Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&#39;s Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Attaullah Tarar, on Thursday said that through being a part of US President Donald Trump&#39;s Board of Peace, the country was able &ldquo;to raise its voice effectively for the Palestinian people.&rdquo; While speaking to Pakistan TV Digital, the minister said there were three important takeaways from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif&rsquo;s speech at the inaugural Board of Peace&#39;s session in Washington.&nbsp; &ldquo;Prime Minister stated in no uncertain terms that the Palestinians must be given their right to self-determination as per the United Nations Security Council resolutions,&rdquo; the minister said.&nbsp; The information minister said that Pakistan backed &ldquo;the establishment of a contiguous independent Palestinian state.&rdquo;&nbsp; &ldquo;Thirdly, that Palestinians have a right over the Palestinian land,&rdquo; he added.&nbsp; The information minister affirmed that Pakistan, by being a part of the Board of Peace, was &ldquo;able to raise its voice effectively for the Palestinian people,&rdquo; adding that according to him, &ldquo;the prime minister today did it very passionately.&quot; He also said that Pakistan had turned into a &ldquo;very serious international player.&rdquo; The &quot;world now realizes that Pakistan has great potential as far as investment is concerned, as far as economic opportunities are concerned,&rdquo; the information minister added. The information minister is in the United States as a part of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif&#39;s delegation for the Board of Peace.

Foreign Affairs

Says prime minister stated in “no uncertain terms that the Palestinians must be given their right to self-determination as per the United Nations Security Council resolutions,” adds Pakistan backs “the establishment of a contiguous independent Palestinian state.” 

Pakistan able to raise ‘effective voice’ for Palestinians through BOP: Information minister

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Iran must make a &quot;meaningful deal&quot; in negotiations with Washington in the next 10 days or else &quot;bad things happen,&quot; as he deployed warships, fighter jets, and other military hardware to the region. &quot;It&#39;s proven to be over the years not easy to make a meaningful deal with Iran. We have to make a meaningful deal otherwise, bad things happen,&quot; Trump told the inaugural meeting of the &quot;Board of Peace&quot;, his initiative to secure stability in Gaza. He warned that Washington &quot;may have to take it a step further&quot; without any agreement, adding: &quot;You&#39;re going to be finding out over the next probably 10 days.&quot; Trump&#39;s comments came shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued his own warning to Iran, saying, &quot;If the ayatollahs make a mistake and attack us, they will receive a response they cannot even imagine.&quot; The warnings were issued days after the US and Iran held a second round of Omani-mediated talks, this time in Geneva, with the US seeking to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear bomb, something it says it is not pursuing, and Iran seeking relief from US sanctions. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt warned on Wednesday that there were &quot;many reasons and arguments that one could make for a strike against Iran.&quot; &quot;Iran would be very wise to make a deal with President Trump.&quot; Trump has repeatedly threatened military action against Iran, at first over a deadly crackdown on protesters last month, then more recently over its nuclear program. Iran&#39;s atomic energy chief on Thursday said &quot;no country can deprive Iran of the right&quot; to nuclear enrichment, following fresh US warnings that there were &quot;many reasons&quot; to strike the Islamic republic. A previous attempt at negotiations collapsed when Israel launched surprise strikes on Iran last June, beginning a 12-day war that Washington briefly joined to bomb Iranian nuclear sites. &#39;Do not want war&#39;&nbsp;CNN and CBS reported on Wednesday that the US military would be ready to launch strikes against Iran as early as this weekend, though Trump has reportedly not made a final decision yet. The Wall Street Journal, meanwhile, reported that Trump had been briefed on his military options with &quot;all of them designed to maximise damage,&quot; including a campaign to &quot;kill scores of Iranian political and military leaders, with the goal of overthrowing the government,&quot; unnamed US officials told the newspaper. Iran&#39;s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said after the latest talks that Tehran had agreed with Washington on &quot;guiding principles&quot;, but US Vice President JD Vance said Iran had not yet acknowledged all of Washington&#39;s red lines. Speaking on Wednesday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian insisted &quot;We do not want war&quot; but suggested Tehran could not give in to US demands. Amid the escalating warnings, Poland on Thursday ordered all its citizens in Iran to &quot;leave immediately&quot;. Germany meanwhile moved troops out of northern Iraq, reducing its footprint to the minimum necessary to keep its base there functional, citing regional tensions. Russia called for restraint, with a Kremlin spokesperson saying, &quot;We are currently witnessing an unprecedented escalation of tension in the region, but we still hope that political and diplomatic means and negotiations will continue to prevail in the search for a settlement&quot;. Displays of military might&nbsp;Iran has insisted that the talks with the US be limited to the nuclear issue, though Washington has previously pushed for Tehran&#39;s ballistic missiles program and support for armed groups in the region to be on the table. The US has meanwhile been building up its military forces near Iran, including warships, fighter jets, and refuelling aircraft, laying the foundation for a potentially sustained campaign against Iran &mdash; should Trump give the order. Washington has ordered a second aircraft carrier to the region, with the first, the USS Abraham Lincoln and its nearly 80 aircraft, positioned about 700 kilometres (435 miles) from the Iranian coast as of Sunday, satellite images showed. Iran has sought to display its own military might, with its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps holding war games earlier this week in the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian politicians have repeatedly threatened to block the Strait, a major global conduit for oil and gas, with fears of a US-Iran conflict sending oil prices surging this week. The strait carries a quarter of the world&#39;s seaborne oil and a fifth of all liquified natural gas, according to the International Energy Agency.

Americas

Warns Washington "may have to take it a step further" without any agreement, adds "you're going to be finding out over the next probably 10 days"; US president has repeatedly threatened military action against Iran.

Trump issues Iran with ultimatum as US ramps up military presence

LONDON: British police said late Thursday that former prince Andrew had &quot;been released under investigation&quot; after being arrested and held for hours on suspicion of misconduct while he was a trade envoy. &quot;We can also confirm that our searches in Norfolk have now concluded,&quot; Thames Valley Police said in a short statement, in apparent reference to searches of his residence on King Charles III&#39;s Sandringham estate in eastern England. It is understood that reported searches of Andrew&#39;s former home on the Windsor estate, west of London, remained ongoing.

Europe

Police confirm that their searches in Norfolk have now concluded; It is understood that reported searches of Andrew's former home on the Windsor estate, west of London, remained ongoing.

UK police say ex-prince Andrew 'released under investigation'

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday said that the Board of Peace &ldquo;must work together&quot; towards a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination.&nbsp; The prime minister signed the charter for the Board of Peace last month at a ceremony in Davos, Switzerland, establishing an international body to resolve conflicts that he pledged would work &quot;in conjunction&quot; with the United Nations. The board was originally conceived to oversee the rebuilding of Gaza. However, a draft of the charter does not appear to limit its role to the Palestinian territory. While addressing the inaugural session for the Board of Peace in Washington, the premier appreciated US President Donald Trump&rsquo;s &ldquo;unique initiative and &ldquo;dynamic leadership&rdquo; in advancing peaceful solutions to conflicts. &ldquo;You have truly proved to be a man of peace,&rdquo; PM Sharif said.&nbsp; He said that Palestinians had &ldquo;long endured illegal occupation and immense suffering&rdquo; and to achieve long-lasting peace, it was very important that the ceasefire &ldquo;violation must end to preserve lives and advance reconstruction efforts.&rdquo;&nbsp; &ldquo;The people of Palestine must exercise full control of the land and their future,&rdquo; the prime minister said. &ldquo;We must work together towards a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination through the establishment of an independent, sovereign, and contiguous state of Palestine in line with the UN Security Council,&rdquo; he added.&nbsp;The prime minister landed in Washington yesterday at the invitation of President Donald Trump to attend the inaugural session of the Board of Peace on February 19. The premier will be accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, along with other ministers and senior officials. Separately, while speaking during the session, Saudi Arabia&rsquo;s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said that lasting peace in the Middle East was only possible through a just solution to the Palestinian cause. United Arab Emirates&#39; Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan said the country would play a role in the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Gaza.&nbsp; The US president said that the dream of peace and reconstruction in Gaza will be realized, adding that the US would move forward together with the member countries.

Pakistan’s prime minister says Palestinians “long endured illegal occupation and immense suffering,” and to achieve long-lasting peace, it was ceasefire violations “must end to preserve lives and advance reconstruction efforts.” 

 ‘Must work together’ for Palestinian state: PM Sharif at Board of Peace inaugural session 

MONTREAL: Canada has launched a new program to attract highly skilled immigrants, including specialized military recruits, as it moves to overhaul a system the government says had become unsustainable.&nbsp;Canada has for decades been a top destination for economic migrants from the developing world, but in 2024 then-prime minister Justin Trudeau said too many people had been let in too quickly, straining the health care system and housing stocks.&nbsp;Prime Minister Mark Carney has echoed Trudeau&#39;s message, saying in October that his government was &quot;getting immigration under control&quot; while promising to bring in migrants with the skills needed to boost a Canadian economy facing unprecedented threats from US tariffs.&nbsp;Carney on Tuesday announced a half‑trillion‑dollar plan ($365 billion) to upgrade Canada&#39;s military and defence‑related infrastructure over the coming decade, a massive spending program he says will spur broad economic growth.&nbsp;His immigration minister, Lena Metlege Diab, on Wednesday unveiled a new scheme she said would help &quot;attract the best talent to Canada.&quot;&nbsp;&quot;We are creating a new category for skilled military recruits to attract highly skilled foreign military applicants,&quot; Diab said, specifying that this group includes doctors, nurses and pilots.&nbsp;&quot;This new category will support our government&#39;s commitment to strengthen our armed forces, to defend our sovereignty and to keep Canadians safe,&quot; she added.&nbsp;Diab said Ottawa would be proactive in finding the workers it wants to safeguard Canada in an era the prime minister has defined as increasingly dangerous, with the US-led rules‑based international order crumbling.&nbsp;&quot;We&#39;re not waiting for the right people to find us. We will go out into the world to recruit the people our country needs,&quot; Diab said.

Canada launched a new immigration program targeting highly skilled workers, including foreign military recruits such as doctors, nurses and pilots. The initiative supports Prime Minister Mark Carney’s defense expansion plan and aims to strengthen the economy and armed forces.

Canada makes push to attract skilled migrants, including for defense

Saqib Tanveer

WASHINGTON: Members of the Khalistan movement gathered Thursday outside the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace, offering $1 billion to join the Board of Peace and hold a referendum on an independent Indian Punjab. Speaking to Pakistan TV Digital, a protester said the funds were meant to &ldquo;liberate our Punjab from Indian occupation.&rdquo; He said the group supports President Trump&rsquo;s initiative to stop wars worldwide and hopes to join the board to advance their cause. &ldquo;Since 1947, when Sikhs claimed their own independent state, the leaders of that time joined India&rsquo;s Punjab. But for the last 80 years, Sikhs have faced persecution and atrocities,&rdquo; he said. The protester added that the group seeks &ldquo;liberation through a peaceful and democratic referendum.&rdquo; He also addressed India directly, saying, &ldquo;Our message is clear. We want liberation from India through a peaceful and democratic process. Modi tried to assassinate Khalistan movement leaders, but he failed. We will not take a step back and will fight till the liberation of Punjab.&rdquo; The President of the Council of Khalistan, Dr Bakshish Singh Sandhu, said the proposal includes a $1 billion donation to fund an official referendum. &ldquo;Currently, Khalistan, under Indian control, is subjected to genocide, econocide, and transnational assassinations. We are here at the Board of Peace so the sovereignty conflict of Punjab can be resolved amicably through a referendum vote, which is legal and peaceful,&rdquo; he said. Sandhu added that joining the Board of Peace would establish geopolitical support with the US and reduce the risk of nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan. Protesters displayed a large check from Sikhs for Justice reading &ldquo;$1 billion for Khalistan referendum&rdquo; and &ldquo;for liberating Punjab from Indian occupation,&rdquo; with the years &ldquo;1984-2026&rdquo; printed on it. The Khalistan movement seeks an independent homeland for the Sikh community, known as Khalistan, in the Punjab region. It dates back to the 1947 partition of India and creation of Pakistan and peaked in the 1980s during the leadership of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, culminating in the 1984 Indian military operation at the Golden Temple. Recent high-profile incidents have heightened tensions between India and the West. On June 18, 2023, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a prominent Khalistan advocate in Canada, was shot dead in Surrey, British Columbia. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there was &ldquo;credible intelligence&rdquo; linking the Indian government to the killing. Several Indian nationals were later arrested in connection with the murder. In late 2023, US prosecutors revealed they had foiled a plot to assassinate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a leader of Sikhs for Justice, in New York City. An Indian national extradited from the Czech Republic pleaded guilty in February 2026 to murder-for-hire charges. A former Indian intelligence officer was charged in October 2024 with directing the plot. Other notable cases include Satinderpal Singh Raju, who survived a drive-by shooting in California in 2024, and Avtar Singh Khanda, who died under suspicious circumstances in the UK in June 2023. The movement remains active among the Sikh diaspora in Canada, the US, the UK, and Australia. Sikhs for Justice organizes unofficial global referendums on Khalistan, non-binding votes that continue to create diplomatic tensions. Proposed boundaries of Khalistan typically include the Indian state of Punjab and, at times, parts of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Chandigarh.

Members of the Khalistan movement gathered Thursday outside the Donald Trump Institute of Peace, offering $1 billion to join the Board of Peace and hold a referendum on an independent Punjab.

India

Speaking to Pakistan TV Digital, a protester said the funds were meant to “liberate our Punjab from Indian occupation.” He said the group supports President Trump’s initiative to stop wars worldwide and hopes to join the board to advance their cause.

Khalistan activists offer $1 billion to join Trump’s Board of Peace for Indian Punjab referendum

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has extended restrictions on Indian aircraft, keeping its&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistan-extends-airspace-ban-on-indian-aircraft" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">airspace closed</a>&nbsp;to all Indian civil and military flights until March 23, the Pakistan Airports Authority said Thursday. The new notice, NOTAM A0096/26, covers both the Karachi and Lahore flight information regions, which make up the country&rsquo;s airspace. It replaces a previous directive that was set to expire on Feb. 23. Indian carriers have been forced to reroute flights along longer paths. Westbound flights from cities including Delhi, Mumbai, and Ahmedabad now take a southern route over the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman, passing through the United Arab Emirates or Oman before continuing to Europe, the UK, or North America. Some northern routes now pass through Chinese and Central Asian airspace. The rerouting has increased flight times and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/crash-pakistan-airspace-ban-push-air-india-toward-16-billion-annual-loss" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer">operational costs</a>&nbsp;due to extra fuel stops.&nbsp;Indian airlines, particularly Air India, report fuel costs rising by up to 29% and estimated monthly losses of roughly $500 million. Pakistan and India have closed their airspaces to each other since tensions rose in late April 2025 following an attack in Pahalgam, in India-occupied Kashmir. New Delhi accused Islamabad of backing the attack, which Pakistan denied while offering a neutral probe. The two countries briefly fought their fiercest military engagement in decades in early May 2025, with Pakistan downing several Indian jets.

Pakistan has extended restrictions on Indian aircraft, keeping its airspace closed to all Indian civil and military flights until March 23. (PIA)

Politics

Indian carriers have been forced to reroute flights along longer paths, increasing flight times and operational costs, due to extra fuel stops. 

Pakistan extends airspace ban for Indian flights until March 23

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s Foreign Office on Thursday summoned Afghanistan&rsquo;s deputy head of mission and lodged a strong protest over a terrorist attack in Bajaur that resulted in the martyrdom of 11 Pakistani soldiers. It said the attack was carried out by Fitna al-Khawarij, referring to the proscribed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a terrorist group that operates from Afghan territory with its leadership based there. According to the Foreign Office, the government condemned &ldquo;in strongest possible terms&rdquo; the vehicle-borne suicide bombing followed by a fire assault on a military and law enforcement post in the district. He said Pakistan has received repeated assurances from the Afghan Taliban regime but has not seen concrete action. Andrabi said Pakistan called on the Afghan Taliban regime to take immediate and verifiable steps against all militant groups operating from its territory, including their leadership. He stated that Pakistan informed the Afghan Taliban regime that it reserves the right to act against members of the Fitna al-Khawarij group and their affiliates wherever they are located to protect its soldiers, civilians and territorial boundaries.

The photograph shows the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Islamabad, Pakistan. (File Photo: PTV)

Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said officials told the Afghan Taliban representative that the attack was carried out by Fitna al-Khawarij, referring to the proscribed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, a terrorist group that operates from Afghan territory with its leadership based there.

Pakistan delivers strong demarche to Afghan diplomat after Bajaur terrorist attack 

ISLAMABAD: US President Donald Trump praised Pakistan&rsquo;s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defense Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir during a speech in Washington on Thursday. Speaking at the <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pm-sharif-to-land-in-us-for-board-of-peace-inaugural-session" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer">inaugural meeting</a> of the Board of Peace at the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace, the US President described Field Marshal Munir as &ldquo;a tough man, a good fighter, serious fighter,&rdquo; adding, &ldquo;I like good fighters actually.&rdquo; Trump said he intervened during a military confrontation between Pakistan and India, which he said could have cost &ldquo;25 million lives.&rdquo; He described the conflict as &ldquo;intense&rdquo;, stating that the &ldquo;war was raging [and] planes were being shot down.&rdquo; &ldquo;Prime Minister Sharif, I like this man, of Pakistan. There was some fighting going on when I got to know him and your Field Marshal, great general, great Field Marshal, great guy,&rdquo; Trump said. He recalled PM Sharif telling White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles that Trump had &ldquo;saved 25 million lives when he stopped the war between India and Pakistan.&rdquo; The US President said that 11 jets were shot down during the fighting. He also praised PM Sharif and the Field Marshal for their cooperation in preventing a larger conflict in the region. &ldquo;I think we will always be able to settle up with them. It&rsquo;s a lot of progress that&rsquo;s made even in the relationship. They are all great men, and I was very proud of it,&rdquo; Trump said. US, others pledge billions Trump also reflected on his first year in office, saying he had &ldquo;settled eight wars and I think a ninth to come,&rdquo; and called the <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/head-of-gaza-technocrat-committee-in-washington-for-board-of-peace-meeting" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer">Board of Peace</a> &ldquo;one of the most important and consequential things I think that I&rsquo;ll be involved in.&rdquo; While the US pledged $10 billion, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, the UAE, Morocco, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, and Kuwait have pledged more than $7 billion to relief efforts. &ldquo;We work together to ensure the brighter future of Gaza, the Middle East and the entire world,&rdquo; Trump said. He added that &ldquo;there is nothing more important than peace&rdquo; and that going to war is &ldquo;a hundred times&rdquo; more expensive than peace. Troops pledgedIndonesia, the world&#39;s largest Muslim-majority country, will take a deputy commander role in a nascent International Stabilization Force in Gaza and Morocco will contribute troops, the unit&#39;s American chief said Thursday, reported AFP. &quot;I have offered and Indonesia has accepted the position of deputy commander for the ISF,&quot; Major General Jasper Jeffers announced at the Board of Peace meeting attended, among other world leaders, by Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto. Indonesia has said it is ready to send up to 8,000 troops to Gaza if the force is confirmed. The force aims to have 20,000 soldiers and a new police force. Jeffers confirmed that Morocco had also agreed to send troops, marking the first commitment by an Arab country, along with Albania, Kazakhstan, and Kosovo.

US President Donald Trump and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif attend the Peace Council meeting held during the 56th World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on January 22, 2026. (AFP)

Speaking at the inaugural meeting of Board of Peace at the Donald Trump Institute of Peace, the US President described Field Marshal Munir as “a tough man, a good fighter, serious fighter,” adding, “I like good fighters actually.”

Board of Peace: Trump praises Pakistan’s PM, calls Field Marshal 'tough fighter'

GAZA CITY: The head of the Palestinian technocratic committee formed to handle day-to-day governance of Gaza, Ali Shaath, was in Washington Thursday to attend the inaugural &quot;Board of Peace&quot; meeting, two Palestinian officials told AFP.&nbsp;&quot;Ali Shaath ... arrived in Washington at dawn today to participate in the Washington meeting of the Board of Peace,&quot; a source familiar with the committee told AFP.&nbsp;&quot;Shaath is scheduled to deliver a speech outlining the general framework of his plan for the first 100 days. He is accompanied by the committee&#39;s official in charge of the finance portfolio,&quot; the source added.&nbsp;A committee member confirmed to AFP that Shaath had arrived &quot;following an invitation he received yesterday to attend the Washington meeting&quot;.&nbsp;Around two dozen world leaders and senior officials have travelled to Washington for the meeting, which was set up after the Trump administration, along with Qatar and Egypt, negotiated a ceasefire in October to halt two years of war in Gaza.&nbsp;At Thursday&#39;s meeting, Trump is expected to detail pledges of more than $5 billion for Gaza.&nbsp;The meeting will also discuss how to launch the International Stabilization Force to ensure security in Gaza.

Middle East

Ali Shaath arrives in Washington for the inaugural Board of Peace meeting. The Trump administration, along with Qatar and Egypt, seeks $5 billion in pledges and a stabilization force for security there.

Pakistan able to raise ‘effective voice’ for Palestinians through BOP: Information minister

Related Articles

Pakistan extends airspace ban for Indian flights until March 23

Board of Peace: Trump praises Pakistan’s PM, calls Field Marshal 'tough fighter'

Pakistan at UNSC says Israel’s decisions to expand control over West Bank ‘gravely disturbing’

Trump’s Board of Peace sets stage for deeper US-Pakistan cooperation: Envoy

Latest News

Trump issues Iran with ultimatum as US ramps up military presence

Pakistan able to raise ‘effective voice’ for Palestinians through BOP: Information minister

UK police say ex-prince Andrew 'released under investigation'

‘Must work together’ for Palestinian state: PM Sharif at Board of Peace inaugural session

Canada makes push to attract skilled migrants, including for defense