ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) has signed an agreement with an Emirati consultancy firm, AT Kearney Middle East Limited, for the promotion of foreign investment in the country’s diverse sectors, Pakistani state media reported on Saturday.
Islamabad established the SIFC, a civil-military hybrid forum, in June last year to attract foreign direct investment in agriculture, mining, information technology, defense production and energy sectors.
A team of AT Kearney and Pakistan’s Public-Private Partnership Authority officials held a detailed meeting with the SIFC national coordinator to discuss the roadmap for collaboration, the Radio Pakistan broadcaster reported.
“The UAE company will provide expertise over a period of eighteen months focusing on a number of key areas to drive foreign investment,” the report read.
“The agreement includes strategies for attracting investment in key sectors and conducting pre-feasibility studies for selected projects.”
The development comes amid a push for foreign investment by Pakistan, which has been facing low foreign exchange reserves, currency devaluation and high inflation.
The South Asian country is making desperate attempts to boost foreign investment and has reached a $7 billion loan deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to support its $350 billion fragile economy.
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif inaugurated the newly renovated Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Friday ahead of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Champions Trophy 2025, expressing hope for the national team’s victory in the tournament.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has renovated major cricket venues in Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi for the first ICC event hosted in Pakistan since the 1996 World Cup.
The PCB said a day earlier that Gaddafi Stadium had been transformed into a world-class facility, now featuring over 34,000 seats, new digital scoreboards and state-of-the-art floodlights to ensure clear visibility for players and spectators during night matches.
National cricket team reveals Pakistan’s Champions Trophy jersey during the inauguration ceremony of renovated Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on February 7, 2025, ahead of ICC Champions Trophy 2025. (Photo courtesy: PCB/Handout)
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Sharif praised the national team for playing good cricket in recent months, saying Pakistani players had won “the hearts of the entire nation.”
“Championship Trophy is looking forward to your victory,” Sharif said, addressing the players present at the gathering. “We are all praying for you and will wait for the time when you will score a decisive victory against India.”
The prime minister specifically acknowledged star players, skipper Muhammad Rizwan, batting ace Babar Azam and leading pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi, saying the nation had tremendous expectations from them.
Fireworks underway as Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif inaugurates renovated Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on February 7, 2025, ahead of ICC Champions Trophy 2025. (Photo courtesy: PCB/Handout)
Sharif also congratulated PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi for overseeing the stadium’s transformation within just 117 days, adding the Punjab provincial administration would ensure foolproof security for the matches played at the venue.
He highlighted that Pakistan was hosting a major ICC event after 29 years and expressed his desire to watch the India-Pakistan match in Dubai, referencing the hybrid model of the tournament after India’s cricket board refused to play in Pakistan, citing “security concerns.”
Pakistani crowd attends the inauguration ceremony of renovated Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on February 7, 2025, ahead of ICC Champions Trophy 2025. (Photo courtesy: PCB/Handout)
The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 will be held from February 19 to March 9.
The stadium’s inauguration ceremony, attended by high-profile politicians and government officials, was followed by a fireworks display, light show and live music performances.
Pakistani artists perform during the inauguration ceremony of renovated Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on February 7, 2025, ahead of ICC Champions Trophy 2025. (Photo courtesy: PCB/Handout)
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 07 February 2025
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.
