Dar delivered Pakistan’s statement at the High-Level International Meeting on the Two-State Solution, titled “The Road Ahead: One Year After the New York Declaration and the Comprehensive 20-point Peace Plan”, the Foreign Office (FO) said.

The meeting was convened by France’s President Emmanuel Macron, Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney, and the UK’s PM Andy Burnham. The opening statements were also delivered by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres.

Highlighting several initiatives that Pakistan has been a part of on the Palestine issue, Dar said: “Ultimately, all these efforts must converge on one objective: ending the occupation and realising the Palestinian people’s inalienable right to self-determination.”

He reiterated Islamabad’s call for an independent, sovereign and contiguous State of Palestine on the pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.

“Pakistan will continue to play its constructive role towards this objective,” the deputy premier reaffirmed.

“Diplomacy must respond to the realities on the ground,” he emphasised to the attendees, which included various heads of states and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (via video).

Spain’s President Pedro Sánchez, Qatari PM and FM Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, Egypt’s PM Mostafa Madbouly, Jordan’s DPM and FM Ayman Safadi, Norway’s PM Jonas Gahr Støre and Ireland’s Taoiseach (prime minister) Micheál Martin also attended the meeting.

Other participants included European Council President António Costa, Finland’s President Alexander Stubb, the Netherlands ’ PM Rob Jetten, Türkiye’s Hakan Fidan, and High Representative for Gaza of the Board of Peace Nickolay Mladenov.

DPM Dar recalled that Pakistan had endorsed the September 2025 “New York Declaration” that backed the two-state solution, was part of the Group of Eight Arab-Islamic countries that supported the Gaza peace plan, and had voted for a UN Security Council resolution that supported that plan.

The deputy premier emphasised that these processes were “complementary elements of a broader political and diplomatic pathway towards peace, and these must reinforce one another”.

He declared: “Our objective throughout has been clear: to end the killing and suffering of innocent Palestinians, ensure unhindered flow of humanitarian assistance and advance a credible political horizon leading to Palestinian statehood.”

Dar stated that violations of the ceasefire and the “catastrophic human toll in Gaza, alongside the expansion of illegal settlements and settler violence in the West Bank, remain matters of grave concern”.

“This machinery of occupation is eroding the territorial and political foundations on which a viable Palestinian state must be built. It must stop, and stop immediately,” he asserted.

DPM Dar noted that the New York Declaration provided an “important political framework for translating international consensus into concrete action”.

“Its implementation, together with the Gaza Peace Plan and Resolution 2803, must ensure a permanent ceasefire, safe and sustained humanitarian assistance, immediate recovery and reconstruction, and create the conditions for a credible, irreversible and time-bound political process.”

PM Shehbaz meets Bill Gates, world leaders

Separately, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held multiple meetings on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly session in New York

The prime minister also met with Gates Foundation Chair Bill Gates, who stressed that polio eradication efforts in Pakistan were “vital to protect future generations”.

PM Shehbaz appreciated Gates Foundation’s engagement with Pakistan to support polio eradication, maternal and child health, nutrition, immunisation, digitisation and financial inclusion, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a post on X.

“The prime minister complimented the Gates Foundation for being a trusted partner in Pakistan’s socio-economic development and expressed interest in broadening collaboration in areas including public health, agriculture, digital innovation and AI,” PMO said.

PM Shehbaz and Gates also “agreed to explore opportunities for collaboration in the development of improved seeds, livestock genetics and emerging agricultural technologies”, according to PMO.

The two committed to “further strengthening and expanding partnerships that support sustainable development, technological advancement and improved social sector outcomes for the people of Pakistan”.

PM Shehbaz invited the Microsoft co-founder to visit Pakistan.

Pakistan is one of the last two countries in the world, alongside Afghanistan, where polio remains endemic.

As part of efforts to fight the virus, week-long polio campaigns were launched in Sindh, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 13 districts of Punjab on Monday.

During his ongoing New York trip, PM Shehbaz also met with world leaders of Kuwait, Kenya, Austria, Somalia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In a meeting on Wednesday with Bosnian Presidency Chairman Denis Becirovic, the prime minister congratulated him on the formal opening of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s European Union accession talks.

According to PMO, Becirovic praised Pakistan’s mediation efforts for de-escalation in the Gulf, adding that “he also fully supported Pakistan’s position” on the illegality of holding the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance.

In the meeting with Kuwait’s Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah on Tuesday, PM Shehbaz highlighted the potential for “enhanced cooperation in trade, investment, energy and human resource development” between the two countries, PMO said.

Furthermore, PM Shehbaz and Kenyan President William Ruto “reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening the longstanding and cordial ties between the two countries”. The premier also invited Kenyan investors to explore investment opportunities in Pakistan.

Ruto further lauded Pakistan’s mediation efforts in the US-Iran war.

PM Shehbaz also met Austrian Federal Chancellor Christian Stocker and Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Tuesday on the sidelines of the UNGA session.

FM Dar interacts with counterparts

DPM Dar also engaged with world leaders on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.

In a meeting with the Bulgarian FM Velislava Petrova-Chamova, Dar “reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for diplomatic efforts to resolve regional issues”.

“The two sides reviewed the entire spectrum of Pakistan-Bulgaria bilateral relations and expressed their desire to further strengthen ties through enhanced and regular political and economic engagement,” FO said.

Dar also met his Hungarian counterpart Anita Orban.

Both sides stressed the importance of convening regular bilateral consultative mechanisms to maintain momentum in bilateral engagement.

Greek FM George Gerapetritis, in a separate meeting with Dar, “appreciated Pakistan’s constructive role in promoting regional peace and stability, as well as its growing diplomatic engagement on the international stage”, FO said.

The deputy premier also met Austrian FM Beate Meinl-Reisinger.

The Austrian minister “appreciated Pakistan’s constructive role in promoting regional peace and stability and underscored the importance of sustained diplomatic engagement in addressing regional and global challenges”, according to FO.

On Tuesday, Dar had met with Japan’s FM Toshimitsu Motegi, Kuwait’s FM Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and Libya’s acting FM Al-Taher Al-Baour on the sidelines of the UNGA.

“The government of Pakistan is pleased to announce the appointment of Lt Gen Nauman Mahmood, Hilal-i-Imtiaz (Military), (retired), as the first secretary general pursuant to the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement,” the FO said in a handout, referring to the alliance’s initial name.

“The secretary general will lead the general secretariat of the alliance being established at Riyadh,” the FO said.

The agreement — signed by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye on August 7 — empowers member states to treat an attack against one of them as an attack against all.

Its inaugural meeting was held on Aug 31, where officials from all member states met in Istanbul to establish the institutional structure of the alliance and Pakistan was picked to head its secretariat in Riyadh.

Under the decisions taken during the meeting, a secretariat headed by a secretary general will be established in Saudi Arabia to support the alliance’s work under the agreement. The secretariat will initially be headed by a secretary general from Pakistan for three years.

The three countries also agreed to take steps to further institutionalise their cooperation in a manner that would enhance their solidarity, ensure the credibility and effectiveness of their collective deterrence and defence, and contribute to regional efforts and cooperative security towards a just, inclusive and lasting peace.

Since its signing, there has been conversation about the possibility of its expansion, with Turkiye initially suggesting the possibility of Egypt’s inclusion. Though there has been no confirmation from Cairo.

From Pakistan, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar clarified soon after the signing that the pact was defensive in nature, with the latter saying that it was also “open to any country in the region” willing to uphold its fundamental principles.

However, when Foreign Office spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan was asked about possibility of the pact’s expansion during a weekly media briefing on Sept 10, he said an expansion was not on the cards at that point.

The three countries first needed to solidify the new organisation before considering opening it to other states with similar threat perceptions and requirements, he explained.

Meanwhile, Inter-Services Public Relations Director General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said last week that the alliance has no “regional aspirations”, adding that it was intended for collective deterrence.

Meanwhile, as the US-Iran conflict continues to expand with Yemen’s Houthi rebels attacking Saudi Arabia, he also said that Pakistan would go to “any extent” to defend Saudi Arabia, adding that Islamabad’s commitment to the kingdom’s security was “unconditional”.

The decision was taken at a meeting of a special committee constituted by the prime minister on Inefficiencies and Electricity Theft in Discos to review measures to curb electricity theft, reduce distribution losses and improve the performance of power distribution companies.

Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Cheema and Minister for Power Division Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari co-chaired the meeting.

The committee was given detailed briefings by the Power Division, National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra), Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication, Pakistan Digital Authority (PDA) and other relevant institutions on power theft, distribution losses, recoveries and technology-based interventions in the power sector.

The IT ministry was assigned the responsibility of providing technological assistance and facilitating the technical audit through a transparent and credible mechanism.

An expression of interest (EoI) will be issued shortly to engage suitably qualified technical experts for the exercise. The meeting decided that the terms of reference for the technical audit would be finalised by next week.

The meeting also discussed the impact of the Advance Metering Infrastructure (AMI) initiative and decided to continue and expedite the installation of AMI meters, even in Discos earmarked for privatisation, to ensure that new private buyers did not resort to overbilling to the disadvantage of consumers.

Cheema stressed that the audit must include a comprehensive diagnostic analysis of the underlying causes of power theft and losses and produce credible and actionable findings.

“The government is fully focused on reducing electricity theft. Under no circumstances will the burden of power theft or inefficiencies within the distribution system be shifted to the people. Overbilling is completely unacceptable,” he was quoted as saying.

He said the findings of the technical audit would enable the government to take targeted and evidence-based measures to reduce power theft and distribution losses. He reiterated that every possible step would be taken to prevent any further increase in circular debt.

Leghari said the Power Division was fully aligned with the objectives of the committee and was actively working to control theft and losses, particularly in Discos where the incidence of electricity theft remained high.

The committee was also briefed on incentive-based solarisation pilot projects in areas served by Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) and Quetta Electric Supply Company (Qesco), where power theft and distribution losses are particularly high. The initiative aims to provide solar energy solutions to reduce pressure on the electricity network and help address persistent theft and line-loss issues.

The committee reviewed technology-based measures being undertaken and emphasised the effective use of digital tools and reliable data to detect irregularities, improve monitoring and strengthen accountability across the distribution network.

Both ministers noted the progress made in addressing overbilling but made it clear that any attempt by a Disco to conceal theft, losses or operational inefficiencies through excessive billing would not be tolerated. Consumers must not be made to pay for weaknesses within the distribution system.

The committee also reviewed the recovery performance of the Discos and expressed satisfaction over the improvement recorded during the current year. They agreed that this momentum must be sustained through better governance, stronger monitoring, technology-driven reforms and targeted action in high-loss areas.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had in June ordered a comprehensive technical audit of the billing systems of Discos, stressing that reforms in the power sector remained among the government’s foremost priorities.

He instructed the power division to devise clear performance indicators to gauge the working of distribution companies and to set integrated targets backed by defined timelines.

Nearly 1,800 cases related to power theft were reported in several service areas of the Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco) in Lahore metropolitan and the districts of Kasur, Okara, Sheikhupura and Nankana Sahib during the month of February.

According to a Lesco spokesperson, of the total cases detected between July 1 and July 31, as many as 1,542 involved domestic consumers and three were related to agricultural connections. The company submitted requests for the registration of 1,531 first information reports (FIRs), of which 593 had been registered, while 38 suspects were arrested.

“The government of Pakistan is pleased to announce the appointment of Lt Gen Nauman Mahmood, Hilal-i-Imtiaz (Military), (retired), as the first secretary general pursuant to the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement,” the FO said in a handout, referring to the alliance’s initial name.

“The secretary general will lead the general secretariat of the alliance being established at Riyadh,” the FO said.

The agreement — signed by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye on August 7 — empowers member states to treat an attack against one of them as an attack against all.

More to follow

The company will kick off its annual Connect conference from its Menlo Park headquarters at 4pm PT on Wednesday (4am Pakistan time on Thursday), and Zuckerberg will deliver a keynote address to the developer-focused event.

Earlier this month, the social media giant launched Muse, its first agentic app for consumers which is designed to perform tasks on behalf of humans, like a digital personal assistant.

After a user connects various personal accounts — whether financial, health-related or shopping — they can ask Meta to perform tasks like signing up for services, booking appointments and making calls.

Amazon blocked Meta this week from using AI bots to shop for users automatically, while other businesses including Instacart, Shopify and Expedia have announced partnerships to integrate their services into Muse.

The Muse agent is built on Meta’s own AI models and is designed to compete with OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude.

The company had its first pair of interactive smart glasses in 2021, about a year before OpenAI sparked a global AI frenzy with its release of ChatGPT, and since then the devices have become more and more advanced.

‘Pervert glasses’

Last year, Meta unveiled a pair of augmented reality “display” glasses which project images on the lenses.

And earlier this year, the company released self-branded AI glasses, apart from its partnership with eyewear manufacturer EssilorLuxottica, which produces multiple Ray-Ban-branded Meta glasses.

However, their novelty quickly became clouded by privacy concerns, with critics dubbing the eyewear as “pervert glasses”.

At last year’s Connect, Meta’s chief product officer Chris Cox brushed aside such concerns and told news outlets, including AFP, that “social norms” would form around the use of smart glasses.

More recently, Meta has said a recording indicator light would always be visible to people nearby, and that tampering with the indicator light would disable the camera.

The company is reportedly working on a new pair of audio-only glasses, and has also been rumoured to be developing a new generation of mixed reality glasses.

Meta has also been battling children’s safety and privacy issues around the world.

In August, the company settled a lawsuit with dozens of attorneys generals in the US who accused Meta of violating state and federal laws regarding consumer protections and children’s online privacy.

As part of the settlement, Meta agreed to pay up to $18 billion in fines and enact restrictions for teenagers.

Meta faces social media restrictions and bans for younger users around the world, as well as thousands of potential personal injury lawsuits in the US that are still making their way through state courts.

According to Radio Pakistan, security forces killed two terrorists affiliated with Fitna al Hindustan during an intelligence-based operation in the Jausak area of Turbat.

The state has designated Balochistan-based terrorist groups as Fitna al Hindustan to highlight India’s alleged role in terrorism and destabilisation across Pakistan.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Television reported that security forces continued operations against terrorists in Balochistan under Raddul Fitna-3.

In Mastung, nine terrorists were killed after they attempted to attack a checkpost, according to the state broadcaster. Heavy weapons, ammunition and three motorcycles were also recovered, it added.

“Operations will continue until the threat is eliminated,” Pakistan TV said, quoting the security forces.

Meanwhile, Balochistan police killed five terrorists in a gun battle in Quetta’s Aghbarg area after terrorists attempted to attack a police station, officials said.

Officials said the terrorists targeted the Aghbarg police station, located on the outskirts of Quetta, in the early hours of Wednesday. Police personnel deployed at the station immediately returned fire.

“In a heavy exchange of fire, five terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan were killed by police,” Saddar Senior Superintendent of Police Shafqat Janjua said. He added that police had foiled the attack and seized weapons and ammunition.

According to Janjua, the attackers arrived in the area on motorcycles before targeting the police station.

Separately, the Edhi Foundation said one of its ambulances was allegedly hijacked by armed men in Balochistan on Wednesday.

In a statement, the foundation said the ambulance was returning to the Edhi Kalat Centre at around 7:15am after transporting the body of a woman from an area near Gidar, about 110 kilometres from Civil Hospital, Kalat.

The foundation said unidentified armed men assaulted the Edhi worker and took control of the ambulance.

On Tuesday, Radio Pakistan reported that six terrorists were killed and nine suspected individuals were arrested during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) by security forces in Balochistan’s Saran Tangi area.

On Monday, security forces killed four more terrorists belonging to a banned organisation in an intelligence-based operation carried out in two areas of Panjgur district.

Last week, security forces killed 11 terrorists in separate operations in Panjgur and Chagai districts.

The number of terrorist attacks in the province increased by seven per cent from 83 in July to 89 in August, according to a monthly assessment by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies.

India and Pakistan are on opposite sides of the men’s Asian Games draw and cannot face each other in the semi-finals. A meeting is possible in either the gold-medal match or the bronze-medal play-off on Oct 3, provided the two sides negotiate the earlier stages successfully.

“India are the benchmark in white-ball cricket at the moment, and our challenge is to catch up to that,” Hesson told reporters on the sidelines of Pakistan’s pre-departure training camp at the National Bank Stadium.

“If we get an opportunity to play them, we can certainly put them under pressure, like we were able to in the final of the Asia Cup.”

Hesson, however, said neither side could afford to look that far ahead.

“There’s a lot of cricket to be played between now and being able to play in a final for both sides. So we’re not getting too far ahead of ourselves,” he said.

The Asian Games squad is a combination of players from the Pakistan Shaheens and the national side, Hesson said, making the tournament an opportunity to assess some new players.

“They certainly won’t be the same squad from a selection point of view,” he said.

Hesson also played down suggestions that Sahibzada Farhan’s appointment as Pakistan captain for the Asian Games necessarily indicated a longer-term leadership role.

The tournament was a “good opportunity” for Farhan to gain experience, he said, but whether he continued in the role would be decided by the selection committee and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

“That’s a discussion for down the line. But at the moment, I’m really looking forward to working with Sahibzada Farhan. I’ve enjoyed the last three days,” he said.

‘Broader progress’

Asked about Pakistan’s performances across formats, Hesson urged against grouping the Test, ODI and T20 sides, saying the T20 team’s record over the past 15 months did not justify describing Pakistan cricket as being in decline across the board.

“From a T20 perspective, the performance of the T20 side over the last 15 months has been around about the third- or fourth-best team in the world, in terms of win percentage,” he said.

Pakistan, he pointed out, had risen from eighth to fifth in the T20 rankings since he took charge and had gained 30 ranking points over the past 15 months.

“We’ve only done that by winning series, not just in Pakistan but series in Dubai, etc., series in America, whatever. So we’ve won a lot of series over the last 15 months in T20 cricket,” he said.

Hesson acknowledged that Pakistan’s repeated defeats against India remained significant for supporters, calling India the “benchmark for all Pakistani cricket fans”, but said those results should not obscure the T20 side’s broader progress.

He said the Test side was currently struggling, while the ODI team was still developing ahead of next year’s World Cup.

“One-day cricket, we’re developing heading up to a World Cup, and we’ve certainly improved our performance in the last 12 months, but we’re by no means a finished product,” he said.

Hesson also pointed to Pakistan’s progress in recent major tournaments, saying the team had reached the Asia Cup final after a period of failing to progress beyond the early stages.

“Up until the Asia Cup, a year and a half ago, Pakistan had not made it past the first round for three major events, had not even made it to the quarter-finals,” he said.

“In the Asia Cup we won every game except India. We made the final. We lost to India. They were better than us.”

At the T20 World Cup, Pakistan reached the Super Eight stage before losing to England, who subsequently reached the final.

“We lost to England by about two balls,” Hesson said.

Pakistan also had a washed-out match against New Zealand, he pointed out.

“We can’t do anything about the rain. Outside of that, we won every game.”

Hesson said expectations from Pakistan cricket should remain high, but cautioned that rebuilding would take time.

“Our expectations for Pakistan should be very high. But we also can’t go from not even making the top eight to expecting to win every game. There is a bit of a process that we need to take to do that,” he said.

Pakistan will enter the Asian Games men’s cricket competition at the quarter-final stage, with their first match scheduled for Monday, Sept 28. The preliminary round begins on Thursday, with Afghanistan taking on Japan in the opening match.