
Indian army says no violation of ceasefire after reports of Pakistani firing
'There have been some media and social media reports regarding ceasefire violation in Poonch region. It is clarified that there has been NO ceasefire violation along the Line of Control,' the army said.

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Asharq Al-Awsat
29 minutes ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
A Roadside Bomb Targeting Police Vehicle in Northwest Pakistan Kills 2 Officers and Wounds 14
A powerful roadside bomb struck a police vehicle in a former stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban in the restive northwest of Pakistan bordering Afghanistan on Wednesday, killing at least two officers and wounding 14 others, mostly passersby, officials said. The attack took place in the city of Wana in South Waziristan, a district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to local police chief Adam Khan. Militant violence has surged in recent weeks, claiming the lives of dozens of security personnel. Pakistan is also preparing for a military operation in Bajur, another northwestern district, where elders are in talks with the government and insurgents to avoid violence. Previous such operations years ago displaced thousands of residents. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack on police, but suspicion is likely to fall on the Pakistani Taliban, or Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, known as TTP. The group frequently targets security forces and civilians across the region. TTP is a close ally of the Afghan Taliban, who returned to power in neighboring Afghanistan in August 2021 following the withdrawal of US and NATO forces after two decades of war. Since then, many TTP fighters and leaders have found refuge in Afghanistan, with some living openly under Taliban rule — a development that has emboldened the group in Pakistan.

Al Arabiya
an hour ago
- Al Arabiya
US plan sees Hezbollah disarmed by year-end, Israeli withdrawal
The United States has presented Lebanon with a proposal for disarming Hezbollah by the end of the year, along with ending Israel's military operations in the country and the withdrawal of its troops from five positions in south Lebanon, according to copy of a Lebanese cabinet agenda reviewed by Reuters. The plan, submitted by US President Donald Trump's envoy to the region, Tom Barrack, and being discussed at a Lebanese cabinet meeting on Thursday, sets out the most detailed steps yet for disarming the Iran-backed Hezbollah, which has rejected mounting calls to disarm since last year's devastating war with Israel. The US State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Lebanese government ministers could not immediately be reached for comment. Hezbollah had no immediate comment on the proposal. Israel dealt major blows to Hezbollah in an offensive last year, the climax of a conflict that began in October 2023 when the Lebanese group opened fire at Israeli positions at the frontier, declaring support for its militant Palestinian ally Hamas at the start of the Gaza war. The US proposal aims to 'extend and stabilize' a ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel brokered in November. 'The urgency of this proposal is underscored by the increasing number of complaints regarding Israeli violations of the current ceasefire, including airstrikes and cross-border operations, which risk triggering a collapse of the fragile status quo,' it said. Phase 1 of the plan requires the Beirut government to issue a decree within 15 days committing to Hezbollah's full disarmament by December 31, 2025. In this phase, Israel would also cease ground, air and sea military operations. Phase 2 requires Lebanon to begin implementing the disarmament plan within 60 days, with the government approving 'a detailed (Lebanese army) deployment plan to support the plan to bring all arms under the authority of the state.' This plan will specify disarmament targets. During Phase 2, Israel would begin withdrawing from positions it holds in south Lebanon and Lebanese prisoners held by Israel would be released in coordination with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). During Phase 3, within 90 days, Israel will withdraw from the final two of the five points it holds, and funding will be secured to initiate rubble removal in Lebanon and infrastructure rehabilitation in preparation for reconstruction. In Phase 4, within 120 days, Hezbollah's remaining heavy weapons must be dismantled, including missiles and drones. In Phase 4, the United States, Saudi Arabia, France, Qatar and other friendly states will organize an economic conference to support the Lebanese economy and reconstruction and to 'implement President Trump's vision for the return of Lebanon as a prosperous and viable country.'


Arab News
an hour ago
- Arab News
Pakistan says US doubling tariffs on India presents ‘strategic opening' for Islamabad
KARACHI: US President Donald Trump's move to double tariffs on Indian goods presents a 'strategic opening' for Islamabad to deepen its trade partnership with Washington, Pakistan's finance adviser Khurram Schehzad said on Thursday. Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday to place an additional 25 percent tariff on India on top of a 25 percent tariff that went into effect on Thursday. The move made India one of the most heavily taxed US trading partners in Asia. Pakistan, India's traditional arch-rival, has meanwhile improved its ties with Washington. Pakistan and the US finalized a trade agreement last week under which a 19 percent tariff was imposed on a wide range of Pakistani goods. The new rate marked a considerable reduction from the initially proposed 29 percent under a sweeping executive order signed by Trump. 'The US tariff hike on Indian goods presents a strategic opening for Pakistan,' Schehzad told Arab News. Washington's 19 percent tariff on Pakistani goods makes them less expensive than Indian goods, making Pakistan one of the countries with the lowest tariff profiles in the region. 'We see this as a moment of opportunity to deepen trade and economic ties with the United States,' the finance official added. The US is Pakistan's largest export destination, State Minister for Finance Bilal Azhar Kayani said on Thursday. He added that out of $32 billion of Pakistan's exports in the last fiscal year, $6 billion went to the US. Pakistan's tariff deal with the US took place at a time when Islamabad is pushing for an economic revival, buoyed by a $7 billion financial bailout package by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Pakistan has undertaken financial reforms over the past two years. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has tasked authorities to ensure Islamabad's $32 billion annual exports surge to over $60 billion by fiscal year 2028-29. Pakistan, having one of the lowest regional tariff profiles and also attracting a growing US investment interest, is positioned to expand its exports, particularly in textiles, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, technology, mining & minerals, and other value-added manufacturing, Schehzad said. 'This agreement will help us realize the long-term export targets we have set under Uraan Pakistan program,' he said, referring to the government's economic plan that aims to make Pakistan a trillion-dollar economy by 2035. 'MAJOR OBSTACLES' Pakistani businesspersons, especially those related to textiles, think otherwise. Atif Ikram Sheikh, president of the Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), said the US has imposed the lowest trade tariffs in the region on Pakistan, which Islamabad should take full advantage of. However, he said higher production costs in Pakistan could neutralize this benefit. 'Taxes and high electricity and gas prices for the industry are major obstacles to taking advantage of low tariffs,' Sheikh said. The textile industry is Pakistan's biggest foreign exchange earner, fetching $18 billion during the last fiscal year, most of which came from the US. Kamran Arshad, chairman of the All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA), was also unsure whether the new trade agreement with the US would benefit Pakistan significantly. 'The costly power and high interest rates would not allow us to compete (in the global textile market) at this 19 percent tariff,' Arshad told Arab News. Last week, Pakistan's central bank kept the policy rate unchanged at 11 percent, adopting a cautious approach. According to the APTMA, Pakistan has a higher interest rate of 11 percent, compared to India's 5.5 percent, Bangladesh's 10 percent, Vietnam's 4.5 percent, Sri Lanka's 7.75 percent, Indonesia's 5.25 percent and Cambodia's 3 percent. The power tariff for industries in Pakistan, meanwhile, stands at $0.16 kilowatt per hour as compared to $0.096 in India, $0.10 in Bangladesh, $0.08 in Vietnam, $0.06 in Sri Lanka, $0.07 in Indonesia and $0.135 in Cambodia, the data shows. Pakistani businesses are paying 29 percent corporate income tax and as much as 10 percent super tax compared to the 27.5 percent preferential taxes their competitors from India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Cambodia are paying on incomes. 'Pakistan's corporate tax, policy rate, labor costs, electricity rate put us at a disadvantage with India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Indonesia,' Arshad noted. Shankar Talreja, head of research at Karachi-based brokerage firm Topline Securities, said the US is a 'big market' for pharmaceuticals, textiles and food products. 'If Pakistan gets preferential treatment in the US market, this will help our companies grow further,' he said.