Pakistan | Pakistan

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held a telephone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Sunday, reaffirming during the conversation that Pakistan would “remain fully committed to its honest and sincere efforts to advance regional peace and security”. The conversation, which was detailed in a statement by the PM’s Office, took place after US President Donald Trump confirmed that American representatives were headed to Islamabad for another round of talks with Iran. The first round of historic direct US-Iran talks, held in Islamabad on April 11 and 12, had ended without an agreement, but also without a breakdown. The talks were held as a Pakistan-brokered two-week ceasefire between Washington and Tehran remained in effect. The ceasefire, which is set to end on April 22, paused hostilities that began with the US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28. The PMO statement said that during Shehbaz and Pezeshkian’s “warm and cordial conversation that lasted for around 45 minutes, the two leaders engaged in de...

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Qatar are in an advanced stage of discussions for the supply of at least four cargoes of liquefied natural gas (LNG), which could pass through the Strait of Hormuz, sources told Dawn on Sunday. They also said that after facing criticism over loadshedding even before the start of summer, the Power Division had already placed an order to the Petroleum Division for arranging around 400 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) of liquefied natural gas (LNG) for power generation. LNG imports to Pakistan were disrupted early last month after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz amid a war in the Middle East, which began with US-Israel attacks on Iran. In retaliatory action, Iran targeted fuel installations in some of the Gulf countries that had US assets and bases. It was against this backdrop that Qatar declared force majeure early last month in all its global LNG contracts, including those with Pakistan. Sources told Dawn that due to the resultant fuel and electricity shortfall, the Power Divisio...

Senior Pakistan Muslim League-N leader Khawaja Saad Rafique has said that Pakistan is gaining recognition at the international level and its strength and capabilities are being acknowledged by the world.

Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held a telephone conversation with Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski on Saturday, during which both sides agreed to enhance bilateral cooperation across multiple sectors.

WASHINGTON: Pakistan’s liquidity pressures are expected to ease as the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Executive Board is set to consider approval of a Staff-Level Agreement (SLA) next month, potentially paving the way for a fresh disbursement of about $1.2 billion under the two programmes. The SLA was reached on March 28 on the successful third review of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and the second review under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF). Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and his delegation held a series of meetings with IMF and World Bank officials in Washington this week during the Spring Meetings of the Bretton Woods institutions. The talks focused on Pakistan’s macroeconomic stabilisation, reform agenda, and external financing outlook. In a conversation with Dawn, the minister said the IMF Executive Board is expected to meet in mid-May in Washington to review the SLA, which would unlock the next tranche under Pakistan’s programme. Liquidity pressures to ease as IMF’s board ...

Twelve countries, including Pakistan, on Saturday expressed “their strongest condemnation” at Israel’s announcement of appointing a diplomatic representative to Somalia’s breakaway region of Somaliland, according to a joint statement shared by the Foreign Office (FO). The statement was issued by the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Somalia, Sudan, Libya, Bangladesh, Algeria, Palestine, Türkiye, Indonesia, Pakistan and Kuwait. Israel appointed on Wednesday its first ambassador to Somalia’s breakaway region of Somaliland. Michael Lotem was appointed as a non-resident ambassador to Somaliland, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The statement issued on Saturday by the FO said that Israel’s action was “considered a flagrant violation of the sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Somalia”. According to the statement, the ministers reaffirmed their “unequivocal rejection of all unilateral measures that undermine the unity of states or infringe upon their sove...

ISLAMABAD: Former special assistant to the prime minister (SAPM) on health Dr Zafar Mirza on Saturday voiced alarm at the rising number of HIV cases in Pakistan, warning that the situation was becoming increasingly alarming. Addressing a press conference at the National Press Club, he referred to the emergence of HIV cases in Taunsa uncovered by the BBC, saying that the reuse of contaminated syringes and inadequate screening of blood before transfusions were major contributors to the spread of the disease. He also demanded that the report prepared by the Punjab government’s commission on the matter be made public and demanded an audit of global health funding received by Pakistan. Dr Rana Jawad, Dr Qaid Saeed, Asghar Satti, and an HIV-positive patient were also present alongside Zafar during the press conference. Zafar said that Pakistan, along with countries like India and China, had one of the highest numbers of HIV cases in Asia. The ex-SAPM noted approximately 70 per cent of blood transfusions in the coun...

The Iranian rial (IRR) has witnessed a sharp surge in Pakistan’s open currency market, with traders reporting a significant increase in its local value over the past few weeks.

Silver prices in Pakistan extended their firm upward trend on Friday, with the per tola rate reaching Rs8,321, reflecting sustained strength in both international markets and local demand.

The foreign ministers of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Egypt exchanged views on “evolving regional dynamics,” the Foreign Office (FO) said in a post on X on Saturday. According to the FO, the meeting took place on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkiye. It included Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Saudi Arabia Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Turkiye Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Egyptian Foreign Minister Dr Badr Abdelatty. In an effort to halt the US-Israeli war on Iran, the foreign ministers of the four countries had held two meetings ahead of the announcement of ceasefire, which is set to expire on April 22. The first meeting was held in Riyadh on the sidelines of a consultative ministerial meeting, while the second meeting was held in Islamabad. On Saturday, the FO said that the foreign ministers “exchanged views on evolving regional dynamics, reaffirming the vital role of dialogue and diplomacy in promoting peace, stability and shared prosperity”. ...

Pakistan on Saturday reduced the prices of jet fuel and light diesel oil following a decline in global crude oil rates after Iran announced the full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

Former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed has been appointed as head coach for the two-match Test series in Bangladesh next month, the Pakistan Sports Board (PCB) said on Saturday. The first of the two matches – part of the ICC World Test Championship — will be played at Sher-i-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka from May 8 to 12, while Sylhet International Cricket Stadium will host the second Test, which will be played from May 16 to 20. Sarfaraz, who led Pakistan to the Champions Trophy title in 2017, has worked with the under-19 team as well as Pakistan Shaheens after his retirement. Since Australian Jason Gillespie quit as Pakistan’s red-ball coach in December 2024, Aaqib Javed and Azhar Mahmood temporarily guided the team led by Shan Masood, who will continue as captain in Bangladesh. Pakistan have named four uncapped players — Abdullah Fazal, Amad Butt, Azan Awais and Muhammad Ghazi Ghori — to their 16-member squad for the Bangladesh series starting in Dhaka on May 8. Sarfaraz’s former teammate Umar Gul will j...

WASHINGTON: Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said on Friday that while he has discussed with International Monetary Fund (IMF) officials the impact of the Iran conflict on Pakistan’s economy, “our focus is on getting an early approval for the next tranche” of the IMF package and that a team of the global lender will visit Pakistan next month for consultations on the upcoming review. Talking to Dawn after his news conference at the Pakistan Embassy, the minister reiterated that the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz was “a very good development”, which would ease pressure on global oil supplies, bring down oil prices everywhere and benefit Pakistan as well. Had the conflict persisted, it would have adversely affected everything “from economic growth to inflation”, he said, adding: “We hope the situation will improve, but hope is not a strategy, and that’s why we had planned for everything.” Aurangzeb said he also discussed the possible consequences of the Iran crisis with the IMF, which has established facil...

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and his Bangladeshi counterpart Dr Khalilur Rahman exchanged views on regional developments, said a post shared on X by Pakistan’s top diplomat on Friday.

Pakistan’s Hajj flight operation is set to commence on Saturday, launching a large-scale travel effort to transport thousands of pilgrims to Saudi Arabia for the annual pilgrimage.

ISLAMABAD: A day after receiving $2 billion in assistance from Saudi Arabia, the government on Friday announced it had raised $500 million from the international capital market through a Eurobond after four years. In a post on the social media platform X, Adviser to the Finance Minister Khurram Schehzad said, “Pakistan has successfully returned to the international capital markets after a four-year hiatus, with the issuance of a $500m Eurobond today, at attractive terms under its Global Medium-Term Note (GMTN) Programme.” “The three-year Eurobond witnessed strong investor demand despite ongoing global market and geopolitical uncertainties — signalling renewed confidence in Pakistan’s economic outlook,” he said. Informed sources said the bond attracted 6.95 per cent interest rates with maturity in April 2029. The announcement came a day after Saudi Arabia announced it was extending its support of $5bn to $8bn, with the first additional disbursement of $2bn. In his X post, Schehzad said that this “well-timed is...

The air force escorted Iranian negotiators home from inconclusive peace talks with the United States last weekend, launching a major operation after the Iranians said Israel might seek to kill them, three sources told Reuters. Pakistan deployed some two dozen jets in the escort, as well as the force’s Airborne Warning and Control System for aerial surveillance to ensure the safety of the delegation back from Islamabad, said two Pakistani sources with knowledge of the operation. One said similar security protection would be provided for subsequent talks if the Iranians ask for it, “otherwise Pakistani aircraft would receive them in Pakistan airspace”. A third source involved in the talks said measures were already in the works ahead of an expected further round of talks as soon as this weekend. ‘They might be targeted’ A regional diplomat briefed by Tehran, however, said Pakistan insisted on the escort after Iranian delegates raised the “hypothetical” possibility of a threat. The discussions with the Iranian d...

The Iranian Rial (IRR) has seen increased volatility and a relative uptick in Pakistan’s informal currency markets, with traders reporting stronger demand in key trading hubs including Karachi and border areas.

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb appreciated China’s support in facilitating Pakistan’s engagements with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in a meeting with his Chinese counterpart, the finance ministry said on Friday. Aurangzeb arrived in the United States on Monday to participate in the World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund (IMF) Spring Meetings 2026, taking place from April 13 to 18 in Washington, DC. The Spring Meetings bring together finance ministers, central bank governors, policymakers and development experts from around the world amid ongoing global economic uncertainty. While there, the finance minister held an important meeting with China’s Finance Minister Lan Fo’an on the sidelines of the meetings, the ministry said in a statement on X. During the meeting, he expressed deep appreciation for China’s “long-standing and unwavering bilateral support” to Pakistan, as well as the constructive role played by China’s Executive Director at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in facilit...

Pakistan has called for the immediate restoration of normal shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, warning at the United Nations that ongoing disruptions are affecting global trade, energy supplies and vulnerable populations.