Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan, on Thursday, condemned Israeli aggression against Lebanon in the strongest terms.&nbsp;&quot;Pakistan condemns, in the strongest terms, the ongoing Israeli aggression against Lebanon, resulting in the loss of innocent lives and the widespread destruction of infrastructure,&quot; said a press release issued by Pakistan&#39;s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2042145465207288241&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=a87d4f6f40a6c88d17fbf434d9a70a6ab76435b5&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 901px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" data-tweet-id="2042145465207288241"></iframe></div></div>&quot;The Israeli actions undermine international efforts to establish peace and stability in the region and constitute a blatant violation of international law and fundamental humanitarian principles,&quot; the statement said. Pakistan calls upon the international community to take urgent and concrete steps to end Israeli aggression against Lebanon, it added. Pakistan reiterates its unwavering solidarity with the Government and people of Lebanon during this difficult time and supports Lebanon&rsquo;s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as its peace and stability, the statement concluded.

Foreign Affairs

'Pakistan condemns, in the strongest terms, the ongoing Israeli aggression against Lebanon, resulting in the loss of innocent lives and the widespread destruction of infrastructure,' said a press release issued by Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday.

Pakistan condemns Israeli aggression against Lebanon

NEW DELHI: A key opposition Indian politician has threatened legal action against the election commission after millions of people were struck off electoral rolls, the latest flashpoint over a contentious voter clean-up drive. A sweeping voter registration overhaul -- known as the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) -- meant to remove ineligible voters but which critics say is skewed against marginalised and minority communities, kicked off last year in several states and territories. Many of these regions voted Thursday to elect local governments, with two other states slated to go to polls later this month. That includes West Bengal, a state with roughly 100 million people led by Mamata Banerjee of the Trinamool Congress party, where it has run into furious opposition. West Bengal is also a crucial election battleground, which Prime Minister Narendara Modi&#39;s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has never governed. - Move to court - Banerjee, the state&#39;s chief minister, accused India&#39;s Election Commission of &quot;working at the behest of the BJP&quot; to strike off her supporters from the state&#39;s electoral rolls. &quot;We will move court again to resist the exclusion of names,&quot; she told her supporters at an election rally on Wednesday. A previous challenge by Banerjee, one of Modi&#39;s most formidable opponents, is pending in the Supreme Court. Members of Modi&#39;s BJP have long claimed that large numbers of undocumented Muslim migrants from neighbouring Bangladesh have fraudulently entered India&#39;s electoral rolls. West Bengal shares a 2,217 kilometre (1,378 mile) long border with Bangladesh. The Election Commission, in its defence of the SIR, has said it is in part to avoid &quot;foreign illegal immigrants&quot; from voting. The SIR drive in West Bengal was carried out in two phases. In the first, around 6.3 million names were deleted, with officials citing routine reasons such as deaths or voters having moved out of the state. A second, more controversial phase, flagged another six million voters for &quot;adjudication&quot;, a category introduced for the first time in West Bengal, which relied on software to identify anomalies such as spelling mismatches. Muslims, who make up a quarter of the state&#39;s population, were disproportionately flagged for this extra scrutiny, according to at least two independent analyses of Election Commission data. Of those flagged, about 2.7 million were finally found to be ineligible to vote, the Election Commission&#39;s data released earlier this week, raising the total number of exclusions to over nine million -- or roughly 12 percent of the electorate. The 2.7 million left out after the second phase can still appeal their exclusion. But with the tribunals set up to adjudicate such matters still not fully operational, a decision is unlikely before voting begins on April 23.

India

Mamata Banerjee has threatened fresh legal action against India’s Election Commission over a voter roll purge in West Bengal that excluded over nine million people, with critics alleging minority targeting and warning many appeals may remain unresolved before April 23 voting.

India election roll overhaul sparks anger as key states vote

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari has strongly condemned the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem by Israeli occupation forces.&nbsp; In a statement on X, &nbsp;he called the storming a violation of international law and an assault on the sanctity and historical character of the holy site. <div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2042168549175914927&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=31832da58f60a54736c682928a8fe6791d0a22e1&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 321px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" spellcheck="false">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div> According to a statement from the Press Information Department,&nbsp;President Zardari expressed concern over recent restrictions on access to the mosque, including during Ramadan and Eid, and noted that the regional situation, including the current conflict involving the US and Iran, appeared to have been used to justify such measures. He called on the international community to take urgent steps to prevent such actions. The president reiterated Pakistan&#39;s unwavering support for the Palestinian people and their right to an independent state with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.

Al Aqsa mosque (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Security

President Asif Ali Zardari has termed the actions as illegal and provocative, urging global intervention while reaffirming support for Palestinian statehood with Al-Quds as its capital.

President condemns storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli occupation forces

ISLAMABAD: Forty days of war. That is the backdrop as diplomats and the media arrive in the capital for the Islamabad Talks, bringing a language all their own. Words like &ldquo;mediator,&rdquo; &ldquo;facilitator,&rdquo; and &ldquo;ceasefire&rdquo; are already filling the coverage. While they may sound interchangeable, they are not. Here&#39;s a look at the words readers are likely to see more of in the coming days. A &ldquo;mediator&rdquo; actively shapes outcomes, drafting proposals, pressing both sides and steering talks toward agreement.&nbsp; A &ldquo;facilitator&rdquo; does something quieter: it creates conditions for talks to happen without prescribing where they should land. A country offering its good offices goes further still, lending only its prestige to bring rivals into the same room, then stepping back entirely.&nbsp; Running alongside all of this, usually invisible to the public, is &quot;backchannel diplomacy&quot;: unofficial contacts where discussions happen and the outlines of a deal are sometimes sketched. Then there is the process itself.&nbsp; &ldquo;Talks&rdquo; suggests an early, exploratory stage. &ldquo;Dialogue&rdquo; implies something more sustained; a deliberate effort at mutual understanding, even if no deal is imminent. &ldquo;Negotiations&rdquo; is somewhat loaded, implying structure, a concrete goal, and genuine give-and-take. Then there are words used to describe a halt in fighting. A &ldquo;truce&rdquo; is informal and usually short-lived. A &ldquo;ceasefire&rdquo; is broader &mdash; an agreement to stop hostilities &mdash; but it suspends a conflict rather than ending it. That would happen after a &ldquo;treaty&rdquo; is formally agreed and signed. At the far end of the diplomatic spectrum sit &ldquo;normalization&rdquo; and &ldquo;reconciliation,&rdquo; words that are often conflated but describe very different things.&nbsp; &ldquo;Normalization&rdquo; is a transaction between governments: embassies reopened, trade resumed. &ldquo;Reconciliation&rdquo; is harder and slower: the rebuilding of trust between people. None of this vocabulary is accidental. When a country calls something a &ldquo;dialogue&rdquo; rather than &ldquo;negotiations,&rdquo; it is managing expectations. When analysts reach a &ldquo;stalemate&rdquo; rather than an &ldquo;impasse,&rdquo; they are making a quiet judgment about how much room for movement remains.&nbsp; In diplomacy, the words chosen to frame a process are themselves part of the process.

In diplomacy, the words chosen to describe a process are never accidental; knowing the difference between them can bring a reader closer to understanding what is actually happening.

Words matter: The vocabulary of peace

ISLAMABAD: New results from the Large Hadron Collider suggest even small particle collisions can briefly recreate matter similar to that found just after the Big Bang, the &quot;Quark-Gluon plasma,&quot; offering scientists a clearer glimpse into the early universe, Space reported Wednesday. The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is the world&rsquo;s largest (17km long) and most advanced particle accelerator, located on the border between Switzerland and France.&nbsp;The research was carried out by ALICE (A Large Ion Collider Experiment), one of the main experiments at CERN, the European laboratory that operates the collider.&nbsp;Scientists studied collisions involving protons, which are particles found inside atoms, and lead nuclei, the dense central cores of lead atoms. In those collisions, they found signs of &quot;quark-gluon plasma,&quot; a state of matter so hot and energetic that quarks and gluons, the basic components that normally remain bound inside larger particles, can move freely for a brief moment.&nbsp;Scientists believe this kind of matter existed in the earliest moments of the universe.&nbsp;What makes the result especially important is that the researchers observed a common flow pattern, meaning the particles produced in the collisions appeared to move in a coordinated way rather than scattering randomly.&nbsp;In simple terms, the debris from these collisions did not behave like unrelated fragments, but more like matter responding together under extreme conditions.&nbsp;The work also connects with another striking discovery at the LHC: scientists working on ALICE recently confirmed that collisions involving lead can also incidentally produce tiny amounts of gold.&nbsp;This happens when extremely powerful electromagnetic fields in near-miss lead collisions knock exactly three protons out of a lead nucleus, briefly turning it into gold.&nbsp;For years, scientists generally expected this kind of collective behavior to appear only in the largest and most violent heavy-ion collisions.&nbsp;This new result suggests similar conditions may also emerge in smaller systems, which could reshape how researchers understand the earliest stages of matter under extreme conditions.&nbsp; The study was also published in Nature Communications, a peer-reviewed scientific journal.

Gadgets

Scientists at CERN have found that small particle collisions in a controlled environment can briefly recreate primordial matter similar to that from the early Universe, offering new insight into conditions just after the Big Bang.

Scientists recreate early-universe conditions after Big Bang

Romesa Umar

ABIDJAN: Pakistan&rsquo;s women&rsquo;s national football team is set to make its historic debut at the FIFA Series, with team officials describing the occasion as a major step forward for the country&rsquo;s presence in international football. Addressing local and international media in the vibrant West African city of Abidjan ahead of their opening match, with C&ocirc;te d&rsquo;Ivoire&rsquo;s rich football culture and energetic atmosphere as the backdrop, Head Coach Adeel Rizki underscored the significance of the opportunity. &ldquo;This is the first time we are playing in a FIFA event, which is a very big opportunity for our players and us as a nation, as well as our member association,&rdquo; Rizki said. &ldquo;When you are given a chance to play at this level, you can&#39;t be nervous.&rdquo;&nbsp; &quot;You can&#39;t be shy. We have to be looking forward to it and taking it in a very positive stride.&rdquo; Pakistan will begin their campaign against the Turks and Caicos Islands on April 9, followed by fixtures against Mauritania on April 12 and a home fixture against the Ivory Coast on April 16. The tournament is designed to increase competitive opportunities between national teams from different confederations and marks the first edition to feature a dedicated women&rsquo;s series. The squad arrived in Abidjan several days prior to the press conference and has since completed initial training sessions, with the coaching staff expressing satisfaction over the team&rsquo;s preparation and morale. Vice-Captain Suha Hirani highlighted the broader mission driving the players, emphasizing the significance of representation and progress. &ldquo;Our biggest motivation is to make sure that Pakistan women&#39;s football progresses in the world,&rdquo; Hirani said. &ldquo;We don&#39;t get that many chances to play, so every chance we get to represent Pakistan as a country, we want to show that women and girls in Pakistan are very capable of progressing in football on the world stage.&rdquo; She also acknowledged the strength of the opposition while affirming the team&rsquo;s readiness. &ldquo;The opposition is very good, but we&#39;re also very prepared to face the challenges that are going to come,&rdquo; she said. On expectations for the tournament, Hirani remained confident. &ldquo;The aim is to win the whole series over here, and we hope to achieve that,&rdquo; she stated, adding, &ldquo;So far, this is the best team we&#39;ve had. Over the last few years, we&#39;ve had a good chance to gel as a team.&rdquo; Coach Rizki outlined a long-term development framework for Pakistan football, noting that sustained progress will require structured planning and continued investment. &ldquo;We are still a developing nation,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We have a short-term plan, a medium-term plan, and a long-term plan. Our federation is working very hard&hellip; giving competition to our team, starting a domestic league, playing all FIFA windows, and competing with different teams in Asia and then across the world as well. It&#39;s never going to be overnight, but the progression has to be there.&rdquo;

FIFA Series 2026: Pakistan’s Vice-Captain Suha Hirani speaking to local and international media at a press conference in the African city of Abidjan.

Football

The team is set to make its historic debut at the FIFA Series, with team officials describing the occasion as a major step forward for the country’s presence in international football.

Pakistan women’s football targets global progress in FIFA series debut

KATHMANDU: Nepal has issued an arrest warrant for former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba for alleged corruption, officials said Thursday, making him the latest high-profile figure targeted by the new government. Deuba, 79, is abroad for medical treatment and said that &quot;an investigation on money laundering has been initiated against me and my family.&quot; He rejected the accusation of corruption. &quot;False propaganda is being spread concerning my family&#39;s property,&quot; he said in a statement on social media. Authorities also issued a warrant for Deuba&#39;s wife, former foreign minister Arzu Rana Deuba, court officials in Kathmandu told AFP, following a request from the Department of Money Laundering Investigation. Deuba said he and his wife were &quot;currently abroad for long-term medical treatment,&quot; without giving further details. Nepali media reported that the couple was recently in Singapore, and that police are seeking an Interpol notice. The warrants come a month after Prime Minister Balendra Shah, a 35-year-old rapper-turned-politician, won a landslide election victory on a platform of youth-driven political change, the first elections since a deadly September 2025. Deuba, who served five terms as prime minister, is a senior leader of the Nepali Congress party. &quot;My life has been an open book,&quot; he said. &quot;I have spent my entire life striving for the establishment of a democratic system of governance in Nepal.&quot; His tenure as party president ended in January, after younger members pushed for a leadership change. Last month, authorities arrested former prime minister K.P. Sharma Oli and ex-home minister Ramesh Lekhak for their alleged roles in the deadly crackdown on the anti-corruption protests in September. The youth-led uprising began in Kathmandu and was triggered by a brief social media ban. It spread countrywide the following day, fueled by longstanding frustration over corruption and economic hardship. Protesters set fire to the parliament building and offices, and eventually toppled the government. Deuba&#39;s home was among the buildings torched, and videos of protesters attacking the couple circulated widely online. Bundles of cash were reportedly discovered at the property. In his statement to the investigation commission on the protests, Deuba said that videos circulating on social media &quot;must be AI-generated.&quot; &quot;This is a conspiracy, although I do not know who is behind it,&quot; he said in his statement. The commission has recommended further investigation into the cash allegedly found at Deuba&#39;s home and other properties. Former energy minister Deepak Khadka was also arrested last month as part of a money laundering investigation.

Former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Nepal

Warrants have been issued for Sher Bahadur Deuba and his wife over alleged corruption and money laundering, which they deny, amid a broader crackdown on former leaders.

Nepal issues arrest warrant for ex-PM Deuba in graft probe

LOS ANGELES:&nbsp;A British-American dealer dubbed the &quot;Ketamine Queen&quot; who sold the drugs that killed &quot;Friends&quot; star Matthew Perry, and boasted she supplied an elite circle of Hollywood VIPs, was jailed for 15 years on Wednesday. Jasveen Sangha, 42, was one of five people charged over the death of the beloved Canadian-American actor, who was found unresponsive in the hot tub of his luxury Los Angeles home in 2023. Sangha, a dual citizen of the United States and Britain, ran a drugs emporium from her swanky apartment in Los Angeles, from where she dished out narcotics to wealthy customers in America&#39;s entertainment capital. &quot;To cultivate her business, (Sangha) marketed herself as an exclusive dealer who catered to high-profile Hollywood clientele,&quot; prosecutors wrote in sentencing papers. &quot;As she told one customer in 2020, &#39;I&#39;m really select with people,&#39; and &#39;it&#39;s a very VIP circle of celebs.&#39;&quot; Sangha worked with a middleman, Erik Fleming, to sell 51 vials of ketamine to Perry&#39;s live-in personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa. Iwamasa repeatedly injected Perry with the ketamine that she had supplied, including on October 28, 2023, when he administered at least three shots of Sangha&#39;s drugs, which killed the actor. When Sangha heard news reports about Perry&#39;s sudden death, she tried to cover her tracks. &quot;Delete all our messages,&quot; she instructed Fleming. Sangha&#39;s actions &quot;show a cold callousness and disregard for life. She chose profits over people, and her actions have caused immense pain to the victims&#39; families and loved ones,&quot; prosecutors wrote. Investigators who raided Sangha&#39;s home in the aftermath of Perry&#39;s death found methamphetamine, ketamine, ecstasy, cocaine, and counterfeit Xanax pills, as well as a money counting machine, a scale, and devices to detect wireless signals and hidden cameras. DoctorsPerry, 54, had openly struggled for decades with addictions, but had appeared to colleagues to be beating his demons when he died. His death set off waves of grief among generations of &quot;Friends&quot; fans and sparked a police probe that uncovered a ring of suppliers and enablers, including medical doctors who were callously profiting from the pain of a man they should have been helping. Dr. Salvador Plasencia, who was admitted to four counts of distribution of ketamine in the weeks before Perry&#39;s death, was ordered to serve 30 months in jail when he was sentenced last year. Another doctor, Mark Chavez, was ordered to be confined at home and told to do hundreds of hours of community service. Plasencia bought ketamine off Chavez and sold it to Perry at hugely inflated prices. &quot;I wonder how much this moron will pay,&quot; Plasencia wrote in one text message. Prosecutors said addict Perry was paying over $2,000 per vial of ketamine; his dealers paid a fraction of that. Iwamasa and Fleming are scheduled to be sentenced later this month. Sangha admitted one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises, three counts of distribution of ketamine, and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death or serious bodily injury. Her plea acknowledged that she also sold four vials of ketamine to another man, 33-year-old Cody McLaury, in August 2019. McLaury died hours later from an overdose. &#39;Mostly sober&#39;&nbsp;Perry had been taking ketamine as part of supervised therapy for depression. But prosecutors say that before his death, he became addicted to the substance, which is used as an anesthetic, but also has psychedelic properties and is a popular party drug. &quot;Friends,&quot; which followed the lives of six New Yorkers navigating adulthood, dating, and careers, drew a massive following and made megastars of previously unknown actors. Perry&#39;s role as the sarcastic man-child Chandler brought him fabulous wealth, but hid a dark struggle with addiction to painkillers and alcohol. In 2018, he suffered a drug-related burst colon and underwent multiple surgeries. In his 2022 memoir &quot;Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing,&quot; Perry described going through detox dozens of times. &quot;I have mostly been sober since 2001,&quot; he wrote, &quot;save for about sixty or seventy little mishaps.&quot;

Film & TV

Prosecutors said addict Perry was paying over $2,000 per vial of ketamine; his dealers paid a fraction of that; prosecutors say Sangha's actions "show a cold callousness and disregard for life." 




'Ketamine Queen' jailed for 15 years over Matthew Perry drugs

HONG KONG: Oil prices climbed, and stocks fell on Thursday on fears over the nascent US-Iran ceasefire after Tehran threatened to resume hostilities after Israel launched a major bombardment of Lebanon. Equity markets across the globe soared and crude plunged on Wednesday after US President Donald Trump announced the two-week halt in the war, and the Islamic Republic said it would reopen the Strait of Hormuz as peace talks took place. But with the deal less than a day old, cracks were already appearing as Tel Aviv said it did not include Israel&#39;s fight against Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon as it continued attacks on its northern neighbor. That view was echoed by Vice President JD Vance, who said: &quot;If Iran wants to let this negotiation fall apart ... over Lebanon, which has nothing to do with them, and which the United States never once said was part of the ceasefire, that&#39;s ultimately their choice.&quot; Iran said that it broke the terms of the deal as reports said the vital Hormuz waterway &mdash; through which a fifth of the world&#39;s oil and gas passes &mdash; was shut again. However, that came as Tehran announced alternative routes for ships travelling through the Strait, citing the risk of sea mines. The country&#39;s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, posted on X that the &quot;workable basis on which to negotiate&quot; had already been violated, making further talks &quot;unreasonable.&quot; He listed three alleged US violations of the truce plan: the continued attacks in Lebanon, a drone entering Iranian airspace, and a denial of the country&#39;s right to enrichment. Hezbollah said on Thursday it had fired rockets towards Israel in response to its &quot;violation.&quot; Meanwhile, a senior US official said Tehran&#39;s 10-point plan was not the same set of conditions the White House had agreed to. Fears that the ceasefire could fall apart while crude remains stuck in Hormuz saw West Texas Intermediate oil jump around 3% Thursday, having plunged more than 16% the day before. Brent was up more than two percent following a 13 percent drop. Equities also gave up some of their gains. Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Sydney, Singapore, Seoul, and Taipei were all down. Attention is also turning to crunch talks in Pakistan that are expected on Friday or Saturday, with Vance leading the US delegation. &quot;Many questions remain with the 10-point plan that Trump has received from Iran (which includes Iranian control of the Strait of Hormuz, US acceptance of Iran&#39;s uranium enrichment programme, the end of all sanctions, and withdrawal of the US military from the Gulf region) is at odds with Trump&#39;s 15-point peace plan,&quot; wrote National Australia Bank&#39;s Skye Masters. Still, observers warned that an end to the conflict would not see a quick return to normal, with crude prices still elevated and key regional infrastructure targeted that could take billions of dollars and at least months to repair. Shipping journal Lloyd&#39;s List estimated that around 800 ships have been stuck in the Gulf since the end of February, when hostilities broke out. Still, FOREX.com analyst Fawad Razaqzada said: &quot;Investors are confident that oil prices could ease further and the Strait of Hormuz will reopen again and hopefully stay open beyond the two-week ceasefire period.&quot;

Business

Equity markets across globe soar, crude plunges after US President Trump announces two-week halt in war, Iran’s parliament speaker says "workable basis on which to negotiate" had already been violated, making further talks "unreasonable.”

Crude rises, stocks fall on fears over nascent Iran ceasefire

Malik Waqar Ahmed

ISLAMABAD: Pakistanis have welcomed the &ldquo;Islamabad Talks&rdquo; as a significant diplomatic achievement, expressing pride in the country&rsquo;s role in bringing the United States and Iran to the negotiating table. Citizens from different walks of life described the mediation effort as a moment of national accomplishment and a positive step toward regional stability. &ldquo;I think it is a big achievement for us&hellip; a moment of pride for Pakistan as a nation,&rdquo; said Imran Akram, a corporate employee, referring to Islamabad&rsquo;s role in facilitating dialogue. Others highlighted the difficulty of engaging two adversaries amid escalating conflict. &ldquo;Convincing Iran and America&hellip; at this time the initiative Pakistan took was very important,&rdquo; said Faiza Ali, a homemaker, calling it &ldquo;a very good initiative.&rdquo; Several respondents framed the development as a validation of Pakistan&rsquo;s diplomatic strategy. &ldquo;As a Pakistani, it is a big win for us&hellip; it&rsquo;s a win of foreign policy,&rdquo; said IT professional Qazi Nauman. Banker Zartar Fatima said the talks reflected Pakistan&rsquo;s growing relevance on the global stage, while entrepreneur Sufyan Ali described the effort as &ldquo;timely and necessary&rdquo; to prevent further escalation. Students and professionals alike echoed hopes that the talks would lead to lasting peace. &ldquo;I am very happy about this&hellip; it shows Pakistan can play a constructive role,&rdquo; said Eman Ahmed, a student.

Citizens from different walks of life describe mediation effort as a moment of national accomplishment and a positive step toward regional stability; several respondents frame the development as a validation of Pakistan’s diplomatic strategy.





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