Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Sri Lankan High Commissioner Rear Admiral Fred Siriweera on Wednesday met Federal Interior Minister and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi to review security arrangements for the visiting Sri Lankan cricket team.&nbsp;According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, &ldquo;team managers of both sides, PCB Chief Operating Officer Sameer Ahmed, Chief Commissioner Islamabad, and Inspector General Islamabad Police were also present during the meeting.&rdquo;&nbsp;During the session, the Chief Commissioner and IG Islamabad Police gave a detailed briefing on the measures in place to ensure the Sri Lankan team&rsquo;s safety.&nbsp;Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi reaffirmed that the visiting players are being hosted as state guests, emphasizing that &ldquo;comprehensive security measures are in place and all necessary steps have been taken to ensure their foolproof security.&rdquo;&nbsp;Naqvi reiterated that &ldquo;providing a safe and secure environment to the visiting team remains the government&rsquo;s top priority.&rdquo;&nbsp;&ldquo;The Sri Lankan High Commissioner expressed satisfaction over the arrangements made for his country&rsquo;s team,&rdquo; the statement concluded.&nbsp;Sri Lanka is currently playing a three-match ODI series against Pakistan who leads the series 1-0, with the remaining two matches scheduled in Rawalpindi. Following the ODIs, Pakistan and Sri Lanka will join Zimbabwe in a T20I tri-series from November 17 to 29 in Rawalpindi and Lahore.

Cricket

Sri Lankan High Commissioner Rear Admiral Fred Siriweera met Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to review security for the visiting team. Naqvi assured foolproof arrangements, while the envoy expressed satisfaction. Pakistan leads the ongoing ODI series 1–0.


Sri Lankan envoy lauds Pakistan’s ‘foolproof security’ for visiting team

LONDON: Britain will reduce protections for refugees under plans to overhaul its asylum system, the government announced on Saturday. The measures, which will include forcing refugees to return to their home countries once they are deemed safe, were announced as the government faces mounting pressure over irregular migration. &quot;I&#39;ll end the UK&#39;s &lsquo;golden ticket&rsquo; for asylum seekers,&quot; Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood declared in a statement. Presently, those given refugee status have it for five years, after which they can apply for indefinite leave to remain and eventually citizenship. But Mahmood&#39;s ministry, known as the Home Office, said it would cut the length of refugee status to 30 months. That protection will be &quot;regularly reviewed,&quot; and refugees will be forced to return to their home countries once they are deemed safe, it added. The ministry also said that it intended to make those refugees who are granted asylum wait 20 years before applying to be allowed to live in the UK long-term, instead of the current five. The Home Office called the proposals the &quot;largest overhaul of asylum policy in modern times.&quot; Starmer, elected last summer, is under pressure to stop migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats from France, something that also troubled his Conservative predecessors. More than 39,000 people, many fleeing conflict, have arrived this year following such dangerous journeys &mdash; more than for the whole of 2024 but lower than the record set in 2022. The crossings are helping fuel the popularity of Reform, led by firebrand Nigel Farage, which has led Labour by double-digit margins in opinion polls for most of this year. Asylum claims in Britain are at a record high, with some 111,000 applications made in the year to June 2025, according to official figures. Benefits not guaranteed The Home Office called the new proposals, which Mahmood is due to lay out in Parliament on Monday, the &ldquo;largest overhaul of asylum policy in modern times.&rdquo; It said the reforms would make it less attractive for irregular migrants to come to Britain and make it easier to remove those already in the country. A statutory legal duty to provide support to asylum seekers, introduced in a 2005 law, would also be revoked, the ministry said. That means housing and weekly financial allowances would no longer be guaranteed for asylum seekers. It would be &ldquo;discretionary,&rdquo; meaning the government could deny assistance to any asylum seeker who could work or support themselves but did not, or to those who committed crimes. Starmer, elected last summer, is under pressure to stop migrants from crossing the English Channel in small boats from France, something that also troubled his Conservative predecessors. Danish crackdown More than 39,000 people, many fleeing conflict, have arrived this year following such dangerous journeys &mdash; more than for the whole of 2024 but lower than the record set in 2022. The crossings are helping fuel the popularity of Reform, led by firebrand Nigel Farage, which has trailed Labour in double-digit margins in opinion polls for most of this year. Labour is taking inspiration from Denmark&rsquo;s coalition government &mdash; led by the centre-left Social Democrats &mdash; which has implemented some of the strictest migration policies in Europe. Senior British officials recently visited the Scandinavian country, where successful asylum claims are at a 40-year low. Refugees in Denmark are entitled to a one-year renewable residency permit and are encouraged to return home as soon as authorities deem there is no longer a need for a safe haven. Family reunions are also subject to strict requirements, including a minimum age for both parents, language tests and guarantees of funds. Britain&rsquo;s Mahmood is also expected to announce a tightening of rules around family reunions. Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, urged the government to rethink its plans, saying they &ldquo;will not deter&rdquo; the crossings. &ldquo;They should ensure that refugees who work hard and contribute to Britain can build secure, settled lives and give back to their communities,&rdquo; he said. Labor&rsquo;s more left-wing lawmakers will probably oppose the plans, fearing that the party is losing voters to progressive alternatives such as the Greens.

FILE PHOTO - UK-funded food vouchers are distributed to Syrian refugees in Amman, Jordan, through the World Food Programme (Wikimedia Commons)

United Kingdom

Britain will reduce protections for refugees under plans to overhaul its asylum system, the government announced on Saturday.

UK to cut protections for refugees under asylum 'overhaul'

Faraz Saeed

File - Hyundai dealership in Lahore on November 15, 2025. (Faraz Saeed/ Pakistan TV Digital)

Economy

Analysts cite improved economic conditions, lower interest rates, restored production, and growing consumer confidence as key drivers behind the surge in cars, SUVs, motorcycles, and commercial vehicles.

Pakistan’s automotive sector hits high gear as sales surge nationwide

TURIN: Jannik Sinner continued his mastery over Alex de Minaur on Saturday with a straight-sets win to reach the ATP Finals championship match for the third year in a row. Sinner broke late in the first set and then pulled away from De Minaur to complete a 7-5, 6-2 win &mdash; his 13th in as many meetings with the Australian. The Italian world number two has yet to drop a service game en route to the final but will likely have a tougher test in the final against top seed Carlos Alcaraz, who is favourite to beat Felix Auger-Aliassime in Saturday&#39;s other semifinal. &ldquo;Honestly every matchup (with Alcaraz) is different. We saw it in Rome and Paris, even if it is the same surface (clay), it can change,&rdquo; said Sinner, who lost both of those finals before beating his Spanish rival to win Wimbledon. &ldquo;Another final, it has been an amazing year for me. I am looking forward to tomorrow&hellip; also to see for me where my level really is, but at the same time it is great before the offseason to have this matchup. &ldquo;He still has a match to go against Felix&hellip; He loves to play indoors, as we know. Let us see who is going to win. Anyway, I am happy to be in the final. Then we see.&rdquo; Sinner has won his last 18 sets played in Turin, where he beat Taylor Fritz in last year&rsquo;s final. The four-time Grand Slam champion is on a 30-match winning streak on indoor hard courts. The 24-year-old Sinner has not dropped a set at the ATP Finals since losing the 2023 final to Novak Djokovic, while De Minaur ends his year with a more upbeat mood than the one he had after losing to Lorenzo Musetti in the group stage. De Minaur&rsquo;s new perspective De Minaur admitted that he had been in a &ldquo;dark place&rdquo; after that loss, which almost cost him a place in the last four, before he beat Taylor Fritz to set up Saturday&#39;s clash with Sinner. &ldquo;I had a little shift in perspective. Of course, like, sitting here right now, I feel like I should have finished my Turin campaign having won two matches instead of one,&rdquo; De Minaur told reporters. &ldquo;But you cannot really change the past. You have just got to do your best to learn from it, get back up, and keep on heading forward, right? That is ultimately the goal now. Obviously I am in a much better place.&rdquo; De Minaur fought off two break points in the opening game of the semifinal but then failed to convert any of the three he carved out in Sinner&rsquo;s first service game. The Australian resisted again when Sinner threatened to break in the seventh and ninth games, but the second seed eventually struck the key blow at 5-5 and snatched the first set. Sinner surged 4-0 ahead in the second set before wrapping up his ninth straight win at the tournament, becoming the youngest player since Lleyton Hewitt in 2004 to reach three finals at the season-ending event. If Sinner faces Alcaraz in the final, it will be their sixth meeting of the season. Alcaraz has won four of the five previous matches, triumphing in the French Open and US Open finals.<figure class="fr-media"><figcaption class="caption-cover-image text-sm text-gray-600 italic"> </figcaption></figure>

Italy's Jannik Sinner celebrates after winning his semifinal against Australia's Alex de Minaur at the ATP Finals tennis tournament in Turin on November 15, 2025. (Marco Bertorello/AFP)

Tennis

Jannik Sinner continued his mastery over Alex de Minaur on Saturday with a straight-sets win to reach the ATP Finals championship match for the third year in a row

Sinner beats De Minaur to reach ATP Finals title match

ISTANBUL: The hotel where a family of Turkish-German tourists were staying when they suffered suspected poisoning that killed the mother and two children, was evacuated Saturday, local media reported. All guests staying at the unnamed hotel in the Fatih neighbourhood near Istanbul&#39;s historic peninsula were relocated to other hotels, BirGun newspaper said, without saying how many people were involved. Another two tourists staying at the same hotel were taken to hospital Saturday after coming down with nausea and vomiting, the paper said, without elaborating. The family fell ill on Wednesday after eating several popular street food dishes in the waterside neighbourhood of Ortakoy, at the foot of a bridge spanning the Bosphorus. They were taken to hospital but the two children, aged six and three, died on Thursday and the mother a day later, the justice minister said. The father remained in &quot;critical condition&quot;, Istanbul&#39;s regional health chief Abdullah Emre Guner said late Friday on X. Different media reports looked at various foods the family was thought to have eaten. But investigators have also discovered that a room on the ground floor of the hotel had recently been sprayed with pesticides, the Hurriyet news website reported Saturday. Police had detained a hotel employee and two pest control workers, raising the number of people held in connection with the incident to seven, it added.

Europe

Police had detained a hotel employee and two pest control workers, raising the number of people held in connection with the incident to seven.

Istanbul hotel evacuated after tourists die of suspected poisoning

Web Desk/AFP

NAIROBI:&nbsp;Ethiopia has confirmed an outbreak of the deadly Marburg virus in the south of the country, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said on Saturday. The Marburg virus is one of the deadliest known pathogens. Like Ebola, it causes severe bleeding, fever, vomiting and diarrhea, and has a 21-day incubation period. Also like Ebola, it is transmitted through contact with bodily fluids and has a fatality rate of between 25% and 80%. The Marburg virus is transmitted to people from fruit bats and spreads among humans through human-to-human transmission, World Health Organization&nbsp;says.&nbsp; The head of WHO, Ethiopia&rsquo;s Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, confirmed on Friday that at least nine cases had been detected in southern Ethiopia, two days after Africa CDC was alerted to a suspected hemorrhagic virus in the region. &ldquo;Marburg virus disease (MVD) has been confirmed by the National Reference Laboratory (in Ethiopia),&rdquo; Africa CDC said. &ldquo;Further epidemiological investigations and laboratory analyses are underway, and the virus strain detected shows similarities to those previously identified in East Africa.&rdquo; It said Ethiopian health authorities had acted swiftly to confirm and contain the outbreak in the Jinka area. Africa CDC said it would work with Ethiopia to ensure an effective response and reduce the risk of the virus spreading to other parts of East Africa. An epidemic of Marburg virus killed 10 people in Tanzania in January before being declared over in March. Rwanda said in December 2024 that it had managed to stamp out its first known Marburg epidemic, which caused 15 deaths. There is no approved vaccine or antiviral treatment for the Marburg virus, but oral or intravenous rehydration and treatment of specific symptoms increase patients&rsquo; chances of survival. Last year, Rwanda trialed an experimental vaccine from the US-based Sabin Vaccine Institute.

FILE PHOTO - Internally displaced children play at Berley Camp, 20 kilometres from the city of Gode, Ethiopia, on January 10, 2023. (AFP)

Africa

Ethiopia has confirmed an outbreak of the deadly Marburg virus in the south of the country, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said on Saturday.

Ethiopia confirms deadly Marburg virus outbreak: Africa CDC

ISLAMABAD: India&rsquo;s opposition leaders on Saturday criticized the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of orchestrating a large-scale voter purge that they say helped the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) clinch 128 constituencies in the 2025 Bihar assembly elections.&nbsp;Leaders from the Kerala unit of the Congress party said their review of Election Commission of India data showed that &ldquo;genuine voters were removed&rdquo; during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, alleging that the process disproportionately targeted &ldquo;poor and vulnerable communities.&rdquo;&nbsp;According to the party, &ldquo;no illegal immigrants were found,&rdquo; contradicting long-standing claims used to justify extensive deletions.&nbsp;Calling the exercise a &ldquo;purge,&rdquo; Kerala Congress leaders warned that the SIR process represented a broader strategy.&nbsp;&ldquo;If we do not realize the game plan of the BJP,&rdquo; the party said, &ldquo;it will quietly remove each one of us from the list, add dummy Brazilians in our place, cast votes on our behalf, and keep winning elections forever.&rdquo;&nbsp;The NDA won 202 out of 243 seats in the final tally, with the BJP securing 89 seats and its ally Janata Dal (United) winning 85. The opposition Mahagathbandhan, including the Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal, suffered heavy losses, while Jan Suraaj failed to win a single seat.&nbsp;The result marks the second time the NDA has crossed the 200-seat mark in Bihar, previously achieving 206 seats in 2010.&nbsp;Opposition figures argue that the voter purge was paired with communal polarization. Critics have long accused the Modi government of deploying anti-Muslim rhetoric, with Indian Muslims, particularly in border districts such as Seemanchal, &nbsp;labeled &ldquo;Bangladeshi infiltrators&rdquo; to influence electoral behavior along religious and linguistic lines.&nbsp;The SIR drive reportedly struck more than 6.5 million voters from the rolls, including approximately 600,000 Muslims and 1.6 million women. In some Muslim-majority areas, deletions reportedly reached 10% of registered voters. Meanwhile, several districts recorded unexplained increases in voter counts, prompting concerns about the addition of bogus entries.&nbsp;Investigations cited by opposition figures also point to instances where local BJP officials allegedly submitted letters requesting the deletion of Muslim voters, requests that, according to critics, were not acted upon transparently.&nbsp;Beyond the electoral impact, community leaders say the deletions have deepened mistrust and strained interfaith relations in several Muslim-majority districts.&nbsp;Analysts warn the controversy reflects a growing crisis in India&rsquo;s electoral system, with one senior opposition figure cautioning that &ldquo;Indian democracy cannot remain inclusive when millions of citizens are quietly erased from voter lists.&rdquo;

India

Opposition leaders say the Special Intensive Revision wrongly deleted millions of genuine voters, especially Muslims and women, calling it a targeted purge that helped the BJP-led NDA win Bihar.

Indian opposition criticizes ruling BJP of voter purge driving Bihar election victory

Ayesha Mir

WANA: In a dim storeroom meant for five, Cadet Abdullah, 18, stood shoulder to shoulder with 23 cadets, the walls trembling with explosions outside. Yet inside, the boys steadied themselves with quiet courage, trusting fully that the Pakistan Army, their last line of defense, would fight its way in to save them. &nbsp;In the rugged, arid terrain of Pakistan&rsquo;s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, four militants drove a vehicle carrying 500&ndash;600 kilograms of explosives into the main gate of Wana&rsquo;s remote military and cadet college near the Afghan border earlier this week, creating a four-foot-wide crater. Bullet-riddled walls, shattered glass littering the floors, and a devastated auditorium, named after a cadet martyred in 2022, bore witness to the attack.&nbsp;Remarkably, all 535 students and staff emerged unharmed.&nbsp;&ldquo;We were doing drill rehearsal when the huge blast happened,&rdquo; Abdullah told Pakistan TV Digital, his voice steady but haunted. &ldquo;We ran to our houses and waited&hellip; two hours&hellip; until the Army arrived. They stood like walls for us. We spent 25 hours in that small storeroom with no food or water.&rdquo;&nbsp;Next to him, fellow cadet Binyamin Ahmed added, &ldquo;We were scared, but seeing the Army guiding us to safety gave us hope. We are proud of our country and our Army.&rdquo;&nbsp;Officials said the attackers included four armed militants and one suicide bomber. The Pakistan Army carried out a coordinated clearance operation, neutralizing all the assailants while ensuring no harm came to the cadets. The militants had communicated with handlers in Afghanistan and were linked to what officials described as an Indian proxy group, &ldquo;Fitna al-Khawarij.&rdquo;&nbsp;The military&rsquo;s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations, said: &ldquo;Khawarij hiding inside the college premises were in contact with their masters and handlers in Afghanistan and were receiving instructions. The attack aimed to instill fear among students pursuing education in the region.&rdquo;&nbsp;Pakistan refers to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an umbrella network of armed groups, as &ldquo;khawarij,&rdquo; a term rooted in early Islamic history describing an extremist sect that rebelled against legitimate authority and declared other Muslims apostates.&nbsp;Government officials lauded the Army&rsquo;s swift response. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said: &ldquo;I salute the soldiers who stood against suicide bombers to save these young school kids. Hats off to them.&rdquo;&nbsp;Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack, calling it another attempt to target an educational institution.&nbsp;&ldquo;Once again, the cowardly enemy tried to target an educational institution, but their attempt was foiled,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The unwavering resolve and strength of our security forces will continue to defeat the evil designs of terrorists. The entire nation salutes our security forces.&rdquo;&nbsp;The attack on November 10 at Cadet College Wana evoked painful memories of the December 16, 2014, Army Public School attack in Peshawar, in which seven heavily armed Taliban fighters stormed an army-run school, killing 150 people, including at least 134 students. Yet unlike that tragedy, all 535 students and staff at Wana were rescued unharmed.&nbsp;For Principal Usman, standing amid the rubble of his office, the attack was heartbreaking but not defeating. &ldquo;These kids are our pride. Seven gold medalists, one civil medalist&hellip; and yet, terrorists came to kill them. But they failed. This college will not close. Not yesterday, not today, not tomorrow.&rdquo;&nbsp;Abdullah&rsquo;s story, like that of his classmates, is one of courage and resilience. In a region where schools once shuttered under the shadow of militancy, the cadets&rsquo; bravery represents a triumph of hope over fear.&nbsp;As Abdullah walked past the damaged auditorium, he paused and said quietly, &ldquo;We will study, we will learn, we will grow. This is our home, and nothing can take that away from us.&rdquo;&nbsp;In South Waziristan, the message is clear: despite terror and destruction, education will continue, courage will endure, and the nation stands united behind its children and security forces.

Security

In South Waziristan, cadets survived a major terrorist attack near the Afghan border, showing remarkable courage, as Pakistan’s security forces foiled the assault and rescued all safely.

Cadets defy terrorists as Pakistan thwarts major attack near Afghan border

TEHRAN: Iran&#39;s Revolutionary Guards confirmed on Saturday that they had seized an oil tanker in the Gulf as it sailed away from a UAE port, a day after security companies determined they were likely responsible. &quot;Yesterday morning at 7:30, after a judicial authority ordered the seizure of the cargo of an oil tanker with the trade name Talara and the flag of the Marshall Islands, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) rapid reaction units of the naval forces monitored its movements and intercepted and seized it,&quot; said the IRGC, the ideological arm of the Islamic republic&#39;s military. &quot;The tanker was found to be in violation of the law by carrying unauthorized cargo,&quot; the statement continued, adding it &quot;was carrying 30,000 tonnes of petrochemical cargo and was heading to Singapore.&quot; The Iranian news agency Fars said that action was not taken as a measure against any other nation but was a purely local matter. The seized cargo, the report said, was made up of Iranian-produced petrochemicals being illegally exported and &quot;the main culprit was an Iranian individual or business.&quot; The vessel had departed from Ajman in the United Arab Emirates and was heading south through the Strait of Hormuz when it was approached by three small boats, after which it made a &quot;sudden course deviation,&quot; maritime security company Ambrey said. The US Navy had earlier said it was &quot;actively monitoring the situation.&quot; &quot;Commercial vessels are entitled to largely unimpeded rights of navigation and commerce on the high seas,&quot; said the US 5th Fleet, which patrols the region. The Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for global oil and liquefied natural gas, has previously been the scene of similar incidents. Last year, the Revolutionary Guards seized a container ship, saying it had links to Israel, following a deadly attack on Iran&#39;s consulate in Syria blamed on Israel.

File Photo - Iraq’s state ports company and naval forces carry out a joint operation in Iraqi territorial waters and the Khor Abdallah channel to ensure navigational safety and crack down on oil smugglers on August 7, 2025. 

Middle East

Asia

Iran's Revolutionary Guards confirmed on Saturday that they had seized an oil tanker in the Gulf as it sailed away from a UAE port, a day after security companies determined they were likely responsible.

Iran Guards confirm they seized oil tanker in Gulf

ISLAMABAD: In a major development, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has started the process to sell two new Pakistan Super League (PSL) teams, PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi announced on Saturday. Naqvi shared details on X, saying interested parties can submit technical proposals to acquire the new franchises by December 15, 2025.&nbsp; &ldquo;The Pakistan Super League is about to get bigger and better! Two new PSL dreams are about to come true,&rdquo; Naqvi said. <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" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=e30%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1989636898235547945&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=8430173cd3b30d10e026dc4973fa4ee017a9ca0f&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 849px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" data-tweet-id="1989636898235547945"></iframe></div></div> This announcement comes after the PCB completed an independent valuation of existing PSL franchises and other commercial assets.&nbsp; Following the completion of the exercise, the PCB issued renewal offer letters to all compliant PSL franchises, detailing the revised franchise fees for the upcoming 10-year cycle For the two new teams, interested bidders can choose from the following shortlisted cities: Hyderabad, Sialkot, Muzaffarabad, Faisalabad, Gilgit, and Rawalpindi. The PCB emphasized that the process will be fair and transparent, aiming to strengthen its long-term partnership with PSL stakeholders.

The PCB has opened bidding for two new PSL teams. The teams can be based in six cities, following a fair and transparent process after franchise valuations.

Pakistan launches bidding process for two new PSL franchises

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Jordan vowed to broaden strategic, economic and political cooperation as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif hosted King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein at the Prime Minister&rsquo;s House on Saturday, marking the start of the Jordanian monarch&rsquo;s two-day official visit.&nbsp;The meeting, held shortly after King Abdullah II received a ceremonial guard of honor, centered on expanding collaboration in trade, investment, health, education, science and technology, and defense. Both sides reaffirmed their intention to deepen long-term strategic ties.<figure class="fr-media"><img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/1b1b81e4-db9c-487a-b705-8897149d46a5-WhatsApp Image 2025-11-15 at 6.04.51 PM.jpeg" alt="WhatsApp Image 2025-11-15 at 6.04.51 PM.jpeg" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><figcaption class="caption-cover-image text-sm text-gray-600 italic">President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif receiving King of Jordan Abudllah II upon his arrival in Islamabad. 15 November 2025.-(PMO)</figcaption></figure> &ldquo;The visit of His Majesty is a testament to the enduring friendship between Pakistan and Jordan,&rdquo; the prime minister said, welcoming the Jordanian leader and describing the engagement as &ldquo;a vital opportunity to chart an ambitious path forward for our partnership.&rdquo;&nbsp;King Abdullah II praised Pakistan&rsquo;s diplomacy and humanitarian advocacy during and after the Gaza conflict, noting, &ldquo;Jordan deeply values Pakistan&rsquo;s consistent support for our role in promoting regional stability and humanitarian relief.&rdquo; He added that the two nations &ldquo;stand united in their principled position on Gaza.&rdquo; <div class="fr-embed youtube-embed"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EGnqvHnzR2c?si=0mTkm_P3jlEo4WKi" 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>&nbsp;Both leaders underscored a shared stance on the Palestine issue, reiterating their zero-tolerance for any displacement of Palestinians from Gaza and agreeing to enhance coordination among the eight Arab-Islamic states working with the United States on the Gaza ceasefire and the Sharm el Sheikh Gaza Peace Plan.&nbsp;The discussions also covered broader regional security, including developments in Afghanistan and India. According to the Prime Minister&rsquo;s Office, King Abdullah II acknowledged Pakistan&rsquo;s &ldquo;key role in promoting peace and stability in the region.&rdquo;<figure class="fr-media"><img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/fe7f61f6-ea2f-492b-ad30-54ad1e479b30-WhatsApp Image 2025-11-15 at 7.16.40 PM.jpeg" alt="WhatsApp Image 2025-11-15 at 7.16.40 PM.jpeg" class="fr-fil fr-dib"><figcaption class="caption-cover-image text-sm text-gray-600 italic">King of Jordan His Majesty Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein receives guard of honor at Prime Minister&#39;s House in Islamabad on 15 November 2025.-(PMO)</figcaption></figure> An MoU in media, culture and education was exchanged in the presence of the two leaders, marking an expansion of institutional cooperation. Later, the prime minister hosted a banquet in honor of the visiting monarch and his delegation.&nbsp;King Abdullah II arrived earlier in the day to a warm reception at Nur Khan Airbase, where President Asif Ali Zardari, PM Sharif, and senior cabinet members received him.&nbsp;The high-level Pakistani delegation present during the talks included Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Information Minister Ataullah Tarar, Climate Change Minister Dr. Musaddiq Malik, and senior government officials.

Foreign Affairs

Islamabad, Amman reaffirm strategic, economic, and humanitarian cooperation in high-level talks, emphasizing regional peace, Gaza support, and bilateral ties as Jordan's King Abdullah II visits Pakistan.