ISLAMABAD: US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller on Thursday said Washington hasn’t held “any discussions” with Islamabad about Pakistani national Asif Merchant’s indictment over his alleged involvement in an Iranian plot to assassinate US politicians and government officials. Merchant, 46, sought to recruit people in the United States to carry out the plot in retaliation for the US killing of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards’ …

WASHINGTON: The United States has reaffirmed its commitment to preventing groups like the Pakistani Taliban from using Afghanistan as a base for launching terrorist attacks against neighbouring countries and countering their recruitment efforts. The statement comes in response to growing concerns over Afghanistan’s deteriorating security situation. A recent UN report revealed that terrorist groups, including the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), are regaining strength and pose …

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan ruled out the possibility of sacrificing its relationship with China for the sake of improved relations with the United States, the Foreign Office said on Thursday, stressing that “Pakistan doesn’t believe in zero-sum relationships”. “For us, relations with the United States and relations with China are both important,” Foreign Office spokeswoman Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said at a weekly …

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: he United States is “always concerned” at the arrest of opposition leaders and urges the peaceful upholding of constitutional and democratic principles, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Tuesday regarding the arrest of PTI leader Raoof Hasan and the raid on the party’s office. Hasan, himself a spokesperson for the PTI, was arrested by the Islamabad police on Monday during …

BEIJING: The US should immediately correct its wrongdoings, stop deceiving the world with lies, cease slandering and smearing other countries, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Friday commenting on the report of US Marine Corps’ release of official doctrine on how it employs deception. The US should provide an explanation to the international community for spreading false information …

BEIJING: A Chinese defense spokesperson on Friday said that China’s military development is solely aimed at safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests, as well as international and regional peace and stability. Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, made the remarks in response to a media inquiry regarding the Defense of Japan 2024 white paper, which includes …

BEIJING: China’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Fu Cong, delivered a sharp critique of NATO during an open debate at the UN Security Council on international order and multilateral cooperation. Fu accused NATO and certain countries of exacerbating global political polarization and economic deglobalization trends, labeling them as troublemakers. He emphasized the urgent need to promote a fairer and …

BEIJING: China has decided to suspend talks with the United States on holding a new round of consultations over arms control and non-proliferation, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday. The responsibility for the suspension lies squarely on the U.S. side, said Lin Jian, a spokesperson for the ministry. Lin said China took the move because the political …

WASHINGTON: A Florida judge appointed by Donald Trump has dismissed the criminal case against the former president on charges of mishandling top secret documents, ruling that Special Counsel Jack Smith was unlawfully appointed. The decision is a major victory for Republican presidential candidate Trump, who had been accused of endangering national security after leaving the White House. The decision comes days after …