ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday called on the international community to pressure India to restore the special status of Indian-held Jammu and Kashmir, end repression in the Valley, and foster conditions conducive to resolving the longstanding dispute threatening regional stability. The call was made during a briefing for Islamabad-based foreign diplomats at the Foreign Office, where Foreign Secretary Syrus Sajjad Qazi detailed the …

ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday advocated for the normalisation of relations with India, expressing Pakistan’s openness to dialogue, while also outlining conditions aimed at easing tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, who have long been embroiled in disputes. Speaking at the 51st founding anniversary of the government-run think tank Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI), Mr Dar, …

WASHINGTON: The US State Department said on Thursday that Washington supports direct talks between India and Pakistan but will not tell them how to conduct those discussions. At the regular news briefing in Washington, spokesperson Matthew Miller also emphasised a strong counterterrorism partnership with Pakistan, stating that both countries are committed to maintaining this relationship. “We value our important relationships …

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces on Wednesday rejected India’s “false propaganda” concerning the brutal murder of former Army officer Brigadier (R) Amir Hamza, saying that the propaganda had no no relevance with ground realities involving the attack on the retired army officer. Brig (R) Amir Hamza was assassinated by unknown assailants two days back while he was travelling with his wife and …

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has said India has no right to object to the references made to Jammu and Kashmir in Pakistan-China joint statement issued in Beijing after talks between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his Chinese counterpart Li Qiang on June 8, and reiterated it is an established fact that Jammu and Kashmir is an internationally-recognised disputed territory. “It is an …

DELHI: Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Tuesday said his country wanted to “find a solution to the issue of years-old cross-border terrorism” with Pakistan. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was sworn in on Sunday for a record-equalling third term at a grand ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the president’s palace in New Delhi, attended by leaders of seven regional countries, underlining …

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday rejected a fresh order by the Indian Sup­reme Court, which upheld its earlier ruling that endorsed the Modi government’s unilateral decision to revoke the special status of held Kashmir by abrogating Article 370 of the Constitution. “We reject the fresh order of the Indian Sup­reme Court just as we had rejected the earlier order of December …

ISLAMABAD: Reacting to various ‘irresponsible’ statements being made by the likes of Indian PM Narendra Modi and other politicians across the border, the Foreign Office on Friday said they reflected an unhealthy and entrenched obsession with Pakistan and revealed a deliberate intent to exploit hyper-nationalism for electoral gains. “These also signify a desperate attempt to deflect attention from mounting domestic …

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday denounced Indian authorities’ decision to declare several political parties of India-occupied Kashmir as “unlawful associations”. In a statement, the Foreign Office said: “Pakistan denounces the Indian authorities’ decision to declare the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Freedom League (JKPFL) and four factions of Jammu and Kashmir Peoples League (JKPL) as ‘unlawful associations’.” It also denounced the decision to “extend the …

By Mian Abrar Starting with the premise that sexual violence in war is not uncommon, we all need to acknowledge that it happens, it’s abhorrent and must be punished when it occurs. October 7th was no different, if sexual violence occurred, there is every reason to seek the perpetrators and punish them but what’s happened as a result of that …