Pakistan

• Set to meet Trump after latest round of talks with Israel, seeks US support for ceasefire, Israeli withdrawal • Hezbollah holds mass funeral, stages rally to reject disarmament • Israeli strikes, border violence persist despite truce; US renews travel warning amid regional security tensions BEIRUT: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun left Beirut on Saturday for Washington, where he is expected to meet Donald Trump, his office said, after the latest round of Lebanon-Israel talks wrapped up in Italy. Aoun will hold discussions “with several American officials on the situation in Lebanon and ways to strengthen the ceasefire”, particularly in the south, as well as on “the withdrawal of Israel from the Lebanese regions it occupies”, the presidency said. It will be the first trip to Washington by a Lebanese head of state since Michel Sleiman was received by Barack Obama in 2009. Israel and Lebanon, which do not have formal diplomatic relations, began US-sponsored negotiations in April aimed at reaching a peace deal an...

• Health minister says 16 contracts, 80 MoUs finalised • Agreements include 18 deals related to herbal medicines ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s agreements with Chin­ese companies reached $850 million on the concluding day of the two-day Pakistan-China Pharmaceutical and Healthcare B2B Investment Conference. During a media briefing on the second day of the event, Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal said on Saturday said 16 contracts and 80 memoranda of understanding had been finalised. He termed it a key economic milestone for cooperation between the two countries in the pharmaceutical sector. He said an environment had been created for local production of health equipment and investment in the country. Sharing details, Mr Kamal said contracts worth $600m and MoUs worth $250m had been signed. He said these included 18 agreements related to herbal medicines. He acknowledged growing business-to-business ties between Pakistani and Chinese firms and welcomed investment from Chinese companies as an important step towards ...

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BANNU / WANA: Five terrorists were killed by security forces and law enforcement agencies in separate operations in Bannu, Lower South Waz­iristan and Dera Ismail Khan districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Three terrorists were killed during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in the Bakakhel area of Bannu district. According to security sources, the operation was launched after credible int­e­lligence about the prese­nce of terrorists in the area. The security forces raided their hideout, triggering an exchange of fire in which three terrorists were killed. Officials said targeted operations against terrorist networks were continuing across Bannu. Security forces, in coordination with Bannu police, expanded operations in Bakakhel, Janikhel, Miryan, Sarra Dargah and the Wazir sub-division to dismantle terrorist infrastructure and prevent planned attacks. The intensified campaign followed the attempted vehicle-borne bombing of Miryan police station on July 15. Meanwhile, Bannu police confirmed that 28 suspects we...

Mourners shower rose petals on a vehicle carrying coffins of the martyred police personnel.—AFP • Thousands attend funeral prayers offered at Quetta’s Ayub Stadium amid strict security arrangements • Koila Phatak, police stations, educational institutions renamed after martyrs • Bugti reaffirms commitment to ensuring timely implementation of accord QUETTA: The pol­icemen who were martyred in the Ziarat terrorist attack were buried in their native towns on Saturday after their funeral prayers were offered at Ayub Stadium, Quetta, attended by thousands of people following the culmination of a 10-day-long sit-in by their relatives. The sit-in committee agreed to call off the protest after a Friday-night agreement with the provincial government, in which all of their demands, including the call for a judicial probe, were accepted. Besides other measures, the government also agreed to constitute a judicial commission to probe the attacks in Ziarat and Hanna Urak, in which a total of 32 people — 27 policemen in Zia...

Venezuelan FM acknowledges Pakistan's constructive role in promoting dialogue and de-escalation between US and Iran

• Falls to 11,592 containers worth $367m in FY26 • Afghanistan increasingly relies on Iran, Central Asian trade routes • Reverse transit collapses from $454m in FY25 to just $7m ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan-Pakistan transit trade has suffered one of its steepest declines, plunging to just 11,592 containers worth $367 million in the outgoing fiscal year from nearly 89,000 containers valued at $5 billion before the Taliban returned to power, as Kabul’s growing reliance on Iranian routes and Pakistan’s border curbs reshaped the decades-old trade corridor. At first glance, the collapse appears to validate the widely held view that Pakistan’s decision to close its border with Afghanistan in October 2025 over security concerns brought bilateral transit trade to a standstill. However, while the border closure undoubtedly accelerated the decline, data shows that transit trade had already begun losing momentum well before Islamabad adopted its most strict restrictions. Trade analysts say the border closure did not initiate ...

ISLAMABAD: In a case involving the multi-billion-rupee public project of Parliament Lodges extension that has remained unfinished for nearly 15 years, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) on Saturday mounted an attack on the arbitration award of over Rs643 million in favour of the contractor, alleging that the award was the product of “legal misconduct”, jurisdictional overreach and a complete disregard of contractual obligations. The arguments were concluded before Additional District Judge (West) Amir Zia, who is hearing the CDA’s appeal against an earlier judgement. The matter has now been adjourned until Sept 19. Appearing for the CDA, Advocate Kashif Ali Malik argued that the case illustrated how “the victim has been turned into the accused”, with a public authority allegedly being directed to compensate a contractor whose project, according to the CDA, still stands incomplete years after its contractual completion date. The dispute concerns construction of 104 family suites for members of the parliam...

Bangladeshi vessel unloads steel billets destined for the UAE.—Courtesy GPA GWADAR: Comm­ercial operations at Gwadar Port continue uninterrupted despite the prevailing regional maritime tensions, with another transhipment vessel arriving at the port to handle cargo, underscoring growing international confidence in Pakistan’s deep-sea port. According to official details, the Bangladesh-flagged vessel M/V Jahan Brothers II berthed at Gwadar Port on Saturday after sailing from Singapore. The ship is carrying 53,064.660 tonnes of prime steel billets, which are ultimately destined for Al Hamriyah Port in the United Arab Emirates. The cargo will be temporarily unloaded and stored at Gwadar Port before being reloaded onto another vessel for onward shipment to the UAE as part of a transhipment operation. Gwadar Port Author­ity Chairman Noor-ul-Haq Baloch said the continuation of port and commercial activities despite regional challenges demonstrates that Gwadar is establishing itself as a safe, reliable and efficient...

QUETTA: PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has said dialogue is the only sustainable solution to Balochistan’s political issues, reaffirming that the party believes in meaningful political engagement with all parties, whether in government or in the opposition. Mr Bhutto-Zardari said lasting peace in Balochistan could only be achieved through political dialogue. “The PPP has always believed in constructive eng­agement with all political forces, regardless of whether they are in government or the opposition,” he said. The PPP chairman also reaffirmed the party’s unwavering stance against terrorism, stating that his party had maintained a clear and consistent position against terrorism and would continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with the state institutions and the people in the fight against militancy. He made these remarks during a meeting with Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti at Zardari House in Islamabad on Saturday. CM Sarfraz Bugti says multiparty conference to be convened soon According to t...

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