Newsroom

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.

Azerbaijan’s state energy company says it is prepared to supply LNG to Pakistan as soon as Islamabad makes a formal request, offering a possible new source of fuel as Pakistan faces declining domestic gas production and renewed pressure on energy imports.

Speaking to The Thursday Times in Islamabad, Caitlin Doornbos described her visit to Pakistan as warm and memorable, praising the curiosity and openness of local people while cautioning that no reporter covering a high-intensity conflict can confidently predict where the talks will lead.

On the 88th death anniversary of Allama Iqbal, it is worth asking not only what he meant to the making of Pakistan, but what his ideas demand of the country now. As Islamabad tries to keep open channels between Iran and the United States, Iqbal’s poetry feels less like memory and more like instruction.