Pakistan | Pakistan

Pakistan and China on Thursday, expressing satisfaction over the positive trajectory of their relations, agreed to continue working closely on the next phase of upgraded China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC 2.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday expressed sorrow over devastating floods in northern Pakistan that have killed hundreds and displaced millions.

Pakistan on Wednesday dispatched 105 tonnes of humanitarian aid for quake-struck Afghanistan, according to Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar. The earthquake killed a total of 1,469 people and injured more than 3,700, according to a new toll from Taliban authorities, making it one of the deadliest in decades to hit the impoverished country, according to AFP. The vast majority of the casualties — more than 1,450 — were in Kunar province, with a dozen dead and hundreds hurt in nearby Nangarhar and Laghman provinces. “Following my telephone call with Foreign Minister [Amir] Muttaqi, the government of Pakistan today dispatched 105 tonnes of humanitarian relief assistance to Afghanistan,” a statement from FM Dar said. The consignment includes “essential food items, medicines, tents, blankets, and bubble mats”, aimed at supporting those affected by the recent earthquakes in the country, the statement added. “We extend our deepest condolences and prayers for the victims and wish a speedy recovery t...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday urged officials to replicate China’s technology-driven healthcare system in medical facilities across Pakistan.

LAHORE: Insisting that sending the teams to India for international events amid heightened political tensions was not possible, Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) president Tariq Hussain Bugti on Tuesday said the country will not compete in the Jr World Cup later this year. The event is scheduled to be held in Indian cities of Chennai and Madurai from Nov 28 to Dec 10. Pakistan, primarily due to ongoing political strains with New Delhi particularly after a short yet intense military clash between the nuclear-armed neighbours in May, are not competing in the Asia Cup too which is currently in progress in the Indian city of Rajgir. Talking to reporters in Lahore on Tuesday, Bugti while acknowledging that not participating in international events in India was hurting the country’s hockey, said the national cause was bigger than everything. “As there is a war-like situation [currently] prevailing between Pakistan and India, there is no possibility that the PHF will send its team to India for the Junior World Cup. [...

The Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), brokered by the World Bank in 1960, has been a cornerstone of transboundary water cooperation between India and Pakistan for over six decades.

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minster Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif Tuesday emphasized that Pakistan attached immense importance to its relations with Russia and said that it was heartening to note that both countries had almost similarity of approaches on various global platforms.

Afghanistan men’s quartet of spinners ruled the roost as they beat Pakistan by 18 runs in their Twenty20 International tri-series encounter in Sharjah on Tuesday. Both teams observed a minute of silence for the flood victims in Pakistan and the earthquake victims in Afghanistan before the match. Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan said that they would aim for crossing 170 after winning the toss and batting, but his team fell just short of that mark as Pakistan’s bowlers, led by Faheem, kept the lid on scoring. However, the Pakistani reply never got going as the Afghan bowlers kept taking wickets at regular intervals, with pacer Haris Rauf being the highest scorer for the Green Shirts. Faheem was the pick of the bowlers for Pakistan, picking a career best of four wickets for 27 runs and picking up the prized scalps of player of the match Ibrahim Zadran and Sediqullah Atal as both batters scored 50s for their side. Pakistan still top the table in the tri-series, with both sides scheduled to play the UAE ahead of th...

The European Union has pledged Rs350 million in relief assistance for flood-affected communities in Pakistan.

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has issued fresh figures outlining the scale of destruction caused by relentless rains and floods across Pakistan.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chinese President Xi Jinping, in a high-level meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit on Tuesday, reaffirmed their strong resolve to further strengthen the all-weather strategic cooperative partnership between Pakistan and China.

Pakistan and China on Tuesday reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening their “iron-clad and all-weather strategic cooperative partnership” through enhanced cooperation, reflecting their unique bilateral relationship. Pakistan and China share a longstanding strategic partnership with ties ranging across different sectors — including trade, energy, defence, and infrastructure. The bilateral ties and cooperation were discussed in a meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of State (CHS) summit, held from August 31 to September 1. “During the meeting, the two leaders agreed that the relationship between their countries was unique and unparalleled, which should be reflected in their enhanced bilateral cooperation,” the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) said. “Both leaders also discussed important regional and global developments and agreed to continue...

• Xi calls for creation of new SCO bank to break dependence on dollar • Putin urges shift from ‘Euro-centric’ security model • Tianjin Declaration condemns terror attacks in Pakistan; reaffirms commitment to fight separatism and extremism ISLAMABAD: Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday pressed his vision for a new global security and economic order that prioritises the “Global South”, as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called on leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to initiate a structured process to resolve longstanding disputes in South Asia. “Global governance has reached a new crossroads,” said President Xi, adding that member states “must continue to take a clear stand against hegemonism and power politics, and practise true multilateralism” — a thinly veiled swipe at the US. The summit brought together more than 20 world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Indian PM Narendra Modi, in the Chinese port city of Tianjin. In an ima...

A group of 47 Afghans who fled the Taliban arrived in Germany on Monday after months of waiting in Pakistan until German court rulings forced Berlin to offer them refuge. The 10 families have been among more than 2,000 Afghans caught in limbo in Pakistan as Germany’s conservative-led government this year froze a programme to offer them sanctuary. Most of them arrived in Hanover on a commercial flight from Istanbul around 2pm (1200 GMT), said an AFP reporter and the Airbridge Kabul initiative set up to help those affected. An interior ministry spokeswoman confirmed that “45 Afghan nationals entered Germany. These are all individuals who obtained visas through legal proceedings … All of these individuals have fully completed the admission procedure and security screening“. The Airbridge Kabul initiative later said that two more people had arrived after catching a later connection from Istanbul. A mother and daughter who did not want to give their names told AFP they were looking forward to their new life in Ger...

Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb during a meeting with Hongta Securities Chairman Jing Feng in Beijing discussed strengthening capital market cooperation and enhancing financial sector linkages between Pakistan and China.

The ongoing torrential rains and surging floods have inundated large swaths of farmlands and destroyed ready-to-reap crops across Pakistan, triggering fears of a food crisis and inflation, the UN and growers warned on Monday. The raging floods struck the northeastern Punjab, the country’s largest province and food basket, last week, submerging hundreds of villages, schools and health centres, washing away livestock and destroying crops, aside from killing around 50 people and triggering evacuations. The surging floods have so far affected more than 2 million people, in addition to the evacuation of more than 700,000 people, according to official statistics. The water is flowing further south to fall into the mighty Indus River and is feared to wreak havoc on Sindh in the coming days. “This isn’t normal — yet it’s becoming the new normal. Monsoons, driven by climate change, now bring fear and devastation to communities across Pakistan,” Mo Yahya, the UN resident and humanitarian coordinator, said in a post on ...

The National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) on Monday announced the launch of a phased polio eradication campaign across 99 districts of Pakistan, aiming to vaccinate more than 28 million children against the crippling disease.

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan and China are aiming to ‘dou­ble’ cooperation in all major sectors as Beijing contin­ues to support the long time ally with in­vest­ments, technical aid and defence assistance.

SHARJAH: Pakistan’s emerging batter Hasan Nawaz believes he is a part of the country’s “best T20 team” following back-to-back wins in the opening two matches of the ongoing tri-series in the United Arab Emirates. In the tournament being played as warm-up ahead of the Asia Cup — which starts Sept. 9 — Pakistan have started with thrashings of Afghanistan and UAE thanks to a number of players chipping in with impactful contributions. After seasoned pacer Haris Rauf and skipper Salman Ali Agha led Pakistan to a 39-run win over Afghanistan in the opener, Saim Ayub and Hasan Nawaz himself scored half centuries each to see the side down UAE by 31 runs. The UAE fixture saw Pakistan cross the 200-mark as Hasan Nawaz launched a late onslaught after opener Saim Ayub had set the stage. Experienced fast bowler Hasan Ali then wrapped up the proceedings with 3-47 as UAE’s Asif Khan’s blistering 77 off 35 went in vain. Under white-ball head coach Mike Hesson, Pakistan are building up to next year’s T20 World Cup without now ...

RAWALPINDI: More than 25 countries of the world, including Pakistan, have temporarily suspended mail delivery to the United States after the US imposed new taxes and duties. Because of this situation, the Pakistan Post has also stopped delivering booked mail to the US because it fears it will be returned under the new US rules. The US government has suspended the previous duty-free facility under an executive order number 14324 on July 25. The US move has severely affected postal communications to the US worldwide because now all types of mail delivery to the US will have to pay duties and taxes under the new system. All major countries of the world, including China, the UK, Japan. Austria, Australia, New Zealand, India, Germany, France, Russia, Singapore, have temporarily stopped mail delivery to the US because airlines have also shown their inability to deliver mail. The countries hit by the US move have taken up the matter with the US through the Universal Postal Union, a UN agency, which is taking steps t...