Gulf Cooperation Council secretary general arrives in Pakistan 

Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Dr. Nayef Falah M. Al-Hajraf (second from right) poses for a group photo upon his arrival in Pakistan on January 5, 2022. (Photo courtesy: Tahir Ashrafi)
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Updated 05 January 2022
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Gulf Cooperation Council secretary general arrives in Pakistan 

  • Secretary general visiting Pakistan on invitation extended by Foreign Minister Qureshi during Al-Hajraf’s last visit to Pakistan 
  • Secretary general was in Pakistan on December 19 to attend 17th Extraordinary Session of OIC on humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan 

ISLAMABAD: The Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Dr. Nayef Falah M. Al-Hajraf, arrived in Pakistan on Wednesday, Pakistan’s state-run media said.
The secretary general is visiting Pakistan on an invitation extended by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi during Al-Hajraf’s visit to Pakistan to attend the 17th Extraordinary Session of the Organization of Islamic Corporation, held on December 19 last year to deliberate and find solutions to the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
The Pakistani Prime Minister’s special assistant on religious harmony and the Middle East, Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi and Saudi ambassador to Islamabad, Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki, received Al-Hajraf at Islamabad airport.




Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Dr. Nayef Falah M. Al-Hajraf (R) walks with Pakistani PM’s aide on religious harmony and Middle East, Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi (L) in Pakistan on January 5, 2022. (Photo courtesy: Tahir Ashrafi)

“During the visit, the Secretary General will hold delegation-level talks with the Foreign Minister,” Pakistan’s foreign office said in a statement on Tuesday. “He will also meet the Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, and Prime Minister’s Adviser for Commerce and Investment.”
“The visit offers the two sides an opportunity to review mutual cooperation and take steps to foster enhanced collaboration in diverse fields, with a renewed focus on trade and economic relations between Pakistan and the GCC Member States.”
Pakistan and the GCC have long-standing ties based on a commonality of religion, shared values and culture.


Pakistan army hits Afghan Taliban drone storage facility, ammunition depot in Jalalabad

Updated 02 March 2026
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Pakistan army hits Afghan Taliban drone storage facility, ammunition depot in Jalalabad

  • Around 435 Afghan Taliban fighters killed, over 630 injured in Pakistani military offensive, minister says
  • Several countries, global bodies have urged both sides to exercise restraint since the conflict began last week

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s army struck a drone storage facility and ammunition depot of Afghan Taliban in Jalalabad, a Pakistani security official said on Monday, following Pakistani strikes on more than 50 locations in Afghanistan amid ongoing hostilities between the neighbors.

Pakistan launched Operation ‘Ghazb lil Haq’ against Afghanistan on the night of Feb. 26 following an attack by Afghanistan on Pakistani military installations along their shared border.

The worst fighting between the two neighbors in years erupted after Pakistani airstrikes targeted what Islamabad called militant hideouts inside Afghanistan on Feb. 21-22, accusing Kabul of harboring Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants behind the attacks on its soil. Afghanistan denies the charge.

A Pakistani security official, who requested anonymity, said the army was continuing “strong retaliatory action” against the Afghan Taliban and blew up multiple border posts, forcing them to abandon their positions.

“Pakistan forces are effectively targeting the bases and military installations of the Fitna Al-Khawarij and the Afghan Taliban,” he said.

“During the effective counter-operation of the Pakistani forces, the ammunition depot and drone storage site of Fitna Al-Khawarij (TTP) and the Afghan Taliban in Jalalabad was destroyed.”

Separately, Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said more than 400 Afghan Taliban fighters had been killed and over 630 wounded in the Pakistani military offensive so far.

Pakistan destroyed around 188 check posts and captured 31, according to a post on X by Tarar. Over 180 tanks, armored vehicles and artillery guns were also destroyed in Pakistani air raids at 51 locations across Afghanistan.

On Sunday, Pakistani state media shared a video of what it said were Pakistani soldiers crossing into Afghanistan in the northwest to capture an Afghan post. Pakistan has seized a 32-square-kilometer area of Afghanistan, another Pakistani security official said.

Afghan officials earlier said that dozens of Pakistani soldiers had been killed and several Pakistan posts had been captured by their forces. None of the casualty figures or battlefield claims from either side could be independently verified.

Since the conflict began last week, diplomatic efforts have intensified, with several countries and international bodies calling on both sides to exercise restraint.

The United Nations, along with China and Russia, has called for calm, while US President Donald Trump said Pakistan has the right to defend itself against cross-border militancy.