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ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday visited the Kashgar Free Trade Zone, a major trade and logistics hub in China’s Xinjiang region, and urged a private Chinese airline to expand its operations in Pakistan as part of efforts to deepen economic and cultural ties with China.

Zardari, on a ten-day state visit to China since Sept. 12, has met with Chinese political, business and industry leaders to strengthen cooperation across diverse sectors.

On Friday, he attended a dinner hosted by the vice governor of Xinjiang and the Communist Party secretary of Kashgar, where he engaged with regional Chinese leaders.

“President Asif Ali Zardari visited the Kashgar Free Trade Zone, the only facility of its kind in southern Xinjiang and an important hub for trade and logistics in the region,” his office said in a statement.

The zone, established in 2015 over 3.56 square kilometres, consolidates bonded warehousing, logistics, processing, customs clearance and air freight services, and maintains trade links with 118 countries exporting goods ranging from electric vehicles and batteries to solar cells, high-tech goods and auto parts.

It is connected by road, rail and air to both Asia and Europe and has its own international airport.

The zone is also linked with Sost port in Pakistan's northern Gilgit-Baltistan region, just 400 kilometers away.

Beijing and Islamabad launched the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to enhance regional connectivity and build large-scale energy and infrastructure projects.

The corridor links China’s Xinjiang region with Pakistan’s southern Arabian Sea ports, shortening trade and oil supply routes to southwestern China.

The two countries now aim to upgrade CPEC to include industrial and agricultural development in Pakistan.

Zardari's office said the president was briefed on the Digital Trade Center, which was opened last year and now houses to more than 5,400 companies, along with the cross-border e-commerce exhibition center, with duty-free products from across Central Asia, Europe and beyond.

AIR CONNECTIVITY

Earlier in the day, the president met with Serene Air CEO Yunchun Yang, who briefed him on the airline’s plans for future operations in Pakistan.

Zardari requested that Serene Air increase its fleet to strengthen the airline network and connectivity.

Yang assured the president of further investment in the Pakistani aviation sector.

Serene Air is the first Chinese private investment in Pakistan’s aviation sector, and the first Pakistani airline to operate flights to Beijing.

A day earlier, Vice Governor of Xinjiang Nie Zhuang highlighted the centuries-old relations between the people of Kashgar and Pakistan while hosting the president.

“Kashgar greatly valued its friendship with Pakistan and looked forward to enhancing cooperation in trade, culture and people-to-people exchanges,” he said.

Zardari expressed gratitude for the hospitality and said he was deeply impressed by the “remarkable progress” he had witnessed across various Chinese cities.

ISLAMABAD: A dating show modeled on “Love Island” that features Pakistani contestants has sparked anger in the Muslim-majority country, despite no episodes being aired yet, and the series being only accessible on YouTube.

The country's broadcasting regulator said Saturday it was not in a position to act on the public complaints because it had no authority over the streaming platform.

Lazawal Ishq, or Eternal Love, is hosted by Pakistani actress Ayesha Omar and filmed in Istanbul. Adapted from the Turkish format, Aşk Adası, and resembling the successful “Love Island” international franchise, it brings together four Pakistani men and women in a luxury villa where their every interaction is filmed. In Pakistan, extra-marital relationships are illegal, and there are stigmas around dating.

Last week, Omar shared a teaser of her cruising along the Bosporus before welcoming contestants into the villa. But the promo quickly drew criticism online, with detractors labeling the format “un-Islamic” and accusing it of copying Western culture.

The flood of public complaints about the Urdu-language show prompted Pakistani regulators to issue a clarification, saying they were unable to do anything.

Muhammad Tahir, a spokesperson for the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority, said Saturday that the program was neither being broadcast on mainstream media nor on any television channel licensed by the authority.

“It does not fall within our domain,” Tahir told the Associated Press. “We do not regulate YouTube, and this content is not from any television channel. The general public is not aware that YouTube lies outside our regulatory scope."

The host, Omar, told the Pakistan-based Fashion Times magazine last week that the project was “a first of its kind for Pakistani and Urdu-speaking viewers.”

She said the show would feature “love, bonding, and competition,” with audiences witnessing “every spark, every fight, and every heartfelt connection.” Over the course of 100 episodes, the eight contestants compete in challenges and form alliances until one couple emerges as the winner.

Nobody from the show was immediately available for comment.

Lazawal Ishq is scheduled to debut on YouTube on September 29.