Author: MM Report

Pakistan condemned India and select Afghan factions for stoking division and threatening regional stability, warning of serious consequences for South Asia’s fragile peace MM Report TEHRAN: A high-level meeting of Special Representatives from Afghanistan’s neighboring countries was held in Tehran on 14 December 2025, bringing together officials from Iran, Pakistan, China, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Russia to discuss developments in Afghanistan and the broader challenges facing the region. The gathering came amid growing concerns over security threats, migration pressures, and political instability that have increasingly affected South Asia. Iran, as host, urged a region-led approach to Afghanistan, warning against external…

Sharif emphasized the potential for a stronger economic partnership, highlighting the importance of enhancing both overland and maritime connectivity MM Report ASGHABAT: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met Turkmenistan’s President Serdar Berdymukhamedov in Ashgabat on Thursday, underlining the enduring bond between the two nations and signaling a renewed focus on economic collaboration. The discussions, described by officials as cordial and forward-looking, sought to deepen trade ties and enhance regional connectivity at a time when both countries are exploring ways to expand their influence in South and Central Asia. He emphasized the historical and fraternal nature of Pakistan-Turkmenistan relations, noting that decades…

MM Report BEIJING: China unveiled a new diplomatic initiative at the United Nations this week, forming a bloc it called the “Friends of Global Governance” in a bid to present itself as a steward of a fairer international order. The grouping, launched under President Xi Jinping’s broader foreign-policy vision, brought together a cluster of states long critical of Western influence in multilateral forums, including Iran, Cuba, Pakistan, Venezuela and North Korea. Beijing framed the initiative as an attempt to inject what it described as “China’s wisdom” into global decision-making at a time of deepening geopolitical polarization. Sources claimed that China…

MM Report DOHA: Pakistan has announced it will allocate $154 million to support global efforts to eradicate polio, during an international summit held in Abu Dhabi. The gathering saw pledges totaling $1.9 billion from international donors, with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation contributing $1.2 billion to the cause. The Mohamed bin Zayed Foundation pledged $140 million, while Germany, the United States, and Japan committed $62 million, $46 million, and $6 million respectively. Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Planning and Development, Ahsan Iqbal, said the country has accelerated its polio vaccination campaigns. Iqbal highlighted that efforts are being intensified in Khyber…

MM Report DOHA: Pakistan has announced it will allocate $154 million to support global efforts to eradicate polio, during an international summit held in Abu Dhabi. The gathering saw pledges totaling $1.9 billion from international donors, with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation contributing $1.2 billion to the cause. The Mohamed bin Zayed Foundation pledged $140 million, while Germany, the United States, and Japan committed $62 million, $46 million, and $6 million respectively. Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Planning and Development, Ahsan Iqbal, said the country has accelerated its polio vaccination campaigns. Iqbal highlighted that efforts are being intensified in Khyber…

MM Report KABUL: Afghan Taliban officials have asserted that there is broad support among the country’s population for the Islamic Emirate’s stance on Pakistan, seeking to quell earlier concerns about potential economic fallout from the tense bilateral relations. In recent statements, the Taliban maintained that despite rising political tensions, there has been no immediate disruption to daily life or commerce for ordinary citizens on either side of the border. Analysts and local officials noted that while the rhetoric has been heated, practical impacts on trade and movement have so far been limited. Humanitarian concerns, however, have prompted urgent calls from…

Pakistan secures pivotal $1.75 billion financing for $7.7 billion Reko Diq project, signalling major international confidence in its mineral ambitions MM Report ISLAMABAD: Pakistan achieved a significant milestone in the development of the Reko Diq gold and copper project, edging closer to a financial closure that experts say could have far-reaching implications for the country’s economy. Officials confirmed that half of the $3.5 billion required to advance the $7.7 billion project had been secured, including a landmark $1.25 billion approval from the US Export-Import Bank (US EXIM), a development described by analysts as a major vote of international confidence in…

China’s mammoth Brahmaputra hydropower project risks widening India’s $100 billion trade deficit, subtly tying New Delhi to Beijing’s sprawling infrastructure ambitions MM Report BEJING: China has initiated construction on what is set to become the world’s largest hydropower dam along the Brahmaputra River, raising alarm in India over potential environmental and economic consequences. The massive project, designed to generate an unprecedented 60,000 megawatts of electricity, is expected to block as much as 80 percent of the river’s flow before it reaches Indian territory, threatening the water security of states such as Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, and other downstream regions. The dam,…

The Jirga warned that any future assault on civilians or security officials would be met with direct retaliation, declaring that communities would now take revenge into their own hands MM Report BAJAUR: A drone strike on the home of a Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial assembly member triggered a rare and unusually forceful tribal mobilization in Bajaur, where the Salarzai tribe convened a jirga and asked the government to maintain security in one of the most volatile border districts. The gathering, held deep in the tribal belt and attended by elders, political figures and local influencers, became a forum for frustration that…

MM Report ISLAMABAD/KABUL: Recent tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have disrupted regional trade, leading to the suspension of transit access for Afghan pomegranate exports through Pakistani ports. Traders say large quantities of pomegranates have been left stranded after trucks were denied passage at border crossings. According to Pakistani officials, the decision was influenced by Islamabad’s concerns over security issues and militant activity originating from Afghan territory. Pakistan has repeatedly accused Kabul of failing to prevent cross-border terrorism by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and of allowing groups hostile to Pakistan to operate from within Afghanistan. Acting as an Indian proxy, Afghan…