Pakistan | News

Afghanistan men’s quartet of spinners ruled the roost as they beat Pakistan by 18 runs in their Twenty20 International tri-series encounter in Sharjah on Tuesday. Both teams observed a minute of silence for the flood victims in Pakistan and the earthquake victims in Afghanistan before the match. Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan said that they would aim for crossing 170 after winning the toss and batting, but his team fell just short of that mark as Pakistan’s bowlers, led by Faheem, kept the lid on scoring. However, the Pakistani reply never got going as the Afghan bowlers kept taking wickets at regular intervals, with pacer Haris Rauf being the highest scorer for the Green Shirts. Faheem was the pick of the bowlers for Pakistan, picking a career best of four wickets for 27 runs and picking up the prized scalps of player of the match Ibrahim Zadran and Sediqullah Atal as both batters scored 50s for their side. Pakistan still top the table in the tri-series, with both sides scheduled to play the UAE ahead of th...

The European Union has pledged Rs350 million in relief assistance for flood-affected communities in Pakistan.

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has issued fresh figures outlining the scale of destruction caused by relentless rains and floods across Pakistan.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chinese President Xi Jinping, in a high-level meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit on Tuesday, reaffirmed their strong resolve to further strengthen the all-weather strategic cooperative partnership between Pakistan and China.

Pakistan and China on Tuesday reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening their “iron-clad and all-weather strategic cooperative partnership” through enhanced cooperation, reflecting their unique bilateral relationship. Pakistan and China share a longstanding strategic partnership with ties ranging across different sectors — including trade, energy, defence, and infrastructure. The bilateral ties and cooperation were discussed in a meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of State (CHS) summit, held from August 31 to September 1. “During the meeting, the two leaders agreed that the relationship between their countries was unique and unparalleled, which should be reflected in their enhanced bilateral cooperation,” the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) said. “Both leaders also discussed important regional and global developments and agreed to continue...

• Xi calls for creation of new SCO bank to break dependence on dollar • Putin urges shift from ‘Euro-centric’ security model • Tianjin Declaration condemns terror attacks in Pakistan; reaffirms commitment to fight separatism and extremism ISLAMABAD: Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday pressed his vision for a new global security and economic order that prioritises the “Global South”, as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called on leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to initiate a structured process to resolve longstanding disputes in South Asia. “Global governance has reached a new crossroads,” said President Xi, adding that member states “must continue to take a clear stand against hegemonism and power politics, and practise true multilateralism” — a thinly veiled swipe at the US. The summit brought together more than 20 world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Indian PM Narendra Modi, in the Chinese port city of Tianjin. In an ima...

A group of 47 Afghans who fled the Taliban arrived in Germany on Monday after months of waiting in Pakistan until German court rulings forced Berlin to offer them refuge. The 10 families have been among more than 2,000 Afghans caught in limbo in Pakistan as Germany’s conservative-led government this year froze a programme to offer them sanctuary. Most of them arrived in Hanover on a commercial flight from Istanbul around 2pm (1200 GMT), said an AFP reporter and the Airbridge Kabul initiative set up to help those affected. An interior ministry spokeswoman confirmed that “45 Afghan nationals entered Germany. These are all individuals who obtained visas through legal proceedings … All of these individuals have fully completed the admission procedure and security screening“. The Airbridge Kabul initiative later said that two more people had arrived after catching a later connection from Istanbul. A mother and daughter who did not want to give their names told AFP they were looking forward to their new life in Ger...

Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb during a meeting with Hongta Securities Chairman Jing Feng in Beijing discussed strengthening capital market cooperation and enhancing financial sector linkages between Pakistan and China.

The ongoing torrential rains and surging floods have inundated large swaths of farmlands and destroyed ready-to-reap crops across Pakistan, triggering fears of a food crisis and inflation, the UN and growers warned on Monday. The raging floods struck the northeastern Punjab, the country’s largest province and food basket, last week, submerging hundreds of villages, schools and health centres, washing away livestock and destroying crops, aside from killing around 50 people and triggering evacuations. The surging floods have so far affected more than 2 million people, in addition to the evacuation of more than 700,000 people, according to official statistics. The water is flowing further south to fall into the mighty Indus River and is feared to wreak havoc on Sindh in the coming days. “This isn’t normal — yet it’s becoming the new normal. Monsoons, driven by climate change, now bring fear and devastation to communities across Pakistan,” Mo Yahya, the UN resident and humanitarian coordinator, said in a post on ...

The National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) on Monday announced the launch of a phased polio eradication campaign across 99 districts of Pakistan, aiming to vaccinate more than 28 million children against the crippling disease.

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan and China are aiming to ‘dou­ble’ cooperation in all major sectors as Beijing contin­ues to support the long time ally with in­vest­ments, technical aid and defence assistance.

SHARJAH: Pakistan’s emerging batter Hasan Nawaz believes he is a part of the country’s “best T20 team” following back-to-back wins in the opening two matches of the ongoing tri-series in the United Arab Emirates. In the tournament being played as warm-up ahead of the Asia Cup — which starts Sept. 9 — Pakistan have started with thrashings of Afghanistan and UAE thanks to a number of players chipping in with impactful contributions. After seasoned pacer Haris Rauf and skipper Salman Ali Agha led Pakistan to a 39-run win over Afghanistan in the opener, Saim Ayub and Hasan Nawaz himself scored half centuries each to see the side down UAE by 31 runs. The UAE fixture saw Pakistan cross the 200-mark as Hasan Nawaz launched a late onslaught after opener Saim Ayub had set the stage. Experienced fast bowler Hasan Ali then wrapped up the proceedings with 3-47 as UAE’s Asif Khan’s blistering 77 off 35 went in vain. Under white-ball head coach Mike Hesson, Pakistan are building up to next year’s T20 World Cup without now ...

RAWALPINDI: More than 25 countries of the world, including Pakistan, have temporarily suspended mail delivery to the United States after the US imposed new taxes and duties. Because of this situation, the Pakistan Post has also stopped delivering booked mail to the US because it fears it will be returned under the new US rules. The US government has suspended the previous duty-free facility under an executive order number 14324 on July 25. The US move has severely affected postal communications to the US worldwide because now all types of mail delivery to the US will have to pay duties and taxes under the new system. All major countries of the world, including China, the UK, Japan. Austria, Australia, New Zealand, India, Germany, France, Russia, Singapore, have temporarily stopped mail delivery to the US because airlines have also shown their inability to deliver mail. The countries hit by the US move have taken up the matter with the US through the Universal Postal Union, a UN agency, which is taking steps t...

Pakistan and Armenia on Sunday formally established diplomatic relations, the Foreign Office (FO) announced in a statement. Until today, Pakistan and Armenia did not have formal diplomatic relations. The relationship was characterised by a regional geopolitical rivalry, with Pakistan supporting Azerbaijan against Armenia in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as per the Press Information Department. However, earlier this week, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said that Pakistan had agreed to consider establishing diplomatic relations with Armenia after a phone call with counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan following a peace deal between Azerbaijan and Armenia. According to the FO today, Islamabad and Yerevan formally established diplomatic relations by exchanging a joint communique in Tianjin, on the sidelines of the ongoing Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit. “Marking a historic step forward, both the leaders [Dar and Mirzoyan] affirmed their commitment to the principles and objectives of [the] U...

Pakistan and Turkiye have underscored their shared resolve to further strengthen cooperation for peace, stability, and prosperity in the Muslim world and beyond.

SHARJAH: Saim Ayub and Hasan Nawaz struck half-centuries as Pakistan thumped the United Arab Emirates by 31 runs in Sharjah on Saturday, making it two wins from two in their T20 tri-series also featuring Afghanistan. Opener Saim smashed a 38-ball 69, with four sixes and seven fours, while Hasan’s 26-ball 56 included six maximums, lifting Pakistan to 207 all out in exactly 20 overs. Asif Khan threatened to snatch an unlikely win for UAE with a brilliant 35-ball 77 before falling in the last over. The UAE managed 176-8 from their 20 overs. Skipper Muhammad Waseem also hit a breezy 18-ball 33 but was run out in the sixth over. Earlier, Pakistan’s innings was built around the excellence of Saim and Hasan after they won the toss and batted first. Once Pakistan lost Sahibzada Farhan, Fakhar Zaman and skipper Salman Agha cheaply, it was left to Saim and Hasan to provide the rescue acts. Saim’s fourth T20I half-century came off just 25 balls while Hasan’s fifty was reached in 24 deliveries with a hat-trick of sixes o...

Pakistan won their Twenty20 International tri-series match against the United Arab Emirates at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium by 31 runs on Saturday. The tri-series of Twenty20 international matches is to tune up for the Asia Cup and features Pakistan, the UAE and Afghanistan. Each team will play the others twice, giving all sides at least four matches before the top two teams qualify for the final, scheduled on September 7. Pakistan batted first after skipper Salman Agha won the toss and set a target of 208 for the UAE. The UAE only managed to make 176 runs. Salman had hit an unbeaten half-century and fast bowler Haris Rauf grabbed four wickets as Pakistan upstaged Afghanistan by 39 runs in the tri-series opener on Friday. Salman hit a 36-ball 53 not out with three sixes and as many boundaries, which lifted Pakistan to a solid 182-7 in their 20 overs. Haris took 4-31 while fellow pacer Shaheen Afridi claimed 2-21, while spinners Mohammad Nawaz (2-23) and Sufiyan Muq­eem (2-25) dismissed Afghanistan for 143 in 1...

When floodwaters from across the Indian border surged into her village in Pakistan’s Punjab this month, Shama knew what to do: gather her four children and prepare to leave. It was the second time this year she has had to flee, after abandoning her home during cross-border fighting between India and Pakistan in May. “How many times do we need to evacuate now?” the 30-year-old mother said, her husband away ferrying their 10 cows to higher ground on a boat. “We lost out on so much during the war like school days for the children, and now the water is forcing us out again. Trouble is trouble.” A Rescue 1122 boat evacuates people from the flooded area past partially submerged houses, following the monsoon rains and rising water level of the Sutlej River, in Chanda Singh Wala village near the Pakistan-India border in Punjab’s Kasur district, on August 29. — Reuters Shama’s ordeal is echoed across flood-hit Kasur, where families say they are exhausted by repeated displacements within months, first from the fighting...

Pakistan has received authorisation to extend the export of seafood products to the United States for another four years, Minister for Maritime Affairs Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry announced on Saturday. Pakistan’s seafood exports rose to $465 million in FY25, reflecting a 13.4 per cent increase in value and an 8pc growth in quantity compared to last year, according to data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) in July. According to a press release by the maritime ministry, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) classified all Pakistani fisheries listed on its List of Foreign Fisheries as “comparable” under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). “This classification confirms that Pakistan’s fisheries meet US standards for protecting marine mammals from incidental mortality and serious injury during fishing operations,” Chaudhry was quoted as saying. The MMPA required fisheries to “minimise marine mammal bycatch, adopt conservation practices, and sustainably operate mea...

A fresh spell of monsoon rains has battered several cities across Pakistan, causing urban flooding, power outages, and loss of lives.