PESHAWAR: Afghan Consul General in Peshawar, Hafiz Mohibullah Shakir, caused outrage on Tuesday during the Rehmat-ul-Alameen Conference in Peshawar by remaining seated during Pakistan’s national anthem, flouting diplomatic protocols and showing what experts have called “utter disregard” for the host nation. The conference, hosted by Chief Minister of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Ali Amin Gandapur, saw Afghan consular officials in attendance. However, as …

LONDON: Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, who also holds the foreign affairs portfolio, on Saturday hit out at the supposed mistakes made by the Imran Khan government, particularly in relation to economic and security decisions, and linked the former administration’s ‘missteps’ to the current rise in terrorism and economic challenges. Mr Dar made the rem­a­rks at a wide-ranging press conference …

ISLAMABAD: United States Ambassador to Pakistan Donald Blome has appreciated Pakistan’s decision to extend the stay of registered Afghan refugees by a year, a statement from the US embassy in Pakistan said on Friday. A large number of Afghan immigrants, with an estimated 1.7m undocumented as of October 2023, reside in Pakistan. Last October, the caretaker government had announced the repatriation of …

WASHINGTON: The United States reaffirmed its commitment to counterterrorism cooperation with Pakistan, noting its long history of working together. “The US and Pakistan have worked together in the past, and we continue to discuss ways that we can work together,” stated Pentagon Press Secretary Major General Pat Ryder on Tuesday. In a press briefing, Ryder expressed condolences for the eight …

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has demanded “immediate, robust and effective action” by the interim Afghan government against the perpetrators of the terrorist attack on Bannu Cantonment that martyred eight military personnel, the Foreign Office (FO) said on Wednesday. A day ago, the military’s media wing said an attempt by 10 terrorists to enter Bannu Cantonment in the early hours of Monday was “effectively thwarted” …

RAWALPINDI: A terrorist attack targeting Bannu Cantonment on Monday martyred eight members of the security forces while a retaliatory operation killed 10 terrorists, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) has said. According to a press release issued by the military’s media wing today (Tuesday), an attempt by 10 terrorists to enter Bannu Cantonment in the early hours of Monday was “effectively thwarted” by …

RAWALPINDI: Two Pakistan Army soldiers and as many police officers were martyred on Wednesday in an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Peshawar district’s Hassan Khel area, according to the military’s media wing. A statement from the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said a joint IBO was conducted by security forces and the police based on the reported presence of a “high profile terrorist”. …

NORTH and SOUTH WAZIRISTAN / LAKKI MARWAT: Eight people — five security officials and three children — lost their liv­es in three separate incidents in Lakki Marwat, Nor­th and South Waziri­stan districts on Tuesday. A military officer was martyred in an exchange of fire with militants in North Waziristan, while three soldiers lost their lives in an attack, and 12 …

LAHORE / ISLAMABAD: Though the government still has to finalise the date for a multiparty moot being summoned to deliberate on the planned ‘Azm-i-Istekham’ operation, another political party — the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q) — threw its weight behind the proposed conference. In an announcement on Saturday, PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain said his party would participate in the multiparty …

DOHA: Leaders of the Afghanistan interim government held a meeting with Pakistani officials in Doha on Monday in what was seen as an effort to ease tension following the announcement of a fresh operation against the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which security officials insist operate from Afghan soil. Relations between the two neighbouring countries have lately become strained, largely because of the TTP …