WASHINGTON/RIYADH: In a dramatic culmination of Syria’s year-long diplomatic resurgence, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa met US President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday marking the first-ever visit by a Syrian head of state to Washington and signalling an extraordinary shift in relations between the former adversaries. The meeting capped a whirlwind year for the 42-year-old former rebel commander, whose Islamist fighters toppled longtime Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad last December, ending more than two decades of autocratic rule. Since then, Sharaa has embarked on an ambitious campaign to reintegrate Syria into the international community, pivoting away from traditional allies…
Author: Imran Ali Khan
ISLAMABAD:The Senate on Monday passed the 27th Constitutional Amendment Bill with a two-thirds majority, approving wide-ranging changes to the judicial structure, provincial representation, and the establishment of a federal constitutional court even as the opposition staged a walkout in protest. A total of 64 senators voted in favour of the amendment during the clause-by-clause voting, while two opposed the first clause. The session, presided over by Chairman Senate Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani, saw all 59 clauses approved one by one after being read aloud in the Upper House. The bill was presented by Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer…
JERUSALEM / GAZA:US mediators met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday as Washington’s attention turned to the far more complex second phase of the Gaza ceasefire plan amid a tense standoff over nearly 200 Hamas fighters still trapped in tunnels beneath Rafah. The meeting, attended by US President Donald Trump’s senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner, marked a crucial moment in Washington’s renewed push to sustain the fragile truce between Israel and Hamas, following two years of devastating conflict in Gaza. While the ceasefire has largely held since October, the future of trapped Hamas fighters in Israeli-controlled areas and…
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that Kazakhstan will formally join the Abraham Accords, marking another milestone in the normalization of relations between Israel and Muslim-majority nations. The announcement came after Trump held a trilateral call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. We will soon announce a signing ceremony to make it official, and there are many more countries trying to join this club of STRENGTH, Trump declared on Truth Social, describing the expansion as a key diplomatic victory for his administration. In a statement, the Kazakh government confirmed that the move was…
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif departed on Friday for a two-day official visit to Azerbaijan at the invitation of President Ilham Aliyev, to participate in the fifth anniversary celebrations of Victory Day, commemorating Azerbaijan’s triumph in liberating its territories from Armenian occupation. According to state broadcaster PTV, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar is accompanying the prime minister during the visit. In a statement issued earlier in the day, the Foreign Office (FO) said that the visit reflects the strengthening partnership between Pakistan and Azerbaijan, and underscores Islamabad’s continued support for Baku’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. During the visit, the prime minister…
FAISALABAD: A Faisalabad Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Friday sent Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) Chairman Sahibzada Mohammad Hamid Raza to jail to serve a 10-year prison sentence in connection with the violent protests that erupted across Pakistan on May 9, 2023, following the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan. Hamid Raza who had earlier been convicted alongside several PTI leaders on July 31 was taken into custody by Islamabad police earlier in the day while en route to Faisalabad, reportedly to surrender before the court. According to court documents, Hamid Raza was presented before the ATC by Inspector Mujahid Iqbal…
Washington: U.S. President Donald Trump this week renewed his call for Congress to end the ongoing federal government shutdown, arguing that the stalemate has had direct political consequences including impacting recent elections in New York. Speaking to Republican senators and emphasizing the urgent need to reopen the government, Trump stated that the shutdown is harming his party and undermining voter confidence ahead of key races. At the same time, he thanked Vice President J.D. Vance and his Senate allies for their efforts during the funding deadlock. Trump described the shutdown the longest in U.S. history so far as a Democratic‑driven mess,…
ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) on Wednesday extended the deadline for taxpayers filing returns through manual forms until November 30, as part of its gradual transition toward a fully digital tax filing system. According to an official notification, the tax authority said it is phasing out manual return forms to ensure complete digitisation of its data. However, acknowledging that a small segment of taxpayers still rely on traditional filing methods, the FBR has allowed additional time for such individuals to complete their returns. The notification stated that special facilitation cells have been established at every regional tax office…
Former U.S. President Donald Trump stirred controversy once again on Tuesday after claiming that any Jewish person voting for New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani is a stupid person, reigniting criticism over his long history of remarks suggesting that Jewish Americans vote against their own interests. Any Jewish person that votes for Zohran Mamdani, a proven and self-professed JEW HATER, is a stupid person. Trump wrote on Truth Social, his social media platform. The post quickly drew backlash from political leaders and Jewish advocacy groups, who accused the former president of inciting division and using inflammatory rhetoric for political gain.…
Moscow/Kyiv: Russia claimed on Wednesday that its forces had advanced north into the Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, tightening their grip on one of Ukraine’s key transport and logistics hubs as they pressed to capture full control of the Donbas industrial region. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, assault units of the 2nd and 51st armies were “clearing out” Ukrainian troops from the city’s Prigorodny microdistrict and surrounding residential zones, while also repelling multiple Ukrainian attempts to break through encirclement on the city’s southeastern flank. Ukraine, however, rejected Moscow’s claims of encirclement, acknowledging that its forces were under intense pressure but…