ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday strongly denounced the killing of Hamas Political Bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, calling it a “barbaric act” that flagrantly violated international laws. Sharif stated that the extraterritorial assassination had sparked widespread condemnation from Pakistan and other nations, including Turkey, Russia, Iran, China, and Malaysia. These countries have expressed strong disapproval of the …

TEHRAN: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in the early hours of Wednesday morning in Iran, Palestinian group Hamas said, drawing fears of a wider escalation in a region shaken by Israel’s offensive in Gaza and a worsening conflict in Lebanon. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards confirmed the death of Haniyeh, hours after he attended a swearing-in ceremony for the country’s new president, and …

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 …

RAWALPINDI: The residents of Rawalpindi and Islamabad continued suffering as Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) workers and supporters continued their sit-in at Faizabad on the fourth consecutive day on Monday. However, sources said, the protest was expected to be called off as negotiations were in final stages between the government and TLP. “A draft agreement is being given final touches. We are …

BY ASHIQ HUSSAIN Israeli Zionists fear that sooner or later Arab Muslims would throw them into the Mediterranean Ocean. So, they seek to frighten Arabs into submission with their military power and with the support they receive from the United States and its Western allies. By the time of writing this paper in the last week of June 2024, Zionist …

UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan has called for urgent intervention to stop the genocide in Gaza, as a UN agency warned on Tuesday that new Israeli military orders for evacuation from Khan Younis would affect an estimated 250,000 people. “There is no more apt situation calling for urgent intervention to stop the genocide than in Gaza where the international community has failed to …

UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations Security Council on Monday adopted a US-drafted resolution supporting a ceasefire plan in Gaza, as Washington leads an intense diplomatic campaign to push Hamas to accept the proposal. The text — passed with 14 votes in favour and Russia abstaining — “welcomes” the truce and hostage release proposal announced on May 31 by President Joe Biden, and …

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: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Friday that on the Palestinian issue, China’s position matches that of Arab countries. Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, added that China will continue to work in solidarity and cooperate with Arab countries and stand together on the side of …

SINGAPORE/BEIJING: Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Friday exchanged views on China-U.S. relations, military-to-military ties, the Taiwan question, the South China Sea issue, the Ukraine crisis and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Dong and Austin held talks on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s annual defense and security forum, in Singapore on Friday afternoon, the …