ISLAMABAD: US Vice President J.D. Vance held discussions with Pakistani intermediaries about the Iran conflict as recently as Tuesday, officials said, a sign of the administration’s parallel pursuit of diplomacy even as military operations intensify.
Politics
Trilateral meeting in China seeks to ease Pakistan-Afghanistan standoff
ISLAMABAD: Senior officials from Pakistan, Afghanistan and China convened in Urumqi on Wednesday for the first high-level trilateral meeting in months, an effort to ease escalating border tensions that have all but frozen diplomatic contacts between Islamabad and Kabul since Pakistan launched a military operation into Afghan territory six weeks ago.
China backs Pakistan’s diplomatic push to end Middle East conflict
ISLAMABAD: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Pakistan’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister that Beijing appreciates Islamabad’s “active diplomatic role” in trying to end the Middle East conflict, Pakistan’s Foreign Office said on Wednesday, as the two countries unveiled a joint five-point initiative aimed at halting hostilities in the Gulf and broader region.
Security forces kill 13 militants in two operations in northwest province
ISLAMABAD: Security forces killed 13 militants in two separate intelligence-based operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the military said on Wednesday, part of an escalating counterterrorism campaign against a resurgent insurgency that has claimed more than 2,300 lives in the region over the past year.
Pakistan reopens Torkham border crossing for first repatriation of undocumented Afghans in months
PESHAWAR: Pakistan reopened the Torkham border crossing on Tuesday under temporary arrangements, allowing the repatriation of undocumented Afghan nationals for the first time in months after a security incident and a series of border clashes halted the process.
Pakistan and China issue five-point peace plan to end Iran war
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and China on Tuesday jointly proposed a five-point initiative to restore peace and stability in the Gulf and the wider Middle East, calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities in the US-Israeli war on Iran, the prompt launch of peace talks and the protection of civilian infrastructure and vital shipping lanes.
Dar reaches Beijing to align with China on push for US-Iran talks
ISLAMABAD: China said Tuesday it would strengthen strategic coordination with Pakistan over the Iran crisis, as the deputy prime minister Ishaq Dar arrived in the Chinese capital for a one-day visit aimed at advancing diplomatic efforts to end the month-old war between the United States, Israel and Iran.
Pakistan’s public debt breaches legal limits, hit Rs80.5 trillion as ratio worsens to 71.7 percent of GDP
ISLAMABAD: The government conceded to parliament on Monday that public debt rose sharply in fiscal 2025, pushing the debt-to-GDP ratio higher and increasing the per-capita burden even as fiscal consolidation measures took hold and macroeconomic conditions improved.
India plots false-flag border operation using Pakistani detainees to mask diplomatic reversals
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security officials said on Monday that Indian authorities are preparing a false-flag operation against Pakistan that would press innocent Pakistani detainees held in Indian prisons — including Kashmiris who crossed the border inadvertently — into service as unwitting participants in a staged border provocation.
Pakistan’s top leaders hold talks on security and economic strain amid regional tensions
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday to review the country’s national security situation and the array of economic and energy challenges confronting Pakistan, the President’s Secretariat said.