Category: 1. Pakistan

Pakistan has offered to build “supplementary” ties with Russia categorically mentioning that the nation had “respect” for Moscow-India relationship.“I would like to thank you for supporting Pakistan and trying to have a balancing act in the region,” Shehbaz Sharif told Russian President Vladimir Putin during bilateral talks in China.

“I know and I must say that I respect your relationship with India and it is perfectly fine, but we also want to build strong relations and these relations will be supplementary and complementary for the betterment of the region,” he added.The comments came at a time when India, China and Russia have been cornered by the US President Donald Trump for New Delhi and Beijing’s continuous purchase of oil from Moscow.Sharif also met Chinese President Xi Jinping where the two sides reiterated the need for a strong China-Pakistan relationship.China stands ready to work with Pakistan to build upgraded versions of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and the China-Pakistan Free Trade Agreement, and hopes Pakistan will take effective measures to ensure the safety of Chinese personnel, projects and institutions in Pakistan, Xi was quoted as saying by the state-run Xinhua news agency.Sharif praised the Global Governance Initiative (GGI) put forward by Xi at the SCO summit, calling it highly significant for global peace, development, and stability. He affirmed that Pakistan will fully support the initiative and actively contribute to its implementation.Moreover, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for a united global fight against terrorism as he delivered his message on terrorism with Sharif in attendance at Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin.“Security, peace and stability are the basis of development of any country. But terrorism, separatism and extremism are big challenges in this path. Terrorism is not just a challenge to the security of a country but a common challenge for all of humanity. No country, no society, no citizen can consider itself safe from it. Therefore, India has emphasised unity in the fight against terrorism… India took the initiative to fight Al Qaeda and the terrorist organisations associated with it by leading the Joint Information Operation... We raised our voice against terror financing. I express gratitude for your support in it,” he said.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin met Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday in Beijing and called Pakistan a “traditional partner” of Russia in Asia.

Shehbaz and Putin are in Beijing to attend
China’s Victory Day parade on Wednesday. Previously, both the leaders attended the SCO Summit in the port city of Tianjin on Sunday and Monday.

In their public remarks ahead of talks, Putin said he valued the relationship with Pakistan and called for deeper ties.

“Pakistan remains our traditional partner in Asia. We value our relations. I would like to point out that during our previous meeting, we agreed to step up our relations, and indeed, some progress has been made. However, unfortunately, due to a number of objective circumstances, our trade is down albeit by a very small margin. Nevertheless, this is a telling sign for us to address this matter and to work on it,” said Putin, according to an English transcript of his remarks released by the Kremlin.

#RussiaPakistan

🇷🇺🤝🇵🇰 President of Russia Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister of Pakistan @CMShehbaz held a meeting in Beijing.

📹 © Kremlin pic.twitter.com/peptbop5oE

— MFA Russia 🇷🇺 (@mfa_russia) September 2, 2025

Gradually, Russia and Pakistan have ramped up bilateral engagement over the years and both the countries have had high-level dialogue and visits. In July, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk arrived in Islamabad for talks and called Pakistan and Russia “natural allies”. In June, Syed Tariq Fatemi, a senior aide to Shehbaz, visited Moscow and met Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov as part of Pakistan’s outreach after the India-Pakistan conflict in May.

After the India-Pakistan conflict in May,
Russia had endorsed the position of Pakistan and the United States that the conflict stopped with the personal intervention of US President Donald Trump — a claim that India has consistently rejected. After a call between Putin and Trump in June, the Kremlin said the two leaders discussed the “conflict between India and Pakistan which has been halted with the personal involvement of President Trump”.

‘We have been making very serious efforts’: Shehbaz on Pak-Russia ties

Shehbaz said that the two sides had been making “very serious and sincere efforts” to promote the Pakistan-Russia relationship, particularly in the field of trade.

Shehbaz said that Pakistan-Russia trade saw a “spike” last year and noted that Pakistan imported oil from Russia as well.

Shehbaz also mentioned the transport corridor through Central Asia that seeks to link Pakistan and Russia.

“Last year, our trade had a spike. We imported oil from Russia, and that led to an increase in our bilateral trade. Recently we signed protocols in terms of how to promote our cooperation in the field of agriculture, in the field of iron and steel, energy, transport, and the corridor from Belarus, and then Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. I think this is a very important corridor,” said Shehbaz.

After Putin invited Shehbaz to visit Russia in November, Shehbaz thanked the Russian leader and said he would be very happy to be in Russia. He went on to thank the Russian leader for his “very keen commitment” to build the Russia-Pakistan relationship.

Both Pakistan and Russia are staunch partners of China. While
China has supported Russia to the hilt in the war on Ukraine, it has also supported Pakistan in its anti-India campaign — the support was such that
India’s deputy army chief Lieutenant General Rahul R Singh said that China was a backdoor adversary in the conflict in May and India was actually fighting three adversaries, namely Pakistan, China, and Turkey.

The federal government on Tuesday announced a public holiday for September 6 on account of Eid-i-Miladun Nabi.

The notification was issued by the Cabinet Division.

Last week, the Central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee had announced that the Rabiul Awwal moon had not been sighted; therefore, Eid-i-Miladun Nabi was set to fall on the coming Saturday.

Muslims around the world celebrate the birth of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him), known in Arabic as the Mawlid al-Nabawi holiday, on the 12th of Rabiul Awwal — the third month of the Islamic lunar calendar.

September 6 is also when the country will mark its 60th Defence Day to commemorate the sacrifices of fallen heroes of the 1965 war against India.

The European Union (EU) has announced Rs350 million (€1.05 million) emergency assistance to support victims of devastating floods in Pakistan that have claimed hundreds of lives and left thousands displaced and many missing.

“Our heartfelt condolences go out to the families of the victims and all those affected by this disaster,” the EU said in a statement on Tuesday.

The package includes life-saving health services, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) support to prevent outbreaks of disease, and cash assistance for the most vulnerable families to cover basic needs. However, the funding would be channelled through humanitarian partner organisations.

“The EU remains committed to standing in solidarity with the people of Pakistan during this critical time,” the statement added.

Heavy monsoon rains have triggered widespread flooding across provinces, destroying homes, submerging farmland, and displacing thousands. Authorities said the death toll continues to rise while rescue workers struggle to reach remote areas.

The floods, fuelled by torrential rains and the release of massive water from India, have devastated communities, leaving thousands stranded and displaced while inflicting heavy damage on homes, infrastructure and standing crops. 

Read More: Monsoon devastation claims 831 lives across Pakistan

Three rivers that cut through Punjab and borders India, have swollen to exceptionally high levels, affecting more than 2,300 villages.

According to NDMA, the hardest-hit provinces are Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) with 480 deaths while Punjab reported 191 fatalities. Sindh recorded 58 deaths, Balochistan 24, and Gilgit-Baltistan 41. Azad Kashmir has reported 29 fatalities, while Islamabad reported eight deaths. Children have borne the brunt of the disaster, with 219 minors among the deceased. As many as 484 men and 128 women are also among the deceased.

The impact on the country’s infrastructure has been devastating, with 238 bridges washed away and 661 kilometers of road networks submerged. The floods have also destroyed 9,000 homes and led to the loss of over 6,000 livestock.

Read More: Worst monsoon floods in decades leave millions displaced in Pakistan

More than 35,000 people have been displaced, most of them have been shifted to the relief camps. K-P has the highest number of displaced individuals at 26,000, followed by 6,000 in Punjab and 3,000 in Gilgit-Baltistan.

Pakistan is among the countries most vulnerable to climate-driven disasters. Officials have warned that extreme weather linked to climate change is likely to intensify the frequency of floods, droughts and heatwaves in the years ahead.

A joint investigation team (JIT) in Lahore has found Khawaja Aqeel alias Gogi Butt guilty in the high-profile murder of Ameer Balaj Tipu, it emerged on Tuesday. 

According to JIT sources, Gogi Butt was instrumental in orchestrating the murder, maintaining communication with the primary accused, Khawaja Tareef alias Teefi Butt, and other accomplices. He had previously been implicated in multiple cases involving the Tipu family.

The JIT intends to seek cancellation of Gogi Butt’s bail at an upcoming court hearing.

Read: Balaj Tipu murder suspect killed ‘by accomplices’

Ameer Balaj Tipu was killed on February 19, 2024, during a wedding ceremony in Lahore’s Chuhung area. The attacker, identified as Muzaffar Hussain, a former gunman of Teefi Butt, shot Balaj Tipu over a longstanding feud. Muzaffar was killed immediately after the attack.

Investigations revealed that Ahsan Shah, a close associate of the deceased, had provided critical information to the attackers, facilitating the murder. Ahsan Shah was later killed in an alleged encounter.

Read More: Balaj Tipu murder case: Prime suspect Teefi Butt’s family targeted, brother-in-law killed

Earlier, Muhammad Javed Butt, the brother-in-law of Teefi Butt, was shot dead near the Muslim Town underpass in Lahore. The case has drawn significant attention due to the involvement of influential figures and the complex web of relationships and rivalries within the region.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Tuesday said that tremors were felt in Peshawar, Mansehra and Islamabad after another earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan.

A press release from the PMD said the 5.4-magnitude earthquake occurred at 5:30pm in southeastern Afghanistan at a depth of 22 kilometres with tremors felt all the way in Peshawar, Mansehra, Islamabad, Abbottabad and Swat.

Meanwhile, the US Geological Survey reported it as a 5.2-magnitude earthquake 34 kilometres northeast of Jalalabad city in Nangarhar province.

The epicentre of the tremor was close to where a magnitude 6.0 earthquake hit late Sunday night, devastating remote areas in mountainous provinces near the border with Pakistan.

The “quake was felt in the same areas which were affected in Kunar [province] in the first earthquake”, Ehsanullah Ehsan, the disaster management spokesman in the hard-hit province, told AFP.

“These aftershocks are constant, but they have not caused any casualties yet.”

The number of victims from Sunday’s earthquake has mounted steadily, with 1,411 people dead and 3,124 injured in Kunar alone, chief Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said today, making it one of the deadliest to hit the country in decades.

Another dozen people were killed and hundreds were injured in neighbouring Nangarhar province.

Afghanistan is one of the poorest countries in the world, with dwindling aid since the Taliban seized power in 2021, undermining its ability to respond to disasters.

The devastation could affect “hundreds of thousands”, said United Nations humanitarian coordinator for Afghanistan Indrika Ratwatte.

The PMD earlier reported three more minor quakes in the day: a magnitude 4 in southeastern Afghanistan at 2:50pm at a depth of 97km, a magnitude 5.4 in China’s Xinjiang at 12:59pm at a depth of 10km and a magnitude 4.4 in southeastern Afghanistan at 12:25pm at a depth of 20km.