ISLAMABAD: Negotiations between Pakistan and Afghanistan aimed at curbing cross-border terrorism have broken down without agreement, plunging the fragile dialogue into an indefinite hiatus, Pakistan’s defence minister said on Friday, even as a tenuous ceasefire along their shared border holds for now.
International
Pakistan says decision on Gaza stabilisation force to rest with parliament
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will determine in due course whether to send troops to a proposed international stabilization force for Gaza, the country’s foreign office said on Friday, emphasising that the decision would rest with the national parliament amid broader consultations.
Pakistan urges India to resume compliance with Indus Waters Treaty at UN
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s ambassador to the United Nations urged India on Thursday to resume compliance with a longstanding water-sharing treaty between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, warning that New Delhi’s unilateral suspension of the pact earlier this year exemplified the dangerous weaponization of shared natural resources amid armed conflicts.
Mediators press Afghan Taliban on Pakistan’s anti-terror demands in Istanbul talks
ISLAMABAD: Turkish and Qatari mediators are pressing the Afghan Taliban delegation on Pakistan’s demands to end cross-border terrorism, with efforts underway to secure an agreement before the scheduled end of talks here on Saturday, officials and diplomatic sources said on Friday.
Government eyes swift passage of 27th Amendment despite opposition outcry
ISLAMABAD: The government signaled on Wednesday that it expected to achieve consensus on a contentious 27th Constitutional Amendment within days, paving the way for the legislation to be introduced in Parliament next week, even as opposition leaders rallied against the proposal, warning that it risked eroding provincial powers, judicial independence and public faith in the nation’s founding document.
Pakistan, Afghan Taliban hold new round of talks to shore up fragile border truce
ISLAMABAD: Diplomats from Pakistan and Afghanistan gathered in Turkey on Wednesday ahead of a third round of talks set to open Thursday, seeking to curb cross-border terrorism and reinforce a shaky ceasefire that has held since last month’s deadly clashes along their shared frontier.
Four Indian-sponsored militants killed in southwest Pakistan: army
ISLAMABAD: Security forces killed four “Indian-sponsored terrorists” in an intelligence-based operation in the restive southwestern province of Balochistan, the military announced on Tuesday, amid a surge in violence that has plagued the region and neighboring areas.
Muslim nations condemn Israeli ceasefire breaches in Gaza, urge troop withdrawal
ISLAMABAD: Foreign ministers from Muslim nations, including Pakistan on Monday condemned what they described as Israeli violations of a fragile cease-fire in Gaza, calling for the immediate withdrawal of Israeli forces from occupied Palestinian territories and the urgent delivery of humanitarian aid to ease the deepening crisis there.
Three militants, including two Afghans, killed in KP operations – army
ISLAMABAD: Security forces have killed at least three militants in two separate engagements in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the military said Monday, highlighting what it described as continued involvement by Afghan nationals in attacks inside Pakistan.
Pakistan military says only total elimination of terrorism from Afghanistan acceptable
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s military on Monday dismissed conditions set by Afghanistan in recent border talks as irrelevant, emphasising that only the complete elimination of terrorism from Afghan soil would satisfy Islamabad, amid escalating tensions marked by cross-border skirmishes and accusations of harboring militants.