Page 45 - Pakistan

Watch: EAM Jaishankar arrives in Pakistan for SCO Summit

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar arrived in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Tuesday to the 2024 Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit on October 15-16.

SCO Summit 2024: S Jaishankar arrives in Pakistan; first visit in nine yrs

SCO Summit 2024: Islamabad is hosting the 2024 Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit on October 15-16 to be attended by 900 delegates

Pak PM holds bilateral meetings with SCO leaders, discusses cooperation

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday held separate meetings with leaders of various SCO member states on the sidelines of the summit, exchanging ideas to promote bilateral ties and strengthen the intergovernmental international organisation. Pakistan is hosting the two-day SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) summit on October 15 and 16. The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) comprises China, India, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus with 16 more countries affiliated as observers or dialogue partners. According to official statements, Sharif held separate meetings with Belarusian Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko, Tajik Prime Minister Qohir Rasulzoda, and Kyrgyz Prime Minister Akylbek Japarov, discussing ways to further strengthen bilateral relations. During his meeting with Golovchenko, Sharif emphasised the importance of sustained exchanges to unlock the potential for cooperation, particularly in trade, ...

EAM Jaishankar, Pakistan PM Sharif shake hands ahead of 23rd SCO summit

A red carpet was rolled out to welcome the guests, underscoring the importance of the event and the cordial relations between the two nations, as per the statement

SCO Summit 2024: All you need to know about key attendees, agenda and more

SCO Summit in Pakistan: The summit is set to commence in Islamabad on October 15-16, with the aim to address critical issues such as regional security, economic cooperation, and combating terrorism

Imran Khan's party cancels protest in Pakistan ahead of SCO summit

Pakistan's main opposition called off its protest on Tuesday as the 23rd meeting of the Council of the Heads of Government (CHG) of the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation begins here under tight security. The two-day meeting will discuss ongoing cooperation in fields of economy, trade, environment and socio-cultural linkages and review the performance of the Organisation. Pakistan assumed the rotating chair of the SCO CHG, the second highest forum within the SCO, for 2023-24 at the previous meeting, held in Bishkek in October 2023. The CHG meeting will be chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Belarus Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko, Kazakhstan Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Tajik Prime Minister Kohir Rasulzoda, Uzbek Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov, Kyrgyzstan's Chairman of Ministers Cabinet Zhaparov Akylbek, Iran's First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref, and Indian External Affairs Ministe

How Pak Army 'coerced' five power companies to end contracts prematurely

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's office stated that the companies had 'voluntarily agreed' to prioritise national interest over their business concerns

Chinese premier arrives in Pak for SCO meet to bolster CPEC cooperation

Chinese prime minister Li Qiang on Monday arrived for a four-day visit during which he will attend the SCO summit and hold bilateral meetings with Pakistan leaders on several issues, including the strategic China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. This is the first visit by any Chinese premier to Pakistan in 11 years and comes on the back of recent attacks on Chinese nationals working on infrastructure projects in Pakistan. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif received Li along with cabinet ministers at the Nur Khan airbase at Rawalpindi near here. Li and other foreign leaders will attend the 23rd Meeting of the Council of Heads of Government (CHG) of Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Islamabad to be held on Tuesday and Wednesday.

EAM Jaishankar to arrive in Pakistan on Tuesday to attend SCO meeting

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is set to land in Pakistan on Tuesday to attend a conclave of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), in the first high-level visit from India in years amid continuing strain in ties between the two neighbours. Shortly after he arrives in Islamabad, the external affairs minister is likely to attend a banquet reception hosted by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to welcome the delegates from the SCO member nations, people familiar with the matter said. Both sides have already ruled out any bilateral talks between Jaishankar and his Pakistan counterpart Ishaq Dar on the sidelines of the SCO heads of government summit. It will be for the first time in nearly nine years that India's foreign minister will travel to Pakistan, even as the ties between the two neighbours remain frosty over the Kashmir issue and cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan. It is learnt that Jaishankar will stay in Pakistan for less than 24 hours. Pakistan

Pakistan central bank announces $30 billion foreign debt repayments in FY25

Pakistan's central bank has said the country is scheduled to repay a total of USD 30.35 billion in maturing foreign debt and interest payment in this financial year even as the foreign debt repayments and interest payments are rising every passing year, a media repot said on Monday. The payments over the 12 months from August 2024 to July 2025 include those significant loans which bilateral creditors roll over every year, reported the Express Tribune quoting a JS Global report, which, in turn, cited data from the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). The report showed that Pakistan is to repay maturing foreign debt worth USD 26.48 billion and pay another USD 3.86 billion on account of interest expense in the period. Pakistan's repayments and interest payments are fully secured under the latest USD 7 billion IMF Extended Fund Facility (EFF) through the loan period of 37 months. In terms of debt-to-GDP ratio, however, the foreign debt has dropped to 20.2 per cent in August 2024 from 27.6 per

Security measures tighten as Pakistan set to host SCO meet from Tuesday

Elaborate security measures are in place as Pakistan on Monday was gearing up to host the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit starting Tuesday here in Islamabad. Foreign delegations have started to reach Pakistan to attend the mega international event being held under the shadow of increased terror attacks across the country and the continued protests by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's party threatening to disrupt the law and order situation. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and prime ministers of China and Russia among others are attending the two-day 23rd SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) here to discuss the ongoing cooperation in economy, trade and environment. The CHG meeting will discuss ongoing cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, environment, socio-cultural linkages and review the performance of the Organisation. The leaders will adopt important organisational decisions to further enha

Pakistan secures $10 mn in climate financing for nature based solutions

Pakistan has secured USD 10 million in climate finance funding to enhance integrated and adaptive water resource management in the Indus River, with a particular focus on nature-based solutions, to benefit the local communities. The funding was approved on Friday by the Adaptation Fund Board for the project called Sustainable Actions for Ecosystems Restoration in Pakistan (SAFER), according to a statement by the Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD). The Adaptation Fund was established in 2001 to finance concrete adaptation projects and programmes in developing countries which are Parties of the Kyoto Protocol that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change. The project particularly focuses on interventions around the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector, and targets women, children, and youth, in order to build the resilience of those communities disproportionately hit by climate-induced crises. The proje

Over 100 persons killed in name of honour in Sindh from Jan to Jun in Pak

The Sindh Suhai Organisation voiced concern regarding rising incidents of violence against women, including murder and sexual harassment, in the province

Karachi Airport explosion 'linked' to foreign intelligence agency: Report

A preliminary report over the recent explosion near Pakistan's busiest airport here has indicated that the attack was executed with the assistance of a foreign intelligence agency, a media report said on Saturday. The report, submitted by the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) to the anti-terrorism court, stated that the suicide bombing targeted Chinese engineers as part of a conspiracy to damage Pakistan-China relations, The Express Tribune reported. On Sunday, two Chinese nationals were killed and 17 people injured in the suicide attack by a Baloch insurgent group that targeted a convoy of Chinese workers. The explosion near the Jinnah International Airport on Sunday night also killed the suspected suicide bomber. The preliminary report identified the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) as being involved in the attack and indicated that the attack was executed with the assistance of a foreign intelligence agency, the Tribune said. It suggested that an unidentified terrorist parked

IMF's new demand set to dissuade Chinese investments into Pakistan

The IMF's condition comes as Prime Minster Shehbaz Sharif is trying to convince Chinese companies to shift more industries into Pakistan thereby giving a fresh momentum to projects

Days ahead of SCO summit, gunmen kill 20 in Pakistan's Balochistan

Pakistan is set to host the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit on October 15-16 in Islamabad, in which Foreign Minister S Jaishankar will also participate

Four new polio cases reported in Pakistan, tally rises to 32 this year

At least four new cases of polio have been reported in Pakistan, taking the tally to 32 this year, according to an official statement. Of the four new cases, three were reported from Sindh province and one from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. So far this year, 16 cases have been reported from Balochistan, 10 from Sindh, four from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and one each from Punjab and Islamabad. Currently only two out of seven regions i.e. Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan are polio-free. The virus has reached five regions, including four provinces and the federal capital, according to the official data. The Dawn newspaper reported that an official of the Health Ministry said that the Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme vaccinated nearly 33 million children under the age of five during a nationwide campaign in September this year. The campaign aimed to protect children from the devastating effects of polio. A comprehensive evaluation of the campaign was conducted to assess its

Protests in Pakistan after govt raises taxes by 40% under IMF bailout

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose coalition government has only been in power for seven months, is urging patience in a country that can no longer keep up

Vehicle used as IED in Karachi airport explosion carried 80kg explosives

Shah Fahad, a citizen, was listed as the owner of the car, ARY News reported, citing sources investigating the matter

Police identifies bomber responsible for explosion near Karachi Airport

According to the police, the attacker was identified as Shah Fahad registered the vehicle used in the attack under his name on September 5