PAKISTAN NEWS

LAHORE, 27 September, 2026 (Ghufran): Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has said the province has immense tourism potential and that promoting its historical, cultural and natural heritage can contribute to economic growth and employment opportunities. In her message on World Tourism Day, she said Punjab’s rich heritage, scenic landscapes, ancient forts and religious sites offered significant attractions for domestic and international tourists. She said sustainable measures were being taken to promote tourism and provide modern facilities at tourist destinations, while welcoming the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s decision to designate Lahore as a tourism and cultural capital this year. The chief minister said projects such as the Murree Glass Train, improvements to roads inclu...

ISLAMABAD, 27 September, 2026 (Nosheen): The official social media account of the State of Palestine has highlighted Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif’s remarks about Palestinian children during his address at the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly. In his speech, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif drew attention to the loss of Palestinian children and the humanitarian situation in Gaza, while reiterating Pakistan’s support for the Palestinian people. The official Palestinian account on X shared excerpts from the prime minister’s address, including his reference to Hind Rajab, a Palestinian girl whose death he had mentioned during his previous UNGA address, and Wafaa Akila, an eight-year-old Palestinian girl whose death he highlighted in this year’s speech. The prime minis...

ISLAMABAD, 27 September, 2026 (Ghufran): National coordinators of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) will meet in Islamabad from September 28 to 30 to discuss the organisation’s programme of activities and other matters during Pakistan’s chairmanship, the Foreign Office said. The meeting will be the first session of the SCO Council of National Coordinators (CNC) under Pakistan’s chairmanship of the SCO Council of Heads of State (CHS) for 2026-27. Pakistan’s national coordinator for the SCO will chair the meeting, which will be attended by national coordinators from other member states and representatives of the SCO Secretariat. The participants will discuss cooperation and coordination within the organisation, including activities planned under Pakistan’s chairmanship, preparation...

ISLAMABAD, 27 September, 2026 (Kamran Raja): Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has said the government is taking measures to promote tourism across Pakistan by strengthening tourism infrastructure, creating employment opportunities and supporting socioeconomic development for local communities and youth associated with the sector. In his message on World Tourism Day, the prime minister paid tribute to tourists and all those associated with the tourism sector in Pakistan and around the world, appreciating their spirit of exploration, curiosity and discovery. Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan was blessed with breathtaking natural landscapes, ancient historical monuments, rich civilizational heritage, diverse cultural traditions and significant religious sites. He highlighted the country’s mo...

 RIYADH, 26 September, 2026 (Kamran Raja): Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir held an important meeting with Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, during which the two sides reviewed matters of mutual interest and reaffirmed their commitment to continuing defence cooperation. Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman shared a photograph of the meeting on social media platform X and said the two sides appreciated the outcomes of the meeting of chiefs of defence forces from countries participating in the Makkah Agreement. The discussions also covered recent attacks targeting civilian and economic infrastructure in Saudi Arabia. Both sides reiterated their resolve to continue joint efforts to counter such attacks and strengthen cooperation in the field of defence and secu...

 NEW YORK, 26 September 2026 (Ghufran): Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif addressed the High-Level Meeting on the Global Development Initiative (GDI), hosted by Chinese Vice President H.E. Mr. Han Zheng in New York, reaffirming Pakistan’s strong support for the initiative and its objectives of promoting global development, solidarity and South-South cooperation. The Prime Minister highlighted the challenges confronting developing countries, including climate change, development financing gaps, food and energy security concerns and geopolitical tensions, stressing the need for stronger international cooperation to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. He said the GDI complemented Pakistan’s national development priorities and emphasized the importance ...

 Islamabad, 26 September, 2026 (Nosheen): Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah has said that the federal government has decided to permanently end protests and sit-ins in the capital, amid preparations to prevent political groups from entering Islamabad for demonstrations. Speaking during a television programme, Rana Sanaullah warned the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) that any use of force would lead to the withdrawal of facilities provided to the party after May 9. Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar criticised PTI’s decision to suspend its long march, challenging the party to proceed with the march if it had the resolve to do so. Tarar also alleged that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government was facilitating the banned ...

 Islamabad, 26 September, 2026 (Ghufran): A civil court in Islamabad has issued bailable arrest warrants for the Capital Development Authority (CDA) chairman over failure to implement a court decree concerning affected residents who claimed they had been denied benefits under the authority’s rehabilitation policy for nearly three decades. Civil Judge Naseerud Din issued the order during a hearing on a petition seeking execution of the court’s decree. Counsel for the affected parties, Barrister Adil Aziz Qazi and others, told the court that although the CDA had acquired the petitioners’ houses, the promised rehabilitation benefits had not been provided even after 28 years. The lawyers said the decree remained only partially implemented and urged the court to ensure its effective an...