Politics

Donald Trump says he extended the ceasefire with Iran after requests from Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, thrusting Islamabad into the centre of a rapidly narrowing diplomatic window between Washington and Tehran.

Pakistan has condemned the entry of Israeli settlers into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and the raising of Israeli flags inside its courtyard, calling the act a violation of international law and warning that such provocations could further inflame regional tensions.

Iranian's foreign ministry has said that Pakistan is now their only official intermediary with the United States, placing Islamabad at the centre of one of the the world's most sensitive diplomatic channels.

The Israeli military has said it confirmed the veracity of a viral photograph which appeared to show one of its soldiers smashing a statue of Jesus Christ to pieces with a sledgehammer in southern Lebanon.

Ali Şahin, a prominent Turkish parliamentarian, has called for Pakistan to become a full member of the Organization of Turkic States, saying centuries of cultural links and growing geopolitical cooperation have created a bond deeper than ordinary diplomacy.