In partnership with
Profit
PM REITERATES PAKISTAN’S WILLINGNESS TO TALKS ON KASHMIR, TERRORISM WITH INDIA Thursday, 29 May, 2025 | 1 Zilhaj, 1446
g
PREMIER SHEHBAZ SAYS PAKISTAN ALWAYS WANTS TO DISCUSS BILATERAL ISSUES WITH INDIA AT NEGOTIATION TABLE IF INDIA SHOWS SINCERITY OF PURPOSE AND COOPERATION
P
g
g
CRITICIZES INDIA’S ALLEGED EFFORTS TO MANIPULATE INDUS WATER TREATY, DESCRIBING IT AS A THREAT TO 240 MILLION PAKISTANIS
g
THIS IS A FACT OF LIFE THAT WE ARE THE BIGGEST VICTIMS OF TERRORISM AROUND THE GLOBE: PM
HOPES TRILATERAL SUMMIT WOULD ELEVATE COOPERATION AMONG PAKISTAN, TURKIYE AND AZERBAIJAN LACHIN/ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt
RIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday reiterated Pakistan’s willingness to hold talks with India to resolve outstanding disputes, including the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir, water and counterterrorism, emphasizing if New Delhi wanted the same “in all sincerity.” “Pakistan always wants peace in the region and is willing to discuss all the bilateral issues with India at the negotiation table if India shows sincerity of purpose and cooperation.” Premier Shehbaz He
made the remarks while addressing the Pakistan-TurkiyeAzerbaijan Trilateral Summit held in Lachin, Azerbaijan, alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. During his speech, the premier emphasized the urgency of regional cooperation and the need to resolve disputes through
dialogue. He stressed that Pakistan had always desired peace and was open to discussions with India, including on counterterrorism, provided New Delhi showed genuine intent. PM Shehbaz also criticized India’s alleged efforts to manipulate the Indus Waters Treaty, describing them as a threat to the 240 million people of Pakistan who rely on the water supply. He
said India’s attempts to halt water flow were unacceptable and vowed that Islamabad would take all necessary steps to prevent it. The premier also touched upon the issue of terrorism: “I have said in all earnest that if India wants to talk on countering terrorism in sincerity of purpose, Pakistan would be willing to talk to India on this issue as well. But this is a fact of life that we are the biggest victims of terrorism around the globe; we lost 90,000 valuable lives in Pakistan and $150 billion worth of economic losses over the last many decades,” he highlighted.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 03
On Youm-e-Takbeeer, civil, military leadership reaffirms doctrine of credible minimum deterrence
g
Rs 20.00 | Vol XV No 322 | 8 Pages | Lahore Edition
PREMIER SHEHBAZ, PRESIDENT CALL FOR UNITY AND DETERMINATION TO TRANSFORM COUNTRY INTO ECONOMIC POWER ISLAMABAD
Staff RepoRt
The civil and military leadership on Wednesday lauded Pakistan’s nuclear capability and described it as a steadfast commitment to preserving its sovereignty and territorial integrity, saying Youm-e-Takbeer was more than a celebration to reaffirm the doctrine of credible minimum deterrence, as evidenced in the recent confrontation with India. Twenty-seven years ago on this very day, May 28, 1998, a team of Pakistani scientists led by Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan and Dr Samar Mubarakmand carried out nuclear tests in the Raskoh Hills in Chagai, in response to Indian nuclear tests. With a public holiday in the country, the nation celebrated Youm-e-Takbeer to mark the historic day of May 28, 1998 when Pakistan joined the club of nuclear powers after atomic tests in the hills of Chagai, Balochistan. Pakistan became the seventh nuclear nation in the world and the first Muslim state to have a nuclear arsenal. Rallies, seminars, and flag-hoisting ceremonies were held in all four province, including the AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan to commemorate the occasion. In their separate messages, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, President Asif Ali Zardari, and the armed forces congratulated the nation “on this day of great significance.” PM Shehbaz emphasized that Youm-e-
Takbeer was more than a celebration and was a solemn reminder of Pakistan’s resolve to safeguard its sovereignty, according to the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP). The premier appreciated the nation’s spirit during the confrontation with India and linked this year’s commemoration with recent success in defending itself from “an unjustified war imposed by India.” “The
joys of Youm-e-Takbeer have further increased for a nation filled with victory,” PM Shehbaz stated. PM Shehbaz, in a post on X, said, “We thank Allah Almighty for His countless blessings and for granting us yet another glorious victory in the face of recent Indian aggression.”
ISLAMABAD
party but a national day of pride and honor for every Pakistani. He paid special tribute to Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan, Dr Samar Mubarakmand, and countless others who dedicated their lives to securing Pakistan’s sovereignty and turned the dream into a reality. “It is deeply regrettable that Dr AQ Khan, the father of Pakistan’s nuclear program, was forced to apologize on national television,” Waqas added. “PTI founder Imran Khan was the only political leader who condemned this humiliation and stood by Dr. Khan, because he is, was, and will forever remain our national hero, a symbol of Pakistan’s pride and resilience,” PTI CIS maintained.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 03
PTI salutes ‘unsung heroes’ for making Pakistan’s defense impregnable Staff RepoRt
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram paid growing tribute to the scientists, engineers, and unsung heroes who burned midnight oil to make Pakistan’s defense impregnable and invincible despite immense hurdles and international pressures. Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, PTI CIS said that on this day Pakistan emerged as the first nuclear power in the Islamic world and the seventh globally, and this momentous achievement sent a powerful message to the world that Pakistan is a resolute and indomitable nation. He emphasized that this achievement was not the legacy of any single political
CONTINUED ON PAGE 03
Pakistan-Turkiye-Azerbaijan reaffirm unity, prioritise peace at trilateral summit LACHIN/ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday joined Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in a firm call to “reject conflict” and prioritise peace, as the three nations held a high-level trilateral summit in Lachin, Azerbaijan. The meeting marked a symbolic display of unity among historically allied nations, with Pakistan, Turkiye, and Azerbaijan, reaffirming mutual support on longstanding regional disputes including
Kashmir, Karabakh, and northern Cyprus. PM Shehbaz was accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir. The summit forms part of his fournation diplomatic tour, which has already included visits to Turkiye and Iran. He is expected to proceed to Tajikistan next to attend the International Conference on Glaciers in Dushanbe. Addressing the summit, Shehbaz said the world is facing “grave challenges” such as conflict, climate change, disease and economic instability.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 03
Pakistan condemns Modi’s ‘inflammatory remarks,’ urges India to return to int’l order ISLAMABAD
Staff RepoRt
Pakistan’s Foreign Office on Wednesday condemned Indian PM Narendra Modi’s statement delivered in Gujrat as “inflammatory and indicative of India’s continued reliance on historical revisionism, internal repression, and hostile rhetoric,” urging India to “return to the core principles of international order.” In a statement issued here on Wednesday, the FO called India’s approach towards the Indus Water Treaty a “troubling departure from international norms,” drawing a contrast between Islamabad and New Delhi’s regional conduct and global ambitions. “A leadership truly in pursuit of international respect might first look inward and seek to cleanse its conscience before issuing threats to others,” the statement read. The FO called Modi’s remarks “unexpected” and urged India to set aside its project of “historical revisionism.” The development follows the recent military confrontation between India and Pakistan after the former accused Islamabad of involvement in a deadly attack in Pahalgam, a tourist resort in the Indian-occupied Kashmir, without evidence and announced a slew of provocative moves, including the suspension of the decadesold Indus Water Treaty (IWT). On the night of May 6-7, New Delhi intensified the confrontation into a military one by launching a series of air strikes in Pakistan, resulting in civilian casualties. Islamabad responded by downing five Indian jets. After intercepting drones sent by India and tit-for-tat strikes on each other’s airbases, it took American intervention on
May 10 for both sides to finally drop their guns as a ceasefire was reached. In a video posted by Indian news outlet ANI, Modi, addressing India’s youth, calls into question the contents of the Indus Waters Treaty. He said, “If you study the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, you’ll be shocked.” He continued, “It was decided that the dams built on the rivers of Jammu and Kashmir would not be cleaned… For 60 years, these gates were never opened. Reservoirs that were supposed to be filled to 100 percent capacity have now been reduced to only 2pc or 3pc.” Stating that the treaty has only been held in abeyance as of now, he added, “Right now, I haven’t done anything, and people are sweating there in Pakistan.” The FO spokesperson urged India to return to the core principles of international order, including “respect for sovereign rights of others and its treaty obligations, as well as restraint in both language and action.” The FO in its statement, cautioned that “Jingoism may stir applause on the campaign trail, but it undermines longterm peace and stability.” It continued that “India’s youth, often the first casualty of chauvinistic nationalism, would do well to reject the politics of fear and instead work toward a future defined by dignity, reason, and regional cooperation.” The statement read that such acts may serve domestic optics but cannot withstand international scrutiny or inspire India’s image as a responsible regional power, while highlighting that “the ideological followers of India’s current government have normalized mob violence, promoted hate campaigns, and targeted religious minorities.”