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Tag: Saudi Arabia

  • Pakistan aims to enhance Saudi oil facility to $3.6 billion

    Pakistan aims to enhance Saudi oil facility to $3.6 billion

    A spokesperson for the Petroleum Division said that Pakistan is in talks with Saudi Arabia to increase the size of an oil facility on deferred payments from its current $1.2 billion to $3.6 billion.

    According to The News, when former Prime Minister Imran Khan visited Riyadh in October of last year, Saudi Arabia made a $4.2 billion support agreement, which included a $1.2 billion oil loan facility for Pakistan.

    Syed Zakria Ali Shah, joint secretary of international and joint ventures at the Pakistani petroleum division, revealed that the division was attempting to increase the value of its current facility with Saudi Arabia from $1.2 billion to $3.6 billion.

    Pakistan receives monthly oil deliveries worth $100 million under the current Saudi oil facility with deferred payment. Oil prices were low when the deal was struck, but because of their exponential rise, we are currently negotiating with the Saudis to increase their oil facility from $100 million to $300 million every month.

    A member of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) group, the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC), Shah claimed Saudi Arabia was also assisting Pakistan in using another existing oil financing facility.

    The last framework agreement for this facility was signed between our economic affairs division and ITFC on February 21, 2022, according to Shah. “The government of Pakistan has this facility for oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports under the framework agreement with ITFC since 2017–18,” he said.

    The facility will cost a total of $4.5 billion over three years, from 2022 to 2024, or roughly $1.5 billion per year on a best-effort basis, the official continued.

  • Gen Bajwa receives medal for his contributions by Saudi Arabia

    Gen Bajwa receives medal for his contributions by Saudi Arabia

    Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, first deputy Prime Minister (PM) and minister of defence, decorated Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa with the King Abdulaziz Medal of Excellent Class for making “significant contributions in defence cooperation” between Pakistan and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).

    The medal was named after Saudi Arabia’s founding King Abdulaziz Al Saud and is considered the highest civilian honour in KSA. Recently, it was given to Chinese President Xi Jinping.

    Pakistan’s army chief visited Saudi Arabia on an official tour met with the Crown Prince in Jeddah on Saturday. They reviewed bilateral relations, especially in the military fields, and opportunities for developing them. They also discussed a number of issues of common interest.

    Following this, Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif congratulated the COAS for being conferred the honour. “It is a great honour for the people and the armed forces of Pakistan,” he said in a tweet.

    In another tweet, he said Pakistan considers the security of Saudi Arabia “as our own and are completely resolved to further cementing our multifaceted bilateral relationship including excellent defence cooperation”.

    COAS Bajwa meets Musharraf:

    COAS General Qamar Javed Bajwa and his wife also paid a visit to former President and Army Chief General (retd) Pervez Musharraf in Dubai, reports emerged on Saturday.

    Gen Qamar and his wife were accompanied by top physicians of the Pakistan Army. They spent some time with Gen Musharraf and his family while the army doctors examined the former military ruler, reports The Express Tribune.

    Earlier this month, Musharraf’s family revealed that he is going through a difficult stage where recovery is not possible as his organs are malfunctioning.

    After this, the establishment and politicians, including Nawaz Sharif, came forward and were of the view that he should be brought back to Pakistan.

  • Joe Biden to visit Saudi Arabia after calling Kingdom ‘isolated’

    United States (US) President Joe Biden will make his first Presidential trip to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), Israel and the Palestinian West Bank next month from July 13-16, confirmed by the White House, reports Associated Press (AP).

    During this visit, Biden will meet Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in KSA, Israeli Prime Minister (PM) Naftali Bennett in Jerusalem and Palestinian Authority leaders, including Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank.

    Announcing the Middle East trip, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, “King Salman invited Biden to visit the kingdom during a gathering in the port city of Jeddah of the six Gulf Cooperation Council nations.”

    The Saudi Embassy has said that Biden’s visit is “to strengthen the historical bilateral relations and the distinguished strategic partnership between” the two countries.

    In a statement, the Saudi Embassy stated: “The kingdom of Saudi Arabia looks forward to welcoming President Biden and defining the next chapters of our partnership. At a time of global challenges related to the global economy, health, climate and international conflict, the partnership between our two countries are as critical as ever to the promotion of peace, prosperity and stability around the world.”

    As a presidential candidate, Biden said the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi — a Saudi-born US resident who wrote critical articles about Saudi rulers in The Washington Post — had made KSA a “pariah.” When Biden took charge of the presidency, his administration made clear the president would avoid direct engagement with the crown prince and instead focus on his engagements with King Salman.

  • PIA will now charge private Hajj pilgrims in dollars

    PIA will now charge private Hajj pilgrims in dollars

    For the first time in its history, the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) would charge Hajj pilgrims flying on a private programme in US dollars.

    Airfares for pilgrims from the Southern and Northern regions are expected to stay in the $810 to $1,100 and $860 to $1,150 ranges, respectively.

    As tickets are also purchased abroad, the airline stated that fares in dollars would minimise the disparity. The PIA, on the other hand, would charge a fixed fee of Rs181,000 for return tickets for pilgrims travelling under the government scheme.

    During the Hajj season, the airline expects to transport roughly 14,000 government-sponsored pilgrims and around 16,000 private pilgrims. Pakistan has an 81,000 pilgrim quota, with the government typically taking 60 per cent of the quota and allocating the rest to private operators.

    According to sources, the government has received few applications this year and would only accept 37,000 pilgrims through the official plan, with the remainder of the quota going to private operators.

    Flights from Pakistan to Madinah and Jeddah for the Hajj were originally scheduled to run from May 31 to July 3. The Hajj has been postponed for a week because the government has yet to announce its Hajj strategy. From July 14 to August 13, the post-Hajj surgery would take place.

    The strength of people who go through government programmes or commercial operators is determined by the government’s Hajj strategy. It also establishes pilgrim quotas for airlines and private Hajj operators from each city.

  • ‘Pakistan is likely to receive $1 billion from Saudi Arabia’: PM Shehbaz

    ‘Pakistan is likely to receive $1 billion from Saudi Arabia’: PM Shehbaz

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif on Friday said that Pakistan is likely to receive an investment worth $1 billion from Saudi Arabia.

    During his speech, the PM asked businessmen to speak about their problems and said: “We need to analyse the economic situation with patience.”

    The premier then requested the business community to provide solutions as the local currency has lately been fluctuating significantly against the United States (US) dollar. “I am not here for political point-scoring,” PM Shehbaz clarified.

    “When I took the oath on April 11, the rate of United States (US) dollar against the Pakistani currently was 189,” said Shehbaz.

    “The Rs. 60-65 increase in the rupee value against the greenback wasn’t the coalition government’s fault,” Shehbaz said, adding that when the former government speculated that they would be ousted, they reduced the petroleum prices despite a price hike in the international market, thus going against the conditions of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

    “During the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) tenure loans worth Rs22,000 billion were taken which shows an 80 per cent increase from 2018,” he said, adding that “powerful echelons” in the country supported their “favourite” person.

    Shedding light on his decision regarding the ban imposed on the import of luxury and non-essential items, PM Shehbaz said that while he banned the import of certain items for some time, he did not increase the duties because the “elite class would have still purchased imported items after paying duties.”

    The premier said: “Pakistan cannot afford to purchase gas worth $20 billion; we have to slowly and gradually move towards solar and wind energy.”

    “If green energy comes to Pakistan, we will save Pakistan’s funds,” said PM Shehbaz.

    The premier arrived in Karachi earlier today on a day-long visit.

  • ‘Wasn’t the right time to go for Umrah’: Imran Khan

    ‘Wasn’t the right time to go for Umrah’: Imran Khan

    Addressing a gathering of party leaders in Islamabad, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan said it was not the right time to go for Umrah.

    Khan while apparently taking a jibe at Shehbaz Sharif, also calls out his own party members for going on Umrah in the month of Ramzan, Khan said, “It was not the right time to go to Madina. Your every hour counts.”

    Khan questioned, “I am here, Don’t I want to go?”

    https://twitter.com/zafru1313/status/1523756087488311297?s=20&t=tAeicB_eEm8GzZNOA1Kc2w

    On a separate occasion, the former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan said, “You will be answerable to Allah on the Day of Judgment. He will ask you did you support justice? Did you fight against oppression? Did you jihad against injustices? Did you protest against the imported government?”

    “You can’t say that you are neutral. He [Allah] has not allowed you that,” he stated while adding that only animals can be neutral.

  • ‘Rana, rethink decision’, PPP tells govt not to lodge case on Masjid-e-Nabwi incident

    ‘Rana, rethink decision’, PPP tells govt not to lodge case on Masjid-e-Nabwi incident

    Federal Minister for Water Resources Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah has said that cases against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) should not have been lodged in Pakistan.

    According to Shah, action should only be taken against the people who took the law into their hands in Pakistan. He added that if somebody had shown disrespect to the sacred place, only Allah and His Prophet (PBUH) would punish him for that.

    Shah further said that Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah should rethink the issue seriously. However, the interior minister defended the registration of cases against PTI leaders.

    In a tweet, Sanaullah said that there was no justification to not register a case against those who violate the sanctity of Roza-e-Rasool.

    Pilgrims were instigated under a plan, the minister said, adding that some of the people had travelled to Saudi Arabia from Britain. “There can be no forgiveness for what these people have done,” he said.

    Talking about the ongoing protest led by PTI Chairperson Imran Khan, Shah said that we will never object to Khan’s democratic right to protest.

    “Whoever wishes to bring millions of people in long march should not be barred and protesters should not be arrested for taking part in a peaceful protest. The government should be careful while issuing statements about PTI’s long march. It should take decisions with consensus as we are their partners in the coalition government,” added Shah.

    Last week, Faisalabad police registered a case under ‘blasphemy laws’ against the PTI chairman and over 150 others following the Masjid-e-Nabwi incident.

    Top leaders of the PTI and Imran’s close associates, including Fawad Chaudhry, Shahbaz Gill, Qasim Suri, Sahibzada Jahangir, Aneel Musarrat as well as Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed and his nephew Sheikh Rasheed Shafiq were nominated.

  • ‘Can’t show their face in public places’: Imran Khan breaks silence over Masjid-e-Nabwi incident

    ‘Can’t show their face in public places’: Imran Khan breaks silence over Masjid-e-Nabwi incident

    Former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan termed the incident of hooliganism in Masjid-e-Nabwi a public reaction, saying it was the “consequence” of their [rulers] own deeds.

    In an interview with Arshad Sharif on ARY programme ‘Power Play’, Imran Khan pointed out that the masses have never reacted in such a manner in the entire history of the country, which has been observed outside Masjid-e-Nabwi. “We are not asking people to come out and the public is taking to the streets on their own as they are in pain and anger. However, I can challenge they [the rulers] won’t be able to show their faces in any public place,” the PTI chairman claimed.

    This week, a group of Pakistani protesters violated the sanctity of Masjid-e-Nabwi in Madina by chanting ‘chor chor’ slogans against newly-elected PM Shehbaz Sharif and members of his delegation.

    Following the incident, several personalities condemned the incident.

    “Neither can I think of inciting people to hooliganism at Masjid-e-Nabwi, nor can a true lover of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) think of doing this,” he said.

    “The place I have in my heart for Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), I don’t need to prove it, and I have raised my voice around the world against islamophobia,” the PTI chairman said, adding, “I believe that Iman [faith] cannot be completed until you love Prophet (PBUH).” 

  • Nawaz free to fly back to Pakistan, name removed from ECL

    Nawaz free to fly back to Pakistan, name removed from ECL

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will go on his first foreign trip to Saudi Arabia on April 27. He will be accompanied by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz and Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman.

    PM Shehbaz will call upon Saudi Prince Muhammad Bin Salman. The Pakistani delegation will also perform Umrah during the trip, reports The News.

    Member National Assembly Mohsin Dawar was supposed to accompany PM Sharif on his trip to Saudi but will most likely miss the trip as his name is on the Exit Control List (ECL). For being in the ‘anti-state category’, the names of Mohsin Dawar and Ali Wazir were not removed from the ECL as per the new policy.

    The new government removed the names of PM Shehbaz Sharif, Punjab Chief Minister-elect Hamza Shehbaz, PML-N head Mian Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz from the Exit Control List (ECL) under a new policy, reported Azaz Syed for Geo News.

    Senior anchorperson Saleem Safi asked federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar why Dawar’s name has not been removed from the ECL when the Sharif family removed their own names. Tarar said that it is due to two categories of cases: one that deals with anti-terrorism, anti-state cases and narcotics while the other category is banking offences, misuse of authority, loans, etc. He added that now they will have to amend the Act and also take rules to the cabinet again.

    “I believe that when someone is an elected member of parliament and represents millions of people, there should be no travel ban for him/her. As a firm believer in human rights, I think this law is wrong and only should be applicable on extreme cases. But nobody should be placed on ECP indefinitely,” said Law Minister Azam Tarar.

    READ MORE: Maryam Nawaz moves court to get her passport back to travel

    Last week, Maryam Nawaz filed a plea before the Lahore High Court (LHC) to get her passport back in order to travel travel to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah in Ramzan. She also said that she wants to travel to London to visit her ailing father, Mian Nawaz Sharif.

    “I want to go to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah but cannot because my passport is surrendered at the LHC,” read Maryam’s plea.

  • Saudi Arabia to allow one million Hajj pilgrims for 2022

    Saudi Arabia to allow one million Hajj pilgrims for 2022

    Saudi Arabia has increased the Hajj pilgrimage limit in the country to one million compared to last year’s 60,000 domestic pilgrims.

    To combat the coronavirus pandemic, attendance at the Islamic event was drastically reduced in the past two years due to travel restrictions.

    As per the latest notice, Pilgrims must be under the age of 65 and have received COVID-19 vaccinations that have been approved by the Saudi health ministry.

    All pilgrims must present a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test report within three days (72 hours of departure time).

    The move intends to accommodate the greatest number of pilgrims to perform Hajj while retaining the Kingdom’s health improvements in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the ministry.

    Furthermore, the directives noted that the expansion will be based on the quotas decided for nations that will follow the Kingdom’s mandatory health recommendations.

    As per the official figures, 58,745 pilgrims performed Hajj in 2021. The number of Hajj pilgrims often surpassed the two million count before the Covid-19 outbreak.