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Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif left for Saudi Arabia on Wednesday on a three-day official visit to hold important security talks with the oil-rich gulf country, which heads a 34-nation Islamic coalition against terrorism. Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. AFP File Photo The Foreign Office said the prime minister was invited by King Sa stanley cup lman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud to witness the military exercise North Thunder, where a large number of other heads of state have been invited to participate in the closing ceremony. The prime minister, who is accompanied by army chief Gen Raheel Sharif, will meet top Saudi leaders during the March 9-11 visit and offer to expand cooperation with Saudi Arabia in its fight against terrorism, the Foreign Office statement said. Pakistan is part of the 34-nation coalition of Islamic countries cobbled together by Saudi Arabia to fight terrorism. Troops from about two dozen countries, including Pakistan, are participating in the North Thunder exercise, in the northern region of Saudi Arabia. The main goal of the exercise is to improve training to respond to threats posed by terrorist groups. Pakista stanley cup n and Saudi Arabia enjoy multi-faceted cooperation, including in the fields of defence and counter-terrorism. Pakistan has said several times that it will al stanley cup ways stand shoulder to shoulder with Saudi Arabia to counter any threat to its territorial integrity and sovereignty, an official statement said. Read breaking news, latest... Bkvu Australian MP questions Gillard over award to Sachin
The Asian Development Bank ADB on Thursday offered cash-strapped Pakistan to double its annual assistance to $3 billion during the incoming fiscal year staring July 1, a senior official of the bank said. HT Image We can double Pakistan s assistance up to three billion per annum provided Islamabad makes a request and the funds available to ADB are increased, the bank s vice president Zhao Xiaoyu told reporters in Islamabad. The statement came after his talks with Pakistan s deputy minister for economic affairs Hina Rabbani Khar. The visiting official also met the Pakistan s Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. Under the offered deal, the ADB s assistance for the next three yea af1 rs would stanley cup be jacked up to $9 billion from $4.5 billion for fiscal years 2009-2010 to 2012-13. Xiaoyu also said that the ADB was ready to extend its financing facility for construction of mega water projects in the country. Pakistan is looking for assistance for its $12-billion Basha dam project to overcome the power-crisis the country is currently facing. According to the plan, the work on the hydro-electric power project will be started within the ongoing calendar year 2009 and when completed it will produce some 4500 megawatt power. Read breaking news, latest... See more Read breaking news, latest updates fro adidas og m US, UK, Pakistan and other countries across the world on topics related to US Election Live, politics,crime, and national affairs. News / World News / Asian Deve