KARACHI: Pakistani authorities have launched a formal investigation into a collision between two foreign-flagged vessels just outside Karachi Port, officials said Friday, the latest test for the country’s ambitious efforts to position itself as a vital maritime and transshipment hub even as global shipping routes face fresh disruptions.
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Rubio praises Pakistan’s mediation as US-Iran ceasefire talks reach critical juncture
ISLAMABAD: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Friday with Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar at the State Department, praising Islamabad’s diplomatic efforts to help broker an end to the conflict with Iran as negotiations over a potential ceasefire extension appeared to hang in the balance.
Pakistan slashes petrol and diesel prices by Rs22 a liter
ISLAMABAD: The government cut retail prices of petrol and high-speed diesel by Rs22 a liter each on Friday, the third reduction in recent weeks, handing relief to consumers on the third day of Eid al-Adha as millions of travelers prepare to head home over the weekend.
Opposition PTI leaders detained and expelled from Gilgit-Baltistan as election code dispute erupts ahead of June 7 vote
Gilgit: Police in Gilgit-Baltistan detained and later expelled Junaid Akbar, president of the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chapter and a member of the National Assembly, along with six other party figures on Friday as the region’s political parties intensified campaigning for legislative elections set for June 7.
The Art of the No Deal: Trump’s Iran Gamble Is Consuming Itself
There is a particular kind of political theatre that only Donald Trump can produce — one where spectacle and genuine crisis become so thoroughly entangled that it grows almost impossible to distinguish posturing from policy. This week’s cabinet meeting at the White House offered yet another masterclass. Asked whether he would accept a short-term arrangement allowing Iran and Oman to jointly oversee passage through the Strait of Hormuz, the President of the United States responded with characteristic economy of thought. “Oman will behave just like everybody else,” he said, “or we’ll have to blow them up.”
US and Iran near accord even as Gulf erupts
ISLAMABAD: American and Iranian negotiators have reached the outlines of a sweeping 60-day memorandum of understanding that would freeze their three-month-old war, reopen the Strait of Hormuz to unrestricted shipping, and launch direct negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program — but President Trump has yet to give his blessing, and the Gulf itself offered a stark reminder Thursday of how easily the arrangement could unravel.
Pakistan plans strategic oil reserves and trader storage to counter Hormuz dependence
KARACHI: Pakistan is preparing to build its first strategic petroleum reserves and invite international traders to hold commercial stocks on its soil, a push aimed at shielding the economy from supply disruptions after years of relying on shipments through the volatile Strait of Hormuz, Reuters reported.
Pakistan marks nuclear anniversary with pledge of deterrence, not aggression
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif declared Thursday that Pakistan “harbors no aggressive intentions” against any country as the nation observed the 28th anniversary of its nuclear tests, a milestone that transformed it into the world’s newest declared atomic power and reshaped the balance of terror in South Asia.
Sindh shatters heat record with 51.5°C in Dadu as UN predicts years of record global heat
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Meteorological Department said on Thursday that the country had set a new temperature record, with the mercury soaring to 51.5 degrees Celsius in the southern district of Dadu in Sindh province.
Dar to meet Rubio in Washington as Pakistan works to salvage fragile ceasefire in Middle East war
ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on Friday to discuss bilateral relations and Pakistan’s mediation efforts in the three-month-old conflict between the United States and Iran, the Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.