India’s August 5 action in disputed Kashmir was a 'strategic blunder' — PM Khan

Pakistan premier Imran Khan addresses the Azad Jammu and Kashmir assembly in Muzaffarabad, Pakistan, on Aug. 5, 2020. (PID)
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Updated 05 August 2020
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India’s August 5 action in disputed Kashmir was a 'strategic blunder' — PM Khan

  • Pakistan observes day of solidarity with Kashmir on anniversary of lost autonomy
  • PM Modi marks the day by launching the construction of Ram Mandir, making Pakistan condemn Hindu majoritarianism in India

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Wednesday Indian Prime Minister Nardendra Modi’s move to revoke the special status of the disputed Kashmir region last August was a “strategic blunder.”
The prime minister was in Muzaffarabad on ‘Youm-e-Istehsal,’ a day of solidarity observed across Pakistan to mark the one year anniversary of India stripping Kashmir of its autonomy on August 5 last year and dividing it into two federally-administered territories.
The Himalayan valley is claimed in full by both India and Pakistan. The two countries have gone to war thrice over it, and both rule parts of it. The portion of the disputed region ruled by India has been plagued by separatist violence since the late 1980s.
While in Muzaffarabad, the PM led a solidarity rally and addressed the assembly of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), the part of the disputed region governed by Pakistan.
“India thought that when it showed its full might, the Kashmiris would surrender,” the PM said in his address to a special session of the AJK Legislative Assembly. “I think Modi made a strategic blunder.”
“The biggest false assumption that Modi made was that he thought that by posting 800,000 soldiers in the valley, he could strike fear in the hearts of the Kashmiris and then India would be able to change occupied Kashmir’s demography,” the PM said. “India is stuck in a blind alley. If it retreats, Kashmir will be free. The question is how long can they maintain this [when] the world is watching.”

A minute of silence was observed at 10am to mark Youm-e-Istehsal, when traffic across the country came to a halt. A rally in the capital was attended by President Arif Alvi, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and other top leaders.




Pakistan's President Arif Alvi, center, stands with parliamentarians to observe one minute of silence during a rally to show solidarity with Kashmiri people on the eve of the first anniversary of India's decision to revoke the disputed region's semi-autonomy, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2020. (AP)

India’s August 5 move was accompanied by a communication blackout, widespread movement restrictions and mass detentions, including those of elected leaders.
In India, the anniversary of the day saw a heavy deployment of troops and barricades of barbed wire as India put Kashmir under the strictest lockdown in several months. Streets in the Kashmir’s main city of Srinagar were deserted, with armed paramilitary and police manning roadblocks to enforce a lockdown that was initially imposed on Tuesday to prevent any violent protests.
“If, over the past year, Kashmiris had appreciated the move [of repealing the region’s special status], India would not have to impose a lockdown,” President Alvi said, addressing a rally in the Pakistani capital on Wednesday.




A paramilitary soldier stands guard in front of closed shops during the one-year anniversary of the restive region being stripped of its autonomy in Srinagar on August 5, 2020. (AFP)

For almost a century, no outsider was allowed to buy land and property in Indian-controlled Kashmir but since August 5, under a new law, authorities have begun issuing “domicile certificates” to Indians and non-residents, entitling them to residency rights and government jobs, international media has reported. Many Kashmiris view the move as the beginning of settler colonialism aimed at engineering a demographic change in India’s only Muslim-majority region.




A woman walks along a street as security personnel stand guard during the one-year anniversary of the restive Kashmir region being stripped of its autonomy in Srinagar on August 5, 2020. (AFP)

Tens of thousands of civilians, rebels and government forces have been killed in the Kashmir conflict in Kashmir the last three decades.
“Eight million Kashmiris have been made prisoners in their own homes,” PM Khan said in a statement on Wednesday morning. “Their communication with the outside world has been deliberately revoked to hide the scale of human rights violations being perpetrated against them ... Young men are being extrajudicially martyred in “fake encounters” and so-called “cordon and search” operations, almost on a daily basis, while the real Kashmiri political leadership remains incarcerated.”
“It is imperative that the international community steps in immediately and backs its words of condemnation with practical steps that will force India to reverse its present course against the Kashmiri people,” Khan said. “Pakistan will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with its Kashmiri brethren until they realize their inalienable right to self-determination through free and impartial plebiscite under the auspices of the United Nations as per the relevant UNSC [United Nations Security Council] Resolutions.”
On Tuesday, Khan said his cabinet had approved a new ‘political map’ which should be considered the official map of the country both inside Pakistan and internationally.
An image of the map was shared with Pakistani media by the PM’s office in Pakistan and showed areas in the Himalayan Kashmir valley disputed with India as a part of Pakistan with these words printed across the relevant parts of the map: “Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. (Disputed territory — Final status to be decided in line with relevant UNSC [United Nations Security Council] resolutions.)”
A dotted line that previously marked the disputed areas has been removed from the new map.
The UN Security Council adopted several resolutions in 1948 and in the 1950s on the dispute between India and Pakistan over the region, including one which says a plebiscite should be held to determine the future of mostly Muslim Kashmir. Another resolution also calls upon both sides to “refrain from making any statements and from doing or causing to be done or permitting any acts which might aggravate the situation.”
Meanwhile, India’s Modi on Wednesday launched the construction of a Hindu temple on a site that has been contested by Muslims for decades in a dispute that has sparked some of India’s most bloody communal violence.
The Supreme Court ruled last year that Hindus, who believe the site in Ayodhya is the birthplace of Lord Ram, a physical incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu, be allowed to build a temple there.
Modi, whose Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) campaigned for more than three decades for the temple, unveiled a plaque at the site in an elaborate ceremony to inaugurate construction.
“The whole country is thrilled, the wait of centuries is ending,” Modi said in a speech, after taking off a white mask that he wore as a novel coronavirus precaution.

Reacting to the development, Pakistan's foreign office strongly condemned the construction of Ram Mandir on the site where the historic mosque stood for around five centuries.
"The flawed judgment of the Indian Supreme Court paving the way for construction of the temple not only reflected the preponderance of faith over justice but also the growing majoritarianism in today’s India where minorities, particularly Muslims and their places of worship, are increasingly under attack," it said in an official statement. "A temple built on the site of a historic mosque will remain a blot on the face of the so-called Indian democracy for the times to come."
Hindus say the site was holy for them long before the Muslim Mughals, India’s most prominent Islamic rulers, built the Babri Mosque there in 1528.
Hindu protesters demolished the mosque in 1992, triggering riots in which about 2,000 people, most of them Muslim, were killed.


Pakistan reports first Congo virus death of 2025 in Karachi

Updated 18 June 2025
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Pakistan reports first Congo virus death of 2025 in Karachi

  • Virus is transmitted through tick bites or direct contact with blood of infected animals
  • Pakistan’s southwestern province of Balochistan reported 23 Congo virus cases in 2024

KARACHI: A 42-year-old man lost his life after contracting the Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF), marking the first confirmed fatality from the virus in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province this year, the health department said on Wednesday.

The fatality rate for the Congo virus ranges from 10 percent to 40 percent, depending on the quality of health care, timeliness of treatment and the patient’s overall health, according to the World Health Organization.

The virus, which is endemic in parts of Africa, Europe and Asia, is primarily transmitted through tick bites or contact with the blood or tissues of infected animals.

“First case of Congo virus [has been] reported in Sindh,” the Sindh Health Department said in a statement on Wednesday.

“42-year-old male was a resident of District Malir,” it continued. “The test report came out positive on June 16 and the patient passed away on June 17.”

Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province reported 23 Congo virus cases in 2024, with five deaths since January last year.

Local medical practitioners said most cases were diagnosed during the summer, when the likelihood of the virus spreading increases, particularly around the Eid Al-Adha festival.

The Islamic holiday, marked by the mass slaughter of animals, typically leads to greater human-animal interaction and exposure to infected livestock.

Pakistan witnessed its first case of Congo virus in 1976 and remained a major victim for years, according to the National Library of Medicine.

The country faces major challenges in combating Congo virus every year due to its specific geographical position and a majority of the population being involved with animal husbandry, it added.

There is no approved vaccine for its prevention.

The European Medicines Agency in May 2024 approved a Phase I clinical trial in Sweden for a DNA-based vaccine candidate, N-pVAX1, targeting the Congo virus.

Separately, the University of Oxford in August 2023 launched a Phase I trial of its ChAdOx2 CCHF vaccine, based on the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 platform, to assess safety and immune response.


Pakistan rescues injured Indian sailor amid post-war tensions with New Delhi

Updated 18 June 2025
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Pakistan rescues injured Indian sailor amid post-war tensions with New Delhi

  • Pakistan evacuates the injured sailor from a Liberian-flagged tanker with an all-Indian crew
  • Rare humanitarian gesture follows recent Pakistan-India war amid strained diplomatic ties

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday evacuated an injured Indian sailor from an oil tanker in the Arabian Sea, in a rare humanitarian gesture weeks after the two countries fought a brief four-day war that further strained already tense relations.

The medical evacuation was coordinated by the Pakistan Navy’s Joint Maritime Information and Coordination Center (JMICC), which received a distress call from the Liberian-flagged oil and chemical tanker MT HIGH LEADER, carrying an all-Indian crew.

The Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) deployed a vessel and transferred the injured crew member to a hospital in Karachi for emergency treatment.

“The successful medical evacuation is yet another testament to the operational readiness and responsiveness of Pakistan’s maritime safety apparatus,” the Pakistan Navy said in a statement.

“The swift execution reflects Pakistan Navy’s resolve to fulfill its international obligations for the safety of life at sea, irrespective of the nationality of the seafarers involved,” it added.

The incident comes at a time of high diplomatic friction between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.

Last month’s military confrontation, involving missile, drone and artillery exchanges, marked one of the most serious escalations in recent years.

Pakistan has repeatedly called for the revival of a composite dialogue process to resolve long-standing issues, including the Kashmir dispute, cross-border militancy and a water-sharing arrangement under the Indus Waters Treaty.

India, however, has resisted any engagement so far.

The JMICC, which coordinated the evacuation, serves as Pakistan’s central maritime emergency response hub and regularly liaises with both national and international stakeholders.


Pakistan reduces sales tax on imported solar panels from 18 % to 10 % amid parliamentary pushback

Updated 28 min 47 sec ago
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Pakistan reduces sales tax on imported solar panels from 18 % to 10 % amid parliamentary pushback

  • The government proposed 18% GST on imported solar panels during budget 2025-26
  • Pakistan imported 17 gigawatts of solar panels in 2024, twice the previous year’s volume

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on Wednesday said the general sales tax (GST) on imported solar panels had been reduced from 18% to 10% for the current year, following concerns raised by a parliamentary finance body.

The Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue had urged the government a day earlier to withdraw the proposed 18% GST on imported solar panels, noting that some stakeholders had begun stockpiling equipment ahead of the federal budget to avoid the new levy.

The country’s proposed federal budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year included an 18% GST on the import and local supply of solar panels and related equipment, prompting concern from industry stakeholders and clean energy advocates.

Pakistan imported 17 gigawatts (GW) of solar panels in 2024, twice the volume recorded the year before, to meet rising consumer demand, according to the Global Electricity Review 2025.

“The 18 percent on top of 46% was an additional burden,” Dar told the National Assembly.

“So, regarding this, after consultations and deliberations, we have decided that this year we will keep a 10% sales tax and not 18%.”

Dar highlighted how this was the most debated subject after the budget was announced.

He also explained that around 46% of components used in solar installations in Pakistan were imported while the remaining 54% including inverters and other equipment were locally sourced and already subject to standard taxation.

Solar energy has supplied 25% of Pakistan’s grid electricity so far this year, placing the country among fewer than 20 globally that generate at least a quarter of their monthly power from solar farms.

Industry stakeholders and clean energy activists had warned that the added cost in tax could slow the rapid adoption of rooftop solar systems by households and businesses, potentially undermining national targets for expanding the share of renewables in the country’s energy mix.

Pakistan increased its solar electricity generation at a rate more than three times the global average in 2025, driven by a surge in solar capacity imports that were over five times higher than in 2022, according to data from Ember, a UK-based energy think tank.

This rapid growth in both capacity and output has propelled solar energy from being the country’s fifth-largest power source in 2023 to the top spot in 2025.


Pakistan unveils draft tariff policy to drive export-led growth

Updated 18 June 2025
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Pakistan unveils draft tariff policy to drive export-led growth

  • The policy plans to phase out Additional Customs Duties, rationalize the tariff structure
  • It aims to reduce tariffs on raw materials, deliver $700 million in benefits to industries

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday unveiled a draft National Tariff Policy 2025-30 at a regulatory reforms conference, aiming to shift the country toward an export-led growth model by overhauling its trade tariff structure to boost industrial productivity, investment and competitiveness.

The event was organized by the Board of Investment (BoI), and attended by senior government officials, diplomats and private sector representatives.

The policy sets out sweeping reforms, including the phasing out of Additional Customs Duties (ACDs) within four years, elimination of Regulatory Duties (RDs) and the 5th Schedule within five years, and the creation of a simplified four-tier Customs Duty structure of 0 percent, 5 percent, 10 percent and 15 percent.

Key sectors expected to benefit include textiles, engineering, pharmaceuticals and information technology, with the policy designed to lower production costs and attract businesses.

“The National Tariff Policy 2025-30 is designed to create a predictable, transparent and investment-friendly tariff structure,” said Rana Ihsaan Afzal, Coordinator to the Prime Minister on Commerce, at the conference.

“By facilitating duty-free access to raw materials, phasing out ACDs and RDs and supporting nascent and green industries, this policy paves the way for innovation, employment generation and sustained economic growth.”

Afzal said implementation will begin with tariff reductions on approximately 7,000 tariff lines, mainly raw materials and intermediate goods, expected to deliver an estimated Rs200 billion ($700 million) in benefits to trade and industry.

“These reforms will enable Pakistan’s industries to scale, compete globally and shift toward higher value-added exports,” he added. “With these changes, we anticipate not just stronger GDP growth, but also increased employment, improved industrial productivity and enhanced investor confidence.”

According to an official statement issued by the BoI, the participants lauded the government’s efforts to streamline regulation and modernize trade facilitation, calling the draft policy a significant step toward Pakistan’s long-term economic transformation.
 


Pakistan calls for Iran-Israel ceasefire as deputy PM heads to OIC talks 

Updated 18 June 2025
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Pakistan calls for Iran-Israel ceasefire as deputy PM heads to OIC talks 

  • Meeting in Turkiye will focus on coordinated diplomacy to de-escalate Iran-Israel standoff, address aid crisis in Gaza
  • For Pakistan, a direct neighbor of Iran, prolonged clash threatens border security, could aggravate sectarian tensions

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday urged global powers to broker a ceasefire between Iran and Israel, as Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar prepares to attend a meeting of foreign ministers of member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

The meeting in Turkiye from June 21-22 is expected to focus on coordinated diplomatic steps to de-escalate the Iran-Israel standoff and address the continuing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Thousands of people were fleeing Tehran on Wednesday after Israeli warplanes bombed the city overnight and the air fight between the two Middle Eastern powers entered the sixth day amid media reports US President Donald Trump was considering options that include joining Israel in attacking Iranian nuclear sites.

“I feel that ... global countries should try hard for a ceasefire,” Sharif told a federal cabinet meeting, calling the escalation “regrettable” and condemning what he described as Israel’s aggression against Pakistan’s neighboring “brotherly” country of Iran. 

Iran launched retaliatory strikes last week after Israeli forces attacked sites linked to Iran’s nuclear and military infrastructure on June 13. Iranian officials say at least 224 people, mostly civilians, have been killed, while Israel has reported over 20 deaths.

The latest escalation follows months of hostilities between Israel and Iranian-backed groups in Lebanon, Syria and Yemen, which intensified after the war in Gaza was launched late in 2023. Regional powers fear a direct confrontation could spiral into a broader conflict involving major oil shipping lanes and global energy supplies.

For Pakistan, a close Iranian neighbor and a longtime opponent of Israel, a prolonged conflict risks disrupting border security, inflaming sectarian tensions at home, and possibly putting it in a tight spot with other Arab allies and the West.

Pakistan does not recognize Israel and has historically aligned itself with the Palestinian cause of an independent state.