Chinese shipyard completes second submarine for ally Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Foreign Office on Monday said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent remarks on a podcast about regional peace were “misleading and one-sided,” criticizing New Delhi for “conveniently” omitting the Kashmir dispute from discussions.
Modi, in a podcast with American computer scientist and podcaster Lex Fridman released on Sunday, said that India’s attempts to foster peace with Pakistan were “met with hostility and betrayal” and hoped that “wisdom would prevail” on the leadership in Islamabad to improve bilateral ties.
In response to Modi’s remarks, the Pakistani Foreign Office said India’s “fictitious narrative of victimhood” could not hide its involvement in fomenting militancy on Pakistan’s soil and the “state-sanctioned oppression” Indian-administered Kashmir.
The Muslim-majority Himalayan region of Kashmir has been a flashpoint between Pakistan and India since their independence from the British rule in 1947. Both Pakistan and India rule parts of the Himalayan territory, but claim it in full and have fought three wars over the disputed region.
“Instead of blaming others, India should reflect on its own record of orchestrating targeted assassinations, subversion and terrorism in foreign territories,” it said in a statement.
“Pakistan has always advocated constructive engagement and result-oriented dialogue to resolve all outstanding issues, including the core dispute of Jammu and Kashmir.”
The statement by the Pakistani Foreign Office was a reference to allegations against Indian agents of plotting assassinations in the United States (US) and Canada.
In Jan. 2024, Pakistan also accused India of “extraterritorial” and “extrajudicial” killings of two of its citizens on Pakistani soil, while it has consistently accused India along with other countries of fomenting militancy in its western provinces, particularly Balochistan.
New Delhi denies all allegations.
The Pakistani Foreign Office further said that peace and stability in South Asia have remained “hostage to India’s rigid approach and hegemonic ambitions.”
“The anti-Pakistan narrative, emanating from India, vitiates the bilateral environment and impedes the prospects for peace and cooperation,” it said.
“It must stop.”

ISLAMABAD: The administration in Pakistan’s northwestern Peshawar district recently banned the sale of toy guns and firecrackers for a period of 30 days to discourage “militant tendency” among children and foster a peaceful atmosphere ahead of Eid-Al-Fitr 2025, an official notification said. 

Children playing with toy guns and firecrackers on public holidays such as Eid is a common sight in Pakistan. The district administration in Peshawar bans traders from selling toy guns every year before Eid holidays to discourage gun culture in the country.

In a notification dated Mar. 15, Peshawar’s Deputy Commissioner Sarmad Saleem Akram announced he was imposing a ban on the sale of toy guns and firecrackers effectively immediately for 30 days under section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. 

“I, deputy commissioner Peshawar, in exercise of powers conferred on me u/s 144 Cr.PC, do hereby order and impose ban on sale of toy guns and fire crackers etc within the limits of district Peshawar,” the notification said. 

“And whereas, to discourage nurturing of militant tendency and to maintain peaceful atmosphere of the district during Eid-Al-Fitr 2025, it is imperative to curb the menace.”

The notification said authorities would take action against anyone violating the ban, including shopkeepers and customers. 

The development takes place as Pakistan witnesses a surge in militant attacks in its western provinces bordering Afghanistan, especially the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province. Islamabad accuses the government in Kabul of sheltering militants and facilitating cross-border attacks, a claim Afghanistan strongly denies.