Stories by Baqir Sajjad Syed
Baqir Sajjad Syed is the Foreign Affairs and National Security Correspondent for Dawn. His career of over 25 years spans print and broadcast journalism. He is a former UN Reham al-Farah Fellow and held a Pakistan Fellowship at the Woodrow Wilson Centre in Washington, DC. He tweets @baqirsajjad
• Says pact, military commitments fall within executive authority under existing laws • Insists troops in Saudi Arabia
Published 10 Oct, 2026 04:42am
Progress so far includes political commitment, the appointment of an institutional head and formation of the Riyadh secretariat.
Updated 08 Oct, 2026 08:34am
Pakistan-Afghanistan disagreement cited as main reason; Islamabad maintains cross-border terror attacks rose despite peace talks with Taliban.
Updated 06 Oct, 2026 07:34am
FO reiterates commitment to strategic ties with Washington, rules-based international system.
Updated 02 Oct, 2026 07:22am
• Army chiefs of Pakistan, Turkiye, Saudi Arabia meet in Riyadh to discuss collective defence • Trilateral meeting agrees to
Published 27 Sep, 2026 07:24am
The meeting points to how quickly the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement is transitioning to an operational phase.
Published 26 Sep, 2026 05:23pm
Discussions come amid Houthis’ missile, drone attacks on Saudi territory
Published 26 Sep, 2026 04:59am
• Secretariat in Riyadh will provide institutional framework for coordination among Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye
Published 24 Sep, 2026 07:04am
His immediate task in Riyadh will be to help build the institutional machinery of the alliance that is still in its early stages.
Published 23 Sep, 2026 06:34pm
Naqvi meets Pezeshkian, Momeni to "discuss mediation process"; Iran is "grateful" to Pakistan’s political, military leadership for peace efforts.
Updated 22 Sep, 2026 07:44am
Growing reliance on hard power, emerging technologies creating new challenges, says Lt Gen (retd) Mazhar Jamil.
Updated 19 Sep, 2026 08:02am
FO terms situation around the Red Sea chokepoint "exceptionally serious"; says Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement with Riyadh is operational, some forces already deployed.
Updated 18 Sep, 2026 07:32am
FO issues demarche to New Delhi’s charge d’affaires; accuses Indian vessel of ‘aggressive’ manoeuvres close to Pakistani ship
Published 17 Sep, 2026 07:04am
The mechanism provides a framework for addressing border issues, including inspections, joint surveys, boundary markers, cross-border facilities and incidents.
Updated 17 Sep, 2026 07:24am
• Islamabad rules out strikes on Houthi targets for now • New Foreign Office spokesperson distinguishes trilateral pact from
Published 11 Sep, 2026 07:01am
FM Dar announces appointment on X after PM Shehbaz approves posting
Published 10 Sep, 2026 06:56am
Formally, the foreign secretary remains the bureaucratic head of the country’s diplomatic machinery and the senior-most career diplomat.
Updated 10 Sep, 2026 08:04am
Policy decision was conveyed by the council to public and private medical institutions across the country earlier this month.
Updated 08 Sep, 2026 11:43pm
“The government will need to take steps towards improving the situation, which will also be very important in the reapplication process,” he says.
Updated 07 Sep, 2026 11:08am
The appointment is for a period of three years and is effective immediately, with standard terms and conditions and until further orders.
Published 05 Sep, 2026 04:01am
