PAKISTAN OPEN TO NEUTRAL, CREDIBLE PROBE INTO PAHALGAM INCIDENT: PM In partnership with
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Sunday, 27 April, 2025 I 28 Shawwal, 1446
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PM SHEHBAZ DECLARES ANY ATTEMPT TO STOP, REDUCE AND DIVERT FLOW OF PAKISTAN’S SHARE OF WATER UNDER IWT TO BE RESPONDED TO WITH FULL FORCE AND MIGHT
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Rs 20.00 | Vol XV No 290 I 8 Pages I Islamabad Edition
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SAYS ARMED FORCES FULLY PREPARED TO DEFEND COUNTRY’S TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY, SOVEREIGNTY AGAINST ANY MISADVENTURE
PEACE IS OUR PREFERENCE BUT IT MUST NOT BE CONSTRUED AS OUR WEAKNESS: PM KAKUL
STAFF REPORT
RIME Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday while reiterating Pakistan’s strong condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, said that Pakistan as a responsible country was open to participate ‘in any neutral, transparent and credible investigation’ into Pahalgam incident. He said contrary to it on the Eastern border, their neighbour continued a pattern of exploitation and levelling of baseless allegations and false accusations without credible investigation or verifiable evidences in the recent tragedy of Pahalgam which was ‘yet another example of this perpetual blame game which must come to a grinding halt.’ Addressing a passing out parade of Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) cadets, the prime minister said that water had been a vital national interest of Pakistan and lifeline for its 240 million people and “Let there be no doubt at all that its availability would be safeguarded at all costs and circumstances.” In an apparent reference to India’s announcement of suspending the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), the prime minister said “Any attempt to stop, reduce and divert the flow of water belonging to Pakistan under the Indus Waters Treaty will be responded to with full force and might and no one should remain under any kind of false impression and confusion.” The prime minister said that their valiant armed forces were fully capable and prepared to defending country’s territorial integrity and sovereignty against any misadventure as clearly demonstrated by its measured and resolute response to the Indian reckless incursion in February 2019, therefore nobody should make any mistake about it. He said that this nation of 240 million people stood united by and behind their brave armed forces and committed to safeguarding every inch of their motherland. Let this message be loud and clear for all and sundry. The ceremony was attended by Chief of Army Staff General Syed Asif Munir, military leadership, members of the diplomatic corps and parents of the cadets. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reiterated “Peace is our preference but it must not be
construed as our weakness. We will and shall never compromise on the dignity and security of our beloved Pakistan.” He said Pakistan would continue its unwavering commitment to playing a responsible and constructive role at the global stage for peace and security as it believed in the unity of the human race. The prime minister said founder, Quaid e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah had rightly declared Kashmir as a jugular vein of Pakistan. He said the globally recognized dispute remained unresolved despite multiple UN resolutions and reaffirmed Pakistan’s continuing support to the Kashmiris’ right to selfdetermination till they achieved it after great struggle and sacrifices. The prime minister said Afghanistan was their neighbouring country and ‘it is our earnest desire to live in peace with them in all times to come but unfortunately, despite their best and sincere efforts, terrorist activities continued to emanate from Afghan territory.’ The deputy prime minister had recently visited Kabul and shared their efforts for better relations and understanding with the brotherly and neighbourly country Afghanistan, he said, adding, however, they also delivered a clear and loud message to
the interim Afghan government, that while they desired peaceful neighbourly relations with Kabul, this could not happen so long as Afghan soil was being used by Fitna al Khwarij to attack Pakistanis and kill innocent people in Pakistan. The prime minister said India’s systematic prosecuting of its minorities, particularly
Iran offers mediation to ease Pakistan-India tensions
of Muslims and Sikhs, had become more pervasive over the years. India should take complete responsibility under international obligations to secure the rights of its oppressed minorities, he stressed. He said Pakistan on the other hand always condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.
The development comes after Araghchi held separate telephone conversations with his Pakistani and Indian counterparts following attack in Pahalgam, located in Indian Illegal Occupied Kashmir (IIOK). During the calls, the Iranian foreign minister urged both sides to exercise restraint and emphasised the importance of de-escalating the situation. The incident in Pahalgam, a popular tourist destination, left 26 tourists dead and more than a dozen injured after unidentified gunmen opened fire. In response to the attack, India accused Pakistan of involvement — a claim Islamabad has denied — and announced the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, a long-standing water-sharing agreement between the two countries.
TEHRAN
STAFF REPORT
Iran has offered to mediate between Pakistan and India to help ease growing tensions between the two South Asian neighbours, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Saturday. In a post on his official social media account, Araghchi said, “We are ready to play a mediating role to help reduce tensions between Pakistan and India.” Citing Iran’s close ties with both countries, he noted that Tehran could assist in promoting understanding during this period of heightened tensions. Neither Pakistan nor India has yet publicly responded to the Iranian offer.
DPM Dar discusses regional situation in series of diplomatic calls to brotherly nations ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Saturday made a series of diplomatic calls to brotherly and friendly nations to brief them on the evolving situation in the region after India’s unilateral escalating moves and provocation. FM Dar held separate meetings with Chinese Ambassador and British High Commissioner Jane Marriott and made telephonic calls to Turkish, Egyptian and Azerbaijan counterparts to take them into confidence on the situation arising in the backdrop of Indian allegations against Pakistan following the killing of 26
tourists in a militant attack in Pahalgam in the Indian-Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) on April 22.
New Delhi swiftly pointed the finger at Pakistan, downgraded ties and suspended the crucial water-sharing treaty – the Indus
Water Treaty (IWT), raising fears of another military escalation between the nuclear-armed rivals.
Naqvi reiterates Pakistan’s call for impartial probe into Pahalgam attack ISLAMABADL
STAFF REPORT
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Saturday reiterated Pakistan’s call for an impartial inquiry into the Pahalgam attack, saying Pakistan is ready to fully cooperate with any neutral party investigating the incident. “India’s efforts to link Pakistan with the Pahalgam attack are baseless and premature, but Pakistan remains determined to reveal the truth to the world”, Interior Minister Naqvi de-
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clared while addressing a press conference. He made it clear that Pakistan had no involvement in the Pahalgam incident. “Pakistan has a clear stance — we are a peaceful nation,” he said, adding that Pakistan condemns terrorism wherever it occurs in the world. He said that Pakistan possesses concrete evidence of India’s involvement in acts of terrorism. He stressed that if any attempt was made to suppress Pakistan’s rights, “every citizen will fight to the last breath.”
Pakistan requests $1.4b boost to China swap line, eyes Panda bond issue PROFIT
STAFF REPORT
Pakistan has put in a request to China to augment its existing swap line by 10 billion yuan ($1.4 billion), Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said, adding he expected the country would launch a Panda bond before year-end. Pakistan has an existing 30 billion yuan swap line already, Aurangzeb told Reuters in an interview on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Group spring meetings in Washington. The Reuters Power Up newsletter provides everything you need to know about the global energy industry. “From our perspective, getting to 40 billion renminbi would be a good place to move towards … we just put in that request,” Aurangzeb said. China’s central bank has been promoting currency swap lines with a raft of emerging
economies, including the likes of Argentina and Sri Lanka. Pakistan has also made progress on issuing its first panda bond – debt issued on China’s domestic bond market, denominated in yuan. Talks with the presidents of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and Asian Development Bank (ADB) – the two lenders who are in line to provide credit enhancements for the issue – had been constructive, he said. “We want to diversify our lending base and we have made some good progress around that – we are hoping that during this calendar year we can do an initial print,” he said. Meanwhile, Aurangzeb expected the IMF executive board to sign off in early May on the Staff Level Agreement on its new $1.3 billion arrangement under a climate resilience loan program as well as the first review of the ongoing $7 billion bailout program. Getting the green light from the IMF
board would trigger a $1 billion payout under the programme, which the country secured in 2024 and has played a key role in stabilizing Pakistan’s economy. Asked about the economic fallout from the tensions with India following the killing of 26 men at a tourist site earlier this month, Aurangzeb said it was “not going to be helpful.” The attack triggered outrage and grief in India, along with calls for action against neighbour Pakistan, whom New Delhi accuses of funding and encouraging terrorism in Kashmir, a region both nations claim and have fought two wars over. After the attack, India and Pakistan unleashed a raft of measures against each other, with Pakistan closing its airspace to Indian airlines and suspending trade ties, and India suspending the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty that regulates water-sharing from the Indus River and its tributaries.
“As world’s frontline state against terrorism, Pakistan endured immense losses of 90,000 human casualties and economic losses beyond imagination exceeding over 600 billion $dollars,” he added. He said who understood this excruciating pain better than Pakistanis that had given more sacrifices to counter terrorism and which country had suffered more than Pakistan! The prime minister said it was the more powerful commitment that they would not tolerate any kind of terrorism in any hue and colour and had demonstrated it beyond any doubt. After a period of economic stagnation, he said Pakistan was taking bold strides towards economic recovery, though it was a long journey full of challenges but with your prayers and with the help of Allah Almighty, they would negotiate their way forward with a sense of commitment. These steps were yielding significant milestones, attracting foreign investment in key sectors like mining, agriculture, livestock, IT and defence production, he added. The prime minister further said on the diplomatic front, they had reinvigorated the old and time-tested friendships while building new relations to expand global outreach.
Pakistan knows how to defend its homeland: COAS RAWALPINDI
STAFF REPORT
Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir on Saturday strongly responded to Indian threats and water aggression, asserting that Pakistan knows how to defend its homeland. Speaking at a passing-out parade ceremony, he emphasized that the Two-Nation Theory remains the foundational principle of Pakistan’s existence and there is no room for doubt among Pakistanis regarding it, said a press release issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations. Addressing the cadets, Gen Munir said, “We Muslims are fundamentally different from Hindus in every aspect of life our re-
ligion, customs, traditions, thoughts, and aspirations are distinct.” He highlighted the immense sacrifices made by Pakistan’s forefathers to create a separate homeland and underlined that the Two-Nation Theory is based on the recognition that Muslims and Hindus are two separate nations. “Our ancestors rendered unmatched sacrifices for the creation of Pakistan. Their unwavering struggle led to the establishment of a new homeland,” he said. “The Two-Nation Theory has always been the bedrock of Pakistan’s existence, and no Pakistani harbors even the slightest doubt about it.” Gen Munir also criticized the Indian media and social media platforms, accusing them of distorting historical facts with false propaganda.