Latest news with #securitythreats
Arab News
3 days ago
- Business
- Arab News
Pakistan PM says Indian bid to set ‘new norm' thwarted, vows focus on economy and governance
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday highlighted a range of security threats facing Pakistan days after a military standoff with India, saying New Delhi's attempt to establish a 'new norm' by targeting his country at will had been thwarted, though Pakistan must now focus on strengthening economy and governance. The remarks came during a televised address to senior military officers at the Command and Staff College in Quetta, where the premier recounted the recent escalation between the two nuclear-armed neighbors. The flare-up followed an April attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir, which New Delhi blamed on a Pakistan. Islamabad denied the allegation and called for an impartial probe, but tensions rapidly escalated into four days of cross-border hostilities, ending after a US-brokered ceasefire on May 10. 'The threats we face are no longer limited to conventional battlefields,' Sharif said during his address. 'They are multifaceted, ranging from kinetic warfare to cyberattacks, economic coercion to disinformation campaigns and hybrid threats that challenge both our borders and our ideological frontiers.' 'The recent Indian aggression against Pakistan, violating our territorial integrity and targeting our innocent civilians, was not merely countered successfully, but instead we succeeded in turning the tables on those who were dreaming of establishing a new norm,' he said. Sharif added that Pakistan accepted the ceasefire offer 'in the interest of peace, progress and prosperity in South Asia,' asserting that India's claim of a new strategic precedent 'was buried for all times to come by our brave armed forces.' 'In fact, it was Pakistan that established the new norm in its relations with India,' he said. 'Henceforth, we will not allow her to behave in an arrogant and haughty manner.' The prime minister said India had suffered 'serious setbacks in both warfare and finest diplomacy' during the episode. Turning to domestic matters, Sharif said while the military had fulfilled its responsibility, Pakistan still faced 'major challenges in the field of economy and governance.' He cited the dire financial situation when his administration took office, saying it compelled Pakistan to seek external assistance from lenders such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF). However, he maintained the economy had since stabilized and was now on a positive trajectory. The prime minister also criticized India's recent move to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), a World Bank-brokered water-sharing agreement signed in 1960, reiterating it was unacceptable to his country. 'We will not allow India to weaponize water by holding the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance,' he said. 'This is an absolute red line for us.'
Daily Mail
08-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE What was the one thing that SCARED Queen Elizabeth II? New Mail podcast series launches delving into the history of Royal security threats and assassination attempts
On the first episode of a special three-part investigation into historic security threats against the British monarchy, Royal biographer Robert Hardman, co-host of the 'Queens, Kings, and Dastardly Things' podcast, explains the one thing that frightened Queen Elizabeth II. The late Queen was known for her stiff upper lip and unshrinking attitude towards threats against her life. For example, Hardman described Britain's longest-serving monarch as being 'cool as a cucumber' in the aftermath of the famous 1982 Buckingham Palace break-in. Waking up to a disturbed Michael Fagan clutching a piece of broken glass at her bedside, the Queen still completed her busy calendar of Royal events the following day. Despite enduring a life that began with the threat of Nazi abduction and later saw the IRA make threats to mortar bomb Royal palaces, there was only one thing, Hardman reveals in the podcast, that kept the stoic Queen up at night. Queen Elizabeth II's Fear of Helicopters The year 1977 was a milestone year for Queen Elizabeth II: not only did it see her Silver Jubilee celebrations, but it also forced her to confront her greatest fear. The monarch had her mind set on visiting every corner of the United Kingdom to mark 25 years on the throne, including Northern Ireland at the height of The Troubles. This posed a problem for Elizabeth II as her security detail warned against visiting the nation without the use of a helicopter, a mode of transport she was deathly afraid of. As Royal biographer Hardman told the podcast: 'Elizabeth II was only afraid of one thing, and that was helicopters. 'She could put up with everything else: she'd been through the war, she'd been through heaven knows what, but she always had a thing about helicopters. 'Even at the end of her life, she was very reluctant to use them in bad weather and during winter.' Her fear was not unfounded, having been shaken by the untimely death of a member of her staff in a helicopter crash. Hardman explained: 'She had been particularly upset by the death of the captain of the Queen's flight, a chap called John Blunt, who is a relative of singer James Blunt. 'He died in a helicopter accident in the late 1960s and that left a very deep impression on the Queen.' For the visit to Northern Ireland however, the monarch was forced to put her apprehension aside and tour the nation using the aircraft. 'She has no choice', Hardman said. 'The Queen was ferried to a Royal Navy frigate, where she got into a helicopter for the first time and flew around Northern Ireland for her Jubilee. 'It's somewhat ironic that several of her children and grandchildren, notably Prince Charles, Prince Andrew, and Prince Harry, all ended up flying helicopters at various points. She never like them.' Historian and co-host Kate Williams noted that the conquering of her fear to make a spectacle of an important milestone in her reign says something of the late Queen's unflappable attitude towards the responsibility of the crown. 'Elizabeth really is the epitome of the overused phrase, keep calm and carry on', Williams commented. To watch the full episode, where the pair of Royal experts discuss the assassination of Lord Mountbatten and much more, search for 'Queens, Kings and Dastardly Things' now,
