Romania, Pakistan to strengthen bilateral ties
The ambassador said in a meeting with Federal Minister of Science Khalid Hussain Magsi.
Romania offers Pakistani partners access to flagship EU-funded initiatives such as Horizon Europe (95.5 billion for research and innovation, 20212027), Erasmus+ (education, training, and academic exchange), and the Digital Europe Programme.
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Express Tribune
an hour ago
- Express Tribune
Field Marshal Munir warns of 'forceful response' to any Indian aggression
Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir with outgoing US CENTCOM Commander General Michael E. Kurilla at his retirement ceremony in Tampa. Photo: ISPR Field Marshal Asim Munir has said that India is persisting in its efforts to destabilise the region, warning that any act of aggression will be met with a 'forceful response.' 'India is still bent on creating instability in the region, and Pakistan has made it clear that any Indian aggression will be met with a befitting response,' said Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir, while addressing the Pakistani community during his visit to the US on Sunday. Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir is on an official visit to the United States, where he has held high-level meetings with senior political and military leaders and engaged with members of the Pakistani diaspora. Read More: Field Marshal Asim Munir meets US defence officials According to a press release by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the COAS attended the retirement ceremony of outgoing US Central Command (CENTCOM) Commander General Michael E Kurilla and the change of command ceremony for Admiral Brad Cooper in Tampa. While addressing Pakistanis, army chief said India seeks to project itself as a 'Vishwaguru' (world leader) but in reality 'there is nothing of the sort'. He cited transnational terrorism by India's intelligence agency RAW as a matter of grave international concern, pointing to the killing of a Sikh leader in Canada, issue of eight Indian naval officers in Qatar, and the arrest of Kulbhushan Jadhav in Pakistan as examples. 'Pakistan has fought a successful diplomatic battle against India's discriminatory and hypocritical policies,' Field Marshal Munir said. 'The recent Indian aggression, carried out under shameful pretences, was a grave violation of Pakistan's sovereignty and resulted in the martyrdom of innocent civilians.' He said the incident had brought the region to 'the brink of a dangerously escalating war, where any miscalculation could lead to a major conflict'. He expressed Pakistan's gratitude to US President Donald Trump for what he described as 'strategic leadership' that helped prevent not only an India-Pakistan war but also 'many conflicts around the world'. The army chief said Pakistan had given a 'resolute and robust' response to India's provocation and succeeded in preventing a wider confrontation. COAS Munir reiterated that Jammu and Kashmir was 'not India's internal matter' but an 'unfinished international agenda'. Quoting Pakistan's founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, he said Kashmir is Pakistan's 'jugular vein' and emphasised that UN Security Council resolutions on the territory remain valid. On regional security, the army chief warned that multiple terrorist groups, including the fitna-al-khawarij, were operating from Afghanistan against Pakistan. 'Pakistan is the last stronghold in the fight against terrorism,' he said. 'There will be no sympathy for terrorists, and they will face justice with full force.' Overseas Pakistanis not brain drain but brain gain COAS Munir praised overseas Pakistanis as 'a source of dignity and honour' during an address to the Pakistani community in the United States, describing them as 'brain gain' rather than 'brain drain.' 'It is an honour for me to address Pakistanis living in the US. Overseas Pakistanis are a source of dignity and honour, and they are as passionate as those living in the homeland,' said Munir. 'Overseas Pakistanis are not a brain drain but a brain gain.' The army chief said that his second visit to the United States within six weeks was 'a sign of a new dimension' in Pakistan–US relations. 'These visits aim to put relations on a constructive, sustainable and positive path,' he noted, adding that the ongoing bloodshed in Gaza was 'a grave humanitarian tragedy' with serious implications at both regional and global levels. He stressed that Pakistan's development and prosperity were tied to its diaspora. 'Overseas Pakistanis' devotion and attachment to the homeland is an undeniable reality. In times of disaster, they are the first to respond to appeals for aid,' he said. Anti-state elements using social media for chaos Addressing the role of digital platforms, Field Marshal Munir said: 'Social media has become a powerful medium, but anti-state elements also use it to create manufactured chaos.' Quoting the Holy Qur'an, he added: 'O you who believe, if a wicked person comes to you with news, ascertain the truth, lest you harm people unwittingly and afterwards become full of regret for what you have done.' He emphasised the importance of understanding the younger generation. 'The thinking, relationships and priorities of the new generation are different, and understanding them is the need of the hour,' he said, noting that a potential trade agreement with the United States could bring 'substantial investment.' On diplomatic front, Pakistan achieved 'notable successes' On the diplomatic front, COAS Munir said Pakistan had achieved 'notable successes,' with memoranda of understanding under implementation with the United States, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and China to enhance economic cooperation and investment. He said Pakistan's youth — 64 per cent of its population — were brimming with potential. He also hailed recent diplomatic and security gains against India as 'the result of Allah Almighty's blessing, the collective effort of the nation, the foresight and resolve of political leadership, and the professional skill of our brave armed forces.' 'The question before us is no longer whether we will rise,' he said. 'The question is how soon and with how much strength we will rise. Let us, with a new spirit and purpose, move forward while preserving the legacy of our forefathers.'
Business Recorder
2 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Europe pushes for Ukraine role in Trump-Putin talks
BRUSSELS: European leaders pushed on Sunday for Ukraine to be a part of the negotiations between the United States and Russia, ahead of talks between presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump. The two leaders will meet in the US state of Alaska on Friday to try to resolve the three-year war, but Europe has insisted that Kyiv and European powers should be part of any deal to end the conflict. EU foreign ministers will discuss the next steps before the talks in a meeting by video link on Monday, joined by their Ukrainian counterpart. The idea of a US-Russia meeting without Zelenskyy has raised concerns that a deal would require Kyiv to cede swathes of territory, which the EU has rejected. 'The path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine,' leaders from France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Britain and Finland and EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said in a joint statement, urging Trump to put more pressure on Russia. In a flurry of diplomacy, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held calls with 13 counterparts over three days including Kyiv's main backers Germany, Britain and France. Trump and Putin to meet to discuss Ukraine peace deal in Alaska German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Sunday said he hoped and assumed Zelenskyy will attend the leaders' summit. Top EU diplomat Kaja Kallas said any deal between the United States and Russia to end the war in Ukraine must include Kyiv and the bloc. 'President Trump is right that Russia has to end its war against Ukraine. The US has the power to force Russia to negotiate seriously. Any deal between the US and Russia must have Ukraine and the EU included, for it is a matter of Ukraine's and the whole of Europe's security,' Kallas said. 'I will convene an extraordinary meeting of the EU foreign ministers on Monday to discuss our next steps,' she said in a statement Sunday. Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga will also take part in the meeting on Monday afternoon, the ministry said. Territory sticking point NATO head Mark Rutte told ABC's This Week broadcast on Sunday that Trump was 'putting pressure on Putin', adding: 'Next Friday will be important because it will be about testing Putin, how serious he is on bringing this terrible war to an end.' Ukraine's military said on Sunday it had taken back a village in the Sumy region from the Russian army which has made significant recent gains. Kallas says any deal between US, Russia must include Ukraine and EU The village is on the frontline in the north of the country and about 20 kilometres (13 miles) west of the main fighting between the two armies in the northern region. As a prerequisite to any peace settlement, Moscow demanded Kyiv pull its forces out of the regions and commit to being a neutral state, shun Western military support and be excluded from joining NATO. Kyiv said it would never recognise Russian control over its sovereign territory, though it acknowledged that getting land captured by Russia back would have to come through diplomacy, not on the battlefield. The EU's Kallas backed Kyiv's position on Sunday. 'As we work towards a sustainable and just peace, international law is clear: All temporarily occupied territories belong to Ukraine,' the EU foreign policy chief said. NATO's Rutte said it was a reality that 'Russia is controlling some of Ukrainian territory' and suggested a future deal could acknowledge this. 'When it comes to acknowledging, for example, maybe in a future deal, that Russia is controlling, de facto, factually, some of the territory of Ukraine. It has to be effectual recognition and not a political de jure recognition,' Rutte told ABC's This Week.
Express Tribune
2 hours ago
- Express Tribune
No proof of Pakistani jet losses, says Chinese expert
Listen to article Prof Cheng Xizhong of China's Charhar Institute on Sunday debunked Indian Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh's claim that the Indian Air Force (IAF) had shot down five Pakistani jets and a large aircraft during Operation Sindoor, branding the assertion as baseless and unsupported by credible evidence. Prof Cheng described the statement as groundless and widely questioned by the international community, reported PTV World. Emphasising the need for verifiable proof, he noted that India has failed to provide photographs of wreckage, radar data, or any corroborating material. In contrast, Pakistan had promptly issued comprehensive technical reports following the engagement. He termed Singh's remarks 'comical, implausible, and unconvincing,' calling them an exercise in 'self-amusement.' Three months since the hostilities ended, India has yet to substantiate its claims, while Pakistan's evidence remains on record and publicly available. Prof Cheng also cited corroborations from global leaders, senior Indian politicians, and foreign intelligence agencies affirming that India had suffered significant aerial losses. Read More: Defence minister refutes IAF chief's claim of shooting down Pakistani jets He insisted that no Pakistani fighter jets were downed; rather, Pakistan's forces had effectively deployed air defences, shooting down six Indian fighter jets and neutralising S-400 air defence systems—facts he described as indisputable. The comments followed Air Chief Marshal Singh's statement on Saturday at an event in Bengaluru, where he claimed India had downed 'at least five fighters' and one larger aircraft—possibly a surveillance plane—using the S-400 surface-to-air missile system. He cited electronic tracking data as confirmation. 'We have at least five fighters confirmed killed, and one large aircraft,' Singh said, adding that the larger aircraft was shot down at a distance of approximately 300 km (186 miles). He did not specify the types of fighter jets downed but stated that Indian airstrikes also targeted another surveillance aircraft and 'a few F-16s' parked in hangars at two air bases in Pakistan. In contrast to Singh's statement, the Pakistan Air Force shot down six Indian aircraft during the May conflict, including three Rafale jets, in response to Indian missile attacks. A day later, a senior French intelligence official confirmed to CNN that one Indian Air Force Rafale had been downed by Pakistan—possibly marking the first known combat loss of the French-made aircraft. Also Read: Field Marshal Asim Munir meets US defence officials In response, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif dismissed Singh's remarks as 'implausible' and 'ill-timed,' accusing the Indian military leadership of engaging in politically motivated narrative building. He noted that while Pakistan had immediately shared detailed technical briefings with the international media, India had waited three months before issuing its claim. 'The belated assertions made by the Indian Air Force Chief regarding the alleged destruction of Pakistani aircraft during Operation Sindoor are as implausible as they are ill-timed,' he said in a statement. He further criticised Indian military leaders for being used as 'the faces of monumental failure caused by the strategic shortsightedness of Indian politicians.' Asif invited India to resolve the matter through transparency, suggesting an independent audit of both countries' aircraft inventories. 'If the truth is in question, let both sides open their aircraft inventories to independent verification—though we suspect such transparency would only expose the reality India seeks to obscure,' he added.
