Pakistan

Air India plane enters Pakistan airspace, DGCA takes action on ATC, crew

Air India flight briefly enters Pakistan airspace during go-around at Amritsar, prompting DGCA action against ATC and crew

Iran's missile programme was never part of US-Iran talks: Pak PM Sharif

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday clarified that the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the US and Iran does not contain any provision related to Tehran's ballistic missile programme. Sharif made these remarks following delegation-level talks during a joint press conference with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who was in Pakistan for a one-day state visit. Responding to a question about Iran's nuclear and missile technology, Sharif stated that he would say "without fear of contradiction that Iran's ballistic missile program was not a subject of discussion between the US and Iran...It was not on the table." "It is not possible that others have missiles and Iran does not have them," he said. Iran's missile programme remains a major concern for Israel, which faced hundreds of missiles during the recent conflict. "Our missiles do not like at all to be talked about by anyone," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said in an interview with

US senators flag Pak's history of harbouring terrorists, hiding bin Laden

Two Republican senators flagged histories of Qatar and Pakistan of "harbouring terrorists" against the backdrop of US Vice President J D Vance's remarks professing "love" for Islamabad. "It should be clear to everybody by now who our friends really are. Qatar and Pakistan have long histories of harbouring terrorists, and right now they seem far more invested in propping up Iran's decades-long terror campaign than achieving a meaningful peace," Senator Rick Scott said in a post on X on Monday. The Florida senator's remarks came against the backdrop of Vance's "we love Pakistan" remark in Switzerland, where he, along with leaders from Pakistan and Qatar, were negotiating technical details of a peace deal with Iran. "There is still room for a workable agreement that benefits everyone. HOWEVER, what everybody needs to get through their heads here is that there is ZERO chance Iran comes out of this able to build a nuclear weapon," Scott said. Senator Tim Sheehy from Montana, in an ...

Pak PM Sharif, Army Chief Munir leave for Switzerland for US-Iran talks

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and its Army Chief Asim Munir left for Switzerland early Sunday to participate in the technical-level talks between the US and Iran. As a follow-up to the signing of the Islamabad MoU, technical-level talks will be held in Burgenstock, Switzerland, on Sunday, according to the prime minister's office. "The prime minister, along with a high-level delegation, has departed from Islamabad for Switzerland," the PMO said in its statement issued after midnight. It added that Prime Minister Sharif and Field Marshal Munir will participate in these talks. Earlier, Pakistan had announced that the talks would be held in Switzerland after they were postponed on Friday. The talks are aimed at adding key details to the preliminary accord to halt the nearly four-month war between the US and Iran signed earlier this week by US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. US Vice President J D Vance was initially supposed to hold a first rou

Pak Minister Naqvi visits Iran; first trip since initial peace accord

Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Saturday reached Iran unannounced the first visit to the country by any senior Pakistani official after Washington and Tehran signed an agreement aimed at restoring peace in West Asia. Naqvi reached Mashhad in Iran on Saturday, reported Geo News, without disclosing further details. Later, Iranian media reported that Naqvi was on his way to the capital city, Tehran, to hold talks with senior Iranian officials. According to the state-owned IRNA news agency, Naqvi, during his visit, will "monitor the ongoing negotiations" between Iran and the US. The US and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) this week, which led to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and marked the beginning of a 60-day negotiation window aimed at restoring peace in West Asia. Pakistan - the key mediator in the negotiations - is also a signatory to the memorandum as a guarantor. No official announcement was made in Islamabad about Naqvi's trip, but it is .

US-Iran deal takes 'immediate effect' after both sides sign: Pakistan PM

Pakistan says that the deal to end the war in Iran is taking immediate effect' after both sides have signed it, but that there will still be a formal signing ceremony on Friday. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said leaders of both the US and Iran had signed the agreement and endorsed him as a mediator. He said in a post on X that the deal "shall enter into force with immediate effect and as a first step, Islamic Republic of Iran will instantly reopen the Strait of Hormuz and the United States of America will immediately lift the naval blockade." Sharif said that Pakistan and co-mediator Qatar will still host an official signing ceremony on Friday in Switzerland. His post came shortly after President Donald Trump said he'd signed the agreement during a dinner at the Palace of Versailles.

Rajasthan court sends man accused of spying for Pak to 5-day police custody

A court here sent a man accused of spying for Pakistani intelligence agencies to five-day police custody on Wednesday, officials said. The accused, Mustaq Ali (26), was produced before the court of Special Judicial Magistrate, Jaipur Metropolitan-I, by the CID (Intelligence), following his arrest on Tuesday, Special Public Prosecutor Sudesh Satwan told reporters. The court sent Ali to police custody till June 22. The CID (Intelligence) had sought his seven-day remand for interrogation, he said. Satwan said the agency has been maintaining strict surveillance on espionage activities allegedly being operated from across the border. He said Ali, a resident of Higoala ki Dhani in Jaisalmer district, had come on the agency's radar due to his activities. According to police, preliminary investigation revealed that Ali had been in contact with handlers of Pakistani intelligence agencies through social media for the past two years. During questioning and an examination of his mobile phone

Dark Coloured Waters: A river memoir turns conflict into layered memory

Danesh Rana's journey along the Chenab blends memoir, conflict, history and culture, revealing the many stories carried by one of the subcontinent's most evocative rivers

Iran says signing of Islamabad memorandum not expected on Sunday

According to Iran's state media, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said the "exact timing of the signing of the Islamabad memorandum will not be on Sunday"

US and Iran have agreed on wording of peace deal to end war: Pakistan PM

Pakistan's prime minister said Friday the United States and Iran have agreed to wording of an agreement aimed at ending their war in the Middle East and that mediators were working with both sides to finalize a deal. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the U.S. and Iran have reached a "final, agreed upon text." He said Pakistan, which has taken the lead in mediation efforts, was working with the warring countries on next steps. "Peace has never been this close as it is now," Sharif said in a post on X. The apparent breakthrough in negotiations comes after Iran exchanged fire with the U.S. and Israel over three days this week, threatening to return the Middle East to full-scale war. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Friday an agreement "has never been closer" in a post on X. U.S. President Donald Trump, who has said multiple times in recent weeks the countries are on the cusp of a deal, shared Araghchi's post on his own social media. The war launched by the U.S. and Israe

Pak's poor population swells by 27 mn in six years, poverty surges 7%

Poverty in Pakistan increased by 7 per cent over the last six years, with about 27 million joining the unenviable league, pushing the net tally of poor in the country to 70 million, according to the national economic survey. The Pakistan Economic Survey 2025-26, a key national document, was launched on Thursday as part of an annual exercise to share economic indicators before unveiling of the federal budget. The survey shows that poverty was at 21.9 per cent in 2018-19 and increased to 28.9 per cent in 2024-25. Rural poverty rose from 28.2 to 36.2 per cent, while urban poverty surged from 11 to 17.4 per cent, according to the survey. The province-wise data shows an increase in poverty across all regions. In the Punjab province, it rose from 16.5 to 23.3 per cent; in Sindh, from 24.5 to 32.6 per cent; Khyber Pakhtunkhwa saw a rise from 28.7 to 35.3 per cent; and Balochistan from 41.8 to 47 per cent. Balochistan remained on top, recording the highest poverty incidence, while Punjab

13 killed after Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan: Taliban official

Afghanistan said Wednesday that Pakistan launched new airstrikes targeting the country, killing at least 13 people and wounding 14 others. Taliban chief spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid announced the airstrikes, which he said targeted the Afghan provinces of Khost, Kunar and Paktika. He said the strikes killed 11 children, one woman and one elderly man. There was no immediate acknowledgment of the strikes from Pakistan. Pakistan and Afghanistan had been embroiled in months of deadly fighting that killed hundreds of people since late February, when Afghanistan launched a cross-border attack on Pakistan in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan. Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of harbouring militants that carry out deadly attacks inside Pakistan, especially the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP. The group is separate from, but allied with, the Afghan Taliban, which has ruled Afghanistan since it seized power in the country in 2021 amid the chao

India urges global community to hold Pak accountable for violence in PoK

India on Tuesday came down hard on Islamabad for its "brutality" against people in Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir (PoK) and called on the international community to hold that country accountable for its "abuses". India's reaction came as over 20 people were reportedly killed in police action on protesters in several parts of PoK. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, slamming Pakistan said, there have been "desperate" attempts by Islamabad to cover-up its "failings" and deflect attention away from its alleged human rights abuses. "We continue to see in this context, a pattern of fake news and videos emanating from Pakistan. It is a desperate attempt by Pakistan to cover-up its own failings and deflect attention away from its human rights abuses," he said. "There are reports of severe police brutality in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir in which several protestors have been killed and many injured. We hope the international community will hold Pakistan accountable for its ...

India among top 5 military spenders; has 190 nuclear warheads: Sipri

India was the fifth largest military spender in the world, with an expenditure of USD 92.1 billion in 2025, according to a report by an international think-tank, which also mentioned the "unusually severe military crisis" that erupted between India and Pakistan last year. In its annual assessment report launched on Monday, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) also said that India has approximately 190 nuclear warheads as of January 2026, compared to Pakistan's estimated stockpile of 170. "Key findings of SIPRI Yearbook 2026 are that states are increasingly relying on nuclear weapons as instruments of national power -- reversing decades of efforts to reduce the numbers and role of nuclear weapons -- even as the risks of miscalculation and escalation are rising," SIPRI said in a statement. The Stockholm-based think-tank said India is believed to have once again "slightly expanded its nuclear arsenal" in 2025 and continued development of new types of nuclear ...

Pakistan's human rights body raises alarm over violence, JAAC ban in PoK

Pakistan's human rights body on Monday said that it is "deeply alarmed" by the ongoing violence in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), where 11 people, including four police officers, were killed and hundreds injured during violent clashes. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) also expressed serious concerns about the so-called regional government's decision to proscribe the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) under anti-terrorism legislation. The JAAC was outlawed on Friday by authorities, citing concerns over public order and security. India maintains that Pakistan has been in illegal possession of Indian territory in the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. According to Commissioner Sardar Waheed Khan, at least seven civilians and four policemen were killed during Sunday's clash between police and JAAC protesters in PoK'sRawalakot. Authorities have arrested over 100 people before and after the clashes. Clashes broke out after tensions flared over the death

"I don't trust Pakistan": Trump ally Lindsey Graham questions Pakistan’s Iran mediator role

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham on Tuesday called for dumping Pakistan as mediators in the US-Iran war, citing reports that Islamabad had allowed Iran to use their airbases to park military aircraft

“Should always be ready to engage in dialogue”: RSS General Secy on Pakistan

Must engage in dialogue, that's how diplomatic relations are maintained; people to people relations can ease India-Pak tensions because we have cultural link and "we have been one nation", says RSS

Pak minister meets Iran FM in Tehran; discusses status of peace talks

Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Sunday held a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Tehran, during which he delivered a written message from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the Iranian government said in a statement. The message was addressed to Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. "Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met with FM @araghchi in Tehran today, delivering a written message from PM Shehbaz Sharif addressed to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Khamenei," the Iran government said in a post on X. Photographs released by the Iranian authorities showed Naqvi handing over an envelope to Araghchi. Iranian authorities did not disclose the contents of the message, and it was not immediately clear whether the envelope shown in the photographs contained it. The Iranian government further said in a post on X that the two leaders reviewed bilateral relations and "exchanged views on the latest status of the ongoing diplomat

Pakistan witnesses 27% increase in terror attacks in May, says report

Militancy-driven violence spiked 27 per cent in Pakistan last month compared to the preceding month, showing the deep prevalence of terrorism-linked threats to the country, according to a think tank report. Militant and terror groups regained momentum during May after a brief period of relative decline, said a monthly security assessment released on Monday by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS). According to the report, the country witnessed 128 terrorist attacks during May, compared to 101 attacks in April, representing a 27 per cent increase. In May, 71 civilians, 68 security personnel and six members of peace committees were killed, while 147 civilians, 35 security personnel and three peace committee members were injured. The report showed that compared to April, civilian fatalities increased from 37 to 71, representing a 92 per cent rise, while security personnel fatalities surged from 28 to 68, marking a 143 per cent increase. The report also show