ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Kazakhstan elevated their ties to a strategic partnership on Wednesday, signing 37 memoranda of understanding and pledging to boost bilateral trade to $1 billion within a year, as leaders from both nations emphasised the need for stronger regional integration through enhanced connectivity and economic collaboration.
Politics
Pakistan presses UNSC to label militant BLA group a terrorist organization
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday called on the UN Security Council to act quickly in designating the banned Balochistan Liberation Army as a terrorist organisation under its sanctions regime, warning that the group and other militants operating from Afghan soil pose a growing threat to regional stability.
Army chief vows no leniency for terrorists or their backers after Balochistan attacks
QUETTA: Pakistan’s top military commander, Field Marshal Asim Munir, declared on Wednesday that no terrorist or facilitator would escape punishment and that violence could not be justified “on any pretext,” as he visited Balochistan in the wake of coordinated militant assaults that killed dozens of security personnel and civilians.
Security forces killed nearly 200 militants days after deadly weekend BLA attacks across Balochistan
QUETTA: Security forces have killed 197 militants in a sweeping counterterrorism operation across Balochistan, officials said, as clearance efforts continued in remote mountainous areas following a series of coordinated attacks that left dozens dead and brought parts of the restive province to a standstill.
Opposition leader urges PM Sharif to allow trusted doctors to examine jailed ex-premier Khan
ISLAMABAD: The leader of opposition in the National Assembly appealed directly to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday for his personal intervention to allow jailed former prime minister Imran Khan to be examined by his own trusted physicians, citing urgent concerns over the cricket star-turned-politician’s health and the secretive nature of recent medical procedures.
Lawmakers demand aggressive action against sponsors of Balochistan attacks, cite India role
ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly unanimously passed a resolution on Tuesday condemning a wave of deadly militant attacks in Balochistan and demanding an “immediate, aggressive” national response against what it described as external sponsors and internal facilitators of terrorism, with lawmakers pointing to evidence of Indian involvement.
From ‘hug diplomacy’ to hard concessions: Modi under fire over US trade pact
ISLAMABAD: In a blistering attack that cuts to the heart of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, India’s main opposition party, the Indian National Congress, on Tuesday ripped into the government’s new trade agreement with the United States, portraying it as a desperate cave-in to President Donald Trump that sells out Indian farmers and industries while undermining the country’s hard-won economic independence.
Pakistan invited to Iran-US de-escalation talks in Istanbul as powers work to avert conflict
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has been invited to take part in talks between Iran and the United States to ease tensions between the longtime adversaries, Islamabad’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday, as regional powers work to avert a potential conflict in the Middle East.
A cricket boycott, a $500 million matchup and nuclear-armed rivals: Pakistan won’t play India
KARACHI: Pakistan has told its national cricket team to skip a much-awaited group-stage game against India at the Twenty20 World Cup, a step that brings out the tight mix of politics and sport between these two rivals with nuclear weapons, and puts the event’s outlook — along with the game’s huge money flow — in doubt.
Pakistan rules out talks, vows full force against Balochistan militants
ISLAMABAD: The defence minister said on Monday the state would not negotiate with militants behind a wave of attacks in Balochistan, describing the violence as a cover for criminal activities linked to smuggling networks and foreign support, as security forces reported killing more than 170 terrorists in counter-operations.