Pakistan

Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir and the Libyan armed forces’ deputy commander-in-chief held a meeting on Wednesday, and the two sides emphasised the importance of strengthening bilateral defence ties, according to a statement by the military’s media affairs wing. The meeting was held at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, where Lieutenant General Saddam Khalifa Haftar was presented a guard of honour by a smartly turned-out tri-services contingent upon arrival, a statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said. It added that during his meeting with Field Marshal Munir, matters of mutual interest, regional security dynamics, defence cooperation and avenues for enhanced military-to-military collaboration were discussed. “Both sides underscored the importance of strengthening bilateral defence ties and expanding cooperation in areas of professional military training and security,” the statement said. It further stated that Field Marshal Munir highlighted t...

Turkish Ambassador to Pakistan Dr Irfan Neziroglu on Wednesday described Pakistan–Türkiye relations as a strong brotherly bond founded on shared history, culture, religious harmony and mutual trust, saying the two countries continue to deepen cooperation in education, culture and people-to-people exchanges.

First Lady Bibi Asifa Bhutto Zardari, MNA, on Wednesday, said Pakistan highly values its close and multifaceted cooperation with the United Nations and attaches great importance to the work of the UN country team in Pakistan.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Wednesday said Pakistan is set to assume key roles in upcoming multilateral forums, including chair positions in regional organisations, reflecting growing international confidence in the country’s diplomatic engagement.

Speaking from the negotiation room at a Swiss resort, US Vice President JD Vance reflected on the complex realities of South Asian diplomacy. Referring to his Indian wife and Pakistan’s Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, he remarked: “I have joked that I have two very, very important people in my life — an Indian and a Pakistani. The Indian is my wife, and the Pakistani is Field Marshal Munir.” Field Marshal Munir’s engagement with senior international figures, including his role alongside Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in welcoming foreign delegations to Islamabad, has become a visible feature of Pakistan’s expanding diplomatic role, from South Asia to the Middle East. This trajectory runs counter to India’s efforts to isolate Pakistan following the April 22, 2025 Pahalgam attack. New Delhi reportedly sent 59 politicians to 32 countries to shore up international support, yet Pakistan came out of the four-day war with its regional and international standing intact, and according to some ass...

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed the US-Iran deal with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed on Wednesday, renewing Washington’s commitment to the country’s security as he embarks on a tour of the Gulf. Rubio is seeking to reassure close US allies — who were hit by Iranian missiles during the Middle East war — about the memorandum of understanding with Tehran, which fails to address some of the Gulf’s long-standing concerns about its missile programme. Iran contends that it targeted US bases and assets in Gulf countries and has not accepted responsibility for all attacks. “They discussed President Trump’s memorandum of understanding with Iran, efforts to secure full and safe transit through the Strait of Hormuz, and the importance of peace and stability in the region,” his spokesperson Tommy Pigott said. Rubio also “thanked the UAE for their leadership and unparalleled support, praised their courage and resilience in the face of Iran’s attacks, and reaffirmed the US commitment to the security of the Emir...

Residents of several localities in Balochistan's industrial city of Hub have expressed serious concern over a prolonged shortage of natural gas, urging the provincial and federal governments to take immediate notice of the situation and replace officials they accuse of failing to address public grievances.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held separate meetings with Members of the National Assembly Asma Arbab Alamgir, Aamir Talal Gopang, Mir Pouline Baloch, Ayaz Ali Shah Shirazi, and Nosheen Iftikhar, as well as Pakistan Muslim League-N Senior Vice President Syed Shah Muhammad Shah.

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Wednesday urged all political parties to unite in addressing the country's challenges, while criticising certain federal ministers for creating obstacles for Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif instead of supporting his efforts.

A key road named after US President Donald Trump in India’s opposition-ruled tech hub of Hyderabad has drawn criticism from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling party, which dismissed the move as “hypocrisy”. US-India ties have deteriorated during Trump’s second term, with Washington imposing high tariffs on Indian goods, punishing New Delhi for purchasing Russian oil, and engaging closely with India’s arch-rival Pakistan. The road in the capital of the southern state of Telangana, ruled by the main opposition Congress party, adjoins the US consulate and is near the offices of major American tech companies such as Microsoft, Google, and Amazon. The road received its new name, Donald Trump Avenue, on Tuesday, at a time when Congress has been accusing Modi of being “compromised” by not taking on Trump on issues from the tariffs to US attacks on Indian-crewed tankers during the Iran war. “Rahul Gandhi says President Trump [is] hurting Indian interests,” Shehzad Poonawalla, a spokesperson of Modi’s Bharatiya Jan...

Six terrorists were killed during an exchange of fire between security forces and militants in the Brichar area of Talash, Lower Dir, officials confirmed.

KHYBER: Scores of families from the Bara tehsil of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Khyber district have been compelled to vacate their homes due to fighting between terrorists and security forces in recent days, in which the residents say they feel vulnerable to drone strikes and artillery shelling by both sides. The displaced families are from the Sturikhel area, which is located near the border of Khyber and Orakzai districts. Sources in the area told Dawn that they were left with no option but to vacate their homes and move to safer localities. They said the residents of Meero Darra, Sal Gazai, Sawi Kot and Parrwan villages, in particular, were forced to leave their homes due to artillery shelling and drone strikes that were conducted day and night. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the newly displaced residents told Dawn that the terrorists also tried to use them as human shields. “We felt completely insecure and decided to leave our houses instead of getting caught in the fighting between terrorists and security ...

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecast mainly hot and dry weather across most parts of the country over the next 24 hours, with plain areas likely to experience intense heat.

The commitment was made during a high-level meeting in Islamabad between Pakistan’s Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research, Rana Tanveer Hussain, and Iran’s Minister of Agriculture, Gholamreza Nouri Ghezeljeh.

Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said on Wednesday that the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and Lucerne Summit reinforced “our faith in dialogue and diplomacy as the most effective means for peaceful settlement of disputes and conflicts”. He made these remarks during a weekly media briefing in Islamabad, where he recalled Pakistan’s efforts for peace between the US and Iran in recent days. Pakistan has been leading the peace efforts since the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran in late February, setting off a war and global fuel crisis as Tehran took measures to disrupt traffic in the Strait of Hormuz — a vital maritime corridor for the supply of oil and gas. The latest major developments pertaining to Pakistan’s efforts for de-escalation are the signing of the Islamabad MoU on June 18 — a 14-point accord aimed at ending the war — and key direct talks between the US and Iran, dubbed the Lake Lucerne Summit, held in Switzerland over the weekend. Pakistan’s efforts have been acknowl...

LOWER SOUTH WAZIRISTAN: Unidentified miscreants blew up a government girls’ primary school using explosive material late on Tuesday night in Sara Ghowara area of Birmal tehsil, police said. According to District Police Officer (DPO) Muhammad Tahir Shah, the school building was destroyed in the explosion, which occurred late at night. DPO Shah told Dawn that police had registered an initial report in the daily log and launched an investigation into the incident. No individual or group has claimed responsibility so far. According to local police and residents, attacks targeting educational institutions have increased in Lower South Waziristan in recent months. Unidentified attackers had earlier targeted two schools in Birmal tehsil in February and March. Residents and community leaders say such attacks not only reflect hostility toward education but also pose a serious threat to children’s future, particularly girls, who already face challenges in accessing educational opportunities in remote areas. Meanwhile, ...

Europe braced on Wednesday for another day of a sweltering heatwave that has smashed records, left tens of thousands of people without power and sent air conditioner sales zooming in a continent unused and ill-equipped to handle searing heat. The extreme weather is being driven by atmospheric patterns that keep hot air trapped in place for days, with these factors worsened by global warming, experts say. France’s national temperature indicator — an average of daytime and nighttime temperatures across 30 stations — reached 29.8 °C on Tuesday, the hottest since measurements began in 1947. With four more French departments being put under the highest heat alert category on Wednesday, around 44 million people are affected, according to AFP calculations. Added to the 31 departments currently on orange alert, more than 90 per cent of the French population is exposed to extreme heat, with temperatures of 39°C to 41°C expected on Wednesday from Brittany to the Paris region, and in much of the southwest. The heatwave ...

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and his Iranian counterpart Eskandar Momeni on Wednesday discussed bilateral relations and the evolving regional situation, with both sides expressing satisfaction over recent diplomatic efforts aimed at easing tensions in the Middle East.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) and Lower Dir police killed six suspected terrorists during an operation in the district’s hilly areas on Wednesday, according to an official statement. The statement, issued by the CTD, said the slain individuals were “most-wanted terrorists” who had been involved in a recent attack on the Badwan Bridge checkpost in Lower Dir, in which Constable Mohammad Ismail was martyred. According to the statement, the CTD and district police had cordoned off the area after the attack on the Badwan Bridge checkpost. It said that the CTD and district police received information about the presence of “a group of Fitna-al-Khawarij terrorists in the hilly areas of Lower Dir” and tried to arrest them when they came out of their hideouts in the area. “But, the terrorists opened indiscriminate fire on police parties”, the statement said, adding that law enforcers fired back in retaliation. Fitna al-Khawarij is a term that the state uses for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakis...

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met with his Iranian counterpart, Eskandar Momeni, and stated that Pakistan would continue its efforts for lasting peace in the Middle East, the interior ministry said on Wednesday. In a statement, the ministry said the two ministers met in Islamabad, and held a detailed discussion on Pak-Iran ties and the latest situation in the region. Momeni was part of a delegation led by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, which visited Pakistan on Tuesday after the US and Iran signed a ‘Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding’ (MoU) to end the Middle East conflict and held high-level talks in Burgenstock, Switzerland. According to the ministry, the Iranian minister thanked Naqvi for the warm welcome accorded to Pezeshkian and the Iranian delegation. Both ministers expressed satisfaction at the de-escalation in the region. Meanwhile, Naqvi congratulated the Iranian minister on the joint statement issued after the US-Iran talks in Switzerland. “This agreement would not have been possible with...