Maham Khan

For decades, Pakistan has hosted one of the world&#39;s largest refugee populations, providing sanctuary to millions of Afghans fleeing conflict. But by October 2025, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif declared that Pakistan could no longer sustain this burden, citing security threats and socio-economic challenges. The result: over 1.47 million Afghan nationals repatriated in what Islamabad said is an orderly but necessary response to an escalating crisis.&nbsp; The numbers tell a grim story. Between 2023 and 2025, Pakistan experienced a devastating wave of terrorist attacks with alleged or confirmed links to Afghanistan. In January 2023, a suicide bomber killed 95 people at a Peshawar mosque. In July 2023, an attack on a political rally in Bajaur claimed over 50 lives. By December, 23 soldiers died in a military post attack in Dera Ismail Khan.&nbsp; In 2023, Pakistan&#39;s former Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti stated that 14 of 24 suicide bombings in that year alone&nbsp;involved Afghan nationals. The pattern continued into 2024 and 2025. After seven soldiers were killed in North Waziristan in March 2024, Pakistan&#39;s defense minister declared that terrorism against Pakistan was &quot;mostly being conducted from Afghanistan.&quot; Most recently, in November 2025, a suicide bombing at an Islamabad district court killed 12 people. Pakistani officials stated that the bomber was an Afghan national and the attack was orchestrated from Afghanistan. For Pakistan, these aren&#39;t isolated incidents but evidence of a systemic problem: militant groups, particularly Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Islamic State-Khorasan Province (ISIS-K), operating from Afghan territory to launch cross-border attacks. Pakistani officials have repeatedly asked the Afghan Taliban of preventing its soil from being used by these militant groups. Despite diplomatic assurances to the contrary, the Taliban regime has done little. The diplomatic efforts were genuine but ultimately futile. Throughout 2025, Pakistan engaged in multiple rounds of high-level talks with Afghanistan&#39;s Taliban government, mediated by Qatar and Turkey. In April, Pakistan&#39;s Foreign Minister visited Kabul. In May, trilateral talks were held in Beijing. When deadly border clashes erupted in October, three separate negotiation rounds were convened in Doha and Istanbul. All failed. Pakistan demanded verifiable action against militant groups; Afghanistan either could not or would not deliver. The humanitarian dimension of this crisis cannot be ignored. According to an International Organization for Migration report in late November,&nbsp;435,279 Afghan nationals returned to Afghanistan between July and September alone. 93% left through self-organized returns, driven overwhelmingly by fear of arrest. The deportees came from areas that had suffered terrorist attacks: 28% from Quetta, 11% from Pishin. In September 2025, a suicide bombing at a political rally in Quetta, near Pishin, was claimed by the ISIS-K. This is the tragic calculus of national security meeting humanitarian obligation. Pakistan has legitimate security concerns. When diplomatic channels fail and attacks continue, a government faces pressure to act decisively. The international community has largely remained silent, treating this as a bilateral issue rather than a regional crisis requiring multilateral solutions. Afghanistan&#39;s Taliban regime has proven unable or unwilling to control militant groups within its borders, leaving Pakistan with few options. Meanwhile, Afghan refugees become pawns in a security crisis not of their making. There are no easy answers here. Pakistan&#39;s security concerns are real and documented. The failure of diplomatic engagement left Islamabad feeling it had exhausted peaceful options. But the mass repatriation of over a million people, many of whom have known only Pakistan as home, raises profound questions about refuge and the limits of hospitality when national security appears threatened. What remains clear is that this crisis demands more than bilateral negotiations that end in deadlock. It requires sustained international engagement, pressure on the Afghan&nbsp;Taliban to deny sanctuary to militant groups, and genuine support for both Pakistan&#39;s security needs and the humanitarian needs of displaced Afghans. Without it, we&#39;re left with what we have now: a tragic situation where everyone loses, and the most vulnerable pay the highest price.

Blogs

When diplomatic channels fail and attacks continue, a government faces pressure to act decisively.

Pakistan's refugee crisis: When security concerns force difficult choices

24 years ago, the twin towers fell in Lower Manhattan, reshaping not just the skyline but the lived reality of every Muslim in America. This January, Zohran Mamdani will be sworn in as New York City&#39;s 111th mayor&mdash;its first Muslim, first South Asian, and first African-born leader.&nbsp; The geographic irony is almost too perfect: a Muslim mayor taking office in the very city whose police department once mapped every mosque within 100 miles, where &quot;wearing traditional Islamic clothing&quot; was listed as a radicalization indicator, where informants infiltrated wedding parties and college rafting trips in the name of counterterrorism. The distance between those two moments&mdash;between surveillance subject and City Hall&mdash;tells a story not just of individual achievement but of collective survival, political awakening, and the hard-won transformation of a community that refused to disappear. Since at least 2002, the NYPD&#39;s Intelligence Division engaged in what can only be described as systematic religious profiling. The Demographics Unit mapped 28 &quot;ancestries of interest&quot; associated with Muslim populations while explicitly excluding non-Muslims like Coptic Christian Egyptians or Iranian Jews. Undercover officers embedded themselves in mosques, bodegas, coffee shops, and barber shops. Their job, according to civil liberties groups, was to &quot;live the life of a fake Muslim&quot; inside these communities. The statistics are staggering: anti-Muslim hate crimes jumped from 28 incidents in 2000 to 481 in 2001 alone. But numbers can&#39;t capture what surveillance does to a community&#39;s soul. As Dr. Debbie Almontaser, a longtime Muslim advocate, testified: &quot;The community was traumatized because of how invasive the surveillance was.&quot; Trust evaporated&mdash;not just between Muslims and law enforcement, but among Muslims themselves. You couldn&#39;t be certain your neighbor wasn&#39;t an informant. Abdullah Ahmad, a Pakistani-American Brooklynite, who grew up in the 2000s, remembers this atmosphere vividly. &quot;Growing up in New York, it was a lot of Islamophobia,&quot; he recalls. &quot;That smear campaign mentality, the stigmatism that came from the Bush administration and everything after, it shaped how we moved through the world.&quot; Yet this is also where the story turns. Because surveillance, for all its trauma, had an unintended consequence: it politicized a generation. When your community is under siege, you have two choices:&nbsp;retreat or organize. New York&#39;s Muslims chose organization. Mamdani&#39;s victory carries symbolic weight that no single person should have to bear. A 2017 Pew Research survey found that 75% of US&nbsp;Muslims agreed there is &quot;a lot of discrimination&quot; against their community. The UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion noted that &quot;widespread negative representations of Islam, fear of Muslims generally, and counterterrorism policies have served to perpetuate, validate and normalize discrimination.&quot; Into this climate steps a 34-year-old who spent his early years in Uganda and Cape Town, a &quot;third culture kid&quot; who once worked as a foreclosure prevention counselor in Queens. He&#39;s being asked to represent not just eight million New Yorkers but, symbolically, 1.8 billion Muslims worldwide. Yeliz Coban, a Turkish-American Brooklynite,&nbsp;understands this weight differently. &quot;It feels like being heard,&quot; she says simply. &quot;Not just being spoken at or spoken about, but truly listened to. It feels like someone who understands both the quiet resilience and the heavier burdens that Muslim communities have carried. His win isn&#39;t just symbolic&mdash;it&#39;s emotional. It feels like the city finally made space for us at the table.&quot; But the political opposition Mamdani faces reveals how precarious this moment remains. President Trump branded him a &quot;communist&quot; and vowed &quot;political retribution.&quot; Sitting members of Congress used fear-mongering, warning that his election would cause &quot;another 9/11.&quot; Trump even endorsed independent Andrew Cuomo&mdash;his political opponent&mdash;to prevent a Muslim from leading America&#39;s largest city. Masroor Jehangiri, a Pakistani-American living and studying in Staten Island, a predominantly Republican-leaning borough of NYC, feels both pride and anxiety. &quot;As a Muslim, I certainly feel proud and enabled that a person from our background can now become mayor of one of the greatest cities in the world,&quot; he says. &quot;This also comes with worry about how much Mamdani can actually deliver seeing how bad the political opposition has gotten. But I&#39;m glad his campaign revealed the mindsets of the politicians that lead us.&quot; Here&#39;s what makes Mamdani&#39;s victory genuinely transformative rather than merely symbolic: he didn&#39;t win by running away from controversy or making himself palatable to power. He won by building the largest grassroots campaign in New York history&mdash;100,000 volunteers knocking on three million doors. He won by centering economic justice: freezing rents for two million New Yorkers, making buses free, creating universal childcare, building 200,000 affordable housing units. &quot;A year ago, almost nobody had heard of Zohran Mamdani,&quot; Masroor notes. &quot;He used social media and multiple mediums to connect with younger generations, but he was also out on the streets doing ground work, genuinely connecting with everyday New Yorkers. For the first time, we witnessed a politician being genuine and honest,&nbsp;who doesn&#39;t seem trained to say certain answers but rather knows what answers people want.&quot; Abdullah saw this authenticity firsthand. &quot;Zohran has been a person of the community since the very beginning. He can speak to folks in Harlem because of his Ugandan background, or with all the desis [South Asians] in Jackson Heights.&nbsp;I recently had friends who went out for Halloween, and he was at the clubs speaking. No other politician would do that. I went to Yemeni delis, and they still have his posters up.&quot; This matters because it reframes the narrative. Mamdani isn&#39;t asking Muslims to be grateful for a seat at the table&mdash;he&#39;s reorganizing the entire table around working people&#39;s needs. South Asian voter turnout in the 2025 NYC primary increased by 40% compared to 2021, not because of identity politics but because a candidate finally spoke to their lived economic reality. The path from surveillance to City Hall wasn&#39;t inevitable, it was built. Built by Muslims who refused to self-censor out of existence, who organized despite fear, who raised their children to claim space rather than apologize for occupying it. Abdullah captures this generational shift perfectly: &quot;This 9/11 rhetoric is sort of ending. Yeah, you can instill fear from the Trump administration or Cuomo or whatever. But I think love and hope trumps all of that.&quot; Yeliz&#39;s hopes are more personal but no less powerful: &quot;My prayer is that Mamdani leads with integrity, keeps his promises, and shows this city that representation isn&#39;t something to fear but something that can expand our collective sense of belonging. If he does that, even those hesitant now will see that this moment isn&#39;t a threat, it&#39;s an opportunity.&quot; 24&nbsp;years ago, Muslim New Yorkers became surveillance subjects in their own city. Today, one of their own will lead it. That transformation didn&#39;t erase Islamophobia or solve systemic discrimination. But it proved something more important: that communities under siege can organize their way to power, that the children of immigrants can reshape the cities that once profiled them, that the distance between &quot;suspect community&quot; and City Hall is shorter than it looks&mdash;if you&#39;re willing to knock on three million doors. The future isn&#39;t certain, but it&#39;s no longer being written about Muslims. It&#39;s being written by them.

Articles

The geographic irony is almost too perfect: a Muslim mayor taking office in the very city whose police department once mapped every mosque within 100 miles.

New York once surveilled its Muslims, now Zohran Mamdani leads it

In late October 2025, Indian audiences watched a Bollywood hero demand a DNA test of the Taj Mahal. In &ldquo;The Taj Story&rdquo;, the protagonist claims the 17th-century mausoleum was originally a Hindu temple &lsquo;stolen&rsquo; by Muslim rulers. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has repeatedly rejected this theory, and centuries of historical and architectural records credit Mughal emperor Shah Jahan with commissioning the monument for his wife Mumtaz Mahal. Yet in Narendra Modi&rsquo;s India, history is increasingly subject to reinterpretation. When cinema becomes a vehicle for myth presented as fact, and when millions absorb propaganda as entertainment, it amounts to a systematic reframing of Muslim contributions to the subcontinent, and of the identities of the 200 million Muslims who live in India today. India&rsquo;s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ideological parent, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), have refined a strategy of cultural revision: rewrite textbooks, challenge monument origins, recast Mughal history as occupation, demolish mosques and build temples in their place, and enlist Bollywood as a mass-scale amplifier. <figure class="fr-media"><img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/6cb9827c-b2ee-4b47-837d-1d998cce1d25-2.png" alt="2.png" class="fr-fil fr-dib"><figcaption class="caption-cover-image text-sm text-gray-600 italic">Paresh Rawal promoting his movie The Taj Story on X.</figcaption></figure> The temple that never was The claim that the Taj Mahal was once a Shiva temple, &ldquo;Tejo Mahalaya,&rdquo; originated with P.N. Oak&rsquo;s 1965 book. Historians and the ASI have long dismissed the idea. In 2022, India&rsquo;s Supreme Court rejected a petition to open 22 sealed Taj Mahal rooms to search for Hindu idols, calling the request &ldquo;publicity interest litigation.&rdquo; The ASI has stated that the rooms are simple maintenance spaces. Even within India, voices are raising eyebrows over this narrative. Before the film premiered, many were quick to label it as propaganda.&nbsp; &quot;I think this story is pure propaganda,&rdquo; one Indian X user bluntly put it. <figure class="fr-media"><img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/bd64d234-dec7-4248-a489-c62aad1266b5-3.png" alt="3.png" class="fr-fil fr-dib"><figcaption class="caption-cover-image text-sm text-gray-600 italic">An Indian X user stated that the entire story was &quot;pure propaganda&quot;. (X)</figcaption></figure> Some went further, openly hoping for the movie to flop &quot;badly&rdquo;. <figure class="fr-media"><img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/e36968de-f78d-4d9a-838b-627efa0fb68d-7.png" alt="7.png" class="fr-fil fr-dib"><figcaption class="caption-cover-image text-sm text-gray-600 italic">(X)</figcaption></figure> One particularly sharp-witted user quipped, &ldquo;Nothing says trusted research like watching a movie [and] rewriting history! 22 mystery chambers, divine murtis, courtroom &lsquo;eyewitnesses&rsquo;&mdash;all checked. &quot;Next up: history books sold at the popcorn stand. Taj Mahal facts brought to you by Bollywood, not archaeologists.&rdquo; <figure class="fr-media"><img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/4d663e50-9c31-4bc8-ab9e-45ee20c20879-9 (this).png" alt="9 (this).png" class="fr-fil fr-dib"><figcaption class="caption-cover-image text-sm text-gray-600 italic">(X)</figcaption></figure> And it wasn&rsquo;t just the narrative itself that irked people. The main actor&#39;s shifting stance didn&rsquo;t go unnoticed. A user unearthed an&nbsp;October 2017 post&nbsp;from Paresh Rawal, where he had stated, &ldquo;Taj Mahal&mdash;Symbol of Love becomes the symbol of Hate!!!(sic)&nbsp;Stupid [and] unnecessary [and] sad [and] pathetic controversy.&rdquo; As the&nbsp;user wryly noted, it looks like Mr. Rawal may have had a &quot;change of heart&quot;&hellip; or perhaps a change of narrative. <figure class="fr-media"><img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/0db6e1bb-c756-4612-a431-f3ae9829f95f-6.png" alt="6.png" class="fr-fil fr-dib"><figcaption class="caption-cover-image text-sm text-gray-600 italic">(X)</figcaption></figure> When myth shapes law The Taj Mahal&nbsp;debate evokes an earlier, far more consequential case: the Babri Mosque in Ayodhya. Hindu nationalist groups spent decades claiming the 16th-century mosque stood atop the birthplace of the Hindu deity Ram. In December 1992, tens of thousands demolished the mosque. The violence and riots killed thousands. After a 17-year inquiry, the Liberhan Commission named BJP and RSS leaders &ldquo;responsible&rdquo; for the demolition. But in 2019, the Supreme Court, while declaring the mosque&rsquo;s destruction illegal, awarded the land to a Hindu trust. In January 2024, Modi inaugurated a new temple on the site in a nationally televised ceremony. The message many took from the sequence was clear: demolish first, wait, then receive recognition. Rewriting identity in classrooms The historical revision extends to classrooms. School textbooks have been reworked to minimize the cultural, architectural, and scientific contributions of Muslim dynasties, particularly the Mughals, who shaped Indian identity for centuries. Mughal emperors are increasingly framed as &ldquo;foreign occupiers&rdquo; rather than rulers whose legacy is interwoven with Indian music, language, art, and city-building. Curriculum is not neutral. What children learn determines who they believe belongs. The politics behind the rewrite Proponents of these changes argue they are restoring &ldquo;authentic Hindu history&rdquo; suppressed by earlier scholars and Muslim rule. But the effect is to cast Indian Muslims as historical outsiders in their own country. If the Taj Mahal, a globally recognized symbol of India, is reframed as &ldquo;originally Hindu,&rdquo; then Muslim claims to Indian cultural heritage are weakened. If mosques are reclassified as former temples, then every mosque becomes contested. Pluralism erodes quietly, long before violence erupts, through shifts in who is considered rightful. What is at stake The Taj Mahal itself will not change. Marble does not respond to political pressure. But the idea of India that built the Taj, a state where Hindu, Muslim, Sikh and other communities participated together in shared cultural production, may not survive if historical narrative becomes a tool of exclusion. The transformation unfolding is not simply about monuments or textbooks. It is about defining who belongs in the world&rsquo;s largest &#39;democracy&#39;. When a nation with 1.4 billion people and one of the world&rsquo;s largest Muslim populations reorders its history around a singular religious identity, the implications are global. Cinema scenes can become political reality. A fictional demand for a monument&rsquo;s DNA test reflects a deeper shift: the attempt to rewrite not just history, but citizenship itself.

India’s ruling BJP have refined a strategy of cultural revision: challenge monument origins, recast Mughal history as occupation, demolish mosques and build temples in their place, and enlist Bollywood as a mass-scale amplifier.

Taj Mahal: Hindu nationalist revisionism reshapes India’s monuments and memory

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is advancing a strategy to expand its meat and agricultural exports, aiming to position itself as a major player in the global halal market through regulatory reforms, infrastructure upgrades, and international partnerships, officials and industry experts said. The country aims to capture a larger share of the global halal market, valued at about $407.8 billion in 2023, according to a report by ICRIC, an affiliate of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. Success could generate billions in foreign exchange and create jobs for millions, though infrastructure deficits and regional competition pose significant challenges. Untapped export potential Pakistan has 251.3 million livestock, with a growth rate of 3.18% annually since 2006, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics&rsquo; 7th Agricultural Census released in August 2024. The sector accounts for 63.6% of agricultural GDP and 14.97% of the total GDP, as per the Economic Survey 2024-25 released in June 2025. The Ministry of National Food Security and Research reported in June this year&nbsp;that over eight million rural families rely on livestock as their main livelihood. Despite this massive base, meat exports reached just $512 million with 123,515 tons in fiscal 2024 &mdash; a 20% increase from $426 million but under 3% of total exports, according to Pakistan Bureau of Statistics data reported in July 2024. Over 97% of Pakistan&#39;s approximately 2.2 million tons of meat production is consumed domestically, according to the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan&#39;s Meat Export Strategy 2023-2027. The government aims to address&nbsp;barriers through infrastructure investment, skills training and technology upgrades to modernize processing facilities, improve cold storage networks and strengthen disease control systems. Infrastructure challenges Infrastructure deficits remain the primary obstacle. In September 2025, the government announced plans to establish modern abattoirs and processing facilities nationwide to meet international halal standards. Outdated cold chains limit capacity. Production costs reach $5 per kilogram compared with India&#39;s $3.5 per kilogram, as revealed during a meeting with PM&rsquo;s&nbsp;Special Assistant Haroon Akhtar Khan with industry stakeholders on October 20, 2025. Foot and Mouth Disease restricts access to premium markets. October 2025 discussions with Malaysia and Qatar addressed these challenges while opening cooperation channels. Pakistan also vowed to improve disease control, breeding programs and traceability systems. Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain said at an October 19, 2025, meeting that Pakistan would overcome production costs and cold chain deficiencies through targeted interventions and public-private partnerships. International cooperation International partnerships provide access to expertise, technology and markets. October 2025 meetings with Australia, Malaysia, Qatar and the United States secured technical support. The Samsons Group is partnering with the Ministry of National Food Security and Pakistan Agricultural Research Council to improve livestock breeds, feed quality and disease control.&nbsp; The partnership aims to position Pakistan in, while promoting value-added products and agro-tourism in areas including Malam Jabba Valley in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Australia, which exported 1.69 million metric tons of beef in 2024, according to Meat and Livestock Australia, will provide technology transfer.&nbsp; Discussions with Qatar and US focused on improving livestock genetics, disease management and research to enhance compliance and market access in the Middle East, Southeast Asia and beyond. Private sector role Private sector engagement drives the strategy. Government partnerships with private companies aim to modernize processing and boost export potential through capital investment. Their focus on value-added halal products aligns with growing global demand for certified, sustainable food. Government-backed initiatives, including Samsons Group&rsquo;s Malam Jabba Valley project, combine mountain agriculture and livestock development to create rural income and enhance sustainability. Economic visionPakistan&rsquo;s livestock population grew from 143 million in 2006 to 251.3 million in 2024, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. Dr. Ikramul Haq, a leading Pakistani economist, says this growth presents a major opportunity for the country. &ldquo;Pakistan has huge potential in this sector, thanks to its rapidly growing livestock population. With one of the largest livestock populations in the world, this subsector is vital, accounting for more than 60% of the country&rsquo;s total agricultural economy,&rdquo; he said. He noted that boosting productivity, quality and compliance could drive significant growth in domestic and international markets. Pakistan aims to increase competitiveness in key markets. The United Arab Emirates accounted for 39% ($200 million) and Saudi Arabia 28% ($142 million) of meat exports in fiscal 2024, according to Pakistan Bureau of Statistics data. Expansion targets include Europe and Southeast Asia. The strategy positions Pakistan as a major player in the halal market, leveraging its large livestock population, established halal practices, strategic location between Middle Eastern and Asian markets, and a young workforce.

Economy

Pakistan is pursuing reforms, infrastructure upgrades, and international partnerships to expand its halal meat exports, though outdated facilities, disease control gaps, and logistics challenges continue to limit competitiveness.

Pakistan targets global halal market with reforms to boost meat exports

ISLAMABAD: At the recent Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly in Geneva, an Indian representative from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Aparajita Sarangi, claimed that &ldquo;Kashmir is an integral part of India&rdquo; and that &ldquo;the accession of Jammu and Kashmir to India was completely legal and irrevocable.&rdquo;&nbsp;However, a fact-based review of international documents and ground realities shows that this claim does not align with historical, legal, or international facts.&nbsp;1. Kashmir&rsquo;s status is defined by the UN as disputedThe United Nations Security Council (UNSC) passed resolutions in 1948 and 1949, specifically Resolutions 47 and 51, that recognized Jammu and Kashmir as a disputed territory. These resolutions called for a free and impartial plebiscite to determine whether the region&rsquo;s people wished to join India or Pakistan.&nbsp;That plebiscite has never been held, and the region&rsquo;s status therefore remains undecided under international law.&nbsp;&ldquo;Kashmir&rsquo;s future must be determined by its people, not by unilateral declarations,&rdquo; Pakistan maintains in its consistent position before international forums.&nbsp;2. World&rsquo;s most militarized regionIf Kashmir were truly an &ldquo;integral part&rdquo; of India, it would not require the presence of hundreds of thousands of troops. Independent global assessments describe Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir as one of the most militarized zones in the world, with a long history of armed resistance and civilian unrest dating back to 1947.&nbsp;3. India&rsquo;s 2019 actions contradict international commitmentsIn August 2019, India revoked Article 370 of its constitution, stripping Jammu and Kashmir of its special autonomous status. Pakistan and international observers have called this action a violation of UN resolutions and an attempt to alter the region&rsquo;s demographic and political identity.&nbsp;Since then, Pakistan has marked August 5 as &ldquo;Youm-e-Istehsal,&rdquo; or Day of Exploitation, observing it as a reminder of what it calls India&rsquo;s &ldquo;unilateral and illegal actions&rdquo; in the occupied territory.&nbsp;4. Human rights concerns remain documented&nbsp;International human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have reported arbitrary detentions, restrictions on free speech, and limitations on movement in Indian-occupied Kashmir since the revocation of Article 370.&nbsp;Reports by Reuters and AFP indicate ongoing fears of demographic changes and suppression of dissent in the region.&nbsp;5. Global and Kashmiri voices call for self-determinationThe All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) and other Kashmiri political groups continue to demand implementation of the UN-mandated plebiscite. In 2025, APHC spokesperson Abdul Rashid Minhas reaffirmed the group&rsquo;s commitment to peaceful self-determination, despite restrictions and detentions.&nbsp;&ldquo;Kashmiris remain steadfast in their demand for the right to decide their own future,&rdquo; Minhas said earlier this year.&nbsp;Prominent Kashmiri leader Yasin Malik, currently imprisoned, has also consistently called for self-determination and an internationally supervised plebiscite.&nbsp;6. International concern over India&rsquo;s stanceDebate over India&rsquo;s 2019 actions has extended to foreign parliaments and academic circles. A 2020 US Congressional discussion raised concerns that India&rsquo;s decision could destabilize South Asia and escalate tensions with Pakistan.&nbsp;The Harvard Law Review (2021) described India&rsquo;s Kashmir policy as resembling &ldquo;settler colonialism,&rdquo; referring to demographic engineering through new domicile laws.&nbsp;Dispute recognized by the worldWhile India insists that Kashmir is an &ldquo;internal matter,&rdquo; the United Nations, international law, and decades of unresolved conflict demonstrate otherwise.&nbsp;Until the promised plebiscite is held and the will of the Kashmiri people is respected, the status of Jammu and Kashmir will remain disputed, not integral to India.&nbsp;As Pakistan consistently asserts: &ldquo;Kashmir&rsquo;s future lies in the right of its people to self-determination, not in unilateral claims.&rdquo;

Indian army soldiers light earthen lamp on a fence to celebrate Diwali, near the Line of Control in Akhnoor sector, Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. October 16, 2025. (AP)

Fact Check

Kashmir remains a UN-recognized disputed territory despite Indian claims. International law and UN resolutions call for a plebiscite to determine the region’s final status through the will of its people.

Fact Check: Why Kashmir can never be an integral part of India

ISLAMABAD:&nbsp;At first glance, it feels almost anachronistic&mdash;two countries announcing a barter agreement in the third decade of the 21st century, in a world hurtling towards a cashless economy. Yet, this is precisely the economic route countries like Pakistan, Iran, and Russia seem to be charting in 2025. On Sunday, Pakistan and Iran formally signed an amended Business-to-Business (B2B) Barter Trade Mechanism, first introduced in 2023, aimed at boosting bilateral trade between the two sanction-hit economies. The news was confirmed by Pakistan&#39;s Ambassador in Tehran, Muhammad Mudassir Tipu. According to Tipu, the revised statutory regulatory order (SRO) followed &ldquo;an exhaustive process of deliberations,&rdquo; and addressed longstanding concerns of the business communities in both countries. He expressed optimism that the framework would &quot;substantially elevate Pakistan-Iran trade and diversify its base.&quot; Business bodies and chambers of commerce were encouraged to circulate the SRO among their members to enable them to capitalize on what he termed &ldquo;mutually-beneficial trade dividends.&rdquo; This development follows another high-profile barter deals. In October 2024, Pakistan signed a barter deal with Russia in Moscow. According to Pakistan&rsquo;s Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), the agreement involved Russian firms and Pakistani companies exchanging agricultural commodities such as chickpeas, rice, mandarins, potatoes, and lentils. The deals were sealed during the first-ever Pakistan-Russia Trade and Investment Forum, with over 60 Pakistani firms showcasing goods and services with a combined export value exceeding $500 million. The forum also featured high-ranking Russian officials and banks, who expressed an interest in alternative payment mechanisms given the continuing SWIFT sanctions on Russia. Why barter? Why now? The resurrection of barter as a tool of statecraft and economic survival has not gone unnoticed. Once relegated to history books, barter has made a curious comeback. To be clear: this isn&rsquo;t romantic nostalgia for ancient trade routes or a step toward alternative economic utopias. Rather, it is a direct response to modern geopolitical and financial constraints, especially in economies heavily burdened by sanctions, currency volatility, and restricted access to global banking infrastructure. According to economist Dr Ikramul Haq, barter offers developing countries like Pakistan a strategic lifeline in a world where Western-dominated financial institutions and reserve currencies&mdash;primarily the US dollar&mdash;remain gatekeepers of international trade. For nations under sanctions such as Iran and Russia, barter becomes less of an option and more of a necessity. &ldquo;The bartering system helps to end dependence on keeping foreign exchange reserves and mitigate fluctuations,&rdquo; Dr Haq explained. &ldquo;In case of Iran and Russia, the additional reason is sanctions on banks imposed by the US and other states.&rdquo; This also explains why Dr Haq advocates for Pakistan to expand such mechanisms to all &quot;Golden Ring&quot; countries&mdash;a term sometimes used to refer to the emerging bloc of Russia, China, Iran, Turkey, and Pakistan. Iran: A crisis economy Iran&rsquo;s embrace of barter is less a strategic pivot than an act of economic survival. Its 2025 macroeconomic outlook is, by most accounts, grim. According to the World Bank, Iran is projected to experience a 1.7% contraction in GDP this year, with the Iranian Parliament&#39;s own research center forecasting -0.3% growth in the first half alone. This is compounded by inflation, with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) projecting a 43.3% inflation rate for 2025, up from 32.6% in 2024. Sanctions are at the heart of Iran&rsquo;s economic woes.&nbsp;Renewed UN sanctions, reinstated in September 2025, have severely impacted the country&rsquo;s oil revenue and foreign exchange reserves. The 12-day war with Israel only accelerated inflationary expectations and currency depreciation. Meanwhile, Iran&rsquo;s currency&nbsp;is in free fall. While officially pegged at 42,000 IRR per USD, the free-market rate is substantially worse. In the most pessimistic&mdash;but widely accepted&mdash;scenario outlined by the Iranian Chamber of Commerce, inflation could hit 90% and the exchange rate could reach 165,000 tomans (equivalent to 1.65 million rials) per dollar by the end of the year. Poverty is escalating just as quickly. The World Bank estimates that 32.7 million Iranians, out of a population of 86 million, now live on less than $8.30/day, the international poverty threshold. Despite a life expectancy of 77.7 years, Iran&rsquo;s per capita GDP stands at $5,528.9, with total GDP at $475.3 billion (in 2024). Against this backdrop, barter offers Tehran a path&mdash;however limited&mdash;to bypass the dollarized international system and maintain trade flows without exhausting its dwindling reserves and navigating sanctioned banking channels. Russia: Sanctioned but still trading The Russian economy, though more resilient than Iran&rsquo;s, is also being dragged toward alternative trade arrangements by necessity. Following years of Western sanctions over the war in Ukraine, Russia&#39;s access to the global banking system remains severely constrained. The IMF&rsquo;s 2025 report revised Russia&rsquo;s GDP growth forecast to 0.6%, down sharply from 4.3% in 2024. While not collapsing, the Russian economy is clearly losing steam. Several factors are contributing to this slowdown: 1. &nbsp; &nbsp;High interest rates imposed by the Central Bank to curb inflation 2. &nbsp; &nbsp;Reduced oil revenues due to global price volatility and export limits 3. &nbsp; &nbsp;Dwindling fiscal reserves, which had previously cushioned the impact of sanctions Inflation remains persistent, projected at 9% in 2025&mdash;more than double the global average. Meanwhile, the ruble, which has seen periods of extreme volatility, is currently trading at around 81 per USD. Some analysts predict a gradual devaluation, with one Central Bank survey expecting it to average 102 per USD before year&rsquo;s end. Still, Russia has adapted in typical Kremlin fashion&mdash;by building elaborate sanctions evasion networks and deepening ties with countries willing to trade outside the dollar-based system. India, the UAE, and China continue to do business with Moscow, albeit with their own forms of risk mitigation. For Pakistan, therefore, entering a barter arrangement with Russia isn&#39;t just symbolic&mdash;it&rsquo;s practical. It offers access to agricultural exports, manufacturing goods, and even energy commodities, without dealing with SWIFT-related complications. Is barter a long-term economic model? Barter is not without its critics. Most mainstream economists and leading financial institutes&mdash;including Merwan Engineer, Shouyong Shi and even David Graeber&mdash;consider it inefficient or inherently limited. Without a standard medium of exchange, trade requires perfect bilateral balance&mdash;something rare in complex global supply chains. There are also logistical challenges: matching needs, coordinating delivery timelines, and ensuring equivalency in value. However, in sanction-heavy geo-economic environments, these inefficiencies are often deemed a worthwhile price to pay for strategic autonomy. As Dr Haq noted, barter arrangements allow developing economies to maintain trade relationships, conserve foreign reserves, and resist dependency on Western financial systems. That said, barter alone is not a remedy. For it to function as a sustainable supplement&mdash;not just a sanction workaround&mdash;countries must build legal frameworks, logistics networks, and valuation protocols. The involvement of chambers of commerce, as seen in the Pakistan-Iran SRO, is a step in that direction. But the elephant in the room remains: is this a temporary adaptation, or a signal of a deeper shift in the global economic order? Beyond barter Some experts see the return of barter not as nostalgia, but as a prelude to a new parallel financial system&mdash;a multipolar world where dollar hegemony is diluted by yuan, and local currencies backed by commodity exchange or digital tokens. Efforts like Russia&rsquo;s Mir payment system, China&rsquo;s digital yuan, and bilateral clearing mechanisms between BRICS nations indicate that barter may be a stepping stone toward broader de-dollarization efforts. If so, Pakistan, Iran, and Russia are early adopters of a model born not of economic idealism but of necessity&mdash;required due to sanctions, resource constraints, and diplomatic isolation. Final thoughts Barter, once dismissed as archaic, now occupies an unlikely position in the toolbox of 21st-century economic diplomacy. While unlikely to replace modern financial systems, it offers a stopgap&mdash;and in some cases, a strategy&mdash;for nations navigating a world of geopolitical fragmentation and asymmetric economic power.

People barter goods in San Miguel market, on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, Argentina. (REUTERS)

Banking

Business

Developing nations like Pakistan, Iran, and Russia are reviving barter trade as a strategic workaround to bypass dollar dependence, financial sanctions, and restricted global banking access.


In the age of digital trade, why are developing countries turning to barter?

It&rsquo;s happened. Again. Predictably. Inevitable.&nbsp;Perhaps it was bound to happen. In an era of unverified media and echo chambers amplifying right-wing Indian nationalist narratives, another seemingly innocent historical site has become collateral damage. This time, the 14th-century architectural marvel Adina Mosque in West Bengal has become the latest casualty of this aggressive Hindu nationalist revisionism. An innocuous post by Yusuf Pathan, brother of famed cricketer Irfan Pathan, documenting his visit to the historic Adina Mosque, was all it took.&nbsp; Pathan wrote on X (formerly Twitter): &quot;The Adina Mosque in Malda, West Bengal, is a historic mosque built in the 14th century by Sultan Sikandar Shah, the second ruler of the Ilyas Shahi dynasty. Constructed in 1373&ndash;1375 CE, it was the largest mosque in the Indian subcontinent during its time, showcasing the region&#39;s architectural grandeur.&quot; <figure class="fr-media"><img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/206772c2-98f7-433f-8c89-d7d47dbc6c7e-1.png" alt="Yusuf Pathan's post on X (Twitter) regarding Adina Mosque" class="fr-fil fr-dib"><figcaption class="caption-cover-image text-sm text-gray-600 italic">Yusuf Pathan&#39;s post on X (Twitter) regarding Adina Mosque</figcaption></figure> Historical fact, you might think. Not in today&rsquo;s India. No sooner had the post gone live than a digital avalanche of faux outrage, conspiracy theories, and archaeological fiction followed&mdash;largely driven by Hindu nationalist accounts hell-bent on turning every brick and dome into a misplaced remnant of a Hindu temple. Enter Grok&mdash;Elon Musk&rsquo;s latest toy and a large language model (LLM). For context, an LLM is a sophisticated system that processes and generates text by analyzing massive datasets, unlike a sentient intelligence But that didn&rsquo;t stop users from weaponizing it. An Indian X user, 𝐕𝐑 (@0xVeepul), asked Grok under Yusuf&rsquo;s post: &ldquo;Is the above information correct?&rdquo; To which Grok replied&mdash;calmly and factually: &ldquo;Yes, the information about the Adina Mosque is accurate based on historical records. It was built by Sultan Sikandar Shah in 1373&ndash;1375 CE and was the largest in the subcontinent at the time.&rdquo; <figure class="fr-media"><img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/7f765913-3caf-42fa-b5e2-cb16e2482cd1-2.png" alt="Screengrab from X" class="fr-fil fr-dib"><figcaption class="caption-cover-image text-sm text-gray-600 italic">Screengrab from X</figcaption></figure> Cue outrage. Unwilling to let facts spoil a good myth, other users doubled down. PlanH (@planH_In) declared with full nationalist indignation: &ldquo;Dear Yusuf Pathan, you are standing in the campus of one of the largest Hindu Temples, Adinath Temple, which was desecrated and occupied by Islamic invaders [&hellip;] It is time to undo the injustice and barbarity, and reestablish the temple.&rdquo; <figure class="fr-media"><img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/c63e9860-5048-49b7-958d-c0d2a1ba844c-4.png" alt="An Indian X user argues that the historic 14th-century Adina Mosque in West Bengal, India was originally a Hindu temple. (X)" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><figcaption class="caption-cover-image text-sm text-gray-600 italic">An Indian X user argues that the historic 14th-century Adina Mosque in West Bengal, India was originally a Hindu temple. (X)</figcaption></figure> Once that claim didn&rsquo;t quite hold up to scrutiny&mdash;or reality&mdash;goalposts were shifted. Another user, now armed with poorly cropped images of carvings, asked Grok: &ldquo;@grok Can you verify this image belongs to the same place?&rdquo; Again, Grok tried to inject sanity: &ldquo;The images you shared appear to be close-ups of carvings at the Adina Mosque in Malda, West Bengal. Sources like OpIndia, and India Today indicate the mosque incorporates Hindu and Jain motifs from reused temple materials, matching the terracotta figures and designs shown. They align with the site&#39;s documented architecture.&rdquo; <figure class="fr-media"><img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/ddc6e295-1651-47d7-8ff0-b9aa103f10fd-6.png" alt="Grok fact-checks an Indian X user's claim that images from inside the Adina Mosque prove it was once a Hindu temple. (X)" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><figcaption class="caption-cover-image text-sm text-gray-600 italic">Grok fact-checks an Indian X user&#39;s claim that images from inside the Adina Mosque prove it was once a Hindu temple. (X)</figcaption></figure> In other words: yes, some recycled materials were used. That&rsquo;s not the same as &ldquo;Hindu temple desecrated by Islamic invaders.&rdquo; But nuance, it seems, is not welcome in this arena. The storm continues, echoing the now infamous Babri Masjid debacle&mdash;and, more ludicrously, the attempts to &quot;reclaim&quot; even the Taj Mahal as a Hindu site. Babri Masjid: The blueprint of manufactured outrage The Babri Masjid dispute remains the cautionary tale that refuses to fade. Constructed in the 16th century by Mir Baqi, a general under Mughal emperor Babur, the mosque stood in Ayodhya until it was demolished by a Hindu mob in 1992. The justification? The belief that it was built atop the birthplace of Lord Ram&mdash;a claim without conclusive historical proof. As Reuters have reported, the mosque&rsquo;s destruction triggered nationwide communal riots, leaving over 2,000 dead. The Supreme Court of India later ruled in 2019 that the demolition was unlawful&mdash;while paradoxically awarding the land for a Hindu temple, citing archaeological surveys. These very Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) surveys, ordered in 2003, claimed the presence of a pre-existing structure with &quot;non-Islamic&quot; architectural features. Yet these findings were hotly contested. Archaeologists Supriya Varma and Jaya Menon, court-appointed observers of the dig, later accused the ASI of methodological flaws and ideological bias (Huffington Post, December 2018). In their 2010 article in the Economic and Political Weekly, they argued the excavation &quot;did not find anything that supported ASI&rsquo;s conclusion.&quot; Historian and professor Arshad Islam, in his academic paper Babri Mosque: A Historic Bone of Contention (International Islamic University Malaysia), went further&mdash;arguing that the narrative of Ram&rsquo;s birthplace was a colonial invention.&nbsp; According to Islam, the British used such stories to divide Hindus and Muslims and consolidate imperial control&mdash;a legacy still haunting the subcontinent today. The Taj Mahal: From mausoleum to mythical mandir Not even India&rsquo;s most iconic monument is safe. In 2018, BJP Member of Parliament Vinay Katiyar claimed the Taj Mahal was originally a Hindu temple, named &ldquo;Tejo Mahalaya,&rdquo; and suggested it would be &ldquo;converted&rdquo; into a temple soon (Al Jazeera, Feb 6, 2018). This was not satire&mdash;it was a genuine policy statement. Let&rsquo;s be clear, historical records, including the Padshahnama from the Mughal period, confirm the land for the Taj was legally purchased from Raja Jai Singh. Archaeological evidence, according to the ASI, has found no indication of a temple beneath the structure. And the locked rooms, long a source of conspiracy theories, have been periodically opened for maintenance, and photos are public. Still, the myth persists&mdash;thanks largely to one man: P.N. Oak. A self-styled revisionist, Oak founded the &ldquo;Institute for Rewriting Indian History&rdquo; in 1964 and proposed, among other things, that virtually every major monument in India&mdash;Muslim, Christian, or otherwise&mdash;was originally a Hindu temple. His claims were so fantastical that India&rsquo;s Supreme Court dismissed a case based on his theories as &quot;frivolous&quot; and labeled it a &quot;publicity interest litigation.&quot; His &lsquo;ideas&rsquo; still inspire popular media. In October 2025, The Taj Story&mdash;a film starring Paresh Rawal&mdash;reignited this theory with a tour guide character demanding a &quot;DNA test&quot; for the Taj Mahal. According to The Print&mdash;an Indian digital platform&mdash;the film resurrects long-debunked conspiracy theories under the guise of entertainment. A pattern of appropriation This is no longer about academic disagreement. This is ideological repurposing masquerading as historical correction. From the Babri Masjid to the Adina Mosque, and even the Taj Mahal, the pattern is clear: 1. &nbsp; &nbsp;Identify an Islamic monument. 2. &nbsp; &nbsp;Launch a campaign of pseudohistorical claims. 3. &nbsp; &nbsp;Demand &ldquo;reclamation.&rdquo; 4. &nbsp; &nbsp;Ignore evidence, facts, and historians. 5. &nbsp; &nbsp;Repeat. This systematic targeting of Muslim heritage is not accidental&mdash;it&rsquo;s a calculated cultural war waged via hashtags, LLM prompts, and WhatsApp forwards.

Hindu devotees wait to enter the Hindu god Lord Ram temple after its inauguration in Ayodhya, India, January 23, 2024. (Reuters)

This systematic targeting of Muslim heritage is not accidental—it’s a calculated cultural war.

Another historic mosque dragged into Hindu temple narrative storm

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu no longer enjoys the excuse of waging a war on Gaza to manipulate corruption charges, opposition, and public scrutiny. Legal challenges Netanyahu is currently confronting three separate corruption trials. According to AFP, he faces allegations of receiving luxury items valued at over 260,000 USD, including cigars, jewelry, and champagne from wealthy businessmen in exchange for political favors. On June 29, 2025, an Israeli court postponed Netanyahu&#39;s testimony in the corruption trial. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly called for the case to be &lsquo;cancelled&rsquo;. In his recent address to the Knesset in Tel Aviv, Trump asked Israeli President Isaac Herzog to pardon Netanyahu. Political opposition Yesh Atid, led by Yair Lapid, represents the primary opposition bloc. However, the group faces significant challenges in presenting a unified alternative to Netanyahu&#39;s government. Reuters reported in September 2025 that the opposition&#39;s attempt to dissolve parliament and force early elections failed, primarily due to ultra-Orthodox factions striking a deal with Netanyahu on mandatory military service. The opposition&#39;s internal fragmentation remains a critical weakness, with deep ideological differences preventing a united front. Coalition dependencies Netanyahu&#39;s government heavily relies on far-right parties like Otzma Yehudit and Religious Zionism. Party leaders Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich have threatened to destabilize the coalition over policy disagreements, particularly concerning the Gaza ceasefire deal. British politician Callum Miller noted that Netanyahu&#39;s dependency on far-right partners forces more radical actions, prioritizing coalition unity over national interests. Military establishment critique The Israeli security establishment has sharply criticized Netanyahu&#39;s leadership. As documented in &lsquo;Netanyahu vs The Generals: The Battle for Israel&#39;s Future,&rsquo; high-ranking security officials have publicly challenged the government&#39;s strategic decisions. Michael Oren, a former Israeli ambassador to the US, stated in October 2025 that Israel has exhausted major military options against Hamas. Judicial reform controversies A bill passed in March 2025 allows what the Israeli opposition termed as increased government influence over judicial appointments. Many have raised substantial concerns about judicial independence. Reuters reported in April 2023 that thousands of Israelis have protested in Tel Aviv against the government&#39;s judicial reform plans. In July 2023, AFP described mass protests and strikes across Israel sparked by the government&#39;s reform initiatives. War on Gaza management Netanyahu has faced mounting criticism over the conflict&#39;s management. The Guardian reported on October 14, 2025, that Netanyahu&#39;s rhetoric emphasized continued military presence, contradicting claims of a &lsquo;concluded conflict.&rsquo; Reuters noted that opposition leader Benny Gantz withdrew from the emergency war cabinet, criticizing what he believed had been Netanyahu&#39;s lack of strategic planning. Hostage families&#39; pressure The Hostages and Missing Families Forum has become a powerful opposition voice. AFP reported that many family members demonstrated against Netanyahu during his United Nations General Assembly speech. In October 2025, Reuters reported the forum&#39;s continued dissatisfaction with the ceasefire-hostage deal. Political prospects The Israel Democracy Institute&#39;s October 2025 report revealed mixed public sentiment with only over 40% of Israelis having trust in Netanyahu. A Maariv poll in The Times of Israel on October 10 showed Netanyahu&#39;s Likud party projected to win 27 Knesset seats, a slight increase from previous standings. While still significantly short of a majority, this shows uptick in positive public perception. The temporary boost is likely from the hostage-ceasefire deal. However, the same Democracy Institute study showed that 64% of Israelis believe Netanyahu should resign over the October 7, 2023 security failures. His ability to maintain political relevance amidst significant opposition indicates a capacity for strategic political maneuvering. Existing public opinion data suggests that he may be able to form a coalition government in the upcoming October 2026 elections.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a joint press conference with US President Donald Trump (not pictured) in the State Dining Room at the White House in Washington, DC, US, September 29, 2025. (Reuters)

Netanyahu faces mounting legal, political, and public challenges after Gaza war, with corruption trials, opposition criticism, and 64% of Israelis believing he should resign over security failures.

Can Netanyahu survive the odds after Gaza peace deal?

&quot;Someone like me and someone like you shouldn&#39;t work&quot; &ndash; or should they?&nbsp; Welp, it was bound to happen: Pakistan meets South Korea, or is it? Our very own &ndash; or maybe half? &ndash; Zayn Malik collaborated with Blackpink&#39;s Jisoo on a new track &quot;Eyes Closed&quot;, released today. The power of Pakistani fans meets the global K-pop fandom &ndash; the official music video already has over 5 million views! On Wednesday, Zayn shared a picture of him and Jisoo on Instagram, with the post stating &quot;JISOO X ZAYN. Digital Single &#39;𝐄𝐘𝐄𝐒 𝐂𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐄𝐃&#39;&quot;. Spotify&#39;s official account remarked almost a day later: &quot;We have our eyes wide open for this one!&quot; Even Spotify knows the power of Jisoo stans and Zayn&#39;s diehard desi fans! <div class="fr-embed instagram-embed" style="width: 50%; display: block; max-width: 600px;"><div class="fr-embed instagram-embed" style="width: 50%; display: block; max-width: 600px;"><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-1" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/DPhbeI1EyxA/embed/captioned/?cr=1&v=14&wp=444&rd=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com&rp=%2Farticles%2F1206%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A1%2C%22os%22%3A136185%2C%22ls%22%3A839%2C%22le%22%3A1273%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="720" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-1" scrolling="no" style="background: white; max-width: 540px; width: calc(100% - 2px); border-radius: 3px; border: 1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219); box-shadow: none; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 12px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0px;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div> While Zayn kept it professional with an official announcement, Blackpink&#39;s Jisoo knew exactly how to grab attention. She amped up the relatability factor by sharing cute pics of her and Zayn goofing off like besties! The post garnered more than 2.1 million likes in just an hour. Artists, take notes! &ndash; or their PR teams, we suppose. <img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/2c4dc61e-e748-4b81-a9ca-b71c9edd7be0.png" style="width: 494px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Screenhot of Jisoo's Instagram account">Screenshot of Jisoo&#39;s Instagram account The music video: A cosmic journey of love and confusion The MV opens with a spaceship straight out of 1960s science fiction, with Jisoo emerging from a cryopod, crooning about how &quot;time is standing still&quot;. <figure class="fr-media"><img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/cd3d07d8-80e8-43cf-aaaa-0ef96fb62cfe-1.png" alt="Spaceship hurtling through space (Screenshot from the music video " class="fr-fil fr-dib"><figcaption class="caption-cover-image text-sm text-gray-600 italic">Spaceship hurtling through space (Screenshot from the music video &quot;Eyes Closed&quot; by Jisoo and Zayn on YouTube, uploaded October 10, 2025)</figcaption></figure> Zayn, equally lovelorn, responds that he knows &quot;what you&#39;re feeling and I know you wanna say it&quot;, while nestled in his own cryopod. The video then pauses over their interstellar personnel identification cards: <table style="border: 1pt solid windowtext; width: 37%; margin-right: calc(63%);" id="isPasted"><thead><tr><td style="border: 1pt solid windowtext; padding: 0.75pt; width: 36.3373%; text-align: center;">Detail</td><td style="border: 1pt solid windowtext; padding: 0.75pt; width: 63.372%; text-align: center;">Information</td></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td style="border: 1pt solid windowtext; padding: 0.75pt; width: 36.3373%; text-align: center;">Traveler</td><td style="border: 1pt solid windowtext; padding: 0.75pt; width: 63.372%; text-align: center;">Z A Y N</td></tr><tr><td style="border: 1pt solid windowtext; padding: 0.75pt; width: 36.3373%; text-align: center;">Destination</td><td style="border: 1pt solid windowtext; padding: 0.75pt; width: 63.372%; text-align: center;">LV-500</td></tr><tr><td style="border: 1pt solid windowtext; padding: 0.75pt; width: 36.3373%; text-align: center;">Cryosleep Chamber</td><td style="border: 1pt solid windowtext; padding: 0.75pt; width: 63.372%; text-align: center;">[Number not fully visible]</td></tr></tbody></table> <figure class="fr-media"><img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/e1b00842-eb5d-4977-81e3-768b815e5974-2.png" alt="Interstellar personnel identification (Screenshot from the music video " class="fr-fil fr-dib"><figcaption class="caption-cover-image text-sm text-gray-600 italic">Interstellar personnel identification&nbsp;</figcaption></figure> Jennifer Lawrence&rsquo;s Passengers vibes, anyone? Decked out in all black &ndash; that jacket is magic, we tell ya! &ndash; Zayn reassures his beloved that he feels the same, but &quot;we gotta be patient&quot;. <figure class="fr-media"><img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/410097d5-0f29-47f2-b5b6-2826c285fbe7-3.png" alt="(Screenshot from the music video " class="fr-fil fr-dib"><figcaption class="caption-cover-image text-sm text-gray-600 italic">(Screenshot from the music video &quot;Eyes Closed&quot; by Jisoo and Zayn on YouTube, uploaded October 10, 2025)</figcaption></figure> Floating like a space-age Romeo, Zayn turns zero-gravity into a metaphorical love dance. Tilted precariously in his chair, he&#39;s the poster child for cosmic recklessness &ndash; defying gravity while crooning about falling in love with eyes closed. Who needs watching where you&#39;re going when you can drift romantically through the universe, one anti-gravity chair-tilt at a time? It&#39;s part love song, part physics-defying performance art &ndash; a zero-gravity trust fall into romance? <figure class="fr-media"><img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/4318fd13-bfcf-4106-8c44-3742e14d4bf2-5.png" alt="Zayn's flirtation with zero-gravity (Screenshot from the music video " class="fr-fil fr-dib"><figcaption class="caption-cover-image text-sm text-gray-600 italic">Zayn&#39;s flirtation with zero-gravity&nbsp;</figcaption></figure> Visual oddities and lyrical musings The duo unite in an endless white hallway with a red carpet, declaring &quot;ain&#39;t nobody perfect but it&#39;s all good&quot;. Weird mercury-like liquid mechanisms float inexplicably in between shots of the duo &ndash; because why not? <figure class="fr-media"><img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/1665b49f-9cd7-4047-8eed-361e75cfda9f-4.png" alt="(Screenshot from the music video " class="fr-fil fr-dib"><figcaption class="caption-cover-image text-sm text-gray-600 italic">(Screenshot from the music video &quot;Eyes Closed&quot; by Jisoo and Zayn on YouTube, uploaded October 10, 2025)</figcaption></figure> &quot;The past can&#39;t hurt us if we don&#39;t look, let&#39;s let it go,&quot; they sing, with Jisoo standing eerily still in a black sleeveless dress, reminiscent of the twins in Kubrick&#39;s The Shining. The camera pans out with a 360-degree flip that would make a cinematographer dizzy. <figure class="fr-media"><img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/31f40123-292b-4ce1-8290-b59d75a6a478-6.png" alt="Jisoo staring at the camera while standing in the hallway a la The Shining (Screenshot from the music video " class="fr-fil fr-dib"><figcaption class="caption-cover-image text-sm text-gray-600 italic">Jisoo staring at the camera while standing in the hallway a la The Shining&nbsp;</figcaption></figure> Very next moment, Jisoo is sure to inform us how she has &ldquo;got tunnel vision every second&rdquo;. It might be about love but hey, if it fits! A hovering robot follows her every move. Veiled threat? Media metaphor? Your guess is as good as ours. <figure class="fr-media"><img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/60a5f43c-dcfa-45d9-a506-9ba027638b2f-7.png" alt="(Screenshot from the music video " class="fr-fil fr-dib"><figcaption class="caption-cover-image text-sm text-gray-600 italic">(Screenshot from the music video &quot;Eyes Closed&quot; by Jisoo and Zayn on YouTube, uploaded October 10, 2025)</figcaption></figure> The two could also be seen circling each other like cosmic kindergarteners playing an intergalactic version of &quot;Ring Around the Rosie&quot;. Who says you&#39;re too old for childhood games? Not them! as they sing simultaneously about &quot;the names and faces of who we were with&quot; &ndash; part nostalgic waltz, part space ballet? <figure class="fr-media"><img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/e5363b76-1535-401b-a8a9-0e89665a8183-8.png" alt="Jisoo and Zayn's galactic " class="fr-fil fr-dib"><figcaption class="caption-cover-image text-sm text-gray-600 italic">Jisoo and Zayn&#39;s galactic &quot;Ring Around the Rosie&quot;&nbsp;</figcaption></figure> The Saturn surprise and final thoughts Just when you were getting immersed in the futuristic setting, Jisoo appears with a smartphone, cradled by impossibly long, spiky nails &ndash; peak 2020s fashion and tech, ladies and gentlemen! <figure class="fr-media"><img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/28463204-a6a7-4eb7-b2a0-bbc66bea4804-9.png" alt="Spiky nails meets smartphone - peak 2020s! (Screenshot from the music video " class="fr-fil fr-dib"><figcaption class="caption-cover-image text-sm text-gray-600 italic">Long spiky nails and smartphones - peak 2020s!&nbsp;</figcaption></figure> The climax? They pass&nbsp;Saturn! Yes, with all this advanced interstellar transportation, they end up at Saturn. Because why not? A glimpse of four other passengers suggests this might be an exclusive elite space party. Technology advances, but human nature? Stubborn as ever. The MV ends before revealing the final destination, but hey &ndash; they crossed Saturn! Why this ringed planet? Your guess is as good as ours &ndash; probably somewhere between &quot;random cosmic dartboard&quot; and &quot;we thought it looked cool&quot;. The video&#39;s theme matches the lyrics about as well as a penguin matches a desert landscape &mdash; and about&nbsp;as well as Zayn and Jisoo&#39;s on-screen chemistry. Chemistry or lack thereof They share less screen time than a celebrity&#39;s attention span &ndash; a grand total of 30 seconds! It&#39;s the musical equivalent of a long-distance relationship where both parties forgot to turn on their video call. Compare this to the electric collaboration between Bruno Mars and Blackpink&#39;s Lisa in &quot;APT&quot;. While the &quot;Eyes Closed&quot; MV is racking up impressive numbers, will it reach the heights of &quot;APT&quot;? We aren&#39;t so sure! The existential question So what are we left with? A music video that&#39;s part sci-fi fever dream, part love ballad, and entirely a testament to the beautiful chaos of cross-cultural collaboration. Zayn and Jisoo have created something that defies easy categorization &ndash; is it a love song? A space odyssey? A commentary on modern relationships? Perhaps the most profound moment comes when they sing, &quot;Really shouldn&#39;t work, yeah, the history is proof&quot; &ndash; a line that could apply just as much to their musical collaboration as to the relationship in the song. The video leaves us with more questions than answers: 1. &nbsp; &nbsp;Why Saturn? 2. &nbsp; &nbsp;What&#39;s with the hovering robot? 3. &nbsp; &nbsp;How many passengers are actually on this spaceship? 4. &nbsp; &nbsp;Is this a love story or a sci-fi narrative? Only Zayn and Jisoo know for sure &ndash; and they&#39;re keeping their Eyes Closed.

Jisoo and Zayn in the music video "Eyes Closed" 

Entertainment

Zayn Malik and Blackpink's Jisoo launch "Eyes Closed" – a cosmic love saga where zero gravity, Saturn, and 30 seconds of screen time collide in deliriously bizarre musical matrimony.

'Eyes Closed': Zayn Malik and Blackpink's Jisoo's cosmic confusion cruise 

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan hosted two high-level Saudi delegations on Wednesday in a series of meetings that underscored the deepening partnership between Islamabad and Riyadh, marking a renewed phase of strategic, economic, and parliamentary cooperation between the two long-standing allies.&nbsp;The first visit, led by Prince Mansour bin Muhammad bin Saad Al Saud, chairman of the Saudi-Pakistan Joint Business Council (JBC), focused on strengthening economic linkages and investment collaboration across key sectors. The second delegation, headed by Dr Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Ibrahim Al-Sheikh, chairman of the Shura Council of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, highlighted growing institutional and parliamentary engagement between the two nations.&nbsp;Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif hosted a banquet in honor of the Saudi business delegation led by Prince Mansour, commending the Kingdom&rsquo;s enduring support for Pakistan and reaffirming Islamabad&rsquo;s commitment to deepening bilateral economic relations, his office said in a statement.&nbsp;PM Sharif said the visit represented &ldquo;a formalization of our long-standing brotherly ties,&rdquo; emphasizing that Saudi Arabia &ldquo;has always stood by Pakistan through thick and thin&rdquo; and remains a trusted partner in every era.&nbsp;Reflecting on his recent visit to Riyadh, the prime minister praised Saudi Arabia&rsquo;s transformation under the leadership of Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, noting that Pakistan &ldquo;is eager to learn, collaborate, and grow together&rdquo; with the Kingdom.&nbsp;&ldquo;We have gathered with our Saudi brothers to strengthen business ties, promote trade, and explore joint ventures,&rdquo; he added, underscoring the mutual vision for shared prosperity.&nbsp;The Saudi&ndash;Pakistan Joint Business Council meeting, organized in collaboration with the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) and the Ministry of Commerce, brought together leading Saudi investors and Pakistani business leaders, the SIFC said.&nbsp;Discussions centered on trade, energy, minerals, agriculture, tourism, and infrastructure &mdash; sectors identified as priorities under Pakistan&rsquo;s investment-led growth strategy and Saudi Vision 2030.&nbsp;During the meeting, government officials briefed the Saudi side on Pakistan&rsquo;s evolving investment climate and recent reforms aimed at ensuring transparency and predictability for investors, the statement added.&nbsp;The SIFC also hosted a dedicated session detailing sector-specific opportunities, particularly in the energy, mining, real estate, and technology sectors.&nbsp;Prince Mansour praised Pakistan&rsquo;s investment facilitation framework and reaffirmed Riyadh&rsquo;s commitment to long-term economic engagement, the SIFC said.&nbsp;The statement quoted Prince Mansour as saying that Pakistan is &ldquo;an important regional partner with strong potential in agriculture, mining, energy, and technology,&rdquo; adding that the Saudi&ndash;Pakistan Joint Business Council remains one of the most successful bilateral business forums globally.&nbsp;The Saudi delegation is also scheduled to visit Karachi and Lahore to meet provincial leaders and major business houses, exploring opportunities for joint ventures and public&ndash;private partnerships.&nbsp;Parallel to the business-focused engagements, Dr Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Ibrahim Al-Sheikh, chairman of the Saudi Shura Council, met Prime Minister Sharif in Islamabad to discuss avenues for closer parliamentary and institutional cooperation, the PMO said.&nbsp;The meeting underscored the shared commitment to strengthening legislative collaboration and policy dialogue between the two nations&rsquo; representative bodies.&nbsp;Officials described both visits as complementary pillars of a broader effort to transform Pakistan&ndash;Saudi relations into a multidimensional partnership encompassing economic, institutional, and strategic cooperation. <img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/54731148-710b-48dd-b31b-c563731b577a.jpeg" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"> &nbsp;Separately, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who also received Prince Mansour and his delegation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the foreign office said, expressed satisfaction at the &ldquo;growing momentum in bilateral economic relations&rdquo; and reaffirmed Islamabad&rsquo;s readiness to facilitate Saudi investments.&nbsp;This week&rsquo;s engagements mark a significant milestone in the evolving partnership between Riyadh and Islamabad, aligning Pakistan&rsquo;s development agenda with Saudi Arabia&#39;s transformative vision for economic diversification.&nbsp;As the two delegations concluded their engagements in Islamabad, both sides reaffirmed their shared resolve to translate historic fraternal ties into a future-oriented economic partnership.

Foreign Affairs

Islamabad hosted two high-level Saudi delegations to strengthen economic, strategic, and parliamentary ties. Meetings focused on trade, investment, and institutional cooperation, aligning Pakistan’s development agenda with Saudi Vision 2030 for mutual growth and regional prosperity.

Saudi delegations bolster strategic, economic, and parliamentary ties with Pakistan

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Tajikistan&rsquo;s Foreign Ministry has condemned an armed drone attack launched from Afghanistan that killed three Chinese workers in the country&rsquo;s southern Khatlon region, calling on Afghan authorities to take &ldquo;effective measures&rdquo; to secure the shared border.&nbsp;In a statement issued on Thursday, the ministry said the assault occurred late Wednesday, when an unmanned aerial vehicle &ldquo;equipped with grenades and firearms&rdquo; struck the employees&rsquo; camp of LLC Shohin SM near the 1st Border Guard Post Istiqlol of the Yol Border Detachment.&nbsp;&ldquo;As a result of the attack, three employees of the LLC Shohin SM of Chinese citizenship were killed,&rdquo; the statement said. Tajikistan described the incident as an operation conducted &ldquo;from the territory of Afghanistan.&rdquo;&nbsp;The ministry noted that, despite Tajikistan&rsquo;s &ldquo;constant efforts&hellip; to maintain security and create an atmosphere of peace and stability&rdquo; along the frontier, &ldquo;disruptive actions by criminal groups located in the territory of Afghanistan still continue.&rdquo;&nbsp;Expressing &ldquo;deep concerns,&rdquo; the Tajik government said it &ldquo;strongly condemns these acts of terrorist groups&rdquo; and urged Afghanistan&rsquo;s de facto authorities &ldquo;to take effective measures to ensure stability and security on the state border between two neighboring countries.&rdquo;

Central Asia

Tajikistan condemned a deadly drone attack launched from Afghanistan that killed three Chinese workers in Khatlon, urging Kabul’s authorities to curb cross-border militant activity and ensure stronger security along the two countries’ shared frontier.

Tajikistan condemns Afghanistan drone strike killing three Chinese workers

ANKARA: Pope Leo XIV arrived in Turkiye on Thursday for a four-day visit where he will hold talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and meet Christian leaders on the first overseas trip of his papacy.&nbsp;The trip, which includes a second leg to Lebanon, begins in the Turkish capital Ankara, where the first American pope landed shortly after midday.&nbsp;&quot;I have very much been looking forward to this trip because of what it means for Christians, but it is also a great message to the whole world,&quot; he told reporters travelling with him on his plane, describing it as a &quot;historic moment&quot;.&nbsp;After paying his respects at the mausoleum dedicated to Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkiye, Leo will head into talks with Erdogan, who is seen as a key player for peace efforts in a region fraught with conflict.&nbsp;Then he will address authorities, civil society and the diplomatic corps before heading to Istanbul in the early evening.&nbsp;Leo&#39;s first steps abroad will be scrutinised by the world&#39;s media, with more than 80 journalists accompanying him on his papal plane.&nbsp;Since his election in May as the leader of the world&#39;s 1.4 billion Catholics, the pope has shown himself to be adept at handling the media, talking to reporters weekly.&nbsp;In a sign of his desire to reach a wide audience, Leo will deliver all his speeches during the trip in English, his native language, rather than the Italian he usually uses.&nbsp;His first address in Turkiye is expected to focus on dialogue with Islam in a country where Christians account for only 0.1 percent of the 86 million inhabitants -- most of them Sunni Muslims.&nbsp;On the doorstep of a conflict-ridden Middle East, the pope who upon his election called for &quot;unarmed and disarming&quot; peace, is expected to address the crises troubling the region.&nbsp;But between the colonnades of Ankara&#39;s monumental presidential palace, Leo will have to tread delicately if he plans to address the sensitive issue of human rights, the arrest of Erdogan&#39;s opponents, or the status of Turkey&#39;s Christians, who are struggling against inequality and exclusion.&nbsp;Promoting unityThe Holy See also acknowledges Turkiye&#39;s efforts in taking in more than 2.5 million mostly Syrian refugees, according to authorities.&nbsp;On the subject of refugees and migrants, Leo has followed in the footsteps of his predecessor Francis, most recently criticising the &quot;extremely disrespectful&quot; treatment of migrants by the government of US President Donald Trump.&nbsp;Friday&#39;s calendar will take on a more religious aspect with the celebration in Iznik of the 1,700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea, a gathering of bishops in the year 325 that resulted in a creed, or statement of faith, still central to Christianity.&nbsp;Invited by the Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, leader of the world&#39;s Orthodox Christians, Leo will take part in a prayer on the shores of Lake Iznik that was initially to include former Pope Francis, who died in April.&nbsp;&quot;Bartholomew and I have already met several times, and I think this will be an exceptional opportunity to promote unity among all Christians,&quot; Leo told journalists late Tuesday.&nbsp;Catholics and Orthodox Christians have been divided since a schism in 1054.&nbsp;Catholics recognise the universal authority of the pope as the head of the Church, while Orthodox Christians are organised into local Churches with their own leaders.&nbsp;Leo&#39;s trip comes as the Orthodox world appears even more fragmented than ever, with the war in Ukraine accelerating the split between the Moscow and Constantinople patriarchates. The pope is the fifth pontiff to visit Turkiye, after Paul VI in 1967, John Paul II in 1979, Benedict XVI in 2006 and Francis in 2014.&nbsp;On Sunday, Leo will head to religiously diverse Lebanon, a nation that has been crushed by a devastating economic and political crisis since 2019 and which has been the target of repeated bombings by Israel in recent days, despite a ceasefire.&nbsp;

Europe

Middle East

Pope Leo XIV begins his first papal trip in Turkiye, holding talks with President Erdogan and Christian leaders, addressing regional conflicts, interfaith dialogue, refugees, and church unity before continuing to Lebanon amid ongoing political and humanitarian crises.

Pope lands in Turkiye to meet Erdogan on first overseas trip

ISLAMABAD: Artificial intelligence (AI) has become the latest weapon in a years-long disinformation campaign targeting Muslims in India and Pakistan internationally, with AI-generated images now spreading hatred globally at unprecedented speed and scale across social media platforms. A September 2025 report by the Washington-based&nbsp;nonprofit Center for the Study of Organized Hate documented how 297 accounts created 1,326 AI-generated images and videos between May 2023 and May 2025 that dehumanized India&#39;s approximately 200 million Muslims. The posts accumulated 27.3 million total engagements across X, Facebook, and Instagram, with activity surging after January 2024 as AI tools became more accessible. The AI-generated content follows four patterns: sexualizing Muslim women, portraying Muslims as subhuman, promoting conspiracy theories, and glorifying violence. Images depict Muslims as snakes wearing skullcaps, show fabricated scenes of Muslims celebrating terror attacks, and create pornographic content featuring Muslim women without consent. &quot;This represents the acceleration of hate speech practices through content with greater credibility and precision at scale,&quot; the report said. <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-6" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 802px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-6&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1928845624885076458&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F2451%2F&sessionId=b7f57312e8b4bb5dae91c4d445484d177aedce35&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div> The synthetic images reinforce long-standing conspiracy theories. &quot;Love Jihad&quot; falsely claims that Muslim men systematically seduce Hindu women for forced conversion. &quot;Rail Jihad&quot; baselessly attributes train accidents to Muslim sabotage. Following a January 2025 train accident in Jalgaon that killed 11 people, caused by passengers fleeing what they thought was a fire, Hindu nationalist outlet Sudarshan News circulated AI-generated images showing a Muslim man holding an axe near a train as supposed proof of a deliberate attack. The report stated how&nbsp;Hindu nationalist media outlets OpIndia, Sudarshan News, and Panchjanya have emerged as primary producers and amplifiers of AI-generated hate. OpIndia&#39;s network alone produced 262 posts generating 1.1 million engagements. When researchers reported 187 posts for violating platform guidelines, only one was removed. <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-5" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 1042px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-5&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1916168793027444787&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F2451%2F&sessionId=b7f57312e8b4bb5dae91c4d445484d177aedce35&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div> The AI-driven hate campaign is built&nbsp;on infrastructure exposed years earlier. In December 2020, Brussels-based EU DisinfoLab revealed a network of over 750 fake local media outlets operating in 116 countries, as well as more than 10 sham NGOs accredited to the UN Human Rights Council. The operation, primarily targeting Pakistan, resurrected defunct NGOs, impersonated European Union institutions, and used a deceased international law professor&#39;s identity to manufacture credibility. Asian News International, an Indian news agency, amplified content from these fake outlets globally, according to the report. <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-4" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 849px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-4&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1992066818165617029&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F2451%2F&sessionId=b7f57312e8b4bb5dae91c4d445484d177aedce35&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div> More recently, a temporary location feature on X revealed several accounts claiming to be Israeli or Zionist were actually operating from India, showing a coordinated identity deception across the network. The tactics parallel those of Western far-right movements. After the 2024 Southport stabbings in Britain, AI-generated images spread Islamophobic claims about the attacker&#39;s identity.</div> In Italy, opposition parties filed complaints against Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini&#39;s League party for distributing AI-generated images depicting men of color assaulting women. The Center for the Study of Organized Hate describes this as &quot;slopaganda&quot;: deliberate use of cheap, abundant synthetic content to seed hate across digital spaces. In India, the consequences extend beyond digital harassment. Following the April 2025 Pahalgam attack in Indian-occupied Kashmir, civil rights groups documented 184 anti-Muslim and anti-Kashmiri hate crimes between April 22 and May 8. <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" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 849px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" 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=1970417210247291132&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F2451%2F&sessionId=b7f57312e8b4bb5dae91c4d445484d177aedce35&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div> A February 2025 Center for the Study of Organized Hate report found that of 1,165 hate speech events recorded in 2024, 995 were first shared or livestreamed on social media platforms. The spike in AI-generated content coincides with rising religious tensions. A 2019 Indian Supreme Court verdict awarded the disputed Ayodhya site (formerly the 16th-century Babri Mosque, later demolished) to Hindus for temple construction. The 1992 Babri Mosque destruction sparked riots that killed thousands, mainly Muslims. AI-generated images now depict that demolition in romanticized animation styles. Hindu nationalist groups claim numerous historical mosques were originally Hindu temples, including promoting a debunked theory that the Taj Mahal was a Hindu temple named &quot;Tejo Mahalaya.&quot; In 2021, Meta whistleblower Frances Haugen revealed that the company knew users in India were being flooded with hateful propaganda against Muslims, fueling violence. Platform failures to moderate AI-generated hate content persist as synthetic media proliferates faster than enforcement mechanisms adapt. With low-cost ChatGPT subscriptions now available in India for less than $5 a month, the report warns that conditions exist for exponential growth in AI-generated hateful material threatening religious minorities with psychological harm and physical violence.

India

The AI-generated content follows four patterns: sexualizing Muslim women, portraying Muslims as subhuman, promoting conspiracy theories, and glorifying violence. 

India's AI-driven anti-Muslim disinformation network spans the globe

ISLAMABAD:&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif reaffirmed Pakistan&rsquo;s commitment to advancing ties with Bahrain during meetings in Manama with King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and Crown Prince and Prime Minister <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;" id="isPasted">H.E. Sheikh Salman bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, during Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif&rsquo;s official visit to the Kingdom of Bahrain.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At Al-Qudaibiya Palace, the prime minister invited Bahraini investors to explore opportunities in food security, information technology, construction, mines and minerals, healthcare, renewable energy, and tourism, Radio Pakistan reported.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He also proposed enhanced port-to-port connectivity between Karachi, Gwada,r and Khalifa Bin Salman Port, describing the expanded link as a key driver for trade and logistical cooperation.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In a post on X, Sharif said the meeting with the crown prince was &ldquo;warm and most cordial&rdquo; and that both sides reviewed the full range of bilateral relations and agreed to deepen cooperation across political, economic, and defence areas.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Prime Minister Sharif said both countries aim to translate &ldquo;excellent political goodwill into meaningful and tangible outcomes,&rdquo; with the discussions expected to elevate Pakistan&ndash;Bahrain cooperation further.<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; line-height: 2;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 726px; 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=1993882486024061337&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fdashboard&sessionId=07432a2de99e7fec841b199edda31e7e338b7b5d&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px"></iframe></div></div>Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar also met Bahrain&rsquo;s Minister of Finance and National Economy, H.E. Sheikh Salman bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, during this visit. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the two sides reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening Pakistan-Bahrain relations, with a particular focus on expanding economic cooperation.<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; line-height: 2;"><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=1993938644466585884&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F2448%2F&sessionId=8741f748336569ac057f0bfb67f6fd1cc77dc1ce&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 750px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;">&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>Both ministers highlighted significant potential in fintech, banking, and financial services and agreed to intensify collaboration in these sectors. They also discussed possibilities for central bank-level cooperation, including the creation of joint working teams to develop a comprehensive roadmap for enhanced economic engagement. Pakistan and Bahrain underscored that deeper economic ties would help unlock new opportunities for investment, innovation, and sustainable growth, reinforcing the long-standing partnership between the two countries.

The two sides reaffirm their commitment to further strengthening Pakistan-Bahrain relations, with a particular focus on expanding economic cooperation.

Pakistan, Bahrain reaffirm commitment to deepen economic partnership

ISLAMABAD: Apple has mounted a major legal pushback against India&rsquo;s updated competition penalty framework, filing a petition in the Delhi High Court to contest the 2024 amendment that lets regulators levy fines based on a company&rsquo;s global turnover, Indian media reported.&nbsp;According to Indian news outlets, including India Today, the case could set a benchmark for how India regulates multinational tech giants.&nbsp;Apple calls India&rsquo;s new penalty rule unconstitutionalIndian media reports say Apple&rsquo;s 545-page petition asks the Delhi High Court to declare the 2024 amendment &ldquo;illegal&rdquo; and &ldquo;unconstitutional.&rdquo; &nbsp;The rule empowers the Competition Commission of India (CCI) to calculate fines using a firm&rsquo;s worldwide turnover, not just its Indian revenue.&nbsp;Apple argues the method is &ldquo;manifestly arbitrary&rdquo;, &ldquo;grossly disproportionate&rdquo; and could result in fines of up to $38 billion.&nbsp;The challenge comes amid a CCI investigation triggered by complaints from Match Group and Indian startups, alleging Apple restricts third-party payments and charges up to 30% commission on in-app purchases. &nbsp;Apple denies the allegations, saying iOS is a secure platform and that Android dominates India&rsquo;s market.&nbsp;Apple fears the law may be applied retroactivelyAs per media reports, Apple cited a recent case where the CCI applied the global-turnover principle to conduct from almost a decade ago. &nbsp;Apple says this forced it to file the constitutional challenge to avoid similar treatment in its ongoing case.&nbsp;To illustrate, Apple compared it to penalizing the entire turnover of a stationery shop for a violation committed only by its toy business.&nbsp;Regulators and legal experts defend the amendmentAccording to experts quoted in Indian media, Apple faces a difficult legal fight. &nbsp;Competition lawyers say the amendment clearly authorizes the CCI to consider global turnover, aligning India with EU-style antitrust practices. &nbsp;Government officials argue the law is designed to prevent global corporations from escaping proportionate penalties.&nbsp;Apple&rsquo;s rising footprint in India increases scrutinyIndian media reports cite research showing Apple&rsquo;s smartphone base in India has quadrupled in five years, boosted by local manufacturing and premium demand. &nbsp;With Apple increasingly important in India&rsquo;s digital economy, regulators are watching it more closely.The Delhi High Court will hear Apple&rsquo;s plea on December 3. &nbsp;If the company loses, it could face one of India&rsquo;s largest-ever corporate fines and set a precedent allowing global turnover to become the new penalty benchmark for tech multinationals operating in India.

Gadgets

According to Indian news outlets, the case could set a benchmark for how India regulates multinational tech giants.

Apple challenges India’s antitrust law that could cost it $38B fine: reports

PARIS: President Emmanuel Macron is to announce on Thursday that France is restoring military service on a voluntary basis in the face of the growing threat posed by Russia and the risk of a new conflict breaking out in Europe. Almost three decades after France scrapped conscription, the head of state is due to lay out the change in a speech from 1000 GMT on a visit to an infantry brigade stationed in the Alps in southeastern France, said a presidential official, asking not to be named. The announcement will come more than three and a half years into Russia&#39;s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with Macron and other French officials warning that Moscow risks not stopping at Ukraine&#39;s borders. France&#39;s top general, armed forces chief of staff Fabien Mandon, sparked uproar at home last week by warning that France must be ready &quot;to lose its children,&quot; adding that Russia is &quot;preparing for a confrontation by 2030 with our countries.&quot; Macron told RTL broadcaster he would announce a &quot;transformation of national service into a new form&quot; on Thursday, but did not provide further details. A source with knowledge of the matter, who asked not to be named, told AFP that the plan is to train 2,000 to 3,000 people in the first year, aiming to increase the number of sign-ups over time to 50,000 per year. &quot;It will start slowly,&quot; said the source. This &quot;new form of national service&quot; will be &quot;on a voluntary basis,&quot; said a presidential official. An adviser to Macron, also requesting anonymity, emphasized it would be launched at a time of tight budget constraints. Its implementation will therefore be &quot;phased in over time,&quot; said the adviser, promising a &quot;realistic&quot; project that &quot;takes into account our current resources.&quot; Not going to &#39;send our young&#39;&nbsp;While around a dozen states have some form of conscription, the use of military service is uneven across Europe. But France would join European countries like Baltic states Latvia and Lithuania, which have brought it back in recent years, while others, such as Denmark, have toughened its terms. So far, there is no suggestion that military service in France would be compulsory, as it was before then-president Jacques Chirac abolished conscription in 1997 as part of the army reform. Military service is seen as a way to bolster armies with recruits and to provide a large pool of potential reservists who could be called up in the event of a future war. The French armed forces have approximately 200,000 active military personnel and 47,000 reservists, numbers expected to increase to 210,000 and 80,000, respectively, by 2030. Accused of warmongering by the left, General Mandon has expressed no regret over his comments last week, saying the aim was to &quot;alert and prepare&quot; amid a &quot;rapidly deteriorating&quot; context. Mandon argued on Saturday that the reactions to his comments &quot;show that this is something that was perhaps not sufficiently perceived in our population.&quot; But ahead of Thursday&#39;s announcement, Macron and other officials have been at pains to douse the outcry caused by the general&#39;s forthright comments and fears that French youth were heading for the front lines. The president on Tuesday said he needed to dispel any notion &quot;we are going to send our young people to Ukraine.&quot;

Announcement will come more than three and a half years into Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with Macron and other French officials warning that Moscow risks not stopping at Ukraine's borders.

Macron to announce France restoring voluntary military service

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday bade farewell to Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) General Sahir Shamshad Mirza at a ceremony held at Joint Staff Headquarters in Rawalpindi, marking the completion of his 40 years of service, the military&rsquo;s media wing said in a statement. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the event was attended by former CJCSCs and senior officers from all three services. A &ldquo;Guard of Honor&rdquo; was presented to the outgoing chairman by a smartly turned-out tri-services contingent, ISPR said. In his farewell remarks, General Mirza expressed gratitude to the Almighty God for granting him the &ldquo;strength to perform his duties with dedication, professionalism, and selfless devotion.&rdquo; He also paid tribute to Pakistan&rsquo;s security forces, honoring &ldquo;the martyrs and their families whose sacrifices safeguard our nation,&rdquo; the statement added. A day earlier, General Mirza paid a farewell call on Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir at General Headquarters (GHQ). ISPR said the army chief commended the CJCSC for his &ldquo;exemplary leadership, strategic foresight, and dedicated service to the armed forces.&rdquo; The field marshal praised General Mirza&rsquo;s &ldquo;pivotal role in enhancing tri-services synergy, strengthening joint operational preparedness, and advancing Pakistan&rsquo;s national security objectives at the strategic level.&rdquo; He also highlighted the outgoing chairman&rsquo;s contributions to regional stability, military diplomacy, and Pakistan&rsquo;s defense partnerships with friendly states. ISPR said General Mirza expressed appreciation to the COAS and the armed forces for their &ldquo;unwavering support throughout his career.&rdquo; Upon his arrival at GHQ, the CJCSC laid a floral wreath at Yadgar-e-Shuhada and was presented another Guard of Honor by a Pakistan Army contingent, the statement added.

Security

General Mirza pays homage to the martyrs and their families; COAS Munir lauds CJCSC’s pivotal role in enhancing tri-services synergy, strengthening joint operational preparedness, and advancing country’s national security objectives at the strategic level


Pakistan honors outgoing top military official after four decades’ service

IRBIL: A drone strike on Wednesday targeted an Emirati-owned gas complex in Iraq&rsquo;s autonomous Kurdistan region, disrupting the gas supply to the region&rsquo;s power plants, local authorities said. &ldquo;At 11:30 p.m. (2030 GMT), a drone attacked the Khor Mor gas field facility, cutting off all gas supplies to power plants,&rdquo; the regional natural resources and electricity authorities said in a statement. AFP correspondents in Kurdistan reported power cuts across the region, including in the city of Sulaimaniyah. The Khor Mor gas field lies between the cities of Kirkuk and Sulaimaniyah, and supplies most of the Kurdistan region&rsquo;s power. Omed Ahmed, the regional electricity authority spokesperson, said the attack resulted in the loss of 2,600 megawatts of electricity, disrupting 80% of the region&rsquo;s power grid. Authorities said they were coordinating with the United Arab Emirates company Dana Gas to investigate the attack and restore operations. A local security source told AFP that the attack &ldquo;targeted gas storage tanks, causing a major explosion and large fire.&rdquo; It was unclear whether the attack resulted in any casualties, he added. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Long plagued by conflict, Iraq frequently suffers such attacks. Unclaimed Katyusha rocket and drone attacks have targeted the Khor Mor complex several times in recent years. In April 2024, four Yemeni workers were killed in a drone attack on the facility. Earlier this year, the Kurdistan region saw a spate of unclaimed drone attacks, mostly against oilfields.

A drone strike hit the Emirati-owned Khor Mor gas field in Iraqi Kurdistan, cutting power to the region and disrupting 80% of its electricity supply.

Drone strike hits Iraq gas complex, cuts supply: official

Web Desk/AFP

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that an Afghan man who fled the Taliban was the suspect in the shooting of two National Guardsmen near the White House, calling it an &quot;act of terror.&quot; American media reported that the&nbsp;shooting suspect worked with the US military in Afghanistan.&nbsp; US Citizenship and Immigration Services said in a post on X that the processing of all immigration cases related to Afghan immigrants &ldquo;is stopped indefinitely pending further review of security and vetting protocols.&rdquo; &ldquo;The protection and safety of our homeland and of the American people remains our singular focus and mission,&rdquo; the agency said. &#39;Flown in on those infamous flights&#39;Briefing the media, Trump stated that the suspect in custody is a &quot;foreigner who entered our country from Afghanistan, a hellhole on Earth. He was flown in by the Biden administration in September 2021, on those infamous flights that everybody was talking about.&quot; The announcement in a brief video message signaled the intertwining of three politically explosive issues &mdash; Trump&#39;s controversial use of the military at home, immigration, and the legacy of the US war in Afghanistan. According to US media reports, Rahmanullah Lakanwal is an Afghan national who entered the United States under a Biden-era policy allowing Afghans to enter after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.&nbsp; Who is the suspect?Lakanwal was paroled into the United States through the Operation Allies Welcome program, which the Biden administration initiated to resettle afghan refugees.&nbsp; Lakanwal applied for immigration in 2024 and was granted asylum earlier this year, US media reported.&nbsp; The incident, which left two Guardsmen critically wounded, was &quot;an act of evil, an act of hatred and an act of terror,&quot; Trump said. &quot;It was a crime against our entire nation.&quot; Before the press briefing, Trump posted an update on the injured officers on Truth Social, saying: &ldquo;The animal that shot the two National Guardsmen, with both being critically wounded, and now in two separate hospitals, is also severely wounded, but regardless, will pay a very steep price.&quot; <div class="fr-embed" style="line-height: 2;"><iframe src="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/115617866419112089/embed" class="truthsocial-embed" style="max-width: 100%; border: 0;" width="600" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div> He confirmed that the man taken into custody after the daylight shooting two blocks from the White House was &quot;a foreigner who entered our country from Afghanistan.&quot; The suspect had arrived in the United States in 2021 &quot;on those infamous flights,&quot; Trump said, referring to the evacuations of Afghans fleeing as the Taliban took over the country in the wake of the US retreat after 20 years of war. The shocking attack, carried out next to a metro station at a time when the streets and offices of downtown Washington were bustling, also puts a new focus on Trump&#39;s controversial militarization of an anti-crime push around the country. Trump has deployed troops to several cities, all run by Democrats, including Washington, Los Angeles, and Memphis. The deployments have prompted multiple lawsuits and protests from local officials who accuse the Republicans of seeking authoritarian powers. Trump&#39;s statement also indicated that his equally controversial drive to root out migrants in the country illegally &mdash; the core of his domestic agenda &mdash; will get new impetus. &quot;We must now reexamine every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan&quot; under former president Joe Biden, said Trump. &quot;We must take all necessary measures to ensure the removal of any alien from any country who does not belong here, or add benefit to our country if they can&#39;t love our country, we don&#39;t want them.&quot; &#39;Ambushed&#39;&nbsp;Jeffery Carroll, assistant chief of the Washington police, said the gunman &quot;ambushed&quot; his victims. He &quot;came around the corner, raised his arm with a firearm and discharged at the National Guard members.&quot; FBI Director Kash Patel said the two Guard members were in &quot;critical condition.&quot; Trump earlier said on social media that the suspect was &quot;also severely wounded, but regardless, will pay a very steep price.&quot; An AFP reporter near the scene heard several loud pops and saw people running. Dozens of bystanders were caught up in the chaos. &quot;We heard gunshots. We were waiting at the traffic light, and there were several shots,&quot; said Angela Perry, 42, who was driving home with her two children. &quot;You could see National Guard running toward the metro with their weapons drawn.&quot; Soon after the shootings, security agents flooded the area. Officers carrying rifles stood guard behind yellow tape at the perimeter, and a helicopter circled overhead. An AFP reporter saw emergency crews running toward the metro with a wheeled stretcher and shortly after emerging with a casualty wearing camouflage, whom they loaded into an ambulance. Troops controversy&nbsp;Washington&#39;s government buildings are heavily guarded, but much of the city has suffered from years of sometimes serious street crime. Trump made Washington a showcase for his decision to order National Guard soldiers &mdash; in camouflage and occasionally carrying rifles &mdash;&nbsp;to do law enforcement in Democratic-run cities. In the wake of Wednesday&#39;s shooting, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that 500 more troops would deploy to Washington, bringing the total to 2,500. Last Thursday, a federal judge ruled that Trump&#39;s deployment of thousands of National Guard troops in the US capital was unlawful.

Americas

US authorities suspend all immigration case processing for Afghan nationals after the arrest of an Afghan suspect in the Washington shooting. President Donald Trump calls for a nationwide re-screening of all undocumented immigrants from Afghanistan and other countries as part of a broader security review.

Trump calls Afghanistan ‘hell hole’ after Afghan man shoots two soldiers near White House

HONG KONG: The death toll from a huge blaze that ripped through a Hong Kong housing estate rose to 55, the city&#39;s fire department said on Thursday afternoon. Fire service officials told a news conference that 51 died at the scene, while four died in hospital. They added that blazes in four of the eight apartment blocks in the estate had been extinguished and that three fires were under control. One building was not affected. The inferno &mdash; the financial hub&#39;s worst in decades &mdash; took hold on Wednesday afternoon in an eight-building housing estate with 2,000 apartments, sending shockwaves through the city, which has some of the world&#39;s most densely populated and tallest residential blocks. Police said early on Thursday they arrested three men in connection with the fire, after flammable materials left during maintenance work caused the blaze &quot;to spread rapidly beyond control.&quot; Officers searched premises in a separate neighborhood on Thursday morning, taking away documents in binders in relation to the three people arrested, who police suspect &quot;acted with gross negligence&quot; by leaving foam packaging at the site of the fire. AFP journalists at the scene just after daybreak on Thursday saw some flats still burning, although the blaze had noticeably dimmed during the early hours of the morning. Intense flames first took hold on bamboo scaffolding on several 31-storey apartment blocks of Wang Fuk Court on Wednesday in the northern district of Tai Po, which was undergoing estate-wide repairs. An AFP reporter heard loud cracking sounds, possibly from the burning bamboo, and saw thick plumes of smoke billowing from the buildings as flames and ash reached high into the sky. A 65-year-old resident surnamed Yuen said he had lived in the complex for more than four decades and that many of his neighbours were elderly and might not be mobile. &quot;The windows were closed because of the maintenance, (some people) didn&#39;t know there was a fire and had to be told to evacuate via phone calls by neighbours,&quot; Yuen told AFP. &quot;I&#39;m devastated.&quot; Hong Kong&#39;s fire department raised the death toll to 44 on Thursday morning. Among the dead was a 37-year-old firefighter, who was found with burns on his face half an hour after losing contact with colleagues, according to the fire service director Andy Yeung. A government spokesman told AFP that 56 people were being treated in hospital. Sixteen were in a critical condition, 24 were in a serious condition, and 16 were stable. City leader John Lee said in the early hours of Thursday that 279 were unaccounted for, though firefighters said later that they had established contact with some of those people. Lee said more than 900 people sought refuge at temporary shelters. &#39;Unable to reach people who requested help&#39;&nbsp;Authorities said they will launch a probe into the fire and into the materials on the buildings&#39; exteriors that may have caused the blaze to spread faster than usual. A police officer at a temporary shelter told AFP it was unclear how many people were unaccounted for because residents were still trickling in late into the night to report missing family members. Sections of charred scaffolding fell from the burning blocks, and flames could be seen inside apartments, sometimes belching out through windows into the night sky, casting an eerie orange glow on surrounding buildings. &quot;The temperature at the scene is very high, and there are some floors where we have been unable to reach people who requested help, but we will keep trying,&quot; said Derek Armstrong Chan, the deputy director of fire service operations. He said the fire likely spread from one building to another due to the wind and drifting debris, although he added that authorities are investigating the cause of the blaze. Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed condolences to the victims, including &quot;the firefighter who died in the line of duty,&quot; according to state media. &quot;He offered sympathies to the families of the victims and those affected by the disaster, and called for making every effort to extinguish the fire and minimise casualties and losses,&quot; state broadcaster CCTV said. Lee, the city leader, said he was &quot;deeply saddened&quot; and that all government departments were assisting residents affected by the fire. &#39;Dare not leave&#39;&nbsp;A Tai Po resident surnamed So, 57, said the fire was &quot;heartbreaking.&quot; &quot;There&#39;s nothing that can be done about the property. We can only hope that everyone, no matter old or young, can return safely,&quot; So told AFP. An apartment owner in his 40s who did not want to give his name told AFP that the government needed to help those made homeless by the blaze. &quot;The fire is not yet under control, and I dare not leave, and I don&#39;t know what I can do,&quot; he said. Residents were seen being evacuated via large coaches, with local media reporting that adjacent blocks were also being cleared. Sections of a nearby highway were also closed by the firefighting operation. Deadly fires were once a regular scourge in densely populated Hong Kong, especially in poorer neighborhoods. However, safety measures have been ramped up in recent decades, and such fires are now much less common.

Asia

Police say three men arrested on suspicion of manslaughter in connection with the fire; they give no details about what specifically they are accused of doing.



Articles by Maham Khan