Pakistan | News

ISLAMABAD - Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Anita Anand, will undertake an official visit to Pakistan today (July 20) at the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, marking her first trip to the country since assuming office.

Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand is set to visit Pakistan on Monday, marking the first such visit in 20 years, Global Affairs Canada (GAC) said on Sunday. Confirming the visit, the Foreign Office (FO) said it would be Anand’s first trip to Pakistan since assuming office. The FO said the visiting dignitary and Dar will hold bilateral talks “covering the entire spectrum of Pakistan-Canada relations”. “The discussions will focus on strengthening cooperation in trade and investment, education, and people-to-people exchanges. The two ministers will also exchange views on regional and global developments of mutual interest,” the FO said. It added that Anand will also call on the leadership of Pakistan. According to GAC, Anand is also expected to meet with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. “Canada-Pakistan relations are underpinned by extensive people-to-people ties, with more than 300,000 Canadians of Pakistani origin in Canada and approximately 20,000 Canadians in Pakistan,” GAC noted. Meanwhile, the FO stated t...

Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand is set to visit Pakistan on Monday, marking the first such visit in 20 years, Global Affairs Canada (GAC) said on Sunday. Confirming the visit, the Foreign Office (FO) said it would be Anand’s first trip to Pakistan since assuming office. The FO said the visiting dignitary and Dar will hold bilateral talks “covering the entire spectrum of Pakistan-Canada relations”. “The discussions will focus on strengthening cooperation in trade and investment, education, and people-to-people exchanges. The two ministers will also exchange views on regional and global developments of mutual interest,” the FO said. It added that Anand will also call on the leadership of Pakistan. According to GAC, Anand is also expected to meet with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. “Canada-Pakistan relations are underpinned by extensive people-to-people ties, with more than 300,000 Canadians of Pakistani origin in Canada and approximately 20,000 Canadians in Pakistan,” GAC noted. Meanwhile, the FO stated t...

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif said, “Pakistan will continue to extend its unwavering diplomatic, political and moral support until the people of Jammu and Kashmir are able to exercise their inalienable right to self-determination.

Shehbaz Sharif says govt’s reforms to build self-reliant economy Urges URAAN scheme participants to contribute to Pakistan’s prosperity Directs for expediting implementation of ease of doing business Act 2025.

WASHINGTON: Pakis­tan’s annual Mango Festival returned to the Embassy of Pakistan on Thursday with a message that extended well beyond the country’s celebrated summer fruit. Aptly themed “The Sweet Taste of Friendship”, this year’s gathering reflected the growing warmth in Pakistan-US relations as Islamabad assumes an increasingly significant diplomatic role in the region. The embassy’s flagship cultural event attracted hundreds of guests, including senior US administration officials, members of Congress and their staff, diplomats, business leaders, think tank scholars, journalists and members of the Pakistani-American community. Conversations over slices of Chaunsa, Sindhri and Anwar Ratol frequently turned to expanding trade, regional stability and the renewed momentum in bilateral relations. Among the senior US officials in attendance was Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Konstantin Dubrovsky, who served in Pakistan for three years. “I have a deep appreciation f...

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and China on Friday agreed to enhance cooperation in immigration, border management and institutional collaboration. An understanding to this effect was reached during a meeting of Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry with a delegation of China’s National Immigration Administration led by Director General Qi Jingyang here. The two sides agreed to make joint operations more effective against illegal immigration, arms smuggling and cross-border crimes. It was also decided to finalise an agreement soon to expedite the immigration process. A Pakistan-China joint working group on border management and security will be established. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said cooperation with China on land borders, seaports and immigration management would be further enhanced. “The government of Pakistan is pursuing a zero tolerance policy against illegal immigration, border crossing and smuggling,” he said, adding that action was being taken without discrimin...

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has been negotiating an expanded defence pact with Kuwait in exchange for energy cooperation and investment, the Reuters news agency reported on Friday, citing five sources with knowledge of the talks. The talks remain at an early stage, it said, and could still be complicated by heightened tensions between the United States and Iran. Kuwait has had a more limited defence deal with Pakistan for training and joint exercises since 2023. It is now seeking a show of force by Islamabad that would be similar to Pakistan’s pact with Saudi Arabia, including “thousands of Pakistani troops on the ground, fighter jets, drones, an air defence system, and other defence-related facilities”, said a Pakistani government official. It is unclear whether Pakistan is willing to go this far, given that its agreement with Saudi Arabia was the result of a decades-old close alliance with Riyadh. “Kuwait’s wish list includes everything,” said a Pakistani security official with knowledge of the talks. “But let me b...

Pakistan on Friday chaired and hosted the 12th meeting of the Heads of Border Services of the Competent Authorities of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), the Foreign Office (FO) said. The meeting was attended by the heads and representatives of the border services of Belarus, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, along with the Executive Committee of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS). The meeting participants exchanged information and assessments of the situation along the international borders of SCO member states and discussed development trends and forecasts, the FO said. The participants “discussed and approved the results of the Joint Border Operation ‘Solidarity-2025’, conducted by the border services of the competent authorities of the SCO member states”, the FO statement said. The meeting participants also considered and approved a plan for the preparation and conduct of the joint border operation ‘Solidarity-2026’, as well as...

Deputy Chairman of the Senate, Syedaal Khan Nasir, has said that the brotherly relations between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are built on a solid foundation of faith, mutual trust, and shared progress.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif asserted on Friday that the security of Chinese in Pakistan was “paramount for us”. “I would like to say with fullest force at my command that the security of Chinese brothers and sisters in Pakistan is paramount for us, it is most important. And we will leave no stone unturned to provide them with the best possible security,” he said while addressing the Pakistan-China Pharmaceutical and Healthcare B2B Investment Conference in Islamabad. The conference also saw the signing of multiple agreements between Pakistani and Chinese companies in the areas of healthcare, biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, with PM Shehbaz saying that the deals were cumulatively valued at almost $440 million. PM Shehbaz’s assurance came two days after State Minister for Interior Tallal Chaudhry said authorities were stepping up security around the China-run Saindak copper and gold mine in Balochistan after supply routes were disrupted in the region by terrorists. His statement came against the backdrop of ...

Danyal said Pakistan, with a 97% Muslim population, has 2,189 churches, 732 temples and 58 gurdwaras

China and Pakistan on Friday called on the United States and Iran to end fighting and return to the negotiating table, after they met in Shanghai, according to a government statement issued by Beijing. China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar jointly “expressed concern over the deterioration of the current situation, calling on the involved parties to immediately cease hostilities… (and) return to dialogue”, the statement by Beijing’s foreign ministry said. Both countries have sought to mediate in the months-long Middle East conflict, which rekindled with renewed fighting over the Strait of Hormuz a month after the signing of a preliminary deal aiming to end the war. That agreement was “hard-won”, Wang said. “Peace is before our eyes, (we) cannot fall at the last hurdle and even more so cannot lose what we have gained,” he added. It should be mentioned that DPM Dar was in Shanghai for the World Artificial Intelligence Conference. Meanwhile, the Foreign Office (...

Islamabad - Pakistan signed the agreement on the establishment of the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation (WAICO) at a signing ceremony that was held in Shanghai, China on Thursday.

BRITAIN’S plans to deport the ringleader of the Rochdale grooming gang are “entirely an internal matter of the United Kingdom” and have “no connection whatsoever” with Pakistan, the Foreign Office spokesperson told the BBC. Calls have mounted for Shabir Ahmed’s deportation following his recent release from prison, but has been held up due to a law from 1971 that bars the deportation of Commonwealth citizens. Ahmed, who came to the UK in the late 1960s, was one of nine men from Rochdale and Oldham found guilty of exploiting girls as young as 13 at two takeaway restaurants. According to the BBC, he had dual British-Pakistani citizenship before being stripped of his UK passport following his 2012 conviction for multiple counts of rape and sexual offences against girls. Andy Burnham, who is set to replace Sir Keir Starmer as prime minister next, has described Ahmed as a “vile criminal” who he wants deported. Although Home Minis­ter Shabana Mahmood has indicated plans to amend the law, it appears that Ahmed’s remo...

KARACHI: The ongoing war in the Gulf has further reduced foreign investment in Pakistan, with Bahrain withdrawing its investments from domestic bonds within the first 10 days of the current fiscal year. The State Bank reported on Thursday that there was no inflow of foreign investment into the domestic market during the first 10 days of 2026-27, particularly from the Gulf states. The renewed US-Israeli war on Iran has not only pushed up oil prices but also left countries like Pakistan facing increasing trouble, as neither foreign investment is coming from the region nor is the market stable for exports. Only a $4 million inflow was noted from Luxembourg in the treasury bills, which pay the highest returns, up to 11.5 per cent, in developing countries. Bahrain withdraws $30m from bonds in first 10 days of FY27 However, the conflict closed off an option for Pakistan to receive inflows from the Middle Eastern countries. As a result, the UAE immediately withdrew $3.5bn held in the State Bank of Pakistan’s account...

In exports, Pakistan outperformed other GSP+ members, says 5th GSP

Pakistan on Thursday became a founding member of the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation (WAICO) after Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar signed the agreement establishing the forum in Shanghai, China, the Foreign Office (FO) said. “Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar signed the agreement on the establishment of the WAICO on behalf of Pakistan at the signing ceremony held today in Shanghai, China,” the FO said in a post on X. As a founding member of WAICO, Pakistan reaffirmed its commitment to advancing international cooperation in the area of artificial intelligence, especially from the perspective of the Global South, it added. “Pakistan looks forward to working closely with fellow WAICO member states in efforts to help bridge the global AI divide and to promote equitable access to AI to advance development for all,” the FO added. Earlier in the day, FM Dar arrived in China to sign the agreement on behalf of Pakistan. China had proposed the creation of W...

ISLAMABAD: The European Union on Thursday noted “issues” in Pakistan’s compliance with its commitments under the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) and cautioned that Islamabad would have to address those shortcomings to qualify under the revised GSP framework. The caution came in the European Commission’s latest report on the implementation of the GSP over the 2023-2025 period, which said Pakistan had “been facing compliance issues with its GSP+ obligations” and had “regressed in a number of areas while positive change was limited”. Looking ahead, the Commission said Pakistan’s continued access to the EU’s preferential trade regime would depend on tangible improvements in areas where concerns persisted. “To ensure further GSP+ eligibility and compliance with international commitments, including in view of the revised GSP rules as of 2027, key priorities for future engagement include: ensuring accountability for human rights violations; increased efforts against torture; in prison and capital punis...

Although Pakistan became an independent state in 1947, the land it occupies has long been a crossroads of civilisations. From Mehrgarh to the Indus Valley Civilisation, this region has linked and integrated South Asia, Central Asia, and the Middle East through trade, culture, and ideas. That historical role is again shaping Pakistan’s economic thinking as it seeks deeper ties with Afghanistan, Central Asian Republics (CARs), Russia, China, and broader regional connectivity. At the centre of these efforts is the Pakistan-Russia Business Council (PRBC), operating under the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FPCCI). With the FPCCI acting as a bridge between the private sector and government institutions, its Council has worked to expand commercial, educational, technological, and investment cooperation between Pakistan and Russia. Over the last few decades, the PRBC has helped facilitate MoUs with regional chambers of commerce across Russia, encouraging collaboration in trade, technology, ed...