ISLAMABAD: Pakistan sought to upgrade the bilateral mechanisms with the US, particularly in the economic and defence fields after talks between the two sides during the visit of a Biden administration official to Islamabad on Monday. John Bass, the US acting under secretary for political affairs, travelled to Islamabad as part of his two-nation trip. As President Joe Biden’s term …
ISLAMABAD: The Indian trade minister will virtually attend the upcoming meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) being hosted by Pakistan, officials familiar with the development said here on Tuesday. The SCO trade ministers meeting will be held in Islamabad on Thursday, according to officials. Pakistan invited India along with other SCO members for the meeting. India, according to sources, confirmed …
BEIJING: President Xi Jinping pledged on Thursday to step up China’s support across debt-laden Africa with funding of nearly $51 billion over three years, backing for more infrastructure projects, and the creation of at least 1 million jobs. China was ready to step up cooperation with Africa in industry, agriculture, infrastructure, trade and investment, Xi told delegates from more than …
ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office (FO) on Friday rejected all speculation in India about Pakistan being involved in the ouster of Bangladesh’s ex-premier Sheikh Hasina, terming it New Delhi’s “disturbing obsession” with Islamabad. The comments came after reports emerged from India accusing the Pakistan intelligence agencies for their alleged involvement in the collapse of Bangladesh’s government. The Bangladeshi military initially took over the country after a student-led protest …
RAWALPINDI: Masjid-i-Nabvi Imam Dr Salah bin Mohammad Al-Budair on Friday highlighted Pakistan’s “significant place” in the Muslim world during a meeting with Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir, the military’s media affairs wing said. The Imam had arrived in Islamabad a day ago on a seven-day goodwill visit. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia share a strong relationship, with officials from both …
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 …
ISLAMABAD: As the nation marks five years since India revoked the special autonomy of occupied Kashmir, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called on New Delhi to move from “dispute denial to dispute resolution” for lasting peace in South Asia. Pakistan is observing Youm-i-Istehsal (Exploitation Day) today to mark the fifth anniversary of India revoking Kashmir’s special autonomy and to show solidarity with Kashmiris. …
ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Saturday said that Pakistan fully supported Iran’s call for an “extraordinary meeting” of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) after the killing of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in a strike in Tehran, the Foreign Office (FO) said in a press release. The Islamic Republic’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who had earlier threatened a “harsh …
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday called on the international community to pressure India to restore the special status of Indian-held Jammu and Kashmir, end repression in the Valley, and foster conditions conducive to resolving the longstanding dispute threatening regional stability. The call was made during a briefing for Islamabad-based foreign diplomats at the Foreign Office, where Foreign Secretary Syrus Sajjad Qazi detailed the …
ISLAMABAD: Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland on Monday hailed Pakistan’s “resilience, passion and determination” in the last two years as it dealt with the challenges and damage inflicted by the super floods of 2022. Addressing a joint press conference with Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar in Islamabad, Scotland referred to the “terrible events of two years ago” and said: “Pakistani resilience, passion …