Pakistan | Pakistan

ISLAMABAD - Belarus and Pakistan on Wednesday finalised an extradition treaty between the two countries and signed a protocol for its implementation.

• Aurangzeb urges innovative instruments, sectoral reforms for long-term resilience • ADB president says ready to assist in launch of inaugural Panda Bond, welcomes market diversification efforts ISLAMABAD: Paki­stan on Wednesday sought deeper collaboration and fresh support for policy-based lending from the Asian Development Bank for vast sectors of the economy, from climate to infrastructure to resource mobilisation, thro­ugh global capital instruments, like green bonds and debt-for-nature swaps, under the new 10-year partnership. The wish-list for future direct financial support and collaborations for market-based financing instruments was shared by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb with ADB President Masato Kanda — a former finance minister of Japan — during his maiden visit to Pakistan after assuming the charge of his office in February this year. Senator Aurangzeb discussed “Pakistan’s priorities for deeper collaboration with ADB across key areas, including energy transition, climate resilience, trans...

Pakistan and Sweden have agreed to establish a Pakistan–Sweden Parliamentary Friendship Group to promote closer inter-parliamentary cooperation and strengthen bilateral ties.

Heavy rain swept across the Himalayas, killing at least 36 people in India over the past 24 hours and forcing authorities to open major dams, in turn triggering flood alerts on three rivers in neighbouring Pakistan. In the deadliest single disaster, a landslide killed 33 people near the Hindu mountain shrine of Vaishno Devi on a pilgrim route in India-occupied Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday afternoon, officials said. Three more people died as floodwaters burst the banks of rivers in the district of Doda and swamped low-lying areas, authorities added. A view of a houseboat on the overflowing Jhelum River following heavy rain, in Srinagar, Indian-occupied Kashmir, on August 27. — Reuters About 200 children were stranded on Wednesday after flood water engulfed a school building in the northern state of Punjab, local media said. Vehicles tumbled off the Madhopur barrage over the Tawi river when parts of it collapsed after being lashed by heavy rain overnight into Wednesday morning, video images showed. There were n...

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday said Pakistan values its diplomatic and economic cooperation with Japan and is committed to renewing and strengthening bilateral ties, particularly in trade and industry.

Floodwaters gushing through mountain villages, cities rendered swamps, mourners gathered at fresh graves — as Pakistan’s monsoon season once again delivers scenes of calamity, it also lays bare woeful preparedness. Without better regulation of construction and sewer maintenance, the annual downpours that have left hundreds dead in recent months will continue to kill, experts say. Even Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif appeared to agree as he toured flood-stricken Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province last week, where landslides killed more than 450 people. “Natural disasters are acts of God, but we cannot ignore the human blunders,” he said. “If we keep letting influence-peddling and corruption control building permits, neither the people nor the governments will be forgiven.” Pakistan is among the countries most vulnerable to climate change, with limited resources for adaptation. In the devastated mountain villages the prime minister visited, and beyond, residential areas are erected near riverbeds, blocking “natural stor...

ISLAMABAD: Google has launched its new ‘AI Mode’ in Pakistan, offering users access to its most advanced AI-powered search experience. First introduced in the United States this year, the feature is now expanding globally, with Pakistan among the latest countries to gain access. The tool, powered by a custom version of Gemini 2.5, enables people to ask longer and more complex questions that previously required multiple searches. Available in English, AI Mode can be accessed via the Google app on Android and iOS, as well as on mobile and desktop web. In a statement, Google said that early testers have shown that queries are already two to three times longer than traditional searches, highlighting the tool’s usefulness for exploratory tasks such as comparing products, planning trips, or tackling “how-to” questions. “It dives deep to answer multiple questions at once, with helpful links for further exploration,” the company said. Google explained that Pakistani users can use ‘AI Mode’ for different use cases, in...

Pakistan on Wednesday strongly condemned the deadly Israeli airstrikes on Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza, which left at least 21 people dead, including four journalists and a rescue worker.

Pakistan and Iran have reaffirmed their commitment to eliminating terrorism and boosting security cooperation along their common border, following a telephonic conversation between Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir and Iranian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi.

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan has taken a lead to raise voice for the Palestinian people as the world struggles to stop Israeli aggression.

Pakistan has termed deliberate targeting of transnational infrastructure including energy pipelines, telecommunication cables, and data networks as an illegal act that threatens global stability and disrupts international markets.

Pakistan gearing up for its own 'Got Talent'

Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir and his Iranian counterpart, Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi, affirmed their readiness on Tuesday to eradicate terrorism for securing the borders of both countries. Pakistan and Iran, earlier this month, agreed that peace and prosperity in their border regions hinged on effectively combatting terrorism. The nearly 900-kilometre border between the two countries has long faced security threats from proscribed groups, such as Jaish al-Adl and the Balochistan Liberation Army. Persistent issues, including terrorism, smuggling, and mutual accusations of harbouring militants, have periodically strained ties. A statement issued by the Iranian embassy said Field Marshal Munir and Gen Mousavi, the chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, held a telephonic conversation today. “The two sides are ready to eradicate terrorism to secure common borderlines,” it read. A statement carried by Iranian state news agency IRNA said Gen Mousavi mentioned that Iran was prepared to erad...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has urged the international community to extend greater support to Pakistan in addressing the escalating challenge of climate change.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has taken a significant step toward environmental protection and tackling smog in the capital by initiating Pakistan’s largest nursery, spread across 50 acres of land, which is now nearing completion.

Pakistan has received a grant of $6 million from China for the construction of houses in Balochistan.

As the month of Rabi ul Awal commences, Eid Milad-un-Nabi celebrations have started with great fervor and enthusiasm across Pakistan.

Northern areas are reeling from devastating climate-induced flash floods that killed hundreds earlier this month, destroying homes, infrastructure and livelihoods in scenes many compared to the catastrophic 2022 deluges. Pakistan ranks among the world’s 10 most climate-vulnerable countries, despite contributing less than 1 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Experts warn that such floods and other calamities are no longer “rare disasters” and are becoming routine shocks in a country ill-prepared to withstand them. The focus, according to these experts, must now be on adaptation, not emissions cuts. “Floods are no longer rare disasters in Pakistan. They are becoming routine shocks that people brace for every monsoon. Calling them the ‘new normal’ is not an exaggeration,” said Karachi-based ecologist Rafi-ul-Haq. Since mid-August, torrential rains, flash floods and cloudbursts have killed more than 460 people across the country, including in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and the Gilgit-Baltistan region. Khybe...

Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar vowed to strengthen Pakistan’s ties with the North African countries of Egypt and Algeria as he met their foreign ministers on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia. Dar arrived in Jeddah on a two-day visit yesterday, where he spoke on Israel’s ongoing Gaza onslaught during the 21st extraordinary session of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers. Today, on the sidelines of the OIC meeting, Dar met with Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and Algeria’s FM Ahmed Attaf. Terming his discussion as a “meaningful interaction”, Dar said: “I reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to further strengthening ties with our brotherly countries in North Africa, Algeria and Egypt, through enhanced connectivity and broader cooperation across diverse fields.” The foreign ministers discussed the “grave situation in Palestine”, Dar said on X. The trio stressed the “urgent need for humanitarian access, a ceasefire, and lasting peace, while underscoring the importance of unity w...

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has asked the country’s lenders to increase scrutiny over funds flowing indirectly from Pakistan, according to a letter seen by Reuters that cited a “high risk” of such money being used to buy arms. Direct flows of funds from Pakistan to India are largely prohibited, with every transaction requiring the central bank’s approval. The directive, dated August 6, follows investigations by Indian agencies after the two neighbouring countries engaged in a fierce military conflict in May, triggered by India blaming Pakistan, without evidence, for the April 22 Pehalgam attack in occupied Kashmir. The RBI named Pakistan a “high risk” jurisdiction from an arms financing perspective and cited Indian investigations into arms financing, but did not go into detail about their findings. According to a government source with direct knowledge of the matter, Indian investigative authorities found that some Pakistani nationals had sent funds to India via other countries. India’s banking channels a...