Islamabad: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif received Turkiye’s new Ambassador Mehmet Pacaci today.

The Prime Minister felicitated the Ambassador on his appointment and extended best wishes to him for a successful term in Pakistan.

The Prime Minister stated that Pakistan-Turkiye fraternal ties were unparalleled in inter-state relations in terms of mutual trust, understanding and mutual support on each other’s national causes. He expressed hope that during the Ambassador’s tenure, bilateral cooperation will be further strengthened, especially in the trade and investment domains. 

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed gratitude for Turkiye’s steadfast support on Jammu and Kashmir dispute and reiterated Pakistan’s commitment on Turkiye’s core interests.

Recalling his visit to Turkiye in June 2022, the Prime Minister conveyed that he was looking forward to welcoming President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for the 7th session of High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSCC) in Pakistan in September 2022.

The Prime Minister also highlighted the significance of 75th anniversary of Pakistan-Turkiye diplomatic relations and underscored the importance of celebrating this milestone in a befitting manner through commemorative events in both countries.

Peshawar: In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, one police personnel was martyred while four others including two citizens got severely injured in a hand grenade blast on a Police check post in Mardan on Thursday.

According to Rescue 1122, the injured have been shifted to the nearby hospital.

Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mahmood Khan has strongly condemned the incident and sought a report in this regard from the Police authorities.

He directed the authorities concerned to take necessary steps for immediate arrest of the culprits involved in the incident.

Gilgit: Pakistan army, since Wednesday, is coordinating a high risk rescue operation to evacuate stranded mountaineers Shehroze Kashif and Fazal Ali who are stuck at Nanga Parbat.

According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Pakistan army aviation helicopters and a ground search team comprising high-altitude porters are employed to rescue the mountaineers.

Pakistan army aviation pilots, in a daring attempt, flew two helicopter missions despite bad weather conditions but couldn't pick up the mountaineers due to dense clouds and very high altitude.

Meanwhile, the ground search team is also nearing stranded mountaineers who are currently at Camp-3 at 21000 feet of height.

The army aviation pilots will fly again on Thursday subject to weather conditions as ground team attempt to rescue the mountaineers to Camp-2.