Syed Ahmed Raza

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has confirmed that the upcoming tri-nation series, scheduled to begin on November 17, will continue as planned, featuring Pakistan and Sri Lanka.&nbsp;Speaking exclusively to Pakistan TV Digital, PCB spokesperson Amir Mir confirmed Afghanistan&rsquo;s withdrawal from the tri-series. Saying the third participating team will be finalized soon.&nbsp;&ldquo;The series is on. The third participating team, which will replace Afghanistan, will be finalized shortly,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;The tri-series is set to take place in Pakistan from November 17 to 29. Originally, the tournament was to include Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka.&nbsp;However, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) recently announced its withdrawal from the series due to ongoing border tensions between the two countries.&nbsp;The PCB is currently exploring the possibility of inviting another team to fill Afghanistan&rsquo;s slot in the tournament.

Cricket

PCB spokesperson Amir Mir confirms Afghanistan’s withdrawal from the tri-series in November. Saying the third participating team will be finalized soon.

Pakistan tri-series to proceed despite Afghanistan’s withdrawal: PCB

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s security forces have killed more than 100 terrorists in a series of retaliatory actions along the Pak-Afghan border over the past 48 hours, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Saturday.&nbsp;In a statement released on social media, Tarar said the operations targeted verified camps of the Gul Bahadur Group, referred to as &ldquo;Kharjis,&rdquo; located in the border areas of North and South Waziristan.<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-2" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-2&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1979480479738028164&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Flogin%2F&sessionId=a3f53bc647d1e4e740203278c506b98829f51cc6&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 345px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" data-tweet-id="1979480479738028164"></iframe></div></div>The strikes came after terrorists based in Afghanistan attempted to launch multiple cross-border attacks during a temporary ceasefire. &ldquo;These attacks were effectively countered by our security forces,&rdquo; Tarar said. &ldquo;More than 100 Kharjis were sent to hell.&rdquo;&nbsp;He also confirmed that the Gul Bahadur group was behind a recent vehicle-borne IED attack in North Waziristan that resulted in the martyrdom of a soldier and the deaths and injuries of several civilians.&nbsp;The minister noted that in a follow-up operation, Pakistani security forces carried out precision strikes last night, targeting terrorist hideouts along the Pak-Afghan border, killing an estimated 60 to 70 terrorists, including key members of the group&rsquo;s leadership.&nbsp;The minister rejected claims circulating online that civilians had been targeted in the strikes, calling such allegations &ldquo;false&rdquo; and an attempt to generate support for terrorist groups operating from within Afghanistan.&nbsp;Tarar reiterated that Pakistan prefers a diplomatic resolution to cross-border terrorism, but reserves the right to act in self-defense.&nbsp;&ldquo;Pakistan sincerely believes that the path forward lies in resolving this complex issue of Indian-sponsored terrorism emanating from Afghan soil through talks and control of non-state actors by Afghan authorities. But we will not allow terrorists to operate from Afghan soil with impunity,&rdquo; he added.&nbsp;The comments come amid heightened tensions between Islamabad and Kabul over the presence of terrorist sanctuaries in Afghanistan and a recent surge in terrorist activity targeting Pakistani security forces and civilians.

Security

Tarar says the operations targeted verified camps of the Gul Bahadur Group, referred to as “Kharjis,” located in the border areas of North and South Waziristan.

Pakistan security forces kill over 100 terrorists in 48 hours: Attaullah Tarar

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s Foreign Office has said the group in power in Kabul does not enjoy any constitutional legitimacy, distancing Islamabad from the Taliban&rsquo;s self-declared status as an interim government. Addressing the weekly media briefing on Friday, the spokesperson said: &ldquo;There is no constitution. There is no legal framework but we are working with it. We have an ambassador there. But at the same time, we hope that there will be progress in terms of proper constitutional system of government taking root, truly representative of the Afghan people, taking root in Kabul.&rdquo; The remarks mark a shift in how Pakistan viewed Afghanistan, as foreign office uses regime instead of interim government to refer to the Taliban. The spokesperson said Pakistan continues to maintain diplomatic engagement with Kabul and that Afghanistan&rsquo;s political future must ultimately be decided by its own people.&nbsp; He said Islamabad seeks stability through dialogue and non-interference, but a legitimate, representative system must emerge in Afghanistan. At the same briefing, the Foreign Office warned about what it called the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan. &ldquo;Belying fast the expectations and hopes of the regional countries, [Afghanistan] has become a central breeding ground for global terrorism.&rdquo; Referring to Pakistan&rsquo;s defensive actions along the border, the spokesperson said the country could not afford to &ldquo;wait for a big disaster happening at the global scale before we take remedial action.&rdquo; He added that Pakistan had long been drawing attention to the &ldquo;gradual sinking in of Afghanistan&rdquo; &mdash; both in terms of its failure to meet counterterrorism commitments and the growing toll such instability was taking on Pakistan&rsquo;s own security. &ldquo;But this fire will spread,&rdquo; the spokesperson cautioned. &ldquo;This has to be stopped.&rdquo; The comments came amid heightened tensions along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, where Islamabad said it carried out &ldquo;targeted and precise defensive responses&rdquo; following what it described as unprovoked cross-border assaults by Taliban forces and affiliated militant groups.

Foreign Affairs

Islamabad warned of Afghanistan’s worsening stability, calling it a breeding ground for global terrorism. Pakistan urged the establishment of a representative government in Kabul amid rising cross-border tensions and militant threats to regional stability.


Pakistan says Taliban lack constitutional legitimacy

JERUSALEM: The United Nations&#39; aid chief took stock of the monumental task of restoring the basic necessities in the devastated Gaza Strip on Saturday, and Israel received the remains of another hostage as the ceasefire entered its second week. In a short convoy of white UN jeeps, relief coordinator Tom Fletcher and his team wound their way through the twisted rubble of shattered homes to inspect a wastewater treatment plant in Sheikh Radwan, north of Gaza City. &quot;I drove through here seven to eight months ago when most of these buildings were still standing, and to see the devastation, this is a vast part of the city, just a wasteland, and it&#39;s absolutely devastating to see,&quot; he told AFP. Reduced to ruins&nbsp;The densely packed cities of the Gaza Strip, home to more than two million Palestinians, have been reduced to ruins by two years of bombardment by the Israeli army. Just over a week since US President Donald Trump helped broker a truce, the main border crossing to Egypt has yet to be reopened, but hundreds of trucks roll in daily via Israeli checkpoints, and aid is being distributed. Hamas has returned the final 20 surviving hostages it was holding and has begun to hand over the remains of another 28 who died.On Friday night, it turned over a set of remains identified by Israel as Eliyahu Margalit. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">Digging latrines&nbsp;</h2>Surveying the damaged pumping equipment and a grim lake of sewage at the Sheikh Radwan wastewater plant, Fletcher said the task ahead for the UN and aid agencies was a &quot;massive, massive job&quot;. The British diplomat said he had met residents returning to destroyed homes trying to dig latrines in the ruins. &quot;They&#39;re telling me most of all they want dignity,&quot; he said. &quot;We&#39;ve got to get the power back on so we can start to get the sanitation system back in place. &lsquo;60-day plan&rsquo;&nbsp;&quot;We have a massive 60-day plan now to surge in food, get a million meals out there a day, start to rebuild the health sector, bring in tents for the winter, get hundreds of thousands of kids back into school.&quot; According to figures supplied to mediators by the Israeli military&#39;s civil affairs agency and released by the UN humanitarian office, on Thursday, some 950 trucks carrying aid and commercial supplies crossed into Gaza from Israel. Relief agencies have called for the Rafah border crossing from Egypt to be reopened to speed the flow of food, fuel, and medicines, and Turkey has a team of rescue specialists waiting at the border to help find bodies in the rubble. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">Hostage remains&nbsp;</h2>Israel&#39;s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved the ceasefire but is under pressure at home to restrict access to Gaza until the remaining bodies of the hostages taken during Hamas&#39;s brutal attacks have been returned. On Saturday, his office confirmed that the latest body, returned by Hamas via the Red Cross on Friday night, had been identified as Margalit. In a statement confirming he had been identified and his remains returned to his family, Netanyahu&#39;s office said &quot;we will not compromise ... and will spare no effort until we return all of the fallen abductees, down to the last one&quot;. Committed to the agreement&nbsp;Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said on Friday that the group &quot;continues to uphold its commitment to the ceasefire agreement... and it will continue working to complete the full prisoner exchange process.&quot; Under the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, negotiated by Trump and regional mediators, the Palestinian group has returned all 20 surviving hostages and the remains of 10 out of 28 deceased ones.

Middle East

The densely packed cities of the Gaza Strip, home to more than two million Palestinians, have been reduced to ruins by two years of bombardment by the Israeli army.

UN aid chief foresees 'massive job' ahead on tour of ruined Gaza

Reuters

The opening game of New Zealand&#39;s three-match Twenty20 series with England was abandoned due to heavy rain in Christchurch on Saturday, with the hosts denied the opportunity to chase down a modest total for victory.&nbsp;Play was called off following a long delay after England&#39;s innings, in which the tourists scored 153-6 in 20 overs on a difficult wicket, with Sam Curran (49 not out) finishing well after Jos Buttler (29) failed to build on a good start. The second match takes place at the same venue on Monday before the finale in Auckland on Thursday,&nbsp;as both teams step up their preparations for next year&#39;s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, likely to be held in February-March.&nbsp;New Zealand fast bowlers Matt Henry (1-26) and Jacob Duffy (1-45) made full use of early swing and bounce at Hagley Oval to restrict England to only 44-2 in the opening six powerplay overs before Harry Brook (20) looked to cut loose.&nbsp;Jimmy Neesham (1-20) conceded a couple of huge sixes to the England skipper in the eighth over but gained revenge by getting through his defense, and the tourists&#39; momentum ground to a halt again when Mitch Santner (1-20) removed Tom Banton for nine.&nbsp;The dangerous Buttler also fell to spin shortly afterwards, holing out in the deep while looking to attack Michael Bracewell (1-10),&nbsp;before rain halted play in the 17th over with England on 110-5 and seeking a late charge to boost their total.&nbsp;Kyle Jamieson (1-27) removed Jordan Cox for 16 after the break, but Curran persevered, benefiting from a dropped catch and surviving a loud appeal for lbw to take England to a respectable total with 19 runs in the final over.

The second match takes place at the same venue on Monday before the finale in Auckland on Thursday, as both teams step up their preparations for next year's T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.

New Zealand v England T20 series opener abandoned due to rain

TEHRAN: Iran said on Saturday that it was no longer bound by restrictions on its nuclear program as a landmark 10-year deal between it and world powers expired, though Tehran reiterated its &quot;commitment to diplomacy&quot;. The 2015 deal -- signed in Vienna by Iran, China, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and the United States -- saw the lifting of international sanctions against the Islamic republic in exchange for restrictions on its nuclear program. US unilateral withdrawal&nbsp;But the pact had already been in tatters after Washington unilaterally withdrew during President Donald Trump&#39;s first term, with Iran later pulling back from its commitments. The reimposition last month of UN sanctions at the urging of three of the deal&#39;s European signatories rendered the accord effectively moot. From now on, &quot;all of the provisions (of the deal), including the restrictions on the Iranian nuclear programme and the related mechanisms are considered terminated&quot;, Iran&#39;s foreign ministry said in a statement on the day of the pact&#39;s expiration. &lsquo;Commitment to diplomacy&rsquo;&nbsp;&quot;Iran firmly expresses its commitment to diplomacy,&quot; it added. Western powers have long accused Iran of secretly seeking nuclear weapons -- something it has repeatedly denied, insisting its nuclear program is solely for civilian purposes such as energy production. The deal&#39;s &quot;termination day&quot; was set for October 18, 2025, exactly 10 years after it was enshrined in the UN&#39;s Security Council resolution 2231. The accord capped Iran&#39;s uranium enrichment at 3.67% in exchange for sanctions relief and provided for strict supervision of its nuclear activities by the UN&#39;s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). <h2 style="line-height: 2;">&#39;Irresponsible actions&#39;&nbsp;</h2>In July, Iran suspended cooperation with the IAEA following the war with Israel, with Tehran pointing to the agency&#39;s failure to condemn Israeli and US strikes on its nuclear facilities. The unprecedented bombing campaign by Israel and the retaliation by Iran during the 12-day war derailed ongoing nuclear negotiations between Tehran and Washington. At the initiative of France, Britain, and Germany, widespread UN sanctions against Iran returned into force in late September for the first time in a decade. &lsquo;Null and void&rsquo;&nbsp;Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a letter addressed to the United Nations on Saturday that the expiration of the 2015 deal renders the sanctions &quot;null and void&quot;. Britain, France, and Germany accuse Iran of not cooperating with the IAEA and would like it to return to negotiations with the United States. &quot;Iran&#39;s efforts to revive the exchanges (with the IAEA) that led to the agreement in Cairo were also sabotaged by the irresponsible actions of the three European countries,&quot; the Iranian foreign ministry said in Saturday&#39;s statement, referring to a recent framework to resume cooperation.

The reimposition last month of United Nations sanctions at the urging of three of the deal's European signatories rendered the accord effectively moot. 

Iran says no longer bound by 'restrictions' on its nuclear program

BEIJING: Chinese Nobel Prize-winning physicist Chen Ning Yang, one of the most influential scientists in modern physics, died in Beijing on Saturday. He was 103. The prestigious Tsinghua University, where he studied and served as a professor, said in a statement that Yang died of an illness, without sharing further details. &ldquo;Professor Yang is one of the greatest physicists of the 20th century, having made revolutionary contributions to the development of modern physics,&quot; the statement said, praising his contribution to China&rsquo;s scientific and educational developments. Yang won the Nobel Prize in 1957 with Tsung-Dao Lee for their investigation of the so-called parity laws that led to &ldquo;important discoveries regarding the elementary particles,&rdquo; according to the Nobel Prize website. They were the first Chinese-born Nobel Prize winners in physics. In his speech at the Nobel Banquet at the time, he said he was as proud of his Chinese heritage as he was devoted to modern science, a part of human civilization of Western origin. &ldquo;I am heavy with an awareness of the fact that I am in more than one sense a product of both the Chinese and Western cultures, in harmony and in conflict,&rdquo; according to his speech, shared on the Nobel Prize website. Yang, also known as Frank or Franklin, was also famous for his Yang&ndash;Mills theory developed with American physicist Robert Mills. Born in 1922, Yang was brought up surrounded by the Tsinghua campus, where his father was a math professor, the website said. After finishing his undergraduate degree, he obtained his master&rsquo;s degree from Tsinghua. He enrolled in the University of Chicago in the United States to pursue a doctorate in 1946 and was strongly influenced by Italian American physicist Enrico Fermi, who had won the same Nobel Prize in 1938, the website said. He later became a professor at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. In 1986, he became a distinguished Professor-at-large at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, to which he generously donated many of his awards and articles, including the Nobel Prize. Starting from 1999, he served as a professor at Tsinghua. According to a 2017 report by China&#39;s official news agency Xinhua, Yang obtained American citizenship. He said at the time it was a painful decision, one that his father had not forgiven him for. He renounced his US citizenship in 2015, saying it was a beautiful country that gave him good opportunities in studying science, the report said.

Asia

Chinese physicist Chen Ning Yang, Nobel laureate and co-founder of the Yang–Mills theory, died in Beijing at 103. A Tsinghua University professor, he revolutionized modern physics and bridged Chinese and Western scientific traditions.

Chinese Nobel Prize-winning physicist Chen Ning Yang dies at 103

Saqib Tanveer

ISLAMABAD: Talks between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban representatives are underway in Doha, focusing on recent border clashes between the two countries. Earlier,&nbsp;Pakistan Defense Minister Khawaja Asif and ISI Director General and National Security Adviser Gen Asim Malik landed in Doha, Qatar, on Saturday ahead of talks scheduled with the Afghan delegation, security sources say. The delegations from both sides comprise the defense ministers and the intelligence chiefs, they said. The sources said Abdul Haq Wasiq, Head of Intelligence of Afghanistan, and Mullah Muhammad Yaqub, the defense minister, have also landed in Doha. The talks began at 2pm Pakistan Standard Time. &nbsp;&nbsp;Foreign ministry&#39;s statement&nbsp;A statement issued by Pakistan&rsquo;s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday said: &ldquo;A high-level delegation from Pakistan, led by our Minister of Defence, will hold discussions with representatives of the Afghan Taliban in Doha today.&rdquo;<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-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 344px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1979475426478301661&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fmedia-library%2F&sessionId=2cc6de8cbe1833a3d11cfc7947ef4e8e7289f162&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>&ldquo;The talks will focus on immediate measures to end cross-border terrorism against Pakistan emanating from Afghanistan and restore peace and stability along the Pak-Afghan border.&rdquo; The statement further said: &ldquo;Pakistan does not seek escalation but urges the Afghan Taliban authorities to honour their commitments to the international community and address Pakistan&rsquo;s legitimate security concerns by taking verifiable action against terrorist entities, including the FAK/TTP and FAH/BLA.&rdquo; &ldquo;Pakistan appreciates the mediation efforts of Qatar and hopes these discussions contribute to peace and stability in the region,&rdquo; it added. Ceasefire and planned talks&nbsp;Earlier this week, Islamabad and Kabul agreed to a 48-hour ceasefire, following several days of intense cross-border fighting, the Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) confirmed. Security officials told Pakistan TV Digital that the upcoming Doha talks aim to &ldquo;defuse tensions and establish a mechanism to prevent future border incidents.&rdquo; Foreign Office Spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said both sides are making &ldquo;sincere efforts&rdquo; to achieve a peaceful resolution. &ldquo;Pakistan believes in dialogue and remains committed to peace,&rdquo; Khan said at a weekly press briefing. &ldquo;Both countries are exploring constructive and sustainable solutions to these complex but solvable issues.&rdquo; Afghanistan&rsquo;s interim government also confirmed the continuation of discussions. Speaking to Ariana News, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said the ceasefire has been extended until the conclusion of planned talks, according to a report by Reuters. Khan added that Islamabad continues to maintain diplomatic engagement with Kabul. &nbsp;&ldquo;There is no downgrade in relations,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;But Pakistan will continue to safeguard its sovereignty, security, and people at all costs.&rdquo;&nbsp;Repatriation of Afghan nationalsMeanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday directed all federal and provincial authorities to expedite the repatriation of Afghans residing illegally in Pakistan, citing mounting security concerns and recent attacks originating from Afghan territory. Chairing a high-level meeting attended by Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, federal ministers, and provincial representatives, Sharif said: &ldquo;Pakistan has always stood by Afghanistan in difficult times, but the involvement of Afghans in recent terrorist attacks on Pakistani soil is deeply concerning.&rdquo; Officials briefed the meeting that 1,477,592 Afghans have already been repatriated under the ongoing phased process. Only those holding valid Pakistani visas will be permitted to stay in the country, they added. Pakistan launched its Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan (IFRP) in 2023, under which tens of thousands of Afghans who had fled decades of war and deprivation have since returned to Afghanistan.

Pakistan's delegation is represented by Defense Minister Khawaja Asif and DG ISI Asim Malik; the Afghan side is represented by Abdul Haq Wasiq, Head of Afghan Intelligence, and Mullah Muhammad Yaqub, the defense minister.  

Pakistan, Afghan Taliban talks underway in Doha on border clashes

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir has cautioned India that there is &ldquo;no space for war in a nuclearized environment.&rdquo; Field Marshal Munir said this in his address at the passing out parade of cadets of 152nd PMA Long Course, 71st Integrated Course, 26th Lady Cadet Course, 37th Technical Graduate Course at the Pakistan Military Academy (PMA), Kakul on Saturday.&nbsp;<div class="fr-embed youtube-embed"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7sdQx7OKzTU" title="PMA PASSING OUT PARADE 2025" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen="" style="width: 100%; height: auto; aspect-ratio: 16 / 9; max-width: 100%; display: block;">&nbsp;</iframe>&nbsp;</div> &#39;Catastrophic consequences&#39;&nbsp;The army chief said, &ldquo;I advise and firmly caution the Indian military leadership that there is &lsquo;no space for war&rsquo; in a nuclearized environment.&rdquo; &ldquo;Settle the core issues with Pakistan as per the international norms, on the basis of equality and mutual respect.&rdquo; &ldquo;We will never be intimidated nor coerced by your rhetoric and shall respond decisively beyond proportions to even a minor provocation without any qualms,&rdquo; the Field Marshal warned. &ldquo;The onus of ensuing escalation, one that may ultimately bear catastrophic consequences for the entire region and beyond, will squarely lie with India,&rdquo; he said categorically. Congratulates cadets&nbsp;The COAS said that it was a great honor and source of pride for him to review the passing out parade of the Pakistan Military Academy. &ldquo;I congratulate the cadets from Bangladesh, Iraq, Mali, Maldives, Nigeria, Nepal, Palestine, Qatar, Sri Lanka, and Yemen on completing their training at this prestigious institution,&rdquo; he said. He said that the award winners deserve special admiration for their outstanding achievements. Field Marshal Munir said since the establishment of Pakistan, the Pakistan Armed Forces, with the full support of the nation, have left no stone unturned in defending the homeland from external and internal threats. Operation Bunyanum Marsoos In Maa&rsquo;rka-e-Haq/Operation Bunyanum Marsoos, the Pakistan Armed Forces defeated the enemy with their professional skill and determination, further strengthening the confidence of the nation, he said. The Field Marshal said that by conducting highly professional operations against the enemy, the Rafale aircraft were shot down. The COAS said that multiple enemy bases, including S-400 systems, were targeted, and Pakistan also demonstrated its full capabilities in multi-domain warfare. &ldquo;With the grace of Allah and national resolve, we, as a nation united, faced the enemy like a wall of steel,&rdquo; he said. The Field Marshal added, &ldquo;Pakistan once again achieved victory against an enemy intoxicated by the arrogance of its misguided supremacy.&rdquo; &ldquo;India rushed to make accusations and avoided impartial investigations,&rdquo; he said. &lsquo;Self-created evidence&rsquo;&nbsp; India&rsquo;s staging of self-created evidence was indicative of the politicization of terrorism for the vested interest of the ruling regime, Pakistan&rsquo;s chief of army staff said. &ldquo;Due to clear victory over a numerically superior enemy, Pakistan has not only earned the respect and appreciation from the people of the country but of the international community,&rdquo; he said. The Field Marshal said, &ldquo;This victory has also strengthened the confidence among the youth that Pakistan&rsquo;s armed forces are a fundamental pillar of national strength.&rdquo; &ldquo;I assure the nation that, God willing, we will not allow even an inch of this sacred land to be handed over to the enemy,&rdquo; he said, adding, &ldquo;I salute the courage of the Pakistani people with great pride.&rdquo; The COAS said, &ldquo;I pay tribute to every soldier, sailor, airman, brave men, women, children, and elders who sacrificed their lives in these difficult times.&rdquo; &ldquo;I also pay tribute to the martyrs who fought this war in defense of the motherland,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;The national leadership, bureaucracy, religious scholars, scientists, media, and individuals from the education sector also deserve tribute,&rdquo; Field Marshal Munir further said. &#39;Humble contributions&#39;&nbsp;He said, &quot;Pakistan has also made humble contributions toward the peaceful steering of the negotiations with Iran.&quot;&nbsp; &quot;Our relations with all other Muslim countries are thriving at an exponential pace,&quot; the Field Marshal added. &ldquo;Most significantly, we stand proud of our historic and all-weather strategic cooperative partnership with China,&rdquo; he mentioned. Re-energization of strong and growing relations with the US is an encouraging and welcome development, the Field Marshal said. He said President Trump&rsquo;s personal efforts and strategic leadership to bring peace to multiple conflict-prone areas of the world are really praiseworthy.&nbsp; &ldquo;We will further nurture these relations with key global and regional players for the interest of peace, security, and development.&rdquo; Awards to distinguished cadets&nbsp; Earlier, the COAS gave awards to the distinguished cadets, Pakistan military&rsquo;s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement on Saturday. The coveted Sword of Honor was awarded to Academy Senior Under Officer Ahmed Mujtaba Arif Raja of 152nd PMA Long Course. The President&#39;s Gold Medal to Battalion Senior Under Officer Zohair Hussain of 152nd PMA Long Course. Chairman Joint Chief of Staff Committee Overseas Gold Medal to Friendly Country Company Junior Under Officer Tekraj of 152nd PMA Long Course. Chief of Army Staff Marksman Medal was awarded to Gentleman Cadet Syed Hashir Hassan of 152nd PMA Long Course. Chief of Army Staff Cane was awarded to Course Under Officer Shaheer Ali of the 37th Technical Graduate Course. Commandant&rsquo;s Overseas Medal to Course Sports Sergeant Most Jannatul Mawa of 26th Lady Cadet Course. Commandant&#39;s Canes were awarded to Course Under Officer Sayed Abdul Hadi of 71st Integrated Course and Course Under Officer Hadia Fayyaz of 26th Lady Cadet Course, the statement said.

Field Marshal Asim Munir said that since the establishment of Pakistan, the Pakistan Armed Forces, with the full support of the nation, have left no stone unturned in defending the homeland from external and internal threats.

‘No space for war in a nuclearized environment’: Pakistan Army chief cautions India 

LONDON: As Israelis and Palestinians wait anxiously to see what comes after a ceasefire in the two-year war in Gaza, the experience of the Northern Ireland peace process in the 1990s may offer lessons in the thorny process of moving from seemingly intractable conflict to enduring peace. Two key figures who helped steer the Northern Ireland peace process &mdash; former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his former chief of staff, Jonathan Powell &mdash; have returned to the international spotlight due to their involvement in talks with the US and other countries about the future of Gaza.&nbsp;&lsquo;We stand ready&rsquo;: Starmer &nbsp;Prime Minister Keir Starmer said this week that &ldquo;drawing on our experience in Northern Ireland, we stand ready to play a key role in the decommissioning of Hamas&rsquo; weapons and capability.&rdquo; Around 3,600 people were killed and 50,000 wounded during &ldquo;the Troubles,&rdquo; three decades of violence involving Irish republican militants determined to wrest Northern Ireland out of the United Kingdom. After years of false starts and setbacks, a peace accord was struck in 1998 that largely ended the conflict and led to the disarming of the Irish Republican Army and other militant groups. Trump-backed plan&nbsp;The Trump-backed plan for Gaza is far narrower and does not address the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which began decades before the latest war. It also provides no clear path to Palestinian statehood, something Israel rejects but that is seen internationally as the only way to resolve the conflict. The plan calls for Hamas to disarm, something the group insists it will not do &mdash; although it has expressed a willingness to hand over some weapons to a Palestinian or Arab body. In Northern Ireland, the IRA&rsquo;s reluctance to give up its weapons was a main sticking point that threatened to derail the peace process. Major differences&nbsp;Experts say there are parallels &mdash; but also major differences &mdash; between the Northern Ireland conflict and the devastating war in Gaza. Israel&#39;s war has reduced much of Gaza to rubble, led to famine in some areas and killed nearly 68,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza&rsquo;s Health Ministry, that are seen as generally reliable by UN agencies and independent experts. &ldquo;The level of challenge in the Middle East now is monumental,&rdquo; said Kristian Brown, a politics lecturer at Ulster University in Belfast. &ldquo;The level of bitterness, the sense of immediate threat and the levels of destruction (in Northern Ireland) were not as cataclysmic as Gaza.&rdquo; &#39;Counsel patience and pragmatism&#39;The Irish Republican Army eventually agreed to put its arsenal &ldquo;beyond use&rdquo; by way of a secret process supervised by an international commission. Disarmament ran in parallel to efforts to resolve political disputes at the heart of the conflict, something that more than three decades of US-led peace efforts in the Middle East have failed to accomplish. It was slow going: The first batch of IRA weapons was decommissioned in 2001 and the last in 2005, seven years after the Good Friday Agreement.&nbsp; Several other British loyalist and Irish republican militant groups also disarmed as part of the process. &ldquo;The British might be able to counsel patience and pragmatism,&rdquo; said Niall &Oacute; Dochartaigh, a professor of political science at the University of Galway. &ldquo;The IRA leadership had to be helped in various ways to make that argument (for disarmament) within the organization. &ldquo;Ultimately, decommissioning only happened in the Irish case once the IRA was satisfied that there was a political settlement bedded down,&rdquo; he added.&nbsp; And while &ldquo;the contours of a compromise settlement emerged quite early in Northern Ireland,&rdquo; a similar consensus in the Middle East appears far off. Big gaps&nbsp;The 20-point plan for Gaza sets out a sweeping vision, from ceasefire to peacemaking &ndash; but leaves big gaps about how it will all be achieved.&nbsp; And it says nothing about the thorniest issues that divide Israelis and Palestinians, including the status of Jerusalem, the return of Palestinian refugees, security arrangements, future borders and the scores of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. The Good Friday Agreement was more detailed about the structures that would be established in Northern Ireland to underpin peace, including a legislature and government.&nbsp; It was the product of two years of US-backed negotiations that helped build trust between sworn enemies. But peacemaking was still slow and fragile. Shaky power-sharing political systemFour months after the Good Friday agreement, IRA dissidents set off a car bomb in the town of Omagh, killing 29 people in the deadliest single attack of the conflict. Today, dissidents still attempt occasional small-scale attacks. The power-sharing political system set up under the peace agreement has collapsed several times. Amnesties mean killers have gone free and some victims have not received justice. Yet peace has largely held. Political parties once linked to violent groups, including the IRA-allied Sinn Fein, play a major role, with former gunmen and bombers among those who now sit as lawmakers. &quot;Engaging those involved with violence and bringing them down democratic paths&rdquo; was key to the success of Northern Ireland&#39;s peace process, according to Peter McLoughlin, a senior lecturer in politics and history at Queen&rsquo;s University Belfast. &lsquo;Inclusive process worked&rsquo;He said excluding Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007, in the future of the strip, could be a problem. &ldquo;If there was a broad lesson from the success of Northern Ireland, it&rsquo;s that an inclusive process worked &ndash; and I mean inclusive in the full sense, all different parties, even including militants,&quot; McLoughlin said. &ldquo;Hamas is being excluded from the political process and is expected to give up its weapons,&quot; he added. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know how feasible that is.&rdquo; Key players returnStarmer&#39;s reference to the UK&#39;s experience in monitoring ceasefires no doubt refers to the achievements of Blair and Powell. President Donald Trump has said Blair, who was UK prime minister between 1997 and 2007, is a potential member of a &ldquo;Board of Peace&rdquo; to oversee administration and reconstruction in Gaza. Blair has long experience in the Middle East, having served as an envoy to Israel and the Palestinians for the &quot;Quartet&quot; &mdash; the US, European Union, Russia and the United Nations &mdash; for eight years until 2015. He also played a pivotal role &mdash; along with then US President Bill Clinton &mdash; in putting together an international coalition that conducted airstrikes in 1999 to end Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic&rsquo;s crackdown on independence-seeking ethnic Albanians in Kosovo. But Blair is also a highly controversial figure because of his decision to take Britain into the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.&nbsp; Trump has acknowledged that Blair might not be &ldquo;an acceptable choice to everybody&rdquo; in the region. &lsquo;Small diplomatic part&rsquo;Powell, meanwhile, is now Starmer&rsquo;s national security adviser and attended Trump&rsquo;s summit in Egypt.&nbsp; US Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff praised Powell&rsquo;s &ldquo;incredible input and tireless efforts&rdquo; in reaching the agreement. Bronwen Maddox, the director of Chatham House, the UK-based international affairs institute, was skeptical about drawing parallels between the two processes. She said Britain &ldquo;can play a small diplomatic part&rdquo; in Gaza, but probably not a decisive one. The Northern Ireland peace deal &ldquo;was a successful and really important peace negotiation,&quot; she said. &quot;But it was very much of itself, I think.&rdquo;

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said this week that “drawing on our experience in Northern Ireland, we stand ready to play a key role in the decommissioning of Hamas’ weapons and capability.”

Pakistan tri-series to proceed despite Afghanistan’s withdrawal: PCB

Related Articles

PCB yet to decide on Asia Cup participation amid controversy

South Africa crush Sri Lanka to extend dominant World Cup run

Latest News

Pakistan security forces kill over 100 terrorists in 48 hours: Attaullah Tarar

Pakistan says Taliban lack constitutional legitimacy

UN aid chief foresees 'massive job' ahead on tour of ruined Gaza

New Zealand v England T20 series opener abandoned due to rain

Iran says no longer bound by 'restrictions' on its nuclear program