All articles tagged with #islamabad
In Islamabad’s Bari Imam area, a winter–spring demolition razed hundreds of homes and shops, displacing about 50,000 people from informal settlements as redevelopment pushes advance; residents say compensation and relocation promises were inadequate, and a 16-year-old died blocking a bulldozer at a roadside shop.
Eight Pakistani officials were suspended after a fatal hospital fire in Islamabad as investigators probe fire-safety lapses and emergency response. An interim report credited a nurse with risking her life to save a baby before flames engulfed the ward; Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif approved a Sitara-i-Khidmat for her. The blaze sparked broader accountability moves, including the dismissal of Punjab’s health secretary, and a government-wide push to review hospital safety amid other recent tragedies in Pakistan.
A fire in the maternity ward of Islamabad's Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences killed 14 newborns, with witnesses alleging doors were locked and rescue teams arrived only after hours; officials said doors were manned to protect babies, and the incident prompted a government investigation and the suspension of the Federal Health Secretary.
A blaze in the maternity ward of Islamabad’s government-run Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) killed at least 14 newborns, with officials saying an air-conditioning compressor explosion sparked the fire. One infant was rescued, and reports described locked ward doors as the fire spread. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered a full investigation and promised accountability for those responsible, highlighting broader concerns about underfunded public healthcare and aging infrastructure in the country.
A hospital nursery fire in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad killed 14 newborns, with one infant rescued. Authorities and leaders, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari, expressed sorrow and promised accountability, while health officials pledged to review and strengthen fire-safety measures and emergency procedures.
A fire at the Mother and Child Centre nursery of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad killed at least 14 newborns and left one rescued; authorities are investigating, with a suspected short circuit in a malfunctioning air conditioner cited as the likely cause, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif promising strict action against those responsible.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi was due in Islamabad, the venue of past peace talks with the United States, with state media saying his trip would also include Muscat and Moscow. Two Pakistani government sources said the visit could signal a resumption of US–Iran talks, though Washington had not commented and a U.S. logistics team was in place for potential negotiations. The trip follows a previous peace-talk round that collapsed earlier in the week, and comes amid broader regional tensions, including Iran’s actions in the Strait of Hormuz.
Betsy Joles’s NPR Far-Flung Postcards photo essay from Islamabad shares a sunset moment in Haunted Hill Park, the writer’s favorite green space in Pakistan’s capital, taken amid coverage of the inconclusive U.S.-Iran peace talks. The piece contrasts the park’s calm—green grass, badminton, flowerbeds, and locals—with the nearby Serena Hotel where negotiations were held, illustrating how everyday life persists alongside geopolitics.
The United States and Iran are slated for a new round of ceasefire talks in Islamabad, with Pakistan mediating, as a fragile two-week truce nears expiration and both sides signal hard-line positions amid rising regional tensions.
Pakistan is moving ahead with preparations for a second round of Iran-U.S. talks in Islamabad, even as Tehran's involvement remains unclear, reflecting ongoing diplomatic efforts and regional sensitivities in the Iran-U.S. relationship.
President Trump again threatened to unleash overwhelming military force on Iran if the fragile ceasefire expires, as a potential second round of talks in Islamabad looms and Iran’s participation remains unclear amid deep mistrust; the U.S. seeks to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions, setting the stage for tense diplomacy as the deadline approaches.
Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi says the Trump team derailed marathon talks in Islamabad just as a preliminary agreement to end the six-week conflict was within reach, accusing U.S. negotiators of maximalist demands and shifting goalposts; the report notes prior mediation and ongoing tensions in US–Iran talks.
Face-to-face negotiations between the US and Iran in Islamabad, led by US officials including Vice-President JD Vance and Iranian delegates, aim to seal a peace deal ending weeks of fighting; amid diplomacy, Trump says a deal would make no difference to him while the US moves to establish a safe passage and begin clearing mines in the Strait of Hormuz, with Iran warning against military vessel transit; Israel pledges to keep pressuring Iran as a two-week ceasefire pause allows talks, underscoring a volatile regional backdrop as negotiators seek a framework to de-escalate the crisis.
Direct, face-to-face talks between the United States and Iran began in Islamabad as part of a three-way process with Pakistan to secure a durable ceasefire, led for the U.S. by Vice President JD Vance and for Iran by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf. Negotiators are addressing Iran’s redlines, compensation for damage, and steps toward reopening the Strait of Hormuz, all amid broader regional tensions with Lebanon and Israel and ongoing energy-market jitters.
Senior Iranian officials arrived in Islamabad to hold ceasefire talks with the United States, led by Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Araghchi, as Washington’s delegation including Vice President JD Vance signals openness to negotiations; violence continues across Lebanon, Gaza, and the wider region, and Iran's internet outage has surpassed 1,000 hours ahead of an April 21 ceasefire deadline.