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Peace, stability only possible by eliminating terrorism emanating from Afghanistan, Dar says at SCO meeting

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Friday that durable peace and stability in the region can only be achieved by eliminating the threat of terrorism emanating from neighbouring Afghanistan. “Durable peace, stability and economic development can only be achieved with the eradication of the menace of terrorism emanating from Afghan soil,” he said while speaking at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers’ meeting. He said that Pakistan desired to see a “peaceful, stable, regionally integrated and prosperous Afghanistan which is at peace with itself and its neighbours”, adding that this would be in the best interest of all SCO member states and beyond. He said that currently, the threat of terrorism emanating from Afghanistan was one of the most serious security challenges for Pakistan. He said that terrorist organisations continued to recruit, train and operate from Afghan soil “under the watch and facilitation of the Afghan Ta...
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Man arrested after two men stabbed in New York; police suspect hate crime

Two people were stabbed in New York on Thursday, with police saying that they had arrested a suspect and were evaluating the incident as a possible hate crime. The two victims, who were targeted in separate attacks near Manhattan’s Central Park, were “an Asian male and a Jewish male,” New York City police commissioner Jessica Tisch said on X, adding that they were both hospitalised and “expected to survive”. The New York Police Department (NYPD) arrested the suspect, identified as 51-year-old Raul Morales. “Detectives are continuing to work the case and determine motive, but according to victim and witness statements, Morales yelled ‘Allahu Akbar’ during both attacks,” Tisch said. “The NYPD is currently evaluating whether this is a potential hate crime.” She further said that “at this time, there is no known link between Morales and either of the victims, nor between the victims and each other”. Tisch added that the suspect has no r...
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Supreme Court declares hearing bail applications in pending NAB appeals is FCC's jurisdiction

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Friday settled a jurisdictional dispute by declaring that it could not hear bail applications in pending National Accountability Bureau (NAB) appeals, and all such pending criminal appeals stood transferred to the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC). “This court has no jurisdiction to take cognisance in the NAB cases in terms of Article 175F (a) of the Constitution, read with Section 32 and 32-A of the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999,” ruled Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar in a 30-page judgement he authored. The ruling came on two petitions taken up by a three-judge Supreme Court bench, which was headed by Justice Mazhar and comprised Justice Musarrat Hilali and Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan. One of the pleas was filed by the NAB, challenging an acquittal by the Peshawar High Court, and another by an under-trial prisoner, Aamir Mahmood, who challenged the Islamabad High Court’s refusal of his post-arrest bail. More to follow from Dawn - Home htt...
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From symbolism to substance: a roadmap for Pakistan-Russia ties

The world is entering a period of rapid geopolitical realignment. The conflicts unfolding in the Middle East and along Russia’s borders with the West are not merely regional disputes; they are symptomatic of a deeper contest between two poles of global power — China and the United States — over the shape of the emerging world order. In this environment, smaller and middle powers risk being viewed simply as territory to be absorbed into one bloc or another. Russia and Iran are two states that deserve closer attention in this context. It would be a mistake to assume that their geopolitical weight can simply be written out of a new order defined by US-China rivalry. The outcome of that rivalry will, in fact, help shape the strategic and economic options available to other countries in the years ahead — Pakistan and Russia among them. Both nations share a concern for economic and technological sovereignty, and both have an interest in building new channels of cooperation. Before any dee...
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Pakistan hits back at India's attempt to 'distort facts', says holding IWT in abeyance 'simply illegal'

Pakistan on Thursday rejected India’s attempt to “distort facts” about the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) at a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) open debate, saying that New Delhi’s actions in the aftermath of the attack in occupied Kashmir’s Pulwama were “simply illegal”. At a UNSC debate on natural resource governance, Pakistan’s Permanent Representation to the UN Asim Iftikhar Ahmad had highlighted India’s unilateral decision to hold the treaty in abeyance, saying that “no state should be permitted to abuse shared water resources as an instrument of coercion or political pressure, much less when it breaches solemn treaty obligations”. Subsequently, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni had accused Pakistan of “state-sponsored cross-border terrorism”, saying that it had “eroded the basis for bilateral cooperation on the treaty”, according to Indian news agency ANI . He had also asserted New Delhi’s claim on occupied Kashmir. In response, Pakistan...
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Modi vows punishment for exam fraud in first comments on Indian student protests

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed on Thursday “stringent punishment” for those involved in exam fraud that has fuelled student anger, in his first direct comments tied to major protests challenging his government. The comments came after thousands of protesters, led by the social media-driven Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) movement, rallied in New Delhi on Wednesday, triggering fresh clashes with the police. “Nothing is more important than the welfare and future of our youth,” he said in a post on X, promising to set up fast-track courts to punish those involved in question paper leaks. “Those who try to harm the future of our youth will not be spared,” he added. The protesters, mostly young students, have been demanding the resignation of the education minister over exam paper leaks since last month. Protests snowballed on Monday after police fired tear gas and baton-charged tens of thousands of demonstrators as they tried to...
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Iran’s post-war gamble on the young

Tehran is red and black when I arrive. Millions of people in black mourning attire carried red flags, the stark emblem of blood and martyrdom, seeking revenge for their leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was assassinated on February 28. “We Must Rise,” declare the banners. War songs ricochet off the walls in streets punctuated by elegies on the martyrdom of Imam Husayn and his Companions at Karbala. This is collective grief channelled as state resilience. An elderly supporter I meet, Akbar Ali Jafari, puts it like this: “The war has given the Revolution a new lease on life.” The founding purpose is resurrected and its leadership cast as embattled defenders of the nation rather than an ageing, contested regime. A vehicle carrying coffins of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his family members, makes its way as people attend a funeral procession for Khamenei. — Reuters In early July, a towering fist was constructed a few days before the f...
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