Pakistani envoys posted in key world capitals, including New Delhi and Beijing, gathered in Islamabad on Monday with top political and military leaders for a meeting that will provide inputs for a proposed foreign policy revamp.
Admitting a "credibility gap" between Islamabad and Washington, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has not ruled out closing Pakistan's airspace to United States and said the blockade of the United States supply lines into Afghanistan would stay in place for weeks.
Pakistan will deploy air defence weapons on the border with Afghanistan to pre-empt fresh attacks by NATO forces in the wake of a "pre-planned" air strike that killed 24 soldiers, a top military official has said.
Pakistan could grant the Most Favoured Nation status to India by October next year, a senior official of the Foreign Ministry said.
President Asif Ali Zardari's son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has quietly stepped in to assume a larger role in the affairs of the ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP) as his father recovers from a heart condition in a hospital in Dubai.
Pakistan's parliament will decide the contours of future relations with the United States and its allies after November's cross-border NATO air strike, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar said on Thursday.
Interior Minister Rehman Malik caused consternation on Tuesday by thanking the Taliban for maintaining peace during Muharram, for which authorities had deployed tens of thousands of security personnel across Pakistan to prevent any sectarian attacks.
Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani has summoned envoys in key world capitals for a meeting to review Pakistan's strategy on important foreign policy issues like the war on terrorism and relations with countries like the United States and India. Pakistan's envoys to the US, India, Afghanistan and several European countries are among those who have been asked to provide recommendations for forming strategies in the wake of the cross-border NATo raid.
Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar has conveyed to her German counterpart Guido Westerwelle Pakistan's decision not to participate in the Bonn Conference on Afghanistan to protest against a cross-border North Atlantic Treaty Organisation air strike that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers. Khar informed Westerwelle of the Pakistan government's decision during a phone conversation on Friday night. She conveyed her appreciation for Germany's commitment to peace and stability in Afghan
Ignoring fresh calls from the United States, Pakistan on Friday said it will not budge from its decision to boycott a key conference on Afghanistan's future in Bonn next week in the wake of a cross-border NATO air strike that killed its 24 soldiers.
Ordering a "time-bound" probe into the 'memogate' scandal, Pakistan Supreme Court on Thursday sought responses within 15 days from President Asif Ali Zardari, army and Inter-Services Intelligence chiefs besides others in connection with petitions before it seeking an investigation in to the controversy.
Following appeals from the United States and Afghanistan, Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Wednesday said the country cannot attend the crucial Bonn meet on the future of Afghanistan if Islamabad did not receive assurances from the world community about its security and sovereignty.
President Asif Ali Zardari has reportedly turned down a request to extend the 15-day deadline set by the Pakistan government for the United States to vacate Shamsi airbase that is believed to be used by CIA-operated drones.
Admitting that the 'memogate' scandal has raised questions about the strength of Pakistan's civilian government and the influence wielded by the powerful military, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar said it was "ridiculous" to link President Asif Ali Zardari to the controversial note. questions. It doesn't take much to be able to raise those questions," Khar said. She was responding to a query about the 'memogate' controversy.
Pakistan on Saturday claimed that North Atlantic Treaty Organisation helicopters from Afghanistan fired on a military check post in northwest tribal region, killing eight soldiers and wounding four others.
Pakistan's Supreme Court on Friday rejected a government petition seeking a review of its order that struck down a controversial graft amnesty for politicians, setting the stage for possible reopening of corruption cases against top leaders like President Asif Ali Zardari.
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Thursday said there was no threat to his government due to the "Memogate" scandal even as he pledged that the matter would be investigated as a top priority to uncover the truth behind the secret memo sent to the US administration.
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Thursday said that there were no differences with the powerful military on the meomogate issue that has shaken Pakistani establishment and ruled out calling businessman Mansoor Ijaz to join the probe.
A businessman on Wednesday filed a petition in a Pakistani court challenging the appointment of Sherry Rehman as the country's new envoy to the United States, saying she could not hold the post as she had allegedly committed blasphemy.
Pakistan's telecom regulator on Tuesday postponed the implementation of a directive to block nearly 1,700 "offensive" words from SMS messages, saying the matter would be sorted out after discussions with the civil society. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority's move to filter over 1,100 English words and terms and 586 Urdu words and phrases from text messages had been met with outrage and ridicule by consumers and rights activists.
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