g A SERIES OF EXPLOSIONS HEARD AND AIR RAID SIRENS SOUNDED OVER JERUSALEM FOLLOWING IRAN’S DRONE ATTACKS g
g UNSC SCHEDULES MEETING AFTER RUSSIA AND CHINA REQUESTED AN EMERGENCY MEETING
s ta f f r e p o r t Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has strongly condemned what he described as unwarranted attacks against Iran during a telephone conversation with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi According to a statement issued by the Foreign Office the two leaders reviewed the evolving situation in Iran and the wider
wave of U S and partner strikes CENTCOM forces successfully defended against hundreds of Iranian missile and drone attacks CENTCOM said Iranian media, citing the Red Crescent, also said the US and Israeli attacks hit 24 provinces in Iran, killing 201 and injuring 747 Israel's military said its pilots had hit hundreds of
preparations to leave home temporarily
We are going to our hometown in Yazd Tehran is not safe anymore, said Gholamreza, a Tehran shopkeeper and father of two "I am leaving everything behind in Tehran " Following US and Israeli strikes Iran retaliated
systems intercepted an Iranian missile as warning sirens sounded across the Gulf state The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Qatar ’s US-made Patriot interceptors downed the missile Qatar hosts the AlUdeid military base the largest U S military facility in the region Iran in a letter to the United Nations said all US and Israeli bases facilities and assets in the region are legitimate military targets In the same letter, Iran said it would continue to exercise its right of self defence “until the aggression ceases fully and unequivocally” Meanwhile The UAE said one person was killed by falling shrapnel following the Iranian missile attack The United Arab Emirates said it was targeted on Saturday by what it described as a blatant attack involving Iranian ballistic missiles, adding that its air defence systems intercepted a number of them
The Defence Ministry said debris fell in a residential area of Abu Dhabi causing material damage and killing one person of Asian nationality Authorities said the security situation was under control and that all relevant agencies were monitoring developments around the clock
The ministry strongly condemned the attack, calling it a “dangerous escalation” and a “cowardly act that threatens civilian safety and regional stability It said the strike was a clear violation of the UAE s sovereignty and international law C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 03
readiness to play a constructive role in easing tensions and expressed
that the blessings of Ramadan would
restore
to the region Separately PM Shehbaz spoke with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan conveying Pakistan s strong condemnation of what he described as a dangerous regional escalation In a post on X, the prime minister expressed deep sorrow over the death of a Pakistani national in Abu Dhabi, reaffirming full solidarity with the UAE during what he termed “difficult times ” The Prime Minister also held a telephone conversation with Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Amir of the State of Qatar, later in the evening During the telephone call, the Prime Minister strongly condemned the serious regional escalation from the Israeli attack on Iran earlier in the day that was followed by the regrettable attacks against Qatar as well as in other Gulf countries
ISLAMABAD
PAKISTAN CEMENT SECTOR POSTS
60% Pakistanis
OFIT
The Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives has authorised Rs555 5 billion or 55 55% of the Rs1 trillion allocated for the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) 2025-26 during July–January, while actual expenditure stood at Rs272 78 billion, equivalent to 27 28% of the total allocation
According to a notification from the Ministry of Finance the Planning Ministry released funds in phases, allocating 15 percent for the first quarter, 20 percent for the second 25 percent for the third and 40 percent for the fourth quarter of the fiscal year Data available on the Planning Ministry s website shows that Rs390 66 billion, or 39 percent, was authorised for development projects of federal ministries, divisions and other departments against a total allocation of Rs685 96 billion which includes Rs102 billion in foreign loan components So far Rs206 1 billion has been spent on these projects For the National Highways Authority (NHA) and the power sector (NTDC/PEPCO),
SME FINANCING RISES TO RS882BN, RS221BN
Tthen at Dunya News It is understood that Malik Riaz backed off from funding the project some time ago and Kamran Khan along with his family has been running the place on his own The withdrawal of funding from Malik Riaz has had Nukta on the ropes for the past few months with major layoffs taking place in November 2025 The company announced back then they were laying off 37 individuals mostly reporters and cameremen, because of budget cuts Not only were the individuals laid off, more rounds of lay offs followed THE MALIK RIAZ CONNECTION Nukta was officially launched in November 2024 with its headquarters in Dubai The platform bills itself as a digital media plat-
form and began operations with an extensive team of professional journalists picked from media houses across the country Before its launch Nukta recruited aggressively and spoke to some of the biggest names in Pakistan s news media The head of the organisation is senior journalist Kamran Khan In Pakistan, they had started the hiring process as early as December 2023 Many journalists were in talks with Nukta although some backed out when rumours emerged that the main investor behind the platform was real estate developer Malik Riaz Malik Riaz has long been interested in acquiring a media organization in Pakistan The trend of real estate developers acquiring media organizations has seen a rise in recent years with one of the more signifi-
PM S hehbaz rallies gulf allies as Israel-US strikes on Iran ignite regional crisis
with the brotherly State of Qatar amid the current crisis and assured the Amir that Pakistan would always stand shoulder to shoulder with the brotherly people of Qatar and play a positive role for ensuring peace and stability in the region Earlier in the day Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held a phone call with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, condemning the unwar-
ranted attacks on Iran and urging an immediate halt to hostilities The Foreign Office said both leaders reviewed the rapidly evolving situation and emphasized the urgent need to resume diplomatic engagement to prevent further escalation
The crisis erupted after Israel and the United States launched strikes on Iranian targets, with US President Donald Trump vowing to dismantle Tehran s missile capabilities and block its path to a nuclear weapon Iran responded with a barrage of missiles aimed at Gulf states and Israel dramatically widening the conflict
Iran s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed responsibility for targeting the US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain, other American assets across the Gulf, and sites inside Israel Explosions and air defence interceptions were reported in Saudi Arabia Bahrain Qatar the UAE Israel and Iraq Several Gulf states including Kuwait Qatar, the UAE and Jordan, confirmed intercepting incoming missiles UAE state media reported one fatality in Abu Dhabi In Iran a strike on a school reportedly killed 24 people while Israeli authorities deployed search and rescue teams after pro-
jectiles fell in multiple locations Smoke was seen rising over Tehran s Pasteur district, near the residence of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei Israeli media suggested that Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian were among potential targets though Iranian state television said Pezeshkian was safe and sound Wi
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The UAE reserved “its full right to respond” and to take all necessary measures to protect its territory people and national interests It added that it was fully prepared to deal with any threats and that the safety of citizens, residents and visitors remained a top priority The ministry urged the public to rely on official sources for information and avoid spreading rumours Saudi Arabia also strongly condemned what it called Iranian aggression and a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Jordan Riyadh expressed full solidarity with those countries and said it was ready to place all its capabilities at their disposal to support any measures they take It warned of the serious consequences of continued violations of state sovereignty and international law In Israel, a series of explosions was heard and air raid sirens sounded over Jerusalem after Israel and the United States launched a joint attack on Iran earlier in the day The Israeli military had said it identified a barrage of missiles launched from Iran
Explosions were also heard near Iran s Kharg Island Iran exports about 90% of its crude oil via Kharg, shipping it through the narrow Strait of Hormuz Iranian media reported explosions in Isfahan Qom Karaj and Kermanshah Blasts were also heard in the northwestern city of Tabriz, according to Fars news agency Iran's Defence Minister Amir Nasirzadeh and Revolutionary Guards commander Mohammed Pakpour are believed to have been killed in Israeli attacks three sources familiar with Israel s military operations and one regional source said Iran s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said that "we may have lost a few commanders, but that's not such a big problem," according to an NBC News reporter on X FM Araghchi accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former US president Donald Trump of waging an unjustified confrontation against Tehran
warning that Iran s armed forces were ready to respond In a statement posted on social media platform X, Araghchi said: Netanyahu and Trump's war on Iran is wholly unprovoked, illegal, and illegitimate ” He further criticised Trump’s foreign policy stance stating: Trump has turned America First into Israel First which always means America Last The minister also issued a warning regarding Tehran s military preparedness
“Our Powerful Armed Forces are prepared for this day and will teach the aggressors the lesson they deserve ” he said A source told Reuters that Iranian officials were the main target of the first wave of US-Israeli strikes Iran s senior officials are in perfect health”, including President Masoud Pezeshkian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and security chief Ali Larijani the Fars news agency reported on Saturday While Israeli sources have claimed to have targeted and succeeded in attacking the president and senior Iranian leaders, official sources within the country report that senior regime officials, including the heads of the armed forces are in perfect health ” the report said According to Reuters satellite images show damage to Khamenei s Tehran compound The statement follows joint strikes by Israel and the United States earlier on Saturday that pushed the Middle East into renewed military confrontation and further dimmed hopes for a diplomatic solution to the West’s long-standing effort to denuclearise Iran despite Tehran s repeated assertions that it will not pursue nuclear weapons
A source told Reuters that Iranian officials were the main target of the first wave of US-Israeli strikes An official told Reuters that Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei is not in Tehran and has been transferred to a secure location, and the news agency Mehr is reporting that Iran's President is "safe" The New York Times, citing a US official, reported that US strikes on Iran were underway US strikes are being launched by air
and sea a US official tells Reuters Speaking to CNN a US official claims that the strikes are "only on military targets"
Previously, an Iranian official said that Tehran is preparing for retaliation, "The response will be crushing " Iran judiciary says death toll from strike that hit school in south now 85 Iran s judiciary has said the death toll from a strike that hit a school in the country s south has risen to 85, after the US and Israel launched a wave of attacks on the Islamic Republic AFP reports “The number of martyrs at the girls’ school in Minab has increased to 85 the judiciary s Mizan Online website quoted the local prosecutor s office as saying AFP was unable to access the location to verify the toll or the circumstances surrounding the incident KHAMENEI IS STILL ALIVE , SAYS IRANIAN FM However Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is still alive as far as I know, in an interview with NBC News “Almost all officials are safe and sound and alive We may have lost one or two commanders but that is not a big problem ” he said When asked about US President Donald Trump s pre-recorded remarks after the attacks Araghchi labeled efforts of regime change as "Mission Impossible "
"You cannot do regime change while millions of people are supporting this socalled regime " he said adding that Tehran is "certainly interested for de-escalation "
Defending the Iranian strikes in the Middle East Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi called them an act of self-defence
We have no intention of attacking them,” he said “But we are targeting American bases as an act of self-defence We cannot simply sit and watch and not respond because their bases are in friendly neighbouring countries On Saturday morning, Israel launched what it called a preemptive attack against Iran under the name “Lion’s Roar,” declaring a “special and immediate” state of emergency across the country
Trump later said his forces launched major combat operations in Iran aimed at protecting the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime ” The attacks come as talks between Washington and Tehran over Iran’s nuclear program had been ongoing under Oman s mediation A new round of talks in Geneva ended on Thursday The joint strikes pushed the Middle East into renewed military confrontatioaragn and further dimmed hopes for a diplomatic solution to the West’s long-standing effort to denuclearise Iran despite Tehran’s repeated assertions that it will not pursue nuclear weapons
An official told Reuters that Iran s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei is not in Tehran and has been transferred to a secure location and the news agency Mehr is reporting that Iran s President is safe The New York Times, citing a US official, reported that US strikes on Iran were underway US strikes are being launched by air and sea a US official tells Reuters Speaking to CNN a US official claims that the strikes are only on military targets" Previously, an Iranian official said that Tehran is preparing for retaliation "The response will be crushing " The State of Israel launched a pre-emptive attack against Iran to remove threats to the State of Israel," Defence Minister Israel Katz said Israeli Defence officials state that this operation was planned months ago with the launch date decided some weeks prior They added that this attack was coordinated with the US, and the US has planned "several days of attacks" against Iran
Competing with India
THE Federal Commerce Ministry has told the National Assembly Committee on Commerce that the proposed India-European Union Free Trade Agreement does not pose an immediate risk to Pakistan s exports In a written brief submitted to the Committee the Ministry said Pakistan would continue to benefit from zero-duty access for key exports under the EU’s GSP+ scheme even after the EU-India FATA became operational It is a little troubling to see the mindset which insists on seeing India as some sort of threat or sole competitor, especially in the realm of business, especially commerce and trade
There are essentially two reasons for this First is the Indian attitude The EU first granted GSP+ status to Pakistan in January 2014 It has always been resented by India, which has actively lobbied the EU to rescind this status for Pakistan The fact remains that the EU is the largest export destination for Pakistan, receiving 28 percent of its exports Of the $9 01 billion of goods exported to it in FY 2025, 90 percent entered the EU at zero tariff under the GSP+ scheme This status will be unaffected by the FTA, and the EU does not offer any further concessions than the GSP+ It does mean that any tariff advantage that Pakistan had over India because of GSP+ will now be eliminated and Pakistani textiles in particular will now face that competition
The textile industry in earlier representations to the government, has mentioned high energy costs, taxation and financing constraints as existing challenges and has warned that improved market access for competitors may increase pressure on exporters In this context, the industry has also referred to the trade agreement between India and the USA India-centric policies should be eschewed especially in terms of trade and commerce However, it should be recognized that India has generally taken a hostile position against Pakistan, which has been especially the case under the BJP government However the government needs to rethink its over-dependence on textile exports, for those are the pillars on which Pakistan rests all its exports True that is the result of a natural competitive advantage, but more movement to value-addition and industrial innovation will be a more effective tool of competition than lobbying against the other The EU has granted Pakistan GSP+ status and India an FTA because of business reasons rather than because of political motives
Dedicated to the legac y of late Hameed Nizami Arif Nizami (Late) Founding Editor
M A Niazi Editor Pakistan Today Babar Nizami Editor Profit
more direct levers available to provincial authorities seeking measurable environmental improvement What distinguishes this initiative from earlier environmental commitments is its inward focus Rather than relying solely on regulation of private behaviour the government has chosen to reform its own operational practices Official vehicles operate daily across administrative, policing, health, and regulatory services often under heavy use conditions
HIGH in the mountains of Tirah Valley in District Khyber of KP, where the air is thin and snow blankets the valleys like a heavy unyielding shroud life is a daily struggle for survival For centuries the people here have adapted to harsh winters migrating to the plains of Peshawar, Kohat, and Hangu whenever snow renders their villages inaccessible Today however, the challenge they face is no longer only nature, it is the chronic failure of governance For the past 13 years the same political party has been ruling Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Promises of progress security and effective governance have filled every campaign speech yet time and again the people of Tirah Valley are left exposed When militants killed several soldiers in these rugged highlands, the victims’ bodies had to be carried down on mules, a grim reminder that state presence is largely symbolic here Local jirgas convening dozens of times in the past year have been forced to negotiate with insurgents because the government cannot enforce law and order The provincial government s attempts to address displacement reveal the same pattern: procedural paperwork, notifications, and press statements, but no
meaningful preparedness A notification dated 26 December 2025 claimed that displaced locals were being assisted with Rs 4 billion allocated for relief Yet, when severe snowstorms struck, residents endured extreme hardship without adequate shelter transportation or medical support Families huddled in temporary camps struggling to survive while government plans failed to materialize What compounds the tragedy is the political theatre surrounding these failures As the operation in Tirah Valley was being coordinated, the CM and senior ministers staged tours across Punjab and Sindh projecting an image of control while reality in the highlands was chaos Media coverage celebrated minor administrative gestures while the real struggles of the population and the threat of militants were obscured The result has been a region battered by snow, terror and neglect, with the government more concerned about optics than outcomes Worse still the provincial government has perfected the art of blame-shifting When relief fails when infrastructure remains absent when militants exploit governance vacuums the government points fingers elsewhere, claiming federal limitations, security agencies lapses, or natural disasters as excuses Accountability is rarely accepted, and corruption and inefficiency are quietly normalized In
Until state capacity in Tirah matches the complexity of its challenges, every notification, jirga or media statement will remain only part of the story, a story of missed opportunity and persistent vulnerability Tirah Valley deserves better Its people deserve leaders who prioritize human life over optics, who accept responsibility instead of shifting blame, and who recognize that governance is not a photo opportunity but a lifeline Until then, every storm, every displacement, and every threat will continue to expose the unpreparedness and incompetence of a government that has held power for too long and delivered too little
Their cumulative environmental footprint is substantial, yet rarely discussed in policy debates Converting even a portion of this fleet to electric or hybrid vehicles promises immediate emissions reductions while setting a visible precedent
From a policy design standpoint, the move aligns with international experience Jurisdictions that have successfully encouraged electric mobility adoption frequently began with public-sector fleets Government procurement provides guaranteed demand reduces market uncertainty and accelerates the development of supporting infrastructure such as charging stations and maintenance services Punjab s decision reflects an emerging recognition that markets respond not only to incentives, but also to institutional commitment Yet ambition alone does not ensure success Electric vehicles despite falling global prices continue to require higher upfront investment than conventional alternatives Provincial departments already operating under budgetary constraints may struggle to absorb these costs without centralized procurement mechanisms or targeted fiscal support Without careful coordination uneven adoption across departments could undermine the policy s coherence Infrastructure poses another challenge While urban centers may gradually develop charging networks, rural and semi-urban districts remain underserved Departments with extensive field operations including agriculture irrigation and revenue enforcement depend on long-distance travel and limited downtime making immediate electrification less feasible The credibility of the policy will therefore depend on clearly articulated exemptions, phased timelines, and operational flexibility rather than rigid enforcement There is also the broader question of environmental integrity Electric vehicles reduce tailpipe emissions but their overall sustainability depends on the energy mix that powers them and on battery lifecycle management Pakistan s electricity generation remains partially dependent on fossil fuels, complicating claims of zero-emission transport A comprehensive approach would require coordination between transport energy and environmental
authorities to ensure emissions are genuinely reduced rather than displaced Public response to the announcement reflects these complexities Editorial commentary has generally welcomed the decision as overdue while policy analysts have emphasized the need for transparency and data-driven implementation Television debates and social media discussions, though more polarized, have largely acknowledged that transport reform is unavoidable if air quality is to improve in Punjab’s urban centres There is also an important political dimension Environmental reform in Pakistan has often been framed as an elite concern disconnected from economic realities By targeting government fleets rather than private consumers, the Punjab administration has avoided immediate public resistance while establishing moral authority This sequencing matters It reinforces the principle that the state must first absorb the costs and inconveniences of transition before expecting compliance from citizens
The long-term impact of this decision will hinge on institutional follow-through Procurement rules must be formalized, monitoring systems established and performance data made publicly accessible Without such mechanisms there is a risk that the policy will remain symbolic or inconsistently applied Nonetheless, in a governance environment where environmental commitments frequently remain aspirational, this decision represents a meaningful shift It repositions the provincial government not only as a regulator but as an active participant in the transition toward cleaner mobility
Whether Punjab s electric turn becomes a durable model for other provinces will depend less on political messaging and more on implementation discipline For now, it stands as a rare example of environmental policy moving beyond intention toward institutional action
The writer is Director Institute of Physics Khwaja Fareed University of Engineering and Information Technology, Rahim Yar Khan
The writer is Director, Institute of Physics, Khwaja Fareed University of Engineering and
Pakistan
Speed limits ignored
Dr MuhaMMaD Bilal Tahir
Dr Zafar Khan SafDar
Ta Muslim For the Pakistani policy makers, it is nothing short of a doomsday scenario in the post-1979 era The post-1979 era it is not a reference to the events in Iran or in Saudi Arabia; but to the Soviet incursion into Afghanistan in the aid of the beleaguered leftist government in Kabul under the presidentship of Hafeezullah Amin, replaced in the process by Babrak Karmal Despite the fact that at the time of creation of Pakistan in 1947 the issue of the Durand Line has been the cause of irritation between the two states Despite the fact that after Kabul university, the most preferred campus for Afghan students trying to make it big in their
lives had been the Peshawar University The who’s who of Afghan resistance against the Soviets as well as the leftist stalwarts like Najibullah all of them in one way or another have been to Pakistan for their studies
The 1979 events provided an opportunity for the strategic planners to find a common cause with a nation state, which the history tells did not recognize the state of Pakistan at its inception while another neighbour Iran recognized it right away The war in Afghanistan once over in 1989 after Soviet withdrawal, it was Pakistan which midwifed the creation of the Mujahideen government with different levels of participation from other stakeholder states like Saudi Arabia and Iran However it was known to all that Afghanistan is basically the Pakistani child
The formation of the first Mujahideen government under the late Ahmad Shah Massoud and Burhan Uddin Rabbani and their quarrels with other Mujahideen outside the corridors of power rained the leftover ammunition from the 1979-1989 days on the Afghan civilians in the form of continued strife between the various factions As the narrative goes, the law and order situation deteriorated to such a point that Pakistan had to again step in in a covert manner and later own its creation
The emergence of Taliban or ‘students’ in 1994 and their gradual affinity with Pakistan was soon to be a secret which everyone knew! Those affiliated with news wires can recall that many times in the fight between the forces of Ahmad Shah Masoud and Taliban, mysterious jets would appear from nowhere and be observed bombing the
There is an inherent temptation among the better placed neighbours to tutor a weak neighbour beyond the prescribed limit; the Syria of the 1970s to 2005 was such an example in the context of Lebanon, much of the post-2003 Iraqi repulsion for Iran is the result of that; and even the new Bangladesh too accrues its new direction from its decades of experiences with India. For the state of Pakistan, mending fences still is the best option available with a realigned thought process
government forces Practically no one tried to investigate the origin of these jets ever The final showdown between the Ahmad Shah Masoud forces and the Taliban in November 1996 finally realized the secret wish of Pakistan, creation of strategic depth
A closer look at the concept points out that the concept of this depth was India-specific It was visualized that whenever Pakistan feels pressure along its Eastern borders the push towards the western borders especially Afghanistan would be a credible strategic asset
That aspect can be gauged from the developments in August 1998 when for the first time the USA confronted Osama Bin Laden and fired missiles on his hide outs A diplomatic cable datelined US Mission in Islamabad sent on 9 September 1998 did not hide the fact that the persons killed in US strikes on Al Qaeda hide outs included among others 20 Pakistani militants from an extremist organization having known enmity with Iran and the minority Muslim Shia sect in Pakistan
That aspect corroborated with the on ground situation then in Pakistan and clearly showed that the Pakistani law enforcement agencies allowed these outfits to cross over to Afghanistan in support of the Taliban government The same cozy sentiment between the militant outfits and Al Qaeda could be further authenticated in an account of the Jhang MP and politician in her own right Abida Hussain in her Book the Power Failure page 364, where when she tried to condole in February 1990 with a senior extremist leader ’s widow in Jhang over his assassination she was told by the widow that her brother Osama was taking good care and no one else needs to worry
The takeaway the reason a state or an emirate was the strategic depth for the nation state of Pakistan was enough to be given importance even if it meant creating fissures in the Pakistani society along dangerous lines
However fate had other plans The 9/11 hijackings their impact on Afghanistan courtesy Al Qaeda and the Pakistani turnabout, all combined to make Pakistan lose its strategic depth The 9/11 line up forced Pakistan to radically shift its stances to the point that it was forced by circumstances to undo whatever it had done painstakingly for decades to create goodwill in Afghanistan for Pakistan Despite the fact that Pakistan lost much of the goodwill by ditching its allies in the Afghan society and cooperating with its adversaries in the Afghan polity coyly under pressure from the Americans, it continued to accord Afghanistan an important part in its geopolitical calculations In 2021 when the Taliban under a tacit agreement with the USA returned to power
in Kabul Pakistan tried to act smart; in a way owning everything they did in Afghanistan The reason behind that was it never could get out of its mind that Afghan society could ever be lost to some other stakeholder However, regretfully the damage was done There has been general perception that the Northern Alliance was the only entity hand-in-glove with New Delhi A gradual opening up of the Taliban revealed that while they respected the Pakistani nation state, they wanted to go it alone when it came to courting other nation states and the Indians were no exception Whether one calls it an over possessiveness of the Pakistani state to anything Afghan or the Afghans
The final showdown between the Ahmad Shah Masoud forces and the Taliban in November 1996 finally realized the secret wish of Pakistan, creation of strategic depth
A closer look at the concept points out that the concept of this depth was India-specific
M admen Trump and Netanyahu set the Middle East on fire
Two Western leaders have launched yet another war on a Muslim countr y on dubious grounds, once again setting the region alight
Twar one far closer in scale to the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 than to any limited or symbolic strike This escalation comes after weeks of diplomatic talks that, while slow, had been making incremental progress raising the inevitable question of whether war was the intention all along It also
The Iranian objective is clear: to raise the cost for the US and its allies of continuing this campaign, and to pressure regional actors to dissuade Trump from pursuing his regime-change project to the bitter end
Netanyahu vowed in a speech infused with biblical verses to pursue regime change in Iran
Trump-Netanyahu war aims to entrap Iranians into unconditional submission
Israel will not be satisfied with the total fragmentation and destruction of Iran Turkey and Pakistan are also on its targeted radar
as
The New York Times and the BBC will be the mouthpiece of the US, Israel and their European allies
Trump does not have the stamina for a prolonged war Israel has a much longer game to play to achieve its nightmare of G reater Israel
way or another, here are the four militant factors at work with the fate of more than 90 million human beings at stake The first factor is the unleashed power of the US military with Trump an unhinged commander-in-chief eager and willing to distract attention from his domestic (Epstein files), regional (adventurism in Venezuela, Cuba and Greenland) and global (China and Russia) fiascos He habitually lied when he staged a false negotiation with the Iranians to buy time to have enough military buildup to strike Iran effectively In the US, this is a widely unpopular war waged on Iran The singular task of the corporate media, led by The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, is now to sell this war as "preemptive" They will fool no one The second factor is the Islamic Republic itself which faced nationwide protests in December and early January rooted in the deep economic crisis Iran has experienced for decades These economic troubles are
due to two complementary factors: internal state corruption and incompetence, and crippling external sanctions imposed by the US At stake however is the fragile and vulnerable lives of 90 million human beings trapped inside their own homeland A devastating battlefield of civil war and ethnic fragmentation of the country is in the offing
The Gulf region and beyond are now the theatre of this vicious and senseless aggression
ISRAEL: THE KILLING MACHINE
The third factor is Israel the most lethal killing machine in the region fresh from its merciless slaughter of tens of thousands of Palestinians, military strikes against Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Iran back in June 2025 Israel has multiple interests in this latest round of its relentless warmongering: distract attention from the global condemnation of its genocide and crimes against humanity in Palestine and expand its garrison state to gobble up the
to
abee, has just given it the green light to conquer the entire Middle East Equally important on Israel s agenda is the fragmentation of Iran into ethnic enclaves Israel will not be satisfied with the total fragmentation and destruction of Iran Turkey and Pakistan are also on its targeted radar The fourth factor is the delusional fascism of the remnant of the Pahlavi dynasty and their thugs and comprador intellectuals led by Reza Pahlavi who dream of reclaiming power almost half a century after Iranians put an end to their corrupt rule The Pahlavis have little to no popular base of their own in Iran Their fascistic thuggeries and their alliance with Israeli murderous warmongering are their signature trademarks on this battlefield These four forces will now dominate the news
‘VERY GOOD' TIES WITH PAKISTAN: TRUMP SAYS US WON'T INTERVENE IN ISL AMABAD-K ABUL CONFLICT
a State Department spokesperson said in an emailed statement The State Department spokesperson said Washington was aware of the escalation in tensions and outbreak of fighting between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban," adding the US was "saddened by the loss of life " "The Taliban have consistently failed to uphold their counterterrorism commitments the State Department said adding that terrorist groups use Afghanistan as a launching pad for their heinous attacks " The recent escalation of tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan follows Pakistan’s retaliatory actions in response to suicide bombings in Islamabad Bajaur and Bannu all of which were traced back to militants based in Afghanistan
Islamabad, which has repeatedly urged Kabul to prevent its soil from being used by terrorist organisations to carry out attacks conducted intelligencebased strikes targeting seven terrorist camps and hideouts belonging to Fitna al Khawarij (FAK) a term used for the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) its affiliates, and the DaeshKhorasan along the PakistanAfghanistan border last week
Prime Minister s spokesperson for foreign media Mosharraf Zaidi has said Afghan Taliban authorities had allowed militant groups to operate from their soil by providing what he described as safe havens
Talking to the foreign media on Friday he argued that the alleged patronage of such groups by Taliban leadership constituted a breach of commitments made under the Doha Agreement
The two countries agreed to a ceasefire in October 2025 when the Afghan Taliban regime opened unprovoked gunfire at several border points
The Afghan forces firing was aimed at helping Khawarij formations cross the border into Pakistan Islamabad, however, back then had agreed to an initial ceasefire at Kabul s request The countries then later reached a ceasefire deal in Qatar which was mediated by Doha and Turkiye
Under the agreement terrorism from Afghanistan on Pakistani soil was to be stopped immediately
The two sides then further held followup discussions in Turkiye which did not deliver the desired results due to stubbornness from the Afghan side as Kabul used the Istanbul talks to malign Pakistan rather than address Islamabad s core concern of terrorism emanating
WASHINGTON ag e n c e s Former U S President Bill Clinton told lawmakers on Friday that he saw nothing that gave me pause when he spent time with Jeffrey Epstein as the former president gave closed-door testimony about his relationship with the late sex offender In his testimony, Clinton stated that he "did
were reported in Kuwait the United Arab Emirates Bahrain and Qatar raising fears of a broader regional escalation
qualifications including MS MD MDS M Phil Ph D FCPS MCPS and diploma programs awarded by Pakistani universities institutions and the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (CPSP) The Council deliberated extensively on cases involving qualifications obtained from training institutions not recognized under Section 25 of the PM&DC Act, 2022,
CM MARYAM ENUMERATES MA JOR ACHIEVEMENTS AS PUNJAB DELIVERS ON KEY PROMISES
SSGC appoints Muhammad Amin Rajput as
PAKISTAN, RUSSIA CALL FOR STRATEGIC RESET AS MOSCOW VISIT LOOMS
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MOIB) on Saturday firmly rejected claims that a Pakistani fighter jet was shot down in Afghanistan s Nangarhar province and that its pilot was captured, dismissing the reports as baseless rumours “amplified by Indian media” In a statement issued through its official fact-check account on X the ministry said the allegations originated from officials of the Afghan Taliban and were subsequently amplified by Indian media outlets and Afghan propaganda platforms
“The Ministry of Defence of the so-called Islamic Emirate claimed that Afghan forces shot down a Pakistani fighter jet in Nangarhar and captured its pilot alive, while Indian media and Afghan propaganda outlets widely amplified this unfounded claim ” the statement said adding that the nar-
rative relied solely on assertions by Afghan officials and selective media amplification
The ministry said Pakistan s armed forces had not reported any aircraft loss, stressing that no independent international media outlet or defence monitoring agency had verified the claim It added that there was no visual evidence of crash debris a wreckage site or a captured pilot No geolocated imagery or satellite evidence supports the claim,” it said, noting that in modern conflict environments verified aircraft crashes are rapidly documented No such evidence exists in this case
The ministry further clarified that viral footage circulating on social media as supposed evidence of a jet crash was linked to an unrelated panic situation in Afghanistan Multiple videos used in the narrative are old clips being recycled to fit the false
claim ” it said It also pointed to a misleading image shared by TOLO News stating that the image actually corresponded to a Russian aircraft incident in Turkey in 2021 Reusing unrelated foreign crash imagery is a deliberate attempt to construct a false narrative ” the ministry said
According to the statement hundreds of fake or misleading videos linked to what it described as the India–Afghan propaganda ecosystem had been debunked over the past two days “The current jet claim fits into the same coordinated disinformation cycle No credible defence analysis suggests Afghan forces possess the operational capability demonstrated in the claim, it added Meanwhile, Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi also rejected the Afghan claims calling them totally untrue
That s a false claim Totally untrue, Andrabi told AFP
Ahmed, who led the Pakistan bowling attack Abrar Ahmed was the standout bowler, taking three crucial wickets for 23 runs in his four overs while Nawaz Shaheen and Naseem Shah chipped in with one wicket each Earlier Pakistan s decision to bat first paid off handsomely The newly formed opening pair of Farhan and Fakhar gave the team a fiery start, putting together a record 176-run partnership Farhan top-scored with a magnificent 100 off 60 balls, hitting nine fours and five sixes while Fakhar contributed a brisk 84 off 42 deliveries including nine fours and four sixes Their partnership laid the foundation for Pakistan to reach 212/8 despite Sri Lanka making a strong comeback in the latter stages
Dushmantha Chameera finally broke the threatening opening partnership by dismissing Fakhar, while Dilshan Madushanka accounted for Khawaja Nafay shortly after Shadab Khan added a brief contribution of seven runs before being run out leaving Pakistan at 179/2 In the final overs Shanaka s double strikes removed Mohammad Nawaz and captain Salman Ali Agha for ducks, restricting Pakistan s total to 212/8 Sri Lanka fought hard during the chase, with
MUZAFFARABAD
s ta f f r e p o r t
The Azad Jammu and Kashmir
(AJK) government on Saturday imposed an immediate and complete 30-day ban on outdoor drone flying across the territory to safeguard the public and protect key public and private installations amid heightened tensions along the country s western borders
A notification issued by AJK Chief Secretary Khushal Khan stated that remote attacks using quadcopters and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) had previously targeted government buildings and installations in AJK In the prevailing circumstances it said any drone activity regulated or otherwise could pose a direct or indirect threat to public safety, critical infrastructure and the maintenance of public order
The move comes a day after similar bans were imposed by the provincial governments of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and GilgitBaltistan on the outdoor flying of quadcopters and UAVs The Interior Ministry announced the measure on Friday citing prevailing security concerns along the western border
The ban follows recent incidents in which Afghan Taliban forces reportedly attempted to use rudimentary drones to target areas inside Pakistan Several such incidents were reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa prompting warnings from both military and civilian authorities
During a press briefing, Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, Director General of the Inter-Services Public Relations confirmed that Taliban forces had attempted to strike locations including Swabi and Abbottabad using drones However the anti-drone systems in place and effective deployment neutralised the threat,” he said In a letter addressed to the chief secretaries of Punjab Sindh Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Balochistan Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, as well as the Islamabad chief commissioner, the Interior Ministry directed strict enforcement of the ban with immediate effect and until further orders However the restriction does not apply to the use of small drones for indoor coverage of events in halls or marquees, nor to operations conducted by intelligence and law enforcement agencies Emergency, security preparedness stepped up Meanwhile the AJK authori-
ties have stepped up emergency response and internal security preparedness, imposing a ban on leave for rescue personnel and reviewing security arrangements across the territory
According to a notification State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) Director General Saeed
Qureshi ordered an immediate ban on all forms of leave including station leave for SDMA officers and employees as well as personnel of AJK Rescue 1122 as part of precautionary emergency measures
The directive instructed all relevant staff to remain on high alert, ensure strict attendance on duty and keep equipment machinery and vehicles in a state of full operational readiness to respond to any emergency
Separately, the eighth meeting of the Regional Coordination Committee was held under the chairmanship of Muzaffarabad Division Commissioner Chaudhry Badar Munir A J K i m p o s e s 3 0 - d ay d r o n e b a n a s s e c u r i t y a l e r t i n t e n s i f i e s
