The ruling Pakistan People's Party has decided to hold the general election and the polls to the Senate ahead of schedule against the backdrop of rampant speculation that the government may not be able to complete its tenure, according to media reports on Friday.
Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai might have described Pakistan and Afghanistan as 'co-joined' twins, but experts believe that there is underlying tension simmering between both nations.
In what could be a prelude to a possible operation in North Waziristan against the Al Qaeda militants holed up there, Pakistani military commanders have met with the President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, a move termed by a leading daily in Islamabad as "far from routine".
The Parliamentary Committee on National Security has been asked by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to conduct an inquiry into the secret memo that sought the US help to prevent a possible military takeover in Pakistan in the wake of the killing of Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in May.
A Pakistani commission to probe how Osama bin Laden lived undetected in the garrison city of Abbottabad has run into rough weather days after its formation, with one member refusing to join the panel and the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz criticising the manner of its formation.
The Pakistan government on Tuesday formed a commission to probe the killing of Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in a covert United States raid in the garrison city of Abbottabad and to determine the nature and causes of lapses associated with the incident.
Pakistan said it would approach the upcoming foreign secretary-level talks with India with an "open mind" in the interest of normalising bilateral relations though "the vibes emanating from the other side have not been encouraging".
Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir is set to become Pakistan's High Commissioner in India as part of the biggest reshuffle of envoys approved by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, according to a media report on Tuesday.
Chief Justice of Pakistan, Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, has ordered a National Accountability Bureau (NAB) probe into fraud allegations against three former PCB chiefs.
The two leaders also agreed that bilateral trade will be conducted on Most Favoured Nation basis.
As a follow-up to the talks between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani, India has decided in principle to resume bilateral cricket ties with Pakistan. Government sources said the time of the visit, the venues of the matches and other logistical issues would be decided by the cricket boards of the two countries.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday called his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani and offered more assistance in handling the devastation caused by the floods even though that country rejected the India's aid offer of $5 million.
Pakistan has ruled out any possibility of involving the United States to resolve its outstanding issues with India as it clearly stated that both Islamabad and New Delhi should endeavour to "take ownership of their own affairs" without the interference of any third country.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said that India and Pakistan should put their "ancient animosities" behind them and a "permanent reconciliation" was required so that the two neighbours "live with dignity and honour".
India's billion-strong population will be calling in sick to work, shutting shops early and even cancelling doctor's appointments to make sure they watch Wednesday's much-hyped World Cup semi-final match against arch rivals Pakistan.
Pakistan Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani's son Ali Musa has said he is ready to face trial in a case of alleged irregularities in the import of a large amount of the controlled drug Ephedrine. Ali Musa cut short his honeymoon in South Africa and returned to Pakistan on Saturday after being named as an accused in the case by the Anti-Narcotics Force.
Pakistan has said that Indian national Sarabjit Singh alias Manjeet Singh's mercy petition was not pending in President Asif Ali Zardari's office, as his execution had already been stayed by the 'previous government'.
Pakistan Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has approved an extension to lieutenant general ahmad shuja Pasha as director general of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence for a period of one year.The decision to retain general Pasha in uniform and as ISI DG was taken because of his commendable role in the ongoing war against terrorism, The News quoted a well-placed defence source, as saying.
The test, conducted at an undisclosed location, was witnessed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Chairman Gen Shamim Hyder Wyyne.
Pakistan and Afghanistan have reached an understanding on major issues related to a new bilateral transit trade pact though Indian exports to Afghanistan via the Wagah land route will not be permitted under the proposed agreement.
In an unexpected shift of strategy, Pakistan occupied Kashmir's Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider has asked the Yusuf Raza Gilani-led Pakistan government not to link the controversial Kashmir issue with the renewed deliberations with India.Haider said that instead of linking the resolution of Kashmir issue with the ongoing negotiations with India, the government should first try to resolve other 'small irritants'.
A high-level meeting chaired by Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani in Islamabad took stock of the deteriorating security situation in the restive Northwestern Frontier Province and authorised Army Chief Ashfaq Parvez Kiyani to lead a military effort in this regard.
At the SAARC summit in Thimphu, India and Pakistan have, at last, found a mutually suitable language for public use and may have kickstarted a process that may eventually lead to a broader dialogue. Sheela Bhatt analyses the talks from Thimphu.
Ahead of the meeting of the foreign ministers of India and Pakistan in New York, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday urged Pakistan to shed its mindset of using terror as an instrument of state policy against New Delhi and take action against those involved in the terror attack on Mumbai. He made it clear that there was no change in India's stand on Pakistan since the Sharm-el-Sheikh talks with his counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani.
With the Supreme Court of Pakistan determined to take up the issue of presidential immunity on February 1, the country may have to yet again brace itself for a rocky month ahead, reports Amir Mir.
The China-Pakistan partnership serves the interests of both partners by presenting India with a potential two-front theatre in the event of war with either country says Harsh V Pant.
Pakistan's ruling coalition on Thursday rejected President Pervez Musharraf's call for reconciliation and announced that a chargesheet for his impeachment will be finalised on Friday, but apparently faced differences among allies on giving a "safe passage" to him.
United States Senator John Kerry, on a mission to Pakistan to ease tensions in the wake of the American raid that killed Osama bin Laden, has been told by Pakistan Army Chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani that the unilateral action had generated 'intense feelings' among his soldiers.
Pakistan on Tuesday called on India to 'review the practice' of describing Jammu and Kashmir as its 'integral part' of its territory, even as Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani flayed the alleged human rights violations in the Valley. "Indians should quit the policy of finding a solution to the Kashmir issue under their constitution and they should review the practice of calling (Jammu and) Kashmir an integral part of India," Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit said.
US President Barack Obama's Special Envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke has said that the US would be releasing $200 million for Pakistan under the Coalition Support Fund soon.
Pakistan cricket has come under the spotlight after a newspaper report alleging players had been bribed to bowl pre-determined no-balls in the fourth Test against England. We feature some reactions to the scandal.
Two days before Prime Minister Manmohan Singh plays host to his Pakistani counterpart Yusuf Raza Gilani at Mohali during the World Cup semi-final match between the two neighbours, the home secretaries of India and Pakistan are scheduled to hold talks on a range of bilateral issues at New Delhi on Monday. The talks are scheduled to start at the Ashoka hotel in the capital at 10 am.Pakistan Home Secretary Chaudhary Qamar Zaman arrived in India on Sunday.
Intense political pressure has forced the ruling Pakistan People's Party to abandon a move to get the parliament to endorse a controversial law, which scrapped graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari, raising questions about his future. Following a meeting of senior PPP leaders chaired by Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, the party announced late on Monday night that it would not ask the parliament to validate the National Reconciliation Ordinance.
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani discussed the regional situation during a meeting on Tuesday and decided "to carry out a credible investigation of the evidence provided by India", The News daily said quoting sources
'We have repeatedly requested the Indian government to share with us whatever information it has in this regard,' The Daily Times quoted a Foreign Office spokesman, as saying.
America's top military official arrived in Islamabad on Wednesday for consultations with Pakistan's civil and military leadership in the wake of tension with India following the terror attacks in Mumbai.
Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani's cabinet has expressed the hope that the outcome of his talks with his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh will mark the beginning of a "new era of relations between the two countries".
India said on Saturday that it has received no reply from Pakistan to the dossier of evidence on Mumbai terror attacks as claimed by Islamabad.
Pakistan has once again requested the United States to provide it with drone technology, so that it can carry out operations against the Taliban and other extremist groups in the lawless tribal region along the Afghan border.
Climate change is the official agenda for the 16th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation Summit beginning on Wednesday, but the real focus will be on 'temperature' in Indo-Pak relations, which have always overshadowed such meetings.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances