ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has left for Saudi Arabia to attend the AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies, the Pakistani finance ministry said on Saturday.
The AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies is an annual economic policy conference, organized by Saudi Arabia’s finance ministry and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) regional office in Riyadh.
The conference will convene a select group of emerging markets’ ministers of finance, central bank governors, and policymakers, as well as public and private sector leaders, international institutions, and academia.
Aurangzeb is attending the two-day conference, starting on Sunday, on the invitation of his Saudi counterpart Mohammed Al-Jadaan, in context of policy measures that have led to the stability and positive changes in the Pakistani economy despite the uncertain regional and global environment.
“Muhammad Aurangzeb will participate in a high-level panel discussion on the topic of ‘The Path to Emergent Markets’ during the conference,” the Pakistani finance ministry said. “IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva will host the panel discussion.”
Pakistan is currently navigating a tricky path to economic recovery under a $7 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan program it secured in September last year. The South Asian country has undertaken several reforms and policy measures since averting an imminent default on its external debt in 2023.
The conference will have a total of 9 sessions in which 200 participants and 36 speakers will participate, according to the Pakistani finance ministry.
The forum will discuss ways to build resilience in a changing world, and appropriate economic and financial policies needed for emerging markets and developing economies to address economic challenges.
It comes at a time when the world is grappling with deep and persistent economic shocks, trade tensions between major world powers, geopolitics, and tight financial conditions.
“The conference will provide a unique platform for world leaders to discuss and analyze domestic, regional, and global economic conditions and developments, and to exchange ideas on solutions to global challenges,” the Pakistani finance ministry added.
Pakistan finance minister leaves for Saudi Arabia to attend AlUla conference on emerging economies
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Pakistan finance minister leaves for Saudi Arabia to attend AlUla conference on emerging economies
- The conference will provide a unique platform for world leaders to discuss and analyze domestic, regional and global economic developments
- Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb’s participation comes in context of policy measures that have led to stability in the Pakistani economy
Pakistan’s central moon sighting committee to meet today to sight Eid crescent
- Dates for Ramadan, Eid are confirmed by committee via visual observations, testimonies
- Ramadan in Pakistan began on Mar. 2, a day later than in most other Muslim countries
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s central moon sighting committee will meet in the country’s capital today, Sunday, to sight the Shawwal moon and announce the date for Eid Al-Fitr, state-run media reported.
In Pakistan, the Ruet-e-Hilal Committee is tasked with sighting the moon for new Islamic months. Dates for Ramadan and Eid festivals are confirmed by the committee through visual observations and based on testimonies received of the crescent being sighted from several parts of the country.
The sighting of the new moon, or the Shawwal crescent, signifies the end of the fasting month of Ramadan and the beginning of Eid Al-Fitr and its festivities.
“The meeting of the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee will be held this evening to sight the Moon of Shawwal,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported.
It said RHC Chairman Maulana Syed Muhammad Abdul Khabir Azad will preside over the meeting, which will be held at the rooftop of the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony in Islamabad.
The state broadcaster said zonal meetings of the committee to sight the moon will simultaneously be held in Pakistan’s provincial capitals.
Ramadan in Pakistan began on Mar. 2, a day later than in most other Muslim countries, and Eid is thus widely expected to fall on Mar. 31.
The Shawwal moon was sighted in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, marking the end of the month of Ramadan. Eid Al-Fitr is being celebrated in the Kingdom, United Arab Emirates and other Middle Eastern countries today.
In Pakistan’s southwest, Eid shoppers go out to buy the perfect snack: nimco
- Nimco, popular on Eid, is typically a mix of fried ingredients like lentils, chickpeas, potatoes, nuts and spices
- While many Pakistanis celebrate Eid with sweets like vermicelli and rice puddings, nimco is the go-to snack in Quetta
QUETTA: Wearing hair nets and face masks, shopkeepers carefully packed fried lentils, chickpeas, potato chips and other nimco snacks into plastic bags for hoards of eager Eid Al-Fitr shoppers earlier this week.
The scene is from a shop on Quetta’s famous Masjid Road, where hundreds of customers have been arriving daily ahead of the Eid holiday to buy nimco, a popular traditional Pakistani snack, typically a mix of fried ingredients like lentils, chickpeas, potatoes, nuts, and spices. Nimco is characterized by its crispy texture and spicy flavor, making it a popular snack for social gatherings and special occasions.
While many Pakistanis celebrate the Eid festival with sweets like vermicelli, rice puddings and jalebi funnel cakes, in Quetta, nimco is the go-to snack.
“This bazaar is called Masjid Road and its specialty is that it is known as the Nimco Bazaar,” said Waled Sabir, a customer. “All the nimco varieties available in Pakista can be found here.”
Safiullah Khan, the owner of a 35-year-old nimco store on Masjid Road, said he was at his shop all day long in the days before Eid to cater to holiday revelers.
“Fried potato chips, lentils and mixed nimco are the basic and most in-demand items on Eid,” he said.
Apart from the appeal of its salty and crunchy flavor, nimco was also popular because of its affordability, Khan said.
“Nimco is an important and affordable item for many Pakistanis during Eid and not as expensive as other dried fruits,” he said.
Syed Akram Shah, 52, agreed that nimco was a popular alternative to expensive dried fruits.
“Dry fruits are not accessible to poor masses but nimco is an affordable refreshment for us on Eid,” he said as he shopped earlier this month on Masjid Road for fried lentils, his favorite type of nimco.
“There is no Eid without nimco because we serve these crunchy snacks to our relatives and friends with a cup of tea when they come over for Eid,” Shah, who had tracelled from Mastung city located around 50 kilometers from Quetta, said. “It is a tradition in Balochistan.”
Waleed Sabir, who lives in Quetta, said he had come to Masjid Road because he knew he would find all kinds of nimco there to buy for the Eid holiday.
“People of Balochistan are very hospitable and every dining table in every house will be decorated with refreshment items and nimco during the three days of Eid.”
Though Balochistan has seen rise in militant attacks in recent months, which have dampened Eid shopping, many shoppers and sellers said nimco was still a hot favorite.
“Compared to the past [Eids], activities [in markets] have declined a bit due to the law and order and the prevailing situation,” said Khan the nimco seller, “but overall things are still fine.”
Pakistan to kick off second phase of Hajj trainings for pilgrims in Sindh from Apr. 8
- Over 18,000 Hajj pilgrims to be trained in southern Pakistan from Apr. 8 to 22, says religion ministry
- Around 179,210 pilgrims from Pakistan are expected to perform annual Islamic pilgrimage this year
KARACHI: Pakistan’s religion ministry said this week it will kick off the second phase of its Hajj 2025 training program in southern Pakistan from Apr. 8 in which over 18,000 pilgrims will be trained to perform the annual Islamic pilgrimage.
Pakistan conducted its first phase of training for Hajj pilgrims in January this year with sessions in Islamabad. Pilgrims intending to perform the pilgrimage were trained through audio-visual devices and other materials, according to the Ministry of Religious Affairs.
“The Directorate of Hajj Karachi will organize the second Hajj Awareness Training Program for Hajj 2025 in Sindh’s six districts and under the jurisdiction of the Hajj Camp Karachi,” the religion ministry said in a statement on Saturday.
“Training will be provided to 3,446 Hajj pilgrims from Apr. 8 to Apr. 13,” it added.
It said that around 13,834 Hajj pilgrims will also be trained in the Hajj Camp Karachi from Apr. 13 to Apr. 21, while a separate training session will be organized on Apr. 22 at the headquarters of the Boy Scouts in Karachi for approximately 500 Hajj pilgrims belonging to the Shia sect.
“A total of 14,834 Hajj pilgrims will be provided guidance and training through the training programs so that they can be well acquainted with the rituals and travel arrangements of Hajj and perform their spiritual worship in a better manner,” it said.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed the Hajj 2025 agreement in January this year under which 179,210 pilgrims from Pakistan will perform the annual pilgrimage this year. The quota is divided equally between government and private schemes.
Pakistan’s Hajj policy has allowed pilgrims to make payments in installments for the first time. Under this scheme, the first installment of Rs200,000 ($717) had to be submitted with the application, the second installment of Rs400,000 ($1,435) within 10 days of balloting and the remaining amount by Feb. 10 this year.
The Pakistani religious affairs ministry has also launched the Pak Hajj 2025 mobile application, available for both Android and iPhone users, to guide pilgrims.
Pakistan says six militants killed during security operation in volatile southwest
- Slain “terrorists” were actively involved in attacks against law enforcers and civilians, says the army’s media wing
- Intelligence-based operation takes place amid surge in militant attacks against law enforcers in Balochistan
ISLAMABAD: Six “terrorists” were killed during an intelligence-based operation in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province who were involved in attacks against civilians and law enforcers, the army’s media wing said on Saturday.
The operation took place in Balochistan’s Kalat district on Mar. 29 on the reported presence of militants there, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the army’s media wing, said in a statement.
“During the conduct of the operation, own troops effectively engaged the terrorists’ location and after an intense fire exchange, six terrorists were successfully neutralized,” the ISPR said.
The army’s media wing said the slain militants were involved in recent “terrorist activities” in the area against law enforcement agencies and civilians. It said a sanitization operation was being conducted in the area to eliminate any other militants.
“Security forces of Pakistan, in step with the nation, remain determined to thwart attempts at sabotaging peace, stability and progress of Balochistan,” the statement said.
The operation took place amid a surge in militancy in Balochistan, Pakistan’s mineral-rich province that borders Iran and Afghanistan.
Earlier this month, militants belonging to the separatist Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) hijacked a passenger train in the province, holding hundreds of passengers hostage.
The military launched an operation and, after a day-long standoff, rescued 354 captives and killed 33 insurgents. A final count showed 23 soldiers, three railway employees and five passengers had died in the attack.
The violence refused to die down, as days later three paramilitary soldiers among five people were killed in a suicide attack in Balochistan’s Nushki district.
Balochistan has been the scene of a low-level insurgency for decades where separatist militants demand a greater share of the province’s natural resources and accuse the central government in Islamabad of exploiting them.
Pakistan’s government and military refute the allegations, pointing to health, education and other projects that they say will boost Balochistan’s development.
The province is Pakistan’s largest by landmass yet its most backward by almost all economic and social indicators.
Pakistanis paying over $2 billion in zakat annually, women majority recipients — study
- More money reaches people in need through zakat than via Pakistan’s Benazir Income Support Program
- Joint study by UK-based ICTD and Pakistan’s LUMS finds most people prefer to bypass the state zakat fund
ISLAMABAD: Pakistanis are paying more than £1.7 billion ($2.19 billion) in zakat annually, with the vast majority of recipients being women, according to a study released this week by researchers from the UK-based International Center for Tax and Development (ICTD) and Lahore University of Management Sciences.
Zakat is a form of obligatory almsgiving in Islam and one of its five central pillars. It requires Muslims who meet a certain wealth threshold to donate a fixed portion, usually 2.5 percent of their savings and assets annually, to those in need.
The findings of the study are based on a 2024 survey of 7,500 Sunni Pakistanis, shedding new light on the scale and social role of zakat, according to a post shared on the ICTD website.
“In a newly published factsheet, we estimate that self-identified Sunnis in Pakistan pay over 619 billion rupees (GBP 1.7 billion) in zakat annually,” the study’s authors wrote. “In 2024, the average zakat giver paid about 15,000 rupees (about GBP 43) with over 50 million Pakistanis contributing.”
“Our data suggests that every year, more money is distributed to people in need in Pakistan through zakat than through the largest state-led cash transfer program, the Benazir Income Support Programme,” they added.
Pakistan’s Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) has a 2024/2025 budget of Rs598.7 billion ($2.16 billion), while zakat contributions, largely unregulated and directly disbursed by individuals, exceed that amount.
The federal excise duty and even official development aid received by Pakistan in recent years fall short of annual zakat totals, according to the study.
The research also reveals that Pakistan’s official zakat fund, established in the 1980s for compulsory collection and disbursed through state-appointed councils, plays a negligible role.
“Most Pakistanis prefer to bypass the state fund — unsurprising in a context where individuals have low trust in the government,” the authors said. “The national state fund collects only a fiftieth of what we estimate to be contributed annually, while survey respondents overwhelmingly noted that they prefer to manage their own zakat giving. In our survey, we find that less than 2 percent of zakat givers are going through the state fund.”
The study said most zakat is given directly to individuals, or via mosques, schools, and, to a lesser extent, NGOs, bypassing formal state channels.
More than half of the survey respondents reported giving zakat exclusively to female recipients, with a particular preference for widows, who were perceived as especially economically vulnerable.
The study highlights that private religious giving is filling critical welfare gaps in Pakistan, particularly for marginalized groups, in the absence of robust state social protection systems.
