Home Blog Page 21

President Zardari, PM Shehbaz condemn White House dinner shooting

Web Desk
-
0
President Zardari, PM Shehbaz condemn White House dinner shooting

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari has strongly condemned the shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington, DC, Radio Pakistan reported.

In a statement, the president expressed relief that President Donald Trump and the first lady remained safe, describing the incident as a “heinous act of terrorism” and worth condemning.

Similarly, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed deep shock over the “disturbing” shooting. In his post on X, the prime minister stated he was relieved to know that President Trump, the first lady, and other attendees were safe.

He added that his thoughts and prayers are with President Trump, and he wished him continued safety and well-being.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar also said he was “deeply shocked by the cowardly shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ dinner”.

“We are relieved that President Trump, Vice President Vance and first lady are safe. We strongly condemn all forms of violence, which is an enemy of diplomacy and intolerable in any civilised society,” he said on X.

He further added, “Our best wishes go out to POTUS and the American people”.

Acting President Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani also strongly condemned the shooting incident that took place in the United States during a dinner event attended by US President Donald Trump and the first lady, Radio Pakistan added.

In a statement, he expressed relief that all attendees remained unharmed and conveyed his best wishes for the safety and well-being of the US President and the first lady.

Earlier on Saturday night, US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump were rushed out of the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner by Secret Service agents after a man opened fire with a shotgun on security personnel, officials said.

The man fired a shotgun at a Secret Service agent at a ‌checkpoint in the Washington Hilton hotel before being tackled and arrested.

The armed man fired at a Secret Service agent, an FBI official told Reuters. About two hours after the incident, Trump spoke in a press conference saying that the Secret Service did a “great job”. “The vest did the job,” he added when thanking the officer who stood in front of him during the shooting, and that he is in “good shape”. Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi confirmed the officer had been released from the hospital.

The suspect, whom Trump described as a “sick person,” has been arrested.

All federal officials at the dinner, including Trump, were safe.

Trump again praises ‘great’ PM Shehbaz and ‘fantastic’ CDF Munir

Web Desk
-
0
Trump again praises ‘great’ PM Shehbaz and ‘fantastic’ CDF Munir

ISLAMABAD: United States President Donald Trump once again praised Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of the Army Staff, Field Marshal Asim Munir, on Saturday for their efforts to facilitate peace and negotiations with Iran, despite another pause in the diplomatic process.

His remarks came after he cancelled a planned visit by envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff to Pakistan for talks with Iranian officials. The Iranian foreign minister also left Pakistan following meetings with senior officials.

“I think Pakistan is terrific. The field marshal (Asim Munir) is fantastic. I think the prime minister of Pakistan (Shehbaz Sharif) is great, and, you know, they would like to see something happen,” Trump said.

However, he announced that he would not be sending his team to Islamabad, citing the long journey and travel costs. “But we’re not going to be travelling 15 or 16 hours to have a meeting with people that nobody has ever heard of,” he said, adding that it would be very expensive and that he is “a very cost-conscious person”.

He said that he was willing to deal with “whoever runs the show” to reach an agreement with Tehran, claiming that “there’s tremendous infighting” on the Iranian side.

“There’s tremendous infighting. They’re probably fighting for leadership. In many cases, I think they’re fighting not to be the leader, because we knocked out two levels of leaders, but I’ll deal with whoever we have to,” Trump claimed while talking to reporters before departing Florida via Air Force One.

“We have all the cards. They have no military left, practically. They have no leaders left. We don’t know who the leaders are … I don’t think they know who the leaders are,” Trump said.

“I’ll deal with whoever runs the show … but there’s no reason to wait two days, have people travelling for 16, 17 hours … When they want, they can call me; we have all the cards,” he added.

Trump said the Iranian side “gave us a paper that should have been better, and interestingly, immediately, when I cancelled it, within 10 minutes, we got a new paper that was much better”.

In response to a question on whether the US will continue the ceasefire, Trump said he has not “even thought about it”, adding that the Iranian side “offered a lot but not enough”.

He added that the “whole deal is not complicated: Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon”.

This marks the second time this month that the US president has publicly praised PM Shehbaz and CDF Munir for their engagement in efforts to facilitate talks with Iran aimed at ending the conflict.

Dar shares Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts update with Egypt, Turkiye

Web Desk
-
0
Dar shares Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts update with Egypt, Turkiye

ISLAMABAD: As part of its ongoing diplomatic outreach, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Saturday held separate telephonic conversations with his counterparts from Türkiye and Egypt, emphasising dialogue and diplomacy as key to regional peace and stability.

DPM Dar held a telephone conversation with the Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

According to a statement issued by the Foreign Office, during the call, Dar shared developments on Pakistan’s ongoing diplomatic efforts, emphasising that sustained engagement through dialogue and diplomacy remained the only viable means of promoting peace and stability in the region and beyond.

The two leaders also exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual interest and reaffirmed their commitment to continued close coordination.

Earlier, Dar also held a phone conversation with his Egyptian counterpart, Badr Abdelatty, urging dialogue and diplomacy for regional stability.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), “The two leaders discussed the ongoing diplomatic efforts being facilitated by Pakistan and underscored the importance of dialogue and diplomacy.”

The ministry added that the two “emphasised the importance of sustained engagement to advance peace and stability in the region and beyond.”

Egypt and Pakistan have remained in coordination amid heightened tensions in the Middle East in the wake of the United States and Israel’s war against Iran.

The two countries’ foreign ministers had a telephonic conversation on April 21, reiterating the importance of dialogue and engagement for peace and stability. Earlier, they met on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkiye.

The Egyptian foreign minister also visited Islamabad last month, on Dar’s invitation, to partake in quadrilateral talks that also included Turkiye and Saudi Arabia. The four-way talks included discussions on proposals to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to shipping.

During his visit, Abdelatty discussed bilateral relations between Egypt and Pakistan in a meeting with FM Dar. Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening ties, enhancing economic cooperation, and coordinating on regional and global issues of mutual interest.

Zardari leaves for week-long China visit for trade, CPEC talks

Web Desk
-
0
Zardari leaves for week-long China visit for trade, CPEC talks

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari left for China on Saturday for a week-long visit to discuss bilateral relations and mark the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The president departed for the visit from Lahore with Punjab Governor Saleem Haider seeing him off.

The Foreign Office (FO) earlier said that the visit comes at the invitation of the Chinese government. According to a statement posted on X, the president will travel to Changsha, Hunan Province, from April 25 to 27, and then to Sanya, Hainan Province, from April 28 to May 1.

“He will hold meetings with provincial leadership to discuss Pakistan–China bilateral relations, with a particular focus on economic and trade cooperation and the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC),” the FO said.

It added that the visit was part of the longstanding tradition of high-level exchanges between Pakistan and China, noting that it held special significance as it coincided with the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

President Zardari last visited China in February 2025, meeting China’s Premier Li Qiang to discuss the All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership and the expansion of cooperation under CPEC 2.0, particularly in areas like renewable energy, science and technology, infrastructure, and agriculture.

The visit also included the signing of several Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) between the two countries. These include agreements signed between Pakistan’s Thatta Cement Company and China’s Ching Gang Construction Group, aimed at increasing cement production in Pakistan by an additional 5,000 tonnes per day.

An MoU was also signed between the Sindh Energy Department and China’s Meng Yang Renewable Energy Company to explore joint renewable energy projects in Pakistan, while a coal gasification and urea production plant project between the Government of Sindh and a Chinese company was also formalised.

Fuel crunch brings Rs27 petrol shock from govt

Web Desk
-
0
Fuel crunch brings Rs27 petrol shock from govt

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday jacked up prices of both high speed diesel and petrol by Rs27 per liter despite no increase was required in the rates of petrol and to push its price higher the premier imposed nearly Rs27 per liter more tax on fuel.

Accordingly, the high speed diesel price has been fixed at Rs380.2 per liter, up from Rs353.42 per liter. This marks 7.5% increase. Diesel prices are still significantly lower from their peak of Rs520.4 on April 10. The diesel is considered the most inflationary fuel due to its widespread use in freight transportation and agriculture sector.

The Prime Minister approved to increase petrol prices to Rs393.4 per liter, up from Rs366.6. This shows an increase of 7.3% over the existing prices. Petroleum Division officials said that there was no change in the petrol prices in the international market and the rates had to be jacked up due to increase in the tax.

The finance ministry spokesman was not available for comments.

The new petroleum levy rate on petrol has been fixed at Rs107.4 per liter, as Shehbaz Sharif again chose to recover the tax meant to be recovered from diesel consumers from the petrol consumers –a policy that he had earlier implemented and then reversed after public backlash.

Last month, the prime minister had increased the petroleum levy rate on petrol to a record Rs160 per liter in the middle of skyrocketing prices. Later on, the premier took the credit to reduce the tax to Rs80.

The sources said that the International Monetary Fund has asked the government to start charging Rs80 per liter tax on diesel and petrol. Instead of introducing petroleum levy on high speed diesel, the PM in the first step has increased the tax on petrol to Rs107.4 per liter.

There is still a requirement by the IMF to further increase the tax by Rs53 per liter. The sources said that the government would take the decision next week whether the remaining Rs53 per liter tax should be recovered from the diesel or the petrol users.

The finance ministry sources said that the government has already collected little over Rs1.2 trillion in petroleum levy during the first nine months of this fiscal year. This is equal to 82% of the annual target of Rs1.468 trillion.

Yet, the government has chosen to further increase the burden on consumers of petrol, mostly poor motorcycle owners, and car owners belonging to the low middle income to the highest income groups.

The government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is trying to appease the users of diesels but may end up irritating both diesel and petrol consumers, as the prices were still on the rise for both the categories.

The government had earlier slashed the federal development budget by 17% or Rs173 billion to offset the impact of reduction in petroleum levy on diesel and partially subsidize the commodity.

The government is currently collecting about Rs36 per litre tax on diesel, including Rs33 in customs duty and Rs2.5 as climate support levy. Total taxes on petrol amount to Rs134 per litre, including Rs107 petroleum levy, Rs24 customs duty and Rs2.5 climate support levy.

As per the understanding with the IMF, the climate support levy would be further increased by Rs2.5 per liter on both the products, reaching to Rs5 per from July 1st.

The government functionaries have remained unable to convince the IMF to relax punitive conditions even during the war times. The demand to further increase the petroleum levy rates and the climate support levy show the lack of convincing power of the negotiators.

The IMF is expected to approve the fourth loan tranche and the third review of the $7 billion bailout package in the first week of May.

Due to reduction in the global prices, superior kerosene oil and light diesel oil rates have been reduced. Kerosene oil prices have been reduced from Rs429 per liter to Rs365 per liter. There is a reduction of Rs63.6 per liter in kerosene oil price. The government is charging Rs20.4 per liter petroleum levy on it.

The light diesel oil prices have been reduced from Rs299 to Rs270 per liter –a reduction of Rs29 per liter. The price is inclusive of Rs15.8 per liter petroleum levy.

US-Iran talks hit snag as Trump cancels envoy trip, Araghchi leaves Pakistan

Web Desk
-
0
US-Iran talks hit snag as Trump cancels envoy trip, Araghchi leaves Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: United States ​President Donald ‌Trump cancelled a ​planned ​trip to Pakistan ⁠by ​envoys Jared ​Kushner and Steve Witkoff ​for ​peace talks with ‌Iran, ⁠Fox News reported on ​Saturday, creating another snag in the peace process between the two enemies.

The ​network ⁠said Trump ​told ​Fox ⁠about the ⁠trip’s ​cancellation.

“I’ve told my people a little while ago they were getting ready to leave, and I said, ‘Nope, you’re not making an 18-hour flight to go there. We have all the cards. They can call us anytime they want, but you’re not going to be making any more 18-hour flights to sit around talking about nothing,'” Trump was quoted as saying by the outlet’s White House correspondent.

Questioned by Axios whether it meant he was going to resume fighting, Trump said: “No. It doesn’t mean that. We haven’t thought about it yet.”

Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also left Pakistan after discussing the overall situation in the region with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir.

FM Araghchi ​arrived in Islamabad on Friday night.

A statement from the PM Office said he held a meeting with PM Shehbaz in which regional developments and bilateral ties came under discussion.

Deputy PM and FM Ishaq Dar, CDF Munir and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi were also present.

PM Shehbaz said he had a “most warm, cordial exchange of views on the current regional situation”, adding that they discussed matters of mutual interest, including the further strengthening of bilateral relations.

FM Dar said the talks lasted around two hours and PM Shehbaz emphasised the importance of dialogue and diplomacy for peace and stability in the region and beyond.

Araghchi himself said on X: “Very fruitful visit to Pakistan, whose good offices and brotherly efforts to bring back peace to our region we very much value. Shared Iran’s position concerning workable framework to permanently end the war on Iran. Have yet to see if the U.S. is truly serious about diplomacy.”

Iran said the talks covered bilateral ties, regional and international developments, and expanding cooperation.

“Araghchi thanked Pakistan’s efforts on ceasefire and hosting talks, reaffirmed Iran’s stance on ending the war, and stressed stronger ties with neighbours. Sharif emphasised continued cooperation in bilateral and multilateral arenas.”

FM Araghchi also held a prior meeting with CDF Munir in which “an exchange of views took place on matters of mutual interest and the overall situation in the region”, said state broadcaster PTV News on X.

US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner are due to depart on Saturday morning for talks with Araghchi, the White House said.

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters a day ago that Iran had a chance to make a “good deal” with the US. “Iran knows that they still have an open window to choose wisely,” ​he said. “All they have to do is abandon a nuclear weapon in meaningful and verifiable ways.”

Washington is at a costly impasse with Tehran as Iran has largely closed the Strait of Hormuz, which normally carries ​one-fifth of global oil shipments, while the US blocks Iran’s oil exports. The US-Israeli war on Iran, entering its ninth week, has pushed energy prices to multi-year highs, stoking inflation and darkening global growth prospects.

However, ​Iran said its officials did not plan to meet the Americans to discuss ending the war that has killed thousands of Iranian and Lebanese civilians and ‌roiled global markets. An Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson posted on X that Iranian officials did ⁠not plan to meet with US representatives and that Tehran’s concerns would be conveyed to mediator Pakistan.

The White House did not immediately respond to a ​request for comment on the Iranian statement.

Meanwhile, FM Dar held a meeting today to review the latest developments in the region. He reiterated that Pakistan was facilitating the Iran-US talks to achieve peace and stability in the region and beyond, adding that Pakistan would continue its efforts in this regard.

He also underlined that Pakistan’s official policy statements on the Iran-US facilitation process were only those issued by official sources. “Unnamed Pakistani officials or sources, whether quoted in print or social media, do not reflect Pakistan’s official position. He advised print and electronic media to refrain from speculative reporting and focus on official statements only,” the Foreign Office said.

Lavrov praises Pakistan’s mediatory role in US-Iran conflict

Web Desk
-
0
Lavrov praises Pakistan’s mediatory role in US-Iran conflict

ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar discussed bilateral relations in a telephonic conversation on Friday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced in an X post.

The two leaders also discussed “cooperation at multilateral fora in support of international peace and security,” the ministry said. Lavrov appreciated Pakistan’s constructive role in facilitating dialogue between Iran and the United States, the statement added.

Dar underscored Pakistan’s resolve to continue contributing to efforts aimed at promoting dialogue and diplomacy to resolve all issues.

The foreign ministers further reiterated “the importance of maintaining regular high-level engagements,” and discussed rescheduling Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to Russia “at an early mutually convenient date.”

The statement concluded with Dar inviting Lavrov to visit Pakistan as both sides agreed to remain in touch.

22 terrorists killed in KP intel operation: ISPR

Web Desk
-
0
22 terrorists killed in KP intel operation: ISPR

RAWALPINDI: Security forces and law enforcement agencies killed 22 terrorists during a joint intelligence-based operation (IBO) in the Khyber district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) on April 21, the military’s media wing said on Friday.

According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), a joint operation was carried out in which terrorists belonging to the Khawarij group, affiliated with the India-backed Fitna al Khawarij network, were killed following an intense exchange of fire with security forces.

The state uses the term Fitna al Khawarij for the terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

The statement said, “Khawarij resorted to indiscriminate firing, which resulted in martyrdom of a ten-year-old innocent child”.

According to ISPR, “weapons and ammunition from killed Indian-sponsored Khawarij”, who remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities in the area.

The statement added that sanitisation operations are underway to eliminate any remaining terrorists in the area. The statement highlighted that the counter-terrorism campaign under the vision “Azm-e-Istehkam,” approved by the Federal Apex Committee on the National Action Plan, will continue at full pace.

“Security forces of Pakistan will continue at full pace to wipe out the menace of foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism from the country and such sacrifice of our innocent civilians further strengthens our resolve,” the statement concluded.

The Apex Committee of the National Action Plan, in June 2024, approved Operation Azm-e-Istehkam to eliminate terrorism and extremism across the country. The operation aims to eradicate extremism and terrorism decisively and comprehensively.

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif have commended security forces for their successful operation in Khyber. In separate statements, both leaders expressed profound grief over the martyrdom of a 10-year-old child, who was killed by indiscriminate firing from the terrorists, Radio Pakistan reported.

The president noted that while Pakistan continues to strive for regional and global peace, terrorists are attempting to undermine these efforts. He affirmed that Pakistan remains committed to defeating terrorism and maintaining its role in promoting stability.

Similarly, the prime minister reaffirmed that the campaign against terrorism will persist until the menace is completely eradicated, adding that the entire nation stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the security forces in their unwavering resolve.

Witkoff, Kushner set for Iran talks; Araghchi arrives in Islamabad tonight

Web Desk
-
0
Witkoff, Kushner set for Iran talks; Araghchi arrives in Islamabad tonight

ISLAMABAD: United States President ‌Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law ​Jared Kushner will travel ​to Pakistan soon for talks with ⁠Iran’s foreign ​minister, a US ​official told Reuters on Friday, with FM Abbas Araghchi set to arrive tonight.

Vice President JD ​Vance is ​not currently planning to ‌attend , but he will be on standby to ​travel ​to ⁠Islamabad if negotiations progress, according ​to CNN, ​which ⁠first recorded the travel plans.

Araghchi will arrive in Islamabad with a small team, with state media reporting that peace talks with the US are likely to take place, raising hope ​that negotiations could resume after they collapsed earlier this week.

In a post on X, he said he was embarking on a “timely tour” of Islamabad, Muscat and Moscow.

“Purpose of my visits is to closely coordinate with our partners on bilateral matters and consult on regional developments. Our neighbours are our priority.”

In a post on X, state-run Pakistan TV quoted government sources as saying: “Iran’s foreign minister is expected in Islamabad tonight with a small delegation, as momentum builds for a possible second round of Iran-US peace talks following key consultations with Pakistan’s mediation team. Meanwhile, US logistics and security officials are already on the ground in Islamabad.”

State broadcaster PTV News also posted the same on X.

Two Pakistani government sources told Reuters Araghchi’s visit could signal the resumption of peace talks with the US, though this was not yet confirmed and Washington’s response was still awaited.

Araghchi “will tell us what instructions he has when he arrives. All this is speculative”, one of the sources said. The two sources said Araghchi would hold bilateral talks during his brief visit and discuss his side of the proposal for talks with the US over the Iran war, which would then be conveyed to Washington.

There was no immediate direct response from Washington to the report.

Iranian state media outlet IRNA said the purpose of this trip was bilateral consultations, discussions and dialogue regarding the ongoing developments in the region, as well as the latest status of the imposed war by the United States and the Israeli regime against Iran.”

Pakistan repays $3.45bn to UAE, central bank confirms

Web Desk
-
0
Pakistan repays $3.45bn to UAE, central bank confirms

KARACHI: Pakistan repaid the $3.45 billion deposit to the United Arab Emirates, the State Bank of Pakistan confirmed on Friday.

The central bank said the $1bn deposit was repaid to the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development on April 23 and $2.45bn was repaid to the UAE “last week”.

“This completes the repayment of total deposits of $3.45 billion to UAE,” said the SBP in a post on X.

A senior official said earlier this month that Pakis­tan had decided to return $3.5 billion in debt to the UAE before the end of this month.

The official described the move as a cost the country was willing to bear to uphold “national dignity”, even as it is set to significantly draw down foreign exch­ange reserves.

These funds were part of external financing support extended by the UAE in 2019 to help stabilise Pakistan’s balance of payments.

In March, Islamabad failed to secure an agreement with the UAE to roll over the $3.5bn facility, marking the first such failure in seven years and raising concerns about near-term financing gaps.

In a separate post on X, a day earlier, the SBP said foreign reserves held by the country stood at $20.63bn as of April 17.

During the current month, Pakistan received a $3bn deposit from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The deposit came in two tranches, with the second tranche of $1bn received on April 21.

Pakistan’s foreign exchange position, though under pressure, remains part of a broader stabilisation effort under IMF-supported reforms.

Analysts say external financing risks remain a key vulnerability, particularly amid volatile energy prices and constrained global capital markets.

1...202122...32Page 21 of 32