Hundreds protest in Pakistan over India's threats
LAHORE: Hundreds of Pakistanis joined protests across the country on Thursday, including in Azad Kashmir, to rage against Indian threats after a deadly attack on tourists across the contested border.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to pursue and punish the gunmen responsible for killing 26 civilians in the tourist hotspot of Pahalgam on Tuesday, accusing Pakistan of supporting 'cross-border terrorism'.
The attack in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), Muslim-majority Kashmir was the deadliest for a quarter of a century and marked a dramatic shift with the targeting of civilians instead of Indian security forces.
'If India wants to go to war, then come forward openly,' businessman Ajmal Baloch told AFP at a protest called by a religious party and attended by around 700 people Lahore, where the main border crossing with India is located.
Pakistan warns India: Indus Waters Treaty suspension 'an act of war', vows full-spectrum response
India has said it will suspend the Indus Waters Treaty, which shares critical water between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, although it has no major means of restricting the river's flow downstream to Pakistan.
However, protesters including Baloch raged against the 'unacceptable' threat.
'Water is our right and, God willing, we will reclaim it, even if that means through war. We will not back down,' 25-year-old Muhammad Owais said.
India revokes visas for Pakistanis, suspends new visa service, foreign ministry says
Around 300 people brandishing placards carrying anti-India slogans marched through the main city of Muzaffarabad in Azad Kashmir.
'If India makes the mistake of attacking, the Pakistani Kashmiris will fight on the frontline, we're ready to die for Pakistan,' said Shoukat Javed Mir, a senior leader of the Pakistan People's Party in the region.
In Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province, around 150 people staged a protest.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
20 minutes ago
- Express Tribune
Israel may strike Iran without US backing: US media reports
US President Donald Trump (R) meets with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on February 4, 2025. PHOTO: AFP Listen to article Israel is considering launching a military strike against Iran in the coming days — even without support from the United States amid faltering diplomatic efforts to curtail Iran's nuclear programme, according to multiple US media reports. Sources told NBC News that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government has become increasingly serious about acting unilaterally as negotiations between Washington and Tehran move towards a preliminary deal that includes provisions allowing Iran to enrich uranium. According to Sky News' US partner network NBC, a Capitol Hill aide and other sources familiar with the matter confirmed that Israel is weighing military options independent of Washington's support. Read: Iran warns West, Israel over IAEA pressure ahead of new nuclear talks It comes as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN's nuclear watchdog, has formally concluded for the first time in nearly two decades that Iran is not complying with its nuclear obligations. Tehran has denied the claim, insisting it has remained within its safeguarding commitments. Iranian Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh on Wednesday warned that Tehran would target US military bases across the region if a conflict breaks out between the two countries. His statement followed testimony from General Michael Kurilla, commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM), who told Congress on Tuesday that he had presented President Trump with a 'range of options' to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. In response to the escalating tension, the United States has ordered the evacuation of all non-essential personnel from its embassy in Baghdad. A similar option has been extended to staff and dependents at US missions in Bahrain and Kuwait. US President Donald Trump confirmed the move on Wednesday evening, saying: 'They are being moved out because it could be a dangerous place, and we'll see what happens'. White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said the decision was taken 'as a result of a recent review,' but made no reference to any planned Israeli strike. Despite the evacuation, an Iraqi government source told the state news agency that Baghdad has not observed any security indicators warranting such a move. The US embassy in Baghdad is already operating with limited staffing. The Trump administration remains engaged in efforts to reach a nuclear agreement with Iran. According to Axios, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is set to meet Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Muscat, Oman, this weekend to discuss Tehran's response to a recent US proposal. Read More: Iran says US travel ban 'violates international law' Talks between the US and Iran aim to curb Iran's nuclear programme in exchange for partial relief from American sanctions. Iran insists its programme is peaceful and within international legal bounds. President Trump, however, expressed doubt about the prospects of reaching a deal. In an interview with the New York Post's 'Pod Force One' podcast, he said he was 'getting more and more less confident' in the negotiations. 'They seem to be delaying, and I think that's a shame,' Trump said. 'Something happened to them.'
Business Recorder
3 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Saudi Crown Prince MBS will not attend G7 Summit in Canada
DUBAI: Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia's crown prince and de facto leader, will not attend next week's Group of Seven summit in Canada, a senior diplomat briefed on plans told Reuters on Thursday. The crown prince, widely known as MBS, did not give a reason for declining Canada's invitation to the annual gathering, the diplomat said. Saudi Arabia is not a G7 member but can be invited as a guest to its annual gathering, which will be held this year in Kananaskis in the Canadian Rockies, from June 15-17. MBS has rarely travelled internationally in recent years, and declined an invitation to the G7 Summit in Italy last year. He postponed a planned trip to Japan last year, citing concerns over the health of his father, King Salman. Indian PM Modi says he will go to Canada for G7 summit Saudi Arabia's government media office did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment. Canada's Globe and Mail newspaper, which first reported that MBS would not join this year's gathering, said the development may ease tensions within Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's Liberal party, where some members of parliament were upset that an invitation had been extended to MBS. The Saudi crown prince has come under heavy criticism for his country's human rights record. The kingdom denies accusations of human rights abuses. Leaders from Ukraine, Mexico, India, Australia, South Africa, South Korea and Brazil are expected to join for parts of the G7 Summit. U.S. President Donald Trump will also be in attendance.
Business Recorder
4 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Budget to spell doom for Pakistan's IT industry: P@SHA
KARACHI: Outrightly rejecting the budget 2025-26, IT industry said budget has fatally ignored Pakistan's IT and IT-enabled Services (ITeS) sector, terming disappointment and grave threat to the sector. In a statement, Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA) said budget is decisive blow to an industry that has carried the hopes of export-led recovery; youth employment and digital transformation. It said an industry that today employs over 600,000 young Pakistanis—one of the country's largest and most vital pools of skilled talent. Yet in a stunning act of neglect, the budget fails to address two urgent and long-standing demands from the sector: first, a defined and fair taxation framework for remote workers; and second, the continuation—and expansion—of the current tax regime for formal IT exporters. What the industry has consistently asked for is not a one-time concession or patchwork relief, but a stable, 10-year tax policy framework—one that allows companies to invest, grow and compete with global peers. That has been ignored. For over a year, the Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA) has warned of a growing imbalance. High-earning remote workers employed by foreign companies; often indistinguishable from full-time employees, remain largely untaxed. Meanwhile, P@sha said, companies based in Pakistan, employing and training local talent, are taxed, audited and over-regulated. This makes local hiring more expensive; while incentivizing capital flight and informal arrangements. Talent retention is collapsing; export dollars are being parked abroad, and formal firms are bleeding value. The government's refusal to act is particularly frustrating given the simplicity of the proposed solution: P@SHA has recommended classifying any individual earning over PKR 2.5 million annually from fewer than three foreign sources as a remote worker. This affects only the top 5% of earners and avoids harming freelancers and small remitters. The State Bank already tracks the necessary data. This is a policy that could be implemented overnight—yet has been ignored for years. Worse still is the government's failure to extend the existing tax regime for exporters. This regime was the foundation for over $700 million in investment commitments secured through the Digital Foreign Direct Investment (DFDI) initiative. The country spent hundreds of millions of rupees to secure this investment. Sadly, with no continuity in tax policy and those investments are now in jeopardy. Foreign investors will not engage with a country where rules shift every year. This is not just bad policy—it is a signal to the world that Pakistan's digital economy is not ready to be taken seriously. The results will be devastating. Pakistan's IT sector—its fastest-growing, most globally competitive industry—may lose its momentum entirely. Export growth will stall; jobs will disappear and the government's dream of reaching $25 billion in IT exports will not just be delayed—it will become permanently out of reach. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
