ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Foreign Office said on Thursday Islamabad would share its concerns regarding terror groups that threatened its security with Washington as the two countries hold counterterrorism talks in the United States this week.
The three-day talks, which commenced on Wednesday and will conclude on May 10, are part of the Pakistan-US Counterterrorism Dialogue. The Pakistani delegation is led by the Additional Secretary United Nations division at the foreign ministry, Syed Haider Shah.
The initial round took place last year in Islamabad, where discussions centered on the counterterrorism landscape in Pakistan and the wider region.
“The counterterrorism talks between Pakistan and the United States are ongoing and the two sides will discuss issues related to security and countering violent extremism and combating terrorism financing,” foreign office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch told reporters in a weekly briefing in Islamabad, saying terrorism posed a collective threat to the international community.
“It is important for Islamabad to share its concerns about terrorist groups that threaten its security with its interlocutors during these dialogues and this is a priority for Pakistan when we engage in these talks,” she added.
The FO statement comes two days after Pakistan’s military said a suicide bomb attack that killed five Chinese engineers was planned in neighboring Afghanistan, and that the bomber was also an Afghan national.
Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have soured in recent months as Islamabad says Kabul is not doing enough to tackle militant groups targeting Pakistan from across the border. Kabul says rising violence in Pakistan is a domestic issue for Islamabad and has denied allowing the use of its territory to militants.
Gaza
At Thursday’s press briefing, the Pakistan foreign office also condemned Israel’s attack on a Jordanian aid corps for humanitarian assistance to occupied Gaza.
“It is not just a flagrant violation of the obligations of the occupying power but a dangerous provocation that may lead to further escalation of tensions in the region,” Baloch said, condemning the invasion and seizure of the Rafah border crossing in southern Gaza by Israeli forces in what Islamabad said was defiance of international warnings and acceptable international behavior.
“With its latest actions, Israeli occupation authorities have once again demonstrated their contempt for international humanitarian law as they continue to pursue an abhorrent policy of genocide and extermination in Gaza,” Baloch added.
Pakistan-Saudi Arabia relations
Amid a flurry of visits between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, including by the Saudi foreign minister and a high-powered business delegation to Islamabad and two visits by the Pakistani prime minister to Riyadh, the foreign office spokesperson said Pakistan and Saudi Arabia were engaged in a “robust dialogue” on cooperation in diverse domains, including in the energy sector.
“The two sides are also engaged in discussions for increased Saudi investments in Pakistan,” she added.
Baloch highlighted Pakistan’s emphasis on increased engagement, particularly with the Middle East, to attract foreign investment, saying the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) set up last year to oversee foreign financing was implementing measures to offer incentives to foreign investors in support of this effort.
Pak-Iran Gas pipeline
Baloch said the Iran-Pakistan (IP) gas pipeline was a “priority” for the country and reiterated that the South Asian nation would decide on the issue based on its own interest.
“Pakistan will take decisions based on its own national interest, and the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline is a priority for Pakistan,” she added.
The two countries signed an agreement to construct the pipeline from Iran’s South Fars gas field to Pakistan’s Balochistan and Sindh provinces in 2010, but work on Pakistan’s portion has been held up due to fears of US sanctions.
In March, Islamabad said it would seek a US sanctions waiver for the pipeline. Washington, however, has said it does not support the project and cautioned about the risk of sanctions in doing business with Tehran.
Pakistan says will share concerns about terror groups threatening its security in ongoing US talks
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Pakistan says will share concerns about terror groups threatening its security in ongoing US talks
- Pakistan and United States are holding Pakistan-US Counterterrorism Dialogue in Washington
- Pakistan has said suicide attack that killed five Chinese workers in March was planned in Afghanistan
India says it will never restore Indus water treaty with Pakistan
- India put into ‘abeyance’ its participation in the 1960 treaty, which governs usage of the Indus river system
- The treaty had guaranteed water access for 80 percent of Pakistan’s farms through three rivers originating in India
NEW DELHI: India will never restore the Indus Waters Treaty with Islamabad and the water flowing to Pakistan will be diverted for internal use, Home Minister Amit Shah said in an interview with Times of India on Saturday.
India put into “abeyance” its participation in the 1960 treaty, which governs the usage of the Indus river system, after 26 civilians in Indian-administered Kashmir were killed in what Delhi described as an act of terror. The treaty had guaranteed water access for 80 percent of Pakistan’s farms through three rivers originating in India.
Pakistan has denied involvement in the incident, but the accord remains dormant despite a ceasefire agreed upon by the two nuclear-armed neighbors last month following their worst fighting in decades.
“No, it will never be restored,” Shah told the daily.
“We will take water that was flowing to Pakistan to Rajasthan by constructing a canal. Pakistan will be starved of water that it has been getting unjustifiably,” Shah said, referring to the northwestern Indian state.
The latest comments from Shah, the most powerful cabinet minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet, have dimmed Islamabad’s hopes for negotiations on the treaty in the near term.
Last month, Reuters reported that India plans to dramatically increase the water it draws from a major river that feeds Pakistani farms downstream, as part of retaliatory action.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comments.
But it has said in the past that the treaty has no provision for one side to unilaterally pull back and that any blocking of river water flowing to Pakistan will be considered “an act of war.”
Islamabad is also exploring a legal challenge to India’s decision to hold the treaty in abeyance under international law.
Pakistan to face New Zealand in FIH Nations Cup final today
- Pakistan defeated France 3-2 on penalty shootouts in the semifinal
- Pakistani goalkeeper Muneeb-ur-Rehman blocked three French chances
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will face New Zealand today, Saturday, in the final of the Fédération Internationale de Hockey (FIH) Nations Cup in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Spirited Pakistan defeated France 3-2 on penalty shootouts to qualify for the Nations Cup final at the National Hockey Stadium on Friday.
Goalkeeper Muneeb-ur-Rehman blocked three French chances, while Rana Waheed Ashraf, Hannan Shahid and Afraz struck for Pakistan to clinch a highly-rewarding victory.
“Heartiest congratulations to our Green Shirts on reaching the Nations Cup final,” Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on X.
“The team turned the match around with courage, skill and determination — a proud moment for the entire nation.”
Hockey is Pakistan’s national sport. The national team boasts a proud legacy with three Olympic gold medals in 1960, 1968 and 1984, along with four World Cup titles in 1971, 1978, 1982 and 1994.
But the sport has faced a sharp decline in Pakistan in recent decades due to administrative challenges, underinvestment and inadequate infrastructure. Renewed efforts are underway to revive the game with increased
government support, youth development initiatives and greater international engagement aimed at restoring Pakistan’s former glory in the sport.
The winner of Saturday’s final will earn promotion to the elite FIH Hockey Pro League 2025–26 season.
Israel-Tehran conflict cripples border trade between Pakistan and Iran
- Markets have been closed and dozens of trucks stranded at Pakistan’s Taftan border crossing with Iran since June 15
- The key border crossing in Pakistan’s Balochistan typically handles daily exchanges in fuel, food and household goods
QUETTA: The ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran has crippled border trade between Pakistan and Iran, transporters and traders said this week, with markets closed and dozens of trucks stranded on the Pakistani side of the border.
Pakistan shares a 959-kilometer border with Iran in its southwest and the trade volume between the two countries stood at $2.8 billion in the last fiscal year that ended in June 2024, according to Pakistani state media.
In Feb., the two neighbors signed an agreement to take the bilateral trade volume to $10 billion, but tensions between Iran and Israel prompted Pakistan to suspend operations at the Taftan border crossing in Balochistan on June 15, mirroring the Iranian side’s restrictions following Israeli airstrikes.
“We’ve been stuck here in Taftan for four to five days, with six to seven vehicles,” Syed Khalil Ahmed, a local transporter, told Reuters on Friday. “We’re waiting for it to reopen so we can load our goods. The market is closed, and there’s a shortage of food and drinks.”
Israel began attacking Iran on June 13, saying its longtime enemy was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons. Iran, which says its nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes, retaliated with missile and drone strikes on Israel.
The Taftan border, a vital trade artery which typically handles daily exchanges in fuel, food and household goods, is now left paralyzed. Local traders said 90 percent of goods in Taftan typically come from Iran.
“With the border closed, no goods are arriving [from Iran] ... Local traders with Pakistani passports can’t enter Iran, and Iranian passport holders can only reach the border and return,” said Hajji Shaukat Ali, an importer of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).
“This is hurting local businesses and traders. For us, as major LPG gas traders, some of our vehicles are stuck en route and won’t be able to reach us now.”
Ahmed said they were losing approximately Rs20,000 ($70) per truck daily while facing critical shortages of essential supplies.
“We’re managing with what we have, but it’s tough,” he added.
Islamabad rejects Indian media claims about Pakistan requesting truce in last month’s conflict
- Indian media outlets this week reported that Islamabad requested a ceasefire after India struck key Pakistani air bases last month
- The nuclear-armed neighbors traded drone, missile and artillery strikes in their worst conflict in decades before a US-brokered truce
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign office on Saturday rejected Indian media reports about Pakistan requesting a ceasefire with New Delhi during their four-day military standoff last month.
Citing Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Indian media outlets this week reported that it was Islamabad that requested a ceasefire after India had hit key Pakistani air bases last month.
Pakistan and India last month traded fighter jet, missile, drone and artillery strikes after weeks of tensions between them over an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir.
Responding to Indian media reports, the Pakistani foreign office said friendly states, including Saudi Arabia and the United States, played a crucial role in facilitating last month’s ceasefire.
“The sequence of events clearly demonstrates that Pakistan did not initiate or ask anyone for a ceasefire but agreed to it when around 0815 am on 10th May 2025, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the DPM/FM, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, and informed that India is ready to ceasefire if Pakistan is willing,” it said.
“The DPM/FM confirmed Pakistan’s acceptance and later around 9 am Saudi FM Prince Faisal also called DPM/FM and informed the same about India and sought same confirmation which Secretary of State Marco Rubio had sought earlier.”
Pakistan and India have fought multiple wars since their independence from British rule in 1947. Two of the wars were over the disputed region of Kashmir, which both claim in full but rule in part.
Last month’s conflict came days after New Delhi blamed Pakistan for the deadly attack that killed 26 tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22. Islamabad denied any involvement.
Pakistan recommends Trump for Nobel Peace Prize for defusing conflict with India
- Trump complained he had been overlooked by Nobel committee for his mediating role in India-Pakistan conflict
- The US president predicted that Washington will be able to negotiate trade deals with both India and Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani government has decided to formally recommend United States (US) President Donald Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for his “decisive diplomatic intervention” during last month’s India-Pakistan military standoff, it said on Saturday.
The statement came after Trump took credit for a peace deal negotiated in Washington between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda and complained he had been overlooked by the Norwegian Nobel Committee for his mediating role in conflicts between India and Pakistan, as well as Serbia and Kosovo.
Trump campaigned for office as a “peacemaker” who would use his negotiating skills to quickly end wars in Ukraine and Gaza, although both conflicts are still raging five months into his presidency. Indian officials have denied that he had any role in its ceasefire with Pakistan.
In a post on X, the Pakistani government said President Trump demonstrated “great strategic foresight and stellar statesmanship” through robust diplomatic engagement with both Islamabad and New Delhi which de-escalated a rapidly deteriorating situation last month.
“This intervention stands as a testament to his role as a genuine peacemaker and his commitment to conflict resolution through dialogue,” it said, appreciating Trump’s efforts that ultimately secured a ceasefire and averted a broader conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.
The military standoff was triggered by a militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that New Delhi blamed on Pakistan. Islamabad denied complicity.
The four-day standoff had raised fears of wider conflict between the South Asian rivals who have fought multiple wars, including two over the disputed region of Kashmir. Trump also offered trade with Pakistan and India, and to mediate the Kashmir dispute between the neighbors.
On Friday, the US president predicted that Washington will be able to negotiate trade deals with both India and Pakistan.
“We did a very great job with India and Pakistan, and we had India in, and it looks like we’re going to be making a trade deal with India,” he told reporters in New Jersey.
“And we had Pakistan in, and it looks like we’re going to be making a trade deal with Pakistan. And it’s a beautiful thing to watch.”
The Pakistani government said it acknowledged and admired Trump’s offers to help resolve the longstanding Kashmir dispute that lies at the “heart of regional instability.”
“Durable peace in South Asia would remain elusive until the implementation of United Nations Security Council resolutions concerning Jammu and Kashmir,” it said.
Islamabad hoped that Trump’s legacy of “pragmatic diplomacy and effective peace-building” will continue and help resolve various ongoing crises in the Middle East.
“Pakistan remains hopeful that his earnest efforts will continue to contribute toward regional and global stability, particularly in the context of ongoing crises in the Middle East, including the humanitarian tragedy unfolding in Gaza and the deteriorating escalation involving Iran,” the government added.
