ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan next week to attend the Second Joint Arab Islamic Summit being held in Riyadh and World Leaders Climate Action Summit in Baku.

The prime minister will visit Saudi Arabia to participate in the Arab Islamic Summit being held in Riyadh on Nov 11.

Being convened at the initiative of the Saudi government, the summit will be a follow-up to the Joint Arab Islamic Extra­or­­di­n­a­­ry Summit held on Nov 11, last year in Riyadh to discuss the situation in Gaza and other occup­ied territories, the FO spokespe­rson said at her weekly press briefing.

PM Shehbaz will also visit Baku, Azerbaijan, to participate in the World Leaders Climate Action Summit being held on Nov 12-13 as part of the 29th UN Climate Change Conference.

Shehbaz performs ground-breaking ceremony of Ramday University

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Muh­ammad Ishaq Dar, some cabinet members and senior officials will accompany the prime minister.

COP29 is taking place at a time when millions around the world, including in Pakistan, are facing severe adverse impacts of climate change.

Ramday University

The PM on Thursday laid the foundation stone of Ramday University to be constructed in Thagos, district Ghanche of Gilgit Baltistan. The ground-breaking ceremony was held in Islamabad.

Ramday University is being built under a trust, with construction set to be completed through the donations of overseas Pakistanis.

Addressing the ceremony, the prime minster extended his heartfelt felicitations to retired Justice Khalilur Rehman Ramday and his friends on the establishment of the university in Ghanche in Gilgit-Baltistan.

“The efforts of all individuals and the institutions who contributed to the establishment of Ramday University are appreciable,” he added.

Justice Ramday said that Ramday University was being established on a tract measuring 200 kanals.

“Ramday University will be one of the highest universities to be built at one of the world’s highest altitudes,” he said, adding that the university would offer education in subjects such as environmental studies, climate change, hydrology, minerals, and others

Turkish envoy

PM Shehbaz while expressing satisfaction at the growing bilateral cooperation between Pakistan and Turkiye, stressed the need to further deepen bilateral cooperation in trade, investment, and defence sectors.

The prime minister said this in a meeting with the newly-appoi­nted Ambassador of Turkiye to Pakistan Irfan Neziroglu, who called him at the PM House.

The prime minister welcomed Ambassador Neziroglu and said he looked forward to working closely with the ambassador to further strengthen bilateral relations.

The regional situation, particularly in Gaza and the Middle East, also came under discussion.

Published in Dawn, November 8th, 2024