Second round of negotiations launched in AJK to defuse protests, strike continues

ISLAMABAD: A second round of negotiations convened on Friday in Muzaffarabad between the government officials and the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), a civil society alliance spearheading weeks of protests that have plunged Azad Jammu and Kashmir into turmoil, as both sides sought to defuse a crisis marked by deadly violence and a regionwide shutdown.

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FM Dar says Trump Gaza peace plan differs from Muslim nations’ draft but backs final outcome

ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar distanced Pakistan on Friday from a 20-point Gaza peace plan unveiled by US President Donald Trump, saying it differed from a draft proposed by Muslim nations but insisting the negotiated result left no room for political maneuvering.

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ECC approves Rs24 bln for security; reforms barter with Afghanistan, Iran, Russia

ISLAMABAD: The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet approved approximately Rs24 billion in supplementary grants on Thursday to fund security measures and urgent costs tied to the shuttered Roosevelt Hotel in New York, while endorsing reforms to a barter trade mechanism for commerce with Afghanistan, Iran, and Russia.

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Imran Khan revives push to make veteran  Achakzai opposition leader in parliament

ISLAMABAD: Jailed former prime minister Imran Khan has renewed his push to appoint Mahmood Khan Achakzai, a veteran Balochistan politician, as the opposition leader in the National Assembly, a move that has reignited tensions within his beleaguered Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, a senior party official said.

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