Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Egypt reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation and working together for regional peace and stability during a meeting held in Cairo on Saturday.&nbsp;According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the meeting took place at the Itihadia Presidential Palace, where both sides exchanged views on bilateral relations, reaffirming the long-standing friendship between the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the Arab Republic of Egypt.&nbsp;&nbsp;Pakistan&#39;s Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir lauded Egypt&rsquo;s leadership for its vital role in promoting peace and stability in the region, while President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi appreciated Pakistan&rsquo;s proactive and constructive contributions to global and Islamic causes.&nbsp;Both dignitaries reaffirmed their long-standing friendship and emphasized enhancing coordination in socio-economic development, technology, and security cooperation.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;They also agreed to promote people-to-people contacts and deepen economic and defense partnerships&rdquo;, the statement added.&nbsp;The meeting concluded with both leaders confident that stronger economic and security ties would enhance regional peace and prosperity.

Foreign Affairs

Field Marshal Asim Munir and President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi meet in Cairo to reaffirm bilateral cooperation, discussing enhanced security coordination, economic collaboration, and people-to-people ties while underscoring shared commitment to regional stability and long-term strategic partnership

Pakistan, Egypt vow to deepen cooperation for regional peace, stability

Gaitty Ara Anis

WASHINGTON: Pakistan has strongly rejected India&rsquo;s accusations at the United Nations, saying New Delhi&rsquo;s ruling ideology has transformed the country into what it described as the &ldquo;world&rsquo;s largest factory of hate,&rdquo; fueled by Hindutva extremism and systematic repression in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. In a right of reply during a UN Security Council debate, Pakistan&rsquo;s Counsellor Gul Qaiser Sarwani called out India&rsquo;s representative for what he termed &ldquo;baseless and diversionary claims,&rdquo; stressing that the situation in Kashmir remains one of &ldquo;custodial killings, enforced disappearances, sexual violence, demographic engineering, and sweeping media blackouts.&rdquo; Sarwani contrasted conditions in Indian-occupied Kashmir with those in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, which he said &ldquo;stands as evidence of Pakistan&rsquo;s commitment to democratic governance,&rdquo; where citizens elect their leadership and &ldquo;enjoy freedoms unimaginable under Indian occupation.&rdquo; He underlined that Jammu and Kashmir is an internationally recognized dispute, stating: &ldquo;Kashmir is not India&rsquo;s internal matter, it never was and never will be. It remains on the UN agenda, and no decree from New Delhi can alter that reality.&rdquo; Reaffirming Pakistan&rsquo;s longstanding position on the UN-mandated plebiscite, Sarwani said it is India that has &ldquo;reneged on every commitment,&rdquo; instead deploying nearly 900,000 troops to enforce control over the region, which he described as &ldquo;the densest military occupation of our time.&rdquo; He added that India&rsquo;s allegations against Pakistan aim to deflect attention from the situation in Kashmir. &ldquo;The mask of democracy slips,&rdquo; Sarwani said, &ldquo;when minorities across India face persecution, Muslims lynched in public, Christians attacked in places of worship, Sikhs vilified, and Dalits dehumanized. The tragedies of Gujarat, Delhi and Manipur speak for themselves.&rdquo;

In a UNSC debate, Pakistan rejected India’s accusations, saying New Delhi’s Hindutva-driven policies fueled repression in Indian-occupied Kashmir and undermine democratic values, while reaffirming Kashmir as UN-recognized dispute requiring a plebiscite.

Pakistan rebuts India at UN, says Hindutva policies eroding democratic values

BEIRUT: Lebanon&#39;s health ministry said two people were killed and another wounded in two Israeli strikes on the country&#39;s south Saturday, the latest attacks despite a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. In a statement, the ministry attributed the death to an &quot;Israeli enemy strike on a car in Haruf, Nabatiyeh district&quot;. The ministry then reported another Israeli strike on a motorcycle in Qlaileh, Tyre district, which killed one person. The Israeli military said it had killed Zayn al-Abidin Hussein Fatouni, alleging he was &quot;a commander in the anti-tank unit of the Radwan Force Battalion&quot; of Hezbollah. According to the army&#39;s statement, Fatouni &quot;was involved in efforts to re-establish Hezbollah&#39;s terrorist infrastructure in southern Lebanon&quot;. The military did not immediately comment on the attack on Qlaileh. Israel has repeatedly bombed Lebanon despite a November 2024 ceasefire that sought to end over a year of hostilities with Hezbollah. The Israeli military has intensified its attacks over the past week, killing two people in two separate strikes on vehicles Friday. The military said it had killed a Hezbollah &quot;logistics commander&quot; in the first strike and a member &quot;who was involved in efforts to reestablish Hezbollah&#39;s military capabilities&quot; in the second. A series of Israeli raids Thursday on southern and eastern Lebanon killed four people, including an elderly woman, with the military saying its targets included a weapons depot, a training camp and military infrastructure. Last week, a United Nations special rapporteur told AFP that deadly Israeli strikes on civilian vehicles in Lebanon could amount to war crimes, despite Israel&#39;s assertion they targeted Hezbollah members. As part of last year&#39;s ceasefire deal, Israeli troops were to withdraw from southern Lebanon and Hezbollah was to pull back north of the Litani River and dismantle any military infrastructure in the south. Under US pressure and fearing an escalation of Israeli strikes, the Lebanese government has moved to begin disarming Hezbollah, a plan the movement and its allies oppose. Despite the terms of the truce, Israel has kept troops deployed in five border points it deems strategic.

Middle East

The Israeli military said it had killed Zayn al-Abidin Hussein Fatouni, alleging he was "a commander in the anti-tank unit of the Radwan Force Battalion" of Hezbollah.

Lebanon says two killed in Israeli strikes on south

ISLAMABAD: Two Australian women cricketers were harassed while walking to a caf&eacute; in Indore on Thursday, just days before their final ICC Women&rsquo;s World Cup 2025 group-stage match against South Africa. According to Cricket Australia (CA), &ldquo;two members of the Australian women&rsquo;s team were approached and touched inappropriately by a motorcyclist while walking to a caf&eacute; in Indore.&rdquo; The incident has prompted renewed concerns over security arrangements for the tournament. The matter was reported to local authorities by the team&rsquo;s security officials. Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Rajesh Dandotiya told ANI that a formal complaint had been lodged regarding the &ldquo;inappropriate behaviour&rdquo; directed at the players. Australian media reported that while the players were shaken, they are safe and continuing with their tour. Cricket Australia said it remains in contact with the players and is cooperating with the police investigation. Cricket analyst Mohammad Owais said the incident raises questions about protective measures for international teams. &ldquo;This is a concerning incident because, during major international tournaments, players are typically accompanied by security personnel even for short movements,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The lack of adequate protection in this case is troubling and warrants review.&rdquo; The incident has also sparked criticism on social media, with calls for stronger safeguards for visiting athletes. Australia, currently at the top of the points table, is scheduled to face India in the second semi-final on October 30 in Navi Mumbai. South Africa will play England in the first semi-final on October 29 in Guwahati.

Cricket

Two Australian women cricketers were harassed by a motorcyclist in Indore before a World Cup match, prompting a police investigation and renewed scrutiny of security arrangements.

Two Australian players harassed in Indore during Women’s World Cup

JERUSALEM: The Israeli military said Saturday it had conducted an air strike targeting an alleged Islamic Jihad militant in central Gaza, despite a ceasefire brokered by US President Donald Trump. For the past two weeks there has been a fragile truce between Hamas, an ally of Islamic Jihad, and Israel -- although the latter reserves the right to defend itself and its forces from militant attacks. &quot;A short while ago, the IDF (army) conducted a precise strike in the Nuseirat area in the central Gaza Strip targeting a terrorist from the Islamic Jihad terrorist organisation who planned to carry out an imminent terrorist attack against IDF troops,&quot; the military said. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking to journalists as he left Israel, did not address the strike directly, but he noted that incidents are common in the immediate aftermath of ceasefires. &quot;Every night will bring new challenges on how to keep it together,&quot; he said. &quot;So we recognise that, but we also feel like we&#39;ve made tremendous progress in the last 12 or 13 days.&quot; Inside Gaza,&nbsp;the Al-Awda hospital confirmed it had received wounded for treatment after a strike in Nuseirat. &quot;The hospital has received four injured people following the Israeli occupation&#39;s targeting of a civilian car in the Al-Ahli Club area in Nuseirat Camp in central Gaza,&quot; the hospital said. The military said it would continue operations in Gaza &quot;to remove any immediate threat&quot; to its troops.

US State Secretary did not address the strike directly, but he noted that incidents are common in the immediate aftermath of ceasefires.

Israel army says targeted alleged militant in Gaza strike

JERUSALEM: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Saturday he did not envision a permanent division of Gaza, despite Israeli troops remaining in an area prioritised for reconstruction. Under a US-brokered ceasefire, Israeli forces have withdrawn to a &quot;Yellow Line&quot;, leaving them in control of around half of Gaza. The United States has said that reconstruction aid would be focused in the area under Israeli control. Rubio said that an international force, which US and regional mediators are trying to build, would move to enforce security across the Palestinian territory. Gaza&#39;s current masters, Hamas, could have no role in the future, he added. &quot;I think, ultimately, the point of the stabilisation force is to move that line until it covers hopefully all of Gaza, meaning all of Gaza will be demilitarised,&quot; Rubio told reporters on his plane between Israel and Qatar. &quot;Ultimately, the more of Gaza is demilitarised, the more of Gaza terrorism is removed from, the more of it is going to look like that green zone -- and that line will move as a result of it,&quot; he added. &quot;That&#39;s the long-term plan. The Israelis have made it abundantly clear they have no interest in occupying Gaza.&quot; The main Palestinian factions, including Hamas, have agreed to form a committee of technocrats to administer Gaza alongside the international ceasefire and reconstruction effort. But Hamas has resisted calls for its immediate disarmament, launching a crackdown on rival Palestinian gangs and armed groups in Gaza since the two-week-old ceasefire began. On Saturday, Mousa abu Marzouk, Hamas&#39;s head of international relations and legal affairs, warned: &quot;Excluding Hamas from maintaining stability in the Gaza Strip could lead to chaos and a security vacuum.&quot; Rubio was the latest top US official to come to Israel to push forward the ceasefire, arriving on the heels of Vice President JD Vance. Rubio said he expected General Dan Caine, the top US military officer, to visit Israel next week.

Under a US-brokered ceasefire, Israeli forces have withdrawn to a "Yellow Line", leaving them in control of around half of Gaza. 

US State Secretary says he does not see permanent division of Gaza

DUBLIN:&nbsp;Left-wing independent Catherine Connolly on Saturday won the race to be Ireland&#39;s new president, comfortably beating her centrist opponent in a contest marred by record numbers of spoilt ballots. Connolly, 68, secured more than 63% of the votes, well ahead of Heather Humphreys of the Fine Gael party on 29.5%, according to the official count. But the seemingly comprehensive victory was marred by the number of spoilt votes and criticism over the lack of right-wing candidates, amid frustration over issues including immigration and crime. Nearly 13%&nbsp;of the 1.65 million ballots cast were &quot;invalid&quot;, a record in a modern Irish elections. &quot;It will be an absolute privilege to serve you,&quot; Connolly said in her acceptance speech at the count declaration. The lawyer is an outspoken critic of both the United States and European Union. &quot;For those who didn&#39;t vote for me and those who spoilt their votes: let me tell you, I will be an inclusive president to listen to all of you.&quot; She vowed to be &quot;a voice for peace, a voice that builds on our policy of neutrality&quot; as well as a &quot;voice that articulates the existential threat posed by climate change&quot;. Connolly&#39;s election to a role with limited political power could nonetheless herald an era of increased friction between Ireland&#39;s largely ceremonial presidency and government. Prime Minister Micheal Martin -- who heads Fianna Fail, the larger party in Ireland&#39;s power-sharing coalition with Fine Gael -- had earlier congratulated her for an &quot;impactful campaign&quot;. &quot;I look forward to working with the new President... as Ireland continues to play a significant role on the global stage,&quot; he added. &#39;Spoil your vote&#39; Conservative figures had urged voters to mar their voting paper in protest at the two-horse race and other issues. Like neighbouring Britain, Ireland has seen an increasingly divisive debate over an influx of asylum seekers, sparking sometimes violent protests, including outside facilities used to house them. Connolly will begin her seven-year term next month, replacing 84-year-old Michael Higgins, in the post since 2011. A slew of celebrities had also considered running -- including mixed martial arts star Conor McGregor, singer Bob Geldof and dancer Michael Flatley -- but their campaigns failed to materialise. A conservative Catholic candidate almost made the ballot but fell short of gaining enough parliamentary backing, sparking anger about the nomination rules and early calls to &quot;spoil your vote&quot;. Connolly and Humphreys ended up as the only effective choices after another candidate representing Fianna Fail quit the race. But he remained on ballot papers -- winning around 7%&nbsp;of the vote -- having only announced his withdrawal earlier this month. One recent poll suggested 49%&nbsp;of people did not feel represented in the contest. But while turnout had been expected to suffer, at nearly 46%, it was higher than for the last presidential election in 2018. &#39;Disastrous&#39; Connolly, supported by left-wing parties including Sinn Fein, surged ahead in opinion polls in recent weeks. But some predict her radical views on foreign policy, social justice and housing could cause friction with the government. She is an Irish-language speaker and, like many in Ireland, vehemently pro-Palestinian. She also wants to see the Ireland reunified with the UK territory Northern Ireland. Connolly has also voiced unease at Europe&#39;s growing military spending. Trinity College Dublin politics professor Lisa Keenan said the left-wing unity behind Connolly signals parties on that flank have serious hopes to &quot;end the dominance&quot; of Fine Gael and Fianna Fail. Their ultimate aim is to &quot;exclude them from government for the first time in the history of the state&quot;, she noted. Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald hailed the result as showing the &quot;potential for an alternative... beyond the old politics&quot;. &quot;It is certainly my hope and desire that we can drive this politics of optimism, of hope, of activism from the grassroots forward.&quot;

Europe

The victory was also marred by and criticism over the lack of right-wing candidates, amid frustration over issues including immigration and crime.

Left-winger Catherine Connolly wins Ireland's presidential election

Mariam Ellahi

ISLAMABAD: The second round of talks between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban has not yet concluded, with deliberations on Pakistan&rsquo;s proposal still underway in Istanbul, intelligence sources told Pakistan TV Digital late Saturday.&nbsp;According to the sources, the discussions spanned approximately nine hours.&nbsp;The latest engagement follows the Doha round held last week, where both sides agreed to a ceasefire after days of cross-border clashes. The Istanbul discussions are aimed at moving toward a verifiable framework to prevent further escalation and ensure stability along the Pakistan&ndash;Afghanistan border.&nbsp;Three-point agenda under reviewSources said the talks in Istanbul focused on a three-point agenda: establishing a joint monitoring and oversight mechanism to curb cross-border militant movement; ensuring respect for national sovereignty under existing laws and international obligations; and addressing trade matters, refugee repatriation, and the separation of bilateral issues from internal political pressures.&nbsp;Possibility of longer-term understandingOfficials confirmed that both sides also discussed the prospect of a longer-term political understanding.&nbsp;Pakistan&rsquo;s Foreign Office Spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi had earlier described the Doha engagement as a &ldquo;positive marker.&rdquo;&nbsp;&ldquo;There has been no major full-scale terrorist attack emanating from Afghan soil in the last two to three days,&rdquo; he said on Friday. &ldquo;We would like the trend to continue in Istanbul and post-Istanbul.&rdquo;&nbsp;On the Afghan side, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid stated on X that Deputy Interior Minister Haji Najib is leading Kabul&rsquo;s delegation, noting that &ldquo;the remaining issues will be discussed at this meeting.&rdquo;&nbsp;Islamabad&rsquo;s core objectiveAndrabi reiterated that Pakistan&rsquo;s central aim is to halt attacks originating from Afghan territory, adding that the ceasefire &ldquo;by and large still stands.&rdquo;&nbsp;Officials in Islamabad said the decision to re-engage in dialogue was made at Kabul&rsquo;s request and through mutual understanding to reduce tensions, emphasizing that sustained engagement is important for regional stability.&nbsp;Background to the talksThe latest engagement follows a surge in militant incidents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including attacks in Central Kurram and Dera Ismail Khan, in which at least 28 Pakistani security personnel, including senior officers, were martyred. In response to the deteriorating situation, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif announced that Islamabad would dispatch a delegation to Kabul, citing what he described as &ldquo;unbearable&rdquo; security conditions. Shortly afterward, explosions were reported in Kabul, which Taliban officials linked to Pakistan, a claim Islamabad did not immediately address. On October 11, heavy clashes then broke out at several points along the 2,604-kilometre border. The Afghan side&rsquo;s 201st Khalid bin Walid Army Corps said its actions came in response to Pakistan&rsquo;s earlier strikes, while Pakistan also engaged multiple Afghan positions and temporarily closed the Spin Boldak crossing. A 48-hour temporary truce was put in place on October 15 and was subsequently extended through the Doha talks held last week with the facilitation of Qatar and T&uuml;rkiye. According to Qatar, both sides agreed to maintain an immediate ceasefire and continue follow-up engagements to support its implementation.

Security

With discussions spanning nine hours, Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban have yet to conclude talks in Istanbul, where deliberations on Pakistan’s proposal continue following last week’s Doha ceasefire

Istanbul talks ‘not concluded’ as deliberation on Pakistan proposal ongoing

BERLIN: Bayern Munich equalled the European record for successive wins to start a season as they beat 10-man Borussia Moenchengladbach 3-0 on Saturday.In the late game, Maximilian Beier scored in the sixth minute of stoppage time to send Borussia Dortmund up to third with a 1-0 home win over promoted Cologne. RB Leipzig stayed second with a 6-0 win at Augsburg. In Moenchengladbach, Joshua Kimmich, Raphael Guerreiro and teenager Lennart Karl all scored in the final half hour as Bayern made it 13 wins from 13 games in all competitions, a feat last achieved by AC Milan at the start of the 1992-93 season. The win meant Bayern stayed five points clear of second-placed RB Leipzig at the top of the table. The home team&#39;s Jens Castrop sunk his studs into Luis Diaz&#39;s shin with 19 minutes gone and was sent off when his yellow card was upgraded to red after a VAR review. Despite the one-man advantage, Bayern&mdash;who made six changes, including Jonas Urbig replacing captain Manuel Neuer in goal&mdash;lacked fluidity against their last-placed opponents. &quot;After the red card, the entire stadium celebrated every duel won and every save by their &#39;keeper,&quot; Bayern coach Vincent Kompany said. &quot;There were a lot of emotions&mdash;we stayed calm. When we got our chances, we took them.&quot; It was only the second time this season Harry Kane, who had a goal chalked off for offside in the second half, had failed to score. Kimmich put the visitors ahead after 64 minutes, blasting through a crowded penalty box, and Guerreiro added another five minutes later, sweeping in to finish off a lovely team move. Gladbach&#39;s hopes of getting something out of the match were dashed further when Kevin Stoeger hit a penalty at the post with 15 minutes left. With nine minutes remaining, 17-year-old Karl produced a stunning curling strike to wrap up the match for the defending champions. Dortmund win late&mdash;Dortmund, who lost their first match of the season last Saturday at Bayern, looked set to lose further ground on the league leaders as the clock wound down against visiting Cologne. Dortmund were camped around the visitors&#39; goal in the last 30 minutes but could not make the pressure count, with Cologne goalkeeper Marvin Schwaebe keeping the hosts at bay. Cologne&#39;s Timo Huebers was stretchered off in the final 10 minutes with a knee injury, forcing the visitors, who had already made all of their changes, to play a man down. With the match entering the seventh and final stoppage-time minute, Beier cut a low shot across the grass and into the goal to send the 82,000-strong Westfalenstadion into raptures. RB Leipzig romped to a 6-0 win at Augsburg with six different goalscorers, tightening their grip on second spot. Yan Diomande, Romulo, Antonio Nusa, Christoph Baumgartner, Assan Ouedraogo, and Castello Lukeba all netted as Leipzig inflicted Augsburg&#39;s worst home defeat in league history. Since losing 6-0 to Bayern in the season opener, Leipzig has claimed 19 of a possible 21 points in seven games, conceding just three goals. Eintracht Frankfurt bounced back from Wednesday&#39;s 5-1 Champions League thumping by Liverpool to beat St. Pauli 2-0 at home thanks to a double from Jonathan Burkardt. Germany striker Burkardt, who also scored a double last week against Freiburg, has six goals in seven league games this season. Elsewhere, Wolfsburg won their first match since August with a 1-0 victory at Hamburg, with Adam Daghim scoring the only goal. Hamburg winger Ransford-Yeboah Koenigsdoerffer missed a first-half penalty, the third time in a row he has failed to convert from the spot. Hoffenheim beat lowly Heidenheim 3-1.

Football

Bayern Munich beat 10-man Moenchengladbach 3-0 to equal a European record with 13 straight wins, staying five points clear of RB Leipzig, while Dortmund and Leipzig also secured impressive victories

Bayern beat 10-man Gladbach to match European record

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Saturday cautioned that ongoing negotiations with Afghanistan in Istanbul must produce a workable security arrangement, saying a breakdown in talks would leave both sides facing the prospect of direct conflict. &ldquo;We have the option; if no agreement takes place, we have an open war with them,&rdquo; Asif said during a press talk in the eastern Pakistani city of Sialkot. However, he added that the Afghan side appeared willing to pursue stability. &ldquo;I saw that they want peace.&rdquo; His comments come days after Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed to a ceasefire in Doha to halt some of the most intense border clashes since the Taliban assumed power in Kabul in 2021. Asif noted that the situation along the frontier had remained calm for the past several days. &ldquo;There have been no incidents in four to five days, and both sides are abiding by the truce,&rdquo; he said. Delegations from both countries began meeting in Istanbul on Saturday in what officials described as a continuation of the Doha dialogue. The talks are expected to focus on developing a verifiable mechanism to prevent cross-border attacks and maintain stability. Earlier this month, coordinated attacks were carried out at multiple locations near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, prompting Pakistan to undertake aerial strikes on what authorities identified as militant hideouts across the frontier. The exchange of fire that followed resulted in casualties on both sides and led to the temporary closure of several key crossing points, which remain shut as talks continue. Islamabad maintains that armed fighters staging attacks inside Pakistan continue to find refuge in Afghanistan. The Istanbul talks aim to establish an enforcement channel to ensure that the ceasefire does not collapse under renewed hostilities. Negotiations were expected to continue into Sunday.

Pakistan’s Defense Minister warned that Istanbul talks with Afghanistan must yield a security arrangement, or both nations risk direct conflict. Recent ceasefire has calmed border clashes, with discussions focused on preventing cross-border attacks and ensuring stability

Pakistan warns of ‘open conflict’ if Istanbul talks with Afghanistan fail

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) resumed direct flights to the United Kingdom on Saturday, marking the restoration of services that had remained on hold for the past five years.&nbsp;The development follows the UK&rsquo;s decision in July to allow the national carrier to operate once again, after assessing that Pakistan&rsquo;s aviation safety standards meet international requirements. Earlier this month, the UK Civil Aviation Authority issued a Foreign Aircraft Operating Permit to PIA, completing the final procedural step. <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" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=eyJ0ZndfdGltZWxpbmVfbGlzdCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOltdLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2ZvbGxvd2VyX2NvdW50X3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9iYWNrZW5kIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19yZWZzcmNfc2Vzc2lvbiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZm9zbnJfc29mdF9pbnRlcnZlbnRpb25zX2VuYWJsZWQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib24iLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X21peGVkX21lZGlhXzE1ODk3Ijp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRyZWF0bWVudCIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3Nob3dfYmlyZHdhdGNoX3Bpdm90c19lbmFibGVkIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19kdXBsaWNhdGVfc2NyaWJlc190b19zZXR0aW5ncyI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdXNlX3Byb2ZpbGVfaW1hZ2Vfc2hhcGVfZW5hYmxlZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdmlkZW9faGxzX2R5bmFtaWNfbWFuaWZlc3RzXzE1MDgyIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRydWVfYml0cmF0ZSIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfbGVnYWN5X3RpbWVsaW5lX3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9mcm9udGVuZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9fQ%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1982017808142926068&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fsections%2F&sessionId=1955e616218c9bd2515cd73355e0e0aa6832ae8c&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 576px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" data-tweet-id="1982017808142926068"></iframe></div></div>&nbsp;Speaking at the ceremony held at Islamabad International Airport, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said the restoration of flights reflected the commitment and coordinated efforts of Pakistani aviation authorities.&nbsp;&ldquo;After a long and difficult delay of five years, today the resumption of flights from Islamabad to Manchester is a feat we have achieved through our hard work and determination,&rdquo; he said. Asif noted that significant improvements had been made in pilot training, licensing processes and aircraft safety compliance during this period.&nbsp;PIA has started with a twice-weekly service between Islamabad and Manchester, with plans to expand operations to London and Birmingham in the coming months. A PIA spokesperson confirmed that the first flight, carrying 284 passengers, departed for Manchester on Saturday afternoon.&nbsp;The airline had also resumed flights to Paris earlier this year after receiving clearance from European aviation authorities in late 2024.&nbsp;The government continues efforts to strengthen the national carrier and has reiterated its commitment to restructuring and reforming the organization.

Economy

PIA resumed direct flights to Manchester on Saturday after a five-year hiatus, following safety and regulatory improvements. The airline plans to add London and Birmingham routes next.