Pakistan | Pakistan

Pakistan and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have reached a staff-level agreement (SLA) on reviews of the implementation of the $7 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and $1.1bn Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF), the Fund said on Wednesday. Last week, an IMF mission led by Iva Petrova concluded talks with Pakistani authorities on the second review of the EFF — agreed in 2024 to shore up the economy after a severe financial crisis — and the first one of the RSF climate loan. “The IMF team has reached a staff-level agreement with the Pakistani authorities on the second review of the 37-month Extended Arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and the first review of the 28-month arrangement under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF),“ Petrova said in a statement issued by the IMF. The SLA is subject to approval by the IMF Executive Board, Petrova added. Once approved, Pakistan will have access to about $1bn (SDR 760 million) under the EFF and about $200m (SDR 154m) under th...

Pakistan has been elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for the 2026-2028 term, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Tuesday. The United Nations General Assembly also announced 13 other countries for the term beginning on January 1, 2026, namely: Angola, Chile, Ecuador, Egypt, Estonia, India, Iraq, Italy, Mauritius, Slovenia, South Africa, United Kingdom and Viet Nam. “My profound gratitude to all UN Member States for their support!” FM Dar said on X. “Pakistan’s election is a recognition of its strong credentials and contributions in strengthening the global human rights framework.” Dar reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to work with the international community on the basis of “TRUCE”, i.e., tolerance, respect, universality, consensus-building, and engagement. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed delight at the development, saying it reflected Pakistan’s effective and active role at the United Nations. “We reaffirm Pakistan’s strong commitment to play an active r...

China’s foreign ministry has said that Pakistan keeps its strategic ally aware of its cooperation with the United States in the mining sector, and the two countries have maintained a “high-level strategic mutual trust and close communication”. “The two countries have maintained high-level strategic mutual trust and close communication on major issues concerning each other’s common interests. From what I’ve learned, the two countries have been in communication on Pakistan-US mining cooperation,” said spokesperson Lin Jian. US Strategic Metals, which signed a memorandum of understanding with Pakistan in September to invest rou­ghly $500 million to establish mineral processing and development facilities in the country, rece­ntly dispatched its first consignment of mineral samples to the US to advance the deal. The sample shipment, prepared locally in collaboration with the Frontier Works Organisation, includes antimony, copper concentrate, and rare earth elements such as neodymium and praseodymium. Pakistan also...

Pakistan has secured a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for the 2026–2028 term, winning with a strong majority and reaffirming its role as an active participant in advancing the global human rights agenda.

Palestinian state bedrock of Pakistan policy: PM

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has expressed his willingness to help defuse tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, saying he has successfully played a similar role in the past.

Iran Air has announced the launch of its flight operations to Pakistan, beginning with a weekly direct flight between Mashhad and Lahore starting October 29, marking the resumption of air connectivity between the two cities.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday reiterated his praise for United States President Donald Trump, stating that Pakistan would continue to “express admiration” for the American leader’s “unique contribution” to peace. The statement comes a day after Trump and the leaders of Egypt, Qatar and Turkiye had signed a declaration meant to cement a ceasefire in Gaza, hours after Israel and Hamas exchanged hostages and prisoners. PM Shehbaz had also attended the ceremony held at the Egyptian beach resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. At a later press conference, the US president had especially mentioned the premier and the army chief. In a post on X, the premier said: “As I board the plane to return home after the Gaza peace summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, I want to share some reflections on the potentially transformational nature of what took place and why Pakistan has been so deeply involved.” He stated that Pakistan’s biggest priority was the “immediate cessation of the genocidal campaign imposed on Gaza”, which he said he ...

Pakistan has strongly condemned India’s “lies and recycled distortions” over Jammu and Kashmir, calling on the United Nations to take decisive action to resolve the long-standing dispute in line with Security Council resolutions.

ISLAMABAD - Minister for Defense Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Monday said that Pakistan desires peace and trade ties with neighboring country but infiltration of terrorists from Afghan borders would not be tolerated at any cost.

• UN-OCHA sit-rep says cold conditions precipitated by La Nina will especially impact KP, GB • Phenomenon likely to disrupt Kharif crop harvesting, raise Glof risk ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is likely to face one of its coldest winter this year in decades due to the La Nina climate pattern. According to the latest situation report on Pakistan’s monsoon floods, compiled by the Intersector Coordination Group in collaboration with other partners, this could lead to colder-than-usual winter conditions, further stretching coping mechanisms of households affected by the floods, particularly in the mountainous regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit Baltistan. A La Nina occurs when sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean cool abnormally, triggering extreme weather shifts worldwide. In its forecast for October, the report published by UN-OCHA says that the continued marginally negative phases of both the El Niño Southern Oscillation and the Indian Ocean Dipole will drive rainfall across Pakistan. Northern Punjab, KP,...

Pakistan has recorded significant progress in the latest Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2026, with forty-eight national universities making it to the global list.

China is concerned about recent border clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan and has asked the two countries to protect their nationals and investments in the region, Beijing’s foreign ministry said on Monday. Intense border clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan started late on Saturday night and continued into Sunday morning. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that 23 Pakistani troops were martyred and 200 Taliban and affiliated terrorists were killed when Islamabad responded to aggression by Kabul. Afghanistan claimed it carried out the attack as a “retaliatory” measure, accusing Islamabad of conducting air strikes in its territory earlier this week. For its part, Islamabad has not confirmed whether it was behind the air strikes but maintains that Kabul should “stop harbouring the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan on its soil”. In response to Islamabad’s repeated calls to bar terrorists from using its territory for cross-border attacks, Afghanistan denies the allegation of allowing terrorist out...

On the directive of Prime Minister of Pakistan, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has dispatched another relief consignment for the people of Palestine.

The Federal Ministry of Interior has convened a high-level meeting today to decide the future of Afghan nationals residing in Pakistan under Proof of Registration (POR) cards.

US President Donald Trump on Monday appeared eager to ease tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan after border skirmishes between the two countries over the weekend, saying he was “good at making peace”. Intense border clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan started late on Saturday night and continued into Sunday morning. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that 23 troops were martyred and 200 Taliban and affiliated terrorists were killed when Islamabad responded to aggression by Kabul. The US president, since returning to the White House for his second term in January, had repeatedly insisted in the run up to the Nobel peace prize that he deserved the award for his role in resolving eight conflicts — a claim observers say is broadly exaggerated. The US president touched on the border hostilities between Pakistan and Afghanistan while speaking to reporters on Air Force One as he flew from Washington to Israel. Tel Aviv and Hamas are set to carry out a hostage-prisoner exchange as part of the ...

Using right of self-defence, Pak Army destroys multiple Afghan posts in retaliatory strikes, briefly capture 21 posts 23 Pak army men martyred, 29 injured in border skirmishes FO says Pak position that Afghan govt facilitating terrorists is vindicated Rein in militants or Pakistan will continue striking.

Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah on Sunday urged the PTI and other political parties to unite in backing the “charter for a stable Pakistan”, saying the initiative had become more crucial than ever following last night’s border escalation with Afghanistan. According to a statement from the military’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), overnight skirmishes between Kabul and Islamabad erupted on the night of Oct 11-12, after “Afghan Taliban and India-backed militants launched an unprovoked attack along the Pak-Afghan border”. Pakistan said its forces responded decisively, killing over 200 Taliban and affiliated terrorists, while 23 Pakistani soldiers were martyred. Islamabad has repeatedly urged Afghanistan to rein in the Fitna-al-Khawarij — a term the state uses for militants linked to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) — saying the group operates from Afghan soil. Kabul, however, has denied any involvement. Speaking during a media briefing in Fais...

Pakistan has issued a stern warning to the Afghan Taliban government, cautioning that any future terrorist attack in Balochistan or Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will trigger direct military strikes on Taliban posts across the border, security sources said on Sunday.

Pakistan rode on a brilliant 93 from Imam-ul-Haq to reach 313-5 after a brief fightback from South Africa on the opening day of the first Test in Lahore on Sunday. Shan Masood hit 76, but Haq missed out on his hundred as Pakistan slumped to 199-5 as four wickets fell quickly. Mohammad Rizwan, 62 not out, and Salman Agha, unbeaten 52 at the close, rebuilt the innings during an unbroken sixth-wicket stand of 114 in the final session on a spin-friendly Gaddafi Stadium pitch. Rizwan hit two fours and two sixes in his 12th Test half-century while Agha had two fours and a six in reaching his 10th fifty. Pakistan dominated most of the first two sessions, but then had a mini- collapse from 163-1 to 199-5 as they lost four wickets for 36 runs, the last three without adding a run either side of the tea interval. Spinner Prenelan Subrayen trapped Masood lbw for 76, including nine fours and a six, to end a 161-run stand with Haq. Left-arm spinner Senuran Muthusamy then had Haq caught at short-leg by Tony de Zorzi, after ...