25-10-2025

Month: October 2024

Protesters storm office of Saudi TV channel in Iraq

Supporters of pro-Iran armed groups in Iraq ransacked the offices of a Saudi TV channel in Baghdad early Saturday, a security source said, after the broadcaster aired a report referring to commanders of Tehran-backed militant groups as “terrorists”.

Between 400 and 500 people attacked the Baghdad studios of Saudi broadcaster MBC after midnight.

“They wrecked the electronic equipment, the computers, and set fire to a part of the building,” an interior ministry source told AFP on condition of anonymity.

He said the fire had been extinguished and the crowd dispersed by police.

“Security forces are still deployed near the building,” he added.

Excerpts from an MBC programme had been making the rounds on Iraqi social media, sparking angry reactions from the pro-Iran camp.

The report had focused on “terrorism” in the region, and mentioned several groups and notable figures including, for instance, Osama bin Laden.

It also included groups belonging to the so-called Axis of Resistance backed by Tehran, which counts Hamas, Hezbollah and armed Iraqi factions among its members.

Named in the report were former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed by Israel in Beirut last month, and former Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in Tehran in July.

It also referred to Haniyeh’s successor, Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar, who masterminded the October 7 attack on Israel and was killed Thursday in Gaza, as the “new face of terrorism”.

The report came at a time when Iran-backed groups — most notably Hamas and Hezbollah, but also their allies in Yemen, Iraq and Syria — have been at war with Israel for more than a year.

The Sabreen News channel, which is close to pro-Iran factions in Iraq, distributed videos on Telegram of protesters in Baghdad brandishing the flags of various armed groups.

The Iraqi government is led by a pro-Iran majority, and has made diplomatic efforts to stay out of the regional conflict.

However, the so-called Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a nebulous group of pro-Iran armed groups, claims responsibility for frequent drone attacks against Israel.

Iran and Saudi Arabia have long been regional rivals, but began a rapprochement in 2023.

The war in Gaza, meanwhile, has put an end to discussions about Saudi Arabia potentially recognizing Israel.

UN Security Council expands Haiti arms embargo

The UN Security Council voted unanimously on Friday to expand an arms embargo on Haiti, as the impoverished Caribbean nation struggles to wrest back control from powerful gangs.

All 15 members voted for the resolution, which calls for UN member states to block shipments of “arms and related materiel of all types” from entering Haiti.

A previous embargo targeted only small arms and ammunition.

The resolution, drafted by Ecuador and the United States, also includes a one-year renewal of a committee for monitoring sanctions against certain Haitians.

The Security Council first approved the sanctions regime in October 2022, but at the time the measures only targeted one gang leader, Jimmy Cherizier, who uses the alias “Barbecue.”

In late February, Cherizier launched a coordinated gang revolt in the capital Port-au-Prince, which eventually precipitated in the country’s unelected prime minister stepping down and handing power to a transitional council.

Since then, an interim prime minister has taken office and a Kenyan-led multinational force has arrived in the country to prop up Haiti’s struggling police force, though gangs continue to wield wide control.

In early October, an attack by the Gran Grif gang in the town of Pont Sonde left at least 109 people dead and dozens wounded, in one of the worst massacres in the nation’s recent history.

The leader of the gang, Luckson Elan, had been added days earlier to the UN sanctions list, which now includes seven individuals.

US representative Dorothy Shea told the Council on Friday that the situation in Haiti “remains dire.”

“The United States remains deeply concerned by the security and humanitarian crises in Haiti. Too many people continue to suffer from ongoing violence,” she said.

Kenya is set to send 600 additional police officers in November for the support mission, which was approved by the UN Security Council last year but is not a UN peacekeeping mission.

North Korea sending ‘large-scale’ troop deployment to Russia, Seoul spy agency says

The National Intelligence Service (NIS) said North Korea had decided to send thousands of soldiers to help Russia, releasing detailed satellite images it said showed the first deployment.

South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol convened an emergency security meeting Friday, with Seoul slamming Pyongyang’s move as “a significant security threat not only to our country but also to the international community,” the president’s office said.

The NIS said it had “detected that from the 8th to the 13th (of October), North Korea transported its special forces to Russia via a Russian Navy transport ship, confirming the start of North Korea’s military participation” in Russia’s war in Ukraine.

According to the NIS, multiple Russian landing ships and frigates have already completed transporting the first contingent of troops, who are currently stationed in military bases across Russia’s Far East.

 

This handout from South Korea’s National Intelligence Service released on October 18 shows a satellite image by Airbus Defence and Space of Russia’s Ussuriysk military facility, where the intelligence service said North Korean personnel were gathered within the training ground on October 16. — AFP

 

The special forces soldiers “are expected to be deployed to the front lines (of the Ukraine conflict) as soon as they complete acclimatisation training,” it said. The soldiers have been issued Russian military uniforms and Russian-made weapons, the NIS said.

“This seems to be an effort to disguise the fact that they are North Korean troops by making them appear as Russian soldiers,” NIS added.

More troops are likely to be sent soon, NIS said, adding that it estimated the North could send around 12,000 soldiers in total. “A second transport operation is expected to take place soon,” it said.

Pyongyang and Moscow have been allies since North Korea’s founding after World War II and have drawn even closer since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, with Seoul and Washington long claiming that Kim Jong Un has been sending weapons for use in Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin made a rare visit to Pyongyang in June, with the two countries signing a mutual defence treaty, fuelling speculations of further arms transfers — which violate rafts of UN sanctions on both countries.

The NIS said Friday that the North had “provided Russia with more than 13,000 containers’ worth of artillery shells, missiles, anti-tank rockets and other lethal weapons” since last August.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday flagged intelligence reports saying North Korea was training 10,000 soldiers to support Russia in its fight against Kyiv.

Zelensky suggested that Russia is relying on North Korean troops to compensate for its substantial losses, as many young Russians seek to avoid conscription.

Earlier this month, Ukrainian media reported that six North Korean military officers were killed in a Ukrainian missile attack on Russian-occupied territory near Donetsk on October 3.

Seoul’s defence minister, Kim Yong-hyun, told lawmakers at the time that it was “highly likely” that the report was true. Experts said that moving from supplying shells to soldiers to Russia was the logical next step.

“For North Korea, which has supplied Russia with many shells and missiles, it’s crucial to learn how to handle different weapons and gain real-world combat experience,” said Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Seoul’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies.

“This might even be a driving factor behind sending North Korean soldiers — to provide them with diverse experiences and wartime training,” he told AFP.

Nato chief Mark Rutte said on Friday that the alliance could not yet confirm South Korean intelligence that North Korea was deploying troops to bolster Russian forces in Ukraine.

“At this moment, our official position is that we cannot confirm reports that North Koreans are actively now as soldiers engaged in the war effort,” Rutte told reporters following a meeting of Nato defence ministers in Brussels. “But this, of course, might change,” he said.

Rutte said Nato was “in close contact” with its partners, particularly South Korea, which was taking part in this week’s talks as part of the so-called Indo-Pacific four, along with Australia, Japan and New Zealand.

“We will certainly have that conversation with them to get all the evidence on the table,” said the Nato chief.

“Even if North Korea is not physically there at the battlefield then still, they are helping to fuel Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine in every way they can,” Rutte said.

SNP chief executive Murray Foote to stand down

The SNP’s chief executive is quitting the post after 14 months.

Murray Foote said that he “could not make the necessary personal commitment” to leading a reorganisation of the party after their disappointing performance in the UK general election.

SNP leader John Swinney said that Mr Foote had made a “significant contribution” to the party during his spell as chief executive.

The former Daily Record editor replaced Peter Murrell – Nicola Sturgeon’s husband – in the position just over a year ago.

He took over as the party grappled with controversy relating to alleged missing donations. It saw his predecessor charged with embezzlement, and former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon questioned by police.

Mr Foote’s time in charge also saw the collapse of the SNP’s power-sharing agreement with the Scottish Greens at Holyrood, which led to the resignation of Humza Yousaf as first minister.

The UK general election in July then saw the SNP lose 39 seats, leaving them with just nine MPs.

Mr Foote said: “The SNP has recently embarked on a substantial process of internal re-organisation and renewal to better equip it for current electoral contests and to prepare for the critical Scottish parliament elections in 2026.

“While I agree these changes are both essential and appropriate, I also recognised after a period of reflection that I could not make the necessary personal commitment to leading the delivery of these changes into 2026 and beyond.

“In the circumstances, I concluded it would be in my best interests and the best interests of the party that I step down to give my replacement the time and space to mould and develop these changes in a manner they deem appropriate.”

He added that he believes John Swinney is “the right leader at the right time” for the independence movement.

Murray Foote was editor of the Daily Record when it published “The Vow” ahead of the 2014 referendum on Scottish independence

Paying tribute, Swinney said Mr Foote had made a “significant contribution” to the party.

“When I became leader of the SNP, I promised to deliver a professional, modern, dynamic election-winning organisation – and Murray’s successor will build on the work he has started,” he added.

Mr Foote will stay in the role until his successor is appointed.

He was the editor in chief of the Daily Record and Sunday Mail newspapers for several years, where he was responsible for “The Vow” front page – seen as being influential in the outcome of the 2014 Scottish independence referendum.

In 2019 he took the role of head of communications and research for the SNP.

He stood down from the job in March 2023 after becoming embroiled in a row over the party’s responses to media stories about membership numbers.

In August of the same year he was appointed the party’s chief executive, replacing Peter Murrell – who had left the post following the same row over media numbers.

After a lengthy period of stability and electoral dominance, the SNP is now on its third leader in two years and is seeking its third chief executive over the same period.

It is not really a surprise that the party is planning a “substantial” overhaul of its back office, in light of July’s damaging general election result.

There is clearly work to be done to get the machine running smoothly again ahead of another crucial contest in 2026.

But Mr Foote had only been in the door for just over a year.

And with political and financial pressures mounting at Holyrood, this is quite a time to step away.

The question now is who will step up to one of the biggest non-elected jobs in Scottish politics.

There may be a host of freshly unemployed former MPs sizing it up, but they will be under no illusions about the scale of the task.

Rewiring any party to win a fifth successive election is no mean feat, and whoever gets the job will need to hit the ground running with 18 months to go until polls open again.

Two shot dead, three injured as Kurram unrest continues

PARACHINAR: Two people were killed and three others injured when armed bikers opened fire in the Shingku area of Kurram, the latest incident of violence in the troubled region.

According to police, local residents were busy working in their fields in the Shinguk when armed motorcyclists came and opened fire on them.

As a result, two persons identified as Hidayat Hussain and Hashim Ali sustained multiple bullet injuries and died on the spot, while three others were wounded.

Sources in the District Headquarters Hospital said that they had received two bodies and injured persons.

Terming it an act of terrorism, Deputy Commissioner Javedullah Mahsud said that they were investigating the incident, saying that certain elements were involved in violence.

It may be noted that unknown gunmen had killed two persons in the same area in the same fashion a week ago.

Meanwhile, the elders have said that continuous closure of main and link roads would lead to massive humanitarian crises due to acute shortage of edibles, medicines, petrol and diesel reserves in District Kurram.

Tribal elders from the Turi and Bangash tribes have expressed concern that the continuous closure of roads has caused shortage of food and fuel supplies, raising the fear of a major humanitarian crisis.

They said that suspension of 3G and 4G services had also caused distress for students and citizens, affecting studies and businesses alike in the area.

After incidents of firing on passenger vehicles a few days ago, the main Parachinar-Peshawar and other routes have been closed owing to fear of more such incidents.

Violence stopped last month and the authorities also re-opened the Pak-Afghan border crossing at Kharlachi.

September clashes saw 60 people’s deaths and dozens of injuries, KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi had said.

The dispute involves two rival tribes who have been fighting over a piece of land. In August, the two sides had reached a two-month ceasefire after the armed clashes resulted in 50 casualties and wounded 226 others.

Nawaz Sharif foresees thaw in Pakistan-India ties after significant SCO summit

Ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Nawaz Sharif said on Thursday that the SCO summit, which was also attended by an Indian foreign minister in a rare visit, could be a beginning of normalisation of ties between India and Pakistan.

He made the statement in a meeting with a delegation of Indian journalists who came to Pakistan for the coverage of recently concluded Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) moot attended by foreign leaders from 10 countries.

The meeting was also attended by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and senior minister Marriyum Aurangzeb.

 

 

Stressing the need to revive cricket diplomacy between the South Asian nations, Nawaz said that the Indian cricket team should visit Pakistan for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

“If you ask the Indian cricket team, they would also suggest playing in Pakistan. Despite they are ready to play, however, those who have power to allow them don’t grant them permission,” he told the journalists.

He said it would have been better had Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the SCO conference in Pakistan, however, the arrival of the neighbouring country’s foreign minister was also a good sign.

Jaishankar, who attended the SCO moot held in Islamabad, was the first foreign minister of the neighbouring country to visit Pakistan in nearly a decade.

While departing from Islamabad after the regional event, Jaishankar thanked PM Shehbaz Sharif, Deputy Prime Minister and his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar and the government for the “hospitality and courtesies”.

In his interaction with the journalists, the three-time former prime minister said although the two countries had a bitter past, there is need to look forward and talk about the future.

Shedding light on mutual issues which could be points of collaboration, the PML-N president said that Islamabad and New Delhi needed to immediately work on climate change and bilateral trade.

Pointing towards suspended trade ties between the neighbours for years, Nawaz told the foreign journalists that the cost of different Indian commodities and vegetables has increased in Pakistan as the products arrived in Pakistan via Dubai.

“Improved Pakistan-India relations would allow transportation of essential commodities to Pakistan within two hours,” he added.

Prior to this meeting, Nawaz was also interviewed by renowned Indian journalist Barkha Dutt earlier this week before the commencement of the highly-anticipated SCO conference.

In the interview, the former prime minister had expressed optimism about meeting Indian premier Modi in the near future as he advocated improved relations with the neighbouring country.

“I have always been a supporter of good relations with India,” Nawaz said, expressing hope that there was an opportunity to revive the relationship.

“It would have been a great thing if PM [Narendra] Modi had also attended the SCO summit. I do hope that he and us will have an opportunity to sit together in the not-so-distant future,” the former premier said.

Relations between the two countries have gone through periods of thaw from time to time but have been largely frozen since Pakistan downgraded diplomatic ties in 2019 following abrogation of Article 370 — revoking special status of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

Islamabad has linked its decision to normalising ties with New Delhi with the restoration of the special status of the IIOJK.

Despite the frosty ties, the two countries agreed to renew the 2003 ceasefire agreement along the Line of Control (LoC) in February 2021.

Bangladesh issues arrest warrant for ex-leader Hasina

A Bangladeshi court has ordered an arrest warrant for former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India in August after she was ousted by mass protests.

Hasina is wanted by Bangladesh’s International Criminal Tribunal (ICT) for her alleged involvements in “crimes against humanity” that took place during the demonstrations, in which hundreds were killed.

Hasina, who was in charge of Bangladesh for more than 20 years, was seen as an autocrat whose government ruthlessly clamped down on dissent.

Arrest warrants have also been issued for 45 others, including former government ministers who also fled the country.

“The court has… ordered the arrest of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, and to produce her in court on November 18,” Mohammad Tajul Islam, the ICT’s chief prosecutor, told reporters on Thursday.

“Sheikh Hasina was at the helm of those who committed massacres, killings and crimes against humanity in July to August,” he added.

Bangladesh’s interim health ministry said in August that more than 1,000 people were killed in the violence this summer after student-led protests against government job quotas turned into mass demonstrations, making it the bloodiest period in the country’s history since its 1971 independence.

Hasina, 77, has not been seen in public since fleeing Bangladesh. Her last official whereabouts is a military airbase near India’s capital Delhi.

She was initially expected to stay in India for a short time, but reports say her attempts to seek asylum elsewhere have been unsuccessful so far.

Her continued presence in India poses a challenge for Delhi in working with the new interim government in Dhaka. Many in Bangladesh are angered by the fact she has been given shelter by India.

The new interim government in Bangladesh has revoked her diplomatic passport and the two countries have a bilateral extradition treaty which would permit her return to face criminal trial.

A clause in the treaty, however, says extradition might be refused if the offence is of a “political character”.

Hasina’s government created the ICT in 2010 to investigate atrocities during the war with Pakistan, which gave Bangladesh its independence in 1971.

The United Nations and rights groups criticised its procedural shortcomings and it became widely seen as a means for Hasina to eliminate political opponents.

The tribunal, reconstituted by the interim government, began its proceedings on Thursday. Critics say it lacks judges with experience of international law.

Several cases accusing Hasina of orchestrating the “mass murder” of protesters are being investigated by the court.

Hasina’s son Sajeeb Wazed has said his mother is ready to face trial. “My mother has done nothing wrong,” he told Reuters news agency last month.

Conservative leadership hopeful Kemi Badenoch has criticised a Tory MP who said he wouldn’t choose her as leader as she is “preoccupied with her own children”.

Sir Christopher Chope told ITV that “you can’t spend all your time with your family” while being leader of the opposition.

He said he would be voting for Robert Jenrick – Badenoch’s opponent in the Tory leadership race – arguing that Jenrick’s three children are “a bit older”.

Badenoch responded by saying “it isn’t always women who have parental responsibilities, men do too”.

Speaking during a TV leadership event on GB News, she added that “of course” she could be a mother and Tory leader at the same time.

“I was able to be a great business secretary, and trade secretary, and equalities minister – effectively doing three jobs – while balancing my home life,” she said.

“If I can do that, I can do this too,” she added.

Speaking during the same TV event, Jenrick said Chope was “definitely wrong”.

“Kemi and I both have three children. She’s a great mum, I’d like to think I’m a good dad. We will both be able to balance this, whoever leads our party forward,” he added.

Prior to the GB News event, Conservative MP Victoria Atkins said: “This is the 2020s, not the 1950s – all working mums and dads juggle family, career and general life.”

She added: “That one of our final two impressive candidates also happens to be a mum reflects the modern Conservative Party and modern life. Here’s to all working mums.”

Speaking to ITV Meridian’s The Last Word programme, Chope said Jenrick had “brought more energy and commitment to the campaign, and being leader of the opposition is a really demanding job.

“And, much as I like Kemi, I think she’s preoccupied with her own children, quite understandably.

“But I think Robert’s children are a bit older, and I think that it’s important that whoever leads the opposition has got an immense amount of time and energy.

“I understand from talking to colleagues that Kemi spends a lot of time with her family, which I don’t resent at all.

“But the consequence of it is that you can’t spend all your time with your family as at the same time being leader of the opposition.

“You could argue that Margaret Thatcher’s family suffered as a result of the commitment and dedication which she gave to leading our country.”

Labour MP Helena Dollimore, who was appearing on the same ITV programme, said: “Many women will be shocked by those comments.

“I think there should be no barrier to women standing in public life.”

Conservative Party members are currently picking who they want as leader and the result will be announced on 2 November.

Badenoch and Jenrick are the final two candidates, after James Cleverly was knocked out in a ballot of Tory MPs earlier this month.

It is not the first time a candidate’s parental status has been raised in a Tory leadership contest.

In the 2016 contest, Andrea Leadsom apologised to Theresa May after suggesting being a mother made her a better candidate.

It comes as the two contenders faced questions from an audience of Tory members on GB News, with topics including immigration, prisons policy, and housing.

Jenrick made an immigration-heavy pitch, saying it was the reason the party had lost votes to Reform UK and the party would not return to power until it was “trusted” on the issue.

He showcased his two main policies on the topic, of capping annual net legal migration at under 100,000, and leaving the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) in a bid to make it easier to deport failed asylum seekers.

But Badenoch said that, although she would not rule out an exit, leaving the ECHR would not prove a “silver bullet” on the issue of small boats.

She also said the move would “divide our party,” warning that the move would require a “proper wholesale plan” whose consequences would be “not dissimilar to leaving the EU”.

She also defended her policy-light campaign, arguing that for the moment the party needed to focus on “conviction” and she did not want to “impose what’s in my head” on the party.

“I don’t need to talk about policies, because they know what I am about,” she added.

SCO summit likely eased Indo-Pak tensions: Indian journalist

Soon after Pakistan hosted a successful Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of Government Summit, discussions surrounding the potential breaking of ice between Islamabad and New Delhi have begun.

India, ensuring its participation in the high-level summit, sent it External Affairs Minister Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, who termed the event as a “productive meeting”, soon after his speech on Wednesday.

“Signed eight outcome documents. India made a positive and constructive contribution to the deliberations,” he wrote on X.

The Indian minister earlier also shook hands with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif following his arrival at the Jinnah Convention Centre — moments before the summit commenced.

In his departure note from Islamabad on Wednesday, Jaishankar thanked the Pakistani premier, his counterpart Ishaq Dar and the government for the “hospitality and courtesies”.

Following his significant visit, Geeta Mohan, the executive editor of India Today and an expert of diplomatic affairs, wrote that there were “no fireworks” during the Indian FM’s visit for the event.

“The minister highlighted the need for ‘mutual trust’, ‘friendship’ and ‘good neighbourliness’,” she wrote in a dispatch of the event for her publication.

Speaking on Geo News programme ‘Capital Talk’, Mohan said that this is the first instance in a long time that the atmosphere was “cordial” right from the time Jaishankar landed in Pakistan to when he departed.

“The statements issued from both sides reflected that [the situation] tempered down. We later received news that the leadership had a discussion — Jaishankar had a chat with Shehbaz Sharif sahib — during lunch at the waiting room and in the hallways,” said Mohan.

She then highlighted that a Geo News video also showed a discussion between the Indian minister and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar.

“This was not just an informal ‘chit chat’, but a little more than that has happened. It is important to understand and find out what was discussed. It is probably a start towards better relations,” the journalist said.

Mohan maintained that the Indian FM, in his speech, touched upon cross-border terrorism and China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) without naming Pakistan and China in either subjects.

The India Today journalist said that the governments of countries also play a huge role in maintaining ties and that the relations between Pakistan and India during former premier Imran Khan’s rule had grown “acrimonious”.

During the coalition government in 2023, on the other hand, when Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was visiting India as the foreign minister to attend a SCO conclave hosted by India, the ties were at a point that he did not even get a chance to post anything positive on social media — even though he was the first Pakistani FM to visit India in 12 years at the time.

Mohan insisted that the take of the Sharif family has played a major role in improving relations between the two rival nations.

It should be noted that Jaishankar was the first foreign minister of the arch-rival country to visit Pakistan in nearly a decade.

Speaking about the Indian FM visit to Pakistan in nearly 10 years, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar termed it an “ice breaker”.

“Neither us nor them requested for a bilateral meeting… but I believe his arrival here is an ice breaker,” AFP quoted the information minister as saying.

“Yesterday, when all the leaders were being welcomed and there were handshakes, I think positive images were sent out globally.”

PM Shehbaz, Russia counterpart vow to boost ties on SCO sidelines

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his Russian counterpart Mikhail Mishustin on Wednesday agreed to pursue robust dialogue and cooperation in the areas of trade, industry, energy, connectivity, science, technology and education.

During a cordial and substantive meeting at the Prime Minister’s House on the margins of the 23rd SCO CHG meeting, both prime ministers discussed the entire spectrum of bilateral cooperation and noted the positive momentum in Pakistan-Russia relations over the last two decades, PM Office Media Wing said in a press release.

PM Shehbaz fondly recalled his first foreign visit to Moscow, expressing a desire to transform these warm memories into a lasting friendship with Russia.

He reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to strengthening political, economic, and defence ties with the Russian Federation.

PM Shehbaz reaffirms Pakistan’s commitment to strengthening political, economic, and defence ties with the Russia.

Both sides agreed to enhance cooperation at multilateral forums, including the United Nations (UN) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

He also thanked Russia for supporting Pakistan’s BRICS membership bid, marking a step toward deeper collaboration on the global stage.

The premier recalled his productive meeting with President Vladimir Putin in July this year in Astana during the course of which they had agreed to meaningful enhancement of relations between the two countries.

He also emphasised the need for direct flights between Russia and Pakistan to enhance connectivity between the two countries.

Russian PM Mishustin appreciated the remarkable arrangements made by Pakistan for the 23rd SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting.

Pakistan marked a key diplomatic milestone as it hosted the highly-anticipated SCO summit today with world leaders from 10 countries converging in Islamabad with PM Shehbaz in chair.

Furthermore, he also thanked the government and the people of Pakistan for the warm welcome and exemplary hospitality extended to him and the Russian delegation.

He expressed his desire to further bolster the existing cooperation between Russia and Pakistan to the next level.

The two prime ministers agreed to maintain close cooperation in all areas of mutual interest.

Both leaders also agreed on lingual exchanges between the two countries to enhance people-to-people relations and increase cooperation among the banking sectors of the two countries to facilitate trade and investment.

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