The Pakistani army said Saturday that security forces killed six Baluch militants during a raid at their hideout in the country’s volatile southwest. In a statement, the military said the raid was conducted in the Nagao mountains near the Sibbi district of Baluchistan. Militants opened fire triggering a shootout in which six of them were killed. One soldier was also […]

Reconfiguration of supply chains, fragmentation of payment networks, and changes in reserve currency holdings are some of the effects stemming from the Ukrainian conflict. The Russia-Ukraine conflict has added uncertainty to the Asian economy, which already has to battle a COVID-19 surge and brace for tighter financial conditions, said Changyong Rhee, the director of the Asia and Pacific Department at […]

Sri Lanka’s main opposition parties are withholding support for the amendments, saying they do not stop the arbitrary arrest of dissidents. The Parliament of Sri Lanka has amended controversial “anti-terror” legislation after a European Union threat to withdraw lucrative trading status, but opposition lawmakers said the changes would not stop abuses under the law. The EU last year warned that […]

For the first times in the last four decades, there is no conflict in Afghanistan, says the Pakistani prime minister. Addressing the inaugural session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Islamabad, Imran Khan called the Afghans the longest-suffering people. In his keynote address on Tuesday, Khan said: “The only danger now is through sanctions and non-recognition, which […]

China has pledged all possible cooperation with efforts for peace, development and reconstruction of Afghanistan. Chinese Foreign Minister Wangi Yi held out the promise while speaking at the inaugural session of the 48th OIC Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) meeting in Islamabad. “China stands ready for cooperation with the Islamic world,” he said, signaling Beijing’s readiness to work for regional […]

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that after 40 years of war, Afghanistan has a real chance of attaining peace and security and that members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) must act to prevent a crisis in the country. In an article for Arab News, Imran Khan said: “After 40 years, there is a real opportunity to […]

Pakistan’s parliament will convene on Friday to take up a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan, the lower house speaker’s office said on Sunday, in what shapes up as his toughest test since coming to power in 2018. An alliance of opposition parties filed the motion against Khan this month, saying he had lost his parliamentary majority after over […]

Pakistan says it will recognise the Taliban government when a regional consensus emerges on the issue. Pakistan’s UN envoy Munir Akram said this after the Security Council voted to establish formal ties with Afghanistan without recognising the Islamic Emirate. The resolution drew overwhelming support from the powerful UN council, with 14 members voted for the resolution and Russia abstaining. Seeking […]

Iran has set the official selling price (OSP) of its Iranian Light grade for its Asian buyers at $4.70 a barrel above the Oman/Dubai average for April, up $2.05 from the previous month, two industry sources with direct knowledge of the matter said on Wednesday, Reuters reported. The table below shows April crude prices to Asia, as differentials to the […]

US national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Monday raised concerns about China’s alignment with Russia in a seven-hour meeting with Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi as Washington warned of the isolation and penalties Beijing will face if it helps Moscow in its invasion of Ukraine. The meeting took place in Rome as the United States told allies in NATO and several […]