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Posts tagged as “foreign”

Pesky neighbours, ever-reliable friends hallmarks of outgoing year’s foreign policy

by Kamran Yusuf in The Express Tribune, Dec 31, 2023ISLAMABAD: At the start of the year, which coincidentally happened to be two months after the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) announced the end of a ceasefire with the Pakistani government, Peshawar’s Red Zone was rocked by a suicide blast that killed hundreds. Although the TTP initially claimed responsibility for the heinous attack and later retracted the statement, the incident set the tone for Pakistan’s relations with…

Islamabad to continue talks with Kabul, says Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry

By Fidel Rahmati in The Khaama Press Online, December 29, 2023The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan says that it continues to engage in communications and negotiations with officials of the Taliban government regarding border and security issues. Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, the spokesperson for the ministry, stated on Thursday in a press conference that Islamabad wants Afghanistan to be a hub of trade and energy connectivity in the region. The Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson added…

Leader of Pakistan’s Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam to Visit Kabul:

By Mitra Majeedy in TOLOnews Online Dec 29, 2023 at 9:03 PMAfter the request of the Islamic Emirate to the leader of Pakistan’s Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman, to visit Kabul, now the leader of this party, emphasizing the establishment of trust between Kabul and Islamabad, said that this work should be part of Pakistan’s foreign policy. He also added that he will travel to Afghanistan after the election campaign to discuss common interests. The leader…

China now 4th largest source of foreign loans in Bangladesh

by Jahangir Shah inProthom Alo, December 20, 2023China has become the fourth largest source of foreign loans in Bangladesh thanks to the latter’s growing interest. Japan, the World Bank, and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) now precede China in terms of loan disbursements. Currently, Bangladesh sources nearly 10 per cent of its total annual borrowings from China, with at least $1 billion disbursed annually over the last two years. Bangladesh has registered a surge in…

Foreign research vessels: Govt. moots moratorium

by Asiri Fernando in Daily Morning, Dec 18, 2023The Government of Sri Lanka is considering a moratorium on granting diplomatic permission for foreign marine scientific research (MSR) vessels for 2024 and beyond, senior government sources close to the matter told The Daily Morning. The decision comes weeks after Sri Lanka communicated a reviewed standard operational procedure (SOP) to grant diplomatic approval for foreign warships, aircraft, and research vessels to traverse Sri Lankan waters, airspace, and…

Pakistan signalling shift in strategic culture, foreign policy interests: Middle East Institute

report in The News, Dec 18, 2023Functioning as a security state, Pakistan has long formulated its foreign policy choices based on security needs and the aspiration to establish itself as a hard military power, says a report by a US-based think tank. According to Middle East Institute’s report, the approach has allowed the military to play a leading role in shaping both domestic and foreign policy decisions, often overshadowing civilian institutions. However, with changing global…

Afghan situation, TTP threat discussed with US point man

by Kamran Yousaf in The Express Tribune, Dec 9th, 2023ISLAMABAD: US President Joe Biden’s troubleshooter for Afghanistan on Friday held a series of meetings with Pakistan’s senior military and Foreign Office officials to discuss the current situation in the neighbouring country, particularly the renewed threat posed by the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Tom West, the US special representative for Afghanistan, is in Islamabad as part of his regional tour that would also take him to…

Our Envoy Not Summoned by Pakistan Foreign Ministry: Mujahid

Report in TOLOnews Online, Nov 29, 2023 at 10:10 PMIn response to reports of some Pakistani media, the Islamic Emirate said that the Islamic Emirate’s Chargé d’Affaires in Pakistan was not summoned, but only received a message from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan. Earlier, the Express Tribune, a Pakistani newspaper, had reported that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan summoned the charge d’affaires of the Islamic Emirate in Islamabad in response to…

Some foreign nations’ intent questionable:

Report in The Daily Star, Nov 28, 2023Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal said the upcoming 12th parliamentary election should be free, fair, and credible for the sake of the country’s economy and future. It is unfortunate that some countries are trying to meddle in the polls, he said. “Other than a few exceptions, most countries are not truly sovereign. The way the US can command us, we can’t do the same to them,” the…

Little progress after Prime Minister Dahal’s India visit, say observers

Report in The Kathmandu Post, Nov 25, 2023Almost six months after Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s visit to India, the status of progress and follow-up to the agreements reached during the four-day official trip are dismal, said lawmakers and foreign policy experts. During a roundtable discussion on Friday organised by the Centre for Social Inclusion and Federalism (CESIF), Raj Kishor Yadav, the chairman of the parliamentary International Relations and Tourism Committee, said the visit was…

risis-hit Sri Lanka eyes $200 million yearly from foreign ships

report in ECONOMYNEXT, Nov 25, 2023– Sri Lanka is eying to earn $200 million annual income from foreign ships traversing in its water by developing Electronic Navigation Charts (ENCs), the State Defence Minister said as the island nation is in the process of coming out of an unprecedented economic crisis. President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who is also the Defence Minister, has already issued a gazette for navy to start the creation of ENCs, State Defence Minister…