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Pakistan says it deeply appreciates the sincere efforts made by brotherly Turkiye and Qatar to mediate differences between Islamabad and Kabul on the core issue of terrorism.

The military leadership of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia vowed to enhance bilateral defence cooperation and reaffirmed their resolve to further deepen ties between the two countries, a statement from the military’s media wing said. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the commitment was made during a meeting of the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, with the Chief of General Staff of the Saudi Armed Forces, General Fayyadh bin Hamed Al-Ruwaili, in Saudi Arabia. The Pakistani official is on an official visit to the Kingdom. “During the meeting, both sides discussed the evolving global and regional environment and avenues for enhancing bilateral defence cooperation,” the ISPR said. “The military leadership reaffirmed their resolve to further deepen the strong brotherly ties and enduring defence partnership between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.” In recognition of his significant contributions in deepening Pakistan-Kingdom of Saudi Arabia relationship, in ...

The Foreign Office (FO) has warned that terrorist attacks on Pakistan have increased since the Taliban assumed power in Afghanistan.

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on Saturday signed a formal agreement finalising the arrangements and facilities for Hajj 2026, marking the start of preparations for next year’s pilgrimage.

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia formally signed an agreement for Haj 2026, state-run Radio Pakistan reported on Sunday. According to the report, “Saudi Deputy Minister for Haj and Umrah Dr Abdulfattah Bin Sulaiman Mashat and Secretary Ministry of Religious Affairs of Pakistan Dr Syed Ata-ur-Rehman signed the agreement in Jeddah on Saturday.” Haj, one of the fundamental pillars of Islam, is performed each year by millions of Muslims worldwide. Pakistan receives one of the highest Haj quotas from Saudi Arabia. Dr Syed Ata-ur-Rehman expressed gratitude for the Saudi government’s excellent efforts in hosting and providing facilities to the guests of Allah, the report added. “Like last year, Pakistani pilgrims will be provided with high-quality services this year,” the report quoted Dr Rehman as saying. The secretary further expressed the determination of the Ministry of Religious Affairs to complete arrangements for both government and private Haj schemes in a timely and effective manner, in accordance with the guideli...

Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defence Minister Yasar Guler, and intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin will visit Islamabad next week to discuss tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday. He made the announcement while speaking to reporters on his flight returning from Azerbaijan. Talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan, which were taking place in Istanbul in the presence of mediators, broke down on Friday without any agreement, as negotiators failed to bridge deep differences over how to monitor and prevent cross-border terrorism, officials and sources said. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif insisted that the negotiations were “over” and had “entered an indefinite phase”. “Right now, as we speak, negotiations are over,” Asif told Geo News, alleging that the Afghan Taliban delegation again came to Istanbul “without any programme” and was unwilling to sign a written agreement. A senior security source confirmed that discussions had hit an impasse. “The talk...

Türkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defense Minister Yasar Guler, and intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin will visit Islamabad next week to discuss tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan, Turkish president said on Sunday.

Pakistan and Turkey have reaffirmed their commitment to close coordination on regional and international issues, pledging to work together for peace, stability, and prosperity in the region.

A new viral trend is sweeping through Pakistan as motorists look for creative ways to dodge traffic fines under the newly implemented e-challan system.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s abundant solar and wind potential positions it well to transition towards affordable, carbon-free electricity, but weak grid infrastructure remains a major obstacle, a United Nations report has warned. According to the 2025 Review of Climate Ambition in Asia and the Pacific, released by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN-ESCAP), Pakistan needs significant investment and coordination to upgrade and expand its grid network to integrate large-scale renewable energy while maintaining system stability. The report says that a successful phase-down of coal in Pakistan will require a comprehensive energy transition plan with clear targets, strong policies and engagement of all stakeholders. The transition, it adds, must be “just” to avoid disproportionate impacts on workers, businesses and households. Renewable edge over coal The UN report highlights that solar and wind energy are now cost-competitive with coal, giving Pakistan an opportunity to accelerate its shi...

BAKU /ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday reaffirmed Pakistan’s unwavering commitment to peace, while making it clear that the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity remained inviolable.

The United States and Pakistan early on Saturday reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral ties between the two countries, with Islamabad’s envoy describing it as an effort to build an “economically entrenched strategic partnership“. The development came as S. Paul Kapur — who assumed charge as the US assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asian affairs on October 22 — met Pakistan’s Ambassador to the US Rizwan Saeed Sheikh at the State Department for what was described as a cordial and forward-looking exchange. Ambassador Sheikh said the two sides explored practical ways to translate recent high-level political resolve into concrete cooperation. “We discussed the ways and means of translating the resolve — expressed at the leadership level — of developing Pakistan–US ties into an economically entrenched strategic partnership, through sustained engagement in multiple domains of mutual interest,” he said in a post on social media platform X. Meanwhile, Kapur said it was a “pleasure” to...

A capacity crowd at the Iqbal Stadium got what it so desperately wanted: flowing strokes off the bat of Babar Azam. Normally, home supporters would’ve quietened at seeing Fakhar Zaman cleaned up early on in a small chase – potentially a harbinger of things to come; perhaps an all too familiar collapse in the offing. But here on Saturday night, there were loud roars with chants of “Babar” echoing across the venue with Pakistan’s batting superstar set to come next. Babar didn’t disappoint, dispatching the South African bowlers with his trademark elan, and alongside Saim Ayub set Pakistan on their way to a rousing seven-wicket victory that sealed the three-match One-day International series 2-1 in their favour. The venue had gone silent after Babar’s departure in the 11th over, disappointment filling the air that they weren’t able to see more of him when he was looking close to his best, run out for 27 after stroking five crisp fours. But they soon found their voice as Saim tore into the South African attack wit...

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, Saturday, reiterated that indeed, Pakistan, just like its Azerbaijani and Turkish brothers, ‘seeks peace, but let there be no doubt – no one can ever be allowed to challenge our sovereignty, or undermine our territorial integrity’.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Friday that the talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan on addressing cross-border terrorism are “over” and have “entered an indefinite phase” as negotiators failed to bridge deep differences between the two sides, adding that the ceasefire stands for the time being. “Right now, as we speak, negotiations are over,” said the defence minister while speaking on Geo News programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’. Earlier, officials and sources said the talks stalled without any agreement. “The talks in Istanbul are deadlocked,” a senior security source told reporters, confirming that the third round of discussions — which had began on Thursday in the Turkish capital — had hit an impasse. The defence minister added that the Afghan Taliban delegation again came to Istanbul “without any programme” and that they were not willing to sign a written agreement. “They said that they would only respect the verbal agreement, but there is no room to do that.” Asif elaborated that during t...

ISLAMABAD: The number of Afghan nationals arrested and detained in Pakistan surged by 146 per cent in a single week, a spike linked to the reopening of border crossings, according to a joint report by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). A total of 7,764 Afghan nationals were arrested and detained in the week ending Nov 1, a significant increase from the previous week, the report said. Of those arrested between Oct 26 and Nov 1, Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders and undocumented Afghans accounted for 77pc, while Proof of Registration (PoR) card holders represented the remaining 23 pc, it added. The report noted that 86pc of the arrests and detentions occurred in Balochistan. Across the country, the top three districts for arrests and detentions between Jan 1 and Nov 1, 2025, were Chagi, Attock and Quetta. Links the surge to reopening of border crossings; reveals Balochistan is epicentre of the crackdown The rate of returns and deportations also rose sharply in ...

ISLAMABAD: The International Financial Institutions (IFIs) have raised urgent concerns over Pakistan’s escalating climate vulnerability and environmental degradation, warning that unchecked population growth and dwindling natural resources could deepen the country’s fragility. These observations and recommendations emerged during the closing plenary of the 28th Sustainable Development Conference held on Friday, where experts — including representatives from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) — underscored the need for immediate action. World Bank Country Director Dr Bolormaa Amgabazar said that Pakistan faces alarmingly high vulnerability to climate change and natural disasters, compounded by escalating air and water pollution. At the same time, the country’s rapid population growth — among the highest globally — is placing immense strain on its already depleting natural resources, posing serious long-term risks to environmental and economic stability. She said that the Climate and Count...

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Friday that the talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan are “over” and have “entered an indefinite phase” as negotiators failed to bridge deep differences between the two sides. “Right now, as we speak, negotiations are over,” said the defence minister while speaking on Geo News programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’. Earlier, officials and sources said the talks stalled without any agreement. “The talks in Istanbul are deadlocked,” a senior security source told reporters, confirming that discussions had hit an impasse. The third round of Pakistan–Afghanistan talks began on Thursday in Istanbul and was planned to continue for two days. The defence minister added that the Afghan Taliban delegation again came to Istanbul “without any programme” and that they were not willing to sign a written agreement. “They said that they would only respect the verbal agreement, but there is no room to do that.” Asif elaborated that during the earlier rounds, the negotiators urged for a...

Pakistan on Friday said it had not conducted any nuclear tests after May 1998, rejecting Indian allegations of clandestine nuclear activities as “baseless and malicious”. Foreign Office (FO) Spokesman Tahir Andrabi, responding to a question from Dawn, said, “For the record, Pakistan’s last nuclear tests were conducted in May 1998. Our position on nuclear testing is well established and consistent.” Pakistan has maintained a self-imposed moratorium on nuclear testing since its last series of tests conducted in response to India’s nuclear tests. However, Pakistan has not signed the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, retaining the flexibility to resume testing if its security environment, particularly vis-à-vis India, deteriorates. “Pakistan has been supporting United Nations General Assembly resolutions calling for a comprehensive ban on nuclear testing. In contrast, India’s abstentions on these resolutions reflect its ambiguous and questionable intentions on future nuclear testing,” Andrabi said. The state...

Pakistan and Iran on Friday vowed to enhance cooperation to eradicate terrorism from the two states and reiterated their commitment to peaceful means of dialogue and diplomacy for the resolution of all outstanding disputes around the world. Pakistan and Iran share close ties and have signed multiple agreements across sectors such as energy and trade. The two sides also expressed eagerness to further foster cooperation with each other in the fields of mutual interest. The commitments were made when Speaker of Iranian Parliament Dr Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, a statement from the PM’s Office said. “Both countries condemn state-sponsored terrorism and have always supported each other in the wake of unilateral aggression against their sovereign states”, the statement quoted the PM as saying. The prime minister said Pakistan and Iran had unfortunately been victims of terrorism; thus, they firmly shared the resolve of global peace, prosperity and positive cooperation in the reg...