Author: bilal

Belarus is gripped by mass protests, triggered by an election widely believed to have been rigged in favour of the long-time leader Alexander Lukashenko. Almost 700 protesters were detained on 6th September during their protest. Strong rage were recorded in general public as they believe that the elections were not fair and transparent. The number of protesters were astonishing for Belarus Goverment. Roughly there were more than 100,000 people who came out against the government. On the night after the election, violent clashes led to 3,000 arrests in Minsk and other cities. Police fired tear gas, rubber bullets and stun…

MULTAN: Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi said revised agreements with Independent Power Plants on new tariff of electricity would surely facilitate masses. The agreements are almost in final stages and fruit would be shifted toward masses soon, stated Foreign Minister while laying ground breaking of 132KV grid station at Fatima Jinnah Town, here on Sunday. The minister observed that the incumbent government of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf engaged IPPs for revising the electricity tariff. When there will be low tariff, it will surely put break on increasing electricity bills and facilitate masses, stated Qureshi. In past, costly agreements were made with…

The recommendations to resume educational activities would be sent to the National Command Operation Centre (NCOC) for further deliberations among all the stakeholders. The meeting was set to also focus on finalising the standard operating procedures (SOPs) in this regard. Educational institutes across Pakistan had been shut down back on March 13 in a bid to curb the spread of the deadly coronavirus. The Single National Curriculum (SNC), a short curriculum for the current academic year, examinations in 2021, and establishment of anti-harassment bodies in the provinces were also on the meeting’s agenda. A discussion on the transition plans related…

Foreign Minister Qureshi expressed satisfaction at the successful holding of the Second Review meeting of Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS) in Kabul recently. He emphasized that the positive momentum after the APAPPS should be followed up by implementing all its decisions. Both sides agreed that APAPPS provides a comprehensive and pertinent forum to address all issues on key tracks of the bilateral relations. Highlighting Pakistan’s contribution towards economic development in Afghanistan, Foreign Minister Qureshi expressed the hope that necessary steps will be taken to operationalize Ghulam Khan border terminal for Afghan transit trade, which would further facilitate…

Diplomat of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Nawaf bin Saeed Ahmed Al-Malki paid a politeness approach Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi. Foreign Minister Qureshi underlined profound established noteworthy and intimate ties among Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. The Foreign Minister additionally featured the Kingdom’s customary position of authority in Muslim Ummah. He broadened great wishes about the soundness of His Majesty King Salman receptacle Abdulaziz Al-Saud. The Foreign Minister denounced assaults by Houthi Militia of Saudi Arabia and called for stoppage of such assaults right away. He emphasized Pakistan’s help and solidarity with Saudi Arabia against any dangers to its security…

COVID-19 has accelerated shifting dynamics in EU-China relations. Initially planned for March 2020, the 22nd annual EU-China Summit was held by video-link on June 22 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This was the second EU-China summit after the March 2019 publication of the European Commission’s paper “EU-China – A strategic outlook,” which labeled China as a “systemic rival.” The paper recognized that “the balance of challenges and opportunities presented by China has shifted” and pointed out that China promoted “alternative models of governance” to those of the EU. The paper also listed a number of other concerns including, inter alia,…

Islamabad needs both Riyadh and Beijing for its domestic as well as foreign imperatives. Just before leaving for China last week on a two day official visit to attend the second round of the China-Pakistan Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi termed his visit “important“and that he had a discussion with Prime Minister Imran Khan before leaving. The visit came just days after Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa and the ISI head General Faiz Hameed were denied an audience with Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman during their visit to the Kingdom. The COAS and…

US officials announced Tuesday that the first commercial flight between Israel and the United Arab Emirates is scheduled for next week, carrying American and Israeli delegations to Abu Dhabi after the two countries agreed to normalize relations. The flight, likely on an Israeli El Al airliner, would carry a US delegation headed by US President Donald Trump’s senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner and National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien, the officials said. The Prime Minister’s Office said the flight would depart this coming Monday and that the Israeli delegation would be led by National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat. Also taking…

ISLAMABAD: Emphasising the need for more cooperation between China and Pakistan in all fields, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday asked Chinese entrepreneurs to establish their regional offices in Pakistan. “Chinese business houses should establish their regional offices in Pakistan,” the prime minister said while chairing a meeting with a delegation of 10 leading Chinese companies undertaking business ventures in critical sectors, including energy, communication, agriculture, science and technology, financial sector and industry. The prime minister, while welcoming the representatives of leading Chinese companies, stated that Pakistan accorded great importance to strengthening its relations with China.

A Taliban Political Commission (TPC) delegation, headed by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, called on Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi today. During the meeting, views were exchanged on the current status of the Afghan peace process and the way forward. Welcoming the delegation, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi underscored Prime Minister Imran Khan’s consistent stance that there was no military solution to the conflict in Afghanistan and that a political settlement was the only way forward. Highlighting Pakistan’s positive contribution to the peace and reconciliation process, culminating in the U.S.-Taliban Peace Agreement in Doha on 29 February 2020, the Foreign…