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I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the government and people of Pakistan for their strong expression of solidarity and support with the people and government of the Islamic Republic of Iran he wrote The Iranian foreign minister added that Tehran would continue to stand firm in defence of its sovereignty and territorial integrity with “steadfastness and perseverance” and with complete reliance on Allah Almighty The statement comes amid a widening Middle East conflict that erupted following US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28 which Tehran says also resulted in the assassination of Iran s supreme leader Ali Khamenei In retaliation, Iran has targeted US military assets and bases across Gulf countries Amid the escalating tensions Pakistan has attempted to play a diplomatic balancing role The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Pakistan) has described Islamabad s approach as that of a bridge builder seeking to prevent further escalation in the region Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar earlier revealed that Islamabad invoked its “Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement” with Saudi Arabia to help deter heavier Iranian strikes on the kingdom Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Dar have also been in constant diplomatic contact with regional and international leaders since the conflict began, repeatedly calling for restraint and a return to dialogue On March 12, Sharif paid a brief visit to Saudi Arabia where he
challenges LHC verdict in Chaudhry Sugar Mills Case in Constitutional Cour t
ISLAMABAD
s ta f f r e p o r t
The National Accountability Bureau
(NAB) has challenged a ruling of the Lahore High Court in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case by filing an appeal before the Federal Constitutional Court
The LHC had earlier directed NAB to file a reference before the accountability court within one week in order to formally close the case, following a petition by Maryam
Nawaz seeking the return of Rs70 million deposited as surety The high court had also ordered the accountability court in Lahore to decide the reference within one month
In its appeal, submitted through the additional prosecutor general, NAB requested the constitutional court to set aside the LHC’s ruling arguing that the accountability court had no judicial authority if a case was withdrawn at the inquiry stage
The bureau maintained that where the law does not require judicial approval for the withdrawal of a case such a requirement cannot be imposed through a judicial interpretation
NAB further contended that the high court issued its ruling without serving notices to the Office of the Attorney General
According to the petition once the NAB chairman had approved the withdrawal of the proceedings the LHC had no jurisdiction to interpret the law differently The bureau also argued that the high court had effectively taken suo motu notice of the matter which it said was beyond its authority
The watchdog has requested the constitutional court to declare the LHC s February 4 2026 decision null and void
The Chaudhry Sugar Mills inquiry was initially launched on November 14, 2018 During the investigation, Maryam Nawaz listed as the primary accused was ar-
rested on August 8 2019 and remained on a 48-day physical remand She later approached the Lahore High Court for post-arrest bail which was granted on October 31, 2019 The court ordered her to submit two surety bonds of Rs10 million each, deposit Rs70 million and surrender her passport to the registrar judicial NAB subsequently challenged the bail in the Supreme Court of Pakistan but the petition was dismissed on August 22 2023 after the bureau withdrew its application Following amendments to NAB laws, the investigation officer concluded that the case did
r China on Tuesday reaffirmed its role as a key mediator in efforts to de escalate tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan saying it will
PSX falls over 4,500 points as Middle East tensions weigh on investor sentiment g KSE-100 DROPS WITH LOSSES IN BANKING, CEMENT AND AUTO STOCKS WHILE GLOBAL MARKETS REMAIN CAUTIOUS AMID ELEVATED OIL PRICES
Islamabad airport to suspend flight operations for two hours on March 17
AS I A N markets were in a wary mood on Monday as hostilities in the Gulf kept oil prices elevated, complicating an inflation outlook that should keep most central banks
The discussions, led by U S Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, were expected to focus on shifting U S tariffs the flow of Chinese-produced rare earth minerals and magnets to U S buyers American hightech export controls and Chinese purchases of U S agricultural products
The two sides met for more than six hours at the Paris headquarters of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development with talks to resume on Monday morning a Treasury spokesperson said China is not a member of the club of 38 mostly wealthy democracies and considers itself a developing country
The spokesperson did not provide any details on the tone or substance of the talks and Chinese officials left the OECD without speaking to reporters U S Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, who is participating in the talks, said on Friday that U S officials want to ensure stability in the U S -China relationship
“We want to make sure that we continue to get the rare earths we need for our manufacturing base that they keep buying the kinds of things they should be buying from us, and that the leaders have a chance to get together and make sure that the relationship is going the way we want it to go,” Greer
told CNBC before departing for Paris
The talks between Bessent He Greer and China trade negotiator Li Chenggang follow a string of their meetings in European cities last year to ease trade tensions that threatened a near collapse of trade between the world’s two largest economies U S -China trade analysts said that with little time to prepare and Washington s attention focused on the U S -Israeli war on Iran prospects for a major trade breakthrough are limited, in Paris or at the Beijing summit Both sides, I think have a minimum goal of having a meeting, which sort of keeps things together and avoids a rupture and re-escalation of tensions said Scott Kennedy a China economics expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington Trump may want
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Chinese diplomatic sources and foreign ministry briefings highlight that Beijing s mediation comes at a time when rival regional mediators such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey are preoccupied with the Middle East conflict sparked by US and Israeli strikes on Iran As a result China has emerged as a primary diplomatic interlocutor for both Islamabad and Kabul, largely because of its longstanding economic ties under the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor and its growing engagement with Afghanistan
Recent Reuters reporting quoted Chinese diplomats saying that the most urgent task is to prevent the fighting from expanding and for the two countries to return to the negotiating table as soon as possible” a message China has repeated across multiple channels
Meanwhile The Foreign Office Pakistan (FO) on Monday rejected reports claiming that Pakistan had turned down China s offer to facilitate talks with the Afghan Taliban, calling such reports “unwarranted speculation or fabrication of facts ” FO spokesperson
Tahir Andrabi clarified that Pakistan and China remain trusted partners with close and regular communication on all issues
reference to the spike in oil prices and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz through which China gets 45% of its oil Bessent on Thursday announced a 30-day waiver of sanctions to allow the sale of Russian oil stranded at sea in
of mutual interest
“Pakistan and China remain trusted partners and close friends, and both maintain regular and close communication on all issues of mutual concern and shared interest Therefore any unnecessary speculation or fabrication of facts in this regard is unwarranted, he said
Earlier, China had reaffirmed its willingness to continue mediating to ease ongoing border tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan Lin Jian spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said The most urgent task is to avoid the expansion of the war and return the two countries to the negotiating table as soon as possible ” He added that Beijing has been actively mediating between Islamabad and Kabul in recent days to encourage reconciliation and improve bilateral relations Pakistan has informed China that it will stick with its policy of non engagement with the current Taliban administration in Kabul, citing the Afghan side’s failure to curb militant groups such as the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan operating from Afghan soil
The statement follows recent remarks by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who told his Afghan counterpart Amir Khan Muttaqi that disputes between the two countries should be re-
solved through dialogue and consultation, not force China’s mediation push occurs against a backdrop of intermittent fighting and cross border military actions between Pakistan and Afghan Taliban forces While both sides accuse each other of provocations and civilian harm, China s statements call for respect for sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity of all Gulf and South Asian states Beijing has also condemned any indiscriminate attacks on civilians or economic infrastructure during conflicts China s engagement reflects its broader foreign policy emphasis on peaceful dispute resolution and its strategic interest in stabilising neighbouring regions including through initiatives such as trilateral dialogues with Pakistan and Afghanistan that have been held in previous years to enhance cooperation and reduce tensions
The tension comes amid a resurgence of terrorism in Pakistan since the Afghan Taliban’s return to power in 2021 Islamabad has repeatedly urged the Taliban administration to dismantle terrorist sanctuaries on Afghan soil particularly those linked to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), but officials say those appeals have largely gone unheeded
THERE is something uniquely reckless about waging political war on your own country s foreign relations while enjoying the protections of another ’s Sajeeb Wazed Joy has been doing exactly that Sitting comfortably in the United States the son of Bangladesh s former prime minister has taken to public forums to smear Washington insult its institutions and poison a bilateral relationship that after years of strain is finally showing signs of repair It would be bad enough if this were merely bombast It is worse because it is strategic vandalism Calling the Bangladesh Nationalist Party an “American puppet warning darkly of Jamaat-e-Islami s looming takeover alleging a pre-determined election outcome, and urging international condemnation of Bangladesh s polls these are not the words of a responsible political actor They are the words of a man trying to internationalize his party’s domestic failures, even if it means burning bridges Dhaka needs to cross Start with the timing U S –Bangladesh relations are quietly but unmistakably improving Militaryto-military engagement has stabilized Dialogue with major political parties has widened Washington s posture toward Dhaka has shifted from punitive suspicion to conditional engagement This is not idealism; it is geopolitics The Bay of Bengal matters Bangladesh matters And after a bruising period of mistrust both sides appear willing to reset Enter Joy stage left with a flamethrower From American soil, he denounces American influence He sneers at U S diplomacy He frames Bangladesh’s opposition as Washington’s marionettes He insinuates that terrorists roam freely and elections are rigged beyond redemption None of this helps Bangladesh s credibility None of it strengthens democratic norms All of it invites external pressure and internal polarization Which raises an uncomfortable question: whose interests does he serve? It certainly does not serve Bangladesh’s Nor does it serve the Awami League’s long-term survival What it does do is undermine U S confidence at a moment when Washington is reassessing its South Asia strategy and when Beijing is eager to fill any vacuum created by American disengagement China does not need to persuade Washington to step back
from Bangladesh if Bangladeshi elites are willing to do the job themselves Joy’s rhetoric reads like a gift-wrapped brief for those who argue that Bangladesh is unstable, unreliable and unworthy of deeper partnership That argument once accepted in Washington rarely benefits Dhaka It benefits others actors who prefer a Bangladesh insulated from Western scrutiny and embedded more deeply in illiberal spheres of influence The irony is thick Joy warns of Jamaat s influence while performing the very act that historically empowers fringe forces: delegitimizing electoral processes in advance and urging international isolation He speaks of security while broadcasting instability He claims to defend constitutional democracy while inviting foreign condemnation that weakens civilian institutions
There is also the matter of credibility Joy is not an impartial observer He is a partisan actor whose own record shadows every word he speaks The U S administration s seizure and forfeiture actions against assets linked to him were not symbolic gestures; they were legal determinations grounded in investigations Those actions, widely reported, raised serious questions about corruption during his time in power They punctured the moral authority he now claims when lecturing others about democracy and governance Corruption after all is not a footnote in Bangladesh’s political crisis It is central to it And when a figure associated fairly or not with illicit enrichment positions himself as the guardian of democratic virtue, the message collapses under its own weight Joy s behavior is also politically unacumenal The Awami League does not need an exiled surrogate antagonizing Washington It needs to rebuild trust at home and abroad through restraint reform and realism Instead Joy s interventions suggest a bunker mentality: if
The
Star t with the timing. U.S.–Bangladesh relations are , quietly but unmistakably, improving Militar y-to-militar y engag ement has stabiliz ed Dialogue with major political par ties has widened WashingtonÊs posture toward Dhaka has shifted from punitive suspicion to conditional engag ement C h i n a i s t u
Generations United
food and medicine This is driven by an insatiable demand for high-frequency instant retail services When a consumer in a dense urban center needs a pharmaceutical product or a hot meal a drone can bypass the notorious traffic of a Tier-1 city in minutes The next frontier is human transport The EH216-S, developed by EHang, has already become the world’s first eVTOL to receive certification for manned flight While current battery technology often limits these flights to about 15 minutes - perfect for a quick sightseeing tour - the push toward solid-state batteries aims to extend that to an hour or more Once that happens, the flying car ceases to be a curiosity and becomes a viable mode of sustainable transportation Dominance in this field isn’t just about the aircraft; it s about the digital sky Just as the 20th century required highways and air traffic control for planes, the 21st-century low-altitude economy requires a massive build-out of ground infrastructure and software China is moving with characteristic speed here Estimates from Guosen Securities suggest that by 2030 investment in general airports and eVTOL landing pads will reach nearly 600 billion yuan Chen Shuxian emphasized that the industry is shifting from technological exploration to large-scale application Nanjing, for instance, approved 166 new airspace zones and dozens of flight routes just in the last year This is a level of regulatory and physical coordination that most Western nations bogged down by legacy aviation rules and local zoning disputes, find difficult to match Between 2015 and 2024, the number of invention patent applications in this sector grew
elevenfold In the first half of 2025 alone over 11,000 new patents were filed This represents a 51% year-on-year increase, signaling that the pace of innovation is accelerating rather than plateauing We should view this through the lens of China s broader strategy As Beijing seeks to move away from a property-led economy it is placing massive bets on high-tech manufacturing The integration of industry, academia, and research is seamless Over 100 universities have recently proposed specialized UAV departments to ensure a steady pipeline of talent Students are now enrolling in specialized programs at top institutions like Beihang University specifically designed to feed this trillion-yuan industry
The rise of the low-altitude economy is a reminder that the next great technological shift won’t just happen on our screens or in our pockets It will happen above our heads China is betting that by owning the sky they can secure the next century of industrial growth If the horses galloping over Hefei are any indication they are already well on their way
The writer is a freelance columnist
The next frontier is human transpor t The EH216-S, developed by EHang, has already become the worldÊs first eVTOL to receive cer tification for manned flight. While current batter y technology often limits these flights to about 15 minutesperfect for a quick sightseeing tour - the push toward solidstate batteries aims to extend that to an hour or more
by analogue childhoods and digital adolescences, they are often praised for their research-oriented mindset and respect for elderly footprints the wisdom of prior gene-rations Their moral consciousness rooted in community-driven values emphasises stability and incremental progress This generation s ability to balance tradition with emerging technologies allowed the Millennials to navigate early globalisation and economic shifts However, critics argue that some of them cling to outdated norms, resisting critical change in favour of nostalgic ideals Gen Z born into a hyper-connected post-recession world thrives on adapt-ability Fluency in emerging digital trends and emphasis on individualism reflect a pragmatic response to rapid technological and social change While older generations may perceive them as emotionally driven or dismissive of tradition, Gen Z s focus on inclusivity, mental and emotional health awareness, and climate activism reveals a profound, albeit different, moral compass The willingness of Gen Z to challenge wellentrenched systems from workplace hierarchies to societal norms can be misread as irreverence but it often stems from a sincere desire to redefine values in a fractured world
The tendency to label the Millennials as the last moral generation and Gen Z as the spiritually shattered generation ignores the broader context Both these generations have faced unprecedented pressures: Millennials grappled with crises and
Hate season
