ISLAMABAD: Negotiations between Pakistan and Afghanistan remained deadlocked on Sunday, with Afghan Taliban officials showing little willingness to commit to dismantling terrorist sanctuaries on their soil, Pakistani security officials involved in the talks said.
Politics
Military says thwarted infiltration attempts from Afghanistan, 25 militants killed
ISLAMABAD: Security forces killed 25 militants, including four suicide bombers, and seized a large cache of weapons and explosives in two separate operations along the border with Afghanistan, thwarting what the military described as major infiltration attempts by a banned terrorist group amid delicate talks between the two countries.
Rubio says US seeks to broaden strategic ties with Pakistan without undermining India
ISLAMABAD: Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States sees an opportunity to expand its strategic relationship with Pakistan, emphasising that the recent strengthening of ties between the two countries does not come at the expense of Washington’s relationship with New Delhi.
Pakistan People’s Party moves to oust prime minister in Azad Jammu Kashmir
ISLAMABAD: Leaders of the Pakistan People’s Party are preparing to remove the prime minister of Azad Jammu Kashmir through a no-confidence motion and install one of their own, according to party sources, a step that could reshape the political landscape in the disputed Himalayan region amid lingering tensions from recent protests.
KP CM Afridi urges immediate NFC meeting, says centre owes Rs550bn
PESHAWAR: The chief minister of Pakistan’s restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Sohail Afridi, demanded on Saturday that the federal government immediately convene a meeting of the National Finance Commission to address what he described as Rs550 billion in outstanding dues owed to the province, while sharply warning against any new military operations in the tribal districts that could lead to civilian casualties.
Pakistan limits flights over Karachi and Lahore as India readies largescale military drill
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan announced restrictions on certain flight routes over Karachi and Lahore starting Tuesday, citing operational safety concerns, as India prepares for a large-scale military exercise along their shared western border that includes disputed territory.
Forces kill 12 militants in operations across northwest, foil suicide bombing in North Waziristan
ISLAMABAD: Security forces killed at least 12 militants in a series of operations across three districts in the country’s northwest between Friday night and Saturday, while thwarting a planned suicide bombing in the volatile North Waziristan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, the military said on Saturday, amid a persistent wave of terrorist attacks that has strained relations between the federal government and provincial authorities.
Pakistan presents counterterrorism plan to Afghan Taliban in Istanbul talks-officials
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has handed over a comprehensive counterterrorism plan to the Afghan Taliban as the second round of talks between the two sides held in Istanbul on Saturday, part of Islamabad’s efforts to establish a mechanism to curb cross-border terrorism originating from Afghan soil.
Gunmen abduct 18 labourers, torch vehicles in second Balochistan attack in four days
KHUZDAR: Unknown gunmen stormed a construction camp in southwestern Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province late on Thursday, abducting 18 labourers at gunpoint and setting fire to at least eight vehicles and machinery, in the second such attack on workers in the region within four days, local officials said.
PPP-PML-N alliance born of ‘necessity, not affection’, says Punjab governor
PESHAWAR: Punjab Governor Sardar Saleem Haider Khan on Friday described the alliance between his Pakistan Peoples Party and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz as a political “compulsion” rather than a bond of affection, a necessity to ensure stability after the 2024 general elections.