English हिन्दी
Connect with us

Latest world news

Iran invites Pakistan to participate in Chabahar, connect with Gawadar

Published

on

Iran invites Pakistan to participate in Chabahar, connect with Gawadar

Alleys Pak’ concern over India’s role in Iranian port

In its efforts to maintain balance in friendly ties with India and Pakistan, Iran has, on Monday, invited Islamabad to participate in Chabahar sea-port and development of its link with Gawadar port and sought to alley Pakistan’s concern over Indian involvement in the Iranian port.

According to Dawn, Iranian Foreign Minister Dr Javad Zarif, who is on a three-day visit to Pakistan and held meetings with Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and his counterpart Khwaja Asif, invited Pakistan to this effect. He is accompanied with a large trade delegation from Iran.

While delivering a lecture at Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) Zarif said, “We offered to participate in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). We have also offered Pakistan and China to participate in Chahbahar.” The lecture was held to commemorate 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Dawn observed, “Pakistan had always been concerned about Indian involvement in Chahbahar port. These concerns got amplified after Iran last month signed a lease agreement with India, which would give operational control of the port to the latter”.

Meanwhile, Associated Press of Pakistan (APP), the official news agency said that Prime Minister has said that the two countries should work together and make their utmost efforts for enhancing the bilateral trade to $5bn by 2021.He reaffirmed Pakistan’s desire to enhance mutually beneficial economic cooperation and expressed desire to resolve issues in implementation of Iran-Pakistan pipeline project.

Abbasi said that Pakistan was working towards realising its vision of a peaceful and inter-connected region for shared progress and prosperity. “We believe that a peaceful and stable Afghanistan is vital for economic progress of the region and Pakistan and Iran as the two neighboring countries can make important contribution for achieving this objective,” he remarked.

Dawn reports that PM Abbasi thanked the Iranian leadership for their “steadfast support to the principled struggle of Kashmiris”. This was in obvious reference with Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei’s statement in June last year when he clubbed the situation in Bahrain, Kashmir and Yemen saying that the Muslim world must “express their disdain against the oppressors”.

The Iranian foreign minister appreciated the increasing high-level interaction between the two countries and Islamabad’s efforts for strengthening border management.

Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif said that Tehran’s relations with New Delhi are not against Islamabad. He emphasized that both Gwadar and Chahbahar were important projects for development of deprived Eastern and South-eastern Iran and South Western Pakistan and said that both needed to be linked through sea and land routes for effecting their complementarities.

Zarif clearly said, “We are taking measures to do that and there is an open invitation to Pakistan to participate in that.” He further clarified that Chahbahar port project was not meant to “encircle Pakistan … strangulate anybody”. He twice said Iran would not allow anybody to hurt Pakistan from its territory much like Pakistan would not allow its soil to be used against Iran.

Equating Iran’s relations with India to Pakistan’s ties with Saudi Arabia Iran’s foreign minister said, “Our relations with India, just like Pakistan’s relations with Saudi Arabia, are not against Pakistan as we understand Pakistan’s relations with Saudi Arabia are not against Iran.”  Observers believe that Iranian official expressed his country’s concern  over Pakistan ties with Saudi Arabia in a crafty and skilful manner.

Dr Zarif also described his vision for better ties with Pakistan including the realisation of long delayed Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline, establishment of banking ties, signing a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and making Gawadar and Chahbahar ports complementary.

The gas pipeline was originally proposed to originate from Iran and supply gas to Pakistan and India under Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) project. India had expressed concern over the security of the pipeline passing through Pakistan following US pressure to desist from realizing the dream project.

Iran had called the project as “peace pipeline” and assured the safe delivery of the gas at India-Pakistan border connecting Sind-Rajasthan provinces. Later, Pakistan has also not built the required pipeline in its territory. However, Iran has completed the laying of the pipeline till its border with Pakistan.

Former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had threatened that Washington would consider the implementation of IPI gas pipeline project as if Tehran’s alleged nuclear program was being promoted by the partner countries.

In April 2017, the State Bank of Pakistan had signed a Banking and Payment Arrangement (BPA) with Iran’s central bank, Bank Markazi Jomhouri Islami Iran (BMJII) for providing a trade settlement mechanism to promote bilateral trade.  But due to lack of interest or obvious pressure this arrangement could not be implemented.

Dawn further reports that similarly, there is a consensus that IP gas project is beneficial for Pakistan’s economy, but still it is frozen on the Pakistani end due to external and internal factors.

Meanwhile the statement issued by the foreign office after meeting between the two foreign ministers said: “The two sides agreed to continue engagement for enhancing economic cooperation, including bilateral trade, investments and commercial interaction to promote shared prosperity … addressing tariff and non-tariff barriers” in addition to concluding FTA on priority.

“The Foreign Ministers underlined that as two brotherly neighboring countries Iran and Pakistan would deepen connectivity between the two sister ports of Gawadar and Chahbahar to benefit from their complementarities,” the statement added.

Latest world news

World Earth Day 2024: Google Doodle showcases aerial view of planet’s natural beauty

Google celebrated Earth Day 2024 with a special doodle featuring an aerial view of our planet’s biodiversity.

Published

on

Google shared a doodle today to celebrate World Earth Day 2024, which showcased aerial photos of the planet’s biodiversity and natural beauty. Google reminded us of the importance of protecting planet earth for future generations with the help of this doodle.

The Google letters depict specific locations across the globe where people, communities, and governments work every day to help protect the planet’s natural beauty, biodiversity, and resources, according to the explanation of the annual Earth Day 2024 doodle on their website.

It said, these examples remind us that there’s much more to do to address the climate crisis and biodiversity loss, but also offer the promise of hope and optimism.

The islands of Turks and Caicos are represented by the letter “G.” The islands’ conservation efforts are concentrated on protecting important regions for biodiversity and addressing persistent environmental problems.

The largest reef in the southern Gulf of Mexico and a UNESCO biosphere reserve, Scorpion Reef National Park, is represented by the letter “O” in the Mexican flag.

The letter “O” features Iceland’s Vatnajokull National Park, which was designated as a national park in 2008 following decades of advocacy. The ecology within and surrounding the biggest glacier in Europe is safeguarded by this UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The letter “G” has the Jau National Park in Brazil on it. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the biggest forest reserves in South America.

The Great Green Wall of Nigeria is represented by the letter “L,”  and the Pilbara Islands Nature Reserves of Australia are represented by the letter “E.”

Meanwhile, Earth Day is a worldwide event that promotes protection of the environment every year. April 22 serves as a reminder of the importance of conservation efforts and sustainable practices to guarantee a healthier world and a brighter future.

The occasion inspires people across the world to come together and take action to protect the environment, strengthening our bonds with nature and promoting good change.

Continue Reading

Latest world news

Bigg Boss 14 contestant Rahul Vaidya struggles walking in knee deep water, compares Dubai rains with Mumbai floods

Singer and TV personality Rahul Vaidya was recently stranded in the Dubai rains.

Published

on

Rahul Vaidya, who was in Dubai ahead of his show which was scheduled to take place today, left the country due to heavy rains and reached Kolkata. The artist shared on social media his encounters in the UAE city, including challenges like walking through knee-deep water. Rahul provided an update regarding the heavy rainfall in Dubai on his Instagram profile.

The Bigg Boss 14 contestant revealed that he was in Kolkata and prepared to do an evening performance. Recalling the terrifying period he went through, Vaidya said there was a lot of confusion and panic in Dubai. The situation was similar to that when heavy floods hit Mumbai in 2005.

Vaiday also posted seval other images and videos of cars that were underwater and flooded roadways. The Bigg Boss 14 contestant, who shared his ordeal, claimed that even though it had just rained for two hours, the situation was dire.

In one of the video, which went viral he can be seen struggling in walking in knee-deep water. He can be also seen holding his sneakers in one hand and with other hand he was seen managing other things.

This is the result of the two hours of rain that it had, he can be heard saying in the video. Vidya also said he dosen’t believe Dubai is accustomed to a lot of rain. Everything had stopped working, he remarked.

After taking part in the first season of the singing reality show Indian Idol, Rahul Vaidya gained widespread recognition. In addition to Bigg Boss, he took part in Khatron Ke Khiladi 11.

Meanwhile, heavy rains that triggered flooding in the UAE and Bahrain, which left 18 people dead in Oman on Sunday and Monday, have paralyzed the financial hub of the Middle East, Dubai.

A lot of incoming flights were diverted from Dubai’s international airport because of the rain. At 7:26 p.m., the busiest airport in the world for foreign visitors stopped accepting new arrivals; a gradual resumption was announced for more than two hours later.

Images of planes navigating flooded tarmacs are making the rounds on social media.

According to pictures shared on social media, the flagship malls Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates both experienced heavy floods, while at least one Dubai Metro station had water up to the ankles.

There were several road collapses, severe flooding in residential areas, and numerous reports of leaks from windows, doors, and roofs.

Due to the unfavourable weather, schools around the United Arab Emirates were forced to close, and as more storms are predicted, the closures are anticipated to last until Wednesday. The government of Dubai allowed its staff to work remotely till this Wednesday.

Continue Reading

Latest world news

Dubai sky turns green during storm in UAE, video goes viral

The UAE witnessed record-breaking rainfall on Tuesday and the National Centre of Meteorology recorded 254 mm of rainfall in less than 24 hrs in the Khatm Al Shakla area in Al Ain.

Published

on

1 person was killed in UAE as it witnessed heavy rainfall on Tuesday, stranding commuters, flooding roads, disrupting trains and flights and resulting in water leakage from mall ceilings. The UAE witnessed record-breaking rainfall on Tuesday and the National Centre of Meteorology recorded 254 mm of rainfall in less than 24 hrs in the Khatm Al Shakla area in Al Ain. It is being said that the rainfall was the highest documented since the start of data collection in 1949.

The heavy rainfall in UAE came days after a similar situation in neighbouring Oman, where 13 people were killed in flash floods. Many parts of Oman saw torrential rains, which caused students to be trapped in buses and swept away motorists and trapped people in their homes.

Videos from Dubai circulating on social media showed widespread waterlogging on roads in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and other important cities. This left daily commuters in cars and other vehicles struggling to get back home. Dubai metro station too was seen flooded and closed.

One such video circulating on social media shows the aerial view of the city of Dubai from the top of a building. In the video the stormy winds are seen blowing over the city of Dubai. As the storm intensifies the Dubai sky turns green and ultimately gets covered by heavy rainfall. The video has gone viral on social media with more than 1.1 million views.

Another video showed water leakage from the ceilings of shopping malls, flooding the floors and destroying goods. A video which was shot in the famous Mall of the Emirates, showed pieces of ceiling falling as the rainwater gushed inside. Videos from many outlets of the Deira City Centre mall chain showed escalators being rendered unusable. Majid Al Futtaim, the company which owns the Mall of Emirates, said that the shopping complexes have been kept open and the customers are being sent away from the flooded areas. 

Continue Reading

Trending

-->

© Copyright 2022 APNLIVE.com