Page 23 - Pakistan

Explosion kills 24 people in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province

At least 24 people, including women and children, were killed and several others injured on Monday when explosive materials stored at a compound owned by the Pakistani Taliban exploded in northwest Pakistan, police said. The residents, however, claimed that air strikes hit the compound in Tirah Valley's Matur Dara area in Khyber district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, bordering Afghanistan. No official statement has been issued by the government regarding the tragedy. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party's provincial branch claimed that the "jet bombing" in the Tirah Valley destroyed five houses. It said that 20 bodies have been recovered from the rubble. The local administration denied the claims about aerial strikes by the Pakistani fighter jets on the compound, saying the explosives used in bomb making exploded, causing the death of 24 people, including 14 militants. At least 10 civilians, including women and children, were killed, along with 14 militants in the explosion, Station H

'Not on the radar': Pak Defence Min Asif denies nuclear link in Saudi pact

Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif told Geo TV that Pakistan's capabilities extend to Saudi under the pact, but later told Reuters that nuclear weapons are 'not on the radar'

Entry of other Arab countries in Pak-Saudi defence pact not ruled out: Asif

The entry of other Arab countries in the mutual defence deal between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia is not ruled out, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said, adding that doors are not closed for such developments. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on Wednesday signed a "strategic mutual defence" agreement, which declares that any attack on either country will be considered "an aggression against both". The deal was signed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during the Pakistani leader's day-long visit to the Gulf Kingdom, according to a joint statement. The deal comes days after an Israeli attack on the Hamas leadership in Qatar, a key US ally in the Gulf region. Responding to a question whether more Arab nations could become part of the deal, Asif said: I cannot prematurely answer this, but I will definitely say the doors are not closed. Asif, during an interview to Geo News on Tuesday, said he had always called for a similar arrangement like NATO since

India sees Pak-Saudi defence pact as response to Israel's Doha strike

India reacted to the Pakistan-Saudi Arabia defence pact saying Riyadh should respect mutual interests and sensitivities, while officials view the deal as accelerated by Israel's Doha strike

UN Security Council votes down effort to halt Iran snapback sanctions

A UN Security Council resolution aimed at halting the reimposition of sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme failed Friday after weeks of last-ditch diplomatic talks appeared to break down days before the annual United Nations gathering of world leaders. The resolution put forth by South Korea, the current president of the 15-member council, did not garner the support of the nine countries required to halt the series of sanctions from taking effect at the end of the month, as outlined in Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. Only four countries China, Russia, Pakistan and Algeria supported the effort, with some using the meeting to blast the European leaders for what they called an unjustified and illegal action against Iran. Their only goal now is to use the council as a tool for their bad faith play, as a lever to exert pressure on the state in favour of a state which is trying to defend its sovereign interests, Vassily Alekseevich Nebenzia, the Russian ambassador to

'Examining implications': India on US move to revoke Chabahar port waiver

The revocation of the sanctions waiver comes as a challenge for India, as it is involved in the development of a terminal at Chabahar Port

Pakistan-Saudi Arabia defence pact: What does it mean for India's security?

Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have signed a defence pact pledging joint military support. India is weighing its security implications as Riyadh deepens ties with Islamabad

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia sign defence pact: 'Attack on one is attack on both'

During Shehbaz Sharif's visit, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed an agreement which expanded defence cooperation, including training, exercises and intelligence sharing

Pak, China push UN to designate BLA, its Majeed Brigade as terrorist entity

Pakistan and China have submitted a joint bid at the UN Security Council to designate the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its suicide wing - Majeed Brigade - as a terrorist entity under the Council's 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee. Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmed said on Wednesday that terrorist entities, including ISIL-K, Al-Qaeda, Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan, East Turkistan Islamic Movement, the BLA and its Majeed Brigade, operate from Afghan sanctuaries, with more than 60 terror camps serving as hubs for enabling cross-border attacks. Pakistan and China have jointly submitted to the 1267 Sanctions Committee a request to designate the BLA and Majeed Brigade. We hope the Council will act swiftly on this listing to curb their terrorist activities, Ahmed said at the UN Security Council meeting on the situation in Afghanistan. Pakistan currently sits in the 15-nation Security Council as a non-permanent member for the 2025-26 term, ..

Trump lists 23 major drug transit nations, including India, Pak, and China

The US President expressed commitment to defeating the threat posed by the illegal drug trade in the US

Earthquake of magnitude 4.5 strikes Pakistan; no damage reported

In a post on X, the NCS said, "EQ of M: 4.5, On: 16/09/2025 13:34:47 IST, Lat: 31.36 N, Long: 70.28 E, Depth: 60 Km, Location: Pakistan."

Pak-Afghanistan ties worsen as Sharif warns Kabul over cross-border attacks

Officials in Islamabad have also hinted at the possibility of expanding aerial operations deeper into Afghan territory should militant attacks persist

Leak reveals China firm exporting mass-censorship kit to India's neighbours

A leak of more than 100,000 files shows Chinese firm Geedge Networks exporting Tiangou Secure Gateway-national-scale filtering and tracking tech-now active in Pakistan and Myanmar

Israel slams Pakistan at UNSC, says 'bin Laden killed on your territory'

Pakistan cannot change the fact that Al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden was sheltered and killed on its soil, Israel has said, as it lashed out at Islamabad in the UN Security Council for its "double standards". "When bin Laden was eliminated in Pakistan," Israel's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Danny Danon said, pointing his hand towards Pakistan's UN Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, the question asked was not 'why target a terrorist on foreign soil'?" "No one asked that question. The question was, 'Why was a terrorist given shelter at all?' The same question must be asked today. There was no immunity for bin Laden, and there can be no immunity for Hamas, Danon said. The sharp exchange between the envoys of Israel and Pakistan came on Thursday at a Security Council meeting held to discuss the Israeli attack on Hamas leaders in the Qatari capital of Doha. In his remarks, Ahmad strongly condemned what he called Israel's illegal and unprovoked aggression against Qatar, term

Regimes collapse because of weak institutions, not leaders or ideologies

To be truly functional and durable, even eternal, a state doesn't just need a leader, a party, or an ideology. It needs functional and robust institutions

Delhi Police uncover Pakistan links in terror module, five arrested

The police have also recovered some parts used in the making of IEDs

Pakistan using phone tapping, firewall systems to spy on citizens: Amnesty

Calling it one of the 'most comprehensive examples of state surveillance outside China', Amnesty said that Pakistan's growing surveillance network was built with the help of Chinese and Western tech

Pakistan, China to form $7 bn consortium for railway project under CPEC

Pakistan and China have agreed to form a consortium of bilateral and multilateral partners to finance a USD 7 billion railway project, along with a four-year action plan (2025-29) for the second phase of the CPEC initiative. Pakistan and China recently launched the second phase of the controversial China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project. Speaking at a news conference, Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal said that during Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's recent visit to China, the two sides had agreed to constitute a consortium of financiers, including the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), China and Pakistan, for the 1,700-km Karachi-Peshawar railway line, the Dawn newspaper reported on Tuesday. He said China had assured financing not only for the rail project but also for the Karakoram Highway. Negotiations with multiple financiers would be concluded within a month, Iqbal said. The minister said Pakistan and China have agre

BSF nabs Pakistani intruder at international border in Jammu's RS Pura

A Pakistani intruder was apprehended by the Border Security Force (BSF) at the International Border in the RS Pura sector of Jammu, the force said on Monday.More details are awaited.Yesterday, the BSF apprehended five persons and seized pistols, heroin and a drone on the Punjab border, the BSF Punjab saidIn a crackdown against narco-terror, BSF Punjab troops foiled multiple smuggling attempts along the border. Acting on intelligence, BSF & ANTF Amritsar apprehended one smuggler near Chabbal, Tarn Taran and seized 504 gms of heroin, a mobile and a bike from their possession.Following that, at Sur Singh Market, Tarn Taran, a joint team detained four smugglers with 5.032 kg heroin, two pistols, a Scorpio, four mobiles, two bikes and ₹1000 cash.During night hours, vigilant troops intercepted a drone near Ranian, conducted a search operation and seized a DJI Air 3 drone with pistol parts and magazine. Yet another operation in Tarn Taran led to the recovery of pistol parts from ...