KARACHI: US Marines opened fire on demonstrators who breached the outer wall of the American consulate in Karachi on Sunday, two US officials told Reuters, in a rare use of lethal force at a diplomatic mission that risks sharply escalating tensions in Pakistan.
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Pakistan keeps airspace open; issues routine Notam for select routes
KARACHI: Pakistan has said its airspace remains fully open and unrestricted for all commercial traffic, despite issuing a routine notice that temporarily closes selected air routes in two regions for the rest of the month.
Pakistan to hold closed-door parliamentary briefing on Middle East crisis
ISLAMABAD: The government has summoned parliamentary leaders to an in-camera briefing on Wednesday to address the rapidly deteriorating situation across the Middle East, as it attempts to build cross-party consensus on a response that balances sensitive diplomatic relationships and national security concerns.
Pakistan offers to host US-Iran talks as Dar condemns ‘sudden’ strikes on Tehran
ISLAMABAD: Deputy prime minister and foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, told the Senate on Tuesday that Islamabad stood ready to mediate directly between Washington and Tehran, even as he expressed deep concern over a US-Israeli military strike on Iran that came despite what he described as promising diplomatic progress.
Why Pakistan Is Collateral Damage in the Hormuz Shock
The Strait of Hormuz never had to be formally blockaded. Risk aversion did the job anyway. In the 48 hours since US and Israeli attacks escalated against Iran, global oil markets have lurched higher by as much as 13%, Brent crude has traded near $78-$79 a barrel, and tanker traffic at the world’s most critical energy chokepoint has simply frozen in place.
Pakistan dismisses US-Israeli strike fears as ‘devoid of facts’
ISLAMABAD: A senior Pakistani security official has dismissed as baseless any suggestion that Islamabad could become the next target of US-Israeli military action in the wake of fresh strikes on Iran, describing the speculation as “devoid of facts” and the work of “agents of chaos”, Dawn Newspaper reported on Tuesday.
Hindutva Meets Zionism: Modi’s Dangerous Ideological Bond
When Narendra Modi stood in Israel’s Knesset last week and received a standing ovation, the timing could scarcely have been more revealing. Just days later, joint US-Israeli strikes assassinated Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in an attack on his compound in downtown Tehran. India’s prime minister, fresh from hugs with Benjamin Netanyahu and the signing of a sweeping new “Special Strategic Partnership”, offered little more than a muted call for “early cessation of hostilities” and a phone conversation expressing “concerns”.
Pakistan strikes Taliban drone depot and ammunition site in Afghanistan as cross-border offensive intensifies
ISLAMABAD: Security forces destroyed a drone storage facility and an ammunition depot operated by the Afghan Taliban in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad, an official said on Monday, part of an escalating military campaign that has triggered the most serious clashes between the two countries in years.
Pakistan inflation quickens to highest in four months on electricity, produce surge
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s headline inflation accelerated to the fastest pace in four months in February, climbing to 7 percent year-on-year as higher electricity charges and fresh-produce prices offset declines in chicken and eggs, data from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics showed on Monday.
Pakistan forms daily oil oversight committee after Hormuz disruption spurs price spike
By Staff Reporter ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will continue passing the impact of higher global oil prices directly to consumers under its existing fortnightly adjustment mechanism, the