Pakistan | News

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir on Saturday said Pakistan was committed to building a secure and prosperous environment in the region with the help of partner nations. Over the past week, Pakistan has made efforts to expand defence cooperation with other nations. Saudi Arabia’s naval chief met with Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Sahir Shamshad Mirza in Rawalpindi on Thursday, while COAS Munir met Chinese senior political and military leadership in Beijing on Friday. A statement from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said Islamabad hosted the Regional Chiefs of Defence Staff Conference under the theme of ‘Strengthening Bonds, Securing Peace’ today, attended by senior military officials from the United States, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The ISPR said COAS Munir formally welcomed the distinguished defence delegations and reaffirmed Pakistan’s steadfast commitment to peace, stability and constructive engagement across the region. “In an era de...

Pakistan on Saturday convened the Central & South Asia Chiefs of Defence Conference in Islamabad, bringing together senior military leaders from the United States, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

Pakistan has called for de-escalation and ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine war and stressed that “echoes for peace must be heard” as Ambassador Usman Jadoon addressed a United Nations briefing. “Peace in Ukraine is long overdue,” Ambassador Jadoon, deputy permanent representative of Pakistan to the United Nations, told the UN Council, which debated the situation in Ukraine on Friday after Russia invaded its neighbour in March 2022. “The calls for ending this conflict should not be allowed to go unheard or masked by the continued drums of war,” he added, highlighting that the conflict was now four years old. Pakistan, as a consistent advocate for peace, has called for de-escalation and giving primacy to dialogue over fighting, said Ambassador Jadoon, who at that time was chairing the 15-member meeting. “Only a sincere and meaningful dialogue which addresses mutual security concerns of all sides, is anchored in the principles of UN Charter and international law, and respects the relevant multilateral agreements ...

Health Minister Mustafa Kamal urged international stakeholders to explore partnerships in Pakistan’s rapidly evolving health landscape, highlighting the country’s “immense” potential for investment, state-run Radio Pakistan reported on Saturday. Representing Pakistan at Boao Forum for Asia’s (BFA) Global Health Forum in Beijing yesterday, the health minister underscored that Pakistan presents “immense opportunities for collaboration, innovation and investment”. Established in 2001, the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) is a non-profit international organisation promoting regional cooperation in Asia. It focuses on health issues related to economic development and wellbeing. The roundtable featured health ministers from all over the world, who discussed equal access to healthcare and sustainable reforms. “Pakistan is ready for partnerships in global health,” Kamal said, highlighting the country’s 250 million population, nursing cooperation and digital reforms. He pointed out that there were “significant opportunities ...

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar on Friday announced that Pakistan and the United States are close to finalizing a mutually beneficial trade agreement, expected to be concluded within days.

ISLAMABAD - Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Pakistan, Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki, called on President Asif Ali Zardari at Aiwan-e-Sadr.

ISLAMABAD - The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and Pakistan on Friday agreed on the parliamentary exchanges for further enhancing bilateral cooperation in diverse areas such as trade, investment, aviation, science and technology and climate change.

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio lauded Pakistan’s role in “global and regional peace” in his first meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Friday, the Foreign Office (FO) said. The deputy prime minister arrived in Washington, DC, on Thursday night, on the second leg of his eight-day visit to the US. He had arrived in New York on Monday to attend “high-level signature events” of Pakistan’s United Nations Security Council (UNSC) presidency, including a conference on Palestine. A statement issued by the FO today said that Dar held his first meeting with Rubio. The two have previously talked over the telephone. The FO said Rubio acknowledged Pakistan’s “everlasting sacrifices in the war on terror”. “Pakistan has always played a positive role in global and regional peace,” the FO quoted the US secretary of state as saying. The FO said that detailed discussions were held on bilateral relations and potential cooperation in various sectors. “Discussions were held on promoting...

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Friday approved Pakistan’s first-ever Skills Impact Bond, a modern financing model designed to attract private investment aimed at enhancing youth employability. The approval came during a high-level review meeting on the roadmap for youth employment in the country. Under this innovative “Pay-for-Success” model, training programs will focus on […]

The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet on Friday approved Pakistan’s Green Taxonomy, as proposed by the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, in a “major step towards environmental sustainability”. “The chair appreciated the initiative, noting that it was long overdue and would play a vital role in facilitating access to financing for green projects in the country,” a statement issued by the Finance Division read. During a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Climate Change and Environmental Coordination in March, State Bank Governor Jameel Ahmad said the taxonomy will allow financial and non-financial companies to share a common definition of economic activities that can be considered environmentally sustainable. The statement issued today noted that the ECC meeting was held under the chairmanship of Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb to deliberate on a range of important agenda items concerning industrial growth, environmental policy, skill development, housing...

Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, Dr Musadik Malik, urged global climate leaders to honour climate finance commitments and strengthen cooperation between developed and developing nations during the COP29 Heads of Delegation (HoD) Retreat held in Shamakhi, Azerbaijan.

Mohammad Rizwan will continue to lead Pakistan in a three-match ODI series against West Indies as a 16-member ODI squad was announced by the Men’s National Selection Committee, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced on Friday. “The series will be played at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad and Tobago on Aug 8, 10 and 12,” the statement said. “Right-handed batter Hasan Nawaz is the only uncapped player in the ODI squad, while Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi are part of the ODI squad,” it added. The PCB also said that Pakistan will play three T20 Internationals against the West Indies, scheduled on July 31, Aug 2 and 3, at the Central Broward Park and Broward County Stadium in USA’s Lauderhill. “Salman Ali Agha will captain the T20I side, while fast bowlers Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali and Shaheen Shah Afridi return to the squad in this format,” the statement read. It added that Pakistan will arrive in the USA on July 27 following the conclusion of the three-match T20I series in Bangladesh. Pakistan OD...

A high-level military meeting was held on Friday as Major General Saidzoda Bobojon Abdukodir, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces and First Deputy Minister of Defence of Tajikistan, met with General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), at the Joint Staff Headquarters in Pakistan.

The Chinese leadership has lauded the role of the Pakistan Army and hailed it as a “cornerstone of resilience and a vital contributor” for peace in the region, the military’s media affairs wing said on Friday. Pakistan and China share a longstanding strategic partnership rooted in mutual trust, economic cooperation, and regional connectivity. Over the decades, ties have expanded across different sectors, including trade, energy, infrastructure, and defence collaboration, with initiatives like the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) symbolising a shared vision for development. Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir is currently on an official visit to China. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement today that he held meetings with senior Chinese political and military leadership in Beijing. “Chinese military leadership reiterated full confidence in the strength of the bilateral defence partnership and acknowledged Pakistan’s pivotal role in promoting regional peace,” it s...

ISLAMABAD - Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain on Thursday called for concrete steps to expand economic ties between Pakistan and the ASEAN region.

Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR), Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, has said that Pakistan’s enemies will continue to face disappointment due to the unwavering unity and solidarity of its people.

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan yesterday said it was ready for talks with India and reiterated that any misadventure or aggressive design by India would be met with a robust and resolute response.

ISLAMABAD - The opposition alliance ‘Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Ayeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP)’ has announced to convene a two-day Multi-party Conference (MPC) in Islamabad from July 31, to openly discuss Pakistan’s deepening constitutional and political crises.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Thursday that the national team will face England in a three-match Test series next year during the World Test Championship. In a press release, the PCB said that the test matches will be played in August and September 2026. “The first Test will begin at Headingley in Leeds on August 19, while the action will move to the Lord’s Cricket Ground in London for the second Test of the series from August 27. The two teams will lock horns in the third and final Test from September 9 at Edgbaston in Birmingham,” the statement read. “This will be Pakistan’s fourth Test tour of England since 2016 and overall 29th bilateral Test series between both teams since they first faced each other in 1954,” it said. The PCB also said that the team was currently touring England for a three-match 50-over and two-match three-day series. On Sunday, the International Cricket Council announced that England would host the next three World Test Championship finals. “We are absolutely delighted that...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday appreciated the World Bank’s (WB) support for Pakistan’s position in light of India’s suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). In April, India held the IWT in abeyance following the 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”, noting that the IWT had no provision for unilateral suspension. In a meeting with the WB’s regional vice president for the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan (MENAAP), Ousmane Dione, in Islamabad, the premier acknowledged the institution’s principled support for Pakistan’s legitimate position on India’s “unilateral and unlawful actions”, which undermined “important international agreements” such as the IWT. He reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to upholding international law, achieving prosperity, maintaining regional peace and reiterated the country’s resolve to resolve all issues throu...