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

VIENNA: Pakistan&#39;s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will make a historic visit to Austria starting Sunday, the first by a Pakistani premier in 34 years since the last visit in 1992, the country&rsquo;s ambassador said. Speaking to Pakistan TV Digital, Pakistan&#39;s Ambassador to Austria Mohammad Kamran Akhtar said the visit coincides with the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, established in 1956. &quot;There has been a sort of communication gap between Pakistan and one of the most important countries of European Union,&quot; Akhtar said. &quot;It might not be a large country, but it is very significant in terms of being the capital of international diplomacy, multilateralism and international negotiations.&quot; Bilateral meetings and economic engagement PM Sharif will meet the Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker for private talks followed by bilateral delegation-level meetings covering issues on the agenda between the two countries, according to the ambassador. The schedule includes a CEO forum co-chaired by PM Sharif and Stocker, bringing together leadership from Pakistani and Austrian companies already doing business in Pakistan. &quot;The Chancellor of Austria, since he will be co-chairing, that sends a very strong signal in Austria&#39;s interest in increasing its economic collaboration with Pakistan,&quot; the ambassador said. In the afternoon, PM Sharif will chair a larger business forum before proceeding to UN premises in Vienna, where he will deliver a keynote address at an event on sustainable development. UN agencies and development programs Vienna hosts three UN agencies critical to Pakistan: the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Kamran Akhtar said Pakistan maintains active country programs with all three agencies, benefiting from IAEA technical cooperation in peaceful nuclear power generation, cancer diagnostic and treatment, and development of climate-resistant crop varieties. He stated that UNIDO assists Pakistan with industrial development and the transition to low-carbon energy pathways, while&nbsp;UNODC provides capacity building and technical assistance for addressing drug-related challenges from Afghanistan. The ambassador revealed that during the current visit, Pakistan will sign a new country program with UNODC covering 2026 to 2030. Education opportunities for Pakistani students On education cooperation, the ambassador said approximately 400 Pakistani PhD students have completed their studies in Austria since the Higher Education Commission launched its program in 2012. Currently, around 500 Pakistani students study at undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral levels across Austrian universities, primarily in science, technology and engineering fields. The Pak-Austria Fachhochschule in Haripur was established in collaboration with 11 Austrian tertiary institutions and five Chinese institutions. A new branch is planned for Sialkot. The ambassador said Austrian public universities charge nominal fees, making study affordable for Pakistani students who achieve C1-level proficiency in German. He added that Austria faces an acute shortage of trained manpower, and Pakistani students who perform well can secure employment in the Austrian economy.

Pakistan's Ambassador to Austria Muhammad Kamran Akhtar speaking to Pakistan TV Digital. 

Foreign Affairs

The visit coincides with the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations established in 1956. PM Sharif will meet Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker for bilateral talks and chair business forums.

Pakistan PM to visit Austria for first time in 34 years 

DAVOS: International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva on Friday praised Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif as &ldquo;a man of his word,&rdquo; endorsing Pakistan&rsquo;s commitment to politically difficult economic reforms under its IMF program.&nbsp;Speaking to Pakistan TV Digital on the final day of the World Economic Forum 2026 in Davos, Georgieva said Pakistan&rsquo;s government had demonstrated seriousness in implementing reforms agreed with the Fund. &nbsp;&ldquo;The Pakistani government has embraced serious reforms and the fruits of action are already there,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;We are finally seeing the budget discipline bringing resources that can be deployed to improve lives of people.&rdquo;&nbsp;Georgieva said the IMF was encouraged by the pace and intent of implementation, signalling continuity in engagement with Islamabad.&nbsp;&ldquo;I very much look forward to continuing the implementation of the program that is the Pakistani program, the IMF,&rdquo; she said.&nbsp;The IMF chief spoke in personal terms about her interactions with Sharif, underscoring trust between the two sides.&nbsp;&ldquo;I highly respect the Prime Minister. He is serious. When he gives his word that something would be done, it gets done,&rdquo; she said.&nbsp;Describing recent meetings, Georgieva noted a focus on accountability and follow-through. &ldquo;We have been in meetings many times,&rdquo; she told Pakistan TV Digital. &ldquo;We always use time effectively to identify where progress is made, where there is still more work to do.&rdquo;&nbsp;&ldquo;And that was exactly the case this time.&rdquo;&nbsp;She concluded by commending the government&rsquo;s resolve to press ahead with reforms despite domestic pressures. &ldquo;So, my high respect for the seriousness of the Prime Minister and his cabinet to carry forward difficult reforms for the betterment of Pakistan.&rdquo;&nbsp;Her remarks signal continued IMF confidence in Pakistan&rsquo;s reform trajectory, even as the country grapples with inflation, fiscal tightening, and the social costs of stabilization measures.

Europe

Kristalina Georgieva praises Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Davos, citing serious reforms, budget discipline, and continued confidence in Pakistan’s IMF-backed economic programme.

IMF chief calls PM Sharif ‘man of word,’ lauds Pakistan for undertaking difficult reforms

DAVOS: Pakistan Peoples Party chairperson and former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said India&rsquo;s global image has &ldquo;become so very small&rdquo; in recent months, while Pakistan is increasingly being discussed in geopolitical circles. He credited Islamabad&rsquo;s diplomatic conduct during recent international crises for strengthening the country&rsquo;s standing on the world stage. Speaking in an exclusive interview with Pakistan TV Digital on the sidelines of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/trump-to-attend-world-economic-forum-in-davos-next-week-organizers" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">World Economic Forum</a>&nbsp;in Davos 2026, Bilawal highlighted Pakistan&rsquo;s role in the newly launched Board of Peace (BoP), an international initiative aimed at conflict resolution. The organization, whose charter was signed by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/board-of-peace-to-work-with-un-for-global-peace-efforts-trump" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif</a>&nbsp;at the Davos forum, has already attracted membership from roughly 19 countries. &ldquo;The Board of Peace is a new concept,&rdquo; Bilawal said. &ldquo;From Pakistan&rsquo;s perspective, it is very important for us to be in the room while such important conversations are being had,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;This allows us to put across not only our point of view but, more importantly, the point of view of the people of Palestine, whose right to self-determination and a peaceful home Pakistan has consistently advocated for since the country&rsquo;s foundation.&rdquo; He emphasized that, while the recent Gaza ceasefire achieved the release of hostages and prisoners, the focus now should be on ensuring uninterrupted humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza. &ldquo;Our number one priority must be that humanitarian aid and access are fully and completely implemented,&rdquo; he said. Bilawal also spoke about the geopolitical implications of China and other major powers joining the BoP. &ldquo;China and other countries have also been invited to be members of this Board of Peace,&rdquo; the former foreign minister said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s a positive indication, and it&rsquo;s yet to be seen what their final decision will be,&rdquo; Bilawal added, reaffirming Pakistan&rsquo;s strong relationship with Beijing, citing the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor as a historic achievement. Turning to India, Bilawal offered a stark critique of New Delhi&rsquo;s global positioning. &ldquo;It is incredibly unfortunate,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;India, which presented itself as a great power and a great democracy, has really become so very small over the course of the many months that we&rsquo;ve seen post this conflict,&rdquo; Bilawal said, referring to the cross-border clashes between the two countries in May last year. The four-day conflict, triggered by a militant attack on civilians in Indian-occupied Kashmir, quickly escalated into the deadliest fighting between Pakistan and India since 2019, involving missile, drone, and artillery strikes before both sides accepted a US-brokered ceasefire. Bilawal also raised concerns about India&rsquo;s conduct on international platforms. &ldquo;Whether it&rsquo;s the United Nations, the World Economic Forum, or anywhere on the world stage, India seems to be shying away,&rdquo; he said, contrasting this with Pakistan&rsquo;s diplomatic performance. &ldquo;The world has recognized how Pakistan performed, not only during this conflict but as a responsible player within the region. If you compare Pakistan&rsquo;s positioning vis-&agrave;-vis India, despite India&rsquo;s larger finances and military, it is Pakistan that is now the talk of the town in geopolitical circles.&rdquo; On water issue, Bilawal highlighted the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/un-demands-india-explain-may-strikes-on-pakistan-indus-treaty-actions" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Indus Waters Treaty</a>, accusing India of illegally suspending the agreement. &ldquo;I discussed this with the World Bank president recently. The Indus Waters Treaty has long been the gold standard for water management. India&rsquo;s violation of it exposes their narrative internationally.&rdquo; He also spoke on US relations, offering measured praise for President Donald Trump&rsquo;s engagement in multilateral forums. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m glad we have a US president who focuses on the positive sometimes. I&rsquo;ve been to Davos often, and a lot of the time, countries focus on the negative,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s something we should welcome.&rdquo; Concluding on digital media and international perception, Bilawal lauded Pakistan TV Digital&rsquo;s efforts in presenting a domestic perspective to the world. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m glad the international audience is getting a perspective from inside Pakistan.&rdquo;

Pakistan Peoples Party chairperson and former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said India’s global image has “become so very small” in recent months, while Pakistan is increasingly being discussed in geopolitical circles.

India’s image shrinking, Pakistan now ‘talk of the town’ globally: Bilawal

DAVOS: FIFA President Gianni Infantino has said he will visit Pakistan in the near future, reaffirming his commitment to support the country&rsquo;s football development and expressing confidence in its long-term potential.&nbsp;Speaking to Pakistan TV Digital on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Infantino said he had promised Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif that he would travel to Pakistan soon.&nbsp;He praised the leadership of the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF), saying it is doing &ldquo;a fantastic job&rdquo; in reviving and strengthening the game.&nbsp;Describing Pakistan as a &ldquo;great football country,&rdquo; Infantino said FIFA&rsquo;s objective is to help elevate Pakistan to the top tier of Asian football by ensuring opportunities for emerging talent across the country.&nbsp;FIFA Chief of Global Football Development and former Arsenal manager Ars&egrave;ne Wenger echoed similar views, saying Pakistan&rsquo;s population of 250 million represents a vast opportunity for football growth.&nbsp;&ldquo;There is a huge potential [in the country],&rdquo; Wenger told Pakistan TV Digital, stressing that it must be developed in partnership with FIFA.&nbsp;He stressed that establishing football academies and strengthening youth development are essential first steps in building a sustainable football structure.&nbsp;Wenger said nurturing the game at the grassroots level is critical for translating Pakistan&rsquo;s demographic strength into on-field success.&nbsp;The statements from FIFA&rsquo;s top leadership signal renewed momentum for Pakistan football, with a focus on institutional reform, youth development, and long-term growth aimed at restoring the country&rsquo;s standing in Asian football.

Football

Speaking to Pakistan TV Digital, FIFA President Gianni Infantino says he will visit Pakistan soon, praising the PFF’s leadership and aiming to elevate the country’s football potential.

FIFA president to visit Pakistan ‘soon’ after ‘promise’ to PM Sharif

ISLAMABAD:&nbsp;Global ride-hailing platform inDrive is set to expand into Pakistan&rsquo;s foodtech and healthcare sectors, citing what it describes as &ldquo;significant injustice&rdquo; in pricing and commissions, according to the company&rsquo;s founder and CEO, Arsen Tomsky.&nbsp;Speaking exclusively to Pakistan TV Digital on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, about inDrive&rsquo;s growth strategy, Tomsky said the company enters markets where policies are stable and where it can challenge what it sees as unfair practices, particularly inflated rates, high commissions, and price monopolies.&nbsp;&ldquo;We are the team who fight injustice,&rdquo; Tomsky said, adding that Pakistan has proven to be a strong fit for the company&rsquo;s model. &ldquo;We saw this in the past in Pakistan. This is good for us because we can help people reduce injustice and protect them from inflated rates, commissions, and price manipulations.&rdquo;&nbsp;He said inDrive&rsquo;s launch in Pakistan quickly gained traction, with many users switching to the platform. &ldquo;In a short period, we became the leaders in the country,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;According to Tomsky, Pakistan is now among the company&#39;s top ten markets globally.&nbsp;He explained that inDrive maintains one of the lowest commission structures in the market. The platform charges around 10% commission, compared to 25-40% charged by competitors.&nbsp;&ldquo;This helps make services more affordable,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;inDrive currently operates in more than 20 cities across Pakistan and plans to continue expanding geographically. Beyond mobility, the company is now looking at new sectors where it believes consumers and service providers face unfair pricing.&nbsp;&ldquo;We have started to think about healthcare,&rdquo; Tomsky said. He also confirmed that inDrive is expanding into foodtech this year, calling the sector another area marked by significant injustice.&nbsp;Describing Pakistan as a rapidly growing, youthful market, Tomsky noted that the country&rsquo;s population exceeds 250 million, with more than 60% under 30.&nbsp;&ldquo;The market is absolutely booming and taking off,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I believe in the fantastic future of the country.&rdquo;&nbsp;The planned expansion into food and healthcare would mark a significant broadening of inDrive&rsquo;s footprint in Pakistan, positioning the company beyond ride-hailing as it seeks to replicate its low-commission, user-driven pricing model in other sectors.

Artificial Intelligence

The ride-hailing service operates in more than 20 cities across Pakistan. Beyond mobility, the company is looking at sectors where it believes consumers and service providers face unfair pricing.

inDrive Pakistan set to expand into foodtech, healthcare: CEO

DAVOS: Pakistan&rsquo;s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said the country is &ldquo;open for business&rdquo; as he held a series of <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistan-finance-minister-highlights-120000-new-investors-boosts-confidence" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">high-level political and corporate</a> engagements on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting, positioning Islamabad as a destination for investment driven by macroeconomic stability and technology-led growth.&nbsp;In an exclusive interview with Pakistan TV Digital, Aurangzeb outlined Pakistan&rsquo;s outreach strategy at the five-day WEF meeting in Davos, where nearly 3,000 global leaders from politics, business, finance and civil society are gathering to discuss pressing global challenges.&nbsp;Aurangzeb said his engagements included meetings with fellow finance ministers from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Egypt, alongside interactions with existing and prospective investors.&nbsp;&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a great opportunity to meet your counterparts and have conversations about their economies, our economy, and mutual areas of cooperation, investment and trade,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;The finance minister noted that Davos offers a rare platform where political leadership and global business converge, enabling Pakistan to simultaneously engage governments and multinational corporations.&nbsp;He said discussions were underway with major existing investors in Pakistan, including global companies active in aviation, food and beverages, to understand how they plan to expand their footprint in the country.&nbsp;Highlighting the presence of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pm-sharif-to-lead-pakistan-delegation-to-wef-2026-in-davos" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif</a>&nbsp;at the forum, Aurangzeb said Pakistan&rsquo;s leadership was using the platform to present a renewed national narrative anchored in economic stabilization achieved over recent years.&nbsp;&ldquo;This is to tell the Pakistan story. The macroeconomic stabilization we have achieved and, more importantly, how we want to move forward toward sustainable growth,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;Aurangzeb emphasized that Pakistan is now seeking market-efficiency-driven foreign investment that can generate exportable surpluses and long-term value.&nbsp;&ldquo;This is a very big opportunity for us to showcase Pakistan, the opportunity in Pakistan, and the message that Pakistan is open for business,&rdquo; he added.&nbsp;Turning to the digital economy, the finance minister said Pakistan is positioning itself to capitalize on emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, blockchain and Web3. Key themes at this year&rsquo;s WEF meeting.&nbsp;He said regulatory progress through the Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority and engagement with global technology leaders signal Pakistan&rsquo;s intent to compete in the knowledge economy.&nbsp;Aurangzeb underlined Pakistan&rsquo;s strength as one of the world&rsquo;s top freelance markets, saying targeted investment in blockchain and AI centers of excellence could significantly raise earnings and productivity.&nbsp;He said such initiatives would not only benefit individual professionals but also strengthen the national economy through higher-value exports of digital services.&nbsp;Summing up Pakistan&rsquo;s pitch to the international community, Aurangzeb pointed to opportunities across traditional sectors such as agriculture, minerals and mining, alongside fast-growing areas like information technology and startups.&nbsp;The finance minister said Pakistan aims to leapfrog in the knowledge economy by attracting expertise, financing and technology transfer through global partnerships.&nbsp;The World Economic Forum annual meeting, held every January in the Alpine town of Davos since 1971, brings together heads of state, ministers, corporate leaders and policymakers. This year&rsquo;s meeting, which began on January 19 and concludes on January 23, comes amid global economic uncertainty and heightened focus on technological transformation and international cooperation. <div class="fr-embed youtube-embed"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uSIuj_Y9ayk?si=6ESAjjOQmQ9MS9Nf" 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>

Economy

In conversation with Pakistan TV Digital in Davos, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb says Pakistan is engaging global counterparts, courting investors, and leveraging digital innovation to drive sustainable, export-oriented economic growth.

Pakistan pitches stability, AI-led growth to investors at Davos forum

ISLAMABAD: The Afghan Taliban have committed to taking &ldquo;clear, verifiable, and effective action&rdquo; against terrorist groups operating from Afghan soil, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), Pakistani sources told Pakistan TV Digital.&nbsp;The announcement follows a five-day negotiation in Istanbul, where both sides agreed to extend the ceasefire.&nbsp;Official sources described the development as a key step toward regional peace and stability and an important milestone for international security.&nbsp;While the ceasefire will continue, Pakistani officials stressed that it is conditional on Afghanistan not being used as a launchpad for attacks against Pakistan.&nbsp;&ldquo;This outcome has been achieved through reasoned diplomacy, patience, and steadfast commitment to national interest, despite hurdles and accusations from adversaries,&rdquo; sources said.&nbsp;Afghanistan and Pakistan reaffirmed their commitment to the ceasefire during talks mediated by T&uuml;rkiye and Qatar, according to a joint statement released by the Turkish Foreign Ministry. The talks aimed to consolidate the truce originally agreed upon in Doha on Oct. 18-19, with a principal-level meeting scheduled for Nov. 6 to finalize further implementation details. <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" allowfullscreen="true" 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=1983980512046985585&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=6652bdd701f220ebc8bad8fec5974eead6ae7a79&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 801px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;">&nbsp;</iframe></div></div> The Qatar foreign ministry also confirmed the development in a post later on X. <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: 849px; 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=1983996754577256826&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=7c20b0e41c6bb8cfcc9ba92af1cf60b6569cb840&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px">&nbsp;</iframe></div></div> The statement also confirmed that a joint monitoring and verification mechanism will be established to ensure compliance and impose penalties on violators. T&uuml;rkiye and Qatar, as mediators, praised the active participation of both sides and reaffirmed their readiness to continue supporting efforts for lasting peace and stability.&nbsp;Reaffirming the agreement, Afghanistan&rsquo;s interim government spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, said the talks concluded with an understanding that both sides will continue future meetings to review the remaining issues.&nbsp;Mujahid emphasized that Kabul seeks positive relations with Pakistan based on mutual respect, non-interference, and avoidance of actions that could threaten either side.&nbsp;Speaking to SAMAA TV, Pakistan Information Minister Attaullah Tarar described the outcome as a victory for Pakistan and thanked Qatar and T&uuml;rkiye for their mediation. He added that the responsibility now rests with the Afghan Taliban to take concrete action against terrorism.&nbsp;&ldquo;Pakistan&rsquo;s stance has been clear: support for terrorism must end. A mechanism for monitoring, verification, and enforcement in case of violations will also be implemented,&rdquo; he said.

In a statement released by the Turkish Foreign Ministry, Afghanistan and Pakistan agree to continue their ceasefire, establish a joint monitoring mechanism, and finalize implementation details in a principal-level meeting on Nov. 6.

Afghanistan to take ‘clear, verifiable action’ against terrorists: sources

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has agreed to extend the ongoing dialogue process with Afghanistan in Istanbul following a request from the host country, T&uuml;rkiye, well-placed sources confirmed to Pakistan TV Digital on Thursday.&nbsp;The talks will resume at 2pm Pakistan Time, according to sources. &quot;It was decided to resume the dialogue process to give peace another chance,&quot; sources said. The talks will focus on Pakistan&rsquo;s central demand that Afghanistan take clear, verifiable and effective action against terrorists, the sources added. Pakistan has once again stressed that Afghan territory must not be used for terrorism against it. The sources appreciated the constructive role of the hosts and reaffirmed Pakistan&rsquo;s commitment to pursuing a peaceful resolution through dialogue in good faith. BackgroundThe four-day high-level security talks between the two South Asian nations in Istanbul had ended on Tuesday without an agreement after the Afghan delegation &ldquo;declined to accept verifiable measures&rdquo; against the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).&nbsp;&ldquo;The Afghan side did not sign the final draft despite multiple near-agreements,&rdquo; a senior security source added.&nbsp;Pakistan presented evidence and proposed enforcement steps to curb cross-border attacks, but Kabul &ldquo;avoided concrete commitments,&rdquo; another source said. Mediators from Qatar and T&uuml;rkiye facilitated the discussions. On Oct. 17, the two countries had agreed to a 48-hour ceasefire in Doha, the capital city of Qatar, and for a second round of talks in Istanbul.&nbsp; Islamabad has repeatedly urged the Afghan Taliban leadership to act against the proscribed TTP and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), saying both groups operate from sanctuaries inside Afghanistan. Officials note that commitments made under the Doha Agreement have not been fully implemented.&nbsp;Earlier, Information Minister Ataullah Tarar said Pakistan joined the Doha and Istanbul rounds &ldquo;to give peace a chance&rdquo; at the request of Qatar and T&uuml;rkiye. However, he said, the Afghan side resorted to &ldquo;blame, deflection, and excuses,&rdquo; leaving the dialogue fruitless.

Security

At the request of the host country, Türkiye, the talks will resume at 2pm Pakistan Time, sources said.

Pakistan agrees to extend dialogue process with Afghan Taliban in Istanbul: sources

ISLAMABAD: High-level security talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan in Istanbul ended without an agreement, sources told Pakistan TV Digital on Wednesday. According to the sources, the four-day negotiations concluded after the Afghan delegation &ldquo;declined to accept verifiable measures&rdquo; against the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). &ldquo;The central issue was verifiable action to restrain the TTP and prevent cross-border attacks,&rdquo; a senior security source said. &ldquo;The Afghan side did not sign the final draft despite multiple near-agreements.&rdquo; Pakistan, the sources said, presented evidence and proposed enforcement steps, but the Afghan delegation &ldquo;kept avoiding concrete commitments.&rdquo; &ldquo;They acknowledged the concern but would not agree to mechanisms of verification. This affects peace and stability,&rdquo; another source said. Mediators from Qatar and T&uuml;rkiye facilitated the discussions. Pakistan thanked both host countries for their role. Patience ran its courseIn a detailed statement on X, Information Minister Ataullah Tarar said Pakistan had engaged the Afghan Taliban leadership repeatedly after their takeover in Kabul to address &ldquo;persistent cross-border terrorism&rdquo; carried out by &ldquo;Indian-abetted TTP and the Indian proxy BLA [Balochistan Liberation Army].&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; line-height: 2;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 393px; 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=1983278941944107396&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fdashboard%2F&sessionId=de3a52aa346e03965fbbca4d6dd1ec9b26cd3cee&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px"></iframe></div></div> &ldquo;Pakistan has time and again asked the Afghan Taliban regime to fulfil their written commitments under the Doha Agreement,&rdquo; Tarar said. He said Pakistani efforts had &ldquo;proved futile&rdquo; due to what he described as &ldquo;unabated support to anti-Pakistan terrorists&rdquo; inside Afghanistan. &ldquo;For four years, Pakistan has borne heavy losses in men and material. Pakistan&rsquo;s patience has run its course,&rdquo; he said. Tarar added that Pakistan attended the Doha and Istanbul rounds &ldquo;to give peace a chance&rdquo; at the request of Qatar and T&uuml;rkiye. &ldquo;Irrefutable evidence was shared and acknowledged by the Afghan side and the hosts,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;But instead of taking responsibility, the Afghan Taliban resorted to blame, deflection, and excuses. The dialogue, therefore, failed to produce any workable outcome.&rdquo; He said Pakistan would continue to take &ldquo;all necessary measures to protect its people&rdquo; and &ldquo;eliminate terrorists, their sanctuaries, abettors and supporters.&rdquo;

After four days of talks in Türkiye, negotiations end without agreement as Afghanistan decline verifiable action against cross-border militants, prompting concern from mediators and leaving future dialogue prospects uncertain.

Pakistan, Afghan Taliban talks in Istanbul end without resolution

AHMEDABAD: South Africa captain Aiden Markram led from the front with an unbeaten 82 as South Africa all but secured a T20 World Cup semi-final berth with a brutal nine-wicket thrashing of the West Indies in Ahmedabad on Thursday.&nbsp;After the West Indies fought back from deep trouble at 83-7 to post 176-8, Markram and Quinton de Kock put on 95 for the first wicket to set the platform for a thumping victory.&nbsp;South Africa raced to their target with 23 balls to spare, scoring 177-1. Ryan Rickleton was not out on 45 at the end.&nbsp;&quot;The wicket got really good again for batting, it was slightly tacky earlier when we bowled,&quot; said Markram.&nbsp;&quot;Steep bounce came from the tackiness. Fortunately, we ended up on the right side of the toss. The guys bowled really well up front to take wickets.&quot;&nbsp;South Africa are the only unbeaten side, having also dismantled the pre-tournament favourites India by 76 runs in the Super Eights.&nbsp;An India win against Zimbabwe in Chennai later Thursday will guarantee South Africa&#39;s progress to the last four.&nbsp;It will also make India&#39;s clash against the West Indies in Kolkata on Sunday a winner-takes-all decider for the final semi-final berth.&nbsp;Markram reached fifty off 27 balls and hit four sixes and seven fours.&nbsp;De Kock scored 47 off 24 balls, with four sixes and Rickleton hit two sixes in his 28-ball knock in an utterly dominant display of batsmanship.&nbsp;Record standThe West Indies earlier needed a record eighth-wicket partnership by Romario Shepherd and Jason Holder to set a target of 177 after an early collapse.&nbsp;The pair came together with their team in deep trouble at 83-7 and put on 89, the highest eighth-wicket stand in the history of T20 internationals.&nbsp;Shepherd was unbeaten on 52 off 37 balls with four sixes. Holder was run out off the penultimate ball of the innings for 49 off 31 balls with three maximums.&nbsp;&quot;Very important to get a big score, and losing so many wickets in the powerplay cost us,&quot; said West Indies captain Shai Hope.&nbsp;&quot;We were 40-50 runs short. Must commend the guys in the bottom half for giving us a chance.&quot;&nbsp;Both teams came into the match with a perfect five wins in the T20 World Cup so far.&nbsp;South Africa have played four of their five matches in Ahmedabad and captain Aiden Markram had no hesitation in opting to bowl when he won the toss.&nbsp;The West Indies took 17 off the first over, bowled by left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj.&nbsp;Kagiso Rabada&#39;s introduction halted their charge as Hope (16) edged his second ball to keeper Quinton de Kock.&nbsp;Shimron Hetmyer was dropped at mid-on by Corbin Bosch off the next delivery, but lasted only two more when he miscued to midwicket where Maharaj snapped up the catch.&nbsp;Lungi Ngidi got in the act in his first over when Brandon King on 21 edged to De Kock and two balls later Roston Chase chopped on.&nbsp;From 29-0 after two overs, the West Indies had slumped to 43-4 after four.&nbsp;Ngidi took 3-30 from his four overs, Rabada 2-2 and Bosch 2-31.

Cricket

South Africa captain Aiden Markram struck an unbeaten 82 to lead the South Africa to a commanding nine-wicket victory over West Indies , comfortably chasing 177 to book their place in the T20 World Cup semi-finals.

South Africa thrash West Indies in T20 World Cup statement win

BERLIN: At least 7,667 people died or went missing last year on migration routes around the world, but the true death toll is likely higher, the UN&#39;s migration agency reported Thursday. The figure was down on 2024 when almost 9,200 deaths were recorded, but the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said numbers nonetheless reflected the &quot;global scale&quot; of the crisis faced by migrants. &quot;The continued loss of life on migration routes is a global failure we cannot accept as normal,&quot; said IOM Director General Amy Pope. She argued for safer legal routes, adding: &nbsp;&quot;These deaths are not inevitable.&quot; Funding cuts for aid groups, crackdowns on humanitarian NGOs and limited access to data are making it more difficult to accurately track deaths, the UN agency said. Sea crossings such as the perilous journey across the Mediterranean Sea from Africa to Europe remain among the deadliest routes for migrants, the report said. At least 2,108 people went missing while trying to cross the Mediterranean in 2025, and another 1,047 died or vanished while trying to cross to Spain&#39;s Canary Islands, according to IOM. The actual figures are &quot;likely higher&quot;, it said. The first two months of 2026 have already seen &quot;an unprecedented number of migrant deaths&quot; in the Mediterranean, the agency warned, with 606 people recorded dead on the crossing as of Tuesday -- even as arrivals in Italy decline sharply. &quot;There are reports of hundreds more missing at sea that cannot yet be verified,&quot; IOM said. The organization said the remains of 23 people had been washed up on southern Italian and Libyan coasts in the past two weeks. Globally, the decline in the number of dead and missing last year was partly due to fewer people attempting dangerous migration routes, particularly in the Americas, according to the agency. Lower numbers were trying to get through the US-Mexico border or cross the Darien jungle between Colombia and Panama, the organization said. The IOM recorded the fewest deaths &ndash; 409 &ndash; since the reports began in 2014 in the Americas last year, although final numbers will come later in the year.

Migrants including children picked up at sea while attempting to cross the English Channel, are escorted off a National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) Lifeboat upon arrival in Ramsgate, southeast England, on February 25, 2026. (AFP)

Americas

The figure was down on 2024 when almost 9,200 deaths were recorded, but the International Organization for Migration said numbers nonetheless reflected the "global scale" of the crisis faced by migrants.

Nearly 8,000 died or vanished on migrant routes in 2025: UN 

MOSCOW: Moscow is in no hurry to reach a deal to end the war in Ukraine, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov suggested in comments to state media on Thursday.&nbsp;Negotiators from both countries were in Geneva on Thursday for separate talks with US officials, part of a fraught negotiation process being pushed by President Donald Trump in a bid to end the fighting.&nbsp;Several rounds of discussions have failed to clinch a deal, with Moscow insisting on hardline territorial and political demands that Kyiv has ruled out as tantamount to capitulation.&nbsp;Top officials in Russia on Thursday again <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/ukraine-marks-four-years-since-russian-invasion" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">pushed back</a> on the idea a deal was close.&nbsp;&quot;Have you heard anything from us about deadlines? We have no deadlines, we have tasks. We are getting them done,&quot; state news agencies quoted Lavrov as saying.&nbsp;Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also said it was too early to make &quot;forecasts&quot; or say at what stage the peace process was at.&nbsp;&quot;It would be a big mistake to try right now to define some kind of stage or make some kind of forecasts. I don&#39;t want to make those mistakes,&quot; he told state media.&nbsp;Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly said a meeting with Russia&#39;s Vladimir Putin is needed to agree on the key sticking points, like the fate of territory in eastern Ukraine that Russia is fighting to seize control of.&nbsp;Peskov repeated on Thursday that Russia will not agree to a summit until the very end of talks, and only to sign off on a deal thrashed out between the negotiating teams.

Moscow signaled it is not rushing Ukraine deal, as Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, while talks in Geneva with United States officials continue under Donald Trump’s push to end fighting.

Russian says 'no deadlines' to end Ukraine war

HANGZHOU: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz ended his two-day visit to China on Thursday in the tech hub of Hangzhou, identifying &quot;challenges that we must overcome together&quot; after meeting President Xi Jinping and announcing an Airbus deal. Merz&#39;s first official visit to China came as Berlin and Beijing seek to build on decades-old economic ties to weather global uncertainty sparked by US President Donald Trump&#39;s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/trump-announces-hike-in-us-global-tariff-rate-from-10-to-15" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">tariff blitz</a>&nbsp;and erratic foreign policies. China, the world&#39;s number two economy, overtook the United States last year to become Germany&#39;s biggest trade partner. At the same time, Berlin regards the Asian country as a systemic rival to the West. The German leader was accompanied in China by a large delegation of business leaders, including executives of auto giants Volkswagen, BMW and Mercedes. Merz visited a Mercedes plant in Beijing on Thursday morning, where he was shown a demonstration of self-driving vehicles. He then travelled to Hangzhou, where he visited the sites of Germany&#39;s Siemens Energy and Chinese&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/japan-introduces-ai-robot-monk-to-the-public" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">humanoid robot</a>-maker Unitree. The eastern city is home to several other major Chinese tech companies like AI unicorn&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/inside-chinas-buzzing-ai-scene-year-after-deepseek-shock" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">DeepSeek</a>&nbsp;and e-commerce giant Alibaba. European business leaders, who broadly complain China is flooding the EU market with cheap goods, have urged Merz to keep a cavernous trade imbalance at the top of his agenda. Germany&#39;s trade deficit with China hit a record $105 billion last year. &quot;We have good cooperation in China. However, there are also some challenges that we must overcome together,&quot; Merz said Thursday, singling out &quot;issues relating to competition&quot; and &quot;high capacity in China&quot;. Merz said consultations between his government and Beijing &ndash; interrupted by political developments in Berlin and the pandemic &ndash; would take place &quot;at the beginning of next year at the latest, possibly even this year&quot;, with China as host. &#39;New levels&#39; Following talks with Xi and top Chinese leaders in the capital on Wednesday, Merz said that China had agreed to purchase up to 120 Airbus aircraft, adding that it &quot;demonstrates how worthwhile such trips can be&quot;. Other contracts were in the pipeline, Merz added. The two leaders stressed their commitment to developing closer strategic relations, with Xi telling Merz he was willing to take relations to &quot;new levels&quot;. Merz said he had also touched on the sensitive topic of Taiwan, the self-ruled island China claims as its territory and which it has not ruled out the use of force to annex. Any &quot;reunification&quot; must be done peacefully, Merz said. He also discussed the Ukraine war with Xi, who, according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua, said diplomacy was &quot;key to the issue&quot;. Merz said he urged Beijing to use its influence over Moscow, such as choking off the supply of items with potential military uses. &quot;I hope that in my talks I was able to foster a little understanding for the fact that the leadership of this country should also contribute to ending the war in Ukraine,&quot; Merz told reporters on Thursday before departing for Berlin. Merz was the latest in a string of Western leaders to court Beijing recently. He follows Britain&#39;s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/britains-starmer-hails-good-progress-after-meeting-chinas-xi" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Keir Starmer</a>, France&#39;s Emmanuel Macron and Canada&#39;s Mark Carney, as they recoil from the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/trump-announces-hike-in-us-global-tariff-rate-from-10-to-15" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">mercurial policies</a>&nbsp;of Trump, who is also expected to visit from March 31.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz gives a statement at Siemens Energy plant in Hangzhou, in eastern China’s Zhejiang Province on February 26, 2026. (AFP)

Asia

Merz's first official visit to China comes as Berlin and Beijing seek to build on decades-old economic ties to weather global uncertainty sparked by US President Donald Trump's tariff blitz and erratic foreign policies.

Merz says Germany, China must overcome trade gaps 'together'

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s Federal Minister for Interior and Narcotics Control, Mohsin Naqvi, announced that Pakistan, Italy, Spain, and Greece have agreed on a coordinated strategy to fight illegal migration, human smuggling, and drug trafficking, including a joint policy framework and a rapid-response mechanism. Naqvi, in a post on X on Thursday, wrote that he had a productive meeting in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistan-security-agencies-seize-over-135-million-in-nationwide-antismuggling-operations" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Rome</a>&nbsp;with his counterparts from Italy, Spain, and Greece at the 4-nation&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistan-navy-ship-seizes-drugs-worth-nearly-1-bn-in-arabian-sea" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">conference</a>&nbsp;on curbing illegal migration. <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" 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=2026935215914975708&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=359767f66ae58c6eb6812d51c17a3cb8284785ef&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 652px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>&ldquo;Pakistan, Italy, Spain &amp; Greece agreed on a coordinated strategy against&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistan-customs-seizes-266000-worth-of-smuggled-goods-near-afghan-border" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">illegal migration</a>, human smuggling and narcotics, including a joint policy framework and rapid-response mechanism.&rdquo; &ldquo;European partners appreciated Pakistan&rsquo;s strong actions, noting a 47% reduction in illegal migration, and agreed on enhanced EU-supported capacity building,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;Consensus also reached on promoting legal pathways to effectively counter illegal migration, repatriation of criminals to face the law, and holding the next meeting in Pakistan later this year,&rdquo; he said.

Pakistani interior minister says ‘European partners appreciated Pakistan’s strong actions, noting a 47% reduction in illegal migration, and agreed on enhanced EU-supported capacity building.’

Pakistani, European ministers agree on coordinated strategy to combat illegal migration

PARIS: The United Nations announced Thursday the approval of the first carbon credits under a global market aimed at reducing emissions, a mechanism that has faced scrutiny over greenwashing concerns. The UN-run market, established under the Paris climate accord, allows companies and countries to offset their excess emissions by financing projects that cut greenhouse gases in other nations. Critics fear that if set up poorly, such schemes can undermine the world&#39;s efforts to curb global warming by allowing countries or companies to greenwash &mdash; or overstate &mdash; their emissions reductions. The first credits issued under the new carbon market involve a project in Myanmar that distributes efficient wood-burning cook stoves that reduce harmful household air pollution and ease pressure on local forests, the UN&#39;s climate agency said. Implemented in partnership with a South Korean company, the project will generate credits that will count towards the climate targets of South Korea and Myanmar. The UN climate agency said the credited emissions reductions are 40%&nbsp;lower than under a previous scheme as more conservative calculations are applied under the new Paris Agreement Crediting Mechanism (PACM). &quot;Our focus is on building confidence in this market from the outset, and this first issuance shows that the system is working as intended,&quot; Jacqui Ruesga, vice chair of the UN body supervising the PACM, said in a statement. More than two billion people around the world cook using open fires or inefficient stoves fueled by kerosene, coal or biomass such as wood, crop waste or dung, according to the World Health Organization. The resulting air pollution kills millions of people each year. The stoves in the Myanmar project burn woody biomass more efficiently, meaning it needs less fuel and spews far less smoke inside the home. But at current rates, only 78% of the population is expected to have access to clean cooking by 2030, the WHO said. &quot;Clean cooking protects health, saves forests, cuts emissions and helps empower women and girls, who are typically hardest hit by household air pollution,&quot; UN climate chief Simon Stiell said. &quot;The opportunities presented by this UN carbon market across all regions are vast, particularly now that strong environmental safeguards, robust standards, and a clear system for redress are in place to ensure integrity, inclusiveness and efficiency,&quot; he said. The 2015 Paris Agreement, which commits the world to limiting warming to well below 2C and ideally at 1.5C, also envisaged that countries could take part in cross-border trade of carbon reductions. New rules were agreed at the UN&#39;s COP29 climate summit in Azerbaijan in 2024 for the carbon market mechanism. At the time, Greenpeace said the agreement left loopholes that would allow fossil fuel companies to continue polluting. But other environmentalists said that, while not perfect, it provided some clarity that was absent from global efforts to regulate carbon credits.

Smoke Stacks. (Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information Color Photographs.)

Climate

The UN-run market, established under the Paris climate accord, allows companies and countries to offset their excess emissions by financing projects that cut greenhouse gases in other nations.

UN approves first carbon credits under Paris Agreement

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will outline its stance on Israel&rsquo;s recent move to annex parts of the occupied West Bank at an upcoming ministerial meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), according to Foreign Office Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi on Thursday. Speaking at a weekly press briefing, Andrabi said that Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will represent Pakistan at the OIC&#39;s Open-Ended Extraordinary Ministerial Session, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Feb. 26-28. The meeting &ldquo;has been convened to consider the illegal decision by the Israeli occupation authorities aimed at expanding settlements, pursuing annexation, and attempting to impose Israel&#39;s sovereignty over the occupied West Bank,&rdquo; the spokesperson said. Dar will present Pakistan&rsquo;s case during the session. <div class="fr-embed"><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fphoto.php%3Ffbid%3D1374272581405477%26set%3Da.251429287023151%26type%3D3&show_text=true&width=500" width="500" height="748" style="border:none;overflow:hidden;" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div> In a Facebook post, the Foreign Office said Dar will &ldquo;hold sideline meetings with counterparts from OIC&rdquo; member states. Andrabi said Israel&rsquo;s measures in the occupied West Bank have drawn condemnation from the OIC and other Muslim states, as well as &ldquo;European and other world countries,&rdquo; including Brazil, France, Denmark, Portugal, Spain and Sweden. &ldquo;In this statement, we described these changes as wide-ranging and amounting to reclassifying Palestinian land as so-called Israel state land, accelerating illegal settlement activity, and further entrenching Israeli administration,&rdquo; he said. Restating Pakistan&rsquo;s long-standing position on Israel&rsquo;s occupation of Palestinian lands, Andrabi said the country issued &ldquo;a joint statement&rdquo; with &ldquo;eight other countries&rdquo; condemning a statement by the US ambassador to Israel suggesting it would be acceptable for Israel to exercise control over territories belonging to Arab states. He said Egypt, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Syria, Lebanon and Palestine, along with the OIC Secretariat and the League of Arab States, &ldquo;strongly condemned&rdquo; the remarks. The US envoy&rsquo;s comment was &ldquo;dangerous, inflammatory, and clear violation of international law and the UN Charter,&rdquo; Andrabi said. He added that it threatened regional security and stability. Separately, Andrabi addressed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif&rsquo;s recent state visit to Qatar at the invitation of the emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. PM Sharif met the Qatari emir and discussed enhancing cooperation in several areas, including economic ties. Both sides agreed on resolving international disputes peacefully through &ldquo;dialogue&rdquo; and &ldquo;diplomacy.&rdquo; Sheikh Tamim will &ldquo;visit Pakistan later this year,&rdquo; he added. During the visit, PM Sharif also met Qatar&rsquo;s defense minister, Sheikh Saud Al Thani, who expressed interest in expanding defense cooperation between the two countries and &ldquo;appreciated the professionalism and expertise of Pakistan&#39;s armed forces.&rdquo;

Foreign Office Spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi speaking at a weekly press briefing in Islamabad, on February 26, 2026. (Ministry of Foreign Affairs/X)

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will represent Pakistan at the Open-Ended Extraordinary Ministerial Session of the OIC.

Pakistan to raise concerns over Israel actions in West Bank at OIC Ministerial: Foreign Office

ISLAMABAD: The Bangladesh government will pilot the distribution of 500,000 Krishak Smart Cards to farmers in 15 upazilas (sub-districts) within 180 days as part of a 2023-28 development program.&nbsp; If successful, the initiative will expand nationwide,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/bangladesh-signals-push-to-revitalize-saarc" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bangladeshi</a> media reported on Thursday. The program aims to register 22.7 million&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/govt-aims-to-launch-family-card-scheme-before-eid-bangladeshi-relief-minister" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer">farmers</a> nationwide by 2028.&nbsp;Digital card system&nbsp;A meeting chaired by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/bangladesh-vows-to-reform-policies-attract-foreign-investment-in-jute-sector" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer">Prime Minister Tarique Rahman</a> in Dhaka on Monday directed authorities to roll out the digital card system as part of a technology-driven support framework for farmers. Abul Kalam Azad, coordinator of the PARTNER programme, said the Food and Agriculture Organization is collecting data to prepare the beneficiary list.&nbsp; Once the FAO submits the data and the feasibility study is complete, the Department of Agricultural Extension will finalize the beneficiary list and select the upazilas.&nbsp;Financial, logistical incentives&nbsp;The card will initially register 500,000 farmers, including landless peasants, small and medium farmers, lessees, and landowners.&nbsp; Cardholders will be able to access financial and logistical incentives, agricultural advisories, weather information and other services. If the pilot proves successful, nationwide registration will follow.&nbsp; The PARTNER project, launched in 2023, has a total budget of $1.343 billion, funded by the World Bank, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, and the Bangladesh government.

Bangladesh

The program aims to register 22.7 million farmers across the country by 2028; a meeting chaired by PM Rahman in Dhaka directed authorities to roll out the digital card system for farmers. Cardholders will be able to access financial and logistical incentives, agricultural advisories, weather information and other services.

Bangladesh to distribute 500,000 farmer cards in 180 days

<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: source-sans-pro, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 600; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: capitalize; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: nowrap; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; display: inline !important; float: none;" id="isPasted">GENEVA: Iran and the United States began indirect talks in Switzerland on Thursday, a last-ditch bid to avert war following the biggest American military build-up in the Middle East in decades. The Oman-mediated discussions follow repeated threats from Donald Trump to strike Iran, with the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/us-presses-missile-issue-as-new-iran-talks-to-open-in-geneva" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">US president</a>&nbsp;last Thursday giving Tehran 15 days to reach a deal. The US and Iranian delegations arrived at the venue at the Omani ambassador&#39;s residence amid tight security, following a protest by Iranian exiles at their talks last week who threw objects at the Iranian motorcade. Oman&#39;s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi later confirmed that discussions had begun, saying the two sides had expressed &quot;unprecedented openness to new and creative ideas and solutions&quot;. Iran&#39;s president insisted ahead of the talks that the Islamic republic was not &quot;at all&quot; seeking a nuclear weapon. &quot;Our Supreme Leader has already stated that we will not have nuclear weapons at all,&quot; President Masoud Pezeshkian said, in a reference to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. United Nations nuclear chief Rafael Grossi would likely also attend the discussions in Geneva, Iran&#39;s foreign ministry spokesman said. While Iran has insisted the talks focus solely on its nuclear program, the US wants Tehran&#39;s missile program and its &#39;support&#39; for groups in the region curtailed. As part of the dramatic US build-up, the USS Gerald R Ford, the world&#39;s largest aircraft carrier, sent to the Mediterranean this week, left a naval base in Crete on Thursday, an AFP photographer said. The developments follow massive protests in Iran. &#39;Sinister nuclear ambitions&#39;&nbsp;In his State of the Union address on Tuesday, Trump accused Iran of &quot;pursuing sinister nuclear ambitions&quot;, though Tehran has always insisted its program is for civilian purposes. Trump also claimed Tehran had &quot;already developed missiles that can threaten Europe and our bases overseas, and they&#39;re working to build missiles that will soon reach the United States of America&quot;. The Iranian foreign ministry called these claims &quot;big lies&quot;. The maximum range of Iran&#39;s missiles is 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) according to what Tehran has publicly disclosed. However, the US Congressional Research Service estimates they top out at about 3,000 kilometers -- less than a third of the distance to the continental United States. Trump&#39;s State of the Union accusations in Congress were delivered in the same forum in which then-president George W Bush laid out the case for the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Ahead of Thursday&#39;s talks, Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that Iran must also negotiate on its missile program, calling Tehran&#39;s refusal to discuss ballistic weapons &quot;a big, big problem.&quot; He followed up by saying, &quot;The president wants diplomatic solutions&quot;. But US Vice President JD Vance told Iran to take Trump&#39;s threats &quot;seriously,&quot; saying the US president had a &quot;right&quot; to use military action. &quot;You can&#39;t let the craziest and worst regime in the world have nuclear weapons,&quot; Vance told &quot;America&#39;s Newsroom&quot; on Fox News. &#39;A historic opportunity&#39;&nbsp;Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who is leading the Iranian delegation at the talks, had called them &quot;a historic opportunity,&quot; adding that a deal was &quot;within reach.&quot; The US will be represented by envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who is married to Trump&#39;s daughter Ivanka. The two countries held talks earlier this month in Oman, then gathered for a second round in Geneva last week. 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. In Jan., Tehran launched a mass crackdown on nationwide protests. Protests have since resumed around Iranian universities.

Middle East

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian reiterates that Tehran is not seeking nuclear weapons in line with the policy set by the country’s Supreme Leader; on Feb. 19, Trump said Iran had 15 days to make a deal.

Iran-US talks begin in push to avert war

ISLAMABAD: The US has levied a preliminary countervailing duty (CVD) of 126% on specific Indian solar products, citing unfair subsidies, according to an Indian media report.&nbsp;This move is expected to disrupt the growing momentum of solar exports from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/global-ai-summit-in-india-still-without-final-statement" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">India&nbsp;</a>to the US and raise concerns about increasing domestic competition and regulatory uncertainty. On Feb. 24, the US Department of Commerce announced its preliminary affirmative determination in investigations into imports of crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/potholes-killed-over-9400-from-2020-to-2024-in-india" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">India</a>.&nbsp; The investigation also includes parallel anti-dumping probes into solar cells from these countries.&nbsp;&nbsp;Final determination&nbsp;A final determination in the countervailing duty investigations is scheduled for July 6. The new duties come at a time when the US already imposed a 10% across-the-board tariff under the Trump administration, further complicating trade relations. Despite the steep tariff, many leading Indian solar manufacturers have downplayed the immediate impact.&nbsp;&nbsp;Impact on market dynamics&nbsp;However, analysts warn that the duties could disrupt trade flows, put downward pressure on domestic prices, and affect overall profitability.&nbsp; Rating agency Icra highlighted that increased regulatory uncertainty could dampen export volumes, which stood at 3 GW in 2025.&nbsp;&nbsp;Solar stocks&nbsp;Crisil Intelligence added that Indian modules could become at least 30% more expensive than US-made ones, potentially impacting market dynamics. Following the announcement, solar stocks in India dropped sharply, with Waaree Energies falling 10.47%, Premier Energies 6.27%, and Vikram Solar 5.45%, the Indian media report said.

On Feb. 24, the US Department of Commerce announced its preliminary affirmative determination in investigations into imports of crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells from India; final determination in countervailing duty investigations is scheduled for July 6.

Articles by Saqib Tanveer