After end of Ramadan, Morocco to return to GMT+1 on April 6
With the end of Ramadan, which concluded on Sunday, March 30, 2025, Morocco will switch back to GMT+1 on Sunday, April 6, 2025, at 2:00 AM, moving the clocks forward by 60 minutes.
This date was announced well in advance. In a statement, the Ministry of Digital Transition and Administrative Reform had confirmed the switch to GMT for Ramadan on Sunday, February 23, 2025, at 3:00 AM, while also reminding the public of the return to GMT+1.
This adjustment follows the provisions of decree 2.18.855, issued on October 26, 2018, regarding legal time.
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Kashmir's Hindu ruler, Maharaja Hari Singh, initially sought independence for his territory. His position became untenable when armed tribesmen from Pakistan's frontier regions entered Kashmir. Facing this threat, he signed an instrument of accession to India in exchange for military protection. This decision triggered the first Indo-Pakistani war. The United Nations eventually brokered a ceasefire and proposed resolving the dispute through a public referendum. However, the plebiscite never materialized as both countries failed to agree on demilitarization terms necessary for the vote. The 1949 ceasefire established a temporary boundary splitting Kashmir, with approximately two-thirds under Indian administration and one-third under Pakistani control. This provisional arrangement has effectively become permanent, though both countries maintain claims to the entire region. Tensions flared again in 1965 when Pakistani forces crossed the ceasefire line, prompting full-scale hostilities. 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India responded with airstrikes on Balakot deep inside Pakistani territory – the first such cross-border air operation since 1971. After several years of relative stability, the April 2025 Pahalgam attack has shattered the fragile peace. The 26 victims represent the highest civilian death toll in Kashmir in over twenty years. India's retaliatory operation carries significant symbolic weight through its codename. 'Sindoor' refers to the vermilion powder traditionally worn by married Hindu women as a symbol of their marital status. This appears to reference reports that the Pahalgam attackers specifically targeted Hindu men, separating them from women before executing them. According to survivor accounts, the gunmen deliberately identified non-Muslims before opening fire, leaving many Hindu women newly widowed – women who would traditionally stop wearing sindoor upon losing their husbands. India has characterized its strikes as 'measured, responsible and designed to be non-escalatory in nature,' emphasizing that its objective was solely targeting terrorist infrastructure. Pakistan's leadership has rejected this framing entirely, calling the attacks 'an unprovoked and blatant act of war' that 'violated Pakistan's sovereignty.' Pakistan has promised to respond at a time and manner of its choosing. What happens next? The optimal scenario would involve limited further military engagement followed by rapid de-escalation, similar to previous confrontations. However, there are fewer international mediators actively working to defuse tensions in this latest cycle of hostilities. US President Donald Trump, whose administration is already engaged in multiple international conflicts including Ukraine, Gaza, and Yemen, has shown minimal diplomatic initiative. When questioned about the Indian strikes, Trump's response was notably tepid, merely expressing regret about the situation and a vague hope for quick resolution. This stands in stark contrast to the forceful American diplomatic intervention that helped contain previous India-Pakistan crises. Without strong external pressure, the two nuclear-armed neighbors will likely need to navigate this dangerous period largely on their own terms. Historical precedent offers sobering perspective – the countries' previous wars have exacted heavy tolls, with the 1999 Kargil conflict alone causing over a thousand Pakistani military casualties by conservative estimates. The decades-long Kashmir insurgency has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths. Pakistan's powerful military establishment has long justified its outsized influence in domestic politics by positioning itself as the country's bulwark against Indian aggression. This institutional dynamic creates strong incentives for a demonstrable response to India's strikes. Both countries have substantially enhanced their military capabilities since 1999, including building nuclear arsenals estimated by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) at approximately 170 warheads each – a factor that dramatically raises the stakes of any potential escalation. UN Secretary-General António Guterres has expressed 'deep concern' about the situation, warning that 'the world cannot afford a military confrontation' between these nuclear powers. Multiple countries including the United States, UAE, China, and Japan have called for restraint from both sides. The political reality is that whichever government appears to back down first will likely face substantial domestic criticism, creating a dangerous dynamic where neither side feels it can afford to de-escalate without a face-saving outcome. Tags: IndiaKashmirPakistan
