Pak PM Shehbaz likely to visit Saudi Arabia within next 48 hours: Report
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Islamabad (PTI): Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is likely to visit Saudi Arabia within the next 48 hours following an invitation from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a media report said on Monday.
During the visit, Shehbaz is expected to hold consultations on key regional and international developments, signalling continued diplomatic engagement between the two countries, Geo News reported.
The visit follows much-anticipated talks in Islamabad, which ran from Saturday into early Sunday and were the highest-level discussions between the two sides since Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The negotiations came days after a ceasefire between the US and Iran began last week, aimed at ending six weeks of fighting that has killed thousands of people across the Gulf, throttled vital supplies of energy and sparked fears of a wider regional conflict.
Discussions on financial cooperation are expected to feature prominently, particularly after Saudi and Qatar promised to provide USD 5 billion in assistance for Pakistan.
The prime minister would be accompanied by Chief of Defence Forces Asim Munir, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, and Special Assistant Syed Tariq Fatemi.
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb is expected to join the delegation in Riyadh, subject to the completion of his ongoing visit to the US.
Riyadh and Islamabad signed a mutual defence pact in September 2025, committing both sides to treat any aggression against either country as an attack on both. That significantly deepened a decades-old security partnership.
Recently, a Pakistani military contingent comprising around 13,000 soldiers and 10 to 18 jets has reached Saudi Arabia as part of the joint defence agreement.
The military contingent's deployment to King Abdulaziz Air Base in the Eastern Sector includes fighter jets and support aircraft from the Pakistan Air Force, the Saudi Ministry of Defence said last week.
The deployment aimed to enhance joint military coordination, improve operational readiness between the armed forces of the two countries, and support security and stability at regional and international levels, it added.
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Karnataka issues nutrition advisory for govt events; recommends millets, healthier options
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Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka government on Monday issued a nutrition advisory recommending healthier food and beverage options at meetings, functions, and other official gatherings held in the state.
The advisory has been issued by the Department of Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Services to promote healthy dietary and nutritional habits among officials and staff, noting that food, refreshments and beverages served in government offices and official programmes are "often not aligned with nutrition standards."
The advisory recommends serving snacks such as millet-based, low-fat and low-sugar foods, fresh fruits, vegetable salads, sprouts, roasted nuts and seeds during in-house office meetings and breaks.
Beverages such as green tea, low-fat buttermilk, and locally filtered or boiled water served in glass bottles or steel flasks have also been suggested.
According to the advisory, for larger government events, conferences and exhibitions, departments have been advised to include at least one millet-based item during snacks and a minimum of two millet dishes in meals, along with local cuisine and at least one regional recipe.
It also recommends the use of brown rice instead of white rice, freshly prepared vegetable salads, and fresh fruits or low-sugar fruit juices.
If non-vegetarian food is served, it should consist of well-cooked lean or white meat, the advisory stated.
In eateries operating within government office campuses, the department has recommended millet-based foods, fresh vegetable salads, boiled pulses such as horse gram or chickpeas, and low-fat beverages.
It suggests serving food using reusable metal plates and glasses.
The advisory also recommends avoiding microwave-heated food, industrially processed food, fried snacks, high-fat or heavily spiced dishes, carbonated drinks, high-sugar fruit juices, and alcoholic beverages.
It further discourages serving milk-based tea or coffee and plastic-bottled water during official events.
“Overall, hygiene and cleanliness should be maintained while serving food and water. Local cottage industries, self-help groups, prison kitchens, nutri-gardens and others should be preferred for placing food and beverage orders,” the advisory added.
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