Web Desk

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held a meeting with the Iranian delegation led by the Head of Iranian Consultative Assembly, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf at Islamabad Talks on April 11, 2026. (PMO)

Foreign Affairs

Also meets with US Vice President JD Vance; commends both delegations for their constructive engagement, expresses hope Islamabad Talks will serve as a stepping stone for durable peace in the region. 

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WASHINGTON: Two US warships have reportedly passed through the Strait of Hormuz, the first such transit since the war with Iran began, as President Donald Trump said Saturday that the United States had started &quot;clearing out&quot; the strategic waterway. The US Navy guided-missile destroyers passed through the strait with no issues reported, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing three US officials. The operation was not coordinated with authorities in Tehran, US media outlet Axios said. &quot;We&#39;re now starting the process of clearing out the Strait of Hormuz,&quot; Trump said on his Truth Social platform, calling it &quot;a favor&quot; to countries such as China, Japan and France that &quot;don&#39;t have the Courage or Will to do this work themselves.&quot; He insisted that Iran is &quot;LOSING BIG!&quot; in the conflict, while acknowledging that Iranian mines in the strategic strait &ndash; through which a fifth of the world&#39;s crude passes &ndash; still pose a threat. &quot;The only thing they have going is the threat that a ship may &#39;bunk&#39; into one of their sea mines,&quot; Trump wrote. US officials did not immediately respond to AFP requests for comments about the reports. The key shipping lane off the coast of Iran has been virtually blocked by Tehran since the United States and Israel started bombing Iran on February 28, though reopening the strait was ostensibly a condition of the shaky ceasefire put in place earlier this week. Senior Iranian and American officials began negotiations in Pakistan on Saturday, in a bid to bring to an end a conflict that has plunged the Middle East into violence and sent shockwaves through the world economy. In an earlier post, Trump said that empty tankers were headed to the United States from around the world to purchase oil, without providing details.

A view of the vessels passing through Strait of Hormuz following the two-week temporary ceasefire reached between the United States and Iran on the condition that the strait be reopened, seen in Oman on April 08, 2026. (AFP)

Middle East

Two US warships transited the Strait of Hormuz as President Donald Trump said the United States began clearing the vital waterway amid Iran conflict, while negotiations started in Pakistan Saturday.

US warships transit Strait of Hormuz: media

KYIV: A temporary truce between Russia and Ukraine entered into force on Saturday, with Kyiv warning it would respond &quot;immediately&quot; if Russia violated it. Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the ceasefire on Thursday to coincide with Orthodox Easter, more than a week after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky first made the proposal. Both sides have agreed to observe it. The ceasefire is due to last for 32 hours, from 4:00 pm (1300 GMT) on Saturday until the end of the day on Sunday, according to the Kremlin. &quot;Ukraine will adhere to the ceasefire and respond strictly in kind. The absence of Russian strikes in the air, on land, and at sea will mean no response from our side,&quot; Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a post on X. The Ukrainian army said it was ready to &quot;immediately&quot; respond if Russia violated it. Hours before the truce was due to start, Russia launched at least 160 drones at Ukraine, killing four people in the country&#39;s east and south and wounding dozens of others, Ukrainian authorities said. The southern Odesa region was among the hardest hit, with authorities reporting two dead and damage to civilian infrastructure. A wave of Ukrainian drones sparked a fire at an oil depot and damaged apartment buildings in Russia&#39;s southern Krasnodar region, authorities said. Four people died in Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine&#39;s eastern Donetsk and Kherson regions, according to Russian-installed officials. Ukrainians have expressed scepticism about whether the truce will hold. The two sides held a ceasefire for Orthodox Easter last year, but both accused the other of hundreds of violations. Despite tensions over the truce, the warring sides exchanged 175 prisoners of war each on Saturday, according to officials. The United Arab Emirates helped mediate the exchange, the Russian defence ministry said. Prisoner of war exchanges are one of the few areas of cooperation between the warring sides. Stalled diplomacyUS-led talks aimed at ending the four-year conflict have stalled in recent weeks because of the war in the Middle East. Even before the Iran war, progress towards a peace deal in Ukraine had been slow, due to differences over the issue of territory. Ukraine has proposed freezing the conflict along the current front lines. But Russia has rejected this, saying it wants Ukraine to give up all the territory in the Donetsk region that it currently controls -- a demand Kyiv says is unacceptable. Several rounds of US-led talks have failed to bring the warring sides closer to an agreement. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied Russia had discussed the ceasefire with Ukraine or the United States in advance and said it was not linked to negotiations to end the war. The war has cost hundreds of thousands of lives and forced millions to flee their homes, making it Europe&#39;s deadliest conflict since World War II. After four years, fighting on the front has come to a near standstill. Russia has made small territorial gains at a high cost. But Kyiv recently managed to push back in the southeast and Russian advances have been slowing since late 2025, according to the US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW). Apart from Ukrainian counter-attacks, analysts attributed the slowdown to Russia being banned from using SpaceX&#39;s Starlink satellites and Moscow&#39;s own efforts to block the Telegram messaging app. But the situation is unfavourable for Ukraine in the Donetsk region, near the cities of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, according to the ISW. Moscow occupies just over 19 percent of Ukraine, most of which was seized during the first weeks of the conflict.

Europe

A temporary truce between Russia and Ukraine entered into force with Kyiv warning it would respond "immediately" if Russia violated it

Easter truce between Russia and Ukraine begins

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday declared Islamabad&#39;s sincere resolve to continue its role as a mediator towards achieving regional and global peace and stability. According to statements issued by the Prime Minister&#39;s office, PM Sharif engaged constructively with both the US and Iranian delegations, affirming Pakistan&rsquo;s sincere resolve to continue playing its role as a mediator, hoping that the talks would &ldquo;serve as a stepping stone toward durable peace in the region.&rdquo;&nbsp; In his meeting with US Vice President JD Vance, the premier commended the commitment of both delegations, reiterating that Pakistan looked &ldquo;forward to continue its facilitation of both sides in making progress towards sustainable peace in the region.&rdquo;&nbsp; <div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 720px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2042910785614287026&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2Fnew%2F&sessionId=383a10414700dc8da9e6199b4a243df1107c145a&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div> &ldquo;The US vice president was assisted by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Mr Jared Kushner,&rdquo; PMO said.&nbsp; While meeting the Iranian delegations, comprising Iranian Consultative Assembly Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, the prime minister affirmed Pakistan&rsquo;s sincere resolve to continue playing its role as a mediator to help build momentum towards achieving meaningful results in the interest of regional and global peace and stability. <div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 600px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2042943272117768493&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2Fnew%2F&sessionId=383a10414700dc8da9e6199b4a243df1107c145a&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div> Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar and Interior Minister Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi attended both meetings.&nbsp; In the prime minister&rsquo;s meeting with the Iranian delegation, Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defense Forces Field Marshall Asim Munir was also present, the Prime Minister&#39;s Office said.&nbsp; Meanwhile, the foreign minister said that steadfastness was a quality appreciated by God.

Reaffirms country’s sincere resolve to continue mediating; hopes talks serve as a stepping stone towards durable peace; reiterates that Pakistan looks forward to continuing its facilitation of both sides in making progress towards sustainable peace in the region.



Pakistan PM meets US, Iranian delegation ahead of negotiations in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: Ten Indian nationals were indicted last week on charges of paying an organizer to stage armed robberies at convenience stores so they could falsely claim to be crime victims on United States immigration applications, according to the US Attorney&#39;s Office for the District of Massachusetts. The fee to participate, federal prosecutors say, was $20,000. The &quot;robber&quot; would brandish an apparent firearm, take cash from the register, and flee. The clerk (a supposed victim) would wait five minutes as instructed, then call police. The surveillance cameras were deliberately positioned to capture it all. Nobody was ever in real danger. The entire encounter was choreographed. The target was a &ldquo;U visa&rdquo;, a humanitarian benefit created by US Congress in 2000 for undocumented crime victims who cooperate with law enforcement. A successful application offers deportation protection, work authorization, and a pathway to permanent residency. According to the US prosecutors, the defendants arranged to be &quot;robbed&quot; solely to fraudulently claim that status. The Boston case is, in the broader telling, a footnote. A pattern across states Federal court records and US Justice Department filings describe a fraud pattern, centered on the U visa, stretching across multiple states and involving levels of institutional corruption that go far beyond staged robberies. In Mississippi, according to the US Attorney&#39;s Office for the Southern District, an organizer named Sachin Girishkumar Patel never required anyone to fake a robbery. His operation retained a licensed attorney and a sitting Jackson Police Department officer. The officer wrote fictitious police reports. The attorney converted them into official law enforcement certifications and submitted them to US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on behalf of paying clients. 19 people were indicted while 12 pleaded guilty. It went further in Louisiana. According to USCIS, an organizer named Chandrakant Patel maintained a bribery scheme for nearly a decade involving four law enforcement executives, among them three sitting police chiefs. The law enforcers produced fraudulent robbery reports on demand. The federal indictment ran to 62 counts. Rambhai Patel, at the center of the Boston case, was the low-tech version of the same enterprise. He was convicted in May 2025 with the court ordering forfeiture of $850,000 in proceeds. The ten defendants indicted last week are accused of being his clients. Why the &lsquo;U Visa&rsquo; The program&#39;s appeal to fraud networks is not accidental. It is partly a function of the program&#39;s own design. Congress capped U visa admissions at 10,000 per year. Demand long ago outpaced that ceiling, producing a backlog stretching several years, according to peer-reviewed immigration law research. But some applicants, it seems, did not wait in silence. Anyone who files a facially valid petition receives an Employment Authorization Document and protection from deportation while the case is pending, regardless of whether it is ever approved. The waiting period is what organized networks sell. For an undocumented worker already established in the United States, the $20,000 investment can be recouped quickly through above-board employment. The verification system has not kept pace with its exploitation. A 2022 audit by the DHS Office of Inspector General (OIC) found that USCIS adjudicators rely almost entirely on paper law enforcement certifications, with no secure electronic link to the thousands of local agencies authorized to sign them. In a reviewed sample of 591 U visa petitions, 66% were marked &quot;completed&quot; by the certifying official at submission. This means law enforcement no longer required ongoing cooperation from the applicant, thereby eliminating the continued contact that might otherwise expose a fraudulent claim over time, according to the OIG report. The real victims There is a particular damage embedded in the mechanics of U visa fraud that extends beyond the immigration system itself. The program it exploits was built for people with nowhere else to turn: domestic violence survivors, trafficking victims, exploited workers. Many do not come forward precisely because they fear the same immigration apparatus that fraud networks have learned to game. When organized schemes flood USCIS with manufactured claims, the resulting backlogs can stretch wait times to a decade or more, according to immigration legal researchers. The political scrutiny that follows invariably targets the program as a whole. This in turn threatens protections for the genuine victims the statute was written to protect. The ten defendants indicted in Boston are presumed innocent. But the program they are accused of manipulating will keep running, replete with a growing backlog, relying on paper certifications, and waiting for a verification system that, as of the US government&#39;s last audit, does not yet exist.

A United States passport and an Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) card sit atop India Rupee banknotes. (AFP)

India

A Boston indictment exposes a fraud industry built on staged crimes, bribed police chiefs, and a humanitarian visa program that organized criminal networks have quietly turned into a commodity.

Ten Indian nationals indicted for faking armed robberies to obtain US visas 

WASHINGTON: With Artemis II successfully completing its&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/artemis-2-extraordinary-views-of-home-as-astronauts-head-towards-moon" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">historic lunar mission</a>&nbsp;on Friday, NASA is banking on billionaires Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk for the next step: landing astronauts on the Moon. The Apollo program &ndash; which sent the first and only humans to the Moon&#39;s surface between 1969 and 1972 &ndash; was designed so that only two astronauts could land on the lunar surface for a maximum of a few days. More than 50 years later, American ambitions and expertise have grown, with NASA hoping to send four people on a mission lasting several weeks and eventually building a lunar base. For the second phase of its mission, the space agency is looking to commercial landers designed by Musk&#39;s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/nasa-to-bring-spacex-crew11-back-early-over-medical-concern" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">SpaceX</a>&nbsp;and Bezos&#39;s Blue Origin to get its astronauts on the Moon. After Artemis II&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/artemis-ii-astronauts-descend-into-earths-atmosphere-in-critical-heat-shield-test" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">splashed down in the Pacific Ocean</a>&nbsp;on Friday after its record-breaking journey, NASA officials urged all hands on deck for a crewed landing in 2028. &quot;We need all of industry to work and come along with us, and they need to accept that challenge and come with us and really start the production lines that are going to be required in order to achieve that goal,&quot; Lori Glaze, the acting associate NASA administrator, told a press conference. The Apollo program relied on a single rocket, the Saturn V, which carried both the lunar lander and the capsule carrying the astronauts. NASA has opted for two separate systems for Artemis: the first to launch the Orion spacecraft carrying the crew from Earth, and another to launch the lunar lander, which will be privately contracted. &#39;Camping trip&#39; The decision was driven by the technical limitations of the Apollo program, Kent Chojnacki, a senior NASA official in charge of lunar lander development, told AFP. &quot;It was very not expandable to long-term exploration and long-term stays,&quot; he explained. Although spectacular, the Apollo missions were like &quot;camping trips,&quot; said Jack Kiraly, director of government relations at the Planetary Society, which encourages space exploration. The systems NASA is looking at now are &quot;huge compared to Apollo,&quot; said Chojnacki, noting that the new lunar landers being developed by Blue Origin and SpaceX are two to seven times larger than before. The space agency is also drawing from external partners, such as the European companies that built the propulsion module for Orion. The new approach opens access to more equipment and resources, but also significantly complicates operations. To send these giant spacecrafts to the Moon, the private space exploration companies will need to master in-flight refueling, a complex maneuver that has not yet been fully tested. After the lunar lander is launched, additional rockets will be needed to deliver the fuel required for the journey to the Moon, some 250,000 miles (400,000 kilometers) from Earth. &#39;Lose the Moon&#39; Given this risky undertaking and the numerous delays &ndash; particularly those experienced by SpaceX that was supposed to have its lander ready first &ndash; pressure has mounted in recent months. &quot;We are once again about to lose the Moon,&quot; three former NASA officials warned in an article in SpaceNews last September. China, which is hoping to send humans to the Moon by 2030, has been making progress as well, raising fears in the Trump administration that the United States could get left behind. With that in mind, NASA raised the possibility last fall of reopening the contract awarded to SpaceX and using Blue Origin&#39;s lunar lander first, sending shockwaves through the rival companies. Both firms announced they were realigning their strategies to prioritize the lunar project &ndash; and keep their lucrative contracts with NASA. But concerns remain, particularly regarding the feasibility of in-orbit refueling. &quot;We do have a plan,&quot; Chojnacki said, noting that NASA has a back-up plan in case of failure. The timeline is also up in the air. NASA says it plans to test an in-orbit rendezvous between the spacecraft and one or two lunar landers in 2027, and carry out a crewed lunar landing in 2028. Before that, companies will need to test in-orbit refueling and send an unmanned lunar lander to the Moon to demonstrate its safety. That all needs to happen within the next two years. &quot;It feels like a very small amount of time,&quot; said Clayton Swope of the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

This handout picture released by NASA on April 10, 2026 and taken on April 6, 2026 shows an image of Earthset captured by the Artemis II crew as they pass behind the Moon’s far side. (AFP)

Artificial Intelligence

NASA is turning to SpaceX and Blue Origin for upcoming Artemis Moon landings after Artemis II, aiming for a 2028 crewed landing while relying on commercial lunar landers and new technology development.

After Artemis II, NASA looks to SpaceX, Blue Origin for moon landings

LONDON: Britain is shelving its plan to hand back the Chagos Islands &ndash; which hosts the strategic Diego Garcia US-UK military base &ndash; according to a government spokesperson Saturday, following strong opposition from US President Donald Trump. &quot;We have always said we would only proceed with the deal if it has US support&quot; the spokesman said in a statement, as reports said legislation to return the Indian Ocean archipelago to Mauritius was due to run out of time in parliament. Trump in January lashed out at what he called London&#39;s &quot;great stupidity&quot; over the deal. Last May&#39;s Chagos agreement would have seen Britain hand the archipelago &ndash; some 2,000 kilometres northeast of Mauritius &ndash; to its former colony and pay to lease Diego Garcia, the largest island, which is home to the military base, for a century. &quot;Diego Garcia is a key strategic military asset for both the UK and the US. Ensuring its long-term operational security is and will continue to be our priority &ndash; it is the entire reason for the deal,&quot; the Downing Street spokesperson added. &ldquo;We are continuing to engage with the US and Mauritius.&quot; Trump had endorsed the deal after it was signed but then launched a scathing attack on it in Truth Social comments in January. &quot;The United Kingdom, is currently planning to give away the Island of Diego Garcia... for no reason whatsover,&quot; he said. &quot;There is no doubt that China and Russia have noticed this act of total weakness,&quot; he said, adding that it showed why the US needed to conquer Greenland from ally Denmark. Diego Garcia was one of two bases which the UK allowed the US to use for what the British government insisted were &quot;defensive operations&quot; in its war against Iran. 99-year lease Starmer has previously insisted that international legal rulings have put Britain&#39;s ownership of the Chagos in doubt and only a deal with Mauritius would guarantee that the base remains functional. Government officials cited by the BBC said the agreement was not being entirely abandoned. But they said the legislation underpinning it would not pass before parliament is dissolved in coming weeks and a new Chagos bill is not expected to be put forward. Britain kept control of the Chagos Islands after Mauritius gained independence in the 1960s. It evicted thousands of Chagos islanders who have since mounted a series of legal claims for compensation in British courts. In 2019, the International Court of Justice recommended that Britain hand the archipelago to Mauritius. The deal would have given Britain a 99-year lease of the base, with the option to extend. The UK government has not said how much the lease would cost but has failed to deny that it would be &pound;90 million ($111 million) a year.

Aerial view of Diego Garcia, the largest island in the Chagos Islands, which hosts a US-UK military base. (NASA)

Africa

Britain has shelved its plan to return the Chagos Islands to Mauritius after opposition from US President Donald Trump and delays in parliament. 

UK to shelve Chagos handover after Trump criticism

Gaza City, Palestine: Gaza&#39;s civil defense rescue service said on Saturday that Israeli airstrikes in the Palestinian territory had killed seven Palestinians overnight, despite the fragile ceasefire in place since October last year. Mahmoud Bassal, spokesman for the group said an Israeli drone had fired two missiles close to a police post in the Al-Bureij refugee camp. In addition to the seven dead, he said, several more people were wounded, four of them critically. The al-Aqsa hospital in central Gaza said it had received six bodies and seven wounded, &quot;including four in a critical condition because of direct impacts to the face, torso and other parts of the body&quot;. The nearby al-Awda hospital said it had received one fatality and two wounded. Reached for comment by AFP, the Israeli military said it was working to verify the information. Israel and Hamas regularly accuse each other of violating the ceasefire that came into effect on Oct. 10, after two years of war. At least 738 Palestinians have been killed since the truce began, according to Gaza&#39;s Health Ministry, whose figures are considered reliable by the United Nations. The Israeli army has reported five soldiers killed since the start of the truce. Under the restrictions imposed on the media in Gaza and the difficulties of accessing the field -- the international press is still barred by the Israeli authorities from entering -- AFP is not in a position to independently verify the information provided by the different parties.

The al-Aqsa hospital in central Gaza said it had received six bodies and seven wounded, 'including four in a critical condition because of direct impacts to the face, torso and other parts of the body'.

Gaza civil defense says Israeli strikes kill seven Palestinians

ISLAMABAD: Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed bin Abdullah Al-Jadaan visited Pakistan this week for talks centered on bilateral economic ties and ongoing financial cooperation between the two countries, the Finance Ministry stated Saturday. In an official statement on X (Twitter), the ministry stated that Pakistan&rsquo;s Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Muhammad Aurangzeb personally escorted his Saudi counterpart to Islamabad International Airport upon his departure on Friday. <div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 672px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2042824446013247809&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F5223%2F&sessionId=34e7eff16c3aa34b759e948f3c58ce11e5be3e0f&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px">&nbsp;</iframe></div></div><div class="fr-embed"><div> The two ministers had exchanged remarks on the bilateral relationship and the state of economic cooperation between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.</div></div> Pakistan&rsquo;s finance minister said he plans to meet Al-Jadaan again on the sidelines of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistan-minister-to-discuss-reform-progress-during-imf-meetings-in-washington" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">World Bank Group&ndash;IMF Spring Meetings</a>&nbsp;in Washington. The gathering, set for April 13&ndash;18, will bring together central bankers, government ministers and other stakeholders to discuss economic growth, debt and geopolitical shifts. The visit comes as Islamabad is navigating an unusually intense diplomatic calendar. US Vice President JD Vance and Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf both arrived in the Pakistani capital on Saturday for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/islamabad-talks" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Pakistan-mediated talks</a>&nbsp;over a ceasefire set to expire on April 22, 2026. Pakistan&#39;s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif described those talks as a &quot;make-or-break moment,&quot; a backdrop that lends additional weight to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/five-things-to-know-about-the-planned-iranus-talks-in-islamabad" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Islamabad&#39;s engagements</a>&nbsp;on the economic front with one of its closest Gulf partners.

Pakistan Minister for Finance and Revenue Muhammad Aurangzeb, left, talks with Saudi Arabia Finance Minister Mohammed bin Abdullah al-Jadaan during a high-level meeting in Islamabad, Pakistan, Friday, April 10, 2026. (Ministry of Finance/X)

Economy

Saudi Finance Minister Al-Jadaan met his Pakistani counterpart in Islamabad, with both sides planning to follow up at the World Bank Group–IMF Spring Meetings in Washington.

Saudi finance minister holds talks in Pakistan on economic cooperation

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb, will meet senior International Monetary Fund (IMF) leadership and discuss the country&rsquo;s macroeconomic outlook, reform progress, and future cooperation on his Washington trip. The finance minister departed for the United States to participate in the World Bank Group&ndash;IMF <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/fitch-reaffirms-pakistans-b-credit-rating-removes-review-status" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Spring Meetings</a> 2026, scheduled to be held in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistans-policy-efforts-have-helped-stabilize-economy-imf" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Washington</a>, DC from April 13 to 18, 2026, said a statement shared on X on Saturday by Pakistan&rsquo;s Ministry of Finance.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2042842259163664557&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=0cfb081cd9b90284bcce6412a3d4400ce998918c&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 897px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" data-tweet-id="2042842259163664557">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>During his visit, the finance minister will represent Pakistan at important events organized by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group, and will participate in a wide range of multilateral and bilateral engagements with global financial leaders, development partners, and <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/foreign-investors-return-to-pakistan-as-sovereign-bond-inflows-surge" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">policymakers</a>, the statement said.&nbsp;Bilateral meetings&nbsp;On the sidelines of the Spring Meetings, the finance minister is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with senior leadership of international financial institutions, including Anna Bjerde, Managing Director (Operations), World Bank Group; Makhtar Diop, Managing Director, International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Tsutomu Yamamoto, Managing Director, Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), the press release added. He will also meet senior IMF leadership, including Dan Katz, First Deputy Managing Director, Nigel Clarke, Deputy Managing Director of the IMF and Jihad Azour, Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the IMF to discuss Pakistan&rsquo;s macroeconomic outlook, reform progress, and future cooperation.&nbsp;Conference at Harvard&nbsp;Prior to the formal Spring Meetings, the finance minister will visit Boston to attend the Pakistan Conference at Harvard University, where he will engage with leading academics, policymakers, and members of the Pakistani diaspora, and share Pakistan&rsquo;s economic outlook, reform trajectory, and growth prospects, the press release said.&nbsp;As part of his engagements with the United States Administration, the finance minister will meet senior officials of the US State Department and the US Department of the Treasury, as well as Jamieson Greer, the United States Trade Representative (USTR), to further strengthen bilateral economic cooperation and discuss support for Pakistan&rsquo;s reform agenda. The finance minister will also engage with senior representatives of global financial institutions and corporations, including leadership from major international investment institutions and banks such as Franklin Templeton, Rothschild &amp; Co, Citibank, and JP Morgan Chase, as well as representatives of leading technology and policy platforms.&nbsp;Meetings with leaders from partner countries&nbsp;In addition, Senator Aurangzeb will meet key counterparts and financial leaders from partner countries, including China, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, T&uuml;rkiye, and the United Kingdom, to strengthen bilateral economic cooperation. He is also scheduled to engage with multilateral and development finance stakeholders, including the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the Gates Foundation, and senior representatives of institutions such as Asian Development Bank (ADB), JICA and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).&nbsp;Multilateral forums&nbsp;The finance minister will participate in key multilateral forums, including the G-24 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors&rsquo; Meetings, the Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action.&nbsp; He will also contribute to a series of high-level roundtables and policy discussions, including the Borrowers&rsquo; Platform and sessions focused on global economic stability, financial reforms, climate finance, and development priorities.&nbsp;World Bank-hosted roundtable&nbsp;A key highlight of the visit will be Pakistan&rsquo;s participation in a World Bank&ndash;hosted roundtable on &ldquo;Delivering Social Protection Digitally: Lessons and Innovations from Pakistan, Middle East and North Africa,&rdquo; where Pakistan will showcase its experience in developing and scaling Government-to-Person (G2P) payment systems, particularly through the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), alongside other participating countries. In addition to official engagements, the finance minister will participate in investment forums and roundtable discussions with institutional investors, including sessions organized by Jefferies, JP Morgan and Citibank, where he will highlight Pakistan&rsquo;s improving macroeconomic indicators, reform agenda, and investment potential. The finance minister will also participate in a dedicated event on Roshan Digital Accounts (RDA) and remittances, being organized in collaboration with the State Bank of Pakistan at the Embassy of Pakistan in Washington, DC, aimed at engaging the Pakistani diaspora and promoting remittance inflows through formal channels.&nbsp;Rating agencies&nbsp;He will engage with global credit rating agencies, including Fitch Ratings, Moody&rsquo;s, and S&amp;P Global, and interact with leading international media organizations. As part of his outreach to policy and thought leaders, Senator Aurangzeb will speak at the Atlantic Council and engage with leading think tanks to share Pakistan&rsquo;s economic outlook and reform trajectory. The finance minister will also meet members of the US-Pakistan Business Council and interact with the Pakistani diaspora and business community to promote investment opportunities and strengthen economic ties.&nbsp;Over the course of his visit, the finance minister is expected to participate in over 50 high-level engagements, including bilateral meetings, multilateral forums, policy dialogues, investment roundtables, and media interactions, reflecting Pakistan&rsquo;s proactive and constructive engagement with the global economic community, the statement said. The visit underscores Pakistan&rsquo;s commitment to macroeconomic stability, structural reforms, and strengthening partnerships with international financial institutions and global stakeholders to achieve sustainable and inclusive economic growth, it added.

Departs for US to participate in World Bank Group–IMF Spring Meetings 2026, scheduled to be held in Washington, DC from April 13 to 18, 2026, said an official statement shared on X on Saturday.

Pakistan minister to discuss reform progress during IMF meetings in Washington 

ISLAMABAD: Bangladesh has condemned Israeli strikes on Lebanon that caused civilian casualties, warning they risk undermining fragile diplomatic efforts aimed at restoring peace in the region. In a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the government said the attacks &ldquo;undermine ongoing efforts toward peace and stability,&rdquo; as high-stakes negotiations between the United States and Iran gather momentum in Islamabad. The condemnation comes as a delicate two-week ceasefire, brokered through Pakistan&rsquo;s diplomatic engagement, attempts to hold amid continued violence in Lebanon that has raised concerns among international stakeholders.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2042798450786578585&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Flogin%2F&sessionId=16d58d280534897568e1fda3335eced4ac67cea1&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 729px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>Dhaka also confirmed the death of a Bangladeshi national, identified as Ms Dipali, in an Israeli strike in Beirut. &ldquo;The Government of Bangladesh expresses heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family and stands in solidarity with them during this difficult time,&rdquo; the statement said. Authorities added that the Bangladesh Embassy in Lebanon is in contact with the victim&rsquo;s family and will repatriate her remains when conditions permit. The latest remarks add to growing international concern that continued strikes in Lebanon could complicate broader efforts to translate the ceasefire into a lasting peace framework, as diplomatic engagements intensify in Islamabad.

Bangladesh

Dhaka condemns the recent Israeli attacks on Lebanon resulting in the loss of civilian lives and injuries; also condemns the tragic killing of Ms Dipali, a Bangladeshi national, reportedly in an Israeli attack in Beirut.