The news from Islamabad this week should have registered as standard middle-power diplomacy in a region on fire. Pakistan, citing its long border with Iran, its ties to both Washington and Tehran, and its newly burnished personal relationship between its army chief and President Donald J. Trump, has positioned itself as a potential host and facilitator for direct talks aimed at ending the fighting between the United States, Israel and Iran.
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Pakistan finalises mobile-app fuel quota system for two- and three-wheelers to target subsidies amid surging oil costs
ISLAMABAD: The government has completed testing and finalised a mobile-application-based quota system for subsidised fuel sales to two- and three-wheelers, with the possibility of extending coverage to vehicles of up to 800 cubic centimetres, according to a senior government official.
Iran rejects US ceasefire proposal, sets strict terms to end war
ISLAMABAD: Iran has flatly rejected a US proposal aimed at ending the nearly month-old war with the United States and Israel, insisting that any cessation of hostilities will occur only on Tehran’s terms and timeline, a senior Iranian political-security official told state broadcaster Press TV on Wednesday.
PM Sharif hails Saudi restraint in Iran conflict in call with crown prince
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan on Wednesday praised Saudi Arabia for showing restraint amid Iranian retaliatory strikes and called for urgent de-escalation and Muslim unity during a telephone conversation with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as Islamabad stepped up its role as an intermediary in the four-week-old Middle East war.
Pakistan weighs ending petrol, diesel price freeze as IMF talks on hold
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is actively considering unfreezing retail prices of petrol and high-speed diesel to bring them in line with global benchmarks, while preparing targeted subsidies for two- and three-wheelers, as jet fuel and kerosene prices have rocketed amid Middle East turmoil.
Imran Khan’s sisters again barred from jail visit as family sounds alarm over ex-PM’s eye condition
RAWALPINDI: The sisters of imprisoned former prime minister Imran Khan were refused entry to Adiala Jail on Tuesday for what has become a routine denial of family visits, even as a court has explicitly authorized twice-weekly meetings and as new concerns mounted over the opposition leader’s medical condition.
ADB launches financial package to shield Asia-Pacific from Middle East conflict fallout
ISLAMABAD: The Asian Development Bank said on Tuesday it is launching a financial support package to help its developing member countries in Asia and the Pacific cushion the economic and financial fallout from the conflict in the Middle East.
PM Sharif says Islamabad is ready to broker negotiations between Washington and Tehran to end four-week war
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Tuesday that Pakistan stands ‘ready and honoure’ to host direct negotiations between the United States and Iran, offering Islamabad as a neutral venue for ‘meaningful and conclusive talks’ to end the four-week-old war in the Middle East.
Pakistan secures March-April fuel cargoes, builds buffers as Middle East conflict roils oil markets
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has largely locked in petrol cargoes for the current month and April, with additional shipments in the pipeline to thicken supply buffers, a high-level government committee was told Tuesday as officials monitor the fallout from escalating conflict in the Middle East.
Sindh weighs ‘smart lockdown’ to conserve fuel amid fears of prolonged oil shock
ROHRI: The provincial Sindh government is contemplating a ‘smart lockdown’ as one possible fuel-conservation measure in response to the global oil crisis set off by the US-Israel war on Iran, a provincial minister said Tuesday.