Pakistan PM condemns Indian strikes on civilians, praises Saudi push for de-escalation

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Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (right) meets Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir in Islamabad, Pakistan, on May 9, 2025. (Government of Pakistan)
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Updated 09 May 2025
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Pakistan PM condemns Indian strikes on civilians, praises Saudi push for de-escalation

  • Shehbaz Sharif tells Adel Al-Jubeir Pakistan is determined to defend its sovereignty against India
  • The Saudi minister calls for peaceful resolution of issues between the South Asian nuclear states

KARACHI: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday condemned India’s missile and drone strikes against Pakistan that killed civilians this week while appreciating Saudi diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions with its nuclear neighbor in a meeting with the Kingdom’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir.

The Saudi minister’s daylong visit follows India’s military strikes inside Pakistan in response to a gun attack in the disputed Kashmir region that left 26 tourists dead, with New Delhi blaming Islamabad for the incident, though Pakistani authorities have repeatedly denied any involvement.

With the two archrivals teetering on the edge of a full-scale war, the United States announced on Thursday that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had discussed regional de-escalation with Saudi officials.

The same day, Al-Jubeir made a surprise stop in New Delhi for talks with Indian officials before arriving in Pakistan on Friday.

“While discussing the prevailing situation in South Asia [with the visiting dignitary], the Prime Minister strongly condemned India’s missile and drone strikes against Pakistan that had resulted in the martyrdom of scores of innocent civilians, including women and children, as well as damage to civilian infrastructures,” said a statement issued by his office after the meeting.

“He said Pakistan was fully determined to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity, in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter,” it added. “He appreciated the Kingdom’s diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the situation and bring peace in the region.”

Sharif conveyed warm regards to Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and expressed satisfaction at the positive trajectory of Pakistan-Saudi relations.

He also maintained that India’s “unprovoked and unjustified acts of aggression” had violated Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and seriously endangered regional peace and stability. 

The statement said Al-Jubeir offered condolences over the loss of civilian lives and said the Kingdom was “deeply concerned” about the current situation in South Asia.

He reiterated Saudi Arabia’s call for de-escalation and the peaceful resolution of disputes between Pakistan and India in accordance with international law.

Saudi Arabia and Pakistan share close diplomatic and strategic relations.

The Kingdom has extended significant support to Pakistan during prolonged economic challenges faced by Islamabad in recent years, including external financing and assistance with International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan programs.

Saudi Arabia has also contributed to global peacemaking efforts by hosting talks and mediating prisoner exchanges between Russia and Ukraine.


Pakistan arrests five suspects involved in human smuggling, defrauding citizens

Updated 6 sec ago
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Pakistan arrests five suspects involved in human smuggling, defrauding citizens

  • The development comes amid a crackdown against agents involved in sending impoverished Pakistanis abroad through dangerous routes
  • A record 10,457 migrants died trying to reach Spain in 2024, mostly attempting to cross the Atlantic route from West African countries

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has arrested five suspects involved in human smuggling and defrauding citizens, it said on Saturday.

The development comes amid a crackdown against agents involved in sending impoverished Pakistanis abroad through dangerous routes, luring them with a chance at a better life in Europe.

The latest arrests were made by the FIA in different areas of Gujranwala and Gujrat districts for swindling citizens out of millions of rupees by offering fake visas and jobs abroad.

“The suspects were found involved in illegally sending innocent citizens abroad,” the FIA said in a statement, identifying the suspects as Rifaqat, Shabraiz, Muhammad Siddique, Muhammad Yasin and Qasim Shaheen.

Rafaqat and Shabraiz took Rs2.4 million from a citizen for employment in Italy, but sent him to Kyrgyzstan from where he was deported, according to the agency.

Siddique took over Rs2 million from a citizen for employment in Spain, while Yasin received more than Rs645,000 promising to find overseas employment to a citizen. Shaheen duped another man into paying Rs4 million for a job in the United Kingdom (UK).

“The accused had gone into hiding after receiving huge sums of money,” the FIA said, adding that an investigation has been launched against them.

Earlier this month, the FIA said it had arrested an agent involved in the Morocco boat tragedy, in which dozens of Pakistanis attempting to travel illegally to Europe had drowned near the African country’s coast.

The boat had set off from Mauritania in January with 86 migrants on board, among them 66 Pakistanis, for the Canary Islands administered by Spain, international rights group Walking Borders had said. Moroccan authorities said on January 16 that 36 people were rescued from the vessel, while Pakistan confirmed survivors of the tragedy included 22 of its nationals.

A record 10,457 migrants, or 30 people a day, died trying to reach Spain in 2024. Most of them died while attempting to cross the Atlantic route from West African countries such as Mauritania and Senegal to the Canary Islands, according to Walking Borders.

In 2023, hundreds of migrants, including 262 Pakistanis, drowned when an overcrowded vessel sank in international waters off the southwestern Greek town of Pylos, marking one of the deadliest boat disasters ever recorded in the Mediterranean Sea.

The Pakistani government has ramped up efforts in recent months to combat human smugglers facilitating dangerous journeys for illegal immigrants to Europe, resulting in several arrests.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has also urged increased collaboration with international agencies like Interpol to ensure swift action against human trafficking networks.


Fast bowler Afridi back in Pakistan squad for white-ball series against West Indies in US

Updated 26 July 2025
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Fast bowler Afridi back in Pakistan squad for white-ball series against West Indies in US

  • Fast bowler Haris Rauf, who suffered a hamstring injury, has recovered and was named in the T20 squad
  • Pakistan’s pace attack was further strengthened Friday with the return of Hasan Ali for both T20s, ODIs

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan recalled fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi for the white-ball cricket series against West Indies, starting at Broward County Stadium in Lauderhill, Florida.

The three Twenty20 matches in the US — on July 31, Aug. 2 and 3 — will be followed by three ODI games in Trinidad and Tobago.

Afridi, who is also in the ODI squad, was surprisingly excluded from Pakistan’s last two T20 series against Bangladesh despite leading Lahore Qalandars to its third Pakistan Super League title in the last four years with a rich haul of 19 wickets this year.

In Afridi’s absence, Pakistan routed Bangladesh 3-0 at home but lost 2-1 to Bangladesh at Dhaka in a series which ended Thursday.

Fast bowler Haris Rauf, who was forced to miss the series against Bangladesh because of a hamstring injury he sustained during Major League Cricket (MLC) in the US, has recovered and was named in the T20 squad.

Pakistan’s pace attack was further strengthened Friday with the return of Hasan Ali for both T20s and ODIs against West Indies.

The selectors dropped pace bowlers Abbas Afridi and Salman Mirza, who both participated in the T20 series in Bangladesh, and retained all-rounders Hussain Talat and Mohammad Nawaz.

Middle-order batter Hasan Nawaz is the only uncapped player named in the ODI squad. Nawaz scored Pakistan’s fastest-ever T20 century against New Zealand in March this year.

Salman Ali Agha will continue to lead the T20 side while wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan was named skipper for the ODI series.

Twenty20 squad: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem.

ODI squad: Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Salman Ali Agha, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem.


Police arrest two for allegedly poisoning Pakistani TikToker Sumeera Rajput to death

Updated 26 July 2025
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Police arrest two for allegedly poisoning Pakistani TikToker Sumeera Rajput to death

  • Sumeera Rajput, who had over 58,000 followers, was found dead at her home in Ghotki on Friday
  • A post-mortem of Rajput’s body has revealed that she had died of poisoning, a police official says

KARACHI: Police have arrested two suspects for allegedly poisoning a local TikTok star to death in Pakistan’s southern Ghotki district, officials said on Saturday.

Sumeera Rajput, who had over 58,000 followers and one million likes on TikTok, was found dead at her residence in the Bago Wah area on Friday afternoon, according to Ghotki Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Muhammad Anwar Khetran.

Police arrested two suspects, Babu Rajput and Muhammad Imran, for poisoning the content creator and lodged a case against them on the complaint of the deceased’s sister.

“A post-mortem of Sameera Rajput has been conducted, which has revealed that she died because of poisoning,” Khetran said in a statement. “Further investigation is underway with the arrested suspects.”

This is the third death involving woman tiktokers in Pakistan in less than two months.

On July 11, a father shot dead his daughter in Rawalpindi after she refused to delete her account on TikTok.

In the Muslim-majority country, women can be subjected to violence by family members for not following strict rules on how to behave in public, including in online spaces.

On June 2, Sana Yousaf, a 17-year-old content creator, was shot dead at her Islamabad home by another social media influencer, Umar Hayat, 22, after she rejected his repeated advances, according to Islamabad police chief Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi.

Yousuf, originally from the scenic northern region of Chitral, was known for promoting traditional Chitrali music and dress through her videos. She also advocated for girls’ education.

Hours before her murder, she had posted a photo celebrating her birthday with friends.

Women have found both audience and income on the app, which is rare in a country where fewer than a quarter of the women participate in the formal economy.

However, only 30 percent of women in Pakistan own a smartphone compared to twice as many men (58 percent), the largest gap in the world, according to the Mobile Gender Gap Report of 2025.

Pakistani telecommunications authorities have repeatedly blocked or threatened to block the app over what they call “immoral behavior.”

In southwestern Balochistan, where tribal law governs many rural areas, a man confessed to orchestrating the murder of his 14-year-old daughter earlier this year over TikTok videos that he said compromised her “honor.”


Pakistan deputy PM says hopeful of finalizing US trade deal ‘in days’

Updated 32 min 6 sec ago
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Pakistan deputy PM says hopeful of finalizing US trade deal ‘in days’

  • The US is Pakistan’s top export destination, with shipments totaling 5.44 billion dollars in fiscal year 2023-2024
  • Deputy PM Dar says both sides have recently held discussions relating to textiles, digital trade and agriculture

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan deputy prime minister and foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, said on Friday that his country was hopeful of finalizing a trade deal with the United States “in days.”

Pakistan and the United States (US) have been engaged in talks after Washington announced a 29 percent “reciprocal tariff” on Pakistani exports in April. Islamabad said the move, paused in June for a 90-day period, may undercut its fragile, export-led recovery.

The US is Pakistan’s top export destination, with shipments totaling $5.44 billion in fiscal year 2023-2024, according to official data. From July 2024 to February 2025, exports rose 10 percent from a year earlier.

Speaking at the Atlantic Council think tank in Washington, the Pakistani deputy premier said both sides have recently held discussions relating to textiles, digital trade and agriculture.

“Pakistan seeks better market access in the US. On our part, we are working toward granting greater market access to the US products in the large Pakistani markets,” he said.

Pakistan Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar speaks during a discussion at the Atlantic Council think tank in Washington on July 26, 2025. (Screengrab/Atlantic Council)

“We hope to conclude a mutually beneficial trade agreement at the earliest, hopefully in days not in weeks.”

Under US President Donald Trump, Washington has attempted to renegotiate trade agreements with many countries that he threatened with tariffs over what he calls unfair trade relations. Many economists dispute Trump’s characterization.

Dar also met Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday.

“Met with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister @MIshaqDar50 today to discuss expanding bilateral trade and enhancing collaboration in the critical minerals sector,” Rubio said on X.

“I also thanked him for Pakistan’s partnership in countering terrorism and preserving regional stability.”

The Pakistani foreign ministry also said Dar “appreciated the pivotal role” by Trump and Rubio “in de-escalating tensions between Pakistan and India by facilitating a ceasefire.” The State Department statement did not mention India.

Trump has repeatedly taken credit for the India-Pakistan ceasefire he announced on social media on May 10 after Washington held talks with both sides. India disputes Trump’s claims that the ceasefire resulted from his intervention and trade threats.

An April 22 militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir killed 26 men and sparked heavy fighting between the nuclear-armed Asian neighbors in the latest escalation of a decades-old rivalry. India struck Pakistan on May 7 and the two nations exchanged hostilities, killing dozens across three days. The ceasefire was declared on May 10.

New Delhi blamed the April attack on Pakistan, which denied responsibility and called for a neutral investigation. Washington condemned the attack but did not blame Islamabad.


For one filmmaker, telling Pakistan’s untold stories has become a path to healing

Updated 26 July 2025
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For one filmmaker, telling Pakistan’s untold stories has become a path to healing

  • Insulting remark pushed Athar Abbas to leave corporate job, find healing in the stories of strangers
  • Abbas’s social media documentaries spotlight working-class lives, mental health stigma in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Mobile phones, data cables and memory cards sprawl across the editing table in Athar Abbas’s modest Islamabad apartment.

It’s an organized chaos the 38-year-old filmmaker fully embraces — a far cry from the mental turmoil that once engulfed him.

Abbas, a former commercial producer, now documents the lives of ordinary Pakistanis in short, emotionally charged videos he publishes on social media. His mini-documentaries — raw, personal and deliberately unpolished — have attracted tens of thousands of followers across platforms, racking up over a million views in the past year.

But Abbas’s foray into digital storytelling wasn’t born of ambition. It was a survival tactic.

He began filming after quitting his job at a construction company, where a senior colleague dismissed his work as “pathetic.”

The insult gnawed at his confidence and spiraled into a depressive episode. Eventually, Abbas turned to the one outlet that had always brought him calm — the camera.

“I picked up my camera and started making stories,” Abbas told Arab News. “And unintentionally, I realized that maybe for an artist, there’s no therapy greater than his art.”

Pakistani filmmaker and content creator Athar Abbas speaks during an interview with Arab News in Islamabad on July 18, 2025. (AN Photo)

Pakistan, a country of over 240 million people, faces a chronic shortage of mental health services.

According to the World Health Organization, more than 24 million people in Pakistan are in need of psychiatric support. Yet the country has only around 500 trained psychologists and 400 psychiatrists, roughly one mental health professional for every 260,000 people.

The stigma around mental illness remains deeply entrenched, especially for men. Talking about emotional vulnerability is often seen as weakness, a perception Abbas says is reinforced in professional environments.

“He feels that his manly personality will be affected,” he said, referring to why many Pakistani men hesitated to express emotions, especially those that communicated perceived weakness.

“So he doesn’t even share that he has a problem with something.”

In Pakistan’s corporate sector, long working hours, harsh managerial practices and lack of mental health policies have contributed to high stress levels.

A 2024 review by the Pakistan Society of Human Resource Management found that most companies lacked formal emotional wellness programs.

Creative professionals, Abbas said, often bore the brunt of toxic leadership.

“If you talk to anyone in the creative field, they will tell you they are distressed because of senior management’s behavior,” he said.

“Unfortunately, it greatly affects mental health.”

A separate 2025 study in the Pakistan Social Sciences Review noted that while some younger professionals are more aware of mental health issues, institutional support remains weak, leaving them vulnerable to burnout and depression.

‘UNTOLD PAKISTAN’

For Abbas, the path to stability came through storytelling.

He launched a series titled Untold Pakistan, filming everything from a street vendor’s hustle to a single mother’s struggle for dignity. In one video, a man named Kamran Ali cycles from Germany to Layyah, Punjab, only to learn of his mother’s death upon arrival.

“Storytelling became a way to survive,” Abbas said.

This combination of screenshots, taken on July 26, 2025, shows stills from short videos by Pakistani filmmaker and content creator Athar Abbas. (Courtesy: Instagram/@athar.abbass_)

His films resist sensationalism. There are no stunts or celebrity cameos. Instead, they dwell in moments often overlooked: fatigue, memory, longing, resilience. The comment sections on his pages are peppered with viewers opening up about their own traumas, some for the first time.

Abbas recalls a message from a young man in Lahore who said one of the videos gave him the courage to speak to his father about something he’d been avoiding for a long time.

“That one message made all the late nights worth it,” Abbas said.

After 15 years of directing ads, music videos and corporate content, Abbas has no interest in going back. His priorities have shifted.

“I didn’t set out to become an influencer,” he said. “I just needed to breathe.”