Author: Fozhan Baig

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani authorities should learn from Saudi Arabia’s real estate development model to attract foreign investment in order to fulfil the country’s housing needs and boost its fragile economy, a top Pakistani estate developer said on Thursday, pointing to the South Asian nation’s $40 billion investment potential in the housing sector. Shafiq Akbar, chief executive officer of the Imarat Group, was one of the attendees at the Cityscape Global public-private partnership forum in Riyadh this week, where he presented different investment opportunities in Pakistan’s real estate sector to woo potential investors. Since 2016, Akbar’s group has launched 15 megaprojects in…

The fifth Annual Defence Dialogue, held in Dhaka over two days as part of Indian Defense Secretary Giridhar Aramane’s two-day visit to Bangladesh, reviewed current collaborative activities between the two nations, an official note said. Led by Aramane and Bangladeshi Lt. Gen. Waker-Uz-Zaman, principal staff officer of the Armed Forces Division, the meeting led to agreements such as increasing the complexity of joint exercises. Aramane and Waker-Uz-Zaman were pleased with the dialogue, which they agreed was fruitful. Both military officials expressed the possibility of strengthening the commitment based on the common understanding reached at the bilateral meeting. Source : Plenglish

New rules make it easier for Nepalis affected by human-wildlife conflict to receive compensation, in a move the government says is necessary but still insufficient to address the growing phenomenon. The guidelines came into effect July 17, the start of the new fiscal year in Nepal. Maheshwar Dhakal, director-general of the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, said the changes were made to meet the changing needs and to respect the federal structure of the country. They allow people to claim compensation and relief for damages caused by 16 types of animals, up from 14 in the previous guidelines.…

Seema Haider entered into India illegally along with her four children on May 13 to live with Sachin Meena, who stays in Rabupura area of Greater Noida. All documents recovered from Seema Haider, a Pakistani woman who managed to sneak into India illegally through Nepal in May to live with her Indian husband Sachin Meena, have reportedly been sent to the Pakistan embassy in New Delhi for verification of her identity. Seema entered into India illegally along with her four children on May 13. Seema claimed she had come to live with Meena, who stays in Rabupura area of Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh. On…

Pakistan intends to bolster its arms exports through a new government body meant to attract foreign direct investment and ease the manner of doing business, according to Federal Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal. A key aspect of this approach was to use a single body, instead of multiple organizations, in order to cut down red tape. Iqbal spoke Wednesday at a news conference in Pakistan about the the Special Investment Facilitation Council, or SIFC, which was formed in June to establish economic policies to “ensure policy predictability, continuity and effective implementation to revive the economy.” Alongside defense production, SIFC will also…

Chinese billionaire Jack Ma’s pit stop in Pakistan has created a stir. Ma reached Lahore after completing a short visit to Kathmandu. Ma was accompanied by a seven-member team of businessmen, from China, Denmark and the US. Two people India Narrative spoke to said that Ma could be looking at some “business opportunities” outside China. The visit to Nepal and Pakistan cannot be construed just as a vacation, sources said. There is a possibility that he may be looking at setting up “some kind” of businesses in these countries or even get into joint ventures. Pakistan, which is battling one…

HANOI, March 23 (Reuters) – A push by the United States to upgrade ties with Vietnam this year is facing resistance in Hanoi, over what experts say are concerns that China could see the move as hostile at a time of tension between superpowers Beijing and Washington. The United States is hoping for an upgrade in the relations this year, ideally to coincide with the 10th anniversary in July of its comprehensive partnership with Vietnam. The United States is a major investor in Vietnam and the largest ever U.S. business mission visited the country this week. Though it is Vietnam’s biggest export…

LAHORE: In what appears to be a first such initiative, the Punjab Police has constituted a ‘Liaison wing’ consisting of the senior officers from police, Interpol and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to bring 910 ‘category A’ hardened criminals back to Pakistan from abroad. A majority of them – 70pc– are hiding in Gulf countries, particularly Dubai while others are in Europe, America and Canada from where they are operating local criminals in Lahore and the rest of the province to get their targetted people killed against petty amounts besides committing other heinous crimes, including extortion and kidnap for ransom.…

Pune, Jan 29 (PTI) External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said some people deliberately spread wrong news about the China issue, knowing it is not true, for politics and by talking about some land which was taken by China in 1962, they give the impression this happened recently. Jaishankar made the remarks, viewed as a dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, on Saturday while interacting with the audience in Pune in a question-answer session during the launch of ‘Bharat Marg’, the Marathi translation of his book ‘The India Way’. He also said the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) is a technical…

Source: apnews.com/article/afghanistan-politics-pakistan-government-taliban-14a46dd49622f193148c84f423298929 Highlighting the recent optimization of China’s pandemic response measures, Pakistani public health specialist Bilal Ahmad said China kept adopting a scientific approach against COVID-19 since the beginning of the outbreak while employing strong economic fundamentals and measures to stimulate demand. ISLAMABAD, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) — China has played a key role in the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic by providing medical supplies and health assistance to other countries, a Pakistani public health specialist told Xinhua in an interview. “In terms of contributions to the global fight against the epidemic, China has provided significant assistance to other countries…