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PAKISTAN, BAHRAIN REAFFIRM DEEPENING BILATERAL TIES, DEFENCE PARTNERSHIP Thursday, 27 November, 2025 | 5 Jamadiul Sani, 1447
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PM SHEHBAZ MEETS KING HAMAD BIN ISA AL KHALIFA, EMPHASIZING HISTORIC BROTHERLY RELATIONS IN DIVERSE FIELDS
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CONGRATULATES BAHRAIN ON LONGSTANDING SUPPORT FOR PAKISTAN AND PARDON OF PAKISTANI PRISONERS
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PM, Bahrain Crown Prince discuss boosting trade, security ties MANAMA/ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday met Crown Prince of Bahrain Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa at Al-Qudaibiya Palace, underscoring the commitment of both nations to strengthen bilateral economic, strategic, and people-to-people ties. The meeting highlighted avenues for enhanced cooperation across trade, investment, defence, education, and humanitarian initiatives, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minis-
ter’s Office (PMO). The prime minister was received with a ceremonial guard of honour upon his arrival. During the meeting, he thanked the Crown Prince for Bahrain’s warm hospitality and lauded the Kingdom’s leadership in fostering enduring bilateral relations. He also congratulated Bahrain on securing a non-permanent seat at the UN Security Council for the 2026–2027 term, affirming Pakistan’s readiness for close coordination during its tenure.
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Rs 20.00 | Vol XVI No 141 | 8 Pages | Karachi Edition
TWO LEADERS AGREE TO BOOST BILATERAL TRADE UNDER PAKISTAN–GCC FREE TRADE AGREEMENT
KING CONFERS ORDER OF BAHRAIN (FIRST CLASS) ON PRIME MINISTER SHEHBAZ ISLAMABAD/MANAMA Staff RepoRt
RIME MINISTER Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday reaffirmed Pakistan’s steadfast commitment to strengthening ties with the Kingdom of Bahrain, emphasizing the historic, brotherly relations rooted in shared faith, mutual respect, and longstanding cooperation. The prime minister, on a two-day official visit, held high-level engagements with Bahrain’s leadership to further elevate strategic, economic, and people-to-people ties, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). Upon his arrival at Bahrain International Airport, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was warmly received by Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Alzayani, and senior officials. A ceremonial guard of honour was presented by the Bahrain Armed Forces, highlighting the warmth and goodwill extended to the visiting dignitary, said a Foreign Office statement. During his meeting with King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa at the AlQudaibiya Palace, the prime minister commended Bahrain’s leadership in promoting peace, tolerance, and coexistence, and thanked the King for his country’s
longstanding support for Pakistan, including the pardon of Pakistani prisoners. He also acknowledged Bahrain’s role in the establishment of the King Hamad University for Nursing and Allied Medical Sciences in Islamabad, inaugurated in September 2025, and welcomed recent high-level exchanges between the two nations, the FO statement added. On economic cooperation, Prime Minister Shehbaz highlighted the potential to expand bilateral trade, currently poised to grow under the Pakistan–GCC Free Trade Agreement, now in its final stages. He invited Bahraini investors to explore opportunities through the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), particularly in food security, IT, construction, mining, healthcare, tourism, and renewable energy. The prime minister also stressed further collaboration in energy, technology, education, and culture, along with enhanced port and logistical linkages, the FO said. The leaders reaffirmed the importance of the enduring defence partnership, agreeing to strengthen cooperation in training, logistics, manpower, and defence production. They also discussed developments in Gaza, emphasizing that long-overdue peace and stability are essential for the people of the region who have suffered for decades.
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COAS Munir, Iran’s NSA Larijani discuss counterterrorism, regional cooperation RAWALPINDI
Staff CoRReSpondent
Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir met Iran’s top security official Ali Ardeshir Larijani on Wednesday, underscoring the need for enhanced counter-terrorism cooperation between the two neighbours. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Larijani — secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) — called on the army chief at General Headquarters, where both sides discussed bilateral security issues and the evolving geopolitical environment. Reaffirming Pakistan’s commitment to regional peace, COAS Munir stressed “closer collaboration with Iran to combat terrorism” and highlighted the expanding significance of strategic partnership in light
of current regional dynamics. Iran and Pakistan share a lengthy but sensitive border where militant groups have periodically launched attacks on both sides, prompting deeper coordination between the two security establishments. Tehran has also offered to mediate between Islamabad and Kabul amid heightened cross-border tensions. Earlier this month, during Iranian Parliament Speaker Dr Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf’s visit to Islamabad, both countries had pledged to intensify joint efforts against terrorism. The ISPR said Wednesday’s meeting centred on strengthening bilateral ties, regional stability and enhancing cooperation. Larijani acknowledged Pakistan’s “vital role in ensuring regional peace” and expressed Iran’s intent to advance security and political engagement.
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RAWALPINDI
Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, NI (M), HJ, Chief of Army Staff (COAS), on Wednesday underscored that despite externally supported militancy and information-centric warfare, Pakistan’s Armed Forces, intelligence agencies, and law-enforcement institutions continue to demonstrate unwavering professionalism and resolve to safeguard national security, according to a press release
LAHORE
Staff RepoRt
PML-N supremo and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday demanded accountability for those responsible for bringing Imran Khan to power, asserting that they were bigger “criminals” than the PTI founder himself, emphasizing that past governance failures had left deep scars on the country. Addressing a gathering of the lawmakers elected recently in the by-elections, Nawaz said that holding these actors accountable is essential for Pakistan’s political stability and future progress. “Imran Khan was not the only criminal; the ones who brought him to power were the bigger criminals, and they should be held fully accountable,” Nawaz stated. Recalling the 2018 general elections, Nawaz highlighted that PTI had emerged as the largest party, winning 115 of 270 National Assembly seats, according to the Election Commission of Pakistan. He referenced allegations of rigging raised by PML-N leader Shehbaz Sharif, noting 1.6 million rejected votes and the discovery of ballot papers in gutters and streets nationwide. “You know their narrative well— they called others robbers and dacoits while they were the bigger robbers themselves,” Nawaz said. He further remarked that the people now understand the chaos, anarchy, and slander propagated by the previous government. “Can a country progress under such circumstances and with such people residing in corridors of power?” he asked, stressing the impact of mismanagement on national development. Nawaz recalled that prior to the 2018 shift in power, Pakistan was on a path of progress with low inflation and higher growth rates.
PTI marks ‘D-Chowk massacre’ anniversary, slams ‘unending state repression’
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ISLAMABAD
Staff RepoRt
issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). According to the military’s media wing, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir was speaking to the participants of the National Security Workshop-27 (NSW-27) visited the General Headquarters (GHQ) where they received detailed briefings on Pakistan’s regional and internal security landscape and the prevailing national security environment.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Wednesday marked the first anniversary of what it described as the “D-Chowk massacre,” renewing its condemnation of the deadly state crackdown on peaceful party workers on 26 November 2024. The party said the grim anniversary served as a painful reminder of the day when a barrage of bullets tore through its protest camp in Islamabad, leaving several workers “martyred” and dozens seriously injured, describing the incident as an “unhealed wound on the nation’s conscience” and a “stark symbol of what they called unchecked state aggression.” In a stronglyworded statement issued on the occasion, PTI Central Information Secretary (CIS) Sheikh Waqas Akram paid what he called the party’s “highest and most heartfelt tribute” to the workers who lost their lives. He said their sacrifices stood as “enduring beacons” that continued to illuminate the movement, asserting that “no power or force” would be able to extinguish them. “The cycle of oppression, fascism, and tyranny will eventually end,” he added, “for dawn always follows even the longest night.” He said the day underscored how ruthlessly fundamental rights, constitutional protections, and democratic freedoms had been trampled by those wielding state power without accountability. The anniversary, he stressed, was not only an occasion for grief but a reminder of the ongoing battle for political rights and civil liberties.
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COAS: Armed Forces maintain unwavering professionalism, resolute in safeguarding national security Staff RepoRt
Nawaz calls for accountability of those who ‘aided and abetted’ Imran to power