Malik Waqar Ahmed

ISLAMABAD: More than 30 presidents of women&#39;s chambers of commerce gathered in the capital for a two-day conference aimed at expanding opportunities for women&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistan-offers-major-investment-opportunities-for-us-entrepreneurs-ambassador-says" target="_blank" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" rel="noopener noreferrer">entrepreneurs</a>&nbsp;across Pakistan. The 4th All Pakistan Women Chambers Presidents International Conference centered on capacity building, financial inclusion, and market access for women-led enterprises. It was organized by the Islamabad Women&#39;s Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Industries and Production Haroon Akhtar Khan inaugurated the event, stating that women are <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistans-powerhouses-the-women-who-owned-2025" target="_blank" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" rel="noopener noreferrer">reshaping Pakistan</a>&#39;s economy by entering new sectors, creating jobs, and strengthening household incomes. &quot;Women-led enterprises are no longer confined to micro or informal activities,&quot; the special assistant said. &ldquo;They are increasingly visible in manufacturing, services, information technology, agribusiness, and exports.&rdquo; Haroon Khan mentioned that this shift is altering market dynamics and how families cope with inflation, rising energy costs, and slow growth. He observed a clear move from survival-based businesses to growth-oriented firms led by educated women utilizing digital platforms and formal banking channels. The special assistant highlighted that official data indicate increased women&#39;s participation in small and medium enterprises over the past decade. However, policy gaps and limited access to finance still restrict scaling and productivity. He emphasized unlocking women&#39;s potential as essential for maintaining economic growth under fiscal pressure. Women entrepreneurs are helping diversify exports through value-added products in textiles, food processing, and digital services, reducing dependency on a few commodities and bolstering foreign exchange earnings. Haroon Khan pointed to recent initiatives aimed at easing business registration, expanding credit guarantees, and connecting women-owned firms to public procurement. He noted that firms led by women tend to be more resilient during economic shocks. He also acknowledged that despite policy announcements, access to affordable credit remains limited. Chamber representatives reported that high interest rates, collateral requirements, and delays in bank approvals continue to exclude many capable businesses. The Vice President of the Islamabad Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Rabia Farhan, mentioned that the country&rsquo;s central bank&#39;s loan programs are currently paused. Previously, a special women&#39;s grant with only a 5% markup was available. <img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/565084e1-6c1e-4bfd-86ab-7f2912791d7e-80463ddd-6664-419d-a8c0-8e715ce96a4d.jpg" alt="80463ddd-6664-419d-a8c0-8e715ce96a4d.jpg" class="fr-fil fr-dib"><figcaption class="caption-cover-image text-sm text-gray-600 italic">A participant speaking at the 4th All Pakistan Women Chambers Presidents International Conference held in Islamabad, January 19, 2026.</figcaption> Meanwhile, Naima Ansari, Senior Vice President of the Pakistan-Azerbaijan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the Islamabad location offers direct access to government agencies and regulatory bodies, facilitating networking opportunities. Shabista Bakhtiyar, President of the Women&rsquo;s Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Karachi, discussed the importance of safe workplaces and increased participation in policy-making. &quot;Women need comfortable, safe, and healthy environments,&quot; Bakhtiyar said. &quot;They require spaces where they can work freely and be more deeply involved in policy-making.&quot; Other speakers included Islamabad Women Chamber of Commerce &amp; Industry Founder President Samina Fazil, Azerbaijan Ambassador Khazar Farhadov, Securities and Exchange Commission Commissioner Muzaffar Mirza, Deputy Director DGTO Pir Shah Gul, and Secretary General of UBG Zafar Bakhtawri.

Economy

More than 30 women chambers presidents met in Islamabad to discuss capacity building, financial inclusion and market access, highlighting women-led enterprises’ growing role in Pakistan’s economy amid economic challenges nationwide.

Women entrepreneurs target exports and tech at Islamabad summit

ISLAMABAD: The aroma of freshly cooked chicken and rice drifts through a parking lot as a brightly colored van pulls up near PIMS Hospital. Within minutes, a line forms, delivery riders still wearing helmets, security guards on lunch breaks, day laborers with dust clinging to their clothes.&nbsp;They are not waiting for charity. They are customers at Islamabad&rsquo;s most unusual restaurant: The Food ATM.&nbsp;For just Rs100 [$0.36], barely enough to buy a cup of tea elsewhere, they receive steaming plates of home-cooked meals that would cost three times as much at a street vendor. But this mobile kitchen serves something more valuable than food: self-respect.&nbsp;&ldquo;We charge a minimum price so no one&rsquo;s dignity is compromised,&rdquo; Tehreem Zakia, the young woman who founded Food ATM, told Pakistan TV Digital. &ldquo;We want to eradicate the dependency culture in Pakistan.&rdquo;&nbsp;In a country where many families face economic challenges, the model offers a positive alternative, providing affordable meals while encouraging self-reliance and preserving dignity by turning beneficiaries into valued patrons.&nbsp;Saddam Hussain, a delivery rider who stops by regularly, still marvels at the value.&nbsp;&ldquo;You get nothing for Rs100 these days,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;A normal meal costs Rs330 to Rs350 now. But this, excellent food for Rs100.&rdquo;&nbsp;The menu rotates daily, pushing back against the monotony of poverty. Fridays bring chicken rice with dessert, while Mondays feature bread and curry. Each day offers a small surprise, a modest luxury for people accustomed to skipping meals.&nbsp;Behind the counter, young women work swiftly, serving portions with easy smiles. University student Hoorain Mariam joined as a volunteer on her first day, inspired by watching senior students lead the effort.&nbsp;&ldquo;I&rsquo;m very passionate about working with them and serving humanity,&rdquo; she said, her eyes bright with purpose.&nbsp;The van follows a daily route through Islamabad, PIMS Hospital, the Blue Area, and neighborhoods where working people gather. Since its launch, Food ATM has served more than 49,000 meals, powered entirely by student volunteers and small donations.&nbsp;Operating in memory of Rakhshanda Memorial, these young women are doing more than feeding the hungry. They are quietly rewriting the rules of charity, proving that dignity matters as much as sustenance.&nbsp;As Hussain finishes his meal and returns to his motorcycle, he waves. Tomorrow, he will be back, not as a beggar, but as a customer.

Culture

Young women in Islamabad combat poverty with dignity, serving affordable Rs100 meals that transform charity into empowerment, restoring self-respect for thousands of working people daily.

Meals on wheels: Mobile kitchen feeds thousands for Rs100 a meal   

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s senior policymakers and business leaders underscored macroeconomic stability, reform momentum, and investment-focused governance at the Pakistan Policy Dialogue in Islamabad, positioning the forum as a signal of renewed economic confidence for international investors.&nbsp;Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said Pakistan had achieved macroeconomic stabilization and now needed growth led by the private sector.&nbsp;&ldquo;We are not talking about any other country,&rdquo; Dar said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re talking about Pakistan.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Macroeconomic stability in the country,&rdquo; the deputy PM said, citing lower interest rates, improved export financing and rising foreign exchange reserves.&nbsp;He added that while the International Monetary Fund (IMF) program are &ldquo;generally anti-growth,&rdquo; the government&rsquo;s focus is now on sustaining stability and unlocking growth potential.&nbsp;The dialogue brought together federal ministers, economic advisers, corporate leaders and development experts to discuss reforms spanning exports, digital infrastructure, climate resilience and institutional strengthening.&nbsp;Khurram Schehzad, adviser to the finance minister, said the dominant sentiment at the forum was confidence tempered with realism.&nbsp;&ldquo;Everyone is confident, everyone is positive, and of course, at the same time, critical as well,&rdquo; Schehzad said, pointing to recent macroeconomic gains and reforms as key takeaways, talking to Pakistan TV Digital.&nbsp;Digital infrastructure and investor accessibility featured prominently in the discussions.&nbsp;Mujeeb Zahoor, managing director at S&amp;P Global, said sustained investment in connectivity and enabling policy frameworks was critical to attract global capital.&nbsp;He emphasized the need for regulations that allow institutional investors and private markets to participate more effectively in Pakistan&rsquo;s economy.&nbsp;Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said inclusive growth required a sharper focus on human capital, particularly youth and women.&nbsp;&ldquo;We have to empower our youth and women, the drivers of economic growth,&rdquo; Iqbal said, noting Pakistan&rsquo;s young demographic profile and low female workforce participation, talking to Pakistan TV Digital.&nbsp;Participants said the Dialogue reflected a broader effort to project policy continuity and reform discipline at a time when Pakistan is seeking long-term investment, export-led growth and resilience against economic and climate shocks.

Pakistan’s policymakers and business leaders highlighted macroeconomic stability, ongoing reforms and investment-led growth at the Islamabad Policy Dialogue, projecting renewed confidence, policy continuity and reform discipline to international investors

Pakistan leaders highlight stability, reforms at Islamabad policy dialogue

RAWALPINDI: For months, she told her family she was visiting a friend. Instead, she was slipping into a classroom, learning how to design logos for strangers thousands of miles away. The secret held until the day she earned her first $80.&nbsp;She showed the payment to her father.&nbsp;&ldquo;He didn&rsquo;t say anything at first,&rdquo; recalls the academy&rsquo;s founder, who watched the moment unfold. &ldquo;Then his expression changed. He gave permission. After that, he started telling the neighbors himself.&rdquo;&nbsp;That single transaction did what months of arguments could not.&nbsp;She isn&rsquo;t alone.&nbsp;When 28-year-old Haal-e-Noor arrives at the small skills center in densely populated Rawalpindi, after sunset, she is already exhausted. Tucked inside a crowded neighborhood of narrow streets and concrete homes, her day has been split between an eight-hour job and household responsibilities. Her feet ache. Her hands are sore. Still, she sits down in front of a computer, eyes locked onto the screen, carefully adjusting the colors of a logo.&nbsp;&ldquo;This course of mine is almost three months long. I&rsquo;ve completed half of it and there&rsquo;s a little time left,&rdquo; she tells Pakistan TV Digital, barely looking away. &ldquo;I chose graphic designing because I want to earn from home in the future. In my opinion, the international freelancing market is a huge source of income.&rdquo;<figure class="fr-media"><img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/665e4240-bc44-46ae-a013-34a778fbd8fa-1228f304-e2c9-4801-916e-0ca5cfff7f12.jpg" alt="1228f304-e2c9-4801-916e-0ca5cfff7f12.jpg" class="fr-fil fr-dib"><figcaption class="caption-cover-image text-sm text-gray-600 italic">Haal-e-Noor works on a design project during her evening class in Rawalpindi.</figcaption></figure> For Noor, this is not simply about mastering software. It is about autonomy. About earning her own money, making her own choices, and proving, to herself as much as to others, that her life does not have to be limited by expectation.&nbsp;She is one of hundreds of women enrolled at this tuition-free academy, where quiet transformations take place every evening. Some students arrive straight from college. Others rush in after work.A few are young mothers who study while their children sleep in the next room.&nbsp;In just two years, more than 600 women have passed through these classrooms. 60% are now earning on international freelancing platforms, designing logos for clients in New York, managing social media pages for businesses in London, and building websites for startups in Dubai.&nbsp;Yet the hardest lessons have little to do with design.&nbsp;&ldquo;Encouraging girls toward freelancing is the most difficult part,&rdquo; says Areeba Sajjad, the instructor who founded the academy. &ldquo;Sometimes husbands don&rsquo;t allow it. Sometimes parents say, &lsquo;Why does she need this? She&rsquo;ll get married anyway.&rsquo; We face these barriers every day.&rdquo;&nbsp;She pauses, then adds quietly, &ldquo;But we keep trying. We keep explaining.&rdquo;&nbsp;The story of the girl who studied in secret is one Areeba knows well. Months of hidden classes. One completed logo. Eighty dollars. And a father who suddenly saw possibility where he once saw risk.&nbsp;&ldquo;Our institute&rsquo;s goal is to make women self-reliant,&rdquo; Areeba says. &ldquo;Our entire staff is female. Many girls who learn here are earning well now. Most come from middle-class families. They are educated but have no opportunities. We want them to earn, to stand on their own feet, and to play a role in Pakistan&rsquo;s progress.&rdquo;&nbsp;The impact reaches far beyond individual lives. In the last fiscal year, Pakistani freelancers generated $400 million in foreign exchange earnings. Women are claiming an increasingly visible share of that digital economy, often from bedrooms, kitchens, and borrowed desks.&nbsp;From this modest classroom on the outskirts of Pakistani capital, Noor and women like her are quietly challenging deeply held assumptions about women&rsquo;s roles and worth. They are connecting to a global marketplace that does not ask permission, only skill.&nbsp;As Noor saves her work and shuts down the computer for the night, she is already thinking about the next class. The obstacles remain real, and the journey is far from over. But for the first time, the future feels like something she is building herself, pixel by pixel, decision by decision.

In crowded Rawalpindi, women like Haal-e-Noor gain digital skills, earning global incomes while challenging social barriers, reshaping futures through freelancing, determination, and quiet resilience.

Pakistani women quietly reshape futures through screens, skills, and stubborn hope

ISLAMABAD: Volunteers drive through Islamabad after dark, their cars packed with blankets and quilts, searching for workers who will spend another night sleeping on the streets. At intersections in sectors G-9, G-10, G-11, and G-13, thousands of daily wage workers gather each day. Most travel from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and southern Punjab to seek work in the capital. They wait. Sometimes contractors arrive with job offers. Sometimes they don&#39;t. When night falls, and no work has come, the workers have nowhere to go. They spread out across footpaths and open grounds as temperatures drop, settling in for another freezing winter night. That&#39;s when Act of Kindness arrives.<figure class="fr-media"><img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/3602a02f-c215-4e3d-b1a3-dc54c9ecdf20-pic 1.jpg" alt="winter warmth" class="fr-fil fr-dib"></figure> For a decade, the volunteer organization has worked to bring relief to Islamabad&#39;s most vulnerable workers. Founder Atiq Afridi built the group on a simple premise: crowdfunding through social media to purchase blankets, pillows, and comforters, then sending teams of students and young professionals into the streets to deliver them directly. &quot;We&#39;ve been doing this for 10 years now,&quot; Afridi said. &quot;Our friends on social media contribute, then their friends join in, our teachers support us, their relatives participate &mdash; everyone becomes part of this chain of giving.&quot;<figure class="fr-media"><img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/f37ce50a-26ad-4624-a50c-48d744f677d3-pic 2.jpg" alt="Act of Kindness" class="fr-fil fr-dib"></figure>The chain has grown. What started as winter relief has expanded into medical camps, blood donation drives, and meal distribution programs. The organization now helps people start small businesses and operates teams in multiple cities across Pakistan. &quot;We have teams in different cities now,&quot; Afridi said. &quot;This isn&#39;t charity &mdash; it&#39;s community. It&#39;s about recognizing that the people who build our cities deserve our support.&quot; Each night, the volunteers finish distributing supplies, and workers across Islamabad settle down with new blankets against the cold. And each morning, they return to the same intersections, waiting again for work.

Volunteers use social media crowdfunding to deliver blankets and supplies nightly to thousands of laborers sleeping rough across Islamabad.

Volunteers bring winter relief to Islamabad's daily wage workers

ISLAMABAD: As dusk settles over the outskirts of Pakistan&rsquo;s capital, the narrow lanes of a low-income settlement come alive with an unusual sight. Children, many still in the clothes they wore while sorting garbage or helping their parents at construction sites, file quietly into a small neighborhood mosque.&nbsp;They leave behind the clatter of donkey carts and the metallic rustle of scrap yards, stepping into a space where the scent of incense mingles with the soft murmur of lessons.&nbsp;Inside, the prayer hall doubles as a classroom. Woven mats become desks. Chalkboards lean against marble pillars. And the mosque, a place of devotion for generations, has become something else entirely: a refuge for children denied a place in Pakistan&rsquo;s formal education system.&nbsp;These students belong to the margins of Pakistani society, overage children, daily wage earners, and garbage collectors whose families cannot navigate the bureaucracy or costs of mainstream schooling. The national picture is stark: 26.2 million out-of-school children, according to government data, giving Pakistan one of the world&rsquo;s highest rates.&nbsp;Against that backdrop, the work of this community-run initiative stands out.&nbsp;&ldquo;We go door to door and tell parents about the importance of education,&rdquo; said Farzana Naveed, a volunteer teacher, speaking to Pakistan TV Digital on Friday. &ldquo;These kids are 8 to 12 years old. I complete their primary education in 2.5 years.&rdquo;&nbsp;&ldquo;Our organization provides everything. Books, notebooks, pens.&rdquo;&nbsp;Her voice carries across the hall as she guides children through beginner English sentences. Some grip their pencils as if they are tools more unfamiliar than the metal hooks or sorting baskets they use at work.&nbsp;While many mosques across Pakistan host traditional madrasas focused on religious learning, this initiative offers an entirely secular curriculum. Science, mathematics, social studies, and English are taught in an accelerated format designed to prepare students for placement in regular schools.&nbsp;Attendance is remarkably high: 75&ndash;80 children arrive each day, often after finishing morning shifts.&nbsp;The setting may be unconventional for international readers, but its logic is rooted in local realities. Mosques are familiar, trusted, and free, eliminating the barriers that keep impoverished families from sending their children to school buildings they cannot afford to reach.&nbsp;Among the students is Hamza Khan, who spends early mornings picking through waste to supplement his family&rsquo;s income.<figure class="fr-media"><img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/89764863-06e4-4c57-8c7b-e3f771b0d175-WhatsApp Image 2025-12-06 at 20.22.21.jpeg" alt="Hamza-Mosque-School-PTV-Digital" class="fr-fil fr-dib"><figcaption class="caption-cover-image text-sm text-gray-600 italic">Hamza, 10, studies inside an improvised classroom in a local mosque in Islamabad on December 5, 2025. (Pakistan TV Digital)</figcaption></figure>&ldquo;I couldn&rsquo;t afford school before,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Now I collect garbage with my father in the morning, then come to school. So I can study and become an officer one day.&rdquo;&nbsp;His aspiration encapsulates a broader struggle in Pakistan, where 3.3 million children between the ages of 5 and 16 are engaged in child labor, including waste picking, brickmaking, and domestic work.&nbsp;For many, education is not simply a dream; it is a distant luxury.The initiative is run by the Junior Jinnah Trust, whose director, Muhammad Al Khyaam, believes this model can chip away at structural poverty.&nbsp;&ldquo;We&rsquo;re breaking the generational poverty cycle by educating children doing child labor,&rdquo; Khyaam said. &ldquo;We open mosque schools within their communities to eliminate access barriers.&rdquo;&nbsp;By reimagining existing community spaces, the model sidesteps the costs and complexities of building formal schools. It also leverages the cultural role of the mosque as a trusted communal anchor, something particularly potent in under-resourced neighborhoods.&nbsp;Pakistan&rsquo;s literacy rate stands at about 60.6%, a statistic that reflects decades of inequality and underinvestment. Yet inside this small mosque classroom, the atmosphere feels almost defiant.&nbsp;Children sit cross-legged under ornate calligraphy inscriptions, sounding out multiplication tables and practicing handwriting. Between their morning labor and their evening lessons lies a fragile but profound shift: the realization that they are allowed to dream.&nbsp;They are not only learning to read or count. They are learning to imagine.&nbsp;In this transformed prayer hall, where devotion has expanded into inclusion, education is more than instruction, it is liberation. And for the working children who gather here each day, it is the first step toward futures once written off by circumstance.

Education

A local mosque in Pakistan’s capital has been transformed into a free school, giving working and out-of-school children access to education, breaking cycles of poverty, and fostering hope for their futures.

In Islamabad, mosque school gives working children hope through education

TORONTO: Canada announced Friday that it is relocating non-essential diplomatic staff and their dependents from Tel Aviv, due to ongoing tensions in the region as the US weighs striking Iran.&nbsp; &ldquo;Global Affairs Canada has made the decision to temporarily relocate non-essential employees and dependents from Tel Aviv,&rdquo; the department said, noting that operations at Canada&rsquo;s embassy in Israel would continue uninterrupted. Canadian diplomatic staff and their families in Lebanon and Palestine will remain in place, according to the statement. &ldquo;Canadian staff and their dependents in Lebanon and Palestine remain in place, and our missions continue to operate normally,&rdquo; the government said. &ldquo;Canadians in Iran should leave now if they can do so safely,&rdquo; the statement added.

Americas

'Global Affairs Canada has made the decision to temporarily relocate non-essential employees and dependents from Tel Aviv,' the department said, noting that operations at Canada’s embassy in Israel would continue uninterrupted.

Canada says relocating some diplomatic staff from Tel Aviv

LA PAZ: At least 15 people were killed Friday when a Bolivian military cargo plane carrying banknotes crashed while landing near the capital La Paz, authorities said, prompting police to repel bystanders grabbing spilled cash. The aircraft, a C-130 Hercules transport plane, veered off the runway at El Alto International Airport and crashed into an avenue, crushing at least one car and damaging trucks, local media footage showed. &quot;We are recovering the bodies of these people who have sadly suffered in the accident,&quot; Colonel Pavel Tovar of the national fire department told reporters, saying at least 15 people died in the disaster. *More to follow.*

Military personnel stand next to pieces of a military plane that crashed in el Alto, near La Paz, on February 27, 2026. (Photo: AFP)

Local media footage shows the aircraft, a C-130 Hercules transport plane, veering off the runway at El Alto International Airport and crashing into an avenue, crushing at least one car and damaging trucks.


At least 15 dead in Bolivian military plane crash: firefighters

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: The United Arab Emirates Ministry of Foreign Affairs has expressed deep concern over renewed military clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan, urging both sides to exercise restraint and prioritize dialogue to prevent further escalation in the region.&nbsp;In a statement issued Saturday, the UAE called for de-escalation and warned against actions that could further destabilize South Asia.&nbsp; The ministry stressed the importance of reason and diplomacy in resolving disputes, reaffirming the UAE&rsquo;s support for initiatives aimed at strengthening security, stability and development for both nations.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 730px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=eyJ0ZndfdGltZWxpbmVfbGlzdCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOltdLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2ZvbGxvd2VyX2NvdW50X3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9iYWNrZW5kIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19yZWZzcmNfc2Vzc2lvbiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZm9zbnJfc29mdF9pbnRlcnZlbnRpb25zX2VuYWJsZWQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib24iLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X21peGVkX21lZGlhXzE1ODk3Ijp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRyZWF0bWVudCIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3Nob3dfYmlyZHdhdGNoX3Bpdm90c19lbmFibGVkIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19kdXBsaWNhdGVfc2NyaWJlc190b19zZXR0aW5ncyI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdXNlX3Byb2ZpbGVfaW1hZ2Vfc2hhcGVfZW5hYmxlZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdmlkZW9faGxzX2R5bmFtaWNfbWFuaWZlc3RzXzE1MDgyIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRydWVfYml0cmF0ZSIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfbGVnYWN5X3RpbWVsaW5lX3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9mcm9udGVuZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9fQ%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2027539408497627315&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=9c71badaeab44631c36a928ea704ec4fb86ef973&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px"></iframe></div></div>The diplomatic appeal came as Pakistan carried out what officials described as its most extensive military strikes inside Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.&nbsp; Pakistani authorities said the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistan-says-297-taliban-fighters-killed-in-afghanistan-strikes" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">operations targeted multiple locations</a>, including Kabul and Kandahar, in response to what they termed unprovoked cross-border attacks originating from Afghan territory. Islamabad declared a state of &ldquo;war footing,&rdquo; signaling heightened military readiness.&nbsp;Pakistani officials maintained that the strikes were defensive in nature and aimed at degrading militant capabilities allegedly being used to threaten Pakistan&rsquo;s national security. They emphasized that the operations fall within Pakistan&rsquo;s sovereign right to self-defense under international law. Washington&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/trump-says-us-will-not-intervene-in-pakistanafghan-situation" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">signaled support for Islamabad&rsquo;s position</a>. The United States&rsquo; stance was formally conveyed by Allison Hooker, the US under secretary of state for political affairs, who said after talks with her Pakistani counterpart that the United States &ldquo;expressed support for Pakistan&rsquo;s right to defend itself against Taliban attacks.&rdquo;<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 321px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2027488449171730683&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=9c71badaeab44631c36a928ea704ec4fb86ef973&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px"></iframe></div></div>International reactions, however, were mixed. The European Union urged both sides to step back from further confrontation. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas called for immediate de-escalation and a return to dialogue amid rising violence. &ldquo;The EU reiterates that Afghan territory must not be used to threaten or attack other countries and calls on the Afghan de facto authorities to take effective action against all terrorist groups operating in or from Afghanistan,&rdquo; Kallas said in a statement. Concerns were also voiced by the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross, both of which highlighted the humanitarian risks of escalating conflict. Britain, Norway and Azerbaijan similarly called for restraint and immediate de-escalation. Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts are underway to contain tensions. China, Saudi Arabia and Qatar have reportedly initiated contacts aimed at facilitating dialogue between Islamabad and Kabul.&nbsp;As regional and global stakeholders urge calm, Pakistan has reiterated that its actions are a necessary response to sustained cross-border aggression, while emphasizing its commitment to regional peace and stability. The evolving situation continues to draw close international scrutiny amid fears of broader instability in South Asia.

Pakistani soldiers patrol near the Pakistan–Afghanistan border crossing in Chaman on February 27, 2026, following overnight cross-border fighting between the two countries. (Photo: AFP)

Politics

The ministry stresses the importance of reason and diplomacy in resolving disputes, reaffirming the UAE’s support for initiatives aimed at strengthening security, stability and development for both nations.


UAE calls for de-escalation amid renewed Pakistan-Afghanistan tensions

Ayesha Mir

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has ruled out any dialogue with the Afghan Taliban, saying there is &ldquo;nothing to talk about&rdquo; until terrorism originating from Afghan soil comes to an end, Prime Minister&rsquo;s Spokesperson for Foreign Media Mosharraf Zaidi said Friday.&nbsp;Speaking to Pakistan TV Digital, Zaidi rejected suggestions of renewed talks after Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid indicated openness to dialogue.&nbsp;&ldquo;There won&rsquo;t be any talks. There&rsquo;s no dialogue. There&rsquo;s no negotiation. Terrorism from Afghanistan has to end,&rdquo; Zaidi said, describing Pakistan&rsquo;s position as clear and unchanged.<div class="fr-embed youtube-embed"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Jh9Ir3ZIAQQ?si=ca7lehNjhb7Bi_rH" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen="" style="width: 100%; height: auto; aspect-ratio: 16 / 9; max-width: 100%; display: block;"></iframe>&nbsp;</div>He said militancy inside Afghanistan is an internal issue for the Afghan Taliban regime, but stressed that Pakistan&rsquo;s responsibility is limited to protecting its own citizens and territory.&nbsp;&ldquo;If we know that there&rsquo;s a terrorist at point A and there&rsquo;s a terrorist enabler at point A,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/trump-says-us-will-not-intervene-in-pakistanafghan-situation" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">we will find a weapon to land at point A and eliminate the threat</a>,&rdquo; Zaidi said, underscoring that Pakistan has already outlined both its actions and the conditions required for de-escalation.&nbsp;Zaidi added that responsibility for reducing instability rests not only with the Afghan Taliban &ldquo;regime in question&rdquo; but also with the wider international community, which he said must ensure Afghan soil is not used for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/ttptaliban-nexus-exposed-as-attacks-and-retaliation-mirror-each-other" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">cross-border terrorism</a>.&nbsp;In a separate interview, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar echoed the hardline stance, saying Pakistan&rsquo;s objective is to neutralize threats and ensure national security.&nbsp;Earlier, the Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said military operations would continue &ldquo;until the desired end.&rdquo; Asked to clarify that objective, Tarar said it meant eliminating terrorist threats and making Pakistan safe.&nbsp;&ldquo;For us, we&rsquo;ve been good neighbors, very friendly and very generous neighbors,&rdquo; Tarar said. &ldquo;Our generosity has often been seen as weakness.&rdquo;&nbsp;On the possibility of a ceasefire, Tarar said it was &ldquo;too early to comment,&rdquo; citing a fluid security situation. He also dismissed the prospect of Afghanistan gaining meaningful external backing.&nbsp;&ldquo;They have been trying to make alliances, but whatever they stand for is not acceptable anywhere,&rdquo; he said, adding that expectations of outside support were &ldquo;wishful thinking.&rdquo;&nbsp;Both officials stressed that Pakistan&rsquo;s policy remains focused on countering militancy and restoring stability, with no immediate shift in approach under consideration.

Security

Talking to Pakistan TV Digital, Pakistani officials say there will be no dialogue with the Afghan Taliban until terrorism from Afghan soil ends, stressing Pakistan will act decisively to eliminate threats and protect national security.

‘No dialogue’: Pakistan says terrorism from Afghanistan must end

NEW YORK: Paramount Skydance announced Thursday it will acquire Warner Bros. Discovery in a deal valuing the combined company at $110 billion, after beating Netflix in a bruising bidding war.&nbsp;The agreement ends a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/paramount-poised-to-acquire-warner-bros-after-netflix-walks-away" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">five-month bidding saga</a>&nbsp;and creates an entertainment behemoth whose impact on a struggling media landscape &mdash; and connections to Donald Trump&#39;s White House &mdash; will be closely scrutinized.&nbsp;The merged entity will include CNN, HBO and Nickelodeon as well as some of Hollywood&#39;s most valuable franchises, including Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, the DC Universe, Mission Impossible and SpongeBob SquarePants.&nbsp;Under the terms of the agreement,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/paramount-counters-netflix-with-hostile-bid-for-warner-bros" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Paramount</a>will pay $31.00 per share in cash for all outstanding Warner Bros. Discovery shares, implying an equity value of $81 billion &mdash; and $110 billion when including the debt Paramount will take on.&nbsp;The transaction has been unanimously approved by both companies&#39; boards and is expected to close in the third quarter of 2026, the companies said.&nbsp;&quot;Our pursuit of Warner Bros. Discovery has been guided by a clear purpose: to honor the legacy of two iconic companies while accelerating our vision of building a next-generation media and entertainment company,&quot; said Paramount Chairman and CEO David Ellison.&nbsp;The deal closes a saga that ended Thursday when Netflix walked away, unwilling to match Paramount&#39;s latest offer.&nbsp;Questions now pivot to the Ellison family, which will control a constellation of media properties spanning the globe.&nbsp;Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison is the father of Paramount CEO David Ellison and largely financed his son&#39;s takeover of Paramount and his subsequent bid for Warner Bros. Discovery.&nbsp;Larry Ellison is also a longtime ally of President Trump. Both Paramount and Netflix have sought to curry favor with the White House, with Paramount winning out.&nbsp;The Paramount offer includes financing from three Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds -- those of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Abu Dhabi -- which could attract regulatory scrutiny.&nbsp;Paramount has also offered a $7 billion regulatory termination fee should the deal fail to close on regulatory grounds, and has covered the $2.8 billion breakup fee Warner Bros. owed Netflix when it walked away from their agreement.

The Paramount sign is seen outside the Paramount Studios in Los Angeles, California, on December 9, 2025. (Photo: AF/File)

Entertainment

The agreement ends a five-month bidding saga and creates an entertainment behemoth whose impact on a struggling media landscape — and connections to Donald Trump's White House — will be closely scrutinized.

Paramount acquires Warner Bros. in $110B  mega-merger

WASHINGTON: Iran agreed in talks with the United States never to stockpile enriched uranium, mediator Oman&#39;s top diplomat said Friday, in what he called a breakthrough that he hoped would prevent war.&nbsp;Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi, whose country brokered&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/iran-urges-us-to-drop-excessive-demands-to-reach-deal" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">talks between the United States and Iran</a>&nbsp;in Geneva on Thursday, said he believed all issues in a deal could be resolved &quot;amicably and comprehensively&quot; within three months.&nbsp;&quot;If the ultimate objective is to ensure forever that Iran cannot have a nuclear bomb, I think we have cracked that problem through these negotiations by agreeing on a very important breakthrough that has never been achieved any time before,&quot; Albusaidi told the CBS News program &quot;Face the Nation.&quot;&nbsp;&quot;I think if we can capture that and build on it, I think a deal is within our reach,&quot; he said.&nbsp;The minister added that Iran would not be able to stockpile enriched uranium and that there would be verification.&nbsp;He said Iran would also degrade its current stockpiles to &quot;the lowest level possible&quot; so that it is &quot;converted into fuel, and that fuel will be irreversible.&quot;&nbsp;&quot;This is something completely new. It really makes the enrichment argument less relevant, because now we are talking about zero stockpiling,&quot; said Albusaidi, who met earlier Friday with US Vice President JD Vance.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/trump-not-thrilled-with-iran-but-undecided-on-attack" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">President Donald Trump&#39;s administration</a>&nbsp;accuses Tehran of intending to build a nuclear weapon. But &quot;if you cannot stockpile material that is enriched, then there is no way you can actually create a bomb,&quot; Albusaidi told CBS.&nbsp;In a 2015 agreement negotiated by former president Barack Obama, Iran agreed to keep enrichment only to a low level that is well below weapons grade.&nbsp;Trump ripped up the deal in his first term and imposed sanctions, and in recent weeks has deployed the US military in the region to levels not seen in years.&nbsp;Secretary of State Marco Rubio has insisted that any deal cover not just the nuclear program but also Iran&#39;s missiles.&nbsp;Asked about the missile issue, Albusaidi said: &quot;I believe Iran is open to discussing everything.&quot;

A handout picture provided by the Iranian Foreign Ministry on February 26, 2026, shows Iranian diplomats and a delegation during the Iran-US talks in Geneva, Switzerland. (Photo: AFP/File)

Middle East

Its foreign minister says talks between the United States and Iran in Geneva on Thursday, said he believed all issues in a deal could be resolved 'amicably and comprehensively' within three months.


Iran agreed not to stockpile enriched uranium: mediator Oman

ISLAMABAD: The United States has expressed support for Pakistan&rsquo;s right to defend itself against Taliban attacks, as US President Donald Trump publicly praised Pakistan&rsquo;s leadership amid escalating hostilities with Afghanistan. Speaking about Pakistan&rsquo;s leadership, Trump said, &ldquo;Well, I would, but I get along with Pakistan, as you know, very well, very very well.&rdquo; &ldquo;You have a great&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pm-sharif-briefed-at-military-headquarters-as-pakistan-inflicts-heavy-taliban-losses" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">prime minister [Shehbaz Sharif], you have a great general</a>&nbsp;[Field Marshal Asim Munir] there, you have a great leader,&rdquo; he added.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 321px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=eyJ0ZndfdGltZWxpbmVfbGlzdCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOltdLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2ZvbGxvd2VyX2NvdW50X3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9iYWNrZW5kIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19yZWZzcmNfc2Vzc2lvbiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZm9zbnJfc29mdF9pbnRlcnZlbnRpb25zX2VuYWJsZWQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib24iLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X21peGVkX21lZGlhXzE1ODk3Ijp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRyZWF0bWVudCIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3Nob3dfYmlyZHdhdGNoX3Bpdm90c19lbmFibGVkIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19kdXBsaWNhdGVfc2NyaWJlc190b19zZXR0aW5ncyI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdXNlX3Byb2ZpbGVfaW1hZ2Vfc2hhcGVfZW5hYmxlZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdmlkZW9faGxzX2R5bmFtaWNfbWFuaWZlc3RzXzE1MDgyIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRydWVfYml0cmF0ZSIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfbGVnYWN5X3RpbWVsaW5lX3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9mcm9udGVuZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9fQ%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2027488449171730683&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F4471%2F&sessionId=18939436600dbe61445e0575651a7687a21e6f5f&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" data-tweet-id="2027488449171730683"></iframe></div></div>&ldquo;But I think two of the people that I truly respect a lot, and I think that Pakistan is doing terrifically well.&rdquo; His remarks came as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistan-says-297-taliban-fighters-killed-in-afghanistan-strikes" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Pakistan conducted its most extensive military strikes</a>&nbsp;inside Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, targeting multiple locations, including Kabul and Kandahar, declaring a state of &ldquo;war&rdquo; following unprovoked cross-border attacks. Washington&rsquo;s position was formally conveyed by Allison Hooker, the US under secretary of state for political affairs, who said the United States &ldquo;expressed support for Pakistan&rsquo;s right to defend itself against Taliban attacks&rdquo; after talks with a Pakistani counterpart. Pakistani officials say the strikes were a defensive response to sustained aggression from Afghan soil and aimed at degrading Taliban military capabilities used to threaten Pakistan&rsquo;s security. International reactions, however, were mixed. The European Union urged restraint, with foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas calling on both sides to de-escalate and return to dialogue amid a sharp rise in violence. &ldquo;The EU reiterates that Afghan territory must not be used to threaten or attack other countries and calls on the Afghan de facto authorities to take effective action against all terrorist groups operating in or from Afghanistan,&rdquo; Kallas said in a statement. Concern over the situation was echoed by the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross, while Britain, Norway and Azerbaijan also called for immediate de-escalation. Diplomatic efforts were launched by China, Saudi Arabia and Qatar to help ease tensions, as Pakistan maintains that its actions fall within its sovereign right to self-defense against cross-border attacks.

US President Donald Trump speaks to the press before boarding Marine One as he departs from the South Lawn of the White House for Texas in Washington, DC, on February 27, 2026. (Photo: AFP)

Praises the Pakistan leadership, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir; says he believes Pakistan is 'doing terrifically well.'

US backs Pakistan’s self-defense as Trump praises leadership amid Afghan conflict

Muhammad Ibrahim

ISLAMABAD: Recent security developments have reinforced Pakistan&rsquo;s long-standing assessment that Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Afghan Taliban operate as a mutually reinforcing nexus, where pressure on one group is met with retaliation by the other. The pattern was again visible this week after Pakistan launched <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistan-says-297-taliban-fighters-killed-in-afghanistan-strikes" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Operation Ghazab lil Haq</a>&nbsp;in response to unprovoked cross-border attacks. As <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/why-pakistan-struck-afghanistan" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Pakistan struck Afghan Taliban targets</a> inside Afghanistan, TTP elements attempted to escalate violence inside Pakistan, including failed drone attacks in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Pakistan&rsquo;s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar confirmed that TTP-linked terrorists attempted to launch drones in Abbottabad, Swabi and Nowshera, but said Pakistan&rsquo;s anti-drone systems intercepted all of them, preventing any loss of life. &ldquo;These <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistan-responds-afghan-border-fire" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">incidents have again exposed direct linkages</a> between the Afghan Taliban regime and terrorism in Pakistan,&rdquo; Tarar said in a statement. Terrorist groups&#39; messaging, released the same day, removed any remaining ambiguity. A TTP faction, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, publicly issued directives to its terrorist operatives across Pakistan to escalate attacks on security forces, portraying the violence as retaliation for Pakistan&rsquo;s military action against Afghan Taliban targets. The message openly described attacks inside Pakistan as an act of &ldquo;solidarity&rdquo; with the Afghan Taliban. An earlier internal directive attributed to TTP leadership went further, declaring that the &ldquo;Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan stands with our mujahideen&rdquo; and ordering commanders to escalate attacks while amplifying propaganda through media channels. <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pm-sharif-briefed-at-military-headquarters-as-pakistan-inflicts-heavy-taliban-losses" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Pakistani officials</a> say this coordinated messaging reflects an operational reality that has persisted since the Taliban takeover of Kabul in 2021: Afghan soil has increasingly been used as a safe haven for groups targeting Pakistan. Islamabad maintains that the return of the Taliban to power removed constraints on terrorist networks, enabling training, planning and cross-border attacks with impunity. Security sources argue the sequence is now predictable. When Pakistan confronts terrorist infrastructure inside Afghanistan, TTP cells activate inside Pakistan. When TTP strikes Pakistani targets, protection and facilitation trace back across the border. Pakistan says repeated diplomatic engagements have failed to alter this behavior and that the Afghan Taliban regime has neither acknowledged nor acted against the presence of anti-Pakistan terrorist groups on its territory. As military operations and militant reprisals continue in parallel, Pakistani authorities say the distinction between the Afghan Taliban and TTP is no longer theoretical but operational. A shared ecosystem in which an attack on one triggers a response from the other.

Blogs

Pakistan says recent drone attempts, militant directives, and retaliatory strikes demonstrate a coordinated operational pattern, where pressure on the Afghan Taliban consistently triggers Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan attacks inside Pakistan, reinforcing concerns over cross-border safe havens.

TTP–Taliban nexus exposed as attacks and retaliation mirror each other

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said Friday that <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistan-army-kills-274-afghan-taliban-affiliates-as-operation-ghazab-lil-haq-continues" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">297 Afghan Taliban fighters were killed</a> and more than 450 injured in retaliatory military strikes across Afghanistan, as Information Minister Attaullah Tarar denounced the Kabul administration as an &ldquo;illegitimate regime&rdquo; following unprovoked attacks along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. In a post on social media platform X, Tarar said the action was carried out under Operation Ghazb lil Haq and involved precision air and ground strikes on 29 locations inside Afghanistan. The information minister said 89 Taliban check posts were destroyed, 18 captured, and 135 tanks and armed vehicles eliminated during the operation.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; line-height: 2;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 471px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2027449317087408548&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=485de7e742b2156c528f877ea42b0a2dc7039429&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" data-tweet-id="2027449317087408548">&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>Earlier, while addressing a press briefing, Tarar said <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pm-sharif-briefed-at-military-headquarters-as-pakistan-inflicts-heavy-taliban-losses" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">unprovoked firing by the Afghan Taliban regime</a> along the Pakistan&ndash;Afghanistan border was being and will continue to be responded to strongly and effectively. He described Pakistan&rsquo;s response as &ldquo;immediate and decisive,&rdquo; adding that Taliban fighters fled several positions, leaving behind weapons and bodies. The minister said the latest fighting further exposed what he called a direct&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/why-pakistan-struck-afghanistan" style="color:#0073e6;">nexus between the Afghan Taliban regime and terrorist networks</a>&nbsp;targeting Pakistan. &ldquo;Afghan soil is being used for training, facilitation, and launching attacks that kill our civilians and security personnel,&rdquo; he said, referring to recent assaults on religious sites, judicial facilities, and Pakistani military officers. Tarar also launched a broad attack on the Taliban&rsquo;s governance, calling it &ldquo;a system based on repression and the perversion of religion.&rdquo; He quoted the government&rsquo;s position, saying, &ldquo;The activities of the Afghan Taliban regime and Fitna al-Khawarij against Pakistan are unacceptable.&rdquo; He accused the Kabul authorities of ruling without legitimacy, denying fundamental rights and enforcing discriminatory laws against women, children, and minorities. &ldquo;This regime has nothing to do with Islam,&rdquo; Tarar said. &ldquo;It has imposed oppression on its own people and exported terrorism across the border.&rdquo; Tarar said Pakistan&rsquo;s armed forces remain on full alert and prepared to respond to any further aggression. &ldquo;Pakistan knows very well how to defend itself,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Our response will remain strong, effective, and in defense of our sovereignty.&rdquo;

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar slams the Afghan Taliban regime as illegitimate and repressive, says cross-border attacks trigger decisive military action, confirms heavy Taliban losses and vows zero tolerance while defending sovereignty, citizens and security.

Pakistan says 297 Taliban fighters killed in Afghanistan strikes

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said Friday he was frustrated by Iran&#39;s position in talks but added he had not yet decided whether to carry out a threatened attack.&nbsp;A day after the United States and Iran held talks in Geneva, Trump said that the cleric-run state was &quot;not willing to give us what we have to have.&quot;&nbsp;&quot;We haven&#39;t made a final decision,&quot; he told reporters when asked about the use of force.&nbsp;&quot;We&#39;re not exactly happy with the way they negotiated. They cannot have nuclear weapons, and we&#39;re not thrilled with the way they&#39;re negotiating,&quot; Trump said.&nbsp;&quot;We want no nuclear weapons by Iran and they&#39;re not saying those golden words.&quot;&nbsp;Iran has said repeatedly that it is not pursuing nuclear weapons and US intelligence has found no evidence that it has made a decision to do so.&nbsp;But the United States and Israel, which carried out a major bombing campaign in Iran in June, are skeptical of the statements by Iran, which backs Palestinian militants Hamas.&nbsp;Asked if an attack would trigger all-out war in the Middle East, Trump said, &quot;I guess you could always say there&#39;s always a risk.&nbsp;&quot;You know when there&#39;s war, there&#39;s a risk in anything, both good and bad.&quot;&nbsp;Trump was circumspect on whether a US attack would bring down the Islamic republic, a sworn enemy of the United States and Israel.&nbsp;Authorities last month killed thousands of people as they crushed mass protests in the biggest threat to the ruling clerics since the 1979 Islamic revolution toppled the pro-Western shah.&nbsp;&quot;Nobody knows. There might be and there might not be,&quot; Trump said of regime change.&nbsp;Trump in his first term ripped up a nuclear deal negotiated by his predecessor Barack Obama in which Iran agreed to strict limits on uranium enrichment.

US President Donald Trump expressed frustration with Iran after Geneva talks, saying no final decision on military action has been made. He demanded Iran abandon nuclear ambitions, while US and Israeli skepticism persists amid regional tensions.

Articles by Malik Waqar Ahmed