DHAKA — Holders of diplomatic and official passports from Bangladesh and Pakistan will no longer need visas to travel between the two countries, officials said on Thursday. The Advisory Council of Bangladesh’s interim administration, led by Muhammad Yunus, approved a mutual visa exemption agreement, his press secretary Shafiqul Alam told a news conference in Dhaka. […]
Asia
Pakistan Supreme Court grants bail to Imran Khan in May 9 violence cases
ISLAMABAD — The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Thursday (August 21, 2025) granted bail to incarcerated former Prime Minister Imran Khan in eight cases related to the May 9 violence. Imran Khan’s supporters resorted to vandalism and violence on May 9, 2023, after he was detained by law enforcement authorities in Islamabad. Several cases were […]
Iran-Israel conflict raises alarm in Pakistan amid fears over own security
ISLAMABAD — In January 2024, Pakistan and Iran fired missiles into each other’s territory in a brief military escalation between the neighbours. Yet 17 months later, after Israel attacked Iran with strikes on the latter’s nuclear facilities, and assassinated multiple Iranian generals and nuclear scientists, Pakistan was quick to condemn the Israeli action. Islamabad described […]
Pakistan says it shot down 12 Indian drones and 1 attacked military target
LAHORE — Pakistan’s air defense system shot down a dozen Indian drones overnight, as one attacked a military target near the eastern city of Lahore, causing damage and wounding soldiers, officials said Thursday. It follows Indian missile strikes on Pakistani locations that killed 31 civilians a day earlier, including women and children, according to officials. […]
Dozens killed as India, Pakistan clash in worst violence in decades
MUZAFFARABAD — India and Pakistan exchanged heavy artillery fire along their contested frontier on Wednesday after New Delhi launched deadly missile strikes on its arch-rival, in the worst violence between the nuclear-armed neighbours in two decades. At least 34 deaths were reported, with Islamabad saying 26 civilians were killed by the Indian strikes and firing […]
India strikes Pakistan over Kashmir tourist killings
MUZAFFARABAD/NEW DELHI — India attacked Pakistan and Pakistani Kashmir on Wednesday and Pakistan said it had shot down five Indian fighter jets in the worst fighting in more than two decades between the nuclear-armed enemies. India said it struck nine Pakistani “terrorist infrastructure” sites, some of them linked to an attack by Islamist militants on […]
Pakistan shuts ports for Indian ships after Delhi bans imports from Islamabad
ISLAMABAD — Pakistan has banned Indian-flagged ships from entering its ports with immediate effect after New Delhi imposed fresh punitive measures, including a ban on the import of goods and entry of Pakistani vessels into its ports, against Islamabad amid heightened tensions following the Pahalgam terror attack. India on Saturday, 3 May, imposed a ban […]
Pakistan urges Muslim countries to impress upon India to de-escalate tensions
ISLAMABAD — Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Friday urged brotherly countries, including Saudi Arabia, to impress upon India to de-escalate and defuse tensions heightened after the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people. Sharif separately met Saudi Ambassador Nawaf bin Saeed Al-Maliky, UAE Ambassador Hamad Obaid Al-Zaabi and Kuwait Ambassador Nasser Abdulrahman Jasser in Islamabad when […]
Pahalgam attack: US urges India, Pakistan to de-escalate tensions
NEW DELHI — The US has urged India and Pakistan to de-escalate their tensions over the Pahalgam terror attack as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held separate phone conversations with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to emphasise on avoiding further escalation. In his phone conversation with Jaishankar on […]
Imran Khan terms Pahalgam attack ‘deeply disturbing and tragic’
LAHORE — Pakistan’s incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan on Tuesday termed the Pahalgam terror attack “deeply disturbing and tragic” while saying that India needs to act responsibly. “Loss of human life in Pahalgam incident is deeply disturbing and tragic. I extend my deepest condolences to the victims and their families,” Khan said on his […]