Independence Day: Victory against India amplifies spirit: Azma
She stated that this day calls for gratitude to Almighty Allah and a renewed commitment to national unity.
Commenting on recent national achievements, the minister noted that the resounding success of Operation Bunyan Al Marsoos has invigorated this Independence Day celebrations with a new sense of pride, courage, and determination.
Azma Bokhari urged citizens to celebrate Independence Day with full passion and patriotic fervour, but also to show utmost respect for the national flag. 'Our flag is our identity''.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
an hour ago
- Express Tribune
Attacks in K-P
As the country marked its 78th Independence Day, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa witnessed a night of coordinated attacks. In 13 separate incidents, gunmen and grenade-wielding assailants targeted police stations, checkpoints and patrols across seven districts. Six policemen were martyred and nine others injured. The attacks, some involving rocket-propelled grenades, were claimed to have been repelled in most cases, with an intelligence-based operation in Peshawar neutralising three militants. Officials have linked the assailants to a TTP-affiliated cell operating under foreign handlers, with plans to escalate violence against security forces and infrastructure. The scale and timing of these assaults suggest a deliberate attempt to challenge the writ of the state on a day meant to symbolise national unity. That such a wave of attacks could be mounted simultaneously across multiple districts should prompt urgent introspection within the security apparatus. It is to the credit of the provincial police and the Counter Terrorism Department that most of the assaults were repulsed. Yet the loss of life, particularly among those tasked with defending the front lines, is a stark reminder of the sacrifices continually being made to keep militancy in check. It also underlines the fact that the threat is far from contained, and that operational successes must be part of a sustained and coordinated strategy. Surveillance and police deployment must be strengthened in high-vulnerability areas, many of which lie in settled regions rather than along the border. Militant networks have repeatedly demonstrated their ability to operate in urban and semi-urban environments, exploiting complacency and gaps in monitoring. Intelligence gathering must be sharpened, cross-border linkages disrupted, and counterterrorism efforts kept proactive rather than reactive. The attacks on Independence Day were intended as a statement of defiance. The state's response must demonstrate not just the capacity to repel such violence but also to prevent it from happening in the first place.
Express Tribune
an hour ago
- Express Tribune
Pak-Afghan relations: winds of change?
Are we in for a radical change in Pak-Afghan relations after an unprecedented move by proponents of the former Northern Alliance, many of whom now embody the National Resistance Front (NRF) of Afghanistan, led by Ahmed Masood, the son of the late Ahmed Shah Masood? Or does a rude shock await the new Kabul regime through new alignments involving Tajikistan, the historical base of the Northern Alliance? But before delving into the Pak-Afghan issue, let's look at three critical developments in the current "world in flux". President Donald Trump's peace and tariffs offensives are indeed enforcing recalibration, if not major shifts, in global alliances. Trump's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin — regardless of immediate outcomes — marks a defining moment both for their bilateral relations and the present turbulent geopolitics. Secondly, after China's upfront posturing on the tariffs issue forced Trump into extending the deadline for trade negotiations, Indian business executives and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are slowly upping the India card with their anti-America rhetoric. This is triggering calls across India for boycotting McDonald's, Coca-Cola, Amazon and Apple, among others — all prompted by US tariffs on exports from India, which is the biggest market for Meta's WhatsApp and beverages like Pepsi, Coca-Cola or Starbucks. India, being the world's most populous country and the fourth largest economy, certainly sees value in leveraging its soft power vis-à-vis a strident Trump, not ready to bend - at least for now. Thirdly, and it relates to the messaging, Trump's policies on tariffs and conflict are radiating with a "sobering" effect on the smaller and weaker stakeholders across the globe. And one wonders if the Independence Day felicitations from the traditionally pro-India and anti-Taliban NRF, a successor to the Northern Alliance, also flow from President Trump's indirect messaging. The unprecedented NRF message (congratulations to Pakistan and its people on the occasion of the country's Independence Day) comes in the context of an argument that present Taliban government leaders often peddle in private; Northern Afghan groups would brand us as "pro-Pakistan if we shunned the historical Afghan position on the border issue." It is worth recalling that when the US launched its bombing of Kabul on October 7, 2001, in the aftermath of the 9/11 terror attacks in New York and Washington, their partner on the ground was Masood's Shoorae Nazar, then led by Marshal Faheem. Masood had been assassinated by Al-Qaeda militants disguised as journalists in his native Takhar province only two days before the 9/11 attacks. The entire politics of Shoorae Nazar was anti-Pakistan, pro-India, and they had always leveled allegations that sounded like coming from India. Most of their leaders lived in India before and after the 9/11 attacks. Even Masood Khalili, who was injured in the attack on Ahmed Shah Masood, was taken to India for treatment. It is nothing but ironic that following decades of acrimonious posturing, the successor to Shoorae Nazar — NRF — has extended an olive branch to Islamabad through an encouraging Independence Day message. Now that the late Ahmed Shah Masood's son has formally congratulated Pakistan, Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi also sent similar greetings to his Pakistani counterpart, Ishaq Dar, according to an official announcement from Muttaqi's office. The exchange of greetings also coincided with the celebration of "Victory Day" — when the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan on a Sunday, August 15, four years ago. Does the festive mood - a mix of hope and goodwill — around Pakistan's Independence Day, Afghanistan's "Victory Day", followed by the Afghan Independence Day on August 19 coupled with positive messaging from the NRF offer a chance to Afghans in general and to the Taliban regime in particular to build on their expression of goodwill for Pakistan? Can the development help Afghans embrace the reality of Pakistan as it has existed since 1947, abandon the old clichéd narratives that often belittle and accuse it of treating Afghanistan as a colony, and move on in favour of an equal-footed cordial relationship between the two uneasy neighbouring countries? Have the winds of change begun blowing to improve Pak-Afghan relations, or should the NRF felicitation gesture signal something ominous to Pakistan, particularly at a time when both China and Russia have courted the Taliban leadership, with Moscow recognising the Kabul regime to the displeasure of the Trump administration? How would Taliban leaders view the recently concluded Pakistan-Tajikistan Counter-Terrorism Exercises Dosti-ll (August 4-9) in a country that historically served as the base for Shoorae Nazar during the anti-Soviet jihad? Dushanbe, the capital, also symbolised the shelter and support (including from India) to Ahmed Shah Masood's militia in its fight against the Taliban until the 9/11 events, and continues to be the hub of NRF activities.
Business Recorder
5 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Pakistan, Micronesia establish diplomatic relations
Pakistan and the Federated States of Micronesia, an island nation located in the western Pacific Ocean, established diplomatic relations at a ceremony in New York on Thursday. Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the UN, and Federated States of Micronesia's counterpart, Ambassador Jeem S. Lippwe, signed a joint communiqué to formalize the relationship between the two countries. The signing ceremony, held at the Pakistan Mission to the UN, was attended by the diplomats of the two countries, including, the Deputy Permanent Representative, Ambassador Usman Jadoon. Speaking on the occasion, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said that he was truly glad as the diplomatic relations between the two countries were being established on Pakistan's Independence Day anniversary. The ties, he said, would open up avenues for cooperation in the field of human resource management, capacity building and climate change. He said that both Missions would work closely on key matters, especially promotion of international peace and security at the United Nations. Asim Iftikhar said he was happy to learn that Pakistan was the 100th country with which Micronesia was establishing its relations. In his remarks, Ambassador Lippwe expressed his pleasure at the start of a new chapter in bilateral relations. He said that he was privileged to be representing his country at the formal start of a journey of friendship and partnership with Pakistan. He thanked Pakistan for extending support to his country for opening of the United Nations offices there. He said that he looked forward to working closely with his Pakistani counterpart to strengthen the bond of friendship. The ambassador conveyed his congratulations on Pakistan's Independence Day. Before the ceremony, both the Ambassadors held a brief meeting during which they discussed possible areas of cooperation, both bilaterally as well as at the UN.
