FARUKH SHEHZAD

Munaza Kazmi

You must have experienced an unexpected cool day in a burning hot day of summer, whereas a cozy evening in a chilly season. More or less now we are experiencing a new mild June and a dried December. Hasn’t it felt as a change?

“The Earth is under serious threat”!

We have presented our beautiful planet with the disastrous gift of climate change. Rising temperature, reduction of the polar ice caps, deforestation, overpopulation, disease, war,famine,lack of water and decimation of animal species. However,these are all solvable but so far have not been solved.

Global warming is caused by all of us. We want cars, travel and a better standard of living. The trouble is, by the time people realize what is happening, it may be too late. As we stand on the period of unpredictable climate change; it can be reverted, only a responsible and determined will required.

However, the danger is that global warming may become self-sustaining, if it has not become so already. The melting of the Arctic and Antarctic ice capsreduces the fraction of solar energy reflected back into space, and so increase the temperature further. Moreover, climate change may kill off the Amazon and other rainforests and so eliminateone of the main ways in which carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere.

The rise in sea temperature may trigger the release of large quantities of carbon dioxide. Both these phenomena would increase the greenhouse effect, and so exacerbate global warming. Both effects could make our climate like that of Venus: boiling hot and raining Sulphur acid, but with a temperature of 250 degrees Celsius. Human life would be unsustainable.

We need to go beyond the Kyoto Protocol, the international agreement adopted in 1997, and cut carbon emission now. We have the technology. We just need the political will.

I believe, as leader the government have a responsibility, to inform the public about the perils that humanity may face and take necessary actions. On the other hand, as a citizen of the world, we all have a duty to share the knowledge, to alert and advice the ignorant and become a helping hand of government in carry out the business.

However, we can be ignorant, unthinking lot, hence on the cost of future, if not the immediate future but the future of the coming generations. Earlier when we have reached similar crises in our history, there has usually been somewhere else to colonize. Columbus did it in 1492 when he discovered the New World. But now there is no new world. No Utopia around the corner.

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Munaza Kazmi has recently done Master of Philosophy from Bahria University Islamabad. Her debut novel is Unrequited Love.

She’s an author, columnist writing in different newspapers and a researcher having seven publications till yet, she’s been writing since 2016.

You can connect to Kazmi at twitter @munaza_kazmi or on research gate as munaza kazmi.

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ISLAMABAD, APR 27: Japan and Pakistan agreed on debt deferral amounting to JPY 40 billion (approximately USD 370 million) for making fiscal space to fight against COVID-19 in Pakistan. This is in line with the G20 Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI) agreed on April 15, 2020 and the MOU signed between Pakistan and the creditor countries on June 9, 2020.

Notes to this effect were signed and exchanged between MATSUDA Kuninori, Ambassador of Japan to Pakistan and Mr. Noor Ahmed, Secretary of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, in Islamabad on April 27, 2021.

Concessional loans utilized for infrastructure development:

The concessional loans, which are subject to the debt deferral, have been utilized for infrastructure development such as roads, tunnels, power plants and grids, irrigation, water supply, drainage facilities in Pakistan from the early 1990s to the mid-2010s. These concessional loans have favorable conditions for Pakistan in terms of low interest rate, long grace and repayment period.

Ambassador MATSUDA said, “after the stability of Afghanistan is realized, I believe some of these projects must be a part of the connectivity between Pakistan, Afghanistan and Central Asia.” Under this agreement, repayments for the debt and interest due between May 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020 will be rescheduled after June 15, 2022.

Japan’s support from both economic & medical perspectives:

Economic shock caused by the outbreak of COVID-19 has continued on a global scale. Japan provided Pakistan with direct support of USD 9.5 million and multilateral support of USD 7.41 million to contain COVID-19, as well as the quick delivery of diagnostic kits and non-governmental support, all of which were on a grant basis.

International solidarity on the medical and economical front is necessary to fight against infectious diseases with no borders. Ambassador MATSUDA added, “This agreement, which we signed today, represents Japan’s solidarity with Pakistan on the economic front.”

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As the world celebrated Earth Day , the International Labour Organization (ILO) has called for urgent worldwide action on climate change, including the need to support climate education and awareness raising.

The transition to a carbon-neutral economy will require new skills, training and qualifications. Many new jobs will emerge. Others will have to adapt. This makes climate education for the current and future workforce a priority that countries need to urgently address.

“The effects of climate change will alter the structure of employment. New jobs and new job families will emerge, others will disappear or become unsustainable, and enterprises will have to find ways to organize work and production differently,” said ILO Director-General, Guy Ryder. “We need to prepare the youth to this changing world. Environmental education can empower students to solve the climate crisis and develop the skills, optimism and resolve to lead the environmental movement of tomorrow.”

Ryder praised Earthday.org and its partners, the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and Education International (EI) for highlighting the issue of climate education on Earth Day.

“Climate education and awareness raising are key to making a just transition to green economies that guarantee a sustainable future for current and new generations,” he said.

The ILO estimates that rising heat due to climate change could lead to the loss of 80 million jobs by 2030, with poor countries worst hit. Taking ambitious action to tackle climate change can deliver more and better jobs, with a potential for 18 million net jobs by 2030, through measures in the energy sector.

Enterprises will need well-trained workers, equipped with the right set of skills to reduce the carbon-intensity of production. They will need to invest in preparing their workers for new and challenging technical and technological change, making the workplace a place of continuous learning in the ecological transition.

Social dialogue is also an essential tool in ensuring a smooth shift in occupational skills training to facilitate workers’ mobility and ensure their social protection in a rapidly changing world of work.

The upcoming UN climate conference COP26 , to be hosted by the United Kingdom, will be an important time to reiterate the importance of climate literacy, because only the right educational tools will prepare the current and future workforce to meet the challenges of climate change.

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COURTESY moderndiplomacy

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By Dr Mehmood-ul-Hassan Khan

Proponents of disability, disharmony, disorientation and destruction have once again started their doctrines of “end game” in the South Caucasus South Region (SCR) due to which infant peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia has again in the “line of fire”. Armenian cross border shelling has now drastically increased which is not a good omen for the peace agreement.

Even supporters and guarantors of its peace agreement i.e. Russia and Turkey are not ease to maintain peace and stability in the SCR. Russian president Putin made a call to incumbent Armenian president and asked for complete “restrain” for the maintenance of status quo.

It seems that “Pariah Theory” is getting momentum and Armenia has started a new wave of “hybrid war” against Azerbaijan and Turkey now by “twisting”, “distorting” and “manipulating” the historic facts ultimately projecting itself a victim of Turkish’s Ottoman Empire. It is actually “Lie of the Century”.

Unfortunately, Armenia’s diaspora communities with the help of its Western lobbyists, separatists groups, radical elements and secrete alliance with its own “Declining State” started a new game of dissemination of propaganda and falsified news to project so-called “Armenian Genocide” as a reality. Moreover, US President’s intention to recognize Armenia Genocide as reality has further put the regional stability and harmony at stake in which Azerbaijan and Turkey are not read to compromise or bow.

Landmines implanted by the fascist Armenia in the newly liberated Nagorno-Karabakh and its adjacent areas of Fuzuli, Jabrayil, Zangilan, Qubadli, and Shusha have become a killing machine due to which process of infrastructural development and rehabilitation process is being cautiously pursued.

The government of Azerbaijan pleaded to Minsk Group and other international organizations, community and power brokers to ask Armenia to share the map of landmines but still no response from the belligerent, other side. It is severe violation of international law, norms and protocols which clearly shows Armenia anti-humanity, culture traditions and governance.

Rather it had been pursuing systematic ethnic cleansing and genocide against innocuous people of Azerbaijan and other local communities comprising of Christians, Jews and Ukrainians for the last so many centuries. In the battle of ethnic cleansing and series of genocides millions of people of Azerbaijan were saline and slaughtered and ultimately were displaced from their native homes, lands and properties.

Even basic nature and environment had has been at the receiving end of Armenia anti-nature policies. Green has been converted into red zone of climate change. Rivers have been polluted with acidic wastages. Biodiversity of nature has been blasted and thus committed serious crimes against humanity and nature alike.

Soil of the newly liberated lands has been made barren due to ill intentions of Armenia. Libraries have been burnt. Houses and homes have been easy prey of horrendous crimes of Armenia and its martial groups. Even places of religious faiths and rituals have been destructed and demolished which shows so called Armenian respect towards other religions. Mosques have been used as piggery houses.

New start of hybrid war against Azerbaijan and Turkey by Armenia has lessened the chances of any grand regional reconciliation in the near future. Armenian mass media campaign “Armenia Genocide” is actually an attempt playing with the fire. Ashes of history will achieve nothing but further confrontation in the SCR and Armenia would be at the losing side.

It fears that political juggling from the jungle of misdeeds, misadventures, miscalculations, misinterpretations and miscarriages of the history and past may expose the ugly fascist face of Armenia to so called modern world of today. So just behave because the purpose of escalating tension initiated by Armenia has certain political interest.

Armenian claims on the 1915 events are far away from the friendly cooperation and reality. In the past on numerous occasion successive Turkish government offered to open archives since Turgut Ozal’s presidency but Armenia constantly refused and continues politicizing of the 24 April events, as it was a political issue as it started more than a hundred years ago.

Many prominent international scholars and authors like Guenter Lewy in his book entitled “The Armenian massacres in Ottoman Turkey – A disputed genocide” put blame on Armenian Hunchakian Revolutionary Party conspiratorial schemes and sabotage activities for the incidents of 1915. They started political terror as a means of eliminating opponents, spies and informers. It proved counterproductive and the Empire took appropriate measures to curb miscreant elements.

Even British writer C.F. Dixon-Johnson in his book entitled “The Armenians” published in 1916 held responsible Armenian Revolutionary Societies (ARSs) for the events of 1915 and indulged organizing armed attack and political terrorist actions against Turks, field-officers in Adana, Marash, Chukarhissar, Malatia and other regions in 1890s.

He underlined that having gained a victory of some importance, the Armenian force proceeded to the Kertul district, where they plundered and sucked several Turkish villages, eventually seizing Anderim where they burnt the Konak. On their way back to Zeitun they committed some most disgraceful murders at Chukarhissar. Ultimately massive massacre of ARSs forced the Empire to control this widespread plundering, killings and discrimination and saved the population from the hands of barbarians Armenians.

Moreover, American journalist and special correspondent in Ottoman Empire during 1914, Sidney Whitman emphasized in his book entitled “Turkish Memories” negated the tall claims of so called genocide of Armenia and upheld that if the Turk were a fanatical prosecutor of all persons professing another faith than its own, how is it that for centuries Jews, Roman Catholic and Greek Christians have been allowed free exercise of their religion in all parts of the Turkish Empire, and that Protestant missionaries of many sects have not been interfered with in that country. Does not all this tend to prove that the Armenian trouble is a political and not a religious one?

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan assured to continue to defend the truth against events of 1915. Speaking at a meeting with Turkey’s High Advisory Board, Erdogan once again made clear Turkey’s stance on the 1915 events. Turkey objects to presenting the 1915 incidents as “genocide,” rather calling them a tragedy.

A Russian historian has said “Armenians do not have a valid source to verify its propaganda term (genocide) with historical and legal documents”, stressing that the claims of the 1915 events are fictional.

Oleg Kuznetsov, the author of History of Transnational Armenian Terror in the 20th Century having vast experience of scientific research papers upheld that the Armenian gangs continued their activities against the Ottoman Empire during this period.

He underlined that it is a fantasy to say that the Ottoman actions against the Armenians in 1915 were extraordinary.

He pointed out that various measures were taken for the security of the army in the countries participating in World War I, exemplifying that the Germans and Jews were exiled in the Russian Tsarism.

He pinpointed that all these were done to prevent Armenians from taking the side of the enemy and to ensure the security of the army. He concluded that the so-called Armenian genocide claims are nothing but fiction. He blamed the Armenian revolutionary Dashnak Party in Tbilisi during 1890 played havocs and was responsible for the Ottoman Empire measures to control this widespread loot, slaughter and discrimination of Armenia against harmless local communities.

He pointed out that claiming the events of 1915 as genocide is a product of geopolitical games. He stressed that genocide allegations were put forward after Turkey became a member of NATO in 1952.

Turkey’s position on the events of 1915 is that the deaths of Armenians in eastern Anatolia took place when some sided with invading Russians and revolted against Ottoman forces. A subsequent relocation of Armenians resulted in numerous casualties.

Turkey objects to the presentation of the incidents as “genocide,” describing them as a tragedy in which both sides suffered casualties.

Ankara has repeatedly proposed the creation of a joint commission of historians from Turkey and Armenia as well as international experts to tackle the issue.

While giving interview to Russia 24 TV Patriarch of Moscow Kirill projected that no one destroyed Christian minorities in Ottoman Empire.

On his part, former military attache of the Turkish Embassy in Azerbaijan, General Yucel Karauz in his interview with AzVision.az exposed that there has been no “Armenian genocide” in history and no legal or historical facts confirming these allegations. He presented counter narrative of the deportation of millions of Azerbaijani people in the Caucasus and the Khojaly massacre.

He cited that “Harbord” report made during the presidency of President Woodrow Wilson found that the allegations about the so-called “Armenian genocide” were not true.

Being prominent regional expert of Azerbaijan & South Caucasus I strongly reject fabricated historic notions of Armenia about so-called genocide and term it untrue, unreal and totally false.

Azerbaijan has principal stance, resolve and unequivocal position on the so-called and fake Armenian genocide. Azerbaijan and Turkey have always disapproved the attempts to recognize the so-called Armenian genocide. The recognition of the so-called Armenian genocide is a falsification of history.

President Ilham Aliyev has repeatedly stated that any step against Turkey is against Azerbaijan, and any step against Azerbaijan is against Turkey. Thus message is loud and clear.

Since Armenia has already instigated his people by launching a new complex and complicated hybrid war against Azerbaijan and Turkey it is high time to reactivate concrete diplomatic efforts to develop and disseminate counter national narratives highlighting Armenian centuries long ethnic cleansing and series of genocides against harmless Azerbaijan people and local communities alike. Certain media campaigns must be initiated to mitigate onslaught of Armenian propaganda about its so-called genocide in the past.

Governments of Azerbaijan and Turkey should jointly prepare a common strategy to highlight the horrible follies, heinous crimes against humanity and horrendous state sponsorship of Armenia against the peace loving people of Azerbaijan and other local communities in the regional as well as international media.

End game in South Caucasus is restarted with the hope that Azerbaijan and Turkey will be at the receiving end. It fears that economic comparative advantages of Azerbaijan and Turkey will be marginalized. Their social cohesion will be sabotaged. Their political unity will be destroyed. The genie of Pariah Theory has now come out of bottle to perform naked dance against humanity and harmony which should be dealt with irony hands.

Burning of national flags of Azerbaijan and Turkey clearly demonstrates uncivilized behavior of fascist Armenia. Starting of indiscriminate shelling on some of the borders also depicts irresponsible and inhumane conduct of Armenia.

Lessons of history reveal that Armenian propaganda remained unsuccessful and Azerbaijan’s superior human survival efforts, immoral traits and true spirits could not be swayed through conspiracies, conflicts and confrontations. Despite all its schemes and secretive activities Armenia could not achieve victory against resilient people of Azerbaijan which possess the 80 percent GDP of the South Caucasus.

Dr Mehmood-ul-Hassan Khan

Director, Geopolitics/Economics Member Board of Experts, CGSS

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COURTESY azertag.az

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ISLAMABAD, APR 26: Pakistan views the recent alarming developments in the Occupied Palestinian Territories with serious concern.

These include harassment of people coming for prayers, arrests of innocent Palestinians and other arbitrary restrictions in violation of fundamental human rights.

These illegal measures have seen an upsurge since the onset of the holy month of Ramadan.

Pakistan condemns these violent acts carried out by the Israeli Occupation forces and urges the international community for prompt action to protect Palestinians.

Pakistan steadfastly supports the Palestinian people’s inalienable right to self-determination. For just and lasting peace, it is imperative to have a two-state solution in accordance with the relevant United Nations and OIC resolutions, with the pre-1967 borders, and Al-Quds Al-Sharif as the capital of a viable, independent and contiguous Palestinian State.

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You must try this chatpati chana chaat if you’re looking for a recipe to spice up your iftar. Here’s everything you will need to prepare the delicious platter

Half kg chickpeas

Half tablespoon baking soda

Two tablespoon besan

One tablespoon food colouring

Half cup tamarind or imli pulp

Salt to taste

Two boiled and cubed potatoes

Half tablespoon chaat masala

One cup yogurt

Half tablespoon red chilli powder

Half tablespoon crushed red chilli

One tablespoon roasted and crushed cumin seeds

One tablespoon crushed coriander seeds

Four tablespoon coriander leaves

Four to five tablespoons curry leaves

Two chopped green chillies 

Papri

Soak chickpeas and add baking soda. Then boil chickpeas until they are soft. Add salt as well.

Take oil in a pot and fry the chickpeas with zeera, curry leaves and coriander seeds. Mix besan with water and add it to the chickpeas along with imli pulp. 

Now add spices and salt and mix well.

When chickpeas have cooled down, add potatoes, coriander leaves and tomatoes. Serve with crispy papri.

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COURTESY SAMAA.TV

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WATCH VIDEO: Community with Shared Future: A Multilateral Approach to Tackling Global Challenges

WATCH VIDEO: Community with Shared Future: A Multilateral Approach to Tackling Global Challenges

ISLAMABAD, APR 26: Pakistan on Monday viewed the "alarming developments" in occupied Palestinian territories with "serious concern" and condemned Israeli violence during the month of Ramazan, according to a statement from the Foreign Office (FO).

"Pakistan views the recent alarming developments in the occupied Palestinian territories with serious concern.

"These include harassment of people coming for prayers, arrests of innocent Palestinians and other arbitrary restrictions in violation of fundamental human rights," said the FO, adding that the "illegal measures" had seen an upsurge since the start of the month of Ramazan.

The statement said "Pakistan condemns these violent acts carried out by the Israeli occupation forces" and called upon the international community to take immediate action to protect Palestinians.

"Pakistan steadfastly supports the Palestinian people’s inalienable right to self-determination.

For just and lasting peace, it is imperative to have a two-state solution in accordance with the relevant United Nations and OIC (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation) resolutions, with the pre-1967 borders, and Al Quds Al Sharif as the capital of a viable, independent and contiguous Palestinian State," read the FO statement.

Ramazan dispute

The Palestinian clashes with Israeli police began with the start of Ramazan, on April 13. Palestinians say police have tried to prevent them from holding their usual Ramazan evening gatherings outside Damascus Gate.

Police say the measure is part of efforts to ensure Muslims can safely get to the main prayer site.

"Palestinians love to relax in this area after evening prayers at Al Aqsa Mosque, but the occupation (Israel) doesn't like it. It's a matter of sovereignty," said Jerusalem resident Mohammad Abu Al-Homus.

Clashes and other violent incidents between Palestinians and Israelis in Jerusalem have occurred nightly since the start of Ramazan and have laid bare simmering tensions in the holy city.

The incidents threaten to break a sustained period of relative quiet in a contested city at the core of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israeli police had made over 50 arrests and Palestinian medics said 100 were injured during clashes on April 22. From late Thursday night into early Friday, police in riot gear and on horseback had fought to keep apart two groups of protesters — Palestinian youth hurling firecrackers and setting fire to garbage bins, and ultra-nationalist Israelis chanting anti-Arab slogans.

In a statement in English, Hebrew and Arabic, the US Embassy had also said it was "deeply concerned" about the violence and had urged an end to incitement and a return to calm.

Israel claims all of Jerusalem, including the eastern sector captured in the 1967 Middle East war, as its capital. Palestinians seek to make East Jerusalem, including its Muslim, Christian and Jewish holy sites, capital of a future state.

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COURTESY DAWN NEWS

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ISLAMABAD/JAKARTA, APR 25: After publishing the sad news of Indonesian Submarine sank as hopes of rescuing 53 sailors on board faded on Saturday, the Pakistani authorities conveyed their sympathies and condolences with the Indonesian government and its people and especially with those families who lost their loved ones in this tragic incident.

Indonesia Embassy in Pakistan also said, we are truly sorry for your loss. We would like to offer you and your families our deepest & most sincere condolences and may the soul of your great submariners rest in peace.

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ANKARA, APR 24: Pakistan and Turkey entirely reject U.S. President Joe Biden‘s recognition of the 1915 events during the Ottoman Empire period as “genocide”, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said, minutes after Biden’s declaration.

“We have nothing to learn from anybody on our own past. Political opportunism is the greatest betrayal to peace and justice,” Çavuşoğlu said on Twitter. “We entirely reject this statement based solely on populism.”

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ISLAMABAD, APR 24: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Friday that Pakistan and India were not engaged in any "peace talks" and the United Arab Emirates was not facilitating anything.

In an interview with TRT World, Qureshi said he wanted to "correct" the host, Andrea Sanke, on her question that whether the "secret" round of peace talks between Pakistan and India being facilitated by the UAE were "showing more promise" than the peace talks in Afghanistan.

"We are not having any peace talks at the moment and the UAE is not facilitating anything," said the foreign minister. He had arrived in Istanbul on Friday for a two-day official visit to "participate in a trilateral meeting of the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Turkey and Afghanistan", according to a statement from the Foreign Office.

Qureshi said he had "seen stories about the 'role of mediation', [but] no".

“[The] UAE is a friend and it has good relations with Pakistan and India," said the foreign minister, adding that all friends had been consistently saying that the two were nuclear countries with outstanding issues who could not go to war, therefore, "the best way forward is dialogue."

"Pakistan has never shied away from dialogue. India had shied away, India took certain steps that vitiated the climate," Qureshi stated.

"Look at the statement Pakistan made, look at the statement Prime Minister Imran Khan made when he won the elections: 'You take one step towards peace, we will take two'.

"It was an olive branch because we as a government, we have a people-centric agenda. We want economic security, we want to concentrate on our economic stability and for that we need peace, we need peace with our eastern neighbour and we need peace on the western front. So talks make sense," said the foreign minister.

He stated that if India wanted to convince Pakistan that it was willing to talk then it would have to create a "conducive environment" — which it had originally vitiated by the actions taken on August 5, 2019, according to Qureshi.

He added that Kashmiris had been "snatched" of their statehood, alienated, deprived of their rights and were still in a "double lockdown". "We are facing a Covid lockdown, they are facing a Covid lockdown and they are facing a military siege."

"So how do we talk to people in that environment. Give them (Kashmiris) the relief, give them the statehood.

"Even the secular voices within India have said the Kashmir policy of the Indian government has failed, it has boomeranged [and] it has failed to achieve the objectives that were initiated when it was launched, so revisit [and] rethink," said FM Qureshi.

"If you are willing to engage, Pakistan will never shy away."

The UAE's envoy to Washington had previously confirmed that the Gulf state was mediating between India and Pakistan to help the nuclear-armed rivals reach a “healthy and functional” relationship.

Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba had said in a virtual discussion with Stanford University's Hoover Institution that the UAE had played a role “in bringing Kashmir escalation down and created a ceasefire, hopefully ultimately leading to restoring diplomats and getting the relationship back to a healthy level”.

“They might not sort of become best friends but at least we want to get it to a level where it's functional, where it's operational, where they are speaking to each other,” he had said.

Top intelligence officers from India and Pakistan held secret talks in Dubai in January in a new effort to calm military tension over the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir, people with knowledge of the matter had told Reuters.

Ties between India and Pakistan have been frozen since a suicide bombing of an Indian military convoy in occupied Kashmir in 2019 was blamed on Pakistan, leading to India sending warplanes to Pakistan.

Later that year, India's prime minister withdrew the occupied region's autonomy in order to tighten his grip over the territory, provoking outrage in Pakistan and the downgrading of diplomatic ties and suspension of bilateral trade.

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COURTESY DAWN NEWS

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