Pakistan | Pakistan

Pakistan on Saturday reaffirmed its desire for peace and stability in Iran and the wider region, as Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held a telephonic conversation with his Iranian counterpart Seyed Abbas Araghchi.

LAHORE: Pakistan’s rice exports recorded a strong rebound in December 2025, registering a 14 per cent month-on-month (MoM) increase compared to November, primarily driven by a more than 50pc surge in Basmati shipments. The impressive performance enabled Pakistan to overtake Vietnam and emerge as the world’s third-largest rice exporter, behind India and Thailand, during the month. According to trade data, Pakistan exported 489,000 tonnes of rice in December 2025, excluding shipments to Iran, compared to Vietnam’s 387,000 tonnes. This marks Pakistan’s best monthly rice export performance, underscoring renewed momentum in the sector. The UAE remained the top destination for Pakistani rice, importing 74,897 tonnes, including 16,850 tonnes of Basmati. China followed closely with 74,685 tonnes, while other major destinations included Tanzania (62,900 tonnes), Kenya (60,300 tonnes), Ivory Coast (41,700 tonnes), Guinea-Bissau (31,850 tonnes), Malaysia (23,930 tonnes), Madagascar (17,800 tonnes), Kazakhstan (17,050 to...

Speaker Ayaz Sadiq on Saturday said that statements against Pakistan, the judiciary or the armed forces would not be allowed on the floor of the National Assembly. According to a handout issued by the NA Secretariat, the speaker made the remarks while visiting the National College of Arts (NCA) in Lahore. “Negative or controversial remarks on the role of the judiciary, the armed forces of Pakistan and judges are unacceptable,” he said. He further stated that any kind of remarks against the armed forces was “intolerable”. He further stated that only those remarks that fell within the ambit of the law and the Constitution would be allowed. “Those who speak against Pakistan will not be allowed to express their views on the floor of the National Assembly,” he was quoted as saying. Sadiq further asserted that as the NA speaker, he would continue to play an impartial role. He further said that in a democratic society, protesting was a citizen’s right. However, this protest should be peaceful and remain within the a...

Pakistan on Saturday condemned the reported profiling of mosques and mosque management committees in India-occupied Kashmir, saying the “blatant intrusion into religious affairs constitutes a grave violation of the fundamental right to freedom of religion and belief”. The FO’s statement comes after police in the occupied valley distributed forms to “collect” financial and personal details of mosques and seminaries, including mosque leaders and members of management committees, according to a report by the Hindustan Times, which quoted local residents and Kashmiri leaders. The action “reflects yet another coercive attempt to intimidate and marginalise the Muslim population of the occupied territory,” the FO said. The forms included sections for seminary teachers and mosque leaders to provide details of their “Aadhaar cards, bank accounts, property ownership, social media handles, passport, ration card, driving licence, SIM cards and mobile phone model along with the IMEI”, the Hindustan Times reported. It adde...

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the United States on Saturday agreed to enhance collaboration in bilateral security and border management. The agreement was reached as Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi held a meeting with a high-level US delegation led by US Chargé d’Affaires Natalie Baker. The meeting featured in-depth deliberation on boosting relations between the two countries and expanding cooperation in shared areas of interest. It was mutually agreed to further strengthen existing cooperation with the US Anti-terrorism Assistance Programme and the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. During the meeting, matters relating to the establishment of a centre for crime and an academy within the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) with US support also came under review. The delegation also discussed training programmes for officers of the FIA, Federal Constabulary and the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA). ‎It was also agreed that border security agencies, coastal guards and other ...

The question of whether Pakistan should contribute troops to an International Stabilisation Force (ISF) in Gaza cannot be answered through sentiment, symbolism or geopolitical realignments.

Military-to-military ties between Pakistan and the United States appear to be strengthening, marked by renewed joint training, major defence sales and unusually warm rhetoric from President Donald Trump towards Pakistan’s military leadership. According to a statement issued by the US Central Command (Centcom), American and Pakistani troops this week concluded joint training at Pakistan’s National Counter-Terrorism Center in Pabbi. “This week, US and Pakistan Army Soldiers completed training at Pakistan’s National Counter-Terrorism Center during Exercise Inspired Gambit, which focused on combined infantry skills and tactics, and counterterrorism operations. Training exercises like this between the US and Pakistan strengthen our long-standing defense ties,” the statement said. The exercise comes amid broader signs of re-engagement between the two defence establishments. In December, the United States approved the sale of advanced technology and upgrade packages for Pakistan’s F-16 fighter aircraft, a deal value...

Pakistan’s ICC U19 Cricket World Cup campaign got off to a disappointing start on Tuesday as England dismantled the Green Shirts’ top order, taking six wickets for 86 runs to seal a 37-run victory. Winning the toss at the Takashinga Sports Club in Harare, Pakistan U19 team captain Farhan Yousuf elected to field first — a decision that turned out to be in the team’s favour as it bowled out England for just 210 in a fifty-over match. English batter Caleb Falconer scored 66 runs, for which he also got the Man of the Match award later, aided by Ben Dawkins’ 33 and Ralphie Albert’s 25. With the help of the commanding spells by Pakistani bowler Ahmed Hussain, who took three wickets, and Ali Raza, Abdul Subhan, and Moshin Qamar, who grabbed two wickets each, Pakistan established their position, booming in the first innings. While chasing the target, howeve, Pakistan’s top order could not stand England’s Alex Green and James Minto’s bowling attack, as both took a couple of wickets each. Six of Pakistan’s batters were...

The US government has said that it decided to pause immigrant visa processing until it ensures new applicants are “vetted to the maximum degree to ensure their eligibility”, according to a Friday statement shared by the US Embassy in Islamabad on the X platform. On Wednesday, the US announced a suspension of immigrant visa processing for Pakistan, along with 74 other countries, effective from January 21, citing concerns that immigrants from these nations often rely on public welfare programmes. “The Trump Administration is focused on protecting the American people by upholding the highest standards of screening and vetting of visa applicants,” the statement said. “Effective January 21,” the statement added, “the Department of State is pausing issuance to all immigrant visa applicants from selected countries, including Pakistan.” The statement said that US State Secretary Marco Rubio had instituted this pause until his government could “ensure that new immigrants have been vetted to the maximum degree to ensur...

More than one million web links and URLs have been blocked in Pakistan for spreading illegal and inappropriate digital content, according to a report by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) submitted to the Lahore High Court.

Pakistan has told the UN Security Council that it hopes for an early normalisation of the situation in Iran, warning that the UN Charter and international law prohibit external interference in the internal affairs of states. “The UN Charter prohibits the threat or use of force against other states’ territorial integrity or political independence, or interference in matters essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of states,” Ambassador Asim Ahmad, Pakistan’s permanent representative to the UN, told an emergency meeting of the 15-member Council on Thursday evening. The United States convened the Security Council meeting to discuss the situation in Iran, with the country’s Ambassador Mike Waltz criticising the actions taken against Iranian protesters and assuring them of President Donald Trump’s support. In his remarks, the Pakistani envoy said, “We have been carefully observing developments in Iran and the region in recent days,” pointing out that new threats to regional peace and stability remain a seriou...

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday said the federal government is committed to transforming Pakistan’s public service delivery ecosystem by providing government services under one roof through a network of Asan Khidmat Markaz across the country.

ISLAMABAD - Foreign Office on Thursday said Pakistan is engaged with the United States regarding immigration and trade matters, expressing hope that routine visa processing would resume soon.

ISLAMABAD - Federal Minister for Health Mustafa Kamal chaired an important meeting to review Pakistan’s alarming population growth on Thursday.

President Asif Ali Zardari, who is on a four-day visit to Bahrain, highlighted on Thursday that Pakistan’s strategic geographic connectivity, linking South Asia, Central Asia, China and the Middle East, complemented the Gulf country’s financial expertise and regulatory framework. He expressed these views while addressing a reception at the headquarters of Bahrain’s Economic Development Board (EDB), which is an investment promotion agency, a statement by the President’s Office said. In his address, the president underscored Pakistan’s commitment to expanding economic cooperation, investment partnerships and institutional linkages with Bahrain, the statement said. He “noted that the Economic Development Board plays a central role in shaping Bahrain’s economic strategy, attracting foreign investment and supporting diversification across key sectors”. The president further observed that the board’s close coordination with government institutions and the private sector had helped Bahrain strengthen competitiveness...

Pakistan on Thursday expressed hope that the United States would “soon” resume immigrant visa processing, adding that it viewed the recent suspension as part of an internal review. The US on Wednesday announced the suspension of immigrant visa processing for Pakistan and 74 other countries, effective January 21, citing concerns that immigrants from these nations often rely on public welfare programmes. In its statement, the State Department had said the “freeze will remain active until the US can ensure that new immigrants will not extract wealth from the American people”. Responding to a query about the move despite Pakistan’s improved relations with Washington in recent months, Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi acknowledged coming across the “reports”. “Basically, it was a brief statement by the US State Department on their social media account about the internal review of processing immigrant visas that they are in the process of,” he said. “We are in touch with the US authorities to a...

Pakistan has formally requested Saudi Arabia to increase its Hajj quota for 2026 to 230,000 pilgrims, in proportion to the country’s population, to allow more people to perform the pilgrimage.

KARACHI: Pakistan will need a staggering $565.7 billion in investment to achieve its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) 3.0 climate commitments by 2035. These include a 17 per cent unconditional and 33pc conditional reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, a 30pc increase in electric vehicle adoption, and a shift to 60pc renewable energy. Meeting these ambitious goals will depend heavily on mobilising green-aligned investments, making frameworks like the Pakistan Green Taxonomy and robust ESG disclosure practices essential for guiding capital toward sustainable projects. This was revealed during a session on Pakistan Green Taxonomy (PGT) and ESG Disclosure Guidelines hosted by the Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OICCI), which was attended by top business executives and industry stakeholders on Wednesday. According to OICCI’s press release, the session was held in the backdrop of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan’s issuance of the revised ESG Disclosure Guidelines for...

Pakistan said on Wednesday it had signed an agreement with a firm connected to World Liberty Financial, the main crypto business of US President Donald Trump’s family, to explore using World Liberty’s stablecoin for cross-border payments. The Pakistan Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority (PVARA) said in a statement that a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with SC Financial Technologies, a little-known company it described as an “affiliated entity” of World Liberty, would enable “dialogue and technical understanding around emerging digital payment architectures”. The announcement represents one of the first publicly announced tie-ups between World Liberty, a crypto-based finance platform launched in September 2024, and a sovereign state. It also comes amid a warming of ties between Pakistan and the United States. Under the agreement, SC Financial Technologies will work with Pakistan’s central bank to integrate its USD1 stablecoin into a regulated digital payments structure, allowing the token to operate alongsid...

MoU signed by Finance Minister Aurangzeb, Trump family’s World Liberty Financial CEO Zachary Witkoff PM Shehbaz Sharif, Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir attend ceremony in Islamabad PM says cryptocurrency will significantly benefit Pakistan’s economy.