Pakistan, China and Russia to push for ceasefire as UN Security Council meets on Iran

Pakistan, China and Russia to push for ceasefire as UN Security Council meets on Iran
Members of the United Nations Security Council listen Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, speaks via video during a meeting on threats to international peace and security at the United Nations headquarters, in New York City, US, on June 22, 2025. (GETTY IMAGES)
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Updated 22 June 2025
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Pakistan, China and Russia to push for ceasefire as UN Security Council meets on Iran

Pakistan, China and Russia to push for ceasefire as UN Security Council meets on Iran
  • The three countries have circulated a draft resolution text and asked UNSC members to share comments by Monday
  • A resolution needs at least nine votes in favor and no vetoes by the US, France, Britain, Russia or China for it to pass

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan, China and Russia will present a joint resolution calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in the Middle East, the Pakistani mission to the United Nations (UN) said on Sunday, ahead of a UN Security Council meeting to discuss US airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites.

It was not immediately clear when it could be put to a vote. The three countries circulated the draft text, and asked members to share their comments by Monday evening. A resolution needs at least nine votes in favor and no vetoes by the United States, France, Britain, Russia or China to pass.

The US is likely to oppose the draft resolution, which condemns the attacks against “peaceful nuclear sites and facilities under the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) safeguards in the Islamic Republic of Iran” and says that such attacks represent a threat to international peace and security, and to the entire safeguards regime of the IAEA, according to a draft seen by Arab News.

It calls for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire and a diplomatic solution to the nuclear issue to reach an agreement acceptable to all parties that “guarantees the exclusively peaceful nature of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for complete lifting of all multilateral and unilateral sanctions.”

“Pakistan, China and Russia jointly have drafted a resolution and it is hoped that other countries like Algeria may also become its approvers,” Pakistan’s UN mission said.

“So far, it has been shared with the members countries for comments, which is a procedure before tabling it in the UNSC.”

The member countries will comment on the draft resolution and then a final draft will be tabled in the Security Council.

The world awaited Iran’s response on Sunday after President Donald Trump said the US had “obliterated” Tehran’s key nuclear sites, joining Israel in the biggest Western military action against the Islamic Republic since its 1979 revolution.

Iran requested the UN Security Council meeting, calling on the 15-member body “to address this blatant and unlawful act of aggression, to condemn it in the strongest possible terms.”

Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon said in a statement on Sunday that the US and Israel “do not deserve any condemnation, but rather an expression of appreciation and gratitude for making the world a safer place.”

UN Secretary-General Guterres branded the US strikes on Iran as a “dangerous escalation in a region already on the edge – and a direct threat to international peace and security.”

“At this perilous hour, it is critical to avoid a spiral of chaos. There is no military solution. The only path forward is diplomacy. The only hope is peace,” Guterres said in a statement.


Pakistan says nationwide crackdown against sugar hoarders, profiteers underway

Pakistan says nationwide crackdown against sugar hoarders, profiteers underway
Updated 23 July 2025
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Pakistan says nationwide crackdown against sugar hoarders, profiteers underway

Pakistan says nationwide crackdown against sugar hoarders, profiteers underway
  • Pakistan’s food security minister chairs meeting to review sugar market situation, pricing trends
  • Market analysts say retail sugar prices have risen sharply since January, surging to $0.70 per kg

KARACHI: Pakistan’s Food Security Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain announced on Wednesday that a nationwide crackdown against those attempting to disrupt the sugar supply in the country through hoarding and profiteering was underway, amid Islamabad’s attempts to stabilize the commodity’s price. 

Market analysts have said retail sugar prices in several parts of the country have risen sharply since January, surging to Rs200 [$0.70] per kilogram. In Pakistan, high sugar prices have triggered public outcry and become flashpoints for opposition criticism in the past, with allegations of hoarding and cartelization frequently surfacing in election years or periods of economic volatility.

Hussain chaired a meeting with representatives of the Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA) and other key stakeholders from all provinces on Wednesday, the national food security ministry said in a press release. It said the meeting aimed to review the current sugar market situation, pricing trends, and supply chain dynamics.

“During the meeting, the Federal Minister expressed serious concern over the artificial hike in sugar prices and warned of strict action against all those who are involved in hoarding and market manipulation,” the statement said.

“He announced that a nationwide crackdown is currently underway against those disrupting the sugar supply chain.”

Hussain noted that due to the government’s “decisive actions,” sugar prices have started to decline significantly from Rs200 per kg to Rs. 175–180 [$0.61-0.63] per kg in various markets.

The minister warned sugar mills that were not releasing their existing stocks that the government would not tolerate hoarding, directing all provincial governments to ensure the timely lifting of sugar from mills and facilitate its smooth transportation to markets.

Hussain noted the “exploitative role” of certain middlemen and market intermediaries, saying they were capitalizing on the market’s volatility.

“The federal and provincial authorities are now actively pursuing legal and administrative actions against such elements to curb unjust profiteering,” the ministry said. 

The minister later chaired a high-level meeting of the Steering Committee on Sugar Imports, where all technical, procedural, and operational challenges related to sugar importation were reviewed and resolved, the food security ministry said. 

Earlier this month, Pakistan announced it would import sugar in two phases. In the first phase, a tender for 200,000 metric tons of sugar would be issued, followed by another tender for 150,000 metric tons after one week, the ministry said. 

The ministry also announced it had decided to waive all duties and taxes on sugar imports to ensure the product is available at affordable prices.


Pakistan backs ‘inclusive’ political process in Syria, ceasefire in Gaza at Security Council debate

Pakistan backs ‘inclusive’ political process in Syria, ceasefire in Gaza at Security Council debate
Updated 23 July 2025
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Pakistan backs ‘inclusive’ political process in Syria, ceasefire in Gaza at Security Council debate

Pakistan backs ‘inclusive’ political process in Syria, ceasefire in Gaza at Security Council debate
  • Violent clashes between Druze, Bedouin clans in Syria killed over 250 people this month 
  • Ishaq Dar calls for the restoration of humanitarian supply lines in Gaza to prevent famine 

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on Wednesday backed an “inclusive” political process to stabilize a Syria rocked by clashes and demanded an unconditional ceasefire in Gaza, as he spoke at a United Nations Security Council debate on the evolving Middle East situation. 

Syria has been rocked by violent clashes between the Druze minority and Bedouin clans that broke out on July 13, killing over 250 people as per media reports and threatening to disrupt the country’s post-war transition. The violence also displaced 128,571 people, according to the United Nations International Organization for Migration.

Israel carried out a series of attacks on government targets in Syria in support of the Druze clan last week, including a strike on a tank convoy and the shelling of the Defense Ministry in Damascus. Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa ordered a fragile ceasefire between Bedouin and Druze groups last Saturday. 

Dar, who is in New York to participate in events being held under Pakistan’s presidency of the UN Security Council, spoke at an open debate titled, “The Situation in the Middle East and the Question of Palestine.”

“Pakistan supports the stabilization of Syria through an inclusive political process,” the deputy prime minister, who also serves as Pakistan’s foreign minister, said. “Syria’s unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity must be upheld.”

He called on Israel to immediately withdraw from the separation zone established under the 1974 Disengagement Agreement and vacate the Syrian Golan Heights as per the UN Security Council’s resolutions.

‘GRAVEYARD FOR INNOCENT LIVES’

The Pakistani deputy prime minister criticized Israel for its military operations in Gaza, saying that the world was witnessing the “collapse of humanity” through Tel Aviv’s actions.

“Gaza has become a graveyard for innocent lives as well as for international law, particularly international humanitarian law,” he said, noting that over 58,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s war since October 2023. 

He urged the UN Security Council to pursue with unity and urgency an “immediate, permanent, and unconditional ceasefire” in Gaza. 

Dar also called for unfettered, sustained and secure access to humanitarian relief items for all civilians and the protection of aid workers, medical teams and UN personnel there. 

“Immediate steps should be taken to ensure the delivery of life-saving food and medical assistance, restore humanitarian supply lines, and prevent famine conditions from taking hold,” he said. 

Pakistan has consistently called for an independent Palestinian state in the Middle East with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital based on the pre-1967 border. 


Father kills daughter, nephew in latest ‘honor killing’ case in Pakistan’s Balochistan

Father kills daughter, nephew in latest ‘honor killing’ case in Pakistan’s Balochistan
Updated 23 July 2025
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Father kills daughter, nephew in latest ‘honor killing’ case in Pakistan’s Balochistan

Father kills daughter, nephew in latest ‘honor killing’ case in Pakistan’s Balochistan
  • Police says latest killings motivated by accusations of an “illicit relationship” between the pair
  • Murders follow nationwide outrage over recent tribal-ordered killing of couple in Balochistan

QUETTA, Pakistan: A father has shot and killed his teenage daughter and nephew in a so-called “honor killing” in Quetta, the capital of Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, police said on Wednesday, days after a similar killing sparked outrage across the country.

The incident took place Tuesday evening in the Lashar Abad area along Quetta's Qambrani Road, and came just days after a viral video showed a young couple being executed in a separate honor killing in

Balochistan's Digari area in Quetta district. That case, involving a tribal jirga ordering the deaths of a woman and man over an alleged illicit relationship, has drawn widespread condemnation and renewed calls for legal reform.

According to Abdul Majeed, the Station House Officer of Kechi Baig Police Station, the latest victims were identified as Ghulam Qadir, 19, and Nazneen, 18.

“The slain man and woman were cousins and the father, named Abdul Latif, shot and killed both his daughter and nephew inside his house,” Majeed told Arab News. “The girl was from the Lehri tribe and the boy hailed from the Rind tribe.”

The officer said the killings were motivated by accusations of an “illicit relationship” between the pair, adding that the case had been handed over to the Serious Crime Investigation Wing (SCIW) and a search was underway for the father, who was on the run.

The family of the male victim had retrieved his body for burial, but no one from the girl’s family had come forward to claim her, Majeed added. 

Rights groups say honor killings - the murder of individuals, often women, by relatives for allegedly tarnishing family “honor” - remain widespread in Pakistan, particularly in tribal and rural regions. Activists estimate as many as 1,000 deaths a year in the name of so-called honor.

Although Pakistan passed a landmark law in 2016 to close loopholes that once allowed families to “forgive” perpetrators, conviction rates remain extremely low, often below 2 percent, according to UN estimates. 

The recent video from Balochistan, showing the execution-style killing of a couple in the Digari area in Quetta district, reignited public debate over jirga justice and the state’s failure to prevent such crimes.

Police said 11 suspects had been arrested in the Digari case, including two men named in the first information report (FIR) filed by police after the killing.

That attack, caught on video, appeared to show the victims being shot in a mountainous area on the orders of a tribal council. 


Top Pakistani general discusses enhancing defense, security ties with Turkish, Azeri officials

Top Pakistani general discusses enhancing defense, security ties with Turkish, Azeri officials
Updated 23 July 2025
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Top Pakistani general discusses enhancing defense, security ties with Turkish, Azeri officials

Top Pakistani general discusses enhancing defense, security ties with Turkish, Azeri officials
  • Pakistan has grown closer to Azerbaijan, Turkiye after both openly supported Islamabad during its recent conflict with India
  • All sides stress importance of bolstering security cooperation due to evolving geo-strategic environment, says Pakistan Army

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s General Sahir Shamshad Mirza met senior defense officials of Turkiye and Azerbaijan on Wednesday to discuss strengthening existing security and defense ties between the countries, Pakistan Army’s media wing said. 

Islamabad has grown closer to Ankara and Baku after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev openly pledged support for Pakistan during its latest military confrontation with India in May.

Mirza, who is the chairman of joint chiefs of staff committee (CJCSC) of the Pakistan Army, was attending the 17th International Defense Industry Fair in Istanbul, renowned for showcasing cutting-edge innovations and advancements in the defense sector. 

The Pakistani general held separate meetings with General (retired) Yasar Guler, Turkiye’s minister of national defense, Col. General Hasanov Zakir Asgar Oglu, Azerbaijan’s minister of defense, Gurbanov Agil Salim Oglu, Azerbaijan’s deputy minister of defense and General Metin Gurak, the chief of Turkish general staff. 

“Discussions were held on variety of issues of bilateral military cooperation with emphasis on importance of expanding cooperation in the fields of defense and security,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing, said in a statement.

“The dignitaries reaffirmed their shared commitment to deepening strategic partnerships and enhancing defense corporation in line with dictates of future geo-strategic environment and technological advancements.”

The Turkish and Azeri officials reaffirmed their commitment to deepen strategic partnerships and enhance defense cooperation, keeping in mind the future geo-strategic environment and technological advancements, the ISPR added. 

Earlier this month, Turkiye’s defense and foreign ministers arrived in Pakistan for a series of high-level meetings that reportedly focused on counterterrorism, defense cooperation and broader strategic ties.

Pakistan and Turkiye have maintained close defense ties in recent years. 

Under a 2018 agreement, Türkiye is delivering four MILGEM-class corvettes to the Pakistan Navy, with two built in Istanbul and two at Karachi Shipyard under a technology transfer arrangement.

The first vessel, PNS Babur, was delivered in 2023.


Pakistan, Saudi Arabia agree to promote investments, expand cooperation in key sectors

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia agree to promote investments, expand cooperation in key sectors
Updated 23 July 2025
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Pakistan, Saudi Arabia agree to promote investments, expand cooperation in key sectors

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia agree to promote investments, expand cooperation in key sectors
  • Deputy PM Ishaq Dar meets Saudi Minister of Economy and Planning, Faisal bin Fadhil Alibrahim, in New York 
  • Both discuss expanding cooperation in food security, manufacturing and mines & minerals, says Pakistan’s FO

ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar met Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Economy and Planning, Faisal bin Fadhil Alibrahim, on Wednesday to discuss promoting bilateral investments and expanding cooperation in key economic sectors, Pakistan’s foreign ministry said. 

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoy cordial relations and strong ties in defense, military, tourism and various other sectors. The two countries have eyed closer cooperation in mines and minerals, agriculture, tourism, IT and other sectors in recent years. 

Islamabad and Riyadh last year signed 34 business-to-business deals worth $2.8 billion amid Islamabad’s increasing focus to shore up its foreign reserves and bolster its economic revival with the help of its Gulf allies. 

Dar, who is in the United States till July 28 to lead “high-level signature events” under Pakistan’s presidency of the UN Security Council, met Alibrahim on the sidelines of the events. 

“Discussions focused on expanding cooperation across key sectors, including food security, manufacturing, and mines & minerals,” the Pakistani foreign ministry said. 

“They also agreed to advance investments and technical collaboration for mutual benefit of the two nations,” it added. 

The two reaffirmed brotherly ties between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia and their shared vision for lasting peace, prosperity and regional harmony, the foreign ministry said.

Apart from being a key regional ally and close business partner, Saudi Arabia also happens to be the largest source of foreign remittances for Pakistan. 

These remittances are a lifeline for Pakistan’s cash-strapped economy, playing a critical role in stabilizing foreign exchange reserves and supporting balance of payments.