ISLAMABAD: Representatives from the Saudi Shoura Council, led by their chairman, Dr. Abdullah Bin Mohammed Al-Sheikh, were scheduled to arrive in Pakistan on Wednesday as part of their three-day official visit to the country.
The delegation is visiting Pakistan on the invitation of the Speaker of the National Assembly, Asad Qaiser, as part of an initiative to promote bilateral ties and parliamentary exchanges between the two countries, a statement released on Tuesday read.
Besides meeting with Qaiser, the delegation will also hold talks with President Arif Alvi, Prime Minister Imran Khan, Chairman Senate Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani and other parliamentarians.
“Matters pertaining to mutual cooperation in trade, economy, energy and other diverse sectors will be discussed,” the statement said.
The visit holds great significance and is expected to pave new pathways and strengthen relations on the bilateral front.
“Visit of the Saudi parliamentarians would also provide an opportunity to their Pakistani counterparts to highlight the plight of Kashmiris and muster support for the resolution of the issue in accordance with the international commitment,” excerpts from the statement read.
In December last year, a parliamentary delegation led by Sanjrani had visited Saudi Arabia on the invitation of Dr. Al Sheikh.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoy a unique bond and, in recent times, have agreed to deepen cooperation in diverse fields.
Saudi Shoura Council members arrive in Pakistan today
Saudi Shoura Council members arrive in Pakistan today
- Scheduled to meet president, prime minister and other parliamentarians
- Three-day visit expected to strengthen ties between the two nations
Tolerance for ‘cross-border terrorism’ has reached its limit, Pakistan warns Afghanistan after airstrikes
- Pakistan says carried out intelligence-based airstrikes in border regions with Afghanistan on Saturday, killing 80 militants
- Afghan authorities dismiss allegations, saying Pakistan killed and injured dozens of civilians, vowing an “appropriate” response
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari has warned Kabul in a recent statement that Islamabad’s tolerance for “cross-border terrorism” has reached its limit after Pakistan carried out airstrikes in Afghanistan to target alleged militant camps.
A Pakistani security official said Islamabad carried out intelligence-based airstrikes on Saturday and destroyed seven centers of the Pakistani Taliban or the TTP militant group in the three Afghan provinces of Nangarhar, Paktika and Khost. The official said more than 80 militants were killed in the attacks. An earlier statement from Pakistan’s information ministry said the targets included a camp of a Daesh regional affiliate, the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), which claimed a suicide bombing at an Islamabad Shia mosque that killed 32 people this month.
Saturday’s airstrikes followed a series of attacks inside Pakistan amid a surge in militancy. Authorities say the attacks, particularly in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province bordering Afghanistan and the Pakistani capital of Islamabad, were carried out by the TTP and allied groups that Islamabad alleges are operating from sanctuaries in Afghanistan. Kabul denies this and urges Pakistan to concentrate on its security issues without blaming Afghanistan.
In a post on X on Sunday, Afghan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said Pakistani forces had violated Afghanistan’s territory and killed and wounded dozens of civilians in Nangarhar and Paktika. The Afghan Taliban’s claims of civilian casualties could not be independently verified. Pakistan did not immediately comment on the allegation.
In a statement issued by his office on Sunday night, Zardari said Pakistan’s recent actions in Afghanistan are rooted in its “inherent right” to defend its people against “terrorism” from across the border.
“Tolerance for cross-border terrorism has reached its limit,” Zardari said.
The Pakistani president reiterated Islamabad’s stance that it is concerning that de facto authorities in Kabul continue to allow “terrorist elements” to operate from Afghan soil in violation of their commitments under the Doha Accord, an agreement signed between both sides in October after fierce border clashes last year, Kabul pledged that Afghanistan’s soil would not be used against any country for militant activities.
The president said it was regrettable that despite warnings and repeated engagement from Islamabad, Afghan authorities failed to take action against militants.
“He said Pakistan exercised restraint for a considerable period and confined its response to terrorist hideouts located near the border areas,” the president’s office said.
“However, he warned that Pakistan is fully aware of where the planners, facilitators and patrons of violence are based. If bloodshed continues inside Pakistan, those responsible will not remain beyond reach.”
Zardari reaffirmed Pakistan seeks peace, stability and cooperative relations with its neighbors. However, the Pakistani president said peace “cannot rest on denial, duplicity or inaction against terrorism.”
“The protection of Pakistani lives remains paramount and non-negotiable,” he added.
Afghanistan’s Ministry of National Defense said on Sunday that Pakistan’s airstrikes were in breach of international law and Islamic principles.
It warned that an “appropriate and measured response” will be given in a “suitable time.”
Saturday’s airstrikes and subsequent allegations marks one of the most direct confrontations between Islamabad and Kabul in recent months. It risks further straining already fragile ties along the volatile border between the two neighbors.
