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Afghan officials on Tuesday warned that any attack from Pakistan would be met with an immediate response, cautioning that Islamabad could be directly targeted if Afghan territory is struck.

In order to make justice delivery more transparent and citizen-centric, the Chief Justice of Pakistan chaired a high-level policy meeting Tuesday to steer progress on the automation and digitization of courts across Pakistan.

Gold prices in Pakistan surged sharply, with the per tola rate rising by Rs5,900 to reach Rs435,762, according to the All-Pakistan Gems and Jewellers Association.

Pakistan has cautioned the United Nations that the unchecked movement of illegal arms within Afghanistan — many of them modern weapons now being used by anti-Pakistan militant groups — poses a serious threat to regional peace and stability.

Islamabad has warned that the acquisition of abandoned weapons by terrorist groups based in Afghanistan not only threatens peace and security in Pakistan but also in the region. Ambassador Asim Iftikhar, Pakistan’s permanent representative to the United Nations, made the remarks while addressing the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) open debate on small arms late on Monday, according to a press release by the mission. In his remarks, Ambassador Iftikhar said, “Pakistan is seriously concerned about the presence of stockpiles of sophisticated arms and ammunition in Afghanistan, as noted in the findings of the secretary general’s reports.” The report states that transnational criminal dynamics were observed in Afghanistan, where possible arms and ammunition transfer to neighbouring states in breach of the arms embargo and unofficial markets for weapons have emerged, further escalating the threat to regional security. The envoy said Pakistan had “credible information of attempts to smuggle these arms to neig...

Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq welcomed the Qatari parliamentary delegation led by Speaker Hassan bin Abdullah Al-Ghanim, who is visiting Pakistan to participate in the Inter-Parliamentary Speakers’ Conference in Islamabad.

Former Pakistan One-day International captain Mohammad Rizwan voluntarily decided to take a step back and let Shaheen Shah Afridi take charge as his successor when the country’s cricket board was mulling the decision, the latter revealed on Monday. Shaheen was appointed in the role last month in what seemed like an abrupt development with Rizwan being stripped off captaincy despite spending only five ODI series and an ICC Champions Trophy campaign in charge. While the wicket-keeper-batter had a disastrous show at the Champions Trophy, he led Pakistan to series wins in Australia and South Africa last year and against the West Indies this year. According to multiple media reports, Rizwan was at loggerheads with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) when he was removed as captain – reportedly turning down the central contract. Shaheen, however, seems to have cleared the air, stating in the press conference on the eve of Pakistan’s three-match ODI series opener against Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi, that he had a discussion...

ISLAMABAD: Calling the proposed 27th Constitutional Amen­dment a “9/11 on Pakistan”, Tehreek Tahaffuz-i-Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai announced a nationwide protest, arguing the measure would “shatter the foundation of the country”. Mr Achakzai said the peaceful protest would be held under the slogan of a Habib Jalib ghazal: “Aise Dastoor Ko, Subh-i-BeNoor Ko, Me Nahi Manta, Mai Nahi Janta”. Speaking at a news conference at the National Press Club, he anno­unced two additional slogans: “death for dictatorship and democracy live long” and “free the prisoners”. Mr Achakzai described himself as a “true patriotic” who has taken the oath to protect the country five times, noting that the current National Ass­embly speaker, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, administered two of those oaths. Opposition alliance announces nationwide protests; plans to observe ‘Black Day’ He recalled an exchange from 1993 with then-speaker Gohar Ayub Khan. “I spoke to the speaker that he has taken an oath of protecting the Const...

Pakistan says it deeply appreciates the sincere efforts made by brotherly Turkiye and Qatar to mediate differences between Islamabad and Kabul on the core issue of terrorism.

The military leadership of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia vowed to enhance bilateral defence cooperation and reaffirmed their resolve to further deepen ties between the two countries, a statement from the military’s media wing said. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the commitment was made during a meeting of the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, with the Chief of General Staff of the Saudi Armed Forces, General Fayyadh bin Hamed Al-Ruwaili, in Saudi Arabia. The Pakistani official is on an official visit to the Kingdom. “During the meeting, both sides discussed the evolving global and regional environment and avenues for enhancing bilateral defence cooperation,” the ISPR said. “The military leadership reaffirmed their resolve to further deepen the strong brotherly ties and enduring defence partnership between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.” In recognition of his significant contributions in deepening Pakistan-Kingdom of Saudi Arabia relationship, in ...

The Foreign Office (FO) has warned that terrorist attacks on Pakistan have increased since the Taliban assumed power in Afghanistan.

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on Saturday signed a formal agreement finalising the arrangements and facilities for Hajj 2026, marking the start of preparations for next year’s pilgrimage.

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia formally signed an agreement for Haj 2026, state-run Radio Pakistan reported on Sunday. According to the report, “Saudi Deputy Minister for Haj and Umrah Dr Abdulfattah Bin Sulaiman Mashat and Secretary Ministry of Religious Affairs of Pakistan Dr Syed Ata-ur-Rehman signed the agreement in Jeddah on Saturday.” Haj, one of the fundamental pillars of Islam, is performed each year by millions of Muslims worldwide. Pakistan receives one of the highest Haj quotas from Saudi Arabia. Dr Syed Ata-ur-Rehman expressed gratitude for the Saudi government’s excellent efforts in hosting and providing facilities to the guests of Allah, the report added. “Like last year, Pakistani pilgrims will be provided with high-quality services this year,” the report quoted Dr Rehman as saying. The secretary further expressed the determination of the Ministry of Religious Affairs to complete arrangements for both government and private Haj schemes in a timely and effective manner, in accordance with the guideli...

Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defence Minister Yasar Guler, and intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin will visit Islamabad next week to discuss tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday. He made the announcement while speaking to reporters on his flight returning from Azerbaijan. Talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan, which were taking place in Istanbul in the presence of mediators, broke down on Friday without any agreement, as negotiators failed to bridge deep differences over how to monitor and prevent cross-border terrorism, officials and sources said. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif insisted that the negotiations were “over” and had “entered an indefinite phase”. “Right now, as we speak, negotiations are over,” Asif told Geo News, alleging that the Afghan Taliban delegation again came to Istanbul “without any programme” and was unwilling to sign a written agreement. A senior security source confirmed that discussions had hit an impasse. “The talk...

Türkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defense Minister Yasar Guler, and intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin will visit Islamabad next week to discuss tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan, Turkish president said on Sunday.

Pakistan and Turkey have reaffirmed their commitment to close coordination on regional and international issues, pledging to work together for peace, stability, and prosperity in the region.

A new viral trend is sweeping through Pakistan as motorists look for creative ways to dodge traffic fines under the newly implemented e-challan system.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s abundant solar and wind potential positions it well to transition towards affordable, carbon-free electricity, but weak grid infrastructure remains a major obstacle, a United Nations report has warned. According to the 2025 Review of Climate Ambition in Asia and the Pacific, released by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN-ESCAP), Pakistan needs significant investment and coordination to upgrade and expand its grid network to integrate large-scale renewable energy while maintaining system stability. The report says that a successful phase-down of coal in Pakistan will require a comprehensive energy transition plan with clear targets, strong policies and engagement of all stakeholders. The transition, it adds, must be “just” to avoid disproportionate impacts on workers, businesses and households. Renewable edge over coal The UN report highlights that solar and wind energy are now cost-competitive with coal, giving Pakistan an opportunity to accelerate its shi...

BAKU /ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday reaffirmed Pakistan’s unwavering commitment to peace, while making it clear that the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity remained inviolable.

The United States and Pakistan early on Saturday reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral ties between the two countries, with Islamabad’s envoy describing it as an effort to build an “economically entrenched strategic partnership“. The development came as S. Paul Kapur — who assumed charge as the US assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asian affairs on October 22 — met Pakistan’s Ambassador to the US Rizwan Saeed Sheikh at the State Department for what was described as a cordial and forward-looking exchange. Ambassador Sheikh said the two sides explored practical ways to translate recent high-level political resolve into concrete cooperation. “We discussed the ways and means of translating the resolve — expressed at the leadership level — of developing Pakistan–US ties into an economically entrenched strategic partnership, through sustained engagement in multiple domains of mutual interest,” he said in a post on social media platform X. Meanwhile, Kapur said it was a “pleasure” to...