Latest news with #Fatemi
Business Recorder
21-07-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
Fatemi upset over missed Nepra chief-Korean team meeting
ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs, Syed Tariq Fatemi, has expressed serious displeasure to the concerned authorities including Power Division for failing to arrange a scheduled meeting between the Chairman of NEPRA and a visiting Korean energy delegation despite ongoing efforts by Korea South-East Power Co. Ltd. (KOEN) to secure inclusion of its hydropower projects in the Indicative Generation Capacity Expansion Plan (IGCEP) 2025–35. Well-placed sources told Business Recorder that Fatemi, who also oversees foreign investment facilitation, formally conveyed his concerns after the delegation's high-level engagements with various federal institutions, including the Power Division, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), ended without a crucial interaction with NEPRA's top official. The KOEN delegation emphasized its long-standing commitment to Pakistan's power sector and flagged continued regulatory delays as a key impediment to foreign direct investment. Its two major hydropower projects—229.4 MW Asrit-Kedam and 238 MW Kalam-Asrit—have been in limbo for over three years despite completing all policy and regulatory milestones under the Power Generation Policy 2015. Projects 'ineligible' under IGCEP: PD not ready to lend a helping hand to Korean firms Sources said the delegation raised particular concern about the prolonged non-determination of tariffs, even though NEPRA had admitted the petitions in 2022 and the projects were optimized in the IGCEP 2022–31. The uncertainty, they noted, makes it increasingly difficult to maintain a $1 billion investment commitment in the absence of regulatory clarity. As a show of flexibility, KOEN offered to adjust the commercial operation timelines for both projects in view of the country's current power overcapacity—on the condition that NEPRA fulfills its legal obligation to determine tariffs without further delay, in compliance with orders from the NEPRA Appellate Tribunal. In a letter to Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, KOEN's Branch Manager Park Changhark reaffirmed the company's desire to invest in Pakistan's clean energy future. He reiterated KOEN's focus on delivering 'reliable, cost-effective, and environmentally responsible' energy solutions aligned with the Government of Pakistan's development vision. KOEN, a state-owned entity, first entered the Pakistani market with the 102 MW Gulpur Hydropower Project, commissioned in 2015 at a cost of $350 million. The project remains a model of successful public-private energy collaboration. Inspired by Gulpur's success, KOEN launched the two larger hydropower initiatives in 2017–18, with a combined estimated investment of $1 billion. According to the company, nearly $20 million has already been spent on detailed feasibility studies, obtaining all required No Objection Certificates (NOCs), and securing generation licenses. Despite this, the projects have remained stalled since June 2022 due to inaction on tariff petitions. 'Our relentless efforts have not yet translated into progress, and we are seeking clarity on the regulatory delays,' said Park. Sources added that Fatemi, in his official capacity advising on foreign investment-related issues, has written to all relevant ministries and agencies involved in the delegation's visit to flag the lack of coordination and missed opportunity. The incident has raised broader concerns about the treatment of credible foreign investors and the consistency of Pakistan's investment facilitation mechanisms. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Asia News Network
12-07-2025
- Business
- Asia News Network
Russian minister calls Islamabad and Moscow ‘natural allies,' reaffirms bilateral cooperation
ISLAMABAD – Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk on Thursday said Pakistan and Russia were 'natural allies', stressing that Russian President Vladimir Putin views Islamabad as an important strategic partner in the areas of economy and energy, the Foreign Office said in a statement. In recent years, Russia and Pakistan have engaged in strengthening bilateral ties with each other. On June 3, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, in a meeting with Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Syed Tariq Fatemi, reaffirmed Russia's desire to expand cooperation with Pakistan. Moscow's growing engagement with Islamabad — including defence deals, energy cooperation and regular joint military exercises — reflects a strategic shift to diversify partnerships across the region. In a high-level meeting with Ambassador Fatemi and the prime minister's aide on Industries and Production, Haroon Akhtar Khan, in Moscow, the Russian DPM reaffirmed his country's commitment towards deepening bilateral cooperation with Pakistan. 'Characterising Pakistan and Russia as natural allies, [Overchuck] stressed that President Putin considered Pakistan as an important partner in the growth and development of the economy and energy in the region,' the statement said. 'He also highlighted the significance of important connectivity projects between two countries, such as the railway connectivity between Uzbekistan, Pakistan and Russia, and the launching of a pilot cargo train between Pakistan and Russia in August 2025.' During the meeting, Fatemi reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment to strengthening relations with Russia, stressing that strong links with the country were a top priority. 'Pakistan views Russia as a stabilising factor in the international arena,' he added, according to the statement. Speaking about the New Steel Mills project in Karachi, SAPM Haroon Akhtar — focal point for the project — said the project carries the legacy of Pakistan's relations with Russia, hailing it as a 'leap forward' for future cooperation and partnership. On May 13, Pakistan and Russia signed an agreement to establish a new steel plant in Karachi, according to a press release from the Press Information Department (PID). The two sides reviewed engagement across all areas of mutual interest, including political, trade and economic cooperation, as well as energy, connectivity, industrial and agricultural cooperation. They also discussed recent geopolitical and regional issues such as the situation in South Asia, Afghanistan, and the Middle East. During the recent Indian aggression against Pakistan in May, Russia had offered to mediate between the two countries. DPM Overchuk shared that President Putin was in favour of strengthening cooperation with Pakistan across all relevant sectors. He added that President Putin was looking forward to meeting Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in August in the upcoming SCO-Council of Heads of State in Tainjin, China. In September 2024, Overchuk visited Pakistan, where he met with his Pakistani counterpart, Ishaq Dar. The two signed
India Gazette
05-06-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
Pakistan has lost thousands of lives to terrorists official
Over the past decade and half, the country has suffered from extremism, the PMs adviser on foreign affairs Syed Tariq Fatemi told RT Pakistan has lost 90,000 people to terrorists over the past 15 years, Syed Tariq Fatemi, special assistant on foreign affairs to the country's prime minister, has told RT. Fatemi emphasized that the Pakistani government is determined to counter terrorism and has made it clear to its neighbors that they must prevent such extremists from entering the country. "We have lost over a billion and a half US dollars in terms of the damage that they have done," he told RT in an exclusive interview. The diplomat was in Moscow earlier this week to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and brief him on Islamabad's view of the current situation in Indo-Pakistan relations. Speaking about theApril 22 attackin Pahalgam, Kashmir, that killed 26 people, mainly tourists, Fatemi re-iterated that Pakistan denies having any involvement in the attack, refuting New Delhi's claim. The region has been the epicenter of a long-standing dispute between the two neighboring countries since their independence from Britain. The terrorist attack prompted a military response from India, which conducted air strikes on what it alleged wereterrorist basesin Pakistan. After a four-day escalation, the two nuclear-armed nations announced aceasefire on May 10. Fatemi claimed that it would be impossible for terrorists to cross from Pakistan into Indian-administered Kashmir without being detected, given the heavy presence of the Indian military in the area. "They would need to be superhumans," he noted. READ MORE: As India and Pakistan eye each other, this superpower eyes the whole map The political adviser drew parallels to a similar incident that occurred in the 1990s, when Pakistan was accused of collusion in a terrorist attack during the administration of former US President Bill Clinton, before his scheduled visit to India. "From past experience, whenever a very prominent foreign leader would visit India, something like this would take place," he said, adding that former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright later hinted in her book that the attack had been a false flag operation and that Pakistan had had nothing to do with it. The senior adviser also expressed appreciation for theWhite House's effortsto broker a ceasefire between the two countries, citing US President Donald Trump's directive to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to speak with leaders in both New Delhi and Islamabad. "The US Secretary of State suggested that Pakistan should agree to a ceasefire, which is what the Indians wanted. So we said, 'fine'," he explained. Notably, India denied Washington's role in the ceasefire, maintaining that the decision was achieved bilaterally - at the initiative of Pakistan. width="560" height="315" src=" frameborder="0" > (
Saba Yemen
04-06-2025
- General
- Saba Yemen
Pakistan asks Russian President for help in settling dispute with India
Moscow - Saba: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in a letter, asked Russian President Vladimir Putin for help in settling the dispute with India. This was announced by Syed Tariq Fatemi, Special Assistant to the Pakistani Prime Minister, on Wednesday during the Valdai Discussion Forum. Fatemi said: "Neighbors cannot live in a situation where they are ready to start a war at any moment. We have dispatched important figures to several countries—to the United States, Russia, and the European Union—showing our readiness to listen to any proposal from any country, from the United Nations, or from neutral countries between India and Pakistan. We are ready to sit with them and let them resolve the issue." The Pakistani official noted that he met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and delivered "a message from our prime minister and an appeal to His Excellency Mr. Putin. We have asked all these countries to use their influence so that India and Pakistan sit at the negotiating table and reach a peace agreement." Fatemi noted that Pakistan is awaiting any initiative from Russia that would reduce tensions in relations with India. He said, "We are here to see Russia's support for any initiative that would reduce tensions. Pakistan and India must come to the negotiating table." Indian-Pakistani relations deteriorated after the April 22 attack in Pahalgam (Jammu and Kashmir, India). On the night of May 7, the Indian Armed Forces launched Operation Sindur, claiming to have "targeted nine terrorist-related targets in Pakistan and its part of Kashmir." The Pakistani army responded. On May 10, the two sides agreed to a ceasefire and to consider reducing troop numbers on the border. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print more of (International)
Shafaq News
10-04-2025
- Shafaq News
Balnakan: A Kurdish village shines globally (Photos)
Shafaq News/ On Wednesday, Iran announced the selection of eight villages, including one in Kurdistan province, as part of a global initiative recognizing outstanding rural destinations under the United Nations Tourism Organization's 2025 program. According to Iranian media, Seyed Mostafa Fatemi, Director of Domestic Tourism at the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts, said that the selected villages including Balnakan in Kurdistan, were based on the UN Tourism criteria for health standards, tranquility, cultural preservation, and completion of tourism infrastructure. Fatemi highlighted the religious and traditional aspects of Balnakan village in Kurdistan, noting its unique features as part of the evaluation process. He added that the selected villages secured high rankings based on cultural, historical, natural, and tourism attractiveness in previous assessment phases. The final documentation for the selected villages must be completed and submitted to the UN Tourism Organization by September 28.
