Pakistani minister in Baghdad to explore defense cooperation with Iraq

In this file photo, Defense Production Minister Zobaida Jalal meets Iraqi Ambassador to Pakistan Hamid Abbas Lafta in Islamabad on Sept. 24, 2020. (Photo courtesy: Ministry of Defense Production)
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Updated 24 January 2021
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Pakistani minister in Baghdad to explore defense cooperation with Iraq

  • Defense Production Minister Zobaida Jalal is visiting Baghdad on the invitation of Iraqi Defense Minister Juma Inad
  • Earlier this month, Pakistan's military attache in Baghdad called on the Iraqi army chief of staff

ISLAMABAD: Defense Production Minister Zobaida Jalal is in Iraq to discuss defense cooperation, the ministry said on Saturday. 

Minister Jalal left for Iraq on Saturday for a four-day working visit.

"The federal minister will meet with senior Iraqi officials, she will discuss the situation in the region with Iraqi officials, including defense ties," the Ministry of Defense Production said in a statement.

According to the statement, Jalal is visiting Baghdad on the invitation of Iraqi Defense Minister Juma Inad. 

The visit follows Defense Minister Pervez Khattak's meeting with Iraq's ambassador to Pakistan, Hamid Abbas Lafta, on Sept. 30, during which the minister said that Pakistan attaches "great importance to its relation with Iraq and wishes to expand cooperation in all fields of mutual interests especially defense."

Earlier this month, Pakistan's military attache called on Iraqi Army chief of staff Lt. Gen. Abdul Amir Rashid Yarallah.




Pakistan's military attache, left, and Iraqi army chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Abdul Amir Rashid Yarallah during their meeting in Iraq on Jan. 11, 2021. (Photo courtesy: @modmiliq/Twitter)

"During the meeting, they discussed strengthening the relationship between the two friendly countries through cooperation and coordination on the military side, especially in the field of training and courses," the Iraqi Ministry of Defense said in a Twitter post on Jan. 11.


Pakistan finance chief calls for stronger emerging market voice during Saudi conference

Updated 12 February 2026
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Pakistan finance chief calls for stronger emerging market voice during Saudi conference

  • Aurangzeb tells Saudi state media developing economies must assume larger global role
  • Minister says AlUla conference can strengthen coordination among emerging economies

KARACHI: Pakistan’s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Thursday called for developing economies to play a greater role in shaping global economic governance in an interview on the sidelines of the AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies in Saudi Arabia.

The conference, hosted by the Kingdom’s Finance Ministry, brings together top government functionaries, central bank governors and policymakers from emerging markets to discuss debt sustainability, macroeconomic coordination and structural reforms amid global economic uncertainty.

In a conversation with the Saudi Press Agency, Aurangzeb described the conference as a timely platform for dialogue at a moment of heightened geopolitical tensions, trade fragmentation and rapid technological change, including advances in artificial intelligence.

“It is not merely about discussions but about translating deliberations into concrete policy actions and execution over the course of the year,” he said, according to a statement circulated by the Finance Division in Islamabad.

The minister said emerging markets’ growing share of global output and growth should be matched by greater influence in international decision-making.

He noted these economies must strengthen collective dialogue and coordinated policy responses to address shared challenges, adding that the global landscape had evolved significantly since the inaugural edition of the conference.

Aurangzeb expressed confidence that the outcomes of the AlUla Conference would contribute to strengthening coordination among emerging economies and reinforcing their collective voice in shaping a more inclusive and resilient global economic order, the statement added.