ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari said on Tuesday Pakistan and China could further strengthen bilateral relations while hosting a luncheon in honor of Chinese Premier Li Qiang, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in attendance.
China and Pakistan have enjoyed a longstanding relationship, marked by strategic cooperation in trade, defense and infrastructure development. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a centerpiece of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, aims to transform the region’s economic geography by enhancing physical connectivity and positioning Pakistan as a key player in Central Asian trade through its sea routes.
As both nations embark on CPEC 2.0, the focus has shifted toward industrialization, socio-economic development and energy projects, reflecting their mutual quest to further expand bilateral cooperation and boost regional integration.
“During the meeting, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to deepening bilateral strategic cooperation in key sectors such as economy, investment and regional connectivity,” the state-owned Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) news agency said.
“The President said that friendship with China is a cornerstone of Pakistan’s foreign policy and stressed the importance of exploring new avenues for collaboration,” it added. “He noted that there is still room to further expand Pakistan-China relations.”
The Chinese premier, along with ministers and government officials, arrived in Pakistan on Monday.
His visit comes at a time when Pakistan is hosting the two-day Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit.
The Pakistani president expressed his heartfelt condolences over the killing of two Chinese nationals in a deadly suicide attack in Karachi in the lead-up to the summit, calling it a painful incident for the entire nation.
He maintained that enemies of Pakistan-China friendship were targeting Chinese citizens to damage bilateral relations and disrupt CPEC projects, adding they would not succeed in their plans.
He also assured the Chinese premier Pakistan was committed to ensuring that the perpetrators of the crime were brought to justice.
Pakistan president hosts luncheon for Chinese PM, calls for further strengthening of ties
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Pakistan president hosts luncheon for Chinese PM, calls for further strengthening of ties
- The two sides reaffirmed their commitment to deepening bilateral strategic cooperation in key sectors
- President Zardari offered condolences over the killing of Chinese nationals in a suicide attack in Karachi
Eight killed as protesters storm US Consulate in Karachi after Iran confirms Khamenei killed
- Protesters smashed doors, set fire to property as police used tear gas to disperse crowds
- Protests spread to Shiite-majority areas of Gilgit-Baltistan, UN office torched, curfew imposed
ISLAMABAD: At least eight people were killed in clashes near the US Consulate in Karachi on Sunday, the Edhi Foundation said, as protests erupted across parts of Pakistan following Iran’s confirmation that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in joint US–Israeli strikes.
Hundreds of protesters gathered outside the consulate on Sunday afternoon, with some attempting to storm the compound and vandalizing property, according to footage circulating on social media and international news reports.
Videos showed protesters armed with sticks smashing doors and windows. Separate footage appeared to show property inside the consulate premises set on fire. International media outlets reported that police used tear gas and baton charges to disperse the crowd.
“The number of people killed during the firing and unrest near the American Consulate on Mai Kolachi Road has risen to eight,” the Edhi Foundation, a major charity and rescue organization, said in a statement.
Sindh Home Minister Zia-ul-Hassan Lanjar directed authorities to strengthen security around sensitive installations as unrest intensified.
“No one will be allowed to take the law into their own hands,” Lanjar said in a statement issued by his office.
He added that law enforcement agencies were fully alert and monitoring the situation, and vowed that action would be taken in accordance with the law against those disturbing public order.
The violence came hours after Iranian authorities confirmed Khamenei was killed in coordinated strikes carried out by the United States and Israel, dramatically escalating tensions in the Middle East and triggering protests in several countries.
PROTESTS SPREAD
Demonstrations were also reported in Skardu, in Pakistan’s northern Gilgit-Baltistan region, where hundreds of people staged a sit-in on a main road to protest Khamenei’s killing.
Shabbir Mir, spokesperson for the Gilgit-Baltistan chief minister, told Arab News that a United Nations office in the district had been set on fire.
“The protesters have torched an UN office in Skardu,” Mir confirmed.
Gilgit-Baltistan Police announced on its official Facebook page that a curfew had been imposed in the predominantly Shiite district.
The unrest in Pakistan follows a sharp escalation in the Middle East after the United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes in Iran on Saturday.
According to US officials, the operation targeted Revolutionary Guard command facilities, air defense systems, missile and drone launch sites, and military airfields. The US military said it suffered no casualties and reported minimal damage to its bases despite what it described as “hundreds of Iranian missile and drone attacks.”
Iran retaliated by launching missiles and drones toward Israel and targeting US military installations in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar. Israeli ally UAE said its air defense systems intercepted dozens of Iranian missiles and drones, but debris from the interceptions caused material damage in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and at least one civilian, including a Pakistani national, was killed.
The UAE government condemned the strikes as a “blatant violation of national sovereignty and international law,” and issued rare emergency alerts urging residents to seek shelter, underscoring how the conflict has rippled far beyond Iran’s borders.
The Israeli military said dozens of Iranian missiles were fired toward Israeli territory, many of which were intercepted. Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue service said a woman in the Tel Aviv area died after being wounded in a missile strike.
