Blaze News - Pakistan

Pakistan has sent fighter jets and other military forces to Saudi Arabia to boost security under a defence pact between the two countries, the kingdom's defence ministry said on Saturday. In September 2025, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a landmark “Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement”, declaring that “any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both”. The pact was signed during Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to Riyadh at the invitation of Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. Read: KSA assures Pakistan of financial support Saudi Arabia's defence ministry said in a statement today ​that Pakistani fighter jets and support aircraft had arrived at the King ⁠Abdulaziz Air Base in the country's Eastern Province. “The Pakistani force consists of fighter and support aircraft belonging to the Pakistan Air Force, with the aim of enhancing joint military coordination,” the statement said, adding th...

Israeli and Lebanese officials are expected to meet in Washington next week as United States President Donald Trump seeks to calm weeks of Israeli fighting with Hezbollah that has threatened to derail a fragile US-Iran ceasefire. Both sides are under pressure from Trump to bring about an ​end to the fighting, a key demand by Iran in parallel talks due this weekend in Pakistan. Who is fighting and why? Israel intensified its air attacks on Lebanon after Hezbollah ‌fired missiles at Israel on March 2, three days into the US-Israeli war on Iran. It has since widened a ground invasion into Lebanon's south, ordering hundreds of thousands of Lebanese to flee villages it views as Hezbollah strongholds. At least 1,888 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Lebanon, while at least two Israelis have been killed by Hezbollah rocket fire. The current war followed a round of fighting in 2024 that saw the US broker a deal aimed at disarming Hezbollah. Since then, ​Lebanon's government...

United States President Donald Trump held a “tense” phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, CNN reported on Friday. Citing a US and Israeli source familiar with the matter, CNN reported the conversation came shortly before Israel announced it would seek direct ceasefire talks with Lebanon. The Israeli source told CNN that Netanyahu came to understand that if he did not call for direct talks with Lebanon, Trump might simply declare a ceasefire. The call marked at least the third conversation between the two leaders this week in which Lebanon featured prominently. Earlier in the week, they spoke ahead of Trump announcing a two-week ceasefire with Iran. During that exchange, Netanyahu reportedly urged that Lebanon not be included in the broader framework. According to CNN, a day later, Trump pressed Netanyahu to scale back Israeli strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon, following reports from Lebanese health authorities that 303 people were killed in Israeli a...

Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal are experiencing dramatic political transitions, each ushering in genuinely new governing orders rather than the familiar 'old wine in new bottles' reshuffles. These shifts carry consequences not only domestically but across the broader South Asian region. Sri Lanka's transition, the earliest of the three, was driven by systemic economic collapse that persisted despite heavy borrowing from China. The election of a reformist government emerging from the mass protest movement marked a decisive break from the dynastic politics of the Rajapaksa era. While India and multilateral agencies provided crucial financial and humanitarian assistance during the crisis, this goodwill has not translated into policy alignment. Colombo's new leadership emphasises sovereignty, transparency and a break from dependency politics, yet the country still struggles to restore economic stability without imposing further hardship on its population. In Bangladesh, th...

One of Pakistan’s most famous sister duos, Mawra Hocane and Urwa Hocane, recently premiered on a local morning show to talk about Mawra’s much-discussed on-screen emotional performances and crying scenes. Host Nida Yasir praised Mawra, who is well-known for her ability to look graceful even while crying. “No one looks as beautiful in our industry crying”, said Nida. Urwa added “More than just being pretty, she does it in a way where the other person feels those emotions. You start crying with her”. Mawra shared that, in the beginning, she felt unsure about receiving such compliments. “People would say, oh you look so pretty when you cry. I used to wonder, should I say thank you?” When asked if this trait came from childhood, Uwra revealed that Mawra had the cutest “thick tears and doll-like face” growing up, which often made it impossible for their mother to refuse her requests. Mawra also touched on her emotions on set, recalling a moment when a song she used to listen to with her bro...

Nearly six weeks of war in Iran have ended, for now, with US President Donald Trump claiming victory, but the US-Iran ceasefire locks in a harsh reality: an entrenched, radical government with control over the Strait of Hormuz and a powerful lever over global energy markets and Gulf rivals, analysts say. The shockwaves have rippled outward, contributing to global economic strains and bringing conflict to Gulf neighbours whose economies depend on stability. "This war will be remembered as Trump's grave strategic miscalculation. One whose consequences reshaped the region in unintended ways," Middle East scholar Fawaz Gerges told Reuters. Before the war, the Strait - a narrow passage carrying around a fifth of the world’s oil and gas - was formally treated as an international waterway. Iran monitored it, harassed shipping and intermittently intercepted vessels, but it stopped short of asserting outright control. In the new reality, Tehran has moved from shadowing tankers to ...