Current Final

Tag: Foreign Office

  • Bilawal leaving for India today to attend SCO Foreign Ministers meeting

    Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is leaving for India today to attend a moot of the Foreign Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) being held in Goa today (Thursday).

    The foreign minister shared a video message on Twitter in which he said that his attendance in the meeting will give a clear message on how much importance Pakistan gives to SCO.


    He added that he is looking forward to engaging bilaterally with the member countries.

    Alongside the CFM meeting, the Foreign Minister will also hold meetings with counterparts from friendly nations. Pakistan became a member of SCO after joining the body in 2017.

  • ISPR says Bajwa’s statement that Pak isn’t ready to fight India is taken ‘out of context’

    The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) has clarified that former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Qamar Javed Bajwa’s statement about Pakistan army not being fully compatible to fight against India has been taken out of context.

    “To this end, views of the former army chief on the future threats to Pakistan, which he shared with media persons in an off-the-record interactive session, have been quoted out of context,” ISPR said.

    It added that the army “always took and will continue to take pride in our operational preparedness and utmost combat worthiness.”

    Earlier, Senior Journalist Hamid Mir said that Bajwa had told journalists in 2021 that the Pakistan Army is not capable of getting into combat against the rival country.

    He claimed that immediately after the ceasefire, Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi had to visit Pakistan in 2021 but the then-Foreign Minister (FM) Shah Mahmood Qureshi and former PM Imran Khan weren’t aware of it.

    When Khan demanded that details regarding Modi’s visit should be given to Foreign Office (FO) “Bajwa came to the FO with his entire convoy and gave a lecture”.

    “This was the same lecture that he gave in front of us once too that army tanks are not capable of running and there is no diesel for troop movement,” the journalist said.

    The journalist’s claims were picked up by Indian media and reported by major news outlets.

  • New Zealand back in Pakistan after cancelling tour in 2021 over security threats

    New Zealand back in Pakistan after cancelling tour in 2021 over security threats

    New Zealand’s cricket team arrived in Pakistan today (Thursday), a year after cancelling their previous tour over security threats.

    The Kiwis— led by veteran fast bowler Tim Southee are here to play two Tests and three One-Day Internationals (ODI). Upon reaching their hotel in Karachi, they were welcomed with Sindhi ajraks.

    New Zealand sparked deep frustration in Pakistan in September 2021 when they failed to show up at Rawalpindi Stadium and announced they were flying home due to threats.

    The visitors will rest today before starting training in Karachi on Friday. The first test match begins on December 26, while the second Test will be played in Multan from January 3, followed by the ODIs on January 10, 12 and 14 in Karachi.

    New Zealand last visited Pakistan to play test cricket in 2002 and last played an ODI series here in 2003.

    For the Test series, Pakistan announced a 16-man squad on Wednesday, with a recall for fast bowler Hasan Ali while Shaheen Shah Afridi will miss out on the series due ta a knee injury.

    The arrival of the Kiwis comes just days after England whitewashed Pakistan at home in a three-match Test series.

  • Fact Check: Bilawal Bhutto arrested in New York?

    Fact Check: Bilawal Bhutto arrested in New York?

    Claim: Unverified reports have claimed that Foreign Minister (FM) Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had been arrested in New York during his visit to the United States (US), which lasted for almost a week— from December 14 to 21.

    Rumors were spread across social media platforms.

    Fact: Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch dismissed the authenticity of all such reports.

    Responding to a question by a journalist in a briefing, the spokesperson cleared the air, rejecting the news as fake. She termed the report a “lie” and “contrary to facts”.

    She termed Bilawal’s visit “very productive” and said that he had a busy schedule.

    Calling the visit, “another important step towards further strengthening Pakistan’s broad-based bilateral ties” with the US, she clarified that the FM had engagements with the Biden Administration and members of the US Congress, interacted with Pakistani-American community leaders and Washington DC-based think-tank community as well as had interviews with leading media outlets.

    Verdict: FALSE

  • President of Tajikistan to come to Pakistan for the second time tomorrow

    President of Tajikistan to come to Pakistan for the second time tomorrow

    Tajik President Emomali Rahmon will arrive in Pakistan tomorrow (Wednesday) on a two-day official visit at the invitation of Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif.

    This is the second time that President Rahmon will be meeting PM Shehbaz this year. This tour will be his second visit to Pakistan within two years.

    According to the Pakistani Foreign Office (FO), during Rahmon’s visit, the two sides will exchange views on further strengthening bilateral cooperation in a wide range of areas and are expected to sign multiple bilateral agreements and memorandum of understanding (MoU).

    The FO also termed Tajikistan an “important partner of Pakistan in Central Asia”.

    PM Shehbaz and President Rahmon had last met in September this year at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.

    At that time, the Pakistani prime minister thanked Tajikistan for its support to the flood affectees in Pakistan and shared details of the devastation caused by the massive floods.

    President Rahmon last visited Islamabad in June 2021 when former PM Imran Khan was in power.

  • Old Pakistani embassy building in US to be sold by govt after lying vacant for 15 years

    Old Pakistani embassy building in US to be sold by govt after lying vacant for 15 years

    Owing to the country’s dire economic condition, Pakistan has decided to sell its old embassy building located in the United States (US).

    The Foreign Office has permitted the Pakistani embassy in Washington to sell its old building, which has been vacant for the past 15 years, according to ARY News.

    According to sources familiar with the matter, the building in the heart of Washington is worth $5 to $6 million and is being sold as a result of Pakistan’s dire economic condition.

    A case involving two old Chancery buildings in Washington, DC, at 2201 R Street and 2315 Massachusetts Avenue, which had sat empty since the Pakistan Embassy there was transferred to a specially constructed Chancery Building in April 2003, was previously revealed.

    Earlier in August, sources stated that Pakistan was planning to give Qatar shares of the Roosevelt Hotel in Manhattan, New York, in exchange for Doha’s investment in the aviation industry.

    The Roosevelt Hotel, which opened its doors in 1924, is one of the country’s iconic hotels and is located in Manhattan’s opulent downtown.

  • UK removes Pakistan from list of ‘high risk’ countries

    UK removes Pakistan from list of ‘high risk’ countries

    The United Kingdom on Monday removed Pakistan from its list of “high risk” countries, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari tweeted.
    “Some good news. The United Kingdom has officially removed Pakistan from its list of ‘High Risk Third Countries’ following our early completion of FATF action plans,” the minister wrote in a tweet.

    “His Majesty’s Treasury issued an amendment to the UK’s High-Risk Third Countries’ list ON November 14, 2022, through a Statuary Instrument. The amendment removes Pakistan from the list in accordance with the decision taken by the FATF on October 21, 2022,” the official document read.

    “The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office recognizes the progress Pakistan has made to improve money laundering and terrorist financing controls,” it further added.


    The UK government included Pakistan to its list of 21 high-risk nations with inadequate measures in place to combat money laundering and terrorism funding in April 2021.

  • ‘Our intelligence agencies are making people feel threatened’: Khan

    ‘Our intelligence agencies are making people feel threatened’: Khan

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has said that intelligence agencies should reconsider what they are engaging in.

    “Our intelligence agencies should think about what they are engaging in. They are making people feel threatened,” he said. Addressing the agencies during an interview on Channel 92, the former Prime Minister said that “political engineering” was not in their job description and that they were tasked to keep the country safe.

    Khan claimed that state secrets have been leaked to the country’s enemies, citing an alleged breach of the secure line at Prime Minister’s Office.

    “Secrets of the state have been leaked to our enemies. There has been a violation of the security line of the Prime Minister’s Office. The security agencies must be questioned about who is responsible for this,” he said during an interview with a private television channel.

    ‘They [government] should first ask the Foreign Office about the cipher’s master copy’: Khan

    Khan said that the master copy of the infamous cipher is lying in the Foreign Office.

    “They [government] should first ask the Foreign Office about the cipher’s master copy,” the former premier stated, adding that the master copy first arrives at the FO and its copies are then sent to the Prime Minister’s house, president, and the chief of army staff.

    “What cipher are they talking about which has been stolen?” Khan questioned the government, stressing that they “initially lied” that there was no cipher.

    He added that President Arif Alvi sent the cipher’s copy to Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial and that his party had sent one copy to the Speaker of the National Assembly, Asad Qaiser.

    ‘No one will be able to guess what will happen, what we’ll do’: Khan

    “We have planned more events after this. No one will be able to guess what will happen, what we’ll do. [I’ve] just shared the details with four to five closest people,” he said.

    “Our discussions get leaked, our phones get taped. It seems like I’m a traitor,” the former premier said, claiming that his servants are being paid to leak information.

  • Pakistan strongly condemns another BJP official’s remarks against Holy Prophet (PBUH)

    Pakistan strongly condemns another BJP official’s remarks against Holy Prophet (PBUH)

    Pakistan has strongly condemned the highly provocative and sacrilegious remarks against the Holy Prophet (PBUH) by another official of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

    Indian police had on Tuesday detained BJP leader T. Raja Singh, a lawmaker in the southern state of Telangana, on suspicion of “promoting enmity in the name of religion” after Muslim groups demanded his arrest for his comments about the Holy Prophet (PBUH), reports Dawn.

    “Pakistan condemns, in the strongest possible terms, the highly provocative and sacrilegious remarks made against the Holy Prophet (PBUH), by Raja Singh, a BJP official and a member of the state legislative assembly of the Indian state of Telangana,” a statement issued by the Foreign Office (FO) read.

    “These highly derogatory remarks have gravely hurt the feelings of the people of Pakistan and billions of Muslims around the world.”

    Pakistan demands the Indian government to take immediate and decisive action against the BJP members habitually involved in attacking Islam and targeting the dignity of beloved Prophet (PBUH),” the statement added.

    “The fact is that India is nothing more than an undeclared ‘Hindu Rashtra’ where Muslims are routinely denigrated, dispossessed and marginalised and their religious beliefs are trampled under majoritarian hegemonism.”

    The FO also called out the “deafening silence” of the top BJP leadership on the abhorrent incident, saying it manifestly reflected their approval and complete support to the radical Hindu zealots within and beyond the BJP.

    In June, BJP spokespersons Nupur Sharma and Naveen Kumar Jindal, also passed derogatory remarks against Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

  • Pak-China relations to restrengthen pledges Chinese delegation leader

    Pak-China relations to restrengthen pledges Chinese delegation leader

    Pak-China relations to re-strengthen, pledges Chinese delegation leader
    Chinese politician and Director of China’s Central Foreign Affairs Commission Yang Jiechi pledged to help re-strengthen Pakistan-China relations as he kickstarted his two-day trip to Islamabad with a meeting with Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Wednesday.

    “He assured to play his role for further improvement in diplomatic cooperation with Pakistan at all levels,” said the Inter-services Public Relations (ISPR) Director-General (DG) Major-General Babar Iftikhar after the meeting with the army chief at the General Headquarters.

    Yang had a meeting with Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday as well. The PM highlighted the significance of Director Yang’s visit in furthering the bilateral relations between the two countries across all domains. In particular, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has strengthened the ties between China and Pakistan. The relationship between the two countries would continue to grow and prosper, bringing peace and stability to the region, noted Sharif.

    Yang also met Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.

    “The two sides discussed the entire spectrum of bilateral relations and exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest,” the Foreign Office said in a statement.

    The meetings come at a sensitive time as the Pakistan-China relationship seems to be under strain after the April 26 attacks on three Chinese language teachers in Karachi.