Monitoring Desk:  The Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Ministers of Defense, Commanders of the Armed Forces, and Chiefs of General Staff of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Republic of Türkiye, and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan met in Istanbul on August 31, 2026, within the framework of the Strategic Political and Defense Committee established under the Mecca Agreement for Joint Defense. Driven by their commitment to fulfilling their regional responsibilities, the three countries reaffirm their determination to work together within the framework of the Mecca Agreement to achieve sustainable peace and stability in their region. To this end, the three countries will continue to support efforts aimed at de-escalation and restraint, thereby encouraging the peaceful resolution of crises. The three countries agreed today to take further steps to institutionalize their cooperation under the Mecca Agreement in a manner that enhances their solidarity, ensures the credibility and effectiveness of collective deterrence…

Monitoring Desk: Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi has told the Financial Times that Kabul welcomes U.S. investment in mining, infrastructure, agriculture and trade, highlighting Afghanistan’s estimated $1 trillion in untapped mineral resources, including copper, lithium, iron ore and rare-earth elements. Muttaqi called for the release of $9.5 billion in frozen Afghan reserves, including around $7 billion held in the United States, and urged Washington to reopen its embassy in Kabul to help reduce Afghanistan’s international isolation. “Relations between Afghanistan and the United States should not be assessed through the lens of the past 20 years of war, but rather on the basis of future co-operation,” Muttaqi told the Financial Times. The Taliban’s appeal comes five years after the group returned to power in Kabul following the withdrawal of U.S. and allied forces from Afghanistan in August 2021. It may be noted that although the United States does not officially provide direct financial assistance…

DND Report: Once, Robert Fisk, the legendary journalist and writer, said that the “world is not the same as it was before 9/11.” He was right. Similarly, one can say that the “world is not the same as it was before the Indian defeat in the May 2025 Indo-Pak war.” The trajectory of Pakistan post-Markaz-e-Haq has been unstoppable under Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, who not only defeated an enemy ten times larger but, through deft and highly effective military diplomacy, has also changed the entire paradigm of military and defence alliances in the Middle East and beyond. He continues to achieve unprecedented diplomatic successes for Pakistan. Some of Pakistan’s important achievements on the global arena include the Islamabad Talks between Iran and the United States, the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement (SMDA) between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, which was signed on 17 September 2025 at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and the Pakistan-Saudi…

Breaking News-DND News Agency: Important development has emerged in the May 9 GHQ attack case as court announced its verdict after completing the trial of 47 proclaimed offenders. ATC Rawalpindi, headed by Judge Amjad Ali Shah, sentenced the accused to 10 years’ imprisonment each and ordered confiscation of their properties. Prosecution recorded statements of 19 witnesses during trial, while a separate trial was conducted for all proclaimed offenders in the case. Those sentenced include Omar Ayub, Zartaj Gul, Murad Saeed, Shibli Faraz, Hammad Azhar, Kanwal Shauzab, Sheikh Rashid Shafiq, Shehbaz Gill, Zulfi Bukhari, Ahmed Chattha, Rai Hassan Nawaz, Rai Murtaza, Shaukat Ali Bhatti, Usman Saeed Basra and Ejaz Khan Jazi among others. Out of 118 accused in the case, 18 remained continuously absent from the court during the trial, while 29 accused never appeared before the court after registration of the case. So far, statements of 44 prosecution witnesses have been recorded. Accused were found involved in attacks…