RjNews

THE KP Assembly remains deeply divided over proposed contentious mining legislation. Even many of the ruling PTI legislators have opposed the draft bill approved by the provincial cabinet some weeks ago. In Balochistan, a more controversial version of the law was passed by the province’s legislature during a brief Ramazan session. In spite of the initial political ‘consensus’, the new law is now being opposed by the parties which had previously lent their support to the provincial government for its smooth passage. At the heart of the opposition are several valid concerns regarding the potential political, social and environmental fallout of the legislation. But the main worry centres on the concealed attempts to clip the province’s control of its mineral resources by giving an ‘advisory’ and ‘non-binding’ role to the centre, or through invoking ‘national interest’. The legislation carries the unmistakable imprint of the civil-military SIFC, which is actively marketing Pakistan’s min...

• PTI, PPP present competing resolutions during fiery Senate session • PPP reiterates demands for immediate CCI meeting to address water crisis • Sherry says diverting water unilaterally is injustice, not cooperative federalism • Shibli Faraz criticises PPP’s ‘contradictory’ stance, terms parliament ‘rubber stamp’ ISLAMABAD: A fiery Senate session on Tuesday saw heated exchanges and walkouts amid tensions between the PTI and PPP over competing resolutions on the controversial Cholistan canal project , with Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar informing the upper house that the government was considering a multi-party consultation to address the issue. Responding to objections from both the PTI and PPP, Mr Tarar assured that the concerns surrounding the diversion of water for the Cholistan canal scheme would be resolved constitutionally and in consultation with the Sindh government. He insisted that the PML-N-led federal government had already taken up the issue with allied parties — p...

THE recent visit to Kabul by Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is a sign that Pak-Afghan relations may be moving in a more positive direction. Mr Dar’s interactions with the Afghan Taliban leadership were quite cordial, with promises from both sides to improve ties and address the irritants standing in the way of better relations. Ishaq Dar met the acting Afghan PM and the foreign minister, among other top officials. The Kabul authorities assured Pakistan that Afghan soil would not be used against this country, while Mr Dar expressed similar sentiments. The high-level exchange comes after a period of relative turmoil, with both sides at times trading fire at the border, and Pakistan expressing frustration with the Taliban authorities for failing to neutralise the Afghanistan-based TTP. From here, the warm smiles and promises to prevent hostile actors from harming either country must be translated into concrete efforts. Pakistan has suffered immensely due to TTP terrori...

• Second contact between PPP, PML-N leaders in as many days hints at ‘softening of stances’ • Rana Sana says water distribution issue to be resolved on administrative, technical grounds • Azma criticises Bilawal for ‘harsh remarks’; Ghani accuses PML-N of trying to hurt PPP KARACHI: As both coalition partners began seeing eye to eye on the issue of canals , the acrimony caused by the controversial canals on the Indus River continues to rile up their middle-tier leaders, highlighting the extent to which the issue has driven a wedge between them. The initial anger, however, seems to have subsided, with both sides agreeing to a dialogue, and two phone calls between the senior leaders of the PPP and the PML-N in as many days showing that both sides have softened their stances, which may pave the way for a consensus. On Monday, Prime Minister’s adviser Rana Sanaullah and Sindh’s senior minister Sharjeel Memon held a second consecutive telephonic conversation in as many days. Both leade...

Russian President Vladimir Putin, under pressure from Washington to show willingness to make peace in Ukraine, proposed on Monday bilateral talks with Kyiv for the first time in years, and said he was open to more ceasefires after a one-day Easter truce. Putin said fighting had resumed after his surprise 30-hour ceasefire , which he announced unilaterally on Saturday. Both sides had accused each other of violating Putin’s truce, which Kyiv had largely dismissed from the outset as a stunt. Washington said it would welcome an extension of the truce. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called for it to be extended into a 30-day ceasefire protecting civilian targets. US President Donald Trump, who has vowed to end the three-year-old war swiftly, has reoriented US policy away from its staunch support of Ukraine towards accepting Russia’s account of the war, but has so far won few concessions from Moscow. Russia rejected a Trump proposal last month for a full 30-day ceasefire, whic...

AS the bloodbath in the Middle East continues unabated — from the Israeli genocide in Gaza , to the American aggression against Yemen — the ‘democracies’ of the West as well as members of the ‘ummah’ remain unmoved by the grievous loss of life. On Friday, the Americans struck an oil facility in the Yemeni port of Hodeidah, ostensibly to degrade the capabilities of the pro-Iran Houthi movement, which acts as Yemen’s de facto government. Nearly 80 people were reportedly killed in the attack, which has been described as the bloodiest since Washington began its anti-Houthi campaign in January 2024, ostensibly to assure ‘freedom of navigation’ in the Red Sea, and protect Israel. While there is disagreement on a wide range of issues, both the Trump administration and its predecessor were convinced that that Yemen must be relentlessly bombed. Meanwhile in Gaza, there is no end to the butchery, as the death toll since Oct 7, 2023, has reached over 51,000. Just under 100 people were massac...

The United Arab Emirates’ Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan arrived in Pakistan on Sunday evening for a two-day official visit, the Foreign Office (FO) said in a statement. Pakistan and the UAE share close diplomatic, economic, and cultural ties. The UAE is one of Pakistan’s largest trading partners in the Middle East and a major source of remittances , with a large Pakistani expatriate population living and working there. According to a post by the FO on X, the Emirati DPM was received by Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar in Islamabad. “This high-level visit reflects the deep-rooted, fraternal relations between Pakistan and the UAE, and underscores the two countries’ shared commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation across all areas of mutual interest,” a statement from the FO said. Nahyan is expected to hold talks with his Pakistani counterpart on “the entire spectrum of bilateral relations, with particular focus on trade and investment, energy...