Pakistan

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Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty on Saturday emphasised that the mandate of the planned International Stabilisation Force (ISF) for Gaza should be focused on monitoring the ceasefire and securing the territory’s borders, as he suggested a broader Pakistani role in the reconstruction and recovery of the conflict-battered territory. “Our position on the stabilisation force is clear that its main mandate must be monitoring the ceasefire on the ground to ensure that both sides abide by their commitments, and securing the borders of Gaza,” he said while talking to Dawn shortly after landing in Islamabad for a two-day visit during which he would discuss with Pakistani leaders a wide agenda — from consultations on conflicts, including Gaza and Sudan, and the dispute over the Iranian nuclear programme, to ways of intensifying economic cooperation. His comments came after Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar disclosed publicly for the first time that Islamabad had conveyed to international part...

The Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust (SKMT) said on Saturday that the “vast majority” of its bank accounts were fully operational amid reports of closure and complaints that donations were not going through. The alleged closure of the trust’s bank account was widely discussed on social media, with some voicing concern that it could affect patients. However, SKMT assured its donors that it was making efforts to unfreeze the bank accounts and would ensure the uninterrupted supply of medicine to its patients. “We would like to reassure our donors and supporters that the vast majority of our bank accounts are fully operational, and we continue to receive donations without any disruption. A small number of our accounts have had restrictions placed on them, and we are working to have these lifted at the earliest. We expect that these restrictions will be removed soon.” It further confirmed that all patient care and treatment services continued uninterrupted. SKTM is a charitable organisation established under the Soci...

Egypt Foreign Minister Badr Ahmed Mohamed Abdelatty arrived in Pakistan on Saturday for an official two-day visit. The diplomat arrived in Islamabad, where officials received him. In a statement, the FO said Abdelatty was undertaking the visit at the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar. “The visit reflects the longstanding and cordial relations between Pakistan and Egypt, grounded in common faith, cultural affinity, and shared perspectives on regional and international issues,” it said. The FO further stated that the visit “will contribute to further strengthening the strategic direction of Pakistan–Egypt relations and placing them on a broader trajectory, with a focus on political, economic, defence, cultural, and people-to-people cooperation”. It said that Abdelatty will hold a “tête-à-tête meeting and delegation-level talks” with his Pakistani counterpart. “The two sides will review the full range of bilateral relations and exchange views on regional and international develop...

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A fine show by bowlers, backed well by batters Saim Ayub and Babar Azam, steered Pakistan to a comfortable six-wicket victory against Sri Lanka in the tri-nation series final at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Saturday. Chasing a modest 115 for victory, the hosts came home in 18.4 overs thanks to Saim (36 off 33 balls). Babar (37 not out off 34) played an exquisite cut shot through point off pacer Dushmantha Chameera for a boundary to complete a well-deserved victory. Mohammad Nawaz won the Player of the Match, as well as Player of the Series. “To deliver when the team requires you is very important,” he said in the post-match presentation. “I plan with the coaches and try to keep it simple because as a fingerspinner, you don’t have many options. So I try to read the game and bowl accordingly. Speaking on his batting, he said: “I try to see what the situations demands: to build a partnership or attack. So I try to play accordingly.“ Skipper Salman Agha was pleased with his side’s performance ahead of the Wo...

Sri Lanka declared a state of emergency on Saturday and appealed for international assistance as the death toll from floods and mudslides triggered by Cyclone Ditwah rose to 153, with another 191 people missing. The extreme weather system has destroyed more than 20,000 homes, sending 108,000 people to state-run temporary shelters, the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) reported. A further 798,000 people required assistance after being temporarily displaced by the floods, DMC spokesman Pradeep Kodippili said. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake invoked emergency powers, granting him sweeping authority to manage the aftermath of the devastation caused by a week of torrential rain across the island. Kodippili confirmed that 153 people had been killed. Among them were 11 residents of an elder care home that was flooded in the north-central district of Kurunegala on Saturday afternoon, police said. Troops from the army, navy, and air force have been deployed alongside civilian workers and volunteers to assist with th...

An Islamabad district and sessions court on Saturday completed the examination of prosecution witnesses in the controversial social media post case against lawyer and rights activist Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband, Advocate Hadi Ali Chattha. The case against Imaan and Hadi was registered on the accusations of attempts to incite divisions on linguistic grounds through social media posts and of creating the impression that the armed forces were engaged in terrorism within the country. During the previous hearing, Imaan and Chattha had objected after the apparent vanishing act of the court-appointed lawyer representing them in the case and the appointment of a new counsel. Two days prior, the counsel appointed by the court had refused to cross-examine the prosecution’s witnesses, saying that he could not “ask questions dictated” to him. The hearing today — held amid tense exchanges between police officials and lawyers — resumed with the state counsel continuing the witness examination process, where f...

Pakistan International Airlines remained unaffected even as global airlines scrambled on Saturday to fix a software glitch on their Airbus A320 jets after a recall by the European planemaker temporarily grounded aircraft in Asia and Europe and threatened travel in the United States during the busiest weekend of the year. The recall of 6,000 planes, covering more than half of Airbus’ global A320-family fleet, is among the broadest in its 55-year history and is a blow for the planemaker weeks after the A320 overtook the Boeing 737 as the most-delivered model. “PIA has confirmed that its entire A320 fleet is not affected by this Airbus alert. PIA’s Engineering and Maintenance department is closely monitoring their fleet’s airworthiness, ensuring safe operations,” said a statement by the airlines spokesperson issued today. Meanwhile, airlines worked through the night to make fixes after Airbus issued the emergency recall to 350 operators around the world, and global regulators directed carriers to remedy the soft...

Finland has announced that it will be closing down its embassies in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Myanmar, citing “operational and strategic reasons,” it emerged on Saturday. “The ministry for foreign affairs has decided to close the embassies of Finland in Islamabad, Kabul and Yangon in 2026,” said the Finnish foreign minister in a press release issued on Friday. “The embassies will be closed for operational and strategic reasons, which are linked to changes in the countries’ political situation and their limited commercial and economic relations with Finland,” the statement added. “Decisions on closures are made by a decree of the President of the Republic,” it said. The ministry stated that preparations to close the embassies in the three countries have “already started” and added the missions would be closed during 2026. The move comes as part of Finland’s “strategic review” of its network of missions. It takes into account Finland’s foreign and security policy interests and the needs of Finland’s export prom...

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