Pakistan | Pakistan

Pakistan on Monday rejected “unwarranted” remarks on Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) by members of the diaspora in the United Kingdom, advising the individuals to refrain from interfering in Pakistan’s internal affairs. “We have noted with concern the irresponsible and ill-informed insinuations made by certain members of the diaspora in the UK regarding AJK,” said the Foreign Office (FO) in a statement. “These individuals are advised to refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of Pakistan and AJK. They would do well to contribute positively to their country of residence,” it maintained. It added that the ministry has also noted the “unwarranted remarks and queries” raised by certain British members of parliament, which reflected a “lack of awareness and disregard for the historical background of the issue”. “For those still living in colonial times, it bears reiterating that Pakistan is a sovereign and democratic republic that firmly believes in non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries...

Pakistan has issued visas to 737 Sikh pilgrims from India to participate in an annual religious festival scheduled from June 10 to June 19.

Fruit sellers at roadsides and bazaars are bracing for Pakistan’s yearly mango madness. Their baskets are filled with the early Sindhri crop for now as they wait for the Punjab Langra and Dusehri, soon to be followed by the Chaunsa and Anwar Ratol. This year’s season arrives with as much anxiety as anticipation. Fluctuating temperatures, erratic rain and hailstorms early in the year, the period critical for flowering, fruit set and ripening, have damaged orchards across Punjab’s mango belt, covering Multan, Dera Ghazi Khan and Bahawalpur divisions in the south and Sahiwal, Faisalabad, Sargodha and Lahore in the central and northern parts of the province. The prolonged stagnation after last year’s floods weakened root systems and stressed trees already battered by climatic shocks. These setbacks, coupled with uncertainty in export markets amid tensions surrounding the US-Iran-Israel conflict, have kept growers, contractors and traders on the edge over the season’s fragility. “I can safely say that around 40 pe...

LAST week, Russian President Vladimir Putin talked on several geopolitical issues in St Petersburg, which also define Moscow’s approach to China, India and Pakistan. The most interesting statement he made was that he does not believe Pakistan was under the control of China; he said that Pakistan is a large country that has multifaceted ties with different states. Perhaps he was trying to justify Moscow’s recent defence-related talks, which the Taliban regime’s defence minister, Mullah Yaqoob, used as a counter-response to the Pakistani air strikes inside Afghanistan. Putin’s message between the lines was that, as Pakistan has multifaceted ties with China, the US, and even Russia, Moscow takes the same approach in engaging with nations. After all, Russia is the only country in the world that has recognised the Taliban regime. There is little doubt that Pakistan has found its geopolitical strength through cultivating a multi-vector approach and hardly portrays itself as a passive client in its relations with th...

Pakistan is expected to face a spell of intense heat from June 7 to June 12, with temperatures likely to rise sharply in several parts of the country, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD).

Pakistan has strongly rejected India's comments regarding the upcoming elections in Gilgit-Baltistan, describing the remarks as baseless and misleading.

Pakistan and Russia have signed an agreement to enhance cooperation against illegal immigration, as Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi held a series of bilateral meetings with his counterparts from regional countries on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting in Kyrgyzstan.

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan on Friday strongly rejected India’s criticism of the upcoming elections in Gilgit-Baltistan, describing New Delhi’s statements as “baseless” and politically motivated.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday invited Saudi investors to participate in the construction of the long-awaited Sukkur-Hyderabad Motorway (M6) and two other major highway projects, as Islamabad sought to attract foreign capital into its expanding transport infrastructure sector. Once completed, the motorway is expected to provide uninterrupted motorway connectivity from Karachi Port to Peshawar and onward to Gilgit. The offer was extended by Federal Communications Minister Aleem Khan during a meeting with the Chairman of the Saudi-Pakistan Joint Business Council, Prince Mansour bin Muhammad Al Saud, who held high-level talks with the minister on promoting bilateral economic cooperation and investment. According to the Ministry of Communications, Aleem Khan presented investment opportunities in three strategic road projects: the M6 Sukkur-Hyderabad Motorway, the M10 Karachi Port and the M13 Kharian-Rawalpindi motorways. The minister described the projects as commercially attractive ventures with strong potential ...

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday “categorically rejected” India’s remarks regarding upcoming elections in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), calling them “baseless” and part of a “carefully choreographed attempt to conflate fact with fiction”. General elections in GB are scheduled for Sunday (June 7), after a four-month delay attributed to harsh winter weather. The PPP and other political parties have staged a series of rallies across the region and ramped up efforts to garner support ahead of the polls. In a statement, Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson Tahir Andarabi said India remained in “illegal occupation of the internationally recognised disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir,” and termed New Delhi a “global leader in propagating fake narratives and tendentious propaganda”. “We unequivocally reject this latest Indian rhetoric with the contempt it deserves,” the statement said. New Delhi, in a statement issued by its foreign ministry earlier on Friday, objected to the upcoming elections in GB, claiming that “the entire...

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Friday reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to the “Shanghai spirit” and called for a joint strategy among SCO member states to counter terrorism, organised crime, drug trafficking, cybercrime and terror financing. Naqvi said this at a special meeting of the Ministers of Interior and Public Security of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. He said the region faced “serious and complex security challenges” that were interconnected, noting that criminal and terrorist networks were rapidly adapting to technological advancements, exploiting artificial intelligence, digital platforms, online networks and cryptocurrency transactions to expand their activities. The interior minister emphasised the importance of modernising institutional coordination and enhancing intelligence-sharing mechanisms across the region to tackle these threats. Shared threats demanded shared solutions, Naqvi told the delegates, further calling for a comprehensive regional stra...

Pakistan and the United States have made notable progress in bilateral relations, with Pakistan emerging as an important partner of the administration of Donald Trump, according to a report by Vox.

NEW DELHI: Pakistan has decided not to send its team for the Asian Senior Fencing Championships to be held in New Delhi from June 19 despite the local organisers sending an invite to the neighbouring country to take part in the continental event, Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency reported on Thursday. India is hosting the championships for the first time. Fencers from more than 30 countries across Asia and Oceania will be seen in action. Nearly 100 delegates and technical officials will oversee the event. “We sent an invite to Pakistan, as well as Afghanistan, to participate in the championships but they chose not to send their fencers. The deadline for sending entries is long over and we are now in the process of procuring visas for the athletes and officials,” the Fencing Association of India (FAI) secretary general Rajeev Mehta told PTI. Last month, the Indian Sports Ministry had reiterated that the blanket ban on bilateral sporting ties with Pakistan that was imposed last year will remain in force, b...

Spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi and Shadab Khan starred in Pakistan’s four-wicket win in their decisive third and final one-day international against Australia in Lahore on Thursday. Shaheen grabbed 3-30 to bundle Australia out for 157 before Shadab added a fighting 29 not out to his two wickets, helping Pakistan to their winning target in 41.5 overs. That gave Pakistan a 2-1 series win — their third successive ODI series victory over Australia – after they won the first match by five wickets in Rawalpindi. Australia won the second by 41 runs, also in Lahore. Left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann’s career best 3-38 — including Babar Azam’s wicket for 40 — had given the visitors some hope of an unlikely win. At 112-6, Pakistan were in a spot of bother but Shadab found an able partner in Abdul Samad as the duo added a match-winning 49 runs for the unbroken seventh wicket stand. Shadab’s second boundary sealed the win, while Samad’s 18 not out included one boundary. Shaheen praised a complete team effort. “All bowler...

Pakistan and the United States reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral ties during a ceremony in Islamabad marking the 250th anniversary of US Independence Day, attended by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and members of the diplomatic community.

Iran has once again acknowledged and appreciated Pakistan’s positive role during the recent conflict in the region.

The US Trade Representative has proposed new duties targeting 60 economies, including Pakistan and India, for alleged failures to act against forced labour, as the Trump administration seeks to rebuild its tariff agenda following legal setbacks. The proposed tariffs range from 10 per cent to 12.5pc, according to a government filing, and they will undergo a public comment period before a final decision is made. The move comes months after Washington launched investigations into trading partners, including China, the European Union (EU) and Japan. The probes looked into whether they took action against the import of goods made with forced labour, and if this impacted US commerce. On Tuesday, the USTR said that 54 of the economies “failed to impose and effectively enforce a forced labour import prohibition”. This group includes China, Vietnam, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and India. Six other economies — Canada, Ecuador, the EU, Indonesia, Mexico and Pakistan — were deemed not to have effectively enforced such pro...

Fast bowler Nathan Ellis took a career best four-wicket haul as an understrength Australia shocked Pakistan by 41 runs in the second one-day international in Lahore on Tuesday, levelling the three-match series 1-1. Australia’s total of 231-9 in 50 overs had fighting half centuries from Josh Inglis and Cameron Green before Ellis grabbed 4-33 to leave Pakistan 190 all out in 44 overs. Pakistan won the first match by five wickets in Rawalpindi which now sets up a series-deciding match, also in Lahore on Thursday. With a host of top ODI players including skipper Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, Australia’s second string staged a remarkable comeback, countering Pakistan’s spin and batting with confidence. All rounder Shadab Khan played a lone hand for the home team with a resolute 104-ball 71 and was the last man out, stumped off a spinner Tanveer Sangha’s wide ball for Australian victory. Ghazi Ghori made 37 with five boundaries. Shadab hit three sixes and a boundary and repaired Pakistan’s falteri...

Pakistan, along with seven other Muslim countries, on Tuesday condemned the “continued incursions by extremist Israeli settlers into Al Aqsa Mosque” in the strongest terms, calling for an immediate cessation of all such provocative practices. According to a joint statement released by the Foreign Office (FO), the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Egypt, Turkiye, Indonesia, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates condemned “in the strongest terms the continued incursions by extremist Israeli settlers, into Al Aqsa Mosque under the protection of the Israeli forces, as well as the raising of the Israeli flag within its courtyards”. “They stress that these provocative and unacceptable actions constitute a flagrant violation of international law, the relevant United Nations resolutions, and the historical and legal status quo at the holy sites in occupied East Jerusalem. The FO added that the foreign ministers reaffirmed their “categorical rejection” of any attempts to alter the historical and legal ...

Federal Minister for Railways Muhammad Hanif Abbasi said Tuesday that Rawalpindi Railway Station will be transformed into the country’s most beautiful and culturally vibrant railway facility, reflecting Pakistan’s rich heritage and historical identity.