Muhammad Imad Abbas

ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan&rsquo;s interim Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi is on an official seven-day visit to India, emphasizing the potential of Iran&rsquo;s Chabahar Port as a vital trade link between India and Afghanistan.&nbsp;The visit, delayed earlier due to visa clearance issues, marks the first official trip by an Afghan interim minister to India since the Taliban takeover. Previously, India&rsquo;s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval visited Kabul in January 2021 during former president Ashraf Ghani&rsquo;s tenure.&nbsp;Addressing a press conference at the Afghanistan Embassy in New Delhi, Muttaqi underlined the significance of Chabahar Port, calling it a &ldquo;good option for trade.&rdquo; He urged both India and Afghanistan to &ldquo;remove obstacles&rdquo; to its full utilization, noting that &ldquo;US sanctions have complicated operations.&rdquo;&nbsp;Chabahar is not a new trade idea for Afghanistan. Successive governments have explored it as an alternative route connecting Afghanistan to global markets through Iran, bypassing Pakistan. Yet, questions remain over whether it can become a reliable trade corridor that benefits Afghan traders and strengthens regional ties.&nbsp;Why Chabahar matters for India?Located along Iran&rsquo;s southeastern coast on the Gulf of Oman, Chabahar holds strategic importance for India. It lies just 550 nautical miles from Gujarat&rsquo;s Kandla port and offers New Delhi a direct trade corridor to Afghanistan, Central Asia, and Europe, circumventing Pakistan.&nbsp;Since 2016, India has invested heavily in the project, spending nearly half of its allocated 4 billion Indian rupees. A year ago, India signed a 10-year agreement with Iran&rsquo;s Ports and Maritime Organization to manage and develop the port through India Ports Global Limited (IPGL).&nbsp;The initiative is part of India&rsquo;s broader vision to integrate Chabahar into the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), linking India to Russia via Iran. Originally proposed in 2003 as a counterbalance to Pakistan&rsquo;s Gwadar Port, developed under China&rsquo;s Belt and Road Initiative, the Chabahar project has faced repeated delays due to sanctions and bureaucratic hurdles.&nbsp;Challenges facing the projectDespite India&rsquo;s commitment, challenges persist. Afghan experts say Kabul remains skeptical of India&rsquo;s reliability as a partner.&nbsp;&ldquo;Afghanistan continues not to see India as a dependable ally because New Delhi has traditionally remained distant from Kabul,&rdquo; said Zia Ur Rehman, a Pakistan-based expert on Afghan affairs, speaking to Pakistan TV Digital.&nbsp;He added, &ldquo;India&rsquo;s renewed interest in Afghanistan is driven by geopolitical signaling aimed at maintaining influence along Pakistan&rsquo;s western border.&rdquo;&nbsp;India&rsquo;s caution stems from its fraught history with the Taliban. The hijacking of an Indian Airlines plane to Kandahar in 1999 and the 2008 Kabul embassy bombing, both linked by India to Taliban elements, continue to shape New Delhi&rsquo;s approach.&nbsp;Meanwhile, Afghan traders remain reluctant to abandon the shorter and cheaper trade routes through Pakistan. &ldquo;Chabahar increases transport costs, and those dealing in perishable goods cannot afford delays of several days,&rdquo; said Qudrat Ullah, a local trader speaking to Pakistan TV Digital.&nbsp;Sanctions and strategic setbacksComplicating matters further, the Trump administration&rsquo;s decision to revoke the US sanctions waiver on Chabahar has disrupted India&rsquo;s plans. The exemption, granted in 2018, allowed India to operate freely at Iran&rsquo;s Makran coast despite broader sanctions on Tehran.&nbsp;&ldquo;This move will disrupt New Delhi&rsquo;s strategic and economic ambitions in Iran and Central Asia,&rdquo; said Rehman, adding that the decision exposes Indian operators at Chabahar&rsquo;s Shahid Beheshti terminal to punitive action under the Iran Freedom and Counter-Proliferation Act (IFCA).&nbsp;As Afghanistan&rsquo;s acting foreign minister pushes for renewed cooperation, India faces a delicate balancing act, navigating strained regional dynamics, economic sanctions, and a skeptical Kabul, all while striving to keep its Chabahar ambitions afloat. NOTE: $1 was equal to ₹88.72 (Indian Rupees) at the time of publishing of this article.

India

Experts warn India’s Chabahar ambitions face major setbacks after the Trump administration revoked sanctions waivers, exposing Indian operators to punitive action and disrupting New Delhi’s strategic trade and connectivity plans in Iran and Central Asia.

New Delhi’s Chabahar ambitions face hurdles amid Afghan FM’s India visit

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has expressed &ldquo;strong reservations&rdquo; over elements of the India-Afghanistan Joint Statement issued on October 10 in New Delhi and the accompanying remarks by the Afghan Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Mutaqqi, the foreign office said, terming them contrary to international law and regional stability.&nbsp;According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), Pakistan conveyed its strong objections to Afghanistan&rsquo;s diplomat in Islamabad, Sardar Ahmad Shekib, through the additional foreign secretary.&nbsp;The ministry said that the reference to Jammu and Kashmir as part of India in the joint statement was &ldquo;a clear violation of relevant UN Security Council resolutions&rdquo; and disregarded &ldquo;the legal and internationally recognized disputed status of the territory.&rdquo;&nbsp;&ldquo;The statement is highly insensitive to the sacrifices and sentiments of the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir in their just struggle for the right to self-determination,&rdquo; MOFA said.&nbsp;Pakistan also strongly rejected the Afghan interim foreign minister&rsquo;s remarks suggesting that &ldquo;terrorism was Pakistan&rsquo;s internal problem.&rdquo; The foreign office termed the statement misleading and contrary to ground realities.&nbsp;It emphasized that Islamabad has repeatedly shared credible evidence with Kabul regarding the presence of Fitna-e-Khawarij and Fitna-e-Hindustan, factions identified as Indian-sponsored proxies of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), operating from Afghan soil with external support and conducting cross-border attacks inside Pakistan.&nbsp;The development comes amid heightened tensions following a deadly terrorist assault on the Police Training School in Dera Ismail Khan on the night of October 10&ndash;11. The attack, claimed by elements linked to Fitna al-Khawarij, resulted in the martyrdom of six policemen and injuries to several others. Pakistani security agencies have since reiterated their stance that such groups receive facilitation from across the border.&nbsp;&ldquo;It was underscored that deflecting the responsibility of controlling terrorism towards Pakistan cannot absolve the Interim Afghan Government of its obligations to ensure peace and stability in the region,&rdquo; the statement read.&nbsp;MOFA further noted that Pakistan has hosted nearly four million Afghans for over four decades out of goodwill and humanitarian concern. With improving conditions in Afghanistan, Islamabad reiterated its stance that unauthorized Afghan nationals residing in Pakistan should return to their homeland, while emphasizing that Pakistan continues to issue medical and study visas on humanitarian grounds.&nbsp;Reaffirming its commitment to regional peace and cooperation, Pakistan said it remains desirous of a &ldquo;peaceful, stable, regionally connected, and prosperous Afghanistan.&rdquo; However, the statement concluded that Islamabad &ldquo;expects the Interim Afghan Government to take concrete steps to prevent its territory from being used by Fitna-e-Khawarij and Fitna-e-Hindustan terrorist elements against Pakistan.&rdquo;

Foreign Affairs

Islamabad says it has shared evidence with Kabul on Indian-sponsored militant groups operating from Afghan soil and reiterated that Jammu and Kashmir’s disputed status, reaffirmed by UN resolutions, cannot be altered by political statements or alliances.

Pakistan raises concerns over India-Afghanistan statement, rejects Afghan minister’s remarks

ISLAMABAD: Abu Dhabi carrier Etihad said Friday it is launching flights to Kabul, making it the latest airline to offer direct routes to the Afghan capital. Etihad, which announced a record $476 million profit in 2024, said the new service responded to &ldquo;growing demand&rdquo; for travel between the United Arab Emirates and Afghanistan and that the three weekly flights starting in December would support &ldquo;trade, travel, and community ties.&rdquo; &ldquo;The UAE hosts one of the largest Afghan communities in the Gulf, with around 300,000 Afghans living and working in the country, according to the Afghan Business Council,&rdquo; the airline said in a statement. &ldquo;The new flights will further strengthen these economic and social ties while enhancing connectivity through Abu Dhabi.&rdquo; Other international carriers flying direct to Kabul include Turkish Airlines and FlyDubai. India reopens embassy&nbsp;Even though the Taliban are largely isolated from the West, due to their restrictions on women and girls, they have successfully established bilateral relations with regional powers. In July, Russia became the first country to recognize them as the legitimate government of Afghanistan. And, on Friday, India said it was upgrading its technical mission in Kabul to a full embassy.

Asia

Etihad Airways will launch flights to Kabul, citing growing demand and strong UAE-Afghan ties. The move enhances trade and travel, despite Afghanistan’s political isolation under Taliban rule.

Abu Dhabi carrier Etihad launches direct flights to Kabul

ISLAMABAD: India will be upgrading its technical mission in the Afghan capital Kabul to an embassy, Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said on Friday. He said this in his opening remarks at his meeting with Foreign Minister of Interim Afghan Government, Amir Khan Mutaqqi, in New Delhi on Friday. Jaishankar said India appreciated interim Afghan government&rsquo;s sensitivity toward India&rsquo;s security concerns, adding &ldquo;your solidarity with us in the aftermath of Pahalgam terrorist attack was noteworthy.&rdquo; He said, &ldquo;India is fully committed to the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of Afghanistan.&rdquo; &nbsp; Embassy in Kabul&nbsp;Jaishankar said, &ldquo;closer cooperation between us contributes to your national development as well as regional stability and resilience, to enhance that I am pleased to announce today, the upgrading of India&rsquo;s technical mission in Kabul to the status of embassy of India.&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" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=eyJ0ZndfdGltZWxpbmVfbGlzdCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOltdLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2ZvbGxvd2VyX2NvdW50X3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9iYWNrZW5kIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19yZWZzcmNfc2Vzc2lvbiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZm9zbnJfc29mdF9pbnRlcnZlbnRpb25zX2VuYWJsZWQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib24iLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X21peGVkX21lZGlhXzE1ODk3Ijp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRyZWF0bWVudCIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3Nob3dfYmlyZHdhdGNoX3Bpdm90c19lbmFibGVkIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19kdXBsaWNhdGVfc2NyaWJlc190b19zZXR0aW5ncyI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdXNlX3Byb2ZpbGVfaW1hZ2Vfc2hhcGVfZW5hYmxlZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdmlkZW9faGxzX2R5bmFtaWNfbWFuaWZlc3RzXzE1MDgyIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRydWVfYml0cmF0ZSIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfbGVnYWN5X3RpbWVsaW5lX3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9mcm9udGVuZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9fQ%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1976537194497024330&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2Fnew%2F&sessionId=7d1627108eab2ca3541d9f45390c58e6df4ac9f1&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 618px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" data-tweet-id="1976537194497024330"></iframe></div></div>The meeting between the two foreign ministers is a first high-level diplomatic engagement with New Delhi since Taliban seized power in 2021 after two decades of US military presence, the Associated Press reported on Friday. Temporary travel exemptionAmir Khan Muttaqi, who is among multiple Afghan Taliban leaders under UN sanctions that include travel bans and asset freezes, arrived in New Delhi on Thursday after the UN Security Council Committee granted a temporary travel exemption to him. The visit comes after Muttaqi&rsquo;s participation on Tuesday at an international meeting on Afghanistan in Russia that included representatives from China, India, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Muttaqi&rsquo;s India visit highlights the Taliban administration&rsquo;s efforts to seek international recognition and underscores India&rsquo;s strategic move to counter its regional rivals. &lsquo;Engaging discussions&rsquo;&nbsp;Randhir Jaiswal, Indian&rsquo;s foreign ministry spokesman, extended a welcome to Muttaqi in a post on X on Thursday and said: &ldquo;We look forward to engaging discussions with him on bilateral relations and regional issues.&rdquo; India&rsquo;s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met Muttaqi in Dubai in January. It was followed by telephone conversations between Muttaqi and Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, India&#39;s foreign minister. India&rsquo;s special envoy to Afghanistan visited Kabul in April to discuss political and trade relations. &lsquo;Strategic reassessment&rsquo;&nbsp;Experts say India&rsquo;s decision to engage with the Taliban at higher levels reflects its strategic reassessment, shaped in part by the consequences of previous non-engagement, as well as to avoid falling behind its primary strategic rivals. Praveen Donthi, senior analyst with the International Crisis Group, said Muttaqi&rsquo;s visit marks India&rsquo;s pragmatic engagement with the Taliban. &ldquo;New Delhi views the world through the prism of its rivalry with either China, Pakistan, or both. The Taliban&rsquo;s efforts at a balanced foreign policy, which involves establishing relations with rival countries and groups, mirror New Delhi&rsquo;s own playbook,&rdquo; Donthi said. Strategic counterbalance&nbsp;The visit comes while Afghanistan&rsquo;s ties with Pakistan are strained, especially over refugee deportations and border tensions, and India&rsquo;s engagement is seen as a strategic counterbalance to Pakistan&rsquo;s influence. India also aims to limit Chinese dominance in Afghanistan through infrastructure and diplomatic presence. &ldquo;With Beijing proactively engaging the Taliban, New Delhi wouldn&rsquo;t want its primary strategic rival to hold exclusive influence over Kabul,&rdquo; Donthi said. He said Pakistan had a similar hold over the Taliban in the past, but due to its deteriorating ties with Islamabad, New Delhi sees an opportunity to &ldquo;develop modest influence over Kabul and strengthen its position as a regional power.&rdquo; When the Taliban took over Kabul four years ago, Indian security analysts had feared that it would benefit Pakistan and feed the struggle in Indian-Occupied Kashmir. But New Delhi maintained a steady contact with the Taliban despite these concerns. It established a technical mission in Kabul in 2022, a year after the Taliban returned to power, focusing on humanitarian aid and development support. It continued engagement through backchannel diplomacy and regional forums that subsequently prompted increased engagement between the two countries this year. India has long hosted tens of thousands of Afghan nationals, including students and businesspeople, many of whom fled the country after the Taliban rule. Afghanistan&rsquo;s embassy in New Delhi shut down permanently in November 2023, but its consulates in Mumbai and Hyderabad continue to operate with limited services.&nbsp;De jure recognitionGautam Mukhopadhaya, who was India&rsquo;s ambassador in Kabul between 2010 and 2013, said the engagement between India and Afghanistan &ldquo;may or may not lead to formal de jure recognition (of the Taliban government), although protocol gestures for the visit suggest the former.&quot; The Taliban have engaged in high-level talks with many nations and established some diplomatic ties with countries, including China and the United Arab Emirates. In July, Russia became the first country to recognize the Taliban government after removing the group from its list of outlawed organizations. Still, the Taliban government has been relatively isolated on the world stage, mainly over its restrictions on women, the Associated Press reported. Mukhopadhaya said India should not take &ldquo;that additional step to legitimize oppressive and unpopular Taliban rule internally&rdquo; and &ldquo;should preserve some levers to enable positive change internally for the benefit of all Afghans.&rdquo;

India will reopen its embassy in Kabul, upgrading its technical mission, signaling strategic engagement with the Taliban. The move aims to counter China and Pakistan’s influence.

India to reopen its embassy in Kabul: Foreign Minister Jaishankar 

Reuters

MUMBAI: Britain said on Thursday it had signed a 350 million-pound ($468 million) contract to supply the Indian army with U.K.-manufactured lightweight missiles, as part of a deepening weapons and defense partnership between the two countries. The announcement came as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Mumbai, where the two leaders highlighted the potential for stronger commercial links following their months-old trade deal. In its statement on the defense deal, the British government said the new contract for Lightweight Multirole Missiles, made by Thales in Northern Ireland, would secure 700 jobs at a factory that currently produces the same weapons for Ukraine. &ldquo;The deal paves the way for a broader complex weapons partnership between the U.K. and India, currently under negotiation between the two governments,&rdquo; the statement said. Starmer has, over the past 12 months, thrown his support behind Britain&rsquo;s defense sector to spur economic growth, pledging to raise spending in line with NATO targets and focusing on winning exports, such as a recent $13.5 billion frigate contract with Norway. Britain also said on Thursday it reached a new milestone with India on a collaboration for electric-powered engines for naval ships, as both countries signed the next phase of the deal, worth an initial 250 million pounds.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, left and and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attend the India-UK CEO Forum at Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai, India, Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025. (Leon Neal/Pool Photo via AP)

United Kingdom

Britain said on Thursday it had signed a 350 million-pound ($468 million) contract to supply the Indian army with U.K.-manufactured lightweight missiles, as part of a deepening weapons and defense partnership between the two countries.

UK signs $468 million deal to supply India with missiles

KABUL: Afghanistan&#39;s Taliban foreign minister left for New Delhi on Wednesday, his ministry said, in what would be the first visit to India by a Taliban leader since the group seized power in 2021.&nbsp;The trip highlights Taliban efforts to expand engagement with regional powers in a quest for economic ties and eventual diplomatic recognition. So far, Russia is the only country to have formally recognized the Taliban administration.&nbsp;Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi will hold talks with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and other officials on political, economic and trade issues, the Afghan foreign ministry added.&nbsp;Historically, India and Afghanistan had friendly relations but New Delhi shut its embassy in Kabul after the 2021 US withdrawal from the war-shattered country and the return to power of the Taliban.&nbsp;India opened a small mission a year later to facilitate trade, medical support and humanitarian aid.&nbsp;New Delhi does not officially recognize the Taliban government but has taken tentative steps to thaw ties with meetings and talks between senior officials in their respective foreign ministries.&nbsp;Muttaqi&rsquo;s trip was made possible after the UN Security Council Committee temporarily lifted a travel ban on him to allow diplomatic engagements abroad, India&rsquo;s foreign ministry said last week.&nbsp;Discussions during Muttaqi&#39;s trip will centre on bilateral cooperation, trade exchanges, exports of dry fruit, facilities in the health sector, consular services and various ports, the Afghan Taliban foreign ministry said last week.&nbsp;On Tuesday, Muttaqi attended a regional meeting in Moscow where Afghanistan&rsquo;s neighbours, including India, Pakistan, Iran, China and several Central Asian countries issued a joint statement opposing the deployment of foreign military infrastructure in the region.&nbsp;The statement was regarded as a signal of opposition to US President Donald Trump&#39;s stated objective to retake control of the Bagram military base near Kabul.

Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi visited India for talks with Indian officials on trade and diplomacy, marking the Taliban’s first visit since taking power in 2021.

Taliban foreign minister makes first visit to India to strengthen ties

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s representative at the United Nations, while rejecting India&rsquo;s accusations as baseless, highlighted India&rsquo;s state terrorism, said a statement issued by Pakistan&rsquo;s Permanent Mission to the UN on Wednesday. Pakistan&rsquo;s Counsellor Muhammad Jawad Ajmal, in response to the remarks of the Indian delegate on &ldquo;Measures to eliminate International Terrorism&rdquo; on Tuesday, said &ldquo;We heard remarks in the context of Pahalgam made earlier. As a responsible member of the international community, Pakistan, as an elected non-permanent member of the Security Council joined fellow Council members in unequivocally condemning this attack.&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" 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=1975729257402728662&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=15d2a163121d5c546e0e2877229a290777424d7f&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 771px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;"></iframe></div></div>Ajmal reminded that Pakistan also offered an independent and credible investigation. &ldquo;We are yet to see evidence of the perpetrators of this attack, details of which remain unknown,&rdquo; he added. &nbsp; &lsquo;A dangerous precedent&rsquo;&nbsp;The Pakistani representative further stated: &ldquo;Not only was Pakistan&rsquo;s offer rejected, but it was attacked, its sovereignty violated and 54 innocent Pakistani civilians martyred, 15 of them children, 13 women in a blatant act of aggression. This behavior sets a dangerous precedent.&rdquo; &ldquo;The global community cannot afford to ignore such errant and rogue behavior,&rdquo; Ajmal stressed. He said that the naked act of aggression and violation of Pakistan&rsquo;s sovereignty met a befitting, proportionate response under right of self-defense. Pakistan&rsquo;s response, Ajmal added resulted in &ldquo;resounding success in thwarting this threat, ending with a ceasefire brokered with the good offices of the United States at the request of New Delhi.&rdquo; &lsquo;Malicious accusations&rsquo;&nbsp;Speaking about Indian allegations, the Pakistani representative said: The malicious accusations of cross border terrorism are a deliberate attempt to repeat lies until they are accepted as the truth, which is far from ground realities. &ldquo;This country is not only a regional bully but net destabilizer in the entire region, holding South Asia hostage to its hegemonic designs and Hindutva ideology that inspires hate, divisions and xenophobia,&rdquo; he said. Talking about India&rsquo;s oppression of Kashmiris, Ajmal said that first, it is this country that illegally occupy territories, oppress indigenous populations and violate fundamental human rights as is the case in Indian Occupied Kashmir, the disputed status of which is recognized by the UN. &ldquo;To deny these realities is a violation of international law and a disrespect to a rules-based international order. I need not elaborate on scheme of extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, detentions, staged encounters and collective punishment under the cover of counter terrorism laws that this country pursues,&rdquo; he highlighted. Terror financing&nbsp;Speaking about India, Ajmal further said that it is this country that sponsors terrorist organizations in its neighborhood, particularly Pakistan by sponsoring and financing terrorist entities. &ldquo;It is this country that runs a global campaign of extra territorial assassinations and clandestine proxies on our soil and beyond, including the US and Canada.&rdquo; &lsquo;Pakistan committed to peace&rsquo;&nbsp;He said it has become a routine script: whenever an incident occurs, Pakistan is reflexively blamed&mdash;without any shred of evidence, logic or investigation. The Pakistani representative stated that Islamabad remains committed to peace. &ldquo;We have consistently offered dialogue. The lives of 1.5 billion people of South Asia deserve prosperity and stability. But let it be clear: these goals cannot be achieved through threats and intimidation. True progress requires sincerity, mutual respect, and genuine diplomacy - principles Pakistan has upheld, and which this member state must finally choose to embrace if it truly seeks peace,&rdquo; he concluded.

Pakistan rebuts Indian claims at United Nations; highlights India’s state terrorism and role in regional destabilization; says it is committed to peace. 

Pakistan highlights Indian 'state terrorism' at UN 

NEW DELHI: India&rsquo;s leading body of pilots has asked the civil aviation regulator to inspect all Boeing 787 Dreamliners operating in the country for electrical issues after one of the planes abruptly deployed an emergency power system midair over the weekend.&nbsp;The device, a small propeller that acts as a backup generator and which is known as the ram air turbine, or RAT, normally would be activated when an aircraft&#39;s engines lose power, its hydraulic systems register critically low pressure or its electrical systems fail.&nbsp;However, the RAT engaged unexpectedly on Saturday aboard Air India flight 117 from the northern Indian city of Amritsar moments before it landed safely in Birmingham, England.&nbsp;The Federation of Indian Pilots, which represents about 6,000 pilots, asked for the investigation Sunday evening.&nbsp;Air India, owned by business conglomerate Tata Group, said in a statement that an initial inspection following the weekend incident found that &ldquo;all electrical and hydraulic parameters were normal&rdquo; and that the aircraft landed safely.&nbsp;The midair deployment of the emergency device has reignited concerns in India over the safety of the Dreamliner. In June, an Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner bound for London <a href="https://apnews.com/article/india-plane-crash-cad8dad5cd0e92795b03d357404af5f8" style="font-size: 18px; color: rgb(0, 115, 230);">crashed</a> in the northwestern city of Ahmedabad, killing 260 people including 19 on the ground, in one of India&rsquo;s worst aviation disasters.&nbsp;A preliminary report into the June 12 crash found that the fuel control switches for the engines were moved from the &ldquo;run&rdquo; to the &ldquo;cutoff&rdquo; position moments before impact, starving both engines of fuel. The RAT system activated as it was supposed to have done when the plane lost power and engine thrust, the report said. Charanvir Singh Randhawa, president of the Federation of Indian Pilots, said that he&#39;d never heard of the RAT system being deployed even when there are no problems in the engines, hydraulics or electrical systems, as appeared to be the case over the weekend. &quot;It&rsquo;s a serious concern that warrants a detailed inquiry,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;Randhawa, whose career spans five decades in aviation, wrote an email to India&rsquo;s Directorate General of Civil Aviation on Sunday, apprising it of the incident and urging an investigation into the electrical systems of all Boeing Dreamliners operating in India.&nbsp;A spokesman for India&rsquo;s Civil Aviation Ministry didn&rsquo;t respond to a request for comment, and a spokeswoman for Boeing India was not immediately available for comment.&nbsp;

India’s leading body of pilots has asked the civil aviation regulator to inspect all Boeing 787 Dreamliners operating in the country for electrical issues after one of the planes abruptly deployed an emergency power system midair

Air India's Boeing emergency raises fresh safety concerns over Dreamliner

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s representative, while rejecting India&rsquo;s remarks during the United Nations Security Council debate on Women, Peace, and Security, highlighted the plight of women in Indian-Occupied Kashmir. In his statement on Monday, in response to the remarks of an Indian delegate during the Open Debate, Pakistan&rsquo;s First Secretary Sarfraz Ahmad Gohar termed the comments as &ldquo;baseless.&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" 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=1975345866274742689&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fmedia-library%2F&sessionId=29ec884f4e99fd027fdfa45f88042cebcf603b2d&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 769px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" spellcheck="false" aria-label="To enrich screen reader interactions, please activate Accessibility in Grammarly extension settings">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>Gohar said that India&rsquo;s remarks are an attempt to deflect attention from its appalling record in the occupied territory of Jammu and Kashmir. &lsquo;Disputed territory&rsquo;&ldquo;The fact remains that Jammu and Kashmir is not an integral part of India. It is a disputed territory, as affirmed by Security Council resolutions, which call for a United Nations-supervised plebiscite. India accepted these resolutions and is bound under Article 25 of the UN Charter to implement them,&rdquo; the first secretary stressed. Speaking on the topic of the debate, Gohar said the theme of the discussion, &quot;Women, Peace, and Security,&quot; is painfully relevant to the occupied region of Jammu and Kashmir. For decades, women there have endured the worst forms of violence &mdash; rape, harassment, arbitrary detention, and collective punishment &mdash; at the hands of Indian occupation forces. &ldquo;Their plight deserves this Council&rsquo;s attention,&rdquo; he said. Gohar, in his response, said: &quot;The reference [by the Indian delegate] to 1971 is yet another attempt to distort history -- by a country that distinguishes itself in disinformation and as a serial violator of international law.&quot; &ldquo;India&rsquo;s interference, naked aggression, and military intervention in East Pakistan was a blatant violation of the UN Charter,&rdquo; he added. Credible stepsThe Pakistan representative also highlighted the plight of Muslims, Christians, Dalits, and other minorities in India, saying, &ldquo;Hindutva ideology has become state policy.&rdquo; He said that Genocide Watch (a non-governmental organisation based in Canada) warned during a US congressional briefing that there were early &ldquo;signs and processes&rdquo; of genocide in the Indian state of Assam and in Indian-Occupied Kashmir. Gohar demanded that India must take credible steps toward fulfilling the Security Council resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir, protect the minorities living in its country, and stop misleading the UN Security Council.

It condemned India’s actions in occupied Jammu and Kashmir, highlighting violence against Kashmiri women and minorities, urging India to comply with UN resolutions and end human rights abuses in the disputed territory.

Pakistan highlights plight of Kashmiri women at UNSC debate   

Ayesha Mir

How did decades-old child grooming scandals in the UK get weaponized by far-right figures like Tommy Robinson to push an anti-Muslim narrative? What role did Elon Musk play in amplifying this narrative by tweeting about &lsquo;Pakistani grooming gangs&rsquo;? And how does all of this align with Hindu nationalist rhetoric from India&rsquo;s Modi government? Ayesha Mir breaks it down in Dossier with Ayesha.

Dossier with Ayesha

Weaponization of scandals by far-right figures, Elon Musk’s role, and how all of it aligns with Hindu nationalist rhetoric.

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