Hustle, bustle return in Xinjiang

By Masood Sattar Khan
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Hustle and bustle has returned in the Chinese province of Xinjiang as the authorities withdrew lockdown restrictions after a month. 

The main shopping centres and food streets were found packed with visitors buying and eating the famous Xinjiang foods. The mood is festive and people have smiles returning on their faces.

At the same time, industrial activities also resumed in the province with people engaged in their usual business.

Xinjiang region in mainland China was the last one from where lockdown has been withdrawn. The restrictions were clamped a month ago after detection of COVID-19 infection cases.

KCR beneficial both for commuters, investment

By Masood Sattar Khan
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The Federal Minister for Planning, Development & Special Initiatives, Asad Umar, has reckoned that the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) will be beneficial both for commuters and attractive for investment.

He expressed these views while chairing a meeting on the KCR to review the progress achieved on this mega project being implemented under the auspices of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). 

He directed the concerned officials to devise a strategy for Public-Private partnership for the KCR project. 

The meeting was informed that work on the KCR has already been undertaken in various phases and expected to it will be completed in the middle of 2023. 

The meeting was assured to take up the third phase of the KCR during current financial year. In order to ensure timely completion of each phase, the Ministry of Railways has been in contact with the Sindh government. For smooth and most convenient journey for the passengers as many as 24 flyovers and underpasses would be built during the project.

Pakistan’s unfulfilled potential in marble, granite

By Masood Sattar Khan
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Pakistan has big potential in the marble and granite sector but its contribution is reportedly just two percent in the world market. 

There were many reasons why Pakistan has been struggling in this naturally gifted industry behind other countries as it has lacked the latest technology right from the extraction to the finishing stages and marketing. 

The traders of marble and granite have attached with this emerging and promoting sector of Pakistan have demanded provision of basic infrastructure, motivation of the country's trade missions abroad  so that this sector’s products could be promoted in internal exhibitions.

They expect the concerned government organizations to play proactive role in fulfilling the potential of these two major items. 

Beijing allows direct flights from Pakistan, eight other countries

By Masood Sattar Khan
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

There’s gladdening news for the Pakistani passengers intending to travel to the Chinese capital Beijing as direct flights are being resumed from September 3.

This is a part of Beijing plans to gradually resume direct international flights starting, China's top civil aviation watchdog informed. 

Nine direct flights bound for Beijing from eight countries, Thailand, Cambodia, Pakistan, Greece, Denmark, Austria, Sweden and Canada, will resume on September 3, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China. 

Strict measures, however, will be carried out to contain imported COVID-19 cases, such as capping passenger loads for each aircraft. 

In the past to curb imported cases, all international flights bound for Beijing were diverted to other airports as their first port of entry since March 23. The passengers were examined and quarantined and before cleared to enter the capital. 

More direct flights will resume operations in accordance with outbreak risks, tourist demand and other factors, the administration said. 

"The direct flight for Beijing will greatly help Pakistanis particularly the traders who were working on various mega projects of CPEC," a prominent Karachi-based businessman remarked.

“Many traders have to meet officials at the Pakistan Embassy in Beijing, so before that they used not to land directly in Beijing as direct flights were banned. The business community used to undergo quarantine for 14-days in hotels on payment but now they would not face such hurdles,” he added.