Advertisement
Advertisement
TOPIC
 / people

Shehbaz Sharif

Shehbaz Sharif
The latest news and top stories on Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan’s Prime Minister since March 2024, having previously held the office from April 2022 to August 2023. He has a background as a prominent businessman and was the longest-serving Chief Minister of Punjab province, a role he held three times. His work at the provincial level involved infrastructure development including the Metro Bus and Orange Line projects, educational reforms and public health initiatives.
Rocket trails are seen in the sky above the Israeli coastal city of Netanya amid a fresh barrage of Iranian missile attacks on Wednesday. Photo: AFP
India

Pakistan steps in as Iran mediator while India watches from the wings

India’s ‘surprising’ silence on Iranian attacks amid uneasy ties with Tehran could affect its strategic relevance in the Gulf, analysts warn.

Pakistan

Pakistan’s fuel smugglers squeezed by rising costs as Iran war hits supply

Pakistan

Afghan Taliban’s drone attacks on civilians ‘crossed red line’, Pakistan warns

Pakistan

Pakistan aims to walk tightrope between Saudi Arabia and Iran as war flares

Islamabad has to navigate a tricky regional environment and manage the domestic blowback of the US-Israeli attacks on Iran.

videocam
Pakistani security officers stand outside the US consulate in Karachi on Wednesday. Photo: AP
Pakistan

10 killed in Karachi as pro-Iran protests erupt across Pakistan, India

Security forces opened fire on protesters as they tried to storm the gates of the US consulate in Pakistan’s main port city.

videocam
Central Asia

Trains through the Taliban: Central Asia’s plan to bypass Russia and Iran

The Soviet Union severed Central Asia’s ancient trade routes to the Indian subcontinent. The region’s modern-day leaders want them back.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Israel-Gaza war

Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ debuts with Gaza pledge as war threat looms elsewhere

The US president gathers global allies to fund Gaza’s reconstruction while issuing a final 10-day warning to Iran.

US President Donald during the signing ceremony in Washington. Photo: AFP
Pakistan

11 soldiers, 1 child killed in Pakistan after suicide bomber hits security post

Seven other civilians were injured in the blast, which damaged part of the compound and nearby homes.

International Cricket Council

Pakistan to play India in Colombo at T20 World Cup after boycott called off

Decision comes after leaders of Pakistan, Sri Lanka meet, following which Pakistani team are ordered to ‘take the field’ on Sunday.

Pakistan

Pakistan bats away India match but stays in T20 World Cup

India and Pakistan agreed last year to play at neutral venues when either country is hosting an ICC event.

Pakistani players celebrate winning the series and the third T20 international cricket match between Pakistan and Australia in Lahore on Sunday. Photo: EPA
Pakistan

Pakistan’s arms deals cleared for take-off as orders soar for JF-17 jets

The jets, co-produced with China, proved their worth during the India-Pakistan tensions, when they destroyed an S-400 air defence system.

videocam
5
A visitor takes a look at a JF-17 jet fighter during an air show in Dubai in 2017. Photo: Reuters
Pakistan

Opinion | How Pakistan’s rising confidence could shape a cooperative South Asia

If Gulf investment, Chinese strategic interest and Pakistani willingness align, the region could shift from confrontation to collaboration.

videocam
Pakistan

In ‘Schrodinger’s Pakistan’, the young feel sidelined by the state

A constitutional overhaul that neuters the courts and empowers the generals is seen by many as a naked display of elite self-preservation.

Pakistan

Can mediators prevent war between Afghanistan, Pakistan as tensions spike?

Prolonged proxy warfare could create space for terrorist groups such as Isis-K to regenerate and plot overseas attacks, analysts warn.

videocam
Residents clear debris from houses destroyed in air strikes in Khost, Afghanistan, on Tuesday. Photo: EPA
Pakistan

India-Pakistan conflict risks surge amid terror attacks, Afghan proxy war claims

With bombs tearing through capitals and leaders trading accusations, South Asia’s nuclear-armed neighbours are again approaching the brink.

videocam
Pakistani counterterrorism commandos stand guard at the site of a suicide blast outside a court in Islamabad on Tuesday. Photo: Getty Images/TNS/AFP
Pakistan

Islamabad court blast kills 12 as Pakistan Taliban faction claims attack

Threat of more attacks follows, as Pakistan struggles with a resurgent Taliban.

Pakistan

What’s behind Pakistan’s crackdown on anti-blasphemy extremists?

Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan was outlawed after thousands of its activists tried to besiege the US embassy in Islamabad.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
India

US-Pakistan ties ‘not at the expense of India’: Rubio

The US’ pivot towards Pakistan under Donald Trump has irked India, which has been hit with 50 per cent tariffs.

videocam
Marco Rubio meets Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on the sidelines of the Asean summit on Monday. Photo: Handout
Pakistan

‘Stalemate’: is prolonged Pakistan-Taliban hostility new border reality?

Though an all-out war between Islamabad and Kabul is unlikely, a diplomatic solution also remains elusive, analysts say.

videocam
Pakistan

Will plan for port in Pakistan with US involvement fuel regional tensions?

Under the plan, the port in Balochistan will be used to access Pakistan’s critical minerals in a region where China has a strong presence.

videocam
Pakistan

Pakistan offers US port access for critical minerals deal: report

The plan lets US investors control Pasni port for critical minerals, bans military use and funds a railway to western provinces near Afghanistan and Iran.

Fishermen are docked near Gwadar port in southwest Pakistan. The South Asian country plans to offer US investors a port deal in Pasni, Balochistan, to access minerals. Photo: Xinhua/File
US-China relations

US reaffirms India as China counterweight despite trade rifts, Pakistan concerns

State Department official stresses New Delhi’s role in the Indo-Pacific, even as tariffs and Russian oil disputes strain ties.

9
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (right) meets with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on Monday. Photo: AFP
China-Middle East relations

New Saudi-Pakistan pact signals evolving alliances amid rising US-China tension

Riyadh looking to ‘put its eggs in different baskets’ given doubts over US commitment in the region, analysts say.

videocam
4
Pakistan

Saudi Arabia-Pakistan defence pact sends nuclear umbrella signal to Israel

Pakistan has also called for a military alliance of Arab and Islamic states modelled after Nato amid rising regional tensions.

Middle East

Saudi Arabia and Pakistan sign defence pact amid growing wariness over US

An Israeli attack on Qatar last week has heightened concerns about Washington’s reliability as a security guarantor in the region.

videocam
5
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif embrace at the signing of a defence agreement, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Wednesday. Photo: Saudi Press Agency via Reuters
China trade

China, Pakistan pledge stronger tech and trade cooperation amid US charm offensive

Agriculture, space and trade top the agenda during Pakistani prime minister’s visit to Beijing.

videocam
Premier Li Qiang meets with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on Thursday. Photo: Xinhua
SCO

Xi’s diplomatic blitz casts new light on China’s foreign policy

Chinese president’s meetings this week with several key leaders highlight Beijing’s shifting overseas priorities.

videocam
China’s military

China’s display of military might adds muscle to Xi diplomacy

More than 10,000 troops and an array of cutting-edge weaponry paraded through Beijing, commemorating the end of World War II and showing off China’s growing military strength.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement