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Federal Minister for Information Ataullah Tarar has strongly criticised what he described as a false media campaign against Pakistan following the shooting incident at Bondi Beach in Australia.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Wednesday that it was falsely claimed after the Bondi Beach shooting in Australia that one of the attackers was from Pakistan, holding “hostile countries” responsible for this campaign. The tragic attack by two men on Sunday resulted in the death of 16 people, including one of the attackers. Soon after the incident, a Pakistan-origin man living in Sydney was misidentified as one of the attackers. Later, it was confirmed that among the father-son duo of suspects, the former, 50-year-old Sajid Akram, was from India, and the latter, 24-year-old Naveed Akram, was born in Australia. View this post on Instagram “When the incident happened, certain media outlets were very quick to state that one of the attackers was from Pakistan and the other one was born in Australia. “There was no evidence to prove this claim, there was no documentation, and there was no verification of this claim. But somehow, we know that this campaign was launched from hostile countries trying to ma...

Pakistan has extended the closure of its airspace for Indian civilian and military aircraft until Jan 23, 2026, according to a fresh Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) issued by the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA).

The Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) on Wednesday extended the airspace restrictions on Indian aircraft till January 23. The extension was notified a week before the previous one was set to expire on December 24. “Pakistan airspace will remain closed to Indian-registered aircraft, including all aircraft owned, operated, or leased by Indian airlines, as well as Indian military flights,” the authority said, “According to the NOTAM, the restriction, which has already been in force, will continue until January 23, 2026, as per the specified timings,” it said. Notam issued by the Pakistan Airports Authority. Pakistan’s airspace is divided into two flight information regions (FIRs) — Karachi and Lahore, according to a Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) document from 2022. The Notam applies to both the Karachi (OPKR) and Lahore (OPLR) FIRs. India and Pakistan have closed their airspaces to each other’s airlines since tensions between them escalated in late April in the wake of an attack in occupied Kashmir’s ...

PTI founder Imran Khan’s son Kasim Khan has said he and his brother Suleiman have applied for their visas and are planning a trip to Pakistan in January, while also commenting on the conditions in which the ex-premier was kept and saying that he was being held in a “death cell”. The remarks were made during an interview to Yalda Hakim for Sky News, which came as another sit-in held outside Adiala jail by Imran’s sisters over being denied a meeting with him was dispersed using water cannons; the party alleged that authorities used “chemical-laced” water. As court-ordered prison visits stay blocked, Imran’s family and party have expressed concerns about the conditions in which he is being kept inside the prison. A United Nations’ special rapporteur has also warned that Imran is being held in conditions that could amount to inhuman or degrading treatment. During their interview with Hakim, released early on Wednesday, Kasim and Suleiman, who live in London, were asked whether they had tried to engage with the Pa...

Pakistan on Tuesday strongly rejected India’s claims over Jammu and Kashmir, reiterating that the disputed region has never been — and will never be — a part of India.

Pakistan continues to face ongoing threats from terrorist groups operating across its borders, some of which are backed by hostile elements, the Foreign Office spokesperson said on Monday.

Russia and Pakistan are in talks on a potential oil-sector agreement, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb told RIA news agency in remarks published on Tuesday. “All of these areas are Russia’s strengths. And we would be very happy if Russia agreed on an agreement in this sector with Pakistan,” Aurangzeb told RIA in an interview when asked about wider cooperation in exploration, production and refining between the two countries. “At present, the issue is being discussed by the energy ministries of both sides.” Russia also discussed upgrading a refinery in Pakistan with Russian companies involved, Russian Energy Minister Sergei Tsivilev had said in November. Pakistan has stepped up engagement with Russia in recent years as Moscow sought new energy markets after Western sanctions over Ukraine, and Islamabad looked to lower import costs. Pakistan began buying Russian crude in 2023. Aurangzeb also said Russia and Pakistan are looking into building another steel plant in Pakistan, RIA reported.

Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif held a meeting with Qatar’s Military Attaché, Brigadier General Abdulhadi Mohammed Arhaib Al-Hajri, to discuss bilateral relations and issues of shared interest, with a particular focus on defence collaboration.

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb underscored Pakistan’s strategic shift from seeking aid-based support towards trade- and investment-led engagement to ensure long-term economic sustainability and mutually beneficial partnerships, particularly with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. In an interview with CNN Business Arabia, Aurangzeb highlighted the vision of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, which reflected Pakistan’s renewed economic confidence and reform momentum. He said that Pakistan has followed a comprehensive macroeconomic stabilisation program for the past 18 months, which has delivered tangible and measurable results, while inflation has declined to single-digit levels from an unprecedented 38%. On the fiscal front, Pakistan has achieved primary surpluses, while the current account deficit remains well within targeted limits. According to the finance czar, the exchange rate has also stabilised, and foreign exchange reserves have improved to approximately 2.5 months of import cover, reflect...

Claims circulated by Israeli, Indian, and Afghan-linked media accusing Pakistan of involvement in a recent terrorist attack near Sydney have been debunked by official records and statements.

Pakistan on Monday launched its final nationwide anti-polio campaign for 2025, with the seven-day drive set to continue until December 21, targeting more than 45 million children across the country.

The Foreign Office (FO) on Monday condemned the “heinous” attack which claimed the lives of six United Nations (UN) peacekeepers from Bangladesh in Sudan’s Kadugli, calling for holding those responsible accountable. At least six Bangladeshi peacekeepers were killed and eight wounded in a drone attack on a UN base on Saturday in the disputed Abyei region between Sudan and South Sudan, according to Bangladesh’s armed forces. In a statement released on Monday, the FO said, “Pakistan condemns, in the strongest possible terms, the heinous attack against UN peacekeepers in Kadugli, Sudan, which has resulted in the tragic deaths of six peacekeepers from Bangladesh serving with the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (Unisfa), and injuries to several others.” It expressed Pakistan’s deepest condolences to the government and people of Bangladesh on the lives lost, adding that Pakistan stood in solidarity with the bereaved families. “UN peacekeepers remain at the forefront of international efforts to preven...

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan on Sunday strongly condemned a deadly drone attack on United Nations peacekeepers in southern Sudan that killed six Bangladeshi personnel, describing the assault as a war crime and expressing full solidarity with the government and people of Bangladesh.

Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Mohammad Sadiq on Sunday pressed the ruling Taliban in Afghanistan to clean their country of all terrorist groups. He was speaking at the meeting of Special Representatives for Afghanistan in Iran’s capital of Tehran. Iran had invited the Taliban government, but it did not attend, according to a Taliban spokesman. Special representatives for Afghan affairs from Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, China, and Russia attended the meeting. “In my remarks, I agreed with the assessment of all participating countries that the continued threat of terrorism emanating from Afghan soil is a big challenge for the region,” the Pakistani special envoy told the meeting. Ambassador Sadiq wrote on X that he also stressed that the people of Afghanistan have already suffered enough and they deserved better. “It is, therefore, imperative that the current de facto rulers take steps to ameliorate their suffering. And the foremost step in this regard would be to rid thei...

The hall at the Pakistan Embassy in Washington glowed in Christmas colours on Saturday evening. Red and gold decorations framed the space, while green — the unmistakable green of Pakistan — appeared everywhere: in flags, ribbons and lapel pins. White lights shimmered softly, echoing both the season and the crescent-and-star that defines the country these guests continue to call their own. The pre-Christmas gathering, hosted for Pakistani Christians and their neighbours, began and ended with a chant that left little doubt about that bond: “Pakistan Zindabad.” It was not a slogan offered for form’s sake. It was spoken with warmth, conviction, and an insistence born of long experience. For more than a decade, speakers noted, such gatherings have brought together Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Sikhs and Jews — a quiet tradition of interfaith fellowship that has survived politics, violence and neglect. A message from the Virginia governor praised the organisers’ work over the past twelve years and encouraged the emb...

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday said that due to untiring efforts of the incumbent government and its economic team, Pakistan is economically out of woods as its mega indicators were wonderful.

Pakistan has called on parties to the conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) — the Congolese armed forces and Rwanda-backed M23 rebels — to engage in “serious dialogue” and honour their commitments under existing peace agreements amid escalating violence and mass displacement.

The $686 million defence package offered to Pakistan by US President Donald Trump’s administration this week will transform the country’s ageing fleet of F-16 fighter jets into a modernised force capable of operating securely and efficiently alongside contemporary air forces, according to defence experts and officials. At its core, the upgrade will allow the F-16s to operate safely and effectively for at least another decade and a half by extending their service life, strengthening secure communications, enabling real-time sharing of tactical data, and ensuring sustained maintenance through comprehensive parts, training, and support. Enhanced mission planning and testing tools included in the package will also improve pilot proficiency and overall mission effectiveness. Beyond specific equipment, a substantial portion of the package is devoted to spare parts, maintenance, engineering, and logistics support. This includes replacement components, repair parts, technical documentation, engineering assistance, an...

ISLAMABAD - At the invitation of the leadership of the Pakistan Foreign Service Academy, Ambassador of Kazakhstan, Yerzhan Kistafin delivered a lecture to the Academy’s students on the prospects for developing cooperation between Kazakhstan and Pakistan, as well as Central and South Asia.