Pakistan | Pakistan

Pakistan and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) have agreed to enhance cooperation to curb environmental crimes, including illegal logging, electronic waste trade, and money laundering linked to natural resource exploitation.

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has said he is “quite hopeful” that Pakistan could manage to achieve GDP growth of close to 3.5 per cent during the ongoing fiscal year despite the impact of recent floods. The finance czar shared this projection during an interview on CGTN America programme ‘One on One’, which was published on Tuesday. During the interview, the finance minister was asked how big a challenge the recent floods posed to economic recovery. To that, Aurangzeb began his reply by underlining that climate change was an “existential issue for Pakistan”. “We are living it day in and day out,” he said. He then went on to recall previous floods and their impact, and stated: “We grew at 3pc GDP last year. We had estimated that we would grow a little over 4pc this year, but now, given the flood situation, this will shave off a certain percentage around that. But, I am still quite hopeful that we can manage anything close to 3.5pc during this fiscal year.” At the outset of the interview, the finance mini...

United States President Donald Trump has stated that he and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a phone call where they talked about having “no wars with Pakistan”. The US president has repeatedly claimed credit for ending the conflict between Pakistan and India earlier this year in May. India has denied the claim that the US president was responsible for brokering the ceasefire via trade threats. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has praised Trump for his “leadership and proactive role” in helping the two neighbours achieve peace in the region. Participating in a Diwali celebration at the White House on Tuesday, Trump said he had a “great conversation” with Indian PM Modi over the phone. “We talked about trade — we talked about a lot of things, but mostly the world of trade, he’s very interested in that. Although we did talk a little while ago about let’s have no wars with Pakistan,” he said. “I think the fact that trade was involved, I was able to talk about that — and we have no war with Pakista...

US President Donald Trump has said he advised Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that there should be “no war with Pakistan,” citing trade pressure as a diplomatic tool to help ease tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday launched an initiative under which over 7,000 professionals would be trained in semiconductor design and research. The prime minister said the initiative, to be known as INSPIRE, was “a milestone in Pakistan’s transition to a knowledge-based digital economy” and signalled its entry into the $600 billion global semiconductor ecosystem. Under the programme, 7,200 professionals would be trained in semiconductor design and research. Shehbaz Sharif kicked off the “initiative to nurture semiconductor professionals for industry, research & education” (INSPIRE) to mark Pakistan’s transformative step toward technological self-reliance and global competitiveness. PM unveils ‘INSPIRE’ to train 7,200 professionals, aiming for a share in the $600bn global market In his address, the prime minister said the launch of INSPIRE was a milestone in the country’s transition toward a knowledge-based digital economy, where innovation, research, and human capital drive sustainable ...

Pakistan were already staring at defeat before the relentless rains, stop-start in manner, in Colombo sealed their fate. Fatima Sana’s side crashed out of the ICC Women’s World Cup on Tuesday after a crushing 150-run defeat (DLS method) to South Africa in their penultimate match of the league stage at the R. Premadasa Stadium. Pakistan needed a victory to have any chance of staying alive in the last-four race and already-qualified South Africa, but chasing a target that was revised with every downpour, they stood little chance after the Proteas amassed 312-9 in 40 overs. Speaking after the match, skipper Fatima said: “I think today is the day bowlers didn’t perform well. We have to accept it. They played very well, but we needed to be calmer in those situations. “I think after the second over, and after the rain, it was a different situation because the conditions and the ball were wet.” The pacer added that the bowlers tried to find rhythm, but it was very difficult to bowl in those conditions. The first sho...

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir has said that Indian-sponsored proxies, identified as Fitna al Khawarij and Fitna al Hindustan, are spreading anti-people and anti-development propaganda to destabilize Pakistan.

Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir on Tuesday reiterated that any violation of Pakistan’s territorial integrity would be met with a ’firm and decisive response The army chief’s affirmation came in the wake of a border conflict with the Taliban regime in Afghanistan as long-simmering tensions over cross-border terrorism boiled over into outright fighting, along with charged statements from India’s civil-military leadership. The military’s top brass had warned India earlier this month that any “imaginary new normal” its leadership might be entertaining about bilateral dynamics would be met with a “new normal of swift retributive response”. A press release issued from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) today said the army chief interacted with participants of the 17th National Workshop Balochistan at the General Headquarters. “The COAS reiterated that while Pakistan seeks regional peace and stability, any violation of its territorial integrity, direct or indirect, will be met with a ...

A combination of threats, from shrinking habitats and increased human-animal conflict to poaching and environmental degradation, has accelerated the decline of Pakistan’s bear population over the past decade, according to local wildlife experts. Although no comprehensive scientific surveys have been conducted to determine the exact numbers of bears in the country, experts estimate a 20-30 per cent decline in their population over the past 10 years. Muhammad Kabir, head of the Wildlife Ecology Lab at the University of Haripur, said that while a few regions in Pakistan still have healthy bear populations, the overall trend remains worrying. “So much so, bears have become locally extinct from several areas, where they once were believed to have been in ‘good numbers’,” Kabir told Anadolu. Pakistan is home to two species of bears — the Himalayan brown bear and the Asiatic black bear. The black bear is further divided into two subspecies — the Himalayan black bear (U. t. laniger), found in the temperate forests of...

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has, for the first time, publicly confirmed that Pakistan carried out airstrikes inside Afghanistan earlier this month targeting Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants in Kabul and other cities.

Fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi has been named the Pakistan men’s One-day International (ODI) team captain, the country’s cricket board announced on Monday. The national side’s pace spearhead will lead Pakistan in the upcoming three-match series against South Africa. Shaheen replaces Mohammad Rizwan as the Pakistan ODI skipper after the wicket-keeper led the team during a disastrous ICC Champions Trophy campaign before series losses in New Zealand and the West Indies. Rizwan, handed captaincy in 2024, had led the team to series wins in South Africa, Australia and Zimbabwe in his early days as captain, however. But the recent failures apparently were a decisive enough factor for the Pakistan Cricket Board to sack Rizwan. For Shaheen, it’s going to be a second stint as the Pakistan captain, the left-armer having been snubbed after a short spell — five T20Is against New Zealand — at the helm after replacing Babar Azam in late 2023 following Pakistan’s dismal World Cup campaign. The 25-year-old, who has been capt...

Popular video-sharing platform Tiktok removed more than 25 million videos over community guidelines violations in Pakistan, in the second quarter of 2025 (April-June), its Community Guidelines Enforcement Report said on Monday. Tiktok has repeatedly been banned in the country by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) over complaints about indecent and immoral content. The first such ban came in October 2020, but was lifted 10 days later, after the company assured the telecom regulator that it would block accounts “spreading obscenity.” According to a press release, the popular video-sharing platform said, “TikTok removed a total of 25,448,992 videos in Pakistan for Community Guidelines violations.” “TikTok proactively removed 99.7 per cent of the videos, with 96.2pc of these videos removed within 24 hours,” added the platform. “The report, which covers data from April to June 2025, details the proactive steps TikTok has taken to identify and remove content that violates its Community Guidelines, ensur...

Pakistan punished poor catching from South Africa to accumulate 259-5 on the opening day of the second and final Test in Rawalpindi on Monday. Had the tourists not dropped five catches on a turning pitch they would have been in a better position after Pakistan won the toss and batted. Skipper Shan Masood, dropped on 71 off a luckless Keshav Maharaj, top-scored with 87 while Abdullah Shafique — dropped four times — made 57. Saud Shakeel and Salman Agha will resume on Tuesday unbeaten on 42 and 10 respectively, with the home team seeking a 2-0 series win against the world Test champions. South African pacer Kagiso Rabada trapped Mohammad Rizwan with the fifth delivery with the second new ball for 19 to give some respite to his team. Maharaj, who missed the first Test in Lahore through injury, took 2-63 and fellow spinner Simon Harmer 2-75. With the bulk of the bowling done by Maharaj and Harmer, spinner Senuran Muthusamy — who took 11 wickets in the first Test — was surprisingly used for just four overs. The fi...

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has signed an agreement with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) — a member of the World Bank Group — to strengthen local currency financing and support private sector growth in Pakistan, according to a press release issued on Monday. According to the World Bank, borrowing in foreign currencies exposes clients to the risk that debt and debt service payments (as measured in local currency) increase when the local currency depreciates. However, by converting to local currency, clients are able to address that risk. The statement released by the central bank today said that the agreement, signed under the International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA) framework, would enable the IFC to “manage currency risks more effectively” and increase its investments in Pakistani rupees. “This is an important step towards unlocking financing for critical sectors of the economy and creating jobs across the country,” the SBP statement said. It also quoted SBP Governor Jameel Ahm...

Pakistan has approved a revised barter trade framework to facilitate smoother trade with Afghanistan, Iran, and Russia, expanding the scope of goods exchange under more flexible terms.

Pakistan and Afghanistan have reached a ceasefire agreement aimed at ending cross-border terrorism, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif announced in an interview with Al Jazeera Arabia.

Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to an immediate ceasefire following high-level negotiations in Doha, where both countries pledged to respect each other’s sovereignty and are expected to meet again on October 25 to further discuss matters, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Sunday. Amid heightened tensions along the Pak-Afghan border, a high-level Pakistani delegation led by Asif travelled to Doha on Saturday for talks with Afghan Taliban officials, aimed at ending cross-border hostilities and addressing Pakistan’s security concerns. Facilitated by Qatar, the talks followed days of clashes and Pakistani strikes on Gul Bahadur group camps in Afghanistan, after a 48-hour ceasefire was extended to allow negotiations. In a post on X, the minister announced, “A ceasefire agreement has been finalised. The terrorist attacks from Afghanistan on Pakistan’s soil will cease immediately. Both neighbouring countries will respect each other’s territory,” adding that delegations will meet again in Istanbul on October...

Pakistan is relying on its spin strength to seal the Test series against South Africa after defeating the Proteas men in the first Test match in Lahore on Wednesday, interim red-ball head coach Azhar Mahmood said at a press conference ahead of the second match on Monday. Left-arm spinner Noman Ali was South Africa’s chief tormentor as Pakistan won the first Test by 93 runs. Set a daunting 277-run target for victory, the visitors and World Test champions were bowled out for 183 on day four. “The pre-series camp was aimed at adapting spin on these types of pitches; different shots, scoring options,” Azhar said at the presser. “We’re trying that if we play this method at home, then we’ll know how to play spin.” Azhar noted that the playing XI will be decided the morning of the match after seeing pitch conditions, saying there is a possibility of some changes, “but not too many”. “With regards to the toss, we don’t want that the whole match is decided by the toss. “I said this before the series as well, that thes...

Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Chief Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman has said that his party seeks to transform the system, not just replace faces, urging the youth to take charge of Pakistan’s future.

Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to an immediate ceasefire following talks mediated by Qatar and Turkiye in Doha, Qatar’s foreign ministry announced on Saturday night.