Latest news with #Pakistan-India
Express Tribune
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Bilawal-led delegation in US to brief Pakistan's stance on Indian aggression
Listen to article A high-level parliamentary delegation led by Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has reached United States to represent Pakistan's position on the recent conflict with India, Express News reported on Sunday. The high-level diplomatic visit led by Bilawal, who has also served as the country's foreign minister, comes in the wake of India's escalation following the Pahalgam attack. Both nuclear-armed neighbours experienced heightened military tensions, during which Pakistan shot down six Indian aircraft. A ceasefire was reached following the intervention of US President Donald Trump. According to sources, the committee headed by Bilawal will meet members of the US administration, Congress, think tanks, and media outlets to brief them on Pakistan's stance regarding the escalating tensions with India. The delegation aims to highlight what it calls the root causes of potential Pakistan-India conflict and raise concerns over India's disinformation campaigns and foreign-influenced operations targeting Pakistan. Read: PM Shehbaz, Field Marshal Munir vow to crush Indian-sponsored terror in Balochistan at grand jirga The committee will also meet United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres in New York, followed by meetings with senior officials of the Trump administration in Washington. A key focus will be the implications of any disruption to the Indus Waters Treaty and its potential impact on regional security. "The parliamentary team will clearly communicate how India's provocations and disinformation threaten regional peace," a source familiar with the visit said. The delegation is expected to remain in the US until June 9, after which it will travel to the United Kingdom and then continue on to various European countries. Prominent members of the delegation include former foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar, former envoy Jalil Abbas Jilani, Khurram Dastgir, and Musadik Malik. Read More: Pakistan never requested ceasefire: DG ISPR After ceasefire with India, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif appointed Bilawal to lead a high-level delegation tasked with presenting 'Pakistan's case for peace' on recent Indian aggression to the international community. The committee will engage with global leaders and institutions to raise awareness about India's actions and Pakistan's concerns regarding the Indus Waters Treaty. The government has also planned to send additional delegations to other countries as part of a broader diplomatic outreach.
Express Tribune
a day ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
India — indiscretion or prudence
Listen to article Hans Morgenthau's Politics Among Nations: The Struggle for Power and Peace is a book on political science published in 1948. The author has outlined six principles of political realism in this book. It is interesting to see Prime Minister Narendra Modi's actions and Indian state behaviour against Pakistan in view of these principles. The six principles are: 1) politics like society in general is governed by objective laws that have roots in human nature; 2) a statesman sees certain problems of foreign policy under certain circumstances; 3) key concept of interest defined as power is an objective category and is universally valid; 4) universal moral principles cannot be applied to actions of the state; 5) political realism refuses to identify the moral aspirations of a particular nation with the moral laws that govern the world; and 6) there is a profound difference of policymaking in different schools of thought. I would like to start with the last principle. The nature of a man, the nature of society, and the nature of the politics all three combine to produce a typical school of thought and the consequential nature of the state behaviour which aims at the realisation of any evil or good. In this context, it is important to correctly understand the motives and ideological preferences of the man, PM Modi of India, who drives the process of policymaking. If, through his actions, he represents illiberalism, autocracy, nationalism, protectionism and territorial revisionism, then he represents the dark force of regional politics that seeks war and not peace. To view the Indian state behaviour in light of the 5th principle of political realism is to see how India under the Modi-led government has deprived the people of occupied Kashmir of justice, freedom, equality, dignity and security - which are some of the moral laws that are universally applicable and govern the world. The 4th principle of political realism speaks of the universal moral principles such as honesty, respect for life, justice, fairness, compassion, empathy and forgiveness. It's not just India but its partner and ally Israel that practices this principle of political realism and considers that these universal moral principles cannot be applied to the actions of their states. The third principle of realism, which identifies with interests being defined as power, showcases Indian political realism being practiced under the dark shadows of the Modi-led government for over a decade now. When history is written, the chronicles of this short war between India and Pakistan will buzz with PM Modi's motives, ideological preference and appetite for resorting to violence for his own political gains. Since Modi has come to power, the direction of Indian foreign policy has gone in no other way but the resolution of Pakistan-India conflicts through war-making. PM Modi's intentions about Pakistan have always been questionable. His anti-Muslim rhetoric earns him praise and political points from the Indian electorate, but the policies that result from his motivational speeches, diplomatic directions and political dictates throw up an interesting question: Will his Pakistan-specific policies be politically successful and sustainable in the long run? The second principle of political realism talks of policymaking as circumstantial. Currently, the government policies and the politics between India and Pakistan are a popular topic of global discussion and at the centre of global debate. Leadership of both countries is being critically viewed, as what they decide and do would mean the implementation of peace or the commencement of war. This pause in fighting that some of us consider as ceasefire has created a much-needed space for the leadership of both countries for reflection and clarity on the circumstances and the regional and global environment under which fighting a war may or may not be a preferred option. PM Modi of India is not backing off, and the hatred that he brews against Pakistan is a reflection of a political leader who is bent upon seeking war and not peace as an end. One can contextualise the politics of the Indian PM as an outcome of political realism, but he must carefully consider the consequences of his actions and avoid the Indian state policy from being driven by lust for conflict, self-interest and power maximisation. Ironically, the majority in Pakistan believe that there will remain little likelihood for reconciliation or room for compromise in Indian politics as long as India, under PM Modi, continues to behave as a regional hegemon and treats Pakistan as unequal. However, Pakistan may be unequal in size and strength, but it is not unequal in its resolve — something that Pakistan proved in its response through Operation Bunyan Marsoos. The first principle of political realism suggests that ethical norms can be drawn from human nature. Some of the objective laws that govern human nature are the spirit of survival, fair play, inclusivity, cognitive ability for future orientation and curiosity for problem-solving. One can only wish that India's politics against Pakistan is also governed under these objective laws that govern the nature of human beings. The Indian public judges their PM's motives through the lens of his ideological preferences and thus considers the resulting anti-Pakistan policies as morally right. What the Indian public needs to do is to judge these policies from the point of view of the probability of their success. The best metric to do that is to see if, following these policies, the lives of the people living in India or even the entire region will become better or worse? Even if PM Modi has convinced the Indian electorate that fighting a war with Pakistan is morally justified, rationality demands that India must weigh the benefits of alternate political action, which is indulging in a dialogue — a pure act of prudence. It is not the question of who dominates — hawks or doves — in the Indian policymaking circle, but the real question is the rationality of Indian policymaking. Rational minds will have to come to the forefront and comprehend the Indian foreign policy towards Pakistan, minus the policy being overshadowed by the Indian PM's personal motives, ideological preferences and anti-Pakistan biases. Sane minds in India must distinguish between the Indian PM's official duty and his wish in analysing what is desirable and what is truly possible under the concrete circumstances of availability of tremendous military capability being showcased by both sides, including military platforms that demonstrate destructive powers with nuclear armed warheads.
India.com
3 days ago
- Politics
- India.com
Rift between Shehbaz Sharif and Asim Munir? Pakistan PM pleads for dialogue with India, but...
Rift between Shehbaz Sharif and Asim Munir? Pakistan PM pleads for dialogue with India, but... Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has appealed for talks with India while he was on tour to Turkey to Azerbaijan. He even said that Pakistan-India can talk in Saudi Arabia. So far Pakistan has been avoiding talking on the issue of terrorism, but Shehbaz Sharif repeatedly reiterated that we are ready for talks even on the issue of terrorism. Apart from this, he also expressed his desire to talk on Kashmir, water and trade. Ironically, when Shehbaz Sharif has shown willingness to come at the discussion table, his Army Chief Asim Munir's attitude is still intact. Regarding the suspension of the Indus Water Treaty, Asim Munir said that Pakistan will never accept India's supremacy. 'No one has the right to compromise the basic rights of 24 crore people of Pakistan by stopping water,' he said. Not only this, once again Asim Munir said that Pakistan can never forget the issue of Jammu and Kashmir. Not only this, Shehbaz Sharif is saying that he is ready to talk on the issue of terrorism, but the Army Chief said that this is India's internal matter. Now the question is why Asim Munir's language is opposite to that of Shahbaz Sharif. Experts believe that the reason behind Asim Munir's stance is to strengthen the image of the army. In Pakistan, the army always wants to appear aggressive against India so that its image remains strong compared to the political leadership. They want to show that even though the political leadership is soft, the army's stance is tough. The reason for this is also that India has attacked Pakistan by entering inside and the army does not want that even after that our stance should appear weak. On the contrary, the Shehbaz Sharif government is appearing soft because it wants to create a narrative around the world that even though India has attacked us, we are still ready for talks. There is a strategy hidden in Shehbaz Sharif's leniency In this way, the army wants to keep the common Pakistanis with its stance. At the same time, the government is trying to garner foreign support. It is also important for Asim Munir to maintain the public's trust in the army because even though Imran Khan is in jail, his support base is large. In such a situation, if the public's narrative towards the army weakens, Imran Khan can become stronger.
Express Tribune
3 days ago
- Business
- Express Tribune
Airlines return to Pak skies
Air traffic has returned to normal following recent disruptions caused by Pakistan-India conflict. All international airlines have resumed operations through Pakistan's airspace – except for Indian carriers, which remain restricted. Talking to media at the Lahore Press Club, Director of Public Relations for the Pakistan Airport Authority (PAA), Saifullah, said that international airlines had temporarily rerouted flights during the recent escalation but have since returned to their regular routes. He confirmed that, as per the government's directive, Pakistan's airspace will remain closed to Indian airlines until June 24. Skardu Airport is being upgraded while a new system is being introduced at Chitral and Gilgit Airport. Under a new system, flight operations will continue regardless of weather conditions, said the PAA director. He said bird strike incidents had gone down by 15 per cent in Karachi, while 36 such incidents were reported in Lahore. The PAA official said the authority will run a drive in collaboration with the local governments to dispose of offal during Eidul Azha. He said that there was a policy to outsource airports. Meanwhile, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has imposed a ban on flying drones, kites, pigeons, and other objects around Islamabad Airport. The restriction is placed following bird strike incidents, which cause damage to aircraft, and will remain in effect for a month. The areas around the Noor Khan Airbase and Qasim Airbase will also come under the restriction. Deputy Commissioner Hasan Waqar Cheema has issued a notification under Section 144. Besides, there is also a ban on aerial firing for a month.
Express Tribune
3 days ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Iqbal faults state pillars for past crises
Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said on Thursday that the political crises in the country were created either by one pillar of the state or the other, as he called for all sides to work for making the country economically strong. Addressing an event in connection with Youm-e-Takbeer — the anniversary of Pakistan's nuclear blasts — at the Islamabad High Court Bar Association (IHCBA), the minister emphasised that judiciary should not be used in any political confrontation. "All crises in Pakistan were artificial and created by one of the pillars of the state. Political crises were sometimes created by the establishment and sometimes by the judiciary. The 26th Constitutional Amendment was enacted because the judiciary was used for political purposes," he said. "The decision to disqualify Nawaz Sharif in 2017 pushed the country towards a political crisis. But now even our establishment is saying that they are not interested in creating any new political party. Now they are saying that they will keep themselves away from politics." Speaking about Pakistan's nuclear blasts in 1998, he said that the six explosions on May 28 were a befitting reply to India five explosions. "The credit for laying the foundation of the nuclear programme goes to late prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and nuclear scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan," he said. "All the succeeding governments carried this programme forward and Nawaz Sharif rejected the international pressure and carried out the explosions," he continued. "Youm-e-Takbeer is not only a celebration of past successes but also a day of our firm resolve for the future." This year's Youm-e-Takbeer celebrations came just weeks after Pakistan-India military confrontation. Iqbal said that when India challenged Pakistan, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) proved its superiority by shooting down six Indian warplanes that included three Rafales. "The latest technology, of which India was proud, was crushed by the PAF. India then cried to Washington and requested for a ceasefire, which we accepted because we want peace," the minister said. "Technology played a very important role in the success against India on May 10." The minister stressed the need for a strong economy for strong defence. He called for a national resolve to beat the enemy in the field of economy. "We have a lot of tax evasion. We are among the countries having low tax collection," he added.
