ISLAMABAD: Amid a deepening political deadlock that has gripped Pakistan for months, a senior adviser to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif asserted on Friday that the government was not demanding the exclusion of Imran Khan, the jailed founder of the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, as a prerequisite for negotiations.
National
For the fifth time, Islamabad’s local elections appear headed for postponement
ISLAMABAD: The long-delayed local government elections in the capital, Islamabad, are poised for yet another postponement, the fifth in a row, after the federal cabinet on Friday approved a raft of amendments to the law governing the polls, casting fresh doubt on a vote already scheduled for Feb. 15.
PM aide calls for talks among Pakistan’s ‘top five’ power brokers to break political deadlock
ISLAMABAD: A top adviser to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif pressed for steps to rebuild trust among five most influential figures in Pakistan’s politics on Thursday, saying that without agreement at the highest levels, the nation would remain mired in political deadlock.
ECP extends deadline as 446 lawmakers fail to file asset statements
ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said on Thursday 446 lawmakers, including 125 members of the National Assembly, had failed to submit required statements detailing their assets and liabilities by a Dec. 31 deadline, setting up a potential wave of suspensions that could disrupt legislative proceedings across the country.
Pakistan saw a sharp rise in militant attacks in 2025, though a border closure brought late relief
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan suffered its most violent year in a decade in 2025, with a sharp escalation in terrorist attacks and clashes that claimed more than 3,400 lives, even as a decision to seal its border with Afghanistan in October helped curb cross-border assaults in the year’s final months, according to a report by an independent think tank.
Rivals swap nuclear site lists, but Pakistan flags concerns over Indian dam project
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and India exchanged lists of their nuclear installations on Thursday, adhering to a longstanding agreement aimed at preventing attacks on such facilities, even as Islamabad raised fresh concerns over New Delhi’s plans for a hydroelectric project that it said could violate a separate water-sharing treaty.
PTI seeks to oust defector senator who backed controversial constitutional change
ISLAMABAD: The opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party formally moved on Thursday to disqualify one of its own senators, Saifullah Abro, accusing him of defection after he broke ranks to support a controversial constitutional amendment that has deepened divisions in the country’s fractured political landscape.
Pakistan stands with Saudi Arabia, urges negotiations to avert Yemen fallout
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan voiced strong support for Saudi Arabia on Wednesday amid a sharp escalation in Yemen’s civil war, where a Saudi-led coalition has clashed with Emirati-backed separatists, threatening to unravel fragile regional alliances and revive the specter of a divided Yemen.
Army chief warns of ‘firm and decisive’ response to any breach of sovereignty
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s top military commander warned on Wednesday that any breach of the country’s territorial integrity, whether direct or indirect, would provoke a firm and decisive response, as he accused Indian-sponsored proxies of fomenting violence and disrupting development in the restive southwestern province of Balochistan.
At a funeral in Dhaka, a brief handshake signals a pause in India-Pakistan silence
ISLAMABAD: In a brief but symbolic encounter, the speaker of the National Assembly, Ayaz Sadiq, shook hands with India’s foreign minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, on Wednesday during a funeral in the Bangladeshi capital, marking the first high-level contact between officials from the two nuclear-armed neighbors since a military clash in May that brought relations to a new low.