LAHORE: The Punjab government issued an order on Tuesday banning the use and sale of camera-enabled smart glasses and miniature cameras “disguised as everyday objects” for 30 days.
The restriction was notified in an order by the Punjab Home Department secretary in exercise of powers conferred under section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898.
“No person shall wear or operate ‘camera-enabled smart glasses with hidden recording ability’ or ‘miniature cameras with recording ability disguised as everyday objects such as pen, keychain, etc.’,” the order said, adding that the restriction excluded laptops, handheld tablets, mobile phones and terminal equipment approved by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority.
In addition, the government restricted retailers, wholesale dealers, traders and distributors from “selling or offering these devices for sale, online or off the shelf”.
The order said that it had been reported that the unrestricted use of these glasses and disguised cameras — capable of “capturing, processing and transmitting data in the form of speech, images, videos and sound” — in Punjab could pose a “serious risk” to public order, individual privacy, particularly the integrity and dignity of women and children; security of sensitive data and installations; and institutional integrity.
It named airports, examination centres, secure government establishments, healthcare facilities, shopping malls, court premises and public places as particular areas of risk.
The order also noted that the use of such devices were deemed to “create an imminent apprehension of secret recording, breach of privacy and security, or unauthorised transmission of protected information”.
“Immediate preventive action is necessary to ensure public safety, integrity and dignity of persons particularly women and children, and the maintenance of order within the province,” it stated.
The order said the ban was being enforced with immediate effect and would remain in force for a period of 30 days unless withdrawn earlier. It was also specified that “authorised law enforcement personnel” would be exempt from the restriction.
The ban comes a day after the Punjab government announced its plan to impose the restriction.
Amid concerns about the misuse of such devices, the Lahore High Court (LHC) has also been seized with a public interest petition that challenges the unregulated import and sale of camera and mic-equipped smart glasses, citing threats to people’s privacy, dignity and national security.
Meta in particular has faced pushback for its AI-powered smart glasses, with critics dubbing the eyewear as “pervert glasses”. And while it has not officially listed Pakistan as a market, the petitioner’s counsel in the case before the LHC has contended that its glasses are openly sold online and in shops in Lahore.
Taking up the plea on Thursday, the LHC directed the federal government to forward a summary to the federal cabinet regarding the unregulated import and sale of smart glasses.
ISLAMABAD: The prime suspect accused of defrauding a 20-year-old student, who died allegedly by suicide, was killed after being shot by his accomplices in Islamabad on Tuesday, claimed police.
Laiba Ijaz, a student at International Islamic University, was said to have been defrauded of Rs5 million, which she had paid to move to the United States for further studies. An agent was accused of handing her fake travel documents.
The case drew the government’s attention, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directing the police to arrest the suspect. Subsequently, he and two of his female accomplices were picked up during separate raids in the federal capital.
According to the Islamabad police spokesperson, the prime suspect sustained injuries when his accomplices opened fire on cops in the jurisdiction of Ramna police station on Tuesday.
The spokesperson said the main suspect has shared information about another suspect, and a police team was taking him to track down the second suspect. It was then that four of the main suspect’s accomplices, who were on two motorcycles, “opened indiscriminate fire on the police party in an attempt get the main suspect freed”, the spokesperson added.
The main suspect was injured in the firing while the police team remained safe “due to bulletproof jackets and protective measures”, the spokesperson said.
The injured suspect was taken to a hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries, he added.
Search operations were underway for arrest of his other accomplices, the spokesperson said.
The case
A case following Ijaz’s death was registered at the Ramna police station under Sections 322 (unintentional murder) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code.
Another separate case was registered by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on a complaint filed by Ijaz’s maternal uncle under provisions relating to cheating, abetment and immigration-related fraud.
According to the FIA, the main suspect had allegedly obtained millions of rupees from Ijaz’s family with the help of a female accomplice and by misrepresenting his identity and professional status.
The money was allegedly taken on the pretext of securing employment for her brother and arranging her admission to Harvard University in the US. The suspect was accused of giving Ijaz fake travel documents.
The government on Tuesday increased the price of petrol by Re0.88 per litre and that of high-speed diesel (HSD) by Re0.53.
Following the revision, petrol will retail at Rs382.02 per litre while HSD will cost Rs389.80 per litre. The government continues to levy Rs114 per litre in taxes and duties on petrol and Rs100 per litre on diesel.
According to the Petroleum Division’s notification, the new prices are applicable for Oct 21 (Wednesday).
The price of HSD has come down from a peak of Rs520.35 recorded on April 3. Its price had started rising from Rs281 per litre after the US-Iran war broke out on February 28.
Meanwhile, the government has reintroduced a raft of austerity measures in response to rising fuel prices amid the ongoing Middle East conflict. Under these measures, markets are required to close by 9pm and fuel allocations for official vehicles has been cut by 50 per cent for three months.
On September 13, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also announced a “relief scheme” for users of motorcycles, autos and vehicles of up to 800cc to “alleviate the burden” of rising global oil prices.
Previously, on July 17, Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik announced that fuel prices would now be fixed on a daily basis due to fluctuations in international market prices following renewed hostilities between Iran and the US.
Prior to this, the government had been announcing weekly revisions to fuel prices since early March, alongside measures for the conservation of fuel amid possible oil supply disruptions due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. The federal government in April also announced targeted relief measures to provide subsidised fuel.
The petroleum minister stated that the cabinet and the prime minister had decided to give the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) the responsibility of deciding fuel prices on a daily basis based on international market trends.
Petrol is mainly used in private transport, small vehicles, rickshaws and two-wheelers, and changes in its price affect the middle and lower-middle classes.
Similarly, changes in diesel prices also impact the public at large, as it is mainly used in the heavy transport sector, power plants and large generators.
Petrol and high-speed diesel (HSD) are the major revenue earners, with monthly sales of about 700,000 to 800,000 tonnes, compared to just 10,000 tonnes of monthly demand for kerosene.
ISLAMABAD – Just a day after fuel price cut, petrol climbs to Rs382.02 per litre while diesel reaches Rs389.80 for October 21 Wednesday.
Petrol has become costlier by Rs0.88 per litre, taking its price to Rs382.02, while high-speed diesel has risen by Rs0.53 to Rs389.80 per litre. The revised rates will take effect on October 21, 2026.
The latest increase follows a significant price reduction announced on October 19 and effective October 20. At the time, petrol prices were cut by Rs5.16 per litre to Rs381.14, while high-speed diesel was reduced by Rs7.69 to Rs389.27.
The fresh adjustment has pushed petrol back above Rs382 per litre and diesel close to Rs390, trimming part of the relief consumers received from the previous reduction.
International oil prices also eased from a 5-month high during volatile trading on Tuesday as traders assessed growing security concerns in the Middle East.
Houthi attacks on Saudi infrastructure and reports of attacks on vessels in the Gulf added uncertainty to the regional energy outlook, keeping attention focused on potential risks to oil supplies.
LAHORE: The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency said on Tuesday that a prime suspect in a case involving the sale of counterfeit US postage stamps had been arrested in Lahore.
The US Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of Florida had identified the suspect as a 33-year-old from Khanewal. It said in a statement last month that he was accused of operating “an unauthorised website that allegedly sold more than five million counterfeit US postage labels”, causing more than $126 million in losses to the US Postal Service
NCCIA’s Lahore Zone Additional Director Atif Ameer announced his arrest at a press conference, saying that the counterfeit postage labels were sold over a period of three years.
He said the suspect operated a website — LabelsBank.com — from August 2023 to September 2026 and used it to market and sell counterfeit US postage stamps online.
“More than five million stamps were sold through the website at a price of around $2 per stamp. Based on the alleged volume of sales, the total value of the transactions has been estimated at approximately Rs35 billion,” he said, adding that the agency also focused on the financial channels used to receive and move proceeds from the business.
Money trail
Flanked by Lahore NCCIA Deputy Director Waqas Saeed, Ameer said that 16 bank accounts had been used in the scam. Seven of the accounts were operated by the suspect, five by his brother, two by his wife, and one each by his sister and aunt.
The NCCIA officer said the agency had expanded the investigation across several parts of the country.
“Eight special teams had been formed in Punjab, Islamabad and Sindh to trace the suspect and investigate the network,” he said and added the teams conducted raids at 35 locations and questioned 47 people as part of the investigation.
“Investigators also employed digital and forensic techniques to establish the suspect’s movements and identify people associated with the operation.”
Ameer said that investigators analysed 122 call-data records, 50 IMEI-tracking reports and audio and video recordings from 120 cameras.
“Artificial intelligence and other modern technological tools were also used during the investigation. A locator operation continued for 10 days as investigators attempted to establish the suspect’s whereabouts and trace his activities,” he said.
The NCCIA said the major focus of the investigation was the financial trail generated by the online sale of the counterfeit stamps.
“We are examining transactions conducted through the 16 bank accounts and attempting to determine the flow of funds between the accounts allegedly belonging to the suspect and his relatives.
“The involvement of family members is also being examined as part of the investigation, particularly the alleged use of their bank accounts in connection with the online business,” the additional director said.
He said the role of other individuals in operating the website, processing orders, receiving payments or distributing the counterfeit stamps was also being probed.
“Investigators are also working to establish the full scale of the operation and verify the volume and value of the transactions,” he said.
ISLAMABAD – Sindh government expands competitive exam opportunities as age limit rises to 33 in relief for those looking to enter service after age of 30.
PPP led government announced major changes to Sindh Public Service Commission (SPSC) rules, offering fresh opportunities to aspiring candidates by raising the age limit, increasing the number of examination attempts and lowering the minimum passing threshold for the Combined Competitive Examination (CCE) 2026.
Sindh Cabinet approved the reforms during a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah at the CM House, according to the provincial government spokesperson.
Under new decisions, the maximum age limit for candidates appearing in the CCE has been increased from 30 to 33 years, giving older candidates additional time to compete for government positions.
The cabinet also increased the number of permissible attempts from three to five, allowing candidates more opportunities to clear the competitive examination.
The minimum passing threshold for CCE 2026 has been reduced from 40% to 33%. The decision lowers the required passing score by seven percentage points for the upcoming examination. The provincial government has also approved the introduction of computerised testing for examinations consisting of a single paper, marking a shift towards technology-based assessments under the SPSC system.
The reforms are expected to provide greater flexibility to candidates preparing for provincial competitive examinations, particularly those who previously faced age restrictions or had exhausted their permitted attempts.
Meanwhile, the standard age limit for Punjab PMS and federal CSS examinations is 21 to 30 years, with eligible candidates receiving relaxation up to 32 years. Punjab PMS candidates can benefit from a special relaxation for 2026 and 2027, while federal CSS candidates must meet specified eligibility criteria for the two-year concession.
ISLAMABAD – Pakistan’s new auto policy could bring an additional financial burden for buyers of high-engine-capacity vehicles, with the government proposing a 10% Automotive Development Levy on cars above 2,000cc and a 2% charge on vehicles over 1,000cc.
The draft policy, approved by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, proposes introducing the levy on imported as well as locally assembled or manufactured vehicles, according to sources cited by ProPakistani.
Under proposed framework, the levy rate would vary according to engine capacity and vehicle category, with larger passenger cars facing the highest proposed charge. However, smaller cars and several other vehicle categories would remain exempt. Cars with engine capacities below 1,000cc would attract no levy, while two-wheelers, three-wheelers and agricultural tractors would also fall under the zero-rate category.
The draft sets 2% levy on passenger vehicles classified under PCT 87.03 with engine capacities between 1,001cc and 2,000cc. For cars exceeding 2,000cc, the proposed rate rises to 10%. The policy would also extend the proposed 2% charge to several commercial vehicle categories, including prime movers, except those used for agricultural purposes, trucks, light commercial vehicles (LCVs), buses and vans.
Could Car Prices Rise Under the New Policy?
The proposed levy could affect the cost of vehicles covered by the new framework, although its actual impact on buyers will depend on how the charge is calculated and implemented.
The draft does not mention final calculation method or effective date. These details will be crucial in determining how the levy translates into costs for imported vehicles and cars assembled or manufactured in Pakistan.
For now, the proposed rates remain part of the draft auto policy. The final implementation framework will determine when the levy takes effect and how it applies to the specified vehicle categories.
Tobacco smoking may reduce the chances of having a baby. Its effects can begin before pregnancy and continue during pregnancy and after birth. The World Health Organisation highlighted these concerns in its knowledge summary, Tobacco and infertility, published on 8 September 2026.
WHO estimates that about one in six people of reproductive age experience infertility during their lifetime. Infertility means that pregnancy has not occurred after 12 months or more of regular, unprotected sexual intercourse. It can arise from problems in either partner, or from causes that remain unexplained.
Smoking and the chances of conception
Women who smoke may take longer to conceive. Smoking is associated with reduced fertility, earlier loss of ovarian function, miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy, where the pregnancy develops outside the uterus. These findings come mainly from observational studies. The size of the risk differs between studies, and smoking is only one of several factors that may affect fertility.
Smoking may also affect the results of fertility treatment, including in-vitro fertilisation (IVF). Studies have reported fewer pregnancies and live births among women who smoke. However, the findings are not uniform. A recent review found that the apparent reduction became less certain when the comparison was limited to women who had never smoked. It would therefore be misleading to tell every patient that smoking cuts her chance of successful treatment in half.
This advice should also apply to men. Smoking has been associated with poorer sperm concentration, movement and shape, and can contribute to erectile dysfunction. Poorer semen quality does not mean that every man who smokes is infertile. Its effect on the actual chance of fathering a child is less certain than the evidence of damage to semen quality.
During pregnancy
Pregnant and breastfeeding women should avoid all tobacco and nicotine products. This includes cigarettes, shisha, smokeless tobacco, heated tobacco, nicotine vapes and nicotine pouches, as well as nicotine patches, gum and lozenges. The aim is complete cessation of tobacco and nicotine. The absence of smoke does not remove the risks of nicotine exposure.
Smoking during pregnancy increases the risks of poor fetal growth, low birth weight, premature birth, placental complications and stillbirth. Nicotine can harm the developing brain and lungs. Quitting before pregnancy is best, but stopping at any stage of pregnancy can still benefit the mother and baby.
Breastfeeding and help with quitting
Nicotine and other harmful chemicals can pass to a baby through breast milk. Smoking can also reduce the mother’s milk supply. Exposure to second-hand smoke increases an infant’s risk of sudden infant death syndrome, respiratory illness and ear infections. Keep the home and car smoke-free, and family members should not smoke around the mother or baby.
A mother who is struggling to quit should receive help without blame. She should not stop breastfeeding simply because she smokes or vapes. CDC and NHS guidance advises continuing breastfeeding while working towards cessation, because breastfeeding still provides important benefits.
During pregnancy, the goal should be complete cessation of nicotine use, including nicotine replacement products. Help with quitting should focus on counselling, regular follow-up and practical support for managing cravings. A doctor or midwife can help a woman make a quit plan and provide individual care when stopping is difficult. Family members should support her efforts and keep the home free from tobacco smoke.
The role of less harmful alternatives
The discussion of less harmful alternatives applies to adult smokers who would otherwise continue smoking and who are neither pregnant nor breastfeeding. Much of the harm from cigarettes comes from burning tobacco and inhaling the resulting smoke. Nicotine causes dependence and has health effects of its own, but it is not the only harmful substance in a cigarette.
Completely replacing cigarettes with a regulated non-combustible alternative may reduce exposure to harmful substances. For example, a study comparing tobacco-use groups found lower levels of many toxicant biomarkers in people who used only e-cigarettes than in cigarette smokers. Exposure was not eliminated. This supports the potential to reduce harm from continued smoking, but does not establish the size of any reduction in long-term disease risk.
The Cochrane review of smoking-cessation studies also found that nicotine e-cigarettes helped more people stop smoking than nicotine replacement therapy in the trials reviewed. This is evidence about quitting cigarettes. It is not proof that vaping improves fertility or that it is harmless during pregnancy or breastfeeding.11
Evidence for one product should not be applied to all nicotine products. Reproductive risks from newer alternatives remain incompletely understood. Continuing to smoke while using another product is not the goal; complete displacement of cigarettes is needed. Adults should receive cessation support, with eventual nicotine cessation where possible. Do not promote these products to young people or non-smokers, and ensure adult access through age checks, product standards, and marketing controls.
In Pakistan, doctors should ask both partners about tobacco and nicotine use during fertility consultations, antenatal visits and postnatal care. Advice should include second-hand smoke and practical help to quit. Couples need to understand the risks, but they also need support. Stopping tobacco use should be part of preparing for a baby, and that support should continue after the baby is born.
MIRANSHAH: An additional station house officer (SHO) of the Miranshah police station was martyred in firing by unidentified individuals near Miranshah Bypass Road in in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s North Waziristan district on Tuesday, police said.
District Police Officer (DPO) Sajjad Hussain confirmed the details to Dawn, saying that additional SHO Meera Khan was targeted when he was on duty.
“He sustained multiple bullet wounds and succumbed to his injuries,” the DPO said.
Police said a search operation was launched into the area following the incident to trace the attackers. An investigation has also been initiated into circumstances surrounding the incident.
DPO Hussain said the morale of the police force remained high and law enforcers were determined to track down Khan’s attackers.
KP has been witnessing terrorist attacks and security challenges for a long time, including attacks on police personnel.
According to a recent report from the Centre for Research and Security Studies, Pakistan recorded a sharp 83 per cent increase in violence-linked fatalities during the third quarter of 2026, reversing a declining trend reported in the first and second quarters as terrorism and counter-terrorism deaths surged nationwide.
Balochistan and KP remained the epicentres of violence, jointly accounting for 98pc of all fatalities during the period. Balochistan recorded 829 deaths, nearly 59pc of the national total, while KP reported 556 fatalities, accounting for more than 39pc.
On Oct 7, seven policemen were injured when terrorists attacked a police checkpost in Kohat. Later, an official told Dawn that the attack was repulsed, and the injured cops were safe.
It was a day after four Federal Board of Revenue officials were martyred in firing by unidentified men, while a separate attack on a highway traffic police vehicle left a police official martyred and another injured in Dera Ismail Khan.
On Sept 27, 14 people, including two rescue officials, were martyred and 35 sustained injuries after a suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a police checkpost in and then targeted an ambulance taking bodies to hospital in DI Khan.
On Sept 18, an explosives-laden vehicle detonated near a mosque in Kohat Police Lines, following which terrorists stormed the compound and attacked police facilities. The attack resulted in the martyrdom of 17 policemen and six civilians.
TEHRAN – Pakistan Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Tehran, holding high-level discussions alongside Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, according to Iranian media.
The meeting brings together senior leadership from Pakistan’s military and interior security establishment with Iran’s president at a time when bilateral engagement and regional security remain important to both neighbouring countries.
مسعود پزشکیان، رئیسجمهور ایران، با عاصم منیر، فرمانده ارتش پاکستان، و محسن نقوی، وزیر کشور این کشور، در تهران دیدار و گفتوگو کرد.-رسانههای ایران https://t.co/jic8FbpNOL
Pezeshkian held talks with Munir and Naqvi in the Iranian capital. However, details of the discussions, including the specific issues raised and any decisions reached, were not immediately available in the reported account.
Asim Munir’s reported fifth visit to Iran also puts the spotlight on continued high-level engagement between Islamabad and Tehran. His interactions with Iranian leadership are significant given the two countries’ shared border, security concerns and longstanding interest in maintaining regional stability.
Pakistan and Iran have repeatedly emphasised the importance of cooperation on border security, counterterrorism and bilateral relations. The latest meeting could provide another opportunity to discuss these priorities, although its specific agenda and outcomes have yet to be confirmed.
LAHORE: A Multan court on Tuesday granted police three-day physical remand of a suspect accused of killing a 15-year-old boy in the city.
The suspect has been accused of hitting the victim, who used to work for him, with his car. The suspect was arrested yesterday and presented before Judicial Magistrate Saadia Aslam on Tuesday.
Police requested the judge for the suspect’s 14-day physical remand for investigation. However, the judicial magistrate granted them his three-day remand.
Later, Multan City Police Officer (CPO) Akhtar Farooq said while speaking to the media that raids were being conducted for the arrest of a second suspect.
“We all are in deep pain,” the CPO said, adding that the orphan boy had been “subjected to barbarity”.
The CCTV footage of the incident shows a boy running on the road after spotting a car. The car is seen swerving and chasing the boy, eventually hitting him. The boy, who fell, then rams into the gate of a nearby house and dies on impact.
A case has been registered on the state’s behalf at Multan’s DHA police station.
The first information report (FIR) names two suspects and invokes Sections 302 (intentional murder) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code.
According to the FIR, the teenage boy had working for the suspects and was being trained as an electrician. His cousin told police that the boy had reportedly faced violence and threats by the suspects, the FIR said, adding that the 15-year-old was fleeing when the suspects pursued him in a car and hit him.
Police arrested one of the suspects while the other escaped, the FIR stated. It added that their vehicle had been taken into custody.
As Gus Atkinson and Sonny Baker found themselves stranded at the same end, Arafat Minhas fumbled a throw from the deep. The run-out opportunity, with England already nine down, still stood.
Arafat gathered the ball again and his slingy left arm, which had caused havoc in the preceding overs, produced a flat, direct throw that crashed into the stumps.
It was the final act of an evening Arafat had made his own, leading Pakistan to an 87-run victory over England in the One-day International tri-series match at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.
The run-out capped an outstanding all-round performance from the left-arm spinner, who had earlier scored a crucial half-century before claiming six wickets for 40 runs in 8.4 overs to bowl England out for 215 in 38.4 overs while chasing 303.
Pakistan players celebrate the run-out of England’s Sonny Baker.—AFP
England began the chase confidently, with Tom Banton and Ben Duckett racing to 91 without loss in 14.3 overs. Duckett made 45 off 46 balls, striking eight fours, while Banton scored 57 from 53 deliveries with five fours and two sixes.
Haris Rauf broke the opening stand when Duckett mistimed a pull and Fakhar Zaman took the catch at deep fine leg. Arafat then changed the complexion of the chase, removing Banton with his third delivery as the opener swung across the line and picked out Shaheen Shah Afridi at midwicket.
The spinner struck again by bowling England captain Harry Brook for five with a delivery that gripped and straightened, leaving the visitors at 128-3. Naseem Shah subsequently ended Joe Root’s resistance, bowling him for 33 off 35 balls with a skidding delivery that kept low and struck the off stump.
Sam Curran and Jordan Cox attempted to keep England in contention, but the visitors’ resistance steadily faded. Curran made 27 before top-edging a pull off Haris to substitute fielder Ghazi Ghori at deep backward square leg. Cox, who scored 18, was trapped leg-before by Arafat’s quicker delivery and lost his review.
Pakistan pacer Haris Rauf celebrates dismissing England opener Tom Banton.—AFP
Arafat continued his dismantling of the lower order, dismissing Jamie Overton for one when Hasan Nawaz took a catch at long-on after the batter charged down the pitch.
Will Jacks briefly threatened a counterattack, striking Haris for six, but fell for 19 when he miscued Arafat to Shaheen at short midwicket.
Arafat trapped Adil Rashid leg-before for a first-ball duck in the 39th over, completing his six-wicket haul. The final run-out of Atkinson then sealed Pakistan’s commanding win.
England captain Brook acknowledged that his side had made a promising start but failed to capitalise after losing the opening partnership, with wickets falling in clusters.
England captain Harry Brook looks stunned after being cleaned up by Pakistan’s Arafat Minhas.—AFP
“Banton and Ducky set the tone beautifully, but we lost the wickets in clumps and could not put on a partnership and ended up on the wrong side,” Brook said.
He also felt England had missed an opportunity to put Pakistan under pressure by being too cautious against the spinners.
“We were a bit too much circumspect against the spinners. We could have put them under pressure, I feel,” he said, adding that England would discuss their shortcomings and look to bounce back in the next match.
Pakistan’s total of 302-9 had been built on a spirited recovery led by Hasan Nawaz and Arafat after the hosts slumped to 133-5 following England’s decision to field.
The pair added 78 runs off 74 balls for the sixth wicket, reviving an innings that had threatened to unravel.
Hasan struck 79 off 74 deliveries, including five fours and four sixes, while Arafat contributed 59 off 58 balls, hitting nine fours.
Pakistan’s Arafat Minhas (L) and Faheem Ashraf run between the wickets.—AFP
Faheem Ashraf then provided a late surge with 39 off 26 balls, and captain Shaheen’s brisk five-ball 10 helped Pakistan cross 300.
Arafat said the partnership with Hasan had been crucial in rebuilding the innings, with the pair determined to bat deep after he came to the crease.
“We needed an important partnership when I walked in the middle. Hasan and I discussed that we need to bat deep,” he said at the presentation ceremony, speaking to Urooj Mumtaz.
After Hasan’s dismissal, Arafat took responsibility for carrying the innings forward, helping Pakistan reach a total that ultimately proved beyond England.
“I took the charge after Hasan got out and I tried to bat until the end of the innings, which helped in taking the score beyond 300,” he said.
Pakistan had made a disastrous start when Atkinson dismissed Fakhar Zaman for a first-ball duck, caught by Joe Root at short midwicket. Saim Ayub briefly counterattacked before falling for eight, skying Sonny Baker to Sam Curran in the sixth over with Pakistan at 31-2.
Babar Azam and Saad Baig attempted to stabilise the innings, but Babar’s 34 off 52 balls ended when Will Jacks breached his defences in the 15th over.
Adil Rashid then removed Salman Ali Agha for 16, caught by Atkinson at deep fine leg, leaving Pakistan at 81-4.
Pakistan’s Babar Azam is clean-bowled by England’s Will Jacks.—AFP
Saad and Hasan offered resistance, adding 52 for the fifth wicket before Atkinson returned to dismiss Saad for 35 off 54 balls.
Hasan and Arafat then took control, with Hasan finding the boundary through cover and backward point while punishing loose deliveries over the ropes. Hasan’s innings ended at 211-6 when Jamie Overton beat him with a yorker in the 40th over.
Arafat continued the recovery alongside Faheem, whose aggressive strokeplay included consecutive boundaries against Rashid and a six off Root.
Faheem fell for 39 in the 49th over, caught by Jacks at deep midwicket, while Arafat was dismissed for 59 after skying Baker to Harry Brook at cover. Shaheen’s late boundaries ensured Pakistan finished with a formidable total.
Reflecting on his performance with the ball, Arafat credited the slower surface for offering more assistance to the spinners than in the previous match and said he had worked on varying his deliveries to deceive batters.
Arafat Minhas walks off the field with team-mates after helping Pakistan crush England.—AFP
“I have kept my plans simple. There was not much help for the spinners in the first match. The pitch was on the slower side today, which helped me,” he said.
“Variations are very important for a spinner as they help in deceiving the batters. I have worked on my variations.”
Pakistan captain Shaheen praised the contributions of Hasan, Arafat and Faheem in rescuing the innings but acknowledged that the top order needed to be more consistent.
“It was really good how Hasan Nawaz, Arafat Minhas, and Faheem Ashraf batted, but we also need our top-order to fire,” he said.
Shaheen described Arafat as a promising all-rounder whose performance was an encouraging sign for Pakistan as they build towards the World Cup.
“The form of Arafat and fast bowlers is good signs for us. Arafat is a very good talent and he is a proper allrounder, which bodes well for us. Hopefully, he will deliver for us in many more games in the future,” he said.
While pleased with aspects of Pakistan’s performance, Shaheen stressed that the team still had room for improvement ahead of the global tournament.
“As a team we have done some good things but we need to improve further as we are looking to build towards the World Cup,” he said.
NEW YORK – WhatsApp users could soon give their stickers a voice as Meta-owned messaging platform develops new feature that will allow people to attach audio clips to images and animated stickers, bringing fresh twist to everyday conversations.
The upcoming sound stickers feature is under development for Android, with details emerging from beta versions 2.26.41.3 and 2.26.41.11. If rolled out widely, it could let users go beyond conventional stickers by combining visual reactions with their own voices or other short audio recordings.
Unlike regular stickers, which rely on pictures and animations to express emotions, sound stickers will reportedly allow users to attach audio directly to their creations. The development builds on WhatsApp’s existing sticker tools, which already support ready-made sticker packs and custom designs made from personal photos and videos.
According to details revealed during testing, WhatsApp is introducing a dedicated sound-wave icon in the sticker creation toolbar for image-based stickers. Tapping the icon will reportedly give users two options: record their own voice or select an existing audio file from their phone’s storage. Audio clips will be limited to 10 seconds, while longer recordings can be trimmed before being attached to a sticker.
The feature could make stickers more expressive, allowing users to pair an image with a spoken reaction, a short message or another suitable sound instead of relying entirely on text and emojis.
Animated Stickers
WhatsApp is also working on sound integration for animated stickers created from videos. Under the functionality currently being tested, the app will automatically attach five seconds of audio from the original video. Users will reportedly be able to replace that sound with a personal voice recording or another audio file stored on their device.
This would allow animated stickers to carry a short audio element from the source video, potentially making shared reactions more engaging.
Despite the added audio functionality, WhatsApp is reportedly designing the feature to give recipients control over playback. Sent stickers will display a speaker or volume icon, which users must tap to hear the attached sound. Audio will not play automatically when the sticker appears in a conversation.
Playback is also expected to respect the phone’s silent or mute settings. Users will reportedly be able to mute sound stickers, and WhatsApp will remember their selected preference. Both the sticker and its attached audio are expected to remain protected by WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption.
Despite the details emerging from beta testing, sound stickers are not yet available to most beta testers, let alone the general public.
Sound stickers are not the only reported improvement in development. WhatsApp is also exploring an option to remove the white outline that currently appears around custom stickers, along with a redesigned two-line message composition box. The company has not officially announced these changes or provided a timeline for their release.
PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Tuesday sought replies from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and senior police personnel, including the inspector general (IG), regarding non-functional provincial chief executive Sohail Afridi’s detention.
Afridi has not been seen since the imposition of governor’s rule and emergency in his province on Oct 11. His whereabouts remained unknown on the day governor’s rule was imposed and a federal minister confirmed a day later that he and some of his cabinet members were in preventative custody.
The PTI has also alleged the detention and arrests of several of its other members, including lawmakers and ministers. Their whereabouts have not been disclosed by the government so far.
Multiple pleas have been filed in the PHC in this connection, and a bench comprising Justice Syed Arshad Ali and Justice Farah Jamshed fixed them for hearing on Nov 3, when the respondents were told to submit their replies.
Apart from Afridi’s detention, the petitions pertain to the disappearance of KP Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati, MNAs Junaid Akbar and Dr Amjid Ali, provincial minister Amjid Ali Khan, MPAs Ikramullah and Aurangzeb Khan, former chief minister of Gilgit-Baltistan Muhammad Khalid Khursheed and several other PTI leaders.
Afridi’s brother Muhammad Aamir filed one of the petitions, alleging that Afridi was “abducted” from the Chief Minister’s House on the night that the emergency was imposed in the province. He had approached the PHC last week.
Aamir sought directives for the respondents, including the KP IG, the Peshawar capital city police officer (CCPO) and others to immediately take all lawful and effective measures to trace and recover his brother.
He also sought that if Afridi was found to be in custody, the PHC order that he be produced so that the legality of his custody could be examined in accordance with Article 199(1)(b)(i) of the Constitution.
The article states that a high court may direct that a person in custody within its territorial jurisdiction be brought before it, “so that the court may satisfy itself that he is not being held in custody without lawful authority or in an unlawful manner”.
The petitioner sought directives for the respondents concerned to submit a comprehensive report regarding the whereabouts, present condition and legal status of Afridi, as well as the details of steps taken to trace and recover him.
He also requested the court to direct the CCPO to submit a detailed report concerning the alleged Oct 11 incident at the CM House — “including the circumstances in which the abductee was allegedly taken away, the security arrangements in place, the people present and the action taken immediately thereafter”.
Presenting his arguments at the hearing on Tuesday, Aamir’s lawyer, Bashir Vazir, claimed that on Oct 11, at approximately 2pm, Afridi was “illegally detained” in the CM House and later on was abducted from the premises, in the presence of the Peshawar CCPO, by “certain unknown armed and masked individuals”.
He contended that Afridi’s detention and disappearance was “wholly illegal, unlawful, without lawful authority and of no legal effect” as the respondents had “not disclosed any lawful order, warrant, abduction order or other legal authority” under which Afridi was taken into custody.
Swati’s cousin, Waqar Ahmad Khan, has also filed a similar petition. His lawyer is also Vazir, who requested the court at Tuesday’s hearing to issue directives for Swati’s recovery.
He claimed that on Oct 11 at approximately 7pm, Swati was “abducted” from the KP Assembly in the presence of the CCPO by “certain unknown armed and masked individuals”.
He stated that the precise sequence of events, the identities of the persons involved and the circumstances in which Swati was taken away required “immediate verification through the relevant official record, eyewitness accounts and other available evidence”.
In both cases, the petitioners prayed that the court direct the respondents to ensure the preservation and lawful examination of all relevant CCTV footage, security logs, entry and exit registers, duty rosters, vehicle access records and other material relating to the incidents.
Furthermore, they sought the registration of a first information report and a prompt, impartial and effective investigation into the alleged abductions, disappearances and detentions.
They contended that the whereabouts and present condition of PTI leaders needed to be immediately ascertained through lawful means, and requested the PHC to issue directives for their release if they were found to be in unlawful custody.
Junaid Akbar’s nephew, Nadir Shah, and Khalid Khursheed’s brother, Hanif Ullah, have also filed pleas, requesting the court to order the recovery and production of the two politicians.
In almost identical petitions, they challenged their “abduction” on the night of Oct 11.
Pakistan’s search for magical all-rounder may have found exciting new contender as 21-year-old Arafat Minhas shows sensational performance to dismantle England and power the Men in Green to an emphatic 87-run victory in the ODI tri-series at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.
He delivered statement performance with both bat and ball, smashing his maiden ODI half-century before ripping through England’s batting order with six wickets. His extraordinary contribution helped Pakistan bounce back from an early collapse, post 302-9, and bowl England out for 215 in 38.5 overs.
The convincing win marked Pakistan’s second triumph in the ongoing tri-nation tournament, but Minhas’s emergence as a match-winner was arguably the biggest takeaway for the home side. For a team that has often looked for consistent contributions from its spin-bowling all-rounders, Minhas delivered precisely the kind of performance Pakistan needed.
The young left-hander scored 59 off 58 deliveries, striking nine boundaries to rescue Pakistan alongside Hasan Nawaz and Faheem Ashraf. He then returned to produce a devastating spell, claiming six England wickets and breaking the backbone of their chase. His dismissal of England captain Harry Brook for just five proved particularly important, coming after Minhas had already removed dangerous opener Tom Banton for 57.
Minhas later tore through the lower order, taking two wickets in consecutive deliveries to dismiss Will Jacks and Adil Rashid. He finished the job by helping run out Sonny Baker, completing a remarkable all-round display.
At just 21, Minhas has given Pakistan another compelling option to consider as the team continues to search for greater balance and consistency in its ODI combination.
Pakistan’s innings began in disastrous fashion when Gus Atkinson dismissed Fakhar Zaman with the opening ball. Saim Ayub followed for eight, while Babar Azam managed 34 off 52 deliveries before Will Jacks removed him. Salman Ali Agha, fresh from scoring a century in the opening match, could contribute only 16 as Pakistan slipped to 59-3 and subsequently lost another wicket.
Hasan Nawaz and Saad Baig then steadied the innings with a valuable 51-run partnership. Saad scored a determined 35 off 54 balls before Atkinson claimed his second wicket. Nawaz responded by taking the attack to England, registering his second consecutive ODI half-century and building a crucial partnership with Minhas.
The right-handed batter struck five fours and four sixes during his impressive 79 off 74 balls, taking Pakistan beyond the 200-run mark before Jamie Overton bowled him.
Minhas continued the rebuilding effort and found another effective partner in Faheem Ashraf. Their 72-run stand pushed Pakistan towards a commanding total, with Faheem contributing a rapid 39 from just 25 deliveries.
Minhas eventually departed for 59, but his innings had given Pakistan the momentum they needed to finish strongly. Captain Shaheen Afridi added late runs with an unbeaten 10 as Pakistan closed on 302-9 in 50 overs.
England appeared well placed during the early stages of their chase, with Banton and Ben Duckett putting together a 91-run opening partnership. Duckett scored 45 off 46 balls before Haris Rauf broke through, leaving England needing fresh momentum from the middle order.
Banton continued the charge with 57 off 53 deliveries, including five fours and two sixes, but Minhas removed him to provide Pakistan with a crucial breakthrough. The young all-rounder then struck again to dismiss Brook for five, leaving England at 120-3 and shifting the pressure firmly onto the visitors.
Joe Root and Sam Curran attempted to rebuild, but Naseem Shah bowled Root for 33. Rauf subsequently dismissed Curran for 27, further weakening England’s chances. Minhas then took control of the contest, removing Jordan Cox for 18 and Jamie Overton for one before producing his decisive double strike against Jacks and Rashid.
England’s resistance crumbled as wickets continued to fall, and the visitors were eventually dismissed for 215 in 38.5 overs.
Rauf provided valuable support with multiple breakthroughs, while Naseem’s dismissal of Root helped Pakistan maintain their grip on the chase.
Sonny Baker finished as England’s leading wicket-taker with figures of 3-65, while Atkinson claimed two wickets. Will Jacks, Overton, Adil Rashid and Curran picked up one wicket each. However, it was Pakistan’s response after the early batting setbacks, followed by Minhas’s extraordinary contribution, that ultimately separated the two teams.
Hasan Nawaz continued his impressive run with the bat, Faheem Ashraf supplied valuable late acceleration, and Minhas delivered a performance that combined composure under pressure with match-winning aggression.
Pakistan will take considerable confidence from the 87-run victory as the tri-series progresses. For Minhas, the match could prove an important step towards establishing himself as a serious contender for a regular place in the national ODI setup.
WASHINGTON – US Vice President JD Vance refuses to back or oppose Benjamin Netanyahu, showing different approach from Donald Trump as Israel prepares for crucial parliamentary elections on October 27.
Vance drawn clear line between his political priorities and President Donald Trump’s support for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, declaring that he will neither endorse nor oppose the Israeli leader ahead of the country’s upcoming parliamentary elections.
In interview with journalist Mark Halperin, Vance said he did not want to interfere in Israel’s electoral process, stressing that his attention remained firmly focused on American politics and the upcoming US midterm elections. “I’m not getting involved in Israeli elections,” was the central message of Vance’s remarks, as he distanced himself from the contest in which Netanyahu is seeking another term as prime minister.
His comments came just a day after Trump publicly endorsed Netanyahu on Sunday, highlighting a difference in their approaches to the Israeli leader’s political future.
Vance’s decision to remain neutral stands out against Trump’s open backing of Netanyahu, particularly as Israel approaches its October 27 parliamentary elections.
US VP made clear that his position was neither an endorsement nor an expression of opposition, indicating that he intended to leave the decision to Israeli voters rather than intervene in their domestic politics.
The stance also contrasts with Vance’s previous involvement in European elections, where he has openly supported right-wing political figures and parties.
In April, Vance travelled to Budapest just days before Hungary’s parliamentary elections to support then-Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. He has also backed Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and met its leader, Alice Weidel, last year.
Vance’s remarks come against the backdrop of reported differences over the US-Israeli war against Iran. Reports suggested that he opposed the launch of the military campaign, although he subsequently defended the operation. He also also pushed back against Israeli officials who criticised a brief ceasefire between Washington and Tehran, making unusually pointed comments about Israel’s relationship with its most powerful ally.
He argued at the time that Trump was the only head of state who showed sympathy towards Israel under the prevailing circumstances.
Vance further suggested that, if he were a member of Israel’s cabinet, he would avoid criticising the only powerful ally the country had on the international stage.
Vance is widely regarded as a potential successor to Trump in the 2029 US presidential race, making his foreign policy positions and relationship with Israel a subject of growing political interest.
Adviser to the National Command Authority (NCA) and former director general of the Strategic Plans Division (SPD) retired Lieutenant General Mazhar Jamil has warned of the “risky” outcome for South Asia and beyond of a “dangerous ideology” shaping the Indian military mindset.
“Indian military thinking is being shaped by a dangerous ideology, which conflates mythology with national power. The outcome is very risky and delusional Indian military doctrines with a poor strategic sense of nuclear realities are endangering South Asia and beyond,” he said in his key note address at a workshop titled ‘Nuclear Deterrence and Strategic Stability in South Asia’.
The workshop, held last week in London, was organised by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, which shared a transcript of Jamil’s address late on Monday.
He began by saying that a strategic stability model for a region must take into consideration the political beliefs and strategic thinking of states, which formed the basis of policies.
And that shaped the strategic and security environment in the region, he explained.
“The political and strategic thinking of states, therefore, should prefer [a] political approach because military adventurism, hegemonic ambitions are highly risky and unaffordable in the South Asian nuclearised environment,” Jamil stressed, before specifically talking about India and Pakistan.
The two South Asian rivals, he said, had outstanding disputes, Kashmir being the core one.
“It needs to be resolved as per the United Nations Security Council resolutions. But, what we are seeing, on the contrary, is [an] Indian political approach of avoiding the resolution of conflict, because perhaps the Indian leadership believes it has no locus standi on Kashmir when it is presented on the multilateral forums,” Jamil said.
He added that India “tries to manage [the] Kashmir conflict with military violence within occupied Kashmir and through military aggression against Pakistan. This has not worked, and therefore Kashmir remains a nuclear flashpoint, seriously impacting the South Asian strategic and security environment”.
The security perceptions in South Asia had not evolved in a vacuum, Jamil continued.
“Indian revisionist and hegemonic political aspirations have [a] long history of Indian coercion and militant violence against all [of] its neighbours. Indian political ideology is based on its mythological concept of violence and revisionism, according to which South Asia, they believe — this traditional belief — that it belongs to [the] Hindu civilisation.
“And, not surprisingly, the country was given a dual name in the constitution, India, that is Bharat, clearly defining the strategic direction of the state to be Bharat,” he said.
Jamil said Bharat was essentially a “revisionist concept that is rooted in reclaiming [the] vast landmass of South Asia and its domination by Hindu civilisation”.
“Indian political forces, interestingly, do not shy away anymore in projecting what previous governments pursued covertly. Very surprisingly, the map of Mahabharat, the greater Bharat, as they call it, covering [the] entire landmass of South Asia, is on the display in the Lok Sabha. That’s the parliament of India, clearly giving the political direction to the state and the state organisations.
“So, no wonder, beyond [the] core nuclear diet of India–Pakistan, India’s conflict with all other countries serves as a perpetual driver of [the] evolving security dynamics in South Asia,” he added.
He also mentioned a recent “political transformation, led by the extremist Hindutva doctrine, that seeks to marginalise and delegitimise [the] non-Hindu population of the state, especially the Muslims”, in India.
“This has introduced an additional layer of complexity to the regional security environment. This marks a significant shift towards a nationalism, which is prejudiced by extreme theological principles,” Jamil said. “So, what we see is that we have a nuclear-armed neighbour whose political and strategic thinking is subordinated to a revisionist, mythological outlook with an overconfidence to subdue its neighbours. This dangerous political philosophy has trickled into the Indian political, strategic, organisational and even societal culture.”
The NCA adviser went on to say that this mindset had also, “unfortunately, penetrated deeply into Indian military thinking”.
Two diametrically opposing strategic approaches
Continuing his criticism, Jamil said it seemed that the Indian leadership was “frozen in time and is unable to break the shackles of history”.
“Indian political- and mythological-laced stubbornness is not allowing India to realise three very fundamental but significant conclusions and lessons,” he said, adding that those lessons were vital for strategic stability in South Asia.
He said the first of those lessons was that conflicts outlasted military adventurism and wars, unless they were resolved politically.
“The resolution of the Kashmir conflict, therefore, needs a political approach and dialogue to achieve stability at [the] higher political planes,” he asserted.
The second lesson, he said, was that any military misadventurism between two nuclear powers could only escalate the crisis to undesirable consequences and could not serve any purpose to the policy.
In this connection, he added that the Indian leadership needed to understand that it “cannot dictate its unjustified and illegal policy objectives through military aggression to another nuclear power”.
Moving on to the third lesson, Jamil said it was “pivotal to the crisis dynamics of South Asia”. He then cited military scholar Carl von Clausewitz, who Jamil said had warned that “war is the realm of uncertainty and escalation is really a control ladder”.
Elaborating further, he said: “War is the realm of uncertainty and the lesson from the history of warfare and theory alike is clear. Wars that begin with confidence and control often end with the realisation that control was illusory.
“In a nuclearised environment of South Asia, that realisation may come too late to manage safely, if [the] Indian policy of provocation with [a] false sense of achieving escalation domination continues.”
Resultantly, he said, “what we are seeing in South Asia are two diametrically opposing strategic approaches, directed by the political ideology of India and Pakistan […] which define the strategic and security environment of South Asia”.
The Indian strategic approach, he said, sought political and military dominance to be a “regional hegemon with a revisionist political thinking”.
Whereas Pakistan’s strategic approach was directed at the resolution of conflicts through a political process with shared prosperity and to defend the sovereignty with strength against a “regional bully”, he added.
‘Irresponsible nuclear behaviour’
He then shared his views on how the global geopolitical environment and emerging destructive technologies were impacting the strategic stability of South Asia.
“To me, there are three major outcomes of [the] contemporary global strategic environment that have influenced [the] Indian leadership’s strategic thinking and behaviour,” he said.
He said first of those outcomes was that in the Asia-Pacific balance-of-power struggle, India presented itself as a net security provider, to exploit this geopolitical competition for its own global power-projection ambitions.
“The US and Western powers did not dig deep into the actual political motives and capacity of India, [and] rather were too quick to grant this status to India. This, however, gave India a false sense of hegemony in the region,” he said.
The second outcome, Jamil said, pertained to the support by Indian technology partners and, “very strangely, also allowing India to get a Nuclear Suppliers Group waiver, in spite of its irresponsible nuclear behaviour”.
“Resultantly, India, now, is running one of the fastest-growing nuclear and missile programmes. This has been done with no regard and concern to arms control, a key factor in the strategic stability for the region. So, we now see India developing intercontinental ballistic missiles and submarine-launched ballistic missiles to reach the entire globe, with eight reactors outside International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards.”
Pointing out that India was not a party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, he said its reactors outside IAEA safeguards “are operating as a potential source of fissile material for nuclear weapons”.
“From the nuclearisation of South Asia in 1974 to the nuclearisation of the Indian Ocean by Bharat speaks of its global power ambitions. I think what [we] should now worry about is this ambitious and revisionist state reaching to most of their capitals with no restraints and transparency, even to its own technology partners,” Jamil said.
He said the third outcome was about the policy of appeasement by “certain powers that has made India think that its exceptionalism will always be acceptable to the world”.
“Indian propaganda and [its] disinformation campaign was accepted without scrutiny and responsibility. No questions [were] asked to India about its human-rights violations in Kashmir and against minorities, where state institutions and Hindu extremists [are] conducting heinous crimes as a state policy,” he said, adding that it was only a matter of time before internal uprising in India-occupied Kashmir boiled over.
“That will have a serious impact on the security and stability of our region,” he warned.
In parallel, he said, India’s access to advanced technologies, space-based capabilities, dual-use weapons systems were also impacting strategic stability. “Dual-use platforms with precision-guided systems have blurred the lines between conventional and nuclear technologies, making it more dangerous for South Asia, due to its geographical proximities and also the sensitivities”.
“This also has to be seen against the backdrop of the irresponsible behaviour of India. The case in point is the intentional BrahMos missile attack on Pakistan on 9 March 2022. Strangely, it took India 48 hours to tell its nuclear neighbour about this incident,” Jamil recalled.
He added, “While India claimed this to be an accident, it speaks volumes about the dysfunctionality of Indian command-and-control systems, and maybe the presence of some rogue elements in their organisation, because India never shared the findings of [its] investigations for [the] sake of transparency and building some trust.”
Likewise, the launch of dual-capable BrahMos missiles during the four-day military conflict between Indian and Pakistan in May 2025 “was a deliberate act of provocation that could have caused catastrophic miscalculation”, Jamil said.
“So, it complicates the regional security dynamics, which already lacks institutionalised confidence-building measures and an arms-control mechanism aligned with the emerging technologies.”
Crisis management
Jamil also discussed the “crisis behaviour” of Pakistan and India in the 2019 and 2025 crises, saying that while the crisis management mechanism was vital for stability, responsible behaviour of leadership remained “the spirit and the key” to its success.
In the 2019 crisis, he pointed out, Modi had bragged at an election rally that India was “not storing nuclear weapons for Diwali”. The open threat was followed by the prime minister called the night of Feb 27, 2019 “Qatal ki Raat” or “Night of Slaughter” — “basically, boasting that India could have struck Pakistan with missiles to inflict huge human casualties”, he said.
“Such rhetorics and nuclear sabre-rattling is inconceivable during the crisis, and that too from the highest leadership of [a] nuclear state.”
Similarly, in May 2025, Indian leaders rushed to blame Pakistan for the April 22 deadly terror attack in Pahalgam without evidence or waiting for an investigation, he said. India then launched a military offensive despite Islamabad calling for an independent investigation into the incident.
Jamil said that India’s strategy aimed for “escalation domination” and that it planned to intimidate Pakistan via sheer force and the tempo of the operation; however, “Indian planners closely underestimated Pakistan’s resolve and capability”.
“The crisis of India’s making could have taken South Asia to the brink of nuclear catastrophe, saved only by the strategic restraint of Pakistan,” he stressed.
He added that Indian leadership had dismissed Pakistan’s nuclear deterrent as “mere nuclear bluff” and boasted about being able to “break Pakistan apart”. He emphasised that when “rhetorics and confidence” became policy, blunders were likely.
On the other hand, he said, Pakistan’s retaliation was not impulsive but rather had clear political direction and strategic restraint, denying India the space to “normalise coercive conventional aggression”.
He added that Pakistan made the responsible choice not to escalate and to agree to a ceasefire, noting, “I think in all fairness, India owes a thanks to (US) President Trump.” However, he highlighted that this responsible behaviour was being “deliberately misrepresented” by India as a bluff.
Strategic landscape post-2025
Jamil stressed that in the wake of the May 2025 conflict, there was an increased risk of escalation in the region. He highlighted the “revisionist agenda” of Modi that had “dangerously enhanced the conflict profile” of South Asia by holding the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance, adding to the flashpoint of Kashmir, and continuing with “threats and compellence to another nuclear power”.
He added that India also supported terrorist organisations such as the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), “exporting terrorism as an instrument of policy” to engineer instability in Pakistan.
“The space is shrinking between Indian aggressive posturing and Pakistan’s restraint,” he said.
Jamil also pointed out an assessment by a think tank, SIPRI, that India had mated some nuclear warheads with submarine-launched ballistic missiles and conducted sea-based deterrence patrols, without pre-notification.
“While Pakistan remains committed to peace, strategic stability and responsible nuclear stewardship, it cannot ignore these dangerous escalatory steps,” he said. “Pakistan reserves the right to undertake all appropriate measures to safeguard its national security.”
He emphasised that “the perpetual instability in South Asia can only be addressed when [the] strategic and political discourse of India takes a direction of political engagement and [the] resolution of conflicts, instead of political and military dominance”.
He called on India to shun the policy of supporting terrorist organisations such as the TTP and BLA, noting that Pakistan had presented “irrefutable evidence” of Indian state support to these organisations to the international community and the UNSC. He also called for the international community to hold India accountable for its involvement in supporting terrorism.
“It should be realised that the restraint and strategic patience of Pakistan has its own thresholds,” Jamil stated, adding that “in any future military aggression, the aggressor will have to bear a heavy cost”.
He stressed Pakistan’s readiness to move towards a political dialogue to resolve conflicts, including that of Kashmir, as a responsible nuclear state. He added that Pakistan offered to establish a robust crisis management mechanism as a first step towards this.
“Bharatiya leadership should not be allowed to hold hostage the welfare of two billion people of South Asia, in favour of their hegemonic and delusional revisionist aspirations,” he concluded.
US Vice President JD Vance said he would not be following Donald Trump in endorsing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and wanted to stay on the sidelines.
“I’m not anti-endorsing him. I’m not pro-endorsing him. I’m not getting involved in Israeli elections,” Vance said of Netanyahu, in an interview on Monday with journalist Mark Halperin.
“I endorse American candidates and that’s where I’m focused on is the (US) midterms,” he added.
Trump on Sunday issued a public endorsement of his right-wing ally Netanyahu, who is seeking a new term as premier in Israel’s Oct 27 parliamentary election.
Vance’s reticence to weigh in on the Israeli vote contrasts with his approach to European elections.
Days before Hungary’s parliamentary election in April, he flew to Budapest to support then-prime minister Viktor Orban, another right-wing figure.
Vance, who is widely viewed as aiming to succeed Trump in 2029, reportedly expressed opposition to launching the US-Israeli war with Iran, but has since defended the campaign.
The vice president also had notably strong words for Israeli officials who criticised a short-lived US-Iran ceasefire agreement in June.
“Trump is the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment,” he said at the time.
“If I was in the cabinet of the Israeli government, I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the entire world,” he added.
LONDON – UK is deploying RAF Typhoon fighter jets to Saudi Arabia as escalating Houthi attacks raise fresh concerns over Kingdom’s security, critical infrastructure and regional stability.
British government took decision amid repeated attacks on Saudi territory, including the reported targeting of Riyadh’s international airport, intensified concerns over the safety of civilian populations, strategic installations and vital energy infrastructure.
Under expanded defence package, RAF Typhoon aircraft will conduct defensive counter-air missions to protect Saudi cities, civilians and critical national infrastructure from aerial threats. British officials have made it clear that the fighter jets will operate strictly in a defensive capacity and will not launch offensive strikes against Houthi positions.
The latest move also includes the deployment of an RAF A400M military transport aircraft to facilitate the movement of defence equipment within Saudi Arabia, alongside British military advisers tasked with assisting Saudi staff officers in defence coordination and operational planning.
Britain additionally extended its air-to-air refuelling support for Saudi defensive air operations by another 90 days, building on military assistance already provided to the kingdom.
UK Defence Minister Wes Streeting strongly condemned the continuing Houthi attacks, describing them as unacceptable and warning that the targeting of Riyadh’s international airport demonstrated the growing danger of further regional escalation.
Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport has been targeted 20 times since the beginning of October. A recent attack reportedly killed 13 people and injured more than 300 others, highlighting the growing risks to civilian facilities and major transport infrastructure. The repeated strikes have intensified concerns about Saudi Arabia’s ability to protect its busiest transport hubs and strategically important installations from missiles and drones.
British authorities said the additional military assistance would build on equipment and personnel already deployed in Saudi Arabia to help counter aerial threats.
The escalating confrontation has raised wider concerns over the security of energy infrastructure and international shipping routes.
Houthis targeted oil tankers and taken control of extensive stretches of Yemen’s Red Sea coastline, an area of strategic importance for maritime transportation and regional commerce. Instability around the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait could disrupt shipping movements and threaten supply chains connecting international markets.
KARACHI – Actor and model Syra Yousuf brings high-fashion glamour and fairy-tale magic together in a bold photoshoot. The Coke Kahani actress oozes captivating blend of edgy elegance and dreamy sophistication, with behind-the-scenes glimpses revealing the artistry of the shoot before the final cinematic edits elevate the entire look into visual treat for fans.
The pics show Syra wearing a strapless, deep burgundy dress. She also layers dress beneath a sheer, dusty rose cape decorated with delicate crystal embellishments.
The combination of rich burgundy, soft rose and shimmering silver strikes a balance between dramatic red-carpet glamour and modern fantasy-inspired fashion.
Her beauty look is equally attention-grabbing, with bold silver glitter eyeshadow emerging as the defining feature of her makeup. The metallic finish delivers an intense editorial statement, while her luminous, dewy complexion creates a glass-skin effect that catches the studio lighting beautifully. Her hair, styled in a deliberately messy updo, completes the aesthetic. Loose, wavy tendrils frame her face, balancing the intensity of the silver eye makeup with an effortless, undone finish.
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