ISLAMABAD: With an aim to cement the ties between Turkey and Pakistan, the presidents of both countries met in Istanbul on Tuesday to discuss areas of mutual cooperation and deepen bilateral relations in all fields, a statement released by the President of Pakistan’s office said.
President Dr. Arif Alvi is currently in Turkey for a three-day official visit, on the invitation of the country’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to attend the inauguration of Istanbul’s Grand International Airport on Tuesday.
Erdogan congratulated Alvi on his election win and hoped that bilateral relations between the two brotherly countries would enhance further under Pakistan’s new leadership. Alvi, on his part, stressed on the need for an “early conclusion of the bilateral Free Trade Agreement and increasing the bilateral trade between the two countries”.
He expressed satisfaction at the thriving presence of Turkish investors in Pakistan, adding that he hoped that they, too, could benefit from the various investment opportunities available in the country. He concluded the meeting by inviting Erdogan to visit Pakistan at his earliest convenience.
President Alvi calls for early conclusion of FTA
President Alvi calls for early conclusion of FTA
- Discusses details with Turkish leader during official visit to the country
- Leaders deliberate on course of action to strengthen bilateral relations
Death toll in Pakistan wedding suicide blast rises to six
- Attack targeted members of local peace committee in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Dera Ismail Khan
- Peace committees are community-based groups that report militant activity to security forces
PESHAWAR: The death toll from a suicide bombing at a wedding ceremony in northwestern Pakistan rose to six, police said on Saturday, after funeral prayers were held for those killed in the attack a day earlier.
The bomber detonated explosives during a wedding gathering in the Dera Ismail Khan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, injuring more than a dozen, some of them critically.
“The death toll has surged to six,” said Nawab Khan, Superintendent of Police for Saddar Dera Ismail Khan. “Police have completed the formalities and registered the case against unidentified attackers.”
“It was a suicide attack and the Counter Terrorism Department will further investigate the case,” he continued, adding that security had been stepped up across the district to prevent further incidents.
No militant group has claimed responsibility for the blast so far.
Khan cautioned against speculation, citing ongoing militancy in the area, and said the investigation was being treated with “utmost seriousness.”
The explosion targeted the home of a member of a local peace committee, which is part of community-based groups that cooperate with security forces and whose members have frequently been targeted by militants in the past.
Some media reports also cited a death toll of seven, quoting police authorities.
Emergency officials said several of the wounded were taken to hospital soon after the blast.
Militant attacks have intensified in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa since the Taliban returned to power in neighboring Afghanistan in 2021, with Islamabad accusing Afghan authorities of “facilitating” cross-border assaults, a charge Kabul denies.
