Pakistan calls for ‘sober reflection’ on ties with India as new Modi cabinet takes oath

Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar addresses the 51st Foundation Day of the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad on June 25, 2024. (Photo courtesy: @ForeignOfficePk/X)
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Updated 25 June 2024
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Pakistan calls for ‘sober reflection’ on ties with India as new Modi cabinet takes oath

  • Pakistan suspended trade with India, downgraded ties after it stripped disputed Jammu and Kashmir territory of its autonomy in 2019
  • Pakistan seeks “good neighborly” ties with India based on mutual respect, just resolution of Kashmir dispute, says Deputy PM Dar

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday called for a “sober reflection” on the future of Islamabad’s strained ties with New Delhi, a day after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his newly elected ministers took oath as lawmakers. 

Modi and members of his Council of Ministers took oath as members of the lower house of India’s parliament during its first session on Monday. Relations between India and Pakistan, two nuclear-armed neighbors who have fought three wars, remain strained since August 2019 when India stripped the disputed Jammu and Kashmir region of its autonomy. 

India and Pakistan claim the Himalayan region in full but administer only parts of it. Both have fought two wars over the disputed territory since gaining independence from British colonial India in 1947. 

Pakistan downgraded ties with New Delhi after it stripped Kashmir of its autonomy in 2019 and suspended trade with its neighbor. Islamabad has ruled out normalizing ties with India unless it revokes its controversial decision, which India has refused to do so. 

“In our view, as the BJP-led NDA government starts a new term, it is time for a sober reflection on the future of India-Pakistan relations and the cross-cutting issues affecting the entire region,” Dar said during an event in Islamabad. 

The deputy prime minister said Pakistan’s relationship with India had historically remained troubled. However, he said Islamabad does not believe in perpetual hostility. 

“We seek good neighborly relations with India based on mutual respect, sovereign equality and a just and peaceful resolution of the long-standing Jammu and Kashmir dispute,” he said. 

While Pakistan has always been receptive to constructive engagement via dialogue to resolve outstanding issues, Dar said Islamabad would never agree to India’s “unilateral approaches” or attempts to impose its hegemony in the region.

“We will also take every step needed to maintain strategic stability in South Asia and would respond effectively and decisively to any ill-considered military misadventure by the Hindutva driven dispensation in New Delhi,” he warned. 

‘PRAGMATIC’ AFGHANISTAN APPROACH

Speaking on Pakistan’s ties with Afghanistan, Dar hoped Kabul would recognize that it is in Afghanistan’s interest to take practical steps necessary to address Islamabad’s concerns.

Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have deteriorated since 2021 when the Afghan Taliban seized Kabul. Pakistan has witnessed a surge in militant attacks on its western provinces that share a border with Afghanistan. Islamabad accuses Kabul of sheltering militants that launch attacks on its soil, allegations that Afghanistan have always denied. 

“Since the Taliban takeover in August 2021, Pakistan has followed a pragmatic approach focused on practical cooperation aimed at averting any humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and facilitating the well-being of the 40 million Afghan people,” Dar noted. 

On relations with China, the deputy prime minister said both countries recently agreed to upgrade their flagship China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, which he said in the coming years would focus on industrialization, digitalization, green transition agriculture, and people-to-people exchanges.

Beijing is investing over $65 billion in energy and infrastructure projects in Pakistan as part of the CPEC, a key element of its Belt and Road initiative. The corridor will connect China to the Arabian Sea and help modernize Pakistan’s economy through a network of roads, railways, pipelines, and ports.

However, attacks on Chinese nationals in Pakistan over the past few months have caused Beijing to worry about the safety of its citizens in Pakistan. 

“We will do everything possible to ensure the safety and security of Chinese personnel and projects in Pakistan and to safeguard CPEC against the machinations of inimical forces,” Dar vowed. 

Dar said Pakistan is striving to forge deeper partnerships with Gulf states, Turkiye, Iran, and Central Asian states amid Islamabad’s push for foreign investment.

“Our primary focus is on forging closer trade and investment ties and increasing regional connectivity,” he explained. “In this regard, the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) is playing a significant role,” he said, referring to a government body formed last year to attract investment in Pakistan’s key economic sectors. 


UN credibility at stake over Palestine, Kashmir, says Pakistan speaker, as he backs multilateralism

Updated 10 sec ago
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UN credibility at stake over Palestine, Kashmir, says Pakistan speaker, as he backs multilateralism

  • Ayaz Sadiq was speaking at the 6th World Conference of Speakers of Parliament in Geneva
  • He warned the UN risked the fate of the League of Nations if multilateralism was undermined

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Assembly Speaker (NA) Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has warned that the credibility of the United Nations system is under threat, according to an official statement on Wednesday, as he called for a return to multilateralism to address long-standing conflicts in places like Palestine and Kashmir.

Speaking at the 6th World Conference of Speakers of Parliament in Geneva, Sadiq said the international system was being undermined by populism, unilateralism and the politicization of humanitarian principles.

He stressed the need for diplomacy and institutional reform to restore global trust in the system.

“The world has witnessed enough bloodshed,” Sadiq told parliamentary leaders from around the globe. “It is time for new thinking, time to embrace pluralism, time to respect diversity and time for a new beginning.”

Citing the UN Security Council’s failure to resolve protracted disputes around the world, he said peaceful conflict resolution must now be treated not only as a legal obligation, but a strategic imperative.

Coercion and unilateral action, he added, cannot deliver sustainable peace.

Sadiq evoked Geneva’s historic role as the heart of diplomacy, recalling that the city had been the birthplace and graveyard of the League of Nations.

He maintained today’s multilateral institutions risk a similar fate if they continue to be undermined by narrow nationalism and hegemonic politics.

The NA speaker praised the unanimous adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2788, led by Pakistan during its recent presidency, which calls for strengthening global mechanisms for peaceful dispute settlement through mediation, arbitration, judicial action and diplomatic engagement.

Turning to the global economy, he said over 100 developing countries are facing debt distress or liquidity crises, highlighting what he described as systemic shortcomings in the international financial and trade architecture.

Sadiq called for urgent reforms to build a fairer, development-oriented global financial system that supports the Global South, enhances economic resilience and reduces inequality.

He also reiterated Pakistan’s longstanding call to reform and democratize the UN Security Council, making it more representative, accountable and transparent.

Only such reform, he added, can help restore trust in multilateralism and enable the global system to meet the challenges of the 21st century.


Climbers attempt rescue of German biathlete injured on Pakistan mountain

Updated 30 July 2025
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Climbers attempt rescue of German biathlete injured on Pakistan mountain

  • Germany’s Laura Dahlmeier was struck by falling rocks at 5,700 meters on Laila Peak
  • The Olympian is a seven-time biathlon world champion and certified mountain guide

KHAPLU, Pakistan: A team of foreign climbers were on Wednesday due to launch a rescue mission for German double biathlon champion Laura Dahlmeier, days after she was seriously injured by a rockfall on a Pakistani mountain.

The accident happened around midday on Monday at an altitude of 5,700 meters on Laila Peak in the Karakoram range, according to a statement from her team on her official social media sites.

Her climbing partner was able to sound the alarm after reaching safety.

“It was determined that a helicopter rescue is not possible,” Areeb Ahmed Mukhtar, a senior local official in Ghanche district, where the more than 6,000 meter (19,700 feet) mountain is located, told AFP.

“The conditions at the altitude where she was injured are extremely challenging, and a team of foreign climbers will launch a ground rescue mission today,” he added.

Shipton Trek & Tours Pakistan, which organized the expedition, confirmed the ground rescue by a team of four that includes three Americans and a German mountaineer.

The 31-year-old was “hit by falling rocks,” her team said on Tuesday, adding no one had yet been able to reach her due to the danger of further rockfalls and the site’s “remoteness.”

A helicopter managed to fly over the location and rescuers saw that “the experienced mountaineer is at least seriously injured,” it said.

“No signs of life were detected.”

Muhammad Ali, a local disaster management official, told AFP that weather conditions have been “extremely harsh” in the region for the past week, with rain, strong winds and thick clouds.

Dahlmeier, an experienced mountaineer, had been in the region since the end of June and had already ascended the Great Trango Tower.

The International Biathlon Union said in a statement it was “thinking of Dahlmeier and her family, hoping for good news to emerge soon.”

She has won seven world championship gold medals, and at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang she became the first female biathlete to win both the sprint and the pursuit at the same Games.

Dahlmeier retired from professional competition in 2019 at the age of 25.

She went on to become a commentator on biathlon events for German broadcaster ZDF, and also took up mountaineering.

She is a certified mountain and ski guide and an active member of the mountain rescue, according to her team.


Pakistan PM says human smuggling in decline after crackdown prompted by migrant boat tragedies

Updated 30 July 2025
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Pakistan PM says human smuggling in decline after crackdown prompted by migrant boat tragedies

  • Sharif issues message on World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, calls for collective national resolve
  • He says FIA and intelligence agencies have curbed smuggling networks, prosecuted complicit officials

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Wednesday human smuggling incidents involving Pakistani migrants had declined following a series of deadly boat tragedies, crediting law enforcement actions for curbing the crime, which he described as an organized global enterprise of exploitation.

Sharif’s remarks came in a statement marking the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, observed this year under the theme “Human Trafficking: A Coordinated Crime – End Exploitation.”

The message follows a series of maritime tragedies over the past two years in which scores of Pakistanis have drowned while attempting to reach Europe through irregular sea routes.

These included a shipwreck off Greece in mid-2023, a December 2024 incident near the Greek coast, a January 2025 disaster off Morocco and two separate capsizings off the Libyan coast in early and mid-2025.

“To prevent such incidents and bring traffickers to justice, the federal government formed a special task force for timely intervention,” Sharif said in the statement circulated by the Prime Minister’s Office to mark the day.

“It is encouraging that the task force has worked with diligence and strategy to address the root causes, motives and consequences of this grave crime,” he added. “The FIA and Intelligence Bureau have significantly reduced the activities of human smuggling networks, and complicit officials have also been held accountable.”

The prime minister described human smuggling as a “transnational crime” that targets vulnerable people in search of livelihoods.

“Criminal networks around the world exploit citizens seeking employment opportunities through human smuggling,” he said.

“In recent years, the tragic deaths of Pakistani migrants who drowned while trying to travel abroad illegally have further exposed the horrific and dangerous face of human smuggling.”

Sharif noted the government was not only targeting smugglers but also educating the public about safe, legal avenues for overseas employment.

He emphasized while the state is working to create job opportunities at home and abroad, risking one’s life through illegal routes was both dangerous and a violation of national and international law.

Pakistan actively participates in global platforms to counter trafficking, including the Budapest Process, Bali Process and the STARSOM Project, which focus on regional cooperation across Asia, Africa and the Americas.

“Today is an opportunity to renew our collective resolve,” the prime minister said, “to ensure that federal and provincial governments, law enforcement agencies, the foreign ministry and intelligence institutions continue to play their part in eradicating this heinous crime.”


Pakistan army chief calls for development push in Balochistan amid spike in separatist violence

Updated 30 July 2025
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Pakistan army chief calls for development push in Balochistan amid spike in separatist violence

  • Field Marshal Asim Munir discusses militant violence while addressing National Workshop Balochistan
  • He reiterates that India is using militant proxies to fuel unrest in province, vows to defeat its ‘hybrid war’

ISLAMABAD: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir called for development initiatives and their smooth execution in southwestern Balochistan, the country’s most volatile province, to address militant violence and ensure long-term stability in the province, according to a military statement on Wednesday.

Balochistan has seen a surge in separatist violence and coordinated attacks targeting security forces, foreign nationals and non-local commuters on highways and buses. The mineral-rich province borders Afghanistan and Iran and is central to high-profile infrastructure projects under the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), adding to its strategic significance and exposure to unrest.

The army chief made the comments while addressing participants of the 16th National Workshop Balochistan, a forum established in 2017 for the exchange of ideas related to the region, in Rawalpindi. The audience included parliamentarians, civil society representatives, civil servants, media professionals and youth leaders.

“The COAS highlighted the pivotal role of development initiatives in Balochistan, advocating for enhanced inter-agency cooperation and a cohesive national approach to propel provincial progress and national advancement,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing, said in the statement.

Munir reiterated the military’s commitment to eliminating militancy and said violent extremism must be countered, while calling for a unified national response.

He also reiterated that India was sponsoring militant proxies to destabilize Balochistan, as he referred to “Fitna-al-Khawarij,” Pakistan’s official term for Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and “Fitna-al-Hindustan,” used to describe the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and other separatist outfits.

The army chief maintained these actors were part of an Indian “hybrid war” strategy and would meet the same fate as the neighboring nuclear state itself , which Pakistan said was defeated in the four-day military conflict in May.

Pakistan has repeatedly accused India of fomenting unrest in Balochistan, allegations New Delhi denies.

Munir said, however, that such efforts had failed to shake the “deep-rooted patriotism” of the province’s people.

Separatist groups in Balochistan have long accused the Pakistani state of exploiting the province’s vast natural resources, ranging from gas and coal to copper and gold, without equitably sharing the benefits with local communities. They claim successive governments have prioritized extraction over development, leaving the region impoverished despite its mineral wealth.

These groups also allege widespread rights violations by the country’s security forces, including enforced disappearances and extrajudicial detentions of suspected activists. Human rights organizations have also echoed some of these concerns. Pakistani authorities have, however, consistently rejected such accusations, maintaining that a significant number of development projects are underway to uplift Balochistan’s economy, improve infrastructure and expand access to education and health care.

Earlier this month, Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti said his administration was ready to reconcile with “disgruntled” ethnic Baloch elements. However, he also issued a warning that anyone found involved in militant violence would be dealt with “with iron hands.”


Pakistan calls UN peacekeeping most cost-effective tool for global peace

Updated 30 July 2025
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Pakistan calls UN peacekeeping most cost-effective tool for global peace

  • It says no new peacekeeping mission launched in a decade despite growing global conflicts
  • Pakistan calls political will, adequate funding and clear planning key to peacekeeping success

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday described United Nations peacekeeping as the most cost-effective tool for maintaining international peace and security, calling on the Security Council to ensure missions are politically anchored, properly funded and planned with clear mandates to avoid failure.

Speaking at a high-level briefing on the future of UN peace operations, Pakistan’s Ambassador to the UN Asim Iftikhar Ahmad noted no new peacekeeping mission had been launched in the past decade, even as global crises multiply.

He warned that downgrading or prematurely ending missions without political resolution risks creating dangerous vacuums and undermining hard-won gains.

“Peace operations remain one of the most cost-effective tools available to the international community for maintenance of international peace and security,” Ahmad said. “With a budget of $5.5 billion, UN peacekeeping worldwide constitutes less than 0.3 percent of global military spending.”

The ambassador added that peacekeeping missions must not be viewed as substitutes for political processes, but rather as mechanisms to enable them. He also stressed the need for credible, context-specific mandates and responsible, conditions-based transitions instead of calendar-driven exits.

Pakistan, one of the world’s top troop-contributing countries, has deployed over 235,000 peacekeepers to 48 missions across four continents over the past eight decades.

It currently hosts one of the UN’s oldest missions — the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) — and is a founding member of the Peacebuilding Commission.

Ahmed said a total of 182 Pakistani peacekeepers have lost their lives in service under the UN flag.

“Peacekeeping is not a silver bullet, but neither is it obsolete,” he said. “It remains the most legitimate, collaborative and cost-effective tool the international community possesses to stabilize conflicts and support political solutions.”