Pakistan | Pakistan

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani in Doha on Tuesday and reaffirmed Pakistan’s “all-out support and solidarity” for the Gulf state after last week’s Israeli attack on its capital. The meeting was held on the sidelines of the emergency Arab-Islamic Summit in Doha, where leaders from the Arab League and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) yesterday called for a review of ties with Israel following its deadly strike on Hamas members in the Qatari capital as they discussed a Gaza ceasefire proposal. “While reaffirming Pakistan’s all-out support and solidarity with Qatar at this critical time, the prime minister termed Israel’s attack of September 9, a flagrant violation of Qatar’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as a serious breach of international law,” read a press release issued today by the government-run Press Information Department (PID). Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Syed A...

Pakistan has “very large” and “effective” armed forces that have proven their capabilities in conventional warfare, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said during an interview to Al Jazeera when asked about the possible position Islamabad would take in case a united body in the Middle East was formed to stop Israeli aggression. The interview, recorded ahead of an Arab-Islamic summit on Israel’s recent strikes in Qatar and published late on Monday night, saw Dar in conversation with Al Jazeera’s Osama Bin Javed. who asked the foreign minister if the formation of a united body in the Middle East, away from the United Nations structure, to intervene in Gaza was an option on the table. To that, Dar began his response by mentioning that “vis a vis UN Security Council, a mechanism could be chalked out”. “For example, they have [imposed] very serious sanctions on countries that don’t listen to them. And that is a very severe economic dent or pain they can cause to any country.” He then went on to say that there had been tal...

India has refused to grant permission to Sikh pilgrims wishing to visit Pakistan for the 486th death anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the founder of Sikhism.

Pakistan captain Fatima Sana said on Monday that her team’s focus was on the Women’s World Cup ahead of the one-day international (ODI) series against South Africa in Lahore. The World Cup, to be hosted later this month under a hybrid model across India and Sri Lanka, will see all of Pakistan’s fixtures staged in Colombo, with political tensions ruling out travel between the two neighbours. Pakistan open their immediate run-in with a three-match ODI series against South Africa in Lahore from Tuesday, following the conclusion of a training camp at the National Cricket Academy and the Gaddafi Stadium. Speaking at the pre-match press conference in Lahore, Fatima said: “The specific aim is to prepare for the World Cup and execute our plans in this series.” “A series like this is very beneficial for the team ahead of the World Cup. It gives the players a good opportunity to put into practice all the preparation they have done in recent times,“ she was quoted as having said by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). She ...

Pakistan suffered an ignominious defeat at the hands of India, who beat them by seven wickets after beating the paltry 128-run target set by the Green Shirts during yesterday’s Asia Cup game. However, the match had been marred by controversy from the beginning due to calls from across the border to “boycott” the fixture. It seems the pressure got to the players as well, with the Indian team refusing to shake hands with their rivals at the toss and after the match. Furthermore, Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav was said to have “politicised” the win by bringing up the Pahalgam terrorist attack in India-occupied Kashmir, over which the two countries fought a four-day military conflict in May, saying the victory was “a perfect gift” for his nation. From cricketers and politicians to fans and analysts watching the game, social media was rife with their takes on the scene. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi expressed his disappointment over the “lack of sportsmanship” in a post on X shortly after the...

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) maintained its policy rate steady at 11 per cent on Monday for a third straight meeting as policymakers weighed inflation risks from flood-hit crops against a fragile economic recovery. After slashing the interest rate by 1,000 basis points (bps) from 22pc since June 2024 in seven intervals, the central bank has maintained it at 11pc since May. However, the business community had expressed disappointment over the decision. “The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) decided to keep the policy rate unchanged at 11 per cent in its meeting today,” an SBP statement said. The MPC noted that inflation remained “relatively moderate in both July and August, whereas core inflation continued to decline at a slower pace”. “Economic activity — as captured by high-frequency economic indicators, including large-scale manufacturing (LSM) — gained further momentum. However, the near-term macroeconomic outlook has deteriorated slightly in the wake of the ongoing floods,” the committee noted. It cauti...

Ambassador of Poland to Pakistan, Maciej Pisarski, called on Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Monday to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral relations, with a particular focus on expanding trade, investment, and cooperation in strategic sectors.

Pakistan has dispatched another consignment of humanitarian aid for Gaza under the supervision of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in collaboration with Al-Khidmat Foundation.

India romped to a comprehensive seven-wicket victory in their high-intensity encounter against Pakistan in the men’s Asia Cup 2025 in Dubai on Sunday. The match had been coloured from the start by calls from across the border to ‘boycott’ the fixture. It seems the pressure got to the players as well, with the Indian team refusing to shake hands, as is customary, at the toss and after the match. Then, at the post-match ceremony, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav seemingly ‘politicised’ the victory by bringing up the Pahalgham terrorist attack in India-occupied Kashmir, over which the two countries fought a four-day military conflict in May, saying the victory was “a perfect gift” for his country. “We stand with the victim’s families of the Pahalgam terror attack, and we express our solidarity, and we want to dedicate today’s win to the armed forces,” the Indian skipper said. Speaking at the post-match press conference, Yadav said: “Our government and the BCCI were aligned. We took a call and came here just to pl...

Another Pakistan-India match, the gulf of quality between the two sides glaring yet again, and brighter than ever. Fair to say Pakistan are a young side undergoing transition under a new captain and a newer team management, but there were enough instances throughout the fixture that highlighted a bigger problem: big-match nerves. One of those few instances was Shaheen Shah Afridi’s late onslaught of 33 off 16, which included four clean hits for sixes. He and Sufiyan Muqeem added 43 off 22 balls — a strike-rate of 195-plus — to drag Pakistan to 127-9 when it looked like the team wouldn’t even get into three figures. If tailenders can do that, why not the specialist batters? India’s Suryakumar Yadav plays a shot during the Asia Cup 2025 T20 International cricket match against Pakistan at the Dubai International Stadium in Dubai, the UAE. — Reuters To put it simply, the pressure of the big occasion got the better of them before India, obviously a well-oiled T20 machine, faced no challenge whatsoever during the c...

President Asif Ali Zardari reaffirmed on Sunday that Pakistan and China would continue to expand collaboration in defence production and aviation, further deepening their all-weather strategic cooperative partnership, according to a statement issued by the President’s Secretariat. Zardari, who is on a 10-day trip to China, asserted this during a visit to the the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) — the country’s aerospace and defence conglomerate engaged in the design and production of a wide range of military and civilian aircraft, including J-10C fighter jets that Pakistan employed during an escalation with India in May. The use of these aircraft is said to have played a crucial role in shooting down India’s fighter jets, including Rafales, during the four-day escalation that ended with a ceasefire on May 10. The statement by the President’s Secretariat today said: “On the 128th day since the ceasefire with India, President Asif Ali Zardari, constitutionally the supreme commander of the armed for...

Some Indian politicians and former cricketers have called on their country to boycott its matches with Pakistan in the ongoing Asia Cup tournament, as the two arch-rival teams are set to face each other in Dubai today. An India-Pakistan cricket match is always a blockbuster. Still, emotions will run even higher in today’s Asia Cup clash between the nuclear-armed neighbours, who fought a four-day military conflict in May. The countries have been at odds in various matters since then, including claims of downing jets, ceasefire requests, geopolitical narratives and of course, cricket. Several former Indian players and politicians have urged the BCCI to boycott what will be the first meeting between the teams since the recent hostilities. New Delhi only cleared the match in a recently announced sports policy, saying the Indian national team can play Pakistan in multi-national events but not in bilateral competitions. Former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, head of the Shiv Sena-UBT party, has announc...

KARACHI - The top International Monetary Fund (IMF) official in Pakistan said on Saturday his organ-isation is assessing flood damage and will use its next review mission to evaluate appro-priate policy responses to support affected people and strengthen national resilience.

KARACHI: Salman Ali Agha didn’t flinch. He knew exactly what to say. “There’s no such message to the players,” he responded when asked at the Asia Cup captains’ press conference if he had instructed his men to keep their cool against India on Sunday — their first meeting since the brief armed conflict between the two countries in May. “My players are more than welcome to show aggression whenever they want,” Salman went on. “As far as it remains within the field.” It was a breath of fresh air for Pakistan cricket fans — both casuals and diehards. Honesty, assertiveness and an unapologetic tone have defined Salman’s early days as Pakistan’s Twenty20 International captain. His arrival has coincided with Mike Hesson’s appointment as white-ball head coach, and together they’ve tried to instil a structure long missing from Pakistan cricket. “Salman’s appointment as Pakistan’s captain has raised expectations,” Ali Zaki, a 22-year-old fan, told Dawn on Saturday. “Although our team is inexperienced, the intent from th...

Preparations have been finalized for Pakistan’s first-ever national cervical cancer prevention campaign, which will begin tomorrow (Monday) and continue until September 27.

Pakistan, US reaffirm commitment to boost ties

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) expressed deep condolences on Saturday for the loss of life caused by devastating floods in the country and said its upcoming Extended Fund Facility (EFF) review mission will evaluate whether the government’s fiscal policies and emergency provisions can effectively address the crisis, a senior official of the Washington-based lender said. “The mission will assess whether the FY26 budget, its spending allocations and emergency provisions remain sufficiently agile to address the spending needs necessitated by the floods,” said Mahir Binici, the IMF’s resident representative in Pakistan. The flash floods have killed 972 people so far, according to the National Disaster Management Authority. The floods have destroyed crops, livestock and homes across Punjab and are now pushing into Sindh, threatening fresh food inflation and deeper hardship. The State Bank of Pakistan is expected to keep its key rate at 11 per cent on Monday, a Reuters poll showed, as policymakers weigh infla...

A Pakistan-India cricket match is always a blockbuster, but emotions will run even higher in Sunday’s Asia Cup clash between the nuclear-armed neighbours, who engaged in a four-day military conflict earlier this year. Even before the clashes in May, which nearly escalated into a full-blown war, bilateral cricket ties were suspended. The arch-rivals now play each other only in multi-team tournaments. Political relations have deteriorated further since the clashes, with several former Indian players urging the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to boycott what will be the first meeting between the teams since the recent hostilities. While the threat of a boycott is over, sparks may fly with Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha and his Indian counterpart Suryakumar Yadav ruling out dialling down aggression in the much-anticipated Group A fixture. While reigning T20 world champions India are the firm favourites to retain their title, Pakistan are on a high, having convincingly beaten Afghanistan to win the ...

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan and Italy have reached an agreement to collaborate on the promotion of olive cultivation.

Speakers at a high-level event of Pakistan’s Mission to the United Nations on Friday stated that India’s move to unilaterally hold the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in abeyance had raised serious doubts about the sanctity of international commitments. India held the IWT in abeyance following the April 22 attack in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam that killed 26 — an incident New Delhi blamed on Islamabad without evidence. Pakistan termed any attempt to suspend its water share an “act of war”. Friday’s event was jointly organised at the UN headquarters in New York by the Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the UN and the Muslim-American Leadership Alliance (Mala), according to a statement posted by the Mission on X earlier today. Participants of the event, which was on the theme of ‘Indus Waters Treaty and Pakistan’s Water Crisis: Challenges and the Way Forward’, termed the Indian move a “grave violation of international law, including international humanitarian law and human rights law”, the statement said. Attendees inc...