In partnership with
Profit
PAKISTAN, UAE INK FIVE ACCORDS AS CROWN PRINCE VISIT DEEPENS BILETERAL TIES Friday, 28 February, 2025 I 29 Shaban ul Moazzam, 1446
g
AGREEMENTS SIGNED IN DIFFERENT FIELDS, INCLUDING BANKING, RAILWAYS, MINING AND INFRASTRUCTURAL INVESTMENT
M
ISLAMABAD
g
WITH SUPPORT OF ROYAL FAMILY, PAK-UAE TIES GROWING FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH: PM SHEHBAZ
SALEEM JADOON
ARKING Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s first official visit on Thursday, five accords were signed between Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates to boost bilateral cooperation in different fields. Pakistan and the UAE share close diplomatic, economic, and cultural ties as the latter is one of Pakistan’s largest trading partners in the Middle East and a major source of remittances, with a large Pakistani expatriate population living and working there. The documents were signed in different fields, including banking, railways, mining and infrastructural investment. The crown prince and the prime minister witnessed the ceremony as officials from both sides exchanged the pre-signed documents of agreements and Memorandums of Understanding for cooperation in various fields. Federal cabinet members, Chief of the Army Staff General Asim Munir and members of the UAE delegation were also present. “We held the most fruitful discussions and resolved to further strengthen our excellent bilateral ties, through enhanced trade, investment & energy cooperation. With the encouragement and support of the UAE’s royal family, Pakistan-UAE ties are growing from strength to strength!” PM Shehbaz said in a post on X. Both countries signed an agreement to promote bilateral cooperation in the field of banking. Secretary Finance Imdadullah Bosal and CEO & MD of IHC Syed Basar Shueb exchanged the documents. May be an image of 9 people, dais and text The two sides also signed another agreement to boost cooperation in the field of mining.
Rs 20.00 | Vol XV No 234 I 8 Pages I Islamabad Edition
Pakistan Railways CEO Amir Ali Baloch and CEO Etihad Rail Shadi Malik exchanged the documents for two MOUs for cooperation in the field of railways. May be an image of 10 people and dais
Similarly, Secretary Board of Investment Nadeem Chaudhary and CEO AD Ports Capt. Muhammad Juma Al Shamisi exchanged the documents for an MoU in the field of infrastructural investment.
PROFIT
Abu Dhabi’s crown prince while reaffirming Pakistan’s resolve to further strengthen the historic and fraternal bonds between Pakistan and the UAE. The one-on-one meeting between the two leaders was followed by the delegation level talks. Recalling his most productive meeting with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE in Abu Dhabi earlier this month, the premier said that it was a matter of huge satisfaction that the two countries were now working more closely than ever before, to transform their excellent political ties into a mutually beneficial economic partnership. PM Shehbaz said that during his recent visit to Uzbekistan, the project of
Guard of Honour Nur Khan Airbase Earlier upon his arrival at the Prime Minister House in Islamabad, the Abu Dhabi crown prince was presented with a guard of honour by a contingent of the armed forces, said a statement from the PM’s Office. The national anthems of both countries were played, while a cultural troupe representing all four provinces also performed on the occasion. The crown prince landed earlier on Thursday at Rawalpindi’s Nur Khan Airbase as he began his one-day official visit, which is focused on investment and economic cooperation. He was received by President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Deputy PM Ishaq Dar, and First Lady Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari. Other cabinet members, along with senior diplomatic and government officials, were present as well.
Abu Dhabi crown prince reaffirms UAE’s support for Pakistan’s economy APP
Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed has reiterated the UAE’s support for Pakistan’s economic development and prosperity as the two countries inked deals to boost bilateral ties. The statement came as the crown prince undertook a day-long visit to Pakistan on Thursday, during which he held a meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and discussed matters of bilateral interest. This was the first official visit of Sheikh Khalid to Pakistan in his capacity as crown prince. PM Shehbaz warmly welcomed
MQM-P announces to issue white paper against Sindh govt after Ramazan KARACHI
STAFF REPORT
Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Pakistan leader Farooq Sattar on Thursday announced plans to issue a “white paper against the Sindh government,” criticizing its governance and alleged corruption. Speaking at a press conference with other MQM leaders in Karachi, Sattar accused the Sindh government of 16 years of poor governance and exploitation of Karachi’s citizens. He revealed that the first installment of the white paper will be released soon, with the second installment set to follow after Ramadan. Sattar heavily criticized the governance in Sindh, particularly the issues related to employment practices. He accused the provincial government of favoring individuals with bogus domiciles over Karachi and Hyderabad residents in securing jobs. "People from rural Sindh are being given jobs in urban areas under fraudulent domiciles, which is completely unfair," he stated. He emphasized the need for a uniform law, calling on the Chief Minister of Sindh to ensure justice for the youth of Karachi and Hyderabad. The MQM leader also raised concerns about the treatment of retired civic body employees, highlighting the non-payment of dues. "The Sindh government is responsible for paying the dues of KMC employees since the 18th Amendment, but they have failed to do so, resulting in the economic hardship of retired employees," said Sattar.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 03
the Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan Railway Line was discussed, and Uzbekistan showed keen interest in the project. He further said that the project will benefit the ports of Gwadar and Abu Dhabi and would prove to be a game changer for the whole region. The PM lauded the UAE’s consistent and strong support for Pakistan in various fields, including at difficult times. He deeply appreciated the keen interest shown by the UAE in expanding its investment portfolio in Pakistan and remarked that the recent successful investment initiatives between various Pakistani entities and Abu Dhabi Ports were a shining example of this robust and ever-expanding cooperation.
Opposition alliance ‘braves’ hurdles to hold Islamabad grand moot ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
The opposition alliance Tehreek-i-Tahaffuz-i-Ayeen-iPakistan (TTAP) on Thursday managed to endure ‘hurdles and pressure’ for holding the final day of its grand conference in Islamabad. Earlier, the TTAP had complained about the ‘hurdles’ allegedly created by the state functionaries in securing a venue for the conference. The moot kicked off at Islamabad’s Legend Hotel yesterday, with the TTAP accusing the government of pressuring the hotel administration to revoke permission for the event’s second day. The opposition parties have gathered to discuss issues related to constitutional breaches, human rights violations, freedom of speech and political instability in the country. “We have begun our seminar inside the [hotel’s] lobby, everyone is delivering their speeches and the seminar is underway,” TTAP Information Secretary Shaista Khosa told the media. “We said [holding a gathering] is our right … we can go inside the lobby and sit there,” she said, wondering how a hall could be shut when it had already been booked for that period. “The [hotel] administration appears to be totally helpless. They are saying they do not have anything in their control,” the TTAP leader claimed. Khosa further alleged that there were some Frontier Constabulary personnel stationed outside the hotel and that “some media persons were told to return”. Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Omar Ayub, ex-premier and Awaam Pakistan President Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party’s (PkMAP’s) Mahmood Khan Achakzai, and Sunni Ittehad Council’s (SIC) Sahibzada Hamid Raza, among others, had reached the venue, Khosa said. Besides Ayub, Abbasi and Achakzai, leaders from various political parties attended today’s conference — including Awaam Pakistan leader and former finance minister Miftah Ismail, former PPP senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) leader Liaquat Baloch, as well as JUI-F’s MNA Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri and Senator Kamran Murtaza.
Coalition cabinet expands as new ministers, advisors sworn in
parties in the PM Shehbaz-led government. Those sworn in as federal ministers include: Hanif Abbasi, Moeen Watto, Mustafa Kamal, Sardar Yousuf, Aurangzeb Katchi, Rana Mubashir, Raza Hayat Hiraj, Tariq
Fazal Chaudhry, Ali Pervaiz Malik, Shaza Fatima, Junaid Anwar, and Khalid Magsi. Among the new ministers of state are: Talal Chaudhry, Barrister Aqeel Malik, Malik Rasheed, Kheal Das Kohistani, Abdul Rehman Kanju, Bilal Azhar Kayani, Mukhtar Bharath, Aun Chaudhry, and Wajiha Qamar. The newly appointed advisers include Pervez Khattak, Tauqir Shah, and Muhammad Ali. The families and close relatives of the newly appointed cabinet members also attended the swearing-in ceremony. However, three ministers were unable to take the oath due to traffic congestion in Islamabad. Imran Shah was set to be sworn in as federal minister, while Shezra Mansab and Armaghan Subhani were scheduled to take oath as ministers of state but failed to reach on time.
showed clear signs of vote manipulation, where votes were swapped. The EIU democracy index report has also disclosed that global democracy is in worse shape than at any point in the nearly two-decade history of the index According to the report, for the 16th con-
secutive year, Norway was named the most democratic country in the world, with a score of 9.81. New Zealand and Sweden followed. Parallel to this, Afghanistan has been the lowest-ranked country since 2021, scoring just 0.25 points. The biggest change came from Bangladesh, which dropped 25 places.
ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
The PML-N-led coalition government expanded its federal cabinet to 46 members with 27 new federal ministers, state ministers and advisors took oath at the Aiwan-eSadr on Thursday. President Asif Ali Zardari administered the oath to the new federal cabinet members at a prestigious ceremony held at the Aiwane-Sadr, wherein Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Senate Chairman Yusuf Raza Gilani were also in attendance. A total of 12 federal ministers, 9 ministers of state, and 3 advisers were inducted into the cabinet. The induction of 13 federal ministers, 11 state ministers, and three advisors to the federal cabinet saw the inclusion of the coalition
Pakistan slips six points in global democracy ranking ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
Pakistan’s democracy ranking dropped from 3.25 in 2023 to 2.84 in 2024 and put in the group of “top 10 worst performers” in democracy index released by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). The EIU report analysed global trends in democracy within 165 independent states and two territories, based on five areas: electoral process and pluralism, functioning of government, political participation, political culture, and civil liberties. The report categorised each country into four kinds of regimes: full democracy, flawed democracy, hybrid regime or authoritarian regime, based on its score. According to the study, an overall democratic decline was observed around the world, and Pakistan was ranked 124 in the global ranking with an overall score of 2.84, categorising it as an authoritarian regime.
According to the EIU report on global democracy rankings, Pakistan witnessed violence ahead of and on polling day, 8 February 2024. “The most popular politician, Imran Khan, whose own democratic credentials are questionable, was jailed shortly before the election took place,” the EIU stated. It is worth noting that the 2024 general election had the highest voter turnout in Pakistan’s history, according to the Free and Fair Election Network (Fafen). However, the events before and after the polling day raised questions over democratic rights and freedom in the country. Concerns were also raised regarding the reliability and trustworthiness of the general election by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP). HRCP’s election monitors observed prominent issues as they conducted on-site inspections in 51 constituencies. The polling day saw a nationwide internet shut-
down and suspension of mobile services along with unplanned alterations in polling information, jeopardising voters’ ability to locate polling stations. Additionally, the protracted delay in the announcement of election results by the returning officers also emerged as a problem. Furthermore, the post-polling process was labelled unsatisfactory. In a fifth of all polling stations observed by the HRCP, the presiding officer did not affix the statement of the count in a conspicuous place for public display or was not seen transmitting a photograph of the result to the returning officer and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). It was alleged in many instances that the returning officer’s announcement did not tally with the presiding officer’s count Worryingly, reports of candidates, polling agents, and observers being denied permission to witness the provisional consolidation of results also surfaced. Moreover, some polling stations also