ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s top army generals reviewed national security challenges on Tuesday following a series of coordinated militant attacks by a separatist outfit in the southwestern Balochistan province last month that killed more than 50 people, vowing not to let the “hard-earned” gains against such groups to be reversed.
The army has carried out a number of intelligence-based operations in Pakistan’s western region, including the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), in recent months to quell extremist and separatist violence, killing a number of fighters from various armed factions while also sacrificing its soldiers.
The meeting of top officials, led by Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir, began with the remembrance of these soldiers, according to an official statement that said they had “laid down their lives in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in pursuit of peace and stability of Pakistan.”
“The forum was briefed on the prevailing geo-strategic environment, national security challenges, and strategic and operational responses to emerging threats,” the statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing, informed.
“In assessing the inimical forces, malicious actors, subversive proxies, and the facilitators of Pakistan’s external and internal adversaries, particularly those active in Balochistan and KPK, the forum deliberated on a range of measures to neutralize these threats,” it added. “The forum reaffirmed that the Pakistan Army, with the unwavering support of the people, will not allow the hard-earned successes against terrorism to be reversed.”
The statement highlighted the professionalism, integrity and loyalty to the state within the army, attributing these qualities to a “well-established and rigorous system of accountability” that ensures these values are preserved within its ranks.
The army has recently taken action against its own officials, including Lt. Gen. (retired) Faiz Hameed, the former director general of the country’s most powerful Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) spy agency, by launching court martial proceedings on charges of extortion and meddling in politics.
“This strict adherence to accountability fortifies the Army’s integrity, ensuring that no individual is above the law or exempt from scrutiny,” it continued.
It also noted that law enforcement agencies would take “swift and lawful action against terrorists, anarchists, and criminal mafias” in the country.
The top army forum, which has previously highlighted the issue of “digital terrorists” spreading disinformation on social media, also reiterated the need to safeguard national cyberspace.
Pakistani generals vow to defend ‘hard-earned gains’ against militants after Balochistan attacks
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Pakistani generals vow to defend ‘hard-earned gains’ against militants after Balochistan attacks
- The meeting discussed the army’s ‘rigorous system of accountability,’ saying it ensures professionalism and loyalty
- Pakistani generals also reiterated the need to safeguard national cyberspace among concerns over disinformation
Pakistan’s stock exchange halts trading for an hour, exchange notification shows
- A 5 percent increase in KSE-30 index from previous day’s close led to market halt as per stock market regulations
- Development takes place amid Saturday’s ceasefire announcement between India and Pakistan after clashes
Pakistan’s stock exchange halted trading on Monday for an hour, according to an exchange notification, after the benchmark KSE-100 share index rose 8.84 percent in early trade.
A 5 percent increase in the KSE-30 index from the previous trading day’s close led to a market halt as per stock market regulations. All equity and equity based markets have been suspended, as per the notification.
Markets will reopen at 10:42 a.m. local time (0542 GMT).
Saturday’s ceasefire in the Himalayan region, announced by US President Donald Trump, followed four days of intense firing and diplomacy and pressure from Washington.
Indian shares also rallied on Monday.
Pakistan says will prioritize water treaty, Kashmir and ‘terrorism’ in potential talks with India
- India last month unilaterally suspended decades-old treaty, which ensures water for 80 percent of Pakistani farms
- Both nuclear-armed nations agreed to a ceasefire on Saturday after exchanging missile and drone attacks last week
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said Islamabad will prioritize the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), the Kashmir dispute and “terrorism” issues in potential talks with India, state-run media reported on Monday, days after armed clashes between the two concluded.
India and Pakistan exchanged missiles and drone attacks last week, which saw the worst fighting between the nuclear-armed neighbors in decades before the two sides declared a ceasefire brokered by the US on Saturday. Tensions escalated after India blamed Pakistan for being involved in an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir in Pahalgam, where 26 tourists were killed. Islamabad denied involvement.
After the Pahalgam attack on April 22, India suspended the decades-old IWT unilaterally, prompting Pakistan to say that it considered any attempts to stop or redirect the flow of its waters “an act of war.” Another bone of contention between the two countries is the issue of the disputed territory of Kashmir. Both countries claim the Muslim-majority region in full but govern only parts of it. They have fought two out of three wars since 1947 on the disputed territory.
“When asked about potential talks, he [Asif] emphasized that Pakistan would prioritize three major issues of contention including Indus Waters Treaty, Kashmir and terrorism which need to be resolved to ensure peace in the region,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported.
Speaking to a private television channel, Asif was quoted by state media as saying that the Pakistani armed forces’ capabilities are “globally recognized and admired.” The minister said Pakistan’s military response has left India disappointed and their “arrogant posture reduced to nothing but dust.”
“Khawaja Asif stated that India’s policymakers have been compelled to reassess their policies in light of Pakistan’s strong response,” Radio Pakistan said.
Militancy has also been a major issue between the two nuclear-armed nations. India accuses Pakistan of arming and supporting separatist militants in the part of Kashmir that it governs. Islamabad denies the allegations and says it only extends moral and diplomatic support to the people of Kashmir and has always defended their right to self-determination.
The IWT ensures water for 80 percent of Pakistani farms. India said it held the treaty, which was signed between the two states in 1960 and has been in force since then, in abeyance following the Pahalgam attack.
The IWT grants Pakistan rights to the western rivers — Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab — for irrigation, drinking, and non-consumptive uses like hydropower, while India controls the eastern rivers — Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej — for unrestricted use but must not significantly alter their flow.
India can use the western rivers for limited purposes such as power generation and irrigation, without storing or diverting large volumes, according to the agreement.
Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs Amir Muqam said any attempt to stop Pakistan’s share of water could lead to dangerous escalation between the two countries.
“Stopping or reducing our share is absolutely not acceptable and can lead to further and dangerous escalation,” he told Arab News on Sunday. “The revival of the Indus Waters Treaty in its current form remains a top priority on the agenda in any negotiations between the two countries.”
Pakistan’s Sajid Ali Sadpara summits seventh-highest mountain without supplemental oxygen
- Sajid Ali Sadpara, son of legendary climber Ali Sadpara, summited Nepal’s Dhaulagiri mountain on May 10
- Pakistan has produced several professional climbers who have summited some of the world’s tallest peaks
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani climber Sajid Ali Sadpara has successfully summited the world’s seventh-highest mountain in Nepal, Dhaulagiri, without the use of supplemental oxygen, the mountaineer said recently.
Sadpara is the son of legendary Pakistani climber, Muhammad Ali Sadpara, who died in his quest to summit K2, the second-highest mountain in the world, in February 2021. Pakistani officials also declared Iceland’s John Snorri and Chile’s Juan Pablo Mohr, who were on the quest with Ali Sadpara to summit the mountain, dead.
Alpine Club of Pakistan’s Secretary Karrar Haidri told the Associated Press of Pakistan that Sadpara was able to achieve the feat with the support of Seven Summit Treks, a commercial adventure operator based in Nepal.
“Alhamdulilah [praise be to Allah], Dhaulagiri summit without oxygen and unsupported yesterday 10 May with the team of Seven Summit Treks,” Sadpara posted on his Facebook page on Sunday.
In one of the images he uploaded with the post, Sadpara can be seen holding up the Pakistan flag as he reached the summit.
Dhaulagiri is located in the Dhaulagiri mountain range of Nepal’s Himalayas. It is also known as the “White Mountain” and is considered very popular among the eight-thousanders for expeditions. It lies northwest of Pokhara, an important tourist center in Nepal.
Pakistan has produced several professional climbers, both men and women, who have summited some of the world’s tallest peaks. Its Gilgit-Baltistan is a sparsely populated northern region administered by the country as an autonomous territory.
It is home to some of the tallest peaks in the world and a major tourist destination. Thousands of tourists and foreign climbers visit the region each year for expeditions on various peaks, paragliding and other sports activities.
Indian army reports ‘first calm night’ after Kashmir truce with Pakistan holds
- India, Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire on Saturday after worst fighting between neighbors in decades
- Both sides accused each other of violating ceasefire hours after it was announced by US President Trump
POONCH, India: The frontier between arch-foes India and Pakistan was peaceful and had the “first calm night in recent days,” the Indian army said Monday, after a surprise weekend ceasefire.
The truce was agreed to on Saturday after four days of missile, drone and artillery attacks between the two countries which killed at least 60 people and sent thousands fleeing.
It was the worst violence since the nuclear-armed rivals’ last open conflict in 1999 and sent global shudders that it could spiral into full-blown war.
There were initial doubts as the two sides accused each other of breaching the ceasefire just hours after it was unexpectedly announced by US President Donald Trump on social media.
“The night remained largely peaceful across... Kashmir and other areas along the international border,” the Indian army said.
“No incidents have been reported, marking the first calm night in recent days,” the statement added.
It was also the second straight night without gunfire or shelling at Poonch, the frontier town in the part of divided Kashmir administered by India.
Poonch was one of the worst-hit regions in the latest conflict, with at least 12 residents killed and most of the estimated 60,000 residents fleeing their homes.
On Sunday, people started trickling back to the town, although many still remained worried that the ceasefire would not last.
The alarming spiral toward all-out conflict began before dawn on Wednesday, when India launched missile attacks destroying what it called “terrorist camps” in the Pakistani part of Kashmir.
This followed an April 22 attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir, which killed 26 civilians.
India accused Pakistan of backing the attack but Islamabad denied involvement and immediately responded to the strikes with heavy artillery fire.
It claimed to have downed five Indian fighter jets — something New Delhi has not commented on.
Militants have stepped up operations in Kashmir since 2019, when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government revoked the region’s limited autonomy and took it under direct rule from New Delhi.
Divided Muslim-majority Kashmir is claimed in full by both countries, who have fought several wars over the territory since their independence from Britain in 1947.
Pakistan military says Islamabad did not request ceasefire during recent India clashes
- Four days of fighting, the worst conflict between the neighbors since 1999, has killed nearly 70 people on both sides
- Pakistan military spokesperson clarifies no Indian pilot in custody, denies New Delhi’s accusations of violating ceasefire
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan military spokesperson Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry has said Islamabad did not request a ceasefire with New Delhi when the two nuclear-armed neighbors clashed in the worst fighting between them in decades last week, alleging that New Delhi had called for it after launching missile strikes in Pakistan.
Tensions between India and Pakistan over an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir escalated last Wednesday, when India struck multiple Pakistani cities with missiles, quickly followed by what Islamabad said was the downing of five Indian fighter jets.
Both neighbors continued to attack the other’s territory with fighter jets, missiles, drones and artillery until Saturday evening, when US President Donald Trump announced a surprise ceasefire that has largely held, except for a few alleged violations in Kashmir.
“Let me put it on record, Pakistan never requested a ceasefire,” Chaudhry told reporters on Sunday night in a press briefing. “On the night of May 6 and 7, after those dastardly and cowardly attacks were made, Indians requested [a ceasefire] and Pakistan gave a very clear response, that we will communicate back only after we have given the response that this act deserves,” he added.
Providing operational details of the conflict, Chaudhry said Pakistan struck 26 Indian military facilities while dozens of its drones hovered over major Indian cities, including New Delhi, during Islamabad’s counter-offensive against India.
“Pakistan’s military response has been precise, proportionate and still remarkably restrained,” Chaudhry said, sharing details of ‘Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos,’ which translates to “a structure made of lead” in Arabic.
“It was carefully calibrated to avoid civilian casualties, and it exclusively targeted those entities and facilities which were directly involved in orchestrating and executing cold-blooded killings of Pakistani civilians,” the military spokesperson said.
Chaudhry added that Pakistani forces’ synergy across air, land, sea and cyber domains allowed for precision engagements, overwhelming lethality and rapid tempo operations.
“Precision-guided long-range missiles— Fatah-1 and Fatah-2— were employed by the Pakistan Army, while the Pakistan Air Force utilized highly capable long-range munitions and precision-guided weaponry,” he explained. “Long-range artillery units also contributed significantly to the strike package.”
He said critical sites hit by Pakistani armed forces included Indian Air Force and aviation bases at Suratgarh, Sirsa, Poonch, Naliya, Adampur, Bathinda, Barnala, Halwara, Awantipura, Srinagar, Jammu, Udhampur, Mamoon, Ambala, and Pathankot. He said all these sites suffered significant damage.
“S-400 missile systems at Adampur and Poonch were also neutralized by the Pakistan Air Force,” Chaudhry said.
The military spokesperson said Pakistan’s armed forces also carried out comprehensive and effective cyber offensives, temporarily crippling and degrading critical Indian military infrastructure and services,
“These cyber strikes targeted systems directly supporting Indian military operations and were designed to disrupt their warfighting capabilities without affecting civilian platforms,” he added.
‘SOCIAL MEDIA CHATTER’
In response to a question, the military spokesperson confirmed that no Indian pilot was in Pakistan Army’s custody following military clashes.
“I can confirm you that we do not have any pilot in custody, this is all social media chatter, this is all part of multiple sources of fake news and propaganda,” he said.
Four days of fighting, the worst conflict between the neighbors since 1999, has killed nearly 70 people on both sides, with some residents of border villages still waiting to return to their homes.
Diplomacy and pressure from the United States helped secure the ceasefire deal when it seemed the conflict was spiraling alarmingly. But within hours of its coming into force, artillery fire was witnessed in Kashmir, which has been divided between India and Pakistan but claimed in full by both.
A top Indian army officer said on Sunday the Indian military had sent a “hotline message” to Pakistan about violations of a ceasefire agreed this week and informed it of New Delhi’s intent to respond if it was repeated.
“Sometimes, these understandings take time to fructify, manifest on the ground,” Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai, India’s director-general of military operations, told a media briefing, referring to the truce. “The [Indian] armed forces were on a very, very high alert [on Saturday] and continue to be in that state.”
Chaudhry denied any ceasefire violations by Pakistan, saying the country is upholding its commitment to refrain from acts of aggression.
“I can say with 200 percent conviction that we have not done any ceasefire violation,” he said.
Hostilities between the two neighbors were triggered by an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir’s Pahalgam resort town that killed 26 tourists on April 22. India accused Pakistan of backing the assault, Islamabad has denied it and called for a credible, international probe.
The Pakistani military spokesman said Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos had been a “great example” of coming together of all elements of Pakistan’s national power to effectively counter the threat to national sovereignty and integrity, warning of a similar response to any such attempt in the future.
“No one should have any doubt that whenever our sovereignty would be threatened and territorial integrity violated, the response would be comprehensive, retributive and decisive,” he said.
The military spokesperson emphasized that the idea of war between two nuclear-armed neighbors was absurd and inconceivable.
Pakistan and India have a history of bitter relations and have fought three wars, two of them over Kashmir, since gaining independence from British colonial rule in 1947.
On Sunday, Trump said he would try to work with both India and Pakistan to see if they can resolve their dispute over the Kashmir territory, vowing to “substantially” increase trade with both nations.
“While not even discussed, I am going to increase trade, substantially, with both of these great Nations,” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social, referring to India and Pakistan.
“Additionally, I will work with you both to see if, after a ‘thousand years,’ a solution can be arrived at concerning Kashmir,” he added.
