Pakistan | Pakistan

Pakistan expressed “serious concern” on Thursday on recent attacks targeting Azerbaijan and Turkiye, calling for restraint and emphasising the need for dialogue and diplomacy. The calls comes against the backdrop of an ongoing war between Iran and the US and Israel, which has expanded across the Middle East with Tehran targeting US bases and assets in other countries and Tel Aviv targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon. On Thursday, a drone struck an airport building in Azerbaijan’s exclave of Nakhichevan and exploded. Two people were injured in the incident, for which Azerbaijan held Iran responsible, but Iran has denied involvement in the incident and blames Israel. On Wednesday, Turkiye summoned the Iranian ambassador after a missile — apparently targeting a Cyprus base — landed in Turkish territory. Iran’s armed forces have also denied firing any missile towards Turkiye. Following the two incidents, the Foreign Office (FO) said in a statement that Pakistan expressed “serious concern” over the recent attacks target...

Pakistan has voiced reservations over a newly announced long-term uranium supply agreement between Canada and India, along with their prospective collaboration on small modular reactors and advanced nuclear technologies.

PESHAWAR: A senior security official has said that the Afghan Taliban were well aware of Pakistan’s concerns and demands, adding that the regime needed to take “verifiable steps” if it wanted a ceasefire or a dialogue. Relations between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban are at their lowest point in the four years since the group came to power. On Feb 22, Pakistan targeted terrorist camps and hideouts overnight in the Nangarhar and Paktika provinces of Afghanistan, which led to the Afghan Taliban launching unprovoked attacks along the border last week. In response, Pakistan on Feb 26 initiated Operation Ghazab lil-Haq. Briefing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa-based journalists at the Inter-Services Public Relations headquarters, the senior security official said that the Afghan Taliban regime was “well aware of Pakistan’s concerns”, adding that the “decision was now theirs”. “If they want dialogue or a ceasefire, they must take verifiable steps,” the official said. “Pakistan does not wish to attack anyone; our priority remai...

The government on Thursday refuted a “fabricated” notification claiming the Cabinet Division had ordered the “temporary suspension of all port entries in Pakistan” due to the security situation until March 10. “No such order has been issued by the Cabinet Division or the Ministry of Maritime Affairs,” the information ministry clarified in a fact check. The clarification comes amid the ongoing hostilities in the Middle East, which have disrupted sea traffic coming through the Strait of Hormuz off Iran’s coast. Pakistan has formally requested that Saudi Arabia provide an alternative oil supply route through its port city of Yanbu to maintain its fuel supply chain in the wake of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. However, the fake notification, dated March 4, did not make any mention of the Iran war. It claimed that an emergency meeting had been convened by the maritime affairs ministry “in view of the prevailing security situation”, without expanding further on the security concerns. The fabricated notificati...

Multiple anti-state, Indian and Afghan accounts on social media platform X have been sharing a video since March 2, claiming that it shows Allama Raja Nasir, opposition leader in the Senate, saying Pakistan allowed the United States to use its airspace against Iran. However, the clip is doctored using artificial intelligence (AI). Israel and the United States launched joint military strikes on Iran on February 28, and assassinated Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, significantly escalating tensions in the Middle East. Iran called the strikes unprovoked and illegal, and responded with missiles fired at Israel and at least seven other countries, including Gulf states that host US bases. The war entered its fifth day on Wednesday, with no let-up in attacks by the US, Israel or Iran. Meanwhile, Washington has said it was winning in the war against Iran, adding that the US military could fight as long as needed. On March 2, an anti-state account on X shared a clip of Nasir speaking on a talk show with the ...

Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir on Wednesday said that peace between Pakistan and Afghanistan could only prevail if the Taliban regime “renounced their support for terrorism and terrorist organisations”. According to a statement by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), CDF Munir made the remarks as he visited Wana in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s South Waziristan to review the prevailing security situation and operational preparedness along the Western border. “He reiterated that peace could only prevail between both sides if the Afghan Taliban renounced their support for terrorism and terrorist organisations,” the statement said. It said that CDF Munir laid a floral wreath at the martyrs’ monument to pay homage to those who had rendered supreme sacrifices in defence of the motherland. “He offered fateha and reaffirmed that the sacrifices of shuhada remain the cornerstone of Pakistan’s security and resilience,” it added. During the visit, CDF Munir was given a comprehensive b...

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is set to take a series of major measures —including weekly petroleum price revision, compensating oil companies for elevated costs of insurance and import premiums, and fuel conservation measures like mandatory work from home — to keep the markets liquid amid the drying out of trade movement following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. A summary is being submitted to the federal cabinet’s Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) in this regard for action without delay as petroleum prices appeared to surge, informed sources told Dawn. However, even before the ECC takes these decisions, the state-run Pakistan State Oil (PSO), under the government’s assent, has launched two import tenders each for petrol and diesel outside the Strait of Hormuz as a precaution, although both product stocks are among the highest in the country at present. Both petrol and diesel have over 500,000 tonnes of stocks, enough for 26 and 25 days’ cover. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has already been requested to provide oil...

ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Wednesday cautioned over oil stocks amid global uncertainty due to the US-Israel and Iran war, but said that there was no emergency-like situation in Pakistan. Briefing the Senate Standing Committee on Finance, the minister suggested conserving fuel as a preventive measure. “We are not going for rationing of fuel as there is no fuel shortage in the country, but things could become serious if the war drags on,” Aurangzeb said in response to the query by Saleem Mandviwala, the chairman of the committee. The committee was informed that there were petrol and diesel stocks for 28 days, crude oil stocks for 10 days, and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG) for 15 days. “But some cargoes have been stuck in Qatar and to offset this short supply, the output from local gas fields was being enhanced,” he added. The committee was informed that the finance ministry would hold daily meetings with the relevant departments to monitor the country’s fue...

Former Pakistan captain Babar Azam was dropped from the squad for a One-Day International series against Bangladesh, despite scoring a century in his last ODI series. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced a 15-man squad on Wednesday that excluded Babar who made an unbeaten 102 against Sri Lanka in November. He endured a torrid time at the Twenty20 World Cup, however, managing just 91 runs across four innings as Pakistan exited at the Super Eight stage. Left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi will captain the side for the three-match series starting next week in Dhaka. The PCB called up six uncapped players including Abdul Samad, Maaz Sadaqat, Saad Masood and Shamyl Hussain who played against the England Lions in Abu Dhabi before the series was called off due to the conflict in the Middle East. Pakistan squad: Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Hussain Talat, Maaz Sadaqat, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Wasim Junior, Muhammad Ghazi ...

Muhammad Aurangzeb on Tuesday informed the Senate Standing Committee on Finance that Pakistan currently has sufficient petrol and diesel stocks for the next 28 days, assuring lawmakers that there is no shortage of oil and gas in the country.

On Sunday afternoon, protesters in Islamabad pressed shoulder to shoulder, most of them dressed in black, and chanted slogans that rippled through the crowd. “Death to America, death to Israel,” they shouted in unison. Among them was also Kazim Hussain, who clutched a portrait of Ayatollah Khamenei. The student, also an activist affiliated with Shia group Imamia Students Organisation (ISO), believes that the crisis unfolding in Iran was not a distant geopolitical conflict playing out beyond Pakistan’s western border. For him, it is deeply personal and emotionally moving. “This is not just an attack on Iran. It concerns all Shia Muslims,” he said, raising his voice above the chants as the crowd marched toward the US embassy. “The death of Ayatollah Khamenei will not end the movement. It has strengthened it.” Kazim’s words reflect a growing wave of anger and grief within Pakistan’s Shia community following the assassination of Iran’s supreme leader amid escalating attacks by Israel and the United States, as wel...

The US State Department said on Wednesday it had ordered non-emergency personnel from US consulates in the cities of Karachi and Lahore and their families to leave Pakistan due to security concerns. “The Department of State ordered non-emergency US government employees and the family members of US government personnel from US Consulates Lahore and Karachi to leave Pakistan due to safety risks,” the US Mission in Pakistan said in a statement. It said there was no change to the status of its embassy in Islamabad. The advisory noted “an ongoing threat of drone and missile attacks from Iran and significant disruptions to commercial flights” amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. While there is also an additional consulate in Peshawar, the updated travel advisory did not mention anything about it. Following the onset of hostilities between Iran and the US and Israel since February 28, the State Department has issued similar instructions for its staff in multiple regional countries. These include Jordan, Bah...

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday formally requested that Saudi Arabia provide an alternative oil supply route through Yanbu to maintain its fuel supply chain in the wake of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz following the United States-Israel attack on Iran. The request was made by Federal Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik to the Saudi ambassador to Pakistan, Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki during a meeting. The Saudi ambassador assured full support in this regard, according to a statement by the petroleum division. During the meeting, both sides discussed matters of mutual interest and bilateral cooperation. The minister apprised the ambassador about the current situation and the implications of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz on global energy markets. He stated that Pakistan is closely monitoring the evolving situation on a daily basis, as the majority of Pakistan’s energy supplies transit through the strait. The minister emphasised that Pakistan’s government was actively endeavouring to ensure continui...

ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday said that Pakistan was ready to facilitate dialogue between the United States and Iran. “Pakistan is ready to facilitate dialogue between Washington and Tehran in Islamabad,” Dar said while speaking in the upper house of Parliament. He noted that both Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir had played a “very active and positive role” in diplomatic and defence-level engagements aimed at defusing tensions. He also told the Senate that Iran had agreed not to build nuclear weapons, but said the US was pressing for the complete dismantling of Tehran’s nuclear programme. In his speech, he also recalled that the dialogue process between the US and Iran was initially progressing “successfully”. He also highlighted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to Austria, where he held a meeting with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief, who Dar said was “optimistic that dialogue was heading in a p...

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has reaffirmed that Pakistan stands wholeheartedly with Iran, urging that the situation not be given a wrong domestic colour and stressing continued diplomatic efforts to bring the parties back to the negotiating table.

A total of 116 outbound flights from major airports across Pakistan to various Middle Eastern destinations were cancelled on Saturday, leaving thousands of passengers stranded amid escalating regional tensions.

ISLAMABAD: A senior security official on Monday dismissed speculation that after Iran, Pakistan could be the next target of US-Israeli military action, saying such perceptions were “devoid of facts” and were being spread by “agents of chaos”. According to a brief shared with Dawn, the official said Pakistan was unlike Iran, that it was fully integrated with the world and fully capable of defending itself. He said that those spreading “alarmist narratives” were pursuing “nefarious and vested interests.” His remarks came amid an escalating war in the Middle East in which Israel and the United States, for the second time in eight months, launched coordinated strikes against Iran. Tehran retaliated by targeting Israeli territory and American military facilities in neighbouring countries, raising fears of a wider regional conflagration. Following the US-Israeli airstrikes, there has been speculation and concerns that Pakistan could face similar aggression. Some analyses from Western think tanks had also speculated...

Islamabad - Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on Monday said Pakistan remains a strong proponent of regional peace and stability but it will make no compromise on its sovereignty and safety of its people.

ISLAMABAD: The ongoing talks between an International Monetary Fund (IMF) staff mission and authorities in Islamabad had to be converted to virtual mode on Monday due to the regional situation following the attack on Iran by the United States and Israel. The IMF mission, led by Iva Petrova, had to immediately relocate to Istanbul following an advisory issued by the money lending agency’s headquarters, disrupting a series of sectoral meetings planned for the day. The remaining schedule of meetings, however, will remain intact and will progress through video link between Islamabad and Istanbul. “An IMF mission led by Iva Petrova has started discussions with the authorities in Karachi and Islamabad on the third review of Pakistan’s Extended Fund Facility (EFF) arrangement and the second review of the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF). Discussions will continue to be held virtually,” the Fund said in a statement. Earlier in the day, the two sides had a kick-off meeting presided over by Finance Minister...

Pakistan mounts 'full diplomatic effort'