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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.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif addresses a special session of the National Assembly in Islamabad on May 7 after India and Pakistan exchanged heavy artillery fire along their contested frontier. Photo: AFP
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.

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Pakistan

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

Pakistan

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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SCO

Foreign leaders ride the rapid rails of China’s tech prowess after SCO summit

Blazing from Tianjin to Beijing on China’s signature high-speed railway, several state leaders are given a glimpse of rapid and lucrative modernisation efforts.

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Nepali Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli arrives in Beijing on Tuesday. He is among more than a dozen state leaders who took a high-speed train to Beijing this week to attend Wednesday’s Victory Day parade. Photo: Xinhua
India

Floods leave 34 dead in Indian-controlled Kashmir, 150,000 displaced in Pakistan

India’s dam releases and heavy monsoon rains have caused major rivers to swell, leaving many villages inundated across Pakistan’s Punjab province.

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India-Pakistan tensions

Pakistan positions new rocket force to match India’s missile capabilities

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the unit will prove to be a milestone in strengthening the army’s combat potential.

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Azerbaijan

From colony to kingmaker: Azerbaijan redraws Eurasia’s balance of power

The ex-Soviet republic aims to play a bigger role in the Caucasus and is willing to upset Moscow and Tehran in the process, analysts say.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev (right) with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during their meeting on the sidelines of the 17th Summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization in Azerbaijan on July 4. Photo: Azerbaijani Presidential Press Office/AP
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