ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday promised his government at the center and provincial authorities in Pakistan would facilitate Sikh pilgrims visiting the country to mark the Baisakhi festival.
More than 3,000 Sikh pilgrims arrived in Pakistan from India on Saturday to celebrate the Baisakhi harvest festival. Sikhs are a small minority based in the Punjab region divided between Muslim-majority Pakistan and Hindu-majority India, but several Sikh holy sites ended up being in Pakistan after the partition of the Subcontinent in 1947.
Baisakhi, the spring harvest festival primarily celebrated in Punjab and northern India, marks the beginning of the Sikh new year and symbolizes spiritual rejuvenation, with celebrations centered around Gurdwara Panja Sahib in the Pakistani city of Hasan Abdal, some 45 kilometers northwest of Islamabad.
“The government of Pakistan and all provincial governments are ensuring that Sikh pilgrims from all over the world who are visiting Pakistan’s religious sites to perform Baisakhi rituals, are provided all facilities,” Sharif said in a message shared by his office on X.
The Pakistani prime minister said Baisakhi is a festival of love, affection and happiness, adding that Pakistan is a blend of different faiths and cultures.
“On the occasion of Baisakhi, I want to send you all a message of peace and love,” Sharif said. “Let’s play our role in creating a peaceful world together.”
The shrine in Hasan Abdal is one of Sikhism’s holiest sites and it is believed that the handprint of the founder of the religion, Guru Nanak, is imprinted on a boulder there.
Baisakhi is also meant to mark the day when Gobind Singh, the 10th and final guru of Sikhism, established the discipline of Khalsa, through which the faithful can aspire to the ultimate state of purity.
During their stay in Pakistan, Sikh pilgrims will visit their religious places in Hasan Abdal, Nankana Sahib, Narowal, Eminabad and Badami Bagh in Lahore, according to Pakistani state media.
ISLAMABAD: Oman has expressed interest in expanding collaboration with the Pakistan Air Force and exploring Pakistan’s indigenous defense production capabilities, according to a statement by the military media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), on Friday.
The announcement follows Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu’s visit to the Arab country, where he engaged in discussions with civil and military leaders. The air chief was received with full military honors, underscoring the importance of the visit in enhancing bilateral relations.
Sidhu highlighted that both countries had consistently supported each other in challenging times, and the Pakistan Air Force was committed to providing training and support for the Royal Air Force of Oman, from basic to tactical-level training.
“During the meetings, the leadership of the Sultanate of Oman showed keen interest in the National Aerospace Science & Technology Park and expressed a strong desire for enhanced industrial and technological collaboration,” the statement said, referring to a high-tech facility established by Pakistan to promote indigenous defense production, aerospace research and technological innovation.
“The leadership of the Sultanate of Oman expressed a deep desire to expand the existing Air Force-to-Air Force collaboration, underscoring the importance of joint bilateral and multilateral aerial exercises, exchange visits and knowledge-sharing platforms,” it added.
Pakistan and Oman have a history of defense cooperation, including joint military exercises and defense procurement. In October 2020, both nations signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to strengthen military ties through knowledge exchange and expertise-sharing.
Diplomatically, the two countries share close relations based on mutual cooperation and cultural ties. Oman has an embassy in Islamabad and a Consulate-General in Karachi, while Pakistan maintains an embassy in Muscat.
The ISPR statement informed the Omani officials acknowledged the participation of a Royal Air Force of Oman contingent as observers in Exercise Indus Shield-2024, expressing appreciation for the multi-domain airpower strategies demonstrated, particularly the integration of disruptive technologies in space, cyber and electronic warfare.
Pakistan’s LNG deal with Qatar open to renegotiation next year
Country’s petroleum minister previously described the deal as ‘costly,’ expressing interest in revisiting it
He says no renegotiation decision has been made, though Pakistan has a whole year to figure out options
Updated 52 min 5 sec ago
Reuters
KARACHI: Pakistan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) pact with Qatar allows for either party to initiate renegotiation talks next year but no decision has been taken on whether to do this, Pakistan's petroleum minister told Reuters on Friday.
Musadik Malik was clarifying comments made to a parliamentary committee on energy, as reported in local newspaper The News, which had quoted him as saying: “The Qatar agreement is costly, and we will negotiate better terms next year.”
Malik told Reuters he had been laying out details of the various contracts Pakistan has for LNG. “One provision was price renegotiation could take place at the 10th year of the Qatar LNG deal,” he said, adding that Pakistan has a whole year to “figure out its options.”
Pakistan’s biggest LNG agreement was signed in 2016 between Pakistan State Oil and Qatar's Qatargas-2, the world’s largest producer, for up to 3.75 million tons of LNG a year for 15 years, although a cancellation option can shorten the deal to 11 years if the parties fail to agree a new price.
An economic crisis has slashed power use in Pakistan, which gets more than a third of its electricity from natural gas, saddling it with excess capacity it still needs to pay for under decade-old contracts with independent power producers.
Citing a surplus of LNG, Malik said in December that Pakistan had deferred five contracted cargoes under the Qatar deal for a year and would now receive them in 2026 instead of 2025, with no financial penalty.
He added that Pakistan was also negotiating to defer five more cargoes from other unnamed sellers.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s main lawyer was arrested outside the high-security Adiala Jail on Friday, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party said, after he arrived there to visit the ex-premier along with the legal team.
Khan, who was ousted from power in a parliamentary no-confidence vote in April 2022, has been in prison since his arrest in August 2023 in a graft case.
He has faced a slew of charges, which he calls politically motivated, and has been acquitted in some cases. However, last month he was found guilty in a corruption reference involving £190 million and sentenced to 14 years in prison.
His lawyer’s arrest comes as PTI prepares to observe February 8 as “Black Day,” marking the first anniversary of Pakistan’s last general election, whose results the party has disputed.
“Former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s lawyer, Advocate Faisal Chaudhry, has been arrested outside Adiala Jail,” PTI announced in a post on social media platform X. “He, along with other lawyers, had gone to get Imran Khan’s power of attorney signed. He was taken away by a heavy contingent of forces.”
The party condemned the arrest and demanded Chaudhry’s immediate release.
While there has been no official government statement on the development, local media widely reported the incident, with a leading channel quoting police sources as saying the arrest was linked to a verbal altercation with a jail officer a day earlier.
“They [the police] arrested the lawyer for using derogatory language against jail officer Imran Riaz a day ago,” Geo TV reported, citing police sources.
The exchange reportedly took place on Thursday after Chaudhry was denied permission to meet Khan.
However, Chaudhry told the media his only fault was relaying the former prime minister’s conversations to the public after their previous meetings.
KARACHI: Pakistan’s AMAN-25 multinational naval exercise kicked off on Friday with a flag-hoisting ceremony in Karachi, where the Pakistan Navy’s fleet commander lauded the participation of 60 nations as a testament to the world community’s desire for peace.
The Pakistan Navy has conducted the AMAN maritime exercise every two years since 2007 under the theme “Together For Peace,” involving ships, aircraft and special operations forces.
This year’s special feature is the inaugural AMAN Dialogue, themed “Secure Seas, Prosperous Future,” with a focus on security challenges in the Indian Ocean. These include strategic competition, piracy, narco-trafficking, non-state actors, resource exploitation, climate change, emerging technologies such as AI and unmanned systems, the blue economy and the need for global collaboration to ensure stability and prosperity.
“Today, we stand at a record, which is 60 countries participating in the exercise,” Rear Admiral Abdul Munib told Arab News after the inauguration. “That itself speaks to how the world community actually wants to get together for peace.”
Commander of Pakistan Fleet Rear Admiral Abdul Munib, along with naval commanding officers of participating countries, cut a cake during the opening ceremony of Pakistan Navy’s 9th Multinational Maritime Exercise AMAN-25, under the slogan “Together for Peace,” in Karachi on February 7, 2025. (REUTERS)
He added that since 2007, when the multinational exercise was launched for the first time, strategic leadership was not involved in AMAN, a gap that led Pakistan’s naval chief to propose the idea of a dialogue.
“This was his vision whereby he perceived the idea of the AMAN Dialogue, whereby we invited like-minded nations, and you would see that many countries are being represented by their heads of navies, coast guards, and defense services,” he added.
Naval commanding officers of participating countries salute as Pakistan Navy’s servicemen hoist the national flags during the opening ceremony of Pakistan Navy’s 9th Multinational Maritime Exercise AMAN-25, under the slogan “Together for Peace,” in Karachi on February 7, 2025. (REUTERS)
Earlier, he told a ceremony attended by naval officials from other countries that the dialogue aimed to promote a shared understanding of maritime security challenges and their linkage with the blue economy.
In a video message released by the Pakistan Navy, a Saudi official said that the Royal Saudi Navy was proud to participate in the exercises.
“The Royal Saudi Navy is proud to participate, reflecting our commitment to maritime security,” said Brig. (Staff) Bander Hamad S. Al-Hokubani, the Saudi military attaché in Islamabad. “We look forward to achieving its goals and strengthening ties with all participants.”
Pakistan Navy servicemen guard the area during the opening ceremony of Pakistan Navy’s 9th Multinational Maritime Exercise AMAN-25 under the slogan “Together for Peace,” in Karachi on February 7, 2025. (REUTERS)
The Saudi official added that the exercise was a key multinational effort to enhance maritime cooperation and address shared challenges.
According to the Pakistan Navy, the exercise will be conducted in two phases: a harbor phase from Feb. 7-9 and a sea phase, running from Feb. 10-11, which will include search-and-rescue operations, live weapon firings and an international fleet review.
Pakistani navy patrol during a flag hoisting ceremony of multinational naval exercise AMAN-25 in Karachi on February 7, 2025. (AFP)
Main activities during the exercise will include a maritime counterterrorism demonstration by the Special Service Group (SSG) and Pak Marines, tabletop discussions on professional topics, and ship visits.
“An International Fleet Review is scheduled for February 11, 2025, alongside sea exercises to address collaborative security threats, with special operations forces, explosive ordnance disposal teams and marine units participating in developing tactics, techniques and procedures for multinational responses to asymmetric threats,” the Pakistan Navy’s press statement added.
KARACHI: A tri-nation One Day International series between Pakistan, New Zealand and South Africa will take place from Feb. 8-14 at the newly renovated Lahore and Karachi stadiums, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced on Friday.
This series serves as preparation for the upcoming eight-nation International Cricket Council (ICC) Champions Trophy 2025, that Pakistan is hosting from Feb. 19 onwards. Pakistan has renovated its stadiums in Rawalpindi, Lahore and Karachi in anticipation of the Champions Trophy, an eight-team 50-overs tournament that will be the first global competition held in Pakistan in 28 years.
“Pakistan will take on New Zealand at the Qaddafi Stadium on Feb. 8,” the PCB said in a press release. “New Zealand will take on South Africa on Feb. 10 at the same venue in the day game.”
A third match will be played in Karachi where Pakistan will take on South Africa at the National Bank Stadium in a day and night match on Feb. 12.
“We are excited to be playing again in front of our home crowd and the newly constructed stadiums in Lahore and Karachi,” PCB quoted Pakistani skipper Mohammad Rizwan as saying.
“The preparations have gone well so far with the players looking to give their best in the tournament leading up to the ICC event.”
The PCB said New Zealand held their first training session at the Lahore City Cricket Association ground on Thursday evening.
“We had a good training session in Lahore under lights and can’t wait to take on the home side on Saturday,” PCB quoted New Zealand Captain Mitchell Santner as saying. “It is great to be back in Pakistan and the side had a good outing when we toured last time.”
It added that the South African team arrived in Lahore in the wee hours of Friday and would have their first training session on Feb. 8.
“It is a great opportunity for the side to warm up before the mega event,” PCB quoted South African skipper Temba Bavuma as saying. “We have a mixed squad and the tri-nation tournament will help us acclimatize to the conditions before we gear up for the ICC event.”
Feb. 8: Pakistan vs New Zealand (day and night)
Feb. 10: New Zealand vs South Africa (day)
Feb. 12: Pakistan vs South Africa (day and night)
Feb. 14: Final (day and night)
