ISLAMABADA: Pakistan’s foreign office on Tuesday rejected “baseless and unfounded” allegations by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who said this week that his country was fighting “mercenaries” from various states including China, Pakistan and parts of Africa.
After visiting a frontline area in the northeastern Kharkiv region, Zelenskyy wrote on X on Monday that as per reports from his “warriors,” mercenaries from China, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, and African countries are participating in the war against Ukraine.
Zelenskyy has previously accused Moscow of recruiting Chinese fighters for its war effort against Ukraine, charges Beijing denied, while North Korea has also reportedly provided thousands of its troops in Russia’s Kursk region.
“The Government of Pakistan categorically rejects the baseless and unfounded allegations of the involvement of Pakistani nationals in the conflict in Ukraine,” the foreign office said in a statement.
“To date, Pakistan has not been formally approached by the Ukrainian authorities, nor has any verifiable evidence been presented to substantiate such claims.”
It said the government will discuss the matter with Ukrainian authorities and seek clarification on Zelenskyy’s statement.
“Pakistan reaffirms its commitment to the peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict through dialogue and diplomacy, in accordance with the principles of the UN Charter,” the foreign office concluded.
Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, amid protests from Western governments and peace activists worldwide. Thousands have been killed on both sides since the conflict began and rages on, with Washington and other powers calling for an end to the fighting that has dealt setbacks to the global economy and developing countries.
Pakistan has repeatedly called for de-escalation and cessation of hostilities between Russia and Ukraine ever since the war began. Pakistan has also welcomed talks between both countries and agreements on prisoner exchanges while raising alarm at the increasing surge in civilian casualties as the war continues.
Islamabad has moved closer to Russia in recent months, signing trade and investment agreements with Moscow as it seeks to escape a prolonged economic crisis. Pakistan has avoided criticizing Russia for invading the eastern European country, calling instead for a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
Pakistanis hold anti-India rallies to mark 6th anniversary of revocation of Kashmir’s special status
Protesters denounce 2019 revocation of Kashmir’s special status, demand restoration of statehood for Himalayan region
In Srinagar, supporters of India’s opposition Congress party also rallied to demand restoring statehood of the disputed region
Updated 10 sec ago
AP
MUZAFFARABAD: Chanting anti-India slogans, hundreds of people rallied on Tuesday in Azad Kashmir to mark the sixth anniversary of India’s revocation of the disputed region’s semi-autonomous status.
The rallies in the part of the disputed Kashmir region governed by Pakistan came nearly three months after Pakistan and India exchanged military strikes over a mass shooting in the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir, which New Delhi blamed on Islamabad, a charge Pakistan denied. The confrontation raised fears of a potential nuclear conflict before global powers defused the crisis.
The protesters denounced the August 5, 2019, revocation of Kashmir’s special status by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and demanded the restoration of statehood for the Himalayan region, which has been split between India and Pakistan and claimed by both in its entirety.
The region has sparked two wars between the nuclear-armed neighbors since 1947, when the nations gained independence from Britain.
The main protest Tuesday in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, which is called Azad Kashmir, drew hundreds of members of civil society and political parties.
Mazhar Saeed Shah, a leader of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference — an alliance of pro-freedom Kashmiri political and religious groups — at the rally urged the international community to help ensure Kashmiris are granted the right to self-determination, as called for in UN resolutions decades ago.
Similar anti-India demonstrations were held in Islamabad, where Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar reaffirmed Pakistan’s moral and diplomatic support for Kashmiris seeking what he called “freedom from India’s illegal occupation.”
Meanwhile in Srinagar in Indian-administered Kashmir, supporters of India’s opposition Congress party rallied to demand that the government restore the statehood of the disputed region.
PESHAWAR: Supporters of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party held coordinated rallies across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Tuesday to demand the release of jailed ex-premier Imran Khan but were unable to convene in the capital and other key regions due to arrests of supporters and restrictions on public gatherings.
The rallies mark the second anniversary of Khan’s arrest and come amid a 90-day “do or die” protest campaign the party launched in mid-July. The PTI leadership has pledged peaceful but sustained mobilization against what it calls politically motivated cases against Khan and other party leaders.
Ahead of Tuesday’s rallies, at least 120 PTI supporters and leaders were arrested in raids overnight, security officials confirmed to Reuters. Most of the detentions, made on Monday night and early on Tuesday, were in the eastern city of Lahore where the PTI had vowed its biggest demonstration, as well as protests elsewhere.
At least 200 activists had been arrested from Lahore, said party spokesperson Zulfikar Bukhari, adding that the protest would go ahead.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a province the PTI has ruled since 2018, saw widespread mobilization on Tuesday despite a ban on public gatherings under Section 144 imposed in the federal capital and other regions. The main rally in the provincial capital, Peshawar, was led by KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, while district-level convoys converged at interchanges and city centers across the province.
“This protest is being held to raise a voice against the illegal arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan and to demand his immediate release,” said a statement by the PTI’s chapter in North Waziristan, a main district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
“Imran Khan is the hope and voice of the people of Pakistan and is being targeted for political revenge,” party speakers said at a rally in North Waziristan’s main town of Miranshah, adding that “all false and baseless cases must be immediately dismissed.”
Rallies were reported in Swabi, Charsadda, Mardan, Nowshera, Mohmand, Battagram, Abbottabad, Upper Chitral, Shangla, Upper Dir, Mansehra and Kurram, among other areas.
“The Freedom Movement rally will also be held in other districts, with a large number of workers participating,” PTI Khyber Pakhtunkhwa social media head Ikram Khattana said in a statement shared with media.
“The rally departing from Swabi, Charsadda and Mardan will conclude at Ambar Interchange, Swabi … The rally departing from Chakdara Toll Plaza at 4pm will be led by MPAs Junaid Akbar and Fazal Hakim,” Khattana added.
In Upper Chitral, a major rally was led by Deputy Speaker of the KP Assembly Surayya Bibi and PTI District President Shehzada Sikandarul Mulk. Party representatives said cabinet members, tehsil chairpersons, women’s wing leaders and VC chairmen participated as the caravan moved toward Charon Bridge.
In district Kurram, PTI described the rally as “historic,” and said it was held in defiance of “difficult conditions” for political activism in the area.
“The people of Kurram have proven that they stand with Imran Khan,” the party’s district unit said.
The protests follow a national call to action by PTI, which announced in July it would stage “do or die” demonstrations every week for 90 days to demand Khan’s release.
The party’s leadership claims he is facing over 170 cases, including charges of corruption, sedition and terrorism, which they allege are part of a military-backed crackdown to keep him out of politics. The government and army deny the charges of political persecution.
The PTI ruled Pakistan from 2018 until 2022, when Khan was ousted in a parliamentary no-confidence vote. He was arrested in May 2023 and again in August 2023, and is currently imprisoned at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, where he is serving sentences in multiple cases. He has also been disqualified from holding public office by Pakistan’s election commission.
Security was tight in the capital and in parts of Punjab on Monday and Tuesday, with the government imposing Section 144 to prevent large gatherings. In Rawalpindi and Islamabad, authorities preemptively detained dozens of PTI activists, according to local media reports. However, there were no major reports of violence from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where the PTI remains in government.
Khan’s party had always created “chaos,” Uzma Bukhari, a spokesperson of the provincial government, told a press conference on Monday.
“No political party can be barred from politics in Pakistan, but a terrorist organization disguised as a political party is not allowed to disrupt Pakistan’s peace.”
KARACHI: Chinese company Xinning Enterprise and the Gwadar Port Authority (GPA) have signed an agreement to stimulate industrial and commercial investments at the port and its free zone, Pakistan’s maritime affairs ministry said on Tuesday.
Gwadar city is situated along the Arabian Sea and lies at the heart of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), under which Beijing has funneled tens of billions of dollars into massive transport, energy and infrastructure projects in Pakistan.
Pakistani officials have said Gwadar’s geostrategic position as the shortest trade route to the Gulf and Central Asia highlights its port’s potential to become a regional transshipment hub.
“China’s Xinning Enterprise has signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with Gwadar Port Authority (GPA) to stimulate major industrial and commercial investments at Gwadar Port and its Free Zone, underscoring Gwadar’s growing role as a key regional hub for trade and economic activity,” the statement said.
The statement said these ventures include developing Gwadar port as a regional transshipment center, launching new industrial projects, optimizing existing facilities within the Gwadar Free Zone and relocating industries.
Pakistan’s Maritime Affairs Minister lauded the partnership as a “significant milestone” in strengthening Gwadar’s strategic importance.
“He highlighted Xinning Enterprise’s potential to boost the port’s throughput, attract foreign investment, and contribute to the broader economic development of the region,” the statement said.
Chaudhry reaffirmed the government’s commitment to transforming Gwadar into a global maritime gateway and industrial powerhouse, the ministry added. He stressed that collaborations with reputable international enterprises will accelerate Pakistan’s maritime and economic ambitions.
As cash-strapped Pakistan recovers from a macroeconomic crisis with the help of a $7 billion International Monetary Fund deal, Islamabad has been looking to capitalize on its geostrategic location to boost transit trade and foreign investment for a sustainable economic recovery.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government has eyed increased trade and investment deals with regional allies such as the Gulf countries and Central Asian Republics since Pakistan came close to defaulting on its debt in 2023.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s disaster management agency on Tuesday warned of a potential flood situation along the Sutlej River due to sharp increases in water discharge and forecast heavy rainfall across northern India, as the country’s monsoon death toll climbed to 302.
The Sutlej, one of the five rivers that flow through Punjab province, runs from the Himalayas through India into eastern Pakistan. The alert comes as Pakistan continues to grapple with widespread monsoon damage.
According to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), more than half of the 302 deaths since July 26 have occurred due to house collapses, followed by drownings and flash floods. Over 700 people have also been injured.
“As of 5 August 2025, River Sutlej’s discharge at downstream Ferozepur (Ganda Singh Wala) rose sharply from 28,657 to 33,653 cusecs within an hour, indicating an upward trend,” the NDMA’s National Emergencies Operation Center (NEOC) said in a statement.
“While the situation currently remains normal, further rise is anticipated due to forecasted heavy rainfall over Sutlej and Beas catchments in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh, as well as releases from Pong Dam [in India] through the power station.”
The NEOC warned the Bhakra and Pong dams, currently at 55 percent and 56 percent of their storage capacity, may soon release additional water, potentially pushing the Sutlej to low flood levels at Ganda Singh Wala during the week.
The statement said monsoon currents are actively penetrating upper and central Pakistan, with a westerly trough persisting over the north. The meteorological outlook for August 5 to 7 includes scattered heavy to very heavy rainfall in several regions, which could further swell rivers and canals.
Authorities have urged residents in flood-prone areas, particularly those near canals, seasonal water streams and flood plains, to remain alert, limit travel during adverse weather and avoid entering rising waters.
Local administrations have been directed to ensure drainage systems are cleared and emergency response teams are on high alert for potential evacuations or rescue operations.
Citizens have also been advised to secure valuables and livestock and monitor official guidance via the NDMA’s Disaster Alert app and media updates.
NDMA said it was monitoring the situation in coordination with provincial and district authorities.
Death of a delta: Pakistan’s Indus sinks and shrinks
As seawater swallows villages, over 1.2 million people have been displaced from the Indus delta region
India’s move to revoke 1960 Indus treaty raises fears of further water cuts to Pakistan’s lifeline river
Updated 05 August 2025
AFP
KHARO CHAN, Sindh: Salt crusts crackle underfoot as Habibullah Khatti walks to his mother’s grave to say a final goodbye before he abandons his parched island village on Pakistan’s Indus delta.
Seawater intrusion into the delta, where the Indus River meets the Arabian Sea in the south of the country, has triggered the collapse of farming and fishing communities.
“The saline water has surrounded us from all four sides,” Khatti told AFP from Abdullah Mirbahar village in the town of Kharo Chan, around 15 kilometers (9 miles) from where the river empties into the sea.
As fish stocks fell, the 54-year-old turned to tailoring until that too became impossible with only four of the 150 households remaining.
“In the evening, an eerie silence takes over the area,” he said, as stray dogs wandered through the deserted wooden and bamboo houses.
Kharo Chan once comprised around 40 villages, but most have disappeared under rising seawater.
The town’s population fell from 26,000 in 1981 to 11,000 in 2023, according to census data.
Khatti is preparing to move his family to nearby Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city, and one swelling with economic migrants, including from the Indus delta.
In this aerial photograph taken on June 25, 2025, abandoned houses are pictured in one of the villages of Kharo Chan town, in the Indus delta, south of Pakistan. (AFP/File)
The Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum, which advocates for fishing communities, estimates that tens of thousands of people have been displaced from the delta’s coastal districts.
However, more than 1.2 million people have been displaced from the overall Indus delta region in the last two decades, according to a study published in March by the Jinnah Institute, a think tank led by a former climate change minister.
The downstream flow of water into the delta has decreased by 80 percent since the 1950s as a result of irrigation canals, hydropower dams and the impacts of climate change on glacial and snow melt, according to a 2018 study by the US-Pakistan Center for Advanced Studies in Water.
That has led to devastating seawater intrusion.
The salinity of the water has risen by around 70 percent since 1990, making it impossible to grow crops and severely affecting the shrimp and crab populations.
In this photograph taken on June 25, 2025, Haji Karam Jat (L), a fisherman, uses bamboo sticks to build his new house in Keti Bandar town of Thatta district near the Indus delta, in the south of Pakistan. (AFP/File)
“The delta is both sinking and shrinking,” said Muhammad Ali Anjum, a local WWF conservationist.
Beginning in Tibet, the Indus River flows through disputed Kashmir before traversing the entire length of Pakistan.
The river and its tributaries irrigate about 80 percent of the country’s farmland, supporting millions of livelihoods.
The delta, formed by rich sediment deposited by the river as it meets the sea, was once ideal for farming, fishing, mangroves and wildlife.
But more than 16 percent of fertile land has become unproductive due to encroaching seawater, a government water agency study in 2019 found.
In the town of Keti Bandar, which spreads inland from the water’s edge, a white layer of salt crystals covers the ground.
Boats carry in drinkable water from miles away and villagers cart it home via donkeys.
“Who leaves their homeland willingly?” said Hajji Karam Jat, whose house was swallowed by the rising water level.
He rebuilt farther inland, anticipating more families would join him.
“A person only leaves their motherland when they have no other choice,” he told AFP.
n this photograph taken on June 25, 2025, Habibullah Khatti, a local resident, walks over the salt crusts deposited in Abdullah Mirbahar village in Kharo Chan town, in the Indus delta, south of Pakistan. (AFP/File)
British colonial rulers were the first to alter the course of the Indus River with canals and dams, followed more recently by dozens of hydropower projects.
Earlier this year, several military-led canal projects on the Indus River were halted when farmers in the low-lying riverine areas of Sindh province protested.
To combat the degradation of the Indus River Basin, the government and the United Nations launched the ‘Living Indus Initiative’ in 2021.
One intervention focuses on restoring the delta by addressing soil salinity and protecting local agriculture and ecosystems.
The Sindh government is currently running its own mangrove restoration project, aiming to revive forests that serve as a natural barrier against saltwater intrusion.
Even as mangroves are restored in some parts of the coastline, land grabbing and residential development projects drive clearing in other areas.
Neighboring India meanwhile poses a looming threat to the river and its delta, after revoking a 1960 water treaty with Pakistan which divides control over the Indus basin rivers.
It has threatened to never reinstate the treaty and build dams upstream, squeezing the flow of water to Pakistan, which has called it “an act of war.”
Alongside their homes, the communities have lost a way of life tightly bound up in the delta, said climate activist Fatima Majeed, who works with the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum.
Women, in particular, who for generations have stitched nets and packed the day’s catches, struggle to find work when they migrate to cities, said Majeed, whose grandfather relocated the family from Kharo Chan to the outskirts of Karachi.
“We haven’t just lost our land, we’ve lost our culture.”
