Category: 1. Pakistan

  • Bangladesh rejects Pakistan foreign minister’s claim ‘1971 war issues’ were resolved twice

    Bangladesh rejects Pakistan foreign minister’s claim ‘1971 war issues’ were resolved twice

    Bangladesh’s foreign adviser on Sunday raised “unsettled” issues, including an apology for the 1971 war with Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar but said he was not on the same page with the senior most leader Islamabad sent to Dhaka since 2012.

    Dar, who arrived here on Saturday on a two-day visit aimed at rebuilding ties with Bangladesh following the ouster of longtime prime minister Sheikh Hasina last year, held talks with the interim government’s Foreign Adviser M Touhid Hossain.

    “Definitely I don’t agree (with Dar). Had it been so, the problems would have been solved. We explained our position and they (Pakistani side) did theirs,” mass circulation Prothom Alo quoted Hossain as saying. He said the two countries will continue to talk on the matter in the coming days.

    He was addressing the media after the talks between two top bureaucrats of the two countries, who were once bitter enemies.

    The foreign adviser said during the talks Dhaka sought the settlement of pre-independence financial issues, repatriation of stranded Pakistanis and “seek them to express regret, the apology for the genocide that took place here (in Bangladesh in 1971).”

    “I have strongly upheld the Bangladesh stance,” said Hossain. When asked if he agreed with Dar’s comments that the 1971 issues were “resolved twice,” he said, “It would be wrong to expect problems of 54 years to be solved in a single day.”

    Talking to journalists, Dar — also Pakistan’s deputy prime minister — said the unsettled issues over 1971 were resolved twice, first in 1974 in tri-partite talks involving New Delhi in India.

    “Later, the then president Pervez Musharraf settled the issues of genocide again during his Dhaka visit when he talked in public with an open mind,” Dar added.

    But, he said, the scope and possibility of “doing good for the two peoples of our two countries is tremendous.”

    This is not the first time that Dhaka raised the pending 1971 issues with Pakistan.

    In April, in the first foreign secretary-level talks in 15 years, Bangladesh asked Pakistan to resolve unsettled historical issues and settle pre-independence asset sharing. Dhaka also demanded a formal apology for the genocide of the 1971 Liberation War.

    Pakistani troops were accused of genocide and widespread atrocities during the 1971 war when millions were killed.

    The visits came amid a visible shift in regional politics in the past year, involving Bangladesh, Pakistan and India since the ouster of Hasina’s Awami League regime in a violent student-led street protest on August 5, 2024 and the installation of Muhammad Yunus’ interim government.

    Hossain said one agreement and five memorandums of understanding (MoUs) were signed between the two countries. Both countries have agreed to move bilateral relations forward, while historical issues must be resolved through discussion.

    Bangladesh-Pakistan ties were at their lowest ebb during Hasina’s Awami League regime, particularly when it initiated in 2010 the trial of collaborators of Pakistani troops during the 1971 Liberation War.

    A violent student-led street movement toppled Hasina’s government on August 5, 2024, with Yunus taking over as the chief adviser of the interim government three days after she left Bangladesh for India.

    The development paved the way for revitalising ties with Islamabad in the past year when relations between Dhaka and New Delhi turned icy, while India was previously seen as Bangladesh’s closest strategic and economic partner under Hasina’s rule.

    Hina Rabbani Khar was the last Pakistani foreign minister to visit Dhaka in November 2012 to invite Hasina to a summit in Islamabad.

    On Sunday, at a foreign minister-level meeting, Bangladesh and Pakistan reiterated their pledges to further strengthen the existing multidimensional and historical bilateral relations based on mutual respect, understanding and cooperation, state-run news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) said.

    During the meeting, the two sides stressed strengthening trade relations and expanding investment, as yearly turnover between the countries is below USD 1 billion, Hossain told the press conference.

    The foreign adviser said Bangladesh sought access to Pakistani markets under the South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) in the textiles, energy, medicine industry, agriculture, fisheries, livestock and information technology sectors, while Pakistan talked about exporting energy to Bangladesh, the BSS quoted Hossain as saying.

    On Saturday, Dar held back-to-back talks with leaders of various political parties of Bangladesh to boost bilateral ties.

    Dar met with the leaders of former prime minister Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the country’s largest Islamist party, the Jamaat-e-Islami, at the Pakistan Embassy in Dhaka. He also met with the leaders of the student-led National Citizen Party (NCP).

    Abdullah Muhammad Taher, leader of Jamaat-e-Islami, which was opposed to Bangladesh’s 1971 independence from Pakistan, and Akhtar Hossain, a senior NCP leader, both said they wanted Pakistan to address the pending 1971 issues for enhancement of bilateral ties.

    – Ends

    Published By:

    Satyam Singh

    Published On:

    Aug 25, 2025

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  • Why deadly floods keep devastating Pakistan

    Why deadly floods keep devastating Pakistan

    Azadeh Moshiri

    Pakistan correspondent

    BBC A man wearing brown with another man in the background both standing on mud in PakistanBBC

    Arif Khan was one of many helping in rescue efforts

    As villagers carried out the bodies of two children, soaked in mud, the large crowd looked impassive.

    They had gathered in a small village in the Swabi district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after a flash flood washed away several houses, trapping dozens underneath the rubble.

    Some of them watched on as the dead children were taken away, others continued their conversations, and the rest – along with a few rescue personnel and soldiers – kept searching for survivors with their tools and bare hands.

    There were no tears, there was no panic. But there was anger.

    For many villagers it was the fact that the floods came with no warning.

    “Why didn’t the government warn us sooner?” was the overwhelming sentiment.

    But there was also rage at a perceived lack of support from local officials.

    “We need the right equipment to carry out this rescue,” Arif Khan, who was helping dig out the bodies, told us.

    “There were about 15 houses here, we need an excavator.”

    Although emergency teams and the military were there to help, the equipment Arif had been begging for was trapped a few hundred metres away, unable to get through a flooded road.

    “The ambulances, medicines and excavators are very much on the way,”  Nisar Ahmad, the commissioner for the Mardan District, told us. But they were still not able to reach the village due to the scale of the flooding. Throughout the day, the villagers continued removing the debris, as well as the bodies.

    Scenes like this are not new in Pakistan. Since June alone, monsoon rains have killed about 800 people across the country.

    In 2022, monsoon rains killed about 1,700 people, which cost Pakistan $14.9bn (£11.1bn) in damages and $16.3bn in recovery and reconstruction needs, according to the World Bank.

    And in June this year alone, monsoon rains have killed at least 750 people across the country.

    So if history is repeating itself, why can’t Pakistan better protect itself from the onslaught of floods?

    Rescuers clawing through rubble by hand. Men can be seen in high vis vests, and in more casual clothing. They are standing around a hole in the ground

    Rescuers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa clawed through rubble by hand to find survivors

    Paying a big price for ‘international sins’

    Pakistan’s geography makes it extremely vulnerable to climate change – with the country having to contend with not just heavy monsoon rains, but extreme temperatures and drought. Its melting glaciers have also created new lakes at risk of glacial outbursts.

    These trends are getting worse because of climate change, according to Dr Syed Faisal Saeed, chief meteorologist at the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD).

    “Monsoon rains are likely to increase in the coming decades, so this issue is not a one year fix,” he says.

    Yet, this is a bitter pill to swallow for many, given Pakistan contributes less than 1% of the global greenhouse gas emissions.

    There is a feeling that it is paying a big price for “international sins”, says Dr Amjad Ali Khan, a member of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s National Assembly, who advises the chief minister on climate issues. His province is where most deaths have been recorded during this year’s monsoons.

    This is a sentiment shared across the political spectrum. The former federal climate minister, Senator Sherry Rehman, recently argued “when lives are lost in the Global South, when rivers burst their banks, and when livelihoods vanish, there is no real money for climate-vulnerable countries like Pakistan”.

    Some argue the country wrestles with how to spend its own money.

    Climate resiliency will likely always contend with other priorities – such as defence – as this year’s federal budget has shown.

    Amid an overall reduction in spending, the budget for the Ministry of Climate Change was slashed to about $9.7m (£7.6m). Defence spending was hiked up to about $9bn (£6.93bn).

    Ms Rehman slammed the cuts, and argued they send the wrong message. When the budget was announced, she asked: “If we are not seen investing in our own resilience, why would others support us?”

    Women wearing face coverings walking in a flooded street. Mud has splattered up the side of a house painted yellow. Appears to be some flood barriers to the side of the picture

    Some of the worst episodes of flooding happened in rural, mountainous regions

    The Ministry of Climate Change’s budget doesn’t reflect climate funding in Pakistan, argues Ali Tauqeer Sheikh, an expert in climate risk management.

    Under its agreement with the IMF, the federal government also earmarked more than $2bn more in climate-related spending. Yet, Mr Sheikh says it includes some existing projects, such as dams and hydropower.

    He says the budget aside, there are more than 1,000 unfinished development projects across sectors.

    With no short-term fix to the impacts of climate change, early warning of these extreme weather events is a priority for the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD).

    Extreme weather events such as cloudbursts are hard to predict in advance. They’re caused by a sudden updraft in humid, moist air, which leads to a heavy and localised burst of rain. These have wrecked villages in recent days.

    But Dr Saeed has said while these can’t be predicted days in advance, the general conditions that can lead to a cloudburst can be identified.

    “When the PMD warns of heavy rainfall, all the districts should start preparing,” says Dr Saeed, though he does acknowledge that the PMD needs to improve its system.

    “I’m not saying it’s perfect.”

    As part of an initiative with the World Bank, the PMD is procuring new radars and automatic weather stations, as well as working to improve its short-term modelling.

    A bigger challenge is getting the word out. Some of the worst episodes this summer happened in rural, mountainous regions, where network connectivity is very poor. A weather app or social media accounts won’t do these communities much good.

    PMD is trialling new methods to get around this, alongside the United Nations Development Programme.

    From the capital Islamabad, the PMD can trigger sirens installed in glacial valleys in northern Pakistan that are vulnerable to extreme flooding from glacial lake outbursts. But officials acknowledge this is not a silver bullet, as the damage this year has shown.

    Laws that go ignored

    Part of the reason is that the most vulnerable communities live by riverbeds. While several laws such as the “River Protection Act” – which prohibits construction within 200 ft (61m) of a river or its tributaries – have been passed, people not only haven’t moved, they’ve also continued building in these areas.

    “You would be erasing villages,” says Dr Khan, adding that people have been living along these rivers for decades and the law is impossible to implement.

    Dr Khan argues lawmakers did not consider the culture of these communities which revolve around tribal elders, and that jirgas – tribal councils – should have been consulted to convince people to move.

    He also argues it’s “next to impossible” if alternative housing and shelters aren’t funded and built for these communities.

    Building laws are violated in urban areas as well. Pakistan’s commercial capital Karachi was recently paralysed by flooding, with officials forced to declare a public holiday to deal with the aftermath.

    So far, about 30% of deaths from this year’s monsoon season are from houses collapsing, according to the country’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).

    “Nobody follows the laws. Every street is becoming congested,” Dr Yasmeen Lari, an expert in climate-resilient architecture, said.

    Karachi is also a victim of its poor drainage system.

    Though the city has hundreds of them, they have either narrowed or been blocked by illegal construction.

    The housing minister of Sindh province, of which Karachi is the capital, says finding space to create new ones has been a challenge, and when they’ve tried to remove shops or buildings that cover them, their attempts have been blocked in court.

    Saeed Ghani added that a new, more punitive law was in consultation to close legal loopholes, as well as hold officers of the Sindh Building Control Authority liable, should they approve construction that violates regulations.

    Overhead shot of flood damage with people watching. There are pockets of green which seem to be trees or banks, with mud running in between

    Pakistan’s geography makes it extremely vulnerable to climate change

    Natural disasters amid political upheaval

    If this reveals the cost of fragmented governance, there have been efforts at the federal level to try to secure more help from the international community.

    Pakistan’s struggling economy has relied on several international bailouts. Successive governments have made it a priority to seek international support for its climate programmes.

    They have secured funding from the World Bank and the United Nations, in addition to loans from the International Monetary Fund over the years.

    A landmark moment was at the COP27 climate summit. The 2022 floods were fresh in the minds of the attendees, and the devastation had affected 33 million people. Pakistan and others pushed to establish the Loss and Damage Fund to help countries hit by climate disasters.

    Domestically, there have been afforestation plans to restore natural flood barriers. In 2023, the government launched a “National Adaptation Plan” aiming to create a nationwide roadmap.

    But it remains to be seen how this will all develop in practice, in a country which has seen so much political upheaval and changes in government.

    At the end of most conversations, whether with officials, climate experts, or the frontline victims of these extreme weather events, there is a certain hopelessness. “Poverty is the worst thing,” Dr Lari says.

    Without enough money, whether from the international community, the federal government or provincial budget, it is hard to execute the solutions they’ve all preached.

    A better early warning system, new homes on safer land, climate-resilient infrastructure – all these take funding and any progress so far hasn’t prevented the hundreds of people killed this year.

    “Everything is top-down,” Dr Lari explains. She says there has been too much reliance on governments, without enough results. If Pakistan does not have the means to fund these solutions, she argues, it should focus on educating the population and creating a “poverty escape ladder” at the grassroots level.

    She points to her work in thousands of villages, sharing knowledge of climate-resilient homes, food security and tree planting.

    In the meantime, this year’s monsoon season is not over – and neither is the sense of loss and grief.

    Back in the village in Swabi district, a funeral was taking place for those found, only a few metres away from a rescue operation.

    Prayers were chanted in unison, as the country prepared for warnings of more heavy rains, and more danger they are struggling to protect against.

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  • Natural disasters beyond human control: Religious Affairs minister

    Natural disasters beyond human control: Religious Affairs minister





    Natural disasters beyond human control: Religious Affairs minister – Daily Times


    Published on: August 25, 2025 1:44 AM
































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  • India warns Pakistan of possible flooding under IWT in first contact since May war

    India warns Pakistan of possible flooding under IWT in first contact since May war



    Highway being built by the BRO passes by the confluence of the Indus and Zanskar rivers in the Ladakh region, India. — Reuters/File

    ISLAMABAD: In an unprecedented move since the May military confrontation, India has contacted Pakistan under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) to share advance information about possible flooding, official sources said early on Monday.

    According to the sources, New Delhi warned Pakistan of a potential major flood in the Tawi River at Jammu.

    The Indian High Commission in Islamabad conveyed the alert, with the communication made on the morning of Sunday, August 24, they added.

    It is the first major contact of its kind since the Pakistan-India war in May, the sources noted.

    Following the alert, Pakistani authorities issued warnings based on the information provided by India, the sources confirmed.

    In the wake of the killing of 26 people in the Pahalgam area of the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) in April, India held the IWT with Pakistan in abeyance.

    New Delhi accuses Islamabad of orchestrating the deadly militant attack, an allegation that Pakistan denies.

    Based on these groundless allegations, India waged a war against Pakistan in May, resulting in the heaviest military engagement in decades, before a ceasefire was brokered by the US.

    The nuclear-armed neighbours disagree over the use of the water from rivers that flow downstream from India into the Indus River basin in Pakistan.

    The use of the water is governed by the IWT, which was mediated by the World Bank and signed by the neighbours in September 1960.

    There is no provision in the treaty for either country to unilaterally suspend or terminate the pact, which has clear dispute resolution systems.

    The treaty had survived three wars and other conflicts between the two rivals, while withstanding many twists and turns in diplomatic ties.

    Reuters reported on May 16 that Delhi is considering projects that would likely reduce the flow of water into Pakistan from rivers allocated to that country.

    India has also said that it will “keep the treaty in abeyance until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism.”

    In contrast, Islamabad says “any attempt to stop or divert the flow of water belonging to Pakistan” will be an “act of war”.

    What is Indus Waters Treaty?

    The nuclear-armed neighbours disagree over the use of the water from rivers that flow downstream from India into the Indus River basin in Pakistan.

    The use of the water is governed by the IWT, which was mediated by the World Bank and signed by the neighbours in September 1960.

    The agreement split the Indus and its tributaries between the two countries and regulated water sharing. India was granted the use of water from three eastern rivers — Sutlej, Beas and Ravi — while Pakistan was granted most of the three western rivers — Indus, Jhelum and Chenab.

    There is no provision in the treaty for either country to unilaterally suspend or terminate the pact, which has clear dispute resolution systems.

    What are the concerns over water?

    The countries have argued over and disputed several projects on the Indus and its tributaries for years.

    Pakistan is heavily dependent on water from this river system for its hydropower and irrigation needs. Pakistan says India unfairly diverts water with the upstream construction of barrages and dams, a charge India denies.

    Pakistan is concerned that India’s dams will cut flows on the river, which feeds 80% of its irrigated agriculture. It has asked for a neutral expert and then an arbitration court to intervene in two recent hydropower projects.

    India has accused Pakistan of dragging out the complaints process, and says the construction of its Kishanganga and Ratle hydroelectric projects is allowed under the treaty. It has also sought modification of the pact to get around such delays.

    What could suspension change?

    The suspension of the accord is not expected to have an immediate impact on the flow of water to Pakistan, as India does not have enough storage capacity. However, water at a key receiving point in Pakistan briefly fell by as much as 90% in early May after India started maintenance work on some Indus projects.

    India’s move could also bring uncertainty to Pakistan’s agricultural system.

    The suspension means India can stop sharing crucial information and data on the release of water from barrages/dams or on flooding, Indian officials said, adding that New Delhi will also not be obliged to release minimum amounts of water during the lean season.

    How has Pakistan reacted to the decision?

    Pakistan says the treaty is a binding international agreement brokered by the World Bank and contains no provision for unilateral suspension.

    Ghasharib Shaokat, the head of product at Pakistan Agriculture Research, called the treaty the backbone of the country’s agriculture sector.

    “It puts our agricultural future on shaky ground. If water flows become erratic, the entire system takes a hit — especially irrigation-dependent crops such as wheat, rice, and sugarcane,” Shaokat said.

    “Yields could drop. Costs could rise. Food prices would likely spike. And small-scale farmers, who already operate on thin margins, would bear the brunt of it.”

    Khalid Hussain Baath, chairman of a national farmers’ union in Pakistan, painted the move as an act of belligerence.

    “This is a true war,” Baath said from Lahore. “We already have a water shortage because of climate change. Low rainfall this year, and limited snow, means that the water level is already 20-25% lower than last year.”

    Key win in the Hague court

    In a major victory, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague issued a Supplemental Award in the IWT case in June, favouring Pakistan.

    According to a statement issued by the government, Pakistan reiterated its commitment to resolving the issue under the framework of the IWT and stressed the need for renewed diplomatic engagement between the two countries.

    The arbitration court’s ruling confirmed that India’s unilateral actions could not undermine the jurisdiction of either the court of arbitration or the Neutral Expert in proceedings under the IWT.

    “Court has affirmed its competence in light of recent developments and that unilateral action by India cannot deprive either the Court or the Neutral Expert… of their competence to adjudicate the issues before them,” read the statement.

    Following the award, Pakistan called on India to immediately resume the normal functioning of the IWT, and to fully and faithfully honour its treaty obligations.

    “In a supplemental award announced on June 27 2025, the Court hearing the Pakistan-India dispute over Kishenganga and Ratle hydroelectric projects has found that its competence remains intact, and that it has a continuing responsibility to advance these proceedings in a timely, efficient, and fair manner,” the Foreign Office (FO) said in a statement.

    “The Court of Arbitration decided to announce this supplemental award in the wake of India’s illegal and unilateral announcement to hold the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance,” it added.

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  • DPM wishes speedy recovery to Begum Khaleda Zia – RADIO PAKISTAN

    1. DPM wishes speedy recovery to Begum Khaleda Zia  RADIO PAKISTAN
    2. FM Dar meets Bangladesh’s Yunus during historic visit as ‘revitalising Saarc’ comes under focus  Dawn
    3. Pakistan FM visits Dhaka to boost ties amid Bangladesh-India tensions  Al Jazeera
    4. Dhaka for direct flights, shipping services  The Express Tribune
    5. Pakistan, Bangladesh reaffirm resolve to strengthen bilateral ties  Geo.tv

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  • Pakistan: Over 120 dead in Punjab as torrential rains, floods wreak havoc – ANI News

    1. Pakistan: Over 120 dead in Punjab as torrential rains, floods wreak havoc  ANI News
    2. 8 more killed in DI Khan as rains continue to batter KP, taking province’s death toll to 406  Dawn
    3. Monsoon floods kill more than 700 in Pakistan, with heavy rains set to continue  UN News
    4. Torrential rains trigger flooding across Pakistan, dam levels near capacity  The Express Tribune
    5. Pakistan floods: Churches, schools, parishes open doors to help  Vatican News

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  • Pakistan announces Karachi-Lahore bullet train project – Pakistan

    Pakistan announces Karachi-Lahore bullet train project – Pakistan

    Pakistan Railways has announced a bullet train project between Lahore and Karachi, cutting travel time from 20 hours to just five by 2030, state-run media reported.

    As per Radio Pakistan, Minister for Railways Hanif Abbasi said the 1215-kilometer long high-speed rail line is part of the 6.8 billion dollars ML-1 upgrade under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.

    The train will run at speeds of up to 250 kilometers per hour with major stops in Hyderabad, Multan, and Sahiwal.

    The project will be executed with Chinese support, including China Railway Construction Corporation.

    Upgrades include new double tracks, rebuilt bridges, and modern signalling systems.

    ‘Punjab Air’ project, bullet train announced

    Beyond faster travel, the project is projected to create thousands of jobs during construction and operation, boost regional trade, and increase Pakistan’s freight rail share from 4% to 20% by 2030.

    It is also expected to reduce reliance on costly road transport, saving billions in fuel imports.

    Earlier this year, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif approved Lahore-Rawalpindi Bullet Train Project.

    The proposed rail link is expected to reduce travel time between the two major cities to just 2.5 hours.

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  • Rabi-ul-Awwal moon not sighted in Pakistan – Pakistan

    Rabi-ul-Awwal moon not sighted in Pakistan – Pakistan

    The Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee on Sunday announced that the Rabi-ul-Awwal moon was not sighted in Pakistan, the first day of Rabi-ul-Awwal will fall on Tuesday, August 26, while the 12th Rabi-ul-Awwal – Eid Milad-un-Nabi (PBUH) – will be observed on Saturday, September 6.

    Maulana Abdul Khabir Azad, Chairman Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee, announced after the meeting held in Karachi.

    The session was attended by members of the Karachi Zonal Committee along with representatives from the Ministry of Religious Affairs, SUPARCO, the Meteorological Department, and the Ministry of Science and Technology.

    Speaking to the media, Maulana Abdul Khabir confirmed that no evidence of moon sighting was received from any part of the country.

    Meanwhile, zonal committee meetings were also held in Islamabad, Lahore, Quetta, Peshawar, and other cities.

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  • Pakistan determined to stand with Kashmiris politically, diplomatically: Ambassador Qureshi

    Pakistan determined to stand with Kashmiris politically, diplomatically: Ambassador Qureshi

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    The ambassador said, “The question of Jammu and Kashmir is intrinsic to Pakistan’s diplomatic agenda and moral compass. At its core, it represents a people’s right to self?determination, promised under multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions and recognized by the international community.” “Despite persistent efforts, the situation remains deeply challenging and the unilateral actions of 5 August 2019 continue to curtail the rights of Kashmiri people. Fundamental freedoms remain suppressed and political expression, mobility, and access to justice are constrained,” he remarked. Ambassador Qureshi said, “Yet, the resilience of the Kashmiri people shines through. Their steadfast commitment to justice serves as a powerful beacon for all who believe in the rule of law and human dignity.” “Efforts to silence the genuine leadership of the Kashmiri people are part of the wider hegemonic and extremist agenda behind India’s illegal occupation of Jammu & Kashmir,” he observed, stating, “The imprisonment of Kashmiri leaders and activists, including Shabbir Ahmed Shah, Muhammad Yasin Malik and Masarrat Alam Bhatt will never dim the resolve of our Kashmiri sisters and brothers. The continued defiance of Kashmiris in an environment of unending intimidation across the illegal Indian occupation is further proof of the indomitable courage of the Kashmiri people. India’s illegal occupation of Jammu & Kashmir remains the defining conflict in South Asia and the reason for India’s continued rogue behaviour.” He stressed that India’s unprovoked aggression against Pakistan in May 2025, and its swift and comprehensive military defeat were only the latest evidence of the urgent need for the international community to ensure that resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute becomes a global priority. “Honouring the will and aspirations of the Kashmiri people, in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions provides the only path forward towards lasting peace in South Asia,” he asserted. The ambassador said, “Our success in Marka-e-Haq and Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos is a landmark moment in our history. It was a demonstration of unshakable national will, professional excellence, and united purpose. Faced with unjustified Indian aggression, Pakistan responded with clarity, courage and restraint. The world witnessed a nation that is peace-loving, but fully capable of defending its sovereignty and territorial integrity.” “The military capability, valour and faith of our brave soldiers and air warriors forced the enemy to kneel down. We pay tribute to the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the sake of our freedom and offer prayers for the elevation of their ranks in eternal life,” he continued. He drew attention to a European Parliament–commissioned study on transnational repression of human rights defenders. “This report, requested by the Parliament’s sub-committee on Human Rights and finalized in June 2025, outlines how governments including India have extended coercion beyond borders. This includes tactics such as surveillance, digital intimidation, misuse of Interpol notices, and physical threats aimed at silencing exiled critics and activists in host countries,” he mentioned. He said, “These developments are deeply instructive for us. Just as Kashmiri voices face suppression at home, many continue to encounter intimidation abroad.” He urged the international community, and especially the European Union to stand firm against such cross-border attempts to silence dialogue, dissent, and justice. While appreciating the steadfast advocacy of Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for the Kashmir cause, both within Pakistan and on international platforms, the ambassador said the Governor’s voice has been a source of strength and encouragement for all those committed to justice and human dignity. “The Governor’s consistent engagement with political leaders, civil society, and the media has helped keep the plight of the Kashmiri people at the forefront of national consciousness,” he said adding, “By amplifying the voices of the oppressed and underlining Pakistan’s principled position, the Governor has contributed meaningfully to ensuring that the issue of Jammu and Kashmir remains alive in public discourse and firmly anchored in our national priorities.” He recalled that in June 2025, a high-level parliamentary delegation led by Member of the National Assembly, former Foreign Minister, and Chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari underscored the centrality of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in Pakistan’s foreign policy and highlighted the just struggle of the Kashmiri people. While expressing his deepest condolences on the tragic loss of precious lives in the recent floods in Pakistan, he said, “Our thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved families, and we stand in solidarity with all those affected by this natural calamity.” He said the devastating floods were yet another reminder of the urgency of collective climate action, particularly for vulnerable countries like Pakistan that were disproportionately affected despite contributing little to global emissions. He called on the international community to redouble efforts to build resilience, mobilize resources, and pursue equitable climate justice.

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  • Lahore experiences scattered rain, humid weather

    Lahore experiences scattered rain, humid weather

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    LAHORE, Aug 24 (APP):Scattered rain coupled with humid weather prevailed in the provincial capital on Sunday, with the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) forecasting similar conditions over the next 24 hours.

    Rain was reported from several localities across the city. According to MET officials, a seasonal low lies over north Balochistan, while strong monsoon currents from the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea are penetrating the upper and central parts of the country. A westerly wave is also affecting most northern regions.

    The forecast suggests rain-wind/thundershowers in Kashmir, upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, northeastern and eastern Punjab, and the Potohar region, with chances of isolated heavy falls in upper KP, Kashmir, and northeastern Punjab during the night. Isolated rain-wind/thundershowers are also expected in southeast Sindh, while hot and humid weather will prevail elsewhere.

    Rainfall was recorded at various cities nationwide. Dalbandin experienced the day’s highest temperature at 43°C, while Lahore recorded a maximum of 34°C.

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