Dubai, UAE--A study undertaken by Dubai Chamber of Commerce has revealed that Indian investors topped the list of nationalities of new non-UAE businesses joining the chamber last year. A total of 15,481 new Indian-owned companies became members in 2023, representing year-over-year (YoY) growth of 38 percent and underlining Dubai’s continuing...

He has spent more than 11 years in jail, a long time even by the standards of Pakistani politicians, with a wheeler-dealer's talent for bouncing back after scandals. Back in 2009, the New York Times said he had a knack for "artful dodging" -- "maneuvering himself out of the tight...

Tehran, Iran -- In a significant step towards enhancing energy cooperation between Pakistan and Iran, Islamabad has given the green signal for advancing much-delayed work on gas pipelines within its territory. This marked considerable progress in the Pak-Iran gas pipeline project, Mehr News Agency reported. The approval comes as Pakistan...

Tehran, Iran -  Pakistan has decided to link the gas pipeline from the country's Gwadar port city to the Iranian border as part of the Iran-Pakistan project. According to Pakistani media, the country will expedite the project, which faced significant delays, in two phases. Pakistan’s Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC)...

After weeks of negotiations, Khan's adversaries announced at a late-night press conference in the capital Islamabad that a power-sharing agreement had been reached. Under the deal, the PML-N and PPP will put forward former leader Sharif as prime minister and Asif Ali Zardari, the husband of assassinated former prime minister...

Islamabad, Pakistan - A senior bureaucrat said on Saturday he helped rig Pakistan's elections, a week after polls marred by allegations of manipulation returned no clear winner. Liaqat Ali Chattha, commissioner of the garrison city of Rawalpindi, where the country's powerful military has its headquarters, said he would hand himself over...

"The nation needs stable hands and a healing touch to move on from the politics of anarchy and polarization, which does not suit a progressive country of 250 million people," said General Syed Asim Munir, according to a statement from the military.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is expected to win the most seats in Thursday's vote, with analysts saying its 74-year-old founder Nawaz Sharif has won the blessing of the generals. Outside a polling station in Islamabad, 22-year-old psychology student Haleema Shafiq said she was determined to vote.

Since being ousted in 2022, Khan has been buried by court cases he claims have been triggered to prevent his return to office after a campaign of defiance against Pakistan's military kingmakers. The 71-year-old had accused the powerful military -- with whom he ruled in partnership for much of his...

Islamabad, Pakistan - Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan was sentenced on Tuesday to 10 years in prison, less than two weeks before the country votes in an election his party has been hamstrung from contesting. Pakistan goes to the polls next Thursday in an election already marred by allegations of...

Tehran carried out strikes against an anti-Iran group in Pakistan on January 16, the same week the nation's military targeted Iraq and Syria. Two days later, Pakistan responded in kind with a pre-dawn raid on "militant targets" in Iran's Sistan-Baluchistan province, one of the few mainly Sunni Muslim regions in...

Tehran, Iran - Gunmen in southeastern Iran near the Pakistan border killed nine foreign nationals on Saturday, Iranian media reported, more than a week after the neighbors exchanged deadly cross-border fire. "According to witnesses, this morning unknown armed men killed nine non-Iranians in a house in the Sirkan neighborhood of Saravan...

Davos, Switzerland - Pakistan and Dubai signed two agreements totaling over $3 billion on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos. The agreements will focus on collaboration in railways, economic zones, and infrastructure projects. One of the key agreements involves the establishment of a rail-based dedicated freight corridor...

"The Chinese side sincerely hopes that the two sides can exercise calm and restraint and avoid an escalation of tension," foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a regular press conference. "We are also willing to play a constructive role in de-escalating the situation if both sides so wish," she said.

Iran and Pakistan routinely blame each other for allowing militants to operate from the other's territory to launch attacks, but it is rare that official forces on either side engage. China, close partner of both countries, urged restraint, with foreign ministry spokeswoman saying both should "avoid actions that would lead...

The statement did not say where the strike took place, but various Pakistani social media accounts reported blasts in Balochistan province, where the two countries share a sparsely populated border of nearly 1,000 kilometres (620 miles).

Washington, United States - The IMF's executive board approved an immediate disbursement of around $700 million for Pakistan Thursday as part of a program to support the cash-strapped South Asian country through an economic crisis. The funds were unlocked after the International Monetary Fund board approved the first review of a...

New Year's Eve is usually marked in boisterous fashion in Pakistan, with fireworks and aerial gunfire -- as well as a bank holiday on January 1. Sharjah, an emirate of the United Arab Emirates, on Thursday banned New Year's Eve fireworks over the war in Gaza.

Abu Dhabi, UAE - The UAE and Pakistan recently sealed a significant deal, potentially injecting between $20 to $25 billion into Pakistan's struggling economy, according to media reports. The agreements, covering diverse sectors like energy, ports, food security, and finance, were signed after a meeting between caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul...

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Around 80% of consumers surveyed across 16 countries now view climate change as the world’s No. 1 challenge, a recent research conducted by GSMA Intelligence with support from Huawei, revealed. The countries include Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, South Africa, Argentina, Brazil, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Pakistan,...

Commercial traffic ground to a halt Tuesday when Pakistan began requiring the crew of commercial vehicles to have passports and visas to enter, and Afghanistan responded by refusing to allow any trucks to pass. Long-fraught relations between Kabul and Islamabad have worsened since October, when Pakistan announced plans to deport...

Moscow, Russia - Pakistan has filed an application to join the BRICS group of nations in 2024 and is counting on Russia’s assistance during the membership process, the country’s newly appointed Ambassador to Russia Muhammad Khalid Jamali has told Russian news agency TASS in an interview. When asked whether the...

Tashkent will host the Iranian and Turkish presidents, as well as Pakistani Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar and Central Asian leaders. The war between Israel and Hamas is not on the agenda, Uzbekistan said.

Global outcry mounts as thousands protest in the US, UK, France, and Germany, defying their governments' support for Israeli aggression and demanding ceasefire in Gaza.

In landmark developments, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have taken significant strides to enhance their bilateral relations, especially in the economic and technological arenas.

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA - The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Pakistan here on Sunday to expand bilateral cooperation in communications and information technology by accelerating digital transformation, promoting innovation and developing digital infrastructure. Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology Eng. Abdullah Alswaha...

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA - Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Mohamed AlBudaiwi said that preliminary free trade agreement (FTA) between the GCC and Pakistan will help strengthen trade relations and economic cooperation with countries and international blocs. The statement was made during the signing ceremony of the preliminary...

Sharjah, UAE -- The UAE-based technology firm AstraTech is seeking to expand across India, Pakistan, and Egypt in the near future as part of its global expansion strategy. “Last month, we acquired a banking company in the Philippines as part of our global expansion, and now we are looking at...

Islamabad, Pakistan - Pakistan's caretaker Prime Minister, Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, announced on Monday that Saudi Arabia plans to invest up to $25 billion in Pakistan over the next two to five years across various sectors. The investment is part of a concerted effort to boost foreign direct investment in the South...

Military helicopters and zipline experts rescued four children from a group of eight people trapped for hours in a stricken cable car high above a remote Pakistan valley. The daring rescue began with a helicopter plucking two children to safety as daylight faded, but the chopper was forced back to...

Kakar's first task will be to choose a cabinet to run the country as it heads into an election period that could last for months. Parliament was officially dissolved last week, with elections due within 90 days according to the constitution.

"The economies of Iran and Pakistan are inherently complementary. For example, Pakistan can be a supplier of Iran's needs in the agricultural sector, and Iran can cover Pakistan's need for energy. The total bilateral trade between Iran and Pakistan has been going up in recent years and reached more than...

ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN - Five Pakistani state-owned companies are set to collaborate with Saudi Arabia’s Aramco to execute a $10 billion refinery project here. Aramco will inject the initial 30% equity into the project while Pakistan State Oil (PSO), Pak Arab Refinery (Parco), Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL), Pakistan...

The deposit comes a day after Saudi Arabia transferred $2 billion to Islamabad and brings the state's foreign reserves to $7.5 billion -- more than double last week's account balance. The economy has been stricken by a balance-of-payments crisis as it attempts to service crippling external debt, while months of...

The economy has been stricken by a balance-of-payments crisis as it attempts to service crippling external debt, while months of political chaos have scared off foreign investment. Inflation has rocketed, the rupee has reached a record low against the dollar, and the country is struggling to afford imports, causing a...

A Quran was burnt outside the Swedish capital's main mosque on Wednesday, triggering a diplomatic backlash across the Muslim world. Salwan Momika, 37, who fled from Iraq to Sweden several years ago, stomped on the Muslim holy book and set several pages alight as Muslims around the world began marking...

Pakistan's negotiations with the IMF for the last tranche of a $6.5 billion bailout package agreed in 2019 stalled in November, with the government making last-minute changes to the national budget to meet the deal's requirements. That package expires on Friday, and the new agreement builds on the IMF's efforts...

ABU DHABI, UAE/ KARACHI, PAKISTAN -  AD Ports Group announced on Thursday the signing of a concession agreement with Karachi Port Trust (KPT), the Pakistani federal government agency that oversees the operations of Karachi port. Under the terms of the 50-year concession agreement, a Joint Venture between AD Ports Group,...

Dubai, UAE - Pakistan has taken steps to finalize a deal with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the handover of the Karachi port terminals, potentially marking the first inter-governmental transaction under a law implemented last year to raise emergency funds.  The decision was made during a meeting chaired by...

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND - The world's nuclear powers, and China in particular, increased investment in their arsenals for a third consecutive year in 2022 amid swelling geopolitical tensions, two reports showed Monday. The world's nine nuclear-armed states jointly spent $82.9 billion on their arsenals last year, with the United States accounting for...

Since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine last year, economic sanctions have seen a significant cut in its oil and gas exports to the EU and US. However Pakistan, in the midst of an economic downturn worsening a long-running energy shortage, in May confirmed it had struck a deal with Moscow...

Five Iranian border guards were killed during clashes with an armed group in the restive southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan, state media reported. Earlier, the judiciary's Mizan Online website had quoted local prosecutor Mehdi Shamsabadi as saying that six border guards were killed but later the number was revised down to...

Islamabad, Pakistan -- Since being ousted from office by a vote of no confidence last year, former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan has vowed he will captain the country a second time. But on Tuesday, the one-time international cricket star was arrested as he appeared at Islamabad High Court to face...

Muscat, Oman -- Pakistan and Oman have agreed to boost air travel between the two countries' airports, reports said. The agreement came after a series of meetings in the Pakistani capital held by officials from both nations. An Omani delegation, led by Naif Ali Al Abri, Chairman of the Civil...

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said the UAE had promised a billion dollars to prop up Pakistan's forex reserves -- which at their current level of $4.04 billion can barely pay for four weeks of imports. China on Friday released $300 million to Pakistan -- the last tranche of a $1.3...

Dubai, UAE -- The Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) has signed a US$240 million loan agreement to support Pakistan's Mohmand Multipurpose Dam Project, an 800MW hydropower complex that will contribute to Pakistan’s energy security, increase sustainable water supply for agriculture and human consumption and improve resilience to floods. The agreement...

ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN - The American Jewish Congress celebrated the arrival of the first shipment of food products from Pakistan to Israel, marking a milestone in bilateral trade between the two nations, media reports said. The transaction reportedly involved Pakistani-Jewish businessman Fishel BenKhald and three Israeli entrepreneurs. Based in Karachi, BenKhald...

Islamabad, Pakistan – The Muslim World League (MWL) launched a program for distributing Ramadan food baskets in Pakistan as part of its humanitarian efforts and to complement the role Saudi relief institutions play around the world.  The Muslim World League is an International Islamic NGO based in Makkah that promotes...

The UAE accounts for over 40% of Pakistan's trade with Arab countries, with non-oil exports from the UAE to Pakistan valued at nearly AED 4.8 billion ($1.3 billion) in 2022.

The crossing was closed last Sunday by Afghan authorities, who objected to what they said were new documentation rules restricting people assisting medical patients from entering Pakistan. It was the first time the Torkham boundary had been officially closed since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan 18 months ago.