in Pakistan
- The PM was briefed about FBR’s data-driven decision-making to ensure greater efficiency
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday launched a performance management system for Pakistan’s tax authority, urging officials to enhance efficiency and boost revenue collection to help reduce the country’s reliance on external debt, state media reported.
The move is part of broader reforms tied to Pakistan’s $7 billion loan program with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which include overhauling the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) through greater digitization, institutional accountability and tax base expansion.
The FBR, long criticized for inefficiency and underperformance, plays a central role in Pakistan’s fiscal framework and is under pressure to deliver sustained growth in tax revenues.
“If we want to move away from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), we must work hard to increase our revenues,” Sharif said at the launch event, according to the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP).
He also described it as a long journey, adding more work was required to plug the loopholes in the system.
The newly launched performance system introduces evaluations of FBR officers based on defined metrics. Sharif said similar models would be introduced across other state institutions to promote a culture of accountability.
During the visit, officials also briefed the prime minister on separate reforms underway at the FBR, including the development of a data-driven decision-making framework. That system will pull information from entities like the National Database Registration Authority (NADRA) and banking institutions to track payments and asset acquisitions, as part of efforts to align the tax regime with international standards.
Authorities said over 35 additional companies had been added to the tax net as part of ongoing digitization efforts. Tax return forms have also been simplified, and preparations are underway for the nationwide rollout of a digital invoicing system.
Sharif acknowledged a 27 percent growth in FBR revenue over the past year but said more progress was needed to steer Pakistan out of its debt crisis and ensure fiscal stability.
Pakistan’s tax-to-GDP ratio remains among the lowest in the region, limiting the government’s ability to fund public services and increasing dependence on borrowing.
Strengthening the FBR is seen as critical to reducing the budget deficit and restoring investor confidence.
The prime minister also visited FBR’s newly established delivery unit, praising the officers as a “national asset” and expressing hope that the ongoing reforms would lead to a more transparent and effective tax administration.
Pakistani forces kill four militants in Swat operation — military
- ISPR says weapons and ammunition were recovered from the site where the militants were killed
- Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praises the operation, calls it reflective of military’s professionalism
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces killed four militants in an intelligence-based operation in the country’s northwestern Swat district on Friday, informed the military, as Islamabad intensifies its crackdown on insurgents staging violent attacks on civilians and uniformed personnel.
Pakistan refers to fighters of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an umbrella group of various armed groups, as khawarij, a term rooted in Islamic history that is used for an extremist sect that rebelled against authority and declared other Muslims to be apostates.
“On 18 April 2025, Security Forces and Law Enforcement Agencies conducted a joint intelligence based operation in Swat District on reported presence of Khawarij,” the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said in a statement.
“During the conduct of operation, own troops effectively engaged khawarij location, resultantly four khawarij were sent to hell,” it added.
The ISPR said weapons and ammunition were recovered from the site and described the slain militants as being involved in a number of militant activities in the area.
It added a “sanitization operation” was underway to clear the area of any remaining fighters.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised the operation, calling the forces’ efforts reflective of their professionalism and vowing to continue the fight against militancy.
“We will continue this war until terrorism is completely eradicated from the country,” Sharif said in a statement released by his office, adding that the entire nation stood firmly behind the armed forces.
Swat, once a Taliban stronghold, has witnessed a renewed presence of militants in some of its areas.
The TTP, which is separate from the Afghan Taliban but shares ideological roots, has stepped up attacks since the collapse of a ceasefire agreement with the Pakistani government in late 2022.
Minister says Pakistani journalists who visited Israel may face travel ban, lose citizenship
- Talal Chaudhry says government trying to determine how the journalists managed to travel to Israel
- Pakistan does not recognize Israel and its passport is valid for all countries except for the Jewish state
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry said this week the government could impose travel restrictions and review the citizenship of Pakistani journalists who reportedly visited Israel in March amid the ongoing devastation and killings of Palestinian women and children in Gaza.
Pakistan does not recognize Israel and has consistently advocated for an independent Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders, with Al Quds Al Sharif as its capital. The Pakistani passport explicitly states it is valid for all countries except Israel.
Last month, Israel Hayom, a Hebrew-language newspaper, reported that a 10-member Pakistani delegation comprising journalists, intellectuals and influencers visited Israel for a week. Subsequently, The Jerusalem Post noted that the delegation traveled to Israel to learn about the Holocaust and the October 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas.
“Our [Pakistani] passport, which is issued by the Ministry of Interior, does not allow travel to Israel,” Chaudhry said in an interview with Independent Urdu. “They certainly could not have gone there on this passport.”
The minister emphasized the government would determine how these journalists managed to travel to Israel.
“If our document has been misused, or if they misused it up to a certain point and then proceeded without any documents, then there are several criminal proceedings, including a potential travel ban, that could be initiated against such individuals,” he continued. “Even their citizenship could come into question.”
Chaudhry added the foreign and interior ministries were in contact regarding this matter.
The Pakistani foreign office said last month the country’s passport explicitly states it is “not valid for travel to Israel.”
“Therefore, no such visit is possible under existing regulations,” it maintained in a statement responding to media queries.
This is not the first time such an incident has been reported in the media. In 2022, a delegation of Pakistani journalists visited Israel under the banner of the Sharaka organization, which says it aims to promote dialogue and coexistence in the Middle East.
The visit led to significant controversy in Pakistan, with one of the journalists being dismissed from his position at the state-run Pakistan Television (PTV) following the trip.
