PA K I S TA N , U S A G R E E T O S T R E N G T H E N T I E S T H R O U G H E N H A N C E D T R A D E
g PM SHEHBAZ LAUDS PRESIDENT TRUMP ’S BOLD AND DECISIVE LEADERSHIP DURING TELEPHONE FROM US SECRETARY OF STATE
PM highlights Pak istan’s role in Iran-Israel ceasefire
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Pakistan would continue to play a constructive role in bringing peace to the Middle East While appreciating these efforts, Secretary Rubio said the US would like to work with Pakistan to promote peace and stability in the region US tightens visa rules for Pakistanis In related development on Thursday, Pakistani applicants for the F, M, or J categories of non-immigrant visas were advised by the United States consulates in Karachi and Lahore to make their social media accounts public for vetting according to a report The instructions followed similar advice issued by the US Embassy in New Delhi earlier this week The move came after President Donald Trump’s administration ordered the resumption of student visa appointments accompanied by significantly stricter social media vetting of applicants Effective immediately, all individuals applying for an F, M, or J non-immigrant visa are requested to adjust the privacy settings on all of their social media accounts to public to facilitate
vetting necessary to establish their identity and admissibility to the United States ” the consulates said in an Instagram post The post stated that since 2019 the US has required visa applicants to provide social media identifiers on immigrant and non-immigrant visa application forms It added that applicants must fill out social media identifiers and account handles for each platform on the application form
QINGDAO, CHINA
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India on Thursday as reported by local media refused to sign a joint document during a high-level Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) huddle being held in China due to it mentioning terrorist activities in Pakistan’s Balochistan and lack of reference to the Pahalgam incident which saw several tourists being killed in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK)
According to the Times of India Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh attended the SCO Defence Ministers meeting held in Qingdao which brought together 10 member states ministers including those from Russia, China, India and Pakistan The huddle decided to not issue a joint statement over lack of consensus on the terrorism issue
The development comes a day after Pakistan s Foreign Office clarified that Defence Minister Khawaja Asif will be representing Islamabad at the SCO moot, however there was no scheduled meeting between him and his Indian counterpart Singh
The clarification followed claims by Turkish media that there was a possibility of a meeting be-
tween Pakistani and Indian defense ministers marking the first such incident after the recent armed conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, which saw both sides carrying out cross-border strikes Earlier National Security Advisor (NSA) Lt Gen Asim Malik attended the 20th meeting of the secretaries of the Security Council of SCO Member States on Tuesday in Beijing, China
In addition to interacting with Chinese leadership during the visit the NSA delivered an important speech reiterating Pakistan s stance on the global, and regional situation and contributions to peace and security, besides meetings with key leadership of SCO countries to enhance bilateral and security cooperation
Speaking at the SCO meeting Singh accentuated New Delhi s concerns regarding terrorism and urged the member countries to take a principled stance on the matter, reported NDTV
The biggest challenges in our region are related to peace security and trust deficit [ ] India believes that reformed multilateralism can help build cooperation to prevent conflict between countries by creating mechanisms for dialogue and collaboration the Indian defence czar said Refrain from politicising antiterrorism efforts’
Supreme Cour t rules arrests of taxpayers without determining tax liabilities are illegal
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strategic incentives to US firms However, economic experts caution that any agreement must be carefully structured A zero-tariff deal sounds attractive but must be thoroughly assessed for sectoral impact Pakistan must ensure reciprocity and strategic protections for its key industries ” said a senior Islamabad-based trade analyst While the Ministry of Commerce has
