Major tech show in Dubai offers Pakistan opportunity to increase IT exports manifolds — envoy

Major tech show in Dubai offers Pakistan opportunity to increase IT exports manifolds — envoy
Pakistan's Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Faisal Niaz Tirmizi poses for a photo with participants at the Gulf Information Technology Exhibition (GITEX) 2024 in Dubai, UAE, on October 14, 2024. (Pakistan embassy, UAE)
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Updated 14 October 2024
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Major tech show in Dubai offers Pakistan opportunity to increase IT exports manifolds — envoy

Major tech show in Dubai offers Pakistan opportunity to increase IT exports manifolds — envoy
  • The annual GITEX Global exhibition is considered one of the world’s largest tech shows that connects industry leaders with major tech and innovation startups
  • Pakistan's ambassador encourages business leaders, IT professionals to visit the Pakistan pavilion, where 24 exhibitors are showcasing innovative technologies

ISLAMABAD: The four-day Gulf Information Technology Exhibition (GITEX) 2024, being held in Dubai from Oct. 14 till Oct. 18, offers Pakistan an opportunity to boost its Information Technology (IT) exports by tapping into new markets, Pakistan's Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Faisal Niaz Tirmizi said on Monday, as he inaugurated Pakistan's pavilion at the event.

The annual GITEX Global exhibition is considered one of the world’s largest tech shows that connects industry leaders with major tech and innovation startups as well as government officials, expert investors and corporate buyers. This year’s exhibition will run from Oct. 14 to Oct. 18.

Pakistan aims to showcase its growing capabilities in the IT sector through a contingent of 24 leading exhibitors at the event, which is being held at the Dubai World Trade Centre and offers an opportunity for companies to connect with global tech leaders, investors, and potential partners.

"It's a great opportunity for business leaders and IT experts from Pakistan to meet their counterparts from around the world to increase exports of Pakistan from $3.2 billion to manifolds," Ambassador Tirmizi said, after inaugurating the Pakistan pavilion.

He encouraged business leaders and IT professionals to visit the pavilion, where 24 exhibitors are showcasing innovative technologies and services, highlighting the substantial growth of Pakistan’s IT exports to the UAE that had risen by 34% to $265 million.

The Pakistani ambassador acknowledged collaborative efforts by the Pakistani Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT), Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB), Pakistan Software Houses Association (PASHA), and the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) in organizing and showcasing Pakistan’s IT industry at the exhibition.

“Their joint efforts have made it possible for Pakistan to present its full spectrum of capabilities at GITEX Global,” the ambassador said.

“Pakistan, with the third-largest English-speaking population and the second-largest provider of freelance IT services globally, is uniquely positioned to expand its IT exports.”

GITEX Global is known for bringing together global tech giants, governments, start-ups, and investors, offering a platform for transformative innovations. Pakistan’s involvement in the event demonstrates its commitment to advancing its digital economy and enhancing its global footprint in the tech industry.

 


Pakistan issues over 3,000 visas to Indian Sikh pilgrims to attend religious event

Pakistan issues over 3,000 visas to Indian Sikh pilgrims to attend religious event
Updated 8 sec ago
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Pakistan issues over 3,000 visas to Indian Sikh pilgrims to attend religious event

Pakistan issues over 3,000 visas to Indian Sikh pilgrims to attend religious event
  • Islamabad provides visas to Indian pilgrims to attend Sikhism founder Baba Guru Nanak’s birthday celebrations from Nov. 14-23
  • A visa-free corridor in Pakistan’s Punjab provides easy access to Indian pilgrims to Nanak’s final resting place in Narowal

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi said on Sunday it has issued over 3,000 visas to Sikh pilgrims in the country to attend the birthday celebrations of Sikhism founder Baba Guru Nanak.
Pakistan last month renewed its agreement with India regarding the Kartarpur Corridor that gives Sikh pilgrims from the neighboring country visa-free access to the final resting place of Nanak, their religion’s founder. 
The visa-free border crossing, from India to Kartarpur in the Narowal district of Pakistan’s Punjab, was inaugurated in November 2019 just ahead of Nanak’s 550th birthday. 
The corridor connects the Sikh shrines of Dera Baba Nanak in India to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, Nanak’s final resting place, in Kartarpur and is seen as a rare example of cooperation and diplomacy between the two South Asian neighbors.
“The Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi has issued over 3000 visas to Sikh pilgrims from India to participate in the birthday celebrations of Baba Guru Nanak Dev Ji to be held in Pakistan from 14-23 November 2024,” the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi wrote on social media platform X.
It said Pakistan’s Charge d’Affaires to India, Saad Ahmad Warraich, extended his heartfelt felicitations to the Sikh pilgrims and wished them a “fulfilling yatra.”
Much of Sikh heritage is located in Pakistan. When Pakistan was carved out of India at the end of British rule in 1947, Kartarpur ended up on the Pakistani side of the border, while most of the region’s Sikhs remained on the other side.
For over seven decades, the Sikh community had lobbied for easier access to their holiest temple.
Pakistan’s initiative to open the corridor earned widespread appreciation from the international community, including the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, who had described it as a “Corridor of Hope.”


Pakistan deputy PM in Saudi Arabia to attend OIC meeting on Gaza, Lebanon

Pakistan deputy PM in Saudi Arabia to attend OIC meeting on Gaza, Lebanon
Updated 10 November 2024
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Pakistan deputy PM in Saudi Arabia to attend OIC meeting on Gaza, Lebanon

Pakistan deputy PM in Saudi Arabia to attend OIC meeting on Gaza, Lebanon
  • Ishaq Dar to take part in OIC Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Saudi Arabia today
  • Pakistan PM to attend Nov. 11 Arab–Islamic summit to show solidarity with Palestine

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is in Saudi Arabia to attend the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) meeting that will discuss Israel’s military campaigns in Gaza and Lebanon, state-run media reported on Sunday. 
Saudi Arabia will host the extraordinary Arab–Islamic summit between the Arab League and the OIC on Nov. 11 to address Israel’s bombardment and ground offensives in Gaza and Lebanon. 
Muslim countries have called on Israel to impose an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East after its military campaigns in Gaza have killed over 43,000 people in the strip and injured thousands more. Its military campaigns in Lebanon and attacks on Iran last month have heightened fears of a wider war in the Middle East.
“Deputy Prime Minister is in Saudi Arabia on an official visit to attend the meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Council of Foreign Ministers,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan said.
It said Dar visited the holy city of Madinah where he offered prayers at the Prophet’s Mosque and prayed for the peace, unity and prosperity of the Muslim Ummah.
Pakistan’s foreign office said this week that the CFM will be a preparatory session for the Nov. 11 summit on Monday, which will be attended by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. 
The Nov. 11 summit will be a follow-up to the Joint Arab-Islamic Extraordinary Summit held in November 2023 in Riyadh, the foreign office said. 
“At the Summit, the prime minister will reiterate Pakistan’s full support to the Palestinian cause,” it said. “He will call for an immediate end to the genocide in Gaza; an urgent and unconditional ceasefire; immediate cessation of the ongoing Israeli adventurism in the region that is endangering the security of the countries in the Middle East.”
On the sidelines of the summit, Sharif is expected to hold bilateral meetings with leaders from other Arab League and OIC Member States.


Pakistan win toss, put Australia to bat in ODI series decider

Pakistan win toss, put Australia to bat in ODI series decider
Updated 10 November 2024
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Pakistan win toss, put Australia to bat in ODI series decider

Pakistan win toss, put Australia to bat in ODI series decider
  • Australia rest Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith for today’s match
  • After losing first ODI in Melbourne, Pakistan bounced back strongly in second one at Adelaide to level series 1-1

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan won the toss and elected to field first against Australia on Sunday as the South Asian country eyes a much-awaited ODI series victory against the world champions today.
Pakistan lost the three-match series opener on Nov. 4 against Australia in a close contest before coming back strongly on Friday to demolish the hosts in Adelaide by nine wickets.
Australia have rested veteran cricketers Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith for Sunday’s third ODI ahead of Australia’s Test series against India beginning later this month.
“Our team for the series decider” unchanged playing XI,” the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) wrote on social media platform Instagram.
Pakistani pacers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah struck early to deal Australia quick blows, removing the hosts’ opener Jake Fraser-McGurk and Aaron Hardie in the first 10 overs of the match.
Pakistan last won an ODI series against Australia in Australia in 2002. Their win against the Australian cricket team on Friday made it the first time since 2017 that the green shirts had beaten the opposition in an ODI at their backyard.
PLAYING XI:
Australia: 1 Matt Short, 2 Jake Fraser-McGurk, 3 Aaron Hardie, 4 Josh Inglis (capt, wk), 5 Cooper Connolly, 6 Marcus Stoinis, 7 Glenn Maxwell, 8 Sean Abbott, 9 Adam Zampa, 10 Spencer Johnson, 11 Lance Morris
Pakistan: 1 Saim Ayub, 2 Abdullah Shafique, 3 Babar Azam, 4 Mohammad Rizwan (capt, wk), 5 Kamran Ghulam, 6 Salman Agha, 7 Irfan Khan, 8 Shaheen Shah Afridi, 9 Naseem Shah, 10 Haris Rauf, 11 Mohammad Hasnain


Pakistan vows to eliminate ‘terrorism’ as railway station attack kills 26 in southwest

Pakistan vows to eliminate ‘terrorism’ as railway station attack kills 26 in southwest
Updated 15 min 14 sec ago
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Pakistan vows to eliminate ‘terrorism’ as railway station attack kills 26 in southwest

Pakistan vows to eliminate ‘terrorism’ as railway station attack kills 26 in southwest
  • Bomb blast at Quetta Railway Station on Saturday killed at least 26, injured 64 in southwestern city
  • Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi calls for unity to battle fresh “wave” of militancy in the country

QUETTA: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi this week resolved to eliminate the fresh surge in “terrorism” in the country after a bomb blast claimed by a separatist outfit in the country’s southwest killed at least 26 people on Saturday. 
Officials said at least 26 people were killed and 64 injured on Saturday when a bomb blast struck a railway station in Pakistan’s southwestern city of Quetta. 
The outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) group, the most prominent of militant groups in Balochistan, took responsibility for the attack, the deadliest since a string of coordinated attacks on Aug. 25-26 in which more than 50 people, civilians and security officials, were killed.
In a statement shared with the media, the BLA said its suicide unit, the Majeed Brigade, had carried out the bombing to target a “Pakistani army unit” returning via train after completing a course at an infantry school. The claim has not yet been confirmed by the Pakistani military.
“We must battle this terrorism together. Apart from the Balochistan government and the federation, the people of Pakistan have to fight against it too,” Naqvi told reporters in Quetta at a news conference with Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti by his side. 
“And you will see, god willing as the chief minister said, we will eliminate this wave of terrorism.”

Passengers’ belongings are seen scattered on the platform after an explosion at a railway station in Quetta, in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, on November 9, 2024. (AFP)

The Pakistani minister reiterated that the federal government is standing by the Balochistan government and was providing full support to battle militancy in the country. 
Later Pakistan Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir, Naqvi, Bugti and the governor of Balochistan attended funeral prayers for those who were killed in the Quetta Railway Station attack, the military’s media wing said. 
Senior provincial ministers and a large number of military and civilian officials also took part in the funeral prayers at the Quetta Garrison before the deceased were laid to rest, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said. 

People mourn the death of their relatives outside a hospital following a bomb blast at a railway station in Quetta, in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, on November 9, 2024. (AFP)

“COAS [chief of army staff] highlighted that terrorism will never be tolerated and reaffirmed the nation’s resolve and commitment toward eradicating the menace,” the ISPR said. 
“COAS emphasized that this mission will be pursued with full national resolve and collective determination.”
Munir stressed that the fight against “terrorism” requires the support of all Pakistanis, along with the efforts of the military and civil institutions, to secure a peaceful and prosperous future for the country, the ISPR said.

In this handout photo, taken and released by Pakistan’s Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR), Pakistan’s civil and military leadership attend the funeral prayers of army officers, who were killed during a suicide bombing in Quetta early Saturday, in Quetta on November 10, 2024. (ISPR)

 MILITANCY IN BALOCHISTAN
Balochistan is a resource-rich but impoverished province where separatist militants have been fighting a decades-long insurgency to win secession of the region. Insurgents say they are fighting what they see as the unfair exploitation of the province’s mineral and gas wealth by the federation at the center.

Blast victims get treatment in a hospital following an explosion at a railway station in Quetta, in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, on November 9, 2024. (AFP)

The Pakistani government and military deny they are exploiting Balochistan and have long maintained that neighbors such as India, Afghanistan and Iran foment trouble in the remote province and support and fund the insurgency there to impede its development potential. Balochistan is home to major China-led investment projects such as a strategic port and a gold and copper mine.
The rise of separatist attacks in Balochistan poses a major challenge for the weak coalition government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, which is battling an economic crisis and political instability as well as a rise in militant violence by both religiously motivated and separatist groups across the country.

People mourn the death of their relatives in a hospital following a bomb blast at a railway station in Quetta, in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, on November 9, 2024. (AFP)

Balochistan is also in the grips of civil rights protests by young ethnic Baloch who are calling for an end to what they describe as a pattern of enforced disappearances and other human rights abuses by security forces, who deny the charge.


Saudi embassy inaugurates Kingdom’s pavilion at 10-day cultural show in Pakistani capital

Saudi embassy inaugurates Kingdom’s pavilion at 10-day cultural show in Pakistani capital
Updated 47 min 49 sec ago
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Saudi embassy inaugurates Kingdom’s pavilion at 10-day cultural show in Pakistani capital

Saudi embassy inaugurates Kingdom’s pavilion at 10-day cultural show in Pakistani capital
  • Annual Lok Mela festival, which began in Islamabad this week, will continue till Nov. 17
  • More than 500 artisans from across Pakistan are showcasing their skills at the festival

ISLAMABAD: Saudi Arabia’s embassy in Pakistan has inaugurated the Kingdom’s pavilion at a 10-day cultural show in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad, which aims to promote national unity, folk heritage, and the culture and traditions of Pakistan’s various provinces and regions.

This screengrab, taken from a handout video released by Saudi Embassy in Islamabad on November 8, 2024, shows Saudi embassy officials and organizers at the Saudi pavilion in Lok Mela festival in Islamabad. (Photo courtesy: X/@KSAembassyPak)

The annual Lok Mela festival began on November 8 and will continue till November 17, according to the Pakistan National Museum director and focal person of the 2024 fest, Anwaar-ul-Haq.
More than 500 artisans from across Pakistan are showcasing their skills at the festival, while many diplomatic missions, including those of Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, Turkiye and Indonesia, are also presenting their cultures and arts at Lok Mela.

This screengrab, taken from a handout video released by Saudi Embassy in Islamabad on November 8, 2024, shows Saudi dates at Kingdom’s pavilion at the Lok Mela festival in Islamabad. (Photo courtesy: X/@KSAembassyPak)

“The embassy also inaugurated its pavilion at the fair, which will highlight the special culture of the Kingdom during the fair,” the Saudi embassy said on Twitter.

This screengrab, taken from a handout video released by Saudi Embassy in Islamabad on November 8, 2024, shows people visiting Saudi pavilion at the Lok Mela festival in Islamabad. (Photo courtesy: X/@KSAembassyPak)

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoy strong trade, defense and cultural ties. The Kingdom is home to over 2 million Pakistani expatriates and serves as a top source of remittances to the cash-strapped South Asian country.
Saudi Arabia has also often come to Pakistan’s aid in the past, regularly providing it oil on deferred payments and offering direct financial support to help stabilize its economy and shore up forex reserves.