UAE to build 20-bed hospital in Sindh under agreement with provincial government
UAE to build 20-bed hospital in Sindh under agreement with provincial government/node/2600829/pakistan
UAE to build 20-bed hospital in Sindh under agreement with provincial government
UAE Consul General Bakheet Ateeq Al-Rumaithi (left) and Sindh Health Secretary Rehan Baloch (right) sign the MoU for the establishment of a 20-bed hospital in Kambar area of Sindh province, as Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah (4R), along with Health Minister Dr. Azra Faazl Pechuho (3R) and other officials, witnesses the signing ceremony in Karachi on May 15, 2025. (Photo courtesy: Handout/Sindh government)
KARACHI: The United Arab Emirates and Pakistan’s provincial government of Sindh signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Thursday to establish a modern 20-bed hospital in Qambar, located in the northwestern part of the province, according to an official statement.
The UAE has undertaken several health care and development projects in Sindh in recent years, including the expansion of Sheikh Zayed Hospital for Women in Larkana and a pledged women and children’s hospital in Sukkur.
The new facility in Qambar adds to a growing portfolio of UAE-backed efforts aimed at improving public services and infrastructure in underserved areas of the province.
“The United Arab Emirates will establish a 20-bed hospital equipped with modern medical facilities in Qambar,” the Chief Minister’s spokesperson said.
“The facility will be named Sheikh Zayed Hospital,” the statement added.
Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, who attended the signing ceremony held at his official residence, thanked the UAE authorities for the initiative and said it would help improve health care access in an underserved part of the province.
Pakistan and the UAE have longstanding ties, with the Gulf country supporting multiple infrastructure and humanitarian projects across Pakistan in recent years.
The UAE is also home to a large Pakistani community, which is one of the biggest sources of remittances to the South Asian country
ISLAMABAD: Bulls took charge of the local bourse today, Thursday, as the Pakistan Stock Exchange surged to new heights, fueled by optimism surrounding upcoming budget announcements and the release of a $1 billion tranche by the IMF, analysts said.
Pakistan on Wednesday received the second tranche of special drawing rights worth 760 million ($1,023 million) from the IMF under an extended fund facility (EFF) program. The IMF last week approved a fresh $1.4 billion loan to Pakistan under its climate resilience fund and also approved the first review of its $7 billion program, freeing about $1 billion in cash.
Pakistan’s federal budget for the next fiscal year, starting July, will be finalized within the next four weeks, with scheduled budget talks with the IMF to take place from May 14-23, according to the finance ministry.
The benchmark index witnessed a remarkable intraday rally, climbing as much as 1,453 points before closing with an impressive gain of 1,425 points at 119,961, marking a 1.20% increase and setting a new all-time high.
“Refinery stocks ended the day in the green amid sector-specific developments,” brokerage house Topline Securities said in a daily market review.
“The government is working to finalize a binding legal framework between oil marketing companies and refineries, with key clauses like take-or-pay aimed at resolving ongoing disputes over product upliftment and HSD imports — a move expected to bring greater clarity and stability to the supply chain.”
Market participation also picked up, with total traded volume reaching 695 million shares and a traded value of Rs39.01 billion. Pakistan Refinery Limited topped the volume chart with 50.8 million shares traded.
Samiullah Tariq, head of research and development at Pak Kuwait Investment Company Ltd, said the market was positive due to recent inflows from the IMF, noting the “expectations of further inflows on the back of the IMF Board approval.”
Thursday’s bullish momentum also comes as the market continues to recover from upheaval brought by the most intense military row between Pakistan and India in years last week. The two nuclear-armed nations agreed to a US-brokered ceasefire on Saturday.
KARACHI: Former premier Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party spokesperson on Thursday rejected a news report that claimed he had given the green signal for fresh negotiations with the government, describing it as “fake news.”
Pakistani English language newspaper “The News” reported on Thursday that Khan had accepted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s offer to hold negotiations and instructed the party’s chairman, Gohar Ali Khan, to proceed with talks. The report said Khan had expressed “a strong preference” that the talks be conducted away from the TV cameras to ensure “meaningful outcomes.”
The PTI and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government have been at loggerheads ever since Khan was ousted from the prime minister’s office via a parliamentary vote in April 2022. The former premier has been in jail since August 2023 on a slew of charges he says are politically motivated. His party has led anti-government protests and marches that have led to clashes with law enforcement personnel.
“There is no such statement made by Imran Khan,” Sayed Zulfikar Bokhari, Khan’s adviser on international affairs and a former federal minister, told Arab News. “It is fake news. Neither has any offer been made to sit with Shehbaz Sharif or vice versa.”
Meanwhile, Gohar declined to comment on the development. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and the government’s legal spokesperson, Aqeel Malik, did not respond to Arab News’ request for a comment.
Attempts to break the political deadlock in the country via a dialogue between the PTI and the government began in December 2024. However, talks collapsed after the PTI in January presented its demands, which included the formation of judicial commissions to probe the party’s anti-government protests in May 2023 and November 2024.
The violent protest rallies, including the one on May 9, 2023, saw people carrying PTI flags rampage through military offices and installations. A second anti-government protest in November 2024 was held by the party to demand Khan’s release from prison. The government says four troops were killed in clashes with Khan supporters. The PTI denies the charges and claimed its supporters were shot by law enforcers.
The PTI gave the government seven days to form the judicial commissions, after the expiry of which the party unilaterally withdrew from talks in January.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said on Thursday the militaries of India and Pakistan had agreed to extend last week’s ceasefire till Sunday, May 18, while President Donald Trump said both nations were “very happy” with the truce brokered by his administration last week.
Pakistan and India agreed to a ceasefire on Saturday after four days of the worst fighting since 1999 between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, who attacked each other with missiles, drones, fighter jets, and artillery fire. Tensions began when India alleged Pakistan was involved in an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 tourists last month. Islamabad denied involvement and called for an international probe into the incident.
Tensions came to a head last Wednesday when India fired missiles into Pakistan, claiming it had struck “terrorist camps.” Pakistan said civilians had been killed and vowed retribution, saying it had downed five Indian jets. The worst of the fighting happened on Saturday when India attacked Pakistani air bases and Pakistan launched retaliatory strikes on military facilities and storage units. As the conflict spiraled alarmingly, US President Trump announced Washington had brokered a ceasefire on Saturday.
The fragile ceasefire has been holding so far with only reports of a few violations on the first day.
“Now it [ceasefire] has been extended till [May] 18, so obviously, now ultimately, things will go to the dialogue,” Dar said in televised comments to parliament. “For now, these are military-to-military communications, so obviously, then political dialogue will take place. The resolution of all issues lies there.”
Dar said the two nations needed to re-engage in a composite dialogue, which was a structured process initiated in 1997 to address a wide range of bilateral concerns, including peace and security, Kashmir, water, and economic cooperation.
As tensions surged between India and Pakistan last month, both announced a raft of punitive measures against each other, including New Delhi unilaterally suspending the 1960 Indus Waters treaty, which governs the sharing of river waters.
India’s foreign minister said on Thursday the treaty with Pakistan would remain suspended until Islamabad ends “cross-border terrorism.”
“For us, this is a no-go area,” Dar told lawmakers. “We had announced it on April 24 as well that it [treaty suspension] will be treated as an act of war.”
India and Pakistan, both bitter rivals who possess nuclear weapons, have fought three wars since 1947 after gaining independence from British colonial India. The root cause of their conflict is the disputed Himalayan Kashmir region, which they both claim in full but administer only parts of.
Speaking to troops at a base in Qatar during a Middle East tour, Trump said on Thursday hostilities between Pakistan and India were settled.
“And Pakistan was very happy with that [ceasefire] and India was very happy with that and I think they’re on the way,” Trump said.
“We got that settled where everybody was very happy. I’ll tell you that it looked like it was really going to be escalating out of control.”
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign office on Thursday welcomed US President Donald Trump’s decision to lift sanctions on Syria, describing the decision as a “pivotal step” toward regional stability and the country’s economic recovery.
In a speech given in Riyadh amidst Trump’s trip to the Middle East this week, the US president said he “will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness.”
The surprise announcement marked a significant shift in Washington’s policy toward Syria, where sanctions targeted ousted President Bashar Assad’s government during several years of war. US imposed the sanctions on Syria over its alleged crackdown on dissent and reported human rights abuses.
“Pakistan welcomes the United States’ decision to lift sanctions from Syria, marking a pivotal step toward regional stability and economic recovery,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said in a statement.
The foreign office said Islamabad has consistently advocated for constructive engagement and dialogue. It added that the easing of sanctions is expected to facilitate economic growth, improve access to essential services and support the rebuilding efforts of the Syrian authorities.
“We commend the commitment of all countries, in particular the US, Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, working constructively toward a peaceful Syria,” it added.
The foreign office said Islamabad supports a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned resolution, and remains steadfast in its support for the country’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Syria’s new government has sought to rebuild its ties with regional countries and international financial institutions after Assad’s ouster. The United Kingdom has also removed its sanctions on 12 Syrian government entities, including the ministries of defense and interior, and the General Intelligence Directorate.
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to a recently agreed ceasefire with India but stressed that lasting peace in South Asia would only be possible through the resolution of the Kashmir dispute in line with UN Security Council resolutions.
Sharif made the statement during a phone call with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, days after cross-border hostilities between India and Pakistan were halted under a ceasefire announced by US President Donald Trump.
According to an official statement, Sharif said his country had accepted ceasefire in the interest of regional peace but warned that it remained prepared to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of another attack.
“The Jammu and Kashmir dispute is the root cause of instability in South Asia, which should be resolved in accordance with the UN Security Council’s resolutions,” he said, according to the Prime Minister’s Office.
He also expressed concern over recent “provocative statements” by Indian leaders following the agreement.
Sharif thanked Azerbaijan for its stance on Kashmir and reiterated Pakistan’s appreciation for the solidarity shown by its leadership and people during the recent standoff.
The two leaders also discussed bilateral ties, with the Pakistani prime minister welcoming progress on proposals for up to $2 billion in Azerbaijani investments in Pakistan across multiple sectors.
He said Islamabad was committed to transforming its relations with Baku into a mutually beneficial economic partnership.
President Aliyev congratulated Sharif on Pakistan’s handling of the recent crisis and expressed support for the ceasefire agreement.
He reaffirmed Azerbaijan’s commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation.
The Pakistani premier extended an invitation to Aliyev to undertake an official visit to Pakistan, which the Azerbaijani leader accepted.
