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 …

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is due to travel to Tehran to attend the inauguration of Iranian president-elect Dr Masoud Pezeshkian, who won the Islamic Republic’s presidential run-off election earlier this month. Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch announced the trip during her weekly press briefing on Thursday. “At the invitation of the Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly of the …

ISLAMABAD: Appreciating Pakistan’s contribution to counterterrorism, US Ambassador Donald Blome on Wednesday underlined the US commitment to supporting Pakistan in various areas, including countering regional threats, economic collaboration, renewable energy, climate management and education. He made these remarks at an international conference titled ‘Strengthening Pakistan-US Relations’ hosted by the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) in collaboration with Beaconhouse National University (BNU) …

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Turkmenistan on Tuesday agreed to intensify joint efforts to further expand and deepen bilateral cooperation in defence, economic and political domains. The two countries also agreed to develop closer economic engagement in priority areas of trade and investment, energy, connectivity and information technology. The understanding was reached at the third round of Pakistan-Turkmenistan bilateral political consultations held …

BEIJING: Palestinian factions, including rivals Hamas and Fatah, agreed to end their divisions and form an interim national unity government during negotiations in China that ended on Tuesday, China’s foreign ministry said. The Beijing Declaration was signed at the closing ceremony of a reconciliation dialogue among 14 Palestinian factions held in China’s capital from July 21-23, according to the readout. Previous efforts …

UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan stands for boosting cooperation between the United Nations and regional and sub-regional organisations in maintaining world peace and security, a top Pakistani diplomat has said, while also stressing that no state should be allowed to dominate regional organisations. “We must strive for a collective vision that benefits all,” Ambassador Munir Akram told the UN Security Council which …

BEIJING: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called on the Netherlands to jointly support free trade and safeguard the stability of global industrial and supply chains in a phone call with the Netherlands’ new foreign minister Caspar Veldkamp on Thursday.  He also refuted recent comments about China made at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Washington, saying different political …