PM Shehbaz postpones official visit to Russia citing regional, internal situation

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday postponed his official visit to Russia, citing the recent “regional and internal situation”.

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) confirmed the development in a statement.

It added that the premier’s visit to Russia was of “great significance” for advancing the bilateral relations between the two countries, but given the current situation, it was being postponed.

A new date would be decided after “mutual consultations”, the statement added.

According to Russian media, PM Shehbaz was due to travel to Russia from March 3 to 5.

The development comes as Pakistan launched Operation Ghazab lil-Haq against the Afghan Taliban earlier this week after the neighbouring country targeted Pakistani positions along the border.

Separately, the United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Saturday, assassinating Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Tehran called the strikes unprovoked and illegal and responded with missiles fired at Israel and at least seven other countries, including Gulf states that host US bases.

However, the assassination resulted in protests across major cities in Pakistan on Sunday, with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi urging citizens to remain peaceful.

Additional input from AFP and Reuters

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