ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari arrived in Riyadh on a two-day official visit, said a spokesperson of the country’s diplomatic mission in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, to co-chair a high-profile meeting on strengthening the bilateral relations between the two countries.
The foreign minister traveled to Riyadh from Sharm El-Sheikh where he was part of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s delegation that met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on the sidelines of a United Nations Climate Change Conference.
This was the second leadership-level contact between the two countries within a few weeks since Sharif also went to the kingdom last month.
“The foreign minister landed in Riyadh this afternoon,” Pakistani mission’s spokesperson Aimen Nadeem told Arab News.
A statement issued by the foreign office in Islamabad said earlier in the day Bhutto-Zardari would “co-chair the Joint Sub-Committee meeting of the Political and Security pillar of the Saudi-Pakistan Supreme Coordination Council (SPSCC) with his Saudi counterpart.”
The council was formed last year to provide strategic direction to the bilateral relations between the two countries and address any issues preventing them from further strengthening their mutual cooperation.
The foreign minister is also expected to hold a meeting with the secretary general of the Gulf Cooperation Council during the visit.
Apart from his other official engagements in the kingdom, he will also interact with the local media and noted individuals in the kingdom.
“The visit of the Foreign Minister will further deepen Pakistan’s engagement with Saudi Arabia for enhancing mutually beneficial cooperation between the two brotherly countries,” the foreign office statement added.
Pakistan’s foreign minister arrives in Riyadh on two-day official visit
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Pakistan’s foreign minister arrives in Riyadh on two-day official visit
- Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari will co-chair a joint sub-committee meeting of the Saudi-Pakistan Supreme Coordination Council
- The foreign minister is also expected to interact with the local media and noted individuals during his visit to the kingdom
Pakistan says over 500 Afghan Taliban militants killed in airstrikes as fighting continues
- Clashes began last week after Afghanistan targeted Pakistani military sites along the border
- Pakistan says it struck 62 targets in Afghanistan, destroyed 237 check posts in the conflict
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has killed 527 Afghan Taliban fighters, wounded more than 755 and struck 62 locations inside Afghanistan in air attacks, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Friday, as fighting between the two neighbors enters the second week.
Clashes between the two countries began last week when Afghan forces launched a surprise attack on Pakistani military installations along their shared border. Afghanistan said the assault was in retaliation for Pakistan’s earlier airstrikes in February on what Islamabad described as militant camps inside Afghanistan.
Last Friday, Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said the situation had become “open war” between Pakistan and Afghanistan as strikes and fighting escalated.
“Summary of Afghan Taliban losses: 527 killed, 755 + injured, 237 checkposts destroyed, 38 posts captured, 205 tanks, armored vehicles and artillery guns destroyed,” Tarar wrote on the social media platform X.
“62 locations across Afghanistan effectively targeted by air.”
The development comes after the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban, announced a fresh offensive against Pakistan earlier today.
Pakistan accuses Kabul of sheltering militant groups such as the TTP on its soil and facilitating attacks against Pakistan. Afghanistan denies the allegations and has urged Islamabad to address its security challenges without blaming Kabul.
Afghanistan has called for dialogue to resolve the conflict. Pakistan, however, has rejected talks with Kabul, saying its operation “Ghazab Lil Haq” — meaning Wrath for Truth — will continue until its objectives are achieved.
Since the conflict began, diplomatic efforts have intensified, with several countries and international bodies, including the European Union and the United Nations, urging restraint and calling for talks.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif that Ankara would help restore a ceasefire, as other countries that had offered to mediate have themselves been affected by the conflict in the Gulf.
