NEW YORK: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has reaffirmed Tehran’s acceptance of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and expressed willingness to advance the agreement, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said following their meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
Speaking to journalists on Wednesday, the prime minister said Pakistan’s political and military leadership remained united in its commitment to accelerating peace efforts outlined in the Islamabad MoU.
The meeting took place amid heightened regional tensions, particularly around the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab, where recent developments have raised concerns over maritime security and regional stability.
Pakistan and Iran Discuss Regional Peace Efforts
Prime Minister Shehbaz said the situation in the two strategically important waterways required friendly countries to coordinate their efforts to reduce tensions.
He told President Pezeshkian that restoring regional peace had become an urgent priority and that Pakistan would continue working with Iran and other friendly nations towards that objective.
According to the prime minister, the Iranian president appreciated Islamabad’s diplomatic efforts and confirmed that Tehran continued to support the Islamabad MoU.
Shehbaz said Pezeshkian considered the agreement acceptable to Iran and agreed that further progress was necessary.
The prime minister reiterated that Pakistan would maintain its engagement with Iran, describing it as a neighbouring and brotherly country.
He also credited cooperation between Pakistan’s political and military leadership for progress on the diplomatic front and improvements in economic stability.
Makkah Defence Accord Discussed With Iranian President
During the interaction with journalists, Shehbaz confirmed that he had briefed President Pezeshkian on developments concerning the Makkah defence accord.
Asked whether Iran had been taken into confidence regarding the agreement, the prime minister said the matter had been discussed during their meeting.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif subsequently clarified that although Pakistan had discussed the accord with Iran, Tehran had not formally joined it.
He said Iran could become a member in the future, noting that several other countries had also expressed interest in the arrangement.
According to the defence minister, participating countries were still establishing the accord’s secretariat, after which further details would be considered.
Prime Minister Raises Concerns Over Terrorism From Afghanistan
Responding to a question about Pakistan’s security situation, Shehbaz said terrorist attacks inside the country were originating from Afghanistan.
He alleged that militants operating from Afghan territory had killed Pakistani civilians, soldiers and police personnel.
The prime minister condemned the attacks and said Pakistan was responding to terrorism and would continue its campaign against the threat.
Pakistan and European Union Review Bilateral Cooperation
Earlier, the prime minister met European Council President António Luís Santos da Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
The discussions covered the full range of Pakistan’s relations with the European Union, including trade, economic cooperation and continued engagement under the EU’s Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+).
According to the Prime Minister’s Office, both sides expressed satisfaction with the growing frequency of high-level exchanges and the progress in bilateral engagement.
Shehbaz emphasised the importance of sustained interaction between senior leaders to strengthen cooperation and provide direction to the relationship.
He reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to expanding its partnership with the European Union and fully implementing the Pakistan-EU Strategic Engagement Plan.
Pakistan and Bangladesh Agree to Strengthen Bilateral Relations
In a separate meeting, Prime Minister Shehbaz held discussions with his Bangladeshi counterpart, Tarique Rahman.
The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation across several sectors, including trade, investment, connectivity, education and tourism.
They also discussed expanding people-to-people contacts as part of efforts to deepen relations between the two countries.
Pakistani Business Community in US Invited to Invest
The prime minister also met Pakistani business leaders and professionals based in the United States and encouraged them to explore investment opportunities in Pakistan.
The delegations included individuals associated with information technology, artificial intelligence, automobiles, energy, construction and other industries.
Shehbaz assured them that the government was working to create a business-friendly environment and facilitate investment.
He said reforms introduced in the Federal Board of Revenue had helped address several difficulties faced by the business community.
In another meeting with representatives of the Pakistani diaspora and young professionals in the United States, the prime minister invited suggestions for improving different sectors of the economy.
He encouraged overseas Pakistanis to contribute to the country’s development and highlighted government initiatives aimed at empowering young people through information technology, artificial intelligence and modern professional skills.
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Four civilians killed in Pakistani strikes in Afghanistan, Taliban says
Afghanistan’s Taliban government said a wave of Pakistani air strikes had killed four civilians in the latest escalation between the two sides.
The strikes hit provinces including Kandahar, the Taliban’s base of power, sources told the BBC. A resident told AFP news agency they heard a jet, followed by a large explosion and then a fire in the city.
Pakistan said its forces had struck 10 targets in Afghanistan, without specifying their locations, adding the strikes were “strictly limited to identified military objectives”.
It’s the second wave of Pakistani air strikes on Afghan territory in the past week, and comes after a deadly attack on a police facility in Pakistan on 18 September.
In a statement, the Taliban said there would be an “appropriate response” following the attack, while Pakistan said any further “provocative act” would be responded to.
Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the attacks were in Afghanistan’s Kandahar, Paktia and Khost provinces.
In Paktia, an official said jets had bombed the Afghan Armed Forces’ 203 Mansouri Corps, which is controlled by the Taliban, without providing any information on casualties.
In Khost, a spokesman said houses were damaged in the strikes, with no casualties reported. Abdullah, a local eyewitness, told Reuters news agency the strikes happened around midnight.
“People were shouting, and there was panic all around,” he said. “Afterwards, the village elder arrived and called out to the houses, asking if anyone was killed. Thankfully, no one was killed.”
Another local, Salamat Khan, told Reuters that “there is no military base here, nor are there any military personnel”, adding “there are only the homes of ordinary civilians”.
EPA
A Taliban security official inspects the scene of Pakistani air strikes in Khost
Zabihullah Mujahid labelled the attack as “reckless, careless, and hostile”, and said it “will have adverse consequences for the Pakistani military”.
Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the strikes were “deliberate, precise, calibrated, and proportionate, and strictly limited to identified military objectives directly linked to the attempted attacks against Pakistan”.
The Taliban and Pakistan had enjoyed three months of relative calm, until fighting reignited following an in north-western Pakistan last week, which killed at least 31 people, according to AFP.
A group linked to , which has waged a violent campaign against Pakistan for years, claimed the attack.
Islamabad has accused Kabul of harbouring the TTP. Afghanistan’s Taliban government denies this, saying militancy is Pakistan’s internal problem.
Following the attack on the police facility, Pakistan said earlier this week it launched air strikes in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region, killing 28 militants.
Farid Dehqan, a spokesman for the Taliban government in Kunar province, told the BBC that three people were killed and four others were injured in the strike. The UN mission Unama also confirmed that at least three civilians were killed.
Kunar Police Office
An attack in Afghanistan’s Kunar province has killed at least three civilians, according to the UN
Then on Wednesday, Pakistan said it detected drones launched from Afghanistan into its territory and that all of them were “neutralised”. Taliban officials denied that their government had launched drones against Pakistan that day.
Unama said in July that cross-border armed violence between Taliban government forces and Pakistani security forces killed at least 499 civilians and wounded 1,216 others between October 2025 and June 2026.
The worst single incident occurred in March, when in a Pakistani air strike on Kabul, which the Afghan Taliban said hit a drug rehabilitation centre. Islamabad denied the charge, saying it “precisely targeted military installations and terrorist support infrastructure”.
The neighbouring countries had agreed a ceasefire in March, but international mediation has failed to produce a lasting resolution.
During a meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly earlier this week, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar called for “concrete and verifiable” measures to ensure that Afghan territory is not used for “terrorism”. REPHRASE ENGLISH
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Taliban Report Four Civilian Deaths as Pakistan Launches Fresh Airstrikes Across Afghanistan
KABUL: Afghanistan’s Taliban government says four civilians have been killed in a new round of Pakistani airstrikes, marking another escalation in tensions between the neighbouring countries following renewed cross-border violence.
The strikes reportedly targeted several Afghan provinces, including Kandahar, the Taliban leadership’s principal centre of power.
Sources told the BBC that Kandahar was among the areas hit. A resident told AFP that they heard a military aircraft before a powerful explosion shook the city and a fire broke out.
Pakistan confirmed conducting strikes against 10 locations inside Afghanistan but did not identify their precise locations. Islamabad maintained that the operation was restricted to military targets linked to attempted attacks against Pakistan.
The latest operation was Pakistan’s second round of airstrikes on Afghan territory within a week and followed a deadly assault on a police facility in northwestern Pakistan on September 18.
Taliban Warn of Response as Pakistan Defends Military Operation
The Taliban government warned that it would respond to the latest strikes, while Pakistan said any further action it considered provocative would receive a firm response.
Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid identified Kandahar, Paktia and Khost as the provinces targeted in the Pakistani operation.
He condemned the strikes as reckless and hostile, warning that they would have consequences for the Pakistani military.
Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar defended the operation, describing the strikes as carefully planned, precise and proportionate.
According to Tarar, the attacks were confined to identified military objectives directly associated with attempted attacks against Pakistan.
Afghan Officials Report Damage in Paktia and Khost
In Paktia province, an Afghan official said Pakistani aircraft had bombed the 203 Mansouri Corps of the Taliban-controlled Afghan Armed Forces.
The official did not provide information about possible casualties at the military installation.
In Khost, a provincial spokesman reported damage to residential properties but said there had been no casualties in the area.
Local residents described scenes of fear and confusion following the overnight strikes.
Abdullah, an eyewitness interviewed by Reuters, said the attacks occurred around midnight, prompting residents to shout and seek information about possible casualties.
He said a village elder subsequently visited homes to check whether anyone had been killed. According to Abdullah, no deaths were reported in his village.
Another resident, Salamat Khan, disputed the suggestion that the area contained military targets.
He told Reuters that there were no military bases or personnel in the locality and that the buildings were ordinary civilian homes.
Deadly Police Compound Attack Reignited Hostilities
Pakistan and Afghanistan had experienced approximately three months of relative calm before violence resumed following an attack on a mosque inside a police compound in northwestern Pakistan last week.
According to AFP, the September 18 attack killed at least 31 people.
A group associated with Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has carried out attacks against Pakistan for years, claimed responsibility.
Islamabad has repeatedly accused Afghanistan’s Taliban government of providing sanctuary to TTP militants responsible for attacks inside Pakistan.
Kabul rejects the allegation and maintains that militancy is Pakistan’s internal security problem.
Following the police compound attack, Pakistan announced earlier this week that it had conducted airstrikes in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region, claiming to have killed 28 militants.
Afghan officials disputed the account.
Farid Dehqan, a spokesman for the Taliban administration in Kunar province, told the BBC that three people had been killed and four others injured in the strikes.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) also confirmed that at least three civilians had died.
Pakistan Claims Afghan Drones Were Intercepted
The latest Pakistani operation followed Islamabad’s announcement on Wednesday that its air defence systems had detected drones entering Pakistani territory from Afghanistan.
Pakistani authorities said all the drones had been neutralised before reaching their intended targets.
Taliban officials denied that their government had launched drones against Pakistan that day.
The conflicting accounts have added to the dispute over responsibility for the latest escalation.
UN Reports Heavy Civilian Toll From Cross-Border Violence
The renewed fighting comes against the backdrop of substantial civilian casualties recorded during previous clashes between Pakistani security forces and Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities.
In July, UNAMA reported that cross-border armed violence had killed at least 499 civilians and injured another 1,216 between October 2025 and June 2026.
One of the deadliest incidents occurred in March, when more than 269 people were killed in a Pakistani airstrike on Kabul, according to a UNAMA report.
The Taliban government alleged that the strike had hit a drug rehabilitation centre.
Pakistan denied targeting the facility, maintaining that its operation had been directed against military installations and infrastructure supporting militant activity.
Ceasefire Fails to Produce Lasting Resolution
Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed to a ceasefire in March, but subsequent international mediation efforts have not produced a durable settlement.
The latest airstrikes demonstrate the continuing fragility of relations between the two countries, particularly over militant activity, border security and the use of military force.
During a meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly earlier this week, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar called for concrete and verifiable measures to ensure that Afghan territory was not used for terrorism.
Islamabad continues to demand action against militants it says operate from Afghanistan, while Kabul denies harbouring anti-Pakistan groups and objects to Pakistani military operations on its territory.
