https://www.scmp.com/rss/521040/feed The latest news on Asif Ali Zardari, Pakistani politician and 14th president of Pakistan, including Pakistan politics news and updates. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Associated Press Associated Press Pakistan’s president on Saturday warned neighbouring Afghanistan’s Taliban government that it had “crossed a red line” by launching drone attacks on civilian areas in Pakistan and said the administration in Kabul had brought “grave consequences upon itself”. The statement by Asif Ali Zardari was the latest in what has become the deadliest fighting yet between the two neighbours. The cross-border clashes, which erupted late last month, have shown no signs of abating despite efforts by China and... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3346619/afghan-talibans-drone-attacks-civilians-crossed-red-line-pakistan-warns?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3346619/afghan-talibans-drone-attacks-civilians-crossed-red-line-pakistan-warns?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Mar 2026 13:30:08 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A suicide bomber backed by a group of gunmen rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into the wall of a security post after troops signalled for it to stop in a former Pakistani Taliban stronghold in northwestern Pakistan, causing part of the compound to collapse and killing 11 soldiers and a child, the military and police said on Tuesday. The military said in a statement that the attackers had sought to breach the checkpoint overnight but were thwarted by security forces. It said troops later pursued... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3343839/11-soldiers-1-child-killed-pakistan-after-explosive-laden-vehicle-rams-security-post?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3343839/11-soldiers-1-child-killed-pakistan-after-explosive-laden-vehicle-rams-security-post?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Feb 2026 12:44:11 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is poised to recalibrate Dhaka’s ties with India, Pakistan and China, while also addressing US concerns over Beijing’s growing influence in South Asia, following its decisive victory in Thursday’s general election. Analysts said this foreign policy agenda aligned with the party’s focus on economic development, even as it aimed to restore law and order after months of political unrest. The BNP said on social media that it had won enough parliamentary seats... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3343508/bangladeshs-bnp-set-balance-ties-regional-powers-us-avoid-crossing-red-line?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3343508/bangladeshs-bnp-set-balance-ties-regional-powers-us-avoid-crossing-red-line?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Feb 2026 11:08:15 +0000 Zhao Ziwen Zhao Ziwen Pakistan is eyeing Chinese laser weapons, according to a former senior commander. “In the coming days, high-energy directed weapons will be more prominent… I think the world is going towards this transition. Pakistan would love to see some integration [with China] into this area,” Ahmed Saeed, president of the National Institute of Maritime Affairs, said on the sidelines of Beijing’s Xiangshan Forum on Friday. China’s LY-1 shipborne laser was among the weapons on display in this month’s parade... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3326563/pakistan-interested-chinese-laser-weapons-former-navy-commander-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3326563/pakistan-interested-chinese-laser-weapons-former-navy-commander-says?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Sep 2025 13:00:10 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari has become the first foreign state leader to visit China’s largest military aviation manufacturer, pledging stronger defence industry ties between Islamabad and Beijing, according to Pakistan’s presidential office. On Sunday, Zardari visited the advanced aircraft complex of China’s state-owned aerospace and defence giant, Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), in Chengdu, touring the production line that produces the J-10C fighter jet that played a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3325609/pakistan-president-pledges-deeper-china-defence-ties-during-rare-jet-factory-visit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3325609/pakistan-president-pledges-deeper-china-defence-ties-during-rare-jet-factory-visit?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Sep 2025 10:29:43 +0000 Zhao Ziwen Zhao Ziwen Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has pledged his country’s continued support for Pakistan and urged an acceleration of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship Belt and Road Initiative infrastructure project. In a whirlwind series of meetings with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other senior officials in Islamabad on Thursday, Wang also vowed to improve security collaboration to counter the country’s long-standing terrorism threats, which have often targeted Chinese... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3322761/fm-wang-yi-urges-faster-progress-towards-china-pakistan-economic-corridor-20?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3322761/fm-wang-yi-urges-faster-progress-towards-china-pakistan-economic-corridor-20?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Aug 2025 06:00:15 +0000 The Pakistan-China relationship has historically been central to South Asian geopolitics. Over time, this bond has evolved from a security-centric alliance into a partnership encompassing infrastructure and technology. The two countries align on global forums such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation while managing geopolitical challenges, particularly Afghanistan’s stability, and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) remains the backbone of their economic engagement. Despite deep... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3299191/indo-pacific-realities-mean-pakistan-china-alliance-can-only-deepen?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3299191/indo-pacific-realities-mean-pakistan-china-alliance-can-only-deepen?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Feb 2025 21:30:08 +0000 Chinese President Xi Jinping opened the ninth edition of the Asian Winter Games on Friday, an event he said he expected to be “distinctly Chinese, uniquely Asian and spectacular”. The ceremony again highlighted the technology and artistry which have become a hallmark of first nights when the country hosts major sporting events – this time marrying 8K Ultra HD screens with what was described as a “poetic journey from Harbin to China and across Asia”. With a crowd numbering in the thousands,... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3297744/asian-winter-games-speed-skater-lam-skier-yung-hong-kong-flag-bearers-opening-ceremony?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3297744/asian-winter-games-speed-skater-lam-skier-yung-hong-kong-flag-bearers-opening-ceremony?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Feb 2025 05:08:25 +0000 Catch up on some of SCMP’s biggest China and economy stories of the day. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. China to impose tariffs of 10% to 15% on some US products China has unveiled strong retaliatory measures against the US as the two countries brace for a renewed trade war. Beijing on Tuesday announced it would impose punitive tariffs of 10 to 15 per cent on some US products from February 10. 2. As DeepSeek’s open-source model stuns world, will... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3297301/chinas-tariffs-us-russia-and-deepseek-scmp-daily-catch?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3297301/chinas-tariffs-us-russia-and-deepseek-scmp-daily-catch?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Feb 2025 13:00:08 +0000 Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari will start a five-day visit to China on Tuesday, with counterterrorism and economic cooperation expected to top the agenda. “At the invitation of President Xi Jinping, President Asif Ali Zardari of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan will pay a state visit to China from February 4 to 8,” the Chinese foreign ministry said on Monday, without offering further details. Zardari’s trip comes as Pakistan grapples with security and economic problems that also challenge... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3297160/china-pakistan-ties-presidents-focus-terrorism-and-economy-amid-security-issues?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3297160/china-pakistan-ties-presidents-focus-terrorism-and-economy-amid-security-issues?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Feb 2025 04:00:08 +0000 Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s reported cancellation of a trip to Pakistan at India’s urging reflects Jakarta’s dilemma in balancing its growing ties with the two South Asian rivals, analysts say. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had invited Prabowo to attend India’s Republic Day celebrations on January 26 as the chief guest, Indian media reported. New Delhi has not responded to the reports of Prabowo’s visit. The date, however, would clash with Prabowo’s planned visit to Pakistan later... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3294910/indonesias-prabowo-facing-pressure-india-skip-pakistan-after-new-delhi-visit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3294910/indonesias-prabowo-facing-pressure-india-skip-pakistan-after-new-delhi-visit?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Jan 2025 12:04:49 +0000 The Chinese embassy in Pakistan has urged its citizens to reconsider travel plans to the country following a deadly attack near Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport that killed two Chinese workers and injured several others. In a statement on Monday, the embassy advised Chinese citizens to avoid travelling to the southwest province of Balochistan and the northwest province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which have seen a surge in attacks targeting Chinese personnel and projects. The explosion occurred... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3281585/china-warns-against-pakistan-travel-wake-deadly-blast-near-karachi-airport?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3281585/china-warns-against-pakistan-travel-wake-deadly-blast-near-karachi-airport?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Oct 2024 12:08:11 +0000 A roadside bomb hit a convoy of foreign diplomats visiting northwest Pakistan on Sunday, killing a police officer in their security detail, police said. Swat district police officer Zahidullah Khan said the diplomats were visiting the Swat valley area on the invitation of the local chamber of commerce to showcase it as a potential tourist destination. “The squad that was leading the convoy was hit by a roadside bomb,” he said. Another four police officers were wounded, Khan said. No one has so... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3279525/attack-foreign-diplomats-pakistan-kills-police-officer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3279525/attack-foreign-diplomats-pakistan-kills-police-officer?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Sep 2024 15:43:05 +0000 Two separate bus crashes hours apart in Pakistan on Sunday left at least 36 people dead and dozens more injured, officials said. The first happened when a bus carrying Shiite Muslim pilgrims returning from Iraq through Iran fell from a highway into a ravine in southwest Pakistan, killing at least 12 people and injuring 32 others, police and officials said. The driver lost control on the Makran coastal highway when the brakes failed, while passing through Lasbela district in Balochistan province,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3275841/two-bus-crashes-pakistan-leave-least-36-people-dead-officials-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3275841/two-bus-crashes-pakistan-leave-least-36-people-dead-officials-say?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Aug 2024 14:06:40 +0000 A letter by senior judges in Pakistan has sent shock waves through the country as it alleged that the nation’s powerful intelligence agency had used intimidation tactics and torture to sway their rulings, including in cases against former prime minister Imran Khan – allegations that the Supreme Court will soon investigate. The letter – signed by the six senior judges of the Islamabad High Court and addressed to the nation’s Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa – outlined the judges’ concerns regarding... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3258535/pakistans-intelligence-agency-using-intimidating-scare-tactics-judges-sway-rulings?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3258535/pakistans-intelligence-agency-using-intimidating-scare-tactics-judges-sway-rulings?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Apr 2024 13:00:24 +0000 Pakistan’s ministry of foreign affairs described air strikes its military carried out on Monday as “intelligence-based anti-terrorist operations in the border regions inside Afghanistan”, after seven Pakistani soldiers were killed in an attack by Taliban rebels based in the neighbouring country. Monday’s operation specifically targeted the Hafiz Gul Bahadur militant faction, a Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) affiliate which claimed responsibility for Saturday’s lethal attack against a Pakistani... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3255823/pakistan-air-strikes-target-taliban-rebel-camps-afghanistan-after-7-killed-terrorist-attack?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3255823/pakistan-air-strikes-target-taliban-rebel-camps-afghanistan-after-7-killed-terrorist-attack?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Mar 2024 09:45:43 +0000 The 19-member cabinet of Pakistan’s newly elected Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was sworn into office on Monday and held its first meeting. The prime minister appointed several top government posts and promised to tackle the country’s unrelenting economic crisis. Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari administered the oath of office to the ministers at the presidential office in the capital of Islamabad, with Sharif there. Sharif was elected as prime minister by the parliament on Sunday, a month... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3255009/pakistan-swears-newly-elected-prime-minister-shebaz-sharifs-19-member-cabinet?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3255009/pakistan-swears-newly-elected-prime-minister-shebaz-sharifs-19-member-cabinet?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Mar 2024 20:35:38 +0000 Pakistan on Saturday elected Asif Ali Zardari, the widower of slain first female prime minister Benazir Bhutto, as the country’s 14th president for next five years. Zardari, the co-chairman of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), becomes the first civilian who is elected as president for a second term. He completed his first five-year term in 2013. According to unofficial results announced by his son and PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Zardari secured 411 votes after winning in national and three... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3254810/pakistan-elects-asif-ali-zardari-widower-slain-first-female-pm-benazir-bhutto-president-second-time?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3254810/pakistan-elects-asif-ali-zardari-widower-slain-first-female-pm-benazir-bhutto-president-second-time?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 09 Mar 2024 13:34:49 +0000 On March 3, Shehbaz Sharif was elected as Pakistan’s new prime minister. A member of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), he was a joint candidate of an eight-party coalition for the post. The general election, held on February 8, resulted in a split mandate, with no single party securing a simple majority to form a government. Candidates backed by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, won 93 seats, followed by the PML-N and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) with 75 and 54 seats... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/asia/article/3253872/what-pakistans-political-changes-mean-china-us-and-india?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/asia/article/3253872/what-pakistans-political-changes-mean-china-us-and-india?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 Mar 2024 21:30:20 +0000 It has been widely observed that 2024 is packed full of elections. Seven of the world’s 10 most populous nations – Bangladesh, India, the United States, Indonesia, Pakistan, Russia, Mexico – are going or have already gone to the polls. In total, almost half of the world population will hold elections. A democratic deficit or democracy’s triumph? Perhaps it’s worth noting that quantity is not the same as quality. For example, the re-election of Vladimir Putin next month in Russia seems like a... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3252830/revenge-rich-and-powerful-families-democracy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3252830/revenge-rich-and-powerful-families-democracy?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Feb 2024 13:00:10 +0000 Pakistan’s coalition government formed after a deeply controversial election is not expected to last, analysts said, but major creditors such as China and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will stay the course on current ties despite concerns over further instability. After the February 8 polls, the country’s powerful military-led establishment herded together six political parties to form the next government – an arrangement observers say is likely to unravel long before its five-year term... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3252220/why-pakistans-unstable-coalition-wont-faze-china-imf-everyone-understands-army-charge?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3252220/why-pakistans-unstable-coalition-wont-faze-china-imf-everyone-understands-army-charge?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Feb 2024 12:00:19 +0000 Shehbaz Sharif will be the nominee for Pakistan’s next prime minister to lead a new coalition alliance formed between different parties, a spokeswoman said on Tuesday after national elections last week returned a hung parliament. The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) on Tuesday said it would support Sharif’s party to form a minority government, ending a stalemate after inconclusive elections in the nuclear-armed nation lead to days of political uncertainty. A spokesman for Sharif’s party, Marriyam... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3251875/pakistan-election-coalition-nominate-shehbaz-sharif-prime-minister-bid-break-deadlock?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3251875/pakistan-election-coalition-nominate-shehbaz-sharif-prime-minister-bid-break-deadlock?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Feb 2024 19:26:52 +0000 What Pakistan’s stricken economy most needed from a troubled election campaign was a decisive result that would have boosted the authority of a new government to deal with a financial crisis. As its largest creditor, close ally and Belt and Road Initiative partner, China has an abiding interest. But no party won a majority of seats to enable it to rule in its own right, despite the military-led establishment’s backing for former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3251786/pakistan-can-ill-afford-costly-power-vacuum?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3251786/pakistan-can-ill-afford-costly-power-vacuum?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Feb 2024 00:00:38 +0000 Pakistan’s general election on Thursday has produced a hung parliament, setting the stage for the formation of a weak coalition government whose first job will be to negotiate fresh financial bailouts from the International Monetary Fund and China. Independent candidates backed by jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party have overcome strenuous efforts by the country’s military-run establishment to form the single largest grouping in the National Assembly,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3251609/pakistan-set-coalition-rule-after-troubled-election-ex-pm-sharif-trails-rival-khan-and-china-imf?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3251609/pakistan-set-coalition-rule-after-troubled-election-ex-pm-sharif-trails-rival-khan-and-china-imf?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 Feb 2024 03:47:27 +0000 Former Pakistani prime ministers and bitter rivals Nawaz Sharif and Imran Khan both declared victory on Friday in elections marred by delayed results and militant attacks, throwing the country into further political turmoil. Sharif’s party won the most seats by a single party in Thursday’s election, but supporters of imprisoned Khan, who ran as independents instead of as a single bloc after his party was barred from the polls, won the most seats overall. Sharif said his party would talk to other... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3251540/pakistan-election-ex-pm-nawaz-sharifs-party-close-race-allies-jailed-imran-khan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3251540/pakistan-election-ex-pm-nawaz-sharifs-party-close-race-allies-jailed-imran-khan?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Feb 2024 07:46:42 +0000 As the political fortunes of Pakistan’s former leader Imran Khan sink following a military-led crackdown, foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari could emerge as a prime minister candidate after having reportedly proved his “mettle” to the generals. Bhutto Zardari’s Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) is expected to rope in many former members of the national and provincial assemblies who have recently deserted Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party under pressure from the country’s all-powerful... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3222361/imran-khans-star-wanes-pakistans-military-pushing-bilawal-bhutto-zardari-prime-minister?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3222361/imran-khans-star-wanes-pakistans-military-pushing-bilawal-bhutto-zardari-prime-minister?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 31 May 2023 01:45:16 +0000 Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will arrive in China on Saturday for a two-day visit, the latest in a series of high-level exchanges between the two sides. He will attend the first in-person talks between the two nations since the new Pakistani government was sworn in three weeks ago, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Friday. It follows a phone conversation between Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday. Chinese... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3178589/pakistans-new-foreign-minister-visit-china-latest-high-level?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3178589/pakistans-new-foreign-minister-visit-china-latest-high-level?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 May 2022 23:00:24 +0000 Strategically located in South Asia, Pakistan has played an important role in global geopolitics since gaining independence from Britain in 1947. Yet, having been predominantly ruled by the military, which has been involved in toppling three civilian governments, Pakistan has never had the best of luck with its prime ministers – not one has finished their entire term of office. This time has been no different. Imran Khan lost a no-confidence vote earlier this month, put in motion by an... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3174805/pakistan-faces-uncertain-future-khans-ousting-paves-way-return?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3174805/pakistan-faces-uncertain-future-khans-ousting-paves-way-return?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Apr 2022 01:15:11 +0000 Pakistan is seeking to expand its relations with both the United States and China, the chief of the country’s powerful army said, two days after Prime Minister Imran Khan accused the Biden administration of planning to oust his government by backing a no-confidence vote against him in parliament. “We have a history of long and excellent strategic relationship with the US, which remains our largest export market,” General Qamar Javed Bajwa said in a speech at a forum in Islamabad. “Pakistan... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3172905/pakistan-broaden-ties-us-and-china-russian-aggression-against?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3172905/pakistan-broaden-ties-us-and-china-russian-aggression-against?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 Apr 2022 02:39:31 +0000 Pakistan’s opposition parties moved a no-confidence motion seeking the ouster of Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday, accusing him of mismanaging the economy and poor governance in the toughest challenge he has faced since taking power in 2018. The move comes after the opposition, led by the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), rallied thousands of supporters to demonstrate against Khan, raising the prospect of political turmoil in the nuclear-armed nation. “Resign in 24 hours and face us in an... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3169754/pakistan-opposition-seeks-pm-imran-khans-ouster-no-confidence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3169754/pakistan-opposition-seeks-pm-imran-khans-ouster-no-confidence?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Mar 2022 21:30:26 +0000