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A Pakistan Air Force (PAF) contingent comprising JF-17 Thunder Block-III fighter jets, accompanied by skilled air and ground crew, has landed in Azerbaijan to participate in a bilateral aerial combat exercise, the military’s media wing said on Sunday. Pakistan regularly participates in bilateral and multilateral air exercises with countries around the world, showcasing its growing aerial capabilities and fostering military cooperation. These exercises allow the PAF to train in diverse operational environments, enhance interoperability with foreign forces, and demonstrate its cutting-edge aircraft and skilled personnel on the international stage. Such engagements also strengthen defence diplomacy and strategic ties with partner nations. According to a statement from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the exercise, called Indus Shield Alpha, aims to enhance mutual understanding, tactical coordination and interoperability between the air forces of Pakistan and Azerbaijan. View this post on Instagram “In...

• Aurangzeb expects $1.2bn tranche by Dec 31, trade deal with US ‘within weeks’ • Says govt ‘close to deciding’ fate of Roosevelt Hotel • Backs global financial reforms to ease climate burden • Briefs World Bank president on govt’s flood response WASHINGTON: Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said on Saturday that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) cannot impose any conditions on Pakistan that go against the country’s national interests. Speaking at the Pakistan Embassy in Washington, the minister said that all the reforms undertaken so far under IMF programmes were consistent with Pakistan’s own economic priorities and had contributed to improving the national economy. “Please name any IMF-suggested reform that is not aligned with our national interest,” he asked in response to a question. Mr Aurangzeb announced that the IMF is expected to release the $1.2 billion tranche pledged under last week’s staff-level agreement by Dec 31. “The Fund’s executive board will soon meet to review the agreement, and the...

Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to an immediate ceasefire following high-level negotiations in Doha, where both sides also decided to establish a permanent mechanism to ensure lasting peace and stability, state-run PTV News reported on Sunday. Amid heightened tensions along the Pak-Afghan border, a high-level Pakistani delegation led by Defence Minister Khawaja 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. A post on the X account of PTV News, citing the Qatar Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said, “During the negotiations held in Doha between Pakistan and Afghanistan, both countries agreed on an immediate ceasefire.” “During the talks, both countries not only agreed on an immediate ceasefire but also decided to es...

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan and the Af­ghan Taliban on Satur­day completed the first round of their talks in the Qatari capital Doha.

JAHANIAN/KHANEWAL - Prime Minister She­hbaz Sharif Saturday on Saturday said that Pakistan’s economy had achieved stability, fi­nancial indicators were positive and the country was moving forward to gain economic growth.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif informed his Malaysian counterpart on Saturday that Pakistan seeks peace and stability in Afghanistan but continues to face “cross-border terrorism emanating from Afghan soil”. In a phone call with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, the premier emphasised that Afghan authorities must take immediate and effective steps to dismantle terror networks operating on Afghan soil, said a statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). During a state visit by the premier earlier in October, the two leaders resolved to reignite bilateral cooperation and move towards a more aggressive and forward-looking policy, including the possibility of collaboration under the umbrella of the Asean economic bloc. “He reaffirmed that Pakistan had agreed to a temporary ceasefire at the request of the Afghan authorities to facilitate dialogue in Doha, and stressed the importance of tangible action against all terrorist entities, including Fitna-al-Khwarij, Fitna-al-Hindustan, TTP, and BLA, to ...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has lauded Pakistan’s progress toward economic stability and diplomatic success, attributing it to effective governance, hard work, and a shared national vision.

• Ahsan says govt to self-fund recovery, rejected ‘external crutches’ after fresh deluge • Preliminary damage of this year’s floods put at $2.9bn across sectors • 1,039 dead, 1,067 injured; surveys to conclude in two weeks ISLAMABAD: Pakistan suffered more than $30 billion in damages and losses in the 2022 floods but received only $600 million in foreign assistance, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said on Friday. Apart from that, all international commitments were loans, most of them repurposed from previous facilities, he said while releasing preliminary estimates for flood-related damages at Rs822bn (about $2.9bn). “This is an irony,” he said, adding that the global community had pledged a $100bn climate-finance fund but “did not provide even $1bn”. Therefore, after consultations, the government decided to meet the latest losses through domestic resources rather than “external crutches” despite the around $3bn damages to agriculture and infrastructure on top of human lives following the recent “apocalyptic fl...

Pakistan carried out precision air strikes late Friday targeting the Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group (HGB), a terrorist faction operating in border areas of Afghanistan adjacent to North and South Waziristan.

Posts from multiple Afghan and Indian accounts on social media platform X on October 16, 2025, shared visuals claiming to show the Afghanistan defence forces successfully testing a missile with a 400-kilometre range amid the recent fighting with Pakistan. However, the visuals do not show any Afghan missile test. On Sunday, fierce border clashes between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban resulted in the martyrdom of 23 troops and left over 200 Taliban fighters dead, including a number of Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan terrorists. Both nations claimed to have destroyed the border posts of the other side. On Tuesday, fighting flared up again between the neighbours in the Kurram district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The next day, the third major skirmish also took place, with the Pakistani security forces saying an attack by the Afghan Taliban was repulsed in Spin Boldak, killing about 15-20 Taliban fighters. Meanwhile, Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid said in a social media post that the Afghan forces were “forc...

The temporary ceasefire between Pakistan and Afghanistan has been extended, a senior diplomatic source confirmed to Dawn.com on Friday. The Pakistani delegation is still in Pakistan and is scheduled to depart for Doha tomorrow morning, said security sources. On the night of October 11, Afghanistan launched an unprovoked attack on Pakistani border posts, triggering a series of skirmishes that carried on until Wednesday, leaving 23 troops martyred and over 200 Taliban fighters dead. The Pakistan armed forces conducted “precision strikes” in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province and the capital Kabul. A temporary ceasefire was agreed at Afghanistan’s request for 48 hours, which expired at 6pm today. “The temporary ceasefire was extended at the request of the Afghan Taliban government,” the source said. “High-level talks are expected to begin on Saturday.” Islamabad Kabul working to resolve ‘complex but solvable’ issue Earlier today, the Foreign Office (FO) stated that Pakistan and Afghanistan are sincerely working tow...

Crucial Doha talks set to begin today Pakistan to seek written assurances from Taliban FO says Pakistan exercise

Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to extend their 48-hour ceasefire until the completion of scheduled talks in Doha, Reuters reported, citing sources from both sides.

Pakistan opener Omaima Sohail said on Friday that the team was still looking forward to a chance to make the semi-finals of the ICC Women’s World Cup , ahead of their clash with New Zealand on Saturday. On Wednesday, Pakistan’s hopes of a first victory at the World Cup were hit by rain, with their crucial fixture against England being abandoned after a second downpour in Colombo. Chasing a revised target of 113 to win after earlier rains had reduced the match to 31 overs per side, Pakistan were well on their way at 34-0 in 6.4 overs when rains returned to end any chance of the match being completed — saving England from their first ever loss against the Green Shirts. Speaking at the pre-match press conference at the R. Pramedasa Stadium in Colombo, Omaima said: “We are not relaxed at all. We have a chance to go [to the] semis if we win the matches, like three matches. “So maybe the scenario is open, so maybe we will win the three matches, so we have a chance in the semis.” Omaima showed glimpses of form in th...

Foreign Office Spokesperson Ambassador Shafqat Ali Khan, in his final weekly media briefing on Friday announced key diplomatic developments, including Pakistan’s re-election to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), the implementation of a temporary ceasefire along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, and the country’s active.

The recent floods have caused an estimated economic loss of Rs822 billion across Pakistan, according to an initial government assessment released on Friday, which paints a grim picture of the devastation to the country’s agriculture and infrastructure sectors.

The Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Naveed Ashraf, reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment towards cooperation with the United States over matters of maritime security during a visit to the country, the military’s media wing said on Friday. The Pakistani and US Navy share a long-standing relationship. In September, the US Navy ship USS Wayne E. Meyer departed from Karachi on a two-day port call, strengthening the enduring maritime cooperation between the Pakistan Navy and the US Navy. According to the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) statement, “Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Naveed Ashraf, visited [the] United States of America as part of ongoing efforts to further strengthen bilateral maritime cooperation and defence engagements.” Over the course of the visit — which concluded last Friday — Admiral Ashraf met with the US Deputy Chief of Naval Operations, Vice Admiral Yvette Davids, and Acting Vice Commandant of the US Coast Guard, Vice Admiral Thomas G. Allan Jr. “Matters of professional interest, regional ...

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb met with China’s Deputy Finance Minister Liao Min in Washington and sought Beijing’s support for Pakistan’s membership in BRICS’ New Development Bank (NDB), the Ministry of Finance said on Friday. The meeting was held on the sidelines of the plenary meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank (WB) in Washington, DC, where Aurangzeb had arrived on Sunday on a six-day trip from Oct 13 to 18. NDB — established in 2015 by the BRICS — is a multilateral development bank aimed at mobilising resources for infrastructure and sustainable development projects in BRICS, as per their website. In February, the Economic Coord­ination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet had approved Pakistan’s membership in the NDB. In a statement issued today, the ministry said, “Aurangzeb sought China’s support for Pakistan’s membership in the NDB and welcomed enhanced investment from Chinese enterprises in key sectors, including information and communication technology, agriculture, indu...

ISLAMABAD - Federal Minister for Health, Syed Mustafa Kamal, has reaffirmed Pakistan’s unwavering commitment to universal health coverage (UHC), regional solidarity, and multilateral cooperation.

Shehbaz Sharif says Pakistan wants permanent end to terrorism originating from Afghanistan Pak Armed Forces forcefully responded to Afghan aggression under leadership of Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir.