Entertainment
Pakistan hosts quadrilateral meeting to discuss Middle East tensions
- Meeting to focus on easing tensions amid Middle East war.
- Pakistan emerges as mediator between Iran, US.
- FMs of Turkiye, Egypt arrive, Saudi FM due in Islamabad.
Pakistan is all set to host a quadrilateral meeting of foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, and Egypt from March 29-30 in Islamabad to deliberate upon a variety of issues, including efforts to reduce the ongoing tensions in the region amid the US-Israeli war on Iran.
Islamabad has emerged as a key facilitator between Iran and the United States as their war drags on, serving as an intermediary for messages between the two sides.
The meeting comes amid efforts to open a window for diplomacy to end the nearly month-long war between the US, Israel, and Iran, which began on February 28 and has affected the broader Middle East.
In this regard, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty arrived in Islamabad a day earlier on an official visit.
Meanwhile, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud is scheduled to arrive today.
The Egyptian foreign minister arrived at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where he was warmly received by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Ishaq Dar.
During the meeting, both sides held discussions on the Middle East tension as well as strengthening bilateral relations between Pakistan and Egypt.
Two days earlier, DPM Dar confirmed that indirect talks between the United States and Iran were underway through messages being relayed by Pakistan, with Turkiye and Egypt also helping in the effort.
These efforts included direct contact between Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir and US President Donald Trump on Sunday, confirmed by the White House.
Subsequently, Pakistan delivered a US proposal to Iran, a senior Iranian source told Reuters on Wednesday. The source did not reveal details of the proposal or confirm if it was the 15-point US framework reported by media outlets.
However, Iran rejected the US proposal, insisting it will end the ongoing “imposed war” on its own terms and timeline, a senior political-security official told Press TV.
Iran outlined five conditions for ending the war: a complete halt to “aggression and assassinations”; mechanisms to prevent the war from being reimposed; guaranteed payment of reparations; resolution across all fronts and resistance groups; and international recognition of Iran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz.
As part of preparations, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he had a detailed telephone conversation with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian earlier today (Saturday), lasting over one hour.
The call was the PM’s second conversation with Pezeshkian in five days, both of which focused on de-escalation and dialogue.
“I reiterated Pakistan´s strong condemnation of the continued Israeli attacks on Iran, including recent strikes on civilian infrastructure, and conveyed Pakistan´s solidarity with the brave people of Iran,” he wrote on X.
PM said he also expressed his condolences on the tragic loss of precious lives and prayed for the swift recovery of the injured and displaced.
“I apprised him of Pakistan’s ongoing diplomatic outreach — engaging the United States and brotherly Gulf and Islamic countries — to facilitate dialogue and de-escalation.”
The PM Office said separately that Pezeshkian “stressed the need to build trust in order to facilitate talks and mediation”.
‘Dialogue and diplomacy’
Separately, DPM Dar held a telephonic conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, according to a statement issued by the Foreign Office.
The two leaders discussed the evolving regional situation and ongoing developments.
The deputy premier emphasised the need for de-escalation, stressing that dialogue and diplomacy remain the only viable path for lasting peace.
He also underscored the importance of an end to all attacks and hostilities.
Dar said that Pakistan remains committed to supporting all efforts aimed at restoring regional peace and stability.
Charlie Heaton is officially stepping into the Shelby family business.
The Stranger Things star has been revealed as the adult version of Charles Shelby, the eldest son of Cillian Murphy’s Tommy Shelby, in the upcoming Peaky Blinders sequel series.
Netflix and the BBC unveiled the first-look image of Heaton in character on Friday, May 22, finally solving the mystery surrounding his role after his casting was announced last month. And judging by the photo, Heaton looks right at home in the gritty world of the Shelbys.
The new series takes place a decade after World War II and follows Charles after years away from the notorious family empire. According to the official character description, Charles fought in a violent war before attempting to leave the Shelby lifestyle behind and embrace a quieter life. But the story teases a familiar question for the crime dynasty: “Can you ever escape your own blood?”
The series will also see Jamie Bell take over the role of Duke, Charles’ half-brother, previously played by Barry Keoghan in The Immortal Man — the new Peaky Blinders film which came out in March.
The casting marks another major Netflix role for Heaton after five seasons playing Jonathan Byers on Stranger Things. New additions to the Peaky Blinders universe also include Jessica Brown Findlay, Lashana Lynch and newcomer Lucy Karczewski.
Production on the series is currently underway in Birmingham.
Air India has launched an investigation after two of its planes were involved in safety incidents within a span of 24 hours, raising serious questions about the carrier’s aviation safety standards.
India’s flagship carrier’s flight AI2802, carrying 171 passengers, made an emergency landing at Delhi Airport after one of its engines caught fire. The cockpit crew received the fire alert, which was later confirmed to be authentic, prompting pilots to make an emergency landing.
Airbus A320 was coming from Bengaluru on Thursday night. The passengers aboard were evacuated safely and no injuries or fatalities have been reported.
The cause of the fire remains unknown.
The airline said, “Air India is immediately initiating a full investigation into the cause of the incident in coordination with the relevant regulatory authorities.”
Earlier, a flight from the same carrier was grounded after an alleged tailstrike at Bengaluru airport.
Airbus A321, coming from Delhi, experienced a tailstrike while landing; however, the pilots managed to safely land the plane and all the passengers and crew disembarked normally.
For the unversed, a tailstrike occurs when the rear underside of an aircraft makes contact with the runway during takeoff or landing.
These incidents come just a year after Air India’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashing killed 241 of 242 passengers last June.
The Turkish Air Force commander appreciated Pakistan Air Force’s (PAF) support in training Turkish pilots during a meeting with Air Chief Marshal (ACM) Zaheer Ahmed Babar Sidhu at Turkish Air Force Headquarters, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement on Friday.
According to the military’s media wing, ACM Sidhu, during an official visit to Turkiye, held high-level meetings with General Ziya Cemal Kadıoglu, Commander Turkish Air Force, Yasar Guler, Minister of National Defence, and Selcuk Bayraktar, Chief Technology Officer of Baykar Technologies.
The meetings reaffirmed the growing strategic convergence and shared commitment of both nations towards enhanced collaboration in defence, aerospace innovation and emerging technologies.
At Turkish Air Force Headquarters, the PAF chief discussed enhancing interoperability through joint exercises, training programmes and professional exchanges.
During his meeting with Defence Minister Yasar Guler, both sides reaffirmed the strong historical and strategic ties between Pakistan and Turkiye, while exploring deeper cooperation in training, capacity building and aerospace collaboration.
In another engagement, ACM Sidhu met the Chief Technology Officer of Baykar Technologies, Selcuk Bayraktar.
“The interaction focused on advancements in aerospace innovation, unmanned aerial systems and emerging technologies, reflecting the shared vision of both sides to pursue greater collaboration in next-generation defence technologies,” the ISPR added.
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