Islamabad: China's top leadership has assured its support to Pakistan in countering terrorism, promoting national action plan, ensuring security of its people and stability of the country.

The assurance was given by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang in a condolence message addressed to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in which they condemned the terrorist attack in a mosque in Peshawar.

Both leaders expressed condolences on behalf of Chinese government and people to the families of those martyred in the incident and conveyed best wishes for speedy recovery of the injured.

President Xi said China is ready to deepen counter-terrorism cooperation with Pakistan for peace and security in the region and the world.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif thanked the Chinese President and the Premier for their expression of solidarity.

Islamabad: Pakistan expects sincere cooperation from the Afghan interim government to address the challenge of terrorism and hopes that Afghanistan will live up its commitments made with the international community and Pakistan in this regard, Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch stated while replying to a question during her weekly news briefing in Islamabad on Thursday.

She said: “Terrorism is a common threat to both Pakistan and Afghanistan and we must take a strong stand against such entities that use violence against innocent citizens and law enforcement agencies”.

The Spokesperson expressed Pakistan's resolve to root out the evil of terrorism and safeguard the security of every citizen.

Mumtaz stated: “We do not believe in accusations or finger pointing. However, we would reiterate our expectations that no country should allow its territory to be used for perpetrating terrorism against Pakistan,” adding that, it is time that the commitments made to the world are fulfilled with sincerity and in good faith actions.

Responding to another question, the spokesperson added, “Pakistan has a foreign policy that prioritizes developing good relations with all countries”.

“We have constructive dialogue with all countries, including Russian Federation, the United States, the European Union, and our neighbors,” Baloch added.

She said bilateral relations with Russia, including economic cooperation, will further deepen in future.

Mumtaz Zahra Baloch informed that Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar will undertake a two-day visit to Sri Lanka from tomorrow.

Zahra further added, “The Minister of State will participate in the 75th Independence Day of Sri Lanka as a Guest of Honour. In addition to attending the Independence Day events, she will call on the Sri Lankan leadership and hold a meeting with the Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka”.

The Spokesperson further said: “Pakistan and Sri Lanka have historic ties that have grown steadily in all aspects of bilateral cooperation”.

We also have worked closely in multilateral forums including SAARC. The visit of the Minister of State would contribute to enhanced understanding between the two countries and signal Pakistan's support for Sri Lanka in a difficult time.

Lahore: Pakistan cricket team captain Babar Azam Thursday shared his pictures on social media after receiving the International Cricket Council (ICC) award and captioned it as: “You are your own magic”.

The national team captain conducted a special photo shoot at home with his trophies and caps he received in 2021 and 2022.

The photos include ICC Test, One Day International (ODI) and T20 Team of the Year caps and all three trophies.

You are your own magic 🪄 pic.twitter.com/2VO1c4YZLn

— Babar Azam (@babarazam258) February 2, 2023

Soon after sharing the images, Babar's friends, colleagues and fans starting congratulating him for the success. 

It is pertinent to note that Babar Azam was included in the ICC Test and ODI Team of the Year in 2021. He also received the ODI Player of the Year award in 2021.