Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, Aug 26 (APP): Denmark on Thursday said that without Pakistan’s “rapid, efficient and broad assistance”, the success of joint operations for evacuations and airlifts from Afghanistan would not have been possible.

​“In the situation evolving in Afghanistan, we are deeply grateful for the professional assistance and outstanding support to enable airlifts of vulnerable persons to Islamabad International Airport for their continued journey,” State Secretary of Denmark Steen Hommel said as he met Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood in Islamabad.

ISLAMABAD, Aug 24 (APP): The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has received US$ 2.75 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), as part of Special Drawing Rights (SDR) allocation announced by the fund recently, the central bank confirmed through a tweet here Tuesday.

“#SBP has received US$ 2.75 billion from the IMF, as part of SDR allocation announced by IMF recently,” the central bank tweeted Tuesday morning.

ISLAMABAD, Aug 24 (APP): Managing Director International Monetary Fund (IMF) Kristalina Georgieva has sent a note of thanks to Prime Minister Imran Khan, expressing gratitude over the “safe and swift evacuation” of its staff from Afghanistan

“| wish to offer my deep and sincere gratitude on behalf of the International Monetary Fund and its staff for Pakistan’s assistance, in the safe and swift evacuation of Fund personnel and their families from Afghanistan,” reads the letter dated 23 August 2020, as shared by the PM Office on Tuesday.

ISLAMABAD, Aug 23 (APP): Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Monday said Pakistan desires a better future for Afghanistan and supports a conducive environment to help the Afghan people achieve the goals of development and prosperity.

He stressed that international community must restore ties with Afghanistan for the betterment of its people.

The foreign minister in a statement stressed that the protection of the lives of the people in Afghanistan and the sanctity of human rights was of utmost importance.

ISLAMABAD, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- A total of 80 people died of COVID-19 in Pakistan on Sunday, raising the death toll to 25,003 in the country, the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) said on Monday.

Amid the serious fourth wave of the disease, Pakistan confirmed 3,772 new COVID-19 cases as the positivity rate of the virus exceeded 7 percent in the country, the NCOC, the department leading the country's campaign against the pandemic, said in updated figures on its dashboard.

ISLAMABAD, Aug 22 (APP): Former Prime Minister of Afghanistan and Chief of Hizb-e-Islami Engineer Gulbuddin Hekmatyar while appreciating Pakistan’s efforts for the peaceful settlement of the Afghan conflict on Sunday said that India should also play positive role for peace in Afghanistan.

New Delhi should focus on its internal issues instead of issuing statements regarding the future of Afghanistan, Hikmatyar said while talking to Pakistani media in Kabul.

The former Prime Minister of Afghanistan said the Indian government should not fight Kashmir war from Afghan soil.

ISLAMABAD, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan on Sunday dispelled speculations regarding visit of the country's foreign minister to Kabul, according to the Foreign Ministry of Pakistan.

"No visit by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi to Kabul is scheduled. Any speculation in this regard is baseless," Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said.

ISLAMABAD, Aug 21 (APP): The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will convene an extraordinary session of the OIC Executive Meeting in Saudi Arabia’s city Jeddah on August 22 (tomorrow) to discuss the situation in Afghanistan, the OIC Secretary General informed Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Saturday.

OIC Secretary General Yousef bin Ahmad Al-Othaimeen in a telephonic conversation apprised FM Qureshi that the meeting would gather ambassadors and Permanent Representatives to deliberate on the rapidly changing situation in Afghanistan.

ISLAMABAD, Aug 21 (APP): Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday paid tribute to an employee of Forest Department, who had laid his life while saving the forests from fires.

He termed forester Jamshid Iqbal of Forest Department Chitral a “hero”, who embraced Shahadat in the line of duty while fighting a forest fire in Chumurkun-Gole Protected Forest Compartment No.01, on August 19.

“These are our heroes protecting our forests for a Green Pakistan,” the prime minister tweeted.

ISLAMABAD, Aug 20 (APP): The national flag carrier – PIA, with the support of Pakistan embassy and local authorities brought back another 350 passengers from Kabul to Islamabad on Friday, as part of its massive airlift efforts to evacuate the people, wishing to leave Afghanistan after the take over by the Taliban.

According to the available details around 350 passengers including around 250 staff members of the World Bank were brought back to Islamabad aboard two Boeign 777 flights.