FO spokesperson says unaware of US president's visit to Pakistan
The FO spokesperson said this when he was asked by Reuters to confirm the report aired by local media, citing sources, about Trump's expected visit to Islamabad in September later this year.
Citing sources familiar with the matter, the news channels also said that Trump would visit India as well after arriving in Islamabad in September.
On the other hand, US president has accepted an invitation from King Charles III to join him and Queen Camilla for a second state visit, an unprecedented move which has been confirmed by Buckingham Palace.
Trump will be accompanied by his wife, Melania Trump, during the visit scheduled from September 17 to 19. They will be hosted at Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace said.
This marks Trump's second state visit to the UK, the first of which was in 2019, when he was hosted by Queen Elizabeth II during his first term in office.
President Trump-COAS Munir meeting
US-Pakistan relations saw a major boost when Trump hosted Pakistan's army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir at the White House last month in an unprecedented meeting.
Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan Munir met with US President Trump in a high-level engagement that began with a luncheon in the Cabinet Room and continued with a visit to the Oval Office.
According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), President Trump was accompanied by Secretary of State Senator Marco Rubio, and Steve Witkoff, the US Special Representative for Middle Eastern Affairs. Field Marshal Munir was joined in by Pakistan's National Security Advisor.
During the meeting, the chief of army staff conveyed the deep appreciation of the government and people of Pakistan for President Trump's constructive and result-oriented role in facilitating a ceasefire between Pakistan and India in the recent regional crisis.
The COAS acknowledged President Trump's statesmanship and his ability to comprehend and address the multifaceted challenges faced by the global community.
President Trump, in turn, lauded Pakistan's ongoing efforts for regional peace and stability and appreciated the robust counter-terrorism cooperation between the two states. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to continued collaboration in the field of counter-terrorism.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
an hour ago
- Express Tribune
Visa exemption for Pakistani officials, diplomats traveling to UAE now in effect
The United Arab Emirates has formally implemented a visa exemption for Pakistani diplomatic and official passport holders, effective July 25, 2025, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar confirmed on Sunday. Announcing the development on the social media platform X, Dar said the move follows a bilateral agreement signed in Abu Dhabi on June 24, 2025, during his meeting with UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan. 'We both agreed to grant visa exemptions to holders of diplomatic and official passports and signed a Memorandum of Understanding to bring this into effect,' Dar stated. 'The signed MoU came into force 30 days after the signing date.' In my meeting at Abu Dhabi on 24th June 2025 with my brother Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of UAE, His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, we agreed mutual visa waivers on diplomatic and official passports between our two brotherly countries and we both… — Ishaq Dar (@MIshaqDar50) July 27, 2025 Dar confirmed that UAE authorities have now fully activated the waiver, allowing holders of diplomatic and official passports to enter the UAE without a visa. He also noted that, under the reciprocal arrangement, UAE citizens will now be granted visa-free entry at all Pakistani airports. The agreement is expected to ease official travel and strengthen diplomatic ties between Pakistan and the UAE. Last month, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on mutual exemption of visa entry requirements among other agreements during the 12th session of the Pakistan-UAE Joint Ministerial Commission held in Abu Dhabi. The session was co-chaired by Pakistan's deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs, Senator Ishaq Dar, and the UAE's minister of foreign affairs and international cooperation, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The two countries signed different agreements aimed at enhancing cooperation in areas such as investment, artificial intelligence and the digital economy, reported Radio Pakistan. Read: Pakistan, UAE reaffirm commitment to peace The meeting was held in a spirit of mutual understanding and brotherhood, with both sides exchanging views on regional and international developments. They reaffirmed their commitment to peace and stability in the region.
Express Tribune
an hour ago
- Express Tribune
Israel announces daily pauses in Gaza fighting as aid airdrops begin
An airplane drops humanitarian aid over Gaza as seen from northern Gaza Strip July 27, 2025. Photo: Reuters Listen to article Israel said on Sunday it would halt military operations for 10 hours a day in parts of Gaza and allow new aid corridors as Jordan and the United Arab Emirates airdropped supplies into the enclave, where images of starving Palestinians have alarmed the world. Israel has been facing growing international criticism, which the government rejects, over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and indirect ceasefire talks in Doha between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas have broken off with no deal in sight. Military activity will stop from 10 am to 8 pm (0700-1700 GMT) until further notice in Al-Mawasi, a designated humanitarian area along the coast, in central Deir al-Balah and in Gaza City, to the north. Jordan and the United Arab Emirates parachuted 25 tons of aid into the Gaza Strip on Sunday in their first airdrop in months, a Jordanian official source said. Read More: Gaza bound aid ship intercepted as Israel announces partial humanitarian pause The official said the air drops were not a substitute for delivery by land. Palestinian health officials in Gaza City said at least 10 people were injured by falling aid boxes. The military said designated secure routes for convoys delivering food and medicine will also be in place between 6 am and 11 pm starting from Sunday. UN aid chief Tom Fletcher said staff would step up efforts to feed the hungry during the pauses in the designated areas. Welcome announcement of humanitarian pauses in Gaza to allow our aid through. In contact with our teams on the ground who will do all we can to reach as many starving people as we can in this window. — Tom Fletcher (@UNReliefChief) July 27, 2025 "Our teams on the ground ... will do all we can to reach as many starving people as we can in this window," he said on X. Health officials at Al-Awda and Al-Aqsa Hospitals in the central Gaza Strip said Israeli firing killed at least 17 people and wounded 50 waiting for aid trucks on Sunday. Israel's military did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Dozens of Gazans have died of malnutrition in recent weeks, according to the Gaza Health Ministry in the Hamas-run enclave. Also Read: UNRWA belittles Gaza aid airdrops proposal The ministry reported six new deaths over the past 24 hours due to malnutrition, bringing the total deaths from malnutrition and hunger to 133 including 87 children. On Saturday, a five-month-old baby, Zainab Abu Haleeb, died of malnutrition at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, health workers said. "Three months inside the hospital and this is what I get in return, that she is dead," said her mother, Israa Abu Haleeb, standing next to the baby's father as he held their daughter's body wrapped in a white shroud. The Egyptian Red Crescent said it was sending more than 100 trucks carrying over 1,200 metric tons of food to southern Gaza on Sunday. A Palestinian official source said on Sunday afternoon that trucks were still being inspected at Kerem Shalom and had not yet entered Gaza. Aid groups said last week there was mass hunger among Gaza's 2.2 million people and international alarm over the humanitarian situation has increased, driving French President Emmanuel Macron's decision to recognise a Palestinian state in September. Palestinians carry aid supplies that entered Gaza through Israel, in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, July 27, 2025. Photo: Reuters A group of 25 states including Britain, France and Canada last week condemned the "drip feeding of aid" and said Israel's denial of essential humanitarian aid was unacceptable. Israel, which cut off aid to Gaza from the start of March and reopened it with new restrictions in May, says it is committed to allowing in aid but must control it to prevent it from being diverted by militants. It says it has let enough food into Gaza during the war and blames Hamas for the suffering of Gaza's people. Israel and the US appeared on Friday to abandon ceasefire negotiations with Hamas, saying the militants did not want a deal. Hope, uncertainty Many Gazans expressed some relief at Sunday's announcement, but said fighting must end permanently. "People are happy that large amounts of food aid will come into Gaza," said Tamer Al-Burai, a business owner. "We hope today marks a first step in ending this war that burned everything up." Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would continue to allow the entry of humanitarian supplies whatever path it took, and it was making progress on both fighting and negotiations. "We will continue to fight, we will continue to act until we achieve all of our war goals - until complete victory," he said. Read: Six killed, scores injured in Indian temple stampede Hamas denounced the Israeli measures to allow more aid into Gaza, saying Israel was continuing its military offensive. "What is happening isn't a humanitarian truce," said Hamas official Ali Baraka in a statement on Sunday. Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said the aid decision was made without his involvement. He called it a capitulation to Hamas' deceitful campaign and repeated his call to choke off all aid to Gaza, conquer the territory and encourage Palestinians to leave. A spokesperson for Netanyahu did not immediately respond to a question about Ben-Gvir's comments. The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led fighters stormed southern Israel, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies. Since then, Israel's offensive has killed nearly 60,000 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to Gaza health officials, reduced much of the enclave to ruins and displaced nearly the entire population.
Express Tribune
5 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Trump accuses Kamala Harris of paying Beyoncé and Oprah for illegal campaign endorsements
President Donald Trump has accused Vice President Kamala Harris and the Democrats of violating campaign finance laws by allegedly paying celebrities for political endorsements during the 2024 presidential election. In a post on Truth Social, Trump claimed that Harris spent millions to secure public backing from prominent figures, including singer Beyoncé, TV host Oprah Winfrey, and civil rights activist Al Sharpton. He asserted that these endorsements were financially motivated rather than genuine. He went on to describe the alleged payments as 'totally illegal' and demanded legal action. 'Kamala and all of those who received endorsement money BROKE THE LAW. They should all be prosecuted,' Trump wrote. He warned that if such practices became normalized, public outrage would be inevitable. Trump's latest comments come as he faces criticism over his handling of case files related to Jeffrey Epstein, the late financier at the center of multiple investigations. He has dismissed the scrutiny as politically driven and described the ongoing probe as a 'con job' by Democrats to distract from his presidency. According to The Hill, Trump has directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to pursue the release of grand jury testimonies involving Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell in response to rising public pressure for transparency—including from his own MAGA supporters. The president made the statements while visiting Scotland, where he played golf at his Turnberry resort alongside U.S. Ambassador Warren Stephens and his son Eric Trump. His visit triggered protests nationwide, with hundreds gathering outside the U.S. Consulate in Edinburgh to voice their opposition. Demonstrators criticized both Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer over a new U.S.-U.K. trade agreement. Trump has continued to defend his administration's performance, calling the past six months 'the BEST in Presidential history.'
