Pakistan’s FM tells interim administration in Kabul his country committed to peaceful Afghanistan

In this file photo, taken on September 27, 2022, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari speaks during an interview at the Embassy of Pakistan in Washington, DC. (Photo courtesy: AFP/File)
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Updated 15 April 2023
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Pakistan’s FM tells interim administration in Kabul his country committed to peaceful Afghanistan

  • Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari spoke to his counterpart, Amir Khan Muttaqi, and discussed a whole spectrum of issues
  • The phone call was held after Pakistan pledged to continue intelligence-based operations against militant outfits

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari assured the interim Taliban administration in Kabul of his country’s commitment to the peace and stability of their country in a phone call held on Saturday.

Bhutto-Zardari spoke to his counterpart, the acting Afghan minister for foreign affairs, Amir Khan Muttaqi, and discussed a wide spectrum of issues.

Pakistan has tried to convince the international community to constructively engage the new rulers of Afghanistan while also making an effort to persuade officials in Kabul to respect the rights of Afghan citizens.

“Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari held a telephone conversation with Acting Afghan Minister for Foreign Affairs, Amir Khan Muttaqi, today,” said the foreign office in a brief statement. “They discussed a range of issues of mutual interest. The Foreign Minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to a stable, peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan.”

The phone call was held only days after several regional countries shared Pakistan’s concern over militant presence in Afghanistan during a ministerial conference in Samarkand.

The participants of the gathering maintained that “terrorism-related security situation in Afghanistan was still severe” and promised to enhance cooperation among themselves to “develop a united front against terrorism.”

They also named several militant entities, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and Baloch Liberation Army, while pointing out that their continued presence in Afghanistan posed “a serious threat to regional and global security.”

Pakistan, which has witnessed a surge in militant attacks since last November, has already taken up the issue with the Taliban administration in Afghanistan, asking its leaders not to allow their soil to be used by these groups against other countries.

Pakistan’s defense minister Khawaja Asif recently warned the Afghan Taliban that his country would even strike at militant hideouts in the neighboring state if the administration in Kabul was not able to deal with anti-Pakistan elements within its borders.

Bhutto-Zardari’s conversation with the acting Afghan foreign minister also took place when Pakistan’s military has pledged to continue with intelligence-based operations against militant groups operating in the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan that share a porous border with Afghanistan.


Pakistan PM stresses raising awareness to break stigma, curb infections on World Hepatitis Day 

Updated 6 sec ago
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Pakistan PM stresses raising awareness to break stigma, curb infections on World Hepatitis Day 

  • Almost 12 million people in Pakistan are suffering from hepatitis B or C infections, says WHO
  • Infections are particularly high in rural areas due to poor control practices, says Shehbaz Sharif

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday stressed the need to raise awareness against hepatitis to break the stigma surrounding the disease and prevent new infections, as the world marks World Hepatitis Day today. 

Every year on July 28 the international community marks World Hepatitis Day to raise awareness about the importance of stepping up national and international efforts against the disease, encourage actions and engagement by individuals, partners and the public. 

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), almost 12 million people in Pakistan are suffering from hepatitis B or C. Each year brings about 150,000 new cases of the disease. Major risk factors for the transmission of hepatitis B and C infection include therapeutic injections, syringe reuse, surgery, improper sterilization of invasive medical devices, blood transfusion, hospitalization and sharing of razors from barbers. 

“Raising awareness about hepatitis is essential not only to break the stigma surrounding this disease but also to prevent new infections and ensure timely treatment for those affected,” Sharif was quoted as saying by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). 

The prime minister noted that the risk for hepatitis infections is particularly high in rural and under-resourced areas due to poor infection control practices.
He said the government is taking concrete measures against the disease, which includes a national program that has already been launched to eliminate hepatitis C.

“The goal is to screen over 165 million people and provide free treatment to all positive cases by 2030,” Sharif said. “This is a national movement that reflects our collective commitment to protecting lives and securing the future.”

Sharif called for encouraging people to get tested for hepatitis, seek medical advice and not refrain from treatment due to fear or stigma. He said Pakistan’s health care professionals, researchers and frontline workers are working tirelessly to curb the disease.

“On this day, we renew our collective responsibility to build a healthy, safe, and hepatitis-free Pakistan,” he concluded. 

In a separate message, President Asif Ali Zardari said viral hepatitis continues to pose a public health challenge for Pakistan. He noted that millions of people in the country are silently suffering due to late diagnosis, lack of awareness and inadequate health care services.

“He said we must implement comprehensive strategies that combine mass awareness campaigns, effective vaccination drives, timely screening and access to treatment,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported.


Pakistan launches week-long polio vaccination drive in Balochistan amid spike in cases

Updated 43 min 47 sec ago
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Pakistan launches week-long polio vaccination drive in Balochistan amid spike in cases

  • Drive aims to vaccinate over 500,000 children up to the age of five against poliovirus, says state broadcaster
  • Pakistan reported three new polio cases on Sunday, two from northwestern KP province and one from Sindh 

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani authorities will launch a week-long polio vaccination campaign in the country’s southwestern Balochistan province today, Monday, amid a fresh spike in cases of the infection. 

According to state broadcaster Radio Pakistan, the vaccination drive will begin in “sensitive union councils” across Balochistan on Monday to target children under the age of five.

“According to Provincial Polio Emergency Operation Center, more than five hundred thousand children up to the age of five will be vaccinated,” Radio Pakistan said. 

It said the campaign will cover 123 “high-risk” union councils including those in the provincial capital of Quetta, Pishin, Chaman, Dera Bugti, Duki, Zhob and Killa Abdullah districts. 

The polio drive takes place a day after Pakistan’s National Emergencies Operation Center reported three fresh cases of the disease, taking the total tally of polio cases this year to 17. Two of the cases were reported in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province while the third case was reported from the country’s southern Sindh province. 

Polio is a highly infectious viral disease that primarily affects young children and can cause permanent paralysis. There is no cure, but it can be prevented through multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine and a complete routine immunization schedule, experts say.

Pakistan, one of only two countries in the world where polio remains endemic, the other being neighboring Afghanistan, has made significant gains in recent decades. Annual cases have fallen dramatically from an estimated 20,000 in the early 1990s to single digits by 2018.

However, the country has witnessed a worrying resurgence recently. Pakistan reported 74 cases in 2024, raising alarms among health officials and global partners supporting the eradication campaign. In contrast, only six cases were recorded in 2023 and just one in 2021.

Despite decades of effort, Pakistan’s polio eradication drive has faced persistent challenges, including misinformation about vaccines and resistance from conservative religious and militant groups who view immunization campaigns with suspicion.

Some clerics have claimed the vaccines are a Western conspiracy to sterilize Muslim children or part of intelligence operations.

Vaccination teams and police providing security have also been targeted in militant attacks, particularly in remote and conflict-affected areas of KP and Balochistan. These threats have at times forced the suspension of campaigns and restricted access to vulnerable populations.


Pakistan hopes for ‘meaningful outcomes’ ahead of high-level UN summit on Palestine today 

Updated 58 min 14 sec ago
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Pakistan hopes for ‘meaningful outcomes’ ahead of high-level UN summit on Palestine today 

  • Saudi Arabia, France to co-chair UN summit seeking peaceful settlement of Middle East crisis involving Palestine
  • High-level conference will convene foreign ministers and diplomats from dozens of countries around the world 

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has expressed the hope for achieving “meaningful outcomes” ahead of a high-level United Nations summit on Palestine scheduled to convene today, Monday, at New York. 

The event — officially titled the High-Level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution — will be co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France from July 28-29. The conference arrives amid worsening humanitarian conditions in Gaza and a historic diplomatic shift: France’s decision to formally recognize Palestine as a state.

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed over 57,000 Palestinians since October 7, 2023. The conference takes place a day after Israel declared a “tactical pause” in fighting in parts of Gaza on Sunday and said it would allow the UN and aid agencies to open secure land routes to tackle a deepening hunger crisis.

Dar spoke to Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Sunday to discuss the “grave” humanitarian situation in Gaza impacting millions of Palestinians, Pakistan’s foreign office said on Sunday. 

“He expressed the hope of achieving meaningful outcomes from the high-level international conference on Palestine and implementation of the two-state solution scheduled to be held in New York tomorrow,” the foreign office said. 

The two diplomats also exchanged views about a “high-level visit” to Pakistan in the near future, the statement said without elaborating further. 

One of the most consequential developments ahead of the conference is French President Emmanuel Macron’s July 24 announcement that France will formally recognize Palestine, with the official declaration to be made at the UN General Assembly in September.

Analysts say France’s move could tip the balance internationally. Already, 147 of 193 UN member states — nearly 75 percent — recognize Palestine, including nearly all of Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East. France would be the first G7 country to join that group. The US, Canada, Australia, Germany, and the UK still do not, citing the need for direct negotiations with Israel.

The conference will convene foreign ministers and diplomats from dozens of countries and will build upon the work of eight working groups, each focusing on areas such as security, humanitarian aid, and post-war reconstruction.

A follow-up summit is planned in September at the UN General Assembly, to be co-chaired by President Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.


Pakistan PM orders special flight arrangements for pilgrims’ travel to Iran, Iraq

Updated 28 July 2025
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Pakistan PM orders special flight arrangements for pilgrims’ travel to Iran, Iraq

  • The directives come after Islamabad suspended road travel to these countries citing security concerns
  • Thousands of Pakistanis, mainly Shia Muslims, travel to Iran, Iraq and Syria annually to visit holy sites

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has asked authorities to make special flight arrangements to facilitate Pakistani pilgrims’ travel to Iran and Iraq, Pakistani state media reported on Sunday.

The development came hours after Pakistan suspended road travel to Iran and Iraq for the Arbaeen pilgrimage this year, citing public safety and national security concerns.

Thousands of Pakistanis travel to Iran and Iraq annually to visit religious sites, including observing Arbaeen (Arabic for “forty”), a significant religious occasion in Shia Islam that marks the end of a 40-day mourning period for Imam Hussain, who was “martyred” in the Battle of Karbala in 680 AD.

On Sunday, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met with PM Sharif and briefed him regarding the new policy for Pakistani Shia pilgrims’ travel to Iran and Iraq, the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) news agency reported.

“The prime minister directed the Minister for Aviation to arrange special flights for the zaireen (pilgrims),” the report read.

Pakistanis traveling to Iran and Iraq via road have often been targeted in sectarian attacks by armed groups in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province, which shares border with Iran.

Islamabad’s decision to restrict road travel came in the wake of a rise in militant attacks in the province by ethnic Baloch militant groups who demand a greater share of the province’s mineral resources from Islamabad.

“After extensive consultations with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Balochistan Government, and security agencies, it has been decided that zaireen will not be allowed to travel to Iraq and Iran by road for Arbaeen this year,” Naqvi wrote on X.

The Pakistani government is also introducing a new, centralized system for organizing pilgrimages to holy sites in Iran and Iraq that would require interested parties to register as tour operators, the Pakistani religious affairs minister announced this month.

The statement followed an announcement by Naqvi that Pakistani pilgrims would not be able to individually travel for religious pilgrimages from Jan. 1 next year. The decision was made after Iran, Iraq and Syria raised concerns with Islamabad about some of these Pakistani pilgrims overstaying their visas or working illegally in the host countries.

Pakistan previously had no formal structure for people to travel to Iran and Iraq for religious purposes. Although a system was approved in 2021 to organize these pilgrimages, but little progress was made on its implementation.


Pakistan, China discuss progress of CPEC projects, connectivity with Central Asia

Updated 27 July 2025
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Pakistan, China discuss progress of CPEC projects, connectivity with Central Asia

  • CPEC is a major segment of China’s Belt and Road Initiative that aims to build land and maritime trade routes linking Asia with Africa and Europe
  • Pakistan Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal says connecting Central Asian states with CPEC will contribute to regional stability and economic cooperation

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal has met China’s Ambassador to Pakistan Jiang Zaidong and discussed progress of ongoing China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects and linking the corridor with Central Asian states for greater regional connectivity and economic stability, Pakistan’s Press Information Department (PID) said on Sunday.

Since 2013, Beijing has invested tens of billions of dollars in energy and infrastructure projects in Pakistan as part of CPEC, a major segment of China’s Belt and Road Initiative that aims to build land and maritime trade routes linking Asia with Africa and Europe.

In May, Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed to the expansion of CPEC to Afghanistan after the recent trilateral meeting in Beijing, while Pakistani and Chinese leaders have invited Central Asian republics in recent years to join CPEC to enhance regional connectivity and economic cooperation.

At the meeting in Islamabad, both Pakistani and Chinese officials discussed the progress of ongoing CPEC projects and preparations for the upcoming Pakistan-China Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) meeting, where key decisions are expected to be made.

“Connecting CPEC to Central Asian states will contribute to regional economic stability and economic cooperation,” Iqbal said as he reiterated his government’s commitment to ensuring security of CPEC projects, according to PID.

Despite massive Chinese investments, Pakistan has struggled to keep up its financial obligations regarding CPEC, while the undertaking has also been hit by militant attacks in recent years.

Iqbal previously said the two sides will hold the JCC meeting at the end of July, at which they will approve roadmap for CPEC’s Phase 2. The next phase would be based on five corridors, relating to growth, innovation, livelihoods, green energy, and open and inclusive development in the region, he told reporters at a briefing in Islamabad last month.

Speaking at Sunday’s meeting, he said the development of Gwadar port, which lies at the heart of CPEC in Pakistan’s Balochistan, and Special Economic Zones was top priority of his government.
“The government is committed to fully capitalizing on the port’s trade potential,” he said.

During the meeting, Ambassador Jiang reaffirmed China’s commitment to supporting Pakistan’s development efforts, according to PID.
“He assured that bilateral cooperation will continue to expand in the coming years,” it said.