Regional
Pakistan PM visits Turkish embassy amid ongoing relief efforts
As the world rallies in support of earthquake-stricken Turkey, leaders of multiple countries have reached out to Turkish officials to express condolences and to offer support in their time of need.
Among those has been Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif who visited the Turkish Embassy in Islamabad on Monday to pay his respects.
Sharif was accompanied by Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Minister for Economic Affairs Sardar Ayyaz Sadiq, and Minister for Law Azam Nazeer Tarrar, among others.
This comes after another plane carrying humanitarian aid from Pakistan landed in Turkey on Sunday. The PIA flight delivered five tonnes of relief goods.
A PIA spokesman confirmed that the airline had transported a 51-member rescue team to Turkey in the past week, along with a total so far of about 72 tonnes of relief assistance.
“The relief flights are being operated by Boeing-777 aircraft from Lahore and Islamabad,” he said, adding PIA is actively participating in the relief activities on behalf of the government of Pakistan.
In his visit on Monday to the Turkish embassy in Islamabad, Sharif assured the Turkish Ambassador Mehmet Paçaci “that in these testing times, the government and the people of Pakistan stand in strong solidarity with the people of Turkiye.”
According to a statement issued by his office, Sharif reiterated that “Pakistan will continue its rescue and relief efforts for Turkish brothers and sisters until the last affected person is rehabilitated”.
He also highlighted the relief efforts of Pakistan for the earthquake victims of Turkey. In turn, Paçaci thanked the people of Pakistan for their support.
United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan arrived in Islamabad on Friday on his first official visit to Pakistan, at the invitation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Geo News reported.
He was received by Prime Minister Sharif and senior officials, with his aircraft escorted by Pakistan Air Force jets upon entering Pakistani airspace. The UAE president is accompanied by a high-level delegation.
According to Pakistan’s Foreign Office, the visit aims to review bilateral relations and discuss regional and international issues of mutual interest.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has signaled that the country will continue developing missiles over the next five years, following visits to major munitions enterprises in the last quarter of 2025, state media KCNA reported on Friday.
Kim said the country’s missile and shell production sector is “of paramount importance in bolstering war deterrence,” according to KCNA.
The report said Kim ratified draft documents on the modernization of key munitions enterprises, which will be submitted to a major ruling party congress expected to be held in early 2026. The congress is set to outline North Korea’s development plan for the next five years.
KCNA’s report follows Thursday’s disclosure that Kim oversaw the construction of an 8,700-ton nuclear-powered submarine alongside his daughter, widely seen as a potential successor, as well as the test-firing of long-range surface-to-air missiles.
Turkish authorities have detained 115 suspected Daesh members they said were planning to carry out attacks on Christmas and New Year celebrations in the country, the Istanbul chief prosecutor’s office said on Thursday.
Istanbul Police obtained information that Daesh members had planned attacks in Turkey, against non-Muslims in particular, during Christmas and New Year celebrations, the prosecutor’s office posted on X, Reuters reported.
The police raided 124 places in Istanbul, capturing 115 of the 137 suspects they were seeking, the statement said. Several pistols and ammunition were seized, it said.
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