POLITICAL ISSUES
BAHRAIN
1. Pak Navy Ship PNS Zulfiquar reaches Bahrain; Crown prince attends welcome ceremony
Karachi, Friday, 13 May 2016   
An elaborate ceremony was organized to welcome PNS Zulfiquar at Sheikh Salman International port in Manama on 13 May, acknowledging the training visit as a goodwill gesture. The attendees included Governor of Manama, Shaikh Hesham Abdulrahman and Pakistan’s prominent businessmen.
Source: Press Information Department, Government of Pakistan; See also: Associated Press of Pakistan, Islamabad; Times of Islamabad, Islamabad    

IRAN
2. Pak-Iran Joint Economic Commission to be held in Tehran 
Islamabad, Monday, 16 May 2016   
While addressing a meeting at Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI), Iran’s Consul General, Bani Asadi informed that bilateral economic commission meeting would be held in July in Tehran to discuss post-sanction opportunities for cooperation and collaboration.
Source: Associated Press of Pakistan, Islamabad; See also: Business Recorder, Karachi 

3. Iranian envoy invites Pak to join Chabahar agreement
Karachi, Friday, 27 May 2016   
Iranian envoy Mehdi Honardoost invited Pakistan to join the trilateral Chabahar-port agreement signed between India, Iran and Afghanistan on 23 May 2016, while delivering a talk on regional significance of Chabahar port at Institute of Strategic Studies, Islamabad.
Source: Associated Press of Pakistan, Islamabad; See also: Dawn, Karachi; The News International, Karachi; Daily Times, Lahore   

ORGANISATION OF ISLAMIC COOPERATION
4. Pak to make preparations for 2017 OIC summit
Islamabad, Tuesday, 17 May 2016   
Foreign Affairs advisor Sartaj Aziz informed the National Assembly that preparations for OIC Summit on Science and Technology, scheduled to be held in 2017 in Astana, would be made in Pakistan.
Source: Associated Press of Pakistan, Islamabad; See also: Daily Times, Lahore

QATAR
5. Minister for Water, power meets Qatar’s PM
Islamabad, Saturday, 21 May 2016   
In a meeting with Qatar’s Prime Minister Nasser Al-Thani in Doha, Pakistan’s Minister for Water and Power Muhammad Asif discussed matters relating labour employment, defence, energy and economic cooperation.
Source: Associated Press of Pakistan, Islamabad; See also: Business Recorder, Karachi; Radio Pakistan, Government of Pakistan, Islamabad

SAUDI ARABIA
6. Pak-Saudi Arabia Parliamentary Friendship group hold first meeting
Islamabad, Saturday, 14 May 2016   
Parliamentary Friendship Group of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia held their maiden meeting on 14 May in Islamabad to discuss the current status of bilateral relations and set the template for future cooperation.
Source: Associated Press of Pakistan, Islamabad; See also: The Nation, Lahore; Senate of Pricing, Government of Pakistan, Islamabad

TURKEY
7. Turkey repatriates arrested Pak nationals 
Islamabad, Monday, 16 May 2016   
Over 4,800 Pakistan nationals, who had been detained in Turkey over the last three years on charges of illegal border crossing, were repatriated from Turkey. Additionally, 31 Pakistani nationals, who were deported from Greece to Turkey in April this year, have also been sent back after verification.
Source: Associated Press of Pakistan, Islamabad; See also: Times of Islamabad, Islamabad 

8. Judiciary delegation from Pak visits Ankara
Islamabad, Wednesday, 18 May 2016   
High level delegation comprising members of Pakistan judiciary visited Turkey from 15-20 May to expand cooperation in judicial training.
Source: Associated Press of Pakistan, Islamabad; See also: Radio Pakistan, Government of Pakistan, Islamabad

DEFENCE ISSUES
TURKEY
9. Pak Army Chief attends joint military exercise in Turkey
Islamabad, Tuesday, 31 May 2016   
Chief of Pakistan’s Army Staff Raheel Sharif attended two sessions of joint multi-national exercise “EFES 2016” held in Turkish coastal city of Izmir on 30 and 31 May. The event witnessed participation of a Pakistan army contingent along with troops from Turkey, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, US and UK.
Source: Associated Press of Pakistan, Islamabad; See also: The News International, Karachi; The Nation, Lahore; Daily Times, Lahore

MISCELLANEOUS ISSUES 
SAUDI ARABIA
10. Saudi-Arabia gifts 200 tons of Dates to Pak
Islamabad, Thursday, 12 May 2016   
In a ceremony in Islamabad, Saudi envoy Al Zahrani handed over 200 tons of dates to Additional Secretary Tariq Zaman, followed by a brief discussion on the historic relations enjoyed by the two nations.
Source: Associated Press of Pakistan, Islamabad; See also: Pakistan Observer, Karachi; Radio Pakistan, Government of Pakistan, Islamabad

11. Pak-Saudi investment company resists audit by Pakistan auditing authority
Islamabad, Tuesday, 24 May 2016   
Saudi-Pak Industrial and Agricultural Investment Company established in 1980 as a joint government venture, refused audit by Auditor General of Pakistan and being an “unlisted” public limited company it sought exemption from audit laws applicable to public sector.
Source: Associated Press of Pakistan, Islamabad

TURKEY
12. Turkey to open cultural institute in Lahore
Islamabad, Thursday, 26 May 2016   
Vice President of Turkish Cultural Institute, Saban Cobanoglu met Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to prepare a blueprint for setting up Institute’s branch in Lahore with the view to popularize Turkish language and culture among Pakistani youth.
Source: Associated Press of Pakistan, Islamabad ; See also: Radio Pakistan, Government of Pakistan, Islamabad

COMPILED BY DIVYA MALHOTRA

Divya Malhotra is a Doctoral Candidate in the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.  Email

As part of its editorial policy, the MEI@ND standardizes spelling and date formats to make the text uniformly accessible and stylistically consistent. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views/positions of the MEI@ND. Editor, MEI@ND: P R Kumaraswamy