In partnership with
Profit
Saturday, 5 July, 2025 | 9 Muharram, 1447
Rs 20.00 | Vol XV No 357 | 8 Pages | Karachi Edition
Imran asks PTI to begin EVOLVING GLOBAL LANDSCAPE WARRANTS REGIONAL anti-govt movement after Ashura COOPERATION TO CONFRONT CHALLENGES: PM
g
g
PM SHEHBAZ ADDRESSES ECO SUMMIT, SAYING, ‘FORCES OF INSTABILITY AND CHAOS CONTINUE TO DESTABILISE OUR REGION FOR GEO-POLITICAL AGENDA’
g
REITERATES INDIA COULDN’T BE ALLOWED TO ‘PURSUE THE DANGEROUS PATH THAT WILL BE REGARDED AS AN ACT OF AGGRESSION BY THE PEOPLE OF PAKISTAN’
g
CONDEMNS RECENT INDIAN AGGRESSION AND NEW DELHI’S ATTEMPTS TO WEAPONISE WATER BY HOLDING IWT IN ABEYANCE PM MEETS AZERBAIJAN PRESIDENT, REITERATES SHARED RESOLVE TO STRENGTHEN THE ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP
PM discusses regional developments with presidents of Türkiye, Iran and Uzbekistan KHANKENDI, AZERBAIJAN Staff report
P
BAKU/ISLAMABAD Staff report
RIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday urged stronger regional cooperation in view of the increasing geopolitical tensions, including the Iran-Israel conflict and Indian hostility towards Pakistan, stressing that the Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO) offered the country its “best hope” for a unified response. Addressing the 17th ECO Summit in Azerbaijan’s city of Khankendi, the prime minister said two recent events— the Iran-Israel war and the India-Pakistan conflict—showed that “the forces of instability and chaos continue to destabilise our region for geopolitical agendas.
“The evolving global landscape has made regional cooperation even more essential,” PM Shehbaz said while addressing the 10-nation Eurasian bloc. “ECO represents our best hope, and Pakistan is a proud partner in these collective efforts.” Speaking about the 12-day Iran-Israel war, he said that “the unlawful, uncalled-for and unjustified Israeli attack on Iran was the most recent manifestation of this dangerous trend.” “Pakistan condemns this act of Israeli aggression against Iran and offers our condolences to the martyrs,” he said. The premier also condemned the recent Indian aggression against Pakistan and New Delhi’s attempts to weaponize water by holding the Indus Water Treaty in abeyance. “The unprovoked and reckless Indian
Pakistan exposes India as a rogue state at UNHRC session GENEVA
Staff report
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Friday held productive meetings with President of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian, and President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and discussed matters of regional and mutual interest, state media reported. According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Premier Shehbaz Sharif met with President of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the 17th ECO Summit in Khankendi and discussed matters of mutual interest. The two leaders engaged in a comprehensive review of bilateral re-
hostility directed at Pakistan after an unfortunate incident in India’s illegally occupied Kashmir was yet another attempt to destabilize regional peace. “The world saw the steadfast determination of our armed forces under the
leadership of Field Marshal Asim Munir and the unyielding spirit of our resilient people who stood firm in the face of provocation and responded with courage and professionalism.”
Continued on page 03
Incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, on Friday said the party’s patron-in-chief had directed that the party should begin its movement against the government after the 10th of Muharram, according to Aleema Khan, sister of the former prime minister. Conveying the PTI founder’s message to the media outside Anti-Terrorism Court Rawalpindi on Friday, she cited her brother as saying, “It would be better to establish a ‘monarchy’ instead of implementing the 27th Amendment.” The announcement came days after the Supreme Court denied the party reserved seats for minorities and women in parliament. On June 27, the SC’s constitutional bench ruled that the PTI was not entitled to reserved seats in the national and provincial assemblies. Meanwhile, the government has warned the PTI against creating anarchy in the name of protest, emphasizing that staging peaceful demonstrations was their constitutional right, but violence could not be permitted. Aleema said that a plan for the movement has already been prepared, while the PTI founder has urged the masses to “come out for their freedom.” Imran has reiterated his stance that “imprisonment is better than slavery,” she maintained. Imran’s sister further claimed that her brother was facing harsh conditions in jail, stating that his experience is unimaginable for his opponents. She claimed that the PTI founder spends 22 hours a day in a cell and is only allowed out for two hours. “All jail facilities for the PTI founder have been terminated,” she alleged, adding that he is not allowed to speak to his children or access books. In contrast, she drew a comparison with former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, whose meals, she said, were delivered from home and who received hundreds of visitors. She also said that Nawaz and his daughter were kept in “a rest house” with all facilities available. On the other hand, Aleema said, Imran has not been allowed to speak to his sons for the past six months. “This continued denial is both inhumane and unlawful,” she wrote in a tweet. Whereas, for the past eight months, as head of the largest political party in Pakistan, Imran has been barred from meeting his party members as well, she said, adding it amounted to denying his constitutional right to political consultation and leadership. Meanwhile, PTI spokesperson Sheikh Waqas Akram said his party first postponed the nationwide protests due to the Iran-Israel war, then it delayed it out of respect for Muharram days.
30 Khawarij neutralized attempting to infiltrate pak-afghan border in north Waziristan: iSpR RAWALPINDI
Staff report
Pakistan on Friday exercised its “Right of Reply” during the 59th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva, in response to India’s continued attempts to mislead the international community. The statement was delivered by Mr. Danyal Hasnain, Second Secretary at Pakistan’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations. Responding firmly, Mr. Hasnain laid bare India’s record of systematic violations of international law, its illegal occupation of Jammu and Kashmir, and its deliberate attempts to silence dissent and subvert regional peace. He pointed out that India’s occupation of a UN-recognised disputed territory, in clear defiance of numerous United Nations Security Council resolutions, stands as a serious challenge to the international rules-based order. He noted that India continues to impose demographic changes in the occupied region, razes homes of innocent civilians, and uses collective punishment as a tool of repression—practices that contravene international humanitarian law. Mr. Hasnain reminded the Council that such actions are not isolated but part of a broader political architecture built on communal hatred and division. India’s aggressive posture towards Pakistan, including its unprovoked cross-border attacks and water-related threats, was also brought to light. Mr. Hasnain warned that such provocations have, in the past, brought South Asia to the brink of nuclear confrontation. He underlined India’s repeated violations of Pakistan’s sovereignty, not just through military adventurism, but also through its ongoing support to terrorist groups operating on Pakistani soil.
lations and exchanged views on key regional developments. The two leaders reiterated their resolve and commitment to bringing about meaningful progress in relations between the two countries in all important sectors. Both leaders emphasized the importance of deepening cooperation in trade, defense, energy, connectivity, and investment sectors. To this end, the two countries agreed to exchange high-level delegations so as to ensure early finalization of the understandings reached between the two leaders. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reaffirmed Pakistan’s unwavering commitment to working closely with Türkiye in advancing their shared goals of peace, stability, and sustainable development throughout the region.
ISLAMABAD
Staff report
Security forces thwarted a mass infiltration attempt and killed 30 India-sponsored terrorists in an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s North Waziristan district, according to the military’s media wing. “The security forces successfully foiled the infiltration bid by the Indiasponsored Khwarij terrorist group in Hassakhail area of North Waziristan along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border,” said a statement issued by the ISPR on Friday morning. “The attempt was made by the militant group acting as an Indian proxy under the banner of the Fitna al-Khwarij. However, the intrusion was timely intercepted by Pakistani security forces in a high-alert operation near the volatile border region,” the statement stated. “The gunbattle took place in North Waziristan, where the security forces not only neutralized all 30 infiltrators. A significant cache of weapons, ammunition, and explosive materials was recovered from the slain terrorists, confirming plans for a major terror attack,” the ISPR said. The intelligence-driven operation underscores the continuing threat posed by foreign-sponsored militant networks and Pakistan’s resolve to dismantle such outfits before they can sow chaos in the region. The ISPR called on the interim government in Afghanistan to take action to
prevent use of its soil by the Indian agents. The security forces of Pakistan remain resolute and unwavering in their commitment to defend the nation’s frontiers and to eradicate the menace of Indian-sponsored terrorism from the country, the ISPR statement added. This significant operation came just days after June 28 tragic attack in the Mir Ali area of North Waziristan, when 13 Pakistan Army personnel embraced martyrdom when a vehicle-borne suicide bomber rammed into a convoy of security forces. According to the ISPR, in the cowardly attack, planned and orchestrated by the terrorist state of India and executed by its proxy Fitna al-Khwarij, a security forces convoy was targeted when a vehicle-borne suicide bomber attempted to explode himself near the convoy. Resultantly, 13 brave sons of the soil embraced Shahadat. In this tragic and barbaric incident, three innocent civilians, including two children and a woman, also got severely injured. Shuhada included Subedar Zahid Iqbal (age: 45 years, resident of District Karak), Havildar Sohrab Khan (age: 39 years, resident of District Naseerabad), Havildar Mian Yousaf (age: 41 years, resident of District Buner), Naik Khitab Shah (age: 34 years, resident of District Lower Dir), Lance Naik Ismail (age: 32 years, resident of District Naseerabad), Sepoy Rohail (age: 30 years, resident of District Mirpur Khas), Sepoy Muham-
KP CTD foils suicide attack, kills two terrorists, including bomber PESHAWAR
Staff report
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa CounterTerrorism Department (CTD) on Friday foiled a suicide attack and killed two terrorists of the outlawed Finta alKhawarij, including the suicide bomber, in Peshawar. According to a CTD statement, acting on intelligence inputs, the CTD conducted a swift operation in the Shamshato Armard area, and neutralised two Afghan terrorists, including the suicide bomber and his handler in a fierce gun battle that ensued. According to CTD sources, the suicide attacker, identified as Munir Ahmed, had infiltrated from Khost, Afghanistan, and was planning to target a sensitive installation in Peshawar. His handler was also eliminated during
mad Ramzan (age: 33 years, resident of Dera Ghazi Khan), Sepoy Nawab (age: 30 years, resident of District Quetta), Sepoy Zubair Ahmed (age: 24 years, resident of District Naseerabad), Sepoy Muhammad Sahki (age: 31 years, resi-
the operation. A suicide vest, one SMG with rounds, and a pistol were recovered from the scene, along with a large cache of explosives and ammunition,” the statement said. The slain bomber, Munir Ahmed, hailed from Nangarhar province and had been on the CTD's watch list since November 2024. He was a wanted fugitive with confirmed links to the TTP network, it added. A case has been registered at the CTD Police Station in Peshawar, and a special investigation team has been formed to identify Munir’s main handler in Pakistan and track down the wider network involved in this plot. The CTD affirmed that both terrorists were killed in a firefight, successfully averting what could have been a catastrophic incident, it concluded.
dent of District Dera Ghazi Khan), Sepoy Hashim Abbasi (age: 20 years, resident of District Abbotabad), Sepoy Muddasir Ejaz (age: 25 years, resident of District Layyah), Sepoy Manzar Ali (age: 23 years, resident of District Mardan).
Bilawal says ‘islamabad may opt’ for extraditing ‘individuals of concern’ if india cooperates ISLAMABAD
monitoring report
PPP Chairman and former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Friday said Pakistan had no objection to extraditing “individuals of concern” to India as a confidence-building measure (CBM), as long as New Delhi showed willingness to cooperate in the process. The PPP chairman has repeatedly called for India and Pakistan engagement in dialogue to establish peace, especially in the aftermath of the four-day military confrontation in May, that ended after US President Trump brokered a ceasefire between the nuclear rivals. Speaking during an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera, the PPP chief responded to a question about extraditing Laskhar-i-Taiba (LeT) chief Hafiz Saeed and Jaish-i-Muhammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar as possible concessions and good-faith gestures to India. “As part of a comprehensive dialogue with Pakistan, where terrorism is one of the issues
that we discuss, I am sure Pakistan would not be opposed to any of these things,” Bilawal said. Both LeT and JeM have been banned by Pakistan, according to the National Counter Terrorism Authority (Nacta), while Saeed is currently serving a 33-year sentence for terror financing and Azhar has been proscribed by Nacta. Bilawal added that cases prosecuted against these “individuals” were those related to Pakistan, such as terrorist financing. However, he noted that prosecuting them for cross-border terrorism was difficult due to noncompliance from Delhi. “India is refusing to comply with certain basic elements that require that conviction to take place,” he explained. “It’s important … to present evidence within these courts, for people to come over from India to testify, to put up with whatever the counter-accusations will be. “If India is willing to be cooperative in that process, I am sure there will be no hurdle in extraditing any individual of concern.”
‘New abnormal’ Bilawal also expressed concern about India’s vow to pursue terrorists, calling it a “new abnormal”. “The new normal or the new abnormal that India would like to impose in the subcontinent … is that any terrorist attack within India means war with Pakistan,” he said. “This does not serve the interests of Pakistan, and it does not serve the interests of India. “Two nuclear-armed countries have got to the point that they have reduced the threshold for military conflict … to this level, which in effect means that we leave the destiny of 1.7 billion people not in the hands of the Pakistani or Indian government, but to nameless, faceless non-state actors,” he added. Pressed on the whereabouts of Saeed and Azhar, Bilawal stated that the former was incarcerated, while stating that Islamabad believes the latter is in Afghanistan. “It is factually not correct that Hafiz Saeed is a free man; he is in the custody of the Pakistani state,” he maintained, stating that Is-
lamabad has been unable to arrest Azhar. “It is our belief that he is in Afghanistan,” Bilawal stated. “If and when the Indian government shares information that he is on Pakistani soil, we will be more than happy to arrest him. “But the fact is that the Indian government is not referring to
them, nor any of these individuals involved in the terrorist attack that justified this war,” the PPP chief continued. “We went to war on a lie. This is a precedent that has been set and India is trying to exploit: you cry terrorist and attack a sovereign, Muslim country.”