On World Press Freedom Day, Pakistan honors journalists killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza

ISLAMABAD: The head of an official delegation visiting world capitals to present Islamabad’s position following a recent military standoff with New Delhi met senior British officials and Kashmiri diaspora leaders in London this week, urging the UK to play a more active role in defusing tensions with India and restoring the suspended Indus Waters Treaty. 

Pakistan and India have launched parallel diplomatic offensives in world capitals weeks after their worst military confrontation in decades last month saw the two nuclear-armed nations exchange missile, drone and artillery strikes until the US and other allies brokered a ceasefire on May 10. The Pakistan delegation is currently in London after visiting the United States and will go onwards to Brussels. Officials of both countries are lobbying for international support over the disputed region of Kashmir, which both countries rule in part but claim in full. 

In London on Tuesday, Pakistan’s former foreign minister, who is heading the Pakistani delegation, met with prominent UK-based Kashmiri leaders and senior British diplomats, warning of the dangers of rising hostilities and accusing India of violating long-standing international agreements.

“The Jammu & Kashmir dispute remains the unfinished agenda of the United Nations and the unhealed wound of Partition,” Bhutto Zardari said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “In all my interactions, Kashmir was central— its people’s inalienable right to self-determination under UNSC resolutions must be upheld.

He also accused India of “aggression, violations of sovereignty, and the illegal suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty,” saying the move endangered over 240 million lives in Pakistan and called for its immediate restoration.

Bhutto Zardari separately met with Christian Turner, former UK High Commissioner to Pakistan and now Britain’s incoming Permanent Representative to the United Nations, as part of Islamabad’s push to rally international diplomatic support.

“Welcomed the UK’s emphasis on diplomacy and dialogue, and encouraged its continued, constructive role in supporting de-escalation and encouraging dialogue for resolution of the Jammu & Kashmir dispute, the unfinished agenda of Partition and British legacy,” the Pakistani leader wrote following a luncheon hosted by Pakistan’s High Commission.

The Pakistani outreach coincides with a parallel tour by a senior Indian delegation led by opposition MP and former UN under-secretary Shashi Tharoor, who is lobbying Western allies to support New Delhi’s position that Kashmir is an internal matter and that Pakistan is stoking tensions for political ends. India also accuses Pakistan of backing separatist insurgents and the attacks they carry out, including one in April 22 which triggered the latest conflict. Islamabad denies the charges. 

Pakistan has long maintained that Kashmir is a disputed territory under UN resolutions, while India insists the region’s status was settled after its full constitutional integration in August 2019, a move Pakistan continues to reject as illegal.

The standoff has also drawn concern over shared water resources, particularly the Indus Waters Treaty, a 1960 World Bank-brokered agreement seen as a rare example of cooperation between the two neighbors. Recent Indian actions to suspend the treaty and threaten to halt water flow into Pakistan have added to Islamabad’s grievances.

As tensions grow, both nations are leveraging historic ties with Western powers in an effort to shape the diplomatic narrative. In London, Bhutto Zardari reiterated the need for “restraint, immediate restoration of treaty obligations, and comprehensive dialogue to prevent conflict and secure lasting peace.”

The visits come ahead of a high-level UN session on South Asia later this month, where both Indian and Pakistani envoys are expected to present competing narratives.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani pilgrims returning from Saudi Arabia on Wednesday praised the smooth organization and facilities provided during this year’s Hajj, despite facing intense heat in the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah.

Pakistan’s post-Hajj flight operation began with the arrival of PIA flight PK732 in Islamabad earlier in the day, carrying 307 pilgrims. According to the Ministry of Religious Affairs, a total of seven flights are scheduled to transport 1,496 pilgrims to Islamabad, Lahore, Multan and Karachi on the first day of the repatriation operation.

“A total of seven flights carrying 1,496 pilgrims will land on June 11, while the post-Hajj flight operation will conclude on July 10 with the last flight landing in Islamabad,” Muhammad Umer Butt, spokesperson for the religious affairs ministry, informed.

Speaking to Arab News at Islamabad International Airport, returning pilgrims praised the Hajj experience, describing it as spiritually uplifting and logistically smooth, crediting the Saudi authorities for their efforts.

“It [Hajj] was very good and an amazing experience,” said Muhammad Waseem from Attock. “It was very hot, but the Saudi government had made good arrangements— there was water and fans everywhere.”

He said the Saudi authorities had taken excellent care of the pilgrims and ensured things remained smooth.

Those who followed their group schedules found the experience far less strenuous, he continued.

“Only those people got tired and faced difficulties who did not follow their scheduled timings fixed by the authorities for different groups for the Hajj rituals,” he noted.

Abdul Malik, a pilgrim from Lakki Marwat in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, echoed similar sentiments.

“The arrangements were very good,” he said. “When Allah calls a person to visit His House and the Mosque of His Prophet [PBUH], it feels as if the person is soaring in the air. Such is the feeling which cannot be described in words.”

Samina Bibi from Islamabad called her Hajj deeply spiritual and fulfilling.

“My experience of Hajj was very good and I prayed for everyone, including all the Muslims,” she said. “Only Allah Almighty can understand my feelings during Hajj.”

Bibi informed it was her second visit to the Holy Places, having previously performed Umrah, and found the arrangements to be “very good.”

Abdul Haq, another pilgrim from Islamabad, reflected on the ease with which his journey unfolded.

“When I intended to perform Hajj, after that, Allah made everything easy upon easy, and we prayed for everyone including Muslims sitting in front of the Holy Kaaba,” he said. “The arrangements made by the Saudi government were excellent. We faced no difficulties during Hajj.”

While he acknowledged the natural hardships due to the heat in Mina and Muzdalifah, Haq said the experience remained “smooth and truly unforgettable.”

“In Hajj, there were not really difficulties, but there is hardship, mainly due to the heat,” he added. “However, overall, our Hajj was so wonderful that it’s beyond words, and we kept thanking the Saudi government for all the arrangements throughout.”

This year’s Hajj pilgrimage took place from June 4 to June 9, drawing millions of pilgrims to the holy cities.

Pakistan, which sent over 116,000 pilgrims under both government and private schemes, was among several countries managing large-scale contingents in the annual Islamic pilgrimage.