Pakistan | Pakistan

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...

The Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) has purchased an initial 30,000 tonnes of white sugar in an international tender seeking around 200,000 tonnes, European traders said on Tuesday. On July 8, the government had approved plans to import 500,000 tonnes of sugar to help maintain price stability. Market analysts said that retail sugar prices in the country have risen sharply since January. The validity of other price offers submitted in the tender, which closed last week, has been extended until tomorrow, so more purchases are seen as possible, traders said. The initial 30,000-tonne purchase was believed to have been made from Al Khaleej Sugar for medium-grade sugar at an estimated $582.50 a ton, cost and freight (c&f) included, they said. Reports reflect assessments from traders, and further estimates of prices and volumes are still possible later. The tender sought sugar from worldwide origins, excluding India and Israel. The TCP is believed to have purchased about 55,000 tonnes of white sugar in a previ...

JEDDAH: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has reaffirmed Pakistan’s position on Gaza, calling for an immediate, permanent, and unconditional ceasefire throughout the occupied Palestinian territory. He made these remarks during the 21st Extraordinary Session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers in Jeddah. Ishaq Dar also urged the full implementation of the […]

ISLAMABAD: On the directives of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan dispatched humanitarian aid for Gaza, which was received at El-Arish International Airport in Egypt, ARY News reported. Pakistan’s Ambassador to Egypt, Aamir Shouket, received the consignment and, on behalf of the Government of Pakistan, expressed deep gratitude to the President of Egypt, Abdel Fattah […]

Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal on Monday said that the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a necessity in the modern era and the government is working to put Pakistan on a modern and progressive path.

On the special directives of the Prime Minister, Pakistan has dispatched another consignment of humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza.

India has reached out to Pakistan under the framework of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), sharing early flood warnings for the first time since the May military conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, official sources confirmed on Monday.

Bahrain’s Interior Minister, Lieutenant General Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, has expressed deep sympathy with Pakistan over the heavy loss of life and destruction caused by torrential rains and floods.

Pakistan’s junior male swimmers tore through the national record books as Rayan Awan and Azlan Sohail set new marks at the World Junior Swimming Championships in Romania, which concluded on Sunday. Rayan clocked 30.87 in the Men’s 50m Breaststroke to smash the previous record of 30.98 set by Abdul Aziz Chaudhry 17 years ago. To put it into perspective, the record was set before Rayan was even born. He finished 58th out of 86 swimmers in the breaststroke sprint. Azlan can safely call himself the junior medley king after smashing the Under-16 national records in both the 200m and 400m Individual Medley. He swam a 2:14.18 in the 200m IM to obliterate the previous record of 2:20.22 set by Ahmed Durrani, who represented Pakistan at the Paris 2024 Olympics last year. Azlan finished 47th out of 73 swimmers in the heats. Azlan then went 4:54.68 in the 400m IM to smash the age group record of 4:57.86 set by Amaan Siddiqui in 2022. Azlan Sohail swam a 4:54.68 in the 400m IM to smash the age group record of 4:57.86 set ...

Pakistan and Bangladesh have signed six Memorandums of Understanding across different sectors to enhance bilateral relations.

Preparations are under way for Pakistan’s first-ever national cervical cancer vaccination drive, scheduled to be held from September 15 to 27 across selected regions, including Punjab, Sindh, Azad Kashmir, and Islamabad.

Pakistan has successfully achieved 68 percent of its tree plantation target under the government’s flagship initiative, the “Upscaling Green Pakistan Program,” which aims at combating climate change, enhancing forest cover, and restoring degraded ecosystems across the country.

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Saturday dispatched another 100-ton relief consignment for the people of Gaza, bringing Pakistan’s total humanitarian aid to 1,915 tons.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Friday said that Pakistan had not requested anyone to make India sit down for talks of any kind. “Pakistan did not ask anyone to arrange talks with India. Pakistan is ready for comprehensive talks with India, including on the Kashmir issue,” he told journalists at Parliament House. Talking about the May conflict between the two countries and the subsequent ceasefire, he said the latter was still underway. The military confrontation between India and Pakistan came in May as the former, without evidence, linked the Pahalgam attack to Islamabad, which strongly denied the allegations. On the night of May 6-7, New Delhi launched a series of air strikes on Pakistan, killing at least 40 civilians. Both sides then exchanged missiles, which stretched over the week, before a US-brokered ceasefire had both sides agree to stop the hostilities. Talking about the halt in hostilities, Dar said: “India had requested the US for a ceasefire. I received a call from the US ...

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has issued a report outlining the devastating impact of monsoon rains and floods across Pakistan.

Pakistani teams on Thursday displayed their prowess at the Amerigol Latam Cup ice hockey tournament in Coral Springs, Florida in the United States with the men’s team clinching the Division III championship and the women’s team claiming the Division II bronze medal in their debut appearance. The tournament is designed to showcase talent from regions where ice hockey is a growing sport and “break barriers and unite non-traditional hockey markets in a thrilling display of skill, passion, and camaraderie”, according to the organisers’ website. A press release from the National Hockey League (NHL), stated that this year’s Latam Cup features 62 women’s, men’s and youth teams and over 1,450 players representing 17 countries and territories. The tournament started on Sunday and will continue through August 24. The NHL stated that Pakistan’s men’s team went undefeated throughout the tournament and playoffs, defeating Peru 6-1 to win the championship for the first time. The Pakistani Ice Hockey Team wrote in an Instag...

Two days before his wedding, Noor Muhammad had a long phone call with his mother, just hours before devastating floods in Pakistan killed her along with 23 family members and relatives. “I cannot explain how happy she was,” he said standing by the rubble of his family’s large 36-room house, perched on the bank of a floodwater channel in Qadir Nagar village. The village in mountainous Buner district has been the worst hit by recent massive rain in the country, accounting for over 200 deaths out of nearly 400 in floods in the northern areas since August 15. Buner is a three-and-a-half-hour drive from Islamabad. “Everything was finished,” sobbed Muhammad, 25, as mourners sat at his damaged house to offer condolences, saying there was nothing left when he got home except for rubble and heavy rocks, which swept down from the mountains along with mud and raging flood waters, smashing into houses, markets and buildings. “The flood came, a huge flood came, it swept away everything, home, mother, sister, brother, my u...

Foreign Office Spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan has said Pakistan is ready for a comprehensive and composite dialogue with India to address all outstanding issues, including terrorism.

Federal Information Minister Atta Tarar on Friday said Pakistan’s historic victory against India had significantly enhanced the country’s global standing, emphasizing that the nation remained united “shoulder to shoulder” in the battle of narratives.