Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday formally launched the construction of a 1,100 TEU container ship for the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC) at Karachi Shipyard,&nbsp;a key step toward reducing reliance on foreign shipping and strengthening national maritime capabilities.&nbsp;Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Junaid Anwar Chaudhry inaugurated the project at a steel-cutting ceremony. He descrbied the initiative as a major milestone for the country&rsquo;s maritime sector.&nbsp;He said the container vessel would be built entirely using domestic resources. He stated that the project would help save valuable foreign exchange while improving&nbsp;the operational capacity of the PNSC fleet.&nbsp;The maritime affairs&nbsp;minister stated&nbsp;that expanding the national maritime fleet would strengthen the supply chain and support trade activity across the country. He said the shipbuilding project would also generate employment opportunities for skilled workers, contributing to the development of the maritime workforce.&nbsp;Anwar Chaudhry said&nbsp;that Karachi Shipyard wass emerging as a central hub for national maritime development. He stated that shipbuilding and ship repair remained key pillars of Pakistan&rsquo;s maritime policy.&nbsp;The minister said that nearly 95% of Pakistan&rsquo;s trade is conducted through sea routes.

Economy

Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Junaid Anwar Chaudhry inaugurated the project at a steel-cutting ceremony, describing the initiative as a major milestone for the country’s maritime sector.

Pakistan launches PNSC container ship project at Karachi shipyard

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has &quot;actively discussed&quot; the purchase of Greenland with his team, the White House said Wednesday, saying he preferred diplomacy but would not rule out military action. &quot;That&#39;s something that&#39;s currently being actively discussed by the president and his national security team,&quot; Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said when asked about a possible US offer to buy the territory from Denmark. &quot;His team is currently talking about what a potential purchase would look like.&quot; Leavitt reiterated that Trump believes acquiring Greenland would be in the interest of US national security. &quot;He views it in the best interest of the United States to deter Russian and Chinese aggression in the Arctic region. And so that&#39;s why his team is currently talking about what a potential purchase would look like.&quot; Asked why Trump would not rule out military action against a fellow NATO member, Leavitt replied: &quot;That&#39;s not something this president does. All options are always on the table for President Trump. &quot;But I will just say, the president&#39;s first option, always, has been diplomacy.&quot; US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said separately Wednesday that he planned to meet next week with Denmark, which requested talks after Trump&#39;s threats to Greenland. &quot;I&#39;ll be meeting with them next week,&quot; Rubio told reporters.

Americas

Europe

The White House confirms President Trump is actively discussing purchasing Greenland, citing US national security and Arctic threats, while emphasizing diplomacy and planning talks with Denmark despite not ruling out military options.

Trump 'actively' discussing purchase of Greenland: White House

WASHINGTON: The United States on Wednesday seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker in the North Atlantic after pursuing it from off the coast of Venezuela, in an operation set to ratchet up tensions with Moscow. US officials say the tanker is part of a so-called shadow fleet that carries oil for countries such as Venezuela, Russia and Iran in violation of US sanctions. The ship had thwarted an earlier attempt to board it last month near Venezuela, where a US raid on Saturday toppled the country&#39;s authoritarian president, Nicolas Maduro. &quot;The vessel was seized in the North Atlantic pursuant to a warrant issued by a US federal court,&quot; US European Command, which oversees American forces in the region, said in a statement on X. After the operation, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth posted that the US blockade on Venezuelan oil was in full effect &quot;anywhere in the world.&quot; Shortly after confirming the successful North Atlantic seizure, the US military announced a second sanctioned tanker ship had been seized in the Caribbean Sea. US special forces at the weekend snatched Maduro and his wife from Caracas and flew them to New York to face trial on drug charges. Since then, Trump has said that the United States will &quot;run&quot; Venezuela and US companies will control its critical oil industry. The North Atlantic operation came despite Russia sending a submarine to escort the empty tanker, saying the vessel was sailing under the Russian flag and was far from the US coast. &quot;For reasons unclear to us, the Russian vessel is receiving heightened attention from the US and NATO militaries &mdash; attention that is clearly disproportionate to its peaceful status,&quot; Russia&#39;s foreign ministry said, prior to the seizure. Venezuelan oil The vessel, formerly known as the Bella-1, switched its registration to Russia, changed its name to the Marinera and the tanker&#39;s crew reportedly painted a Russian flag on the tanker. The tanker had been en route to the South American country but was not carrying cargo before it evaded the US blockade. It has been under US sanctions since 2024 over alleged ties to Iran and Hezbollah. Trump said Tuesday that Venezuela will hand over tens of millions of barrels of oil to the United States after Maduro was seized. Trump said 30&ndash;50 million barrels of &quot;high‑quality, sanctioned&quot; Venezuelan crude will be shipped to US ports, with the revenue &mdash; perhaps more than $2 billion at current market prices &mdash;&nbsp;placed under his personal control. It was not clear whether Venezuela&#39;s new ruler &mdash; interim president Delcy Rodriguez &mdash; had agreed to hand over the oil, how the plan would work, or what its legal basis would be. Interim president Rodriguez &mdash; a long-time member of Maduro&#39;s inner circle as vice president and energy minister &mdash; has vowed cooperation with the United States amid fears that Trump could persue wider regime change. Trump has said Washington is now &quot;in charge&quot; of the South American nation and has vowed a new doctrine of US dominance in the western hemisphere.

US officials say the tanker is part of a 'shadow fleet' that carries oil for countries such as Venezuela, Russia and Iran in violation of US sanctions.

US seizes Russia-flagged oil tanker chased to North Atlantic

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and China agreed&nbsp;to strengthen rapid response mechanisms against terrorism and crime while expanding police training exchanges between the two nations, according to an official statement. &nbsp; Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and his Chinese counterpart, Wang Xiaohong, reached an understanding during talks in Beijing that covered counterterrorism cooperation and security collaboration. The countries established a framework requiring their Joint Working Group to convene quarterly, with interior ministers meeting annually. Wang praised Pakistan&#39;s counterterrorism efforts and security measures protecting Chinese nationals and projects. China values Pakistan&#39;s sacrifices in combating terrorism, he stated. The ministers discussed sister-city cooperation between Islamabad and Beijing and approved a joint strategy to improve training for police and security personnel. Naqvi talked about information sharing between security institutions through training programs. He told Wang that protecting Chinese nationals and joint development projects remains Pakistan&#39;s top priority. He stated that the government is establishing a special protection unit in Islamabad. Pakistan seeks Chinese assistance in combating cybercrimes and wants to leverage Chinese expertise to strengthen its National Cyber Crimes Investigation Agency, Naqvi said. He stated that AI-based Chinese technologies could significantly aid Pakistan&#39;s counterterrorism and security operations. The Pakistani interior minister invited his Chinese counterpart to visit Pakistan. Meanwhile, Wang invited Naqvi to the Global Security Cooperation Forum in China to be held in September this year.

Security

The countries established a framework requiring their Joint Working Group to convene quarterly, with interior ministers meeting annually.

China offers AI technology to Pakistan in expanded security partnership

Simran Siraj

KARACHI: As the red double-decker bus pulls away from popular Zainab Market, Sakina Attaria climbs the narrow stairs to the upper deck, claiming a window seat just as Karachi opens itself below her.&nbsp;From the top, the city looks different.&nbsp;Painted bright red and wrapped in illustrations of Karachi&rsquo;s landmarks, Mazar-e-Quaid, Frere Hall, and the old Empress Market, the bus moves steadily along Shahrah-e-Faisal, the city&rsquo;s main commercial artery. Below, banks, corporate headquarters, and advertising agencies rush past, marking the daily grind of Pakistan&rsquo;s financial hub.&nbsp;&ldquo;This is my first day on the double-decker, and the experience is fantastic,&rdquo; Sakina says, smiling as the wind presses against the sealed glass. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been using public transport since April. This is good, affordable, and it&rsquo;s quite pretty too.&rdquo;&nbsp;After a gap of nearly 65 years, double-decker buses have returned to Karachi, a city of more than 23 million people struggling with traffic congestion and a chronic shortage of reliable public transport.&nbsp;The Sindh government officially launched the service on December 31 last year, with Sindh Transport Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon inaugurating the fleet. Operations for the public began on New Year&rsquo;s Day.&nbsp;The initial rollout includes five Chinese-made diesel buses running a 22-kilometre route from Model Colony in Malir to Zainab Market in Saddar. The journey begins near residential neighborhoods, cuts through downtown Karachi&rsquo;s business district, continues toward Jinnah International Airport, and then reconnects via the highway that marks both the city&rsquo;s exit and its gateway.&nbsp;Each bus can carry up to 120 passengers and is fully air-conditioned, with an adjustable roof designed for Karachi&rsquo;s extreme and unpredictable weather. Fares range from Rs80 [$0.28] to Rs120 [$0.42], depending on distance.&nbsp;For Sakina, who commutes regularly across the city, affordability matters as much as comfort. &ldquo;For students like us, transport costs add up quickly,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;This makes a big difference.&rdquo;&nbsp;Other commuters share her enthusiasm. Nida, a schoolteacher travelling on the first day, calls the service overdue. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a great experience for students, working professionals, and especially ladies,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;We need more of these in Karachi. All cities should get such buses.&rdquo;&nbsp;The novelty of the upper deck, a rarity in Pakistan&rsquo;s urban transport, has drawn young riders eager for a new perspective. &ldquo;The top-deck view makes the daily commute feel different,&rdquo; says Urooj Kaifulwara, a university student. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re very excited and hope there are more initiatives like this.&rdquo;&nbsp;But the buses are not only about the future. For some passengers, they are a moving archive of the past.&nbsp;Friends Muhammad Danish and Ahmed Khan boarded the bus to relive memories from decades ago. &ldquo;Last I saw this was in the 1960s,&rdquo; Danish recalls. &ldquo;What memories. We just came to see it again.&rdquo;&nbsp;The transport minister says the service is part of a broader effort to revive public transport in Karachi, including electric buses and expanded routes. He has announced plans to increase the fleet through 2026, with the goal of deploying double-deckers on all major roads across the city.&nbsp;For now, as the red bus glides past office towers, airport roads, and highways leading out of Karachi, Sakina watches the city move beneath her, a commuter suspended between nostalgia and necessity.&nbsp;&ldquo;It feels like Karachi is finally moving forward,&rdquo; she says, as the bus heads toward the city&rsquo;s edge.

Climate & Environment

Karachi’s iconic double-decker buses return after 65 years, offering affordable, air-conditioned travel, nostalgic city views, and hope for improved public transport as commuters welcome the Sindh government’s new service across Pakistan’s largest and busiest metropolis.

Red double-deckers roll Karachi forward, reviving memories and mobility

ISLAMABAD: Bangladesh&rsquo;s former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina personally ordered the enforced disappearance of political opponents during her 15-year rule, a government commission has concluded, according to the country&rsquo;s state news agency.&nbsp;The findings were presented to Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus at the State Guest House Jamuna by the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances, Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) reported.&nbsp;&ldquo;In many cases the former prime minister herself was the direct order-giver behind disappearances,&rdquo; commission members said during the presentation, according to BSS.&nbsp;The 287-page report, titled &ldquo;Unfolding the Truth: A Structural Diagnosis of Enforced Disappearance in Bangladesh,&rdquo; documents at least 1,569 verified cases of enforced disappearance. The commission estimates the true number may range between 4,000 and 6,000, BSS reported.&nbsp;The inquiry found that disappearances were &ldquo;mainly politically motivated crimes&rdquo; and operated through &ldquo;a coordinated institutional system&rdquo; involving state security forces.&nbsp;Senior officials, including Hasina&rsquo;s security adviser and the then home minister, were found to have been involved, according to the report.&nbsp;Opposition figures overwhelmingly targetedNearly all verified victims were affiliated with opposition political movements, the commission found.&nbsp;Among survivors who later returned, 75% were members of Jamaat-e-Islami or its student wing, while 22% belonged to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and allied groups, BSS reported.&nbsp;Among those still missing, 68% were BNP members and 22% were from Jamaat-e-Islami, according to the state news agency.&nbsp;Out of 1,913 complaints received, the commission verified 1,569 cases as meeting the definition of enforced disappearance. Of those, 287 people remain missing and are presumed dead, BSS reported.&nbsp;Commission member Dr. Nabila Idris said the documented cases likely represent only a fraction of the total.&nbsp;&ldquo;The number of enforced disappearances could be four to six thousand,&rdquo; Idris said, according to BSS. &ldquo;Contacting many of the victims of disappearances leads to the discovery of more victims who have not contacted us, do not know about us or have moved to other countries.&rdquo;&nbsp;She added that many potential victims declined to testify on the record.&nbsp;Senior officials named in high-profile casesThe report cited evidence implicating Hasina, her security and defense adviser Tarique Ahmed Siddique, and then-Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan in several high-profile disappearances, BSS reported.&nbsp;Cases highlighted include BNP leaders Ilias Ali, Salahuddin Ahmed, Hummam Quader Chowdhury and Chowdhury Alam, as well as Jamaat leader and former Brigadier General Abdullahil Amaan Azmi, Barrister Mir Ahmed Bin Quasem, and former ambassador Maroof Zaman.&nbsp;Former Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) chief Lt. Gen. Akbar Zaman testified that he directly discussed Hummam Quader Chowdhury&rsquo;s detention with Hasina, according to BSS.&nbsp;Former Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) Director General Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun acknowledged knowledge of Mir Ahmad bin Quasem Arman&rsquo;s detention. He said he was informed by his predecessor, Benazir Ahmed, and later passed the information to his successor during a command handover, BSS reported.&nbsp;Secret detention sites and body disposalThe commission found that the Rapid Action Battalion and DGFI jointly operated a secret interrogation facility known as &ldquo;Aynaghar,&rdquo; or &ldquo;Mirror House,&rdquo; where many victims were detained, BSS reported.&nbsp;Claims by security officials that disappearances resulted from rogue officers acting independently were rejected.&nbsp;Senior officials who denied knowledge of detention facilities &ldquo;ought to have known&rdquo; about operations conducted under their authority, the commission concluded. Detention cells were often located near or on the same floors as senior officials&rsquo; offices, making ignorance implausible, according to BSS.&nbsp;The commission identified the Baleshwar River in Barisal as the site where the highest number of victims were allegedly killed and their bodies dumped. Evidence also pointed to body disposal in the Buriganga River and in Munshiganj, the report said.&nbsp;Alleged transfers to IndiaThe inquiry obtained information suggesting some disappeared victims were secretly transferred to India without legal process, carried out &ldquo;on orders from the highest levels of the government,&rdquo; commission members said, according to BSS.&nbsp;The report did not specify how many such cases occurred or whether Indian authorities were involved.&nbsp;Nearly 200 officers summonedDuring the investigation, the commission issued summonses to 98 police officers and 108 military officers, BSS reported.&nbsp;Responding to criticism that the inquiry unfairly targeted the armed forces, the report noted the near-equal number of police and military officials summoned.&nbsp;Yunus calls findings &lsquo;historic&rsquo;Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus thanked the commission and described its work as historic.&nbsp;&ldquo;This report is a documentation of the kind of demonic behavior that can be perpetrated on people by twisting all the institutions of Bangladesh and wearing the garb of democracy,&rdquo; Yunus said, according to BSS.&nbsp;&ldquo;It shows how low people can go down, how demonic and disgusting they can be,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;Those who committed these terrible incidents are human beings like us. They are living a normal life in society after committing the most atrocious incidents.&rdquo;&nbsp;Yunus directed the commission to prepare recommendations for future action and ordered the report to be made publicly available in simplified language, BSS reported.&nbsp;The interim government formed the commission in August, the same month Hasina fled the country amid mass protests that ended her party&rsquo;s more than 15 years in power.

Bangladesh

The Commission of Inquiry concludes Bangladesh’s ex-PM Sheikh Hasina ordered politically motivated enforced disappearances, documents 1,569 cases, and estimates thousands more during her 15-year rule.

Bangladesh inquiry says Hasina ordered enforced disappearances of political opponents

ALEPPO: Civilians were fleeing Kurdish neighborhoods of Aleppo on Wednesday after the Syrian army declared them &quot;closed military zones&quot;, amid ongoing fighting with Kurdish-led forces in the northern city. The deadly clashes, which started on Tuesday, are the worst between the two sides, who have so far failed to implement a March deal to merge the Kurds&#39; semi-autonomous administration and military into Syria&#39;s new government. In a statement, the army said that &quot;the Sheikh Maqsud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods will be considered closed military zones after 3.00 pm today&quot;, adding that &quot;two safe humanitarian crossings&quot; would be put in place for civilians to leave. AFP correspondents in Aleppo saw large groups of families with children leaving the neighborhoods, carrying their belongings with them, some in tears. &quot;All Syrian Democratic Forces military positions within the Sheikh Maqsud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods of Aleppo are legitimate military targets,&quot; the army said referring to the Kurdish-led force. Senior Kurdish official Ilham Ahmed accused Damascus of launching a &quot;genocidal war&quot; against the Kurds, calling on the Syrian government to &quot;pursue a path of reason to resolve problems through dialogue&quot;. Echoes of war The violence caused the suspension of flights to and from Aleppo&#39;s airport, with schools, universities and government offices in the city shut down. Tuesday&#39;s clashes killed nine people, mostly civilians, with both sides trading blame over who started the fighting. Joud Serjian, a 53-year-old housewife and resident of the Syriac Quarter, said the violence &quot;reminded us of the war.&quot; Living in the Syriac Quarter near Ashrafieh, Serjian said &quot;we have nowhere else to go, so we&#39;ll stay in our home.&quot; During the Syrian civil war, Aleppo was the scene of fierce fighting between rebels and forces of ousted President Bashar al-Assad before he regained control of the city in 2016.&nbsp;Assad was ousted in a lightning offensive in 2024. Abdul Karim Omar, representative of the Kurds&#39; autonomous administration in Damascus, told AFP Aleppo&#39;s Kurdish-majority neighborhoods were &ldquo;completely besieged.&rdquo;&nbsp;He denied that any shells had been fired from these areas, arguing that they are controlled by the Kurds&#39; Asayish domestic security forces &quot;who only have light weapons&quot;. Sheikh Maqsud and Ashrafiyeh have remained under the control of Kurdish units linked to the SDF, despite Kurdish fighters agreeing to withdraw from the areas in April. The SDF controls swathes of Syria&#39;s oil-rich north and northeast, with the backing of a US-led international coalition, was key to the territorial defeat of the ISIS in Syria in 2019. The March agreement on the Kurdish authority&#39;s integration into the state was supposed to be implemented by the end of 2025.&nbsp;The Kurds are pushing for decentralized rule, an idea which Syria&#39;s new authorities have rejected.

Middle East

The deadly clashes are the worst between the two sides, who have so far failed to implement a March deal to merge the Kurds' semi-autonomous administration and military into Syria's new government.

Syrians flee Aleppo's Kurdish areas as army declares them 'military zones'

ISLAMABAD: Authorities imposed a curfew in Birgunj, a key southern Nepal city bordering India, after protests by Hindu and Muslim groups erupted following the vandalism of a mosque, international media reported.&nbsp;The curfew, ordered by the Parsa District Administration, bans all public movement, gatherings, and demonstrations. Authorities warned that violators could face strict action by security forces, according to Euro News.&nbsp;Footage aired by Germany&rsquo;s state broadcaster Deutsche Welle showed a heavy security presence as tensions flared between the two communities. Parsa&rsquo;s chief district officer, Bhola Dahal, said security was tightened after unrest in neighbouring Dhanusha district spread to Birgunj, adding that authorities had appealed for calm and dialogue.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden; width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2008652796275683543&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=fd61a22e155efc409fff605a0d0f58766e3b71b8&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px"></iframe></div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">A temporary curfew was imposed in southern Nepal after the vandalism of a mosque sparked protests between Hindu and Muslim groups in a key border city. Authorities banned gatherings and deployed security forces, though no major clashes were reported. <a href="https://t.co/ZDyu0yGEUw" style="color: rgb(0, 115, 230);">pic.twitter.com/ZDyu0yGEUw</a>&mdash; DW News (@dwnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/dwnews/status/2008652796275683543?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" style="color: rgb(0, 115, 230);">January 6, 2026</a></blockquote></div>According to Gulf News, the demonstrations later turned violent, prompting the district administration to enforce the curfew in the town, which lies close to Raxaul in India&rsquo;s Bihar state. Indian media reported that authorities temporarily sealed the India-Nepal border, allowing only emergency movement.&nbsp;The Parsa District Administration Office said the curfew would be strictly enforced, with police confirming that around two dozen people had been arrested in connection with the unrest.&nbsp;Tensions first erupted on Jan. 3 in Dhanusha district after a dispute over alleged anti-Hindu posts on social media. The situation escalated after a Hindu mob allegedly vandalized a mosque and burned copies of the Quran, triggering protests by Muslim groups.&nbsp;Muslim leaders warned of growing insecurity for religious minorities in Nepal&rsquo;s southern plains. Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal said the government was concerned by the incidents and urged all communities to maintain harmony and peaceful coexistence.

Asia

Footage aired by Germany’s state broadcaster Deutsche Welle show a heavy security presence as tensions flared between the two communities.

Curfew in Nepal border city after Hindu extremists desecrate mosque 

ISLAMABAD: India reached out to three senior Trump administration officials on May 10, 2025, the day a ceasefire was announced following the Pakistan-India conflict, to discuss &quot;media coverage&quot; of the clash, according to a report published by India&rsquo;s The Hindu.&nbsp; The newspaper cites filings made under law by SHW LLC, a US-based lobbying firm,&nbsp;under the Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA) with the US Department of Justice. The disclosures contradict the Indian government&rsquo;s repeated denials of any US involvement in bringing about a ceasefire to the May 2025 conflict. FARA filings, including 60 entries made in December 2025, reveal a significant disconnect between India&#39;s public denials of US involvement in mediating the May 2025 India-Pakistan conflict and the extensive behind-the-scenes lobbying efforts New Delhi undertook during the operation.&nbsp; While the documents do not specify whether the May 10 calls were made before or after the ceasefire announcement, The Hindu reports that &quot;they indicate close interaction on [the] day.&quot; This is when both US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio publicly claimed credit for brokering the end to hostilities. $1.8 million contractAccording to the newspaper, India relied on&nbsp;SHW LLC to facilitate high-level outreach to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, and National Security Council official Ricky Gill. They were hired two days after the Pahalgam attack, the filings show. The firm is led by Jason Miller, Trump&#39;s former spokesperson and senior adviser during his 2016, 2020, and 2024 presidential campaigns. The annual contract is worth $1.8 million, paid in quarterly installments of $450,000. SHW had no other clients during the period covered by the filings. Pakistan&#39;s consistent positionThroughout the conflict, Pakistan maintained it had not sought third-party mediation and that Kashmir remained a bilateral issue. Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar told Al Jazeera that when US Secretary of State Marco Rubio offered to facilitate dialogue on May 10, Rubio informed him that &quot;India says that it is a bilateral issue&quot; and does not support outside involvement.&nbsp; Dar stated, &quot;Unless India wishes to have dialogue, we can&#39;t force dialogue.&quot; A timeline of contact refutes constant denial&nbsp;Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s&nbsp;government has repeatedly denied that the US played any role in mediating the four-day Pakistan-India conflict. India&#39;s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has said India did not accept mediation &ldquo;at any level.&rdquo; Modi said that operations were paused only after Pakistan sought a ceasefire. On May 10, approximately 30 minutes after Trump&#39;s announcement, India&#39;s Foreign Secretary held a special briefing stating that Pakistan&#39;s Director General of Military Operations had initiated contact with his Indian counterpart. On May 12, Modi stated in a national address that the conflict, which India codenamed &quot;Operation Sindoor,&quot; was paused after Pakistan &quot;pleaded&quot; for a ceasefire.&nbsp; On June 17, during a phone call with Trump at the G7 Summit, Modi explicitly told the US president that India had never discussed a trade deal or accepted US mediation at any level during Operation Sindoor, according to Indian government statements. However, FARA filings provide a detailed account of intensive engagement with American officials during the same period. Of the 60 entries, 30 telephone calls show the lobbying firm contacted officials at the White House, the US Trade Representative&rsquo;s office, and the Department of Commerce, with the stated purpose in multiple calls being discussions on the &quot;status of US-India trade conversations.&quot; India launched Operation Sindoor on May 6-7, carrying out strikes on what it described as militant targets in Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan has consistently denied the presence of any such entities. Hostilities escalated over the following days, including aerial engagements, drone attacks, and cross-border fire, before a ceasefire was announced on May 10. On May 7, during active combat operations, lobbying firm SHW contacted Fox News anchor Bret Baier to &quot;pitch a media interview with Indian Ambassador to the US Vinay Kwatra to discuss Operation Sindoor,&quot; the filings show. On the day of the ceasefire, the filings show four separate contacts by SHW with senior US officials, including White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, National Security Council officials, and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. All four were logged as discussions on &ldquo;media coverage&rdquo; of Operation Sindoor. Greer was contacted twice on the same day. &lsquo;Standard practice&rsquo;The Indian Embassy did not deny the filings when contacted by The Hindu but said hiring lobbyists is &quot;standard practice&quot; to &quot;augment outreach.&quot; The embassy stated it &quot;has hired such firms, consistent with local practice and requirements, under successive governments since the 1950s,&quot; but did not respond to specific questions about the May 10 contacts or why lobbying firms were asked to arrange meetings with senior US officials. &quot;Such meetings are routinely sought by the mission directly,&quot; officials stated, noting that lobbyists are typically hired &quot;for advice and to understand the landscape&quot; but that &quot;meetings and calls are made between diplomats directly.&quot; The filings also document that SHW made calls to White House officials to &quot;flag&quot; social media posts by Modi praising Trump, including after the president made positive comments about bilateral ties on Sept. 6, and after Modi congratulated Trump on a Gaza peace proposal on Oct. 9.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shakes hands with US President Donald Trump (right) at the White House in Washington, DC, on February 13, 2025. (AFP/File)

India

The Hindu reports that India's embassy in the US contacted three senior Trump officials on May 10, the ceasefire day, to discuss 'media coverage,' according to filings made by the lobbying firm hired by India, contradicting the government's repeated denials of US involvement in the May 2025 ceasefire.

India reached out to US on day of ceasefire with Pakistan: Indian media

TEHRAN: Iran&#39;s military chief warned on Wednesday that Iran will not stand by and allow itself to be threatened by outside powers, after the United States and Israel backed anti-government protests. &quot;The Islamic Republic of Iran considers the escalation of hostile rhetoric against the Iranian nation a threat and will not tolerate its continuation without responding,&quot; General Amir Hatami said, according to the Fars news agency. Hatami, commander of the Iranian army but not Iran&#39;s most senior officer, warned that &quot;if the enemy makes a mistake&quot; Iran&#39;s response would be more robust than during last June&#39;s 12-day war with Israel. In recent days, US President Donald Trump has threatened to intervene in Iran &#39;if demonstrators were killed&#39;, while Israel&#39;s Benjamin Netanyahu expressed support for the protests. On December 28 merchants in Tehran staged a protest against soaring prices and the collapse of the rial, triggering a wave of similar actions in several cities, some of them deadly. The demonstrations have yet to reach the scale of a 2022 to 2023 movement, let alone that of the mass 2009 street protests that followed disputed elections. But the economic protests have attracted international attention, including from the leaders of the Islamic republic&#39;s international foes. &quot;We&#39;re watching it very closely. If they start killing people like they have in the past, I think they&#39;re going to get hit very hard by the United States,&quot; Trump told reporters on Sunday. Netanyahu, meanwhile, told Israel&#39;s cabinet: &quot;We stand in solidarity with the struggle of the Iranian people and with their aspirations for freedom, liberty and justice.&quot; On Monday, the Iranian foreign ministry accused Trump and Netanyahu of inciting violence and trying to &nbsp;undermine Iran&#39;s national unity. The war in June began with an unprecedented Israeli attack on Iranian military and nuclear facilities. The United States briefly took part in the strikes, hitting three major Iranian nuclear sites.

In recent days, US President Donald Trump has threatened to intervene in Iran if demonstrators were killed, while Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed support for the protests.

Iran army chief threatens response to Trump and Netanyahu's 'threats'

Muhammad Usman Amin

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has increased its police budget by 408% over the last 12 years, prioritizing security spending above all other provincial departments to combat rising security challenges.&nbsp;&nbsp;According to official documents obtained from the Central Police Office (CPO), the total funding provided to the police force over the last decade has reached Rs824.3 billion.&nbsp;This increase is significant considering the uptick in terror attacks in 2025, which was the deadliest year for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in more than a decade. To keep pace with the scale and pace of terrorism, these funds are being used to empower the police force with additional personnel, state-of-the-art equipment, and training.&nbsp;For the current fiscal year (2025-26), the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police budget has been set at over Rs157.57 billion, marking a 26.6% increase from the previous year. This growth rate significantly outpaces other sectors, such as health (19.2%) and education (11%).&nbsp;A total of Rs126.27 billion (a 25% increase) is dedicated to personnel salaries. A total of Rs25.57 billion (a 35% increase) has been earmarked for operational costs and equipment.&nbsp;Beyond personnel costs, the provincial government is aggressively enhancing the force&#39;s tactical capabilities. The CPO confirmed that non-salary funds are being utilized to transform the police into a high-tech fighting force.&nbsp;Key procurements and ongoing upgrades include investments in advanced equipment like anti-drone systems, night-vision guns, and armored command vehicles. Twenty bulletproof cars have already been delivered to the force.&nbsp; Over 2,000 Kalashnikov rifles, along with specialized sniper rifles, have been provided to enhance field capacity.&nbsp;The scale of this financial shift is clearer than in fiscal year 2014-15, when the total police budget was a mere 29.9 billion rupees. Over the years, the &quot;Non-Salary&quot; budget, essential for weapons and fuel, has grown from Rs3.61 billion in 2014 to over Rs25 billion today, reflecting a shift toward modernization and upgradation.&nbsp;The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government maintains that these funds are essential to enhancing police capacity and ensuring the province&#39;s safety amid evolving security threats.

The increase, spread over 12 years, is significant considering the uptick in terror attacks in 2025, which was the deadliest year for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in more than a decade.

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