Pakistan | Pakistan

Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR), Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, has said that Pakistan’s enemies will continue to face disappointment due to the unwavering unity and solidarity of its people.

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan yesterday said it was ready for talks with India and reiterated that any misadventure or aggressive design by India would be met with a robust and resolute response.

ISLAMABAD - The opposition alliance ‘Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Ayeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP)’ has announced to convene a two-day Multi-party Conference (MPC) in Islamabad from July 31, to openly discuss Pakistan’s deepening constitutional and political crises.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Thursday that the national team will face England in a three-match Test series next year during the World Test Championship. In a press release, the PCB said that the test matches will be played in August and September 2026. “The first Test will begin at Headingley in Leeds on August 19, while the action will move to the Lord’s Cricket Ground in London for the second Test of the series from August 27. The two teams will lock horns in the third and final Test from September 9 at Edgbaston in Birmingham,” the statement read. “This will be Pakistan’s fourth Test tour of England since 2016 and overall 29th bilateral Test series between both teams since they first faced each other in 1954,” it said. The PCB also said that the team was currently touring England for a three-match 50-over and two-match three-day series. On Sunday, the International Cricket Council announced that England would host the next three World Test Championship finals. “We are absolutely delighted that...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday appreciated the World Bank’s (WB) support for Pakistan’s position in light of India’s suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). In April, India held the IWT in abeyance following the attack in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam that killed 26 — an incident New Delhi blamed on Islamabad without evidence. Pakistan termed any attempt to suspend its water share an “act of war”, noting that the IWT had no provision for unilateral suspension. In a meeting with the WB’s regional vice president for the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan (MENAAP), Ousmane Dione, in Islamabad, the premier acknowledged the institution’s principled support for Pakistan’s legitimate position on India’s “unilateral and unlawful actions”, which undermined “important international agreements” such as the IWT. He reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to upholding international law, achieving prosperity, maintaining regional peace and reiterated the country’s resolve to resolve all issues throu...

Ratings agency S&P Global raised Pakistan’s sovereign credit rating to ‘B-’ from ‘CCC+’ and placed it on a ‘stable’ outlook on Thursday, saying the country’s finances and reserves had been stabilised by International Monetary Fund (IMF) support. “The stable outlook reflects our expectations that continued economic recovery and government efforts to enhance revenue will stabilise fiscal and debt metrics,” S&P said in a statement on the move. “We also expect that sustained official financing will support Pakistan in meeting its external obligations, and that the country will continue to roll over its commercial credit lines over the next 12 months.” Pakistan’s longer-dated international bonds rallied after the upgrade, with the 2051 maturity gaining 1.6 cents to be bid at 84.85 cents on the dollar, according to Tradeweb data. The 2031 and 2036 maturities also gained around 1 cent, while shorter-dated maturities posted smaller gains. Last week, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb urged the leading US rating agen...

The Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Chinese shipping giant, Shandong Xinxu Group, on Thursday in a move that is set to bring about a “major transformation” in the shipping sector. PNSC, headquartered in Karachi, is Pakistan’s premier national flag carrier, operating under the Ministry of Maritime Affairs. The Shandong Xinxu Group Corporation, based in Zibo City, Shandong Province, is a leading Chinese enterprise engaged in international trade and shipping. A statement from the Press Information Department said the MoU signing ceremony took place between the PNSC CEO and the chairman of Shandong Xinxu Group Corporation in Islamabad with Maritime Affairs Minister Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry present. “The Pakistani shipping sector is set for a major transformation following the signing of a MoU,” he was quoted as saying by the statement. Addressing the signing ceremony, he said the development symbolised a “growing partnership” between Pakistan and...

Pakistan is ready to engage in dialogue with India on all outstanding issues, but the next move depends on New Delhi, said Foreign Office Spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan during a weekly press briefing on Thursday.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Afghanistan on Wednesday signed an Early Harvest Programme (EHP) to reduce tariffs on eight agricultural items for one year, laying the foundation for a broader preferential trade agreement (PTA) between the two countries. The EHP, which takes effect on Aug 1, will remain in force for one year and is renewable. It also allows for the future inclusion of additional items, making it the first tangible step towards launching negotiations on a comprehensive PTA. The agreement was signed by Pakistan’s Commerce Secretary, Jawad Paul, and Afghanistan’s Deputy Minister of Industry and Commerce, Mullah Ahmadullah Zahid, who was accompanied by a delegation of senior technical officials. The Afghan delegation arrived in Islamabad on Monday night to hold detailed negotiations with Pakistan’s Ministry of Commerce. Under the agreement, tariffs on four Afghan agricultural exports to Pakistan — grapes, pomegranates, apples, and tomatoes — and four Pakistani exports to Afghanistan — mangoes, kinnows, b...

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan yesterday reaffirmed commitment to multilateralism and peaceful dispute resolution during UN Security Council presidency.

ISLAMABAD - Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar Wednesday encouraged businessmen and investors to explore diverse investment opportunities in Pakistan with a view to leveraging the large consumer base, young population, growing digital economy, and advantageous geographic positioning towards mutually.

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan and Saudi Arabia yesterday agreed to advance investments and technical collaboration for mutual benefit of the two nations.

ISLAMABAD - The World Health Organization (WHO), with support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, has distributed over 800 motorbikes to the country’s Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) to improve healthcare access in remote regions of Pakistan.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday reiterated Pakistan’s willingness for a “meaningful dialogue” with India on all outstanding issues, state media Radio Pakistan reported. The April 22 attack in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam killed 26 people, sparking a military confrontation between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan as New Delhi blamed it on Islamabad, which strongly denied the allegations while calling for a neutral investigation. A US-brokered ceasefire ended the war. Pakistan previously invited India to a comprehensive dialogue to address all contentious issues, including the Kashmir dispute and the water distribution. During a meeting with British High Commissioner Jane Marriott today, PM Shehbaz appreciated the UK’s role in de-escalating tensions during the Pakistan-India standoff and reiterated that Pakistan was ready for a meaningful dialogue with India on all outstanding issues. He welcomed the British government’s decision to resume PIA flights to the UK. He said, “This [decision] would go a lo...

General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, NI (M), Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), represented Pakistan at the 17th International Defence Industry Fair (IDEF-2025) held in Istanbul, Türkiye.

Pakistan and Bangladesh on Wednesday agreed in principle to grant visa-free entry to holders of diplomatic and official passports, along with a pledge to stronger security cooperation. The two countries were once one nation but split following a bloody civil war, which saw the territory previously referred to as ‘East Pakistan’ seceding to form the independent nation of Bangladesh. In the years since the split between Pakistan and Bangladesh, Dhaka’s leaders — especially the ousted regime of Sheikh Hasina — stayed firmly in the Indian camp, preferring to maintain close ties with New Delhi and keeping Islamabad at arm’s length. However, ever since a popular uprising that saw Hasina’s government toppled in August of last year, with the deposed premier fleeing to her old ally India, there has been a thaw in ties between the two capitals, with trade and bilateral relations seeing a marked improvement. In May, Bangladesh High Commissioner to Pakistan Iqbal Hussain Khan said that the visa regime between Pakistan an...

Chairperson of Senate Standing Committee on Climate Change, Senator Sherry Rehman, convened the committee meeting on Wednesday to address the alarming scale of climate-induced disasters and Pakistan’s growing vulnerability to extreme weather events.

Rejecting Indian allegations of cross-border terrorism, Pakistan has asked India to change its behaviour, instead of resorting to its “tired narrative of victimhood and blame-shifting” during a UN Security Council debate on ‘Promoting International Peace and Security through Multilateralism and Peaceful Settlement of.

Pakistan and Bangladesh have reached a mutual agreement to allow visa-free entry for holders of diplomatic and official passports, marking a step forward in strengthening bilateral relations.

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan yesterday signed the landmark United Nations treaty on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ), underscoring its steadfast commitment to multilateralism and equitable ocean governance.