FUEL HIKE RAISES QUESTIONS OVER RS113B WINDFALL GAINS FOR OIL COMPANIES: REPORT
Iran is not seeking a ceasefire “Certainly we aren’t seeking a ceasefire We believe the aggressor must be punished and taught a lesson that will deter them from attacking Iran again he said in a post on X Ghalibaf further criticized Israel s historical approach: The Zionist regime has consistently perpetuated a vicious cycle of ‘war negotiations ceasefire then war again ’ We will break this cycle At the same time the Iranian army confirmed launching a new spate of strikes targeting a military center in Haifa, Israel, as well as the satellite intelligence reception center of the Ofek spy satellites These attacks underscore Iran’s ongoing strategy to target critical military infrastructure of both Israel and its allies
WARNINGS AGAINST US NAVAL
M O V E M E N T S: Iranian naval officer Ali Reza Tangsiri dismissed reports of a US-escorted oil tanker passing through the Strait of Hormuz labeling them “utterly false He warned that any passage of US or allied naval forces would be halted by Iranian missiles and suicide drones, signaling Tehran s continued intent to dominate strategic maritime chokepoints in the Gulf Ghalibaf also reiterated that any aggression against Iran will be met with proportionate retaliation Whatever the enemy does we will undoubtedly respond with a proportionate and immediate retaliation, he said He added that attacks on Iran’s infrastructure will be met with similar measures invoking the principle of “an eye for an eye ”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on X that the US had spread false information about naval movements in the Strait of Hormuz to manipulate financial markets “Markets are facing the biggest shortfall in history bigger than the Arab Oil Embargo Iran s Islamic Revolution and the Kuwait invasion combined he wrote Araghchi stressed that these reports would not protect the US from the inflationary impact of its own policies on American citizens
R U M P: In response to Trump s warnings on Truth Social Iran s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani declared: “The Ashura-loving nation of Iran does not fear your paper threats ” He emphasized that Iran has historically survived pressures and confrontation from powers greater than the United States Larijani issued a sharp warning: Watch out for yourself lest you be eliminated! Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian reinforced this stance in a post on X stating: “Iran is the heir to a civilization at least 6 000 years old Through the trials of history no power has ever succeeded in erasing this storied name Aggressors have come and gone; Iran has endured ”
S: The Qatari defence ministry reported intercepting five ballistic missiles launched from Iran, assuring the public that there were no casualties or damages Meanwhile, the Ministry of Interior confirmed that the security threat had been neutralized and normalcy restored
Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced
Iran Military Media on X, Tehran has revised its missile strategy in response to US attacks on urban centers and attempts to blind its air-defense network The updated approach entails: Continuous missile strikes around the clock; Deployment of warheads exceeding one tonne; Increased geographic scope and intensity of strikes; Focus on irreversible damage to enemy infrastructure The military media post concluded that there is broad consensus in Iran that “the time has come to escalate the attacks
Iran s Intelligence Ministry reported the arrest of a foreign national conducting espionage on behalf of the United States and Israel acting as a proxy for two Gulf states Over the past few days 30 additional spies internal mercenaries and operational agents affiliated with Israel and the US have been detained U S I N T E
I F I E S S T R
E S: Pentagon officials confirmed that US military operations will reach unprecedented intensity with the most fighters and bombers deployed simultaneously since the onset of the conflict Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth stated that President Trump would control the duration and intensity of operations emphasizing that it was not for military leaders to determine when the war would end Hegseth added that US objectives include destroying Iran s naval capabilities, targeting assets such as artillery, fighters, bombers, and sealaunched missiles General Dan Caine the top US military officer confirmed that US forces continue to hunt mine-laying vessels and storage facilities used by Iran to potentially block maritime traffic
Lahore High Cour t seeks fuel pricing mechanism after Rs55 per
Beware of War’s unintended consequences
In February 2003 Secretary of State Colin Powell went to the United Nations to present the George W Bush Administration s case against Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein His remarks were directed at two audiences: reluctant allies and unconvinced Americans Hawks who wanted this war termed Powell’s performance “compelling and persuasive ” His calm and commanding presence combined with a multimedia presentation of audiotapes and photographs built a strong case for US allegations that the Baghdad regime was not fully complying with United Nations mandates and was seeking to build a nuclear warhead Even though the Secretary’s “evidence” was cherry-picked or even fabricated and artfully presented for maximum impact his arguments didn’t sway the majority of Americans who remained unconvinced Most did not want a war with Iraq They weren t asking for proof of the Iraqi government s brutality or evil intent They already knew that to be true What they wanted to know was “why a war and why now?” In fact, they wanted answers to the very questions Powell had laid out years earlier in what came to be known as The Powell Doctrine six requirements before the US should engage in any foreign military conflict:
n Were vital US interests at stake?
n Was the USA willing and able to commit sufficient resources to win swiftly decisively and with minimal casualties?
n Were the military and political objectives clearly defined and delineated?
n Was there the political will to sustain the commitment needed to realize the objectives?
n Did a reasonable expectation exist at the outset that the American public in Congress would support this commitment and would sustain that support?
n Have all possible means of resolving the conflict been exhausted?
We now know that the younger Bush s Administration was not truthful in making its case for war Saddam Hussein did not have, nor was he building, a nuclear warhead and Iraq was not the sponsor of the
9/11 terrorist attacks on the USA However the Administration’s more significant lies were those presented to Congress seeking to address the public s and Congress concerns about the war These included: that the war would only involve a limited number of troops; that US forces would be celebrated in Iraq as liberators; that the war would be over in a few weeks; that the troops could come home after six months; that the war would cost only a few billion dollars (with the remaining costs covered by Iraqi oil revenues); that extremism would be defeated; and that Iraq would emerge as a beacon of democracy that would light up the whole Middle East
The war did succeed in removing Saddam Hussein from office, but it was the unintended consequences of that war that remain with us a generation later Thousands of Americans and hundreds of thousands Iraqis were killed The cost to the US treasury was over $7 trillion Tens of thousands of US troops suffered from injuries and trauma from their service Iraq remains unstable With the defeat of Saddam, Iran was unleashed and emboldened, finding a foothold in Iraq, and the sectarian extremism of al Qaeda metastasized into ISIS which spread across the Middle East and north and west Africa
A thoughtful analysis of the regional situation before the war s start would have helped policymakers understand the inevitability of these unintended consequences But because Powell himself didn t answer the very questions posed by his own doctrine, we went blindly into Iraq We the Iraqi people and the broader region are still living with the devastating and destabilizing results
This tragic history should be considered when we assess the current US-Israel war on Iran When announcing the initial bombing of Iran, President Trump made a similar case to the one Powell and other officials made 23 years ago He argued that Iran is seeking to build a nuclear warhead and missiles that can reach the USA has the blood of Americans on its hands and has threatened US allies across the Middle East And he noted the
The result will be a costly war with no good outcome and a region in chaos for years to come The trag edy is that this might have been avoided had the Trump administration learned the lessons of the Iraq war debacle and been attentive to the requirements of the Powell Doctrine
IN the contemporary geopolitical landscape wars are no longer confined to borders missiles or conventional battlefields They are increasingly fought in the cognitive domain in minds narratives, and digital ecosystems While Pakistan continues to navigate regional instability from cross-border tensions with Afghanistan to broader Middle Eastern volatility involving Iran Israel and the United States a crucial dimension remains under-discussed in national discourse: cognitive security Cognitive security refers to the protection of a society s decisionmaking capacity from manipulation, misinformation, psychological operations, and algorithm-driven polarization In an era where information flows faster than diplomacy national defence must expand beyond territorial integrity to include intellectual resilience According to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, Pakistan has over 190 million cellular subscriptions and approximately 125 million broadband users With nearly 71 percent of the population under the age of 30, Pakistan is one of the world’s youngest nations This demographic dividend if not intellectually fortified can become a vulnerability in times of crisis Globally defence doctrines are evolving NATO formally recognized cyberspace as an operational domain in 2016 The European Union has integrated strategic communication units to counter disinformation campaigns The United States Department of Defense now explicitly acknowledges cognitive warfare as a future threat vector Yet in Pakistan while military preparedness remains robust, academic institutions have not been systematically integrated into a cognitive defence framework This is where universities must assume strategic relevance Higher education institutions are not merely degree-awarding bodies; they are cognitive infrastructure In moments of regional escalation whether along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border or amid Middle Eastern confrontations affecting energy markets information warfare intensifies Selective narratives are amplified sectarian sentiments are provoked and policy complexities are reduced to emotionally charged binaries Research by global digital risk analysts suggests that during
geopolitical crises misinformation spikes by up to 300 percent across social media platforms Pakistan, given its complex political environment and vibrant online engagement, is particularly susceptible The real gap in Pakistan’s security architecture is not military strength; it is the absence of structured academic participation in building national resilience Bridging this divide requires three strategic interventions First universities must establish interdisciplinary Centres for Cognitive and Strategic Studies These platforms should unite physicists, data scientists, psychologists political analysts and communication scholars to examine digital manipulation patterns AI-driven bot networks algorithmic amplification and narrative engineering Institutions with strong computational and modeling capacity are uniquely positioned to decode how misinformation spreads and how public perception is shaped in moments of crisis Second, media literacy and digital forensics education must be embedded at the undergraduate level across disciplines Students should graduate with the ability to understand how algorithms reward outrage, how deepfakes distort reality, and how metadata verification exposes fabrication In a country where more than 60 percent of the population is young cognitive literacy is indistinguishable from national security literacy Third formal policy linkages between academia and state institutions are essential Universities should produce periodic, evidence-based policy briefs on regional volatility from energy shocks triggered by Middle Eastern tensions to refugee flows and sanctions-driven supply chain disruptions Academic economic modeling units can simulate inflationary impacts and propose alternatives such as renewable diversification strategic reserves and technology-led efficiency Simultaneously, the Higher Education Commission should integrate cognitive resilience modules into national curricula Universities must also embody intellectual pluralism transparency and merit-based governance Investment in cybersecurity laboratories will further prepare a skilled workforce trained in encryption, network architecture, and AI-driven anomaly detection safeguarding Pakistan’s digital sovereignty from within The 21st century battlefield is hybrid It combines kinetic force cyber intrusion economic leverage and psychological influence Pakistan s strategic geography makes it a frontline state in multiple dimensions physical and
informational To ignore the cognitive frontier is to leave the most penetrable border undefended Universities, therefore, must be repositioned within the national security architecture not as extensions of state power, but as autonomous engines of analytical clarity Their legitimacy depends on intellectual independence; their utility lies in evidence-based reasoning National defense in the modern era is incomplete without cognitive defense And cognitive defense begins in classrooms If Pakistan can integrate its academic capital into its strategic planning ecosystem it will not only strengthen resilience against misinformation but also elevate the quality of public discourse In a region defined by volatility the most powerful deterrent may not be a missile system but a critically informed generation
Missiles may guard our borders, but only minds can guard our future In an age where a manipulated hashtag can inflame streets faster than any cross-border incursion cognitive resilience is no longer optional it is a strategic necessity Pakistan does not lack bravery manpower, or military capability; what it must now cultivate is narrative intelligence The real deterrent of the 21st century is not merely kinetic strength but a critically informed citizenry capable of distinguishing fact from fabrication analysis from agitation and policy from propaganda If we fail to secure the cognitive domain others will define our realities for us
However, If universities, policymakers, and strategic institutions align to fortify intellectual sovereignty, Pakistan can transform its youthful population from a target of influence operations into a shield of national stability The next frontier of defense is not across the border it is between perception and truth
The writer is director of the Quality Enhancement Cell, Khawaja Fareed University of Engineering & Information Technology Rahim Yar Khan Pakistan
If universities, policymakers, and strategic institutions align to for tify intellectual sovereignty, Pakistan can transform its youthful population from a targ et of influence operations into a shield of national stability. The next frontier of defense is not across the border it is between perception and truth
Rights lost to convenience
Dr MuhaMMaD Bilal Tahir
Cognitive
TH E longer Iran resists the more dangerous and costly it becomes for Israel and its allies If the war drags on for months and the Iranian government manages to survive, they will continue to fire back with their own missile attacks If this happens the plan to expand Israeli power and influence in the region with the dream of Greater Israel could fail completely and turn into a disaster for it
The other day, Pakistan s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif alleged that the war on Iran was “orchestrated by the Zionists” to bring Israeli influence directly to Pakistan’s border He warned of a “conspiracy” to create a hostile alignment of Afghanistan Iran and India against Pakistan potentially reducing it to a vassal state Khawaja Asif asserted that Zionism has controlled the global economic system for over a century and that “major powers remain hostage to it,” a sentiment echoed by journalist Tucker Carlson’s criticism of the U S government’s complicity in Israeli military actions In a segment on the Tucker Carlson Network titled Breaking: Mossad Agents Arrested in Planned Bombing Operation, Tucker claimed that Saudi Arabia and Qatar arrested Israeli Mossad agents for allegedly planning bombings in those countries Carlson s claims regarding arrested Mossad agents remain unverified and were explicitly denied by a Qatari spokesperson who stated they had no information on such cells Saudi Arabia didn t confirm or deny it yet Tucker argued these “false-flag” operations were designed to turn Gulf nations against Iran during the ongoing US-Israeli military campaign Tucker can be too much a coward to directly blame Trump for getting America involved in the war in Iran
Despite Iran s readiness for agreement, how this desperate war has been imposed upon them By breaking past nuclear deals and attacking Iran twice while negotiations were still happening Trump has shown his true goal His real plan is regime change
The assassination of Ayatollah Khamenei has plunged Iran into a volatile succession crisis, with profound security and economic risks for Pakistan It is yet not clear who will control Iran as the powerful Revolutionary Guard has vowed ferocious revenge Destabilization in Iran would have implications for Pakistan The
loss of the world’s primary spiritual Shia power centre has already sparked violent protests in Karachi leading to clashes outside the U S Consulate and at least 23 deaths In a rare display of national unity, the death of Ayatollah Khamenei has bridged deep-seated divides within both Pakistan and Iran In Pakistan the shared sense of loss among both Sunnis and Shias has momentarily unified the country against what many perceive as a common external threat to the region The mourning for Ayatollah Khamenei has gone far beyond digital hash tags; it is visible in the streets and shared conversations
This response stems from a deep-rooted respect for him as a symbol of anti-imperialist resistance Many Pakistanis regardless of their specific sect, viewed him not just as an Iranian leader, but as one of the few global voices willing to directly challenge Western and Israeli power In a country that often feels pressured by global powers his unyielding stance earned him a place as a hero of the Muslim Ummah
People felt a personal loss because he represented the idea that a regional nation could survive decades of sanctions and pressure without surrendering its core identity
The manner of his assassination triggered a protective instinct in Pakistan There is a strong public feeling that if they can do this to a leader of Iran s stature who is safe?
This has turned grief into a shared regional grievance Similarly, within Iran, the assassination has triggered a “rally around the flag” effect, where even liberal and secular Iranians have joined in mourning setting aside domestic grievances to condemn the violation of their national sovereignty It looks
as if Khamenei appears to have become more powerful in death than in life
Nationalist pride can hold
Strengthening ties with Kabul prevents the „India-Israel-Afghanistan‰ alignment that some analysts fear is being formed to pressure Pakistan For this diplomatic reset to succeed, Pakistan must consider China to act as a primary guarantor of regional stability Beijing has a vested interest in a peaceful border between Islamabad and Kabul to protect its multi-billion dollar investments This coalition with Beijing would not only neutralize the threat of cross-border militancy but also create a formidable bloc capable of resisting the external pressures of Âregime changeÊ and regional encirclement A Chinabacked Pakistan-Afghanistan alliance makes it almost impossible for an India-Israel axis to isolate Pakistan diplomatically
IN the second week of the war against Iran it has gone beyond a local conflict with ramifications reaching the global level This conflict aggressively and illegally imposed by the United States and Israel, has not only disrupted diplomatic efforts but also challenged the foundations of international law
In response to this aggression, Iran exercises its inherent right to self-defence – a strategic necessity to preserve territorial integrity and national sovereignty For my country this war is a war of survival governed by limited red lines and strategic imperatives
THE NEED FOR GENUINE GUARANTEES: Iran has previously experienced the imposition of war amid sensitive negotiations Experiences from the past such as the war with Iraq and recent diplomatic developments indicate that without obtaining genuine and reliable guarantees the risk of repeated acts of aggression persists
The experience of two acts of aggression during nuclear negotiations and sanctions – in June 2025 and in February this year – underscores the importance of deterrent power and defensive readiness, making it essential that diplomacy is accompanied by operational capability Moreover attacks on infrastructure – which signify the failure of aggressors illusions of regime change – as well as demands from opposing parties for control over leadership succession, should not be seen merely as strategic miscalculations Rather, they represent a deep failure to comprehend the meaning of the right of self-determination and the structures that deeply value independence The selection of Ayatollah Seyed Mojtaba Khamenei as the third supreme leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran by the Assembly of Experts is a clear indicator of this commitment to independence
MILITARY DIMENSIONS OF THE WAR: From a military perspective, the presence of the US in the region is considerable Currently three US aircraft carrier strike groups are deployed in the area representing approximately 25 percent of the operational US carrier fleet While this presence is intended to demonstrate power and exert pressure on Iran, operational realities show that even with such a display, the US cannot fully secure its assets in the region The destruction of two major US radars in the area marks a pivotal moment in the war highlighting Iran’s ability to counter advanced threats and manage the conflict intelligently Furthermore Iran s control over the Strait of Hormuz, a route for approximately
war against Iran has profound effects on energy markets and the global economy The closure of commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz caused oil prices to surge Brent crude rose from $73 on February 27 to $107 on March 8 – more than 40 percent increase in 10 days Additionally about 20 percent of global LNG production was taken offline and oil production in several oil reserve countries in the region decreased This situation increases pressure on global supply chains and a prolonged crisis could have consequences even more severe than the COVID-19 pandemic on global food markets, chemical fertilisers, and other essential goods Market uncertainty and price volatility force countries and companies dependent on global supply chains to reconsider policies and economic structures potentially leading to fundamental shifts in global trade and energy
GEOPOLITICAL DIMENSIONS: Beyond military and economic dimensions, the war with Iran has broad geopolitical implications One major consequence is the gradual emergence of rifts between the US and its Western and regional allies regarding policies towards Tehran Divergent economic interests differing security perspectives and regional rivalries are likely to weaken the traditional cohesion of the Western alliance The US narrative of a unilateral victory in the war primarily serves domestic needs for displaying power and political legitimacy rather than reflecting on-the-ground realities In fact the US effort to control domestic public opinion diverges sharply from operational realities in the region Additionally the roles of non-Western powers such as China India and Russia are significant in this equation These countries may become key variables in international diplomacy, energy markets and regional stability
LONG-TERM AND STRATEGIC CONSEQUENCES: The imposed war against Iran could redefine the regional and global balance of power Rising uncertainty in global markets, divisions among Western powers, and Iran s increasing strategic importance in regional and energy equations all point to emerging geopolitical shifts This crisis demonstrates that for my country, military deterrence, proactive diplomacy national security guarantees and crisis management are fundamental pillars for countering complex threats Coordinated interaction between defensive capabilities and diplomacy can prevent the recurrence of aggressive acts and enable crisis management at regional and global levels
The imposed war against Iran represents a multidimensional crisis with military economic geopolitical and human aspects By relying on its inherent right to self-defence Iran maintains its survival lines and has demonstrated its capability to confront advanced aggression
Past experiences emphasise the necessity of genuine guarantees in negotiations and international diplomacy, and the role of operational deterrence The consequences of this war range from rising oil prices and disruptions in global supply chains to fractures within Western alliances and shifts in regional power dynamics
Ultimately this war serves as a clear example of Iran s approach to the importance of deterrent power guaranteed diplomacy, and intelligent crisis management, showing that any miscalculation by opposing parties could have long-term and structural consequences for regional and global security
Mohammad Reza Bahrami is Director General for South Asia in Iran s Ministry of Foreign Affairs
FO R decades Nepalis have wanted to see more youthful faces in the country s political leadership which had long been dominated by septuagenarians and sexagenarians The March 5 parliamentary election is set to deliver just that In the total of 165 constituencies 61 elected candidates (around 37 percent) are under 40 and there are more to come via the Proportional Representation This was possible because the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) which won the largest share of the vote fielded mostly younger folks Of the 61 candidates, 52 come from the RSP alone, with the Nepali Congress following suit with five victories by young candidates The CPN-UML has two younger representatives below 40 while the Rastriya Prajatantra Party has one Such a large share of younger representatives marks a dramatic shift in the age of Nepal s political leadership and political culture at large Most vitally, it narrows down the gap between the median age of the country (26) and people’s representatives The old political culture didn’t give space to young people who constitute 42 5 percent of the country s population and revolved around just three politicians in their 70s Just four years ago, in 2022, only 11 percent of parliamentarians were under 40 There was no room for younger leaders even in parties’ leadership positions One reason behind the Gen Z protests was the widening dissociation between the leaders and the general public A cohort of leaders in their 60s and 70s could hardly understand the pleas of the youth Tellingly, the KP Oli-led government
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representatives of the Ravi
sum with the final installment Azma Bokhari proposed that only one plot should be allotted per family to ensure that the maximum number of deserving journalists benefit from the scheme She further suggested that in cases where both husband and wife are journalists and submit separate applications the
could be allotted in the wife s name to promote women empowerment President Lahore Press Club Arshad Ansari raised a concern about how such allotments would be managed if couples later separate or divorce Mujeeb-ur-Rehman Shami suggested developing a clear mechanism for joint allotment or transfer in such cases, while Salman Ghani proposed that such matters be reviewed on a case-to-case basis The meeting agreed that all husband-wife applications would be carefully examined based on facts and merit Azma Bokhari stated that the Punjab government is set to allot 3,200 plots to journalists, bringing the long-awaited dream of home ownership for journalists closer to reality She confirmed that the Scrutiny Committee s report will be submitted to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz who will personally allot plots to journalists
Sindh Unveils Austerity Drive: Schools get spring break, govt offices to work from home on Fridays
The
The CEC emphasized the importance of the local government system saying it is a fundamental component of democratic governance He remarked that the apparent lack of attention from the government towards the ECP and the local bodies system is concerning According to Raja, the ECP has repeatedly communicated with the relevant authorities about the necessity of
Jamaat-e-Islami chief Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman has said that Iran’s retaliatory attacks on United States military bases in the region are justified blaming the United States and Israel for escalating tensions and pushing the Middle East towards a wider conflict
Speaking during a media talk in Karachi, he said the United States and Israel had launched aggression against Iran and were responsible for destabilising the region He said Iran had the right to defend itself and respond to military attacks
He also referred to the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei describing it as a tragic and alarming development for the Muslim world and warning that such actions could further inflame tensions in the region
Naeem ur Rehman said the Iranian nation had shown re-
silience in the face of pressure and added that leadership transitions in Iran including the role of Khamenei s son Mojtaba Khamenei, were internal matters for the Iranian people
He also criticised what he described as Western interference in different parts of the world and referred to Venezuela as an example saying the United States had repeatedly tried to influence political developments there as well
The Jamaat-e-Islami chief warned against turning the conflict into a sectarian issue and urged Muslims to remain united He said attempts to divide the Muslim world along sectarian lines only served the interests of external powers
He also called on the international community to take steps to stop further escalation in the Middle East warning that continued confrontation could destabilise the entire region and threaten global peace
in 2023, which subsequently sought a report on the matter
According to Khosa when the case resurfaced in 2026 he informed the apex court that the PTI founder was suffering from an eye condition He claimed the government denied the issue for several days before eventually issuing a press statement acknowledging it Referring to Safdar ’s report, Khosa said the document recommended immediate treatment for the eye condition and warned that further delay could lead to serious medical complications When Justice Tahir asked what specific relief was being sought through the application, Khosa replied that the court was requested to order Imran Khan s
ISLAMABAD s ta f f r e p o r
Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar on Tuesday called on the media to demonstrate caution when discussing Pakistan’s foreign policy particularly in light of rising tensions in the Middle East
Speaking at a press conference alongside Information Minister Ataullah Tarar and Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudry, the law minister highlighted concerns that have been raised by friendly countries regarding the nature of discourse emerging from Pakistan on foreign policy matters
PPP lawmaker Mahreen Razzaq Bhutto questioned the officials’ position, asking why evacuation discussions were being held if the situation was
one ” Azam Nazeer Tarar stressed the need for clarity and responsibility in public discussions urging all stakeholders to consider the potential diplomatic implications of their statements He reiterated that the government values freedom of expression but expects that such freedoms be exercised with due regard for national interests and established foreign policy positions The press conference comes at a time of heightened regional tensions, with the government seeking to ensure that Pakistan’s official stance is clearly differentiated from individual opinions expressed in the media
