ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has appointed a retired lieutenant general who once commanded the country’s turbulent north-west to lead a fledgling defence pact with Saudi Arabia and Turkey, as the kingdom grapples with the most serious Houthi assault on its territory in years.
Aamir Ashraf
Nineteen militants killed, soldier martyred in Balochistan operations
ISLAMABAD: Security forces had killed 19 militants in a series of operations across Balochistan, as a soldier martyred in the fighting and the province’s chief paramilitary force separately reported the hijacking of a charity ambulance.
Pakistan cuts fuel prices for second straight day as Saudi Arabia rushes oil through Hormuz
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan cut retail petrol and diesel prices for a second consecutive day, as Saudi Arabia’s rerouting of crude shipments through the Strait of Hormuz helped stabilize a global oil market rattled by months of conflict in the Middle East.
IMF opens Pakistan review talks with $1.2 billion in payouts at stake
KARACHI: An International Monetary Fund team began discussions with Pakistani officials Wednesday on the fourth review of the country’s $7 billion bailout, a negotiation that will determine whether Islamabad receives its next round of financing after government interventions in commodity markets breached the terms of the program.
Pakistan economy to miss growth goal again on energy costs, ADB says
KARACHI: Pakistan’s economy will expand more slowly than the government’s own target for a second consecutive year, the Asian Development Bank said, as fallout from the Middle East conflict keeps energy costs elevated and complicates the country’s push to lock in a fragile recovery.
Dar tells OIC that India cannot “set aside” international law over Kashmir and water treaty
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has told a gathering of Muslim-majority nations at the United Nations that India cannot simply walk away from its international obligations “when they become inconvenient”, reigniting a bitter dispute over a six-decade-old water-sharing treaty that has become the latest flashpoint between the nuclear-armed neighbours.
UN Security Council condemns Kohat mosque attack, demands justice
ISLAMABAD: The United Nations Security Council has condemned last week’s twin terrorist attack on a police compound in north-west Pakistan, demanding that those responsible be tracked down and brought to justice, as the country’s military pressed ahead with retaliatory strikes against suspected militant hideouts across the Afghan border.
Pakistan hardens defence commitment to Saudi Arabia after drone targeted Islam’s holiest city
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has renewed Pakistan’s pledge to defend Saudi Arabia “to any extent” against Houthi attacks, using a message marking the kingdom’s National Day to underline a defence partnership that is being tested by the most serious escalation in the Yemen conflict in years.
Pakistan deploys Rangers across four Punjab districts ahead of Imran Khan supporters’ march
LAHORE: The Punjab government has asked Islamabad to deploy paramilitary Rangers across four districts in the province, as Pakistan’s security establishment braces for a mass opposition march on the capital that officials fear could draw as many as two million people onto the streets.
Pakistan shoots down eight drones in latest Afghan border clash
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s air defence systems shot down eight drones launched from Afghanistan early on Wednesday, four of them near the Torkham border crossing and four in the mountains around Kohat, as the military accused the Taliban administration in Kabul of a “cowardly attempt” to strike civilian areas.