12-04-2026 By SJA Jafri + Agencies ISLAMABAD/ TEHRAN/ WASHINGTON: The United States and Iran have failed to reach a peace deal after high-stakes talks in the Pakistani capital, with Vice President JD Vance saying Tehran refused to accept Washington’s terms after 21 hours of talks in Islamabad. “The bad news …

11-04-2026 By SJA Jafri + Agencies ISLAMABAD/ KABUL/ BEIJING: Afghanistan has said that peace talks with Pakistan being held in China have been “useful”. The comment was issued by the foreign ministry in Kabul amid talks aimed at halting cross-border fighting between the two neighbors, which were launched last week …

07-04-2026 By SJA Jafri + Bureau Report ISLAMABAD: Pakistan intends to continue to nudge the United States and Iran towards negotiations aimed at ending their war but the Ministry of Foreign Affairs acknowledges “obstacles” in its efforts. Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi did not specify the roadblocks on the path …

05-04-2026 By SJA Jafri + Agencies ISLAMABAD/ BEIJING/ KABUL: Pakistan and Afghanistan have confirmed they are holding talks in China aimed at ending the worst conflict between the South Asian neighbors since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in 2021. Senior officials from both countries are holding preliminary talks in …

01-04-2026 By SJA Jafri + Bureau Report + Agencies ISLAMABAD/ TEHRAN: With mixed signals over US plans for fresh talks with Iran, the exchange of fire between Iran and Israel, the Middle East’s two arch-enemies continues. Iran fired several missiles at targets in northern and southern Israel overnight, after Israel …

30-03-2026 By SJA Jafri ISLAMABAD: In the middle of 1971, at the height of the Cold War, a Pakistani government plane carrying US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger flew overnight from Islamabad to Beijing. The trip was secret, the facilitator was Pakistan and the geopolitical consequences were generational. More than …

27-03-2026 By SJA Jafri + Agencies ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s prime minister said on Tuesday he was willing to host talks between the US and Iran on ending the war in the Gulf, a day after President Donald Trump postponed threats to bomb Iranian power plants, saying there had been “productive” talks. …

27-03-2026 By SJA Jafri + Bureau Report LAHORE/ KARACHI: Pakistan’s premier domestic T20 league will take place in empty stadiums due to the recent spike in oil prices, says a top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). The franchise-based Pakistan Super League, set to kick off on Thursday, also …

22-03-2026 By SJA Jafri + Agencies SYDNEY: Anthony Albanese and Tony Burke were heckled by some worshippers at one of Australia’s largest mosques, with some booing and one shouting “genocide supporters” before the prime minister made a quick exit. The prime minister and the home affairs minister were at Lakemba …

19-03-2026 By SJA Jafri + Bureau Report ISLAMABAD/ KABUL: Families have gathered outside a drug treatment centre in the Afghan capital, Kabul, looking for their loved ones after it was hit in a Pakistani air strike, which Taliban authorities said killed 408 people. The attack on Kabul’s Omar Addiction Treatment …