New Delhi: Pakistan High Commissioner Salman Bashir on Friday met India's Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma in Delhi and discussed economic and trade relations between the two countries.
Bashir had a "useful exchange of views on a broad range of subjects pertaining to economic and trade cooperation between Pakistan and India", the Pakistan High Commission said in a statement.
Sources said both countries wanted to resume talks on commercial and trade cooperation as a new government headed by Nawaz Sharif is now fully ensconced in Islamabad after pivotal elections in May 2013.
Pakistan is yet to implement its decision to accord New Delhi the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status to normalise trade....
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04:15 AM, Jun 15, 2013
Islamabad: Pakistan and China on Friday signed a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in energy, mass transit, industrial cities and road projects. The MoU was signed by officials of Pakistan's Water and Power Ministry and China's Norinco International in the presence of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. A Chinese delegation headed by Norinco's vice president Wang Yitong is currently visiting Pakistan. According to the MoU, Norinco and the Pakistan government will...
03:11 AM, Jun 15, 2013
New Delhi: Having welcomed new Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's statements on the need to build bilateral relations, New Delhi is also looking forward to Islamabad implementing its commitment on granting India Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status. India is looking forward to Pakistan implementing its commitment on granting it MFN status when their commerce secretaries meet later in 2013, said an official source on Thursday. Pakistan has missed a Dec...
05:37 AM, Jun 14, 2013
Islamabad: US Secretary of State John Kerry will visit Pakistan in June 2013, marking the first high-level contact between the two countries since the new government led by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif assumed office last week. This will also be Kerry's first visit to Islamabad since taking office. Shortly before Sharif was sworn in as premier, US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan James Dobbins visited Pakistan for talks with...
12:57 AM, Jun 14, 2013
Islamabad: Pakistan's cash-strapped new government announced a hefty 15 per cent hike in its defence budget to Rs 627 billion, with the powerful Army getting the lion's share of the outlay. The government increased the allocation for defence in its budget for fiscal 2013-14 to Rs 627 billion (about $ 6.32 billion), marking an increase of little more than 15 per cent over the outlay for the current fiscal. The...
03:06 AM, Jun 13, 2013
Karachi: Former Test batsman and coach Mohsin Khan on Wednesday said that he would be meeting with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to demand the sacking of Pakistan Cricket Board and team officials for their failure to bring about improvement in the national side. An emotional Mohsin, who was removed as head coach in March last year, said he was appalled at the state of affairs in Pakistan cricket. "The way...
11:18 PM, Jun 12, 2013
Islamabad: Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has called for bringing an end to political confrontations to effectively deal with the daunting challenges being faced by the country. "We cannot afford confrontation and need reconciliation," said President Zardari while addressing a joint session of the parliament on Monday, being attended by new Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and other elected members. The president's address marked the beginning of the first parliamentary year...
05:10 AM, Jun 11, 2013
Islamabad: Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in his speech to the first cabinet meeting on Monday condemned the US drone attacks as violation of national sovereignty. Sharif has been critical of the drone attacks in the country's tribal regions since he assumed office as the prime minister last week, reported Xinhua. The CIA-controlled drone operation carried out one strike in North Waziristan only two days after Sharif became the prime...
04:20 AM, Jun 11, 2013
Islamabad: Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday said he is ready to facilitate the withdrawal of foreign troops from neighbouring Afghanistan but US drone strikes in his country "must stop" as they are a violation of sovereignty. Sharif made the remarks during a meeting with visiting German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle. The two leaders discussed bilateral relations and the regional situation. "Drone attacks are violating our sovereignty as well...
12:27 AM, Jun 09, 2013
Islamabad: On the instructions of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, US Charge d' Affaires was summoned on Saturday by Pakistan's Foreign Office to lodge protest against a drone strike carried out in the restive tribal belt killing nine people. The move comes two days after Sharif, who also holds foreign affairs portfolio, called for an end to the campaign by the CIA-operated spy planes. "The US Charge d' Affaires, Ambassador Richard...
06:47 PM, Jun 08, 2013
Islamabad: With Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif deciding to retain the foreign affairs portfolio, former minister Sartaj Aziz will play a crucial role as his advisor in charting a way forward on issues like relations with India and the US. The Cabinet Division has notified the appointment of the 84-year-old Aziz as Advisor to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs. Aziz served as both finance and foreign minister...
05:35 PM, Jun 08, 2013
This week on WorldView: Turkey erupts in protests - what sparked the latest Arab street uprising? And PM Nawaz Sharif's uphill battle on ties with India - an exclusive interview with Pakistan's former Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar. ...
02:21 PM, Jun 07, 2013
Islamabad: In one of his first decisions after assuming charge, Pakistan's new Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has changed the name of his office. "Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has decided to rename the Prime Minister's Secretariat as Prime Minister's Office with immediate effect," said a brief statement issued by the premier's media office. Nasir Mahmood Khosa, a senior bureaucrat from Punjab province, has been appointed the Secretary to the Prime Minister....
12:25 PM, Jun 06, 2013
While Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi opposes the proposed NCTC, accusing the Centre of playing big brother, the government launches its counter attack saying Modi wants to bring back POTA and TADA back. ...
10:31 PM, Jun 05, 2013
Islamabad: Nearly 14 years after being deposed in a military coup and forced into exile, Nawaz Sharif was on Wednesday sworn in as Pakistan's Prime Minister for a record third term, as he vowed to revive the country's ailing economy and called for an end to the controversial US drone strikes. Sixty-three-year-old Sharif was sworn in by President Asif Ali Zardari at a function at the presidency this evening after...
07:21 PM, Jun 05, 2013
Islamabad: Fourteen years after he was deposed in a military coup and forced into exile, PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif is set to become Prime Minister for an unprecedented third term at a time when Pakistan is grappling with massive challenges ranging from an economic meltdown to a Taliban insurgency. Sharif, 63, will be formally elected as premier during a session of the new National Assembly. Later in the day, Sharif...
02:15 PM, Jun 05, 2013
New Delhi: Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan Sharat Sabharwal on Wednesday will attend the swearing-in ceremony of PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif as the new Prime Minister of that country. Terming the swearing-in ceremony as a "local event", External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid on Tuesday maintained that there was no invitation from Pakistan. "As I understand, I think, it is a local event. Missions will all be represented. I am not...
09:32 AM, Jun 05, 2013
Islamabad: Nawaz Sharif will be formally elected by the the members of Pakistan's National assembly on Wednesday evening and will be sworn in by Pakistani President Zardari. With the swearing in, Nawaz Sharif who won May 2013 polls by a huge majority, will formally take charge of the government. Also to be present at the swearing in will be India's high commissioner to pakistan who will be representing the Indian...
07:45 AM, Jun 05, 2013
Islamabad: Nawaz Sharif will be sworn in for a record third term as Pakistan's Prime Minister on Wednesday after he is formally elected to the post and a very small cabinet comprising close aides is expected to take oath along with him. India's High Commissioner to Pakistan will represent the government at Sharif's swearing-in ceremony on Wednesday in Islamabad. The decision to depute Sharat Sabharwal was taken by the PMO....
05:19 PM, Jun 04, 2013
Islamabad: Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari says he will not seek another presidential term after his present five-year period expires in September 2013, Xinhua reported on Sunday. Zardari made the remark in an interview with editors, which will be aired late on Sunday night, according to a media report. Zardari's Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) faced defeat in the general elections in the centre and three provinces and has formed government...
04:34 AM, Jun 03, 2013
