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Rs 50.00 | Vol XVI No 251 | 44 Pages | Karachi Edition
IRAN DENIES SEEKING CEASEFIRE AS MISSILE ATTACKS AND REGIONAL TENSIONS ESCALATE ‘READY FOR LONG WAR’
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TEHRAN SAYS IT WILL CONTINUE DEFENDING ITSELF AND IS READY FOR A PROLONGED CONFLICT LEBANON DEATH TOLL RISES TO 850, WITH 831,000 DISPLACED
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TRUMP CLAIMS IRANIANS HAVE SOUGHT A DEAL, BUT TERMS ‘NOT GOOD ENOUGH YET’
IRAN SIGNALS ‘SERIOUS REVIEW’ OF GULF RELATIONS AMID REGIONAL TENSIONS
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PM Shehbaz directs ‘strategy’ for Gulf food exports while ensuring domestic supply
staff report / agencies
RAN has said it has not requested a ceasefire or sought negotiations with Washington, reaffirming its commitment to continue defending itself amid the ongoing conflict as the United States and Israel continue attacks on Iranian territory, with missiles striking several sites in the central Isfahan province. Dozens of people have reportedly been killed, according to state and international media. US President Donald Trump said Iranians had reached out to him for a deal, but added that the terms “aren’t good enough yet.” Meanwhile, the death toll from Israeli attacks on Lebanon has risen to 850, with the number of displaced people climbing to 831,000. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi strongly rejected Trump’s claims, insisting that Tehran had neither requested a ceasefire nor sought negotiations with Washington and was prepared for a prolonged conflict. Iran has also launched multiple barrages of missiles at Israel and claimed attacks on US bases in Iraq and Kuwait, with Kuwait reporting that the radar system at its international airport had been damaged. Iran FM denies seeking ceasefire Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi insisted that Tehran had not re-
LAHORE/ISLAMABAD saleem jadoon
quested a ceasefire or negotiations with Washington, saying the country would continue defending itself amid the ongoing conflict with the United States, Al Jazeera reported. Speaking to CBS News, Araghchi said: “No, we never asked for a ceasefire, and we have never asked even for negotiation. We are ready to defend ourselves as long as it takes. This is what we have done so far and will continue to do until President Trump realises that this is an illegal war with no victory.” He also criticised US actions targeting
staff report
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Sunday condemned the Afghan Taliban regime for “deliberately targeting the civilian population with artillery and mortar fire from across the border in Tabesta Letai, Salarzai area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bajaur district” at around 3:30pm, resulting in the martyrdom of four innocent civilians. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s security forces carried out overnight strikes in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province, targeting “terrorist hideouts and military infrastructure,” as part of ongoing military action against the Afghan Taliban,
state-run Pakistan Television reported, citing security sources. Pakistani forces launched Operation Ghazab lil-Haq in late February following what officials described as unprovoked cross-border actions by the Afghan Taliban at multiple points along the border with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In a statement, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar said the Afghan Taliban government carried out a cross-border mortar attack on civilian areas in Bajaur on Sunday afternoon, resulting in casualties and damage to property. According to the minister, the attack deliberately targeted residential areas, damaging homes and
ships, calling them “a war of choice by President Trump and the US.” Araghchi rejected the suggestion that Iran was fighting a war of survival, saying the government was “stable and strong enough” to defend its people without entering negotiations. Iran FM sees no reason for talks Araghchi reiterated that Iran saw no reason to hold talks with Washington, pushing back against Trump’s claim that Tehran was seeking a deal to end the war, Reuters reported.
Security forces killed five terrorists during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Lakki Marwat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Sunday. The ISPR stated that the operation was launched following reports about the presence of "khawarij belonging to Indian proxy, Fitna al Khawarij" in the area. The term "Fitna al Khawarij" is used by the state for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
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killing four brothers — Sajid, Ayaz, Riaz, and Moaz — while a five-yearold child was critically injured. “Four innocent civilians have embraced shahadat while a five-yearold child is seriously injured after a house was struck in this attack,” he said. Separately, district police spokesperson Israr Khan confirmed that residents from nearby villages rushed to the scene shortly after the incident and recovered the deceased and the injured from the debris. He said a police team from Salarzai police station, led by the station house officer, visited the area, inspected the damaged house and collected evidence.
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One dead, 13 injured as Shalimar Express derails after colliding with goods train in Naushahro Feroze KARACHI/LAHORE staff report
At least one person was killed and 13 others injured on Sunday after the Lahore-bound Shalimar Express collided with a stationary goods train at Lakha Road Railway Station in Sindh’s Naushahro Feroze district, causing the locomotive and several coaches to derail and capsize, officials from Pakistan Railways and Rescue 1122 said. Railway authorities said the freight train was parked at the sta-
tion when the Shalimar Express collided with it. Upon receiving news of the accident, railway officials and police teams rushed to the site to begin rescue operations and an initial assessment. In a statement, Sindh’s Rescue 1122 said that its Urban Search and Rescue teams from the Bandhi satellite station reached the site shortly after the alert. The team recovered a fatality, while the injured were provided first aid and evacuated to nearby medical facilities. However, Pakistan Railways
(PR) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Amir Ali Baloch denied that no casualties were reported in the incident. According to railways officials, as the Shalimar Express approached Lakha Road Station, the interlocking system was set so the train veered toward a loop line where the goods train was parked. The driver immediately applied the brakes, but the train collided with the stationary freight train, derailing the locomotive and several coaches.
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FO slams India’s statement on cross-border actions in Afghanistan as ‘absurd, unwarranted and hypocritical’ ISLAMABAD
staff report
The Foreign Office (FO) on Sunday strongly rejected a statement by India’s Ministry of External Affairs criticising Pakistan’s cross-border action in Afghanistan, terming the remarks “absurd, unwarranted and shamefully hypocritical,” and asserting that India’s “active support and sponsorship” of terrorist groups operating from Afghan soil — Fitna-al-Khawarij and Fitna-al-Hindustan — remained “well known.” The response comes as Pakistan
continues Operation Ghazab lilHaq, launched in late February after what officials described as unprovoked firing by the Afghan Taliban from across the border. A day earlier, Indian MEA spokesperson Shri Randhir Jaisal claimed that Pakistan’s strikes inside Afghanistan had caused the “death of several civilians” and described the action as an “act of aggression.” Responding to the remarks, FO spokesperson Tahir Andrabi rejected the allegation, saying that India’s comments on Pakistan’s “legitimate, targeted and precise actions against
5 terrorists killed in Lakki Marwat IBO: ISPR
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday reviewed the “food situation” in Pakistan and explored the “export potential of surplus commodities” in light of the changing regional situation, directing the “formulation of a strategy” to export excess food items to Gulf countries while ensuring that the country’s domestic nutritional needs remain fully met. “Special attention should be given to providing Gulf countries with the food items they require and ensuring their food security,” a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) quoted the premier as saying. The instructions were issued during a meeting convened to assess the country’s food stocks and the export potential of commodities available in surplus, particularly in view of the ongoing Middle East conflict, which began on February 28 with US and Israeli attacks on Iran. The conflict has since escalated, with Iran carrying out retaliatory strikes targeting US assets and bases in the Gulf. The ongoing tensions have disrupted global fuel supplies, especially in the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic corridor through which nearly 25 per cent of the world’s oil passes, prompting Pakistan to implement austerity measures to curb fuel consumption and reduce spending.
4 civilians martyred in Afghan mortar attack as Pakistan continues Operation Ghazab lil-Haq BAJUR/ISLAMABAD
GERMANY SCEPTICAL ABOUT EXPANDING EU NAVAL MISSION TO STRAIT OF HORMUZ
terrorist hideouts and support bases inside Afghanistan are not only absurd and unwarranted but also shamefully hypocritical.” Fitna-al-Khawarij is the term used by the state for militants belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), while Fitna-al-Hindustan refers to terrorist organisations operating in Balochistan. Under these circumstances, Andrabi said India’s reaction reflected its “frustration at the destruction of its terrorist franchise in Afghanistan.”
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ISLAMABAD
staff report