ASTANA: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday raised the issue of terrorism as a major concern for member states at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit and called for “meaningful” engagement with the Afghan Taliban government. PM Shahbaz arrived in Kazakhstan’s capital of Astana on Wednesday for a two-day official visit, representing Pakistan at the SCO meetings where leaders and …

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 …

WASHINGTON: In a significant display of bipartisan support, the US House of Representatives has passed a resolution expressing robust support for democracy in Pakistan by an overwhelming 368-7 vote. Lawmakers supporting resolution HR 901, titled ‘Expressing support for democracy and human rights in Pakistan’, claimed that the approval highlighted the United States’ commitment to promoting democratic values globally. The resolution — …

BEIJING: The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday urged the United States to revoke its plan to sell arms to China’s Taiwan region and stop arming the region with weapons.  Lin Jian, a spokesperson for the ministry, voiced China’s strong condemnation and firm opposition in response to reports that the U.S. State Department has approved $360 million in weapons …

PYONGYANG: Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a deal with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un on Wednesday that includes a mutual defence pledge, one of Russia’s most significant moves in Asia for years that Kim said amounted to an “alliance”. Putin’s pledge overhauls Russia’s entire post-Soviet policy on North Korea just as the United States and its Asian allies try to …

ISLAMABAD: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday thanked the Sharif brothers for their congratulatory messages on him becoming the premier for a third time. Modi was sworn in on Sunday at a ceremony attended by leaders from Bangladesh, the Maldives and Sri Lanka. However, China and Pakistan were not present. Earlier today, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif offered a brief congratulations to …

ISLAMABAD: The D-8 Organisation for Economic Cooperation, an alliance of developing nations of Turkiye, Malaysia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, Iran, Nigeria and Indonesia, on Saturday demanded full Palestinian membership of the United Nations and greater international pressure on Israel for ceasefire amid the Gaza war. Calling for an immediate ceasefire, foreign ministers from the group at an extraordinary meeting in Istanbul asked the United States …

BEIJING: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the Pakistani delegation with him visited China’s historical Terracotta Warriors Museum in Xi’an on Saturday. The visit came following an invitation extended by Chinese President Xi Jinping to see the museum in his hometown. During the visit, the prime minister and the delegation were briefed on the preservation and restoration of historical heritage and …

ISLAMABAD/BEIJING: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday met Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Beijing, where they resolved to protect the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project “from its detractors and adversaries”, the Foreign Office (FO) said. Addressing a weekly press briefing, FO spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said the two leaders held delegation-level talks this morning as the premier and his delegation’s five-day China …

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here Monday that the one-China principle is what underpins peace across the Taiwan Strait. He made these remarks on the sidelines of the meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs in Astana, to expound on China’s solemn position regarding Taiwan region’s new leader’s assumption of office. Wang, also …