logo
India-Pakistan conflict threshold at historic low after military flare-up — Bhutto-Zardari

India-Pakistan conflict threshold at historic low after military flare-up — Bhutto-Zardari

Arab Newsa day ago

ISLAMABAD: Former Pakistani foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari warned on Monday the threshold for war between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan had significantly dropped following last month's military standoff during an interview with an international news outlet.
India and Pakistan engaged in their most intense military exchange only a few weeks ago, prompting fears of a full-scale war under the nuclear overhang. Over four days, both countries traded missile strikes, drone attacks and air combat before US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire on May 10.
The crisis erupted after a militant assault killed 26 tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir. New Delhi blamed the attack on Pakistan-based elements, a charge Islamabad strongly denied, calling instead for an impartial international investigation.
As the situation escalated, the global community moved quickly to ease tensions and avert the risk of a nuclear confrontation.
'At the moment, the threshold for conflict between India and Pakistan is the lowest than it's ever been in our history,' Bhutto-Zardari said in an interview with Sky News in London. 'We've achieved the ceasefire, but we have not achieved peace as it stands today.'
'If there's a terrorist attack anywhere in India or India-occupied Kashmir, proof or no proof, that means war,' he added. 'That's not a tenable situation. Pakistan believes there needs to be dialog and diplomacy, where we discuss all issues — terrorism, Kashmir, water — and start moving forward.'
Bhutto-Zardari said Pakistan had long advocated peace through dialogue, as he pointed to India's refusal to engage diplomatically.
He also criticized New Delhi's position on the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), a World Bank-brokered agreement signed in 1960 governing water rights over rivers shared by the two countries.
While India has not stopped water flows entirely, he said, it had delayed releases, a tactic, which he noted, could devastate Pakistan's agricultural output.
'Even a week's delay in water supply can destroy crops in a country like Pakistan, which depends heavily on agriculture,' he said, warning that any move by India to build new canals or dams on rivers allocated to Pakistan would cross a red line.
'That would be war,' he said.
Bhutto-Zardari further rejected the idea that Pakistan harbored militant groups involved in cross-border militancy, noting the country had taken significant action under the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) framework, a global watchdog that monitors money laundering and terrorism financing.
'When I was foreign minister, Pakistan was on the FATF grey list. By the end of my term, we had successfully moved off that list,' he said, calling the removal an endorsement by the international community of Pakistan's counterterrorism efforts.
Responding to Indian claims over the recent Kashmir attack, he reiterated that Pakistan had no role in the incident and challenged New Delhi to present credible evidence if it had any.
'They went to war with a nuclear power and still cannot name a single terrorist involved,' he said. 'If India was being honest, we'd know who they were, where they came from, which border crossing they used. These are basic questions that remain unanswered.'
Bhutto-Zardari is currently leading a nine-member Pakistani delegation to various world capitals to present Islamabad's position on the recent conflict with India.
The delegation held meetings in recent days with representatives of the United Nations, its member states and US officials before arriving in London a day earlier to continue its mission.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Pakistan announces tax relief for salaried class in FY2025-26 budget
Pakistan announces tax relief for salaried class in FY2025-26 budget

Arab News

time34 minutes ago

  • Arab News

Pakistan announces tax relief for salaried class in FY2025-26 budget

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan announced significant income tax relief for low- and middle-income earners on Tuesday as it presented its federal budget for the fiscal year 2025-26, aiming to ease the burden on salaried individuals amid high inflation and economic uncertainty. Pakistan's tax-to-GDP ratio remains below 10%, among the lowest in the region. The government has pledged to raise this ratio to 14% through tax reforms, digital enforcement, and expanding the tax base. Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, presenting his first full-year budget in the National Assembly, said the income tax rate for individuals earning between Rs600,000 and Rs1.2 million ($2,128–$4,255) annually would be cut from 5% to 1%. 'First of all, we are giving relief where it is needed the most,' Aurangzeb told parliament, adding that the measure was in line with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's directive to support wage earners and retain talent in the country. The government has also proposed reducing the tax on annual income up to Rs1.2 million from Rs30,000 to Rs6,000, lowering the tax rate from 15% to 11% for those earning up to Rs2.2 million ($7,800) and cutting the rate from 25% to 23% for income between Rs2.2 million and Rs3.2 million ($11,350). For high-income earners making over Rs10 million ($35,460) annually, a 1% reduction in the additional surcharge has been recommended to help curb the ongoing brain drain, the minister said. Aurangzeb described the changes as part of broader efforts to simplify the tax structure and 'strike a balance between inflationary pressures and take-home pay.' The federal budget, with a total outlay of Rs17.57 trillion ($62 billion), comes as Pakistan seeks to stabilize its economy under a $7 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout program. The budget also includes a 20% increase in defense spending, while total government expenditure is expected to be 7% lower year-on-year, reflecting fiscal consolidation goals tied to IMF negotiations. The proposed budget will be debated in parliament before final approval.

Trump Deploys Marines, Raising Tensions in Los Angeles Protests
Trump Deploys Marines, Raising Tensions in Los Angeles Protests

Asharq Al-Awsat

time2 hours ago

  • Asharq Al-Awsat

Trump Deploys Marines, Raising Tensions in Los Angeles Protests

Hundreds of Marines were due to arrive in Los Angeles on Tuesday after US President Donald Trump ordered their deployment in response to protests against immigration arrests and despite objections by state officials. The 700 crack troops will join National Guard soldiers, amping up the militarization of the tense situation in the sprawling city, which is home to millions of foreign-born and Latino residents. The largely peaceful demonstrations -- marred by sporadic but violent clashes between police and protesters -- were entering their fifth day. The unrest was sparked by a sudden intensification of Trump's signature campaign to deport illegal migrants, with raids conducted on workplaces. In downtown LA's Little Tokyo neighborhood at night Monday, scores of protesters faced off with security officials in riot gear, some shooting fireworks at officers who fired back volleys of tear gas. Earlier, demonstrators marching with banners and handmade signs yelled "ICE out of LA" and "National Guard go away" -- a reference to immigration agents and Guard soldiers. California officials have stressed the majority of protesters have been peaceful and that they were capable of maintaining law and order themselves. Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom wrote on X that US Marines "shouldn't be deployed on American soil facing their own countrymen to fulfill the deranged fantasy of a dictatorial President. This is un-American." Trump, meanwhile, has branded the LA protesters "professional agitators and insurrectionists." "If I didn't 'SEND IN THE TROOPS' to Los Angeles the last three nights, that once beautiful and great City would be burning to the ground right now," he wrote on Truth Social on Tuesday. One small business owner in the city, whose property was graffitied during the protests, was supportive of Trump's strong-arm tactics. "I think it's needed to stop the vandalism," she told AFP, declining to give her name. Others were horrified. "They're meant to be protecting us, but instead, they're like, being sent to attack us," Kelly Diemer, 47, told AFP. "This is not a democracy anymore." Police have detained dozens of protesters in LA in the recent days, while authorities in San Francisco and other US cities have also made arrests. - 'Incredibly rare' - Trump's use of the military is an "incredibly rare" move for a US president, Rachel VanLandingham, a professor at Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles and a former lieutenant colonel in the US Air Force, told AFP. The National Guard -- a fully equipped reserve armed forces -- is usually controlled by state governors and used typically on US soil in response to natural disasters. The Guard has not been deployed by a president over the objections of a state governor since 1965, at the height of the civil rights movement. Deployment of regular troops, such as the Marines, on US soil is even more unusual. US law largely prevents the use of the military as a policing force -- absent an insurrection. Speculation is growing that Trump could invoke the Insurrection Act giving him a free hand to use regular troops for law enforcement around the country. The Pentagon said late Monday that Trump had authorized an extra 2,000 state guardsmen to LA. The state of California has sued to block the use of the Guard troops and Newsom said he would also sue against the Marines deployment.

‘These people don't want to be part of our culture': Destiny & Lilly Gaddis on LA protests
‘These people don't want to be part of our culture': Destiny & Lilly Gaddis on LA protests

Al Arabiya

time2 hours ago

  • Al Arabiya

‘These people don't want to be part of our culture': Destiny & Lilly Gaddis on LA protests

Welcome to the land of liberty, historically a nation of immigrants, where free speech is protected by the Constitution. America's political and ideological divisions are now laid bare on the streets of Los Angeles. Is this a manufactured crisis or a genuine state of emergency? Immigration raids sparked the protests. But are demonstrators solely to blame for the violent chaos? Or have President Trump's broader anti-immigration policies fanned the flames? President Trump made the highly controversial decision to call in the National Guard, arguing that LA's protests against immigration officials had turned violent. Their arrival sparked more anger... which led to more violence... which, in turn, gave the White House more ammunition to argue that migrants are causing chaos across America. So, is the use of the National Guard in this instance justifiable? LA Mayor Karen Bass doesn't think so. It begs the question: is the White House orchestrating this crisis to justify its tough anti-immigration stance? On this episode of CounterPoints, we'll ask our panel: Are the protests justified or is this an attempt to obstruct officials from carrying out their duties? Is the use of the National Guard an abuse of presidential power? And are Trump's travel bans reasonable—or racist?

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store