13-06-2026 By SJA Jafri + Agencies ISLAMABAD/ KABUL: Pakistan has launched deadly air strikes along its border with Afghanistan, breaking months of relative calm in the restive region. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Wednesday that four targets had been destroyed in “calibrated strikes” that had killed 26 militants. Afghanistan’s …

09-06-2026 By SJA Jafri + Agencies MELBOURNE: After years spent detained in Syria, the freedom of the Islamic State group-linked families who landed back in their homeland of Australia this week was dramatically short lived. Three of the women were swiftly arrested. The fourth was left to confront a frenzied …

04-06-2026 By SJA Jafri + Bureau Report ISLAMABAD/ NEW DELHI: A Pakistani military officer this week blamed India’s militarization and provocative statements for undermining regional stability in South Asia, saying that dialogue “must never collapse” despite their geopolitical rivalry. Tensions remain high between nuclear-armed neighbors India and Pakistan since their …

28-05-2026 By SJA Jafri + Bureau Report ISLAMABAD/ BEIJING: China’s President Xi Jinping has hailed Beijing’s “unbreakable” friendship with Pakistan as he met ⁠visiting Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, seeking to deepen their “all-weather” partnership. Pakistan is among an exclusive group of countries China regards as an “all-weather strategic partner”, with …

26-05-2026 By SJA Jafri + Bureau Report ISLAMABAD/ NEW DELHI: Earlier this month, as Indian television channels and government leaders were celebrating the anniversary of the war against Pakistan in May 2025, one of the most influential ideologues of the political movement that Prime Minister Narendra Modi leads struck a …

25-05-2026 By SJA Jafri + Bureau Report QUETTA/ KARACHI: A suicide car bomb attack on a train carrying soldiers in Quetta, the capital of the southwestern Pakistani province of Balochistan, has killed at least 24 people and wounded more than 50 others. The Balochistan Liberation Army, a separatist group, has …

24-05-2026 By SJA Jafri + Agencies ISLAMABAD/ WASHINGTON/ TEHRAN: United States President Donald Trump has said that a Memorandum of Understanding in ceasefire talks to end the US-Israel war with Iran “has been largely negotiated”. Trump said on Saturday that the agreement will include reopening the Strait of Hormuz, adding …

22-05-2026 By SJA Jafri + Agencies ISLAMABAD/ BANGKOK: Thailand’s cabinet has approved a drastic reduction to its visa-free entry scheme for tourists from more than 90 countries. The decision, issued yesterday, shifts the country away from a sweeping 60-day visa exemption introduced in July 2024 to stimulate its post-pandemic recovery. …

21-05-2026 By SJA Jafri + Agencies ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has deployed 8,000 troops, a squadron of fighter jets and an air defence system to Saudi Arabia under a mutual defence pact, ramping up military cooperation with ‌Riyadh even as Islamabad serves as the main mediator in the Iran war. The deployment, …

17-05-2026 By SJA Jafri + Bureau Report KABUL/ ISLAMABAD: An attack on a security compound in northwest Pakistan has killed several paramilitary officers, with the Afghan-based Pakistan Taliban (TTP) claiming responsibility. An armed group rammed a vehicle filled with explosives into the Bajaur district camp’s gate on Thursday and then …