Turkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has confirmed that the three-way security pact linking Ankara, Islamabad and Riyadh now carries a new title, the Makkah Defence Alliance. He added that a Pakistani official will take on the role of the alliance’s first secretary general. The announcement came during a press briefing following the opening session of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee, a body created under the original tripartite arrangement, held in Istanbul. Fidan noted that the alliance’s secretariat will be headquartered in Riyadh. The grouping was initially known as the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement before this rebranding. Expansion Plans for…
Author: Web Desk
Pakistan has secured a significant legal victory after the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague issued a ruling directing India to pause construction on key hydroelectric projects and continue honoring the Indus Waters Treaty. The decision marks a turning point in the long-running dispute over India’s unilateral move to suspend the decades-old water-sharing agreement. According to the court, the treaty between India and Pakistan has never actually lapsed, since India failed to present any valid grounds for halting or terminating it. This Indus Waters Treaty ruling effectively rejects New Delhi’s position and reaffirms Islamabad’s water rights under the pact.…
The Sindh Assembly resolution against the division of Sindh has triggered a fresh political debate, with critics questioning the motives behind the move. The resolution called for any decision concerning the division of Sindh to be taken through the provincial assembly. The issue was accompanied by passionate speeches and slogans in the Sindh Assembly, turning the matter into a major political discussion. Critics argue that such political rhetoric risks diverting public attention from the governance and economic challenges facing the country. Sindh Assembly Resolution and Political Debate The Sindh Assembly resolution has brought the question of Sindh’s political and administrative…
The Foreign Office confirmed on Sunday that the first session of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee, formed under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, is set to take place in Istanbul on Monday. This announcement followed a Reuters report, sourced from a Turkish foreign ministry official, indicating that senior representatives from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye would convene in Istanbul for the committee’s inaugural session, tied to the joint defence pact the three countries signed earlier this month. Pakistan’s Delegation and Meeting Details Per the Foreign Office statement, Pakistan’s delegation will include Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar,…
Pakistan are considering significant squad changes and shifts within the coaching setup ahead of the third and final Test against England, following a heavy 194-run defeat at Lord’s, sources said on Monday. England sealed the result on the fourth day of the second Test at Lord’s on Sunday, taking an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. The series concludes at Edgbaston Cricket Ground in Birmingham, with the final Test scheduled from September 9 to 13. An emergency meeting was reportedly convened at the team hotel shortly after the loss, where officials discussed potential Pakistan squad changes ahead of the…
Security forces eliminated two terrorists linked to Fitna al-Hindustan during an intelligence-based operation in the Washuk district of Balochistan, security sources confirmed on Monday. The operation took place in the Palantak area of Washuk and formed part of the broader Operation Rad-ul-Fitna, an ongoing campaign targeting India-sponsored militants active across the province, sources added. Militants Linked to Earlier Attacks Officials said the two terrorists killed in Washuk had been involved in previous attacks on the Mashkel police station as well as a local Customs House. During the raid, security personnel destroyed the militants’ vehicle and recovered weapons and ammunition from…
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has begun a three-day official trip to Kyrgyzstan starting Monday, accepting an invitation extended by Kyrgyz President Sadyr Nurgozhoevich Zhaparov, according to a statement from Pakistan’s Foreign Office. Running from August 31 to September 2, the Shehbaz Sharif Kyrgyzstan visit centers on his attendance at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s Council of Heads of State meeting, alongside a series of bilateral discussions in the Kyrgyz Republic. Delegation and Key Engagements The prime minister is traveling with a delegation that includes Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan, Communication Minister Abdul Aleem…
Iran confirmed on Monday that it launched strikes against American military installations in Jordan, escalating a conflict that has now stretched past the six-month mark. The move came in direct response to fresh US military action on Iranian soil, the first such strikes in nearly a month. According to Tehran’s Revolutionary Guards, ballistic missiles were fired at two US-linked air bases inside Jordan, resulting in what officials described as substantial damage. Jordanian military authorities confirmed intercepting eight incoming missiles but did not identify who launched them. Iran Attacks US Bases in Jordan: Wider Regional Fallout The Revolutionary Guards also claimed…
The Bank of Punjab (BOP) has posted its best-ever half-year operating results, with the bank’s operating profit for 2026 climbing 67 percent year on year to Rs22.5 billion in the six months ending June 30. The strong showing was accompanied by the bank’s highest-ever interim cash dividend, set at 16 percent. Net interest income for the period rose 29 percent to Rs46.1 billion, while non-markup income, excluding one-off gains, jumped 61 percent to Rs11.9 billion. BOP’s Board of Directors reviewed and approved the unaudited figures, which the bank credited to steady business growth, tighter cost controls, and a more diversified…
Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States, Rizwan Saeed Sheikh, has pushed back against India’s characterization of the Indus Waters Treaty as a lopsided arrangement, arguing that New Delhi has misrepresented the pact’s origins, framework, and intent. His remarks appeared in an opinion piece published by Newsweek. Sheikh wrote that India has repeated this narrative more frequently since announcing in April 2025 that it would hold the Indus Waters Treaty “in abeyance,” a move he described as an attempt to justify, after the fact, a step that has no grounding in either the treaty text or international law. He pointed out…
