Pakistan | Pakistan

Westerly winds have entered the country, bringing widespread rain and thunderstorms across most parts of Pakistan from today through March 31, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department.

ISLAMABAD: As maritime trade becomes more uncertain due to the Gulf crisis, Pakistan has permitted exporters to continue shipping food and pharmaceutical products to Iran via land routes without using mandatory banking instruments. Simultaneously, the federal government has permitted the export of rice to Central Asian Republics and Azerbaijan via the land route through Iran. The decision was communicated to customs field formations through an official message issued by the commerce ministry. According to the decision, the government has permitted the export of 10 food items to Iran via land route without the need for financial instruments. These items include rice, seafood, potatoes, meat, onions, maize, citrus fruits, bananas, tomatoes, and frozen chicken. Two other non-food items are pharmaceutical products and tents. Exemptions will be granted to exporters for the export of these items to Iran for three months — from March 24 to June 21. The exemption also covers rice exports routed through Iran’s land co...

ISLAMABAD - Behind the scene diplomatic developments suggest that Pakistan is increasingly positioning itself as an important diplomatic intermediary in international crises, particularly in efforts to reduce tensions between the United States and Iran.

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Friday that Pakistan will continue to play a constructive role in bringing peace and stability to the region.

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan has urged a stronger United Nations (UN) peacekeeping role and the need for an immediate ceasefire in DRC Congo, said a press release shared by Pakistan’s Permanent Mission to the UN on X on Friday.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday said that expanding the scope of the Roshan Digital Account (RDA) scheme to foreign investors would further strengthen Pakistan as “an attractive investment destination” and would expand financial markets, according to a handout from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). It should be mentioned that Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on March 16 had announced the government’s move to expand the scheme. According to the PMO handout issued on Friday, the government, on the directives of PM Shehbaz, had decided to expand the scope of the RDA. Foreign nationals, companies, and institutional investors would be allowed to invest in Roshan Digital Accounts and in government securities, including Naya Pakistan Certificates, it added. “This initiative reflects efforts to strengthen linkages with financial markets and promote foreign investment through a digital platform,” the handout said. It said that the overseas Pakistani community, comprising approximately 11 million people, wa...

Pakistan and China have reaffirmed their shared commitment to promoting peace and stability in the Middle East, calling for urgent diplomatic measures to de-escalate ongoing regional conflicts.

Initiating peace talks in the war on Iran “is no easy task,” but it would be “conducive to restoring normal navigation through the Strait of Hormuz,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said during a call with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Friday. The two “agreed to jointly promote a ceasefire and cessation of hostilities and the resumption of peace talks, to ensure the safety of non-military targets and waterways,” according to a summary of the call released by the Chinese ministry. China supports Pakistan’s role as a mediator, Wang told Dar. Meanwhile, in a social media post on X, Dar said the two “reaffirmed the need to restore peace and stability in the Middle East and the wider region”. “We agreed to support all efforts aimed at ensuring an immediate end to hostilities, resumption of peace talks, protection of non-combatants, security of shipping lanes, and adherence to the United Nations Charter,” he said. “FM Wang Yi conveyed China’s appreciation and support to Pakistan for its o...

In a phone call with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday, Kuwait’s Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Al Khaled Al Hamad Al Sabah “fully endorsed” Pakistan’s efforts for mediation between Iran and the US, according to a statement by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). The statement said that PM Shehbaz held a phone call with the crown prince and “apprised the Kuwaiti leadership of Pakistan’s sincere diplomatic efforts to bring an end to the war in the Middle East”. During the conversation, PM Shehbaz reiterated “strong condemnation” of the attacks on Kuwait and expressed solidarity and support for the people of the Gulf country in these challenging times, the statement said. PM Shehbaz also offered condolences on the loss of precious lives and prayed for the recovery of the injured, it added. “While expressing deep appreciation of the prime minister’s leadership, the crown prince of Kuwait fully endorsed Pakistan’s efforts for mediation between Iran and the US,” the statement said. The crown prince thanked the prim...

The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) on Friday condemned statements against Pakis­tan’s status under the European Union’s Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+). The remarks come a day after as government officials bitterly criticised ex-premier Imran Khan’s son Kasim and party leader Zulfi Bukhari for allegedly att­e­m­pting to derail the country’s GSP+ status in a speech he made at the sidelines of a United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) moot. It should be mentioned that, according to a fact check by iVerify, the claim that Kasim demanded the suspension of Pakistan’s GSP+ status at the UNHRC summit was found to be false. Addressing a press conference in Lahore, FPCCI officials, including Vice Chairman Zaki Aijaz and United Business Group Patron-in-Chief S.M. Tanveer condemned statements against the country’s GSP+ status. In his remarks, Aijaz said that “ensuring the protection of the GSP+ status is a national responsibility”. “FPCCI and the business community con...

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif received a telephone call from the Crown Prince of the State of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al Khaled Al Hamad Al Sabah, on Friday, and assured him that Pakistan would continue to play a constructive role in bringing peace and stability in the region.

WASHINGTON: As tensions surrounding Iran once again test regional diplomacy, Pakistan is emerging in Washington’s policy conversations as a potential intermediary — a shift that signals a broader reassessment of its strategic utility beyond the traditional security framework. At an hour-long virtual briefing held on Thursday evening by the Congressional Pakistan Caucus, Congressman Tom Suozzi suggested that Islamabad’s geographic position, demographic weight and cross-regional ties give it space to play a more active mediatory role. “And we see from this negotiation with Iran right now, and the role that it’s playing, Pakistan can play more and more of a role in international affairs as a mediator,” said Suozzi, the Democratic co-chair of the caucus. He described Pakistan as “a very, very important neutral party, with friends on both sides.” The remarks come amid renewed diplomatic maneuvering around Iran, where Washington has relied on regional actors to maintain communication channels. Pakistan’s leadership...

Deputy PM says dialogue, diplomacy only way forward Foreign Office says Pakistan to play proactive role in regional de-escalation Spokesperson says PM Sharif personally leading diplomatic outreach to promote understanding among all concerned parties.

With the US-Israel war on Iran in its fourth week, Pakistan has stepped onto the diplomatic stage amid high-stakes wrangling to end the hostilities. Pakistan has repeatedly emphasised that it wants an end to the ongoing hostilities in the Middle East. And with the situation fluctuating by the hour, Islamabad has emerged as a potential venue for talks between the two sides. Here’s what we know so far. Rumours abound Since the conflict began on Feb 28, Pakistan’s civilian and military leadership has been engaging with the leaders of regional and friendly countries and calling for a de-escalation of hostilities. Over the past week, several global publications, including Reuters and Axios, claimed that Islamabad had actively offered itself as a facilitator for engagement between the US and Iran. Some reports hinted that a meeting could be held if things proceeded smoothly, with Axios and The Guardian claiming that mediators were considering Islamabad as a potential venue for talks. Amid the speculation, the Forei...

Pakistan has avoided taking sides and tried instead to maintain stable relations with all parties

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday reiterated its call for de-escalation in the region, stressing the need for an immediate ceasefire while highlighting Pakistan’s ongoing diplomatic efforts to promote peace.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar on Thursday said that the indirect talks between the United States and Iran were taking place through the messages being relayed by Pakistan.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Thursday said that US-Iran “indirect talks” were taking place through messages being relayed by Pakistan. “There has been unnecessary speculation in the media regarding peace talks to end ongoing conflict in the Middle East,” he said in a post on the social media platform X. “In reality, US-Iran indirect talks are taking place through messages being relayed by Pakistan. In this context, the United States has shared 15 points, being deliberated upon by Iran,” he said. “Brotherly countries of Turkiye and Egypt, among others, are also extending their support to this initiative,” he said. “Pakistan remains fully committed to promoting peace and continues to make every effort to ensure stability in the region and beyond,” he said, adding that dialogue and diplomacy were the only way forward. He also tagged US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US President Donald Trump’s Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff in the post. Shor...

Multiple PML-N supporters and media outlets on social media platform X have been sharing two videos since March 25, showing Kasim Khan, son of PTI founder Imran Khan, allegedly demanding the suspension of Pakistan’s status for the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) trade scheme. However, he made no such demand. The iVerify Pakistan team investigated this content and determined that it is false. Imran — imprisoned since 2023 for concealing details of Toshakhana gifts — is serving a 14-year sentence at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail in the £190 million corruption case. Meanwhile, his party and family have alleged that he is being kept in solitary confinement — with a restriction on visitors being allowed to meet him in jail — and have repeatedly raised concerns over his medical treatment after it surfaced in January that he suffered an eye ailment. His sons have been campaigning for his release as well. According to the European Union, GSP+ status is a special incentive awarded to developing countries to “...

Pakistan on Thursday urged India to immediately release Kashmiri women leaders Asiya Andrabi, Fehmeeda Sofi, and Nahida Nasreen, terming their sentences “politically motivated” and an act of “revenge.