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ISLAMABAD - Pakistan yesterday expressed deep concern over the recent developments contributing to an escalation in regional tensions, urging all sides to exercise restraint and take immediate steps towards de-escalation.

Qatar’s government on Sunday announced the death of former leader Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, who led the country from 1995 to 2013. He was 74, according to a government website. “With hearts steadfast in faith in God’s decree and destiny, the Bureau of the Emir mourns the great loss to the nation of the late — may God have mercy on him — His Highness the Father Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani,” read a statement published by the emir’s office on social media. Qatari officials said funeral prayers would be held on Sunday evening along with several days of public mourning across the country, which would see government offices and public institutions closed and flags flown at half mast. Pakistan would also observe a day of mourning on Monday. The former leader was seen as one of the key architects of modern Qatar and led the country during a period of rapid economic growth. Sheikh Hamad took power in June 1995, overthrowing his father in a bloodless coup while the latter was abroad. He inherited a ...

Tarar says Pakistan is honoured to host the OIC women’s conference

Pakistan on Sunday expressed its “deep concern” over the ongoing escalation in the Middle East and urged all sides to exercise restraint after the United States and Iran traded fresh strikes, with Gulf countries also coming under attack. In a statement, the Foreign Office (FO) said Pakistan was “following with deep concern the recent incidents that are further escalating the regional tensions”. “Pakistan reiterates its strong support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all brotherly countries in the region, and urges all sides to exercise restraint, take immediate steps towards de-escalation, and uphold respective commitments under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU),” the statement read. “On its part, Pakistan remains committed to providing all support towards achieving lasting peace and stability in the region through dialogue and diplomacy,” it affirmed. The FO statement comes in the backdrop of fresh US strikes on Iran after the latter struck a container ship, while Tehran said it...

Pakistan’s virtual-assets regulator called for continued dialogue on the treatment of digital assets after meeting an Islamic scholar who backed a ruling against purchases made with crypto. Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA) chairman Bilal bin Saqib has called for continued dialogue on the treatment of digital assets under Islamic law after meeting prominent scholar Mufti Taqi Usmani, who backed a ruling against purchases made with crypto. In a Saturday post, Saqib said the discussion covered blockchain technology, digital assets, stablecoins and tokenized real-world assets (RWAs), as well as the need to protect Pakistanis from fraud, exploitation and financial harm. Saqib said the different categories of digital assets merit “careful technical assessment alongside rigorous Shariah examination, rather than being viewed through a single lens.” Read more

In separate press briefing, Tarar says hosting OIC women's conference a distinct honour for Pakistan

UNITED NATIONS: Iran thanked Pakistan on Friday for abstaining from a vote that allowed a UN Security Council meeting on its nuclear programme to go ahead, with Tehran rejecting the session as “legally unfounded”. Iran’s Ambassador and Per­manent Representative Amir Saeid Iravani, in a statement after the meeting, specifically acknowledged Pakistan and Somalia for “not supporting the convening of this meeting”, while praising Russia and China for opposing the session. The meeting was requested by Bahrain and five European members of the Security Council — Denmark, France, Greece, Latvia and the United Kingdom — to discuss implementation of Resolution 2231, which endorsed the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement, and the secretary general’s latest report on the matter. The session took place amid a dispute over the status of Resolution 2231, with Western members maintaining that it continues to provide a basis for discussing Iran’s nuclear commitments, while Tehran argues that the resolution expired on Oct 18 last year...

• Selection turns politically sensitive as opposition alliance plans protest movement • IHC administration forwards three names for vacant positions • Islamabad lawyers demand vacancies be filled from capital’s legal fraternity ISLAMABAD: The Judicial Commi­ssion of Pakistan (JCP) is set to convene on July 20 to select three judges for the Islamabad High Court (IHC), a task that has evolved from a routine administrative matter into a politically sensitive decision. The contest for the vacant seats is expected to be intense, as stakeholders are reportedly keen to avoid alienating the federal capital’s legal fraternity on the eve of a major opposition campaign. The IHC administration, led by Chief Justice Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar, has forwarded three names to the JCP for the vacant positions. The official nominees are District and Sessions Judge Shahrukh Arjumand, former advocate general Islamabad Ayyaz Shaukat, who currently serves as chairman of the Social Media Protection and Regulatory Authority, and advocate...

ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Saturday termed Pakistan’s geographical location an asset “that needs to be fully explored, as the country lies at the crossroads of Central, South and West Asia”. “By improving connectivity, the country can achieve maximum economic benefits,” he said while chairing a high-level meeting on improving port connectivity. The maritime affairs secretary gave a detailed briefing to the participants on the current status of Pakistani ports and their utilisation capacity, the Foreign Office (FO) said in a statement. The meeting reviewed measures to develop and enhance the efficiency and competitiveness of Pakistan’s ports. The discussions also focused on improving port connectivity, streamlining operational processes, strengthening inter-agency coordination, facilitating trade and logistics, and advancing reforms to position Pakistan’s ports as efficient regional trade gateways. ‘Promoting economy’ At a separate meeting, Mr Dar also emphasised the imp...

Pakistan, US trade talks advance: FO

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia urge restraint

Pakistan and the United States made “significant progress” in a fresh round of negotiations on a proposed reciprocal trade agreement, Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Tahir Andrabi quoted the commerce secretary as saying on Saturday. The two-day talks, held on Thursday and Friday in Washington DC, were led by Commerce Secretary Jawad Paul. They aimed to address tariff-related concerns and broaden economic cooperation between the two countries. Paul “characterised the talks as positive and appreciated the significant progress made during the negotiations”, Andrabi said on X on Saturday. “The talks were conducted in a cordial atmosphere, with both sides ironing out differences and building convergence, with a view to the early conclusion of the agreement,” said Andrabi, who was also a part of the talks. The Pakistani delegation also included Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Secretary Nadeem Chaudhary and Joint Secretary (Tariff Policy) Mohammad Ashfaq, while officials from other ministries par...

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Salahuddin Ahmed have agreed to extend cooperation in curbing cybercrime and online fraud, the interior ministry said on Friday. The two ministers held a meeting in New York. In a statement on the social media platform X, the ministry said that the ministers also agreed to expand cooperation in areas of mutual interest. During the meeting, they discussed training and exchange programmes for police officers, it said. It further said that they held a detailed discussion on the US-Iran conflict and the current situation in the Middle East. According to the statement, Ahmed lauded Pakistan’s “constructive role” in establishing peace. Meanwhile, Naqvi was quoted as saying that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir played a vital role in maintaining peace. “We must seize new opportunities to further strengthen our mutual relations,” he said. Naqvi is currently in the US, where he repre...

AS someone who has practised international law for years, I have come to appreciate how infrequently genuine diplomatic openings appear. Countries often wait decades for such moments, and even fewer manage to convert them into an opportunity. Pakistan is now standing at one of those rare junctures. For decades, Islamabad has been at the receiving end of international opprobrium and has complained that its opinion carries little weight. Recently, Pakistan’s role in helping defuse tensions between the US and Iran has changed perceptions in global capitals. As a result, Pakistan’s diplomatic stature has risen significantly. The more important question is what comes next. Diplomatic goodwill has a short shelf life. The time has arrived to think differently about Kashmir. Pakistan has not pursued a sustained lawfare strategy through international institutions with sufficient seriousness. Put simply, lawfare is the deliberate use of legal institutions to achieve political objectives. For example, legal proceedings ...

• Tarar briefs European delegation on legal, institutional reforms • Says govt committed to safeguarding human rights while ensuring strict implementation of counterterrorism steps ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Law and Human Rights Azam Nazeer Tarar on Thursday reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to fulfilling its obligations under the European Union’s GSP+ framework and advancing human rights during a meeting with a delegation of the European Union and ambassadors of European countries. The delegation, led by the European Union Ambassador to Pakistan Raimundas Karoblis, held discussions with the minister on Pakistan-EU relations, the GSP+ framework, human rights, the rule of law and areas of mutual cooperation. The EU delegation comprised ambassadors of Sweden, Norway, France, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic, as well as the chargé d’affaires of Ireland, the high commissioner of Canada and senior officials of the Canadian High Commission. According to an official statement, both sides exchanged views on...

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday said that Pakistan desired to further strengthen bilateral cooperation with Croatia, particularly through enhanced trade and investment, information technology, connectivity, agriculture, tourism, and skilled manpower.

Islamabad - Pakistan and Croatia have agreed to undertake steps to inject greater momentum into their political and economic relations.

Pakistan’s Ambassador to China Khalil Hashmi held a meeting with Governor of Gansu Province Ren Zhenhe in Lanzhou, during which both sides discussed ways to further strengthen practical cooperation in agriculture, mining, new energy, equipment manufacturing and vocational training.

ISLAMABAD: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Thursday cut its forecast for Pakistan’s economic growth to 3.7 per cent, citing higher energy costs and anticipated pressure on foreign remittances from Pakistanis abroad. In its Asian Development Outlook (ADO) July 2026, the Manila-based lender, however, lowered its growth forecast for developing Asia and the Pacific to 4.9pc for 2026 from 5.5pc in 2025, marking a 0.2-percentage-point reduction from its April projections. “Preliminary data show Pakistan’s economy growing by 3.7pc in FY2026 (ended 30 June 2026), supported by strong industry and services alongside modest agricultural gains. However, the growth forecast is revised down to 3.7pc for FY2027 due to higher energy costs and pressure on remittances”, said the Asian Development Outlook July 2026. ADB had earlier projected a 4.5pc growth rate for the current fiscal year in its April 2026 forecast. It also revised upward its inflation forecast for both FY2026 and the current fiscal year compared to its pre...

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Thursday that Pakistan and Croatia could utilise their geographic locations to unlock the “enormous potential” of their growth. His remarks came after he met with Croatia’s Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman, who is in Islamabad on a one-day visit. Addressing a joint press briefing with Radman, Dar said, “Both Pakistan and Croatia are situated at important geographical locations and could utilise their presence and locations to untap their enormous potential for growth between the two countries and beyond.” Dar said he briefed Radman on the “potential, capacity, facilities and connectivity of our Karachi port”. “Both sides discussed the possibility of collaborative arrangements between the ports of the two countries,” he added. The deputy PM noted that connectivity “lies at the heart of a vision for sustainable development, regional stability and global economic integration”. Dar described the discussions between the two si...