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Saudi Crown Prince wins hearts in Pakistan

News Network
February 19, 2019

Feb 19: Dubai The historic two-day official visit of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman concluded with a strong message about the ‘bright future of Pakistan.

“Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman won the hearts of the people of Pakistan when he said “consider me Pakistan’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia” in response to my asking him to treat the 2.5 mn Pakistani’s working in KSA as his own,” Prime Minister Imran Khan summed up his feelings in his tweet.

Crown Prince Mohammad was seen off on Monday by Premier Imran and Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa at the Nur Khan Airbase. But before leaving, they held a candid but important press conference.

Imran thanked the Crown Prince for his visit hoping that he would stay longer next time “so I can show you the beauty of Pakistan and the northern areas.” He also thanked Prince Mohammad for his announcement of releasing more than 2,000 Pakistani prisoners from Saudi jails with immediate effect. “I want to thank you on behalf of the people of Pakistan” for announcing the release of Pakistani prisoners,” he said. He also thanked the crown prince for the agreements worth $20 billion that were signed on the first day of his visit in Islamabad.

We believe in Pakistan’s future and that it has a huge opportunity. In 2030, Pakistan will be next to two huge economies.

- Mohammad Bin Salman

“I woke up this morning and when I looked at my mobile phone, I realised ─ after your statement last night saying that you would be Pakistan’s ambassador in Saudi Arabia ─ that if you stand in elections here, you would get more votes than me,” Imran said on a lighter note, addressing the Crown Prince who was standing at a podium to his right. “You are extremely popular,” he added.

Crown Prince Mohammad told the press conference: “We believe in Pakistan’s future and that it has a huge opportunity. In 2030, Pakistan will be next to two huge economies. One, China will be the largest economy in 2030, and two, India will be the third-largest economy so Pakistan will definitely benefit from these neighbours,” he said.

Huge Potential

“We saw the Pakistani economy grow by 5 per cent in 2018 so we believe that Pakistan has huge potential, it could be one of top 20 economies in the future,” he reiterated.

“If the efforts of the leadership, the people of Pakistan, and their allies come together, definitely it can reach that one day,” he added.

Saudi Arabia has always been a 'friend in need' to Pakistan. For Pakistanis, this is a great day.

- Imran Khan

“So because of that, we believe in Pakistan and we want to be part of that journey and we want to risk our money, risk our efforts, to start from day one,” he explained.

“What we did today, it’s the beginning and we hope in the close future we do more and more partnering with Pakistan,” he said.

Pakistan is a very important country

After receiving a very warm welcome upon his arrival in Islamabad on Sunday, Crown Prince Mohammad engaged in various activities lined up for the day.

Speaking at the official reception at the Prime Minister’s House in Islamabad, Prince Mohammad said Pakistan will be a very, very important country in the future and that his country had been waiting for a leadership like that of Prime Minister Imran Khan to partner with Islamabad in various areas.

“Whatever we did was the beginning and I hope in the near future we do more,” he said.

That was evident in Saudi Arabia’s announcement of a whopping $20 billion investment to help Pakistan tide over its economic problems.

The credit for that change goes to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, who unlike his predecessors, sought investment instead of charity. The Saudi investment is not a charity as it will benefit both the countries.

The investment will be mainly in minerals, tourism, petrochemicals, agriculture, food processing and other key sectors.

The crown prince said Pakistan is a “dear country” to all Saudis and that the two countries “have walked together in tough and good times”.

Prime Minister Imran in his speech welcomed the Saudi crown prince and his delegation to the country, saying the Kingdom has always been a “friend in need” to Pakistan.

“For Pakistanis, this is a great day,” he said, adding that Saudi Arabia had always been there when Pakistan needed friends.

Imran said Pakistan and Saudi Arabia were now taking their relationship to a new level, where investment agreements would be mutually beneficial for the countries.

Khan told the Crown Prince that if it hadn’t been for security concerns, “you would have seen thousands and thousands of people on the streets welcoming you.”

Imran’s request

He requested the Crown Prince to allow Pakistani Haj pilgrims to complete immigration at the three major Pakistani airports before leaving for Saudi Arabia for their convenience.

Prime Minister Imran requested the Saudi authorities to look into the hardships of Pakistani labourers working in the Kingdom.

In response, the Crown Prince told Prime Minister Khan he could consider him the ambassador of Pakistan in Saudi Arabia.

“We cannot say no to Pakistan ... whatever we can do, we will deliver that,” he said.

Saudi Pakistan Supreme Council

Bilateral ties also received a significant boost with the launch of the Saudi-Pakistan Supreme Coordination Council. Chaired by Imran and Prince Mohammad, the council is a high-level institutional mechanism to fast-track decisions in critical aspects of cooperation, and to monitor its implementation in three key areas: political and security, economic, social and culture.

Seven MoUs signed

Seven Memoranda of Understanding were signed at a ceremony witnessed by Crown Prince Mohammad and Prime Minister Imran at the Prime Minister’s House,

The agreements signed include:

Technical cooperation programme between the Saudi Standards, Metrology And Quality Organisation (SASO) and Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA).

Cooperation agreement between Saudi and Pakistani governments in the field of sports.

Financing agreement for the import of Saudi goods between the Saudi Fund for Development and Pakistan.

Framework MoU regarding Saudi funds’ participation in the financing of power generation projects between the Saudi Fund for Development and Pakistan.

MoU between the governments of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan to explore investment opportunities in refining and petrochemical sectors.

MoU between the governments of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan in the field of mineral resource sector.

MoU between the government of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan on the development of renewable energy projects.

Prime Minister Khan also held a one-on-one meeting with the Saudi crown prince at PM House. It was followed by the inaugural session of the Saudi-Pak This is not charity

In response to the Saudi investment of $20 billion in different projects in Pakistan, , Saudi State Minister for Foreign Affairs Adel Al Jubeir said on Monday: “This is not charity, but investment for the benefit of the two countries.”

“We are developing a roadmap with set targets ahead in areas including counter-terrorism, economy, people-to-people contacts and culture to further deepen our relations,” the Saudi Minister said in a joint press conference with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.

Working Groups

Foreign Minister Qureshi said 10 joint working groups had been formed under the Saudi-Pak Supreme Coordination Council, which would meet every three months. He said the Council would coordinate in areas including security, defence, intelligence sharing and energy and the leadership would oversee the implementation of projects.

What analysts say

Senior officials and analysts praised the visit. They said it presents a “historic opportunity” to expand collaboration in all sectors.

Dr. Huma Baqai, expert on International Relations, said the high-profile visit is manifestation of the strength of the relationship and it would go a long way in building strategic and economic relations that have been the hallmark of two brotherly countries.

Economist Mirza Ikhtiar Baig said Pakistan is facing several economic challenges and Saudi investment in development projects in the country would send across a positive message to the world about Pakistan.

Saudi Arabia was investing in long-term projects, which showed that Middle East countries have sighted Pakistan to be a developed country in the near future, he said.

The economist said the main focus of Pakistan is to strengthen trade, agriculture, tourism and other relations with Saudi Arabia. Riyadh is interested to establish an oil refinery in Gwadar.

Former Foreign Secretary Najam-ud-Din Sheikh said the Saudi relationship with Pakistan is considered to be exemplary and exceptional. He said Pakistan supported Saudi’s role and provided all out assistance to the Kingdom at political, military and diplomatic levels. Former Ambassador Fauzia Nasreen also praised the visit. She said heavy investment in development projects would be a message to the world that Pakistan is a haven for foreign investors.

Prisoner release

Prince Mohammad Bin Salman ordered the immediate release of 2107 Pakistani prisoners from jails in Saudi Arabia. Pakistan Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain said Crown Prince Salman ordered the release of prisoners following a request from Prime Minister Imran Khan. He said cases of other Pakistani prisoners would also be reviewed.

The minister tweeted: “As a sequel to Prime Minister of Pakistan request, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Mohammad Bin Salman has ordered the immediate release of 2107 Pakistani prisoners from Saudi jails. Saudi Crown Prince arrived in Islamabad on a two-day official visit on Sunday.

Oil refinery

The biggest Saudi investment will be to set up an oil refinery in port city Gwadar. The oil refinery and petrochemical complex with an investment of around $11 billion would open new energy vistas in Pakistan. The Minister for Petroleum Ghulam Sarwar Khan signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with his Saudi counterpart to set up a $10 billion oil refinery, $ 1 billion petrochemical complex, installation of two Re-gassified Liquefied Petroleum Gas (RLNG) plants at an estimated cost of $4 billion and $2 billion investment in mineral development sector, an official source told APP.

“The petrochemical complex and refinery will help bring down the country’s oil import bill by $ 1.2 billion annually,” he said, adding Pakistan’s annual oil consumption was around 26 million tons (MT), out of which 13.5 MT was met through local production of eight existing oil refineries. “Around 50 per cent crude oil is imported to meet energy needs.”

Highest Civil Award for Crown Prince

President Dr Arif Alvi conferred the Pakistan’s highest civil award “Nishan-e-Pakistan” on Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman during a ceremony at the Aiwan-e-Sad in Islamabad.

The ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Imran Khan, federal ministers, three Services Chiefs, Chairman Joint Chiefs of the Staff Committee, members of the Saudi delegation and senior civil and military officials.

The country’s highest civil award was conferred on the Saudi Crown Prince in recognition of his efforts and contributions towards enhancing bilateral brotherly and traditional ties between the two countries.

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Agencies
February 4,2020

The Seattle City Council, one of the most powerful city councils in the U.S., on Monday unanimously passed a resolution condemning India’s recently-enacted Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

Reaffirming Seattle as a welcoming city and expressing solidarity with the city’s South Asian community regardless of religion and caste, the resolution “resolves that the Seattle City Council opposes the National Register of Citizens and the Citizenship Amendment Act in India, and finds these policies to be discriminatory to Muslims, oppressed castes, women, indigenous, and LGBT people“.

Introduced by Indian American City Council member Kshama Sawant, the resolution urges the Parliament of India to uphold the Indian Constitution by repealing the CAA, and to stop the National Register of Citizens, and take steps towards helping refugees by ratifying various UN treaties on refugees.

“Seattle City’s decision to condemn CAA should be a message to all who wish to undermine pluralism and religious freedom. They cannot peddle in hate and bigotry, and expect to have international acceptability at the same time,” said Ahsan Khan, president of Indian American Muslim Council.

Thenmozhi Soundararajan of Equality Labs, which organised the community in support of the resolution, welcomed its passage. “We are proud of the Seattle City Council for standing on the right side of history today. Seattle is leading the moral consensus in the global outcry against the CAA, she said.

Soundararajan said that thousands of organizers across the country have called, e-mailed, and visited Seattle City Council members to amplify this resolution, and it sets an example to cities across the United States.

“At a time when members of the Indian ruling party sided Trump, the Muslim ban, and his war on immigrants as justification for targeting hundreds of millions of Indian minorities, Americans have a unique responsibility to stand up and speak about this human rights crisis. We are glad that Seattle is leading the way on this,” she said.

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News Network
June 27,2020

LGeneva, Jun 27:: The number of confirmed coronavirus cases worldwide has risen by over 177,000 in the past 24 hours to 9.4 million and the death toll has topped 480,000, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Friday (local time).

On Thursday, the WHO reported 167,056 new cases and 5,336 related deaths.

The fresh daily situation report estimates the number of infections confirmed in the past 24 hours at 177,012. Further, 5,116 virus-related deaths were reported over the same period, taking the toll to 484,249.

The Americas lead the count with over 4.7 million cases, followed by Europe with more than 2.6 million.

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News Network
June 20,2020

Sao Paulo, June 20: Brazil’s government confirmed on Friday that the country has risen above 1 million confirmed coronavirus cases, second only to the United States.

The country’s health ministry said that the total now stood at 10,32,913, up more than 50,000 from Thursday. The ministry said the sharp increase was due to corrections of previous days’ underreported numbers.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro still downplays the risks of the virus after nearly 50,000 deaths from COVID-19 in three months, saying the impact of social isolation measures on the economy could be worse than the disease itself.

Specialists believe the actual number of cases in Brazil could be up to seven times higher than the official statistic. Johns Hopkins University says Brazil is performing an average of 14 tests per 1,00,000 people each day, and health experts say that number is up to 20 times less than needed to track the virus.

Official data show a downward trend of the virus in Brazil’s north, including the hard-hit region of the Amazon, a plateau in cases and deaths in the countries’ biggest cities near the Atlantic coast, but a rising curve in the south.

In the Brazilian countryside, which is much less prepared to handle a crisis, the pandemic is clearly growing. Many smaller cities have weaker health care systems and basic sanitation that’s insufficient to prevent contagion.

“There is a lot of regional inequality in our public health system and a shortage of professionals in the interior,” said Miguel Lago, executive director of Brazil’s Institute for Health Policy Studies, which advises public health officials.

That creates many health care deserts, with people going long distances to get attention. When they leave the hospital, the virus can go with them.

The cattle-producing state of Mato Grosso was barely touched by the virus when it hit the nation’s biggest cities in March. Sitting far from the coast, between the Bolivian border and Brazil’s capital of Brasilia, its 33 lakh residents led a mostly normal life until May. But now its people live under lockdown and meat producers have dozens of infected workers.

In Tangará da Serra, a city of 1,03,000 people in Mato Grosso, the mayor decided Friday to forbid the sale of alcoholic drinks for two weeks as an incentive for people to stay home.

Fᢩo Junqueira said the measure was needed after a spike in COVID-19 cases that filled 80% of the city’s 54 intensive care beds. The city has had nearly 300 cases of the disease, plus three fatalities.

In Rondonópolis, only 300 miles away from Tangará da Serra and home to a thriving economy, health authorities closed the local meatpacking industry after 92 cases were confirmed there. The city of 1,44,000 inhabitants counted 21 deaths from the virus and more than 600 cases. The mayor has also decided to limit sales of alcoholic beverages.

Even regions once considered examples of successful efforts against the virus are now struggling.

Porto Alegre, home to about 14 lakh people, had success in slowing the virus’ spread over the last three months. But now its mayor is considering increasing social isolation measures after ICU occupancy in the city jumped to 80% this month.

We were already making projections for schools to come back, Mayor Nelson Marchezan Jr. told The Associated Press. Now the trend is to impose more restrictions. Outside Sao Paulo city, five regions of the state’s countryside will have to close shops starting Monday due to a rise in coronavirus cases. Governor João Doria announced the decision Friday.

Dr. Mike Ryan, the World Health Organization’s executive director, said at a news conference that Brazil needs to increase its efforts to stop the spread of infections.

“The epidemic is still quite severe in Brazil. I believe health workers are working extremely hard and under pressure to be able to deal with the number of cases that they see on a daily basis,” Dr. Ryan said.

“Certainly the rise is not as exponential as it was previously, so there are some signs that the situation is stabilising. But we’ve seen this before in other epidemics in other countries.”

Margareth Dalcolmo, a clinical researcher and professor of respiratory medicine at the state-funded Oswaldo Cruz Foundation in Rio de Janeiro, believes the reopening in major cities and the virus traveling by road into Brazil’s heartland will keep the pressure on the country’s health system.

“The risk in the interior now is very big,” she said. “Our health system just can’t solve the most serious cases of COVID in many places of the countryside.”

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