One killed, 44 injured in oil tanker explosion in southwestern Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is in Azerbaijan on the third stopover of a five-day regional diplomacy tour that also saw him visit Iran and Turkiye, and will today, Wednesday, attend a Pakistan-Turkiye-Azerbaijan trilateral summit, the foreign office said. 

Turkiye and Azerbaijan had openly pledged support for Pakistan during its latest military confrontation with archrival India earlier this month while Iran had urged restraint and also offered to mediate. 

“Sharif will attend the Pakistan-Turkiye-Azerbaijan Trilateral Meeting,” the foreign office said, releasing the PM’s schedule. 

“The Prime Minister, along with the Presidents of Turkiye and Azerbaijan, will also attend a ceremony to mark Azerbaijan’s Independence Day, which the Prime Minister will also address.”

Pakistan and Azerbaijan have strengthened ties in recent years through defense and energy cooperation and Baku has supported Islamabad’s position on the Kashmir dispute with India at international forums.

Islamabad has also offered Azerbaijan access to its seaports to facilitate trade with global markets and promoted regional connectivity initiatives linking Central Asia to South Asia.

On Tuesday, Sharif met the president of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, and thanked his country for its “steadfast support” during the standoff with India, the worst conflict in decades between the nuclear-armed neighbors.

The four-day military escalation saw Pakistan and India launch missiles and drones deep into each other’s territories and exchange gunfire on their de facto border, the Line of Control, until a ceasefire was announced on May 10. Nearly 70 people combined were killed on both sides of the border. 

Before Azerbaijan, Sharif went to Iran where he held meetings with President Masoud Pezeshkian and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. 

At a joint press stakeout with the Iranian president, Sharif made a peace offer to India, saying Pakistan was ready for talks on contentious issues including Kashmir, water-sharing and countering terrorism.

At the start of his regional visit, Sharif met Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul and thanked him for Ankara’s strong backing during the conflict with India. 

The two leaders also discussed expanding cooperation in defense production, energy, IT, agriculture and infrastructure and agreed to pursue a bilateral trade target of $5 billion, building on commitments made during the 7th High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council held in Islamabad earlier this year.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is celebrating Youm-e-Takbeer today, Wednesday, to commemorate the 27th anniversary of the day it acquired nuclear weapons, reaffirming its pledge to use the capability for defensive purposes only.

Pakistan began a program to obtain nuclear weapons after the 1971 war which led to the division of the country and the creation of Bangladesh, then East Pakistan. The army sees its nuclear weapons as essential to offset the conventional superiority of its much bigger neighbor, India. India sees its own nuclear weapons as a deterrent against Pakistan and China, which defeated it in a border war in 1962.

Pakistan tested nuclear weapons in May 1998, shortly after India announced it had done so.

“Youm-e-Takbeer commemorates the momentous occasion in 1998 when Pakistan emerged as a nuclear power— restoring the strategic balance in South Asia and asserting its sovereign right to self-defense,” the army said in a statement. 

“This historic achievement epitomizes the nation’s resolve, unity, and unwavering pursuit of a dignified and peaceful existence.

“The Armed Forces of Pakistan reiterate their unflinching resolve to defend the motherland against all threats across the full spectrum of conflict. As responsible custodians of the nation’s strategic assets, we reaffirm that our nuclear capability remains solely for defensive purposes and stands as a guarantor of peace.”

The military added that the day underscored Pakistan’s “steadfast commitment” to preserving its sovereignty and territorial integrity and affirmed its doctrine of credible minimum deterrence, rooted in the principle of maintaining peace and strategic stability in the region.

Both India and Pakistan faced international sanctions as a result of testing nukes in 1998, although India has since won effective recognition as a nuclear power following an accord negotiated with the United States. Neither Pakistan, nor India, have signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists estimates Pakistan’s arsenal at about 170 warheads. These can be delivered by aircraft, or by missiles, which both countries have been developing and testing. 

The nuclear program is controlled by the army and run by the Strategic Plans Division.

Pakistan and India’s nuclear capabilities make any conflict between them especially dangerous and raise global alarm, as happened earlier this month when they launched missiles and drones deep into each other’s territories and exchanged gunfire on their de facto border, the Line of Control, until a ceasefire was announced on May 10. Nearly 70 people combined were killed on both sides of the border. 

It was the worst conflict in decades between the neighbors.

Pakistan has fought three full-scale wars with India, including two over the disputed Kashmir region.