India’s PM Modi maintains there was no US mediation in ceasefire with Pakistan
India’s PM Modi maintains there was no US mediation in ceasefire with Pakistan/node/2604870/pakistan
India’s PM Modi maintains there was no US mediation in ceasefire with Pakistan
US President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hold a joint press conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on February 13, 2025. (AFP/File)
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Updated 2 min 23 sec ago
Reuters
India’s PM Modi maintains there was no US mediation in ceasefire with Pakistan
Trump had said last month the nuclear-armed South Asian neighbors agreed to a ceasefire after talks mediated by the US
Pakistan has previously said ceasefire happened after its military returned a call the Indian military had initiated on May 7
Updated 2 min 23 sec ago
Reuters
NEW DELHI: India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi maintained in a conversation with US President Donald Trump late on Tuesday that a ceasefire between India and Pakistan after a four-day conflict in May was achieved through talks between the two militaries and not US mediation, India’s senior-most diplomat said
Trump had said last month that the nuclear-armed South Asian neighbors agreed to a ceasefire after talks mediated by the US and that the hostilities ended after he urged the countries to focus on trade instead of war.
“PM Modi told President Trump clearly that during this period, there was no talk at any stage on subjects like India-US trade deal or US mediation between India and Pakistan,” Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said in a press statement.
“Talks for ceasing military action happened directly between India and Pakistan through existing military channels, and on the insistence of Pakistan. Prime Minister Modi emphasized that India has not accepted mediation in the past and will never do,” he said.
Misri said the two leaders spoke over the phone at the insistence of Trump on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Canada which Modi attended as a guest. The call lasted 35 minutes.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the Modi-Trump call.
Pakistan has previously said that the ceasefire happened after its military returned a call the Indian military had initiated on May 7.
ISLAMABAD: A large fire that ripped through the Aamir Electronics Market in Karachi’s Saddar area this week and destroyed more than 40 shops and several warehouses has caused financial losses estimated at over Rs1 billion ($3.6 million), according to the president of a local association.
The blaze broke out unexpectedly on Monday afternoon and quickly engulfed large parts of the electronics hub, reducing inventories of batteries, solar panels, and other high-value goods to ashes. Traders said they were unable to save most of their merchandise as the fire spread rapidly.
“The government should immediately compensate the affected shopkeepers and work with the association to help them restart their businesses,” said MinHajj Gulfaam, President of the Karachi Mobile and Electronics Dealers Association (KMEDA).
“We also demand that trade associations be equipped with their own firefighting systems, just like some industrial associations. Preventive measures are urgently needed.”
Initial reports suggest an electrical short circuit may have caused the fire, though some eyewitnesses claimed it started in an adjacent empty plot where garbage was being burned and later spread to the market. Authorities have not issued an official cause.
Traders said fire brigade teams arrived late at the scene, by which time the blaze had intensified, adding that they tried to extinguish the flames themselves but the damage was already extensive.
Affected traders are calling for stronger enforcement of fire safety regulations and dedicated fire response units for high-density commercial zones.
Fires in commercial markets have become alarmingly common in Karachi. In April 2023, a fire at the city’s Cooperative Market destroyed dozens of shops, and in August 2022, a multi-story mobile phone market near Saddar also caught fire.
Many old commercial markets in Karachi have outdated electrical infrastructure and shopkeepers often add extra appliances, fans, lights, and unauthorized connections, leading to short circuits and electrical fires. Building codes and fire safety rules exist but are rarely enforced. Most markets don’t have proper fire exits, fire alarms, or functional extinguishers. Many are overcrowded with encroachments and illegally added stalls.
Karachi’s wholesale and retail markets, like Empress Market, Bolton Market, and Cooperative Market, often sprawl into narrow lanes with flammable goods stacked in unsafe conditions. Unauthorized mezzanines and storage units block escape routes and complicate firefighting.
Karachi’s fire brigade has also long struggled with outdated equipment, an insufficient number of vehicles, and poor access to congested market streets. Fires sometimes rage for hours before being brought under control.
Occasionally, traders or shop owners have also been suspected of starting fires intentionally to claim insurance money or erase debts, though proving this is challenging.
KARACHI: A special PIA flight carrying 107 Pakistanis who had been stranded in Iran landed in Islamabad early Tuesday, the national carrier said, after regional airspace disruptions forced days-long travel delays and overland detours.
Flight PK-9552, arranged under government instructions, departed from the Turkmen capital of Ashgabat and arrived at Islamabad International Airport at 3am, PIA said in a statement.
The passengers had crossed into Turkmenistan by road after being unable to depart directly from Iran due to ongoing airspace restrictions following the start of a war between longtime Middle Eastern enemies Israel and Iran since Friday. The two rivals launched new missile strikes at each other on Wednesday as the air war between them entered a sixth day despite a call from US President Donald Trump for Tehran’s unconditional surrender.
“Due to the closure of Iranian airspace, Pakistani nationals in Iran had to reach Turkmenistan through ground routes,” PIA said, adding that the repatriation was coordinated by Pakistan’s embassies in Tehran and Ashgabat.
“Our missions in Iran and Turkmenistan played a key role in facilitating this process,” PIA added.
Passengers stranded in Iran were mostly short-term visitors, religious pilgrims and workers caught in the fallout of recent regional hostilities.
Iranian airspace was shut to commercial traffic last week amid rising military tensions, following Israeli airstrikes on Iran and heightened fears of a wider conflict. Several international carriers, including PIA, suspended or rerouted flights passing through Iranian airspace. Pakistani citizens thus found themselves unable to return home through normal flight routes.
A PIA spokesperson said the national carrier took action “in continuation of its decades-long tradition of serving national interest in difficult times.”
While no official figures have been released on how many Pakistanis remain in Iran, foreign ministry officials have confirmed that further evacuations could be arranged if the situation worsens. The foreign ministry has also said diplomatic missions were “in close contact with local authorities” to ensure the safety of all nationals.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said on Monday Islamabad had not engaged in any new military cooperation with Tehran since Israel launched attacks on Iran last week and had not held specific talks with the United States over the escalating crisis in the Middle East.
Iran, which borders Pakistan, has hit back with strikes against Israel after it unleashed waves of attacks on Friday at Iranian nuclear installations, missile stockpiles, scientists, and military generals, among other targets, sparking global alarm that the conflict could erupt into a regional war.
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.
Speaking in an interview to Arab News, Asif said regular security cooperation was continuing with Iran along their shared border to combat militant groups, but no fresh operational coordination had been initiated in response to Israel’s attacks on Iranian territory since June 13.
“I don’t see any need of [it],” the defense minister said in response to a question on whether Pakistan’s military was coordinating with Iranian counterparts on the border or engaging in any fresh defense cooperation.
“We coordinate on a very regular basis as far as the Iran and Pakistan border is concerned because of terrorist activities… that sort of cooperation is already on. So I don’t see any new activity.”
Asked if Pakistan had held talks with Washington to discuss the fast-evolving situation, the defense minister said there had been no recent contact specifically on the crisis in the past five days:
“But we are in constant touch with the United States of America regarding the tense situation we have in this region.”
Asif said Pakistan’s leadership was instead focused on engagement with close partners like China and Muslim countries to press for calm, warning that the conflict risked engulfing the entire region.
“The countries who have religious affinity with us or geographical affinity, even China or other countries, because what we are pursuing is peace,” he said.
“And we would like to mobilize the countries of this region that this conflict can multiply and it can engulf the whole region into a situation which could be very, very disastrous.”
Smoke rises from a fire, as the Israel-Iran air war continues, in Tehran, Iran, in this still image obtained from social media video released June 17, 2025. (Social Media via REUTERS)
NUCLEAR FACILITIES “MILITANTLY GUARDED”
Diplomatic and security experts warn that the Israel-Iran hostilities could affect Pakistan by destabilizing its western border with Iran, threatening energy imports as oil prices surge, and creating new pressures in Pakistan’s relations with the US and Gulf partners if Islamabad is seen as tilting too far toward Tehran. On the other hand, if Tehran were to fall or be severely weakened, analysts say Pakistan would likely side with the United States and its allies — despite being Iran’s immediate neighbor — to protect its strategic and economic interests.
Addressing concerns over past remarks by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that have drawn parallels between Iran and Pakistan as so-called “militant Islamic regimes” that needed to be deterred, Asif rejected any immediate threat to Pakistan from Tel Aviv but stressed Islamabad would remain vigilant.
“If we are threatened by Israel, which I will discount at the moment… what happens in the coming months or years I can’t predict, but at the moment I discount [a threat from Israel],” he said.
Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif speaks with Arab News Pakistan in Islamabad, Pakistan, on June 17, 2025. (AN photo)
He described Israel as a state with “hegemonic intent” whose recent actions in Gaza and against Iran were “extremely dangerous to the immediate region,” and said global public opinion was turning against Israeli policies despite support or muted reactions from many Western governments.
Asif declined to comment on reports that Pakistan had scrambled fighter jets near its nuclear sites and the Iranian border in response to Israel’s initial strikes on Iran but insisted that its nuclear security remained robust.
In addition to the Middle East tensions, Pakistan faced a major military standoff with India last month in which the two nations exchanged missile, drone and artillery attacks. Islamabad claimed to have shot down six Indian jets and struck back at military positions, triggering fears of a wider conflict between the nuclear-armed rivals before a ceasefire was announced by the President Donald Trump administration on May 10.
When questioned about any direct threat to Pakistan’s national security or strategic assets as a result of the conflict in the Middle East, the defense minister said Pakistan’s armed forces were already on high alert following the latest confrontation with New Delhi, describing the country’s nuclear facilities as “very militantly guarded, very grudgingly guarded” and fully compliant with international safeguards.
“Since our short war with India [in May], we have been on alert so we have not lowered guards… We can never take the risk of any attack on our nuclear facility from anywhere, that is something which is a lifeline as far as our defense is concerned,” he said
Asif said Pakistan’s performance in the recent fight with India was evidence of the country’s defense capability and national resolve, which would deter Israel from any adventurism.
“We have just had a bout with India and we clearly established our superiority, the superiority of our armed forces, Air Force, Pakistan Army, Pakistan Navy and the determination of our people, the way the nation stood behind the armed forces,” the defense minister said.
“So I think Netanyahu or his people or his government will think many times before taking on Pakistan.”
ISLAMABAD: A facilitation center set up by the Pakistani government in Makkah for this year’s Hajj resolved over 30,000 complaints filed by pilgrims, the religion ministry said on Tuesday.
This year’s Hajj took place from June 4 to June 9, drawing millions of pilgrims to the holy cities in ֱ. Pakistan sent over 115,000 pilgrims under both the government and private schemes.
Ayesha Ijaz, the person in charge of the facilitation center in Makkah, told Pakistan’s religious affairs ministry that the center has been specially set up to help Pakistani pilgrims in ֱ.
“The facilitation center established by the Government of Pakistan in Makkah to provide exemplary facilities to Pakistani pilgrims during and after Hajj 2025 has successfully resolved over 30,000 complaints,” the Ministry of Religious Affairs (MoRA) said.
It said thousands of Pakistani Hajj pilgrims were provided immediate assistance related to travel issues, lost tickets, accommodation, food and other important matters.
“The center operates round the clock and has various special departments, including the Departure Cell, Zong Desk, Maktab Desk, Madinah Departure Cell, Complaints Cell and 24/7 Call Center,” Ijaz said.
Hafiz Obaidullah Zakaria, who is in charge of the Complaints Cell, said 30,147 complaints have been registered so far related to Hajj 2025.
“Of these, 2,446 complaints were resolved within 24 hours, 113 are under process, while 580 complaints were declared inauthentic,” he was quoted as saying by the religion ministry.
The religion ministry said this year, multiple channels were provided to pilgrims for registering complaints, including a 24-hour call center, WhatsApp, toll-free numbers and other platforms.
It said the number of complaints had been reduced significantly, which reflected impressive arrangements undertaken by the government.
“The timely actions of the facilitation center and effective complaint management have set a new precedent for Hajj operations, which has been appreciated not only by the authorities but also by the pilgrims,” the ministry said.
The last Pakistani flight carrying Hajj pilgrims back to the country is scheduled to arrive on July 10.
Provincial court delivers Pakistan’s first-ever conviction for insider trading
SECP says bank official misused insider information related to investment, disinvestment decisions for “personal gain“
Financial regulator says court slaps $30,380 penalty on convict, with the amount to be deposited within seven days
Updated 17 June 2025
ISMAIL DILAWAR
KARACHI: A Pakistani court recently handed its first-ever conviction for insider trading, the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) said on Tuesday, hailing the judgment as one which will boost investors’ confidence in the country’s capital markets.
Insider trading refers to the practice of buying or selling a publicly traded company’s securities while in possession of material information that is not yet public information. The SECP said it had filed a case against Zakir Hussain Somji, assistant vice president of investments at Habib Metropolitan Bank (HMB) Limited, after inspecting suspicious trading activity from Jan. 1, 2014, to Feb. 2, 2016.
The regulator said it was suspected that the accused, through his position at HMB, misused insider information related to the bank’s investment and disinvestment decisions for personal gain. The SECP said a probe revealed Somji bought 11,795,100 shares of various companies, including 1,230,900 shares (10.43 percent) acquired from HMB. He sold 11,836,600 shares — 4,915,200 (41.52 percent) of which were sold back to HMB, earning an “unlawful profit” of Rs2,866,646 [$10,116.39].
“Sindh Special Court (Offences in Banks) handed out first ever conviction for insider trading in the history of Pakistan in a case filed by The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP),” the regulator said.
It said Somji had been convicted by the court on June 14 for violating provisions of Section 128 of the Securities Act, 2015, which related to insider trading.
The regulator said the court slapped Somji with a penalty of Rs 8,599,938 [$30,380] which was three times the “unlawful gain.”
“The amount is to be deposited within seven days, failing which the convict will be remanded to jail until full payment is made,” the SECP said.
The regulator said the judgment reaffirms SECP’s mandate to ensure market integrity and investor protection.
“It sets a strong precedent for future enforcement actions and sends a clear message that market abuse and regulatory violations shall not be tolerated,” it added.
